From the Inkwell, From the Vein.....

I've placed in my first contest..... I've received my first prize-money check.....I've had my first interview...... and all of this from one small, 741-word flash fiction piece, Charon's Lament. Had I known when I was writing and re-writing what I thought I would never be able to shave down below the 750-word max---that the piece and contest I almost gave up on---would land a 2nd place win, and on-line publication, I might have cursed my wordy sentences and my befuddled brain a little less. There was a point, somewhere in the middle of one of those sleepless nights where I almost said, to hell with it. I almost tore my red-inked pages to shreds, almost slammed my laptop shut caring not to save whatever I had just typed, almost flopped back onto my bed--relishing the sour mood of defeat, which would have been far easier to endure. Almost. Almost. What it was that kept me going, I don't know if I'll ever know. It certainly wasn't confidence in my writ...

Today my identity as a writer/author was confirmed and validated. Knowing that the actual writing is what defines a writer is easy enough to say, but it is immensely more difficult to believe. I have been a writer since I was eleven years old because I have actually written since I was eleven years old. But, until today, I have never FELT like a writer. Today, though, I received my prize money from the WOW! Women on Writing! contest in which my story placed 2nd. Today, I can call myself a writer. It's horrible to think that it takes a piece of paper with my name on it to assure me that I am, in fact, a writer. It's not enough that I have composed hundreds of poems, that I've written half a dozen novels, that I've created dozens of characters and given those characters names and lives of their own. It's not enough that I bleed ink from my veins. I must have a single slip of paper---with writing on it that I did not compose myself---to give myself the name o...

Once again, I have come out of NaNoWrimo triumphant! Triumphant, that is, as far as word count goes. Year 4 found me completing my entry in a Baton Rouge hotel room. But, exactly what it is that I completed, I have not, as yet, figured out. I squeaked out a 50,023-word victory on Nov. 29th. I had hoped to be finished long before then, but life--as it always does--had other plans. But, I did finish....though what I'm left with is FAR from complete. "Tangle of Matter Ghost" had started as a tragic Victorian-ghost love-story, with a not-so-subtle nod to Gothic Lit....that was my intent anyway. Buuuuuuut..... somewhere along the way, about 5 or 10 thousand words into it, the story suddenly became a Civil War novel, centering on Voodoo, the horrors of war and what can happen if you take more than you can pay for....and what can happen if you take magic and you can not pay for that either. So, I have some 15 characters, 137 pages of mixed plot-lines, which is inter...

And, the fruits of labor sometimes yield more than a bushel...... Can't express how excited I am about this---- 2nd place!!!! My first placing in a contest, ever :-D The link below takes you directly to the winner's page... Link: WOW! Women On Writing Summer 2010 Flash Fiction Contest Winners

Well, NaNoWriMo has come and gone again. And for the third year running, I have managed to pull out the 50,000-word quota...this year, about 1 1/2 hours before the wordcount validators were shut down. The novel is probably about 20-30 thousand words shy of being a full first draft, but what I have is definitely more than I thought I would have. When I first set out to write this year's novel, I was a little more than hesitant as I wasn't sure what this collection of stories would bring. Requiem made his debut, though slightly less than stellar, and several other unexpected characters popped up. If nothing else, this year's NaNo gave me a real exercise in instant storytelling. It was really exciting watching ideas and story lines pop out of nowhere. Hopefully, with the collection of plots and new characters, I'll be able to pull some very strong, and cross fingers, very good future novels!!! Yay, for NaNo!!!

Just passed the 50,000-word mark right before midnight!!!!! My total word count for the Write-a-Thon was only about 3,500 words, but it was enough to get me to my first NaNoWriMo win!!!! Now I just have to finish the book....have about 10-15 % left before the end and will get there very soon ;)