Day 182

Monday, March 14, 2011. . .

            THE WRITING. . .Incorporated the weekend's jotted notes. Concerned about pacing.

Reminder: every scene must move the plot forward. One way this happens is in the change of a character: begin a scene with her in one condition (emotionally, mentally, physically: safe, in danger, happy, sad, etc.), end the scene with her in the opposite condition.

This is why we turn pages. This is why movies keep us in our seats.

Facebook author page – Three readers have responded to the offer to receive an early copy of Desert Gift, write a review, and post it online. Reviews on other author’s books sometime sway my decision to buy/read or not; they are an important aspect of the writing business. Sometimes I read about my own books and am delighted to learn how a reader “saw” the story in ways I did not have in mind.

THE DETAILS. . .Noon time walk. Early a.m. walks have disappeared in recent weeks as I jump first thing into the story. Makes for better writing and unhappy hips. It’s obviously spring break for some people; the pier is a busy, busy place.

Day 36

Monday, October 18, 2010. . .

            THE WRITING. . .My agent once told me that “somebody has to die.” He had read opening pages of a new project of mine and wondered at every character being so nice.  =)

I’ve often repeated his advice to myself. It’s probably why I am able to allow a character to make a stupid choice and pay the consequences. I dig deep, though; I want them to be compelled to make such a decision out of a woundedness. The fallout needs to be, on the surface, unfixable. It just is.

It has been on my mind again as my fifteen-year old character and her parents go at it. I’d rather they were all nice and peaceable and reasonable. =)

A day of important story progress. Everyone and every situation is in place. I feel freed up to do some editing on the last story. I have not yet, after all these years, found the ability to work on two different stories simultaneously. I will set aside Heart Echoes and focus on Desert Gift.

One of my wise and wonderful editors has made tweaking suggestions. Sometimes suggestions are major, some are out-and-out strong “how about overhaul” ideas. But she promises that we are down to minor tweaks on this project. I hope so. By this point in the process I am always a bit tired of these characters. Ha, ha.

I will read through the manuscript and make appropriate changes and the story will be so much better due to this fine-tuning. So, another deadline is on the calendar, November 3^rd. This is my last turn to take a whack at it. Then she will finish up, then others will do their specialty to get it into print, bound in a cover, with all the extra goodies. Then others will get it from a warehouse to a shelf.

A book is so obviously a team effort I do not know why only my name is on the cover.

DETAILS. . .Walk in early morning mist. As often happens, this is where the writing began for this day, my folks reminding me of this and that about themselves. =)

I read Psalm 84, next Sunday’s reading. Three years ago I marked it in my Bible as Sunday’s reading for October 28, 2007. That was six days after the wildfire destroyed our house and – except for a few things – every material item.

I had underlined three verses: “How I love your palace;” “The sparrow has found its home at last;” “Yahweh withholds nothing good.”

Hard words to comprehend in the wake of such loss for us and hundreds of others. But, because I underlined them, I know they spoke to that place inside of me where comprehension is a heart thing. They told me that my home always is, that it is in the presence of God which is a palace; it exists everywhere, at all times; it is indestructible, good, and perfect. 

Day 33

Friday, October 15, 2010. . .Characters ushered me along today. The best of writing times.

            I did some reading aloud. It’s a helpful practice, especially with dialogue, to hear the written word spoken. The ear picks up rhythms or lack of which the eye cannot.

In years past I would read an entire manuscript out loud before turning it in. The stories were not as long back then. Maybe this is a good discovery today, to vocally read bits at a time.

Also a story reads differently on paper than on monitor. =)

            Yes, we have a cover for the book coming out next June. \O/ And a very nice one it is indeed.

            DETAILS. . .Early walk this morning, all the fishers were fishing, less walkers/joggers out = my “good-morning response” record was not even neared.

However, joy of joys, one older man returned my good morning with “Good morning, love.” Very sweet but the best part is, as I continued on my way, was the resounding of that word “love” in my imagination. Guess who ran into it and took it for his own? The protagonist’s husband. It fits him wonderfully. I had kept trying to put “honey” and “sweetheart” and “dear” in his mouth and he would not say any of them.

This paragraph belongs up above, not in the DETAILS section.

Ha, ha. One of those days where the line of demarcation is very blurry indeed.

Day 32

Thursday, October 14, 2010. . .Whew. Full day. Words all used up. Brain does not want to even read an email. =)

            A favorite quote follows. . .It is an “Artistic Statement” for those in the theatre arts, but I think it applies to us writers as well.

            “…we are called to tell stories both descriptive and prescriptive in nature…Our artistic aim is to creatively produce dramatic works that entertain while simultaneously presenting many of the universal truths God has revealed to us through the human condition…”    -Walter Williams, Point Loma Nazarene University

            Isn’t that a beautiful summation of the point of story telling? We are called and we are called to be creative because the Creator has made us creative. His universal truths are all around us.

What blows my mind is when a new story presents itself or when I begin a scene hoping to move a character to a certain interior space with no idea how to get her there and it just happens. I see in those instances a God Who is endlessly, ceaselessly creative. We’ve only seen snippets of His work.

DETAILS. . .Gloom, gloom, gloom. Typical June weather. I have to look at a calendar to remember what month it is. Usually that happens when it’s 70 degrees in December because I am a Midwest native. Home Group; the selected Scriptures reiterate how God is always taking care of us.

Speaking of beautiful...

                                  

Day 31

Wednesday, October 13, 2010. . .A good plugging along, digging into hearts, pressing in, unveiling new thoughts to characters or they to me, watching them respond…and begin to make choices that – technically speaking – impact the plot.

For fun I diagramed the house where protagonist, husband, and daughter live. Correct, I had not done that yet. Tsk, tsk, out of my normal order. It was fun but also necessary for my mind’s eye because they all finally went home.

I learned something new today: It is too early in the story to write about a minor character’s life. It caused me to miss a significant juncture.

Sloppy, sloppy.

In this series I write from two sisters’ points of view; one is the main character, the other a minor one. Only one per chapter.

I like to write them in chronological order and in the order which the reader will read them. When one sister is doing such-and-such at such-and-such a location, what is the other sister up to?

However I realized today that I missed something by hanging out yesterday with Minor Sis while Major Sis was still taking intricate steps in the middle of a scenario.

Boo. I don’t like to do it, but I have done it and know it works better. I must leave an empty page and later insert the other character’s chapter.

Emails regarding the business side of writing were part of my day. Encouraging stuff. =)

Worked on blog and thanks to help a young mama friend, was able to figure out some of the techie side.

I have yet to mention the prayer that goes into my writing day. It’s such an integral part, kind of like breathing. Perhaps that’s why I do not say on every post that I first off I prayed for help, for words and sentences that will touch readers, whether in delight or questions or comfort or a different way of seeing.

DETAILS. . .Morning walk. Kept track of how many people responded to my “good morning.”  Thirteen.  =)  Voted; ballot by mail is great. Crossword puzzles; gave up on Sunday’s.