It’s Friday morning. Very early Friday morning, in fact. 4:54 AM as the clock on my computer tells me. This means one thing: it’s going to be a long day.
Friday is Travel Day. I leave The Undisclosed Location and head back home, a journey of about 150 miles–or 242 kilometers for everyone else in the world who isn’t living in one of three countries were Imperial Measurement is still king. It’s always about a three hour drive, which means I should dub my care The Minnow, or something along those lines.
I have so much to do this weekend. Yes, I know about those query letters . . . *hangs head*. Oi. What can I say? All those shiny things on the Internet are controlling my mind again. I can to that realization last night when I was actually trying to write something new, and I couldn’t get it started because I had too damn many things drawing my attention, and of late I’ve been worse than a hyperactive 6 year old who ate a dozen sugar cookies and washed them down with Red Bull.
The mind wanders, and I’m looking for . . . what? Can’t tell you, but I know this has been my worst week for writing. I can tell by the blog, because this last week has been My Most Uninspired Week. Yes, that needed to be put in caps, because it’s important.
This week nothing has come to me. The rudder done broke and I got no way to steer this damn thing. It feels horrible, too, because I feel the floundering, the inability to write a line, then look around and say, “Hey, I wonder if there’s anything good over on (enter name of website here)?”
The discipline has waned just a little–more than just a little, but it’s still there. I am still writing, though it’s just not coming out at white-hot speed right this moment. More like dribbling out in a very thin, semi-interrupted stream of words.
Enough of this shit.
Tonight I’ll get some writing in. I’m on the final edit of Her Demonic Majesty, and I’m being quite honest when I saw, it’s very good, and I’m getting it a little better. Last night I edited the chapter where I finally get Jeannette and Diana together, in bed (yeah, sort of like that), and before I was finished with those two thousand, or so, words, I’d added another one hundred to the mix. Tighten here, lose some words there, and rewrite where necessary. I’m actually loving my NaNo Novel, and I don’t know if that’s something I’m suppose to do–if you create something, aren’t you suppose to hate all the misery and agony it puts you through? I’m confused.
Tomorrow I’m going to start plotting out Diners at the Memory’s End in Scrivener tomorrow. I need to do this because this story requires something to happen at a particular time, and Mr. Anal Me, I gotta know if the time I’ve picked out for said event actually occurs when it should. Not that it matter, because it’s going to happen, but . . .
There are other reasons to plot this out as well, because I need to know that time flows the way it’s suppose to flow. That’s how I am with stories, particularly my stories that require events to happen a certain way. So that’s up.
And perhaps . . . I’ve got two other stories in my head that need Scrivener setup as well. Maybe three. I know that for one of them, I imagined I was having lunch with Kali at Panara’s yesterday, so that should tell you how my mind is working. I’m working on scenes for a story–or I’m having a nervous breakdown. Flip a coin: either result is likely valid.
Time to get serious again. I’ve been sliding since the start of the month, and May shouldn’t be that way. May should be a time to kick ass. I should be kicking ass.
It’s time to get back on the crazy writing train.
‘Cause who the hell wants to be stuck in in this goddamn Lodi forever?
May 18, 2012 at 5:02 am
I’m with you, man. May should be a month to kick ass, not get kicked in the ass…or something like that.
Its been rough getting back on the train since ‘the event’. But I’ve given myself a couple weeks to get back into it and adjusted my goal to compensate for time spent at the hospital.
Half-way through the re-write and then onto the Betas. That’s slightly terrifying.
May 18, 2012 at 5:05 am
Yeah, I don’t know if I want to get out there with beta readers, but I should. Just to get this thing going. I wondering how many of the “selling” writers actual let people read their stuff? I mean, I think it’s good enough to sell–do I need someone else telling me they didn’t like it because of the lesbian vampire?
May 18, 2012 at 6:25 am
I look to beta readers to test if what I’ve written is really GOOD. I ask people who I think wouldn’t normally read either my subject matter or anything I’ve written (I know, I know). I find their feedback to be more valuable for a beta read because if I can write something that they can believe (they may not like it); that the flow and such makes sense to them, then I’m well on my way to pleasing my target readers. At least that’s how it’s worked for me so far.
May 18, 2012 at 6:26 am
Then I might give that a try. I guess it wouldn’t hurt at all.
May 18, 2012 at 7:16 am
Its not at all painful and I have gotten some amazing feed back from folks that’s really helped me put the polish on the work.
May 18, 2012 at 7:18 am
Well, I belong to a group, so time to use them.
May 18, 2012 at 6:56 am
Go kick some ass!!! Talk about unfocus, this one here<<<totally trying to get some stuff together on a business venture so revising one of my stories (not one you read, older one) making me crazy because I want this book out yesterday, 6 years to write, 2 waiting, and several months taking back my intellectual property…so I understand and I will give you a big bag of 'kick ass' if you need some…I been using top quality stuff lol! The business venture is coming a long nicely
May 18, 2012 at 7:02 am
Keep working, then! Go for the venture, and kick more ass!
May 18, 2012 at 10:41 pm
Oh Ray I totally plan on it, you guys will see in the coming months
I have been excited to strike out on my own and have some great support with me, it’s going to be so awesome! 
And thank you! You make sure to kick some ass as well I wanna see! 
May 18, 2012 at 10:42 pm
I’m setting up a new story as we, um, speak.
May 21, 2012 at 8:10 am
Sweet! Been in the revisions stage of one for a couple days. I’m hoping the publisher thinks it’s ready…long time coming!
May 21, 2012 at 8:24 am
I really need to get a query letter together and send it out for another story I have. the idea of putting one together is intimidating.
May 27, 2012 at 5:05 am
Really people think it’s a daunting task but it’s not. You just have to set your mind to it and find some good examples to work from, which you can find online no problem. I’ve helped my clients that I agent with that a few months back. Some of them can be pretty simple and just list the info and a little about yourself, no longer than a page in length.
May 27, 2012 at 6:31 am
I finally got to it Friday night, and once I decided who I was sending it to, and I’d spent about 30 minutes understanding what they wanted (letter, sample, bio, format for all), I put everything together in about an hour. And, yes: the letter itself was no more than a page. The nice thing was I put it all together in Scrivener, ran the compile for that folder as an rtf, and just needed to do a little editing in Word before emailing it out. It was a far less painful experience than I was anticipating.
May 28, 2012 at 6:37 am
When I wrote my first one it was pretty daunting but that was two years ago and I knew nothing lol! Since then we learn a lot and I’m glad I learn so fast. Makes me able to help others which is good in my line of work. Getting one of my writers to write up all the proper documents was like pulling teeth though oh goodness lol! But now we have all of his stuff and I’m taking it with me into the new venture so he doesn’t have to write them again.
May 28, 2012 at 6:42 am
Now that I have the first out the door, the others will not be as intimidating from this point on.
May 28, 2012 at 7:19 am
That’s good
Happy for you!
May 18, 2012 at 10:53 am
I’m with ya, been a crazy year for me to settle down and write my stuff. Your voice in this piece is hugely entertaining
I had to slip in an adverb. Love your style and if you’re throwing stuff out here for us, go for the beta readers…take the good and shake off the negative…you’ll be glad you did.
Namaste
May 18, 2012 at 10:56 am
I hope that adverb you slipped into was comfortable.
I’m giving a lot of thought to beta readers. Might be a good way to get some input and not feel like I’m working in a vacuum.
May 18, 2012 at 8:59 pm
I’m in a funk too, Raymond
At least you have beta readers. Crap – I planned to send you some good cheer and here I am being a downer…
Anyway, I hope things go well for you!
May 18, 2012 at 9:02 pm
It’s all good, George. I’m feeling better tonight. Just went on a 5000 words tear editing. It’s coming and going for me–maybe I just needed to blow off steam on the road tonight.
May 18, 2012 at 10:05 pm
You’re a writing-machine, man. Glad to hear you’re out of Lodi!