For the Criminally Inane

Hi! I broke the 80k words! I'm almost finished writing a first draft. I'm about 2/5 the way through it. I think the ending's great. But the rest of it needs more vamping. I'm pleased that this didn't take as long as I did on my first draft. Still having a hard time having scenes that don't immediately resolve, it's like I crave resolution, peace, end of conflict. But those things make for a crappy novel. Read Mary Poppins the book. It's more like a collection of short stories that have nothing to do with each other. I was a little disappointed. It would be a great case study in a book with no conflict. I think in the 30's, when it was written, that people used their imagination more/were not used to being wowed out of their senses with TV. The only part I liked was the beginning when Mr. Banks tells Mrs. Bansk that they can either have a nice house or four children. They had the four children :)

I hate it when I cut more than I write. This morning I had 96 pages of story. Tonight, 93. I have six pages of outtakes. Depressing. I know two different ways this story is not progressing!

Writing requires a lot of thought. I mean, sitting there, plotting, creating characters, dialogue. During all this time, I floss. I found it has improved my dental hygiene to write. I floss almost daily with those little floss picks. (By the way, I recommend the Plackers not Dentex. Plackers have a smoother entry and a little bit of plastic over the sharp end which I appreciate in case I wanted to use it to clean out my ear wax.) So when you see me smile, observe how plaque free my teeth are and how healthy my gums are too :)

Hi, so, I "finished" the first draft of my second story. I don't feel like the ending is quite right so I'll think about it some more and go back to in. In the mean time, started a new story about two or three weeks ago. Have about 25k words on it all ready. Get this, the main character is a girl and it's a comedy. Anyone surprised? Been distracted with some changes around here.

If a short story is a mouse, then the novel has to be a hulking beast. It's unruly, complex, detailed, fresh, original and compelling. Can I master the beast?

I'll have to admit I get stuck in the details. But that's what makes a story great, right? Those little intricacies that the author sees that no one else has seen before. At least if the author is a good one.

I forgot to post somewhere that I started a new story. Completely different from the first one, except the main character is a girl and it's a comedy like the last one. I've always liked to make people laugh and cry, too. That comes from studying drama and manipulating people's emotions. Anyway, I can't remember when I started it. Probably about the time I read one an agent's post that they are sick of urban fantasy, and mine was an urban fantasy (which was what I liked to read when I was in high school) and so, I put that one aside while my professor was looking over my last story. I'm about 40k words into it. I don't know how it's going to end, but it's been fun, different because it's set in a real place with real things and almost real people. A bit of a stretch for me, since it's a transitional story of someone who's done with college, but not in a career yet, looking for her niche and love of course. Read A Little Princess f...