Sometimes Life Gets In The Way ...

Just saying.

My plan is to post more this spring about writing.  I still have a heavy work schedule, however my goal is to do one tip per week.  Not too difficult?

Today's writing tip:

Characters always have a hidden fear (from their post) that can ripple their judgment at the worst time possible!


~R

Kharma, Thou Art Heartless

Losing a job sucks, especially contract positions that promise to end on a certain date.  You do the work plus extra that is needed, happy bosses smile, everyone loves the output, then you get shafted.  My husband was informed yesterday he has no job after this Friday, five weeks earlier than he we expected.  He had already updated his resume and put in a few applications to other companies. (fingers & toes crossed for good news soon!)

On to brighter things.  Editing is slow but steady.  I'm working on several projects, the main one being a story I finished eleven years ago and that took four years to write.  I still love this story and the SciFi/futuristic universe, and I want to continue creating stories here.

I also started another paranormal series two years ago about a fictitious town in Texas with Scottish Highlanders which I hope to get back to next year. (No, I won't reveal how the Highlanders got to Texas yet.)  I want to do NaNo this year too.  Last year I started but had to drop out due to time restraints.  I'll be better this year.

What else?  Not much accept... next week school begins!

Writing tip: play with unexpected occurrences to add spice to the plot and character development.  It can add conflict, dimension to characters, and interest to scenes.

Later,

~Raquel

So Much For the Weekend

I had good intentions last weekend.  Lots of them.  Since we usually have 'family' day on Sunday, Saturday is my family's work-around-the-house-and-yard day.  Weeding, cleaning up twigs, transferring compost to the garden, and any household stuff that got missed from the week.  So, no biggie, as things need to be done.

Wrong.  The temperature soared, and the A/C went wonky.  In short, were hot and miserable and didn't want to do anything.  This, unfortunately, included actual moving around or turning on the computer (this too generates some heat) to even sit quietly and do edits.  It took all day, but we got things straightened out, and it took all of that next day to recover from the stifling, humid heat.

I usually like summer, but this one has been tough.  It's usually okay when it gets hot and stays hot because we get used to it, however when it gets hot then cooler then hot again, it feels horrible as we don't have the normal acclimation.

I started thinking about this last year when we had a cool spell, about the acclimation process, and applied it in various ways to my WIP.  My characters were miserable, they suffered some, and generally had short tempers.  Good for me, good for story conflict, and great for my plot.  I can usually find ways to incorporate almost anything into my writing that provokes a character reaction, plus it helps the realism aspect because readers can identify.

So, Sunday was a bust.  I have laundry to do.

Later!

~R

Dedication

Hello Monday!  Well to be honest my day started reeeeaaally early.  And with this new week I've decided to carve out time every day again for my writing.  Life is just going to have to wait a little.  My goal is 1 hour per day, minimum.  I'll write, edit, play with cover designs, read writing articles or books, or whatever I can do that is writing-related.  I have a lot of first drafts that need revising, and I want to do NaNo this year (missed last year).  That calls for an outline and planning ahead.

So, I'm off to accomplish something during my hour of writing time.

Daily writing tip: if you think your main protagonist is in trouble, then double and then triple the problems for them to face and triumph over, then the reward will be so much sweeter because they have suffered.

Write on,


~R

Fodder for Writing

And so ends (almost) another week of romance, troubles, dilemmas and life's issues.  Okay, so today's Thursday rather than Friday, and I'm hoping nothing else crappy will happen by this weekend.  Solution?  Relax with a glass of wine or beverage of your choice and reflect for a few minutes.  I (and you) need this time to be able to decompress and relate to what is actually going on in life and reconnect with what is important.

Dog pooped on the floor?  Clean it up, put the puppy out, and relax that it's done.

Family forgot to help with the dishes (again)?  Designate someone to wash and someone to dry so you can have some "me" time.

Writing rejection (again!)?  File it in your "Future Office Wallpaper" file and grab that cool beverage.

Main character suddenly not talking?  Throw him or her a curve from left field to deal with (even if it does not make it into your WIP the activity of writing still keeps your brain focused).  And also, grab that drink and relax.

What is it about life that seems to get in the way?  Think about it.  Our lives are constantly filled with crossroads and barriers to make us make decisions about what to do. (See where this is leading?)  Yep.  The characters you write about also have the same life obstacles and decisions to make.  Life throwing curves at you?  Put them into your story.  Let your main character deal with them, and maybe you can gain some insight into dealing with daily life too.

Until next, write on!

~R

I'm  baaaack!  Finally after a long absence I'm reintroducing myself to this website (hello old friend, long time no post...)

So briefly about the few months: holidays, online teaching, hours cut at work (yuck!), new boss (yea!), new year and a new character at the Ren Faire (loooong hours...), lots of cold weather & a delayed spring, delayed garden planting, car accident (I'm now fully recovered & car is repaired, thank you), family health issues, and I started taking a stage combat class once a week.

So, hopefully your last few months hasn't been too busy.

Writing tip: a couple years ago when my schedule was way too full, I read online somewhere about committing to writing only 100 words per day.  I did this, long-handed so I could take my little notebook everywhere and in 2, 5, or 10 minute bursts.  In almost 2 years from my start day, I actually completed that story's first draft.  I'm going to do this again, and if you're having trouble just focusing or can't face the computer one more minute, get a notebook and try the 100 words per day challenge.

Happy day!

~Raquel

Do I, Don't I?

I still haven't decided whether to do NaNo.  Yes, I know it's day 3 of the challenge, and I do have a story in my head brewing and that I started working on yesterday and this morning.  But I need extra time to write (other than my regular projects), and I don't know where to find it.


~R