I am a bit of a masochist when it comes to handing my work out and begging for it to get shredded, but here's a great article anyways about giving feedback time to sink in.
...I know, more than once, I've certainly thunked my head a few months later after re-reading notes from a writing partner...
I thought it would be timely to post this link since I met my writing group last night and got 'Brake Fluid' handed back to me, nicely minced and seasoned with a couple sarcastic jokes about how best to include merwolves* into the story.
Seriously guys, you're awesome :D
Thank you for indulging my love of writing creepy-relationships.
...and thanks again to all my online CP's who waded (or are still wading) through the miry abomination that is 'Brake Fluid'. I swear I'll put all your comments to good use :)
*Don't ask. Really, don't ask. Unless you've also read a certain published book and have already experienced the 'WTF??!?! I swear that was a NaNo-dare!' reaction. Then you don't need to ask.
Friday, October 12, 2012
Thursday, October 11, 2012
November can't come soon enough...
Right now, I'm waiting on the last few 'Brake Fluid' readers to send comments back. I hope to finish this next round of changes before November hits and I'm swept up in writing Project #5, the northern fairytale I started last year.
Maybe 'swept up' is downplaying it a bit...
I was actually laughing about this with my husband a few weeks ago when we had our loooooong week of driving.
Writing is something I've always done, on-and-off, since I quit playing the piano and needed a creative outlet, but it's only recently that it feels more like an obsession, a drive, an addiction. I just want more of it all the time.
No matter what else I'm doing, my brain keeps circling back, like a scavenger seeking carrion.
Pleasant description, I know*, but something about it feels dirty... this single-minded-focus that isn't waning with time. 'Cause I can feel it... this itchy, gnawing desire to throw myself into the next story.
...I won't lie, it freaks me out. But I'm a total commitment-phobe, so the sensation of sinking into something so deeply I'm not sure I can breathe... well, 'claustrophobic' might be a good descriptor.
Yeah, there's a reason I've always been scared of writing 1st person POV.
...for those of you who've read 'Brake Fluid' in its entirety...
"There's a point when something too far gone to clean up or save."
And I fear that line could be referring to my sanity...
Selka, the Lady of Crows, is clawing her way out of my head, so November better hurry up and come fast, 'cause I'm not sure how much longer I can last without my next fix.
I want to write her soooooooo bad...
...and does that 'carrion' simile make more sense now?
Please tell me I'm not the only crazy one out there...
*Hey, at least it wasn't another vomit reference!
Maybe 'swept up' is downplaying it a bit...
I was actually laughing about this with my husband a few weeks ago when we had our loooooong week of driving.
Writing is something I've always done, on-and-off, since I quit playing the piano and needed a creative outlet, but it's only recently that it feels more like an obsession, a drive, an addiction. I just want more of it all the time.
No matter what else I'm doing, my brain keeps circling back, like a scavenger seeking carrion.
Pleasant description, I know*, but something about it feels dirty... this single-minded-focus that isn't waning with time. 'Cause I can feel it... this itchy, gnawing desire to throw myself into the next story.
...I won't lie, it freaks me out. But I'm a total commitment-phobe, so the sensation of sinking into something so deeply I'm not sure I can breathe... well, 'claustrophobic' might be a good descriptor.
Yeah, there's a reason I've always been scared of writing 1st person POV.
...for those of you who've read 'Brake Fluid' in its entirety...
"There's a point when something too far gone to clean up or save."
And I fear that line could be referring to my sanity...
Selka, the Lady of Crows, is clawing her way out of my head, so November better hurry up and come fast, 'cause I'm not sure how much longer I can last without my next fix.
I want to write her soooooooo bad...
...and does that 'carrion' simile make more sense now?
Please tell me I'm not the only crazy one out there...
*Hey, at least it wasn't another vomit reference!
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
The inevitable encroachment of NaNo...
I'm excited about NaNo this year, for a couple of reasons.
The first being, I really want to finish the northern fairytale I started last year, then quickly abandoned in order to finish 'Brake Fluid'.
Second reason?
Long-time followers (and writing group members) know I have been struggling with some pretty major health issues going on... 9+ years now. Yeah, I pretty much keep all that stuff off my blog 'cause I find myself annoying when I talk/write about it, but I did touch on it briefly before taking a couple weeks off from blogging earlier this year.
Good news on that front: the last couple weeks I've been feeling better than I have in years. Yes, I wrote that correctly. Years.
...and the bad-health-stuff is why I haven't *officially* participated in NaNo since 2006. Sure, every year in November I'm writing, but my depleted energy-stores pretty much guaranteed a big, fat failure if I attempted the entire 50,000 word goal. Usually, I've stuck to a goal of 20-25,000 for the month.
Since I'm nowhere near *all-better*, I'm still not going to pressure myself into completing a full NaNo, but I'm looking forward to not having to worry so much about limits, about not having to weigh and measure my options every day based on how I feel when I wake up. To not having to sleep away half-the-day if I want to be alert enough to get in the car and drive somewhere in the evening. To know I can walk the dog, and do other things in the same day without being exhausted.
It isn't just NaNo I'm excited about... it's the hope of being *me* again.
So if I've been quiet the last few weeks, and probably will be in the coming weeks as well... it's just me testing these new boundaries.
Oh, and if you're also a NaNo participant, feel free to stalk me here.
The first being, I really want to finish the northern fairytale I started last year, then quickly abandoned in order to finish 'Brake Fluid'.
Second reason?
Long-time followers (and writing group members) know I have been struggling with some pretty major health issues going on... 9+ years now. Yeah, I pretty much keep all that stuff off my blog 'cause I find myself annoying when I talk/write about it, but I did touch on it briefly before taking a couple weeks off from blogging earlier this year.
Good news on that front: the last couple weeks I've been feeling better than I have in years. Yes, I wrote that correctly. Years.
...and the bad-health-stuff is why I haven't *officially* participated in NaNo since 2006. Sure, every year in November I'm writing, but my depleted energy-stores pretty much guaranteed a big, fat failure if I attempted the entire 50,000 word goal. Usually, I've stuck to a goal of 20-25,000 for the month.
Since I'm nowhere near *all-better*, I'm still not going to pressure myself into completing a full NaNo, but I'm looking forward to not having to worry so much about limits, about not having to weigh and measure my options every day based on how I feel when I wake up. To not having to sleep away half-the-day if I want to be alert enough to get in the car and drive somewhere in the evening. To know I can walk the dog, and do other things in the same day without being exhausted.
It isn't just NaNo I'm excited about... it's the hope of being *me* again.
So if I've been quiet the last few weeks, and probably will be in the coming weeks as well... it's just me testing these new boundaries.
Oh, and if you're also a NaNo participant, feel free to stalk me here.
Monday, October 8, 2012
Happy Canadian Thanksgiving!
...we're being the typical-friendly-Canadians today and inviting our new neighbour (a professor visiting from Montana) over for dinner.
...and as not-so-typical-Canadians, we have already planned out American Thanksgiving next month.
My husband has American relatives, so since we've been together, it's become natural to celebrate both Thanksgivings. When we lived in Calgary, Alberta, we even drove all the way to Birch Bay, WA for American Thanksgiving... a 14 hour drive through mountains, snow, ice, with our cat in the car (who escaped at a gas station around midnight. Thankfully he is fully trained to stop/come back when I call him).
So, Happy Thanksgiving to all those celebrating today, and for those who aren't, I hope you'll take a few minutes today to reflect on everything you're thankful for in your lives.
...and as not-so-typical-Canadians, we have already planned out American Thanksgiving next month.
My husband has American relatives, so since we've been together, it's become natural to celebrate both Thanksgivings. When we lived in Calgary, Alberta, we even drove all the way to Birch Bay, WA for American Thanksgiving... a 14 hour drive through mountains, snow, ice, with our cat in the car (who escaped at a gas station around midnight. Thankfully he is fully trained to stop/come back when I call him).
So, Happy Thanksgiving to all those celebrating today, and for those who aren't, I hope you'll take a few minutes today to reflect on everything you're thankful for in your lives.
Monday, October 1, 2012
I suck... forgive me?
I've been a terrible online-friend the past couple of weeks, double-y so since I have a full MS and a partial one on my desktop which I promised to read/critique for two of the wonderful people who read/critiqued 'Brake Fluid'... and I've barely touched them.
I just got home yesterday from being away a week, and I didn't take my laptop with me.
What was I doing?
Not touring ancient ruins, navigating bustling, modern cities, or lounging on a beach somewhere warm.
I was in Seattle for the Seahawks game on Monday (7 hour trip from Victoria to Seattle for that), then the husband and I drove up to the Okanagan (an 8 hour driving trip) Tuesday morning. The purpose was twofold.
The husband had a conference, and I tagged along because my paternal grandmother lives about 20 minutes from where the conference was going to be held.
She's my last living grandparent and I only see her once a year (at Christmas), so I thought this would be a good opportunity to spend time with her and help out with any chores she had that were beyond her physical means.
I also spent a lot of time just sitting and listening to stories.
My grandfather was a gunman in the Canadian airforce (where the estimated live-span for a gunman was 3 weeks) and completed a 3 year tour in India and Burma during the second world war. Due to his papers getting lost in London, he coincidentally met my grandmother. They knew each other 6 weeks, he proposed on a Monday, and they married (big church wedding and all) 3 days later on a Thursday, then moved to the Okanagan where his family was from.
As I was leaving, my grandmother gave me a gift. A khukuri knife given to my grandfather by a member of the ghurka regiment he fought with in India, which, if you're familiar with ghurkas, is quite the honour.
Apparently it was well used by its original owner... as my grandmother aptly put it, "I'm sure it took a lot of ears during the war."
And it seems like it was. The handle is worn smooth and it looks like the blade was repaired at some point near the hilt.
For anyone who thinks this is an odd gift... well, I've got a couple of machetes from Africa (Kenya), and a couple of small knives from the Philippines along with a small hunting bow/arrow set that's only about two feet long... supposedly to shoot with when you're lying on your stomach in the underbrush.
I'm not overly crazy about weapons, but I like pieces that I know the history of and have some kind of personal connection. The machetes were gifts from my sister and a friend when they went to Africa, and the bow/arrow set was a gift from an old woman I met while in the Philippines. She was part of a non-profit organization in Manila that translated English books into Tagalog.
So, yes, I've been a bad online-friend and critique partner by going MIA this past week or so, but I'm back now and plan to catch up as quickly as I can.
Hope you all are well.
I just got home yesterday from being away a week, and I didn't take my laptop with me.
What was I doing?
Not touring ancient ruins, navigating bustling, modern cities, or lounging on a beach somewhere warm.
I was in Seattle for the Seahawks game on Monday (7 hour trip from Victoria to Seattle for that), then the husband and I drove up to the Okanagan (an 8 hour driving trip) Tuesday morning. The purpose was twofold.
The husband had a conference, and I tagged along because my paternal grandmother lives about 20 minutes from where the conference was going to be held.
She's my last living grandparent and I only see her once a year (at Christmas), so I thought this would be a good opportunity to spend time with her and help out with any chores she had that were beyond her physical means.
I also spent a lot of time just sitting and listening to stories.
My grandfather was a gunman in the Canadian airforce (where the estimated live-span for a gunman was 3 weeks) and completed a 3 year tour in India and Burma during the second world war. Due to his papers getting lost in London, he coincidentally met my grandmother. They knew each other 6 weeks, he proposed on a Monday, and they married (big church wedding and all) 3 days later on a Thursday, then moved to the Okanagan where his family was from.
As I was leaving, my grandmother gave me a gift. A khukuri knife given to my grandfather by a member of the ghurka regiment he fought with in India, which, if you're familiar with ghurkas, is quite the honour.
Apparently it was well used by its original owner... as my grandmother aptly put it, "I'm sure it took a lot of ears during the war."
And it seems like it was. The handle is worn smooth and it looks like the blade was repaired at some point near the hilt.
For anyone who thinks this is an odd gift... well, I've got a couple of machetes from Africa (Kenya), and a couple of small knives from the Philippines along with a small hunting bow/arrow set that's only about two feet long... supposedly to shoot with when you're lying on your stomach in the underbrush.
I'm not overly crazy about weapons, but I like pieces that I know the history of and have some kind of personal connection. The machetes were gifts from my sister and a friend when they went to Africa, and the bow/arrow set was a gift from an old woman I met while in the Philippines. She was part of a non-profit organization in Manila that translated English books into Tagalog.
So, yes, I've been a bad online-friend and critique partner by going MIA this past week or so, but I'm back now and plan to catch up as quickly as I can.
Hope you all are well.
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