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January 4th, 2008--The First Five Pages: Adjectives and Adverbs
I went in my favourite book store the other day, armed with a gift card. And I found an amazing book: The First Five Pages: A Writer's Guide to Staying Out of the Rejection Pile by Noah Lukeman. (It is really affordable--go buy a copy if you don't have one already. Seriously. It is helpful and readable.)

I began skimming the pages as I stood there in the aisle and after reading a whole chapter, it dawned on me that this was a book that I needed to have at home and that it was not something that I could or should just take out of the library.

Now I am doing as Lukeman tells me to, which is to complete the chapter exercises at the end of each chapter before continuing on. Being a rule follower, I am obeying. So far. It is really hard to not just blow through the whole book since I am so excited about it.

After reading the chapter on adjectives and adverbs, I looked over my 'best' work and cringed. Oh my god. It was like the shades had been lifted from my eyes and I realised that I had been going out in the writing world with a large hole in the backside of my pants. (Or at least that is how I feel.)

In the first page of my work, I was blowing my first impression. No wonder I was getting rejected. Knowing what I know after reading those ten pages, I would have rejected myself too. I was trying too hard to create a feeling with the wrong words. I could have molded the same feeling with fewer, stronger words.

I still sit here, pulling at my hair and kicking myself. I could have done so much better! All that time I wasted, trying to sell something that was so flawed. (And yes, I am being a touch too hard on myself, but at the same time, I am very excited about it too.)

When does improving your work end? Probably never. And I am okay with that, as long as my butt isn't showing. ;)

Here is an example of before and after with many, many heartfelt thanks to Noah Lukeman, who is my new hero.

Before the Lukeman overhaul:

I toss the extracted rollers onto the small table that sits beside my front door and shake out my now-curled, shoulder length, black hair.

After the Lukeman overhaul:

I pitch the rollers onto the table in my entry and shake out my hair, marveling at the way it tickles my bare shoulders.

Different, isn't it? In the original, did I really need to state that the character's hair was 'now-curled'? She just pulled the rollers out of her hair so we can assume that her hair is now curled. And to think, I pondered over whether I should place a hyphen between 'now' and 'curled'. I didn't even need either word! Silly, silly me.

Plus, I much prefer the change from calling her hair shoulder length to her marveling at the way it tickles her bare shoulders. Instead of just describing the character's appearance, the words are also creating a feeling. For me, it is a sexy, rich feeling having my hair tickle my bare shoulders.

I can't wait until I get to do the next chapter!

:)

January 6th, 2008--The First Five Pages: Sound
Okay, this chapter was a bit more painful for me as slower revelations often are. It was about listening for how your work flows. In general, I believe that I edit for sound (flow) somewhat well. Yet, I still learned a lot from this chapter and some of the ‘technical’ reasons on why something doesn’t sound quite right.

I’ve heard of people reading their whole manuscript out loud in order to hear the flow. And I think, ‘wow’. To read out loud takes forever. It is painful. I mean, I just spent several hours reading poetry out loud to listen to the flow, the words, the rhythm; the life of it. And my throat hurts. Top that with spending the four hours Lukeman recommends reworking and listening to your one chosen paragraph, and I am in agony. Physically, mentally and metaphorically.

It was hard. And the thing is, reading my paragraph now, I am so brain numb that I can’t even tell if it is better, worse or just different. Right now, I am leaning towards simply different. Although some parts I think have improved. The problem is, the paragraph is so worked, so strung, so metaphorical, so visual, that it doesn’t fit with the light tone, easy style and fun character of the rest of the manuscript.

The paragraph I chose was about my character finding the man at her door attractive.

Now it is almost downright literary. Not that I am bashing literary, but how often do Chick Lit readers go, ‘oh honey, listen to this bit, “emanates an honest sincerity that pulls at me like a gravitational field”'. Plus my husband laughed when he saw this line over my shoulder, “In fact, Matthew makes my pulse throb in an undeniable way.” That line is almost embarrassing. Nothing wrong with it, if say you are writing erotica, or something more steamy, but she just met the guy and the attraction and scene is supposed to be an ‘oh, just in passing’ sort of a moment. She's not even supposed to consciously notice that she is truly attracted to him.

In the beginning, way back in time (like a few hours ago), those few lines went something like this: He is more attractive than Giles, that’s for sure. In fact, Matthew makes my heart beat a little bit faster.

Now after spending hours on it for sound they have evolved into this: He is better looking than Giles and emanates an honest sincerity that pulls at me like a gravitational field. In fact, Matthew makes my pulse throb in an undeniable way.

Different. Definitely different. I even kind of like it. But it doesn't fit.

On to the next chapter….

January 10th, 2008--Look, Stare, Peer, Gaze, Gape. Turn Those Eyes.
I am working through my 110,000 word manuscript, trying to beef up my verbs and eliminate excess adjectives and adverbs like I did with the first page after reading the adjective/adverb chapter in "The First Five Pages" by Lukeman. It feels like this edit is taking forever--but that could be because I keep letting my mind wander off to check email, poke friends on Facebook and make some more tea.

Or it could be that I have to use my thesaurus a lot more. One of the exercises that Lukeman suggested was to take all the verbs out of your first page. Then look at your list and replace some of them with stronger ones and that sort of thing. And I noticed that I use the word 'look' an awful lot. Okay, not an awful lot, but maybe over the whole manuscript, a bit excessively.

Therefore, I am spending my time finding synonyms for 'look' as well as ways to work around everyone looking at each other all the time. It's kind of fun. But then again, I am only halfway through the manuscript. I may think differently in a day or two.

January 12th, 2008--The Future
What is up with the world? I just don't get it. Sometimes when I see the future of the world in the context of what is happening in the here and now and what we are doing to prepare for the future, it freaks me out. Why don't we listen to the warnings? What are we doing to the environment? What are we doing to each other? How do we expect the future to unfold when we act as though there isn't one?

January 14th, 2008--Cool Marketing Idea
Have you seen those book trailers?

What are they? They are a short video, sort of like a visual back of the book blurb. I think that is pretty neat. I watched three off an agent's blog and wanted to read two of the three books. This is interesting as I have seen one of the books on shelves as well as noticed ads for it and have been sort of like, 'that's interesting, but whatever'. I didn't pick it up. I didn't read the blurb. I didn't buy it. But now, due to the little video, I have not only visited the book's website and cruised around on it, I have made a mental note to check the book out of the library if I come across it (and ever find my library card again--stupid safe spot that I put it in). Still, I haven't gone out and bought it, but I am one step closer to reading that book.

January 14th, 2008--The First Five Pages: Comparison
I love Noah Lukeman. There was one scene in my manuscript that I just couldn't quite get the right feeling going. I needed the reader to really slip into the character's situation and go, "oh my god, the mortification!" So, after reading the chapter on comparison, I skimmed through the first twenty-five pages looking for places where I could use a comparison to add some brevity or pull the reader in a little more. Specifically, I was heading for one particular scene. I found it. I used comparison to bring the scene across better. And I think it is a lot better. Thank you Lukeman!

Before: Turning, I find three pairs of eyes staring at me. Edison’s father appears horrified, Rose disgusted and Edison, blatantly curious.

After: Turning, I find three pairs of eyes staring at me. Their expressions are similar to those who have witnessed a car crash; a mixture of curiosity and horror.

Still thinking about past chapters, I still use 'look' a lot! I just found half a page that I had gone over that still had the character 'looking' at the turkey three times!!! Three times! How crazy is that!

January 15th, 2008--The First Five Pages: Comparison Some More
Why didn't anyone ever tell me comparison could be so much fun? I am now comparing new desks to the president's motorcade and taking tequila shots to, well...here:

She licked the salt off the back of her hand like it was ground up glass, knocked back the shot of tequila as if it were poison and bit and sucked the slice of lemon as if it were a week-old rat carcass.

So...that's disgusting. I'm not sure what I will do with it, but it was fun. Fun enough to pull me out of bed to write it down when I was trying to fall asleep last night.

Now I wonder why I had that weird dream about drunk rats...?

January 16th, 2008--The First Five Pages: Style
Style is something I've never given much thought to. Most of the clothes I purchase because they are affordable, comfortable and hopefully at least mildly flattering. As for home decor, well, it is surprising how well all our given-to-us furniture goes together. Add a few pieces from Ikea's As Is section, and we have a home!

Oh right, writing. Yep, haven't consciously thought about style there either. Okay, well, maybe. But not as 'style'. More like the feel or tone or my voice or the main character's voice and how that all fits and flows to make the story compelling.

I was reading an article last night about mood. Hadn't really thought about that too much either. Not consciously at least. Wow. Talk about hard.

Ever tried to consciously define style or mood? Ugh. Not so easy. Ever looked at your own work and tried to definitively put your finger on the exact mood or style of the piece? chapter? paragraph? sentence? word?

Kill me now. For me, it feels as daunting and impossible as trying to pull one particle of water out of a moving river. (Hey, look at me using comparison!)

January 16th, 2008 (again)--Torture
I am procrastinating. I am 190 pages into 240. I am trying to put more comparisons in here and there to 'add to the mystique' or whatever on my manuscript. (Don't even think of reminding me that I have three more manuscripts that will need the Lukeman Overhaul once I'm done with this one. Oh god, I think I'm going to throw myself off the roof of my house. Maybe while I'm up there I can replace the shingles that blew off in the night before last's windstorm. What the hell is with these shingles anyway? These aren't the first to blow off.) I think I am starting to feel a little burned out about the comparison thing. Plus, I am starting to hate the book. I want to slice everything. Maybe it is the constant headache from this sinus infection that just won't die!

So, do I go make myself a mocha? Move on to the style exercises in Lukeman's book? (I get to do dialogue after that! YAY! That will be fun, I think.) Keep plugging at freaking comparisons? Maybe I should go take a Tylenol and go have a nap. I only have about another hour's peace before the whirlwind wakes up from her nap, then all bets are off on doing any of the above.

Damn, I wish this cat would get off my arm. He's just so cute though. Except for the poop problem.

This is just too disgusting to not tell...especially since I am procrastinating. So anyway, this morning I was on the phone and I saw what I thought was a dried leaf from a nearby plant on the floor. Bent over and picked it up before realising that dead leaves do NOT squish! Ew, ew, ew.

If you are asking: yes, yes it was.

Instead of doing all of the above, I am going to go bleach my fingers--again.

January 16th, 2008 (yet again)--Paranoid
So, what's the deal? I've read in the past week or so that writing in first person narration is incredibly difficult and most of those who try, flub it up. One misstep and the whole thing crumbles and the reader sees past the curtain you've created for your fictionalization. Either that or you bore them to death with the monotony.

Cripes. Have you ever tried NOT writing this way? I find I get incredibly boring if I don't write in the first person. I guess all my multiple personalities have finally found their purpose.

Yeesh, should I changed my pants because I've crapped in them, or should I just pat my huge ego and believe that I am an 'advanced' writer who has managed to pull it off?

BTW, I only have 24 more pages to skim for comparison. And I took a Tylenol AND made myself a mocha.

January 17th, 2008--The First Five Pages: Style
Oh my god, this is fun. Why didn't anyone ever tell me this was so much fun? I am taking a scene I wrote that had lots of description (not so heavy on the dialogue) and I am trying to first, write it as simple and straightforward as possible. Turns out, this particular piece is somewhat straight forward already. But then, the second one was to rewrite it using the opposite style as you use normally. Fun!

It's like the time the gals and I in grade nine English tried to write our little piece as vulgar and awful as possible--without getting into trouble, that is. That piece was so gross. Yet so much fun to write. I think I still have it somewhere. That poor teacher. The piece bothered him as we had hoped it would. Oh the power of using the right words.

Anyway, my little piece is getting long and convoluted and so much fun! (As you may have noted, I am past fixing up the comparisons in my manuscript. Although, going through my manuscript for style may be just as agonizing.)

I am so glad my hubby took me to the bookstore that day and that I decided to look at the writing books and that I found Lukeman's book. It has been a BLAST! I recommend it, recommend it, recommend it.

Seriously, I recommend it.

I just wrote him an 'I worship you' email to thank him for writing his book and letting him know how useful and wonderful it is. And guess what? He has a free download of his e-book on query letters. Does life get any better than this?

Am I geeking out here? Is it legal to have this much fun? Sure, it is hard. But it is hard fun. And even though I complain a little bit here and there, it is only because my head is about to explode. But then I finish and everything reads better and I am on to the next exciting exercise and it is 'wahoo' time again.

Anyway, I must go have more fun finishing my convoluted scene. Oh, and getting some Cheerios for my daughter.

January 18th, 2008--The First Five Pages: Dialogue
Well, in this chapter I learned the reasoning 'why' behind the things I had picked up by looking at the dialogue in some of my favourite books.

I also learned that chopping up my dialogue as I have being doing here and there to mix it up, is evidently distracting if you do it too much. I have a feeling that a lot of what has been covered so far in the book will really hit me in the chapter on pacing and progression. It almost makes me want to leap ahead...but I won't. I will hold myself off.

Okay...I just read through the first four (I'm such a rebel, I didn't do 'five') pages of my ms and you know, what, maybe I'm not quite as bad as I thought with the breaking up the dialogue thing. Whew.

On to the next chapter on dialogue.

Later...

Read the next chapter on dialogue. I think I understand why my character was always 'looking' everywhere. I've been trying to describe too much of the everyday while trying to build the feeling of a scene. I think after my second try at a novel, I got past the desire to try and make the dialogue totally everyday and therefore commonplace and dull. At least I hope so. It is still realistic to my characters, but mostly I have cut the crap.

Although it worries me. He says if you find an extraneous line on the first page, you will likely find one on every page thereafter. My question is, how do you know what is 'extraneous'. Some is obvious. Sure. Some can be done without and won't be missed. Although what about the take it or leave it lines that add miniscule bits to one paragraph or page? The overall effect of taking out all those lines could leave you with a slightly bare feeling that you can't quite put your finger on.

I suppose it comes back to 'art' and 'style'.

But does it? The lines I am thinking about are not cut and dry. If I let myself--in the right mood of course--I would slash everything, leaving me with a husk of a story.

So, should I go through my ms again looking for lines I can cut? I always find some. Yet, I always add some too. Hmm...

January 19th, 2008--The First Five Pages: Informative Dialogue
One of the things I like most about Lukeman's book is that it simply and accurately isolates and highlights certain passages within my ms where I am flubbing up. I read a chapter and go, 'aha' that is the problem right there on page 28. Now I know. Then I go fix it. This time, it was page 4. And now it is better.

January 19th, 2008--That Was Strange
One of the (many) unexpected things about being a parent is this: the strangeness of when your child starts having separate experiences of which you are unconnected as well as when they begin to meet people that you have not.

The separation begins.

Currently listening to Garbage (band), Temptation Waits (song). "I am a wolf, but I like to wear sheep's clothing. I am a bonfire. I am a vampire. I'm waiting for my moment." This album always reminds me of the video game 'Crash Bandicoot'. I used to listen to this album while playing it. Just like the U2 album that reminds me of playing Nintendo's snowboarding game. What memories link themselves to is interesting.

January 20th, 2008--Overwhelmed
I feel like I am on the cusp of irreversibly destroying the opening scene on my 'best' ms. I had another writer critique it and she made some very good points. I had chopped about half of the scene previously which has left a lot of unanswered questions. I could go in yet again and tinker, but I am starting to worry that it will be the one too many edits that breaks the scenes back. But it needs it. So, do I rewrite it?

I think I'll sit on it for a few days. Maybe my brain needs a vacation from writing. But then what? Just sit around all day and not think about it all and not write? It is probably what my brain needs seeing as how I have learned an incredible amount in the past two weeks.

To add to my agony, I put two of the main characters into a room and let them go. Turns out they pretty much hate each other, even though they have been best friends for decades. Great. Just great.

January 21st, 2008--The First Five Pages: Melodramatic Dialogue
It turns out that I can't stay away from my manuscript. I did rewrite the opening scene. We'll see tomorrow which version I like better. The totally rewritten one or the multi-edited version. My bets are on the new one. As for my characters, we had a chat and they are now in therapy.

For my writing exercises of the today...well, melodrama was interesting. I like the idea of conveying drama with silence. I actually had used silence to convey the drama of the ending of my book and it pissed of a friend that read the ms. She was like, 'what, that's it? I want more. Is there a sequel? Go write it. You can't leave it like that!' Evidently, she wanted the ending spelled out for her. Oh well. Maybe I was being a little cruel. We'll see. As I am learning, this stupid ms will never be complete. Even though it has been for a year. And of course, now I have a new idea that is itching to be written, but I don't feel like I can just drop all the learning and whatnot that I am doing here and go off for a month or two to write it down. I've got to see this through. Besides, I think the new idea needs some percolating or else I'll end up in revision hell for decades. The revisions aren't hell, just the never-ending part.

January 22nd, 2008--The First Five Pages: Showing Versus Telling
Although I have heard this one before, it is one that needs repeating in my ear fairly often. In fact, it is something that came out of the first chapter that I had critiqued by another writer. I was trying to get on to the good stuff by breezing over and telling instead of showing.

That gets tricky. You have to totally be mindful of your characters and their motivations all the time and what you are trying to show in every interaction and scene. I'm not that thoughtful when I write. I'm not even sure who my characters are when I first start out. I just blab on and see where it takes me and the characters. This, it appears, leads to a fair amount of editing.

This chapter made me think of a real life example from many, many moons ago. We were on our way to Mexico and we left in the middle of a snow storm. We got as far as Montana when we came up against a barricaded road. The guy at the roadblock told my dad that the road was closed and that we couldn't get through. From where we were, the road looked fine. The interaction between the road guy and my dad went something like this:

"Sorry, this road is closed. You'll have to turn around."
"Is there any other route from X to Y?"
"Nope. You have to turn around."
"Are you sure the road is closed"
"I'm sure. It's closed."
"How closed? It looks good. I'm sure I could get through."
"Nobody is getting through."
"I'm from Canada and I'm driving a truck."
"Look, the drifts are over 20 feet high and even our snowplows aren't getting through."
"Oh, where can we stay around here?"

So basically, the guy went from simply telling my dad the road was closed to showing him. Not literally showing him, but giving him concrete visuals. Still telling my dad, but showing him at the same time.

January 22nd, 2008--Point of View: An Oh, Sh*t Moment
I have a confession to make: I like to write in the first person point of view.

So, now that I have been stoned to death...

All I have read lately in that it is WRONG, Wrong, WRONG to write in this POV.

Crap. Maybe it is all the years of journal writing (as in diaries) that makes this form feel the most comfortable and natural to me.

So what is a chick lit writing girl to do? Do I cave? Is it really that bad? Am I really screwing up? Is it okay? What do I do?

Do I REALLY have to go through FOUR frickin' manuscripts and change the point of view? I don't even know how to do that. I looked through some of my most loved books--the ones where I really got into the heroine and *gasp* they are NOT in the first person POV. How the heck did they do that? It felt like I was in their head!

But if it means sitting on this getting-to-be-threadbare couch day in and day out and in the end selling a manuscript, I am in. I'll do it. I'll lick the broken glass.

But this is really going to hurt, isn't it?

January 23rd, 2008--Don't Forget to Blink
My gosh. I feel like I haven't blinked in a week. Seriously.

Is that weird? Oh, what am I talking about, of course that is weird.

What I am trying to say, is that I feel like I have done nothing but stare at my computer screen and furiously absorb everything I have been coming across lately. Either that, or I have my head in a book, furiously absorbing everything there too. Sometimes, I forget to blink.

I have actually, consciously, told myself to blink. Sometimes when I finally pull myself back into the real world, I look around, blink a few times and go 'woah'. If I don't blink, will I have a seizure like they warn you about on video game packages?

Anyway, I am going to the used bookstore. Wish me luck. Luck not spending every dime I don't have. Then off to Costco where I will spend at least two hundred dollars and get nothing. Well, margarine and kitty litter and other terribly exciting things in large tubs which I will have to haul one at a time into my house as Costco won't give me a box, they'll just toss all my bulk crap into my cart and say, "Cheerio, sucker!" Thanks for all the money.

There is no pleasure in shopping at Costco. For $200, you don't get much of anything exciting. Whereas, you go to the bookstore...lots and lots of exciting stuff. Even at the grocery store, you are going home with at least one thing that makes your pulse perk up when you blow a couple hundred dollars. But at Costco? All you get is a ding in your car from some yahoo's overloaded shopping cart.

January 24th, 2008--Suburban Mom? Me?
Now that I have a large tub of margarine and the equivalent of my mother's body weight in kitty litter, our household is back on track. (And in case you are curious, I came in $16 under yesterday's Costco guesstimate.)

Somehow I became a suburban mom. My rise was slow, like that of a winter sunrise in the Canadian North. How I got here, I am not even really sure. Nobody who knows me truly believes that I am a suburban mom. They don't buy it. If they read my blog, they would realise that I am secretly leading a double life. (But they don't even know that I have my own URL.) Maybe it is because I don't drive a mini-van. Or have highlights. Maybe that is why they don't believe that I am a Suburban mom. Or maybe, because this town is too small to have suburbs. Maybe.

I didn't even really realise that I was a suburban mom until last night. I was lying there thinking about how busy today was going to be. First I had to take my daughter to <gulp> her French class (she is four) and then home for lunch after picking up cat food at the vets and more milk at the grocery store. After lunch, off to playschool to play lifeguard at their beach party. Parent helper, French class...oh yeah, those were signs alright.

(Although, I do have to mention that the French classes are because my daughter is obsessed with French. I will often find her watching 'Lunar Jim' en francais in the mornings on one of the 5 1/2 channels we get. So, French class has not stemmed from my need for her to be cultured or to give her an edge in playschool, is it simply a free class that she is super-duper excited about. There, I feel better now.)

On an unrelated note, my daughter has managed to whittle away at my husband's ownership of his cat. He has had the cat in question since she was a small kitten--ten years ago. They had an official handing over ceremony last weekend while I was still sleeping. I'm okay with it.

Okay, well, except for the part where the cat now goes into my daughter's room every night (yes, literally every night since the handing over ceremony) and meows at my daughter until she wakes up. This is a totally new habit. I suppose the cat is saying, "Hey, do you know what you are in for? Do you know how demanding having your own cat can be? Do you know how much love I need? And god dammit, I don't want to belong to a kid younger than I am. Your allowance will not cover my needs. Besides it just isn't fair. I am a PRINCESS. You may have the crown, shoes and dresses little girl, but I am the original."

And then my daughter picks up her cat and tosses her out of her room. Then I wake up and tell them to knock it off. The complaints are voiced in the morning. Seriously, it is like I have two children now instead of one.

January 24th, 2008--Writing Exercise
I typed out the first few pages of a favourite read and I learned a lot about how the author used a 'throw away' character to lay her backstory, introduce us to the main character as well as to set her scene. By the end of the first five pages, the reader actually had a pretty good feel for the character, without even realising it. (Which is particularly tricky, seeing as it is a sequel and you don't want to bore or insult continuing readers.) As well, she lays down short, abrupt sentences that don't trip the grammar meter in Word. Tricky.

It was cool to job shadow a pro. If you could call it that.

Now how to apply this to my own writing...

January 25th, 2008--Cupboards
Ugh.

At least it the wind isn't exfoliating our roof for us today. (Blowing the shingles to Saskatchewan.)

I came home after a few hours out and about to find that one of my cupboard doors wouldn't stay closed. I fiddled with it before realising that my Mixmaster was in the way. Hmm. The top seems to be off the stand. Weird. I'm pretty sure my husband wasn't secretly mixing something last night--or this morning before he left for work shortly after 6 AM.

So, I reach in and begin moving the mix master around before I eventually realise that the top shelf has broken at the back, tipping down and breaking my mix master. That is why the top was relocated to the front of the cupboard, pushing on the door.

So, now I have dishes and appliances strewn over the floor. (Miraculously, my vases are all okay.) If I had half a brain cell, I could fix the shelf. But I don't. So I won't. I'm pretty sure I will just shove all that sh*t back in the cupboard and enjoy my denial for the next six months--that's about when my hubby will realise that the cupboard is broken. Although, he never discovered that I broke the cutlery tray in the dishwasher and that was close to a year ago now....

If I had to pick one thing to break in that cupboard, the Mixmaster would have been my choice. Why you ask? Well, because I already broke it. Sort of. My mom was right when she told me as a child, "Don't let the wooden spoon get too close to the beaters." You can guess why. I did bend the beaters back fairly well, but the thing still jitters and bangs a bit. Despite having a heavy, platter laden shelf land on it, the Mixmaster still works. It is just a really, really heavy hand-held one now. Its stand was shattered. Impressive, really. Any guesses on what decade the Mixmaster was made in? Not this one! And the shelf, why yes, it was built in this decade. That is why it is a piece of sh*t that can't hold up some god damned dishes.

Anyway, after that disaster my daughter began to realise that 'her' cat was missing (and yes, it meowed at her last night around midnight). We called the cat and could hear a muffled mew here and there. But no cat. Eventually I found her in with the placemats. She had only been in there for about three hours. I'm sure we would have found her sooner if we hadn't accidentally shown up at the closed library an hour early for story time.

It all worked out okay. We went out for coffee and paid the mortgage while the cat curled up on the placemats. The cat is fine. We're fine. I am reloading my caffeine supplies, because let's face it, it's only a touch past noon and today ain't shaping up so great.

At least the car doors weren't all frozen shut today. But it is snowing and the metal part on my snow shovel is worn out it is breaking off and dragging around. Is that sad that I've worn out a snow shovel? Oh, well, it's okay. The next one I buy will definitely break before it wears out. Why? Because everything is built crappy these days. For example, the VCR I bought at a garage sale in university is finally wearing out. The DVD player we bought, what three years ago?, is close to toast.

I throw up my hands. Take me back to the eighties when they used to know how to make sh*t. Sure, it was heavy as hell, but it didn't break all the figgin' time.

I think I need more coffee. Or maybe I need less. I'm not sure which.

January 28th, 2008--Web Page
I really need to learn how to use Dreamweaver. This Front Page site is looking dated.

Instead, maybe I will go and clean the house.

January 27th, 2008--Last Week's Lesson
When to break the rules?

Will I ever know when breaking the rules serves my work for the better? 

It is intimidating being a newbie writer and discovering that there are all these big rules about writing. Some of them are good, solid rules that should be the backbone of your writing, but others can come and go.

I am also discovering that different genres have their own rules and subsets of the rules.

So, this week's lesson, I suppose, is not to take myself and my writing so freaking seriously and bend the rules when I feel that it serves my work for the best.

January 29th, 2008--The First Five Pages: Viewpoint and Narration
This chapter, for whatever reason seems to have stalled me out. I don't think it was this chapter, specifically, rather just events unfolding and taking a cumulative effect.

You know you've stalled when you find more amusement in watching the garbage truck trying to dive through huge drifts of snow than think about your writing. Or, you know, going and meeting your husband's cousin who happens to be on the 'disowned' side of the family.

Anyway, I did go out and study other viewpoints for narration like Lukeman suggests. This in fact, is part of what has distracted me for at least five days. And you know what I discovered? I discovered that the authors that are my (Chick Lit) heroes write in <gasp> first person, present tense! Eeeek! Call the writing police! They are making bestsellers and breaking a forbid rule. (Then again, the rule says you have to be a really good writer to get away with it, which evidently they are.)

But can I? Well, time will only tell, of course. But it has bolstered me enough to not go and change all my manuscripts away from first person present tense. (That and the kind words of other writers on this site.)

So, I will ignore the plows and garbage trucks and the fact that it was really fun popping our little car through big snow drifts so my hubby could get to work, and get down to work myself.

After I have some more tea. And maybe check my email.

Later...Okay, I did the exercise where you change the narration in your story. I changed a scene from first person to third, just to see what it was like. It was interesting. I may use it someday. Although, it felt like I was giving too much to the reader. I could be so definitive--that was a refreshing and interesting change. Yet, there was no real room for interpretation as I could just jump into each character and explain them. Less work for the reader. Less work for the writer. Although, I suppose once you are talented at third person, you can leave little hints and clues for the read instead of hitting them over the head.

On a totally separate vein...I saw the CBC show last night, 'The Week The Women Left Town'. Cool premise. It appealed to the sociologist in me.

January 29th, 2008--The First Five Pages: Characterization
This was an interesting chapter that reinforced some of the reasons why I have been doing some things with my characters. Now I have a sound reason to bolster myself into keeping it up. I'm on the right track! Some things, I am finding, I do because through experimentation, I have figured it out it works. Some things, I am finding, I do because I don't know how to do them better. How to make them right. But now, I am learning. I'm getting learned. And it is a bit of a relief, really.

I love the way some of Lukeman's examples that he has pulled from literature describes characters. They are beautiful and subtle and at the same time tell us so much about the viewpoint character, sometimes the climate even. It's great! I feel like I will never read books the same way again. Okay, you got me, not totally true. I will get sucked in and forget and just read for the pleasure of reading, but hopefully, somewhere in the back of my mind there will be a little wheel streaming things into my memory and skill banks to make me a better writer.

I totally understand why I was having trouble with one of my opening scenes. It's the friggin' characterization. Others have mentioned this, but not specifically enough that it really triggered more than an 'oh, how do I fix that anyway?' sort of a thought. Now, I think I have the tools. I have to develop the character more as I thrust her into all this action. And the way I am describing the other character, yack. That has got to go!

So, off I go to work on that. Unless this caramel rice cake loaded with peanut butter and honey gets in my way.... It's January in Canada and we're in a cold snap, I need the insulation. Hell, it's so cold my car won't even start. (-28C / -18F with a wind chill, bringing it to somewhere around -40C (which is coincidentally where the metric and imperial thermometers meet in 'wow, that's frickin' brrr'. And yes, this is warmer than yesterday. And yes, this is the warmest part of the day. But thankfully, yes, this is the coldest part of the year.)

January 31st, 2008--Feeling the Love
Today's temperature -26C. And some wind chill.

I'm not sure why I titled this blog entry as feeling the love, because I'm not.

Maybe it is because my site and email is down. (Again.) Maybe it is because the cable guy didn't come to check my Internet like he promised. Maybe because I know my car won't start when I go try later on this frigid morning--and then I will have to call the tow truck. And get a boost. And then go somewhere to charge the battery and my daughter still doesn't feel 100%--in fact I'm not sure if I should take her to French or Playschool today. And maybe because my daughter woke up so hungry this morning, she was crying. Yet she can barely eat anything without getting a stomach ache.

But, at least we have had at least 30 straight puke free hours. That is good. Okay, no, actually, if we count the cats, we are only at about 12 puke free hours.

Isn't that nice.

And Buddy-Stink-Bottom is pulling fur out everywhere again.

Oh, and then there is the offer to go do a presentation in Canmore, but they don't pay you for anything other than a little honorarium. But it is near AWESOME skiing. But it's not like I would get a free weekend out of it. And it is a lot of driving. And it is just before we zip off for Vegas. And there is the slight childcare problem. But it would be fun. <Sigh.>

January 31st, 2008--The First Five Pages: Hooks
I have to admit, I was savouring this chapter, sure that it would be the divine few pages that I would cherish. This would be that mystical writing key that would unlock agent's doors.

Not.

Lukeman was surprisingly vague about how to create a good hook, what exactly can be considered as a hook and all those minor little nuances that a newbie wants. I want you to take that flowing water between your fingers and mold it into a nice solid box for me, thank you very much.

Anyway, his philosophy on hooks was interesting. For instance, a hook can be more than a traditional 'hook' at the beginning of the book. He expresses that it can be at the beginning of a page, chapter, etc. It can even be at the end. I like the ways he says that a writer has to use stamina to build up the hooks. Never let up as writing is cumulative.

Cool, huh?

I am trying. I really am.

On an aside, I find that I am reading slower now. I am absorbing stuff. (Yep, that elusive 'stuff'. Very technical.) I am even finding flaws in timelines and things that could be done better in other people's books. Now of course, I am re-reading books that I have already read several times over. To be able to do that with my own work, well good luck!

I am also finding that this week I can't spell worth sh*t. Weird, huh?

I am thinking of entering a writing contest. (Even though I hate the idea of having to pay money to do so.) I looked at one of my pieces that I thought could do okay and as I was reading it, I came across a comparison that made me stop. (I haven't touched this manuscript in about a month or two.)

Know what thought raced through my mind as I read that line? What writer has been in here messing with my work? I was a little peeved. Someone ELSE was improving MY work! My initial thought was that it couldn't have been ME who wrote that. It was too perfect. It was just right. I loved it. It was EXACTLY what I thought! How did I do that? Mystical. Totally. Wow. But of course, nobody got on my laptop and messed with my first page. It was me. With some dead writer at the wheel, merely using my fingers to type.

You are welcome back anytime dead writer.

(I'm kidding about the dead writer at the wheel...I think.)

January 31st, 2008--Plateau
I've got it!

I've plateaued! Sort of.

After writing the last blog entry and replying to a comment another writer made on a post on AgentConnect.com, I came to the realization that I am comfortably sitting on a writing plateau.

Different from writer's block and actually a good place to be. Why? Because it means that I have been learning, growing and developing! Yes!

I was wondering why this week I can't seem to spell or write a coherent sentence. Now I've got it!

It was like back in my days of teaching skiing. You grow, grow, grow, learn, learn, learn and then poof. For a bit, you can't seem to move past where you are in your skills. It's a plateau. You need time to let all your new skills settle and gel before you can move up some more on your skill level.

So, with that in mind...I am not writing anything new other than blogs at the moment. Instead, I am working on my writing muscle by trying out my new skills on an old manuscript and taking a slight breather. I'm not going too far though, I don't want this plateau to develop into a block or an excuse to not keep developing.

So, there we have it. My week in a nutshell.

:)

P.S. Gee whiz. It's only 10 A.M. and I have three blog entries for today already. Maybe I should go do something else....

January 31st, 2008--The First Five Pages: Subtlety
Okay, I can be subtle without using my words like a jackhammer. Really, I can. The biggest theme in this book at the moment seems to be: be confident as a writer and give the read some credit. Treat them with respect.

I think I do that.

At the same time, I have taken a seven page 'excessive' scene and made it, um, one and a half. Except now I have all this backstory and other details that I had stuffed into the scene that I have to shuffle around and disperse.

Grrr...

Does it ever end?

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