90% Mental - The No Shame Novelist

Write A Novel In A Year

2011-02-11T12:56:00.000-05:00

Time to write a novel! I am again at that phase of life when I find it hardest to write: caring for a toddler from 18 to 24 months old. These adorable, miniature beings seem to be able to break me down like no other force on earth. Toddler Storytime at the library on Wednesday? No, Little Guy had other ideas. I left holding him around the waist so that he would not flop his little self down in the middle of the floor again. He was perfectly happy by that time. I was in tears.

Enough about me and why it will be hard this time around. I am doing it in the company of the teen writer's group at Mandarin Library and their fearless leader, Donald Carpenter. The program: Write A Novel In A Year.

Last month's agenda was to kick the whole thing off and to eject our inner editors. This month is about creating living characters.

Time to find or create a post about characterization and to get up to speed on actually writing the novel I am supposed to be writing. 4,000 words until I'm on track! Bye-bye.

NaNoWriMo Revisited

2010-03-20T09:23:00.001-04:00

I still have not missed a National Novel Writing Month since the year I discovered it (late) in November of 2005. I threatened to miss two of them. Just couldn't do it.

In 2007, I said I might be too busy to participate and win. The two writers I was blessed with as part of a little writing group were forging ahead. I had to join them. I made the requisite mad dash at the end to become a NaNoWriMo winner.

In 2009, with a 3-year-old and a 5-month-old, I said No Way. Then I jumped in and did my own version where my goal was to write 15 minutes each day. And I did. I reached that goal and made a silly, appreciated little story about his toy knights for my older son. I was not an official NaNoWriMo winner. That was hard for me.

I've NaNoWriMoed through two pregnancies; in four different cities in two different states; with two different writing groups and twice on my own; with a toddler and with a baby and preschooler; with the intention of winning, with the intention of "cheating" (using extremely long names for each of my characters, extremely long inserted poems, and the like), and with the intention of not finishing.

I love me some NaNoWriMo.

Waiting Without Hope

2010-03-17T09:07:00.000-04:00

I may have embarked upon a new writing venture. There's a baby under one year old in the house, after all, and that always seems to energize my ambitions.

I've gone through the No Shame Novelist experiment and learned what I thought I would learn.

1.) That some of my favorite authors have helpful tips and ideas about writing that I would love to learn.

2.) That to write authentically, I will have to find my very own way. Anything done as a copy of someone else's work is not worth publishing.

So my new venture seems authentic so far. I'm moving ahead very, very slowly so I can make sure it stays that way. I'm also (possibly) going to keep it a bit secret. Spilling all the beans now would ensure that I have no beans to plant later.

Part of my starting out very, very slowly is that I'm going through a long list of books to read during the beginning stages of this project. Do you want to see the list? It will most definitely give you a clue to what the project might end up being.

I'll post the list later.

For now, I'll take the opportunity to remind myself of the principles that should guide my new project.

1.) Take it one step at a time.
2.) When in doubt, do nothing.
3.) Be intentional (some would say prayerful) before writing.
4.) Do my homework.
5.) "I said to my soul, be still, and wait without hope, For hope would be hope for the wrong thing."—T.S. Eliot, The Four Quartets

A wonderful Friend recently reminded me of that quote.

You may see two opposing forces at work in this blog. If so, you see me! The force comprised of ambition, energy, and will sits next to the force that thrives in stillness, waiting, silence, and release. They shove each other around quite a lot, but I try to keep them from an outright war. Every once in a great, great while they work together for the good. That is an amazing feeling.

I think I've found the right analogy for how I want to treat my new project. It's the way that I treat my baby's naps. He needs his sleep. It is very important for his development and happiness. I try not to plan anything during his two naps per day, so for the most part, we stay home when it's a nap time. I protect and guard that time. Sometimes it's worth it to skip the nap so we can go do something important, like watch my husband run a big race. This is how I'll be handling my baby-stage project. I'm going to guard it like a nap time for the most part, but sometimes it may be important to share things about it. So then I'll share.

The End in Sight

2008-11-05T09:19:00.003-05:00

So it's National Novel Writing Month again, which I just can't miss, so here I am. Most of the excerpts from this year's NaNovel will be posted here at Once Upon A Week, the writing blog shared among my siblings and me.

But just for my own satisfaction, I wanted to report here that I am in the second round of revisions of last year's NaNovel and still/again feeling good about it. I've got a short list of potential publishers I'd like to target. All is well. Of course, what with NaNoWriMo, Thanksgiving, pregnancy, and the obligations (and fun) that go along with being a toddler's parent, I probably won't finish up those revisions until next month. The finish line is getting closer and closer, though. The best possible end result, a book I can be happy with, is within sight!

100 Posts

2008-09-09T19:15:00.003-04:00

I've got myself a nice new little goal. This is my 90th post. I want to write 100 posts for The No Shame Novelist Project (at least).

Picture of my son's first experience with headphones is completely unrelated, if you were wondering.

I'm Back?

2008-09-09T18:59:00.005-04:00

It's been a long, long time. I've thought about this blog occasionally and felt guilty. But I felt that Real Life was more important and that for me, at the time, Real Life didn't allow for blogging. I'm trying to raise a smart, healthy, active boy who doesn't get to watch TV all day. And be there for my family. And keep the house pretty clean. It is quite a challenge--no, let me rephrase that. It is the challenge of my life.

But I'm also thinking about things I do just for me. Knitting. Reading. Writing. My mission has changed a bit. I want this to be fun, not full of pressure. Not work, because it's absolutely certain I have enough work to fill my days already. This feels a little like confessing to an illicit love affair, but I've been blogging at Once Upon A Week to have fun and connect with my siblings. If I can do that, I can show this blog a little love too, can't I?

I don't know. This is a start.

My Eeyore Post

2008-06-02T15:09:00.003-04:00

I haven't been writing or doing anything with my manuscript for a month or so. Every time I step away from it, I spend the time thinking how awful it really is. I read great books by wonderful authors and think that I'm not fit to try. This is where I'm at. Even to blog makes me feel ashamed.

I think the solution is to get busy, get back to the manuscript. Finish up those last writing exercises that I said I was going to do (and I am) but haven't done yet. Yes, I'll feel better if I get back to work. I'm just afraid I'll be inspired to create more crap that no one should ever have to read.

My attitude sucks.

Writing Exercise #2 - Jodi Picoult Month

2008-05-16T15:56:00.001-04:00

This exercise is something I intend to do myself (I’ve done all the writing exercises I’ve suggested in this blog), but you can, as always, try it too! You do need a completed manuscript before you start.

Open up the latest edition of Writer’s Market. I like to go to the library and use it there since it saves me something like $20 a year. Browse literary agents until you find one that might be fitting for the manuscript you’re prepared to submit. If it’s an agency, call to ask who’s accepting manuscripts. If it’s an agent, write down his or her contact information.

And that’s enough for one day.

Writing Exercise #1 of Jodi Picoult Month

2008-05-15T19:14:00.002-04:00

Picoult advises writers to have a thick skin when it comes to getting their work out there. Let's practice.

For the next week, tell everyone you meet that you're a writer. When they ask, tell them what you're working on. You may want to prepare a cool-sounding spiel first. If any conversation you have turns remotely to any type of work, share the kind of work you do. Follow up with anyone who might be a good contact for you, the writer.

Here's an example of how NOT to do this exercise. I emailed someone in our new area who has small children to find a time and place for us to get together. She said she had heard I was writing a book and she wanted to hear more about it (she must have found out through her husband, who works with my husband). She mentioned she was an artist. So when I emailed back, I answered the questions about our meetup with the kids and totally ignored the writing part. I kind of figured we'd talk about that in person. But I also kind of got scared to talk about it. Didn't want to sound like this: "Oooohhhh, I'm a wriiiiiiiiter, you know."

I pledge to answer that email again before tonight is done, this time with details about my novel.

Jodi Picoult Month

2008-05-01T19:18:00.003-04:00

Here we are at the polishing and agent-finding stages, during the month that I'm following a very exciting writer’s advice. Let me revise that a bit: "I'm following" should be changed to "I read"..."before packing up my entire house, husband, and toddler and moving from Maryland to Florida." To be honest, this blog is not my very first priority at the moment.

I'm also waiting on four or so people's feedback before I do any polishing.

But back to the point, please.

Jodi Picoult, who is a vivid, marvelous spatter of paint across the canvas of contemporary writers, has four specific people to read her chapters as she writes them. She incorporates their feedback in various drafts and says she's done when she just can't stand to look at the thing again.

Easy to understand. Revise until I can't stand it anymore. Got it.

It took Picoult three years to find an agent to represent her. She went about it in what she calls the traditional way, writing to a big publishing house to find which agents were accepting submissions and then contacting them. She emphasizes the importance of a thick skin and perseverance in this process.

Then, when she did find an agent, it took about three months to sell the book, which is a tribute to the quality and excitement of her work. Not sure that we should all expect that kind of turnaround (I type sarcastically).

In an interview with Writers Write, she says, "If it takes you 3-5 years to get published, you're still ahead of the game."

Though I get the feeling that with Picoult, it's always full steam ahead. It really is hard to fail like that. Even without her talent. For examples, just read a couple Hollywood biographies...

Progress

2008-04-21T13:04:00.000-04:00

This is farther than I’ve ever been in the fiction writing process.

1. I typed out a draft of a novel during National Novel Writing Month.
2. I revised and added to it during the next couple of months.
3. I let it rest for a couple of months.
4. I revised it.
5. And now I’ve given it to a few trusted friends to read and give me feedback.

When I get the feedback, I’ll take the advice that seems right and do a polishing up of the manuscript. I might have to do major changes first. After all, I’m only a beginner at this. When I’m satisfied that it’s ready (or I really can’t stand to work on it another damn minute), I’ll look into sending it to potential agents. Lots of work to come!

Right now I’m just enjoying the feeling of having finished a novel.

Following The Advice Of The Three Greats

2008-04-17T19:14:00.002-04:00

So, in that paper I posted about C. S. Lewis, Stephen King, and Madeleine L'Engle, their advice was to:

-read and write a lot

-hold true to a vision

-use inspiration

Time to check how that's been working for me. I've been reading A LOT. That almost never changes for me. No matter what, I read. Haven't been writing a lot at all, but that's partly because I finished the first round of revisions on my novel and sent it out to some friends for feedback. It's sit back and wait time. In a sense, the "write a lot" principle is working for me right now. I've never gotten this far in the novel-writing process before. It's all a new experience from here and I'm learning as I go.

Holding true to a vision: I wish I had a clearer or more magnificent vision for the novel I wrote. What I did have was a flash of story and a flash of characters that I pursued. I had finally decided I should write children's novels because that's the bulk of what I read! I've got shelves and shelves of L'Engle, L. M. Montgomery, Louisa May Alcott, Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, and Betty MacDonald at home.

Did I make use of inspiration? C. S. Lewis's was a spiritual type of ecstasy he called Joy; Stephen King's is a dwarfish muse who carries "a bag of magic"; and Madeleine L'Engle's was faith in the significance of every creature and every act in this world. I don't know. I don't think so. Most of this process felt clunky and contrived to me, but when I got into the flow of writing, I felt the joy of productivity, of creation. The act of writing regularly calmed my soul. But I didn't have any illusions about the beauty of my writing. I thought I was writing a cute little story about a few cute little characters that would turn out to be unprofound. I don't believe I have the talent to go deeper than that. Or maybe it's just that I need more experience at this to really believe in what I can do. Maybe.

What I discovered while typing that sentence up there ("I was writing a cute little story about a few cute little characters that would turn out to be unprofound") is that it doesn't bother me. That sounds all right.

Fascinating Things

2008-04-16T06:59:00.000-04:00

Read this post about Lewis’s advice to write only about certain things before reading the rest of this post.

What really, I mean REALLY, interests you?

Quickly, without thinking about it, write down 10 things that fascinate you. Read over them. You should be writing about these things.

A Matter of Interest for C. S. Lewis

2008-04-15T06:26:00.001-04:00

In the letter mentioned in this post, C. S. Lewis told a young girl to write about what really interested her and nothing else. Think about that for a minute.

“Nothing else.”

Do This Now

2008-04-14T20:10:00.002-04:00

Before reading this post, read this one about C. S. Lewis's advice to "write with the ear."

Now read a couple of pages of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe or a Dr. Seuss book, out loud.

Write whatever comes into your head for five minutes. Read it out loud. Does it have a rhythm? Is it written with the ear?

Lewis's Ear

2008-04-14T13:48:00.000-04:00

In a letter to a young girl who wanted to be a writer, C. S. Lewis said, among other things, “Write with the ear, and if it doesn’t sound nice, try again.”

If you’re not sure what he meant by that, read or re-read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. If you’re still not sure, read it out loud to yourself. The prose flows so well, you can’t imagine it being written any other way.

Three Dos From Three Great Authors - C. S. Lewis Month

2008-04-11T08:17:00.000-04:00

This will be a different type of post. Instead of posting a summary of C. S. Lewis's wriing, revising, or publishing advice that I intend to follow, I will post here a brief essay I wrote (for myself) comparing some advice from Lewis, Stephen King, and Madeleine L'Engle.

Authors Stephen King, Madeleine L’Engle, and C.S. Lewis have a lot in common. Two were born in the 20th century and one just before it; two are natives of the northeastern United States (King and L'Engle); two are children’s writers (L'Engle and Lewis); and two were raised by a single parent from an early age (King and Lewis). Two liked to take long walks each day (King and Lewis); two were outspoken believers in God (L'Engle and Lewis); two reported they start writing by 9:00 in the morning (King and Lewis).

The unifying thread to their work is the impact their stories have on literature and popular culture. So many people have read The Chronicles of Narnia and the Time trilogy and read and watched King’s novels and film adaptations that even in the Online Age most Americans can hold a conversation about these books. All three authors have received the highest honors for their work: among others, King received the National Book Foundation Award, Lewis the Carnegie Award, and L’Engle the John Newbery Medal.

Their published writing advice shows they don’t always agree with each other, but these three masters of the novel all consider the following three practices essential for serious writers: prodigious reading and writing every day, following a vision for the writing, and making use of inspiration that they unscientifically and unabashedly call magical.

According to King, “If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot. There’s no way around those two things that I’m aware of, no shortcut."* He is very specific in his recommendations to the beginning writer. “I suggest a thousand words a day, and because I’m feeling magnanimous, I’ll also suggest that you can take one day a week off, at least to begin with.” He advocates four to six hours of reading per day.

L'Engle urges writers to write every day, and have some fun with it. She doesn’t mean one should write only when it’s fun; she also stresses the importance of discipline and building up a body of work by writing consistently each day. "Many people in walks of life that do not involve creation are completely unaware of the necessity of discipline...few serious artists are able to live lives that are without interruption."** Writing is a serious business, at least in terms of settling down to do it. The same approach applies to reading: “Read at least an hour a day, something you feel you should read for most of the time and something just for fun the rest of the time.”

Lewis gives instructions about reading and writing in a letter to a child who wants to be a writer. He writes, in 1959, “Turn off the Radio... Read all the good books you can.”*** His own ideal day started with an early breakfast so that he could sit down to write by 9:00 in the morning on the dot. Reading was to occur at mealtimes and after dinner when not out with friends.

L’Engle's concise direction, “Hold true to your vision,”** elevates the art of writing above a formulaic enterprise. Each storyteller, she asserts, gives the world something special. She supports Jean Rhys’s conception of all writing as an enormous lake into which flow tributaries ranging from small streams to mighty rivers. Regardless of size, each feeds the lake.

In the letter to the young writer, Lewis insists she must write nothing that doesn’t truly interest her. One can imagine her enduring interests will lead her to what she is meant to write or at least make her writing more worthwhile for both writer and reader. To other people, he approaches the idea of vision more literally with descriptions of dreams and pictures on which The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is based. "Images of such things as a faun with an umbrella, a magnificent talking lion, and a queen on a sleigh, increasingly filled his mind."***

Though King doesn’t mention vision by name, he believes it is important to start with characters in a sticky situation, then plunge into the story without stopping long enough to lose the sense and the tone of it. He is a waterskier and the characters are the boat—he simply hangs on to the story as long and as well as he can. The story is in charge. There is never any question of that.

Perhaps the muse has a little control as well. King describes his muse as a cigar-smoking, grunting, bowling-loving “basement guy."* He sits plainly in awe of what the curmudgeon can do: “It’s right that you should do all the work and burn all the midnight oil, because the guy with the cigar and the little wings has got a bag of magic. There’s stuff in there that can change your life. Believe me, I know.” That "stuff in there" is the mysterious stuff of inspiration.

Lewis calls on something just as mysterious, his phenomenon of Joy (always written with a capital J), to explain the utmost reaches of what he yearns and works for. He acknowledges a formative passion for "Northern" literature and culture that went well beyond the leadings of preference and influenced his writing forever. As an adult, his continuing search for uncommon truth and beauty brought him to a belief in God that became the focusing point of all his fiction and nonfiction.

L’Engle’s inspiration is the basically spiritual belief that each human being, tiny in the scope of the universe, can make a difference through his or her actions. Faith is her muse. “Why does anyone tell a story? It does indeed have something to do with faith, faith that the universe has meaning, that our little human lives are not irrelevant, that what we choose or say or do matters, matters cosmically.”** The novels she wrote, though great fun to read, were written with the idea that they matter, that they make a difference in this world.

Each of these three authors knew that there are some truths about writing that don’t go away no matter how much one wants them to: A published or aspiring-to-be-published writer will almost always have to sit down and write at regular periods and almost always have to revise, change, adapt, and revise again. Equally important, though, they knew that the work must have a purpose and leading higher than their own mundane consciousness.

What does the aspiring writer take from these observations? Knowing that Stephen King writes from approximately 9:00 to 1:00 each day in a room without a window, that C. S. Lewis took a daily long walk, and that Madeleine L'Engle read the Bible every day doesn’t make one into a great writer. These are simply facts to know about people who are great writers. Their greatness is not contagious; one can’t catch bestselling-author pox by reading their advice and following it to the letter. If only it were possible...! One can, however, learn what they believe is important in their life’s work, take encouragement from them, and get ideas for how to better practice one's art.

If nothing else, one can gain an even greater appreciation for the authors' skill and vision, and the taste of magic they've left in one's mouth.

*King, Stephen. On Writing. New York: Pocket Books, 2000.
**Chase, Carole F. "Words of Wisdom from Madeleine L'Engle." The Writer Jun. 2002: 26+.
*** Lyle W. Dorsett, ed. The Essential C. S. Lewis. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1996.
****Green, Roger L. & Hooper, Walter. C. S. Lewis: A Biography. San Diego: Harcourt Brace & Company, 1974.

copyright 2008 Kristy Shreve Powers

I Feel Like Cookie Monster (Results of My Revision Retreat)

2008-03-30T21:01:00.004-04:00

Ho-ly...! I did my retreat, in a way. (Read this post if you want to know what I'm talking about.)

Instead of an overnight, I opted for the sneak-in-and-get-it-done-quick strategy. Announced to my husband I wanted to spend all of Sunday at the coffee shop revising my novel, got his commitment to take care of our son all day, and had them drop me off at the 24-hour coffee shop. Worked from 8:30 this morning to 7:30 this evening with about a half-hour break for foraging. (The 24-hour coffee shop is in the corner of a supermarket.)

Are you surprised by my long-term concentration and effort? Me too. I sat right down, coffee in one hand, red pen in the other, and did what Stephen King suggests. I went through that s.o.b. in one sitting. First revision complete! Now I have to finish typing up the revisions. I wanted to do that tonight, but I am as exhausted as if I had done--get this--a full day of work.

Gwabgwab, gwabgwab, cookie, omomomomom!

Stephen King Watches

2008-03-27T17:41:00.000-04:00

King distrusts plot. For him, it's all about the story. "I want to put a group of characters...in some sort of predicament and then watch them try to work themselves free. My job isn't to help them...but to watch what happens and then write it down," he says in On Writing.

Faced with this quote, I think about the number of my characters who, eventually, didn't seem to do anything. So I had nothing to watch and nothing to write down. I tried to fix this by changing their names, love interests, or genders, or swapping them with a more interesting minor character.

But the problem didn't lie with the characters. It was the story. It was either no good to begin with, or I let it grow cold. The story withered and then the characters grew pale.

There's no remedy once this happens, at least not in the present. The idea and the characters must be killed. I must get it right the next time.

Reading and Writing

2008-03-26T16:01:00.000-04:00

"If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot. There's no way around those two things that I'm aware of, no shortcut."
~from On Writing by Stephen King

King suggests that if you're not willing or able to do those two things, you can forget about being a writer. His recommendations are a couple of hours a day of reading and however long it takes to reach your daily goal of writing. Given his suggested daily goal and the average time it takes him to write that amount (as stated in On Writing), and considering also how long it takes me to write that number of words on average, I'd say a couple of hours of writing is the daily figure.

Both are possible to accomplish with a full-time job. However, you have to use your lunch break or get up really early or have no household duties whatsoever or go to bed late or all of the above. I never achieved both while working full-time. But I did meet the daily writing goal for an entire month while working all day in an office and pregnant! If you've never been pregnant, never mind--but it's impressive, damnit! The thing is, I don't think I read much, if anything, that month and I couldn't have gone longer than a month without burning out.

What I'm trying to say is that, to follow King's recommendations, you must treat it as a job in its own right.

A King's Work Ethic

2008-03-25T15:35:00.003-04:00

Stephen King worked several blue-collar jobs up to the time his novel Carrie sold: in a fabric mill, as a janitor, in a laundry. He's no stranger to a day (or night) of hard work.

Could that have something to do with his colossal creative output? When he approaches something as a job, you'd better believe he'll get it done and done well. He's written 48 novels, 8 story collections, and a screenplay. And that's not counting numerous short stories, the various roles he played in making many "Stephen King movies", and multiple other bookish and writing endeavors.

When he gives writing advice, notably in his book On Writing, he means it, by gum. Sit down and do it. There's no alternative except to give up altogether. If he says sit down and try to revise your novel all in one shot if possible, then you'd best do it. At the very most, do it in two sittings.

Ahem. Eventually I will post how it worked for me when I attempted this with my mini-retreat.

Revision Exercise Part Two

2008-03-20T22:43:00.003-04:00

Read Part One here if you haven't already. Then take your 24 hours' free time, your loving helpmate, and your dependent and mix them together. Tell them you will be back in 24 hours, more or less. Leave emergency numbers but NOT a number where you can be reached. Bring your manuscript, red pen, alarm, takeout food, and ready-made snacks to the uninterruptable place with the bathroom.

Set the alarm for 24 hours from now. Revise. Quickly now. Revise more. Don't touch that TV! Or that phone! Don't even THINK about the Internet. Make a list of the things you want to look up or do online and do them later.

Go home when the alarm goes off. Voila! You have revised your manuscript.

Revision Exercise Part One - Stephen King Month

2008-03-20T22:36:00.002-04:00

This exercise will help you (me) implement the Kingian strategy of reading through for revision all in one shot. See this post for more detail about the strategy. This exercise isn't suggested by King, though I think he would approve if it got the job done. Nope, it's purely from a mom's perspective, a solution to the puzzle of how to follow his recommendation when you have a toddler at home.

Requirements:
a child, children, dog, or other needy creature who depends daily on you
an alarm
one loving husband, partner, grandparent, relative, loyal friend, or other helpmate
a place where you will not let yourself be interrupted
your manuscript
a red pen
takeout food and ready-made snacks (caffeinated beverages optional but recommended)
24 hours' free time (which you have fought for and arranged)
a close-by bathroom

Get these requirements together. Then come back for Part Two.

Stephen King Month

2008-03-04T20:35:00.005-05:00

I've read Stephen King's book On Writing so many times I can almost recite from it. It'll be easy to sum up what I intend to do for Stephen King Month, in revision mode. (By the way, read On Writing. I don't know if it will improve your work, but I promise you'll enjoy yourself if you write fiction. Or read fiction. Or read nonfiction.)

1. Read through the manuscript as fast as possible making notes in the margins--mostly corrections of spelling, grammar, and things that don't work, like events that could not possibly happen now that my protagonist is female and a twin instead of an only child. Fix grammar and spelling and crappy sentences. Try to delete every single adverb. Have a go at some adjectives, too; why not? Ideally, I'll do this in just one or two sittings. When will I find these large chunks of time to go through the manuscript? Hunh. I'll get back to you on that one. (Probably one day--let's call it tomorrow--during my son's naptime and then a few hours after he goes to bed.)

2. Type up corrections and send off the manuscript to the people I choose for feedback.

3. Evaluate suggestions from those people and make any changes I want to make at this point. Think about theme and whether or not I can add in some meaningful frills or purposeful twists. Examine previous sentence and scoff, disdaining to even fix it.

4. Go through one more time and catch those remaining errors--I hope all of them.

5. Whew. It might be August at this point.

Tonight Is A Triumph

2008-03-04T19:07:00.002-05:00

Woohoo! It's Stephen King Month! But I don't have my act together yet, so details are coming. Won't bore you (Jeff and any other unexpected but welcome guest) with the mundane reasons, but I haven't been posting lately due to schtuff...you know, crucial life schtuff.

However, tonight is a triumph. Success #1: I posted. Success #2: I've been revising my novel bit by bit; it hasn't been altogether abandoned. Success #3 (in the near future): I will post at Once Upon A Week tonight, too! Oh, and Success #4: I've been talking with a close friend's close friend who knows people in the publishing realm about...my novel. Not a bad thing to be doing, eh?