Ok so now my failure is complete, I have NOT been keeping up on my blog as I had promised! But in spite of my failure I have been given good friends that are doing their level best to keep me on track and I am GRATEFUL! It is encouraging.
I would like to let you all know that though I have not kept up on my blog I HAVE been working on my latest story and I will give you an update on that shortly.
Have you ever been in a candy store or a toy store when you have a little money to spend? You have been so good and your chores are done, your room is clean and you even cleaned the cat litter without being told. Now mom and dad give you your allowance plus a little extra because you have gone above and beyond and it's time to treat yourself.
You might have a few ideas of the kind of treat you plan on getting and what sort of things you will do with what you are about to spend your hard earned cash on.
Maybe you're going to buy a BIG box of candy and savor it over a long period of time. Or perhaps you have a whole day planned on how you will utilize your new toy. Boy, it's gonna be fun! And then…
And then you walk into the prescribed store and almost faint due to the overwhelming amount of treasure you find in there. There is a reason why the phrase "kid in a candy store" was coined!
It is overwhelming! Where do you start? What should you buy? It sometimes makes you want to turn right around and forget the whole thing. There is just TOO much!
This is what has been happening with my writing at this stage. I have so many bits and pieces that it's hard to know where to start.
Do I return to an earlier story that, as I read what I had written, I really liked but there's not a lot beyond that. I like a few of the names and the characters could fit in other story ideas but...
I have some cool maps of worlds that haven't even been explored yet; no more than an interesting shape but no substance. Snippets of ideas no longer than a paragraph, that sound so cool but they don't fit into anything else I am working on…."A kid in a candy shop"!
Not wanting to run away as my instinct screams for me to do…"TOO MUCH! RUN AWAY! RUN AWAY!" I have forced myself to enter into my haven, closing the door and staring at my scattered attempt at a story. One half hour minimum a day! That is the rule. Rules do have a tendency to be broken and this past weekend I was tied up redoing the website for the Grady Paul Larson Foundation. I think it turned out pretty good, for a beginner anyway, but it is quite simple. Check it out here if you're curious: http://gplfoundation.weebly.com/index.html
Now for the REAL update:
Some real frustration sets in for me when I don't have names for my characters. This is like working with a person who you know by sight but have never been introduced to nor have you take the time to introduce yourself. It's a very shallow relationship that. The same is true when I work with characters with no names. I can see them and hear them but they are distant to me.
I have, if you will recall, three characters so far that are heading for a meeting. Not a very popular meeting but a meeting nonetheless. I have them listed as #1, #2 and #3. (In my house you're a number not just a name!)
The first character is determined to get to a certain city (again no name! But I can see it!), the second is scared but compelled to go with the first. And last but not least, we have #3, a thief. She just came from said city after having stolen a large jewel. The jewel itself was not known in the city because it has properties that would cause the original owner to lose his head. He was not keen on reporting it missing, needless to say. That is where I am with the three main characters.
I have two ancient kingdoms that are legend to most but still exist: The Lost Kingdom and Evermore. I am strongly considering a new name for the Lost Kingdom but for now I get a great sense of peace simply having a name for something! J
This is where I am at this time. Due to the fact that my wife and I had a wonderful time conversing last night about any number of things I spent my writing time going over old ideas and story bits trying to pry out something I could use in my current tale. There are some possibilities but, you know some characters just do not belong in certain tails but those previous ideas can and do stir more ideas. It is amazing really...
Ok that is all for now. I hope to improve with my future ruminations but for now I am trying to get back to the level of integrity I promised in past missives.
Thank you, Lord for good friends like Greg and Rich.
Greg and Rich, Thank you for keeping me honest! I am striving to do better…
Bye for now!
1 comment:
I have heard two authors speak of their writing process. While both a bit tongue in cheek - I think they are helpful. 1) Writing a novel is like building a chicken coop in hurricane - You grab what you can and nail it down fast. 2) Write all your decent ideas, characters, plot twists, etc on separate note cards. Once you have a decent sized stack of disjointed stuff, you shuffle the deck and deal yourself a novel.
I hope that helps :)
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