A Christmas Of Thoughts
I'm so sorry I haven't blogged for the last two weeks! Normally I'm very good about it, but with the holiday season and all the hoopla, just haven't had the time or energy. But I'm back!
This Christmas brought to me a bevy of thoughts, both on my Real Life and my Writing Process. Really, I was attacked by them all. It made it hard to concentrate on my work, but I knew I had to address some of them before getting back to Life. If I didn't, things would only get worse, and I didn't want to risk getting too incapacitated to write at all.
My husband and I have decided to sell our 3 bedroom, 2 bath, 1,400 square feet home and move to an apartment near the end of spring. This house is just too big for the two of us, and old enough to have problems. Unforeseen repairs depleted our Christmas Savings, and I'm just too damn lazy to keep a house this big clean. I'm still a teen at heart, why do you think I write for Young Adults?
I've also moved from my office in the spare room to the living room. I liked the solitude, but hated the feeling I was neglecting my pets and husband. In the living room hubby plays his video games or leaves cartoon reruns low in the background while on his laptop, and we can have the silent company. Have you ever scene that episode of "Everyone Loves Raymond" where, at the end, Ray sees his mother and father eating at the kitchen table, silent but together? That.
I made some breakthroughs with Shiny New Idea, but still not far in the planning stages. This Main Character is very closed, hides her secrets behind a somewhat defensive social mask. A revelation about her backstory negated the original plot twist, and so I'm looking quietly for the true climax of the story while I work on the research this story needs. This one is far different from Origins, which is an epic fantasy compared to this contemporary, no-paranormal-beings-or-futuristic-machinery story. But then, this may be a steampunk novel and I'm just not seeing it.
Damn. Now I have to sit down with the MC and try to get her to tell me if it IS steampunk.
I also got a bout of guilt over Writing and not earning anything to supplement my husband's income, and I (always) feel worse about wanting goodies. Lately, it's been the Kindle. eBooks are cheaper, it'll help with my work, it's even more portable than hardbacks which helps because I move around alot, blah blah blah. It's still really expensive. (uuuuuh I WANT one!) This came up because I realized I haven't read more than 3 books since August, and as an aspiring writer, that's not good. Like Stephen King said, if you aren't reading then you have no business writing. I'm paraphrasing.
Speaking of Stephen King, I got On Writing to gain some perspective away from my computer screen, and to try to relax a bit.
It's the best book about writing. Ever. Go get it, right now. GO.
I still have alot to think about, to decide on or to let go of. For now though, I've set alarms for waking up, going to Writing Work, getting off Writing Work and into Reading Time, and then bedtime. I've been meaning to do something like this for some time, but I thought I could do it without punching in and out. Obviously, I didn't lol.
*sigh* Being a writer is hard. But it's also so much FUN.
You are so right...gotta have some balance in your life. Took me a while to figure that out, and until I did, my family life was all but falling apart. Hopefully, I've begun to remedy it by easing away from my computer and spending some more time with the gang. But it's hard isnt it? Writing, editing, blogging, tweeting...throw in Facebook and e-mail and it's easy to forget you're not physically attached to the computer.
Anyway...I don't have a kindle. I'm too attached to the feel of books, but I can see the appeal. Maybe you and hubs can work something out to get it? Hmm ... oh yes, I hope things work out with the Shiny New Idea soon! Have you tried sitting down to chat with your mc? I'm always amazed by what I learn by actually chatting with them...you know, as in a sort of informal interview. You might be surprised by what you discover.
Good luck! And happy new year!!
I'm glad you enjoyed On Writing. I personally didn't get anything out of it. Most of it was memoir, the rest was advice that I'd heard from other places already. I guess it's just not good for writers who have been doing it for a long time? I don't know. I also found his style really abrasive, which put me off. Ah well.
I hope things get better for you. Thankfully, I don't have the conflict with staying at home and writing, since technically I have kids at home I have to look after. It would be nice if I cleaned my house more often, though.
I loved King's On Writing. I've read it a few times and keep going back to it.
Good blog, and ever so right. It's that balance thing between working and family that's so difficult.
Whew! Life is so hectic right now! Thought if I blogged about it, it'd slow down. Guess not lol
@Carolina - Exactly! I can't write if I'm not living outside the words. Both are important, but not to the detriment of each other.
I'm super attached to the feel of books too, and will always be collecting my favorites. But I can't deny the usefulness of a Kindle at this point. We'll see if Apple really is releasing an eReader or if it's a Tablet computer.
I'm always having conversations with my characters. They come to me already fully formed, like I'm meeting a real person. I don't do interviews, I make them my friends, and with the antagonists, I at least show them I can understand them. I never did it another way, but this new MC is very closed up, even defensive. It'll take time to show her she can trust me.
@Amanda - I enjoyed On Writing, but Stephen King is so popular his advice is strewn everywhere - on blogs, articles, etc lol. Still, I figured I could read from the source. I personally liked his style, but we're all different.
On the contrary, I always seem to be at home lol. I don't know what it is, but my mind was (still is, sorta) working through so many different aspects of my life. Hopefully selling the house will help, especially because it'll save us a lot of money. We weren't ready for the investment.
@robsad79 - It was such a wonderful read! I'm keeping it with my other writing books.
@Liz - The balance is hard, but finding it is magic! Now we've decided what to do, things are flowing more smoothly.
Happy new year to you all, and thanks for stopping by!
^_^