zen of relaxation

I'm one of those people who when they get stressed they stop writing. And as some of you know, I've been really stressed lately. This does not bode well for the writing career.

One of the reasons I have trouble writing while under stress is b/c I forget my words. On a good day, one that is relaxing, I have to try hard to get the right words to come out. For instance, in high school, the youth minister at church gave a lesson on learning which spiritual gifts we have. Take a little test and poof, you learn your spiritual gift. Mine was exhortation. I ran out to tell my parents that I had the spiritual gift of extortion.

The youth minister still laughs over that one.

And that was before I got stressed.

It's much worse now, so much so that I have to really take time to put down the correct words on paper. And as my critique partners, you know that doesn't always happen.

So, I've been under stress, and not very productive. But this week I had off work since my 13 year old step-cousin was down visiting the Hubster and me this week. We ran all over the place touring. Today we went to the Japanese Gardens located in the Botanical Gardens in Fort Worth. It was incredibly relaxing. Just watching the fish and waterfalls, listening to the bamboo stalks rattle in the wind, seeing The Kid throw fish food to the turtles brought me to a peaceful place I'd been missing for some time.

Even if my brain was flat-lining in the heat.

Now I didn't come up with any new ideas for my story (see the above paragraph regarding heat drained brain) but I did manage to relax like I haven't been able to lately.

So here's the plug for the Botanical Gardens and the Japanese Gardens. It's very relaxing and peaceful. Check out the Zen Garden and wonder how they managed to get all those little lines around the rocks without crossing each other. See the huge magnolia tree and the 200 year old hollowed out pecan tree that you can stick The Kid into (it's recommended not to leave them in the tree). Smell the roses (watch out for bees!), listen to the water fountains and commune with nature.

Where is your relaxing place?

Plot, Plot - Bo Blop

I'm one of those people who lives life flying by the seat of my pants. I don't organize. I don't plan. I wake up not having a clue what I am going to wear that day or if I plan to blow dry my hair. Everyday at work is a struggle to find that note I made on that sticky that one time that guy was in my office. And I think I truly have A.D.D.

This is just how I roll. It's been like this since I was a kid, so for me it's all perfectly normal.

It's also how I write. I have no idea where I am going and I'm usually as surprised as the characters at how a scene plays out. It works okay for me but sometimes I wish I was more of a plotter, more of an organizer. I usually have a cheat sheet of some sort, sometimes on the laptop, sometimes in an old notebook, with names, birthdays, plot points (noted AFTER they happened) and character traits.

And that's it.

This last WIP has a subplot from hell and I have found HUGE GAPING holes in my write-while-I-go method of creation. I'm not taking enough notes and proofreading is frustrating when I remember something I shouldn't have forgot - which makes planning kinda appealing to a girl who doesn't truly understand the meaning of the word.

The problem with actually trying to plot BEFORE I write (like on paper and not just in my head)is it really takes the fun out of it for me. I love not knowing what's going to happen. I love that I don't know exactly how it's going to end. It's kind of a rush to find the last page at the same time as the characters.

I'm trying to incorporate small things, trying to find a system that reaches some sort of compromise between the two worlds. So, I'm wondering what about you guys? Do you plot? Do you know what the ending is before you ever begin? How do you keep track of all the little details that work together to create the piece?

Possession

WARNING: All material contained herein has nothing to do with writing. Unless you as a writer wish to use this material for your upcoming story, in which case you need to ask permission. Not like I care, but because it's the polite thing to do.

Okay, now that the warning is out of the way.

As mentioned this has nothing to do with writing. It's just a very odd experience I had so of course I had to share.

I try to walk my dogs at night, around 8-8:30 after the sun sets, but before it gets dark. There is a trail that snakes around the outskirts of the neighborhood and I like to walk them on it especially since the trail is beside a creek and at that time of the day the frogs/toads are chirping/croaking and it's soothing and relaxing. In case you are worried about my safety, let me just say that I walk with Jaws and Hell Hound so most people give us a wide berth.

So here we were, trotting along, listening to the frogs do the song thing, relaxing in our own little world when I notice someone walking from the opposite way. My main concern was that the person had no dog as J & HH think small dogs are edible substances and create minor problems (as in where's the Dog Whisperer when you need him?).

Luckily the person coming toward us had no dog. He also had no shoes. None. Nowhere. Just out walking the trail with no shoes.

That wasn't the weirdest thing.

You know when you pass people, they might be in their own little world, or they might be shy or rude or friendly, but they either glance your way or in some way acknowledge you, right? This guy did nothing. He didn't look at me, glance, or otherwise seem to notice we were even there. And he gave off this aura/energy of .... evil. As in the demon-has-possessed-my-body type of evil. At first I thought about saying hi, being the friendly person that I am, but one glance at him made me decide friendly was not a good thing.

Now he looked normal, but that energy/aura about him was definitely NOT normal. I've never felt anything like that and it creeped me out. My first thought was, this kid's possessed, followed by maybe he's a ghost.

Even J&HH didn't seem to notice him and they notice everything that passes that close.

Needless to say, I did the hustle right off that trail. Completely freaked me out. I expected the kid to turn around or have his head spin and a creepy voice say something scary.

I still have the tingles. Has anyone else had weird experiences like this?

Next week I'll try to write on writing. :)

The big ........beige moment?

I think that’s supposed to be black. We’ve all heard about the ‘Big Black Moment.’ The moment when something so heartbreaking or devastating happens that the hero and heroine are ripped apart and we wonder how will they overcome these terrible odds?

But haven’t you read books where the ‘black moment’ was really more……charcoal or even just a dull brown? I know I’ve read stuff where the moment is described, at best, as a murky beige. And that’s such a let down because we need that emotional turning point and then the satisfying ending. Otherwise why spend the time to read 300 pages?

And how do those books even get published? What editor looked at that manuscript and said, “Oh wow, when Henry Hunk stepped into that blow-up kiddie pool and realized he didn’t know how to swim I was devastated! How would they overcome this?”

Ok, so they probably aren’t that inane, but some are close enough.

I’ve been looking through my WIP and realized that my black moment isn’t even beige, it’s hiding! Lucy, you got some ‘splainin’ to do!

It’s hard to beat up our characters and make their lives hell, because, hey, we like these people. We like them better than some of our family members. Most of our family members.

But if we don’t put them through some sort of horrible BLACK moment then…..boooorring.

So get out those spear guns and cross bows and get those characters in your sights for some serious pain and anguish! Throw everything you’ve got at them, and when they’re down, kick ‘em again. Make that black moment pitch black.

What are some of your favorite black moments?

Contests... Part Two

Today I received score sheets from the contest I entered a few months ago. They couldn't have come at a better time. Lately I've been in a bit of a slump, convinced that everything I write is complete crap. It took me twenty minutes to get the nerve to hit the download button and view my scores.

Once I did, I got a pleasant surprise. While the pages themselves were loaded with comments and suggestions for improvement, the scores were mostly fours and fives (out of five). Both authors were published and said they would buy the book.

What an ego boost! But that's not the point of this post. In an earlier blog, I'd wondered if contests were really worth it. I have to say without a shadow of a doubt,the Lauries contest of the Smoky Mountain Romance Chapter is one not to miss. The judges fill out detailed score sheets and I ended up getting two very detailed critiques. Both judges spent a great deal of time on my entry and for that I'm very appreciative.

So will I enter a contest again? You bet. But I plan to enter only those that give good feedback. Someday, when I feel a little more confident in my critiquing skills, I'll judge a contest and return the favor.

Until then, I've got some revisions to make.

uh, i forgot?

have you ever forgotten your characters' names? i don't mean the H & H. i mean subcharacters (but i suppose it could happen to the stars too). well, it happened to me this weekend. so, i think i'm not only going to have to keep a legend of my chapters, but a list of character names.

no, i'm not writing a story about a carnival or anything. but, i am heavier on subplot; thus, more subcharacters to keep track of. i wish they could wear name tags. hmm, maybe i could make paper dolls of them? OMG - then i could totally act out the scenes. wait a minute - BEST IDEA EVER! i totally have all my barbies from when i was little. oh yes, i am about to start playing romance. i think i should copyright that idea because it's so awesome.

i am not even joking.

so, names. have you ever changed a character name like halfway through your story? that also happened to me this weekend. there's this one subchick who makes an early appearance, and a man who makes a later appearance, and their names are too similar ... so i decided to change the chick's name. yet, now i find myself still liking the chick's writer-given name and don't like her new substitute name, so, is it bad to have two similar names in a story? i mean they both start with the same letter and end in the same consonant. i had advice from a PAN one time that said not to even begin two different names in the same story with the same letter. i don't know that i agree with that, but i try to be more conscious of it when naming my characters.

i mean, like if i had ethan and nathan, that would be confusing. and if i had casey and cassie, that would be lyrical, but still confusing. and if i had morgan and logan - see, the ending part is too similar.

to prove how sometimes we just need to talk these things through with each other, i think i just came up with another solution. i'm going to give the chick a nickname made out of her original, writer-given name.

whew.

so, since i figured it out, i'd like to know if anyone else OCDs over little details like this. come on, put on your name tag and step forward. there will be no spanking this time. unless you request that offline.

OMG! Unlce Jesse Had A Mullet?!

Okay, so that wasn't going to be my title. It was going to be something clever making reference to how bad hair sometimes means good things (no need to comment on that oxymoron) BUT when I Google imaged 'bad hair' and found this picture of Uncle Jesse...let's face it:

I ABOUT DIED!

I, future best selling author of all time in the entire universe, was in love with a mullet. This kind of shocking revelation is NOT how one should have to end a Satuday. I'm just saying.

I'm currently taking deep breaths and trying to focus on what I really wanted to say tonight so if this ends up like my usual crap...let me apologize in advance. I think I have A.D.D.

Earlier this week I was really trying to work out a scene...it wasn't working on the laptop so I grabbed a notebook and tried scribbling some stuff down on paper. I don't know about you guys but writing, like actual using a pen and paper writing - sucks. Made my hand hurt and my arm ache...anyway...

Here I am pacing and jotting and pacing and running my hand through my hair and jotting some more and before I knew it...it was right. The scene, the voice, everything. So I sat back down at the computer and went back to work (my hand had never been so grateful).

Enter Husband (all together: Bless His Heart), who took one look at me and screamed.

Me: What?
BHH: What happened to your hair?
Me: (giving death stare) You really wanna go there?
BHH: (shrugs) I'm just trying to do what's best for my children.

After he went back to his cave I couldn't resist the urge to mosey on down to the potty to check it out myself. Ladies, it made me scream.

I looked like that girl from Dances With Wolves, you know the 'tatanka-kick-ING bird' kidnapped white woman? It was all matty and crazy with bobby pins drooping down and quite frankly just scary.

But you know what? I LOVED IT! Because I had finished my scene and because I was home and it was late at night so no one but me and BHH and Nate (the character from last week who's back from vacation begging me to finish his story - but I'm still bitter so I'm making him wait...he probably LOVES that...) could see.

So the point to yet another long post is: Crazy Ass Bad hair = Good writing for Chellie. Might scare small children and husbands, but it worked.

Who would have thunk it? What about you? Ever looked in the mirror after a hard bout of wrestling with words and thought, "This look really works for me?". What makes your family look at you like they are worried you've gone off the deep end?

Aaaah, the price of creativity....