Terescia’s thoughts and such on writing romantic fiction for publication.

I’m supposed to be writing, otherwise there’s no point for me to still be awake. There’s a warm bed and a warm body waiting for me on the other side of the closed door a few feet to my right. My punishment for ignoring it is the cold twisting through my body. My fingers keep skipping across the wrong keys and I have to backtrack to get the words right, but 12:22 doesn’t seem so late really. I remember when it was nothing to stay up until 3 am reading a good book or writing. Those days are probably gone forever now that I have kids who think 6 am is late.

I’ve been listening to music with my headphones while I work, but I’m not writing. Sometimes the words just won’t come. And sometimes the words are there, but I find ways to stave them off. I often wonder if this means I don’t really want to spend my life writing stories I can’t be sure anyone will ever read.

Only my critique partner sees them, but I’ve kept this latest story close. She’s seen only a few chapters here and there.

I’m supposed to be heading downhill. I’m past the 3/4 mark, and I’ve finally concluded there’s no such thing as going downhill when it comes to writing.

From the first word to the last, it’s like pulling my own fingernails out. And yet… I can’t imagine my life if I were to stop. Even if someday I gave up the quest for publication, I would write something. For such a terrible, torturous thing, writing gives me some of my favorite moments.

There’s nothing like laughing out loud as I read something I wrote. And when I cry as I type, I know it means something. My writing is better for it, even if my computer isn’t.

I’ve never actually spit anything out on my keyboard while reading my own material, but I’ve often wondered if that rush of joy wouldn’t be worth it. I hesitate to say a laugh could ever be worth $1,282 but part of me wants to say just that.

I really think I need to find a new CD.

Although, getting some sleep might be the better answer.

Blogging - the better way to putz

I learned something last night. Several somethings, in fact.

I came home yesterday evening, and because I was tired, I ended up putzing around instead of doing anything productive. Before the night was over, I had watched three (yes, three) hours of Project Runway. It was the finale, and although I’ve only ever seen one other episode, I couldn’t seem to get away from the tv.

However, as I said, I did learn something….

It’s all about the style
Jay won, in case you’re wondering. If that doesn’t mean anything to you, then maybe this will. Jay won because the judges thought he had a style all his own–a style they could distinguish from the styles of all the other wannabe designers and the already-made-it designers. He offered something different in his collection, but each article of clothing within that collection was clearly his. It made me think about how important it is, whether you design clothes or write, to have a unique style. Kara Saun lost because her work was too much like Gucci, and Wendy (poor, benighted soul) lost because she seemed not to have fully developed her own style yet.

This applies to writing fiction so obviously that I’m not even going to bother to explain it.

A trip to Amazon, and this was what I found (and added to my shopping cart–only $13.11 more before I can bring it home (I’m too cheap to pay shipping…)): Finding Your Voice: How to Put Personality in Your Writing by Les Edgerton.

Oh, and that’s not all. I learned something else from Project Runway, in a round about way.

I spend too much time composing and not enough time writing
And no, I’m not talking about music here. This morning, as I was traveling to Chattanooga to do some accounting (never let anyone convince you to make a career out of something just because you’re good at it, okay?) and started thinking about the show.

Before I’d even finishing writing the first sentence in my mind, I’d gone back and begun editing my composition. Then I realized what I was doing: I was fixing my words before I’d even finished writing them. I’ve wondered why I write so slow, and I think I’ve found my answer. :-)

So, what’s the cure?

I received my books today–books I’d ordered late last week from Amazon.

Telling Lies for Fun and Profit by Lawrence Block
Spider, Spin Me a Web by Lawrence Block
Writing the Breakout Novel by Donald Maass

Not that I expect any of these books to miraculously improve my writing, but I do love reading how-to books. :-) It’s one of my greatest weaknesses. And that’s where my quandry comes in. The school is out today and the kids are home, so writing has been slow going. I’ve tinkered with other projects I’m working on, but I haven’t done anything especially productive this morning. The afternoon looms short–afternoons never seem to last long around my house–and I’m waffling on what to do with today’s.

I should write, even as slow as the going is, but I want to read…

I’m sick, so what else is there to do but write.

I’ve never been particularly fond of the belief that any writing is better than no writing, until the last six months or so, but I’m putting it to the test today.

It’s either that, or stay in bed. I have a headache, so staying in bed is out.

My Current Reading: The Courage to Write: How Writers Transcend Fear by Ralph Keyes

A sharp reminder that writing is about communicating:

“A writer who isn’t clear has work to do. If a reader doesn’t “get” what he’s saying, it’s the writer’s problem, not the reader’s.” –Ralph Keyes, The Courage to Write

The start of a wonderful day–orange juice in my cereal, and I swear I don’t know how it happened.

The kids are home today, because TPTB decided there was too much illness going around at the school. Of course, my kids were sick last week. Writing becomes a chore when the kids (ages 5 and 6) are running around the house screaming.

Maybe I know why that orange juice ended up in my cereal after all. :-)

I need to run on over to Lucy Monroe’s site and re-read Writing with Children Around, and then head on over to Writers Crossing and read How to Write with the Kids At Home By Kristi Holl.

Or maybe I’ll just get to work… :-)