Incandescence

It's hard to believe my time in Ohio is almost gone. How has three months flown by so quickly? I'm (sometimes frantically) working on my story, trying to prod it into a roughly finished draft. I know, I know, I said before I was done, and here I am, saying again that it is almost finished (again). The problem with writing is it is never finished! I re-work on section and the ripples reach throughout the story, and suddenly the whole last half of the book has to be tweaked and reworked. New scenes are added, old ones suddenly don't work and have to be deleted. Some characters have been removed, others gain more importance in the story. The marble is being chipped away. It is still rough, but something is emerging from the block, at this point, I cannot tell if it will be worth the work or not. I am too close to this story, I cannot tell anymore whether it is any good, whether the story will hold up to criticism, whether I have written compelling characters. I just don...

I can't decide if I should stop reading writing advice or continue reading it. No matter what topic, opinions differ. Some authors say you should create a scene list before writing, so you know where your story is headed. Others tell you to start writing and let the story flow. I couldn't say for sure which, if either, is best. All I can say is that I did take the advice of some and create a scene list. My story began over ten years ago. I started writing and realized that my story was heavily influenced by Tolkien (magical ring, anyone?) I started over, testing several different story lines, until I finally ended up on the one I am currently working on. I guess I like to do things in the wrong order, because I wrote my story, and then decided maybe I should try creating a scene list. It is helpful, I would say I got just as much benefit from it after writing my story as creating a list of scenes before I even started, because if I have discovered anything, it is that ch...

It seems like recently I've been posting a lot of 'serious' posts. So, in a different vein, I thought I would share another of my interests--music--I love playing soundtracks and playlists as I write because it helps me stay sane. Just for fun, I thought I would share some of my favorites, the artists and songs that I've been playing on repeat recently. I realized when I finished that I ended up including everything from pop to country. Here are some of them, listed first by artist, then the song (or album, in some cases): 1) Reeve Carney - New For You (song) 2) Ray LaMontagne - some of my favorite songs: Let It Be Me, Trouble 3) Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago & Blood Bank (albums) 4) The Civil Wars - any of their albums 5) Ben Sollee - A Few Honest Words (I really like the instrumentals in this song) 6) Switchfoot - Sing It Out (this might be my favorite Switchfoot song) 7) Seabird - Rocks into Rivers (album) 8) Throwing Copper - Lightning Crashe...

I just wrote the epilogue for my story. Of course, a lot can (and probably will) change before I am completely done with it. But after spending over ten years working towards this ending, it's not relief, but sadness that I feel. I have a second story forming now, a continuation of the one I am currently working on. But it is bittersweet, because I have to say goodbye to the characters I have become acquainted with and developed over the past couple of months. I have to say goodbye to my flawed but lovable heroine, and the host of other supporting characters that I have become attached to. I think I'm going to cry now...just kidding. But really...as a consolation, I think I'm going to immerse myself in my new story. I'm not going to lie, I love love love (did I repeat myself? Sorry) writing. I have had a few momentary blocks, but I have been learning to push through them. Sometimes (especially when I'm blocked) my writing is terrible, and I have to go back and del...