I’m attempting to resist distractions like golf, grandchildren, and fabulous friends who are too interesting and/or too much fun to ignore. The reason? REVISIONS! As Stephen King would say, “kill your darlings, kill your darlings, even when it breaks your egocentric little scribbler’s heart, kill your darlings.” His “On Writing:A Memoir Of The Craft” is one of my bibles.
Oh the pain, the agony! It gets messy at times! Trust me folks, it’s not easy deleting and reworking characters and scenes I thought were brilliantly, wonderfully, and abso-frickin’-lutely vital to the story. But that was just me …
I want to have my next novel published by the end of October *palpitations starting … body heat increasing … urge to eat chocolate almost overpowering* so I absolutely have to stay focused. I know all of this murderous behaviour wil only make the story better.
I have a talented, experienced, editor whose opinion I trust and respect. We worked together on the content edit of The Bridge Club and his guidance is stellar … often difficult to force myself to follow … but stellar! And, yes, I did say “he”… half my age, devoted father of a toddler, who somehow gets what I like to write. I feel very fortunate that he is also available to meet or discuss a point as I know that’s an option not always easy to find.
Okay … I could go on … but my point is this. I MUST stick to my plan today. My Tuesday golf game was rained out and my dinner tonight with my bestie rescheduled. My husband is out of the country for ten days with our youngest son. I have no excuse but to have at least a week of super-productive writing and that means shutting down the social media to a minimum … or I’m in trouble, as it’s the biggest time-suck going!
I’m going to send you instead to Jenny Hansen’s blog which has one of THE most amazing collections of links about writing I’ve seen in a very long time. If writing is a topic that doesn’t call to you at the moment, there are other fab options. So do it … please … click right here and start visiting or bookmarking.
One of the awesome posts Jenny includes is August McLachlan’s “Plotting, Pantser, or Plantser:Finding What Makes You Tick”. I’ve always admitted I’m heavy on the pantser side of things but August, brilliant as usual, offers a compromise. Where do you fit?
Oh, and be sure to check out the always-entertaining Tameri Etherton’s post on self-hosting your own blog which also includes terrific links.
If you are a travel junkie like I am and have been following my posts about Drew and Christine Gilbert‘s documentary The Wireless Generation, take a few minutes to read this recent interview with Christine. All the links are also there for other information you might want to see about this creative, adventurous couple and the choices many people are making about taking their work with them as they travel the globe. As a senior *gulp*, I totally embrace the possibility. Would you?
Natalie Hartford, besides keeping her readers in stitches about topics most of us wouldn’t dare touch, is one of the most vocal advocates for the campaign against drinking and driving. Her family’s personal experience will touch your heart and hopefully encourage you to spread the word.
See what I mean? I could be on here all day just pointing you to other great spots to stop. As always, the blog roll down the side of my page here offers a wealth of fine reading. Alright … I’m outa here … see you Friday!
