Be The Heroine In Your Own Story

In  my novel my main character Caitlin is on a mission. She is searching for her father, the father she thought was dead. It involves a long quest across strange lands with many new trials. In the current scene I am writing she has been captured by yet another group of brigands who seem bent on preventing her from reaching her goal.

When I think about this story I can't help but think of my own dreams. They are like taking a long journey or like a quest in a fantasy novel. If you were to think of your dream as a fantasy novel, what stage would you be at. I asked myself these questions.
Have I just left my home?
Has the bad guy shown up yet?
Do I make foolish mistakes?
Do I get frustrated the first time something goes wrong.
Do I have the guts and drive of a warrior to keep going?
What do I do when all hope seems lost?

I can relate to all these questions to my own creative journey. The parallels are interesting. I have often heard that we are the heroine in our own stories. I like the sound of that. When I get the most frustrated I need to remind myself I am the heroine, and the heroine does not give up.  She dusts off her bow or her sword and she tackles those getting in her way again and again.  I have long believed that creativity is a process, a series of steps. You just don't sit down and create a masterpiece the first time out.

If the heroine of my story reached her goal in the first fifty pages, what fun would that be. We want to be able to see her struggle, to gain insight by those struggles and for her to persevere in the end. Its the same way with our own creative projects. We learn so much in the process. If I didn't struggle to make a piece of art, it would be flat and lifeless. It's in the whole process where we lay out our emotions out in the paint that adds the layer and depth to paintings that we love. Where would Van Gogh's work be without the angst of his life. The more I think about this the more I realize both art and writing teach us in the same way. We can be the heroine in our own stories.

If you were look at your creative dream as if it were a fantasy novel, what part of the story are you in right now?

Writual Blessings

I drew this mandala in my sketchbook yesterday at church. I started with the spiral in the center and kept going.  It was a relaxing way to listen to the sermon and keep my hands busy.  I have been drawing in church for so long now that I don't think I could sit there without doing something.

On Saturday I got my Writual Blessings Deck. These cards are from writing coach Cynthia Morris. They are a deck for writers. They come in a nice organza bag and have delightful illustrations and words of wisdom.

The card use Cynthia's own watercolor illustrations. They are charming and delightful. I think they will be great to use.

Here is another one. They are the size of an iPhone, so they fit nicely into your purse to take to a writing date. You can get your own set here

A Trip to Craters of The Moon For Research

In working on my novel I felt the need to go back to one of the areas I am using for a setting in the book. Since it is only 2 hours from home its something I could easily do. So on Saturday I headed out on an excursion.

This one view of the landscape all kinds of lava rock and a very un-hospitable terrain. 

This show some of the more smooth rock from the Pahoehoe(pa-hoy-hoy) lava flows. You could easily walk on this. When you look closely it looks like petrified wood.  My characters would love to be traveling on this the whole time but they are not.

There are lots of ridges and valleys where you could get your foot stuck.

Here is some more of the Pahoehoe lava where is forms like ribbons or ropes. Some areas easy to walk on others not so much

We took a tour to Indian cave, here is our Ranger guide who told us all about lava, caves, lava tubes and the wildlife there. It was very informative.  I ended up taking lots of notes to refer back to.

Here I am in the cave. The climbing was a challenge. I used my hands sometimes and could really feel the sharp pointy rocks.  You could easily cut yourself on them.

This is a section of the cave that we climbed out of. Then we walked over the lava fields in areas of varied difficulty back to civilization.  It made me see that I need to make it harder on my characters. Walking across this terrain is not easy. You couldn't do it fast.

Here is a short video I took of the landscape we were walking to get back to our car. Those wooden poles are like cairns to lead us on the correct path.  I learned a lot by going back here and really experiencing what it would be like to cross terrain like this.  It will help me in writing about my characters journey.   Now another setting I'll be using will be the steppe country of Mongolia. I won't be able to take a trip there so the internet and reading will have to suffice.  I am excited to get back to my characters Caitlin and Torin,  Celtic like warriors who are on a journey across a hostile land. What bad things happen to them only time will tell.

Kate

Connecting Writing And Art

I have these odd silhouettes that were given to me years ago.  I often pull them out to use and then decide I don't want to use them.  So this one was lying around my desk. I liked it over this background. Doesn't that blob on the left look like Africa? I see now I could have made a map out of this page.  Sometimes it seems like I don't see things in my pieces until a photo is taken.  I wonder why that is?

This is the second half of the ugly spray ink exploration I talked about in yesterday post. On this side I muted the page with gesso before I drew and painted the trees.  The stencils in the background look like a ghost image. I think I like it.  Happy accidents are fun to discover in your work. I am really loving these trees.

Wouldn't it be awesome to walk into a forest that had trees this color. It reminds me of something I am adding to my novel.  I have no title yet but I thought I might start sharing some little tidbits here on the blog. It's the idea of a feminine forest. One where men have a hard time traveling through and women gain something special from being there. I haven't decided how this forest will look yet, but this is a pretty good start. I like the idea of exploring some things I am writing about in my art journal.  It gives my ideas a little more life, to see them on the page.

Do you have more than one hobby?  Have you found a way to work on them at the same time like a collaboration?  I'd love to hear about it? Leave me a comment about it.

500 Word Challenge

I listened to a webinar put on by Jeff Goins yesterday. It was called "The Four Keys To a Prolific Daily Writing Habit" Quite a bit of what he talked about were things I had tried before, but one element was missing.  That was to write everyday at the same time.  Its the best way to create a habit. I haven't decided what time that should be though.  For me that is the hard part. It may mean getting up early, yikes I am so not a morning person.  But then sometimes if I wait till nighttime I am too tired and it never happens. So I joined in this challenge to write 500 words a day for 31 days.  Are you having trouble getting to your writing maybe you should join in with me. You can sign up here.

So you may know that I do challenges like this quite often.  I am still in the midst of Lisa Sonara Beam's 30 Day Journal Project. I have also done 30 day Face challenges where you paint a face every day. So what does participating in challenges do for me.  For one it makes me commit to something. The repetition helps me to get deeper into the process, helps it become a habit.  Its a way to focus on something that I might not be able to any other way.  Its a tool, just another tool in my creative toolbox helping me to get where I want to be.  

Do you participate in challenges like these?  Do you find that they help you or hinder you? 

Inspire - Mandala

This is my spread from Spectrum's Inspire section on creating sacred mandala's. I have been having problems getting to my writing so I wanted to create this mandala with the intention of making it better. The page was gessoed first to add some texture. Then I added golden paints in favorite colors, turquoise thalo, quinacridone, nickel azo gold, indian yellow hue, manganese blue and titanium white. I used a catalyst mini blade to spread the paint and then sprayed water on the page to move the paint around and let it dry.

The mandala was drawn with a compass.  I added the inner circle with some paper I had stamped words on. The rest was drawn with a Scarlet lime pen and a Prismacolor marker.

I perused Pinterest inspiration boards for great quotes on writing. The face was a stencil that I painted black. I chose to add a feminine image along with birds from nature and images relating to writing. I used colored pencil on the black and white print of pens. This piece became a conglomeration of many things.

This bird is a stamp. I chose a light area to add her so the words would show up.

Little sweet spots of other birds were added. I love all the different colors that show up in this background close up. This was a fun piece to create and is full of deep meaning for me.

Exploring Rituals For Creative Projects

Just what is a ritual.  In looking for a proper definition I found several ways to look at a ritual.   A ritual can be seen as a religious or solemn ceremony consisting of a series of actions performed according to a prescribed order. A ritual doesn't have to religious in nature all it needs to be is a series of acts performed  in the same way.  It can be as simple as lighting a candle or putting on music.

I've been exploring rituals this past week. My goal for this is to discover a way to make my writing a major focus.  I am getting distracted by so many other things.  I figured if I could design a ritual and follow it pretty soon I'd have a regular practice and I wouldn't need the ritual anymore. I would still do it because the act of creating the space for writing would still be important.

My first thought was to create a list of things that I could use as a ritual.

• Candle.
• Talisman - like a figurine.
• Feather.
• Writing jewelry.
• Oracle cards.
• Headset.
• Music.
• Set a timer.
• Set goals.
• Cup of tea.
• Sage or incense.
• Silence.
• Use Freedom software - internet blocking software.
• Look at book vision board for inspiration.
• Put in planner, carve out the time like I have an appointment.

Then I planned to try it at different times of day. I had a little trouble getting started. The list was so long that it seemed daunting. So I just started simply.

1st attempt:

Choose oracle card.  Ponder its meaning.

Put ravens and feather on my desk.

Silence, ie no music.  This worked fine but the next day I did nothing.

2nd attempt:

No ritual, I just wrote because I kept putting it off.

3rd attempt.

Went out to our trailer.

There was no internet access.

I put on some instrumental music.

Got a glass of ice water. This worked.

So the next day I tried it again. Now the internet worked out there and I got distracted. So I loaded the Freedom software which turns off your internet.  This worked great.

After my call with my writing coach I came up with a new idea. My goal for the week was to Write at least one hour a day. I can't go to bed until I have written.  This seems to be working out great. I have done this 3 days in a row now. I am writing late at night but at least I am doing it.

Lessons Learned

So what have I learned in the process.

1. Its helpful to try different things until you find something that works for you.
2. The same thing won't work every time.
3. Be flexible and be patient with yourself.
4. If you invest in yourself and your goal you will accomplish it.

Do you ever create rituals for yourself?

What Will You Do WIth Your One Wild And Precious Life

Recently I gave a speech at my church on my creative journey. The starting point was a line in Mary Oliver's Poem A Summer Day.  Here is the poem and then my speech.

The Summer Day

Who made the world?
Who made the swan, and the black bear?
Who made the grasshopper?
This grasshopper, I mean-
the one who has flung herself out of the grass,
the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,
who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down-
who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.
Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.
Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.
I don't know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
into the grass, how to kneel in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
With your one wild and precious life?

What Will I Do With My One Wild And Precious Life

The one word people often use to describe me is Creative. I don’t think that tells you very much because I believe that everyone is creative. Its also been said that I am highly creative and I would have to agree with that description. There isn’t a moment that goes by that I am not thinking creatively in some way. I am --- The Queen of Creativity after all. That's the title of my blog in case you didn't know.

They say that the mind of a creative person is like have 2,857 tabs open on your browser. Its a little bit of an exaggeration but in its essence its true. I’ve learned that I tend to think differently than other people.

Currently in the works I have 4 knitting projects, 3 weaving projects, 4 art journals that I create in, several canvasses in progress, a novel and memoir of my grandparents that I am working on. In addition I am reading several books, working with clients and developing a new website. On any given day I can be thinking about what I want to be doing next. ** What if? ** Is one of my favorite phrases.

Have I always been this way, well no, I didn’t come out of the womb a highly creative person. Its been a long journey of ups and downs and beginnings and endings.

My mother planted the early seeds of creativity in me. She was a seamstress and taught me to sew at a young age. I made clothes for my dolls and then myself. Sewing led to many other creative passions, like embroidery, and knitting.

After high school I took up oil painting. I had no teacher, I just bought some paint and canvas boards and gave it a whirl. I was frustrated at not being able to create what I saw in my mind and gave it up after a couple years. I fell into a comparison mode which is aways a killer for creativity.

In college I majored in political science which didn't get me anywhere. Another degree in data processing got me into computers and its still a place I am very comfortable at. I worked for various companies including the IRS. I had a stint where I fixed xerox printers over the phone, shlepped books at Barnes and Noble and set up Michaels craft store. No real job ever stuck for me.

All my jobs were left brained activities, so where was the right side of my brain all this time. After spending years sewing I was drawn to spinning. It came into my life after seeing a demo at a fair in Wisconsin. When we moved to Utah I was determined to find a spinning wheel. After learning to spin, weaving was the logical next thing to learn. I really enjoy the process of starting from scratch and creating a useful and beautiful garment. When I am spinning or weaving I feel a deep connection with the women who created this way in the past. Some of the crafts I have done have gone the wayside but I still spin and weave.

My life as a weaver included two events that stand out for me. The first was when I was contacted by a man from Meridian looking for a weaver to make a tartan sample. A tartan or plaid is the fabric used to make kilts, the national dress of Scotland. He had designed the Tartan for the Canyon County Sherrif to honor their service to the community. To get a tartan designed approved, first you need to submit a woven sample to the Tartan Society in Edingurgh Scotland. Once approved then you can have yardage of the design woven and made into a kilt. Having married a Scot I always wanted to weave a tartan, so I jumped at the chance. It involved a learning curve and growth on my part. I still think it was a cool project to be part of. I tend to jump in and try something new if its something I really want to learn. Not knowing how to do something has never stopped me.

The second project that I am very proud of is The Thread Project. It was an international weaving project set up after 9-11 as a hope to bring people from all over the world together. Weavers from all seven continents collected threads from people all over the world and wove 7 tapestries. Each of these tapestries has 7 panels. I wove one of the panels of a cloth called Weaving Reconciliation. It was the one time I felt really connected to people from all over the world. I was fortunate to see the Tapestries when they were unveiled in South Carolina in 2008. To see them hanging together was an awe inspiring experience.

Beyond weaving I was also interested in the paper arts. I had made my share of cards using stamping and other techniques. I was fascinated by all the mixed media artworks out there, but I had never taken the step to doing any of my own. I had a sketchbook that I would draw in occasionally but it was never my main focus.

Then I sprained my ankle, it was a very bad sprain. I found myself stuck in the house with only the internet for entertainment. Online I found Danny Gregory and Violette Clark, both artists with great followings who inspired me immensely. I made the decision right then and there to become the artist I always thought I was. I mean what was I waiting for, the heavens to part and say YOU ARE AN ARTIST… no that didn’t happen.

I joined Violette’s message board, became a member of the GPS otherwise known as the Glitter Power Sisters. I started connecting with other creatives and making my own art. The focus of my blog changed from showing knitting and weaving projects to my explorations in mixed media art. I willingly shared my work, both the mistakes and the successes learned along the way.

Then there is that writing thing, the part of my creativity that I have the least confidence in. Many of you know that I write a novel every November. I’ve written several novels over the years but never could take them to the next level. Often I did not like what I had written, falling into the trap of feeling it was not good enough. So I set them aside, but one in particular kept pulling be back to work on it. This fantasy novel is a story I feel I am supposed to tell. This year I made the decision that its time I invested in my writing. If I am stuck then its time to go find someone to help me. I applied for and received a partial scholarship to a group coaching program for fiction writers. This is the year I am going to finish my novel.

Sometimes dreams stall, you forget about them but they never really go away. When I was a child I remember reading some of my grandparents love letters. They were written in the early 1900's. They had such a fascinating story and I always wanted to write about them. To go to Ireland, to see where they had been, to follow in their footsteps has been a long standing wish of mine. I am going to do that in June. Its going to be quite the journey but one I am willing to take.

In summary my one wild and precious life is all about creativity, dreams, and following them. I can look back on my life and see all the points that led me from one step to the next, that got me to where I am today. I think that the universe puts things in our path, you have to pay attention, when you see them you need to grab the opportunity and go for it. You never know what amazing things it will lead you to.

Using High Flow Acrylics

I have really been enjoying doing faces with markers. They really help you work on letting go of imperfection. You can't erase, they are hard to paint over so what you see is what you get.  I love the freedom of that.  Yes it is a little hard at first to cover your beautiful background, but its only paint and paper. If you really mess up badly you can always collage over the page.  Give it a try.

I used watercolors for the background and high flow acrylic for her dress.   I also have ben having fun using liquid watercolors and a spray bottle, it makes the paint do such fun things. I like to think that she is contemplating something interesting.

I bought a few of the high flow acrylics by Golden a little while ago. I have started to use in all sorts of projects.  They are really thin but give good coverage.  I have been just putting a drop or two on my palette and then painting with them.  You could draw with the nozzle too.  Wonderful paint to work with. If you find yourself thinning out the Golden fluids you might really like these.

I seem to go through stages of using certain supplies in my art and then navigate to something else.  I think the change tends to spark things up.

Come April 1 I'll be doing Camp Nanowrimo.  It a little different from the November event. You get to set your own goals.  I am shooting for 10,000 words, I'll be working on my current work in progress. I think to will be fun.  We have a local group where several people are participating.  A group always helps keep me motivated.  You can join in by going to http://campnanowrimo.org.

How about you?  How do you stay motivated?

The Blue's Have It

These are three more pages in my journal for Art Every Day Month. This is a journal I made using Teesha Moore's technique.  It gives you several 3 page spreads.

I had paint scrapes on the page and I really didn't like the look so I started adding blue things to the page. Then I kept going; just grabbing things out of my blue box of papers. It went very organically.





This is the next connecting page.  It had a watercolor wash on the paper and then I just added some spray inks over a plastic doily. One page flows into the other so nicely. I liked that.

Since the third page had a blue watercolor wash on it I continued with that blue theme.

This is how all three pages look when they are all open. I usually don't have them flow like this. Usually I see a page distinct and try not to do any planning like this.
I like the result though.  My entries for three days.

Wouldn't this be a cool house to have. My writing for Nanowrimo is going well. I have an old house in the story so I have been checking out houses on the net for inspiration.  I wonder what is in the top of this house. A reading nook, an art studio or a bedroom.  Seems like it would be a great place to dream in.

November Is Almost Here

This November, I'm writing a novel. An entire novel, started from scratch, and completed in just one month, as part of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo).  And you thought nothing interesting ever happened in November.

This will be my 8th time participating in this fun, wacky, crazy event and I hope you'll step up and offer some support.

NaNoWriMo is free. I'm raising money to help the nonprofit that runs it build communities in classrooms, coffee shops, libraries, and living rooms all over the world and help the inspiration flow for me and thousands of my fellow novelists. Last year, they helped more than 450,000 people on six continents tell their stories, the way that I'm now telling mine. Through their Young Writers Program, they provided free curriculum, workbooks, and virtual classroom tools to 80,000 students and educators.

Every dollar I raise will keep my spirits high as I write my way towards the realization of my creative goals. More importantly, your contribution will help The Office of Letters and Light build a more engaged and inspiring world.

Thank you so much for your support of my writing! I'll be posting updates on my novel and fundraising on my sponsorship page throughout the month.

Go Here To Donate.

This years novel is going to answer the question What if you bought and old house and then started having visions of the past.  Our heroine Emma Cooper, recently widowed and facing financial ruin inherits an old house with a mysterious loom. Soon she starts having visions of the past.  Will her sanity go next?  Or perhaps the handsome stranger next door will help her solve the mystery.  Only time will tell.

I'll be posting my running word count in my sidebar so you can follow my progress.  This also means I will be blogging less.  I am going to try and post once a week.

Writing Wednesday- Nano Kickoff Party

We had our Nano Kickoff party last night. We usually have a theme because its fun and it keeps people motivated. This is my CO-ML Amber with the artwork that my daughter Sarah created.

Amber is our super hero leader.

The two ML's of our group otherwise known as Wonder Woman(Amber) and her faithful sidekick Art Woman(Me).

We made 75 of these masks. Mine needs to be moved up a little, I can't see a thing.

Lee and Robin, you don't want to mess with these two.



Ana-Lisa, Amy and Rupert all in their masks.

These guys are also known as The Avengers and they are the best writing buddies a girl could have,

The had to pose as the You Should Be Writing Guys.

Then some of us unmasked ourselves. These ladies are new members so I don't know their names. We had a blast at our kickoff and I know November is going to be awesome.

For those who need some art inspiration, here are two pages in my art journal that I have been working on.

I showed these backgrounds previously in this post 

Its Almost November

I missed most of October being gone so now November is right around the corner.  How time flies. As many of you know I set aside November to write a  novel. This enterprise is put on by the Office of Letters and Light the organization that hosts the National Novel Writing Month or NaNoWriMo as it is affectionately called. It is a worthy cause and organization that is run by donations.  They have a young writers program and an adult program.  I always try to do my part and donate something every year.  This year I am going one step further and am giving all of you a chance to donate and to take part in my Nano month. You can go directly to my fundraising page and read all about it here.  Or just donate through the button below. I will be posting my progress throughout the month on the site and as I usually do here on this blog.  I would really love your support.

Writing Wednesdays - Pinterest for Writers

Pinterest is a familiar application for a lot of us. In my first look at Pinterest I thought of it as a way to collect the things you like that you find the net. I did not use it a lot at first. Then I saw how people are using it to market their products. There are seminars on how to use Pinterest this way. Then there are the Artists who are using it, Some use it to show off their work and others create boards of inspiration. This can really be fun to do.

Now how can writers use Pinterest? There are several ways I use Pinterest for my writing. First the simplest way is to create a board about your Work in Progress. There are a lot of writers doing this. Its nice to have a visual of what your characters might look like, or the setting or of the events that will happen in your story.  I like to look at my board to keep me into the story, to keep me motivated. Motivation for writers is always a good thing.  But how else can you use it? I have boards for possible future characters, favorite scenery, costuming ideas, Words of wisdom, and more. The ideas are only limited by your imagination.

I print out pictures and put them in my notebook when working on my outline. Sometimes I create screen savers of all the pictures for my novel. I did that for NaNoWriMo last year and it worked great. Pinterest is a fun tool for writers but its easy to get sucked into spending hours on it.  So you may have to work on limiting your time on the site.  You can follow my boards here  If you have a unique way of using Pinterest tell me in the comments.

Outlining Your Novel

Ok I am back to talking about writing on the correct day. Sadly I have not been working on my book at all. I find myself still very frustrated on what to do next. So I ordered this book.

I have been opposed to outlining from the start but thought maybe this is just what I need to do. I am what is called a pantser, I write by just sitting down and writing, not much pre planning, just begin.  I have never even wanted to outline but being stuck the way I am it seems that it might be the thing to try.

I am just a little ways into this book and I really love it. Outlining is not what I expected at all. I was stuck in this format.

 I.
    a.
    b.
    c.
II.
    a. and so forth.

You know way back in the dark ages when I was in school. I hated outlines then. Now I realize they don't have to be that way. They come in a ll shapes and sizes. I didn't know that character sheets were part of an outline and backstories and all your pre-story ideas are too. Silly me, I knew they were all things that you did but figured they were just filed away somewhere. So I have gotten a new notebook, and I plan to explore the ideas I want to keep from the initial nano and generate new ones. I now have a plan and that is way more exciting than being lost in the quagmire of indecision.

Have you ever been stuck on a project with no idea on what to do next? I often have to learn the hard way. I seem to get to this really frustrated point and then the universe sends me advice, either by someone's blog post or a book that I am drawn to, or maybe it is a conversation with a friend. Often it is a message to look at something different, or try a new technique or step out of the box in my thinking about the project. I may resist at first but eventually I go there and find the answer I have been looking for.

Writing Thursday and Face # 5

I spent the day at a cafe working on writing and drew my 5th face for the month.  She was created with charcoal pencils. It is amazing that when you draw in public, no one looks at what you or doing or asks about it.  I always do so I see an artist so I am amazed that no one ever asks me when I am working on a drawing.

At the cafe I was looking for a new name for my main character.  She is a celtic archer and the name Zia no longer fit her. After looking at many name sites I still don't have any idea.  So I moved on to other things and did some research on the Mongolian step region. Did you know gray wolves live there? No wonder I was picking it as a location, since a gray wolf is character in the story. I also watched a video on making a map for your story.  That was fun and seems so simple to do. Its one of the things on my list to do.

Writing Wednesdays and Charts

Writing work in Progress.  There is really nothing new to report today. I  am still reading up on writing technique and practicing archery.

I decided I would report on something else that I am doing.  I've got about two weeks where I have no obstructions on doing what I want to do.  I have some ideas on how I want to spend that time.  I am very cognizant that I could whittle the time away doing frivolous things and I don't want that to happen. With so many choices where do I begin first. Or how do I remember what it is I wanted to do. So I made myself a chart on the back of a huge calender.

I listed some categories of what I wanted to do and then sub categories.  I'll mark these off as I do them, not in the way of a usual list but more in the sense of celebration. I started with just one color marker but had to go get some others to make it more colorful. Its on my fridge so I am reminded of what I want to be spending my time on. When I have a lot of unstructured time I find if I create some kind of structure it helps tremendously.

Now having a chart really does not help in the decision of what to do in any given day but I can see all my choices on one piece of paper.  When I am having difficulty choosing an activity I choose the task that I feel a little draw of energy to. I am washing fleeces today because I started them yesterday and I really want them finished. Then I will move on to something else. I don't always do what I think I am going to but that is ok.  I can make different choices at any time.  The chart help me keep my focus and that is a good thing.

Writing Wednesdays

Work in Progress:

I finished reading Characters, Emotion and Viewpoint by Nancy Kress and I found it very helpful. I am still reading Writing for Dummies by Randy Ingermasnon.  It has a lot of basic stuff that I am skipping over because I know it already. I found some good ideas too so I will stick with it.

I have been doing other kinds of research too.  Some of it involves this.

and this item too.

Yes, its archery.  I decided since my character was going to be an archer it might help if I could get a idea of what it feels like.  I talked to my husband who used to bow hunt, and he got out his old longbow for me to try out. I always thought that archery would be a fun sport to get involved with and I was right.

Day 1 - I could not pull the string back far enough. I also could not put the string on the bow
Day 2 - I practiced some more at pulling the string back.  I got it a little farther each time. It's a 40 lb longbow in case that interests you.
Day 3 - Pulled the string back and shot some arrows. Set up a target of a paper towel on some straw bales.  Shot too high or low but still had fun.
Day 4  - I was able to put the string on by myself.  Shot lots of arrows.  I managed to hit the paper towel once.
Day 5 - I couldn't get the string on by myself.  Don't know what happened there. Set up a target and shot some arrows.  Not too successful again, getting tired but tried one more shot, Ah success is sweet. the result is below.  I am happy about that this last shot. So I am getting better at it and will continue to do so.

So what have I learned this week you may ask. One is that research can be fun. Two that I like doing archery. Three that archery is a lot like writing, it takes quite a bit of practice before you can be good at it.

Writing Wednesdays

Work in Progress  this week.

I finished Nail Your Novel and I really liked it.  The author Roz  Morris also writes a blog of the same name. Nail Your Novel The posts are interesting and informative, if you are writing I highly recommend it.

There is a lot of basic information that I already knew in this book but it is also full of techniques on how to start editing an abandoned manuscript. She shares her plans and techniques from the very beginning to getting a novel published.  Its a great resource. I read it on my Kindle but I don't think I would do that again. I like thumbing through pages and the ability to go back and reference areas. That seems to be easier to do in a print book. I do realize I could add notes and bookmarks on my kindle but I still think a print book is easier.

I also realized I have this book on my kindle too.  I got it for really cheap when a promotion was going on, but never got around to reading it.

Its written by Randy Ingersmanson, whose claim to fame is the Snowflake method. He has an amazing newsletter that he also puts out that I have been reading for several years. So far it is really an easy read and seems very informative.

I am continuing to study about characters and emotion from the Write Great Fiction Series of books. Next on my list is this book on developing a good villain.

I spent way too much time on Pinterest today adding more pics to my work in progress board.  I find Pinterest to be a lot of fun but time consuming too. If you are on Pinterest you can follow me here.

I spent some time in the studio today but I haven't gotten any pictures to show. It felt to be working on art again.  I will have something to share next time.

Writing - Progress

An old picture of myself writing, crown and all.


Its Wednesday already so time to post any progress I have made.  I read the  Little Earth Medicine's book on the Wolf. I got a couple tidbits on it but not as much as I thought I would.  I wish I had read it before I ordered the Crow book from the same series on Amazon.  I wouldn't have purchased it but now I have a gift for someone.  The other two books on writing Nail your Novel and Characters and Emotion and Viewpoint are still works in progress.  I have focused on the later book. It is really good and is helping me see how to rewrite my own fiction.  I am noticing also what I have been doing incorrectly so that has been a plus.
In the next week I want to focus on both of these books and do some research on ravens. 

This afternoon I am headed to a root canal specialist. It looks like they will remove the old root canal, add a new one that goes deeper and clean out any infection. It doesn't sound like its going to be fun at all.