Why is it that as soon as you start a serious project, your creative juices overwhelm you and nag you to return to your fun projects? For me I think it has to do with my stress levels, that my brain automatically defaults to thinking about my characters to remove myself from the difficulties of day-to-day life.
Speaking of some escape, I recently devoured Laura Florand's The Chocolate Thief. Truly delightful. I didn't think the epilogue chapter was necessary, and if anything, it weakened the romance of the whole story. I also found myself enamored with Sylvain, the chocolatier, who seemed more interesting than the main female character. Rounder and less two-dimensional than the rich girl character.
I love the French feel. Love the language and the easy flow of the book.
I think I enjoyed it equally, or perhaps for different reasons, compared to her first book, Blame it on Paris.
My hectic life enjoyed a little breather.
Friday, September 28, 2012
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
And September winds down
This summer, the amount of traffic on my food blog (www.angelfoodcooking.blogspot.com) has doubled and I periodically see days where it quadruples from what I used to see as my baseline.
Yet while I updated that blog usually once or twice a day, I can't keep this one active or interesting.
I have completed 2 assignments for the internal communications office of USAID as the start of my eInternship at the department of state.
The first newsletter I laid out for the Greater Lehigh Valley Writers Group appears to have reached its audience successfully. This I credit to my template designer (Gayle Hendricks) and my contributors who have made the editing easy.
Meanwhile the honors thesis is taking shape-- rough but written. I have a mini proposal document my professor requested and really rough drafts of the introduction and chapters one through three.
In the midst of all this, I'm applying for jobs, working with freelance clients and wondering what written endeavors will come at the end of this year: academic or creative?
Yet while I updated that blog usually once or twice a day, I can't keep this one active or interesting.
I have completed 2 assignments for the internal communications office of USAID as the start of my eInternship at the department of state.
The first newsletter I laid out for the Greater Lehigh Valley Writers Group appears to have reached its audience successfully. This I credit to my template designer (Gayle Hendricks) and my contributors who have made the editing easy.
Meanwhile the honors thesis is taking shape-- rough but written. I have a mini proposal document my professor requested and really rough drafts of the introduction and chapters one through three.
In the midst of all this, I'm applying for jobs, working with freelance clients and wondering what written endeavors will come at the end of this year: academic or creative?
Saturday, September 1, 2012
Chapter One AGAIN
Last night, I finished my first week of school and a hectic work week. After a week of lectures, it becomes hopeful that my psych class will be easier than I thought and maybe I do have time for everything.
Last night I didn't go to bed early. Instead of collapsing when my daughter went to bed, I rewrote chapter one of my second manuscript, Courting Apparitions. Except it wasn't a rewrite as much as stripping stuff out.
At the end of the first novel, two characters ended up bound together in an unusual circumstance and I thought this would impede the conditions for the start of the second book.
In the previous draft, the protagonist runs into the antagonist and his emotional state upon seeing the antagonist causes an event that sets the book in motion.
I thought that would be a problem if the antagonist had a partner and through that partner learned more about himself that would theoretically keep the event from happening.
But then I realized the simple answer, what if the antagonist went looking for the protagonist because he needed to revisit what happened in the previous book and this would upset the protagonist and spur the event that sets the book in motion.
The simple solution in writing is best 99% of the time.
New first line:
"No man ever deserved anything more than Étienne d'Amille deserved this beer right now."
Last night I didn't go to bed early. Instead of collapsing when my daughter went to bed, I rewrote chapter one of my second manuscript, Courting Apparitions. Except it wasn't a rewrite as much as stripping stuff out.
At the end of the first novel, two characters ended up bound together in an unusual circumstance and I thought this would impede the conditions for the start of the second book.
In the previous draft, the protagonist runs into the antagonist and his emotional state upon seeing the antagonist causes an event that sets the book in motion.
I thought that would be a problem if the antagonist had a partner and through that partner learned more about himself that would theoretically keep the event from happening.
But then I realized the simple answer, what if the antagonist went looking for the protagonist because he needed to revisit what happened in the previous book and this would upset the protagonist and spur the event that sets the book in motion.
The simple solution in writing is best 99% of the time.
New first line:
"No man ever deserved anything more than Étienne d'Amille deserved this beer right now."
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