Love Scenes Make Me Happy =)

I spent most of yesterday being upset that I couldn't write. It just wasn't happening. And my horoscope yesterday specifically said it was a good day to be artistic, especially with writing! Haha, not that I live and die by my horoscopes, but lately there's been quite a few about writing, and taking the opportunities available, so I think that's a good sign in general.

But yesterday, nothing worked out like I wanted it to. Imagine that, two kids and a messy house, and not having time for anything...who knew? =)

Once the kids finally went to sleep, I was waiting for Ryan to come home, and surfing the internet, not really with any purpose; I was debating on whether or not to try to get some stuff down. But I wasn't really in the right frame of mind, so I figured I would just try to edit some of the other stuff I'd already written.

Once again, those crazy characters grabbed my by surprise and wouldn't let me go. I spent two hours (!) writing a scene I'd been putting off, because it is so important, and I really wanted it to be perfect. I've really been procrastinating it because I didn't want to mess it up, and I wasn't sure exactly how to put what I was seeing and feeling into words.

And can I just mention that was the fastest two hours EVER! I couldn't believe it was almost midnight when I stopped. I love writing!!

But it turns out I didn't have to do anything. They told me exactly what would happen, I just had to keep up. And I'm pretty happy with what I've got so far. I haven't re-read it yet, maybe while the kids nap I can, but while I was writing, it was just laying itself out so well, I kind of felt dumb for waiting to try it.

The scene is pretty vital to my main characters, a turning point in the whole story, and the beginning of a serious conflict with one of my not-quite-main characters, which is going to be fun to get into.

So I think I've got most of that chapter down, and the way it ended it perfectly set up for the next chapter to start. I think I'm going to do that one next, just because I can see it in my head pretty well, which is a good sign. It's going to be from another character's POV I think, because I really got into her head last night...or she got into mine. She's my scheming female anti-hero of sorts, and her head is so full of twisted plots and connivances, I'm excited to see what kind of trouble she's going to cause. And believe you me, she is a trouble maker!

Yay, I'm so happy and excited still, I just wish there were a way for me to have two whole hours to myself everyday, in a room by myself, with my music playing....

Speaking of music, I've started a playlist of songs I'm listening to while I write, I might stick that up here sometime so you can hear it too, if you're interested. =)

That's all for now, it's time to go clean the house I left to the elements (kids) yesterday. Cross your fingers for me to get more down tonight!

Somebody Give the Woman a Shrine Already

It's been a few days since I've written anything...here that is. The reason being, I've been writing a lot on my story! (Yay!)

My characters are really people now in my head, they tell me what they would do in the situations I put them in, I hear songs on the radio and they tell me what they think of them. I know I sound like a crazy person, hearing voices in my head, and fictional character's voices at that. But it's the way it works for me. My characters become real, and tell me their story, and I just have to write it down and not screw it up, haha.

I've decided to take a page out of Stephenie Meyer's book, so to speak. Most of you know that she is the reason I've finally "picked up the pen", and started writing. I often refer to her as my "Inspirational Dream Chasing Guru". I'm not going to go further into that here, because I've already written quite a bit about it on my Twilight blog. If you're interested in reading it, click here.

On her website, Stephenie said that she wrote the scenes she liked the most first, and then went back and strung all the scenes together. Um, can you say GENIUS?! Why have I never thought of that? I've tried to sit through writing the things that have to be there, the boring back stories, the important facts, to get to the good stuff. And 9 times out of 10, I'd get to bored, or lose inspiration, and never even get to the good scene!

Not this time though, not since Stephenie gave me such awesome advice. I'm writing my favorite scene at the moment, and let me tell you....it's good. I sat down and didn't even think about what was supposed to happen next, I just wrote it as fast as I could to keep up with what I was seeing in my head. Of course, having two kids, a husband, and various responsibilities, I didn't get too far into it before I had to stop to make lunch, then stop again to help my mother mutilate a bookshelf, (that was pretty funny actually), and then get groceries.

I was pretty worried that if I stopped writing before I got it all down, I would lose something vital, or I wouldn't be able to start writing the way I was. What if I forgot something? This was my favorite scene, vital to my story, what if I couldn't write it?

Baseless fears it turns out. I picked up right where I left off, reading the last few lines I'd written, and the I was off and running again. Running so fast, in fact, I was just barely keeping from falling flat on my face. A pretty heady feeling, and very exciting.

So things are going pretty good and I hope they continue along this path! Now I have to go write since I've noticed my kids are entertaining each other...which will probably last all of 30 more seconds...

Character Study

I got one whole solid hour today to write!! Yay!! That might not sound like a lot to most of you, but the chances of both of my children being asleep for an overlapping hour is like finding hidden money or getting a Christmas gift you didn't think you were actually going to get.

I actually sat down with the intention of actual writing. Like starting a chapter, laying out a full scene, etc. But once I started going through all my notes, I kept adding in little notations and blurbs next to my character descriptions. I got so into thinking about what this character would do in this circumstance, and why this one acts this way, that I decided to run with it and wait to start the actual story itself.

(Is part of that procrastination? Of course; I am who I am. And it's still pretty scary to me, this whole "writing a novel" thing. But I'm more excited than scared, so no worries that procrastination will be taking over permanently.)

Once I quit pretending like I was just jotting down little notes, I really got into my characters. I just have such a clear view on them, I know them already! I know what kind of music they like (or don't), and their pasts, and what they look like. I know that one of them would eat pancakes every day if she didn't have to cook them, and that one runs 3 miles everyday.

Of course, it's impossible for me to get all this information that my characters are telling me and not get at least some of the story behind it. So then I start making those little side blurbs again, and wondering if I should start Chapter 1 with this or that...

Alas, I was prevented from getting into anything really juicy at that moment, because baby #1 woke up, and baby #2 wasn't far behind.

I have to admit, I'm surprised every time I start up again, every time I look at my characters and read what I've got, that I'm still interested. That there is still so much in my head to get out. I think that's what is giving me faith this time to keep writing. Because I can keep writing; in fact, I can't keep up with how much there is in there! It's like a dam was knocked down, and the flood is still there, just waiting for me to stick my toe in. And as soon as I stick my toe in, there's more floodwater. Doesn't make a lot of sense, but that's how I see it.

In an aside, I read a poem today that I love, and I wanted to share it with yous guys. =) I'm sure you were forced to read it in school, but some things get better over time, with new perspectives.

Birches

by Robert Frost.

When I see birches bend to left and right

Across the lines of straighter darker trees,

I like to think some boy's been swinging them.

But swinging doesn't bend them down to stay.

Ice-storms do that. Often you must have seen them

Loaded with ice a sunny winter morning

After a rain. They click upon themselves

As the breeze rises, and turn many-coloured

As the stir cracks and crazes their enamel.

Soon the sun's warmth makes them shed crystal shells

Shattering and avalanching on the snow-crust

Such heaps of broken glass to sweep away

You'd think the inner dome of heaven had fallen.

They are dragged to the withered bracken by the load,

And they seem not to break; though once they are bowed

So low for long, they never right themselves:

You may see their trunks arching in the woods

Years afterwards, trailing their leaves on the ground,

Like girls on hands and knees that throw their hair

Before them over their heads to dry in the sun.

But I was going to say when Truth broke in

With all her matter-of-fact about the ice-storm,

I should prefer to have some boy bend them

As he went out and in to fetch the cows--

Some boy too far from town to learn baseball,

Whose only play was what he found himself,

Summer or winter, and could play alone.

One by one he subdued his father's trees

By riding them down over and over again

Until he took the stiffness out of them,

And not one but hung limp, not one was left

For him to conquer. He learned all there was

To learn about not launching out too soon

And so not carrying the tree away

Clear to the ground. He always kept his poise

To the top branches, climbing carefully

With the same pains you use to fill a cup

Up to the brim, and even above the brim.

Then he flung outward, feet first, with a swish,

Kicking his way down through the air to the ground.

So was I once myself a swinger of birches.

And so I dream of going back to be.

It's when I'm weary of considerations,

And life is too much like a pathless wood

Where your face burns and tickles with the cobwebs

Broken across it, and one eye is weeping

From a twig's having lashed across it open.

I'd like to get away from earth awhile

And then come back to it and begin over.

May no fate wilfully misunderstand me

And half grant what I wish and snatch me away

Not to return. Earth's the right place for love:

I don't know where it's likely to go better.

I'd like to go by climbing a birch tree,

And climb black branches up a snow-white trunk

Toward heaven, till the tree could bear no more,

But dipped its top and set me down again.

That would be good both going and coming back.

One could do worse than be a swinger of birches.

Slacking

So I haven't written today, and I don't think I'm going to. I went out last night, and that's always a double edged sword. On the one hand, I get to hang out with my friends, have a few drinks and dance, which I adore. On the other hand, I got four hours of sleep, and I'm always sooooo tired the next day.

Hangover=No writing...

That's enough to make me think twice about going out. Of course, my sanity is directly dependent on my time away from my kids, so maybe I'll just consider those "days after" as a day off. That sounds about right, normal people don't work seven days a week anyways...pretty funny though, that I'm considering myself as a "normal person" for that purpose alone.

On another note, I'm still excited about writing. I'm already in love with my character, and I hear conversations they have in my head. Things are definitely progressing in a great way so far. Tomorrow I'll start writing again, and I'm looking forward to that! I can't wait to see one scene particularly, between my unwilling hero and my leading lady...and another one between my unwilling hero and wanna-be leading lady...

Hmmmm....

Maybe I will write a little something today. =)

So Far, So...Good?

So I've been kind of hesitant with my writing, basically out of fear of coming up against a wall. But miraculously, I haven't hit it yet. (Yay!)

I know I will eventually, it's just a part of writing, but I'm really not looking forward to that part at all. Oh well, I need to just enjoy the good stuff while it lasts.

So I've got a few scribbled pages that I'm really pretty happy with so far; just a basic outline mostly, and some character descriptions. But I've also started adding in some plot conflict, and some secondary characters. This is actually pretty sweet, because along with the secondary characters comes plot conflict anyways....it's like finding a twenty in the pocket of a pair of jeans you haven't worn in a long time. When you're flat broke and really need to buy the new VMAN mag because it's got the best pictures ever of my current favorite cast....(sorry, little sidetrack into my obsession...or should I say Robsession?)

Anyways, things are going pretty good, like I said, and keep those fingers crossed that things continue to do so.

Oh, did I mention that I think this is going to be a slightly sci-fi/fiction story? Fun fun!!