C. L. Norman

Reading

This week Kim Harrison’s Black Magic Sanction was released. The last couple books in the Hollows series were slightly disatisfying for me. Not because of the writing but because I hoped certain things would happen that didn’t or vice versa. I enjoyed this book in all ways. The plot, the characters, the pacing; I stayed up late to finish it, flipping pages and holding my breath to see how Rachel would get out of her current predicament. I cried and laughed and had a blast. I fell in love again with the Hollows series.

Rivers of Ink

The local writing event to connect readers and writers is having its second go-round this October and our first planning meeting occurred this week. It is so fun and challenging to share ideas for this event everyone is so passionate about. There is a lot of anticipation that this event go even better than the last one. I personally am trying to build my writing cred between now and October (when the conference is) so that I am better prepared to sit in on a panel or two.

On TV

I’ve finally watched the episode of Heroes stored on my DVR and found that it was the Season 4 finale. It explained why my trusty DVR hadn’t recorded any more episodes since. I enjoyed seeing Hiro teleport a whole crowd of ’specials’ away from Samual, watching Tracy flow in and rescue Noah and Claire, but my most favorite part was watching Sylar save Emma and say “I am a hero.” Sylar is awesome to observe. The part I was most disappointed with is the lack of Suresh. I’ve always had a soft spot for that character and Season 4 is very Suresh-lite and the final episode lacks him altogether. I hope he comes back for Season 5.

I watched last week’s episode of Smallville as well. As I am also currently re-watching old episodes of Stargate SG-1, the episode was rather trippy. Trippy because the villain of the episode, Conspiracy, is played by JR Bourne who played Martouf in Stargate SG-1, a good guy. He did a good job playing the psycho Frankenstein’s monster type but I kept expected a plot twist that would turn him into a misunderstood good guy.

Writing

I’m working on some maps for a new story. If I can figure out how to scan it into the computer, maybe I will post one or two later this week. I have also been building some background and story elements for this story. I am excited for it. The idea behind it has been percolating in my mind for years and I am hoping to get the story down over the next few months.

RIP Boner

Actor Andrew Koenig AKA Richard “Boner” Stabone of Growing Pains passed away this week. His character was always good for a laugh and as Mike Seaver’s best friend, the couple made a fun team. It is like another piece of my childhood slipping away. My heart goes out to his family.

How was your week? Anything interesting happen?

        

Writing

After the workshops and panels at RadCon last weekend, I became determined to start treating my writing more as a business than as a sometimes hobby. To that end, I have submitted a couple short stories this week and caught up on my novel manuscript so that I may continue with that project.

Another aspect of that is getting myself organized so that I can track expenses and submissions and all the other details needed to be successful. To that end I am working again to get my household finances in order and find a system that works for me in tracking and budgeting them. I am notoriously bad with the details and while I do not have a lot of things to track for writing yet, my household accounts are a good place to start learning the skills to carry me onward.

In addition to the above I have also started reading through Kristine Kathryn Rusch’s Freelancer’s Survival Guide. I have only read through the second Money chapter at this point but I am learning a lot and learning that there is a lot I don’t know. Very enlightening and her advice isn’t just for writers.

On TV

I’ve been rewatching Stargate SG-1 this week. Every episode I try to identify which character is my favorite and I can’t make up my mind. Usually it is a toss up between O’Neill and Dr. Daniel Jackson but then Carter or Teal’c steal a scene and I am torn between four again. My favorite episode is still A Window of Opportunity. It is like Groundhog Day with science fiction elements. Fun.

Writing Group

This week my writing group met for the first time since we closed the group to all-comers. The meeting was all about hashing out rules for members and set up the structure of the group. I know it is necessary but I found myself wanting to get past all the back-and-forth discussion and get back to the writing. Soon enough.

Gaming

We started a new D&D game on Saturday night. I am DMing the old AD&D campaign, Night Below, and updating it for Pathfinder rules as we go. I don’t have any idea how well the conversion will go but we intend to have fun finding out. My 9 year old son is joining us for the first time and it is entertaining watching him play with the adults and the differences in how he approaches the puzzles in the game.

        

Happy Valentine’s Day

Today is the day for remembering your loved ones, especially those you have romantic feelings for. As always my Valentine’s day is not filled with flowers and chocolates (that is a Mother’s day tradition) but with Magic cards and writing panels. Which leads me to my next topic.

Radcon

Every year since I was a sophomore in high school I attended the local sci-fi convention, RadCon, and this year is no different. I use to go for a mix of panels and gaming, in particular the Delver’s Bash. However for the last few years I go to attend every writing panel I can squeeze into so that I may glean every nugget of knowledge about the craft and business of writing I can.

This year I also participated in a Writing Workshop put together very nicely by Deby Fredericks. As a result of some attendance issues, I had the full attention of both Dean Wesley Smith and Darragh Metzger for the entire hour. And I’d like to thank them for the insights they gave me on my writing and on writing as a career. It is much appreciated and I hope to put your encouragement to good use.

Cavalcade of Authors

The first day of the con, or to be more precise the morning of the first day of con, an event was held for local middle school and high school students. This event had students in workshops with several authors including Patrick Carman, Ben Mikaelson, Suzanne Selfours, and more. My daughter was a participant and had a lot of fun. I helped out with Barnes & Noble, selling books and enjoyed observing the excitement in the kids at the opportunity to speak with and learn from their favorite authors. A very successful event in my opinion.

Reading

This week I reread Transformation by Carol Berg for the third or maybe fourth time. Transformation is the first book in a series of three. I adore the world building in this series of books. So many peoples and cultures are included, some are spotlighted and others fill in all the nooks and crannies around the edges. Even more I love the two main characters, Seyonne and Aleksander. They live and breathe and make mistakes. They have undesirable traits and heroic hearts. A lot is going on in this story but it is presented in such a way I don’t have to slow down my reading to keep track of it all. I highly recommend these books to fantasy or adventure lovers.

My week went well, how was yours?

        

Work

Many hours were made available to the employees at the store this last week and I took advantage of them. I took as many as they would allow and as such I kept very busy with that.

As a part of the above, I spent two shifts in the cafe for training. The first day of training on the register left me hopeful that I could get the hang of it all. The second day of training at the bar left me lost and confused. I viewed the machinery and bottles and mixing containers as the paraphenalia of the arcane. Clearly only wizards could understand the vocabulary and methodology behind the mixing of those caffinated beverages the masses crave.

And I am not a wizard. I am merely a mundane temporarily transported into the magical world of the cafe.

Writing

Grrr. Arrgh.

Those words sum it up. Time has been at a premium because of work and other draws on my time. However, I had time to write if I wanted to use it. Instead I spent that time staring at the screen, mentally paralyzed by the fear that what I would write would suck or be so great someone might notice my writing. I need to get over myself and just write those stories that swirl around in my mind and heart. Stop worrying about how bad or good they will be until after they are down and complete on my digital paper.

Open Mic Night

I participated in my first Open Mic Night this week. I read five minutes of one of my short stories aloud in front of several of the local authors. I was scared and excited and very glad I did it. I have never read my stuff to anyone before. I have read aloud to myself before but in front of others things sound differently. New, more awkward, less awkward. Hearing the feedback from audience members afterwords was a bonus. I will definitely be participating in the next Open Mic Night.

Books

I read Spellbent by Lucy A. Snyder this week. While I enjoyed most the story and the characters, I found myself distracted by what I perceived as flaws or oversights in the book.

Early on, Jessie loses an eye and an arm. I thought the details about adjusting to the lack of an arm were done well. However the eye was a cosmetic injury with no affect on the character. I had to wear an eye patch in high school for 2 days and I know that it take a while to adjust to the change in vision and Jessie didn’t have to adjust. I found this oversight distracting.

The other problem I had was with the pacing. The first two-thirds of the book had a nice steady climb in tension but the last third became a frantic race to the end. A race that I had trouble keeping up with.

Macmillian vs Amazon

I read two articles today about this contretemps over e-book pricing, here and here. I am still enough of an outsider I don’t have enough information to form more than a gut opinion on the whole deal. Most importantly though I find this to be a herald of things to come. Upheavals and changes in the publishing world. Something to keep an eye on.

I, myself, am not a consumer of ebooks. Yet. I have tried various devices and feel to distanced from the words and uncomfortable with the medium. However, I do know that many others do not have this problem and ebooks will only get more popular as time goes along. This development is bound to have repercussions and growing pains.

How was your week?

        

So often I read or hear the advice, “act like a professional.” Act like a professional even before you sell that first story, even before I have any contact with the professional publishing world. Everytime I wait for the advice to be elaborated. How exactly does a professional writer act? I haven’t yet heard what this means among professionals.

Here I offer up what I think acting professional means:

• Dress with Style: From my observations of sci-fi/fantasy authors at signings and conventions, style of dress isn’t a set pattern.  Office folks dress in suits and ties and dress suits. Writers don’t dress all in the same fashion. They do all seem to have their own style though. One person may wear leather vests and cowboy hats, another long flowing dresses with scarves. This style they have adopted seems to be for official ‘appearances.’ Unofficially they may dress very differently.
• Research & Share: I don’t mean researching for those details that make stories real. I mean researching on the craft of writing. Most every author I have talked to or heard speak reads widely and often. They read from many genres, fiction and non-fiction. And they share the insights and knowledge with others freely.
• Follow Through on Commitments: Deadlines are met. Or if they can’t be met, plenty of notice is given so that the person expecting results can plan for the delay. Appointments are attended. Emails are sent. Writing time is shown up for. This one sounds the easiest but as a dyed in the wool procrastinator, I know this isn’t anywhere near easy but it is also the behavior that most distinguishes the amateurs from the pro’s.
• Public Mood is Always Positive: Aches and pains and woes in their personal lives aren’t shared with others. Criticism is listened to with patience and tolerance, at least outwardly. Response to criticism is done politely, sometimes with a touch of humor. Blogs, emails, and conversations with the public aren’t places to rant and complain but to educate and inform.

These are four behaviors that I have observed in the writers I have encountered. I try very hard to live up to these guidelines and act like a pro. Maybe one day I will be in a position to know the secret pro handshake and learn why certain things have to be kept secret, how to respond to fan emails, and how to communicate with agents and publishers about my work.

What do you think? How does one “act like a pro” in the writer world?

        

Writing Group

Met with the group this last week. Attendance was minimal but good discussion dominated. We decided that the open attendance policy encouraged by the store is actually stagnating the group and have decided that we would close up the group, limit membership to 6 to 8. In this way we can set requirements and goals engineered towards those in attendance. The change will come in a month or so, after we have a chance to talk to the semi-regulars and see who wants to make the change. I am excited for the change and hope that the group will start working for me again.

Writing

While I was zone maintenancing (cleaning and organizing the sections) at work today, my mind was free to wander. I found myself thinking about why I am having so much trouble putting words down on digital paper. I have quit all my online games and reduced several other distracting activities to allow more time for writing and yet, I am barely putting 10 words down in a day. I have come to the conclusion that a good deal of my problem is fear of success. Or rather a strange form of stage fright.

I relish normal stage fright. That butterflies in the stomach, palms sweating feeling one gets just before they go onstage or take the podium. I look forward to that feeling the same way folks look forward to the rush they feel on the roller coaster. I have started to receive some encouraging feedback on some of my stories. No acceptances yet but it seems to be closer to happening. And that is making me nervous that I may actually have to start delivering quality work on a more regular basis. It is my dream to succeed at writing but I am not use to dreams coming true. Something to work on and overcome.

Books

This wasn’t a big reading week. I finished up the last Harper Connelly book, Grave Secret by Charlaine Harris. I adored it. I think the series ended very well though the fact of it ending was bittersweet. I thoroughly enjoyed Harper and her world and am sad that I won’t be able to visit her again. At least in a new adventure. I’ll definitely be rereading this series in a year or two, if not sooner.

On TV

I caught up with my TV shows this week. New episodes of Castle, Heroes, Leverage, and Bones kept me entertained for hours on end. I adore the characters and their antics. And as always am very excited for more.

Tomorrow night, Life Unexpected premiers. The actress, Shiri Appleby, portrayed Liz in the TV show Roswell. I loved her character and the show so much I am really looking forward to watching her in a new show. My only complaint is that it is on at the same time as two other shows I enjoy. Guess that is what the DVR is for.

D&D

We have a new player in our D&D group and I have a new character. Both of us are gnomes. I am a bard named Magpie and he is a gnome barbarian/rogue. We are having a lot of fun in this game. My character’s personality is still developing and she (and I) have no idea how to react to the flirting from the half-orc monk. We will have to see how it goes.

How was your week?

        

I’ve been co-running the local writing group at Barnes & Noble for a year now and have learned a thing or two. Things that help when the time comes for 2 to 8 faces, with high expectations for themselves and for the group, turn towards me for where we will be heading tonight.

I have learned that being prepared with notes and possibly handouts is a must. Preparation in general is key. Some nights I am tired and a little frustrated with how things are going and I don’t prepare as well as I should. These nights usually turn into social hour. Not productive and it adds to my frustration.

Read and critique sessions are all very well but when you have an open attendance policy it leaves new people out in the cold. They haven’t had a chance to read the pieces that are up for discussion. It leaves them feeling left out and I hate that feeling and don’t want to inflict it on others. Writing prompts and discussion of different writing techniques, markets, and events are much more successful. Everyone can contribute and join in on the fun.

A note on read and critiques: If you do them be careful not to let any one person monopolize the speaking time. Then it becomes a lecture and that is a whole different kind of meeting.

Forums for the group are only handy when used. If traffic and posting on the site is sporadic at best, the tool gets rusty and no one wants to use it.

Come early to set up the space but not too early or you end up alone with passersby staring at you. Having the space ready for the members is nice as they can come in and set down their grande/venti mocha-whatever and start catching up on the news. This allows for gossip and the like to get out of the way before the serious business of writing discussion begins.

Be open to new events around town and share, share, share, with the members of your group. Open mic nights, writings conferences, lectures; all of these things could be of interest to one or more of the group. Sharing with them encourages them to share back. The group learns more and bonds more over these kinds of events.

In general the most important thing is to be willing to learn and change your mind as things go along. Open attendance combined with once or twice a month meetings that last for barely more than an hour means things can’t always go the way you want. Being flexible and ready to go with the flow, as long as that flow is towards better writing, is a good thing.

Note: I have also learned I ramble.

What have you learned about writing groups? Have you any suggestions for me?

        

Those of you following this may have noticed no post for NaNo Week 3. I hated that I couldn’t finish the goals set before me and get those 50k words written. Especially since I started out so strong.

The truth is I haven’t managed to write much of anything for over a week. Sad Candi.

I work retail and I knew going in that I would have a lot less time by the end of the month. I didn’t plan on my kids extra curricular activities to ramp up to the point that I have very little time at home to even think of writing. All of this means I didn’t finish and in some ways I feel like a failure.

However, before I started I thought I would only make it to the halfway mark and I did do that. I wrote more words in the last 30 days on a single project than I ever have before. Very cool. I did stumble a little in my vision of the story. This story is way more epic than I originally thought and so I have had to think a bit about where I am going with it.

I will continue to work on Mysjenn’s story. I am setting myself the goal of finishing it by the end of January. Then I will set it aside for a few months while I work on another story starring John St. George, dragonslayer of the Pacific Northwest. He has been whispering in my ear lately and I want to get a draft down about him before starting the revision process for Mysjenn.

Hope you are all doing well and finished the word count goals you were aiming for.

        

The halfway point officially ended yesterday and my word count should be at 25k. I am at 19k and took the day off.

I haven’t given up or bowing out. I needed a break. I also read a book (J. A. Jance’s Cruel Intent). I haven’t read anything since this started and found I was missing it. Furthermore, I needed to see that, at least on a sentence by sentence level, my writing isn’t that different from published works I admire by firmly established authors.

I found that while I still like the plot of my story, I hate that I am bogged down in uninteresting minutiae. In the stories I read, I like it when the author lets the reader see some of the day to day life of the character. How those characters went from point A to point B. I like the little details.  The little details in my story mean very little though. I haven’t done enough character building, or exploration, to make those details meaningful.

The characters are in my head in shades of grey, some with more shading than others but all of them very blah. Very rarely through the course of this writing, a blush of color can be glimpsed. I am learning more about these people as I go. And so I will keep going into the unknown and see what is there.

When the story is finished, or rather when the draft is finished, I will get out my sketch pad and draw pictures of my characters. I will draw the map of the world. I will interview, prod, and receive letters from my characters. I will dig deep into their pasts and their dreams for the future. I will develop a history of the place and time. I will find out why people are in the places they are in and write up a few “A day in the life of . . .’s.”

I will break down the story as it is written into the tiniest of bricks. Bricks like my son’s legos. I will add the worldbuilding bricks and the character development bricks to the pile, and then rebuild. Carefully and neatly. When I am done, that second draft will be glorious. The first draft will be a very pale shadow of that elegance.

At least that’s the plan. I put that image before me so I can continue with the first draft. I am choosing the plot bricks now and discovering a few of the other kinds of bricks as I go.

I can do this.

        

Week 1 ended yesterday and I am already a bit behind. Not loads and loads behind like I was worried I would be. Just enough that I have to put a bit of extra push to write a bit extra every day I can squeeze in the time.

Reasons I got behind in no particular order:

• A family emergency pulled away my husband and oldest daughter for four days. I depend on these two people in my life more than I realized and without them here to help keep the family running smoothly, time and concentration were compromised.
• Work called. Don’t get me wrong. At this point in time and life, I need the hours at a paying job more than hours at a keyboard creating stories that might or might not be seen by anyone but me. I thought I had a very light work schedule this week and so I had time to get ahead a little bit before the end of the month approached. Bringing with it, Thanksgiving and more hours to handle all those Christmas shoppers. Work called and needed me to work and I needed the hours and so I went.
• Writing is like exercise. I have mentioned before I have a hard time putting in the work needed to write and finish large projects. I am using NaNo to help me develop the habits and focus I need to write those novels that have been haunting me. I have discovered that not being use to it is showing. Just like stepping into an advanced aerobics class cold turkey and ending up with sore muscles, so have I ended up with a sore brain trying to keep up with the daily goals.

Reasons why I am happy with my progress:

• I’ve written over 10,000 words on a single project. Wow. I start so many projects and get a couple thousand words in and the energy dies and I move on to something else. Writing this much on a single idea is actually starting to fuel itself. The energy I feel to keep going is now both external (the nanowrimo event) and internal (I’ve gotta know what happens next). It is exciting.
• At least 1,000 words every day. I may not have written the 1,667 words required daily to reach the monthly goal of 50,000 words. However, I have written at least 1,000 words every day. It means I am writing steady and daily. The habits are starting to form.
• The story. The portion of my brain that is furiously outlining the story ahead of the words on the page is working overtime and I am excited by what might be coming along and can’t wait to see it on the page. I occasionally forget that I am the writer of the story and wonder how the author will handle that scene coming up and then remember that the author is me. And I have to handle it and get a bit spooked. Then I think, just get the bare bones down now and revise, polish and flesh them out later and it will be good.

I would like to send a special thank you to all my friends and family that don’t understand what I am doing but still are giving me a thumbs up when they see me. Even if that thumb is up in front of a fake smile because they think I have lost my grip on sanity. Thank you to my glorious husband who asked me how my writing was going even while dealing with the loss of a special person in his life two states away.

End week one and my word count is at 11,334. 

Off to add to my word count. I may be back later. Mouse doesn’t like to be kept quiet for long and she has more to say.