Glad to know I'm not the only Firefly fan out there. Sorry it took me so long to see the light : ) Still hoping to talk my husband into going to Serenity this weekend.
Speaking of really good shows with really low ratings, Veronica Mars returns tonight. You don't have to have seen the first season to get into the second one, or so I've heard. It' s going up against Lost this season. Oy, it's going to be a beating. But VM deserves an audience of her own.
Our poor, poor Tivo. Tonight, it will record The Apprentice: Martha Stewart (my husband's choice...my opinion of said show isn't printable, even in this forum), Lost, and Veronica Mars. Tomorrow, it's worse! The O.C., CSI, The Apprentice: Donald Trump (slightly better, still irritating), and Alias.
Anyway, lest you think all I care about is television, I got three pages done again this morning before work! Yea!!! I've hit a minor snag with the outline of the mystery project, but that's the whole purpose of the exercise. To hit the snags while you're working in outline form so you can fix it more easily. Well, that's what I'm trying to tell myself anyway.
Wednesday, September 28, 2005
Tuesday, September 27, 2005
I'm a sucker for the underdog
Serenity opens this weekend, and until recently, I had no interest in going to see it. Serenity, for those who don't know, is a movie based on the short-lived Firefly television series by Joss Whedon (aka the creator of Buffy and Angel). When Firefly first came out, I tried to watch it. I wanted it to like it. After all, it was the guy who wrote Buffy and made her so funny and tough. Plus, it was sci-fi, something that was rarely done well on television. Or, at least, that was the case at the time (yea, Battlestar Galactica!).
But I'm not even sure I made it through the first episode. I think it was just marketed incorrectly. The concept is an interesting one. Former rebels who lost the war are now forced to take odd jobs (semi-legally) around the galaxy. Reminds me very much of one of Linnea Sinclair's books, Finders Keepers. But if other people, like me, went in expecting some form of Buffy, it was a bit of a shock. It has almost a western element to it, gun slingers, prostitutes, etc., which is part of what makes it work. After all, space is "the final frontier." But if I remember right, they (probably studio execs) were trying so hard to capture the Buffy/Angel audience, I had the completely wrong idea of what the show was about. Not that I thought it was about vampires or anything, but the western/frontier thing seemed so out of place. Of course, this was before BG showed us that the future can look old, dirty and damaged. Prior to this point, everything pretty much looked like the Enterprise. : )
Just recently, I started catching the last five minutes of Firefly before SG-1 on Friday nights. And then, for whatever reason, I found myself watching a full episode a couple of weeks ago. And guess what...it's good. It's nothing like Buffy, except in the razor sharp humor department. It's got loads of that. But it's really good sci-fi. Sci-Fi channel ran a marathon today (not hard to do as only 11 episodes, I believe, were ever aired) and I've got it Tivo'd.
So, here's my plea. For the sake of good sci-fi, consider renting the Firefly series from wherever you choose to get your videos and then go see Serenity, if you deem it worthy. I mean, how can you not want to see a movie with the following pieces of dialogue:
Pilot (Wash): "This is going to get pretty interesting."
Captain (Mal): "Define interesting."
Pilot (Wash): "Oh, God, oh God, we're all going to die?"
OR
Captain (over intercom): "This is the captain. We may experience some brief turbulance...and then explode."
Hee, hee. Make sure you check out the trailers here.
But I'm not even sure I made it through the first episode. I think it was just marketed incorrectly. The concept is an interesting one. Former rebels who lost the war are now forced to take odd jobs (semi-legally) around the galaxy. Reminds me very much of one of Linnea Sinclair's books, Finders Keepers. But if other people, like me, went in expecting some form of Buffy, it was a bit of a shock. It has almost a western element to it, gun slingers, prostitutes, etc., which is part of what makes it work. After all, space is "the final frontier." But if I remember right, they (probably studio execs) were trying so hard to capture the Buffy/Angel audience, I had the completely wrong idea of what the show was about. Not that I thought it was about vampires or anything, but the western/frontier thing seemed so out of place. Of course, this was before BG showed us that the future can look old, dirty and damaged. Prior to this point, everything pretty much looked like the Enterprise. : )
Just recently, I started catching the last five minutes of Firefly before SG-1 on Friday nights. And then, for whatever reason, I found myself watching a full episode a couple of weeks ago. And guess what...it's good. It's nothing like Buffy, except in the razor sharp humor department. It's got loads of that. But it's really good sci-fi. Sci-Fi channel ran a marathon today (not hard to do as only 11 episodes, I believe, were ever aired) and I've got it Tivo'd.
So, here's my plea. For the sake of good sci-fi, consider renting the Firefly series from wherever you choose to get your videos and then go see Serenity, if you deem it worthy. I mean, how can you not want to see a movie with the following pieces of dialogue:
Pilot (Wash): "This is going to get pretty interesting."
Captain (Mal): "Define interesting."
Pilot (Wash): "Oh, God, oh God, we're all going to die?"
OR
Captain (over intercom): "This is the captain. We may experience some brief turbulance...and then explode."
Hee, hee. Make sure you check out the trailers here.
Yesterday
Sorry, I missed yesterday. Well, not the whole day, though that probably would have been better. But you know what I mean. I went home early with a very bad headache. I hate headaches. I'd rather throw up than have a headache because at least after doing that you usually feel marginally better right away. And this was the kind of headache that hurts so badly that your stomach starts to feel sick. Ick.
This weekend, I got ten pages done on the sequel. Yea! I can usually write more on a weekend if it's a first draft, but this is a third draft and considerably harder for me because of it. I also got three more scenes in my outline for the mystery project. And this morning, believe it or not, three pages BEFORE WORK in the sequel. I'm so proud of myself. I pushed myself to get up earlier (a little bit) and it worked! So, I'll be trying that again tomorrow morning.
Random note: Yesterday on the way to work I was stuck behind a dump truck with the following phrase stenciled on the back: "Will 'chute' my load for dollar$." I swear to you, I couldn't make these things up. I need a digital camera for photographic evidence. I didn't know whether to be disgusted or laugh or both.
Huge thanks to Stacy G. for coming up with a variety of names for the staffing company that will be in the mystery project. They're hysterical and perfect. I can't wait for you guys to see them...and the whole book, for that matter.
This weekend, I got ten pages done on the sequel. Yea! I can usually write more on a weekend if it's a first draft, but this is a third draft and considerably harder for me because of it. I also got three more scenes in my outline for the mystery project. And this morning, believe it or not, three pages BEFORE WORK in the sequel. I'm so proud of myself. I pushed myself to get up earlier (a little bit) and it worked! So, I'll be trying that again tomorrow morning.
Random note: Yesterday on the way to work I was stuck behind a dump truck with the following phrase stenciled on the back: "Will 'chute' my load for dollar$." I swear to you, I couldn't make these things up. I need a digital camera for photographic evidence. I didn't know whether to be disgusted or laugh or both.
Huge thanks to Stacy G. for coming up with a variety of names for the staffing company that will be in the mystery project. They're hysterical and perfect. I can't wait for you guys to see them...and the whole book, for that matter.
Friday, September 23, 2005
Just a reminder...
If you're in the Round Lake area, stop the Round Lake Area Library tomorrow from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. I'll be giving a talk about writing and answering questions...at least to the best of my ability...about that same topic. The library is located at 906 Hart Road, Round Lake, Illinois, 60073.
I'm going to try to plow through more of the mystery project outline this weekend and, of course, my sequel. My self-imposed deadline is two weeks away. I haven't made nearly as much progress as I should have. But that's part of what happens with an aggressive timeline. It's meant to egg you on. I wouldn't have made nearly as much progress without it. I'm in the 270 page range for the sequel and nearly 20 pages in for the outline, which will probably be about 100, I'd guess. This is not the kind of outline you turn into an agent or publisher, by the way. They'd probably toss the whole submission in the garbage if you sent a 100 page outline. This is meant for me to see how all the plot threads come together (or don't) and to help me see where scenes might still be needed without having to write draft after draft. We'll see if this method helps.
As for the sequel, I had a major epiphany the other night--something I think Zara's been trying to tell me from the beginning--which will, unfortunately, affect a lot of what I've written prior to this point. However, I don't think it will add much time to the rewrite/revision process even though it's a fairly significant change. I was halfway there anyway, just couldn't quite figure it out. This will help tighten things up, I think, and make it a better story.
Have a good weekend everybody! 14 days and counting till my deadline : )
I'm going to try to plow through more of the mystery project outline this weekend and, of course, my sequel. My self-imposed deadline is two weeks away. I haven't made nearly as much progress as I should have. But that's part of what happens with an aggressive timeline. It's meant to egg you on. I wouldn't have made nearly as much progress without it. I'm in the 270 page range for the sequel and nearly 20 pages in for the outline, which will probably be about 100, I'd guess. This is not the kind of outline you turn into an agent or publisher, by the way. They'd probably toss the whole submission in the garbage if you sent a 100 page outline. This is meant for me to see how all the plot threads come together (or don't) and to help me see where scenes might still be needed without having to write draft after draft. We'll see if this method helps.
As for the sequel, I had a major epiphany the other night--something I think Zara's been trying to tell me from the beginning--which will, unfortunately, affect a lot of what I've written prior to this point. However, I don't think it will add much time to the rewrite/revision process even though it's a fairly significant change. I was halfway there anyway, just couldn't quite figure it out. This will help tighten things up, I think, and make it a better story.
Have a good weekend everybody! 14 days and counting till my deadline : )
Thursday, September 22, 2005
It's two, two, two mints in one.
Bonus points to you if you understand the reference in the title. I'm pretty sure you have to be born after 1985 to even have a shot at it.
I'm sitting here at work with my work all done, but I'm trapped by the giant downpour of rain and my unwillingness to get completely soaked and then ride in car for 50 minutes, alternately shivering in the a/c and getting really uncomfortable in the resulting mugginess when I turn the a/c off.
Anyway, last night I had two very common anxiety dreams in one horrible package. The first one is one that I've had variations of for years. I was back in college and had signed up for a real estate class (this is probably coming from the fact that my husband is currently in real estate classes) but had completely forgotten and/or refused to go, and suddenly it's final exam time and I'm freaking out about passing. What's funny is I remember trying to justify my absenteeism to my roommate (no freaking clue who it was, one of those faceless people who float in and out of dreams) by telling her that it was completely unfair to expect me to go to the class as it was always on a Saturday. And in the middle of the afternoon!
In that same dream, or should I say, loosely connected series of events in my unconscious mind, I experienced the "naked in front of everyone" moment. Apparently, I was at the library, probably to study. It was a very nice library, dark hardwood shelves and floors. For whatever reason, I decide to shower at the library. And look, there's a convenient shower head sticking out the ceiling right here in the bookstacks. I have no recollection of the getting undressed part, but the standing there, sopping wet and naked, part is very clear to me. I couldn't figure out why people were staring and then I realized that it was obviously because they weren't used to people showering out in full view and then I was very, very embarrassed. Sheesh.
This was almost as bad as the dream I had, after graduating from college, where I showed up for an English class in a t-shirt I used to sleep in because I was freaked out about being late for class and didn't have time to change. The professor got very upset with me anyway, despite my efforts to be punctual. So I was late and underdressed. That dream still sticks with me very clearly!
All right, I'm going to brave the rain : (
I'm sitting here at work with my work all done, but I'm trapped by the giant downpour of rain and my unwillingness to get completely soaked and then ride in car for 50 minutes, alternately shivering in the a/c and getting really uncomfortable in the resulting mugginess when I turn the a/c off.
Anyway, last night I had two very common anxiety dreams in one horrible package. The first one is one that I've had variations of for years. I was back in college and had signed up for a real estate class (this is probably coming from the fact that my husband is currently in real estate classes) but had completely forgotten and/or refused to go, and suddenly it's final exam time and I'm freaking out about passing. What's funny is I remember trying to justify my absenteeism to my roommate (no freaking clue who it was, one of those faceless people who float in and out of dreams) by telling her that it was completely unfair to expect me to go to the class as it was always on a Saturday. And in the middle of the afternoon!
In that same dream, or should I say, loosely connected series of events in my unconscious mind, I experienced the "naked in front of everyone" moment. Apparently, I was at the library, probably to study. It was a very nice library, dark hardwood shelves and floors. For whatever reason, I decide to shower at the library. And look, there's a convenient shower head sticking out the ceiling right here in the bookstacks. I have no recollection of the getting undressed part, but the standing there, sopping wet and naked, part is very clear to me. I couldn't figure out why people were staring and then I realized that it was obviously because they weren't used to people showering out in full view and then I was very, very embarrassed. Sheesh.
This was almost as bad as the dream I had, after graduating from college, where I showed up for an English class in a t-shirt I used to sleep in because I was freaked out about being late for class and didn't have time to change. The professor got very upset with me anyway, despite my efforts to be punctual. So I was late and underdressed. That dream still sticks with me very clearly!
All right, I'm going to brave the rain : (
Tuesday, September 20, 2005
Funny man : )
Last night, my husband was in charge of dinner. He came home with bags of Chinese food and announced, "We're eating O.C.-style." Which cracked me up. On The O.C., the Cohen family never has a home-cooked meal. They're forever ordering in Chinese, Thai or something else for dinner. It's a running joke on the show that the mother, Kirsten, can't cook and shouldn't be allowed to try because of how poorly her previous attempts have turned out. One thing I do like about that show, despite the decline in it overall, is that they do not present the mother as super human, super woman. She's a good mom and a corporate exec (and now an alcoholic, this season...it is, after all, a soap opera), but she doesn't also whip out perfect dinners and cocktail parties for seven hundred. They order in, and they have caterers. I like that. I wish I could have a caterer. Full-time. : )
Monday, September 19, 2005
Round Lake Library this weekend!
I'll be at Round Lake Area Library on Saturday from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. to talk about writing fiction. If you're in the area, please come join us! Here's the blurb from the RLA site:
Write On!
September 24 from 1:00 to 3:00 PM in the Library's Main Meeting Room.
A seminar for those who’ve always wanted to write a book or story but don’t know where to start.
The discussion will include how to:* Find the right story idea*Overcome writer’s block*Create memorable characters*Develop your own writing routine*How to get published
Presented by author Stacey Klemstein
Write On!
September 24 from 1:00 to 3:00 PM in the Library's Main Meeting Room.
A seminar for those who’ve always wanted to write a book or story but don’t know where to start.
The discussion will include how to:* Find the right story idea*Overcome writer’s block*Create memorable characters*Develop your own writing routine*How to get published
Presented by author Stacey Klemstein
I'm baaaack : )
Got lots done over the extended weekend. Probably close to twelve pages on the sequel (would have been more if I hadn't written a scene that didn't belong in the manuscript...or at least, not at the point where I had it) and I got a large portion of my mystery outline roughed out on the white board. White boards are a blessing and a curse for me. It's somehow easier for me to sit down with a dry-erase marker in hand (mmm, fumes...just kidding) and put my thoughts out there. The very temporary nature of a white board seems to take some of the pressure off. But then I'm loath to erase it until the entire book is finished. Which means I need a lot of white boards. So far, I have two and both of them are now filled. *sigh* I have to work out a better system.
I've also started the real outline for the mystery project, trying out a new system to help me try to get my facts and details better organized. Basically, I'm just going through the existing book and writing a short summary for each of the scenes that exist and then also for the ones that I need to write in order to pull the whole thing together. Hopefully, this will enable to me to see plot holes and missing clues more easily. However, right now, as this is part of the rewriting process, which I HATE, I'm thinking everything sucks and I just hate the whole book. Nothing salvageable. It's all cliched and horrible--even though I still love the idea of the book. Some of that's just the process--a story is never perfect, nor is it ever as good as it is in your head. At least with me. It's never as rich or as detailed or as funny. I hope, of course, that as it comes together I can make peace with the fact that it isn't perfect but nor is it as horrible as I thought at first blush. I'm pretty sure I felt this way at some point with The Silver Spoon as well.
In other news, I didn't like Battlestar Galactica this week all that much. It seems they're trying to cue up some kind of romance between Dualla and Apollo, which only irritates me because it drags out the whole Apollo/Starbuck potential relationship. I did like the scene in the firing range, where Apollo and Starbuck had to work together to survive. Good partners, good team. Loved it. Maybe that's why the writers are steering us away from a relationship angle--they think Apollo and Starbuck are too good of friends (my gosh, that's got to be horrible grammar) to go that route. But I think that's, to use BG terminology, frakking ridiculous as Starbuck clearly fancies Apollo (see scene from Season One, where she imagines it's him in an...um, intimate moment, instead of who she's really with) and that same episode where Apollo is so jealous of Starbuck's encounter with said other guy that he can barely see straight. Also, my favorite recapper on Television Without Pity, Strega, the one who does Battlestar Galactica, quit, so I won't get to hear her take on this whole Dualla/Apollo thing. : (
And for those of you who don't watch that show, the entire paragraph above just sounded like, blah, blah, blah, whine, whine, whine.
I've also started the real outline for the mystery project, trying out a new system to help me try to get my facts and details better organized. Basically, I'm just going through the existing book and writing a short summary for each of the scenes that exist and then also for the ones that I need to write in order to pull the whole thing together. Hopefully, this will enable to me to see plot holes and missing clues more easily. However, right now, as this is part of the rewriting process, which I HATE, I'm thinking everything sucks and I just hate the whole book. Nothing salvageable. It's all cliched and horrible--even though I still love the idea of the book. Some of that's just the process--a story is never perfect, nor is it ever as good as it is in your head. At least with me. It's never as rich or as detailed or as funny. I hope, of course, that as it comes together I can make peace with the fact that it isn't perfect but nor is it as horrible as I thought at first blush. I'm pretty sure I felt this way at some point with The Silver Spoon as well.
In other news, I didn't like Battlestar Galactica this week all that much. It seems they're trying to cue up some kind of romance between Dualla and Apollo, which only irritates me because it drags out the whole Apollo/Starbuck potential relationship. I did like the scene in the firing range, where Apollo and Starbuck had to work together to survive. Good partners, good team. Loved it. Maybe that's why the writers are steering us away from a relationship angle--they think Apollo and Starbuck are too good of friends (my gosh, that's got to be horrible grammar) to go that route. But I think that's, to use BG terminology, frakking ridiculous as Starbuck clearly fancies Apollo (see scene from Season One, where she imagines it's him in an...um, intimate moment, instead of who she's really with) and that same episode where Apollo is so jealous of Starbuck's encounter with said other guy that he can barely see straight. Also, my favorite recapper on Television Without Pity, Strega, the one who does Battlestar Galactica, quit, so I won't get to hear her take on this whole Dualla/Apollo thing. : (
And for those of you who don't watch that show, the entire paragraph above just sounded like, blah, blah, blah, whine, whine, whine.
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
Going low-tech for awhile...
I'm taking Thursday and Friday off this week to try to get some order to the new house. Right now, we're constantly stumbling over boxes and searching for things that turn out to be nowhere near where we thought they were. I will, of course, continue to work on the sequel (over two pages again today...but then again my plan to get up fifteen minutes earlier didn't work) and my outline for the mystery project. After all, my birthday (and deadline) is less than a month away. So, I'll likely be internet-less until Monday.
Anybody else out there read Linda Fairstein's books? I think they're great. They're police procedurals that remind me of early Patricia Cornwell. I just finished the latest one last night, Entombed. My only complaint is that the URST (an abbreviation for unresolved sexual tension that I picked up from reading gossip columns about television shows, I think) between the main character Alexandra Cooper and the detective she works with, Mike Chapman, is driving me crazy. It's so subtle, sometimes I wonder if I'm imagining it. But then another character, usually one of Alex's friends will call her on her very close friendship with Mike and she'll deny any deeper feelings toward him. And yet...there are all these little hints. I guess what I want to know is...Is this going somewhere? I don't mind if it isn't--I like the stories anyway. But I don't want to get all emotionally invested in this potential relationship, only to have nothing EVER happen or to have one of them finally say, it would never work (even though we're clearly the best of friends and wildly attracted to one another) because it would destroy our friendship. And for the other person to accept it, just like that. Arrrrggggh. I'm absolutely certain that all of this ambiguity is intentional because the characters themselves are very gun-shy when it comes to relationships and because once you write that relationship into being it might take away a very nice source of tension. A'la Moonlighting once David and Maddie hooked up. But please, please, Ms. Fairstein, give me a hint about which way this going to go.
In the meantime, you know I'm going to keep eagerly anticipating the books, hoping for more clues...which is probably exactly what *they* want me to do.
I'm so easily manipulated, especially when it comes to "romance against the odds" or "romance against better judgement." You know, getting involved with someone you work with, a vampire slayer getting involved with a vampire(s), someone much younger falling for someone who's much older, falling in love with someone from another species... Good stuff : )
Anybody else out there read Linda Fairstein's books? I think they're great. They're police procedurals that remind me of early Patricia Cornwell. I just finished the latest one last night, Entombed. My only complaint is that the URST (an abbreviation for unresolved sexual tension that I picked up from reading gossip columns about television shows, I think) between the main character Alexandra Cooper and the detective she works with, Mike Chapman, is driving me crazy. It's so subtle, sometimes I wonder if I'm imagining it. But then another character, usually one of Alex's friends will call her on her very close friendship with Mike and she'll deny any deeper feelings toward him. And yet...there are all these little hints. I guess what I want to know is...Is this going somewhere? I don't mind if it isn't--I like the stories anyway. But I don't want to get all emotionally invested in this potential relationship, only to have nothing EVER happen or to have one of them finally say, it would never work (even though we're clearly the best of friends and wildly attracted to one another) because it would destroy our friendship. And for the other person to accept it, just like that. Arrrrggggh. I'm absolutely certain that all of this ambiguity is intentional because the characters themselves are very gun-shy when it comes to relationships and because once you write that relationship into being it might take away a very nice source of tension. A'la Moonlighting once David and Maddie hooked up. But please, please, Ms. Fairstein, give me a hint about which way this going to go.
In the meantime, you know I'm going to keep eagerly anticipating the books, hoping for more clues...which is probably exactly what *they* want me to do.
I'm so easily manipulated, especially when it comes to "romance against the odds" or "romance against better judgement." You know, getting involved with someone you work with, a vampire slayer getting involved with a vampire(s), someone much younger falling for someone who's much older, falling in love with someone from another species... Good stuff : )
Tuesday, September 13, 2005
(Psycho)Analyze this!
Only a little over two pages today--eh. I'm trying hard to hit three pages a day before work, but I have such trouble getting myself out of bed. I think it's all psychological. It's like I'm afraid that if I get out of bed even earlier, I'm putting more pressure on myself to write. Which is dumb. I'm already getting up earlier than I have to for work in order to write. So what if I get up twenty minutes even earlier than that? Because if I get my pages done faster, I can go back to bed. Or, I could read, or work on my outline for my mystery project.
The only upside to the crazy way I'm doing it (increasing the number of required pages but leaving the time allotted the same) is that I'm learning not to overthink everything so much. I have to just get it on the page. On weekends, when I have plenty of time to kill, the three pages can take me an hour and half. On a weekday, I can sometimes do it in 45 minutes because I have no other choice.
The funny thing is that usually, no matter how hard starting the page was, I'm eager to keep going at the end of it. So, I'm always leaving my writing room, bummed that I don't have the time to squeeze in just a few more lines. And maybe that's a good thing. I like leaving and feeling good about coming back the next morning. If I reach the point where I don't know how to go on, I don't want to approach writing the next morning with fear. Of course, at this point, I'm basically rewriting what I've already written. AND I've got an outline. So you'd think that wouldn't be too much of a problem, but who knows.
In cleaning out my writing room during moving, I found notes on this sequel, the book I'm working on, that are probably TWO years old already! Good grief, Stacey, just get it done!
On my mystery project, I'm frustrated because I'm getting close. Little pieces keep falling into place, here and there, which helps. But the big picture, so to speak, just isn't there yet. I've got the main plot pretty much sorted out. I know who did what and how they did it. It's my subplots that are driving me crazy.
Some of it's my fault. Thinking that this book would be a one time shot (not a series), I tossed in every kind of problem and conflicted character appropriate to the world that came to mind and spoke to me. But now I've got all these awesome (in my opinion, of course) conflicted characters who each have their own stories to tell and motivations for what they've done. They deserve time and space, but this book is already nearly 400 pages long and it's very rough. If I had all my subplots running in this one, I don't even want to think about how long it would be. And yet, I can't see any characters who could be cut. Well, that's not true, I suppose. It just would be hard to do because I think they're fascinating. It's not like the first draft of The Silver Spoon, where Asha's team was originally made up of six members and I cut two of them because they were basically just window dressing. These people, in the mystery project, have heart and soul, flesh and blood. And they're totally and utterly messed up. Flawed. Which makes them so interesting to me.
I probably need to figure out who's responsible for the action in the one other fairly major subplot. Then I can work out who the red herrings are--some of whom will end up being the flawed and interesting characters mentioned above. Because one of the cool things about mysteries is when you have more than one person who has the motivation and the opportunity to commit the crime and it's subtle things (and the investigator's prejudice) that lead you to believe it's one person, when it's really someone else.
Here's question for you mystery lovers out there (Beck, Deb, and anyone else)-- a lot of mysteries start out with two seemingly unrelated events. CSI Miami (not that I watch that show very often) did this recently with the death of a woman in an apparent suicide off a church roof and a Wall Street Trader found burned to death in a car. Nothing at all in common with each other, until one little clue links them and the two teams find they're working on the same case but from different angles. I'm sure, even without seeing CSI Miami, everyone's familiar with this technique. What I'm wondering is, does it work in reverse? Can you have two events that seem related, are even assumed, by the investigator, to be committed by the same criminal, and then one clue suddenly blows the whole theory out of the water and it's actually two separate incidents?
I'm thinking you can. Especially if the investigator's prejudice or "leanings" make them want to believe the two incidents are related and if there's manipulation (someone trying to make them believe the two are related) by someone who has a stake in the matter and knows the investigator well enough to play to his/her prejudices. Hmm, the plot of my mystery is in here somewhere if you can find it!
Well, I'm going to keep plugging away it because at some point all those little pieces are going to fall into place. And as usual, just writing about it made some things more clear.
The only upside to the crazy way I'm doing it (increasing the number of required pages but leaving the time allotted the same) is that I'm learning not to overthink everything so much. I have to just get it on the page. On weekends, when I have plenty of time to kill, the three pages can take me an hour and half. On a weekday, I can sometimes do it in 45 minutes because I have no other choice.
The funny thing is that usually, no matter how hard starting the page was, I'm eager to keep going at the end of it. So, I'm always leaving my writing room, bummed that I don't have the time to squeeze in just a few more lines. And maybe that's a good thing. I like leaving and feeling good about coming back the next morning. If I reach the point where I don't know how to go on, I don't want to approach writing the next morning with fear. Of course, at this point, I'm basically rewriting what I've already written. AND I've got an outline. So you'd think that wouldn't be too much of a problem, but who knows.
In cleaning out my writing room during moving, I found notes on this sequel, the book I'm working on, that are probably TWO years old already! Good grief, Stacey, just get it done!
On my mystery project, I'm frustrated because I'm getting close. Little pieces keep falling into place, here and there, which helps. But the big picture, so to speak, just isn't there yet. I've got the main plot pretty much sorted out. I know who did what and how they did it. It's my subplots that are driving me crazy.
Some of it's my fault. Thinking that this book would be a one time shot (not a series), I tossed in every kind of problem and conflicted character appropriate to the world that came to mind and spoke to me. But now I've got all these awesome (in my opinion, of course) conflicted characters who each have their own stories to tell and motivations for what they've done. They deserve time and space, but this book is already nearly 400 pages long and it's very rough. If I had all my subplots running in this one, I don't even want to think about how long it would be. And yet, I can't see any characters who could be cut. Well, that's not true, I suppose. It just would be hard to do because I think they're fascinating. It's not like the first draft of The Silver Spoon, where Asha's team was originally made up of six members and I cut two of them because they were basically just window dressing. These people, in the mystery project, have heart and soul, flesh and blood. And they're totally and utterly messed up. Flawed. Which makes them so interesting to me.
I probably need to figure out who's responsible for the action in the one other fairly major subplot. Then I can work out who the red herrings are--some of whom will end up being the flawed and interesting characters mentioned above. Because one of the cool things about mysteries is when you have more than one person who has the motivation and the opportunity to commit the crime and it's subtle things (and the investigator's prejudice) that lead you to believe it's one person, when it's really someone else.
Here's question for you mystery lovers out there (Beck, Deb, and anyone else)-- a lot of mysteries start out with two seemingly unrelated events. CSI Miami (not that I watch that show very often) did this recently with the death of a woman in an apparent suicide off a church roof and a Wall Street Trader found burned to death in a car. Nothing at all in common with each other, until one little clue links them and the two teams find they're working on the same case but from different angles. I'm sure, even without seeing CSI Miami, everyone's familiar with this technique. What I'm wondering is, does it work in reverse? Can you have two events that seem related, are even assumed, by the investigator, to be committed by the same criminal, and then one clue suddenly blows the whole theory out of the water and it's actually two separate incidents?
I'm thinking you can. Especially if the investigator's prejudice or "leanings" make them want to believe the two incidents are related and if there's manipulation (someone trying to make them believe the two are related) by someone who has a stake in the matter and knows the investigator well enough to play to his/her prejudices. Hmm, the plot of my mystery is in here somewhere if you can find it!
Well, I'm going to keep plugging away it because at some point all those little pieces are going to fall into place. And as usual, just writing about it made some things more clear.
Monday, September 12, 2005
The Positive
I’ve read in several places today that in order to combat the grief and stress of everything that’s going on, we should remember to concentrate on the positive things. I agree. I also need to stop reading all the news stories with pictures from New Orleans, at least temporarily. Now that most of the people are out, they keep showing pictures of all the animals that are dying and starving, and I can’t take it.
So, in the spirit of concentrating on the positive, here are a few good things that have happened recently:
-We’ve completely moved out of the old house. We turned over the keys last night and we are officially done! I think part of my problem with moving is that I see it as a sprint and really, it’s a marathon. A very, very long, backbreaking marathon.
-My new writing room is very cool and peaceful. I have a view into the beautifully landscaped (not by us) front yard with some flowers coming up and some decorative prairie grass. If and when we ever find the digital camera, perhaps I’ll take some pictures.
-Just in general, I really like the new house. Our furniture looks good in there, which sort of surprised me, given that we were moving in from a very different style of house. I feel good about coming home…it feels very private and hidden away.
-I got three pages of writing done this morning before leaving for work. Yea!
How about you? What are the positive things going on for you?
So, in the spirit of concentrating on the positive, here are a few good things that have happened recently:
-We’ve completely moved out of the old house. We turned over the keys last night and we are officially done! I think part of my problem with moving is that I see it as a sprint and really, it’s a marathon. A very, very long, backbreaking marathon.
-My new writing room is very cool and peaceful. I have a view into the beautifully landscaped (not by us) front yard with some flowers coming up and some decorative prairie grass. If and when we ever find the digital camera, perhaps I’ll take some pictures.
-Just in general, I really like the new house. Our furniture looks good in there, which sort of surprised me, given that we were moving in from a very different style of house. I feel good about coming home…it feels very private and hidden away.
-I got three pages of writing done this morning before leaving for work. Yea!
How about you? What are the positive things going on for you?
September 11, 2005--Meg Cabot's account
No one will ever forget what happened that day, four years ago. Though, sometimes I find myself not wanting to think about it too deeply. Too scary, too painful...still too recent.
I was at home, getting ready for work, when my husband called and told me to turn on the television. A plane had just crashed into the World Trade Center Towers in New York. He was in his car on his way to downtown Chicago, his office just a couple blocks from the Sears Tower.
I remember thinking that the pilot must have had a heart attack and lost control of the plan or something for that to happen. Then, as I watched the television, and the shocked faces of the newscasters, a second plane hit the towers. And still, it took a second for me to realize that it wasn't a freakish accident. In fact, I think I said something about it to my husband who was still on the phone with me. And he laughed, a horrible, frustrated and scared sound that still sticks with me. "It's not an accident, Stacey. They're doing it deliberately." And then it finally clicked.
I tell you all of this not because it's that much different from what anyone else in the Chicago area experienced that day. In fact, it turned out to be a far luckier day for me than for many, just by sheer geography and the lack of family and friends in the NY area. But as we all know, others weren't so fortunate. Meg Cabot's account of what happened that day is extremely powerful and moving. She lived within eyesight of the towers. It's a beautiful piece of writing about one of the worst days in history.
She opens with the following sentence:
"I don’t know where you were today four years ago, but I can tell you where I was: in my Greenwich Village apartment, watching the office buildings across the street from where my husband worked fall down."
You can click on the quote to read the rest.
I was at home, getting ready for work, when my husband called and told me to turn on the television. A plane had just crashed into the World Trade Center Towers in New York. He was in his car on his way to downtown Chicago, his office just a couple blocks from the Sears Tower.
I remember thinking that the pilot must have had a heart attack and lost control of the plan or something for that to happen. Then, as I watched the television, and the shocked faces of the newscasters, a second plane hit the towers. And still, it took a second for me to realize that it wasn't a freakish accident. In fact, I think I said something about it to my husband who was still on the phone with me. And he laughed, a horrible, frustrated and scared sound that still sticks with me. "It's not an accident, Stacey. They're doing it deliberately." And then it finally clicked.
I tell you all of this not because it's that much different from what anyone else in the Chicago area experienced that day. In fact, it turned out to be a far luckier day for me than for many, just by sheer geography and the lack of family and friends in the NY area. But as we all know, others weren't so fortunate. Meg Cabot's account of what happened that day is extremely powerful and moving. She lived within eyesight of the towers. It's a beautiful piece of writing about one of the worst days in history.
She opens with the following sentence:
"I don’t know where you were today four years ago, but I can tell you where I was: in my Greenwich Village apartment, watching the office buildings across the street from where my husband worked fall down."
You can click on the quote to read the rest.
Thursday, September 08, 2005
3 Cardinal Rules of Moving
I’ve moved about twenty times, give or take, in my lifetime, what with all the back and forth to college and the houses I’ve lived in since being married. And yet, somehow, I managed to ignore and or break the major rules of moving that I learned very early on.
1) As soon as you can, make your bed at the new house. That way, when you’re exhausted at the end of the day, you can just go to sleep without digging through box after box to find linens.
Did I do this? No. That’s why 12:30 a.m. on Tuesday night/Wednesday morning found me headfirst in a dishpack searching for a mattress pad. Please don’t ask why I thought the mattress pad might be located in a box designated for dishes. I’m not sure I can explain it (though that’s exactly where I found it).
2) Always pack an overnight bag with the items, like toiletries, you’ll need for the next day.
Um, nope. Didn’t do this one either. Consequently, I spent twenty minutes on Wednesday morning—already grouchy from lack of sleep (damn mattress pad) and late for work—trying to find a matching pair of shoes. All I had were the tennis shoes I’d worn the day before, not at all appropriate for work. I kept diving into the wardrobe box, hoping to find a match, but all I got were more individual shoes. Seriously, five different shoes before I found a match…and that pair of shoes didn’t work with what I was wearing (Hawaiian flip flops, though completely adorable, are also not allowed at work).
3) Designate one box or bag for important items.
Well, I tried to do this…sort of. We ended up with Joe’s thyroid medication at the new house, which was good. But the bread we use to deceive him into taking the pill remained at the old house. And my cell phone charger has vanished. I remember putting it into a laundry basket that we were using to cart items back and forth, items like the cell phone charger that we would need immediate access to. However, the basket is now empty and the charger was not in it. Rather than admit that I must have put it elsewhere (because I can’t think of WHERE that would be), I’ve decided to believe that the charger was simply not happy with the way it was being treated and has consequently gone into hiding. It is probably tucked away in some little nook in our new house, perhaps claiming asylum in the linen closet, giggling with malicious delight as I tear through more and more boxes and mutter to myself about knowing that I put it in the STUPID laundry basket so how could it be in a box?!?! Shhh. If you listen closely, you can hear the charger dragging its plastic cord tail across the ceramic tile as it scampers around, just out of sight.
Wednesday, September 07, 2005
We're home!
After an exhausting day yesterday, the majority of our belongings are now at the new house. Unfortunately, they're all over the place and in no particular order, but we're going to start working on that tonight. We also have to finish cleaning out the old house. Ugh. So, a short update for today, but I wanted to let you know that we made it!
I have to run home now and try to save the carpeting from dog pee. It's already suffered doggie upset stomach this morning. *sigh*
I have to run home now and try to save the carpeting from dog pee. It's already suffered doggie upset stomach this morning. *sigh*
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