I think all of us who write fiction will agree that most of us have things we will not write into stories. The obvious topics or scenes would be things we find to be boring or tedious to read, those things that make us skip ahead in books or put them down altogether. No one wants to find their own works boring, correct? Other omitted items may include those things we find fascinating but don't lend themselves to our preferred writing genres...
Another Convention, Another Dose of Strength and Self-Worth
I spent most of last week feeling pretty lousy. Between humid nights, stressful days, and a stomach bug that left me unable to finish my meals, I had a hard time sleeping at night. Work kicked my butt in ways I didn't even notice; I started training a new employee, making my office hours fly by, and I clearly was not drinking enough to stay properly hydrated. Then on Thursday evening, I drove to Cleveland straight from work. I had spent most of the day feeling half-sick, but once I got to my hotel room, I finally started to relax and unwind. I knew it would be a great weekend, because I was attending my third Supernatural convention.
“Us Versus Them” Helps No One
So for anyone who frequents social media, the past few weeks have probably been rough. Now, I will not downplay the trauma any person has felt as a result of assaults or honest discrimination, but there is a major problem if someone decides to demonize half the human race due to the actions of one or several individual(s). Not only is it unjust to hold someone accountable for something that they did not even bare witness to, but you will exhaust yourself doing it.
Understanding My Roadblocks
This past week, I began editing the abandoned novel manuscript I mentioned in last Monday's post, and for the first time in several months, I feel like I am making progress on a worthwhile project. While this feels amazing after so many weeks of struggle and frustration, I also want to keep in mind the other goals I set while on vacation. It's easy to get distracted by my old habits and to fall back into my routines, but these won't allow me to move forward.
Projects, Perspectives, and Progress
I haven't talked much about the progress I've made on my writing during the past month because it's been a struggle. I love my current project's characters; I can hear their voices and I know their personalities. But what I can't seem to see is their actual story. Yes, I know the general plot points, the details of the setting, the characters' goals and motivations, and the solutions and final ending, but how all of these things interlace continues to escape me.
Attribute Nothing to Malice
This week has had a vicious cycle of ups and downs so far. Over the course of my days, I have gone from sorrow to overwhelmed to empowered to frustrated and back to the beginning again. What makes it harder is that a person I know is being demonized. I admit that he's made mistakes, … Continue reading Attribute Nothing to Malice
My Apologies
To my regular watchers... I am postponing my normal blog post for this week due to events that are affecting my work life. I hope to have something written and posted on Wednesday at the earliest. Right now it is difficult to come up with anything positive or encouraging to say, so I feel it … Continue reading My Apologies
Whose Character is it Anyway?
I believe most if not all storytellers will agree that characters are important to them. They also will probably agree that characters are important to their audience too. But when it comes to the interpretation of a character, who's input is more valuable?
A Little Less Confrontation
Over the past few weeks, my office has been conducting interviews to fill another key position vacancy, and while sitting at my desk trying to tackle my increased workload, I can't help but listen in on the questions being asked of the candidates just down the hall. One question that comes up in every interview is how does the job applicant deal with conflict. This is a common enough question in a job interview, and one that should be expected. A number of the applicants have stumbled over their answers however.
Dealing with Distractions of Topic
With scattered rainstorms threatening my area during most of the weekend, my parents and I decided to take a day trip to visit some local shops and have a late lunch at one of our favorite restaurants. One of the shops we stopped by is located in an old mill. The third floor of the building includes a history display that features clothing and black and white photographs as well as the old mill workings. While perusing these artifacts, I found myself wishing that my current writing project was not set in modern times.
HLHumbert 