rewriting scenes and de-cluttering

What did Shakespeare say? More matter, less art?

Whew. . . more scene rewrites. I'm digging the de-cluttering, though. I'm learning lots about myself and how hoarding words in a manuscript can be just as ridiculous as hoarding physical things in our lives. Do I really need to hold onto books I haven't read in 15 years?

But I digress. . .

I'm rewriting scenes and I am fascinated how attached to particular words or phrases or sentences I get. Why is that? They are just words and if the story changes and the words are no longer the perfect one(s), why should I be attached to them? I can go write more that are perfect for how the story now is. So silly. But I find myself looking at what was at one time a humdinger of a line, and now it is just out-of-place clutter.

Ouch.

Where appropriate, use your delete button. It is a friend, a resource, a tool to help us on our writing journey.

Happy de-cluttering. And writing!

Dierks Bently was in Calgary February 21,2012

Dierks Bentley was in Calgary last night!! Dang that dude gives a good show!! I had an absolute blast. Thanks Dierks, for coming to Calgary and I so have to put a concert scene in the next book.

Have a good tour!

Cooking and Writing

Ever write and cook at the same time? Sometimes when I am cooking I have my laptop handy so when I am waiting in between cooking tasks, I can get a few minutes writing time in. And it is way more fun to be writing in those little breaks instead of doing dishes.

Blocks of solid writing time are lovely, but sometimes schedules make that a no-go for several days, and if I haven't written in a few days, I need to reread and plug back into the story, so to speak, which cuts into actual writing time. So, I harness whatever time I can, whether that is a five minute snippet, or a five hour one. The wee time slots also keep the story fresh in my mind and rolling until the next marathon writing session.

Happy writing, and reading!

Rocky Mountains

Hey fellow readers and writers. Hope everyone is gearing up to have an awesome weekend. Last weekend I got to play in those beautiful Rocky Mountains. I love them. Seriously, they are like an automatic reset button, refresh, regroup, recharge . . . you get the picture. I brought my laptop, too, and got a bit of writing in but mostly used the weekend to refill my well, so to speak. Okay, and maybe hit the spa. It is a once a year event and dang, that was good! Remember to take care of yourself. If you are like me, life is fantastically chaotic and most spare minutes are devoted to writing and other passions. Remember to play, too!

Happy Weekend!

Writing communities

I know I've talked about it before, but I'm going to chat about it again. The power of having a supportive writing community is incredible. It doesn't have to be super organized, although that is nice.

I recently did the proverbial coffee with a writer friend and that hour and a half or so completely spiked my focus and attention. It breathed fresh air into my writing practice.

The following week my critique group and I had our bi-weekly meeting. We met at a new place (more fresh energy)  and I thought it was a good meeting but after reflecting and processing I realized it was a frickin' amazing turning point for me and the story I am working on.

The choice is yours who you include in your writers' circle. Remember trust and relevance to you.

And of course remember to have fun. That's why you are writing in the first place, right?

Happy weekend.

The power of the synopsis as a writing tool

I consider myself a pretty organic writer, but I am learning the benefit of using the synopsis as a writing tool. I suppose it is part of the writing journey and finding your own groove, but when I first heard of this it sounded very different than how my brain does the creative process and I shook my head in oh-no, not a chance. I want to flow.

The more I write, though, the more my brain and my creative process wants that organized synopsis. It sounds almost counter-intuitive to me and my vision of flow (I'm still in my writing style transition), but I am realizing now that scenes are freer to flow when I know what I want them to do ahead of time. I can sit down and write the scene fully, not with my attention split between the scene and wondering how the story is going to unfold. It is less stressful, too. People are masters at creating unnecessary stress. Why do we do that?

It also saves a lot of time rewriting scenes. And as characters develop and take on a life of their own, stay flexible and fluid to roll with your authentic character. Seriously, sometimes those characters feel so real in their persistence on how a story is going to go. You know what I'm talking about.

An older colleague of mine always says make a choice. If you find it doesn't work for you, make another choice. Don't stall yourself in indecision, though, that in itself is a choice, too. Make a choice, you can always make another one later if you need to, but don't have your life stall in indecision.

Works for stories, too. Make a choice. Decide your story, you are always free to change your mind, but in the meantime, you have a conscious game plan.

Happy Monday!

Happy New Year

Welcome 2012! I've been thinking about goals lately. What can I say, the new year is inspiring. What writing goals do I have? Hmm. Good question. That bland I-want-to-write-more is just that, bland. Give yourself a real goal. You're worth it. Jump in. Take on the writer inside and let her out.

I'm going to look my time management in the face and rock it.