Manuscripts, Tigers, and Plays. Oh my!

...Well, not the tigers. Unless you count my little tiger-like Scruff, and her ability to interrupt any moment (work, sleep, phone calls...) for attention.

I'm almost done with my wip, and my brain is most anxious. "Hurry, Hurry," I say. And then, "slow down." The tug-o-war between product and quality will work itself out, and I will have a completed manuscript soon.

Meanwhile, I have another presentation to do at Doe Bay Resort next Monday. This time I will speak/perform with my most excellent playwright group. I unearthed my ten-minute play from a couple of years ago, The Magicians Library. I look forward to the silly.

I find it interesting how I keep coming back to humor and comedy. I seek serious and find my way back to silly. My play and my wip make me laugh.

And, there's nothing wrong with that.

Finally!

What a week!

I came back from a super cool surprise birthday trip to Dillon Beach for my Dad, and I returned to a massive grading fest. All week I have been evaluating students' work and dreaming of evaluating my own.

My dreams have been nice though. I thought of a new story that ties nicely into a story I thought up years ago. I love the pairing I find between story ideas. Now, back to work on my wip; I need to get this done soon.

I love California with crashing waves below windswept bluffs. Perfect.

Chase them away or invite them in for tea?

I'm speaking of demons. The kind that have been tormenting me since as long as I can remember.

Fear Demons that lurk in the recesses of my mind. The ones that come forward to tap into my almost pleasant day with a reminder that something more sinister exists in the world.

Or, perhaps, it is my reality.

When I was little, I felt I had no choice. I would scream and run. I would curl up in a ball in my bed. I would read book after book to escape.

When I got older, I learned how to cope: Exercise, a healthy diet, baths, meditation, and an occasional piece of chocolate. Write something funny! Escape!

Now I'm thinking I shouldn't run anymore. I'll invite the demons in and offer them tea.

I wonder what they'll say?

Squeezing Words

My current wip was a screenplay in its last incarnation. The basic storyline was there, and I added the details. Now, I'm facing a challenge. I seem to be slowing down at 34,000 words. This appears to be a little short. A strange problem indeed since my last novel went well over the 64,000 words I ended with.

The whole issue of word count requires balance. Obviously, I want to work within the guidelines for the genre, but on the other hand, I don't want to add a bunch of stuff that doesn't add to the story. I want to create a world and believable characters. I want to have a rich landscape for my readers, but I don't want them wading through a muck of excess words not relevant to the story.

Perhaps this week thousands of words will fly from my fingertips.
Or, perhaps not.

Taking Time

There's a huge part of me that is URGENTLY working to get my draft done. Hurry, hurry, hurry....My mind and fingers race. My undergraduate work was in journalism, so I don't think I've ever gotten DEADLINE out of my system.

However, this isn't always the best way to get through revisions. I'm learning that some things take time.

Recently, I decided to add a new development in my draft. I worked it in, and then I realized I didn't know how I was going to resolve it. I thought about it and thought about it. I went on to work on other things, but I kept this particular development dancing around the back of my mind. Suddenly, it came to me. I figured out the perfect way to work out the situation.

I remember the excellent movie, Stranger than Fiction. The novelist wrestles with her ending, but she cannot sit down to write it until she can get it right. Finally, it hits her one morning, a sudden inspiration and the perfect ending for her novel.

It's okay to think, to ponder, and to dream. Let situations arrange and rearrange themselves into possibilities. Sooner or later, the words hit the page.

I still prefer sooner.

Bigger Than Life

There's a big story on Orcas this week about a teen, Colton Harris-Moore, who is believed to be responsible for a huge crime spree here and in other parts of Washington. What amazes me is details. He managed to get past all sorts of surveillance and people looking for him. He has broken into many businesses and even stole an airplane and a boat.

I am by no means praising him for his deeds. Stealing from others isn't right, and I do feel sorry for those who have lost their possessions.

What fascinates me is the motivation and his skills, which could be put to much better use in lawful activities. As a writer, I think of creating characters that are bigger than life. I can think of many examples, especially in middle grade and young adult novels, where the characters have these traits. This real teen seems bigger than life as well. Interesting.

My happy ending: Colton is found and arrested. Then, he uses his skills and ingenuity to do something good for society.

http://www.pnwlocalnews.com/sanjuans/isj/news/60061222.html

workshopping

I think it's helpful from time to time to meet with other writers and get feedback. This weekend I met up with other writers and excellent instructors at the Orcas Island Writers Festival for some workshops.

First, Deb Lund covered picture book writing and provided perfect feedback for everyone who submitted work. I was surprised to find out my manuscript wasn't as horrible as I originally thought. I find picture book writing exceptionally challenging and am in awe of anyone who can write an compelling story in 32 pages. Deb certainly can! What was even more amazing is to see how well she could keep an audience of three to five-year-olds transfixed with her books. Great stuff!

For the rest of the weekend I joined Diane Lefer, a playwright, and other writers. We did improv and moving about on stage. We worked through ideas and concepts. We tried out new directions. It's an amazing process and very insightful. I think will and always have been in awe of the theater. It always finds a way back into my own work.