Theater, Theater and More Theater

It's been a long time... Recently, my main activity outside of writing and work has been theater. I'm about to start rehearsals for my 4th show of 2008. It's a record! I've never done more than three shows in a calendar year before (and that was back in 2002 when I wasn't really working).

It's sometimes hard to do show while working full-time, especially when tech week rolls around, but it's always worth it, not only for the excitement of performing and the pride of a job well done, but for the friendships that are made (or renewed), the learning experiences and, of course, the chance to sing.

It is true that at times my writing/revising output may fall while doing shows. But during this time, while doing three shows, I finished a complete, from scratch, beginning to end rewrite of my very 1st novel Reluctant Mage and I'm almost through my 1st edit before I get beta readers to try it out.

In general, I'm always happier when I'm busy. The semester when I received the highest gpa in undergrad was one where I took 22 credit (including two for accompanying a musical). I was incredibly busy, but also happy--and more productive in everything that I did. The fact that I was dating someone helped keep me busy and happy, but it's definitely the busyness and feeling productive that more consistently contributes to my well-being. Guys are so unreliable, you know. Obviously, you can't depend on them to help make you happy. :-)

Anyway, I'm thrilled to be a part of The Sound of Music with Rockville Musical Theater, directed by Duane Monahan, who directed me in Nine. I'm a nun, so I'll get to do a lot of choral numbers--in latin!--which reminds me of college, so I'm excited about that.

So here's to a busy and productive and delightful fall.

Why Dumbledore being gay does and does not matter

There were so many emotions running through me when I first read this the other day that I can't remember what came first. I was surprised and felt a little consternation (er, wait, what?) at first, but what lasted was delight. This explains so much!

I guess it occurred to me that there would be people who would use this as further ammunition against J.K. Rowling and the books, but it wasn't until after I read some of the comments at cnn.com like my friend suggested in his blog about the subject that I realized how upset people were.

Now, I'm not going to respond to the people who would be shocked and morally offended by any character, especially in a children's book, who is gay. There is nothing I can say that will affect how they feel about the subject. I am sorry if this will prevent some parents from letting their children or future children read the books, but I hope those who truly want or need to read Harry Potter will find him somehow.

There were a couple other reactions as well. One was why does it matter? Another was variations on the theme: if it was really important, she would have/should have included it in the story and is therefore only revealing it now to make money/stir up controversy.

As an aspiring writer I tend to look at things I've read differently, so I do have an answer to these points. This is of course, just my opinion and I have no window into Rowling's mind and I could be completely off base, but this is how I see it. And also it's been several months now since I read the 7th book for the second time so it has faded a bit from my memory.

1. It DOES matter. Why? Because it is part of who, as a character, Dumbledore is. I do not for one second believe that Rowling did not have this planned out from the beginning (or at least from whenever she knew that Dumbledore and Grindelwald had been friends at one point). It's not something she has tacked onto the end now just because she could. I'm sure as an integral part of who Dumbledore is, this facet of his life was filtered through everything she wrote about him. It just wasn't necessarily visible to us (or Harry--more on that later). The fact that he was gay and in love Grindelwald explains so much about what Harry and we all found out about him in the Deathly Hallows. I have to admit that although I still respected and admired Dumbledore, I was disappointed in his actions as a younger man. I was sympathetic, but I, like a lot of readers, I think, had put Dumbledore on a pedastal and I wanted him to live up to my expectations, even after he was dead. I was disappointed that he could speculate on the Hallows and the power they could bring with this foreign wizard, disappointed that he let it go so far that it would cause his sister's death and disappointed that when he saw Grindelwald amassing power, it took Dumbledore so long to confront him. Now we do know. He had fallen in love that summer, with all the passion and abandon of the young. I don't know why it relieves me so much, but it does. I guess it's because I didn't find Dumbledore's actions understandable before (despite his explanations to Harry--or is that Harry's subconscious projection of what Dumbledore would have said in that weird little afterlife?). Anyway, now I do find everything understandable and therefore less disappointing. I guess I'm a romantic. :-)
   
2. Despite the importance to Dumbledore's character and all the revelations about him and the Elder Wand in the 7th book, it DOES NOT matter. Why? Because it doesn't matter to Harry and it's Harry's story. There is a reason why the books are called Harry Potter and the such and such. Except for a very few exceptions, the books are told from Harry Potter's perspective. I think by the time Rowling sat down to write the first book, she knew the whole background of all her major characters and quite a few of her more minor ones. Some of that is integral to those characters. We all have things that happen to us, people that we meet, that are of primary importance to who we are today. But if we are a minor character in someone else's story, no matter how important that event/person is to us, doesn't mean it matters in the story. This is one of those times. For the majority of the series, no matter how Dumbledore was shaped by his sexuality and how it related to "his great tragedy" in terms of Grindelwald, it didn't matter to the STORY, HARRY'S STORY, to what was happening at the time. Did it matter that Dumbledore was gay when Harry first came to school and then learned all about Voldemort and the Sorcerer's Stone? Did it matter when the Chamber was opened? Did it matter when Dumbledore and Voldemort battled in Order of the Phoenix or when he was mentoring Harry in Half-Blood Prince? No. It didn't. It didn't have any bearing on the story at all. Harry didn't even wonder about Dumbledore's family until forced to in the 7th book.
   

To sum up. I suppose if Rowling had managed to give Harry away to find out along with everything else in the 7th book, she could have done that. It would have been nice to know when learning about Grindelwald and his sister and everything. But I think it would have been a difficult thing for Harry to find out and really, compared to everything else that was going on, very unimportant.

Anyway, that's my opinion.

World Fantasy, Here I Come

After a couple months of dithering, I have finally officially registered and paid up to attend this year's World Fantasy Convention in Saratoga Springs, New York. As this convention is more geared toward professionals than newbies, I doubt there will be much on how to get published or changes to meet agents in pitch sessions or anything like that. Instead there will be panels on different literary topics, lots of published authors and publishing professionals around and books galore. At least that's what I think it will be like. The theme this year is ghosts, which isn't that relevant to my work, but perhaps I will be inspired to write something. I've gotten ideas from stranger places. :-) I'm hoping to enjoy the atmosphere, meet interesting people and talk about books.

I'm still waiting to hear that my hotel reservations will be confirmed, but hopefully they will call me soon. I put my credit card number in and everything, so if I don't get word soon, I'll have to call them, which will not make me happy.

I signed up to go to the awards banquet and have added almost all the nominees to my booksfree.com list. It will take some work to read them all before the convention, but I'd like to at least be informed about one category. I'll probably have to buy some of them, since booksfree isn't really good at sending me books in the exact order I want to read them. But that's ok. They've all been nominated, so they should be really good, right? I might do a post on my pre-read impressions and then maybe follow-up with post read impressions. Definitely be on the look-out for a post or two about my experiences at the WFC.

Speaking of Young Adult novels...

I read a series of young adult novels not too long ago that I absolutely LOVED! I read the series pretty much two times in a row, the first book three times (the last time I mapped out the first book's plot on note cards) and I had to force myself not to keep reading them! I felt like I was going through withdrawal when I stopped. lol.

The books are (drum roll please!)...Twilight, New Moon and Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer! These books inspired and absorbed me so much that not only did I go back to my first novel (which will probably be considered young adult), but I had an idea for a young adult forbidden love story with fantasy elements as well. I'm really excited about it, but I can't talk about it yet as I don't even have the world/magic background worked out, let alone characters or story. Stephenie Meyer has said she had the idea in a dream and so the characters and world and heart of the story came to her all at one time. I'm not so lucky this time, but I think if I can figure some things out, it will be a good world with plenty of potential angst to explore. :-)

I also read another book (this one dealing with fairies rather than vampires) that has also gotten some buzz that I've seen on the Internet (i.e. I have heard of the book--that's why I read Twilight, I kept seeing posts about it on agent's or author's blogs). It's called Wicked Lovely. I didn't like it quite as much as the Twilight series but it was still good. :-) And isn't that cover beautiful?

My Marla book (the young adultish) novel that I'm working on doesn't have a love story--at least not yet; the second book in the series should start developing some of that--and isn't atmospheric like these and it also doesn't take place in the real world, but I'm still enjoying working on it, although I have come to a pause for the past week or two. My real job got in the way. lol. Anyway, I had some ideas with the plot that should really tighten it up. I'm forever saying that. I wish I could come up with a plot and STICK to it! Hopefully, I'll gain that ability as I grow as a writer.

I miss my Veronica Mars!

So I THOUGHT I was recording Veronica Mars all summer so I could re-watch the third season this fall, but apparently, the DVR was set only to save 3 episodes or something, so no luck. This leads me to the first item on my Christmas List--normally non-existent except for vague things like clothes is good, or gift cards for books :-)--the first three seasons of Veronica Mars on DVD.


The picture is for the Season One and Season Two set, but here is the link for the set including all three season, which doesn't have an image yet. Veronica Mars: The Complete First Three Seasons.

So now I've watched the first three or so episodes of the third season and I only have two more (and the Season Three 2-episode finale) saved. I have no idea how it got screwed up, but my episodes will surely end in the middle of a Veronica/Logan breakup, not to mention before the rape case is solved! But I guess since the whole series ends with similar unanswered questions... ah well. And I have seen them all before.

I've been boycotting the CW even though Kristen Bell narrates Gossip Girl and that Reaper show seems kind of interesting. I may not have been able to resist listening to Kristen's perfect snarky voice, but the prospect of seeing her on Heroes (hopefully soon!) has given me the necessary willpower. :-)

And as to the question of whether Veronica Mars of Buffy the Vampire Slayer would make the best Gallagher Girl? Veronica Mars! No question. (But I may be biased considering that I never watched Buffy.) Go to this blog if you want to know what I'm talking about. Ally Carter has written a totally cool young adult series about a secret spy school for girls. Or just buy the first book: I'd Tell You I Love You, but Then I'd Have to Kill You.

Simple Pleasures

I've been thinking recently about the simple pleasures of life. Do we take a moment to stop and really enjoy them? Isn't it these moments that add richness and texture to our lives?

Here are some of mine:

1. Caramel Apple Cider (yes, with whip cream and toppings) from the Seattle's Best Cafe in my local Borders. This treat is pure heaven! I find myself craving it even though it's summer. Every time I had one, I took my first sip and sighed with pleasure. I would go and write just to give myself an excuse to have one. :-)
2. The song "Flying" from the soundtrack of the movie Peter Pan that came out a few years ago with Jason Issacs (a.k.a. Lucias Malfoy) as Captain Hook. This song is AWESOME! I feel like I'm flying whenever I hear it and it never fails to make me smile. The whole soundtrack is great, but this is my favorite song. And the movie is great too. Check it out, if you haven't seen it. Jeremy Sumpter (Peter Pan) is a heart-throb waiting to happen. His mischievous smile was perfect for the boy who never grows up.
   
3. The scent of the crab apple tree in front of my house when it's in full bloom. The tree always blooms around my birthday, so it's like an extra present. :-) This year it only lasted a few days and I didn't get a chance to enjoy it as much as I wanted. I'll do better next year.
   

Those are some of my simple pleasures. What are some of yours? Enjoy!

Perils and Pitfalls of Plot

It's been a long time, but I'm back with a topic that I'm excited about. Plot.

Plot is essential for any book, even literary ones. But my novel (yes, I'm still working on it) isn't literary, so it's supposed to have a great plot. I think i started with a great concept and a plot that worked ok in my mind before I finished writing it, but somewhere between the middle and the end it died. And I was having a hard time figuring out how to fix it.


Enter a writing book. I've read lots of writing books, but not so many about plot. So, I bought Plot and Structure by James Scott Bell and it was great. It stimulated my imagination and I've worked through some issues in my book using the concepts that he laid out, and I think it's much better. He has examples from both commercial and literary fiction, but the commercial side is heavy on the thriller/suspense/horror novel. That was the only fault I had with the book, I would have liked to see examples from a wider range of genres.

Bell's book helped me figure out that I had two main problems. First, there was nothing really compelling my protagonist to the climax, she was just going because I needed her to to finish the book. There were reasons, but nothing so essential that her choices felt like there was no other choice. Second, the conflict between my protagonist and my antagonist was not direct enough, not central enough to the story. It was there, but not at the forefront. So I redid my plot, scene by scene on notecards, changing things and hopefully making them better.

The core of Song of the Prophecy is still the same, but I was able to solidify and tighten everything--well that's what I think will have happened when I finished my rewrite. I'm hoping to be able to send it out to agents in the fall and I now don't think that's an unrealistic goal!

Wish me luck!

QUESTION: James Scott Bell, says there are three types of plotters: outline people, no outline people and people who are somewhere in the middle. In the past I've been in the middle, but I think I may become a more pure outliner in the future. Which type are you?

Daydreams about the new house

I spend a lot of time daydreaming about my new house and what I'll do in all the different rooms to make it suit me perfectly. One of the rooms I'm having the most trouble with is office. First I don't know if I'll be able to use a third bedroom (a lot of the third bedrooms that I've seen are just too small and only suitable to become a large walk-in closet--which would be fun, lol!) or if it will be in the basement or have to be combined with the guest room or dining room. So that's part of the problem. I can't really decide anything until I know the room's situation.

But even when I think about an ideal situation (which I think would be a large bedroom), I still have trouble. There are some things I know. I'd like to have room for a chaise lounge as well as a desk/work table and bookshelves. I also know I want to put cork on one of the walls to make a super large bulletin board for notes, ideas and inspiration. I don't know what colors I want it to be either. I really like some marble paper that I found at papermojo.com when I was working on my MFA book project, but they're out of stock now and apparently the line is being discontinued. The only other place I can find it online you have to buy 15 sheets for $50. Which unless I want to paper a wall with it, is more than I would use to hang up and use for inspiration for the color scheme. Actually I did think about papering the wall with it, but I can't find my sample at home and I don't know how it would look. Each page is unique so there is no regular pattern to match up. Anyway, the colors in that paper were that really fresh green you see around. I've heard it called celadon, but I'm not sure it's that exactly (again, I lost my sample) and I don't think it's quite a lime color either. Then the green had a swirl of pink running through it. And I'm sure there were other shades of color that I can't remember now. So I'm stumped. I'm afraid to pick out a green like that without inspiration just because that group of colors is so tricky. I don't want to end up with a pukish color or a neon color.

But ultimately what I'm going for is a room that will inspire me to write and I can also use for book crafts. That is a skill that I don't want to lose and would perhaps like to develop. (even if it is expensive). I suppose I shouldn't even call it an office, since that's not really it's purpose. It's more of a creative room. I think I'm going to try and have another space for all my bills/financial/health etc stuff anyway. Keep that negative clutter (I find it negative and overwhelming anyway) somewhere else. Since I have a laptop that should be feasible. I can have a little desk and file cabinet tucked away in the living room or dining room.

Ok. Enough about that room. The next room I was most obsessed with was my bedroom. I wanted to paint a grid of four squares in different shades of blue on the wall behind the bed (I saw that done on some design show) and I was having trouble picking out the colors. But I found a bookmark with three different shades of aqua and blue on it and so I have those colors basically picked out. I'm still searching for the perfect bedspread. I'm going to invest in new bedroom furniture, including a queen-sized bed (yay!), which I know will be dark wood with simple lines, possible a sleigh bed or something similar. I've also decided after seeing some different comforters online, specifically one of Ty Pennington's from Sears, to use chocolate brown as an accent color. So I've actually found a bedspread that's mostly chocolate with a some light blue/aqua threaded through that might work, but of course I can't buy it until I know for sure and I'm not sure it matches yet anyway.

So since I almost have my bedroom figured out, I've now decided to obsess about the kitchen as well. Most of the places I've seen have tiny kitchens, which bothers me because I want to be able to cook. If I don't cook, I know I'll eat a lot of junk and takeout. But I have to like my kitchen. I have to enjoy it. Well, I think I do. I cooked the other night when our kitchen at home was a mess, so maybe I'd be ok. Anyway, if it's nice and updated with new stuff, that's fine. If it's not that's ok too, because that will give me the opportunity to tear it all out and put it new stuff. And I should actually be able to afford it if I use Ikea. And I read in Consumer Reports that Ikea is up there in the ratings. I wouldn't get a couch from them, but bookshelves and kitchen cabinets? Definitely.

My final problem is that I have this nice picture frame and pillow that my previous boss gave me for my birthday in this great dark purple color that I want to use somewhere and I just haven't figured out where they would fit yet. The pillow has muted gold stitching on it and the picture has beige ribbon and pink buttons.

Enough rambling about all that for now. I'm sure I'll figure it all out anyway.

Distractions galore!

I haven't touched my writing recently (not since Labor Day weekend) and while that's disappointing to me, I have still been thinking about SotP (Song of the Prophecy) and I think I'm working things out in my subconscious. I hope I am; otherwise this incredibly long break I've had has no excuse!

Anyway, I've found some new things to be distracted by. Some of them I think are legitimate, while others aren't and I should attempt some discipline.

1. House hunting
   Yes, I'm looking to buy a house or a townhouse. I was promoted to a full time position at work, which barely allows me to afford something in the city. The problem is finding something in a suitable neighborhood. Living by myself will be an interesting experience, considering the fact that I don't like to do dishes or laundry or clean really in any way. lol. BUT I do like to cook sometimes, so that is good. I also like to look at a number of distracting things on line such as: house listings, furniture, paint colors, bedding, Ikea kitchens, decorating advice etc. etc.
   
2. New Television Season
   What is more addictive than Grey's Anatomy? Anyway that's my favorite show I think. Other returning shows that I love include: Desperate Housewives, Veronica Mars and House. Other returning shows that I like include: ER, Bones, L&O: SVU and NCIS. My favorite new show is Studio 60 (please watch so it doesn't get cancelled, it's awesome!) I also love Heros. They come on back to back. How cool is that? I've also been watching: Friday Night Lights, The Nine, Brothers and Sisters and Standoff. Can you way WAY TOO MUCH TV??? I can! I watch WAY TOO MUCH TV!!! And it's even easier now that the big networks have their shows online for free (although Fox does not--boo! and neither does CW, which isn't surprising).
   
3. booksfree.com
   I have always been addicted to reading. I haven't updated my books read list for a while, but trust me it's now a lot longer. This year I've spent so much money on books I don't even WANT to know how much it is. So joined this service that is similar to Netflicks, except that it is for books. You pay a monthly fee and you can check out up to four books at a time, but you can receive and send them back as many times as you want per month. They ship in groups of two so there's a little bit of lag time if you're not careful, but so far it's worked well for me. I think I read six or seven books in October. Anyway, except for the fact that, despite the list that you keep, you can't really control what book you get when (don't put the 2nd book in a series on your list until they've mailed you the 1st), I've been enjoying it. I think I'll read books I might not have read otherwise with this service.

So there you have it. My top three distractions. But not to worry; I had a new idea for a character (I can't believe I actually started with a character) just the other day. My brain isn't creatively dead, it's just resting or something. I think the drive to work on SotP will come back soon enough.

Do you see all the books I've read?

Am I a bookaholic or what? Listed to the side are the books that I've purchased since the beginning of the year. This does not include any books that I have re-read. For example, I read the first two Naomi Novik books twice, I re-read Patricia Bray's Devlin series, and I'm pretty sure I've re-read a couple of other things in there as well.

My intention when adding this list to my blog was to review the books, but I immediately got behind and I didn't want to leave anyone out. Unfortunately, reviewing them all is not going to happen. I wouldn't be able to do justice to the books I read several months ago and I don't have time to re-read them, even though I'm sure I would enjoy it.

But here are some highlights:

Favorite New Authors:

• Naomi Novik

I LOVE this world. Like I said, I've re-read the first two books already and would have the third as well, but I'm not sure exactly where it is right now. I've been trying to get my brother to read them, but he's addicted to video games rather than books so spends most of his free time (and not free time) doing that. But he will read and love them, I promise. The combination of dragons, historical period, and action-adventure is wonderful as well as the author's style, which is in keeping with books written in the period. I CAN'T WAIT until the next book is out. That sneak preview at the end is almost cruel & unusual, since we have to wait so long after these three came out in quick succession. :-)

• Sarah Monette

I don't remember why I picked up Melusine. I think it was reviewed well on locus or something and compared to Jaqueline Carey in terms of orignality and detail. Maybe I'm attracted to "bad boys" or something since both the main characters could be considered "bad boys" in different ways, but I love them both, even if one of them really is a prick a lot of the time. He just doesn't realize he's doing it and then he's sorry. Anyway, I read Melusine in paperback last month then immediately wanted to read The Virtu. Of course the books stores didn't have it. Nor did the library. So i bought and electronic copy, just so I could read it IMMEDIATELY. Even though it's a total rip-off b/c it costs the same as a hardcover (I think, anyway, it was more expensive than a paperback which is much more reasonable). Hello! Part of the reason hardcovers are so expensive is the paper they're printed on and the printing costs. An electronic copy is much cheaper to make. I assure you. So the price should be less. Sigh. Yet I bought it anyway. Wonderful, wonderful books. Again, looking forward to the next one.

This took longer than I expected. I'll try to add more highlights about my reading later in the week. Now, I really should be writing, not letting this blog distract me!

Hit a roadblock, pushed through it

PROGRESS: 14 pages/4,000 words, Ready for Chapter Four

I got stuck less than 50 pages into Marla, Book One. I couldn't decide the best way to handle something, but I think I've got it now. I was writing a whole scene to acomplish one thing. Now, I've folded it into the next scene and I think it moves the plot along better that way.

I wrote a whole scene filled with important information that I almost immediately cut, realizing it revealed too much information. Still, once Nat has suspicions about the villain, I can put the scene back in.

After spending a relatively miserable weekend feeling sorry for myself about various things including my personal life and my job life (and reading a book and 1/2) , I finally got back in the groove and wrote last night. I've been looking foward to writing this scene ever since I thought of the changes I was going to make in it. It's an action sequence and I had a good time writing it.

This scene sets Marla's goal back and attracts the villain to poke her nose in again. :-)

Next: Three scenes that are direct consequences of the action-scene I just wrote.

GOALS FOR THE WEEK:

• Write the above three scenes and more
• Organize writing space in spare bedroom; add bulletin board and dry erase board for notes and ideas
• Continue to think about Song of the Prophecy, especially the addition of a secret society for the Mother or one for each of them.
  

Marla lives!

Ok, well, she doesn't live, but the project does!

I didn't accomplish any of my goals for Song of the Prophecy, but I'm up to chapter three in Marla, Book One. Of course, in my original manuscript Chapter Two is really long, so I'm only about half way through that if we compare. But who's comparing? The manuscript is really too long for the kind of story it is anyway, so I wouldn't mind shaving off a bit of length, say 20,000 words anyway.

So what did I do?

• I cut all scenes not from Marla's POV in the first chapter.
  
• I cut a extraneous sub-plot that doesn't have enough meat to it to be included.
• I made the second chapter all from Nat's POV (my secondary POV character)
  
• I made the villainess more prominent in both POVs.
• I cut a character.
• I made both antognists that Marla meets in Chapter Two more interesting, I think.
  
• I included bits about the new magical system.
  

What do I need to do in Chapter Three?

• Marla needs to figure out what's going on with Nat.
• Some interaction with Byan and Russ? (not sure)

Obviously, since I'm only on Chapter Two in the old version and Chapter Three in the new version and there are seventeen chapters in the old version, averaging 26 pages each, I still have a lot of work to do. But there are definitely scenes that I will be able to use parts of.
Overall I am very pleased with my progress and my enthusiasm so far. I chose to write instead of read on the beach and that's saying something!

Long weekend

So with the 4th of July coming up on a Tuesday, I think almost everyone I know (ok, at least several people) are taking a long weekend. So will I, except I will be working from home on Monday. Unless my parents' condo gets rented in the next few hours, it looks like we will be going down to the beach.

Obviously, I will need to buy some more books to read on the actual beach because I like to keep my computer away from sun, water and especially sand whenever I can help it. =) I can write long-hand in notebooks, but I can't even revise pages because of the wind. That's ok. I need some time to relax and do what I want (which right now includes reading and playing sudoku--both addictive activities).

However, I'm hoping over this five day stretch I can also get a good start on the revision of both my books. Maybe it's good that I have two to work on. They're very different, after all, so I shouldn't confuse them in my mind or anything like that. Then, if I get tired of working on one, I can switch to the other. I have a hard time doing that when actually writing because it requires a switch in voice and characters' heads and stuff like that, but that shouldn't be as much of a problem with revision. Anyway, we'll see how it goes. I hope I get a lot done!

GOALS:

Marla, Book One

• Finish list of changes to be made
• Start going through ms and making and/or marking these changes

Song of the Prophecy

• Finish writing down ideas for changes (which I really should have done already!)
• Write the new first chapter and see how it turns out
• Write/revise more!

Wish me luck!

more changes than i thought

Well, I wrote notes about the changes to the magical system in Marla, Book One which led to thinking about plot concerns, which led to going through my scene outline (a must for anyone writing a novel!) and reminding myself of what happens in each one. This took a long time. The book is over 400 pages long. I only read a couple of scenes, skimmed a few, and scrolled down through most, but it still took awhile. This led to me seeing some problems I hadn't seen in my last revision, and seeing even more things that would need to be changed because of the changes I am making. Fortunately, I have no doubt that it will be a better book after I make these changes, unlike in Song of the Prophecy where I am still not sure.

Anyway, I will be cutting one of the major plot elements of the book because I think it was just a device to add more excitement and to fulfill certain plot necessities. Now I think the same ends will come about in a more natural way, stemming from some things that characters would naturally do. At least I hope so.

The changes I'm making will actually help with a lot of the characterization, however. I know these characters. They've been living with me for over ten years after all, although I'm not sure when these particular incarnations started to coalesce. And sometimes I know what they would feel and how they would react without there being a real reason for it. Or something. It's hard to explain. It's like I knew these ideas were coming before they came and the characters were reacting to something I hadn't written yet. Ok that makes no sense at all. I have better back story now. It makes more sense.

That's it. The back story! Before I knew the characters as they are when the book starts and had come up with some back story for them, but now the back story is a better fit for how the characters are when the story starts. Yes yes yes! That's what happened. My subconscious is more genius than I thought. =) j/k

I'm pleased with my progress, even though I've barely gotten started.

ideas, ideas and more ideas (part 2)

So I talked last week about having some ideas about my book Song of the Prophecy. What I didn't say was that about a month ago I had some ideas to make my very first novel, which doesn't currently have a title--I generally call it Marla, Book One, much better. I started writing it when I was around 14, and it was inspired by some of my favorite authors of the time. I've always been a little worried about it not being orginal enough. Well, I think I came up with some ideas that will make it much better. The world was a pretty general fantasy world, but with these new ideas I think the world will be much more interesting, but I won't have to change the plot that much. Obviously it will be a serious revision and I'll have to go through the whole thing, but it won't be a complete re-write. I'll be able to keep a lot of the bones.

Anyway, so I have all these ideas about Song of the Prophecy AND now I also have all these ideas about Marla, Book One and I'm excited about both of them, so I don't know which to start on.

I know. Isn't this a problem I'd like to have more often? I will think of it as an opportunity, not a problem.

ideas, ideas and more ideas

I have to admit that I was disappointed in the critiques I got from the contest. They weren't as detailed as I would have liked and some of the advice completely missed the mark. But any critique is only a tool for a writer. The person reading your manuscript never knows as much about your story as you do. More so in this case when they were only reading the first twenty-five pages. Often a critique is more useful for identifying problem areas than for figuring out how to fix them. Or a problem they mention may not be the actual problem, but something else is. Anyway, it's up to the author to figure all this out and make the book the best possible.

I found that even though I didn't get a lot of applicable adivce from the critiques, they did identify some possible problem areas, which got me thinking. Hence, the name of this entry. =)

I was hoping not to have to rewrite the beginning again because I've already reworked it several times. However, I think I may have to. Right now, each of the first three chapters (disregarding the prologue) focuses on a major character and their situation. They don't intersect until later (chapter 4 maybe?). Anyway, it's possible that this is too slow a beginning, although I like the idea of concentrating on some character development. I thought of a way to introduce all three characters in the framework of the current first chapter. I'll have to write it out and see how it works. It might be too much information and too many POV that early in the book. I wanted to have a big chunck of Mavelle right away because she's my protagonist, but that may not be possible. Although I could possible introduce the other characters without using their POV, it would just be harder to write. Again, I'll have to experiment some and see what works best.

I WON!

Remember that contest I entered my novel, Song of the Prophecy, in? Well, I won! I got first place in the science fiction & fantasy category. I have to say that I was thrilled. Now, I really have to finish editing the whole thing. They gave me a nice letter that I can include with my query letters that says I won the contest and that the judges thought I was great. I also got a certificate and $100.

More information about the contest and the group that sponsered it can be found at the Maryland Writer's Association Web site.

I also go two critiques, but I haven't read them yet because I'm a little afraid of what they might say. I glanced at them and saw some not so glowing comments. I have to remember that I won and not to take things so seriously.

Nine

Well, we've finished our run of Nine and it was an amazing experience! I met so many great people and I think I also evolved as an actress. Apparently I'm pretty funny. lol.

It was a lot of hard work (rehearsals just eat up your life towards the end) and I got sick towards the end and wasn't sure I'd be back into good singing form in time for opening night. I wasn't back to normal by then, but I could sing.

Anyway, it's been one of the best experiences I've had doing a show. I hope I'll be able to work with everyone again someday.

Next up: Urinetown in the fall. I'll be lucky if I get a part though, because I'm sure the competition will be really tough.

Stuck in the Apple Store

Literally. I'm so bored here! And yes, I know, it's been AGES since I updates. So sue me.

So, my computer has decided to be uncooporative again and I'm stuck here at the Apple Store waiting for my turn to talk to a "Genius." I have to say, they better be able to fix it. I've already had to come here 3 or 4 times since I got the thing, so my patience is wearing thin. Aren't macs supposed to be better than that? My applecare protection plan is almost up too. So at least it didn't decide to crap out on me after that. But this is bad timing. I'm going to the beach next week for a week. And I was planning on writing and working on my web page.

{Oh, by the way, I have a Web page now! It's at www.gaylegillespie.com}

Yes, I'll spend a lot of time reading and laying out on the beach and probably watching tv, but I still NEED my computer. I can't survive without it. Luckily it did let me get in long enough to backup some of my files, so I'm not going completely crazy, but it's still worrisome.

Anyway, it's finally my turn. Hopefully they can fix it!

I know it's been awhile

since my last post, but I've been pretty distracted. I got my entry into the writing contest I mentioned, so I'll be waiting to hear about that. I have no idea how long it will take.

I've started rehearsals for Nine and singing the music is awesome! They've put me on 1st soprano and I'm singing really high basically the whole show. It reminds me some of what I did in college. Not quite as hard, of course, but more difficult than anything I've sung since then.

The blocking and the dancing rehearsals have not been as fun, but that's only because they make me nervous. Really, I guess I'm not the stereotypical theater person. I took too long a break, that's what it is. Our director is wonderful though, and I'm sure I'll relax as I get to know people.

I've also been trying to revise my manuscript. I even joined the March Marathon organized by OWW. It hasn't been going so well. I've just been so tired recently that I haven't felt like doing anything after work, except going to rehearsal. But that's a required thing, kinda like going to work. I wouldn't go to work if I didn't have to. Still, I'm almost through to the end of Part II (aprox. half-way). Which isn't as impressive as it sounds because I didn't really do anything to Part I. These are structural rewrites. BIG things. I'm hoping I can get through Part II by the end of the week (and the marathon) and then I'll feel like I've accomplished something.

I think I've been thinking about it the wrong way anyway. When I was finishing writing the damn book, I kept saying, "I can do it. I can do it." And I did. Right now I'm thinking, "It's too much. It's too much. I don't think I can do it." Not the right attitude at all. Positive thinking!

I keep meaning to review all those books that I've read (that are on the side of my blog under "Reading," but it's been so long since I read some of them that I don't think I could do them justice. Hopefully, I'll be able to start that in the future.