Research

Doing a little research for Aimées (and my…) story. It’s a romantic one so this picture by Annie Leibovits is just want I need. Going to the library tomorrow and picking up something romantic… any recommendations? Other than Romeo and Juliet I mean? More pictures here.

Living the life

Of a writer which means write so, get up and write even if I’m not “inspired”. Trying to write, trying to stick with this one story until it’s done and not jump around among all the stories I have. One at the time, one at the time…

Hm…

When I read “Twilight” I couldn’t help thinking it was very similar to a story I wrote when I was… 15-ish perhaps. Well, it was like we both made a potato soup, different but the same dish. I tossed it aside thinking people will say, “It’s like Buffy come up with something else.”

Yesterday I read, ”Hex Education” and it was also very similar to a story I wrote about that time… I didn’t finish it because I felt it was silly and no one wants to read crap like that. But maybe my stories aren’t crap after all? Very similar ones have been published so…

(Found picture here)

Tihi!

I was just goofing around and writing down an imaginary tea party with Aimée and it turned in to a story. First draft ready and I’ll clean it up this weekend and maybe I have a story for my story bank. I have to wait awhile and see if I really like it, sometimes a story seem good but when you’ve let it cold a day or so it turns out to be crap.

Writing exercise

For some reason I am under the impression that most people have alter egos, I do, I several. My favorite one is “Shelly” and I really wish I was like her but... Anyway... Take a normal situation, grocery shopping, an hour on a train or similar and write down how your alter ego would act and what he or she would do in situations. What kind of groceries would he/she buy? Will he/she walk there, ride a bike because it’s better for the environment, take the bus or will he/she drive up there in a fabulous red 65 corvette stingray?

Knock on wood

I’m doing okay with the short story. I couldn’t come up with anything so it’s based on a true experience and will be illustrated with pictures. I got it down and now I just have to tidy it up and get the ending done.

And knock on wood some more, I have an idea for a new story (thanks Aimée, you don't know it but you gave me the idea. It's a tricky one so I might not be able to do the plot justice and not go through with the idea but…The more I think of it the more it feels like this is way out of my league… First thing first, finish the first story, focus damn it!)

Thursday

Today we, J and I went birthday shopping for B and a little for me.

Keep your fingers crossed. So I bought the nighty but for some reason I didn’t try it when I was trying on some of the bras (none of them were good, which is good for my economy)… So, now at home I will try it and it better fit because you can’t return underwear. I hope it fits… It fits! It fits nicely without clinging to my jelly parts, so cozy! You should feel the material, oh and I got the cozy angora socks and some tea with almond, apple, cinnamon which was really nice (but I think you need a little sugar in it and I don’t have sugar in my tea), will be perfect along with all the books I got at the library ( I did not like the new library but at least there were no kids there playing video games, but it was way too loud). Got two books with short stories in them and hoping for some inspiration, so far I get very little of what Virginia Woolf is trying to tell me. Only read two of her stories The mark on the wall is one of them.

Tired… want to put on my nightie some socks and just go to bed.

Totally blocked, again…

I just don’t understand why it’s SO hard to get one short story down. I honestly believe that everyone has a story inside of them wanting to get out but when I’m trying nothing is coming out, I don’t get it. Should I start over and try to come up with something new or stick with this piece of crap I’m working on? Why can’t I come up with anything decent? I am that bad?

Just because

This illustration by Arthur Rackham is my main inspiration for my story, it will most likely suck but hopefully I will finish it. That’s the most important things right now, finishing something.

Short stories

I really do need to get some routine when it comes to writing, I never finish any of my stories so I suggested to Sarah that we should try and write one short story with each letter… Writers block immediately. Then it loosed up after reading a lot of short stories but then I pitched the idea to my brother and he was not impressed. Sigh… I’m back to square one…blä, I suck! Why is writing so difficult?

I never said I would write a masterpiece

Just that I would write and I have 61 days left to write and a really crappy first draft so I can touch it up and finish it. Practice makes perfect and you have to start somewhere so what if I don’t write something great? At least I’m writing and I’m finishing what I started and that’s the important thing to me right now, not quitting, not giving up.

Oops

I’ve totally forgotten all about writing. I haven’t been in on How to write a novel in 100 or less days in like… a week, I suck so bad! Seriously, tomorrow I will focus on my writing, on my story. I have to figure the plot out properly; right now it’s not working. I like my heroine and the “hero”, not sure he’s a hero but anyway… I liked the task for day 29 and I think everyone should give it ago, try to be as honest as you can (dare). I have to find out exactly what it is in the plot that isn’t working.

But maybe it’s not working because it’s all crap? It’s a possibility… I just looked at it and I just don’t like it. I think I have to toss the plot and come up with a whole new one, same some of the elements but a new story in the same environment with the same people. The people don’t fit the story… Well I guess it’s the people that don’t fit the story and not the other way around. Feel so stuck and unsure on what to do. When do you know to drops something and start something else?

Day 25

Everything was going pretty well until I finished my first rough draft, I wasn’t at all pleased with it. The story was all messed up and I really didn’t like the guy, he was such a cutie, such a goody goody and everything too damn nice, ew! So I had to start over and now I just don’t like anything, the story sucks and I can’t get it to work at all. I’m supposed to have this, 1, a commitment (…sort of yeah, I guess, whatever…),2, a working schedule (sure, kind of) 3, a story idea, (maybe, but it’s not a very good one) 4, a cast of characters (I do) 5, a detailed plot of the entire story (yeah right) 6, a short description of what your novel is about, (no).
This is not going very well… should I give up, again, and perhaps work in some short stories awhile? Do my four pages a day on something else and do this later? I don’t want to give up, I know all about quitting, I want to try something else and stick with something for a change.

Day 25

“…every player must have a reason…”

Day 13 Not sure that is the case for me right now. And I don’t know my characters as well as I want to. Right now I’m close on getting stuck… starting to doubt myself. I sort of finished a first (very rough) draft. I’m not finished by far but I kind of know where I’m going with the story, how it begins and how it ends. There’s loads of junk that need to get sorted out, changes to make… lots to do. Ah, just thinking about it makes me freak out. There’s no way I can write four pages when I’m rewriting, I should be glad if I can make one… feels like I’m failing. I need mood music or something… ah, I don’t know what I need…

A week of writing

And it’s been going pretty well but now it’s the real test, trying to find the time to write during the football. I have had a little trouble writing the four pages and wanting to make it to three pages per day but so far I’ve managed to stick with it and I intend to continue. Feeling pretty good, I usually don’t stick with things. Even the days when I have been busy with something else I have been writing some even if it hasn’t been four pages.

I made a little list of events that is supposed to happen in the story so even if I don’t know what to write I know it’s supposed to be something creepy for example so I have a little guideline and that really helps.

Day six

Almost been a week now and I have been writing every day, not four pages when I have been away doing other things but I have been writing and that’s the important thing. Today I was given a task, I’m supposed to take my favorite book in the same genre that I’m writing and read it, se what I like and why and so on. But I don’t have a favorite. In fact, I haven’t read a book similar to the one I’m trying to write so I guess I should look for some and read them.

Know any good teen books with spooky mysteries in them?

Four pages is kind of a lot…

Especially when you don’t really know what to write… I don’t think I will be able to do four pages per day and then I will feel like I failed and get upset and not write at all, maybe two pages is better? It’s better to write a little than not writing at all.

Day three (a day at the beach)

I think I have decided which story I should write and I’ll bring a pen and paper with me to the beach today when I’m off with “Elizabeth”, her baby and her mom. Then there’s something for me to do since I’m too lazy to shave my legs and haven’t owned a swimsuit for ten years. I’ll try and make a list of events for the story, sort of like a schedule so I know what to write later. (sounds like good idea right now)

My Compis is here!

And he’s working! I thought I had to wait to get internet but my brother fixed it right away. I defiantly need a new chair; I think I’ll mess up my back with this one. Today I have to figure out when is the best time for me to write and, “Be realistic in the time you plan, and then live by it.” Sticking with things has never really been my strong side I have to admit.

Evenings or midmorning… tricky. It’s less chance of interruptions in the evening but then there’s the chance that I stay up too late (I sound so old). Maybe I should try midmornings… I’ll write now and then I do the midmorning thing… crap, got plans tomorrow… So I’ll try the midmorning thing on Wednesday instead. But that’s the thing if I’m busy I’m most likely to be busy during the day so evenings might be better. I just have to get some self-control and not stay up all night long.

Evenings, write for at least one hour, and at least four pages per day. Let see how it goes and if it’s realistic.

How many times have I tried this?

I think it’s only two but it could be three… but let’s try it one more time. With my Compis (computer) arriving tomorrow (hopefully) I might get some peace and quiet to be able to do this. My main problem is just, which of all my stories should I work on? I wonder how many I have now; let’s do a quick count… at least 25, probably more.

This is day one and I have to make a commitment to write every day, to do my very best to finish this once and for all. But what story to work on…? That’s really tricky and I don’t know, maybe I should read what I have so far and see which one I feel for the most right now and stick to that one? I can work a little on the others as well but have one as my main priority.

I should clean my desk properly now, all the draws and everything so all I have to do tomorrow is to get the compy to work, that will probably take me all day. I hope my brother will be around to help me…