20 posts tagged “writing”

I am still contemplating if I'll be keeping this blog going. It lacks focus and direction. I've been reading up about writing and finding a niche. A lot of resources recommend starting with what you know... how do I zone in on something I am no longer part of?

My life use to be filled with completed tasks and getting things done. Multi-tasking was my forte. Now, I multi-task but it moves MUCH slower. And half the time I can't get around to completing what I start. I love my child to pieces but I feel like a part of me is lost and unsure of which direction to go...

So for you mom-writers out there: how do you do it?

I entered a contest where they gave the first sentence and I had to continue from there. It is to be no longer than 200 words. The bold is the line given and the rest is what I came up with. Enjoy!

He smelled something burning.

Ah yes, that sweet smell. It made his mouth water and the hair stand up all over his body. Since Nick was a child, he craved fire. What his parents thought was a “cooking accident” at the age of 15 was no accident at all. Nick watched the flames lick the wall and consume the home he was born in. He had never seen anything like it.

Nick stood on the sidewalk, mesmerized by the hot glow. He wanted to reach out for it, embrace it, and let the fire consume him. He remembered that day like it was yesterday.

There were a few other fires and no one could deny Nick had a problem. He had some medication and regular shrink visits…

Then, the doctors said he was better. Cured was the word they used.  Everyone could breathe a little easier.  What would his doctor’s say if they saw him now? What would they do if knew how he felt?

Nick inhaled deeply.

He put on his helmet and dashed into the flames wearing the fireman uniform his father passed down…

This is how it works: you get 5 words and with these 5 words you have to write an entry. The words might or might not be related. You decide how to combine them, and how long your entry will be. You tag your entry with 5wordchallenge and whatever other tags you like. Finally, you put the words in bold.

This week's challenge: carpet, jury, pasta, shapeless, whey

The jury sat unmoving. Tension filled the air.

The whey sat in a bowl on the courtroom table.

Next to it a plate of dirty noodles.

At the prosecution table sat a woman, arms crossed at her chest.

It had been proven her child put down whey instead of milk for the family cat.

That issue would be dealt with later.

She couldn't believe it had come to this.

The courtroom door opened with a bang.

A shapeless man stood with the blinding sun behind him.

Finally, he stepped forward and her husband came into focus.

Then, he spoke...

"I confess. I spilled the pasta on the living room carpet."

Well, I got the mail today and I received one postcard back acknowledging the publisher has received my manuscript. I also received a rejection letter (!) from an agent.  I'm pretty excited. Not only am I one rejection letter closer to becoming published but it was actually a LETTER. No generic postcard with a "No" plastered across it but an actual letter! 

I can honestly say I'm happy. There is something about sending out your work and having professionals look at it.  It's pretty scary at first but it just makes the whole journey more exciting. Like I am writing seriously now. For real. Not a hobby. I know my story needs some tweaking still but I needed to send out a few submissions to get me to the next stage. In a weird way it gave me momentum. It has also allowed me to put my story aside for a week or two so I could come back fresh instead of beating it to death.

I am currently fighting a head cold after a long (wedding!) weekend. I'm sure my post isn't put together in the best way but I just had to say that "I'm pumped" about the future of my story.

Write about a person whose reputation rests on the appearance of an inanimate object.

What is her problem? It's my body - and if I want a tongue ring I should get one. She says it's unsanitary and looks disgusting. Well, that's why it's in my mouth, not hers. She always turns everything around on her. Like the whole world revolves around her and what she thinks. I am my own person. I like to express myself.

Why does she feel the need to control everything I do? "Over-Protective Mom" does not come close to what I went through. I'm sure it's hard losing control over your daughter but at some point you have to let her be who she is... I mean, I have been WELL behaved compared to most and she doesn't see it. I may have been five minutes late for curfew a few times but let's face it, our whole family is late for everything. It's in my blood.

I am sitting at my desk. Printer shooting off page after page of my manuscript. Nerve-wracking does not being to sum up how it feels. I can honestly say, I'm nervous. And doubtful. The competition is high out there and what makes me think that I have ANY ability to rub two words together? I wonder if writing children's books is for me. Don't get me wrong, I love and I'm learning SO much but my critiques all say the same thing. I need just the bare bones of a story. Detail need not apply.

Does this mean I should be writing for older children? Adults? (How do I find out what I'm good at?) I've got some great children's stories (sadly, most of them are true) but it really kills me to cut out all the details. These books are suppose to be detailed and unique but apparently there is this imaginary line - that I like to step over quite frequently.

I guess I'm feeling a little discouraged. I run a very large critique group (by "run" I mean I started it... it's like a community, so to speak) and they have seen one of my stories change and develop for some time now. They are - for the most part - in agreement that I should send it out. Aside from tweaking a few things, there is another person in the industry who says it's almost there too. Well, we recently added some new members and I received a critique that says A LOT is wrong with it. It needs to be chopped big time.  I don't know what kind of experience this woman has but she makes some very valid points. (Of course, I keep in mind that it's just one opinion and I could be tweaking forever if I try to please everyone.)

She said she was afraid to leave me that critique because she noticed everyone else had said to move forward with it. Frankly, I'm grateful for her honesty. I knew this business wouldn't be cake - and you really have to love the work because it doesn't seem like lots of money can be made after everyone gets their cut. But it just seems like an uphill battle sometimes.

And that's only a small part of the stress I've got going on right now.  But I'll spare the rest of the details (can't cross that line again! 8)

Write about a person whose reputation rests on the appearance of an inanimate object.

How could she have done this? After carrying her for nine months in my very own body, raising her right, and teaching her right from wrong- she has the audacity to go out and get a tongue ring.  What will this do to my career?  What will people say? As an elected town official, I have plenty to worry about. This town is so small and judgmental. And now I have that glistening piece of metal staring at me from my own daughter's mouth.

We are only a two and a half months away from the next election. What if someone finds out before then? I'll be mortified. I wish I could force her to take it out. But she has the magic number working for her: 18. What a horrific piece of junk? It'll ruin my image. And everything I've worked toward.

If someone judges you for this- chances are these people should be going home and looking in their own kids' mouths. They might be surprised.  She had said. Pah. What does she know? If she only knew what I've had to do to get us here....

Finally, the house is quiet. I don't know what's been going on lately but it's been non-stop.

Baby T has been randomly waking up at night and I think he knows my husband isn't home. We've had some pretty severe storms here and there is a lot of people without power. So being the Tree Guy he is - he's on call and basically works nights now. It's a very temporary thing. They finally sent him home this afternoon after they realized he had been working almost 24 hours. He was home for four hours and they called him back in for another all nighter.

Happy anniversary.

So much for our dinner plans. lol. The next two weekends are chock full of bachelorette parties, weddings, birthdays and oh yeah - Father's Day. Maybe the hubby and I shouldn't have gotten married on June 11th. His birthday is the 20th and Father's Day falls right in between. This year we've got my sister's stuff in the mix too.

Anyway, my thoughts are so scattered at the moment because I am EXHAUSTED. I usually write when the little one is asleep but like I said he's been waking up randomly and napping very little during the day. He must miss his "Daaa". I know I do.

On the brighter side, I've been getting ready to send out some manuscripts. It's pretty stressful. I've got to make sure everything has the right postage, contents, and it has to be perfect. Editors are so picky. I don't know if I would want their job though - there is a lot of crap out there.

I just hope my story isn't one of them.

I love writing. And I love doing the business (paperwork) side of things. I have never had to mesh them together before. It's exciting and scary all at the same time. There's hope and there's doubt. I don't want to be sending in junk but let's face it: you can tweak something indefinitely. I don't want to get stuck in a hole.

I think I'm going to take a stab at this sleeping thing now...

I came across an ad today. Children's Circulation Clerk. My local library is hiring. I would LOVE to work in a library. Weird, I know. I've been spending a lot of time there as it is - writing, story time, and researching. Why not get paid to be amongst bookcases full of every kind of writing?

Our library is right up the street which makes for a good walk (not in this heat!). Unless I'm dragging my laptop there, I always get there by foot. Can't hurt the waistline.

This position is full time (although, I've been in contact with other clerks who say there's a part time position opening too).  I've got some decisions to make.

Right now, I've been staying home with my son and trying to learn everything I can about the writing industry. Children's books. Magazine articles. Commercial marketing. I would ultimately love to work from home and take care of my son. My husband works full time but he's on call a lot (and he gets called in frequently). It's safe to say that if I were to get a job - no matter what the hours - I would need a childcare provider.

Which costs money.

I am really stuck about this because what I bring home might pay for the childcare itself (maybe with a little left over). But can you put a dollar amount on experience? Would editors look at my stories differently if I worked in the Children's department of a library?

Don't get me wrong, we are not well off. Extra income would help us get to where we want to be faster but we aren't at the point where it's a requirement.

Of course, I worry about where my son will go to daycare. I would need to trust them implicitly.  As it stands I've been thinking about childcare one or two times a week so I can get some daytime writing done. But since I'm not bringing in any money yet I can't justify paying for it.

*sigh*

I really don't know what to do in a situation like this. I guess if I had to work anywhere, it would be in a library. However, my goal is to ultimately work for myself. Hard work and freedom rolled into one. I like the ability to take my writing wherever I go... if we want to head to New Hampshire for a few days, we just have to worry about my husband's job.  Writing can go anywhere I am.

I'd like to hear what others would do in a situation like this.