Our temps will become mild/warm for a couple of days. Strange year.
I’ve passed the 25% mark editing A River in Each Hand, but am suffering some burnout. The voice in the back of my head likes to remind me that if I don’t do it who will?
I’m also feeling sorry for myself over a recently passed anniversary & need to get over it.
Scheduling a break in my routine is what is needed, & I certainly have that freedom.
Not much interferes with my writing unless I allow it.
That’s the place in which I find myself at this point in my life. Writing is my cub & I’m a mama bear.
There are daily chores, like cleaning, cooking, or sometimes shopping. Beyond that, some activities that I participate in, like walking, serve my writing. Others—& really, this is true of life in general—it’s all material my writing feeds upon.
Our weather is a yo-yo. After temperatures far above average, we’ve turned cold. It’ll reach 52°F/11.1°C, but it’ll take all day to get there.
It won’t be much over freezing when I walk, & with possible showers.
My writer self finds comfort in this weather.
Today’s targeted editing chapter is the moment when my MC, after a heartfelt journey seeking details about her past, cracks open the door to the unexpected...
@NaraMoore Guns do kill, which is why we’re at fault for not eradicating them. People have used the forerunner of so-called AI for a long while every time they text and accept suggestions. We become outraged, then normalize. In the end, it’s about human weakness and not doing the right thing. Ban guns. Restrict AI. Quit blaming anything and everything else for our failings.
Another day, another chapter, as I settle back into my routine today.
Still, the weather grows mild & my AllTrails app keeps sending me temptation. The trails beckon. This year, I’ll explore the trails on Blue Mountain to the west. I haven’t there in years or done serious hiking there.
Summer is always a reminder of why I live where I do. It’s literally an outdoor playground and my health is greatly improved.
Time to finish Chapter 73. I was dragging yesterday after an awful night’s sleep. This morning, I feel refreshed and eager to attack whatever comes my way.
Owing to drafting Book-2 while gravely ill in late 2016, the story is a patchwork of chapters added at various times. This chapter, the latest, was added 14-months ago.
@NaraMoore@crcollins My fast-written first drafts are well organized, with one exception, but subtext is often absent and the overall depth is lacking. Missed opportunities abound that I pick up on when I edit and have a more considering perspective.
When I say disorganized, I mean on a micro level. The lines appear like I speak, very stream of consciousness. The macro organization is fine. Occasionally, I drop a scene and once I moved a scene way later in the novel because it fit the character arc better there. My mind always wants to rush the romance.
But I def agree at missing subtext or subtext is so sub only I know it is there. Miss opportunities galore. Most of those one minute jotting writing sessions are the crystallization of one of those opportunities and how to say it.
The weather took a wrong turn at some point. This morning when I walk, it’s supposed to be 40°F (4.4°C), and that’s before factoring in strong winds and occasional drizzle.
Regardless, I WILL walk—and then enjoy a hot drink.
Like yesterday, I’ll fit cleaning in and around editing. The satisfaction afterwards with both always lifts my heart.
It’s easy to forget the little things that elevate us, letting them slip away.
This morning promises mild temperatures for my walk. Clouds have moved over, rain is moving in, & the wind is kicking up, but I embrace variety.
This is my fifth day editing Book-2. Originally drafted while extremely ill, the chapters are a list of insertions, a collection of corrections. Seeing it come together as a whole more powerful than its parts is thrilling.
I started Stealing Light in Tharlise’s POV. Realizing Vista's importance, I switched it to her POV. It didn't work. In 2019, I switched between mother & daughter. It worked.
The experience taught me about my process.
Otherwise, no. I work off a loose, narrative outline that keeps that from happening. Now, if an opening doesn’t work, I simply work in a new one.
Yesterday, new snow accumulated on the higher peaks around the city. This morning, it’s below freezing. Mountain weather is unpredictable.
Today I begin the targeted edit on A River in Each Hand (Book-2). The project is open in Scrivener & waiting for me. First, though, I’ll walk, then edit my blog post.
So, after a too-mild winter, this morning we had snow in the air. Yes, it’s below freezing outside. I’ll have to bundle-up when I head out for my walk this morning.
Nature doesn’t care. Squirrels are chasing one another. Birds are building nests.
I’ve a weekly blog post to draft this morning. Tonight, I’ll prep for targeted editing on A River in Each Hand on May 1st. It promises to be a busy month.
In Trust in the Forgotten (Book-1), there’s Doppla, Riparia’s horse, but it’s unfair to call her a pet. They’ve an extraordinary bond. In many ways, Doppla is Riparia’s emotional anchor & protector.
Other animals enter the series beginning in Book-2, but they’re spoilers for the most part, though I’ve mentioned Mazatta, Crimson’s crow, before.
Across all my books, there’s almost always animal characters with significant roles.
Riparia excels at feeling shame, justified or not.
When you’re someone who feels responsible for fixing everything you have to fail at something. Thus, the shame. She’s also poor at delegating or enlisting aid.
This is why, as Book-1 opens, she spends as much time alone as possible. She thinks that isolation will keep responsibility away.
And then, in one night, the life she’s avoided all catches up to her.