Musings of a Hopeful Author

I remember the first time I tried to write a story that I thought had the potential to be a novel. I was really excited about the characters and I knew what I wanted as the end result, so I thought I would just jump in and let the story lead me. Well, by chapter three I was mortified to realize that I had made the female lead a tramp, haha. It was supposed to be a slow burn romance and she was already succumbing to his charms and the plot hadn't really had time to even get established. It was in that moment of embarrassment and mortification that I realized I was not one of those writers who could just write and let the story take them where it would. I was the kind who needed some type of outline and structure. It was a really important lesson for me because when I have outlined in the time since then I have had a much better result for actually completing a story. Short stories are exceptions for me. I tend to let the writing take me where it will for those, haha. Probably why I ...

 Something I learned about myself in college is that I need goals and deadlines in order to really be productive and push myself to get things done. While I love the freedom to write when I like, etc. I know I need to be more consistent or else things never get finished (ex. this blog's lack of consistency and the fact I have about 20 unfinished/not even really started stories sitting on my hard drive). So, in order to help give myself a bit of a push, I thought I'd recruit someone to help push me along the path. Who? Well, my grandmother, that's who. She's not someone who reads for leisure so getting her onboard to read something I wrote is really special. She's always a good sport about reading one of my stories, but she doesn't like to be sent novels in their entirety. She likes to get them one chapter at a time so they don't feel as daunting. This bit is key. Her only wanting a chapter at a time means I can send her already written chapters and keep work...

This question is fair. Because apparently, I can't blog consistently. And certainly don't seem to be able to blog past the summer if past posts are to be trusted. That said, here's me trying yet again to start off some sort of routine yet again. Who knows? 2023 might just be my year... ...but there's always next year, too, right?  

So, while I have continued to think about writing and various stories and plotlines, I have not been able to work on them as much as I would have liked over the last several weeks. Summer is generally a busier time than most, and I've fallen victim to its draw of outings, family & friends, the outdoors, and just being away from the keyboard a bit more.  It's been a fun summer so far! I've been to several concerts, a handful of backyard BBQs, outings & meals with friends, and the occasional small trip. And while I have one more trip home planned for this weekend and another in September, I am planning to get back to writing and focusing on moving some stories forward! I will say allowing some of the story points that have been causing me a little difficulty in deciding how best to move forward have gotten some time to marinate and mature a bit so that I now have a better idea how to handle those points and make a stronger story for it. Let's just hope I can execu...

"The Hook" is such a loaded phrase when it comes to writing. You have to hook your reader within the first few pages, or arguably the first few paragraphs or even sentences. And that ain't easy. But more than that, you have to hood an agent in your 300 word MAX query letter selling said book with a hook. And you have to do it while also including other important stuff about yourself, the potential agent, and the book itself. No pressure. I mean "it is a truth universally acknowledged," that writing ain't as easy as we think it is or should be. Not only does a story have to make sense, but it has to have likeable characters, compelling narrative, and tie in all the loose threads that are woven throughout the book. Or at least it should. But does any of that even matter if you don't hook the reader right away?  I know I tend to have a problem of telling rather than showing when I want to explain some background information that doesn't exactly fit into...

While I would have loved to be writing and reading like I have been throughout the winter and early spring, late spring and summer bring with them quite a list of chores and commitments that must take priority. So far, May has been full of such things. And while I loved the time with family for trips, weddings, and general get togethers, the chores of adulthood regarding yardwork and annual checkups, etc. have been filling more time than I'd like. That said, so far all my checkups look good, so here's to another year of hopefully healthy living. As for the yard, that's a whole other story. But since I'm sorta in the story writing business, let me bend your ear a bit with the fun I've had so far this year.  Hedge trimming - yep. Doesn't that just sound like the most fun? Well, it's not. Haha. But it's better to do it a few times a year and stay ahead of it rather than letting it run wild and free and trying to deal with it all at once (a lesson I learned ...