Musings of a Hopeful Author

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 ...

 Just got the results back from the second round of the short story challenge and it looks like my spin on a Sci-fi story about a jockey and heartbreak came up short in the larger group. Of course I'm a bit disappointed, but I'm happy I tried and stepped outside of my comfort zone to [hopefully] grow a bit as a writer. Here's hoping the feedback is helpful and something I can apply straightaway! Best of luck to the writers advancing, and here's to future competitions and stories that are bound to be in my future.  Now back to my novel and wherever it might lead. Fingers crossed it's somewhere great!

 I am not someone who is laugh out loud funny. My humor is more in the makes you chuckle through my sarcasm, wit, or play on words. My dad was someone who could make people laugh out loud and once he got warmed up, watch out! I just don't have that knack, but that doesn't mean I don't have a good sense of humor and laugh a lot. I do - on both counts. Just not usually at my own jokes, haha. Self-deprecation? Well, that's something else and possibly the topic for another blog (that likely won't get written). So, it is with all of this in mind that I put before you an instance that took place the other evening where I was legitimately laughing (or giggling, as the case may be) at a scene I thought up in the shower after I had stopped writing for the night. Apparently the stopping place I had reached just minutes before wasn't actually the stopping place my creative mind had in store for me. No, I was stuck coming up with a scene that I found highly amusing in the o...

Anyone not familiar with the concept of the slow burn romance? If not, this should help. If so, this is still entertaining. So, I have been avoiding writing the next section in the story I'm currently working on because the series of scenes taking place require more care than most. This is where the romantic tension is turned up to the next level, but not so far as to actual start the full-on romance. This is just supposed to show the characters and the reader that there's more there than the characters want to admit or more than they want to deal with. It should be fun to write those scenes, right? I know I enjoy reading them, so they should be fun to write. Well, they're friggin' tricky! At least for me. Haha. Quick bit of back story - the first story I ever attempted to write for myself beyond kid stories, school assignments, etc. was supposed to be a slow burn romance with a historical character I had loved in a book I had just read (but disliked the fictional femal...