Sisters in Crime Iowa & APD Plot Progress

Sunny, mid-70s, crab apple trees are in blossom. Humidity remains low (thank god).

New baby nephew came into the world early this morning after fighting to retain his original residence for over twenty hours. Stubborn little guy obviously has a mind of his own even now; can’t wait to meet him!

Sisters in Crime has a new chapter, right here in Iowa. We had our first meeting last Saturday and the ideas for the administration and running of the group were inspiring. Field trip suggestions of visiting a shooting range and touring a portable crime scene (I think the term ‘winnebago’ was actually used) definitely got my attention. Looking forward to getting involved with the group and helping it grow over the next few years. BTW, any local readers interested in joining can check out our next meeting:

Sisters in Crime Iowa
Meeting @ Smokey Row (1910 Cottage Grove Avenue, Des Moines, IA, 50314-1123. 515-244-2611)
May 15, 3-5pm

APD is at a standstill. The fault is entirely my own; I made such great headway in December then put the project aside during our brief flirtation with relocating to Chicago. Now, that possibility is past but I still can’t seem to get back into a productive routine. Visited another local writing group and feel comfortable with their process even if I didn’t agree with every conclusion. However, as everyone left the meeting on good terms that’s good enough for me.

Meeting Va for coffee and brainstorming tonight; maybe I’ll finally be able to figure out whether my protagonist should interview the former bank prez before learning of a previous connection to the murder she’s investigating or vice versa.

You never know who’s reading your manuscript…

Aaah, if only it were true…I’m much better with cats than I am with people.  Surely I could convince this little guy to take a look at my manuscript.

In more realistic news, just learned that Donald Mass, author of Writing the Breakout Novel and The Fire in Fiction is going to be the keynote speaker at the 2010 Pikes Peak Writers Conference.  Very excited (the PPWC is my annual writing conference of choice) but not sure I’m up for the additional $100 for his workshop.  May have to pass and hope to absorb his ideas through osmosis.  But it’s tempting.

Sympathy and Chocolate Inspiration

First things first: sympathies to the family and friends of author Robert B. Parker who passed away today at the age of 77.  I’m not a fan of Parker’s written work but not because I don’t like it.  I just never read him; there are so many authors, so many books, and Parker has always been on my list of “someday I’ll read…”  I do have fond memories, though, of both the Spenser and Jesse Stone television shows.  One particularly vivid memory is of a night at a hotel, during a family trip, as we searched the basic cable for something worth watching before calling it a night and running across Spenser and Hawk.  I’m not sure why this particular night sticks out in my memory – or why I associate it with the color green – but there it is.

“In life’s winter, find your invincible summer.”

The above words of inspiration are brought to you courtesy of someone named Linda from New York, NY.  I found them on the inside of my Dove dark chocolate aluminum foil wrapper and actually laughed out loud when I read them.  Not that I didn’t find Linda’s quote inspiring – although thumbnail advice doesn’t normally speak to me – I just found it sadly amusing that even my chocolate has turned on me, mentioning summer in the middle of winter.  Yes, I know, the quote is really about finding your happy place; I get it.  But this year in central Iowa we’ve had snow on the ground since November with drifts piled up to my head, so happy places are harder than usual to find.  We are completely overwhelmed with snow and Summer seems like a foreign land.

I’m in the same place with my book.  On solid ground, with a pile of words that are beginning to overwhelm me, the end as far off as our next heat wave.  I’m stuck in the middle of the first draft, vacillating between two courses of action for my protagonist.  Ultimately, she will need to do both things; the question I can’t answer is which thing needs to be done first.  I can’t say that the whole story hangs upon the decision but I know that there’s a right way and a wrong way and I can’t make up my mind.  If she takes Course A the story will go down one path to the end; Course B, another path.  The ending will be the same, I’m just not sure the story will be.

In the meantime, the end of April is getting closer and closer and I have promised myself and my patron (otherwise known as my husband) that I will be pitching this book at the annual PPWC in Colorado Springs.  And the rough draft isn’t even complete yet!  I can see so much of the story and how one action by my protagonist will logically lead to the next but, for some reason, this particular decision is fuzzy.  I want it to be good; I want it to be right.  But I may end up having to settle for just finishing it.

Building a new writing habit

This was day three of the 2-hour write-in (11/10/09 post).  The daily requirement of meeting is still working.  Obviously the requirement of showing up because someone else is counting on you plays a big part, but the two one-hour increments, one right after the other (as I’ve chosen to break them down) have been freeing.  I set my timer and don’t stop until it rings.  I’ve only looked at the clock once during the last three days of writing time.  And I’ve gotten so much done – from a bare-bones start on Act 2 to near completion – including the backstory – in three days.  If I can keep this up, the end of the year rough draft goal is within reach.

Where I’m at: November 10, 2009

There are so many things going on in my writing life right now it’s tough to keep track of them all and give each of them the time I’d like – or that they’re due.  However, here’s where I am right now:

• Back on a writing schedule for my novel: virtual world meetings every morning, 8:30 – 10:30, with my writer dad as we both work on our novels-in-progress.  My novel will need a lot more time if I’m going to complete it before December 31 but, I like the requirement of meeting everyday.  Having someone count on you being there is a big plus.
• Examiner.com posts are plateauing a little this month; I am keeping up with daily writing prompts, this week in writing, and upcoming events but most everything else is on hold for now.  My novel has to take priority – specifically, I need to make it a priority.
• I’m rediscovering a love for writing poetry.  But, as I write new and revise the old, I’m working hard to walk that line between the rawness of honesty and self-indulgence.
• Reading Louise Penny.  I am absolutely in love with her “Three Pines” series.  Her talent for sliding point of view intrigues and thrills me; I analyze these scenes, trying to figure out how to use this technique myself.
• Tuesday Night Writing Group – the change in this group over the last two months is nothing short of amazing.  Perfect, no.  Workable, absolutely.  The best thing is the change in tone – everyone feels free to comment and critique and people who haven’t brought in writing for years are writing and sharing.  It’s not as intensive a group as I’m looking for but I like the people and I like the respect and freedom the group offers now.

That’s pretty much it; everything in my life seems to revolve around writing these days which is how I’ve always imagined my life would be.  Now, if I could just find the time – and money – to go back to school…

Oct. ’09 Poll results

Thanks to everyone who voted in last month’s poll, “Who’s your favorite fright writer?”  Here are the results:

• Stephen King – 60%
• Edgar Allen Poe – 20%
• Anne Rice – 20%

Be sure to vote in the Nov. ’09 poll: “Are you writing for National Novel Writing Month 2009?”  I look forward to seeing the results.

Shout out to my husband-WSJ online blogger

I try to keep this blog focused on my writing and my progress – or lack of progress – but this is a special occasion.  Congrats to my husband who will be contributing to the Wall Street Journal online in its “Laid Off and Looking” blog.  His first post, Considering Teaching as an Alternate Career has been published and is now available for your enjoyment.  The wife in me is super proud.  The writer in me is, sadly, envious.

Taking stock: DSM Creative Writing Examiner, one month old

My work with Examiner.com continues to grow as I look forward to covering National Novel Writing Month ’09 for the Central Iowa region.  The kickoff meeting on Oct. 25 provided plenty of great info and there is so much coming up in November – write-ins, interviews, books reviews, trivia, etc. – that it looks like I’ll be posting something NaNo related everyday of the month.  Very exciting.  I’m also looking forward to covering the Iowa Poetry Association’s Fall read and critique and posting a few articles about that group and their anthology, Lyrical Iowa, as well.

I also had a recent “yea” moment in regards to Examiner – my first two comments and a request.  A fellow writer checked out both my blog and my Examiner site and asked that I post on both about a workshop she was teaching (thanks, Laurie!) so, of course, I was happy to comply.  It’s so nice to see both the blog and the Examiner page growing.  Very slowly, yes; but this blog is only a few months old and the Examiner page has been publishing for just a little over less that 40 days so I feel good about the progress so far.  I’m writing on a regular basis, I’m enjoying it, and I’m building a following on my own.  That’s enough for now; growth will continue and my experience and audience will grow.

Upcoming class announcement: Magazine/Book Proposals

Got some information on what looks like a pretty cool upcoming class.  Laurie Winslow Sargent, a fellow local writer with over 20 years experience, will be teaching a one-day workshop on landing a magazine article or book contract before writing the entire piece.

Magazine/Book Proposals is a 4-hour class that will cover everything from avoiding common pitfalls when it comes to contacting publishers to learning what you need to know to create attention-grabbing yet appropriate book proposals and article queries.  This class will run from 8:00 am to 12:00 pm on Saturday, October 24 in Des Moines and on October 31 in Ames.  The cost of each class is $59.00 and the workbook is included.

Register by calling 515-964-6800 and reference class No. JNAD920 when you call.

I have discovered “Bookworm”

Just read a wonderful profile of Michael Silverblatt, host of Bookworm, an LA public radio show about books.  Although it seems to be about more than books; Silverblatt’s philosphy is all about connection, conversation, sharing.  The show isn’t nationally syndicated and so I was unfamiliar with it until running across this article in O Magazine a few weeks ago.  Now I’ve got a slew of podcasts lined up and can’t wait to start really digging into these archived author interviews.  Will share more as I listen and get a feel for the format but, needless to say, I’m excited to listen.  Now I just need to make the time; wouldn’t it be funny if I started going to the gym again just to have a excuse to listen to all my backlogged podcasts?  I could be in a bikini for next summer at that rate!