Mark of the Maker - The New Project (I hope...)
Topic: Writing
Well, I started my first new long-form fiction piece this evening.

I had been debating for a long time between two very different single-book stories (as in, not a "fantasy trilogy", which is ever-so-popular); Stone Carver's Son and Mark of the Maker. The coin fell in favor of Maker, and therefore, I started that one this evening. I think that while fantasy readers will find some comforting elements in this story, there's a lot about it that's quite different. I won't reveal specifics here, but I think it's going to be an ever-elusive good one.

That's not to say that Stone is left out in the cold. I decided against it because I don't have the time to devote to a lot of research, and I think that in order to give Stone the treatment it deserves, it will need a lot of reaserch. I like the idea of Stone a lot, too; no doubt, when things calm down a little at my house (read: we have a normal schedule again) and once I finish with Maker, I will most certainly return to Stone.

Today's word count (so far): 300

"Defining Strength" - an essay
Topic: Writing
I finally wrote something.

I was up at 7 AM this morning to take the little one to daycare, and then off to the "car doctor" (that's the Toyota Service Center, by way of translation) for some much-needed minor surgery. It took about two hours to complete, so I took my notebook and pencil and wrote a short essay about the definition of strength for the Absolute Write "Stories of Strength" anthology (tentative title) that Jenna Glatzer and the other members of the Absolute Write Water Cooler (discussion forums for the website www.AbsoluteWrite.com) are doing to benefit those in need after Hurricane Katrina.

Louisiana and New Orleans are two of my favorite places in the world, and I was devastated by the destruction of that beautiful city and the suffering of her people. I can't do much when it comes to money (the wretched life of a writer, you know) but I can offer my talent, if that can help in any way. The great Ms. Glatzer and the AW team gave me that opportunity, and I'm proud to say that I've done my part (or tried to) to help the cause. I wrote two essays - one many years ago, on the 1 year anniversary of 09/11, and one this morning. I'm pleased with both, and will be proud to have either piece represent me in the anthology if the editors and Ms. Glatzer deem them appropriate to be included.

The essay I wrote this morning I titled "Defining Strength". It has to do with what strength really means to people, and how our definitions vary depending on our situation and other factors.

Well, so far today (and it's only 10:20 AM!) the word count is: 514

Ok, so...
Topic: Writing
No, I still haven't actually written anything. I did, however, do some pre-emptive editing on an old piece that I never finished and I plan on finishing now. I had originally planned for it to be a novel-length work, but I think I might just keep it as a short story. It was written waaaaay back before I became serious about "that writing thing" (as my mother calls it) and at that time, I knew nothing at all about proper font or formatting. It was a pain, but I got most of it done.

I didn't actually write anything new. Uncle Jim would be annoyed at me calling my formatting "butt in chair" (BIC) time, but I feel like any time you have been productive in some form, be it putting new words on a page or preparing an old page for new words, you've spent some quality BIC time.

So, word count for 09/12 and 09/13/05: 0

A new project, a new outlook, same old procrastination
Topic: Writing
Well, here we go again. This is my first entry ever on a blog. I've never done this type of thing before; even as a child, I didn't keep a journal. I don't think my life's interesting enough that other people will want to read about it. I prefer to tell them stories, make up stuff to entertain. I think I do ok with it, but...

Therein lies the problem. I have a new idea. It's a good one, too. A novel-length idea; it's just too big to try and cram into a short story or one of the other "category" lengths in between the two. So, let's take a look at the list so far:

1. Idea that's interesting: CHECK.

Ok, now that we've got that out of the way, let's explore further. Is my attitude sufficient that I will be able to be productive on this new work that is in the planning stages? I believe so. I'm excited whenever I think about it; I can't sleep at night because I keep going over scenes in my head, changing this or that, listening to dialogue...doing what I do, making stuff up. I'm excited, dammit, and I wanna write it! Back to the list, then:

1. Idea that's interesting: CHECK.
2. Good attitude about idea/drive: CHECK.

Okey dokey. Next? Yes, there's always a next. One more thing that grabs you by the collar and drags you back through the doorway. What's my one more thing? Procrastination. I kick myself every night when I go to bed because I haven't written anything new that's creative (i.e., not an article or something for a quick buck) and I haven't started on this new and grand idea yet. Yes, I have the good attitude I need, what I lack is the motivation. So, it's back to the list again:

1. Idea that's interesting: CHECK.
2. Good attitude about idea/drive: CHECK.
3. Motivation to actually get started: (Um...uh....)

So there you have it. Perhaps by feeling obligated to write here I may actually get started and have something to report. I may or may not post an actual daily word count...it might be a good way to see how much I write when I actually sit down to write. Seeing those numbers increase daily or weekly might give me that extra kick in the tail I need to keep going...we'll see.

For now, though, today's word count is: 0