House cleaning

::tidies up Don't Make Me Dance All Night for writing group on Friday::

::worries::  ::cringes::

::Hears "Put it in scene"::

::knows this::  ::laughs::

I wonder if I should send the MP3 that has been so inspirational.  I hope I have the guts to dance at the end of the world.  Because really, any other way would just be sad.  Dance for the life you had.  That is totally worthy.

Recent purchases:  The Maytrees by Annie Dillard.  I have yet to read anything by her except The Writing Life, so I thought it was time.

The Welsh Girl by Peter Ho Davies because I love the premise.  POW camp during the Second World War in Wales.  Friendship tale.   I did not know there were POW camps in Wales.  Assuming that is true, really neat idea. 

John Ashbury's Self Portrait in a Convex Mirror.  I figured I should read more of him than I have found online.  Can't wait!  Skimming I found the best first line:  "Once I let a guy blow me."  That dear readers is starting a poem with gusto.  He might have backed away from the experience (2nd line) but not enough not to write about it. That is a poet.  So much info in that line. "Once", historical and never since but also in a contemplative state of mind.  "I let" totally in control,  "guy"  the reveal... "blow me".  End stopping on the reveal.  Period.  Short statement of fact.

I think I mentioned this already, but Mary Kinzie's A Poet's Guide to Poetry.  Still enjoying.

Have a great day.  I have to go tidy this story.   

::is scheduling for writing group::

You don't know how happy this makes me.  Really and truly, to sound like a 14 year old in love.  I should add sparkles.  And love hearts and Mrs.... signatures.  And it isn't just the mango margaritas either.  Though that does add a texture that isn't found on the page.

Two more vignettes have made their way off my hand.  This makes me happy too.  In some ways to write is to disappear into a room of one's own, and sometimes that is an especially nice feeling.  The place is figurative, the feeling literal.

I write this while Word is opening, because my Word program is cranky, and old, and you really can't push it around.  I think it gets tired sometimes.  It isn't used as often as it should be, so it doesn't really have me as an excuse.

Have a lovely evening.  

Things have been in flux since vacation with both visitors and business meetings.  I haven't gotten as much writing done as I would have liked because of that.  Time of one's own.  I have been getting small bits done on the ever growing short story.  Seems that time allowable is time spent.  My daughter's clarinet lessons have provided an hour of uninterrupted time, so bits are written.  I remember when my kids used to have speech class, the same thing happened.  An hour of time.  No distractions.  The thing is even when I have time, looming possible interruptions are interruptions.  Kinda like have a beeper that could go off anytime; it might not but the potential is there.  I never liked beepers.  The time needs to be non-interruptible time.  I know I should learn another process, but heh...time.

It should help when the kids get back to school, and I get back to my regular work schedule.  We shall see.  Plus writing group is going to start up again, and that is always inspiring. 

I wonder why the font is different here.  Maybe blogger changed again.

Have a great day.

Vicky

April 17

Sevenling (Writing Group)

We three women eat deeply:
fruity drinks and assorted dips,
ravishing prose-stacks for play.

We swap houses and stories, green belts
for Mojitos. Banking words for tomorrow,
amongst collected recipes and spouses

at work, we carry home more than words.



My first sevenling. For B and L who did these word things with me!! *g*

Not a poem

Not a poem, but an observation. I am always boggled when I find a new blog to read, someone who is writing astounding things, and when I click the Sub blog button to add it to my Bloglines, I discover no one else is reading that person. Boggled. The one thing about the intarwebs, is that they are so vast, so wide, that huge voices can't be found easily. But that is the joy of the intartubes, is that those voices are out there waiting to be discovered. Well maybe not waiting, because they are going about their business, but then they are found.

Awesome.

Oh, and a note about writing group the other day. It was *so* helpful. I got pointers on POV on the story. I sent chapter 2. I need to tweak my POV because it was bobbling between third person omniscient and third person limited. As the writing has gone on now (for too long, something I have learned about myself), it has changed, and the earlier versions really show the noobiness of the writing. And some of the chunkier rewrites show the difference too. That is obviously a good thing, but it does require checking out the old. I think I have learned that I need to plop it all down in a timelier fashion than I have. If only that the threads stay together, and the story doesn't become repetitive because it has taken so long, and I have to reremember for myself. The reader doesn't need to see that.

Anyway I am very grateful for these critiques, because otherwise I would never get out of my head. I saw a comment the other day elsewhere, speaking about how writing for this person is like translation. To get it from what is in her head, to words on the page. Like translating mediums. That would be me. L commented about a specific bit of dialog, and I said that Trapper was thinking this and this, already clear in my mind. That is what I need to add. The story is already there, and I just need to use words now to get it on the page.

I am avoiding today's poem if that isn't obvious ;-) Have a great one.

Pour me another...poem

We just finished writing group. My turn, my poetry, my hot chocolate splashed with Baileys. No bad. Except for a few lines of convoluted poetry. But Bailey's makes up for a lot!

I offered several Napo poems from assorted years and a couple others. I got very useful feedback, which is oh so welcomed.

Now as usual, the hard part starts. Editing. But with feedback, it gives directions. Maybe in the new year I will post at PFFA because a couple I really want to improve and work on.

Yay!! Writing group day is happy day.

Wooosh

Last night I worked editing the story that was critiqued at writer's group. There is some freedom to be found tearing a page and a half off your 13 page story, and seeing the strength that emerges. I sort of knew I should, but to actually cut it away was invigorating. It really revitalized the story. For that advice, I am very glad!!

We write and we eat

Today at writer's group we decided that in addition to writing, and critiquing we would keep track of what we eat, so I offered this blog space to do so. I hosted today and had tapenade, crackers, an assortment of cheeses, torn fresh bread and this dip.

Hot artichoke dip
1 14 oz tin artichoke hearts, drained and finely chopped
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped, or more to taste, or teaspoon of garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste

(Optional: Green onion/scallions are also good in this. Finely chop 1/2 cup and add)

Mix all ingredients and put it in a shallow oven proof dish. Small pie dish works well. Bake at 325 for 15-20 minutes until bubbly.

Serve with crackers, or veggies to dip.
--
I served this with my fake Mai Tai recipe (Limeade and spiced rum). The lime cut the smooth of all that cheese! Cheese makes me very happy. It always has!

I have tons of commentary, which is oh so welcomed. I can't wait to start reviewing and revising!

chaaaachanges

I was able to switch writing group to tomorrow. I was supposed to host it Friday, but I have to work that day. I went and got a bunch of munchies: some cheese, spreads, crackers and some crusty bread. I will make the hot artichoke dip I love. You bake it after it is mixed, and it is addictingly good. I don't even like artichokes that much, but this is excellent. A case in point where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. I think I will serve this with my spiced rum and limeade drink. Yes, weird too, but really delicious. Sort of like a fake Mai Tai.

They will be critiquing my short story. It is weird (woohoo a theme), it is a journeyman story, an angel of sorts who falls, is found, and can't wait to go back to spread the word. Hehe Touches on the power of authority, the resulting blinding of following authority for no just reasons. I think I could probably expand this into several stories, and I might. I will see what the response is tomorrow. There are precursor stories, and stories that could follow, and more from the two characters definitely. In my head anyway, how that translates into, you know, words is always the challenge.

Have a great evening.

late notifications, crashes, and pants

Good morning. You know the housing market and companies are having a bad time when you receive this in an email:

We are experiencing a delay in the production of your Mortgage Account Statement. We estimate you will receive your statement within 15 days after the posting of your last payment.

They can't even get the mail out. Jeez. I wonder if I sent my payment like that, it would be a problem.

I sent my short story to writer's group yesterday. I hadn't read it in a week or so, and I am still happy with it. I think the ending might short shrift the characters some, but when you feel other stories popping out of your story, it doesn't feel wrong to do that. Although if it is supposed to be stand alone, then yes, it is.

I opened a poem file, but it crashed my computer, so I took that as a sign, to just let it be a little longer. Word is acting funny. Heh.

Have a great day. I haven't a clue what is on the agenda today, except maybe pant shopping for the kids. They keep growing ;-)

places

I haven't gotten into the Nablopomo groove yet this month. Distractions following me around. I am home now so that should help. I am very much tempted to take the week following next off work for vacation. I will see how my work load looks next week.

I am hosting writers group next week. I hope to edit the short story some today before sending it to them. I thought I brought a copy on my business trip but I did not. Don't know what happened to it. So nothing done. I have today, so no worries.

I have cleaned the bathroom, the living room, but I have yet to unpack. I did steal the coffee that I bought on my trip into the kitchen though. It is sitting on the counter. The rest of my very full suitcase is lying on the bed. Luckily I haven't been upstairs all morning to notice, so go me! I usually unpack in the laundry room, because that is the logical thing to do. I don't like doing things twice. But I brought my suitcase upstairs to get it out of the way.

I might make cookies later today if I have enough sugar. It has been a very long time since I have done that. Shocking really.

Lunch is calling. Have a great day.

Atmosphere

Wwweeee

That is all.

No, not really. I lied. Writer's group went very well. That makes me happy.

Smacks,
Vicky

(shhh)

fly away little birdie, fly away

Two little blackbirds sitting on a wall
One named Peter and one named Paul
Fly away Peter, fly away Paul,
Come back Peter, come back Paul.

The writing group that I have joined, is a go for next Friday, 2:00 if we don't get permanently lost in the corn maze that morning. Kid's field trip. So I now have to decide which prose I want to send for review.

I am siding with the Trapper first chapter, because that is nearest my heart, and also the most polished as it is 3 years old very shortly. I was inspired by a friend's tales of her home town. It prompted me for the first time in my life to write a character whose story would not go away. Writers talk of that, characters grabbing hold, and this happened to me. So here I am 35K later, only getting to the middle, and it is still around. No one has read any of this, other than a paragraph or two. So I am contemplating the first chapter for this writing group. In one way, I don't want to know what anyone thinks, because, like having your kids held out for review. But on the other hand, I haven't a clue what it is really like, so in that, a review from the others.

But then I have this other short story, prompted by my great uncle (my grandmother's uncle) named Seraphim (who would name that kid that!! ego much?), and a cross between that and some online quiz that gave me the other character's name, and then the story was born. I am a little more curious about this one, because I am so close to it, and can see it on repeat in my mind, that I wonder how it would be read. It seems religious, because angel type creatures, but that isn't what it is. But it would seem like that, and that in between place I find really fascinating. How religion could change the story, how our human mythologies would change how these creatures would be viewed by the reader? Plus touching religious images is always hot button. And if I even come close to making that clear, while still keeping the mythology intact. I know I am not there yet, and it still needs tons of work, less polished then the Trapper chapter. Choices, choices...

In between spaces are so fascinating. The taking of the "what is" and pushing and pulling, and playing with the spaces and the placement and breaking it, and seeing the new empty spaces. And the new forms of what becomes. So cool. Dawn's drawing in The Body. /BtVS reference.

Taking characters who on first read seem sleazy and maybe mean, poor choices, and finding their humanity, and playing with that. Letting them see that too, I think that is cool. One of the themes in the Trapper story, is the idea about how people see other people, and how that affects each of them. How the idea of the town view, the public spectacle of someone's life is the same and different from their inner life. Again, the in between places. That line I wrote in one of my April poems about the spaces between the leaves, the trees, really placed it down. Funny how one line of poetry can say it so clearly.

Have a great day.
Vicky