For me anyway.
There are four weeks and three days left of school. What that means is, essentially, my writing will come to a grinding halt. Kids will be running through the house. I'll have to find things for them to do. Unfortunately, my desk is in the front room area right at the front door. (I'd kill to have an office again, out of the main path of traffic.)
I know we're looking into swim lessons, but that's a very short span, and I have to go with him. Camp's not possible.
How am I going to keep my sanity? How am I going to get anything done? It's not looking too good at the moment, but I'll manage. Maybe I'll just start writing at night again.
Any suggestions?
Showing posts with label writing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label writing. Show all posts
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Friday, February 19, 2010
Things that make you stop and go
by Maggie Toussaint
Do you remember the kid's game called RED LIGHT? One person is IT and he/she stands some distance away from a pack of children. IT turns his/her back to the pack, counts to 10 aloud and says the word "red light". At this, everyone must freeze. If IT catches you moving, you become IT. (Of course, the goal is to tag IT)Life and writing are a series of stops and gos, and all of these interruptions and stolen moments come at a moment's notice and often without invitation. So how is a person to feel they are making any sort of progress?
I further categorized my thoughts on this into things that shut down or nourish your body, mind, and soul. Here are mybreakouts:
Body stops: illness, too much to do, too little to do, visiting relatives, hunger
Body gos: good nutrition, exercise, anticipation, family, comfortable shoes, music
Mind stops: scary movies, frigid cold, illness, information overload, heavy fragrances
Mind gos: yoga, brain teasers, relaxing music, games, game shows, lively discussion with friends
Soul stops: people who are rude or mean, having to be around people who don't respect me, too much time in a hospital, excessive fluorescent lights, repetitive dullness in the environment
Soul gos: singing, being outdoors, being creative, meditating, worshiping
Interestingly, I found that music makes me feel better in every aspect and that negativity was draining on every level. I'm not sure one can draw a relevant conclusion from a sample set of one, but it seems to me that knowing your stops and gos can help you understand your highs and lows. It can also give you an idea of how to recharge quicker when life throws curve balls at you.
Using the actions of the kid's game of Red Light, I also had the thought that turning around 180 degrees in both perceptions and perspective can be the difference between stopping and going.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on stops and gos.
Maggie Toussaint
mystery and romance author
ON THE NICKEL and MUDDY WATERS under contract
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Ganging Up on You vs the Buddy System
by Maggie Toussaint
Recently, at a wellness checkup my new doctor mentioned a screening test that I should take. I uttered my pat phrases, excuses really, on why I didn't want to do that particular test.
To step to the sidebar for a moment, this is a test that is critical in my husband's family, but there has never been any trouble of this nature in my side of the family. My husband has faithfully had these screening tests for years. But not me. And I'd already had the guilt trip last year when I refused the test and he looked at me with crestfallen eyes, telling me that my not doing this could jeopardize my health.
Back to the wellness checkup this year. My doctor told me a story of someone who put the test off too long and paid for the delay adversely. She wrote out a referral and said the first appointment was a consult anyway.
I knew I wouldn't make the appointment. But then the doctor asked again on a follow-up visit. My husband asked again. And the insurance company called to ask why I hadn't arranged for the test. Sheesh. I called and made the appointment for the consult.
The reason for telling you this long story is that it would be lovely if we did this for each other as writers. If some of us got together and said, hey, your goal was to write 20K a month. Where are you with your goal? Why haven't you gotten it done?
A writer friend of mine and I decided to try this a couple of years back. We started out as critique partners, but we ended up close friends who wanted to encourage each other. So each week, we report on our progress. Each week we set new goals for the coming week. Let me tell you, having that accountability helps me hold my feet to the fire.
I encourage you to find a writing buddy and to team up as each other's writing coach. Not that you will judge each other's style, but rather that you encourage productivity. We've managed to write through marriages, vacations, family troubles, illness, and more.
The nice thing about this idea is that each person sets their own pace. I believe in keeping the group small. Once you add in more people, it seems like bragging to tell what you've accomplished, and the feeling of accountability lessens. With the buddy system, you don't want to let your buddy down. That means a lot, not letting your buddy down.
Heck. Why limit it to writing? Find a buddy for any area of life where you need encouragement. A healthier you will ultimately yield more quality time for writing.
Maggie Toussaint
a believer in the buddy system, just not for my medical professionals
www.maggietoussaint.com
Recently, at a wellness checkup my new doctor mentioned a screening test that I should take. I uttered my pat phrases, excuses really, on why I didn't want to do that particular test.
To step to the sidebar for a moment, this is a test that is critical in my husband's family, but there has never been any trouble of this nature in my side of the family. My husband has faithfully had these screening tests for years. But not me. And I'd already had the guilt trip last year when I refused the test and he looked at me with crestfallen eyes, telling me that my not doing this could jeopardize my health.
Back to the wellness checkup this year. My doctor told me a story of someone who put the test off too long and paid for the delay adversely. She wrote out a referral and said the first appointment was a consult anyway.
I knew I wouldn't make the appointment. But then the doctor asked again on a follow-up visit. My husband asked again. And the insurance company called to ask why I hadn't arranged for the test. Sheesh. I called and made the appointment for the consult.
The reason for telling you this long story is that it would be lovely if we did this for each other as writers. If some of us got together and said, hey, your goal was to write 20K a month. Where are you with your goal? Why haven't you gotten it done?
A writer friend of mine and I decided to try this a couple of years back. We started out as critique partners, but we ended up close friends who wanted to encourage each other. So each week, we report on our progress. Each week we set new goals for the coming week. Let me tell you, having that accountability helps me hold my feet to the fire.
I encourage you to find a writing buddy and to team up as each other's writing coach. Not that you will judge each other's style, but rather that you encourage productivity. We've managed to write through marriages, vacations, family troubles, illness, and more.
The nice thing about this idea is that each person sets their own pace. I believe in keeping the group small. Once you add in more people, it seems like bragging to tell what you've accomplished, and the feeling of accountability lessens. With the buddy system, you don't want to let your buddy down. That means a lot, not letting your buddy down.
Heck. Why limit it to writing? Find a buddy for any area of life where you need encouragement. A healthier you will ultimately yield more quality time for writing.
Maggie Toussaint
a believer in the buddy system, just not for my medical professionals
www.maggietoussaint.com
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Stopping and starting
by Maggie Toussaint
Summer is a jagged time for me to write. I start writing. Something happens. I stop. I do something else. I come back to my story. I wonder what I was thinking. I have to take time to reread what I wrote before I can move on. I start again.
Does this sound familiar?
Seems like I'm doing a lot of writing, but the effort is dispersed over several projects so that no one thing is getting finalized. This is hard for me since I am by nature a linear person. Once I start something, I like to stay with it until I'm done.
But I'm learning flexibility in all things; and really, isn't that what life is about? Adapting to meet our challenges?
Maggie Toussaint
romance and mystery author
www.maggietoussaint.com
www.myspace.com/maggietoussaint
Summer is a jagged time for me to write. I start writing. Something happens. I stop. I do something else. I come back to my story. I wonder what I was thinking. I have to take time to reread what I wrote before I can move on. I start again.
Does this sound familiar?
Seems like I'm doing a lot of writing, but the effort is dispersed over several projects so that no one thing is getting finalized. This is hard for me since I am by nature a linear person. Once I start something, I like to stay with it until I'm done.
But I'm learning flexibility in all things; and really, isn't that what life is about? Adapting to meet our challenges?
Maggie Toussaint
romance and mystery author
www.maggietoussaint.com
www.myspace.com/maggietoussaint
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Writing and procrastination
by Maggie Toussaint
Have you ever noticed that if you have a chore you don't particularly want to do that you procrastinate? Back when I had to iron my husband's dress shirts for his job, he'd get down to the last one before I broke out the ironing board. And I never actually hated ironing; it is restful in a busy sort of way. What I hated was getting out all the stuff, taking ten minutes on each shirt and losing an hour or two of my day on something that I had to repeat over and over again.
Dusting falls in that category for me. In fact, I'd rather clean the bathroom than dust. There have been many times that you could practically eat off my bathroom fixtures but draw your name in the dust on my bedside table. My point in mentioning this is that I never dreamed those wacky attitudes would spill into my writing.
I love writing. But there are parts of writing that require more effort from me, and I find myself backing off from the challenges when I'm pressed for time. Does this happen to you?
Now that I have writing projects in all stages of completion, I find myself spread thin. I'm still getting stuff written, but there's a sense I have of operating in crisis management mode, and as a result, the hard parts keep slipping by.
Multi-tasking works for some people. It works for me on everything but creative processes. I need chunks of morning time to be satisfyingly creative. I can't create with two loads of laundry going, phone calls from friends and bosses coming in, the TV blaring, and competing nonfiction stories from my day job dancing around in my head.
What to do? Protect your writing time like a precious newborn baby. Turn off the cell phone. Turn off the ringer in your office landline. Turn the internet off (oh no, not the internet!!!). Park yourself in the chair and get it done. The rest of the world can wait an hour or two.
Don't let busy-ness disrupt your writing time. It's still procrastination, no matter how you look at it. Make writing your priority, and even the hard parts will get done.
Happy writing!
Maggie Toussaint
Writer Wednesday with Maggie at the Spa
www.maggietoussaint.com
Have you ever noticed that if you have a chore you don't particularly want to do that you procrastinate? Back when I had to iron my husband's dress shirts for his job, he'd get down to the last one before I broke out the ironing board. And I never actually hated ironing; it is restful in a busy sort of way. What I hated was getting out all the stuff, taking ten minutes on each shirt and losing an hour or two of my day on something that I had to repeat over and over again.
Dusting falls in that category for me. In fact, I'd rather clean the bathroom than dust. There have been many times that you could practically eat off my bathroom fixtures but draw your name in the dust on my bedside table. My point in mentioning this is that I never dreamed those wacky attitudes would spill into my writing.
I love writing. But there are parts of writing that require more effort from me, and I find myself backing off from the challenges when I'm pressed for time. Does this happen to you?
Now that I have writing projects in all stages of completion, I find myself spread thin. I'm still getting stuff written, but there's a sense I have of operating in crisis management mode, and as a result, the hard parts keep slipping by.
Multi-tasking works for some people. It works for me on everything but creative processes. I need chunks of morning time to be satisfyingly creative. I can't create with two loads of laundry going, phone calls from friends and bosses coming in, the TV blaring, and competing nonfiction stories from my day job dancing around in my head.
What to do? Protect your writing time like a precious newborn baby. Turn off the cell phone. Turn off the ringer in your office landline. Turn the internet off (oh no, not the internet!!!). Park yourself in the chair and get it done. The rest of the world can wait an hour or two.
Don't let busy-ness disrupt your writing time. It's still procrastination, no matter how you look at it. Make writing your priority, and even the hard parts will get done.
Happy writing!
Maggie Toussaint
Writer Wednesday with Maggie at the Spa
www.maggietoussaint.com
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Deep POV- the mint to your book's julep
by Maggie Toussaint
Show of hands here: how many are guilty of serious headhopping in your earlier works or first drafts? (My hand goes up.) It's a problem I struggled with initially. Then I glommed onto POV nuances. I learned how to show the non-POV character's thoughts through their dialogue, behavior, or body language, as observed through the eyes of the POV character.
Along the way to writing prowess, authors learn when to use third person POV, first, and omniscient. Each POV sytle lends itself to various fiction genres. Some use omnisicent to show a larger view at the opening of a chapter/scene and then transition into the main POV style. Many romances traditionally use multiple third person POV, so that the reader can feel at ease in the heads of both the hero and heroine. By contrast, it is quite common for mysteries to be in first person POV, with the sleuth as the only POV character, though there are many exceptions within both romance and mystery genres.
In both third person and first person POV, there exists an opportunity for deep POV. In a third person POV scene, that transition may be signalled by the words he (she) thought or italics. In first person, no such transition is needed because the reader is already inside the head of the POV character. However, in my opinion, deep POV should be used with a light hand.
Case in point: A book I recently read written in first person POV had a heavy dose of deep POV. Consequently, I brooded along with the main character for pages upon pages. I experienced considerable anxiety about the story's direction and the author's mental health. This particular book was well written, and the deep POV wasn't presented as monologue, so there were no technical flaws, as in impedence of the story. Even so, it was dizzying and uncomfortable for me.
Writers want readers to feel connected to their books. But narrowing the lens of the story to deep POV, restricts the flow of information. To me it's like going on a long hike and only being able to stare down at your feet. As a reader, I want to sense more of the panorama of the setting. Being trapped inside someone's mind too long feels too limited, like a horse wearing blinders.
Don't get me wrong, I enjoy deep POV, and I think it makes a story. For me, its most enjoyable when its done sparingly, like a sprig of mint in a mint julep.
What are your thoughts on deep POV? Do you notice it? Does it bother you?
Maggie Toussaint
romance.danger.mystery
www.maggietoussaint.com
Show of hands here: how many are guilty of serious headhopping in your earlier works or first drafts? (My hand goes up.) It's a problem I struggled with initially. Then I glommed onto POV nuances. I learned how to show the non-POV character's thoughts through their dialogue, behavior, or body language, as observed through the eyes of the POV character.
Along the way to writing prowess, authors learn when to use third person POV, first, and omniscient. Each POV sytle lends itself to various fiction genres. Some use omnisicent to show a larger view at the opening of a chapter/scene and then transition into the main POV style. Many romances traditionally use multiple third person POV, so that the reader can feel at ease in the heads of both the hero and heroine. By contrast, it is quite common for mysteries to be in first person POV, with the sleuth as the only POV character, though there are many exceptions within both romance and mystery genres.
In both third person and first person POV, there exists an opportunity for deep POV. In a third person POV scene, that transition may be signalled by the words he (she) thought or italics. In first person, no such transition is needed because the reader is already inside the head of the POV character. However, in my opinion, deep POV should be used with a light hand.
Case in point: A book I recently read written in first person POV had a heavy dose of deep POV. Consequently, I brooded along with the main character for pages upon pages. I experienced considerable anxiety about the story's direction and the author's mental health. This particular book was well written, and the deep POV wasn't presented as monologue, so there were no technical flaws, as in impedence of the story. Even so, it was dizzying and uncomfortable for me.
Writers want readers to feel connected to their books. But narrowing the lens of the story to deep POV, restricts the flow of information. To me it's like going on a long hike and only being able to stare down at your feet. As a reader, I want to sense more of the panorama of the setting. Being trapped inside someone's mind too long feels too limited, like a horse wearing blinders.
Don't get me wrong, I enjoy deep POV, and I think it makes a story. For me, its most enjoyable when its done sparingly, like a sprig of mint in a mint julep.
What are your thoughts on deep POV? Do you notice it? Does it bother you?
Maggie Toussaint
romance.danger.mystery
www.maggietoussaint.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
