Category: Uncategorized

Why I have not been writing

This blog has been quiet for three reasons:

  1. Editing my novel:  well, that’s what I am supposed to be working on.  Editing is seriously boring and I have been majorly procrastinating.  If you’ve read my blog, you also know how much editing my work actually needs.
  2.  I am distracted: I am going to be a surrogate!  Yup! This womb is going to house two daddies’ baby!  The ‘journey’ has been occupying most of my spare brain cells.   Eventually, there will be a blog about that whole shebang as well.
  3. I am starting to get bored of this particular novella.  Maybe I shouldn’t admit that, but I totally am!  I either need to spice this up for myself or move on to new material.  My writing muscles have become flaccid; it’s time to take some viagra and get to bumping a baby into this blog. . . . (ya, the whole surrogacy thing is really distracting!).

So those are the three main reasons I have hit a story stand still.  It’s time to push!  Puuuuuussssshhh!!!!!

I’m back!

Alright, I am back and ready to start writing this second novella.

I spent the month of October taking a university course toward my commerce degree and just wrote the final exam yesterday.  Originally, I was going to balance my time between both projects.  However, I soon accepted that balance is not how my brain best operates.  If I focus on one thing at a time I can absolutely demolish it!

So, I am ready to focus on writing.  My challenge will be to complete this second part of my novella in 4 weeks!

I challenge you to spend the next four weeks making time for one of your passions or projects.  Find out what can you achieve when you set your intentions and focus.

Stay tuned dear readers!

This week in my blog

I just received in the mail the first chapter of my novel, ‘The Drawing’ with editor notes.  Going back over written work is not my favourite thing. I have an idea, I feel the need to express it through writing as a therapeutic outlet and then I’m done with it; my need is satiated.  However, I think going chapter by chapter will reduce some of the tediness of an edit. So this week I will be looking over my older manuscript.

 Also, I will be planning the outline for Book 2 in my novella series.  I will not be posting any parts until after Sept 19. (I run each part by my mom before I post and she is currently enjoying a reprieve!)

Lastly, I will be finishing up YouTube videos this week.  I have received some positive feedback from people who enjoyed hearing the story rather than reading it.  The last few videos only have 1 view, so I really did not feel there was a need to finish in any kind of rush.  Still, I’d rather finish before I continue forward with book 2.

This week my blog will be quieter than it is has been, but I will be just as busy!

The First Story I ever Wrote

The first time I fell in love with writing was in grade 1.  The first story I ever wrote was entitled, ‘Princess Pretends-too-Much’.  My first grade teacher encouraged me on the basis of this story to pursue writing.  She even bought me a little notebook to continue writing during the summer break.  It was the first moment of my life that I had a career oriented dream and someone who believed in that dream.  Amazing the power that the belief of an adult can inspire in a child and how the memory remains for ever.

While I no longer have that little notebook or story, I still remember enough of how it went to retell it now.  Mind you, the only pretending scenario I recall with accuracy is that she pretends to be cardboard at the end.

Once upon a time in a faraway land there lived a Princess.  She was nicknamed Princess Pretends-too-Much because she spent her days inside her castle room playing pretend.

She pretended she was a master chef making the finest food in all the land (picture: she is serving play food to her cat and stuffed animals).

The King called to her, “Princess!” but she was too busy to hear him. (picture: fine foods are spread along a dining table, where her family begins to eat).

She pretended she was marrying the most handsome prince in all the land. (picture: princess has draped herself in a white sheet and is walking toward her cat, who is perched on a stool wearing a little top hat and bow).

The King called to her even louder, “Princess!” but she was too busy to hear him. (picture: a handsome prince has arrived to the caste gates showing the King a large diamond ring).

She pretended she was a knight battling a fierce dragon.  (picture: she is fighting her cat).

The King called to her louder than ever, “Princess!” but she was too busy to hear him. (picture: a real dragon is setting fire to the castle.)

(The next page is a picture: the Prince leads the dragon away with a dragon treat and the fire is now just smoke plumes.  The Princess is visibly playing in her room as part of the castle walls are now just rubble.)

The King walked up to Princess Pretends-too-Much, tapped her on her shoulder and yelled louder than he ever had before, “Princess!”

Startled, the Princess dives to the ground.  She pretended to be a piece of cardboard. (picture: the princess lies on the ground, eyes closed, with one flap of her cardboard rocket ship covering her.  Her cat lies on top).

The King says, “It’s too bad the Princess is not here.  She missed the best food I have ever eaten.” (picture: the princess opens one eye).

“She missed meeting the most handsome Prince in all the land.” (picture: she opens both eyes).

“She missed battling a fierce dragon.” (picture: she opens her mouth wide, in a look of shock).

“Well, I guess it’s time to clean up.  I will start with throwing out this cardboard.”  (picture: the king bends down to pick up the “cardboard” Princess).

“Noooo!” yells Princess Pretends-too-Much. (picture: she jumps up into the air).

“Aw, there you are.” said the King, “We have all been missing you and you have been missing many things.” (picture: the King gestures to the people of the land who are just outside the rubble).

The Princess said, “For now on, you can call me Princess Pretends-Just-a Little!” (picture: the people of the land cheering).

(Last Picture: The Princess is pretend fighting with the King while the Prince is directing the dragon to help clean up.

The End.

First blog post

First blog post

There are three rules that I know of to become a writer:

The first, is to read.  Read everything and anything as much as humanly possible.  I have always been an avid reader, preferring mystery in my youth, such as works by Agatha Christie or Dick Francis.  But I have always emotionally connected more to works of fantasy and science-fiction.  I loved English class because we got to read ‘The Giver’, ‘1984’ ‘Lord of the Rings’ and ‘Animal Farm’.  These books changed how I viewed the world and the memory of these stories still serve as my inspiration.

The second rule of writing is to write.  It doesn’t have to be beautiful, but it most definitely has to be more in depth than a Facebook post about the latest black bean cake recipe I have tried (which, by the way, was delicious!).  Herein lies the reasoning behind starting up this blog: to practice writing.  I have created websites and blogs in the past and eventually they fizzle out and I stop working on them.  Will this one be any different?  I have to believe so. I have to believe until that belief becomes a conviction that compels me forward.  I have to negate the idea that the past predicts the future because I am a creature of conscious choice and that choice enables change.

I’m not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is another step forward!

– Thomas Edison

The third rule is to edit.  I hate editing.  I’m not good at it, I don’t enjoy it and I’m tired of my work by the time I’m finished writing the first draft.  This is something I will have to work on.  In the meantime, I have hired an editor and self-published author, Heather Reilly to work on my manuscript, ‘The Drawing’.   You can check out her editing and publishing services here.