Popcorn

Does popcorn make you more creative?? I'm not sure, but I do know I've got the snackies this morning. I had a bit of a slow start which means I did all the things (and some additional things as well...) I usually do after I write - pay bills, answer email, check out the fog rolling in over the fields, place an order (new ink cartridges), talk on the phone, wander around the house, think about signing up for Audible.com, check out the fog again which is much less now and makes me feel like the sun will be out soon, etc.

Yesterday I bought one of those antennas which supposedly allow you to pick up digital signals for free over the air. I did not install it, even though as I passed through the living room, I did look at it and think about it. 

But I finally got serious and I'm now at nearly 600 words and in a good scene which means I can definitely get to 1,000 words today.

That calls for a treat, right?

Nope. I've got to stay here until I hit 24,459 words. 

Super Week!

I have been remiss with blogging, and I promise to do better. Last week was a steller occasion as I logged in over 5500 words. It was the most ever for one week. I also learned that although it's best to start writing right away in the morning, I can also do other things, get motivated and still crank out 800 words before lunch.

But today, I'm a slow starter. This is mainly because I have a slew of errands to run and since I live 10-18 miles from the nearest town/grocery store, I am preoccupied. I can't decide if I should write first or run the errands. Since I'm at the computer typing this - maybe writing has won?

The other thing on my mind is that I want to send another 50+ pages to my agent so she can see where the story is going. And since I'm obsessive about it being right, that means I have to review/edit which may mean no real word count today - or maybe not. 

I have to say again and again that I just LOVE this new genre of romantic fiction. It is so much fun to spend time with these zany characters I've created - to explore their hopes and dreams and to watch them change and grow.

I've been reading a new romance author, Robyn Carr. I just got a Kindle for Christmas (mainly because the closest library is 10-18 miles...) and although I will ALWAYS prefer paper books I can hold, I can see the benefit of a Kindle. Easier to read in bed, for example. Great on trips so I'm not lugging numerous books. I stumbled onto Robin because her books were available on the ebooks site of my library. (Another bug-a-boo with the Kindle is that there are so FEW bestsellers available - and yes, I know, I should buy books. As a writer, I should especially buy books, but.)

I had previously read Debbie Macomber and Sherryl Woods, both of whom I like a lot and both are excellent in creating towns and characters. But Robyn's work is especially interesting since she is writing about Northern California where I am currently living and that's fun.

The other wonderful thing that happened last week is that I found out about a local writers' group I may be able to join. That support is so critical especially since life on this dairy farm is very FAR from anyone...

Are you sitting at your computer writing?? If not, go to it!

Wow, what a great week. I sent the first 58 pages to my agent on Monday (was able to smooth out a new plot point on Amtrak enroute to NYC which my subconscious had devised on Sunday). Then the agent wrote back that she was delighted! I was over-the-top to hear that she liked what I had written. True, I've been having a lot of fun with these new characters for my romantic novel, but it's still such a huge relief to hear that what I've been laboring over is working.

And then today - 1361 words. I think it might be a new record... Plus, I liked the spunk of Robin, the character I worked on today. Great tension between her and the small town lawyer who is momentarily in charge of her destiny. (I know this doesn't make sense, but suffice it to say that it worked!)

Okay. I'm back. I've been busy doing all sorts of things like moving from Alaska to California, flying from the WC to the EC, and sending my son off to college <big gulp>. For those of you who have never done that, it is one of the hardest things I've ever done. I did not expect the empty nest to be so, well, empty. Consequently, I've done what any other writer would do under the same circumstances: I developed a charcter who is sending her only child off to college, too. Trust me, it helps.

Most days, I have been working hard on my new novel, a romance set on Cape Cod. Some days, it goes well. Other days, not so good. Today was a good day. I only got 376 words done, but I also added and subtracted a lot, so that number could be higher. The important thing - again - is I wrote. The alternative would have been to clean off my desk or unpack some of those items which are still in boxes... Oh, and I also made chili. (It's very good.)

I also spent way too much time updating my website which still needs much work, but at least the Home page is current: http://www.barbaralarmonfailing.com

What now?

A wonderful surprise arrived in the mail this week. My friend, Leslie, sent me Ann Patchett's, What now? It is a book that summarizes a graduation speech she gave at her alma mater, Sarah Lawrence. It wonderfully and succinctly describes the feeling we all have as we teeter on a precipice wondering, "What now?"

The other point Ann makes is that to be a writer, you have to do a lot of what she calls staring. As in, sitting in one place, gazing out at nothing. That's how she gets a lot of her ideas. I stare a little. Mostly, I think right before I'm drifting off to sleep. I once tried to recreate this moment of subconscious thought by hopping on top of my bed in the mid-afternoon, closing my eyes and thinking. It worked. Another technique I have is to walk.

And I'm happy to report that just the other day when I was walking, I thought of three terrific plot strands that I knew would work. Only problem - it's for a different WIP...

Thinking

It's been awhile since I've written, but that doesn't mean I haven't been working. I've actually been working hard - doing a lot of thinking and reading. There seems to be lots of revision necessary for my latest WIP, so I've been trying to decide how to approach it. I'm not usually that attached to a manuscript once I submit it, but this one has parts that I really love, so without specific line-by-line guidance, it's been hard to chop it up.

So, what I've been doing is trying new plot strands to see if I like what's happening with them. Normally, I LOVE the revision process, but this manuscript is a little tougher to clip, so I need to see how I can do it so that it feels right.

Anyone out there feel the same??

Waiting...

It's done. It's finished. It's ready. That is, my manuscript is ready to be read by my agent. I could have gone over it another 20, 30, 40 times. Really. But I also wanted to send it to her by the end of April. So I did. April 28th, to be exact.

And now I'm waiting. 

I don't like to wait. It's especially hard because I usually have a number of other readers before I send it out. But this time, in the interest in time, I just had one: me. I'm very critical, but I'm still me.

This me is wondering every third minute,  "Is it good????  Will she like it????"

I don't know. I don't have any answers. But in the meantime, I will try - very hard - to be patient.

Stay tuned. I hope the news is good...