Fall Focus

I'm glad it's September, even though around here it’s still hot, humid and hurricane season. This summer drained me of oomph. I feel wrung out, much like my sweaty gym clothes after a long plod on the “dreadmill.” I blame the heat. (I usually get to a point every summer where I blame the heat. For everything.)

 

So, this is me, falling forward – not very gracefully - into fall!

 

WRITING

The second session of Camp Draft did not go well: 

* The drabble I wrote and subbed received a rejection. 

* The longer short story with the road trip theme never even got out of the garage. 

* The novella is apparently no longer about a cursed island, but is instead about a deserted island because everyone on it has left due to boredom.

 

In September, I hope to 

* Get back to some flash fiction, writing and maybe subbing.

* See if I can save that cursed island. 

* Start making some strides in putting together another collection of my stories. 

 

 

READING

I’m still behind on my 2025 Goodreads Challenge, but Wally Lamb’s incredible The River is Waiting and Shari Lapena’s page-turning suspense She Didn’t See it Coming helped move me closer to my goal. 

 

 

WATCHING

My husband and I had a “28” movie marathon – we re-watched 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later before watching the new 28 Years Later. In my opinion, the first movie is still the best of the bunch by far.

 

We really enjoyed Woman of the Hour (starring Anna Kendrick) over on Netflix. A creepy thriller made even creepier because it’s based on real crimes. 

*****

 

How did your summer go? Any plans or projects for fall? How’s your oomph level? Read or watched anything lately you’d recommend?

Is There a Draft in Here?

I definitely feel a draft, and not just the one from the a/c. By the end of July, the first drafts of two stories should – fingers crossed! – give me more chills than the Key Lime Pie ice cream I like too much. 

Welcome to Camp Draft! 

Where:

* I will dive into my novella, featuring a cursed island.

* I will most likely get car sick writing about a road trip gone very, very wrong.  

* And I might dabble with a drabble.

 

Also, here at Camp Draft:

* The only counselors look a lot like tortoises. 

* The only activities are jumping over plot holes and napping.

* My bunkmates are kid characters who are way braver than I am. 

* And the s’mores look – and taste - like cake. 

 

Here I go! 

The Summer of Salads, Stories and Sweat

For a lot of people summer is about relaxing and vacations, but for me, it’s usually when I pretty much hibernate in my air conditioned hidey-hole. This summer is all about:  

SALADS and lighter meals. It’s about getting healthier on the inside. You’d think as a vegetarian I’d have this down but, since pasta is my go-to pal, not so much. 

 

STORIES! Writing my own, of course, but reading and watching them, too. Stories are everywhere!

 

SWEAT. And I don’t mean by just sitting out on the lanai in the Florida summer. I mean the kind I get when I hang out with my old frenemy, the dreadmill . . .  

 

Now, of course, life happens and hurricanes howl through, so this is only a loose plan. But I’m giving it a go!

*****

WRITING

I finished and subbed a drabble. I made a little progress on the longer short story and a little more progress on the novella. 

READING

I’m behind on my 2025 Goodreads Reading Challenge. For some reason, I’m struggling with reading this year. But since part of this summer is all about stories, I hope to remedy that soon enough.  

WATCHING

TV – My husband and I are thoroughly enjoying My Best Friend’s An Animal [National Geographic, Hulu] So many amazing animals and people out there! (I’m always a little wary of animal shows because I don’t like when they show the gory side of nature. This one doesn’t.) 

 

Movies – We really liked Neighborhood Watch (with Jeffrey Dean Morgan), and The Drop was an entertaining way to spend an hour or so.

 

*****

 

What are your summer plans? Do you have any go-to (vegetarian!) lighter meals/salads? Or cookbooks, websites, etc. you like? Any favorite workouts or ways to make gym time go faster? Any suggestions for non-gory animal or nature shows? 

Paging Through the Past

One of my recent projects was to go through our bookshelves.  

Some books went off to new adventures in the hands of others.

 

Everything came off the shelves, including my Go Away, I’m Reading sign, and the two small stone tortoises Mrs. Larry likes to check in with when she’s walking around the house.

 

I dusted everything. Sneezed. Dusted some more. 

 

I put most things back, reorganizing the books as I went. My previous system of loosely shelving by genre no longer worked - mystery/suspense/thrillers spread like sinister shadows onto other shelves, and some favorite authors write in different genres so it was like their books lived in different apartments in the same building. My brain did not care for that – it much prefers alphabetically by author’s last name. 

 

As I held each book, I was reminded how a book can be so much more than the story within its pages. There’s often a story outside its pages, too . . . 

 

Books with garage sale stickers when that was the only way my husband and I could afford to buy books. 

 

Back before anyone had heard of The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, my husband and I were in our favorite independent bookstore and one of the people there literally pushed it into my hesitant hands – it wasn’t my usual kind of thing - telling me I had to read it, I would love it. I don’t know why I doubted her. She was right. As usual. 

 

Books where I wrote my name inside the cover, that younger version of my scrawl actually legible.

 

Many years ago, author Chris Bohjalian gave a talk/reading/signing of one of his early novels. I went to get my book signed and somehow the subject of my writing came up (it was probably my husband, he’s always telling people I write.) Even though a line was forming behind me, Mr. Bohjalian took the time to ask me about my work. He was so encouraging and nice, I remember that feeling to this day.

 

Books with pages gone yellow, that slip from spines as if too tired to hold on. Some with print too small for me to read now. Others with ties to people – family, friends, authors - who are no longer with us.

 

Books hold stories in their words, in their pages. We hold stories in our hearts, in our memories. And sometimes all those stories turn and twist and tangle and become a whole other story, one uniquely its own. 

 

*****

Have any favorite book memories? How do you organize your books – or do you? What else lives on your bookshelves – plants, photos, etc? Any summer projects you’re particularly proud of completing? 

September in Stories

My creativity is – finally! - creeping back into the light, showing itself cautiously, slowly, much like Larry did after his very first visit to the vet. 

 

Unfortunately, the results are less than stellar. Unlike a tortoise, my creativity cannot be coaxed out of its shell with basil. None of the stories I worked on are submission-worthy so I have to let various contests and open submission windows pass on by. Sure, I'm disappointed, but I'm also reminded of something incredibly important – 

 

"When you're writing, no matter how hard it is, 

you are more truly yourself than at any other time." 

(Julie Duffy)

 

YES! That's exactly how it felt. 

 

So, to keep up that momentum, I signed up for Story A Day September. (I participated in Story A Day May years ago and enjoyed the challenge.) All the information is at the Story A Day site, but the gist is to write a story every day in September. Now "every day" is open to interpretation, so I'm aiming for a story every day Monday through Friday for a total of 22 stories. The only strict rule is you have to FINISH the story. It doesn't have to be pretty, but it has to be done.  (Much like every art project I've ever undertaken.)

 

So, here's hoping for a September full of stories. Wish me luck!

 

*****

 

Any plans for September, writing or otherwise? What are you looking forward to this fall?

 

Winter is Coming . . . .

Okay, not here in FL, where it is melt-your-face hot.

But it is on Game of Thrones and I. Cannot. Wait.

Even if it means this guy shows up -

From HBO.com

In preparation for Season 7 - starting July 16th! - my husband and I have been re-watching GoT from the very first season, and I am still blown away by how amazing it is.

One of my favorite things about the show is how no character is safe. No one. Anyone from a butcher's boy to a king is fair game. You only have to watch the end of the very first episode to see that. It drives the suspense so far up I watch every episode on the edge of my seat - even though I already know what's coming!

This brings me to the characters. Characters I love to hate - Cersei! Joffrey! Ramsay! - and ones I love to love - Brienne! Samwell! Davos! I know what all of them are about to do. I know the horrible decisions they're about to make and yet I sit on the couch yelling at the TV, begging them to do something, anything, differently this time. (Sansa, you're killing me! And Theon, please don't go back to the Iron Islands!)

And the dialogue! The clever quips! The names! My husband and I walk around quoting lines from the show, and in our house I am known as Mother of Tortoises. (It doesn't have the same ring as Mother of Dragons, I know, but I make it work.)

Yes, I am an adult (supposedly) but stories of all kinds - GoT, movies, books, my own creepy ideas  - make me feel like a kid at Christmas. It's like opening a wonderfully wrapped, giant box full of dragons and detectives and old women who see ghost children. People I know in "real life" often don't understand that but you all do.

It is known.

Are you a Game of Thrones fan? Do you have a favorite character? Line? Scene? Episode? (Just be careful of spoilers, please!) And if GoT isn't your thing, what is? I can always use more stories in my life. 

Progress Report: Breathing Again

The Goal = 23 stories written - and finished! - for Story A Day in May

Stories Completed So Far = 10

Stories Still To Go = 13

Well, I'm about halfway through the Story A Day Challenge, and honestly? I'm loving it.

Don't get me wrong, it's not easy. Some of my stories stink. Two - so far - might actually be scenes for a bigger project, like a novella or novel (what?! no, no, no! focus, woman, focus!) And some days I stare at the blank notebook page - yes, I'm going old school - and wish I hadn't gotten out of bed. Ever.

But then there's the story I revised and submitted already. And the handful I can definitely see myself returning to, revising. And the biggest benefit so far?

Finding my way back to creativity, to reviving a part of myself that was struggling to breathe, that was drowning beneath layers upon layers of anxiety and doubt, fear and normalcy. Now, when I finish a story, a sense of peace, of completeness, of rightness fills me, and I believe it's because - to paraphrase something Julie Duffy said in one of her Story A Day podcasts - I've done the thing that makes me, me. Writing.

Pillow Talk, Pink Ponies Dancing - Nailpolish Stories

The Spring issue of Nailpolish Stories: A Tiny and Colorful Literary Journal is up, and I am pleased to say it includes two of my stories - Pillow Talk and Pink Ponies Dancing.

Now don't let those titles fool you. You all know by now that my imagination does not cross at the intersection of Soft and Pretty.

Why I Believe in Stories

This. 

This is why I believe in the power of stories. 

J. K Rowling Found Out Her Books Saved This Baby's Life. Her Response Was Magic.

It will break your heart then repair it so you can feel even more hope, more joy.

Warning: have tissues handy.

The Movies in My Mind

I am prone to weird dreams. Not necessarily nightmares - although, I have those, too - but dreams that seem somewhat normal but leave me utterly exhausted. Although I can sometimes tell they originated from a book or from other media, I've never tried to actually interpret them. I'm pretty sure I don't want to know....

Here's a recent weird one:

I'm attending some sort of conference and sharing a huge hotel room with three other people. One of them is a fellow blogger. (Someone who is familiar in the dream but has no name or face I can place when I wake up.)

Huge heavy drapes are pulled across the windows, and I don't know if it's day or night. Suddenly, a group of men come in, my Dad among them. (My Dad passed away last year, but in the dream he's alive, not a ghost or anything.) He tells me we need to go, there's some sort of alert and we have to leave Pasadena. (This tidbit comes from either a horror novel about a spider invasion that partly takes place in California or from an old episode of The Big Bang Theory.)

I shove things into bags - for some reason, I have lots of stuff for this conference. Whatever is happening is bad because my Dad - a very organized packer - would never let me just throw stuff in bags. He picks up a backpack that's obviously too heavy for him - he's wearing a green sweatshirt and sweat stains form between his chest and stomach. I scold him, and he tells me he's fine. (By the way, that part would've totally happened in the real world.) We head out into a morning that looks normal but has a weird yellow cast to it.

*****

Do you have weird dreams, too? Do you use them as inspiration for stories, for art? Do your characters dream or have nightmares? Do you like to interpret dreams? Any thoughts on mine? Hmm, maybe it's a post apocalyptic story waiting to be written....

'Tis More Blessed - GIVEAWAY!

It's time again for Milo James Fowler's 'Tis More Blessed Giveaway, where every Friday in December literary giveaways abound! 

Click here for the list and links of all the authors
participating TODAY = DECEMBER 20, 2013

I'm really excited to offer up two Kindle copies of my flash fiction collection, The People We Used to Be. 

How to Enter: Leave a comment. (That's it. We've all got enough to do, especially around the holidays. At least one thing should be simple, right?)

All the names will go into the tortoises' food dish and they'll each choose a winner. They've been training hard for this moment - chomping on their greens to keep their strength up, napping to conserve energy, and soaking in the "spa," also known as the water dish, to keep their muscles loose. And they insist there will be no shenanigans, like rubbing basil on any of the paper slips to influence their choices. They run a tight terrarium. 

Deadline: Saturday, December 21st at 5 pm EST. I'll announce the winner here on the blog some time next week. 

Good luck!

Maybe Someday - Every Day Fiction

Halloween brings out the monsters and zombies and creepy crawlies, and yes, I'm scared of all of them. (My Halloween costume should be a chicken suit.)

But one non-Halloween related thing that frightens me is the thought of making the wrong decision. I have to remind myself that I do not make my decisions lightly, that I take many things into consideration, that I am doing the best I can at the time and that's all I can do. Still, it's scary.  

So, on this day before Halloween, I give you a horror story of a different kind - Maybe Someday at Every Day Fiction. I hope you enjoy it.

Notes and News - Writing and Otherwise

Lazy days of summer? Who said that?! I don't know about you all, but things have not slowed down for me. And yet I still find time to putz around on the Net. Sigh.

Ah, but my putzing is to your advantage! Here's a quick round-up of some items I thought you all might be interested in... 

*****

Camp is in session! Camp NaNo, that is! This July, I'm heading back into the woods, armed with only my horror manuscript and some chocolate, and I will not return until the draft is complete! Or until I run out of chocolate...so, about July 2nd or so. 

*****

The CBS miniseries of Stephen King's Under the Dome starts Monday, June 24th. I can't wait! Here's a preview: 

*****

If you enjoy a good short story, you won't want to miss A List in Honor of Short Story Month 2013, compiled by Flash Fiction Chronicles. It contains links to over 150 stories, all suggested by readers as some of their personal favorites. (Hmm, number 100 seems vaguely familiar....)

*****

As a writer and a fan of Pixar movies, I just loved this - 22 Storytelling Tips for Writers from a Pixar Storyboard Artist. 

*****

On Sunday, June 23rd, Nik Wallenda will walk across the Grand Canyon - no net, no harness. My heart's in my throat just thinking about it! My husband went to one of Nik's local (FL) training sessions - here are some pics: 

*****

Planning on going to Camp NaNo this July? Will you check out any of those short stories? Are you a Pixar fan? Will you watch Under the Dome and/or Wallenda's walk? I'll be watching both!    

Seeds of Bone - MicroHorror

It's not very Christmasy - not even close! - but if you'd like a small shiver that has nothing to do with cold temperatures, go on over to MicroHorror and check out Seeds of Bone. 

Story A Day in May: Progress Report

I learned about Story A Day from new blogging buddy, Elizabeth Twist. (For The Blogging A-Z Challenge April 2012, Elizabeth posted bits of research she planned on using for stories written for Story A Day in May.)

Knowing my creativity needed a boost, I signed up. Two days before it started. Two days. I had no plan, no prompts, no list, no nothing. While my husband wondered what had happened to his real wife, I banged my head on my desk a few times, hoping to shake some sense loose. 

And, as usual, I worried for nothing. I am loving this challenge! I modified it a bit - as The Rules say you're free to do - and that helped me feel less, um, stressed. Instead of writing a story every day, I write one story every weekday. So, by the end of May, I'll have 23 new stories, some of which I'll revise and sub, some of which I won't. (As of today, I have seven stories written and I plan on going back to three of them.)

For me, it's become about focused creativity. My muse knows that Monday thru Friday we need to come up with . . . something. It needs a beginning, a middle, and end. It can be based on the prompts from Story A Day or not. It can be long or short or micro.

It's become more about the craft, more about story itself. And isn't that really what it's all about anyway?

2011 - The Year of the Challenge

Is anyone up for a writing challenge in 2011?  I am, and so I was very excited to come across Write 1 Sub 1 - A Year-Long Writing Experiment in Ray Bradbury's Shadow. 

You can choose one of two challenges - write and submit one story a week OR write and submit one story a month.  You can find all the information here and here.  As you can see from the neat web badge on my sidebar, I chose to do the Write 1 Sub 1 Monthly.  As much I liked the idea of doing the story a week, I knew I wouldn't be able to pull it off with my novel rewrite/revision.  If I emerge victorious at the end of the year, I will be rewarded with the coveted LIGHT RAY AWARD.  Not to mention a number of well written (hopefully!) stories and a few publications. 

So join in and challenge yourself to Write 1 Sub 1 in 2011.  And if you don't want to do that, pick something else - write in a new genre, read a certain number of books, learn to cha cha, whatever.  We can cheer each other on.  Remember, I'm rooting for you!  Now, go!

Ripe for the Reading

I recently purchased Pomegranate, a collection of stories by Gay Degani. I've been a fan/friend of Gay's for awhile now and I was so pleased to see her put this collection together. Two of the stories, "Chair Girl" and "Pomegranate," are new.

"Chair Girl" reminds us that we shouldn't be so quick to judge, that story and voice can come from an unusual place and when it does, it's often pure magic. "Pomegranate" is achingly bittersweet, and I loved it.

The previously published, "Rim Shot," is one of my favorite Gay Degani stories even though (as far as I know) it's not one of her most acclaimed. On the first read, a gasping suspense slides beneath the words and carries us through to the stunning end. But even reading it again, even knowing the ending, it still has a breathtaking quality. It takes skill to make that happen, to make that work.

Go, Gay!