Lately, progress is like some elusive legendary creature slinking around beneath the sea. I catch glimpses of it, only for it to then flick its tail at me before disappearing back into the deep.
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WRITING
Published - My 400 word story, DEAD LINE, up at Dread Stone Press.
Novel/Novella - I had to rethink and redo so much of it these past couple of months. I really hope it will be worth it and a better story will result.
Two fun and inspirational posts for you:
"10 Things Lego Has Taught Me About Story-Building" by P.A. Cornell, over on the Writers Helping Writers blog
"Are You Giving Yourself Writing Credit?" by Jessica Conoley, over at Jane Friedman's blog.
*****
WATCHING
Movies - We really liked "Jerry and Marge Go Large" (Bryan Cranston, Annette Bening, and Rainn Wilson.) Sometimes, the dark corners of my mind need some light shone into them.
TV – "The Night Agent" on Netflix was great! My husband said it reminded him of "24" (the original series), which is one of his all-time favorite shows. So enjoying "Not Dead Yet" with Gina Rodriguez – funny, quirky, heartwarming and heartbreaking, all in 30 minutes!
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Have you seen progress – on anything! - lately? What keeps you going when the glimpses of it are few and far between? Have you watched anything you'd recommend?
I hope the novel comes together for you soon.
ReplyDeleteBeen watching Battlebots. Just something enjoyable about watching machines beat the crap out of each other.
Thanks, Alex. It's been slow going.
DeleteI've made some progress. Started meeting people online to do writing sprints. It's helped me put my toe back in. :-)
ReplyDeleteExcellent, Anna! First a toe then a foot. :)
DeleteIn my humble experience, rethinking and redoing big chunks of a novel always lead to a better story. I hope you have the same experience, even if it may not be obvious right away.
ReplyDeleteMy significant other & I have been watching Yellowjackets. It's a weird show that's gotten weirder. I'm starting to have to watch parts of it through my fingers or from behind a pillow. :)
Thanks, MJ. I think that's the trickiest part, the not knowing, it not being obvious....
DeleteThe name of that show is familiar, but I can't remember what it's about. You have me intrigued.... :)
Hi Madeline, Congratulations on your 400 word story, DEAD LINE. It has an intriguing title.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Rachna! My husband and I usually work on the titles together, try to come up with something that has more than one layer/meaning.
DeleteYes, I have been making progress on my writing again. It's been so nice to be writing after a long, unintended break.
ReplyDeleteThat's wonderful! :)
DeleteI read your story. Whew! Creative and creepy. Congratulations!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Liza!
DeleteWe loved The Night Agent,.too. ❤️
ReplyDeleteI was really surprised I enjoyed it as much as I did. :)
DeleteLooking forward to reading your story - good on ya! As to the novel building - yep, it is such a slow game, but I know that if I keep at it something will emerge. I'm in a slow spot too, but trying to stay positive with it. Trust the process!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jan! Hope you like it.
DeleteI try to remind myself to trust the process, but I might need to make it into a mantra - trust the process, trust the process, trust the.... :)
Ah progress. I hope its head pops up to stare you down more often than not. I had good progress in April, and then it came to a crashing halt when I couldn't figure out how I wanted to deal with a scene. Hopefully progress comes for both of us!
ReplyDeleteThat "crashing halt" is the worst. I can almost hear the screech of everything just stopping.
DeleteWishing you - us! - more and longer sightings of that elusive Progress! :)
Woo hoo for progress!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely! :)
DeleteAwesome for progress!
ReplyDeleteDefinitely!
DeleteCongrats on the story. And yes, sometimes you have to take a couple of steps back to go forward again - I'm feeling like that myself at the moment, and it's a great feeling!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Annalisa!
DeleteAnd as long as we keep going forward - eventually! - that's what counts. :)