Sunday, January 19, 2014

New Normal

If you want to be taken seriously, be consistent."
I saw this quote yesterday on a friend's page, and though she was referring to her fitness regimen, it spoke to my beliefs about writing too.

Some of the people in my life, when they heard that I had sent my book off to an agent, said "Oh good! Now you can have your free time back." And I realized that they saw my writing as a chore, something I undertook as a project, and now the first manuscript is finished, they saw the chore as something I could tick off my to-do list and finally have time for "fun."

But the thing is that writing IS fun for me. It's not a chore. Well, okay, there are days when it's easier than others. Still, writing is something I enjoy. And it's an ongoing thing. I'm a writer, and that word encompasses the ongoing nature of the action. For me, it's not something I do once and then I'm finished. It's part of who I am. It's something that's integral to my nature. I've always done it. The difference is that in the past it was something I hid from others. It was a private activity that I did late at night after everyone else was asleep. I had this feeling that I wasn't allowed to be serious about it. I had to have a full-time job and there were responsibilities and obligations and to-do lists of chores. So my writing became like an indulgence. Something I allowed myself to do as a privilege whenever I finished everything else. It was a luxury the way other women dream of bubble baths and manicures and trips to the spa. And I was able to indulge that luxury about as often as most women get to have those other things.

It's amazing to me that, given the sidelining of my dreams, I still managed to write anything at all. And yet, I have amassed a great deal of writing in spite of all that. I dreamed of being a writer since I was a little girl, but I allowed that dream to shrink while other things took control of my time.

This last year was the first time that I decided to stop relegating my writing to the margins of my life. I feel as though I finally allowed my true self to step forward and reclaim the importance it deserves. It's the first time that I let myself think of writing as a true vocation.

I've been writing my whole life. People just never saw it before now. But I'm through hiding it. This is my new normal. I'm not apologizing for it.

"If you want to be taken seriously, be consistent." That means setting a schedule. Following through on what I plan. Writing every day not as an afterthought or a late night indulgence but as a priority.

_________________________________________

Here at the beginning stages of Book 2, I have some research to do to prepare for the world I'm creating. I'm not sure yet how much of that research will yield rules I will incorporate vs. those I'll deliberately break, but I think it's important that I remind myself what the traditional rules have been before I go making new ones of my own.

These are a couple of the books I'm looking through. 

 

I also found some very interesting information from my History of Magic and Experimental Science books (mentioned before here) regarding vampire lore, spanning back to the Greeks and Romans. Fascinating stuff! One passage refers to the Lamias, female vampiric figures I've studied before.



 
I'm thoroughly enjoying the research, and I'm certain that the information will be useful.

_________________________________________

One of the improvements I've made since I began work on this series a year ago is the use of Evernote to collect my notes, inspiration, and scraps of ideas for future reference. Evernote allows me to keep all of my ideas together and share them from my desktop to my iPad to my phone seamlessly.  I can use tags to make searching for data simple, and so far it's really helped me organize my work. Often, I'll be walking to work and think of something that I might add to my book somehow. With Evernote, I can save it all in one place, and those ideas are never lost. Research, character notes, photos, links...all collected for me. I love it.

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Interview with my assistant, Miranda Herod

I'm very happy to introduce my intern, Miranda Herod. Miranda will be working with me all semester long as my assistant, focusing on social media, web design, and podcasting. (Click here to listen to the interview.)

Hello everyone, My name is Miranda Herod, and I am a Marketing and Advertising Major with a minor in Communications. I am very excited to be working with Delia Remington this semester. I hope to learn many things from this experience and continue to use these skills after I graduate.

Enter below to win a $10 Amazon gift card! We will be drawing a winner on Friday, January 17th.


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Monday, January 13, 2014

Random Interesting Stuff (or How I Cut My Distractions and Got Busy Writing Book 2)

How to Break Through Your Creative Block by Maria Popova for Brain Pickings
I'm working on this. I get easily distracted and sidetracked with to-do lists and social media, and then the next thing I know I'm taking a nap. My solution is two-fold.
  1. This blog is going to be my repository of distracting but interesting stuff. Rather than posting several times a day, I'm going to try to limit myself to a few posts at the beginning and end of the day, saving up interesting ephemera for one single blogpost every day or so.
  2. When I'm staring at a blank page or screen, unsure how to start, I take about 5-10 minutes and do a prewriting just to get things rolling. Instead of worrying about how I'm going to say just the right thing, I start instead with writing about what I'm going to write about. I don't worry about grammar or paragraph breaks or any of that. Sometimes it's just a list. But I'm thinking about the scene and what I want to have happen. By the time I've told myself what I'm going to tell, it's easy to start telling it. The hard work is done.

Why Dogs Make Fun Writing Partners by Jennifer Robson for Writer's Digest
I loved this article, and I couldn't agree more. Layla needs a break about as often as I need a new cup of coffee, so that's a partnership that works. Plus, she keeps my feet warm. I keep her bed right behind my chair, though she often chooses to lie down under my desk or on the rug at my side. She's a good companion since she doesn't say much but is an excellent listener.

"The Poisoner's Handbook," American Experience . WGBH | PBS
My high school English teacher sent me a link to this video on Facebook, and it was definitely worth watching. I've always loved murder mysteries and true crime, so it was interesting to me to see the development of this end of CSI work.

Vampires: Folklore, fantasy and fact - Michael Molina 
 

I don't think I really need to explain why I find this short video sent to me by a friend so fascinating and fun.

    Vampire ForensicsVampire Forensics
    I bought this book for my Kindle, and I'm really enjoying the details inside. Though I can't reveal just how (spoilers!), there are definite ways this book will inform some of the things that happen in Book 2. As a reader, I always like knowing that an author has done his/her homework, so I want to be sure I'm following through on that expectation too.

    I've got a few more books on their way, and I'll be doing some book reviews once I'm finished reading for those who are interested in vampire lore and history.



      History of Magic and Experimental Science
      I bought this set of books at the last library book sale. None of them had been read in 30 years or more, but the title alone is fascinating. It's an encyclopedic study of how superstitions about witchcraft and alchemy developed over the course of several centuries into what we now call the sciences.

      These books are far too lengthy for me to read straight through beginning to end, but they are wonderful to dip in and out of. Vampires and other supernatural creatures are discussed throughout history, beginning with the Greek NeoPlatonists. Creepy geeky goodness. There are certainly ways in which I will be using information found here.

      Wednesday, January 8, 2014

      Readerly Things, Writerly Stuff, and Nerdiness

      Today, I made a word cloud of the most common words on this blog. There are several online sites that allow creation of this kind of image, but they're all fairly similar. The larger the word, the more frequently it's been used.


      My common words make me quite pleased, I have to say.

      Speaking of things that make me pleased, I'm currently listening to the audiobook version of Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon.

      It's the second novel in her Outlander series, and I'm truly enjoying it. If you haven't read these books, you're in for a treat. The writing is wonderful, the characters are mesmerizing, the plot is riviting, and the audiobook narrator does a delightful job bringing it to life, giving each character a distinct accent that truly makes listening a pleasure. I am definitely hooked on these books and will be continuing on through to the end.

      And speaking of bringing it to life, I'm very much looking forward to catching the Starz television adaptation of the book series which is produced by Ronald Moore, best known for my favorite sci fi show, Battlestar Galactica.

      Now that I've seen some of the promos and heard the lead actor, Sam Heughan, say "Sassenach" (see the video link below), I'm certain he's plenty swoonworthy enough to portray Jamie Frasier. So long as they get the historical details correct, which from the looks of it, they are, I'm pretty sure I'll be watching for as long as they run this show.

      As for why the audiobook version, I've linked it with my knitting hobby. I started with knitting a Doctor Who scarf for myself, and since then I've been making scarves for friends and family.

      When I finish the Doctor Who one, it'll be 17 ft. long. Currently, I'm about halfway through. It's been a fun challenge. Not all of the original yarn colors were available, but this is my own interpretation, and I'm pretty pleased with how it's progressing.

      Yes, I'm that nerdy. And?

      Right. That's what I thought.

      As for my own writing, I've sent my manuscript off and have begun Book 2. The outline is complete, I've written up plans for every chapter, and I've been doing research to get ready for what comes next. I'm really excited with what I have in store, and I hope my readers will be as well. Beyond that, I can't really say. Sorry. Spoilers.

      Shout out to Yellow Dog Bookshop in Columbia, MO. Even though I haven't been able to get there to peruse the shelves over the last few weeks, I've been thinking of it and can't wait to get back.

      Other readerly things that make me smile include this from author John Green. I always enjoy his Mental Floss videos. His books, while well written, always make me cry, however. This does not diminish my enjoyment, it's simply of a different kind.