Where does the time go?

Well, here we are in 2022. How did that happen? Several times since September, I thought, "I should do another blog entry," but I was always too busy or too lost to do it.

Things have happened! Not big things. Not shiny things. But things. In November, I set aside my WIP to give Nanowrimo another go. This was my 18th kick at the can, and it went very well. Much better than I expected. The project was actually a sequel to the current WIP. I knew how it ended, so I figured I could wing it enough to figure out what happened next. The result is a story I absolutely love. It's got its issues, sure enough. There are some definite problems I'll have to iron out when the time comes. The ending completely sucks and needs to be rewritten...but I think I know how, so even that's not a big problem. The best thing to come out of it was that it taught me so many things about my MC and her life that I had no idea about before. This knowledge will round out the first story, and I'm already reaping the benefits as I plan on delving back into it. (I took December off; I always take December off after Nano to give my brain a break.)

At the start of a new year, most of us tend to make formal or informal goals or resolutions. I try to make at least a few goals every year. Last year, I failed dismally, so this year, I only made two. One is to finish editing and publish "Healing Hands", the book I wanted to put out last summer but got waylaid by depression. The other is to finish writing "Living on a Memory". Both of these are doable, I think, if I buckle down and focus. Actually starting (which I haven't yet) might be a good idea. The good thing is that my brain is bursting with ideas and scenes. I just have to sit down and actually put pen to paper. My house is in chaos and so is my brain; neither are very good writing environments. Maybe both are due for a decluttering.

I really would like to update this blog more this year. I only know of one person who actually reads it, but I'm considering making this the year I PUT MYSELF OUT THERE and see what happens. Wish me luck.

This has been an update...a very short update, but an update all the same. I still haven't figured out how to enable comments at Wix (I'm not sure if I'm obtuse or there's a glitch), but I'm now mirroring at Goodreads, so you can comment there if you like.

Happy New Year!

Giving this Blog thing another try

So, it's been a while. Like a really long while. I'd pretty much given up on the blog thing. But now I've got two books out, and I'm getting ready to publish another...and maybe it's time. This kind of writing is hard for me. Writing fiction about other people? As long as I'm not fighting serious writers' block, that's easy. Talking about myself? I forget how to words. If you'll bear with me, we'll see if I can actually do a regular blog. Maybe I do have something to say.

In the year (!) since my last blog post, I've actually been writing. I wrote a book that is now in the editing phase and I have been busily working on another. You can find details, if you're interested, on this site. I've also lost my long term writing companion--my cat, Meg. She was with me for 20 years and, despite having three other pets, I felt lost without her. In July, little Alannah joined our household. She's a wild fluffball of energy, and she's brought some much needed fresh, baby energy to our home.

Most importantly, I found my muse. Or, rather, refound her. She'd been missing so long, I was afraid she was never coming back. I'd almost resigned myself to only writing during Nanowrimo, pulling out the words like some kind of creative tug of war. Then, one day last October, I was watching a reality TV show and a random song--not random to my muse, but a song by a singer I listened to a lot when I first started writing many, many years ago--hit me like a kick to the head, and it all came rushing back. I could create, I could dream, again. It's been amazing, and both Bhree ("Healing Hands") and Lexi ("Living on a Memory") were born. By unintentional accident, their journeys start in very similar ways--the death of a loved one that makes them lash out in their grief, but their stories are very, very different. Bhree's story is very much a journey back to the light, while Lexi's is a descent into darkness. I am loving spending time with them, especially Lexi, so much that they've become real to me. Bhree has been a fun romp through the past, a return to the things that made me love stories and reading. Lexi has been an exciting way to explore writing things I never have before. Darkness. Brutality. The concepts of right and wrong and if it's possible for darkness and light to exist equally in the same person.

I guess that's it for me for my foray back into attempted bloghood. We'll see if I can keep at it and let everyone out there...probably no one...know what I'm up to writing wise. If not, at least I tried. LOL

Remember: if you want to write but you're afraid of making a mistake or that it won't be good enough, you can always edit something you've written, but you can't edit words that aren't there.

ETA: I can't figure out how to enable the comment section. If you have any comments, feel free to send them through the contact section of this website.

December 30, 2019

I've been so terrible at keeping up with my blog this year. This is all new to me, and I hope to be better in the new year. I'm going to aim for a post a week. We'll see how that goes. November and December were busy, busy, busy months for me. They are all just an exhausted blur. Now, I've got a week of relaxation coming, and I'm really looking forward to it. Maybe I'll even write something. I did get a book of story prompts for Christmas. It's awesome. Anyway, this is just me, poking my head in to say that I still exist. See you in 2020!