We will open the book...

We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day. ~Edith Lovejoy Pierce

I thought this a perfect new years' quote for the writer. So far so good on my hour a day vow to write. Stared at a blank page alot but got a few sentences done on my WIP and I am trying to finish my sci-fi short story. I've been blocked on it so I converted it to first person, hoping it will lead to a middle and an end...though I do have the last sentence written.

My favorites for 2008
Book: The Heroines by Eileen Favorite
Movie: Mamma Mia
TV Show: Fringe
Destination: Pt. Pleasant, NJ
Sports Moment: Giants winning the Super Bowl.
Most Proud of: Completing Playing For Keeps and sending it to an editor.

Tomorrow I'll post what I'm looking forward to in 2009.

Starting Early

I'm not waiting until January 1st to begin my resolution to write for at least one hour a day. Each Sunday night I will set up a writing schedule for the week. So here it is:

Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm
Thursday (New Years Day) 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm
Friday 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm
Saturday 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm
Sunday: Meeting a writing friend for plotting.

I'll let you know how I do.

A Good Day

After being lazy around the house yesterday, I braved the mall today and scored some deals. went early so it wasn't as crowded as I thought it would be.

I also shopped on-line. My husband never knows what to get me so he gave me cash which is fine with me. Here's what I got (you know...since I didn't get Peace on Earth)

David Cook's cd
Enya - Wintertime - CD
Mamma Mia - DVD
Human Dark With Sugar - poetry by Brenda Shaughnessy
2 shirts from Macys

What did you get for Christmas?

Day 15 - 40 Discovering the Writer Within

I am NOT pleased. I quit this book.
Day 15 started off harmless enough. Write several leads for stories based on your journal entries. Fine. Wonderful. Then the second part of the assignment: Write leads to pieces you will probably never write. Write leads to tacky romances, lead to thrillers, leads to mysteries,... - WHAT? - back up nine words TACKY?
Maybe, they didn’t mean it that way, but that’s the way I’m took it.
While fun in parts this has been taking away from my work in progress so instead of these writing exercises I will work on my SO NOT tacky romance.

Day 15 - 40 Discovering the Writer Within

I am NOT pleased. I quit this book.
Day 15 started off harmless enough. Write several leads for stories based on your journal entries. Fine. Wonderful. Then the second part of the assignment: Write leads to pieces you will probably never write. Write leads to tacky romances, lead to thrillers, leads to mysteries,... - WHAT? - back up nine words TACKY?
Maybe, they didn’t mean it that way, but that’s the way I’m took it.
While fun in parts this has been taking away from my work in progress so instead of these writing exercises I will work on my SO NOT tacky romance.

Day 12 - 14 Discovering the Writer Within

Discovering the Writer Within by Ballenger & Lane. It’s a 40 day program to exercise your creativity and imagination. I’m giving a general feel for the assignment and a little bit of what I accomplished.

Day 12: Pick a dramatic experience that lasted only a few minutes or even seconds. Free write for 5 minutes describing the moment as vividly as you can.

Glass shattered
but lives still intact
Turning to the backseat
a mother’s voice laced with fear
My son’s head tuck under
his hands protecting his head
A drunk driver
nearly taking what I hold dear
If not for an angel
whispering in my son's ear

Okay got tears in my eyes. My son told me he heard someone say "watch out" just before we were hit. He denied it soon afterward probably because I made I big deal out of it.

Day 13: Look over the work you’ve done. Pick a entry that seems to be asking you questions and answer these by free writing for ten minutes .

Day 14: Write down all the reasons why you shouldn’t write - these are your Demons of Doubt. Now to combat you demon: 1) Seek out authors who feed your desire to write. 2) Make a list of all your best writing experiences. 3) Read interviews with other writers and copy down quotes that make you want to write. Refer to these when the demon of doubt strikes.

Here is a quote I recently fell in love with. I read it in Glimmer Train Guide to Writing Fiction. Elizabeth Cox keeps this quote above her text - it’s from theologian Niebuhr:

OFFER A LIFE, NOT A TEXT

This quote inspires to me write. It reminds me to explore a character - to make him/her real to myself and to the reader.

Day 10 and 11 - Discovering the Writer Within

Discovering the Writer Within by Ballenger & Lane. It’s a 40 day program to exercise your creativity and imagination. I’m giving a general feel for the assignment and a little bit of what I accomplished.

Day 10: A photograph is given, which makes me think of the book Grapes of Wrath. In Day 11 we learn the title is Migrant Mother by photographer Dorothea Lange from 1936. For Day 10 we take the place we wrote about yesterday and write it from the POV of the woman in the photograph.

Four whole dollars for a cup of coffee? I could feed my children for week.

Day 11: Examine the photo a make a list of details including thoughts and feelings. Compose a paragraph that would explain to someone else how you interpret Lange’s image.

The children burrrow into their mother like pups seeking comfort she is unable to provide.