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One of These Days You Are Going to Pay for All Those Times You've Been Right

There are a great many blogs and forums and such that I belong to. The writers quote of the day, or the moment or the minute are the things which I, and I assume, so many others use to delude ourselves into thinking that we are writers. If that is the case, what do we write? I personally have written a couple of stories, nothing of novel length to date though. I made the decision about a year ago that I was going to be a writer. By Gods, I have a story. At least I think I do. I must....I mean I like stories and I am as creative as the next person, right? I want to tell that story. At least I would want to if I knew what the damned thing was about. You know, the one where the guy goes and does the thing against all odds that is an allegory for the terrible something that we all face? Yeah, that one. OK, so I don't know what the hell I am doing. But I do know that I want to be a writer when I grow up. I struggle with what to write. I have a thousand great ideas. I come up with
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Ugh, think faster.

I have to make more time to write and think faster. There that is out of the way, I will explain. NaNoWriMo  is starting soon and I don't know what to write about, but I do want to do it. I had an idea that I was working on and I was certain that was going to be the focus of my first Nano, but the closer it gets, the less I am certain if that is what I want to do. I have to do something. I suppose. I will never pay my dues if I don't start with the payments that I can afford. I have read about many authors whose first books were self-admittedly horrible. I suppose that is the way that it is supposed to be, but I suffer from a delusion that leads me to believe that if I learn enough, I don't have to fall in to that trap. Yes I have to learn, but if I can incorporate these things in to my work early on, maybe my first efforts will suck less. One can hope. I suppose this difference is that I know that I am deluding myself. It will suck, and I dread it. I am reminded of
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Just Keep Swimming

I have been busy. Really busy with college papers, work, kids, family...well, life. It happens to the worst of us, I am afraid. It's ok though. I really don't mind. Sure I have less time to write, but it is getting sorted. I am learning how to make the little time I have to do this count. My word counts are increasing and I am making pretty good progress on the WIP. What I am doing is something that I have read about from countless bloggers and writers whose advice I look up whenever I am standing in line somewhere doing something other than writing. I am learning how to turn something that I am just learning how to do in to an obsession. I do not yet live, breathe, eat and sleep plot twists and scenery descriptions, but I am learning how. It is hard. See, a while back I thought it would be a great idea to write a book. Then I realized, oh shit, I don't know how. Oh, and while we are at it, let's try to make a career out of it. In the meantime, I am learning how to tu
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Don't Abandon the Little Ones

Ok, I am back writing a little bit more. This story that I am currently working on is an affirmation of the fact that I have been negligent in my duties to writing. My character comes after me to find out WTF has been going on with me. I think it is going to work pretty good. I am just not sure where to go from here. One thing that I haven't been doing is going back and editing stories that I have already written to make them better. I posted one on scribophile (wonderful site, BTW, with great people who are really helpful and caring.) and I received some wonderful critiques on it. But I haven't acted on any of them. I have to fix that. So coffee breaks over, back on my head.
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Write a little, but write well

Write a lot, read a lot. That is the advice that I have heard and read as I devour every scrap of information I can in learning to become a writer, or at least a better writer. I have proudly read a lot and written a little. That is not to say that I have written little because the small word count that I have achieved has come as a result of serious struggle. Fighting for words, as I do for everything else, it seems, will be my lot. I will accept it. It is either that or be content reading other's stories and have no voice for my own. That is unacceptable. That being said, I am currently reading "A Game of Thrones" by George R. R. Martin. This is a brilliant work. I started it and was a little dismayed how he shifted the perspective from character to character. After the second chapter, I was ready to put it down and move on to something else. I am so glad that I didn't. Please note that I am a novice. I am learning the craft. I know what I know and think soundly
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I am SO screwed!

I have joined a website that I hope very much will help me. I have no doubt, actually, that it can. I hope only that I will take the things to heart that I read there and not just give up. The website in question is Scribophile . It is designed to get peer review and editing of author's works. It is amazing! One of the things, however, that I have come to realize is that I have so very much to learn. I was reading a couple of chapters to do a critique of a fellow writer's novel, or 'work in progress' (WIP). I was really into it. There were some things that I would have done differently, but I really liked where they went with it, and the plot has amazing potential and endless possibilities. When I finished the two chapters, I came to the conclusion that I am WAY out of my league here. But, what the hell, I will offer a critique and correct some grammar and maybe offer a small amount of advice regarding a couple of word choices that I wasn't sure fit properly.
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Everything good has been done

/Begin Rant/ I have been trying to start a short story. The idea behind this particular effort was to get something done in order to practice some craft techniques that I really need to work on. Those particular points are the subject of another post, perhaps, but not important now. My problem here is that I don't have an original idea for a premise. i.e. The main character is a 'insert whatever the hell I am missing here'  that 'does stuff' and uses 'whatever' to help him accomplish his lofty goals along with friends 'so-and-so' and "this-and-such.' Damnit. It seems that every time I finally think of something it sounds like a great idea at first, until I start fleshing it out and I suddenly realize that it has been done before. Ok.../End Rant/ coffee break is over.....back on my head.
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