Okay, sadly I don't own the book, so I'm going from my notes, but, Mel asked about Ari's incline and this is how Ray visuals it, and I use it:

Opening Scene and Closing Scene provide a frame for the story.

The hook and the introduction(s)[characters, setting, conflict, desires etc.] occur in Act One, where the action starts slowish and picks up but slowly. Imagine a line starting at bottom left and moving upward in an incline to upper right.

Plot Point One (this is a MAJOR pp) ends Act One; sending the mc in a new direction, usually an action or decision they think will help them achieve their goal, but which actually results in MAJOR COMPLICATIONS, which are revealed in ACT TWO.

[this is all my weird paraphrasing, btw, lol]

ACT TWO is all about conflict and complications, lots of them. It's also a good place to weave in some backstory, if necessary. Make it seamless, though, or it will disrupt the narrative flow. ACT TWO is the longest act in the book, so it's important to keep the action rising (remember that incline) but not too quickly and not too slowly!

The MIDPOINT divides parts one and two of ACT TWO, and is a nice place for romance, seduction, and minor, foreshadowing transformations. Ray says the MP links the two chains of events in the book, those leading up to the MP and those leading away to climax and eventual resolution.

PLOT POINT 2 caps ACT TWO and is the best place for a reversal, because this is the moment of decisive change-- this is the catalyst that transforms the mc. Action. Ray characterizes it as a mini-climax that propels the story into ACT THREE. PP 1 and PP 2 must have a distinct connection.

ACT THREE is where the action peaks and then quickly falls; the shortest act in the book. MC is tired and defeated, but makes one last decision toward change. This time the mc succeeds, and in the resolution, the story plays itself out to its natural and satisfying conclusion, which ends in the wrap up.

Which wraps up my post for today :)

Back to the revision-zone!

Tomorrow I begin revisions on The Brown Shoe Diaries.
Armed with comments from 3 beta readers and my lovely CP
idaho_laurie plus the normal route I walk.

Tomorrow and the day after, I will read through each reader's comments,
making notes, and adding notes to the revision sheets I am already starting
out with, ie.

BSD Revisions (surfing) Things to watch in descriptions: flow/fluid/grace/style
These aren't WORDS to use or that I might have overused (that comes way later in
the process) these are keywords to remind me of the comments I need to incorporate
into the surf scenes.

I'll read through for Voice, seamlessness, pacing (Ari's incline etc.)
Ask, is there conflict on every page? Are the 5/6 senses present on each page?
Can any visual details be added or expanded?

And remind myself that except in summary:NO TELLING! SHOW!

And I'll make the necessary changes.

Okay I may be showing my age here (my kids would agree) but YouTube just constantly surprises me by what you can find there!

newport2newport posted a video clip that was so in sync with how I've been feeling the last two days!! [Quick run look if you haven't already and come back]

Some novels just pour onto the page, but others drip, slowly. I've been fighting and fighting The Brown Shoe Diaries, struggling with every word and it finally occurred to me that as Aiden goes through her losses, I am reliving my own as well.

This may be completed novel #5 for me (with 5 others in various stages) but this is the only one that has true autobiographical elements to it. And there's many of them, let me tell you! No wonder it's taking me 5x as long to write it as I think it should. It hurts!

So, in honor of my mom, and Mel (just because, not like she's old enough to be my mom) I bring you a song from my playlist from The Brown Shoe Diaries, enjoy!

Progress, I have, tho.

Brown Shoe Diaries: Moving on toward finishment.

(no word yet from editor reviewing requested partial)

Life's Too Short

(yeah, still completed, still out on subs, no news from agent nudges this week)

the Summer Novel (as it shall be called here)

No new word count as I am focusing on those brown shoes :)

The Anointing aka that pesky partial-ish+synopsis+series proposal I must have ready for a crit submit by June 17

dudes, I hope it is perking away in my brain.

Since I don't do Teaser Tuesday's myself, and can't talk in any detail about projects in process (once they're out in the world, it's different) I was going to write a little about Life's Too Short and that particular book journey.

Instead, I'm going to whine a little, and then get back to work. Sometimes this life is so isolating it sucks. Especially if you're like me, and live in a small town where the SCBWI presence is virtually non-existent and gas prices are prohibitive. Having crit partners and writing friends you stay in touch with every day or week is so critical to well-being, because the waiting and the subjectiveness of this business can be crazy-making!

My two dear friends and crit partners have both dropped off the radar lately, mostly due to family issues, and (selfish moment, here) I am so bummed out and lonely without them! Meh.

Carrying a book through to the end (for me) is in part made possible by sharing the process with one or two people who get my writing, know my weaknesses, and love my stories and my characters as much as I do.

The mc in Brown Shoes, Aiden, has lost all her supports, she is totally alone and must fight her way to safety/security. I hate to admit that on a smaller, more insular level, I feel the same.

Write well, and fellowship!

+ 3 days= Me.

Bleh.

However, I was able to salvage something positive out of the non-productive writing days. An epiphany re: the ending of Brown Shoes, that will make moving through the remaining chapters much easier than it had been.

So, goody!

No additional progress yet on what I'll call summer novel. But Secret Agent Man liked what he read, so yay!!

Catch ya tomorrow! Enjoy the remainder of the weekend!

And OOOh!! squuee-age! I was a winner in Meg Cabot's Airhead t-shirt contest! :D WOOT!

So, spoke on the phone today with Secret Agent Man--great convo. We've been brainstorming which project I'll submit in June for my face-to-face crit at the conference in August. Along those same lines, I've been trying to decide which of several projects would become my love affair post Brown Shoes. I really want to work on something light and humorous, as BSD has been... darker... more emotionally charged than LTS, or anything I've done in a couple of years.

Ready for a break, much? Yeah.

So as Steve and I were running through projects, I pitched this one I started a month or two ago (not getting into the whole process thing again, if you're interested, I've totally dished on this in previous posts) and he got SO excited, he asked to see what I've already written. lol. Normally I don't share first draft material, but he insisted, so I complied, and we'll see what he thinks.

For now, the word count stands at:


and I think this one might be a crazy-fast, summer-festacular ride.

Ask me Monday, when BSD is to the cps and I've had no sleep to speak of...

My agent is made of awesome. Just saying.

So, once again I've been a bad, absentee blogger. Other than the typical life things (mother's day, school ending, summer plans etc.) I've been finishing my wip, and determining which project to submit for the face to face crit at Pacific Coast Childrens Writers Workshop.

This stage of a project is always both stressful and amazing. I imagine it to be a bit like riding a chemical high, though I can't say from personal experience.

I don't sleep much, and when I do it is a light doze filled with dreams of scenes and mini-revelations and epiphanies.

I barely eat, and then only what I can grab and gulp, or consume at the computer.

(the extreme heat 102 degrees forecast for the next several days, doesn't help at all)

I tend to zone out and have to have people repeat themselves, because I am totally focused on the story and its culmination on paper.

I can't type fast enough, unable to keep up with my brain, which has been finished with and waiting to tell this story for a rather long time. And it goes on like this until I type the end.

So that's the agony, such as it is.

The ecstasy is that beautiful siren song calling to me as I finish, of the next project (the beginnings of which I've already begun), the story itself playing out in the recesses of my mind even as I complete its predecessor.

This weekend I will type The End on The Brown Shoe Diaries. I will pack it off to my cps, who will tear it apart, and then I will revise it to my own standards, feast on their feedback before implementing it, and send it off to Secret Agent Man.

And we shall see.

Meanwhile, I fully intend to document my journey through the next novel. Starting today.

Remember Arsenio Hall? I adored his show (which certainly dates me). Things in life right now are making me go... hmmm?



Elaborate? Perhaps. But... no. Not really.

The sinus gunk which had taken hold of me and held me captive for many months is being broken by the siege of antibiotics even as I type. However, the cure is proving almost as bad as the ailment, causing me hours of squished-into-a-ball-of-writhing-stomach-pain-wishing-to-die. And the course is loooonnnnnggg. 3 weeks instead of 2. But I shall stay the course, because I really really really ridiculously want this infection GONE!!

We've been going through boxes and donating and tossing loads of stuff in order to not have the ministorage any more. Can't wait 'til that's over. Yeah lots of spring cleaning here. Fun fun fun.

Writing wise I've had the blahs to go with my blechs, stemming from the pain and the lack of sleep the pain causes. Today, however, I got back a little oomph and put my bic and worked on BSD. Can't wait to finish!

The downside is that it's not even 9:30 pm and I am wiped out. Time to watch ANTM on DVR and go to sleep. Tomorrow will be wonderful, it's Thankful Thursday, after all!

I haven't participated in these previously, but as I break for lunch, decided, what the heck?

A snippet from THE BROWN SHOE DIARIES, the wip I'm finishing up:



She waited at the window, watching until the Jag’s headlight beams swept across the side yard, illuminating a stark black and white snapshot of the dunes and the trees, before cloaking them again in night. The landscape hide-n-seek reminded her of the two faces of Ian and she shuddered. Such a master of deceit; able to transform from Mr. Perfect to King of the Damned without even passing one hand over his face.



Sweet dreams, and productive days. 'Til tomorrow!

As I was starting my day this morning, (kids off to school and caffeine round 1 imbibed) I sat down at the piano and played masterfully attempted to play. It has been many, many years. Cellular memory (along with normal memory) is deserting me as I age. Ugh!

My best friend growing up, Nancy, played both the piano and the cello. Enviably well. But she was dedicated. Me, I was a dallier who got the ruler across my knuckles from the nuns more often than not.

It got me thinking more, though, about beginnings, and about the recurrent themes in our lives and in our art.

The themes I find cropping up most often in my novels are characters who are artists of various types: painters/photographers/musicians/songwriters/writers/designers/sculpters/architects etc.

and the overarching theme of voices unheard and/or unheeded. Most of my mc's are fighting to be heard, understood, respected, for who they are and who they wish to become.

What are your themes and variations?

How do you begin your stories?

Almost without exception, I begin with a title. It may come years before the actually characters and storyline reveal themselves, but it comes first. I keep a notebook with all my titles in it, and when the time is right, and the story and characters have gelled in the back of my mind, the two become one. (Note: I am a MAJOR pre-writer, composing entire novels in the back of my mind before ever committing a word to paper)

New project one's title came to me about 2-3 years ago, and I thought at the time it would be a mg novel set in middle school with a female mc. When the main character spoke to me for the first time a couple of weeks ago, I was shocked but thrilled to discover my mc was a senior in high school, and a gay male. Go figure!

Tomorrow... the big question, names, personalities, and agendas. The next step in the process.

Since my little calendar shames me every time I log on to read my f-list, I've decided to kick my blogging into high(er) gear. Which in my case means blogging more than once a month, I guess.

I was so excited last night I had a hard time falling asleep! For the first time in two weeks I had writing time all to myself on my wip! Yeah!! When last we left our heroine, things were about to get fabulously fantastic. And then come crashing down. In a big way. And then again. And just when she thought life couldn't get any worse... Yep. I'm the big bad wolf of writers. Poor Aiden. And she's such an awesome person, too.

My kiddles returned to school, today. (I know, lol, random much?) Anyway, since I spent the last two weeks helping 7th grader edit the first 50 pages of her novel (she didn't make the entry deadline, though, for the Scholastic PUSH 1st novel contest)and write a synopsis and also wrote two synopses and 2500 word openings for two new projects of my own, it was nice to get back to BSD. We spent the day getting reacquainted, and ah... I do so love this book :)

I always try and enter the SCBWI WIP grant competitions. It's a nice brainstorming/testing time for me with projects that have been working in the back of my mind. This year was no different (note the two new projects and synopses above) however, in the end I decided not to enter. Not sure why, just felt project one needed more head time, and project two felt too sweet for someone else to see it before Steve...

Got my first taste of editing/working revisions/brainstorming with Secret Agent Man though, on new project one, and it was just as awesome and amazing and kick-ass as I knew it would be :) That project will be taking a hiatus for quite awhile, though. It's still in the back-burner, percolating stage.

The other new project though *insert ginormous, high-pitched squee-ing here* just made me lol and happy dance and do the ooh ah boogie I do when I first fall in love with a story and its characters and the voice. As soon as Aiden has danced her way into Steve's hands and heart, new project two and I will be spending some quality time together!

It does have a title, which will remain secret at this point, and is the first teen male protag I've written since forever! I cannot wait!!! But I must...

In other news, for the first time (seriously!) in almost a year, the studio is nearly clean and organized, and is already usable!! I'm in creative heaven, people, I swear!!

I may even post evidence of this by the end of the week :)

Ooh and book reviews!! I have read tons and reviewed none here! Bad, I say, bad!

But you have my pledge, faithful readerz (all two of you) that I will be a good little bloggette henceforth. And perforce. 'Cuz ya know, I just like the sound of it!!

I'm fond of architecture. The look. The feel. I love to touch things (buildings, paintings, sculpture, etc.) Within architecture I especially love the details, those small touches that help support the whole, even those that are merely decorative. I use a great deal of architectural designs in my art (when I'm actually making art-which isn't now) Studio has officially been declared a disaster area, lol. (Not-so lol, really, more sad)

Point being (yes, yes, there is one) I like structure, even in my writing. I don't shy away from the examination of things such as acts, scenes, plot points etc. even though I am rather much the organic composer.

Only to a point.

My fave book on structure is Ray's The Weekend Novelist I prefer the original edition.

One of the things this book best illustrates is the importance of pacing (which is my #1 struggle issue). Ray uses Aristotle's incline as a visual tool. I refer to my index cards often as I work.

So, what are your views on structure? Do you think about it? Or are you organic to the core? What do you struggle with most in terms of structure? What tools have you found to be successful in battling those issues?

Gee, don't these look familiar?


Finish BSD
Get 2nd 3rd to Da Peeps
Get 3rd 3rd to Da Peeps
Mss crit for mentoree
Finish Before I Die
Finish News Blues
Continue with my 2008 theme of No Regrets
Maintain family and household schedule
God time each day
Stay positive
Blog at least two days per week
Comment on several f-list blogs each day.

I almost feel like I have to defend not having a post about the untimely and wasteful death of actor Heath Ledger. I'm terribly sorry for his family, especially the young daughter who will never really know him.

I'm also sorry for all those who've lost their lives in Iraq, and Afghanistan, Israel/Palestine...

Our days are painted in losses, and they do affect all of us, whether we know it or not.

This is more a writing/publishing journal, with a few slices of my daily life wedged into the sandwich.

I do plan on posting more book reviews, and will, in February, review the books I read in January...

But as with Heath Ledger, sometimes I feel that if I congratulate the ALA Winners here, or announce someone's book baby, I'm just a tiny voice lost in a crowd of other voices. Not that it or I don't matter, simply that I'd like to say something in my own time (ie. a book review or blog tour or interview) and in my own way.

Doesn't mean I am unmoved, or not celebrating...

Oy! Sorry to be sooo late with these!

Goals for this week:

Maintain goal wordcount on BSD
Get 2nd 3rd to Da Peeps
Mss crit for mentoree
Finish The Last Days
Finish Before I Die
Continue with my 2008 theme of No Regrets
Maintain family and household schedule
God time each day
Stay positive
Blog at least every other day
Comment on several f-list blogs each day.

Update on last week:

Maintain goal wordcount on BSD WOOT!
Dance Dance Revolution x5 Nope!
Finish The Sweet Far Thing WOOT!
Finish Breathe My Name Nope!
Continue with my 2008 theme of No Regrets WOOT!
Maintain family and household schedule Mostly!
God time each day Mostly!
Stay positive Mostly!
Blog at least every other day Not so much!

Just as our mc's have both internal and external conflicts, so we as writers, experience both types of struggles when writing.

I've found that oftentimes when I set a writing goal, especially if I happen to verbalize it, external conflicts pop up. Like magic! Evil magic!

Case in point: Get my completed, fairly pretty, wip to my agent by Feb 8. This isn't a random goal, btw, my birthday is the 12, my kids have that entire week off, and I had hoped to have the mss finished and to Steve by the beginning of the year. So...

Because external conflicts also present in the lives of Da Peeps, my lovely crit partners, instead of sending the mss entirely and expecting them to turn it around with their amazing insight included almost overnight, I sent them the first 3rd, and will send the remaining thirds as I finish. The 2nd third should be going out on Friday. Will it?

Since last Friday I have been beset by external conflicts. Bank errors, BPTeen issues, kids home for holidays, kids home sick, kids with friends over. What was a clean house is now a... yucky, messy house.

And if I let my mind dwell on it, I get cranky. I feel put upon. Why can't they be sick during that week in Feb when they're OFF school? Why is there nowhere else in the house my office can be, other than the eating area/kitchen/walk in the front door and there you are?
Why don't I own a laptop so I can ESCAPE and write, even if it's just to sit in my car? Why are we this old and still too poor to afford one? Why does my normally calm and even possibly lazy Lab suddenly have to be on my lap or in my face every 5 minutes?!

All external conflicts. All either out of my control or in need of my attention. So do I throw up my hands and say, okay, another goal I won't achieve, another self-imposed deadline I won't meet?

Not really. See, although this isn't an editorially imposed deadline, I know that these same external conflicts will arise when I have one. Sure, by that time I'll at least have a laptop and be able to move away from the more... slobbery, persistent ones, but I'll still have to dig deep and find the zone, the inner peace, and that wellspring of creativity and ambition to drive me forward to meet that goal. For myself. Because like our mc's, fighting those obstacles grows us. And because it is okay to succeed. Even if you do it with a messy kitchen, and dirty windows.

Good luck fighting your own external conflicts this week!