The subconscious mind is an amazing thing. Have you ever been in the situation where you were trying to remember someone’s name or a word and a few minutes after you’ve given up, it pops into your mind? Happens to me all the time. I’ve noticed that my writing is being done subconsciously too at times. I get my characters in a bind and I can’t think of a good, logical way to get them out of it. I walk and I think and I try different things but nothing works. Then, out of the blue, an idea hits me that is so freaking awesome I wonder why I never thought of it sooner. In the past I thought it […]
Read moreTag: irreverent muse
Writing Humor
I’m working on a project right now that is stretching my brain and moving me into territories both unfamiliar and daunting. I am trying (note the word “Trying”) to write a Science Fiction Comedy. I love comedy writing whether it is Terry Pratchett’s “Discworld” series (yes, I know it is parody. It’s still funny), or Douglas Adams ‘Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy’ or even Robert Asprin’s “Myth Inc.” series. Comedy writing is some of my favorite to read. It is also the reason I chose the title that I did for my blog. But, darn it, it is a LOT harder to write than I thought. I’m about 5,000 words into the project so far. I’ve got detailed character sketches, most […]
Read moreThat’s All She Wrote
Well, I have managed to win NaNoWriMo again for another year and as has been the case in each of the past three NaNo’s I learned something new about writing and about myself. I set myself a pretty ambitious goal this year. I wanted to get my 50,000 words completed by November 20th. That didn’t quite happen. The actual date of completion was November 22nd instead. Not quite what I planned but this NaNo had something others did not: days when I didn’t actually write. Yes, its true. I had a few things come up where I was on the road without time to write. I think the total non-writing days this year was three so, in theory, I actually […]
Read moreDeveloping a Thick Skin
You know that part of the submission process where you send in your work and sit back, fingers and toes crossed, and wait and hope? If you’ve ever submitted your work, chances are pretty good you also know the part where your work comes back with a rejection. All the weeks and months of waiting and hoping come crashing down with the intensity of a kidney punch. You have two ways of dealing with such a blow. You can curl up in the fetal position and swear to never do it again. Sometimes this means you give up on writing completely and sometimes you simply refuse to send your work out again. I call this the “I will never love […]
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