Insecure Writer's Support Group

Well, I just realized that today was Insecure Writer's Support Group hosted by the amazing Alex J. Cavanaugh. My other post will have to happen another day.

So, here's where I'm at--still in frustrated mode. I have to say that my revisions this time around are going so slow. Way slow. As you know, I'm a bit of an impatient person. I feel like I want to vomit every time I look at my manuscript. I know, take a break. I have. A lot. I think my issue is that I see the end--I just have to get there. I do have the drive, the want...everything, but when I look at it, I start to feel sick. I clam up and hesitate.

 I think every writer at some point feels this way. Maybe they work on something else, read a book or watch a movie. Check, check, and check. Yep, I did them. The one problem, which isn't bad, is my mind keeps getting flooded with new characters telling me their story. They actually speak to me and tease me with a scene. I try to throw myself into their world, but it's like I'm cheating on the other manuscript (the one that I'm trying to send to queryland) and the new characters go silent. They slide back into their dark hole while my fingers freeze. It's like I don't know how to write something new. I do have another novel that is in dire need of revisions, another story outlined, and countless scenes to a bunch of ideas, but I can't get fully into their mode.

Maybe I'm in limbo. You know, like when a child is about to walk. They struggle to stand, and when they do they're excited. Then they fall, and cry, and maybe turn to something else like a toy before trying again, because they're scared. When they try again, they hesitate. Maybe they're thinking of how to continue, maybe not. They may repeat this cycle until they take that first step and succeed. Sure they'll fall again, but they get back up and keep trying until their walking is perfected.

I think that's where I'm at. I'm struggling to take the next step. I'm stopping for that toy to distract me. I'm learning a lot, but hesitant and overwhelmed by all the information I'm trying to process. I know once I apply it, I will be perfecting it, but I'm also scared out of my mind that when I take that step and fall --will I get back up?

I know I will, it's a stupid question to even think, but it's natural. I think I need to follow my gut. Once I apply some of these rules and refresh some scenes, it will be ready. I think. I hope, because nothing new will flow until this one's out of my head. Plus, like with anything new, I'll probably be fine once it's gone and I've gone through the whole process, but it's that step that feels so huge and makes me feel so little.

I'm keeping in mind that it's like riding a bike. Once I get out of revision mode, I will be able to write another novel in no time. I maybe shaky at first, but once the wheels turn I'll enjoy the ride.

How's your progress?

Have a great day!

Curse you comma

The comma. One of those pieces of punctuation that can be a pest. Really, these little buggers are magicians. I swear. I think I put them in the right place, but it's not always the right place. Then, they seem to move or disappear. I'm sure it's my brain playing these tricks, but commas can be confusing.

For some of you, using the comma is as easy as putting on a sock. For the rest of us, it's like solving a really difficult trigonometry problem. So, what's a comma?

I hear you snicker. I'm serious here.

Definition: Comma--(Thanks to http://www.thefreedictionary.com/ for the definition.)
1. A punctuation mark ( , ) used to indicate a separation of ideas or of elements within the structure of a sentence.

2. A pause or separation; a caesura.

There's also a type of butterfly, but I'm not talking about nature today.

We use this little mark everyday. How? Maybe you need to write the date. January 30, 2012. Maybe you received a huge advance--$500,000. Nice, right? But I'm in the process of going through line edits and I'm trying to make my sentences stronger. Plus, I don't want to look like an idiot.
Let's start out with a simple use.

-- Separating items in a series. You'll need pencils, erasers, and paper.

Okay, maybe that's obvious. Easy peasy, right? What about this one:

--Separating main clauses linked by a coordinating conjunction. I see your blank stare. Here's an example: My ears ached, and my chest hurt. Two clauses that make sense on their own linked by a coordinating conjunction--for, and, or, so, but, nor, yet.

Let's take a peek at some more.

--Separating coordinate adjectives. The short, pointy sword sat on the shelf. The rule is if you can place an and in between them, or you can switch the adjectives around and they still make sense, then a comma is the way to go.

--Setting off nonrestrictive elements and clauses. Nonrestrictive element--Emma, who is from England, lives in West Chester. The element that's set off by commas is added information and can be omitted without changing the meaning of the sentence.
Nonrestrictive clause--She hated his lectures, which could last for hours. These are clauses or phrases that act as adjectives or adverbs to the main clause.

--Setting off most introductory elements. Unfortunately, his car ran out of gas. Unfortunately is modifying the clause that follows.
--Before and after direct speech. "I'll meet you at the diner," he said. I don't think I need to elaborate on this one.

See, the comma can be your friend. I know I blew through those faster than a cheetah chasing it's prey, but these are the more obvious uses. On Wednesday, I will go through more examples.

Meanwhile, check out the links below for more comma info:

Commas/Punctuation rules. 

EnglishClub.com--Comma

The comma is a mysterious thing, but knowing some simple rules can alleviate some headaches. I hope. :)

Do you get confused with the magical comma?

Thanks to the THE LITTLE BROWN HANDBOOK by H. Ramsey Fowler and Jane E. Aaron, and IT WAS THE BEST OF SENTENCES. IT WAS THE WORST OF SENTENCES., by June Casagrande. I used them for my research. :)

Have a great day!

Desire to run

Sometimes it's hard for me to change, but this year I vow to include more exercise. My body is telling me too. I don't know why. I've never liked running, but for some reason, my body wants to do it. So, I'm trying to fit it into my day. I value every second I have on my lappy, but I'm realizing time away from it is valuable too. Brainstorming is part of working, and from what I've been told, exercising is a good way to brainstorm.

Brainstorming is one of the best parts in writing a story (at least, I think so). I do talk a lot when I do it, so if anyone is in the house, they may question my sanity. It amazes me how much can be worked out. It's like you're acting in your own movie. Way fun. So, I think a little exercise may get some of these juices flowing.

It's also important to stay healthy. I'm not saying cut out the chocolate. *holds heart* Unless it's absolutely necessary, then cut back if you have too. What I'm saying is --we exercise our brains pretty much every minute of the day-- I think our body needs to move too. Plus, I'm thinking this will help with working problems out in my MS and helping with some new ideas that have appeared in my brain. Seriously, I've had four new ideas this week with characters speaking to me, which I had to write down immediately (I was writing one down last night while waiting for a friend at a restaurant). My brain is about to explode and I'm ready to eliminate sleep and write them all. (I keep picturing me wearing those eye devices from A Clockwork Orange, and typing all night long.) I know, weird visual.

Of course, I could get the treadmill desk, or figure out how to make one, and all my problems would be solved. The only thing is--I don't think I'm that coordinated.

Are you brainstorming and working out the kinks by exercising?

If you have the laptop treadmill, let me know how you like it?

Have a great weekend!

Workout Wednesday

Yep, the middle of the week. Right in the middle. No closer to the end than the beginning. This week hasn't been the most productive. I'm hoping I get an awesome editing session in today. My freeze is starting to thaw a tiny bit so I'm hoping I can get into the groove and kick some butt. I'm also hoping my book reading speeds up. It seems like when one thing slows down, another picks up. It happens with everything. Focus on kids--the house is dirty. You know how it goes. I've also been watching a little more TV.
The shows I've been following:

1. Storage Wars

2. Grimm

3. Once Upon A Time

4. Ghost Hunters

5. Bones

A mixed bag. It's hard for me to pick up a new show, though. I started to watch Lost Girl on Syfy and have been told to check out Being Human. The problem is-- I compare shows I used to love to these newbies.

Ahh my favorite vamps. Plus, David Boreanaz is a local celeb.

Buffy and Angel were my favorites. *sigh* Really, JossWhedon = genius (George Lucas falls into this category too). The funny thing is--I loved them so much I wrote a new character for the series, Angel (2 journals full). I even dreamt that I'd send my character to Joss Whedon and he'd love it so much, he'd put it
into the show. It was only a dream because my self-confidence was minus zero so nothing happened there, but a great writing exercise came out of it.

What is it, you ask? Develop a whole new character for a show you love and write them in, maybe make new stories/episodes. It works for movies too. I've done it many times. You can play with emotion, senses, actions, dialogue, etc. You learn to write a character with characters you are familiar with. Plus, it's fun. You can even imagine it's you and write how you would interact with the characters on your favorite show. I've never tried it with a reality show, though.
So, have you tried writing a new character for your favorite TV show? Any favorite writing exercises you'd like to share?

In the news: Go here to learn more about an opportunity for a query critique from Elana Johnson. Yes, the Elana Johnson. There's this big event NiNoCon going on February 4th. Elana will be talking about writing a killer query and a few folks will be able to get a critique by this lovely lady.

Have a great day!

Trying to thaw a deep freeze

Lately I've been having one of those deep freezes take hold of my brain. You know the ones where you can feel what you're writing. It's like something or someone removed a chunk of my brain. I know I've had them before and they scare the flippin' daylights out of me, and I'm starting to figure out why they happen to me.

Every time I learn something new or work on a 'technical' aspect of writing, it seems to freeze all creativity. It grabs hold of comfort and joy of writing and stuffs it into a bag that's black. I have so many new ideas (I can see vividly) and so much I need to do on the manuscript I want to query, but I freeze and that part of me trembles and curls into a corner. I want to feel it again. That love. That freeness. I know it will come back. It has to--to fill the void it's leaving. And I finally figured out why it's happening this time.

Remember my grammar post? Yeah, my weakness of grammar is holding that euphoric feeling captive. My fingers start then I stop in fear that it will be horrible. When I'm being technical, things don't flow. It's so scary because I miss that feeling when everything just pours out without thinking. I know I'm growing and my writing is getting stronger, but it just feels uncomfortable. Even in my posts--I'm afraid I missed something important and it's making me look stupid. It makes my writing rigid.

I've tried other things--taking a break, reading, free writing--all of it still leaves me frustrated and scared. This is one of those dips in the roller coaster ride. You know, where you're screaming your head off trying to make sense of which direction the coaster will go next. Where your stomach is in your throat and you can't let go because you might fly out of your seat. Yep, that feeling. It leaves a shiver.

The question is--How do you thaw out the frozen part of your brain? You're trying to learn, grow and strengthen, yet all the rules make you analyze and over think, stopping anything creative to flow. How can you recapture that feeling of being free?

Have a great day!

Test the waters

Getting critiqued can be scary. The idea of someone reading what you (heart and soul) wrote may give you  nightmares of blood red ink scratched across each page with comments of how to fix this and that, along with what you need to learn in the margins. Embarrassment, hurt, saddness can take hold and a tear may fall. You open your eyes. It was a nightmare. A big sense of relief, but at some point, you have to share your work. Why? To grow. To strengthen. You need to know what is wrong to fix it.

For some, it's easy. For others, not so much. For me, I wanted lots of people to read my stuff and tell me what I needed to do. It doesn't mean I wasn't chewing my nails or eating a load of chocolate everytime I sent it, or I didn't fall hard when I got some of them back. I did and I still do. You learn how to deal and tolerate it in some way. But I realized the only way for me to learn is to 'see' what I'm doing wrong.

Where do you start? There are many places to begin.

1. Ask a fellow blogger or writer you trust. It's a start. Send something small if you want to test the waters.

2. If you are feeling brave try one of these ultra helpful sites. Both take only small snippits of your work and give some great feedback. Plus, you can remain anonymous. Easy peasy.

Christina Lee and Stina Lindenblatt's First Words Workshop

Dianne Salerni and Marcy's (Mainwords) First Impressions

3. If you're really brave try something more. There are forums where you can load more of your work for feedback.

YALitChat-For young adult

Figment

Authonomy

Miss Snarks's First Victim

It's not easy. No one said it was. Testing the waters is just another step in becoming a better writer.

Have you tested the waters?

If you want to share any other tips or sites, please share in the comments below.
Have a great day!

Winner of the signed CRACKED giveaway

Well, I have a winner. Thanks to the handy random.org for making the decision. And the winner is:


*Michael Offutt*

Congratulations! Send me an email (cdanek13(at)gmail(dot)com) with your mailing address and I will send it out to you.

Congrats again! Have a great day!