ROW 80: Check In - "Pearls In the Park & Pizza Crust"

I have a working title!  I know what you're thinking, "THAT is your title? And you're excited about it?"  As a matter of fact, I am!  Okay, so it's quirky and odd, but the story is too, that is what I love about it.

Working title in hand, I've written my hook as well.  It's rough, but it's written.  With my last manuscript I didn't write my hook until I finished the book, in fact, I still change it on a weekly basis.  A friend of mine pointed out I should write my hook and keep it posted by my monitor, so I can see it as I write, always reminding me of the tone I would like for the book.  I like that idea.

As for the meat and bones writing...well, I haven't actually gotten into that much.  The problem lies with my protagonist, she is about to commit herself to being a Savannah socialite rather than the frazzled mother I originally envisioned.  Ultimately it's her story, she knows best.

My mini  goal is to have the first chapter complete by Sunday.  Don't scoff.  The first chapter is hard, trying to find the right tone and properly set things up...it's downright daunting!  Oh, and there is the fact that our house renovations are starting this week.  Don't be surprised if the first chapter finds Ms.Nola-Deen Andrews in the middle of a renovation herself!

Happy Writing!

~Kali

Day One ROW 80

Today is the first day of A Round of Words in 80 Days (ROW 80).

I'm excited, but a little apprehensive, since my goal is to write something the likes I have never attempted before. My goals are to complete the first draft of "Pearls in the Park and Pizza Crust" as well we continue edits of "Without A Word". I will also update my blog a minimum of twice a week on Wednesdays and Sundays. Let the renovations of my house, editing and writing commence!

A Round of Words in 80 Days

I just found out about ROW 80 and the timing couldn't be better!  Not only does this second round start on April 4th, with time enough to rough plan, yet not freak out about it, but it also coincides with my personal "intended" goals of editing my NaNoWriMo novel and pushing forward with my current work in progress!

I do well with "official" deadlines...self imposed deadlines, not so much.  I wrote a novel in 30 days with the NaNoWriMo and I WILL write another in 80 days.

I need a day to ponder my goals and look ahead at my calendar, then I will post my official goals.

Thank you for telling me about this Alice!

My First Moleskine

I purchased a Moleskine journal/notebook and I am a little indimidated by it.  It is a beautiful thing, so beautiful I am afraid to write in it for fear of messing it up.

There is something about this paper which reminds me of old books and I can't help but wonder if, in 50 years or more, someone might stumble upon it and wonder about the girl who scribbled upon it's pages.

Breathe

Gentle and kind words are escaping me tonight.  Harsh, angry words are all that pours from my fingertips.  Occasionally, silence is best.

...breathe....

Hello New Project!

I have been head over heels in love with my previous project, which I'm about to be editing, and my current project, which is an extension of the first.  Perhaps my love for those projects is why I am so confused as to why I have made the decision to put the second one on hold for a little bit.  Surprisingly, it was an easy decision to make.  This is a first.

Last night, as I was about to drift off to sleep, an idea for a story struck me so hard I laid in bed and laughed over it for an hour.  It's true, I do amuse myself, but I think I accidentally thought up something really good this time.  There is a feeling in my gut telling me it is worth my time to pause the other project and work on this a while.

So...for the moment, goodbye romance and hello belly laughs!

Weekend Writing

Friday, Saturday and Sunday went by in a blur of loud music, stage lights and impossibly fast costume changes.  Yes, it was yet another dance competition and our last one for two months.  Despite the hectic schedule and my sleep deprived giggle-fits, I managed to write a little.

Some of my most brilliant phrases of the weekend were scribbled across the back of makeup removal wipes and even a tissue or two, I'm still not certain if my daughter had previously used them, but I was desperate.   If a love scene can sound good written on a used Kleenex is should sound brilliant on paper...or so I hope.

I wrote.  It may have been on various forms of paper-like materials, but I wrote.  I'm proud of that.

Pen & Paper

I love pen and paper.  Some people get excited about the soaps and travel shampoos in hotels, I get excited over the pens and little scratch pads left by the telephone.  Notes, plots, scenes and lists can be found floating through my house on everything from receipts and cocktail napkins to Moleskein notebooks.  The latter, however, usually leaves me searching for the perfect scene which was hastily shoved into a pocket during dinner out or a trip to the gas station.

Today, once again, my pen met paper and sparks flew.  I sat to write for a few minutes and ended up with an entire chapter.  Perhaps it's the feel of the pen gliding on the paper that encourages the words to flow or perhaps it's the connection I feel to writers of ages past, whatever the reason, today, pen met paper and lived happily ever after.

 

This Blog

When I started this blog I wanted it to focus on my writing, from what inspires me to what drives me crazy.   The past day I have reevaluated my goals and came to the conclusion that my desire remains the same. I need a home for my craft.  It may take me a while to turn these template pages into something of my own, but it will be done.

Each week I will set goals for myself.  Feasible goals which will vary, depending on the levels of mayhem in my life.  One goal which remain the same is to write every day.  It may be five sentences, it may be several chapters, the point is to write...EVERY DAY.

There will also be posts about books I am reading or have read.  How can anyone become a good writer if they aren't reading as much as they are writing?  I, for one, need to read the voices of my genre in order to distinguish my own, something I am still working on.

For now, it's time for me to put it away this blog for the night and deal with the characters who are screaming in my head.  I killed a character a few days ago only to discover she was already dead.  (Yes, this was intentional.)  She isn't exactly happy with me at the moment.  

Happy writing!

The Challenge

I have been challenged to write a blog post every day for a minimum of one month.  What have I gotten myself into!  If you look to see how active this blog has been, or hasn't been, you will understand how big of a challenge this is for me.  My name is Kali and I am a neglectful blogger.  This blog, despite my best intentions, petered out quickly when I couldn't come up with anything to say.  No, the sarcastic comments floating around in my head don't count.  As a writer how can I not have something to say?  No idea.  I just don't. My thoughts and opinions are a dime a dozen.  Perhaps it's lack of practice picking out topics from the world around me or walking around with blinders on.  Perhaps I'm scared to really say what I mean or what I feel.  Uh oh!  This isn't going to be me getting in touch with emotions is it?!  Writing fiction is different, trying to think up something to say about everyday life is a challenge.  Little snippets here and there on Facebook or Twitter are usually random thoughts, an entire post...not so much.  What if I take a bunch  of Twitter posts and smoosh them together and call it a blog post?  No?  Damn.

Let the challenge begin!  Creepy Jaws music is playing in my head... 

Introducing: Haut Insomniesque

Haut Insomniesque - The highest quality appearance and/or feeling of insomnia.

Example:  Kali was the picture of Haut Insomniesque this morning, her purple dress accentuated the dark circles under her eyes and her hairstyle could only be described as feverishly tousled.  Her days as a mother, and nights of a writer, were catching up to her.

Yes, I am coining a new term.  Don't judge.  I'm working hard on a manuscript and the Writing Fairies I keep company with don't "do" daylight hours well.  Therefore, my look seems to have taken on a life of it's own...Haut Insomniesque, so utterly un-together it astounds the mind.

Time to wander off and design some things...

NaNoWriMo

I've done it.  Kali McCray is officially signed up for the National Novel Writers Month (NaNoWriMo).  To say that I'm excited wouldn't be remotely accurate.  To say, my heart races at the very mention of NaNoWriMo and that I've started sleeping with a pen under my pillow, would be a bit closer.

Multi-Tasking

I like to knit.  Did I ever tell you that?  I like to crochet too.  No, I don't look like a granny.  Don't get me started down that path.

As pleasurable and relaxing as it is to knit, I can't help but feel a certain waste of time around me.  So, today I downloaded six audio-books.  If plunging through books and churning out lovely hand-made items isn't productive then there is something wrong with me.

Too bad I can't write and knit at the same time...

This pretty much sums it up for me today...

Writing is easy:  All you do is sit staring at a blank sheet of paper until drops of blood form on your forehead.  ~Gene Fowler

It Is Time...

Wow!  Hello again little blog!  You've been neglected.  My apologies.  Life this summer has been very full and I've been busy cherishing each moment of it.  Now Autumn is quickly approaching I need to finish the work I began a few months ago, and prepare for the novel I'll be writing in November for the NaNoWriMo.  It's time to get my head in the game!

I've spoken with a score of people who've completed the NaNoWriMo, and it certainly sounds like a daunting task.  One that I'm very much looking forward to.  They've warned me about the eccentric behaviors some writers might experience during the course of November.  I've heeded their advice and have started preparing friends and family, with the hope I won't be committed to a loony bin.  

Let the games begin!

Ink surrounds me all the time
On my bed sheets, recorded in rhyme
Quills ever scribbling in my head
Sometimes damnit I forget what they said.
Ink has settled into my fingerprints
But to keep the words I fear to rinse...
~Terri Guillemets

When words become unclear, I shall focus with photographs.  When images become inadequate, I shall be content with silence.  ~Ansel Adams

Today, I am a photographer.  And why not?  What more is a photographer but a writer who has learned to tell a story without uttering or typing a single word.

Since it is impractical to tote two children around along with my DSLR I have purchased a new point and shoot, the FujiFilm XP10.  It is an ultra compact digital 12.2 MP with 5x zoom and even has an AE setting which will allow me to customize the ISO, aperture and color in various situations.  Best of all, it's waterproof which means I can capture all the hi-jinx at the pool this summer and extra special moments such as the children dancing in the occasional rain shower! 

So Many Ideas...

There have been so many wonderful ideas pouring through my head today, it is such a shame that many of them will be forgotten or left by the wayside when life interfered and prevented me from recording each lovely detail of them all.  The good ones will come back to me, I'm sure if it. But a part of me wonders what happens to the other ideas that flutter away in the blink of an eye, when the phone rings or one of the children calls my name. 

Perhaps it is harsh to say that life has interfered when it is life in the first place that brings me these wonderful ideas.  It might be the way the sunlight catches the the glint of laughter in my daughter's eyes or they sound of my son's laughter resonating through our house.  So many ideas and inspiration and so little time to record it all without missing a precious drop.

Enough of the wistful thinking...My mind is set, I shall think of this over the next few days and see what solution I can come up with for myself since Post-Its have once again failed me.  A mini challenge for the weekend...

It is necessary to write, if the days are not to slip emptily by.  How else, indeed, to clap the net over the butterfly of the moment?  For the moment passes, it is forgotten; the mood is gone; life itself is gone.  That is where the writer scores over his fellows:  he catches the changes of his mind on the hop.  ~Vita Sackville-West