The Blotter for You

There was a NaNoWriMo flop in 2010. The aftermath was a long-winded short story and after a year and a half of marinating and sporadic, brutal edits, In the Mourning is now seeing the light of day. This gangly short story has now been published in The Blotter along with two wonderful poems by fellow writers.

The Blotter is the quarterly publication of the Inkblot Society, an aspiring hodgepodge of writers bent on glorifying God through all sorts of shapes and sizes of writing.

There are many glaring errors encased in In the Mourning, but I am grateful to be forced to declare something  "finished" and have other people reading it. The two poems by other Inkblotters are quite good. You will enjoy. :-)

If you would like a copy of this publication of The Blotter, email or comment to let me know. I would be thrilled to send you one.

Following issues will be donation based to keep the Inkblot Society on top of printing costs, but this one is free to you from me. :-)

~Wordsmithy Giveaway~

Wordsmithy: Hot Tips for the Writing Life by Douglas Wilson

Canon Press 2011

Mandatory Entry 

1. Leave a comment describing why you write and/or think writing is important. 

Additional Entries 

2. Follow the Erratic Muse.

3. Share the news on Facebook or your blog with a link back to The Erratic Muse. 

4. Share the single most important thing you've learned while writing.

5. Share the title of your favorite book on writing. 

Be sure to leave a comment for each individual entry!

This giveaway will end on May 29th.

My rough draft deadline of my current writing struggle.

See Wordsmithy review. 

This is a writing book for anyone who uses words and language. :-)

2012 Wordsmithy Conference

Moscow, Idaho

Why Christians must write and what they must write about.

A lecture from Doug Wilson

from the 2011 Wordsmithy.

Some Days...

I think I forgot how to write a coherent sentence.

This is awkward.

Somewhere...there is progress.

I am the sort of man who writes because he has made progress, and who makes progress by writing. - St. Augustine

Word by Word

What I have in advance are people I want to write about and a problem or problems that I see those people encountering and that I want to explore - it all proceeds sentence by sentence, paragraph by paragraph, and scene by scene.

~Chaim Potok

Editing and readjusting my Mind

...with the mall, my sister, and 50 cent elephants

Earlier this week we spent three beautiful days in Lincoln City writing. I know many of you are probably hideously jealous... But the actual writing part wasn't all that dandy.

I'm on the fourth round of edits for my current nonfiction writing project and it's complete torture. For some reason this book has been extremely painful to write. And you can tell. I'm pretty sure the whole things sounds like someone typing while being hung by their toes.

My deadline is June 10th. I just know I'm not ready to write this book.

Thank God for other people! I have gotten so much input on this project. I am so thankful.

Many people have met with me, emailed me, talked with me, and advised me. And if it all turns rotten, I'm just going to blame it on them. ;-)

As in most things, my sistah friend (a.k.a. Polka Dot/Susannah) has been a huge help. (And yes, I did pirate the above picture directly off her blog.)

We went through the entire manuscript word by word. It was abstract, she made it personal. It was drab, she made it shiny. It was dull as tombs, she made it bouncy and lively. She can think of just the right word or phrase without even pausing. Why is it that writing comes so easy to those who don't even want to pursue it?

After sending the poor book back out for feedback, we packed our suitcases and hit the outlet malls. Susannah found one of those elephants you put quarters in so kids can ride...and yes, she did it. Only it wasn't meant for someone as tall as 5'9". An elderly man walked past and kept looking around and hollering, "That's too funny." So much for being discrete...

We came home and had internet again and Blogger was shut down for over 24hrs. Nice.

I tutor writing on Thursdays. I love writing with kids. They don't bang their head against the table and moan (generally), they just write. And it comes so easy and beautiful and imaginative! I can't begin to explain how teaching writing refreshes, encourages, and readjust my head about the whole thing.

You don't want to hear about our Clackamas Town Center adventure...that's a completely different story. ;-)

Let's just say it's been an interesting, wild, productive, and learning week. In the midst of a beautiful insane weekend, I am going to think about this--

Why is writing so hard for writers?

I think my mind needs some editing.

Thanks for reading,
Miss Pickwickian

Writing your first Screenplay

Writing screenplays or anything else that falls into that general category is a very good exercise. It forces you to focus on small details and good dialogue.

Learning to format a screenplay is tricky. There are several good program options. See a list here. I picked the Celtx program because it was free, looked easy to learn, and didn't take much to download.

I enjoy finding screenplays online and reading them along with the film. This has been the single best learning experience. I also have a slew of books that seem helpful although I haven't got into them near as much as I'd like. I should work up some reviews soon.

There are several social sites for screenplay writers that look helpful. I don't have any suggestions because I haven't joined any. I don't want that sort of distraction when finding time to write is so precious, but I think these sites can be very helpful and encouraging.

If you are a screenplay beginner I would look into Script Frenzy to get a good start. :-)

Let me know if you have any advice or experience in this area.

Thanks for reading,
Miss Pickwickian

Script Frenzy

Anyone else participating in Script Frenzy? :-)

I haven't a clue what I'd like to do yet and I have some big non-fiction writing deadlines, but I want to try to participate. I've been trying to get more familiar with the whole screenplay writing thing anyways and this would be a lighthearted way to practice.

What shall I write about?

If your participating, what is script going to be about? If you think of it, friend me on their site!

Thanks for reading,
Miss Pickwickian

~Inkwell Necklace and Gift Card Giveaway~

Inkwell necklace and $15 gift card to Bookish Charm.

1. Visit Bookish Charm and comment about your favorite item.

2. Follow The Erratic Muse

3. Like The Erratic Muse on Facebook.

4. Blog and/or Facebook about this giveaway.

And for fun...

5. Answer one or all of these questions-- How do you get inspired? How often do you write? What's your average word count?

Bookish Charm, you are an amazing shop (see "Write" necklace). Thank you so much for sponsoring this giveaway!

Thanks for entering,
Miss Pickwickian

Write. Even when it hurts.

"Write"
Necklace by Bookish Charm

The last two weeks have been hectic, but I have just enjoyed a complete day at home. It was marvelous. :-)

I need to rethink my schedule. I need to get more writing time in. There are always those days of insanity or simple exhaustion when there isn't time or energy to write. Lately they seem to be stacking on top of each other and it's hard to make much progress. I think I need to make myself write anyways...even when there isn't time or brain power.

Is the only solution sleep deprivation?

Is it possible to write and not be a zombie? ;-)

Over the next few days I really need to hash this out. How am I going to make this happen? Hopefully you'll see some encouraging posts on this topic soon.

In the mean time...Visit Bookish Charm. :-)

This is a wonderful shop that you will probably fall in love with if you are a word nut.

I have her amazing "Write" necklace (pictured above). I'm contemplating wearing it 24/7 as a reminder. ;-) It's strong, but beautiful looking. At first I was worried it would be to big for me. I'm into smaller, more delicate jewelry, but it isn't too big at all. I like to hang it where I can see it, if I'm not wearing it. ;-)

Some new additions to Bookish Charm have recently caught my eye (like these-- "Not all who wonder are lost" and "All the World's a Stage...").

I will be hosting a giveaway of this inkwell necklace along with a $15 giftcard starting later this week!

Thanks for reading,
Miss Pickwickian

Writing Junk, a Poem, and other Rambles

If you are a writer you've probably been told to write junk. I write it continuously.;-) But what this is supposed to mean is "get started on something or anything."

If you don't feel like you're in the right mood yet, just scribble away with whatever comes to mind. This gets you doing something and pretty soon you can get down to the project you want. Writing junk has been the only way I have defeated writer's block besides running and brushing my teeth. This is how my sorry excuse for song lyrics started out.

Many experienced writers suggest starting with poetry or some sort of metered ramble. This helps you get into the flow and rhythm of words. While this can be a little degrading for the cause of poetry, I think it works really well.

The biggest problem I have when I touch the keyboard after a break is stiffness. When I start writing all the words are going to be one syllable in five word long sentences. I have to get myself to loosen up somehow. I haven't got all this figured out yet, and my writing of "junk" is much more extensive than warm ups, but I know it's helped me.

Now I actually want to learn how to write semi-respectable poetry. Why do I have so many interests? I can't possible learn enough about everything I want to! It's so easy to just end up knowing a little bit about everything...and it's not all that helpful.

So, I'm sharing a piece of "junk" with you.

I've have two song ideas that I've been hashing out for several months now. As soon as I get really attached to an idea it's so hard to make it work. If I just start writing to write and something comes out, everything is so much easier. I'm sure you've experienced this before. A very natural phenomenon.

So, these two ideas are still in a jumble, but I did write something rambling to get in the mood.

I didn't have much of an idea of where I was going, but when I could tell I was going somewhere, I started to think of where that might be... (I'm so organized. :-P)

I recently read I Capture the Castle which was certainly an interesting book. I really liked most of it, but a couple issues came up that have been (apparently) simmering away in my mind.

In the book, Cassandra, the heroine, dabbles in Christianity but basically decides it's a sort of opiate for not really living life. She thinks she'd rather have the pain and misery and really feel and experience everything. The "pious" people she knows seem kind of secluded in their corner and rather childish. The book doesn't really come to a conclusion and just abandons the thread.

You hear this idea other places too. I think the way a lot of artists think relates. They just want to live. Don't bother with the other stuff (a.k.a. not doing whatever you feel like).

I'm not sure if I'm explaining this well, but it seems like a pretty sad idea.

I don't think you can truly feel all the wonderful things God intended for us without Him.

Love, joy, suffering, hope, death...they're all meaningless without Christ. What is joy without God? Can we even call that sort of one-dimensional happiness joy? Where is hope? Love is only centered on ourselves. How is that love?

Christians fall flat on their face and feel it. They also feel the exhilaration and forgiveness as they are picked back up by something stronger than themselves.

Yeah...so, anyways. Here's the song/poem/junk thing-

I know no wisdom
I see no truth
I run without looking
I stop without stumbling

There is no beginning
There is no end
There are men circling
There are men spinning

I have no confidence
I have no hope
I live without meaning
I die without leaving

They sing their singing
They shout their praise
They cry while dancing
They sin while praying

I cannot discern
I know no joy
They run while looking
They laugh while stumbling

I feel no future
I have no tears
They praise while dying
They laugh when crying

I always enjoy thoughts and criticism.

Thanks for reading,
Miss Pickwickian

Keep Persevering....

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

Writing is the hardest way of earning a living, with the possible exception of wrestling alligators
~Olin Miller

Write without pay until someone offers to pay.

~Mark Twain

Novel Update...

I mentioned that I had 60,000 words in this one millionth draft of Where Loyalties Lie... While I can't believe it but I'm considering changing the POV again. It's been mulling about for along time.

Remember the NaNoWrMo story? While I did finish that and got some very encouraging and helpful feedback on it. (I can talk about it now because it was a present for my mother and now she finally has it. :-)

I wrote it in first person just how it came out and it was extremely liberating and fun. (Don't worry, I went back and edited before I handed out any copies. ;-)

I feel like when I write in first person POV it is so much easier and it actually has some life. Nearly all the books I really adore are in first person. But my story has some essential plot elements that will be really tricky written this way.

I've read books that switch from one first person POV to another, but I've never liked it. One exception is Frankenstein and which is in letters or stories that the main character hears or reads. Gail Carson Levine's Ever was one example of this that failed for me (although I love her other books).

I have seen some authors pull off writing in first person for one character and third for another. Robert Newton Peck's Bro is like this and it's very powerful.

I don't know...

One huge advantage in first person POV is that your POV character can be relatively unlikeable but it's still easy to be sympathetic with. Reading back through what I've written I feel like Lilly is a very unlikable character, but that she just might pull it off in first person. I've never thought of her as unlikable, but that's certainly the way it comes across.

Of course there are a lot of edits that need to be done and the manuscript might look a little nicer with them, but right now... I'm seriously thinking about changing it.

I can't believe it... Ugh. I've already written most of it in about everybody's perspective under the sun, including multiple first persons.

I think I might be more cut out for just trying to look through one insignificant person's eyes than in trying to master the epic.

We shall see...

Thanks for reading,
Miss Pickwickian

The Promise - Chaim Potok

The Promise by Chaim Potok

A Fawcett Columbine Book published by Ballatine Books

Rating: 9

Readability: I rarely get impeded in a book where I can not function... I am perfectly capable of walking away from mainstream suspense, but not Potok.

Impact: High! An 8 or 9.

Read it Again: Yes.

Recommend It: Yes.

What to Expect:

The second book to The Chosen, but one that could also stand alone.

Danny and Reuven are both going through college and graduate school. The book focuses on controversies within their community and the life of a mentally ill young man they both get involved with. It also ties in the lives of Jews who traveled to America after being liberated after World War II.
Find out the rest for yourself... :-)

Compared to The Chosen, I think Potok's writing style was greatly improved and much more polished...however some books just have a soul to them in a way an author can not fully repeat.

I feel like this about Robert Peck, Potok, Sigmund Brouwer, and a few others. Not that their other works weren't amazing, but one certain book was the book they had to write.

Having said all that, The Promise is a wonderful book! It can stand alone beautifully and attests to the skill and wisdom of it's author.

My Squib:

After finishing The Chosen I was determined to write an intelligent and favorable review. If you recall...it didn't happen. I wrote about three or four unintelligible rambles.

There's just something I can't explain here. When I finish one of Potok's books I just don't feel like analyzing it...and that's weird for me.

He truly is a master story teller and he wraps things up so nicely and so beautifully it's almost like I don't dare open the book back up.

I have never read more satisfying endings, even to great epics. It's so strange.

I seriously think Potok was writing strait at my soul.

(Not soul as in my Soul. Don't worry, I'm not about to become Jewish. But soul as in... like "my gut". Maybe "gut" would be a better word but it sounds extremely unladylike... Yeah...anyways...)

Ok...Am I making any sense here?

The Facts are these-

I love Potok.

His style, his characters, his plots, his questions, his oddities.

And I love Daniel Saunders.

To bad he wouldn't spend sometime reading the New Testament instead of Freud. It's probably the only book he's never read...

Oh yeah...besides the fact that he's fictitious.

I will force myself to analyze and write an intelligent post about Potok's style and world soon. I actually have a lot of things I'd love to talk about, especially to anyone who's already read some Potok and has their own opinions.

And if you haven't...go do so.

From the Book:

"You understand what it is to make a choice...? A choice tells the world what is most important to a human being. When a man has a choice to make he chooses what is most important to him, and that choice tells the world what kind of man he is." -Rav Kalman

"That is the way the world is, Reuven. Each generation thinks it fights new battles. But the battles are the same. Only the people are different." ~David Malter

Have a good New Years Eve!

Thanks for reading,

Miss Pickwickina

Busy Writing

Recently I've been noticing some alarming patterns in my writing.

1) In my fiction, I can't seem to start a sentence with anything except the subject.

2) I have been throwing away and starting over instead of rewriting and editing (and I think this has been going on for years). And rewriting is the worst. :-)

3) I can't seem to write anything with out killing somebody. (In the story...you understand.)

4) I'm in the middle of too many projects.

I was able to get a lot of writing done over the last week.

The last Saturday of November I think I broke my record with 5,300 words in one project in one day.

I wrote over 15,00 words over the week and the end of Where Loyalties Lie is actually in site! That is exciting for me (like...really, really, really exciting!). I know it's going to need some extremely painful and deep rewriting, but at least something is getting down!

I need to focus on non-fiction writing projects for awhile, so I'm hoping I can finish the rough draft (which is still going to take some time and dedication) and then work through the non-fiction I need to do.

We'll see.

I've been working on several projects side by side, but I just need to storm some and finish them! (At least rough drafts...please!)

I've been doing a lot of reading...so you should be seeing some book reviews this week. (Not sure how many people will get excited about that, but there it is....)

I am currently down at my sister's getting refreshed by the wild, creative, and tireless imagination of an adorable little girl and the snuggles and sweetness of her little sister. Life is good...and I am exhausted.

Thanks for reading,
Miss Pickwickian

The Word War has begun!

Start typing!

Don't worry about not being able to devote all the time to writing. I certainly won't. Just start writing! (Read more about the word war.)

When it hits 6pm post your finished word count. Hope it goes well. :-)

Thanks for participating,

Miss Pickwickian

(P.S. Like the pic? lol)

Word War - Nov 27th 1-6pm

I'm hosting a Word War tomorrow at 1-6pm (west coast time).

If you haven't participated in a word war, it works like this-

You write during the specified. When it's over you count up your words and post your word count. Whoever got the most (obviously) wins!

Please be honest. Only count the words written during 1-6.

(It's a long window so that those of us that have to be interrupted still have a chance. I don't expect you all to write nonstop...but if you do, you'll probably win! ;-)

Hopefully this will help out some of you struggling to make your NaNoWrMo goal!

The prize is-

1) You will get a lot of writing done. ;-)

2) We will respect your creativity and typing abilities.

3) I will send you Becoming a Writer by Dorothea Brande

Get ready!

Feel free to chat on the comments page about what's going on and how you are doing.

I hope you can participate. Don't worry if you can't get a lot done-- join in anyways! Some of us are going to stay in the low hundreds, don't worry. You won't be alone. ;-)

Thanks so much!

Miss Pickwickian

Back to Routine

So, today I'm having a serious talk with myself. I need to get back to my daily word count.

I've been hammering through the rewrites on my short story, but now I've sent it to some trusted friends and I'm trying to remain at peace while I wait for feedback. Hopefully they'll still talk to me. :-)

This morning didn't go so well. You can ask Suzy. ;-)

I grabbed anything in arms reach to distract me...and since I've been trying to teach myself to enjoy poetry, Suzy got a good dose of Shakespeare's sonnets, Oscar Wilde, and Lord Byron.

I did discover a few things...

I've read Shakespeare's Sonnets more than once now, but it was an interesting review.

I'm fairly new to Oscar Wilde's poetry.

Suzy rejoiced over The Grave of Keats (I think Bright Star scared her forever) and reveled in The Dole of the King's Daughter although I'm not sure we figured out what it means exactly. I like Oscar Wilde's frequent references to Shakespeare and his characters too. His Ode to Portia is kind of cool.

I confessed I laughed during Byron's Lines Inscribed Upon a Cup Formed from a Skull. I don't think it was Suzy's favorite though. :-)
I discovered When we Two Parted which is what In Silence or Tears is based of (this is on the Gaudreau, Bennett, and Auldridge album, This Old Town). I had no idea. I love that song!

That was kind of cool.

All this caused me to irrupt in a few stanzas dedicated to Suzy, but she was not impressed.

So yes...I have writer's block.

But I will conquer it this afternoon.

I just need to tie myself to my chair, remove all the books from my reach, and start typing.

So yeah...I guess I should get going.

Sorry for the ramble,
Miss Pickwickian

NaNoWrMo Failures

Sounds like an uplifting post, doesn't it?

While, I have a few problems.

1) I am not altogether pleased with my story

That's not really a new problem...but, you know.

2) It is written in first person and "I" doesn't have a name. In a family that names kitchen knives and dead seagulls, this is especially unacceptable. He is referred to as X.

3) I only have 11, 372 words.

Considering the fact that I've been sick and I had a niece born..what's with that anyways? :-)

Alright, so I'm okay with how much I've gotten done considering the circumstances, but it still isn't enough.

4) And WORST of all- My story ended.

Yeah... I don't think I've ever finished a story yet that wasn't somehow related to school (I have no idea why I'm admitting this). This one just comes to an end 38628 words short.

I have never in my life been able to handle a short story, and here I write one by accident. It's ridiculous. I mean, Where Loyalties Lie is over 50,000 words long and I'm probably only about 1/3 through...

Bleg...I am such a failure.

But on a brighter note...

I loved writing this.

It was an idea that has been stewing for some time, but repressed because of the magnitude of my current story. I thought writing a novel in November would be the perfect opportunity. I knew 50,000 words would be stretch for the idea, but I certainly thought it would go farther than 11, 372.

I sat down to this story to just write.

I didn't go back and read anything. I just went. I didn't even use the synonym finder. I wrote what I wanted and kept going.

And now I'm anticipating some major and deep revisions and editing (if not throwing it away altogether..:-).

But I had one of the best times writing ever. I mean, writing hadn't been so much fun in a long time. It was marvelous. And even if the whole thing is a piece of junk, I think it helped me get over a hump and I'm now very refreshed.

I printed it and handed it over to my sister. She already knows the idocentric aspects of my spirit and I'm too afraid to show it to her (okay, not very afraid, anyways).

It probably has the most of me in it since I wrote about Erich, Peter, and Gabriel at their boys boarding school when I was nine. That's not really a good sign.
But I feel at peace.

I know my sister likes me, even if I don't come across very sensible on paper. :-)

Now, the question is-

a) Do I completely bag my goal of 50,000 words?

b) Do I go back to Where Loyalties Lie and try to get 38628 words written before the end of the month?

c) Do I start another and try to make it come to about 38628 words?

My sister wants one on about a Huguenot...I've never seen myself writing historical fiction, but I do think the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre has a lot of story potential and people should certainly know about it. (All the dying would certainly fit into my general writing style...lol.)

e) Just write what I can in Where Loyalties Lie while I slog through some serious edits in this new story?

Anyways....

So, yeah. That's what's been going on in my writing life.

Thanks for listening. You're very kind.

Miss Pickwickian

Giveaway Ends November 1st

If you haven't entered the giveaway, please do. They are all excellent books. All you have to do is comment on this post for one entry!

Reformation Day is tomorrow! I'm excited about our celebration. I hope you have a good day too. :-)

National Novel Writing Month is approaching. I've never attempted this before, but I have an idea that would be perfect. I'm still trying to decide because I have a non-fiction writing deadline before the end of December. I'm also not sure I want to take that long of a break in the novel writing right now. We'll see...

I'm signed up at the moment, so if your trying, find me and friend me. :-)

And as an added bit of info...my brother turns 23 today! Happy Birthday! You are awesome. :-)

Thanks for reading!
Have a superb Reformation Day!
Miss Pickwickian