Sweet sound while writing.

Cross Post: Nearing 100 Pages of My Novel Re-write!

I am at 95 double-spaced pages of The Harvest:  A Novel.  I also shrunk the margins to 1 inch all around.  That may seem like a small victory for some writers who spend hours and hours writing (I am jealous of you fuckers with all that time to write).  However, the project is coming along and is mapped out better than the two times I wrote it in the distant past.  OK like 20 years ago.  This time, I am processing the novel, as a novel should be processed.

That is to say, I am practicing what I am teaching in my creative writing class and learned in past writing classes, which is why this meme of one of my favorite writers is so appropriate:  Nothing Works Until You Do.  You have to put the work into the thinking, brainstorming, mapping, writing, editing, revising, or else nothing gets done well.  Sure, you can draft a novel, and believe me, I have written some crappy ones in the past.

I wrote one about a boy who was possessed by demon and was being helped by a Wiccan bookstore owner, which is so cliché.  But, I killed the main character because no one could save him.  Who does that?  Poor planning.  I also wrote a horrible novella one time about a medieval princess who became a zombie and was in love with a prince.  Terrible, terrible.

Also, you have to kill the publication fantasies and write because you love the craft or find some other motivation to write.  I really think I am finally getting work done because I am writing out of love and have nothing to prove.  Plus, I have a steady job and don’t have to hustle to make a living, like some writers I know.  I respect them and love their work, but if I had to feed my family on writing, my family and I would be on the bread line constantly.  This doesn’t mean I will not hustle to sell books in the future, if I ever get anything in print, but that whole starving artist bullshit doesn’t work when you are my age with two small kids.  You also don’t need to be starving or sell a story for a bottle of gin to craft good work.

Writing, like everything, is a process and motivations vary.  I am trying to teach that to my students.  Enough preaching.

Yesterday, somebody asked me why I changed the main character's gender, and the truth is that I am not entirely sure why.  It just felt right.  I think it's because I wanted an internal point of view in the post-apocalyptic world I am crafting.  I also thought the conflicts and struggles would be more interesting coming from a girl in a matriarchal society.

Today, I also mapped out the genetic modifications in the novel, which is probably the more original aspect to the work.  I sent the ideas to my little sister who is one of my avid reader, and she gave me some great suggestions.  My sister is also my go to person for fight scenes, and I have an arena battle coming soon, but not yet for Ashley, the main character, because she is too young for the arena.

This week, I also got some more encouraging feedback from Adam, the editor of Down South Where the Water is Warm the short story collection I finished recently.  He got so scared from reading "La Bruja" that he is treading slowly into the next short story of the collection.  The truth is that one is the scariest story, and is maybe a little too influenced by Stephen King.  The rest of the stories, even the horror ones, are really about the connections people make and their struggles.  No matter if there are zombies or supernatural creatures, human beings are the most frightening beings and do the most horrific things to each other.  Still, I can't wait until Adam reads the zombie stories and werewolf story (which should probably be a novel and may very well be.)  You can read "Paranoia: The Corrido of Andrea Quinta" in my Current Work link which was published before in a zombie zine.  I also added a funny poem to the Poetry Section.

Well, with that, I’m off to make my bread.  I have been sick and fell behind on my work, work.  Plus, I spent most of Friday hacking up a lung while attending long meetings.  Now, I have narrative drafts to respond to and a pile of short stories to review!  I am so excited to read my students’ work.

Love what you do.  Enough said.

The Netherlands welcomes Trump in their own words

Cross Post: Staying True to My Writing Goal: No Writing, No Social Media

I haven't blogged for a while, not because I haven't wanted to blog or had something to write about.  I mean, so much is going, and we need to respond against stupid ideas.  No.  I have been true to my writing goal of not blogging or getting on social media if I don't work on the novel.

This week, I have been reading short stories because I have to for my creative writing course, but I have been analyzing what other writers do well along with my students.  Today, I took a closer look at "Speech Sounds" by Octavia Butler.  In that story, she did an amazing job of using the third person, and still had a great deal of action.  (As I write, the kids are making noise.  One is climbing on my arm.)

I have been thinking about character development, but I really just need to spend time thinking about my story and writing.  Yesterday, I had a chance to write for a block of time, but I made homemade pizzas instead.  What the hell.

On Monday, I also gave a talk on "Alternative Facts".  As I was working on the presentation, it just kept getting longer and longer.  Other speakers spoke about water protectors in South Dakota and what to do next.  Really, the last one spoke about the history of fascism and the historical  moment we find ourselves in.  The event was well received, and I hope more students will attend in the future.

I imagine a lot of people are speaking and writing against fascism right now, even one of my heroes Stephen King who has a wide audience.  His Tweets area funny, but true.

The struggle will be ongoing, but I will try to refocus and get back to the novel on a regular basis, while still actively resisting.

Write, write, write, and always #Resist.  The times call nothing else.

http://www.barrioblues.com/un-blog-de-writing-musings/staying-true-to-my-writing-goal-no-writing-no-social-media