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How once woman went from being a SAHM of four to a published freelance science journalist |
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I'm revising this intro after more than 15 years to better reflect my intention When I started this blog in 2004, I was a stay at home mom to two small children, a college graduate with a degree in English and Astrophysics. By 2007, I had four small children, ages newborn, 2, 4, and 6. For several years, Writing.com was how I kept my sanity. This blog began, first as a way of staying connected. Later, when I worked on a novel, I used it to stoke the writing fires as I plotted out short stories and the next step of my novel. Ultimately, I moved my writing preparation to "Invalid Item"  In 2010, I became a single mom who had homeschooled her children for several years. I had a 2, 4, 6 and 8 year old and had never had a "real" full time job, since I was married while in college. Everyone told me that I would have to buckle down and take on a "real" job. Instead, I decided to attempt to live my dream: to make it as a writer. I knew that if I didn't try then, I would never really dive in. I counted my money and set a deadline. If I hadn't began making a decent (defined) amount of money after so many months, I would suck it up and get a J-O-B. After some thought, I decided to play to my strengths. I served an internship at Sky & Telescope magazine while in college and enjoyed writing about space and astronomy. With an astrophysics degree, I thought I would be able to sell myself more easily, and a small niche should be easier to penetrate. It's been about ten years since I was first paid for an article on Space.com. In that time, writing - journalism - has been my primary moneymaker. I've often thought about setting up a blog on my website - www.astrowriter.com - but just haven't gotten around to it. There are a few things I would like to share for those who are interested in scientific journalism in general. Now that I'm back on WDC, there's no reason not to combine the two and use the site blog for that sort of interaction. There are certainly plenty of folks on this site interested in the publication process. So while I'll probably meander around some, that's the intention of of this blog: to share some of my struggles as a published journalist and to help answer oft-asked questions. |
Well, the baby's dropping and the contractions are still overjoying me with their presence. I may not make it until next week, which would be mildly irksome, despite my Feb 8th due date. I would really like to hold out until my son's birthday on the 19th, so I can really focus on him during that time. He'll be 2, so it's not like he'll know the difference, but I'll know, and it'll make me sad. I know that when the baby comes, we won't get much one-on-one time together. He's such a good little man, though. I don't worry about him as much as I do about my daughter. I think she's going to have serious attention issues. Still, they both react well around little babies, and give them lots of attention (not to mention the fact that they are very gentle with them), so I think they'll treat the baby well. Despite the resentment.  Anyway.I just finished my nap, not very effective. Out of the about 2 hrs I spent laying in bed (some by myself, some with my daughter coming in and out, and some with my son with me because I sent my daughter in to wake him up), I think I slept about 15 mts. But at least I got that. I'm looking forward to bedtime tonight, let me tell you. Alright, so I'm working on my third short story for my novel. This one is actually based on a contest prompt, and I wish it would hurry up and be 8:30 so I can finish it. I took my laptop over to my inlaws house last night and put together about 600 words there. I will probably manage to finish tonight; if I don't, I'll be very close and may have to "work" "overtime", LOL. It's for the Regular Writing Rampage, and it's going to be based on Jonathan again. I couldn't help it. There were three prompts, and the one I chose was about a boy (I changed his name, with permission, of course) who had broken his leg right before it snowed outside. So of course that had to be Jonathan. Mr. Adventerous himself. I'm going to have him get hurt after he sneaks out. My husband said that's a horrible thing to do, but it makes sense to me. And of course, since he's Jonathan, he's going to get hurt improving the sledding that his siblings are already doing. He's going to make it faster, of course. He's all about speed. I also decided to do a bit of sponsorship. I sponsored "The Water Slide" under the sponsored links, and I put "The Conference" under static items. I put the word count in both brief descriptions, so hopefully only those folks who are ready for a long story will read them. I recieved my gps from the EnduReviewing contest, and decided to play around with them a bit. Maybe I can get some more feedback this way. Probably not, but maybe. I also made them both auto-reward items, so that will help them stand out a bit more as well. At least I can (hopefully) get some reviews, even if they are just 250 words. In the meantime, I'm still tired. I woke up at 5 this morning with my son, and finally got him out of bed around 7. I figured we might as well get up, and get my daughter up. I was hoping we would be able to nap today. Well, he did, at least. And I got to rest. I should probably go work on my family letter. I haven't written anything this month. I think what I'll probably do is finish up this story about Jonathan and then scan the prompts for another one for Caroline. Let me know if you have any ideas or know any good contests!  |
Yes, yes, let me take a bow. Once again, I met my goal. I actually finished my short story about the water slide. Oops, forgot to link it; well, here:
Anyway, I just sat down and wrote and wrote and wrote, and I finally finished. And you know what? It wasn't really all that painful! Once I got going, I sort of fell into my groove. It was kind of a nice groove, too. In fact, when the phone rang, I decided not to even answer it; I just kept writing. Of course, I did debate it, but the point was made in my head that 'this is my writing time'. (My husband has taken the kids away, away, away, though I thought they'd be back about now. Guess not.) I finished it when Jonathan and his brother were making up. Then, as I thought about it, I was like, hello, the slide isn't even finished! And sorry guys, but the slide was the big reason for my writing! So I had to wrap it all the way up! I think it turned out better, too, because then we got a little more character growth. Not with Jonathan, but with his brother. But it all worked out. So it turns out that Jonathan, with his fantastic grin, is quite the kidder. And boy does he grin. I think I should probably check that, because I'm pretty sure I overused it.But I couldn't help it; he seems like, well, such a grinner! I think I decided - I don't remember if I put it down, but I'm pretty sure I did - that Jonathan is going to have a great and attractive smile. Now I know why he keeps flashing it! And he is very positive and upbeat. In short, he came out a lot like I wanted him to! But I was still surprised somewhat. Like I said, it's good to see this side of him now, because if it were to come out in the novel and I had placed him as the pessimist, well, I'd have something of a problem! Instead, I think his attitude will blend nicely with Caroline's; they're going to compliment each other well. <grin> Maybe I'm just a grinner. Anyway, I'm really surprised. I didn't plan on writing today. Today was supposed to be a 'with the kids' day. We had our date night last night with my 3 year old, which she loved. She fell asleep in our bed watching tv. Then we picked my son up today, and he was having a blast. We took both kids to the hospital and showed them the newborns. I think they got a kick out of that. I can't wait til they have a new baby here. They 'play' really well with their friend's new baby (6 mos), so I think they'll do fine. My daughter was also really gentle when my son was born; she didn't start assaulting him until he was walking around and assaultable.  My husband, as I said, has taken our kids up to look at the land and surrounding area for the site our possible house will possibly be built on. I can't say I'm excited, but the big selling point for these guys - who have, incidentally, lied repeatedly - is that they are actually insane enough to plan on buying my in-laws house. They are also really slow and frequently late. However, since they just put money down on the land (they want to build a subdivision), my husband assures me that they will be more likely to get moving. Incidentally, the fact that I don't want to live in a subdivision doesn't seem to play a role in this home purchase. My mother-in-law does, and, well, I won't tell you my husband's response (since there is a chance, however small, that my MIL might read this), but let's just say that it looks like we're moving into a subdivision. My only hope is that this subdivision is down a long dirt road and that I am fervently hoping the folks one field over don't plan on selling out. But I'm sure they will. What can I say? I'm a country girl. I have to come up with my next plot, but I'm thinking that instead I might go work on my novel. I'll peek into a couple of prompts later this evening and then I'll probably come back here and develop them somewhat. Oh, dear, I forgot that I was going to check out the contest page. I wonder if there are any good prompts up yet? Anyway, gotta run; my husband neglected to call and tell me he was on the way home, and now he expects dinner to be ready. Grrrr. |
| How many changes do you think I will wind up going through before I have something settled? I am such a wimp. Today's thought: length and contests. I've been having a good old time writing my extended short stories, and I may keep them up, possibly even for publication and non-site submission. However, as I noticed with my last story, it just got a bit too long. Maybe that was me. <eyeroll> Anyway, I think I'd get more reviews and feedback (and thus an idea of whether or not I have consistant characterization) if I do a couple of shorter stories. Then, I can utilize my other days for novel organization and, perhaps, actually start the sucker. If all else fails, I can enter "Invalid Item" for some real quickies. In fact, I was thinking of doing that for today. That water slide story sort of bummed me out.Then of course comes the question - would a real writer just 'quit' due to lack of inspiration? Especially considering that the story is being written, in and of itself, to inspire? Perhaps what I really need is to chain myself to the table and just write. Even if it comes out crappy, at least it will be done and out there. Then, at some future point, I can go through and edit and clean it up. Or, would a real writer go ahead and take a break? Today's prompt for the Writer's Cramp, granted, does not inspire me either, but I'm sure I can mold something out of it. And, I confess, I'm greedy and would like to win said gps. After all, I am trying to save up enough in gps for next year's upgrade. (point of pride: this year's upgrade was covered entirely by gps) Deep sigh. If the contest really did inspire me, then I would give more of a thought to utilizing the prompt and going from there. But the sad truth is, it doesn't. Not only that, but there are no kids, no husband, no one else around here. If I need to wrench a story out of a prompt, why not do it on the one I have already started and developed? Just because it is hard? Life is hard, writing is hard, and if I really want to do this professionally, I need to get my little rear in gear and write even when I don't want to. That said, I am going to go and work on my short story. It, too, will probably wind up much too long and inconclusive, but that's okay. I can live with that. As long as I bring Jonathan to life as well as I've brought Caroline to life. Because the truth is, even with a 'chapter' story on her youth, she has become more realistic to me. I can see some of her struggles in her childhood, and I look forward to interacting with her a bit more later in her life. There are several short stories I would like to do with her, I think, to bring her more to life, especially as she reaches adulthood, but for now I need to focus on Jonathan. A thought, of course, crossed my mind: I thought, why not do several on Caroline, then switch to Jonathan, then the villan? I think the solution I determined was that I was afraid I would lose my momentum and connection with Caroline by the time I got to the yet-unnamed bad guy. Tragic, isn't it? Okay, so off to finish my waterslide story. Interesting that both of these character sketches are on children. At some point, I'm going to have to sit down and figure out my bad guy and smooth my story out a bit more. I think what will most likely happen, however, is that I will spend next week working on my characters and then, perhaps, start the novel the following week (you know, the week I plan on giving birth). That should be a fun time. Anyway, if I start doing shorter, contest-prompted stories, then perhaps I will be able to develop the characters in various situations a bit more thoroughly. And of course I can still do character stories while doing the research and writing historical stories. I'm stalling, can you tell? I just don't want to write. Maybe that means I really need to. It probably means that this whole section will turn out needing to be seriously revised and cut into slices with not much surviving, but you know what? At least I'll be writing. Because right now, for the month, I've done more journaling than actual short story writing.  I know, I know. I'm going. |
| Yeah! I'm very happy, what can I say? I met my goal for the week. I got up this morning at SIX-stinking-THIRTY in the dark and stumbled in to my laptop. I spent an hour drinking cocoa (I don't do coffee, and I have to wake up SOMEHOW, plus it was COLD this morning!) and looking for markets for my short stories. Well, short story, to be specific. I was looking for a market for "Invalid Item" , which is a comedy (and, incidentally, great fun to write). I think it's one of my more polished pieces. I probably ought to start looking for a market for one of my holiday pieces first, since there's such a lead time and I get so little time to do it, but I'm going to stick through this one first. There is, as usual, a method to my madness. I pulled out the Writer's Market and looked in the index. Just as I remembered, there is a section in the back that lists magazines by the genre they are searching for. So I went through and added to my spreadsheet. My plan is to have the piece printed and in the mail at the end of the month. I guess I should probably go ahead and prepare a cover letter for that, eh? But I am bound and determined to stick to my plan and keep writing and submitting after the baby is born. That's going to take a bit more work - I don't know how I'll manage getting up at 6:30 in the morning when I'm already going to be up and down with a newborn, but I WILL perservere. The evening shots are going to be a bit easier, because I already told my husband that he was taking the baby during those segments. I have to have SOME peace at SOME point in the day. Hopefully, we will be able put the baby down at that point for an hour <fingers crossed> and I will be able to stay AWAKE and focus on writing. We'll see how it goes. So my market research - I've decided that it is more important to "break into print" than to get the big bucks. Consequently, I'm considering literary magazines (the type that pay with contributor copies) and e-zines to garner exposure. I figure that, if nothing else, being in print will help when it comes time to submit my novel. Not only that, but most of the stories I am looking at submitting are those that are already posted on Writing.com, which means there are only certain rights I can sell, not "all" or "first" rights. The literary and electronic magazines are more flexible in that respect. And since right now, all that's happening is they are floating on Writing.com (granted, they are picking up some great feedback while floating), I may as well use them to my benefit. In the meantime, I may work a bit harder on some off-site short stories (we'll see about THAT) for paying publication. Anyway, in case you think I have issues, let me assure you that I am, first and foremost, a night owl. I come from a long line of night owls. Whether it's genetic or environmental, both of my parents (divorced) managed to instill it in me. My mom is up into all hours of the night; she likes to start cleaning her house or work on major projects at two in the morning (usually active stuff). My dads projects are usually more "outside" stuff, but he likes to relax with the television or a cup of coffee and a book, or even just a book, until three or four in the morning. They are both much better than I am at getting up early the next morning. On top of that, my dad's mom is also a late-night reader; when we visit, she is usually up until ten or eleven talking and then she goes to bed and reads. She's also an early riser <shudder>. My mom's parents, well, they tend to go to bed early. We don't talk about them. I do my best work - and my best relaxing - at night. I'm easily sucked into a book and will stay up all night reading. But I also tend - especially while I'm pregnant and can't get anything done with two toddlers underfoot - towards spending a few hours cleaning up. Granted, that's a rarity; it usually happens when a) I can't sleep and b) the house has gotten fairly cluttered and depresses me. But it has to be both - the cluttered house alone won't move me. Granted, the lack of sleep is becoming more frequent, but the house is generally cluttered now, so that makes it easier. But I love to write, and I'm clearer at night. I think I mentioned earlier that I considered early-rising and writing. However, my night-owlness makes that not a really good idea. For one thing, my brain is sharper in the evening than in the morning. For another, I have really enjoyed spending the daytime of this week focusing on my stories. It gives me a bit more of a chance to get them developed. The submitting for markets, well, that doesn't require as much thought, and certainly didn't require so much creativity. I'll probably shoot for more awakedness (is that a word?) when I write my query letter(s), but that's a whole nother story. Or project. Maybe I should have worked on it last night. Speaking of which, I got my best review today of my character sketch. As I suspected, she said the ending was a bit too abrupt and she would like to see more of the "what happens next". I think I should probably refile this as a chapter, since what happens next is that she goes on and skips school and graduates college early. And then goes back in time and becomes part of my novel. Incidentally, my fantastic reviewer (it was public, if you want to check it out, I'm sure you do LOL) was SherrasQ   , who is also a great writer. I highly recommend her for reading! Anyway, I just checked, and I guess I did list it as a chapter, which is helpful.I also think I am going to go back and finish this story. I need to add a conclusion; I'll probably add it on as a seperate piece. I'm not quite sure yet what I'll do. We'll have to see. I'll probably ponder it through here. Then I'll link the two stories so that the second is found through the first (and advise the reader to read the first, first). Did that make any sense? Incidentally, I found the problem with getting up early in the morning and doing stuff. I'm exhausted! Worn out! I have no energy! Of course, that could just be the pregnancy. It could just be my life in general. I planned to get the kids up early, once I finished, but the sad truth is I spent nearly ten minutes trying to get both my eyes open at the same time. By the time the computer was booted and the cocoa was finished, it was closing in on 7 o'clock, and then, an hour later, it was nearly 8 which isn't early for the kids. I skipped their nap today, so they'll go to bed early <whew> but that just makes me SUPERexhausted. And now they are taking a nap on tv - talk about unfair!Tonight we are taking my 3 year old out on a 'date' with us. My 2 yr old is spending the night with his grandparents. My daughter has been having "attention" issues. She's about a month early - the baby isn't even here yet! But we haven't had a chance to spend much time with her alone, and I think she feels the squeeze. The thing is, my in-laws usually prefer to keep her by herself, while we keep my son. This means my son is fairly happy but my poor little girl doesn't get the attention she needs.  On top of that, Mommy's been more tired lately and so more snappy and frustrated and waspish. It feels like my kids are out to get me some days. On top of THAT, she's potty training. She was doing really good as of August, but in the last month or so she's seriously regressed; she doesn't even go to the toilet. Her messes tend to frustrate me even more - especially the second or third one of the day - and I get even more upset. It's a vicious cycle. But anyway, she's easy to please. We're going to have dinner together, just the three of us, and then we'll watch Harry Potter. We pay-per-viewed it (the new one), tivoed it, and I just burned it on DVD. So we'll be able to watch it while we lay in our bed under the covers. We may even have a big pretzel, but at the very least we'll have some popcorn. She loves when we do that, and she loves cuddling. We'll let her sleep either in our bed tonight or on the mattress on the floor, depending on how much room she takes up and what my husband wants to do and I think she'll wind up quite happy.Speaking of goals, I had to wonder if I was going to keep on-target. I'm doing the NaNoWriMo contest, which, granted, is supposed to be for a novel but smaller works were okayed. I'm doing a combination of short stories and journaling. Most of my journaling I try to keep on track with stuff about my novel, but as you can tell, I'm not doing that totally. I'm supposed to have 13,462 words by Sunday night, and I'm not writing on Sunday. Not counting this journalistic entry, I have 16,313, so I'm just shy of 3000 words ahead of schedule. I am going to try to write some tomorrow night, but it's not a definitely-goaled plan, so I'm glad to see that it works on my schedule even if I don't. I'd better figure out what I'm going to write, though!Alright, well, that's it for me for now. I'm going to go eat some Oreos and read. I'm wiped out today. All day, I've been sitting down and drinking water and trying not to exert myself, but from the start - sitting here looking for markets - I've been having contractions. I'm ready to have this baby!!!!!!!! |
| Blah blah blah. What can I say? I actually have a scheduled hour to write, free of the kids (albeit not the most comfortable - I'm in a clutter spare room with a laptop in a wing chair about a hundred years old with my feet propped up on a mattress), with certified quiet time, no hubbie to bother me (he's zoning out in front of the tv), and I can't seem to write. I don't know what's wrong with me. This story has been bugging me all day. I think I need to quit reading these writing newsletters that talk about organization and elements. I know it's dreadfully vain of me, but I get fairly decent reviews and frequent "you should publish this" compliments, so I can't be that bad of a writer. I go mostly by gut; it's when I try to fit the form that I get all messed up. Maybe some people are formula writers, but that really does seem to hamper my style. But the problem right now isn't necessarily a case of overinflated ego or "I don't need that". I'm in a funk, I think, mostly self-doubt. I'm sitting here thinking, well, my story doesn't have this or that. Will it be interesting? What should matter the most is not what everyone else thinks but if I think. If I can make it interesting, then I need to write it. If it interests me, and I can see it in my minds eye, then I think I'm pretty good at bringing it to life on the page. What the heck, I can always revamp and revise. The point is to get it out there, not get it charted. Go away, you evil checklists that talk about plot twists! In my gut, I already knew this. I didn't have it clearly outlined, but I knew that I couldn't just send them back in time and let them move forward through various time periods. I had to mix things up to make them work. I don't need a list to tell me what to do. <then comes the nagging voice of self-doubt> Of course, I've never written something as long as a novel before. The longest short story I've managed was in the 25-30 page double-spaced range. Well, I take that back, I wrote that novel six times between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, but I've pretty much given up on it. I guess I did do a decent job of building the romance of Natasha and Jared from start to finish, although she had like three other guy interests and it took forever to realize she "truely loved" him. And whenever I needed a twist, I just killed off a character. Anyway, I've never written something seriously long for publication, other than my dreams to publish said novel (I think I hit about a hundred pages with it). <yelling at the nagging voice> Go away! If you make me chart it out, then I won't enjoy it, and you know what? While I'd like to go out and make bookoo bucks writing, the truth is, I write for fun. I do it because I enjoy it. I woke up one day with this story in my head and now I'm going to write it. Maybe once it's finished, and revised, it might actually get published. Maybe it will get rejected a hundred thousand times. But at least it will be finished and out of my head. <nagging voice returns> You're such a liar! You know you want to get published. You know you want to get rich. Why? A million points of justification, not the least of which to shut up my parents, who are driving me nuts because they think I'm wasting my life. WHATEVER. Yes, I know, I should be happy et al and ignore them - PLEASE don't give me that crap, I hear it all the time - but I always wanted to be a published writer. Seriously, since I was about six or seven. I've always been scribbling short stories, and I've always wanted to prove that, yes, I have what it takes to get published. And you know what, you can say what you want, but I want a Dean Koontz/Stephen King kind of fame. Though I could take being respected after I'm dead; still, I'm not too good with that sort of story. I want fame! I want money! I want to prove I'm one of the good ones because, hey, I'm competitive. (pity whoever is reading this, they must think I'm an egomaniac) So anyway, I'm in a slump. I have two sides here. The first says, give me a break, I'm 8 mos pregnant, two toddlers, and just plain worn out. It happens. The second says, well, a REAL writer would keep on writing. A REAL writer wouldn't stop just because. A REAL writer would incorporate that into the story. Does a real writer use forms and formulas and follow an outline? I've seen that in so many of the writing books. It works for me on research papers and tests, I know. But for writing short stories, at least, I'm more of a flow person. Is that wrong of me? What happens if I write this story the way I originally intended, where Jonathan builds a waterslide? What is, seriously, the worst that could happen? I get 100 flames and ratings of 0.5 that say, "This story has no <fill in the blank>." Okay, that's fine. But it still got told, it got out of my head and onto paper. Not only that - and this is more important to me right now - Jonathan became a real person who build a waterslide and had brothers and sisters. His personality came to life. Then I can fit him into the story. Okay, so I'm depressed because my novel - a thin sketch in my head - is lacking in plot twists at the prescribed moments. Great. Well, I'll write the novel, and when I get there, I'm fairly confident that I'll look and say, "things are going well, let's through a wrench in the works". I mean, look at the problems I have to work through - they have to come to trust each other, they have to figure out how to make things right and prove their story, they have to complete her experiment that she hadn't finished with all her high-tech gizmos in the future, and how in the world will Jonathan confront the guy? Somewhere in there, near the end, I'll probably make it appear that Jonathan is working with said bad guy so Caroline loses faith (now there's an idea) and has to come to trust him AGAIN, not to mention the temptation - which I just thought of - to save her family from the tragic accident that kills them. Talk about a paradox issue. You know what, I can do this. I can write this novel, and I can darn well write this short story. So the kid wants to build a water slide. Great. And I do actually kind of like the issue with his brother - it gives the story a bit more depth. I'll keep that. As for plot twists and things that mess up the plan, well, I'm pretty good at going on instinct. So take that, Mr. tiny wimpy voice. <stick out my tounge> |
| It's a good thing they restrict you to 500 entries for a journal, since this writer tends to put in not one but TWO a day!! What a nut. So here I go, reading Darkin's newsletter, and she talks about submitting a Novel Proposal. Not sure I can remember how to reference the newsletter, but it's from 6/28/04. Oh, here it is "Invalid Entry" Anyway, it got me mildly down on the subject of my forthcoming novel (which, granted, isn't fantastically well-plotted, anyway). If you look at the link, you'll see that it breaks the novel down into various different points that, well, I'm not 100% certain I achieve. Specifically, it's the "pinch #1" and "midpoint" sort of thing that worry me. I'm not really certain of what is going to happen in the middle of the book, so I'm unclear about the pinches and hitches. I'm further concerned about the crisis; I don't remember one occuring. of course, it would make sense if that was where they confront "the villan" in the future. Anyway, I think I'm going to have to actually sit down and write a novel summary. I was going to do it here, on-line, but I've about decided that may not be a good idea. Although I've seen it said that you can't copyright ideas, the posting shouldn't inhibit my copyright issues. Still, although I'm sure no one would take my ideas and write their own novel, you never know. I have to admit, I'd be quite disturbed to see someone take my idea after I put so much thought into it. I say thought instead of work, intentionally, since I have yet to put in any serious work.I also need to find someone to review long swatches. For instance, my last short story was 40kb long, about 5,000 words. I got several peeks but no reviews, and I'm sure that's because of the length. I wish I could get some R&Rs. Maybe from folks over in the NaNoWriMo contest for the New Year's resolutions, but right now they are all busy, you know, writing! Wimps. Anyway, I need to get some reviews or I won't get any feedback and I won't be able to know what needs to be done. I guess I need some shorter stories, eh? Okay, well, I won't do it tonight, but as I go through and look at stuff, I will work on putting down a Novel Proposal in print. At the very least, it will give me something to work with. It will probably be about as colloquial as my journal entry, and when it comes time to submit, it will give me a basis to work with (depending on how much the novel has changed. I really need to sit down and go through the general kinks of my novel. Or should I go ahead and figure out my characters first? At the very least, that will give me a good idea of what to expect and keep my characters from "stealing" the novel. Of course, that might still happen; I've heard the "nightmares" about characters who develop a life of their own and take the novel in unexpected directions. I am hoping that making realistic characters beforehand will help stop that from happening. Of course, you can never tell in advance. I say this from the, uh, voice of inexperience. I'm going to go ahead and write the plot summary type deal. I'll figure things out as I go and do a brief description. Double blech. |
| I am having all sorts of fun issues, the least of which is that plot idea. I had to work hard to get it out of my mind and go to sleep last night. It didn't do much good. DH came up with car hoods and a welder for a slide, but I was about 3/4s asleep at that point so I didn't pursue it. Sounds sort of scary to me, but anyway, I'll go there later. Right now, I'm borrowing darkin's newsletter to answer some questions; everything in bold (the ?s, anyway) come from "Invalid Entry" 1. What event or events lead the main character to a conflict? I suppose Jonathan is led to the conflict - the building of the slide - by the previous failure. Or, rather, his need for adventure, and the boring day he is having due to the rain. I'm still unclear what sort of conflict he will actually have. I think that's the crux of the problem. Blech. The conflict: he wants to build a water slide but is uncertain of how to do it. Is that really enough of a motivating conflict? Will that get folks interested and reading? So he works through the building process? It just doesn't sound very interesting in retrospect, although I'm still inspired and excited by it. So I write about Jonathan building the slide. What's my conclusion - he slides down it? Is that really a story? I'm halfway tempted to just "give up" in terms of trying to rationalize everything and just write the story. After all, the most important part is actually bringing my character to life, and getting an idea of what he is like. To keep him from being flat, but instead make him real. But if the story puts readers to sleep, then is it helpful? Is this one "doomed" to also be a chapter? I have to tell you, I didn't plan to write chapters. I was somewhat hoping that I could make these work independantly and perhaps submit them for publication at some point. Or at least make them work in Writing.com story contests. These don't seem to be coming out well in those terms. So what if I leave that as the conflict? The kid wants to build a slide. What's wrong with that? Not a thing. I can make that work, can't I? But what's going to stop him? Inhibit him? The fact that he's twelve? Maybe he has to get his brother to help him (the welding dh mentioned) and Chris really is a bit grumpy. Maybe he thinks that Jonathan is always out to show him up, and he's tired of it. So then we have a physical crisis - how can Jonathan build the slide without his brother's help? - and an emotional one - how to get back in his brother's good graces, because he really isn't trying to one-up the kid. Now that would be a conflict, wouldn't it? Is that making too much of my story? I dunno. I think that's doable. So, to answer the question: the events leading to the desire to build a slide are the boredom of a rainy day, the desire to make a truely AWESOME slide after a mediocore one, and the question of how to do that. The building of the slide creates the conflict with his brother - why do you always have to try to outdo everyone? But the real thing is that Jonathan isn't trying to outdo, he just wants more adventure and excitement. Boy, he is a showoff, isn't he? No, he's impulsive (remember?) and he doesn't think before he acts. Thus he doesn't intend to be show-offy, he just wants to make things more exciting and doesn't think about how what he's doing will effect other people. 2. What initial conflict does he or she encounter? Initial conflict - he sees the slide and wants to improve on it. But when he brings up the subject (or maybe the design), Chris gets upset and more than a little ticked off. Being the kid he is, he mentions it as they are sliding on the waterslide he (Christ) designed. Well, that just ticks Chris off and puts and end to the fun. Then he has another problem - he can't figure out how to make the slide work. Then he remembers his physics and decides to drop them from somewhere high up, and go without the friction (or as little as possible). 3. is the conflict internal or external? Both are really external, although the one with his brother is partially internal because Jonathan has to come to terms with the fact that his actions are hurting other people. 4. Which character is right and which character is wrong or mistaken? Does that change during the story? For the problem with Christopher - a conflict with another person - then Chris is right. But he's also wrong. He doesn't realize that Jonathan isn't really trying to show him up. And Jonathan doesn't realize that he is hurting Christopher. Perhaps Marie notes that this is something Jonathan does a lot. He doesn't think about how his actions and/or words will affect those around him when he tries to do something better. It's not really wrong to try to improve on something, but he needs to work on his tact. 5. What are the results of the initial conflict? Well, he can't build the slide until he resolves things with his brother, because he needs help. I think as he ponders on the "how do I build the slide", he realizes that his brother's assistance is necessary. Perhaps initially he didn't realize what was wrong with Chris, he just figured he was grumpy and a little strange, and didn't attribute much credit to Chris' outburst. But when he finally determines how to build his slide and goes to his brother, then Chris really sets him straight. They have a huge fight (I think this actually works on the next question). Okay, so the results are that he finally figures out a way to build the slide and manages to collect the necessary pieces. 6. How does this initial conflict build to additional, more complicated conflicts? Now Jonathan approaches Chris for help and gets yelled out - seriously yelled at. His brother has been brewing over this for days and refusing to talk to him. A bit childish, but the kid is 17; he's allowed to be immature. Especially since he's a boy  . Anyway, when Jonathan goes to Chris to see about "putting this whole thing aside", Chris blows up at him, and then Marie makes some sort of "you always do this" comment, which leads "our hero" to ponder what, exactly, he has done.7. What finally brings the conflict to its greatest intensity, a kind of "boiling point"? That's what I just said. But I wonder if I'm doing this wrong. The last short story I plotted so in-depth was less enjoyable to write and harder to follow, or so I'm told. Well, at least, the folks I submitted it to could tell the difference. 8. What is the climax? That would be the confrontation with Christopher, the second time. Or would the climax actually be the first confrontation, where Chris just lets it all hang out? I guess that's what the climax is. Then we move on to the resolution.... 9. What happens as a result of the climax? Jonathan ponders his brother's words, discusses them, and comes back with an apology. They 'kiss and make up', and go on to build the coolest water slide ever. 10. What is the end result? Does the main character make a major change? If so, what makes him or her change? Is the change a result of a personal realization? Or is it the influence of other characters? In other words, what is the resolution? I think I just said that. I guess I'll cut and paste, so what I said for #9 initially was: That would be, Jonathan taking some time to ponder his brother's words, and perhaps discusses them with his best friend, what's-his-name. WHN points out that, yes, Chris' words are true, but that he, WHN, knows Jonathan doesn't mean anything by it. He just needs to think. Thus we have a point where Jonathan learns - at least briefly - to think before he acts. Is this a long-term change? Well, he's still impulsive, but he is, at least, better able to recognize the results of his actions and words (more actions than words), and tries to change, at least. Incidentally, now that they are friends again, they finish the slide and Christopher (reluctantly) agrees that, yes, Jonathan's slide is better (Jonathan takes great pains not to point that out, and perhaps tries to come up with something nice to say about the tarp in the grass). They have lots of fun on this rainy day. The end. I'm just not sure that fully works in terms of engaging the reader, but perhaps. I can even see my brief description: "Jonathan just wants to build the best water slide ever; why is his brother so upset?". Yeah, that'll draw them in. <eyeroll> Anyway, if nothing else, Jonathan will come alive to me, and I finally know how he got that scar! Especially if he has to build his slide with the car hoods. I'd better email dh about that so we can process the next - technical - step. Thanks for listening! Keep an eye on "Invalid Item" to see all of the short stories; it will be periodically updated for each character and, eventually, each setting! And feel free to send me any feedback on my plot thoughts - I can use all the help I can get! |
| Yes, some folks just can't stay away. Like me. What can I say, I love the Muse's Alley newsletter. I read the next one in the batch I'm reading (started with 2003 because I like to read the old first, LOL), and right off hit on a prompt. Darkin usually has several good ones for the contest - I wish he'd start it up again! Although my stories seem to be running long, or at least, my first. Anyway, there were about six in the newsletter, and so I decided to go with Write about a rainy day. I was walking around the house, muttering insanely to myself, but then decided to jot it down where I'd remember it, LOL. Basically, it went like this: What would Jonathan do on a rainy day, as a child? Well, he's adventerous, so I decided he would build a water slide. Not just any waterslide - I'm talking off-the-roof or something high, where you just know he's going to get hurt, and where as a mother, I would about die. However, our Jonathan wouldn't just throw down a tarp and jump. After all, he's going to be a physics major. Granted, he is somewhat impetuous - maybe he does the tarp thing first. Hmm, have to think about that. <scratches chin> Maybe they build one, but for whatever reason, it doesn't work well; they go to slow. Now, Jonathan, he's a hasty fellow, but he's also going to be a physics guy and has started exploring the subject (how did he get into physics at twelve? and why do I like the age twelve? hmmmm....). Anyway, he uses his knowledge to quickly sketch a new and improved slide. I was going to have him develop it slowly and methodically, but that seems more Caroline's style; he's too impetuous, especially as a child. Not that Caroline would ever do anything so dangerous. Anyway. The water slide. I had a revelation, too. While he may wind up getting his scar on the water slide, that doesn't mean it happens in this story. But he can refer back to it, if, in fact, that's where he got his scar. After all, if I give him a major scar in this story, then he would have to go to the hospital, etc, and that's not really the tone I'm shooting for. I'm looking for a more lighthearted story. Okay, so the waterslide first (later, I'll have to create or at least name & age his 5 siblings). Or, rather, the first waterslide: Well, where does he live? I could put him in the city, but he seems the run-around-outside type. I could see him easily in the country, especially if he is in the south. He looks like a barefoot boy to me, even in the rain. Hey, it's summer. I think we were shooting for Arkansas or Alabama, and I might just go for Alabama. Wish I'd gone to Brit's great-grandparents and taken a look at their land; maybe I can get a description. Hey, it's the south, I think I can handle that. So they live in the country (another reason no one catches them). Do they have a barn? A barn is a perfect place for a water slide. Especially a barn with rooftop access, where they hay bales are tossed out. Oh yeah, I can see that bad boy. So that's where the slide will go. I'm trying to remember about how high that is; at least ten, and probably closer to fifteen - or even twenty - feet. Jonathan would measure for the second slide. Now we know where they get into trouble. That slide is going to kill me, though. How the heck will they build a waterslide in the middle of a downpour? We're not talking a serious construction project here (hence, the safety); I'm thinking something quick and dirty, especially the first one. I may have to chew on that overnight. I may have to chew on the second one overnight. If I were a boy....a tarp would make for a nice waterslide. That'll probably work either way. Of course, they could just take said tarp and stick it out on a hill, but that's too "traditional, plain, and simple". No, we want some adventure. They can't just stretch it out from top to bottom; it'll break and they'll fall. But what the heck would prop it up? Okay, I'm dense. Maybe they start on the hillside. "This is fun," Jonathan says, "but we're just not going fast enough." Then he fixates on the barn. Does he build it in one downpour, or wait for a second to crop up? Like I said, it can't be permenant. And it can't be expensive, not with five kids building it. Some scrap lumber and they can push it around. I'd even bet they could put wheels - tractor or bicycle or both - to make moving it simpler. They could build part of it in the barn while it's raining. What an activity. A board wouldn't work -- too much friction, not enough speed. They really need something smooth and filled with air. Shoot, I may as well build the stinking slide myself! A waterbed matteress would probably work. But I'm not sure if it's big enough. I bet he goes poking around the dump trying to figure out what would work best. Or maybe he sends his brother; he's more the brains than the brawn. Maybe not; I don't want him nerdy. Oh, yeah, he won't be skinny and glasses - he's a surfer farm boy, remember? The golden child. Anyway.What about one of those big air matteresses the firefighters use for jumpers? I bet they have tons of those in southern alabama in the country - strike that. They could make their own but that would take a lot of sewing. Alright, I'll think some more and talk to my husband about it. I think they can build a rolling frame, though it won't go all the way up. Detachable? Or at least, they add it on outside, in the rain? Possible. Let's talk about Jonathan's sibs. I don't want him to be the flat-out middle of 5, maybe he's number four. Why would his older siblings listen? Because he's smart and has great ideas. One younger brother who idolizes him - maybe he'll be an astronaut. Two older sisters and a third older brother. What's the order? I don't want to be too predictable, and I don't want his brother - I see him as taking a big part in this - too much older. Maybe: Sis - 19 - maybe she's off to college Bro - 17 - still young enough to get into trouble Sis - 14/15 - closer to 14, snubs them then takes part Jonathan - 12 Bro - 8 - I see him at the dump, searching for supplies with Jonathan Okay, now I need names. Alissa, Christopher, Marie, (Jonathan), Nate. Incidentally, I coudn't figure out where to put Christopher-now-Chris. I think he'll have a fetish like my brother, Gregory-now-Greg. I'm evil, I know. Alissa's gone, she's at school. Christopher, I can see him partaking in the building, the final part, after all the parts have been assembled and when he's bored. In fact, let's give him credit for the original water slide. Does he have resentment issues over such a smart little bro? Nah, he doesn't mind listening, because he's learned that his bro has good ideas. But don't call him Christopher! Marie, she's in that in-between age, where sometimes she's "too old" for this nonsense and other times, well, she likes to have fun. Especially if Jonathan's best friend comes over. I don't know his name, but I bet he's cute. And Nate, he's a little rascal, at his brother's beck and call. He idolizes Jonathan and is forever tagging along, and for the most part, Jonathan doesn't mind. He's very good spirited and friendly, remember? So we'll start the story when it's a rainy day (can we quote Dr. Seuss; the sun was not shining, et al? probably not) and the kids are bored. Christopher/Chris is considering bailing but maybe their dad has taken the truck to town so it's a no-go. Then Jonathan, who has been outside making sure they had all the stuff they need, comes inside and confers, and off the three boys go, leaving Marie to read her book. She finally gets curious/bored and goes outside to see what they are doing. The first slide is a memory from not too long ago, but Jonathan wanted to improve upon it. Still don't know how. I hope my hubbie does. Air would be best, but rubber, better. Of course, the tarp makes it all rubber. I'd put a frame. And no sides. That way someone can fall off later and scar themselves. Oops. So what's the challenge in the story, the driving force? I don't seem to be doing good with that lately. I have the action, no necessary character or lifestyle changes. Perhaps I should reconsider my starting point. Instead, I need to make this a problem Jonathan had to solve, an adventure he had to undertake. So maybe I should start with the first slide, on the first rainy day, and go through the building process. I can probably do that even if I don't know what the main crux of the later slide is. What is a slide made of? Isn't it basically sheet metal? I mean, couldn't they just do that? I'll have to talk to dh about smoothing that out, but, hmmmm. So the plot is what, Jonathan must build a slide? That doesn't seem very driving to me. I think the real crux is that he has to wrestle with it. I'll make him take even longer than I have to figure it out. Chris tells him to give it up, but Jonathan can't drop it - he's tenacious. I'd like to note his honesty somewhere in here, too. I can see him "Hardy Boy"ing, turning in criminals in another story. Now there's a thought. I need a plot, not just a story. Otherwise, this, too, becomes a chapter. I'd really like to see him grow. Isn't that what I always tell the folks I R&R? Sigh. Okay, well, it's been over an hour since my second writing blitz, so I guess I'm done for the night. I need to ponder the process of my short story, anyway, and let this sink in a bit. I need a plot. Something to actually move this story, other than "will he build a slide?". I had that problem when I finished my other short story. The long one. Wow, I have now written for at least an hour for three days in a row. Imagine what I'll do when I start actually writing my novel! <gasp> I think I have issues. |
Well, I was going to make this private - make all the characterizations private - but then decided, what the heck. Maybe someone will read this and let me know if my short story characters are "true to form." So for you guys reading (I see you Wendopolis  !), I opened the last 'characterization' for Caroline and linked to the item I created for her. Please R&R! Okay, so the "hero" of my story is Jonathan. I have a bunch of stuff on paper already, but the long and short of it is that he is a doctor of physics, working on the time travel project. He's got the classic surfer look - and build - and is what one might call 'heavy lidded', so people assume he lacks intelligence. Couple that with a southern drawl and a tendency towards 'ma'am' and 'sir' and we see why folks underestimate him - at least, in the present. Unlike Caroline, he didn't skip any school, nor did he have any heavy responsibilities. In fact, they are quite different - he's very social and outgoing, and I think I decided at one point to give him a photographic memory. He's honest and doesn't tolerate decite in others, hence the reason he is sent back in time (because he found out that Caroline was sent back unwillingly). His "flaw" is that he is adventerous and tends to act before thinking; this is well balanced by Caroline's contemplative nature. He also has the added bonus - with free time, no grade skipping, and the photographic memory - of speaking several languages [something I will have to address in the story - I surely don't speak the large number of languages that will be spoken, so I'll have to determine how to integrate them!]. He's also a history buff, so he has some cursory knowledge of what time period they are in. Too academic? Too convenient? I could drop the languages and let him pick it up too. I'm still working with that. Caroline was the product of a broken home, and is orphaned. What about Jonathan? I think he had a happy family life, maybe he was in the middle of several kids. One big happy family. Does that work for a mildly scifi setting? It should be fine, what with everyone getting shipped off - or, wait, they haven't yet, that's what he's researching. But we won't go into the "oh no overpopulation" effect that I think has been somewhat overkilled. So Jonathan was happy. Caroline's family is all deceased, making it possible that no one investigates her disappearance. What about her scientists? We'll handle that later, under plot lines. But what about Jonathan's? How do they relate? At this point, the project is about to go public, so maybe our "villan" (yet unnamed; I had a name but lost it - and all of my hard work - when my computer crashed last year and spun me into writing desolation for several months) is getting desperate. So the fact that, yes, Jonathan's family would miss him is something he just doesn't care about. Perhaps he, himself, reports the "kid" missing when he doesn't show up for work. Jonathan also grew up fairly upper middle class, not like Caroline's struggling poor. He pretty much had it easy the whole way in, though of course he was smart and, being our hero, deserved it. But maybe he's never really had a situational challenge. Things have always come easy to him - how did he get his job? Dunno, but that may have been harder, due to the blond, blue, and accent. In fact, that may have been his first real struggle, as he tried to prove he was up to the challenge. Then again, wouldn't his application have helped? Valedictorian and great personality. So maybe that wasn't his struggle - his was more of getting his coworkers/students to accept him. Ah, yes, because he is on this project working on his doctorate. He has proven himself to the project head/villan, but not to everyone else, who thinks he - what? Then again, he's been working with these students, too, so maybe his challenge came when he got to the masters program and was confronted with a new group that didn't know him. Okay, but still, that's not a major struggle, not like Caroline's daily "fight for life" type deal. Which doesn't mean he's a wimp, just that he has a lot of room to go. In fact, he seems to be a very laid back fellow. What does he get passionate for? What motivates him? Why is he on this project? Why is he here? The big question. I could go back to that big family/expansion thing - maybe he got a little teased. Not too bad, but with, say, five kids, I can imagine - BOY can I imagine! - they got some looks. Between the 'irresponsible' talk and other naysaying, he wanted to.... Maybe. But what seems realistic to me is his sense of adventure. He can't stand the fact that there is an entire universe out there just waiting to be explored, but that no one will go because, well, they'll die. Or their families will. He wants to get past that. So, yes, that makes sense. They are working for the space program, trying to develop a way for astronauts to explore deep space, and he is driven by his need for adventure and exploration. Of course, one wonders why he isn't an astronaut himself, being Mr. Adventure. Because he knew his talents and thought he would be better able to assist by getting others out there. And then he flashes that sexy grin and says, "Besides, if this works, there's no reason I can't take a little trip now and then, anyway!" Little does he know.... Now that seems to me like realistic motivation. So the next question is, what will I do my story on? What will be my development for Jonathan? How will I bring him to life for me? His childhood seems fairly uneventful. Then again, I did say that I would take random events and dump my character in to see what he did. Err, random prompts. So I may wind up writing a history that never happened. Now there's a thought - wouldn't said history impact/develop my character? I mean, say I dump him in an alien encounter? Wouldn't that in some way change him? Grrr. Anyway, I'd like to see him in the pre-time travel era, perhaps even at some point between watching Caroline vanish and being sent back himself. I think I gave him ten years to work on that. Then again, if it works, why wait ten years? Oh, yeah, they can't figure out how to move you forward again - slight problem. I need to walk through the experiment, as well. I don't remember all the details, and I'll need to be clear before I start writing. So maybe I'll do a childhood story for him, first. Him and his happy family. No big, life-forming tragedy, just a little blip in his daily life. I'm going to go read the Muse's Alley newsletters ("Invalid Item" ) and see what kind of prompt kicks me around. Probably something from his childhood, something that isn't "outstanding" but just "interesting". Perhaps I can discover how he got that scar on his right cheek, from eye to chin, light (physical proof of his flaw, and keeping him from being drop dead gorgeous). All I know now is that he got it doing something "adventerous".<thinking of the song "Chicks Dig It", though I don't see him as girl-crazy> |
| This has been a long, horrid day, and it's barely past noon! Thankfully, we'll be taking our nap as soon as Dora is over. I'm not sure I'll make it that long. The good news, however, which pertains to writing, is that my mother-in-law called today to ask if we wanted to bring the children over tonight. So I will take them over at some point - 5 if I drop them off at her work, 5:30 if I don't - and then dh will go get them around 8 or so. The important question is, what am I going to DO during that time? Should I spend the whole time writing? Just an hour? Should I spend the time with my husband, relaxing, and write after he leaves? Should I just continue to do my writing from 8:30 to 9:30? (okay, I'll probably nix the last) What happens will wind up depending on what time I take the kids over. For instance, if I drop them off at my MIL's work at 5, then I'll be home for about 30 minutes before dh comes home. I'll probably start writing then, and work at least a half an hour. If I take them to her house at 5:30, then I'll get home at the same time she does, so I'll probably eat dinner with dh. I may just go ahead and drop them at her office (provided she's amenable) and maybe ask dh to pick up some hamburgers or something inexpensive for us for dinner. That will give me about 45 mts to work. I may even finish up my short story by then! The other news: I was talking to dh and he expressed skepticism that I would write on Friday nights, which is usually either our personal date night (once a month) or our family 'date' night (my daughter likes to lay in our bed and 'watch' a movie, especially if there's popcorn). After some thought, I concluded he was correct. I considered moving the writing to early in the morning, getting up before everyone else, but I don't function well in the morning. Plus, I like the evening writing - I've been able to spend the day thinking about what I'm going to write. I worry I won't be as well inspired in the evening. So, I've decided to write Monday thru Thursday for an hour, and then on Friday, I'll get up early and do my market research. That should help me get submitted. It's still the same amount of time put into everything, but at the hours that work best for me and my feeble night owl brain. I think I really like that plan.I've spent two nights working on my short story, and I think it will be concluded tonight. Then I can post it on Writing.com and start getting feedback. I love feedback! We'll see how realistic my characters are, and if the story keeps anyone else moving; I'm not sure, as I look at it, that it stands well alone! <gasp> But I've been driven to write it, and if nothing else, it helps me create a credible past for Caroline. I'll link the story here when I finish. It's come off divided in three parts, which isn't quite what I intended. The first part gives background, mostly, and gets Caroline into 'trouble'; the second part is her telling her mother (and why that is so difficult); and the third will be the parent-teacher conference. Above all else, however, I am shooting for characterization - is Caroline a realistic and credible character? Or is she 'stereotypical' or 'flat'? So far, I have just over eight singlespaced pages (can you believe there is that much for the buildup of a parent-teacher conference?). I think that's interesting. Anyway, we'll see how much when I post. My plan, I think, is to post tonight and then I'll go back through and do a more detailed edit. I usually prefer to edit first, but I have been anxiously awaiting feedback on this one (since all of Monday, that makes two days, LOL). I'm excited about this project as a whole, not just this story, what can I say? Tomorrow's story will be on Jonathan, so you will probably see a locked up characterization of him; I don't remember seeing a great deal on the paper, and there's lots more I don't remember. Like his childhood. I may even start that tonight. Okay, nap time before I collapse. Look forward to a story post tomorrow! |
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