Back and Forth

I’ve spent the past week revising my current work-in-progress. I haven’t actually gotten to the end of the story. Many writers will write clear through to the end and then go back to edit. I go back and forth, several times. I’ll write for a while, and then go back and fix up what I’ve written. After I’m satisfied with that, I’ll move forward again until I am compelled to stop and edit once more.

It’s not that I don’t know what the end of the story will be. I do. But I have some perfectionist tendencies and I cannot let things slide when I know there are parts of my work that could be better.

Besides, sometimes I actually want to edit and sometimes I want to lose myself in the story progress. It all depends on what else is going on in my life--how busy or how crazy it is. And since I also have a job, elderly parents, one daughter still living at home, and a retired husband (who plays the accordion--a lot)--it does get a little insane around here at times. :^)

I’ve listened to many experienced fiction writers detail their methods of writing. I’ve read plenty of books about writing, too. Currently, I’m reading Stephen King’s On Writing. It’s an excellent book and he has some wonderful advice.

But Stephen King writes his way, and I write my way. Of course, Stephen King is way ahead of me.

My way is--perhaps--slower and less efficient, but it works for me.

The one thing I’ve learned after listening to many authors detail their methods is that everyone does things differently.

What process do you use for writing?

Writing Tips and a New Antenna

I attended a meeting of the New Jersey Romance Writers today where Elizabeth Devlin and Annette Blair presented two great talks with plenty of excellent writing advice. Aside from the handouts, Annette offers an extensive list of sensual words available at her website. So when you're in need of just the right touch go to:

http://www.annetteblair.com/sensual-words.htm

She mentioned Linda Howard's Twelve Steps to Intimacy, which I found on the web--and which I know I have somewhere in my collection of notes, but I am not exactly sure where. :^(

However, that is important stuff when you're writing a romance and it was good to be reminded of it.

I came home all ready to completely revise my current work-in-progress. But hubby had hired someone to put a new antenna on the house, a new coaxial cable, and hook that up to our new converter box. It is difficult to concentrate when there's someone tramping around on the roof and stapling cable along the walls.

But the results were great. We have a lot more channels and they come in clearly.

Hubby did not want to get cable service. Aside from the fact that he did not want to pay a monthly service charge, we really don't watch TV that much and we live very close to New York City--as the crow flies. We can receive all the major television channels with our antenna.

Of course, we won't be getting the History Channel, or the Discovery Channel.

But that's okay.

Too Hot for a Picnic

It was too hot for our church picnic today. So everyone ate in the air-conditioned cafeteria. Hubby provided entertained with his accordion.

I contributed my favorite lima bean salad, which disappeared very quickly. :^) One woman asked me for the recipe.

Daughter #2 had come home yesterday for a visit. She wanted to take videos of the woods. After the picnic, I went off to the woods with her. Though we were in the shade, there wasn't a single breeze.

September is usually much more pleasant!

Red Bank Street Fair

I spent most of yesterday at a street fair in Red Bank with four other members of the New Jersey Romance Writers. The weather was perfect and plenty of people walked by our booth. Many insisted they don't read, but there were some interested in our books. A few were interested in joining our illustrious organization. :^)


We all sold books. There were some readers who bought our books in previous years and came looking for us again to buy our latest releases. Here's a photo of me with my best fan!



















Red Bank is a great place for a street fair.