Living the Fictional Dream

This weekend has not be productive for writing. Around the end of last Tuesday’s write-in, I got to this scene that was, well, boring, and it just drug on and on. I guess I should have just quit that scene and moved on, but it was the basis for a plot point later. Anyway, I got stuck in it, and when I hit my usual lag points (Wed. and Fri.) I never made up for it. We had a write-in yesterday, but I got a paltry 800 words. That is my lowest write-in score to date!

Blah… the evil 20K bug has hit. I’m at about 23K now, and well mired in it. I should be nearly at 30 by the end of this weekend, but it’s not going to happen.

However, I shall keep going. I know what happens next in the plot. I just need to get past this boring part and get to the good stuff I know is coming.

(I sure hope there’s good stuff coming!)

I had two stories accepted yesterday. Woo-hoo! A quirky little flash piece that I wrote called “Fortune Cookies” was accepted by EDF. No publishing date yet, but you’ll read it here first (or, possibly second, if you read the EDF TOC first, LOL!).

And then I had a short story that I’ve been shopping around for a while, “The Sorcerer’s Wife,” accepted by Residential Aliens. Very exciting! I’ve loved that story through all its incarnations – it’s run from flash to short story length during its journey to publication, as well as through several endings. TSW has a character in it who totally developed a life all her own — I love it when characters do that!

The NaNoing is still going well. I’ve actually been on quota or ahead for most of this week. It’s been a new and crazy feeling for me. I’m usually behind all month, and then pull it out with 7K weekends/holidays at the end of the month. It’s been fairly exciting to be ahead of the game. It sure would be nice to win one of those gift cards my writing group is awarding to the first two members to 25K.

Today I am slightly behind quota again. Wednesdays just are not conducive to writing time, what with watching kids in the church nursery. I don’t get home until way after 9 p.m. most Wednesdays, and I’m way too tired to do much more than watch TV or read. However, with today’s double-header write-ins (lunch and dinner), I think I’ll have no trouble catching back up, or at least getting close.

I’m still liking where my novel is going, but I’ve hit another rough patch. There are plot elements that I know need to happen, but we need some character development between here and there. For some reason, that has been difficult to push through. I’m not sure my characters are ringing quite true enough… But that’s what revisions are for! It’s weird, though — usually I’m all about character development and not about plot. This is a switch.

I’m also coming to terms with the fact that I don’t really write polished first drafts. I wish I did. Some people really do, which makes me jealous. I’ve critted a lot of first drafts that, while still needing a light polish, are really well put together. I have to get the whole glut of words down on the page, work the story down that way. When I’m in the midst of the flush of muse, I can’t stop to worry about if I used the word “looked” when I could have used something more interesting like “glared” or “glanced,” if I told instead of showed, etc. If I stop to do all that, I’ll never finish the story. The stories I send to my writing group are usually at least the second draft, if not the third.

But, all writers are different, and I do like my finished product — it’s starting to make sense to me why I’ve not yet completed a novel revision, though. With such a lengthy revision process, it’s so much more satisfying to stick to the short stories. I can actually get them finished in a timely fashion.

My hope is, though, that this novel won’t require a total rewrite like my other two do. If the plot works and all it needs is good smoothing out, maybe actually finishing novel revisions is something I can do this time!

When you’re a fiction writer, the whole idea of using real life for inspiration is a double-edged sword. While real life is one of the best places to pull inspiration from, you don’t want to make it too obvious or people could get upset. Well, at least if the story could be taken with a negative slant.

One of the characters in a novel I wrote (the first novel I ever thought worth pursuing further… still in the revision stages, of course) was actually based on my sister (just as one was based on me). That one worked out OK, because my sister really identified with that character, and the character was fun and heroic.

But, in that same novel, I was questioned to determine if one of the secondary characters — not the big bad, but a secondary bad — was based on someone from real life. And in that case, the character most definitely was not based on reality. So, I guess that goes to show that even if you aren’t writing about real life, people may assume you are.

I have a story out on submission right now that is actually a fictionalized version of something that happened in real life. Very heavily fictionalized. I must admit, though, to a little nervousness about that story. I really like it, and I think the underlying truth made it a stronger, more poignant story. But there is part of me that wonders if anyone will read it and realize what it was based on. And, if they did, would it bother them? To me, the story is now it’s own entity, full and complete it its own fictional world, separate from the real life inspiration. But would someone else realize that?

I was recently tempted to write a flash piece about something that happened in real life. Someone I know did something, and the whole event reminded me of one of those morality plays that I read in my medieval drama class in college — the “everyman” plays. This play would have illustrated the moral of getting your just desserts or, possibly, pride goes before a fall.

So far, I have not attempted the story. First, it’s NaNo, and I have my novel to worry about. Flash has to wait! Second, I wouldn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings if they realized my story was based on them. And, third, I’m not actually sure it would make a good story. It’s funny how real life is like that — sometimes it needs a heavy jolt of fiction to make it a good story. And this particular event, while striking an emotional chord with me, when I look at its component parts, was actually a bit boring and mundane.

Strangely enough, I’ve had more people criticize events in my stories that were pulled from real life as unbelievable, while they find my fiction perfectly believable. Goes to show that the cliche, life is stranger than fiction, is very true. My story, “Glass Angels,” was one such instance. People criticized the zealots in the story as too crazy, when I have walked by those exact people doing that exact thing on many occasions in downtown Fort Worth (even down to the child holding the horrible hell fire sign). But they say that the rest of the story is very believable, even though I have never been a minister and I have never been part of a coming out scenario (that was a challenging story for me to write, actually, and I just hope that I did the emotions of that moment justice — here is my post about writing that story, if you’re interested).

When you write memior or creative nonfiction, you still have to be careful, but then you have liscense to write about reality. People even expect it, and will condemn you if you don’t write true to life (which has it’s own problems, like faulty memories and different interpretations of the same event).

So, what about you guys out there? Do you ever put real life events or real life people (disguised or not) in your stories? If so, have you ever had a reaction to it, good or bad?

Head on over to Every Day Poets this morning and read “Murphy’s Flaw” by K.C. Ball. It’s a hoot — you’ll love it! And the meter and rhyme of the poem compliment the subject matter perfectly.

While at the cabin this weekend, I typed my fingers to the bone and ended up on quota for NaNo for the first time this month. This is a first, actually — I’m the queen of dragging behind all month and then pulling off a miracle on Thanksgiving weekend. However, I have a feeling I’m going to lose that status today unless I force myself to sit down and write another 1200 words. I wrote some in the car on the way back, but I hit one of those moments where I’m not sure what should happen next, and it caused a bit of a lag.

I’m not worried, though. NaNo is what it is — it’s all about the end of the month, not the daily word count (in regards to winning). In the end, though, it’s the finished product that counts the most.

Checked my email when we got back this afternoon and found two more rejection letters. I don’t think I’m ever going to make it onto one of those fiction podcasts. I’ve been sending them reprints, but none have stuck so far. However, you never know, so I will keep trying.

Now, I have to run. My dog is waiting for me to pick her up from her hair cut. I can’t wait to see her with those little bows in her ears. She always gets them out right away, but they are so cute while they are there. Sometimes, when she has them on, she gives me this expression that says, “Must you?” It’s the same expression she gives me when I make her wear a Christmas hat for our annual Christmas card photo.

In honor of a lovely Friday where I am home and don’t have to even attempt to work, I thought I would post some links for y’all. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

First of all, Kevin has today’s story of the day at Every Day Fiction. It’s called “Krupper and Jons,” and it’s quite a chuckle. When you get the to end, you’ll see what I’m talking about.

Yesterday, I stumbled upon this set of posts on author Shanna Swendon’s blog. They’re all about character archetypes. I find character archetypes a fascinating tool for character building. Of course, you can’t cheat and use the archetypes for character. Then your characters turn out flat and boring, predictable and lame. But I find thinking about the archetypes helps me to write characters that are all wildly different, and not based solely on myself. They are a tool to help me broaden and improve my writing. Shanna’s post talks about the archetype constructs based on the hero’s journey.

Tami Cowden, on the other hand, explores different character types based on personality. Each archetype has a male and female equivalent, as well as heroic and villainous incarnations. I’ve read her book, and it’s really interesting. The thumbnail sketches on her website are a great starting place, but to really get the depth out of this idea, you need to read the book. (I’m fairly sure I’ve linked to this before, but how can I not in a discussion of archetypes?)

Now, I’ve never really talked about politics on this blog. I would share my political views with you, if you asked, but this is a writing blog… posting about politics would be way off topic. However, I want to share this post with you, written by my friend, Ms. Eclectic. It’s a really thoughtful post-election post, and I especially thought that it spoke well to people here in Texas. Though, I think anyone who’s dealing with this post-election world might find it interesting.

And, now, for something entirely different, here another friend Kevin’s take on the newest restaurant in downtown Fort Worth, Simply Fondue. I’ve been a fan of this restaurant since it was only in Dallas (now you can eat there in Dallas, Arlington, and Fort Worth), and I’m thrilled that there is a new location close to home. My husband and I ate at the new location once, and it’s top notch. From Kevin’s article, it sounds like they’ve been improving since we ate there. It’s not cheap, but if it’s a special occasion, it is definitely worth the price of admission.

Here’s something that’s a little related to the last link (it’s about food) and also related to this blog (its about books), there is a new site called TasteBook that I’m very intrigued by. On this site, you can make your own cookbooks, either with recipes from their partners or by inputting your own recipes. I haven’t yet ordered a tastebook of my own, but I’m working on compiling the recipes for one. I don’t know that it’s worth the cost unless I can get at least 50 recipes in there! But, so far, it’s been really fun collecting the recipes and choosing my cover images and everything.

And, finally, still on the food theme, I’ll leave you with the link to a new recipe I found during my TasteBook adventures — cheesy tacos. These were a great hit at my last pot luck dinner party. If you’re doing a low carb diet (like my hubby and I are, under advice from our nutritionist), these taco shells made out of cheese are completely awesome! I’m planning to use the same idea to make us some “chips” for dipping. (It wouldn’t be so great, I suppose, if you’re doing a low fat diet, though.)

However, even the guests who weren’t watching their carbs enjoyed the cheesy taco shells — they were that tasty. Once I got the trick down, they worked out really well, but while frying the first few, I dubbed this the most hilarious recipe I’d ever made, because those first taco shells ended up a little malformed. But after I’d done a few, it was easy. (The counter full of a cobbled together drying rack of wooden spoons and cups was hilarious, too.)

And now, I will leave you to enjoy that random collection of links, and I hope that everyone has an awesome weekend. My husband and I are planning to travel to the cabin (the land of no Internet) this weekend, so it may be Sunday or Monday before you hear from me again. Have a great weekend!

After the write-in tonight (where I finally broke 8,000 words, yeah!), I opened up my email account to find an acceptance letter. What a nice thing to hear in the midst of all this NaNo-ing. I’m at that point in my novel where I hate it, so a validation of my writing skills is very refreshing.

Every Day Fiction is going to publish my story, “The Care and Feeding of Your Sleeping Knight.” Of course, y’all will be the first ones to know when the publication date is set. I wonder if it will appear in December, or if I will have to wait until 2009.

Hmm… I only have one story left in the EDF submission queue. I might have to remedy that. Though… I don’t know when I’ll have the time with all this novelling. Writing for length is such a different mindset than writing for writing flash.

And, speaking of NaNo (as always these days), I’d better go… I might be able to get a few hundred more words before bedtime!

Sorry if I’ve been neglecting the blog lately — one of the hazards of NaNo, I fear. My novel is progressing OK so far… I’m in that early stage of semi-hating it, but that’s not the story’s fault. The plot hasn’t actually fallen apart or anything, so I think we’re still good. I’m just about about 6K, so under quota, but I have two write-ins today, and I’m looking forward to a day off tomorrow and then a weekend at the cabin (no Internet!), so much progress should be made. (And, if the plot is going to fall apart, well, I should know by the end of the weekend!)

Work is gearing up again. Only two projects left for the year, both that should be more update than writing new stuff. But we’ll see. With the holidays coming, I have to get into high gear on those or they won’t be out by year-end.

I proofed the .pdf pages for my story in the EDF anthology today. I always love doing that — there is something about looking over proof pages that makes a publication so real!

EDF sister site, Every Day Poets, has been interesting since it’s 11/1 launch. I’ve been checking in on the poems fairly regularly. Some I’ve really liked (”School Uniform”!), and some, not as much. But that’s true of any publication. Poetry is always a little harder for me to wrap my prose-bound mind around, but sometimes a poem will just click.

All right… enough babbling for today. I have work to do, and then a write-in to prep for.

Happy writing, everyone!

My writing group mate, Stephanie, has the story of the day at EDF this morning. It’s called “Why Pews Don’t Come with Pistols.” If you’re looking for some amusement to start your day off right, go check it out. I love Steph’s stories, because they always have the quirk of the unexpected.