So, let’s look at my goals and what I’ve been doing:

• Write at least 3,000 more words in my WIP. This is looking like a much less hectic week, so I think it’s definitely feasible. Although I did write a lot on my WIP, I didn’t write 3,000 words. I wrote 2,483. More than last week, but not my goal amount. The reason for not writing as much as I thought I would is revealed in the next two goals, which took up a lot more of my time than I predicted.
• Complete assignments in my editing class to help me figure out if my first ms needs further revision. The assignments in the class aren’t mandatory, but I think they’ll be really helpful. They have been very helpful, and a little time-consuming as well. But I’m not complaining – they’ve really gotten me thinking about changes that need to be made in the ms. Working on them does cut into my writing time, though.
• Start reading The First Five Pages. I should be done with The Lost Symbol within the next day or two, so this will be possible. It should be a nice complement to the course I’m taking. Again, this book has been really helpful for me in thinking about my first ms. But it does take a lot of time to do the exercises at the end of each chapter. Very helpful, but time-consuming.

This was a pretty good week for writing, all things considered. I met two of my goals and almost met a third one. The weather helps – I love the chilliness in the air. It makes me want to spend hours in front of my computer, sipping tea and thinking about writing.

Goals for next week:

• Write at least 2,500 more words in my WIP. This is approximately what I was able to do this week, and based on my experience, it’s doable.
• Continue completing assignments in my editing class. I’ve already done today’s assignment and should be getting a new one on Wednesday. I shouldn’t have any problem making this goal, and it definitely helps me with my first ms.
• Continue reading The First Five Pages and doing the exercises in the chapters. The exercises have proven extremely helpful in thinking about my first ms. I don’t know how much farther I’ll get into it. I’m currently working on the exercises in chapter three, so I’d at least hope to be at chapter four by next week.

I’ve asked a critique partner, who read the last draft of it, to read it through again and let me know what she thinks. In the meantime, I’ve started musing about ways to make the story stronger and deeper. I haven’t actually started tinkering with it yet, but I have been letting things simmer.

I’ve also randomly started turning to my husband and saying things like, “Instead of the mother being a weak, scared woman, I’m thinking of making her a strong, scared woman.” I’m sure he’s very pleased about it.

So, there you have it, on my first themeless Thursday. More writing about writing. Is that not the definition of fun or what?

I started writing this manuscript in the fall of 2007, when I was still living in DC. Even though I was a professional writer in my day job, I needed something more and le livre was a welcome release from the very dull writing I was doing from 9-5. I continued working on it all through 2008, finally finishing a first draft of it in July, just before buying a house and getting married. At the beginning of this year, I went back and started revising it. Plotlines were thrown out, new characters introduced, language changed. When I finished the second draft, I felt good, yes, but I knew there was still more to go. So I gave it to other people to read and they came back to me with very good ideas and criticism, and I set to work on this draft. Now, although I’m sure it will undergo more editing someday, I feel like it’s as good as I can get it.

And, just to show you how glamorous my life is, when I finally put my pen down, pumped my fist in the air (not unlike Bender in the final scene of The Breakfast Club), and grinned a goofy grin, I heard my cat heaving, a sure sign that something disgusting was about to happen. So I rushed over to him and put a blank sheet of paper underneath him and he puked up half-digested stalks of catnip all over it. I hope that’s not symbolic…

When I wasn’t revising, I read On Writing by Stephen King, despite the fact that I’ve never read any of his novels. I really enjoyed it, and if you’re interested in a really good book about writing, along the lines of Bird by Bird, you should pick it up.

Now off to grill some kielbasa, top it with sauerkraut, and have myself a good time.

Also — have you been reading Literary Rambles? You really should be.

But I haven’t forgotten my original manuscript! When I get more detailed feedback from my readers, I’ll work on le livre. My goal is to start querying agents in September, which feels very close.

I’ve been reading more writing blogs, and adding a few more links to the blogroll. In particular, I’ve discovered Write to Done, which I really love. It’s a great resource for writers who are dutifully working to achieve their dreams. This post in particular was very helpful – I am a huge “digital fiddler.” I’ve started disconnecting my laptop from the Internet each evening when I sit down to write now, which really does help enormously. And, in the new story, I’ve found that setting word count goals really helps a lot. If I write 500 words each session, I’m happy (and I’ve found that often I go over that goal, anyway, which helps even more).

So today my goals are to weed the yard, bake a cherry pie from scratch, and get 500 more words into the story. I won’t say any of them will be easy, but with some work and some inspiration, I know I’ll get them done.

I’ve been thinking and musing a lot about le livre recently, almost incessantly. I call the main character to me when I’m walking to the bus stop, washing the dishes, lying in bed waiting to fall asleep. When she comes and is in the mood to talk (she’s often a reticent little creature), I ask her gentle questions and store everything that she’s saying away, adding to the files I’ve kept on her since the day she walked into my head.

But lately it’s been more difficult than it ever was to start my writing for the day. Since Friday, I think I’ve only written about 4000 words, when I feel like I should be writing so much more. Or is the “should” too overrated? Should (ha) I just let the story come out as it will and trust that it will be in a presentable condition by the end of the month, when I’m hoping to hand it out to readers? Is the subconscious work I’m doing enough for now, until the words come pouring out?

I really, really hope so.

First, Writer Unboxed is doing a second month devoted to one aspect of the craft. A few months ago, they focused on plot; during May they’re focusing on, you guessed it, character. This post from Therese Walsh really struck me, particularly when she talks about how pictures can solidify a character and her desires for an author. 

Months ago, I asked Caitlin, who posts her work on Flickr, if I could display some of her photos here. She graciously agreed. To me, her pictures conjure emotion. They inspire characters, too. This shot, for example, is one of the inspirational shots I’m using for book #2. Looking at it gave me an instant sense for a new lead character: quirky, dark, damaged, intuitive, naive. The model may very likely be none of those things, but for my purposes, it doesn’t matter; for me, Caitlin has captured these ideas using shading and contrasts, and by the placement of that flowering branch.

The second I read this, it clicked in my brain. I know exactly what my protagonist needs in le livre, and I had a clear image of how she would look at the end of the story. I’ve never been the type of writer who creates a collage of images before starting or working on a project, but I may have to rethink that policy in the future.

Other musings on character that have resonated with me are from this post at Jennifer Hubbard’s blog. In it, she talks about character motivation and this part in particular stuck with me:

The villain, if there is one, should have some motivation more complex than just, “He’s bad.”  Everyone’s life makes sense through his or her own eyes; we can all rationalize our actions even if they bother other people.  Why does the bad guy want to rule the world, or steal the main character’s love interest, or thwart the main character’s ambitions?

This is something I’ve been struggling with my wip. I have a bad guy, obviously, but I’ve been having problems making him more human. He’s not all bad, and I’ve introduced a subplot with him, but I’m not sure it’s working enough to make him a more sympathetic character. In fact, it might be making him worse. Sigh.

Okay, off to work some more on these issues…

One thing I’ve noticed is that after I’ve been writing for several hours and I’ve finished for the day, I have an intense need to be really loud and crazy, generally annoying my spouse and scaring my cats. I think that this is because so much of writing is solitary, quiet, taking place within my own head, that I have to let the wilder, crazier part of me burst out afterwards to make sure that I actually do exist in this world, that I’m not simply the background narrator in my book, that I actually have a VOICE and I must USE IT very LOUDLY. I’m happy my spouse is patient enough to put up with this.