When The Puzzle Pieces Fall Together

So, as most of you already know, I'm in mid-first draft of "The Awakening," and for the past, oh week or so, the flood gates have opened up and Venom is flowing onto the page like water. I don't know how it works for you other writers, but I get bits and pieces of scenes, dialog, names, places etc. and then I'm supposed to make some sort of sense out it.

I've been plodding along on this project, writing a bit here and a bit there, making no great strides to speak of, but writing enough to keep the juices flowing. Scratching my head as I put scenes together, not really understanding WHY I'm supposed to put this one next to that one, but I do it because that's what my instincts tell me to do.

Then WHAM!

I get this new character (or in this case a special GROUP that is a character) and suddenly as I discover who they are and what they do, all the strange bits and pieces I linked together up until this point make perfect sense. These guys are the key to the story, the link that threads throughout the storyline.

I am once again amazed, not at myself, but at how the subconscious mind always seems to be way ahead of the game and knows what it is doing. I refer to this alter-ego as my Muse, and so far she (or possible he) has been spot-on.

So I am a writing fool these days, making like a Ghost at my usual haunts and at The Keep. I really hope they don't think I'm ignoring them, cause I'm not. It's just that Venom and The Muse are such demanding taskmasters at the moment.

On another note, it seems that my publisher, BookSurge, is merging into Create/Space, and the new company seems to have more reasonable rates and pricing for their books. This is a great relief as I am most annoyed at the pricing they placed on "The Sagittary," causing those who would normally buy, to back off. And that really sucks. I am looking into revising "The Sagittary" into a shorter version, taking out a lot of the book that, while not intrinsic to the story, definitely fills it out and gives it a 'real flavor.' I hate to do that, but I have to in order to make the pricing more palatable. If I do this, I would probably post those 'deleted scenes' up in The Keep. So I'll keep you posted on how that goes. But in the meantime, I'm watching my page count this time around so "The Awakening" will be as cheap as I can make it without sacrificing the meat of the story.

As usual, I've been posting 'teasers' at The Keep. So if you want to get a little taste of Venom and see what he's about, head on over.

That's it for now...back to the keys. Read happy!

TMS

Winter Hath Cometh Early

We had our first snowfall of the year yesterday. Snow coming down like all hell...but not sticking, thankfully. At least not in my neck of NJ. I know a few people who were coated with up to 2" of the white, wet, heavy stuff. (No, that's not a picture from NJ....just one taken from a trip to Scotland...but I thought it appropriate for the topic!)

Snow.

In October.

WTF?

Seeing how we've had a very wet year already, this early snowfall doesn't bode well for a light winter. I think we're gonna get snowed under!

Which, on the other hand, is perfect reading weather! I've loaded up (or should I say reinforced?) my TBR pile, moving it from the little box to a great big Rubbermaid bin. So go ahead Old Man Winter, and do your worst! I'm set!

We've hit a snag with "Daughter of the Aire" and that novel is being moved to the back burner for now. It needs some heavy editing and right now I don't have the time or the inclination to start tearing that story apart. My editor, Kimi, seems to think there was some weird crap going on in my life at the time I was writing it. Quite frankly, I really don't remember what the hell was going on two years ago! (Let alone yesterday...*slinks off*)

Soooo, I'm putting all my energies into working on "The Awakening." (That title is going to be changed...I hate it. But for now...) Kimi has already read the first five chapters and she loves it. Which is a good thing. I was getting a little nervous there after her review of Daughter. *wipes brow* So Venom it is. And you know what? I'm sure that was his plan all along. Sneaky reptile that he is. Have I mentioned how overtly hot he is? No? Well....let me tell you....I sweat when I'm writing his scenes. Don't let the serpent references put you off.

Let's see....what else....

We had our Keep Clan Gathering down in Washington DC this past weekend, and it was a blast! It was great to finally meet the faces behind the posts from The Keep. Everyone was great and I think a good time was had by all.

Speaking of The Keep: We are still taking recipes for our charity Keep Cookbook that we hope to have published by CafePress and out in time for the holidays in December. So please, if you have a good recipe to share and want to have your name in print, stop by the Keep and drop it off in our Kitchen thread. While you're there, check out the rest of the board. Book lovers and writers abound, sharing their reviews, criticisms and camaraderie. It truly is a great place to hang out. I've got the best members in the world. *sends out the luv to my Keepers*

OK. Well I guess that's about it for now. It's football season and that means running around to practice and games with my son. (Their record at the moment is 4 -1. Mama and Papa are very proud! :))

Wherever your wanderings take you, stay safe, stay healthy and enjoy life. Muuah!

TMS

Welcome into the Mysts....

*takes a deep breath*

*lets it out slowly*

*considers the blank parchment upon the table*

*ponders where to start *

*bites tip of quill*

*puts quill back into inkpot*

*wanders off into the mysts to think*

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A beginning is never easy for it sets the tone for what will follow. I have never, other than in my regular schooling, have taken a writing class. I am told that I have a natural ability to relate a story. Descriptive, funny, animated. At any one time, I have some sort of scenario going through my mind. At one point, I had to start putting it down on paper...it just felt right. That original story is still unfinished and I feel terrible about it. My characters are frozen in time, unable to continue until I deem it ready to do so. Because in the world of books, the writer is god. We have the power to create, the power to direct, the power to kill. So until I am ready, frozen in time they will stay.

But it is not from lack of wanting to finish that original story. It is because my muse has been whispering to me...giving me ideas that I can't ignore. If I do, she will stop speaking to me. And where would that leave me? I get scenes, flashes of dialog, glimpses of actions. My characters do not speak to me, but rather show me. How many times have I been at work to have a wonderful line of dialog suddenly show up in the middle of reading contracts? How many times has a delicious love scene shown up during computer upgrades? I grab for the nearest sticky pad and jot down notes furiously. These make their way home to a folder where they are cataloged into some sort of order. Eventually they form a story.

I don't seek to become the next J.K. Rowling but only to have my stories read by others who enjoy the same types of tales that I can tell. So far, according to friends, family and co-workers, I'm doing well. One day I will get that story finished. And one day, I will see it in print. Until then, I will continue to listen to the whispers of my muse and continue setting them down to paper. Because only in written form will they come to life. TMS