Natasha Deen's Blog, page 24
January 2, 2019
Petit a petit, l’oiseau fait son nid
Which translates to, “little by little, the bird builds its nest.” Okay, I’m relying on Google for the translation on this, but I think it’s a very good mantra for 2019.
Little by little, don’t rush, don’t fuss, it’s okay to take it slow, it’s okay not to drive yourself into the ground with goals and deadlines and all the other ways we find to grind ourselves into dust while masking it as “inspiration and determination to live our best lives.”
November 15, 2018
Links for Publishing Workshop
Photo by David Klein on Unsplash
Thanks again to the grade 9s of Sir George Simpson for the fun workshop!
As promised, here are the links for authors looking to get started on their publishing journey.
www.sfwa.org/other-resources/for-auth...
Other sites/resources to consider for networking, manuscript evaluation:
November 5, 2018
A trip down memory lane makes a turn down Synopsis Road
Image credit: @amyhirschi | Unsplash
The manuscript continues to confound me, and I continue to try to **not** be frustrated, to remind myself that all books and stories grow in their own time, that the plotline will eventually make sense to me…some days, I’m more successful at these attempts to comfort myself than others.
In the meantime, I’ve been going through old files, partly to remind myself that even if it doesn’t feel like it on a daily basis, on a long-term basis, I’ve actually made...
September 23, 2018
September 23rd…
And no writing to be had. Lots of thinking and pondering and researching, but no writing. Sometimes, I think that’s the most difficult part of being a writer—being still and patient while the story mixes itself together…
September 2, 2018
A good reminder
Photo credit Simon Jigaj | Unsplash
I heard a Margaret Atwood quote, “Remember trees don’t grow from air, they grow from dirt,” which reminded me that the best way to grow things is to add fertilizer, and all of it was an encouraging shot in the arm as I slog through this manuscript…correction, OUTLINE.
I’ve decided calling it a 1st draft or manuscript was putting too much pressure to make it perfect from the get-go, but an **outline**, well, an outline can be full of plotholes and ums and uh...
August 31, 2018
Wait, I thought this was supposed to be easy
I figured out my story’s plotline and I have a chapter-by-chapter outline…so why does the writing feel like someone is taking out my wisdom teeth with a dull spoon?
Oh. Right. Because I’m trying to write **perfect** out of the gate, because I’m trying to hone the voice, and solve the plot holes, and create an aesthetic, all at the same time I’m sorting through getting the words on the page.
Breathe, I have to remind myself. Breathe and let it be an ugly, knotted mess. It’s a first draft, it’s...
August 24, 2018
3,000 ways to not write a book
Three thousand words into the manuscript, and it’s delete, delete, delete.
I know the premise is good. It gives me chills. I’ve talked about the idea with fellow writers of different genres and it gives them chills, too.
The problem is the outline. Getting my character from A –> Z, figuring out **who** the character really is, and who are the people that surround them.
On the bright side, I have a couple of twists figured out, and I’ve decided that counts for something.
On the other bright si...
August 16, 2018
Not counting my chickens (but I may be patting them on the head)
Okay, I think I’ve got the story idea that will become a manuscript, and that’s all I’m going to say until I type “the end.” 
August 14, 2018
The bright side of edits
Not only do they help make your book better and your story more polished, they also distract you from the work in progress that’s **not** working.
Natasha
August 7, 2018
Let me try, again
Super frustrated over the lack of novel writing. It’s been 19 days, NOT THAT I’M COUNTING, or anything. Not that I’m thinking that’s **almost** a month of lost words, lost work time…
It’s not that I don’t have any ideas. It’s just…there’s something off in all of them…it’s just that they all excited me equally. The last three manuscripts I drafted, I felt it, y’know?
I feel all of these on equal levels, they all terrify me on equal levels…
Today I woke up thinking of Agatha Christie saying she...
Natasha Deen's Blog
- Natasha Deen's profile
- 184 followers
