Shanna Swendson's Blog, page 112
April 18, 2017
Working Out the End
After a day of brainstorming, I think I’ve figured out what needs to happen for the rest of the book. I dug out my notes from a book on story structure I checked out of the library years ago, and that sparked some ideas. My notes included questions I forced myself to answer, and while I did that, I started seeing the movie in my head.
I know there’s some stuff I’ll have to go back and fix in the next draft, like making a character who’s been drifting on the periphery more prominent and actually defining him, and making the heroine a little more flawed at the beginning so she has room to grow. I’m also not totally sold on the way I did the middle, and there’s one character who may end up being deleted, depending on what I do with the middle. I could eliminate him entirely, except for one critical thing he does in the middle, but once he’s there, I can’t find a way of ditching him. Either he never appears and I find another way to do what he does in the middle, or I’m stuck with him for the rest of the book. I’m worried that his presence dilutes another character who plays a similar role except for that one thing that only he can do, and I think that other character is more interesting and fun.
But first I think I’ll get to the end, and then I’ll make decisions. Let’s see if he earns his keep and does something valuable leading up to the end.
One other thing that came from digging up that old notebook:
That writing book had some exercises for discovering the story you need to be writing. One was to list all the elements you love in books. I did that list, and looking at the list now, I’d say that about 75 percent of them are in this one story. So maybe I’m on the right track.
I know there’s some stuff I’ll have to go back and fix in the next draft, like making a character who’s been drifting on the periphery more prominent and actually defining him, and making the heroine a little more flawed at the beginning so she has room to grow. I’m also not totally sold on the way I did the middle, and there’s one character who may end up being deleted, depending on what I do with the middle. I could eliminate him entirely, except for one critical thing he does in the middle, but once he’s there, I can’t find a way of ditching him. Either he never appears and I find another way to do what he does in the middle, or I’m stuck with him for the rest of the book. I’m worried that his presence dilutes another character who plays a similar role except for that one thing that only he can do, and I think that other character is more interesting and fun.
But first I think I’ll get to the end, and then I’ll make decisions. Let’s see if he earns his keep and does something valuable leading up to the end.
One other thing that came from digging up that old notebook:
That writing book had some exercises for discovering the story you need to be writing. One was to list all the elements you love in books. I did that list, and looking at the list now, I’d say that about 75 percent of them are in this one story. So maybe I’m on the right track.
April 17, 2017
Staring into Space
I managed to have a weekend that was both productive and restful. I knocked a few items off the epic nagging to-do list, got through all the Easter services, and still had time to do some reading.
Now I have to face the week, and today’s task is mostly going to be brainstorming. I’m building up to the climactic action of the book, and this is where my outline was rather vague. I know what the climactic action will be, but I’m not sure how to get there, on multiple levels. I don’t know what tasks my characters will need to do to get to that point, but I also don’t know how they’ll get there, physically. I’m going to need to make a map to figure out what their travel will look like, and then I need to figure out how the city that’s their destination is situated because I need to figure out how they’ll get into the city. I’m not sure yet if they actually will get into the city or if they’ll end up resorting to plan B before that, but they need to have a plan to at least try and fail before they resort to plan B.
So, yeah, I have a lot of thinking to do. I may have to daydream multiple possibilities and then pick the best. Right now, I don’t have a good mental movie of this part of the book.
It looks like it’s going to be a rainy day, so I plan to put on some music, sit down, stare into space, and call it work. And it is work.
Now I have to face the week, and today’s task is mostly going to be brainstorming. I’m building up to the climactic action of the book, and this is where my outline was rather vague. I know what the climactic action will be, but I’m not sure how to get there, on multiple levels. I don’t know what tasks my characters will need to do to get to that point, but I also don’t know how they’ll get there, physically. I’m going to need to make a map to figure out what their travel will look like, and then I need to figure out how the city that’s their destination is situated because I need to figure out how they’ll get into the city. I’m not sure yet if they actually will get into the city or if they’ll end up resorting to plan B before that, but they need to have a plan to at least try and fail before they resort to plan B.
So, yeah, I have a lot of thinking to do. I may have to daydream multiple possibilities and then pick the best. Right now, I don’t have a good mental movie of this part of the book.
It looks like it’s going to be a rainy day, so I plan to put on some music, sit down, stare into space, and call it work. And it is work.
April 14, 2017
Unwriting
This will be my last post at this site. From this point, you can find my journal at http://shannaswendson.blogspot.com/
I’ve been in a process I’ve come to think of as “unwriting” for nearly a week. I got to a certain point in the story, realized I was doing it wrong, and went back to fix it. That meant cutting a lot of stuff I’d already written. Yesterday, I finally got back to the same point in the story (in a totally different way) and back to the word count I had before the “unwriting” began. So now I can move forward. It’ll be a shortish afternoon, since I have a Good Friday concert to sing in tonight. I may try to make up the time tomorrow.
I’ve probably been a bit too hard on myself with this book. The idea was so fun and magical, but the actual thing feels like such a slog. I had to remind myself that the process of writing it has nothing to do with the process of reading it. In fact, the more of a slog it is to write, the more effort put into it, the more magical it may be to read. Also, this is a draft. I can sprinkle the pixie dust in when I revise it. That’s why I decided to write the whole thing instead of just a proposal. I only really get a sense of the full impact of the story when I write the whole thing, and that means I do a lot of revising of the opening to fit what I discover along the way. My mantras with this book are “good enough is the enemy of great” and “be too good to ignore.” I want editors to read this and desperately want to buy this book, so it’s worth the effort to make that happen.
In other news, I saw a recent survey that younger readers are more likely to be looking at Instagram than stuff like Twitter or Facebook. As a YA writer, I probably need to look into that, but I have to confess to being utterly clueless about it. It only works on phones, right? I seldom think to use my phone. But I’m a decent photographer (I had to take a course in college as part of my broadcast news degree), so it’s in my skill set. But I think in words, not images, which is why I’m a writer, so it will take some thought. Maybe I’ll do some exploring and brainstorming this weekend.
I’ve been in a process I’ve come to think of as “unwriting” for nearly a week. I got to a certain point in the story, realized I was doing it wrong, and went back to fix it. That meant cutting a lot of stuff I’d already written. Yesterday, I finally got back to the same point in the story (in a totally different way) and back to the word count I had before the “unwriting” began. So now I can move forward. It’ll be a shortish afternoon, since I have a Good Friday concert to sing in tonight. I may try to make up the time tomorrow.
I’ve probably been a bit too hard on myself with this book. The idea was so fun and magical, but the actual thing feels like such a slog. I had to remind myself that the process of writing it has nothing to do with the process of reading it. In fact, the more of a slog it is to write, the more effort put into it, the more magical it may be to read. Also, this is a draft. I can sprinkle the pixie dust in when I revise it. That’s why I decided to write the whole thing instead of just a proposal. I only really get a sense of the full impact of the story when I write the whole thing, and that means I do a lot of revising of the opening to fit what I discover along the way. My mantras with this book are “good enough is the enemy of great” and “be too good to ignore.” I want editors to read this and desperately want to buy this book, so it’s worth the effort to make that happen.
In other news, I saw a recent survey that younger readers are more likely to be looking at Instagram than stuff like Twitter or Facebook. As a YA writer, I probably need to look into that, but I have to confess to being utterly clueless about it. It only works on phones, right? I seldom think to use my phone. But I’m a decent photographer (I had to take a course in college as part of my broadcast news degree), so it’s in my skill set. But I think in words, not images, which is why I’m a writer, so it will take some thought. Maybe I’ll do some exploring and brainstorming this weekend.
Unwriting
I’ve been in a process I’ve come to think of as “unwriting” for nearly a week. I got to a certain point in the story, realized I was doing it wrong, and went back to fix it. That meant cutting a lot of stuff I’d already written. Yesterday, I finally got back to the same point in the story (in a totally different way) and back to the word count I had before the “unwriting” began. So now I can move forward. It’ll be a shortish afternoon, since I have a Good Friday concert to sing in tonight. I may try to make up the time tomorrow.
I’ve probably been a bit too hard on myself with this book. The idea was so fun and magical, but the actual thing feels like such a slog. I had to remind myself that the process of writing it has nothing to do with the process of reading it. In fact, the more of a slog it is to write, the more effort put into it, the more magical it may be to read. Also, this is a draft. I can sprinkle the pixie dust in when I revise it. That’s why I decided to write the whole thing instead of just a proposal. I only really get a sense of the full impact of the story when I write the whole thing, and that means I do a lot of revising of the opening to fit what I discover along the way. My mantras with this book are “good enough is the enemy of great” and “be too good to ignore.” I want editors to read this and desperately want to buy this book, so it’s worth the effort to make that happen.
In other news, I saw a recent survey that younger readers are more likely to be looking at Instagram than stuff like Twitter or Facebook. As a YA writer, I probably need to look into that, but I have to confess to being utterly clueless about it. It only works on phones, right? I seldom think to use my phone. But I’m a decent photographer (I had to take a course in college as part of my broadcast news degree), so it’s in my skill set. But I think in words, not images, which is why I’m a writer, so it will take some thought. Maybe I’ll do some exploring and brainstorming this weekend.
I’ve probably been a bit too hard on myself with this book. The idea was so fun and magical, but the actual thing feels like such a slog. I had to remind myself that the process of writing it has nothing to do with the process of reading it. In fact, the more of a slog it is to write, the more effort put into it, the more magical it may be to read. Also, this is a draft. I can sprinkle the pixie dust in when I revise it. That’s why I decided to write the whole thing instead of just a proposal. I only really get a sense of the full impact of the story when I write the whole thing, and that means I do a lot of revising of the opening to fit what I discover along the way. My mantras with this book are “good enough is the enemy of great” and “be too good to ignore.” I want editors to read this and desperately want to buy this book, so it’s worth the effort to make that happen.
In other news, I saw a recent survey that younger readers are more likely to be looking at Instagram than stuff like Twitter or Facebook. As a YA writer, I probably need to look into that, but I have to confess to being utterly clueless about it. It only works on phones, right? I seldom think to use my phone. But I’m a decent photographer (I had to take a course in college as part of my broadcast news degree), so it’s in my skill set. But I think in words, not images, which is why I’m a writer, so it will take some thought. Maybe I’ll do some exploring and brainstorming this weekend.
April 13, 2017
Tackling the To-Do List
I had a thought yesterday while I was making my bed and tidying my bedroom. I found myself noticing little things I needed to do that I never seem to get around to doing, those nagging to-do list items that don’t have a particular deadline and that are just annoying enough to do that I let them carry over for weeks, months, even years in some rare cases. They hang over my head and make even leisure time feel less leisurely because there’s that sense that there’s something else I should be doing. But they don’t get done because I tell myself that I have other priorities. I always have a writing project I need to be working on, and I don’t like spending the emotional energy on other stuff while I’m writing.
So then I got the idea of devoting a week to getting things done — once I have this project and a couple of other things out of the way, take a block of time and devote it to getting all those things done. Then I could take a few days off to recover and enjoy that sense of having nothing I should be doing before diving into the next big writing project. Of course, new to-dos will always arise, but getting the current list done would certainly make the burden less onerous.
So, I made a list of everything I could think of that I need to do that I’ve been putting off, those passing thoughts of “oh, I really should take care of that.” I was surprised to only have about 30 items on the list. A few of them are bigger projects that might require multiple stages, like some of the home repairs I need to do or some of the purging/organizing I need to do, but most were relatively small tasks. I typed up and printed that list, cut the list into individual slips, and created a “job jar.” When I have a spare block of time, I’m going to draw a job and deal with it.
Yesterday’s task was to set up the NoMoRobo service that I can now use with the new phone service I’ve got (yes, I’ve had that since October, but there was a sign-up process, so it didn’t get done). It’s a service that intercepts the known robo caller scammers, so your phone rings once and it shows up on Caller ID, but then stops ringing. The process of signing up was a minor pain that took maybe 20 minutes, most of that having to reload my phone company’s web site a few times, but about an hour later I got one of those calls, and the readout in the Caller ID was one that I’ve had repeatedly. The phone rang once, and that was it, so it worked. This should help my productivity because I can generally ignore the first ring of any call and only break concentration to deal with it if it rings more than once.
I may still try to do the week of getting stuff done, but with any luck, I’ll have knocked out a lot of it ahead of time and will be able to focus on the more serious stuff (which may end up taking more than one week), like doing some of the more major home repairs and cleaning/organizing.
But first, I really need to focus on finishing this book.
So then I got the idea of devoting a week to getting things done — once I have this project and a couple of other things out of the way, take a block of time and devote it to getting all those things done. Then I could take a few days off to recover and enjoy that sense of having nothing I should be doing before diving into the next big writing project. Of course, new to-dos will always arise, but getting the current list done would certainly make the burden less onerous.
So, I made a list of everything I could think of that I need to do that I’ve been putting off, those passing thoughts of “oh, I really should take care of that.” I was surprised to only have about 30 items on the list. A few of them are bigger projects that might require multiple stages, like some of the home repairs I need to do or some of the purging/organizing I need to do, but most were relatively small tasks. I typed up and printed that list, cut the list into individual slips, and created a “job jar.” When I have a spare block of time, I’m going to draw a job and deal with it.
Yesterday’s task was to set up the NoMoRobo service that I can now use with the new phone service I’ve got (yes, I’ve had that since October, but there was a sign-up process, so it didn’t get done). It’s a service that intercepts the known robo caller scammers, so your phone rings once and it shows up on Caller ID, but then stops ringing. The process of signing up was a minor pain that took maybe 20 minutes, most of that having to reload my phone company’s web site a few times, but about an hour later I got one of those calls, and the readout in the Caller ID was one that I’ve had repeatedly. The phone rang once, and that was it, so it worked. This should help my productivity because I can generally ignore the first ring of any call and only break concentration to deal with it if it rings more than once.
I may still try to do the week of getting stuff done, but with any luck, I’ll have knocked out a lot of it ahead of time and will be able to focus on the more serious stuff (which may end up taking more than one week), like doing some of the more major home repairs and cleaning/organizing.
But first, I really need to focus on finishing this book.
April 12, 2017
Rewriting
I’m still plugging away at this book, with the plodding pace that comes with having to write a scene before I know what the scene should be, so I then have to rewrite it. But I’m getting close to the end, around 25,000 words to go. I made a list of things that need to happen before the end of the book, and there’s just one I’m not entirely sure of, whether it should be resolved here or kept for a sequel.
My ongoing dilemma is deciding when to just get something done and move on and when to make things difficult for my characters. When should I just let them do, find, or learn something so they can get to the next part of the story, and when should it be a struggle to do, find, or learn something? I think the answer is that it should be a struggle when it has something to do with the plot — would the antagonists stand in the way at this point? Would someone have had a reason to make something hard to do here? Otherwise, it’s just throwing in artificial conflict.
And then last night I read a deal announcement for a book that fits in the same general category as this one. It sounds like a very different treatment of the concept, but is still playing in the same space. It was a really good deal, sold at auction for six figures. I don’t know whether to find that encouraging and a good sign that publishers might be looking for something like this or to worry that this means publishers will say this is too much like that one.
Come to think of it, from what I know of publishers, it should be a good sign. I might not be able to sell to that publisher, but the auction losers might be looking for something like it.
So I’ll keep plugging.
My ongoing dilemma is deciding when to just get something done and move on and when to make things difficult for my characters. When should I just let them do, find, or learn something so they can get to the next part of the story, and when should it be a struggle to do, find, or learn something? I think the answer is that it should be a struggle when it has something to do with the plot — would the antagonists stand in the way at this point? Would someone have had a reason to make something hard to do here? Otherwise, it’s just throwing in artificial conflict.
And then last night I read a deal announcement for a book that fits in the same general category as this one. It sounds like a very different treatment of the concept, but is still playing in the same space. It was a really good deal, sold at auction for six figures. I don’t know whether to find that encouraging and a good sign that publishers might be looking for something like this or to worry that this means publishers will say this is too much like that one.
Come to think of it, from what I know of publishers, it should be a good sign. I might not be able to sell to that publisher, but the auction losers might be looking for something like it.
So I’ll keep plugging.
April 11, 2017
Book Report: Lots of Reading
I’ve been making a real effort to read more lately, as I’m watching less TV, so I have a bunch of books to report on.
Fans of my Rebels series might enjoy Arabella of Mars, by David D. Levine. You might consider it steampunk, though if you’re being really pedantic and technical about it, it’s more clockpunk, as it takes place during the Regency era, before the Age of Steam really got going, and the alternate technology is clockwork automata, not steam engines. But it’s still a retro-futuristic thing with airships and adventure, with a plucky heroine breaking out of her defined societal role. A young woman who grew up on her family’s Mars plantation feels constrained when her mother thinks they need to move back to earth so she can be trained to be a proper lady. But after her father’s death, she learns of an evil scheme by her cousin to go to Mars and rob her brother of his inheritance, and the only option she seems to have is to disguise herself as a boy to join the crew of a faster ship heading to Mars so she can warn her brother. Those who are real nitpickers about science may have problems with this, as the technology and science are all based on beliefs at that time, which means we have people living easily on Mars, farming there, with a breathable atmosphere, and then there’s the fact that you can sail on sailing ships to Mars. But if that sort of thing doesn’t have you sputtering “that’s not the way it works!” and you’re willing to suspend disbelief and go with it, it’s a really fun adventure story.
The Evil Wizard Smallbone by Delia Sherman is classified as a children’s book (middle-grade, I believe), but I thoroughly enjoyed it. A young runaway gets lost in the Maine woods and stumbles upon a remote house, where a strange old man gives him shelter, then declares that he’s an evil wizard, and the boy is his new apprentice. When the boy finds that he can’t seem to leave, he decides to take matters into his own hands and learn what he needs to figure out what’s going on and how to get his freedom — but the situation isn’t quite what he’s been told it is. I guess you could almost call it Stephen King-lite, with the strange, mysterious town in Maine and the dark forces surrounding it, but it’s not a really dark story. It’s whimsical and has a sweet heart.
I took a slight break from fantasy when I found a book by Julian Fellows, the writer of Downton Abbey, on the new books shelf at the library. Belgravia had no connections to Downton Abbey, but I felt like there were some parallels in story lines and character types. It starts with an incident at the infamous ball that happened on the eve of the Battle of Waterloo, then picks up 25 years later with the consequences of what happened. Those consequences entangle a high-ranking noble family and a family of wealthy social climbers. As on Downton Abbey, we have an ordinary guy who finds himself abruptly moved up in society, scheming servants, and a very forward-thinking young noblewoman. The outcome was rather obvious to me from the start, but I think I would have been very dissatisfied if it hadn’t come out that way. I must say that he’s probably a better television writer than a novelist. The plot is fairly strong, but prose isn’t his strong suit. But if you’re missing Downton Abbey and want a bit more historical costume drama soap opera, this is a pretty quick read.
The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman was recommended by a reader, and yes, it was just my cup of tea. A librarian working for the magical repository of all books gets assigned a new trainee and a strange mission to go to a steampunky alternate reality where vampires and werewolves exist and retrieve a version of the Grimm fairy tales that includes one particular story that doesn’t exist in other realities. But she’s not the only one after it. This has a taste of contemporary fantasy — in that the heroine seems rather contemporary, though we aren’t quite sure which reality she’s from — but she’s thrown into a steampunk kind of world that also has a lot of other fantasy elements. There are already two more with more on the way, and when I finish my current library haul, I’ll be devouring the rest. Thanks for the recommendation!
And finally, The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi is a YA fantasy that doesn’t really read like YA, so don’t let the label stop you if you’re an adult. It’s set in a fantasy version of India and draws upon Indian mythology and folklore, but there are still elements that feel quite familiar from European folklore and fairy tales. A raja’s daughter whose birth horoscope seems ominous believes she’ll never marry because of it, but when she’s put in a situation where she has to choose a husband for diplomatic reasons, she’s unexpectedly whisked away by a mysterious man and taken to a magical realm. As she gradually learns what’s going on, she has to decide who she can trust. The imagery in this book is so dreamlike and beautiful, with some very poetic language. I kept wanting to write down quotes from it. It’s also very romantic, the kind of book you finish with a sigh.
I guess all this is what happens when you cut back on your TV viewing, which is probably good for me. I’m ahead for the year on my reading goals, and my writing output has also increased.
Fans of my Rebels series might enjoy Arabella of Mars, by David D. Levine. You might consider it steampunk, though if you’re being really pedantic and technical about it, it’s more clockpunk, as it takes place during the Regency era, before the Age of Steam really got going, and the alternate technology is clockwork automata, not steam engines. But it’s still a retro-futuristic thing with airships and adventure, with a plucky heroine breaking out of her defined societal role. A young woman who grew up on her family’s Mars plantation feels constrained when her mother thinks they need to move back to earth so she can be trained to be a proper lady. But after her father’s death, she learns of an evil scheme by her cousin to go to Mars and rob her brother of his inheritance, and the only option she seems to have is to disguise herself as a boy to join the crew of a faster ship heading to Mars so she can warn her brother. Those who are real nitpickers about science may have problems with this, as the technology and science are all based on beliefs at that time, which means we have people living easily on Mars, farming there, with a breathable atmosphere, and then there’s the fact that you can sail on sailing ships to Mars. But if that sort of thing doesn’t have you sputtering “that’s not the way it works!” and you’re willing to suspend disbelief and go with it, it’s a really fun adventure story.
The Evil Wizard Smallbone by Delia Sherman is classified as a children’s book (middle-grade, I believe), but I thoroughly enjoyed it. A young runaway gets lost in the Maine woods and stumbles upon a remote house, where a strange old man gives him shelter, then declares that he’s an evil wizard, and the boy is his new apprentice. When the boy finds that he can’t seem to leave, he decides to take matters into his own hands and learn what he needs to figure out what’s going on and how to get his freedom — but the situation isn’t quite what he’s been told it is. I guess you could almost call it Stephen King-lite, with the strange, mysterious town in Maine and the dark forces surrounding it, but it’s not a really dark story. It’s whimsical and has a sweet heart.
I took a slight break from fantasy when I found a book by Julian Fellows, the writer of Downton Abbey, on the new books shelf at the library. Belgravia had no connections to Downton Abbey, but I felt like there were some parallels in story lines and character types. It starts with an incident at the infamous ball that happened on the eve of the Battle of Waterloo, then picks up 25 years later with the consequences of what happened. Those consequences entangle a high-ranking noble family and a family of wealthy social climbers. As on Downton Abbey, we have an ordinary guy who finds himself abruptly moved up in society, scheming servants, and a very forward-thinking young noblewoman. The outcome was rather obvious to me from the start, but I think I would have been very dissatisfied if it hadn’t come out that way. I must say that he’s probably a better television writer than a novelist. The plot is fairly strong, but prose isn’t his strong suit. But if you’re missing Downton Abbey and want a bit more historical costume drama soap opera, this is a pretty quick read.
The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman was recommended by a reader, and yes, it was just my cup of tea. A librarian working for the magical repository of all books gets assigned a new trainee and a strange mission to go to a steampunky alternate reality where vampires and werewolves exist and retrieve a version of the Grimm fairy tales that includes one particular story that doesn’t exist in other realities. But she’s not the only one after it. This has a taste of contemporary fantasy — in that the heroine seems rather contemporary, though we aren’t quite sure which reality she’s from — but she’s thrown into a steampunk kind of world that also has a lot of other fantasy elements. There are already two more with more on the way, and when I finish my current library haul, I’ll be devouring the rest. Thanks for the recommendation!
And finally, The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi is a YA fantasy that doesn’t really read like YA, so don’t let the label stop you if you’re an adult. It’s set in a fantasy version of India and draws upon Indian mythology and folklore, but there are still elements that feel quite familiar from European folklore and fairy tales. A raja’s daughter whose birth horoscope seems ominous believes she’ll never marry because of it, but when she’s put in a situation where she has to choose a husband for diplomatic reasons, she’s unexpectedly whisked away by a mysterious man and taken to a magical realm. As she gradually learns what’s going on, she has to decide who she can trust. The imagery in this book is so dreamlike and beautiful, with some very poetic language. I kept wanting to write down quotes from it. It’s also very romantic, the kind of book you finish with a sigh.
I guess all this is what happens when you cut back on your TV viewing, which is probably good for me. I’m ahead for the year on my reading goals, and my writing output has also increased.
April 10, 2017
Messy Food
It was a good thing I did a trial run of that recipe. It came out great and was really yummy, but it wasn’t at all appropriate for this situation. We’re dealing with maybe about 50 people, with buffet tables and everyone needing to grab a bite to eat in the half hour between services. Many of the people will be wearing choir robes. This bread was really, really messy to eat, with all that cinnamon sugar goo coating each piece. And since it’s a pull-apart bread, the servings were defined, but they were a little too big for a situation in which everyone will be wanting to take smaller portions of everything. Plus, it’s served using the fingers, which isn’t great for a big crowd. It would be awesome for a coffee/tea party or a family brunch. For the choir Easter brunch, I think I’ll go to my stand-by of soda bread because I can pre-slice it into smaller bits for easy serving, and it’s not at all messy to eat. You have to wash your hands after eating this cinnamon bread before you can touch anything.
I did pass out some of this bread to people in the choir this Sunday. And now most of the rest is in my freezer. I could have happily lived on it, and that was dangerous.
Meanwhile, in my Friday writing session, I wrote for a couple of hours and ended up with 5,000 fewer words than I started with, and then that night I figured out what I did wrong, which will mean rewriting about 2,000 of the remaining words. I also already know I’m going to need to do a pass focusing on character arcs and adding emotion. But I keep telling myself that the object of this exercise is to create something so good that publishers will fight for it.
In other news, after this week (to give everyone time to catch on and move their bookmarks), I will no longer be updating at the LiveJournal site. I was planning to just wait and migrate it all to the new web site, but they’ve made some administrative changes there, and I don’t want to be involved with that anymore. So you can find my blog at: http://shannaswendson.blogspot.com/
I did pass out some of this bread to people in the choir this Sunday. And now most of the rest is in my freezer. I could have happily lived on it, and that was dangerous.
Meanwhile, in my Friday writing session, I wrote for a couple of hours and ended up with 5,000 fewer words than I started with, and then that night I figured out what I did wrong, which will mean rewriting about 2,000 of the remaining words. I also already know I’m going to need to do a pass focusing on character arcs and adding emotion. But I keep telling myself that the object of this exercise is to create something so good that publishers will fight for it.
In other news, after this week (to give everyone time to catch on and move their bookmarks), I will no longer be updating at the LiveJournal site. I was planning to just wait and migrate it all to the new web site, but they’ve made some administrative changes there, and I don’t want to be involved with that anymore. So you can find my blog at: http://shannaswendson.blogspot.com/
Messy Food
It was a good thing I did a trial run of that recipe. It came out great and was really yummy, but it wasn’t at all appropriate for this situation. We’re dealing with maybe about 50 people, with buffet tables and everyone needing to grab a bite to eat in the half hour between services. Many of the people will be wearing choir robes. This bread was really, really messy to eat, with all that cinnamon sugar goo coating each piece. And since it’s a pull-apart bread, the servings were defined, but they were a little too big for a situation in which everyone will be wanting to take smaller portions of everything. Plus, it’s served using the fingers, which isn’t great for a big crowd. It would be awesome for a coffee/tea party or a family brunch. For the choir Easter brunch, I think I’ll go to my stand-by of soda bread because I can pre-slice it into smaller bits for easy serving, and it’s not at all messy to eat. You have to wash your hands after eating this cinnamon bread before you can touch anything.
I did pass out some of this bread to people in the choir this Sunday. And now most of the rest is in my freezer. I could have happily lived on it, and that was dangerous.
Meanwhile, in my Friday writing session, I wrote for a couple of hours and ended up with 5,000 fewer words than I started with, and then that night I figured out what I did wrong, which will mean rewriting about 2,000 of the remaining words. I also already know I’m going to need to do a pass focusing on character arcs and adding emotion. But I keep telling myself that the object of this exercise is to create something so good that publishers will fight for it.
I did pass out some of this bread to people in the choir this Sunday. And now most of the rest is in my freezer. I could have happily lived on it, and that was dangerous.
Meanwhile, in my Friday writing session, I wrote for a couple of hours and ended up with 5,000 fewer words than I started with, and then that night I figured out what I did wrong, which will mean rewriting about 2,000 of the remaining words. I also already know I’m going to need to do a pass focusing on character arcs and adding emotion. But I keep telling myself that the object of this exercise is to create something so good that publishers will fight for it.
April 7, 2017
Test Batches
I think today I should be able to get through the changing/revising of what I’ve already written, so that next week I can write new stuff, and I should be able to finish this draft by the end of next week. Yay! Then I may let it rest a bit while I write some shorter pieces. I really want to get this book right, so I’m forcing myself not to get impatient to just have it done.
I’ll be spending my weekend with the fun of finishing my taxes and working on that web design survey so that I don’t have to worry about either next week and can focus on writing.
I may also be making a test/practice batch of my recipe for Easter morning goodies. Since the choir has to sing for three services, we do a kind of potluck brunch for between services, and there’s a recipe I want to try, but I’m a little wary of bringing something that I’ve never made before when it’s not something like cookies, where you can test one.
There are nice things about Easter when you’re in the choir. You have to get there early, so you get a parking space. You have a reserved seat. You don’t have to worry about what you wear because you’re wearing a robe over it. We spend the time between services snacking, so I don’t have to worry about going out to lunch and getting a table anywhere. I can just come home and collapse.
The down side is that there’s a lot of work leading up to it. This year, we’re not doing a lot of big music for Easter itself, just the usual stuff, but are doing a big thing for Good Friday. That’s what all the rehearsals are about, and that’s what I’ll be doing next Friday night.
So now I think it’s time to do some baking. I’m trying a recipe for cinnamon roll pull-apart bread. Basically, you make cinnamon rolls, but then you coat those roll pieces in cinnamon sugar and put the roll dough in a loaf pan. Theoretically, you then pull the rolls off the loaf. The test run is to see how it works and whether it’s too messy. And as an excuse to have it for myself.
I’ll be spending my weekend with the fun of finishing my taxes and working on that web design survey so that I don’t have to worry about either next week and can focus on writing.
I may also be making a test/practice batch of my recipe for Easter morning goodies. Since the choir has to sing for three services, we do a kind of potluck brunch for between services, and there’s a recipe I want to try, but I’m a little wary of bringing something that I’ve never made before when it’s not something like cookies, where you can test one.
There are nice things about Easter when you’re in the choir. You have to get there early, so you get a parking space. You have a reserved seat. You don’t have to worry about what you wear because you’re wearing a robe over it. We spend the time between services snacking, so I don’t have to worry about going out to lunch and getting a table anywhere. I can just come home and collapse.
The down side is that there’s a lot of work leading up to it. This year, we’re not doing a lot of big music for Easter itself, just the usual stuff, but are doing a big thing for Good Friday. That’s what all the rehearsals are about, and that’s what I’ll be doing next Friday night.
So now I think it’s time to do some baking. I’m trying a recipe for cinnamon roll pull-apart bread. Basically, you make cinnamon rolls, but then you coat those roll pieces in cinnamon sugar and put the roll dough in a loaf pan. Theoretically, you then pull the rolls off the loaf. The test run is to see how it works and whether it’s too messy. And as an excuse to have it for myself.
