Shanna Swendson's Blog, page 298

Virtual Vicarious Vacation Friday: July 4 Edition

I'm still struggling with the ending from hell (and the talk about happy endings was actually kind of a help there), but after a lot of pacing around the living room yesterday, I think I've got it all figured out and have even managed to visualize the next scene. It turns out that I made a rookie mistake: I had things happening because the plot needed them to happen, not because that's what the characters would have done. It took getting into each character's head and imagining what he/she would

Return of the Flag People

My city has a quirky July 4 tradition: A couple of days before the Fourth, little American flags mysteriously appear up and down the sides of the city's main street (not the official Main Street, which is now a minor street in the old part of downtown, but rather the major north-south thoroughfare that runs through the entire city and along which are a lot of the major city facilities). It's unofficial, done entirely through private funding and with volunteers, but with unspoken permission from

Happily Ever After

First, for those who were curious about the book I mentioned yesterday, it was Why Him? Why Her? by Helen Fisher. I haven't read it thoroughly yet, so I'm not sure how applicable it might be to character development, and I'm iffy on how applicable it would be to real-world relationships, but if you're interested in character type studies, it might be worth checking out.

After more than a year of ballet, I think I'm finally getting it. Last night, for the first time I really felt like I was danci

Neat Little Boxes

Okay, so I didn't get all that work done yesterday. It was a good thinking day, but the ideas were coming randomly and wouldn't be organized, so I couldn't manage to translate them into actual work. However, the house is still moderately clean, and is actually even a bit cleaner because I sorted through some magazines and did a purge. Plus, I cooked dinner and cleaned up right afterward.

Since the work wasn't working, I did some work-related reading. When I go to the library, I like to browse the

Perfectionism Run Amok

All in all, I had a pretty good weekend. My house is kind of clean, I got through my song okay in the concert, the concert was amazing, I had a nice visit with my parents, and I think I know how to fix the ending of the book. All a big yay.

I did have an epiphany of sorts while I was cleaning that then applied to the singing. I have some perfectionist tendencies of the sort that I feel like if I can't be perfect there's no point in trying. So the house becomes a mess because I keep telling myself

Up and Away

I finished my revisions yesterday -- except for the end which I'm still not happy with. I think I know what's wrong with it, but I don't yet know how to fix it. To celebrate, give my brain a break and maybe inspire myself, I went with my friends to see Up.

Pixar has done it again. The thing I love about their movies is that even though they involve technical wizardry, they're first and foremost about the story and characters, and they never lose sight of that. They also manage to be emotionally e

Writing out of the Mist

I'm getting really close to being totally done, aside from a final read-through. In fact, that may happen today if I can avoid interruptions. I just have the last two chapters to re-work, though one thing that will fix the last chapter needs to be set up in an earlier chapter, which will involve a little rewriting there.

Meanwhile, my subconscious seems to be churning away at the latest idea. In writing groups, there's often a lot of discussion about being a "plot-driven" or "character-driven" w

Conference Pitching Tips

Still plugging away on rewriting the last five chapters. And still getting up oddly early. Now, for a writing post!

Summer is a big season for writing conferences and conventions, and the editor or agent appointment is one of the big draws at these events, so for those of you facing editor or agent appointments, here is my handy advice on how to make the most of them (and not screw up entirely), based on years of listening to editors and agents talking about these sessions. I'm sure I've written

Book World Status Update

Today's early morning activity was baking blueberry muffins, since I had some fresh blueberries, and I figured I ought to bake during the cool part of the day. This being a morning person thing is strange. Next thing you know, I'll be getting up early to write. And then the world will come to an end. (Though I don't think that getting up at 7:30 really qualifies me as a morning person.)

I've reached the hard part of the revisions, where it's not so much about tweaking scenes as it is about doing

Stilettos on the Town

I found that there's a benefit to this getting up early thing -- it made sleeping late on Saturday a lot more fun. Then I was up early again Sunday, and again today. Today, though, I didn't try to exercise before breakfast because my plan was to get to the library soon after it opened. I was done with breakfast earlier than I planned (since I got up even earlier than I planned), so I thought I'd check my e-mail, and while I was at it I verified the library hours -- and found it opened an hour la