Shanna Swendson's Blog, page 303

The Legend Behind the Story

I had one of those "writing is haaaaard" days yesterday. Or maybe it's just that this particular idea entails special challenges. I realized that one of the reasons I've found myself struggling is that the story is undeveloped. Sometimes, I can wing it if the characters are developed and things just happen, but with this story, handwaving won't cut it. And so, to get any further with this, I had to create a legend. Part of the plot hinges on the main character having to find something mentioned

Tackling the To-Be-Read Pile

I may have mentioned that I have a to-be-read pile that I could probably use to build a house. Some of these are books I bought because they struck my fancy at the time but that I haven't managed to read. Most are books that I got from publishers or at conferences or conventions. They aren't books I'd choose for myself, but I keep them because I hate the idea of getting rid of a book I haven't read. What if it turns out I like it and discover a great new (to me) author? Because the pile has beco

Springing

I seem to have developed a raging case of spring fever yesterday. As in, I actually finally acknowledged and accepted that, yes, it really is spring. I've given up whimpering and clinging to the electric blanket and teapot while insisting that we could still get another cold snap -- after all, we have had snow in April here before. Now I'm embracing the warm weather and all that comes with it -- the blue sky, the flowers, the green grass, the birds singing. I opened windows and turned on ceiling

Making Stuff Up

It's another Monday, and I think I'm revved up and ready for action, more or less, considering I spent Sunday singing Mozart (one quirk of living alone -- I haven't spoken out loud today, so I don't know if I still have a voice). My choir is participating in a community-wide Mozart festival next month, so we're doing intense rehearsals on the Coronation Mass. There's a lot of high, loud stuff for the sopranos. A long rehearsal is as good as a session at the gym.

To follow up on Friday's post on t

Writers on Television

I had a spectacularly unproductive day yesterday -- just couldn't seem to focus on any thought for longer than five seconds. I couldn't even manage to read. I ended up dusting my office, taking apart a fan to dust the blades and washing dishes. But it's raining today, which is always good, and on the way home from ballet last night I figured out the next scene I have to write, which will help me get a running start.

I did a post last year on "TV Laws," on the way things work in the television uni

Girlfriends Cyber Circuit Looks at Judy Blume

The tax nightmare is over for another year! Actually, I don't think it's all that difficult. The time-consuming part is the record keeping because I have bursts of disorganization. However, part of my getting ready for doing taxes this year included catching up on the record keeping and accounting for this year, so if I keep up with that throughout the year, doing the taxes next year should be a snap. And now I have no excuse for not spending a good chunk of the day writing.

One thing I'm discove

Pacing

The taxes are done and I've even scanned in the finished forms. Now I just need to write some checks and walk to the post office. One upside of all this is that by paying my taxes without being prodded by a media investigation, I've made myself ineligible to be nominated for a Cabinet position, so I'm off the hook for that (rimshot!). Now that it's time for another writing post, I've got another reader request topic: Pacing.

The short, snarky advice on how to have good pacing in a novel is to cut

Publishing Reality Check

Perhaps because I've been working on my taxes (all that's left it the final forms in ink!), I'm feeling very practical, which brings up today's topic. I've heard that publishers and agents are seeing a lot more submissions these days, with the theory being that with more people out of work, more people are taking this opportunity to write that novel they've always said they wanted to write, and they may be hoping to strike it rich or at least get some income coming in before they find a new job.

Monday

Well, it's back to reality today after a lovely holiday weekend. I won't call it a "lazy" weekend because I had to sing for three church services (one Friday, two Sunday) and I actually left the house and was social on Saturday afternoon. But otherwise, I did mostly take it easy, and I got some serious thinking done on the current project.

The down side is that thinking means I pretty much now have to wipe out two days worth of work. It will be much better as a result, but it's still rather frust

The Problem with Sci Fi

The productivity did at last slow a bit. I got more work done on the tax organizing, which also resulted in cleaning out a space. But I came to a crashing halt on the writing when I realized I'd created a McGuffin. A McGuffin, for those unfamiliar with the term, is the object the people in the story are seeking, and the details of what it is don't really matter all that much to the story because the important part is what the people are willing to do to get it. One of the more famous McGuffins i