Michele Venne's Blog, page 5

A Little Bit at a Time

It’s kind of like making mashed potatoes. Once the potatoes are cooked, recipes ask for a little bit of butter, then a little bit of milk to make the consistency desired. I decided to make twice-baked potatoes for my Gratitude Day dinner. Since I’m vegan, I used vegan butter and oat milk. I also added onions, bell peppers, garlic powder, and cumin. I think with twice-baked potatoes…

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Corraling

I’ve said it before… for me, the story has a life of its own. If I try to corral it, the results aren’t pleasant. The story I’m working on for the anthology is falling right in with everything else I’ve written. We agreed on prompts. I decided I would write one story broken into four parts, including the prompt in each part of the whole story. We’re supposed to keep the word count to 4767 words…

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Moving Forward

There was room for only so many thoughts. When I reached my capacity, my mind refused to take a different track. That’s my explanation for missing last week’s blog post. I know that when circumstances in my life get a bit wonky, when I lose touch with the few pieces I have control over, I can’t create. For years, I brow beat myself into “write despite.” When I couldn’t, there was more self…

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The Way Through

I currently have five projects I’m working on. I’m pretty sure that goes against organizational and progress research. We’re supposed to work on one project at a time in order to see results, right? But maybe artists don’t play by those rules. The October writing challenge is over. I didn’t win, but I did make progress! I worked on a couple of different projects each day this week. I have the 5…

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Turning on a Faucet

Looking back on the past 5 days, I see that I’ve spent time with two projects. As it happened before, when I have a nonfiction project and a fiction project, I gravitate to the nonfiction. This type of nonfiction especially: math workbook. I have the lessons titled, the vocabulary words listed, a checklist of the pages/activities to include in each lesson, and though there is writing and some…

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Old Perspective

When I look at my list of titles in the series I’ve started or have planned, it gets a bit overwhelming. I can easily “see” myself working on each project. The characters, setting, and plot events appear in flashes. For me, stories develop as I write them. I’ve been writing and publishing for 15 years, so I know my process. I’ve also accepted the obstacles that pop up as I make my way through a…

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One Last Spark

The last of the rolling changes has arrived. The college class that has consumed much of my attention the last 8 weeks (and the classes I’ve taken since April) is done. I took the oral final yesterday morning. This afternoon is a short timed-test online, the final assignment. A bit of celebration tonight to mark the end of the class. If all goes well, my certification renewal will go smoothly…

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The Cusp of Change

It’s like loading the last box into a moving truck. It’s like standing in the driveway for the last time looking at where you spent part of your life. It’s both the excitement of what’s next and saying goodbye to a comfortable routine. This is how I feel when I know a (planned and anticipated) change is coming. The last of the planned rolling changes is happening next Thursday. So…

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The Promise of Progress

If progress on a project seems to have stalled, I’ve discovered that the promise of progress is enough to get me through. It’s not writer’s block or procrastination. It is a lack of available time. I’m two weeks out from the next transition. Once that one rolls over, I’ll breathe easier, the tension in my shoulders will dissolve, and my time will revert to writing. I’m still dabbling in…

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Daydreaming

While driving, I think about stories. Some may say it’s not productive, but it beats worrying about things I can’t control. In the car, I’m a captive audience. I can focus on the vehicles around me, and I need to since I drive in the 5th largest city in the US. But I can also consider which stories to work on and what might happen to the characters. I’m proud to call myself a linear discovery…

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