Megan Trennett's Blog, page 6

Breaking Radio Silence

I disappeared. Why? Well there’s this novel I wanted to finish writing, and I had to put every single available second and ounce of energy into working on that beast in order to finish it before NaNoWriMo. Sadly both had been low in quantity as we leave for our trip to Big Apple very soon, and my Son has learned there is more to our apartment than the living room and his room. The bathroom is the best place ever, and I have to be hyper vigilant to make sure Little Bug doesn’t lick the toilet (I can’t believe I wrote that).

So, yes, blogging has been the last thing on my mind for a little more than a month. Yes, a month is how long it took me to finish writing that silly thing. I finished it last night though, clocking in at just over 80 000 words. How will I do with NaNo? Well, it took me 3 months (give or take) to finish this project so my outlook is not so good. But Bunny Slippers* am I ever going to try. I even committed to it by changing my personal Facebook cover page to the NaNoWriMo designed header. Today. So, you know, no backsies as it were.

I am going in with a game plan, and an idea which is the best way to do it. I’m hoping to chronicle my NaNo journey as sometimes I find the mad dash hilarious as I’m sure others do too.

If you are looking for a writing buddy my handle on NaNo is megantrennett. I would love more buddies.

Hope to stay up to date in the future. Fingers crossed I don’t get lost in words again any time soon.

*Bunny Slippers is what we use in our house to avoid swearing. For example, a string of “curses” is super soft, extra comfy, really nice bunny slippers.

I feel less writery…. and naked.

I haven’t posted in a while, busy week with the little man. Can’t say I’ve done a whole lot of anything except write 3 paragraphs for my WIP and be a Mom. Also starting to worry I will be late starting NaNo, but that’s for another post.

Yesterday I had an eye exam. I suspected that my pregnancy had done something to my eye sight, and it turns out I was right. My astigmatism is gone. Corrected. So long! I fear it will come back, but I was really stocked to know I no longer needed glasses.

Then I remembered that I liked how they made me feel more like a writer. And less tired. And that they were such a necessity before that not wearing them makes me feel like I imagine going out in public without pants would. I may get the reading glasses type prescription simply to have that dressed feeling.

Glasses free. No more four eyes.

This is weird.

“Writing is 90 …

“Writing is 90 percent procrastination: reading magazines, eating cereal out of the box, watching infomercials. It’s a matter of doing everything you can to avoid writing, until it is about four in the morning and you reach the point where you have to write.” – Paul Rudnick

Daily Prompt: Thanks a bunch!

So today’s daily prompt wants me to thank someone. I have two someones: My beta readers.

I say  Beta, but one reads after they have been published and the other as I write. My sisters, biological and not.

First, allow me to thank my older sibling. We’ll call her Rachie Lee (Because I know she loves  that, hee hee). Thanks, Rachie Lee, for actually reading my stuff when our own mother wouldn’t. I know you believe in me, and you support the fact that I am, in fact, an author even if my publisher only ever did eBooks. Thanks for saying without shame that I write for a living, even if that living wouldn’t actually allow me to live on my own. Thanks for being a pusher of my books, it’s appreciated.

Second (but not least), to Pepper. Pepper is my best friend and an avid reader who samples my work as I go. Thanks, Pepper, for sampling my work as I go, to allow me to understand where I go wrong or what needs to be expanded. Thanks for allowing my to bitch about how frustrating it is to write myself into a wall, and for allowing me to bounce ideas off of you. Thank you for also being a big believer in and pusher of me and my work.

These two ladies are my writing support system as well as my best friends.

I raise my mug to you two.

Daily Prompt: An excerpt with a twist

I’m going to cheat a little with this. You see, it does say fiction is allowed and I happen to be writing just that. So I share with you an excerpt from my latest work in progress. 

What was better, the feel of a woman or the smell of blood? As Gabriel withdrew the blade from his latest victim he honestly couldn’t decide. He’d been dabbling in both over the last week, taking two or three jobs a night and then retiring in the last village he was in, finding a courtesan available to share some a bed and some of the wealth he’d earned that evening. Both were better things to contemplate than third that wandered in his mind: his own death. Things had been rough since she left, and when he was alone in the dark of the night, with no one to talk to and nothing but the memories of horrid nightmares to keep him company, the blades on his belt began to look like a wonderful alternative to anything he felt.

He thrust the blade in again, this time, getting the man just under the rib cage, twisting the blade and making him cry out in pain more. It was music to his ears, currently pushing women and suicide out of the running for the best outlet for the things he couldn’t control.

“You know, I never realized how fun it was to make you weaklings scream. “ Gabriel remarked as he pulled out the blade slowly, watching with enjoyment as blood poured out of the wound and the man paled immediately. “Makes me wish I took my time more often.” He smiled beneath the scarf, but he was sure it reached his eyes by the fear coloring the dying man’s eyes. He considered making more of a mess, but his victim was fading too quickly, and there would be no point in mutilating a corpse.

Standing, Gabriel took a handkerchief from the man’s desk and wiped off the blade, tossing the stained cream cloth into the pool of blood before heading for the open window in the study and climbing back out onto the tree branch. He’d been to this manor house five times over the last ten years, and he would have thought that one of the new nobles taking over the residence would be smart enough to cut it down.

He strolled off the manor grounds without alerting anyone, limping for a few steps as an injury he sustained within those first few violence filled days flared for a moment. Gabriel headed straight for the Dexter village tavern, not minding the half hour walk it took to get there, having left his horse in the stable.

As he walked up to the bar, the barkeep prepared his ale and handed him a key. “Your room for the night, sir.” He said with a smile.

“Thanks, Graham.” Gabriel replied, lifting his stein when he was handed it in cheers before taking a drink. As he set it down, a voluptuous brunette climbed on to his lap and kissed him deeply. “I take it you’re free tonight, Persephone.” Gabriel said with a smile as he took another drink.

“Made myself available just for you when Annalee said you went by the inn earlier to reserve a room. Thought we could have a little fun tonight, since we were cut short the last time.” The gorgeous woman replied, running her fingers through his hair.

Gabriel grinned, grabbing a fist full of her hair and kissing her. “I enjoy your feistiness.”

“You never used to,” She remarked.

“Things change.” He shrugged, finishing off his ale and putting a handful of silver pieces on the bar. “Come on, I have a lot of energy I need to work off.”

***

He closed his eyes with pleasure, but forced them back open, not wanting to miss anything. Her long red hair covered her breasts as she perched over him, sighing his name with that mischievous smile he came to miss. He wanted more of her, to kiss those lips, especially that freckle, while she became overcome with him. He sat up, putting his hand in her hair, peering into those dreamy eyes so close to ecstasy.

Then they widened, fear replacing everything that was there before. Her breathing grew ragged, and then he felt the drip on his leg. Looking down, he saw crimson red pour out of Cesara, his hand around the hilt of the dagger driven deep into her chest.

He wanted to panic, but felt himself smiling as if he’d pleased her instead of spilling her blood. He looked over her shoulder and his eyes met cold, grey wicked ones, a smile as satisfied and evil as the one he felt on his face as he held the dead Lady’s body against his. Then there was a dark, boisterous laugh, and he wasn’t sure if it was coming from him, the being with the grey eyes, or both.

He bolted upright, amazed that he hadn’t woken Persephone in his attempt to get out of the nightmare. He had it every night he was with a woman, and the ones he wasn’t he’d dreamed that Duncan was his target and he killed his Mentor with no mercy. No matter what the nightmare, those damn eyes were always there, encouraging him to destroy people he genuinely cared about. 

 

-30-

 

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Daily Prompt: Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy!

So last week (or the week before, I’m not sure) my husband comes home and says “hey, remember that possible promotion I was telling you about?”, to which I replied “Sure” while really I wasn’t sure. I hear a lot of promotion talk thrown around, and he gets them often but they are all minor so I don’t get excited any more. Anywho, he tells me about it with a lot of computer terms I don’t get/understand/care about (sorry Hubs) and then follows it with “Oh, by the way, this means I have to go to New York again.”

O. M. F. G. New York!!!!!!

Why does this excite me? Well, I get to go with him.

He went last year, but two weeks before I was dealt a complication with my pregnancy that landed me on modified bed rest and absolutely no chance of travelling for the rest of the gestation. Boo.

But this year Little Bug and I are following Daddy to The Big Apple. I get to possibly see Phantom of the Opera (shut up, I like it), I get to talk my boy to Central Park, it’s Zoo, That giant toy store whose name escapes me, AND I get to have some time to sit in a cafe and write. In New York. Excuse me while I squee with glee.

Yep, that was something I was looking forward to the most when the trip came up last time: being able to write in New York City. While most people will think this is a silly thing to get excited about to me it’s an awesome experience to be had. Like actors want to flock to Hollywood, country musicians to Nashville, New York is the place for Writers. Most all shows, books, movies where the main character is in the literary field take place in that city so it’s ingrained in my head that I must go.

And just thinking about it gets me giddy.

Hello friend

This post brought to you by The Daily Prompt

I suck at Posting

Not like this shouldn’t be obvious. I mean, have you seen how little I update? Even when I set a goal of making two posts a week I fail miserably. Why? Procrastination is a factor. So is never knowing what to say. But for the sake of getting something out there this is what’s been on my mind:

Writing is hard, especially when you’re a new Mom. My loving husband gives me at least one day a week dedicated to me doing what ever needs to be done writing wise. The first two times this day occurred I left home and wrote in a Starbucks. Then I decided that it was too far and since this work day also falls on a day I can sleep in I wouldn’t get a lot of time to  work between travel time and extra rest. Working from home soon became a fail too since there isn’t a volume setting in the world that allows me to tune out my son’s cry, laugh, general cuteness. Ergo I spend a lot of time seeing what he’s doing. On the bright side: Starbucks recently opened a location within walking distance (yay!). The downside is this happened the weekend we decided to make some home improvements (so work was ‘cancelled’).

I’m very excited to say that the work I have been doing is exciting. I’m re-working what was supposed to be my 4th book (as I think I’ve already stated), and so far I’m happy with where it’s going. I loved these characters but the story wasn’t right for them originally and I tried too hard to keep them contained into the box I wanted them to fit in. Big mistake, I know. I’m so thrilled with where this is going that I’m thinking of putting the first 5 raw, unedited chapters up for the very few people I have out there who read this.

Anyway, that’s all for now. I will try to keep you *posted* (bahaha) as to the writing world of me.

Getting back to work

Ahh, it’s good to be back. Surprise surgery, recovery, then taking my son to meet his family in another province. Yep, I’ve been busy.

But today I get to be back to it. Before the whole month long forced break I was writing short stories during nap time. I wasn’t doing bad either but now I’m going to be working on a rewrite on what should have been my fourth novel.

It’s one of those pieces that is has so much potential but feels forced. It’s dragged out and rushed all at once. But I love the characters and feel that they need to be given life. Er, new life.

So this may mean blog posts will be shorter for the time being. Or less frequent. Or just plain non-exsistent.

After all, I only get one day a week and nap times when everything else is done

Getting back to it

Surgery: That will set you back

Yep, that’s right, surgery. My gallbladder decided it wanted to come out. After 3 days of pain, then another 3 in the hospital I’m healing up. Sadly it will mean a lack of posting for a bit. But stay tuned, I will be back.

Recycling old ideas

I decided to start a series of new projects. I’m not going say exactly what those are, but you will know soon enough. Anyway, as with all projects you need to start with an idea. I could sit at my desk, plot out fresh, new thoughts, create brand spanking new characters, and think of wonderful new scenes to set them in. I could, but I won’t. Why? I get one day a week to myself to actually write, any other time is stolen during nap time, and only if there’s no house work that needs to be done.

So this is where my word hoarding comes in handy. With all the files and note pages I have kicking around I could easily write 4-8 projects, with storyline and characters already hashed out, and that’s without ever needing to go into the files of deleted scenes or re-worked stuff from published work.

Recycling these old ideas was something that I thought I might do one day, but was more concerned with simply saving so I could look back and go “wow, this is what *insert story* was in the beginning? My how it’s changed.” Yet here I am, going through all these bits and pieces, setting what I currently think are the gems and reference or outright using them in the stuff I’m working on. It’s probably good for the little creative environment that’s set somewhere in the back of my brain, which much like my hard drive probably holds every single idea I’ve ever tapped out on the keyboard for possible future usage. It may even help new ideas to grow and flourish when I finish these projects I’m working on (and/or when I get more time to write than in between dishes and diaper changes.)

Do you hold on to ideas? And if you do, could you ever recycle them?