Florence Witkop's Blog, page 68

Releasing a book into the big, wide worl

Releasing a book into the big, wide world is like sending a kid off to college. Is it ready? Will it be able to stand up to bullies? Did I do a good enough job? And so on and so on. Problem is, even when the kid is in college… or the book out there for people to read… the worrying doesn’t stop. It never stops. As rewriting never stops if there’s a chance to change something. But the day does come when it’s time and that day is coming soon for Wolf Legend and for Snowball, the wolf pup. I hope she’s tough enough for the big, scary world. Or adorable enough to charm everyone she comes in contact with.

It’s been above freezing for a couple o

It’s been above freezing for a couple of days now. Balmy, tropical temperatures. But today the temperature is supposed to plunge all day long until tonight it’ll be in the twenty to thirty below zero range. Again. But it won’t stay there long, a few nights is all. Then up to warm weather again. It’s a roller-coaster winter. Hummmmm…. my farthest-out book, the one still in the planning stage, is going to depend a great deal on the near-future ice age that’ll be gripping the planet. Opposite of global warming so it’ll surprise everyone and no one will be prepared. My main characters will live on and in the glaciers as a way of escaping retribution for the sins of a family member. So I should start doing research right here and now. By going outside and experiencing it personally? Naaaahh!!! I’ll just look out the window.

The characters for my next book are alre

The characters for my next book are already gathering in my mind. That’s the one that will follow the one I’ll write after the Legends trilogy is finished. And I don’t even have a title for the one after the Legends trilogy yet. How will I ever think of a title for the one after that?

But I know that’s how it goes. One story appearing on the page while the details of another are being jotted down and the story after that is wispy thoughts caroming around in my mind.

The day after Christmas should be a holi

The day after Christmas should be a holiday because everyone needs a day of real rest after the festivities. We are putting our feet up on the coffee table and leaning back and taking a nap. Of course, afterwards the snow is accumulating on the driveway and must be blown off and all those boxes and all that paper must somehow be condensed into manageable wads to be recycled.

Which makes me wonder. Can people be recycled? Should we be? And if so, what would the process be like? Hummmmm. Surely there’s a story in there somewhere.

But I think that for now I’ll just enjoy the snow out the window and the warmth inside.

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!

Maybe living in northern Minnesota, away

Maybe living in northern Minnesota, away from the centers of the publishing business, gives me perspective. I don’t know if it does, but I do know that it’s interesting watching the evolution of the writing business and the publishing industry.

Who knew even a dozen years ago that book bloggers would be so important that they can, from the comfort of their own homes most of which are also away from the hustle and bustle of the publishing centers, can determine the success of a book? Yes, the book must be decent, but if no one knows it exists, it’ll never become a best-seller.

I like the idea of both writers and those who publicize their books are scattered over the country and the world and not influenced in the least by any publishers at all.

I sometimes write my posts a few days ah

I sometimes write my posts a few days ahead. I was glad for that this week because DH ended up in the hospital and I didn’t have to worry about posting because it was already done. He’ll be home soon, though he might spend Christmas in the hospital. But things have settled down, and I’m writing again.

And I learned something while away from it. What I learned is that writing is addictive. I used to chuckle when other writers said they felt compelled to write. I wondered why they felt that way because I’ve never felt that same compulsion. But now I realize that, even if I’m not compelled to write, I enjoy the process and I like looking back on what I wrote to decide whether it can be improved. Okay, to decide exactly how to improve it because all my writing benefits from a second run-through.

But, beyond that, I like the feel of my fingers on the keyboard. I’ve always been glad that when I was in high school I took business typing as an elective. I felt like an idiot in a class with all those girls who wanted to be secretaries when I planned to go to college. But I’ve never regretted that decision because, as a writer, it’s been immeasurably useful and strangely calming, as is the thought process that goes with creating a story.

When I first realized that writing is calming, I chuckled once more, until I realized that writing is a creative act and creating something is always good for the soul, the mind and all the rest of me. And you. And everyone.

I hope my characters have a good Christm

I hope my characters have a good Christmas. I know they aren’t real and, therefore, can’t experience Christmas. But, in a way, they are real because they live in my mind. I hope Maggie and Jenna and Charlie and Chloe enjoy the holidays with their guys. Oh, and I hope the Spirit, and the psychic wolves and the plants on the Goliath also enjoy Christmas.

Got everything in the mail for Christmas

Got everything in the mail for Christmas. With a family as scattered as ours, that’s the only way. Even those we plan to visit, we mail their Christmas packages just in case something comes up and we don’t make it. Like a blizzard. Or ice. Both have interrupted our plans at one time or another. It’s a good feeling to know that Christmas will go as planned no matter the weather.

I’m thinking about people today, maybe

I’m thinking about people today, maybe because it’s the Christmas season, maybe because the characters from my ‘legends’ trilogy are visiting me in my dreams. And in the still of the night when I wake up. And when I’m folding laundry. And… you know how it is. Sometimes people, real or made-up, come for a visit and stay for tea. So I’m glad my characters are nice people, the kind I’d like for friends. Very glad!