M.B. Weston's Blog, page 14

M. B. Weston’s Writing Diary: 01/12/15

Today has been the hardest day so far in terms of keeping my New Year’s resolution to write every day. Worked an hour-and-a-half overtime. I’m an accountant, so that involves staring at a computer for that extra time. Left work with my eyes watering, probably because I was concentrating so hard I didn’t blink as much as normal.

Also, I invited my family over to watch the Ohio State/Oregon National Title game. Long story short, everyone left at halftime. (We live on the East Coast and halftime is when we all go to bed.) I walked the dog. Bear in mind that the little fuzz ball has this microfiber fur that works like Velcro and picks up every bit of dirt imaginable.

Did I mention it rained?

Got the dog back to the house and gave him a bath. Then watched the final few minutes of the game. (Go Buckeyes!) Finally got myself in the shower and sat down to write at 1:30am…

My body is totally not in sync with my mind regarding the validity of this little New Year’s resolution. Everything wants to shut down, but I’m doing this.

(Ina side note, I honestly cannot see how people with full time jobs and children can find time to write. I salute all of you. You are amazing!)

Of course, you know the muse is sitting over in the corner playing chess with herself, muttering, “Don’t even think about blaming me for this one. You did this to yourself, Miss Hospitality.”

All righty… Let’s see if my mind can beat my body. I’ve got my dude in a fire fight, and he needs some weapons of he wants to get out alive. (If he doesn’t get out alive, this is going to be a really short novella–and don’t tempt me!)

Results: got enough words writing to fulfill New Year’s resolution. Fell asleep a few times. Woke up about an hour later…

Toodles!

M. B. Weston’s Writing Diary: 01/11/15

“It’s not what you see in the mirror that matters. It’s what sees you.”

That is the working first line of this novella. :::proud smile::: I just figured it out today!

Today basically embodied one of the things I love the most about writing: the discovery process. I made two major discoveries while wading through the muck of the first draft:

The first line: I’ve been nervous about coming up with a good beginning for this thing. It’s pulp, so it needs action, but I wanted a good first line to really draw people in. This one came to me when my hero, Michael, was trying to explain to someone (in cryptic terms) why he avoided mirrors. Personally, I think it’s the 2nd best first line I’ve written.

(Coincidentally, the best ever takes place in a short story in this series that happens 12 full moons after the end of this one. It’s called “The Witch Hunter,” and it should be published two to three weeks from now in an anthology called The Big Bad 2. “I would have buried the axe in the girl’s neck if my walker hadn’t gotten in the way” is hard to top…)

My hero needs some weapons: If this is your first time reading my writing diary, I’m writing a pulp novella about a witch hunter named Michael, who is hunting between 6 and 9 witches and wizards who made themselves immortal hundreds of years ago and have been stirring up evil ever since. Michael was one of them, but realized how evil they all were, changed is ways, and is now hunting them down before they destroy the world. The catch: he’s not allowed to use magic if he wants to destroy their immortality. It’s going to be a pulp series, and the first 30,000 word manuscript is due April 15th.

Anyhow, I put poor Michael in the middle of a room against a powerful wizard currently named Gregorio. Gregorio can shoot magic balls of fire and other fun things from his hands. He can cast spells that melt non-iron guns. (In the novella’s world, iron is anti-magical…) He has a lot of spells up his sleeves and isn’t someone you want to cross.

Michael has an iron dagger.

So technically, my hero really did bring a knife to a gun fight.

I didn’t even realize my mistake until Gregorio starts teasing Michael about the female detective with him being the only one with weapons.

I stopped mid-paragraph and thought, “Holy crap. I forgot to arm the guy.”

I spent the rest of the evening googling martial arts weapons and consulting with one of the martial arts experts I know.

:::eagerly rubbing hands together:::

Michael is going to love all the presents I’m giving him when I start typing tomorrow. :)

Anyone else out there ever do something silly–like forgetting to arm your hero?

Toodles!

M. B. Weston’s Writing Diary: 01/10/15

Writing can occur while you’re cleaning the bathroom.

Well, not the actual writing part, but you know what I mean…

I’ve found that throughout many of my novels and short stories, a good housecleaning session can often spark the brainstorm I need to figure out what to do when I’m stuck. (Dusting is probably responsible for the deaths of far too many of my characters…) I think the mundane task of wiping down bathroom walls with foul smelling chemicals stimulates the the brain and helps release ideas.

So this morning, I spent a few hours cleaning, and came up with some background information on my villain and villainess. (Yes, it has a lot to do with the Russian monarchy, but now I know how to tie it all together.)

But I’ve still found as I’ve tried to write this first part of the novella, that I’ve been missing that “aha” moment when I can figure out the glue that binds the story together. I know that’s partially why I’ve been struggling.

I guess a clean shower has to do with “aha” moments because let me tell you, the moment I took my shower, it all came together. I know what my main villainess is trying to do, and I’ve got more than the first part of the story outlined out. (In quite sloppy chicken scratch that might resemble letters of you stare at it for five minutes, but it’s written down.) Now I’m going to be itching to wake up tomorrow morning and get it all written out before I don’t remember it any more.

To sum it up: it was a great day, and I even got two clean showers out of it…

Oh, and I might as well leave you with this question: what if Tsarina Alexandra Romanov never actually died? (I’ve already figured out how to write around the 2007 DNA samples…)

Toodles!

M. B. Weston’s Writing Diary

Writing can occur while you’re cleaning the bathroom.

Well, not the actual writing part, but you know what I mean…

I’ve found that throughout many of my novels and short stories, a good housecleaning session can often spark the brainstorm I need to figure out what to do when I’m stuck. (Dusting is probably responsible for the deaths of far too many of my characters…) I think the mundane task of wiping down bathroom walls with foul smelling chemicals stimulates the the brain and helps release ideas.

So this morning, I spent a few hours cleaning, and came up with some background information on my villain and villainess. (Yes, it has a lot to do with the Russian monarchy, but now I know how to tie it all together.)

But I’ve still found as I’ve tried to write this first part of the novella, that I’ve been missing that “aha” moment when I can figure out the glue that binds the story together. I know that’s partially why I’ve been struggling.

I guess a clean shower has to do with “aha” moments because let me tell you, the moment I took my shower, it all came together. I know what my main villainess is trying to do, and I’ve got more than the first part of the story outlined out. (In quite sloppy chicken scratch that might resemble letters of you stare at it for five minutes, but it’s written down.) Now I’m going to be itching to wake up tomorrow morning and get it all written out before I don’t remember it any more.

To sum it up: it was a great day, and I even got two clean showers out of it…

Oh, and I might as well leave you with this question: what if Tsarina Alexandra Romanov never actually died? (I’ve already figured out how to write around the 2007 DNA samples…)

Toodles!

M. B. Weston’s Writing Diary: 01/09/15

My muse has a bit of an attitude. Sometimes she floods me with information, where I can’t type fast enough to get it down. (She especially likes to do that when I don’t have access to a computer, pen, or paper…) Other times, she runs around like a bratty child, singing, “I know something you don’t know; I know something you don’t know.”

Today’s writing (well, yesterday’s writing because I fell asleep on the couch around 11:00) was the latter.

Me: Okay, I’ve got to figure out main villainess’s motivation. Well, I know it’s power, but how is it expressed? What’s the main witch’s goal.

Muse: I’m tired of your demands. You and your “writing every day now” thing is really putting a cramp in my style. You want to know her motivation, you have to do something for me for a change.

Me: I just gave you four shots of espresso in four hours. :::batting eyes:::

Muse: (ignoring me) I want you to dance for me.

Me: Seriously? No. I don’t think so. I’m no good at dancing. Just tell me her motivation so I can get on with it…

Muse: DANCE!

Me: Oh for crying out loud. Here’s the Happy Dance for you… (Performs the elusive Happy Dance that only a few people have seen.)

Muse: You’re right. That was a tad horrific. So I’m only going to give you a little glimpse. (Opens the Magic Book of Ideas I Desperately Need, and slams it shut before I can read much.)

Me: Okay, posing as Russian royalty. Not bad, but what…?

Muse: If you want to see anything else today, I’m breaking out my fiddle and making you dance an Irish jig for an hour. That or you can leave me alone. I didn’t agree to your new schedule.

Me: Fine; have it your way. (Goes into the office to research Russian royalty…)

Muse: (laughing) My work is complete. She’ll never get past all those links in Wikipedia….

Me: (yelling from the office) Hey, did you know the Russian secret service back in Lenin’s time was called the Cheka…?

Okay, I didn’t really do any dancing. (I do have a happy dance, however.) But that’s what writing today felt like. I’m right on the cusp of getting all the ideas and the story lines to start flowing, but right now it’s like… Well, see above…

On the writing side of things, I had today off so I did a few errands in the morning. One of my errands was getting the oil changed in my car, which is right next to our town’s new Greenway, so I took my dog, Chewie, for a little walk through the woods. (It’s, um, really a swamp, and we were on a boardwalk the whole time.) Nature usually clears my head, but this time it didn’t. I finished around 12:00, and the struggled a bit over plot issues. I’m getting there. Tomorrow’s goal is to write to the inciting incident of this novella. I think I can do it. :)

Have you ever had trouble getting the ideas to flow? What did you do about it?

Toodles!

M. B. Weston’s Writing Diary: 01/08/15

Left off last night with my hero and his new sidekick chasing a villain through the streets of New Orleans.

The problem: they have to find the villain.

This means I have to find the villain.

And this guy is all squirrelly, and squirrelly villain’s annoy me. They always slip away during all the intense scenes and I can’t find them. I guarantee you that’s why Picante in The Elysian Chronicles is still alive. I can’t ever find the guy… He runs away like the coward he is…

That is always the problem with writing. You have to be as smart as your hero and at least on step ahead of your villain. Sigh… (I even put this guy in a bright coat, and he just threw it off during the chase…)

So tonight was writing the framework for some of the chase scenes and putting down of the dialog I’ve had in my head on paper (digitally speaking, of course). I have to get to know these two characters and writing is the only way I can do that.

Of course, the whole night ended with the villain escaping, which was sad for them but it definitely keeps the story rolling. Tension turns pages. :)

All right all. My bed is calling my name. And I’ve already fallen asleep a few times in the past 20 minutes.

Before I go, what are you all writing? Have any of you had to play “find your villain” while creating a story?

Toodles!

M. B. Weston’s Writing Diary: 01/07/15

Going out on weeknights is a death sentence for any working writer who wants to keep the story’s momentum going. By the time you get home and walk the dog, it’s already 10:00 or 11:00 depending… Writers who work full time already know this fun tidbit, but oftentimes friends and family of writers might not fully grasp it–especially for those who might be trying to write for the first time. (If you happen to be a friend or family member of a writer and watch his or her skull break open only to reveal a reptilian monster with red laser eyes aiming a death ray at you when you merely mention going out on a week night, cut the poor dear some slack…)

Anywho, last night, I finally started writing around 11:45. I felt like the muse was reclining on the couch next to me, inspecting her nails, saying, “Honey, you’re on your own. I’m done for the night.”

I worked out a few major plot points in the opening scene, mainly regarding the immortality status of my villain (ah, the joys of writing fantasy), and finally my hero, Michael, and his brand new sidekick were finally ready to chase the villain through the streets of New Orleans.

That’s when I encountered a slight problem: my villain got a head start. I had no idea where he was… (Ah, the joys of writing urban fantasy…)

I don’t know what happened next, but I woke up at 1:39am…

The imagined conversation between me and the muse as I hobbled to bed:

Muse (still inspecting her nails): Told ya.

Me: Oh shut up…

This is why writers who also work full time have conniptions when they have to go out more than once a weeknight…

(It’s also why I wrote this post between putting on my makeup and while I was walking to work.)

Toodles!

M. B. Weston’s Writing Diary: 01/06/15

As I write this, my eyes are fighting to stay open. I should have known that my writing is kind of like Cinderella’s coach. No matter how beautiful and glitzy it is, and no matter what kind of amazing ideas are inside of it… Yeah, my writing basically turns into a pumpkin after midnight.

And yet, somehow, I keep finding myself trying to push the boundaries just a bit more.

#headdesk

Why do I do this to myself? I know–I know–that when I have to edit this massive amount of slush, I’m going to be doing double the work just to make it readable…

And yet, I keep thinking, “Just one more paragraph.”

(It would help if my characters would take a little breather. If they would just sleep, I could too.)

Anywho, enough rambling. Today was productive. I finished up several administrative things (like bills), and I finally plowed through this first scene, where I feel like I’ve been stuck for days because I can’t get it right. (Figuring out that I was writing the wrong book didn’t help, either…) But I’m through the scene. My characters have met and they are off hunting the bad guy through the streets of New Orleans. Oh yeah, and some coroner almost had a little accident when what was supposed to be a dead body sat up all Michael Myers style.

:::evil grin:::

Hey, if I’m gonna be up late writing, I’m going to have some fun with it.

Tomorrow, I gotta figure out the next scene and keep it all going. Here’s to a full week of fulfilling my New Year’s Resolution to write every day!

Drop me a line and let me know what projects you’re working on!

Toodles!

M.B. Weston’s Writing Diary: 01/05/15

Seriously, why does the story have to unfold itself, complete with good dialogue, while I’ve only got 5 minutes to get to work?!?

Why can’t it unfold itself while I’m drinking a steaming cup of Earl Grey tea and staring at my computer screen waiting for stupid inspiration to strike?!?

Obviously inspiration likes seeing me panic while I try to simultaneously apply eyeshadow with one hand and jot down notes with the other. And no, I’m not ambidextrous, so you can imagine how that turned out.

I think my muse lives in the hot water heater and only shows up when I’m in the shower.

On a good note, this grand “writing everyday experiment” is proving fruitful. Inspiration is flowing! Now if I can just get it to flow while I’m at the computer…

Of course, that was before work. Once I left work, I came home and had to record tonight’s Final Cut in Movies Radio Show. Then out to eat. Got back around 8:45, walked dog, answered some email, looked over copy for Dark Oak Press… Once again, I’m now trying to meet my “write something today” quota after hours…

Thank goodness I’m a night owl. And thank goodness the iPhone has an MS Word app… One of the first times I’ve written something almost half asleep… We’ll see if it’s a recognizable language tomorrow afternoon.

Lesson: always have a notebook handy :)

Toodles!

M. B. Weston’s Writing Diary: 01/04/15

I’m going to be short because it’s already 3:22 tomorrow and I have to get to work.

So I’m not going to delve into detail about the how long it took me to pack up all the Christmas decorations, or put the pantry back together when one of the shelves fell down after I added more groceries to it. Nor will I talk about how I remembered I had to record my radio show while I was walking the dog around 9;45 tonight. And I certainly won’t complain about the “revamped” website I always use for research not working as well…

Nope. Won’t do that.

Instead… Today was one of those days. I finished researching for my radio show around 2:45am and took a nice hot shower. I really wanted to go to bed–especially since I hadn’t sat down all day.

But I made my new year’s resolution about writing every day this year, and I’m going to do it.

I also have a handy little iPhone with a Microsoft Word app on it. So I went out to the living room and started typing in the dark. I solved a major problem with the first scene as well!

But now I’m falling asleep mid-sentence so it’s time to call it a night.

Two lessons learned today:

1) the iPhone app is awesome!

2) all writers need servants….

All right, I’m off to bed before I accidentally type something I shouldn’t.

Toodles!