Monday, March 12, 2012

In which I share my insomniatic ramblings...

Yeah, it's a word... Maybe. Ok, no.

I've just plotted through my second act of my WIP. I am a self-proclaimed pantser to the very end. Thing is, I already pantsed it in my had, so I'm just storyboarding it so I can remember when I have time to write. I love all of my characters and I'll probably think this about every WIP, but this one is special. The characters are angsty and snarky (not at all like me), but also deep.

People keep asking me how I could just sit down and write a book. But it doesn't really happen that way at all. Ever since I can remember, I've existed at least 50% of the time inside my own head. Stories just happen in there, either based off of things that are happening to me at the time, or just craziness out of nowhere. Back when I was a kid (but older than I wish I was), I would use things like dolls and toys to help work out the story. It looked like I was just playing make believe like a regular kid--but I was most assuredly never a 'regular kid'. At times I would even have a cast list with full names (first, middle, and last) for each of my characters, and I would write down major plot points while I was working them out. I could do that for hours but, eventually the story would collapse in my young mind, and I would get frustrated and give it up for days at a time.

While age may have tempered my imagination a bit, it has allowed me to be able to work around the inevitable collapse of the story. Once I was able to do that, I just started writing them down. I really can't say why I felt capable of being able to put it on paper (so to speak) because I have no formal training and no background in writing, other than having been good at it in school. Most of my knowledge of writing comes from, well, reading. But that is a valuable resource for a writer--possibly even an underestimated one.

The coming week, and most definitely the coming month, will be bringing about many exciting changes for me. I've got some things to sort out on the business end of things, but it's quite possible that I may be getting published in the near future. While it's so exciting and so freaking scary at the same time, it makes me feel a lot better about my WIP. Kind of hard to pour yourself into a sequel if there's a chance the first might flop.

In other news, I am trying to convince my friend Amanda Sue Paige to come to New Orleans with me for (up to) four nights of Tab Benoit and other musical greatness. Woo! Until next time y'all.

ETA: I have my hair pulled back with a twist tie. Just thought I'd share.

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