Windy weather, water gardens, Frizbee & a bunch of botanists from Belize
WHAT I'M READING
WHAT I'M WRITING
We've had a couple of windy, rainy days, so I've had a couple of days off from leading kayak tours. This is good for writing time.(Yay!) Today, I've made a pot of hot cider and some savory herb scones and I'm just going to revel in some much-needed alone time with my laptop.
We've had a couple of windy, rainy days, so I've had a couple of days off from leading kayak tours. This is good for writing time.(Yay!) Today, I've made a pot of hot cider and some savory herb scones and I'm just going to revel in some much-needed alone time with my laptop.
WHAT WORKS FOR ME
Keeping the End Goal in mind. When I first start a project, I'm full of energy. I write like a mad woman. I have pages of ideas. But when I get close to the end, sometimes I get stuck connecting the dots. Or overcoming one of many, many self-constructed hurdles. By the third round of edits, I often have very little love left for my poor little orphan manuscript. That's when I have to remember the End Goal. What do I want this little orphan book to grow up to be? And how can I make myself do one more round of edits to get it there? It's easy to lose sight of the book for the words. (Forest for the trees) (And yes, we have all sorts of weird mixed metaphors here.) But for me, it helps me to visualize where I want to be, in order to actually cross the finish line.
WHAT ELSE I'VE BEEN UP TO
◆ Mucking about with water lilies. Making new water gardens. Sprouting some new lotus seeds for my pond.
◆ Went to a very fun beach party with a bunch of botanists from Belize. Wore myself out paddling and playing Frisbee. The talk around the bonfire was fantastic. I love meeting people from other places. Lends a whole new perspective to things. (Plus, very few other people on the planet would be interested in hearing about our rope harness-tree climbing technique for sampling orchids.) *grin*
◆ Making All The Things. Artwork for the guest house walls, things for my Etsy Shop. I got asked to do some masquerade masks for a scene in a movie. Umm...Hellz Yes! (That was a very funny phone conversation: "But I haven't even told you what our budget is yet"..."Doesn't matter. I'm in!")
What have you guys been up to this week? Hopefully, you are staying warm. *sends cider and scones through interwebs*
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LOL Bedlandia!!! That is too cute. I really love that. Also yay for writing time and hot cider. Mmmm.
ReplyDeleteBedlandia is also fun when all your friends come over spontaneously and listen to you read. We basically built a nest of pillows and blankets and ate popcorn. It was totally fun. I think it's become A Thing.
DeleteYes, it's so easy to lose sight of the end goal when wrapped up in edits! Enjoy the writing time! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Emma! Hope you have a great week too!
DeleteOh my gosh! That's awesome about the masks and the movie, Kris! Woohoo! :D But seriously, after seeing your Halloween headdress, I was completely blown away by your talent. (Though, who am I kidding? That's been the case for ages now.) Can't wait to see pics of the new and improved guest house once it's done too.
ReplyDeleteIt's so crazy to me every time I hear about how warm it still is where you live. I mean, you're "mucking about with water lilies" and we're mucking about with snow. Bleh. LOL. Though, I do love me some snow in the weeks leading up to Christmas. ;-)
I kind of like this Bedlandia thing. I might have to make this a thing around here too! Have a great week, Kris! :D
Thanks Jaime! Though my stuff doesn't hold a candle to yours. I'm still super impressed that you can turn a heel.
DeleteAnd you'll be happy to hear that we got a cold snap. It dipped down to below 55 degrees. I had to find actual pants to wear. This is not what I signed up for. But yeah, snow right before Christmas is lovely. After that...not so much. :)
Hope you have a great week! Can't wait to see all the stuff you are making/doing for Christmas.
It can be hard to keep the End Goal in mind during the second round of editing. I completely, completely agree. But it's super important to do. Congratulations on the movie masks. That sounds so awesome. Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteThanks Melanie! And yes, I should tack up a sign that says "End Goal This Way". ;)
DeleteHope you have a great week too!
Oh my gosh, that beach photo is fantastic. Wow!
ReplyDeleteEnd goal sounds like something I could use. It can be so hard to remember why you like a book when you've spent so much time shredding it to pieces to make something really special out of it. Hang in there! :D
Yeah, the beach this morning though...Chill-Eeeee. Can't wait for our cold snap to be over. (says the whiner girl)
DeleteHave an awesome week!
Oooh....fun about the masks!
ReplyDeleteI'm the opposite when it comes to writing. It's soooo hard for me to get words down, especially at the beginning, but when I see the end is near, look out!
Hope you have a beautiful week!
P.S. - Your cat kicks ass :)
Oooh...maybe we could trade off writerly energies for a bit. I'll give you a boost at the beginning, if you help me actually finish this damn book. Deal?
DeleteAnd Spartacus thanks you for the Compliment. He's super psyched to have that in writing. (I'm worried it will go to his head) ;)
I am familiar with the connecting the dots portion of writing. I'm not a fan.
ReplyDeleteHave a great week!
Yeah, me and dots...so not friends right now. ;)
DeleteHope you have a fabulous week too!
I love your advice about keeping the end goal in mind! I think I really, really need to start doing that with my WIP. It's tough to plow ahead when the story isn't shaping up to be as grand as it is in your head. I'm going to stick that losing sight of the book for the words metaphor somewhere I can see it because that's a great way to put it!
ReplyDeleteThat's incredible that you got asked to make masks for a movie! Seriously cool! I hope you'll reveal which movie when it's all done because I'd love to check out your handiwork on the screen!
I'm super jealous that you're making water gardens these days. We're covered in snow and it's freezing cold. Is there such thing as an ice garden? Have fun with all your many projects this week, Kris! :)
Thanks Erin! Though you know, I'd probably get more writing done if I wasn't making All The Things. :)
DeleteAnd you can come play around in my water gardens and I'll come help you with your ice garden. (Which is totally a thing by the way.)
Have a fantastic week!
Love your thoughts on the End Goal: just what I need this week! Thanks and hope you are enjoying Days of Blood and Starlight :)
ReplyDeleteGlad it helped! I'm the "Give myself very good advice, but very seldom follow it" kind of girl, so we'll see if it takes. :)
DeleteHope you have a lovely week with equally lovely words in it. :)
Ah, yes, you are very wise, Sensei! Keeping the end goal in mind is something I often forget. Maybe I should get that tattooed on the back of my hand. :)
ReplyDeleteThat is so cool that you got to make stuff for a movie. If I had a bucket list, that would totally be on it!
Have a fantastic week!
Oh, wow! Those area gorgeous pictures, as always! And I love your attitude with your book. I can definitely see how reminding yourself of the end goal would help you refocus and battle revision fatigue.
ReplyDelete*are* not *area* :-)
DeleteYay! Thanks for the cider. I actually started craving some as soon as you mentioned it, so I suppose that one is going on the grocery list for this afternoon.
ReplyDeleteHow cool--meeting people from other places. I think that's one of the things I like most about living in a tourist area. With Disney at our back door there are a ton of unique people and cultures in our neighborhood.
Unleashing the Dreamworld