Game Plan Report Card

• Writers Conference -
       I got in contact with two writer friends who have been to several conferences (respectfully, Johnnie Alexander, who gave me Jeff Gerke's wonderful book years ago, and my cousin Heidi Chiavaroli). They were both extremely helpful and more than willing to give tips. Much to my relief, they also gave the same basic advice: start at a small local conference, then go to the larger national conferences. There is a good conference near me next year, so I will save my pennies.
• Learning the Craft -
       Thus far, my research has revealed that there are no creative writing classes at the college closest to my home, though I could take English or journalism. There is another college not far from my house that offers a creative writing class. However, the semester has already started. In light of this mess, I am currently doing what all former homeschoolers like me do very well: self-education. I am reading several blogs and books on the subject of creative writing. My goal is to compare different styles. There are TONS of materials out there. I've found books everywhere: the Amazon Kindle store, my local library, Abebooks.com, and even an old textbook of a Hermione-approved thickness at Goodwill. I think I will be busy for a while, at least until I decide to take classes or not.
• Writing Flight -
       Currently working out the details of the climax and the beginning. Since these are related, it shouldn't take too long. Stay tuned.

Post Tenebras Lux!
-ST

Climactic Confession

     Benjamin came clean.

     To translate for all those who are unlearned in Writerese, this means that I spent a lot of time thinking about Benjamin's backstory last night and came up with good ideas.

     Praise. The. Lord. I think I finally have my climax. I'm almost afraid to say that, in case it turns out to be a dud. But, for now, I am giving thanks to the Creator of creativity for answering my plea.

     By the way, I was right. Benjamin is ashamed of his secret. Tsk-tsk. That one is gonna come back to bite him.

     And I wonder why my characters don't trust me.

Post Tenebras Lux!

-ST

Whovian Wednesday

     It's Thursday today. I forgot to post this yesterday.

     This summer at WOL, I started Whovian Wednesdays. I got a cheap eyeliner and drew tally marks on people's arms. Pretty soon, Whovians were wearing their Doctor Who T-shirts and carrying sonic screwdrivers on Wednesdays. One girl even had a fez. People who have never seen an episode of Doctor Who were asking me to tally mark their arms. It was fantastic.

     So, in honor of all the fun people who joined me in craziness this summer, I posted my article yesterday on Whovian Wednesday. I hope some of them read it and enjoy it. If you are a Doctor Who fan, I hope you will read it and let me know what you think!

     Here's the link: "The Weeping War: In Defense of a Doctor Who Adversary" @ storyshoutout.com

     And to the left is a picture drawn especially for the article by the lovely Elizabeth Buller. She was so gracious to give her time and talent to this project. Isn't it great?

Post Tenebras Lux!
-ST

What's Happening and What's Not

     So, the game plan is doing well. I'd be a liar if I said that I've been keeping to the code perfectly. I was about 15 minutes late to the drawing board tonight because I was captured by a warden and a wolf king. But reading is good... right? (This is where you say, "No, not write. Sometimes write, but only to get your imagination kicking, not distract you! Too much read is not write." I blame the sock man.)

     It's really incredible how far I will go to not actually write. I catch myself wandering all over the internet and the refrigerator, losing my train of thought again and again. Imagination and creativity are difficult to catch sometimes.

     I wrote a bit of the story tonight: 140ish words. Most of my time lately has been spent in working out the plot. I have a crude idea of where I'm going, but that's it. I know the beginning (sorta) and the middle fo sho (well, pretty sho), but the end is definitely missing this important thing called "a climax."

     This is mostly Benjamin's fault. Let me introduce you to Benjamin. He has an imposing physique. His voice is deep as a drum, but gentle in tone. He was in love once, but he never married her. And he is apparently hiding a secret.

     Let me state, once again, that I love secrets. Especially in a story. But Benjamin's secret is driving me crazy. This character is tight-lipped. I know that once I figure it out, I will have an important piece of my climax. The threads are just so tangled! (I really do need to stay away from Google and the kitchen.)

     I tried conducting an "interview" with Benjamin the other night. We did not get very deep. Then I tried getting the backstory from his crush, but she was a brick wall. Tonight, I just straight up asked him, "Why won't you tell me your secret?" There was an awkward silence (and not just because Benjamin isn't real). He tried defending himself, but I had already caught it. Shame. He's ashamed of his secret. Why? I dunno yet. But I will find out. Ya'hear me, Benjamin? You better fess up, cuz I need to get this story written!

Yes. Yes, I had coffee. 

Post Tenebras Lux!

-ST

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The Dreaded (But Necessary) Game Plan

     Well, I’m back. And what an adventurous summer I’ve had! For the last couple of months, I have been (yet again) serving at Word of Life. It was amazing. I was able to watch God work in lives in a way I never saw before. The people I served with were incredible men and women dedicated to making the name of Jesus famous. We survived and thrived through many tales worth retelling, though this blog is not the place to relate them. For me, it was a tremendous blessing to be at WOL this summer.

     Now that I am back home, I am working on the next steps in my journey. I have created a game plan to help, which I will now share with you (you being my loyal… loyalists… who keep me accountable and will hopefully and loyally smack me if I stray very far from my plan).

ST’s Not-Very-Complicated-But-Effective Game Plan For Writing and Publishing:

1. Go to a writer’s conference (or two or three). I’m in the process of researching this out. What I am mostly finding is that it costs a bucketful of cha-ching to attend any conference. I haven’t robbed a bank lately, so it might take a bit to save up enough to go. I am also looking for any tips on which conferences are the best, so if you’ve been to one, let me know.

2. Learn the writing craft. I know a LOT about writing, but learning more is always good. This step may be a process of just researching the interwebs, or I may take some classes. Don’t know just yet, but I am moving in this direction.

3. WRITE! Flight is still my current goal. I have developed a schedule to force myself to sit down and work on it. Basically, on every available night from about 9 to midnight, I will be the Princess of the blank page. I’ll go to bed at the stroke of midnight. I tested this plan last week and it seems to work well. I’m a  night owl, so my brain works creatively in those hours. The trick will be finding available nights, but my life is fluid enough to  this out.

     There it is, folks! That’s the plan. I will keep you updated as it continues to unfurl. 

     If you are a writer, what kind of plan do you have in place to help you get your project done?

Post Tenebras Lux!

-ST

Oh, P.S. I will very soon be posting the Doctor Who article I mentioned previously. I'm so excited about it. I hope you love it. The title is "The Weeping War: In Defense of a Doctor Who Adversary." Don't blink and miss it! ;)