We Are Very Amused at Our Bling.

I am in the midst of costume fever – the mad rush to finish (and start) planned costumes for an upcoming convention.  (If I get desperate, I can always wear an old one). It usually begins with:

“Oh my! Is it only ‘x’ weeks til the convention?”

Yes, there is only five weeks til Comic Con. I have not even started to make patterns for my outfits. Due to financial restrictions, we have had to limit attendance to only one day (sigh!). But rejoice – this means only one new costume. 

Regulars will have seen some of the costumes on my wishlist for this year: Costuming Capers. I have finally decided to make Queen Victoria’s costume from Pirates: Band of Misfits. I am looking forward to this one – it will be so much fun ‘cosplaying’ this one!

I have now purchased two toy Samuri swords (to avoid weapon restrictions set by the convention).  Sometimes cheap shops come in very useful for budget costuming.

Next, I rummaged through my craft cupboard for left over Sculpey (I love this stuff almost as much as glue guns!) . It is an inexpensive way to make jewelry and accessories that are not readily available for purchase. I first discovered this when making my Tia Dalma necklace – the chicken foot and the claw. I have definitely become a convert!

I made several round links for the sparkly gold and diamond necklace worn by Queen Victoria.  15 minutes in the oven and I had solid gold (looking) roundels ready to glue on some cheap bling! More rummaging around in my jewelry findings box – I made hooks with some jewelry wire and added a clasp. Voila!

I am now working on the dinky little regal crown. I measured – and remeasured the parts in a hope that they would fit. In the end, it is close enough and will work!

We Are Very Amused at Our Bling.

Order and Method

I am a Writers’ group convert.  I used to read about the value of such groups – like minded (and non-like minded) writers getting together,  critiquing each other’s work and drinking tea or coffee. (There has to be tea or coffee – and sometimes chocolate cake.) The theory sounded good but I was never quite sure about letting other writers read the words poured from my soul. What if they laughed? What if they thought I was a fraud?

What I discovered was a group of writers who I can talk to with ease (not just about writing), are great company and who are encouraging.  All of our group write (or want to write) speculative fiction. We understand the lure of the fantastical and are quite open to reading my steampunk fare.

Our group – Spec Fic Chic hold a monthly meeting at the local library. Though some turn up each week, depending on our schedules. Each month, I learn something new. (I honestly feel I get more out of the group than the others!) This week I submitted the second half of chapter 3 –  Of Traitors, the Department and Curiosities. This was  a very rough first draft – the stream of consciousness version. I had not had time to do my first rewrite.

This week’s take home message was a reminder that the reader does not know what the writer has hidden in her head. I know the backgrounds and motives my characters.  The reader does not – until I tell.

We talked about the order of the reveal, dialogue and action and the reasons behind a scene that helps it develop the characters or simply make the scene superfluous . (Dialogue should preceed the action it produces – always recommended.) The end result is flowing prose, more suspense and less confusion over the plot.

A big shout out to the lovely ladies who teach me so much, kick my creative muse in the butt and encourage me to keep writing and – best of all – don’t make me feel like a fool.
Thank you.

Now I have over 2500 words to rewrite.

Manuscript Word Progress: First draft:26% completed.
Total Words:  
At 1st draft only:
Revised Words: 


Order and Method

Of Music, Thankfulness and Unfettered Freedom

I have a rare day to myself today. Loud uninhibited singing in my fortress of solitude means that I can shout for joy and not worry about anyone else in the world. It is liberating and (even just for a moment) banishes all my doubt, anxiety and helps me forget the daily grind.  

I am thankful for the opportunity to let off steam.

On the subject of thankfulness – following a social media prompt, I started a thankful jar. At any time I feel happy or grateful, I write a short note and pop it in the jar. At the end of the year I will read the messages to remind me of all the good things that I have felt or that have happened in my life, this year.

It is slowly filling up. It has already done part of its job. Every time I spy it, I get a warm feeling of contentment as it is already reminding me that there are positive things in my life.

Why don’t you try it? Everyone needs more good things in their life!

Of Music, Thankfulness and Unfettered Freedom

Of Changes, Achieving Goals and Beating Procrastination.

Hello to you, Dear Reader.

Firstly, my apologies if you popped in to read my blog yesterday. I have decided I want to finish the manuscript for The Department of Curiosities by October – at the latest. This means I have to knuckle down and work more my manuscript. To achieve this goal, I had to make some hard decisions.

This leads to my second apology. I can only write so many words in a day, or a week. To achieve my writing goals, I need to write more of my story; this will mean less words for my blog. At this stage, I am planning to  provide you with two blog posts a week. I will be working around my day job, so this will most likely be a Wednesday/Thursday and Saturday/Sunday.

After a a few days of collecting my thoughts together, I had reached that point where I needed to start work on chapter 5. I faced yet another blank page. I choked. I wrote a couple of sentences, crossed them out and then rewrote them – almost word for word.

I find a blank page a very scary thing. Since the last time I wrote on the problem of blank pages and scene changes, I have read  actively on the subject. I then engaged anti-procrastination tactics.

1. I spent a day creating a quick plot outline, from the many ideas that were bouncing around in my brain.


2. Next I tried to order them in a more logical timeline (pushing some into chapter 6)


3. I listed the clues and character background I wanted (or needed) to reveal in this chapter.


4. I penciled notes into previous chapters, to give hints on some of the upcoming clues and characters, so they did not just plop in out of nowhere.


5. I took a long shower . This usually ends up with lots of ideas and sentences spilling out of my head. (I really need to find a waterproof notebook or recording device.)


6. Concentrated on creating a specific character before he began walking and talking in chapter 5

I managed only 550 words, so brought out the big guns.

7. I went to bed to get some sleep. Words started tormenting me. Within 20 minutes I was grabbing the notebook, I keep my the bedside table, and was scribbling down a few pages of ideas.  Any ideas… whatever came to me.

Today, I managed to add 1400 words to my tally on the previous day – though not on chapter 5. I had been concentrating on the character of the Big Bad - more commonly known as the antagonist.  I was resisting the urge to make him a short, snivelly and bald cliche.  In the end I wrote both his first and  final scenes in the story.

Having now filled out his character, weaknesses, background and motives, I am ready to plough on with chapter 5.

Manuscript Word Progress: 24% completed to at least first draft!

Revised Words: 
Total Words:  
At 1st draft only:

Of Changes, Achieving Goals and Beating Procrastination.

Feb 14th

Always and Forever, Sweetie.

Feb 14th

It Might be Peaches Instead.

Life.
It is not as simple as we would like it to be.

Last year we discovered a randomly self-seeded plant, hidden under the over-grown ivy. After some quick internet searches we surmised it may be a peach or a nectarine tree, based on the shape of its leaves.

We used to have a nectarine tree. It had to be removed when it became the home to local termites. The neighbour used to have a peach try – just over the fence.  The local birds used to feed on both trees and deposit their left overs (complete with seeds) over our back yard. Both were contenders.

We watched as it flowered then did some more internet research. We were sure it was likely a peach tree but still waited… just in case. The flowers swelled and the fruit started to grow. They looked more like almonds. There used to be almond groves all around the local suburbs. We were no longer sure what our tree would give us.

Over the past few weeks, the fruit has grown larger and plumped out. Our current running theory is that we definitely have a peach tree…

Maybe.

Life (and writing, and just about everything else) is like our mysterious tree. Things pop up out of nowhere. We think we know what we dealing with. Things change. We change our mind, thinking we have sorted things out. Somewhere along the way, things change again. Life can be confusing. In the end we can only hope that it bears sweet fruit that we will enjoy.

I hope we get peaches.

It Might be Peaches Instead.

Of First Drafts, Title Changes and Plots

The first draft of chapter 4 is now complete!  Unexpectedly, there is another character in the mix, necessitating some additions to chapter 2 to lay more foundations for dear Aunt Prudence.  Somehow I know she had been there all along. Our heroine just hadn’t mentioned her yet.  Again there was the balancing act of sufficient background revelations without becoming boring or giving too much of the plot away.  Aunt Prudence was one of these revelations, and brought with her a change to my planned outline. This resulted in a change in title of the chapter - Of Traitors, Ghostmen and Despicable Acts.

My favourite passage from the first draft:
“Miss Meriwether stood defiantly among them, looking quite dishevelled. She brandished a red parasol,  swinging it in her hand like a golf club. Her bonnet hung precariously, held by the remaining hat pin, revealing a less than pristine coiffe.”

I have now set aside chapter 4 and have begun ruminating on the sequence of events for chapter 5.  After sifting through a pile of notes and ideas, I have pulled out those in the most logical  order. I have jotted down notes on where to fit unwritten plot points that have rolled over from chapter 4. This is an expose chapter. We learn more of one of the secondary characters and the fate of others.  Let the writing begin!

If you don’t count the six hundred-odd words of sequencing and notes for Chapter 5:
Manuscript Word Progress:
Revised Words: 
Total Words:  
At 1st draft only:


Of First Drafts, Ideas and Plots