writing retreat

I took a sort of writing retreat this weekend, to make up for my lack of writing/editing the past month. I was pretty anti-social, shacked up in my apartment editing. I slashed a lot from the previous story line but also added some (though not yet anywhere near the amount I slashed). I was sad to see some of it go as there were passages that I wrote and loved but just didn't fit anymore. It's hard to have a conversation between Salome and Aaron when Aaron's now flying on a plane from Singapore to San Francisco.

Oh well. It helps the story advance more realistically.

Today was a beautiful day in Washington. I did have to force myself out a little this morning, otherwise I'd be stuck inside again (not a bad idea, but there will plenty of time to be locked inside come winter when you won't be able to force this Southerner out on the streets or for a sightseeing tour. Monuments? They'll still be here in the spring). Anyway, while out walking around DC after getting my coffee and doing some reading, I had a bit of a brainstorm for another novel idea.

This one is significantly different as it doesn't deal so much with current events. The current one I'm working on is about the Bali 2002 bombings. I'm a little excited to get started working on it but also wanting to edit the present one. I guess since the stories are so different I could work on both at once today without mixing storylines at all.

And I added another link. You may notice the similiarities in last names. Writing is in the genes. Granted, we write on very different topics, but we still write (and he published a book a few years ago! Though...this was on internet and business and I write fiction).

new...middle?

I'm changing up a central part of the story after something my colleague said almost a year ago when she first read it. It was something I had written to continue the story as I saw it in my head; she saw it and why it was necessary, but how I had gotten there didn't quite work. It had to do with getting my main character alone and getting her friends back the US.

Of course, this entails me going back and rewriting key pieces throughout the middle section, and maybe a little at the end. This is lots of work. But it's worth it as I think it will help people identify with Salome (my main character) more.

It also entails me giving up my Friday night. Which is fine as I've been wanting to work on this for the past three weeks. First I was on vacation (and opted not to take the laptop so I could actually have a vacation) and then I had a friend in town, and then work started getting really busy...again.

I have another blog elsewhere, but this is one I'd like to keep to anything pertaining to my writing. New brainstorms, hopeful progress on my novel, etc. We'll just have to see where this takes me.

By the way, just a brief explanation for links. I'll be adding a few of the writers and agents blogs that I generally every day or every other day, etc. They're great resources (particularly Kristin's who helps writers from the other side, so to speak). A friend of mine is currently traveling around Indonesia and has some terrific posts about his travels there, so I'd suggest checking that out as well.