A Wrench in My Flashing Plans

I'm so excited about April. I've been working on my Camp NaNo/Blogging from A to Z combo project in all my stolen moments. I have been writing the posts that will go around the flash fiction so that part will be handled. I'm still looking for ideas for a few letters (I'm looking at you Q, X and Z.), but I'm making progress. I'm thinking I may have to expand my concept to find styles that fit the letters. Someone suggested writing a flash fiction in quatrains. I don't think that's a genre, but it starts with Q and would most definitely be entertaining.

Martin Sensmeier with this look is very close to what I envisioned.

I was full steam ahead with The Genre Flash Project when I received an email today I have been anxiously waiting for that has thrown a bit of a wrench in my plans. There's this character I know I've mentioned him before. He sprang into my brain really detailed and came with a female love interest as well as her best friend, but he didn't have a plot or a name. He is a Native American so I went looking for a fitting name, but didn't like what was available in the translation sites and baby name books. Then I stumbled across the Native Languages of the Americas site. They are having a fundraiser to help preserve Native American languages. For a small $10 donation they will give you 3 names that match your criteria as best as possible and how it would sound using English phonetics. They stress it isn't a spirit name and it is intended for a pet, boat, fictitious character, etc. Well, that is perfect for me and this dude who is freaking bugging me. I gave them a lot of things I knew about the character and in a little over 2 weeks they sent me the most perfect name. It fits this character and I'm in love with it.

So the wrench is now I kinda want to play with him, but he still has no plot. The naming actually turned up an interesting subplot, but nothing strong enough to build around. So there's a romance and a family drama in this guy's POV, but what the heck is he really doing? Are there romance novels from the guys POV? Do they switch? I have never read just a romance. I have loved books where there is a strong secondary romance plot, but haven't gotten into romance as the reason for the storytelling alone.

ROW80 Rundown

Make the check-ins on Sundays and Wednesdays - Later than I would have liked, but I'm still standing.
Visit 5 fellow ROW80 bloggers each check-in - I visited 3 fellow ROW80 bloggers. Not a reached goal, but at least I got around. You can just take that however you want.
Write 500 words every day -
Monday - On Monday I caught the plague and thought I was going to die. My son got better just before I got sick so I knew it was short lived, but I had no idea how bad my poor baby was feeling.
Tuesday - I was better so continued writing on my phone. I made 582 words and most of them were the ones I intended. It was kind of frustrating because Swype can be such a birch.
Wednesday - Short moments in a waiting room and while I was waiting on dinner to get done equaled this post and a bit more work on Genre Flash. So over 600.

What about a project really gets you excited? Have you come across any awesome resources like request a Native American name? Please share in the comments. We could all use more amazing resources.

Photos by Pixabay.

Stuck At The Bottom Of A Martini

While people who are easy going and polite are a treasure to have in your company. They are boring to write about and I assume if they are boring me to write about they would be boring to read about. I mean stuff blew up and that was interesting and fun. The female main character was scared and angry yelling at the male main character while attempting to put as much distance between them as possible and that made for interesting writing, but I am in a lull between moving away from one event and moving to another. They are sitting awkwardly in a living room talking about the freaking weather. The weather?! I wanted him to say something quipy and slightly antagonistic to rial her back up, but I don't even know what about. I am stuck and she is all like, "My martini is gone and he has been looking down at his mostly empty glass for over 15 hours! Get a move on writer lady!" All that she says to me, but not what they should talk about or how to get to the next scene. I'm about to just stop trying to force this scene, leave a note and MOVE ON!

Please leave me a comment and let me know what do you do when you have a general idea of what kind of interaction you want to occur, but are lacking the specifics? Where do you turn for ideas? How do you feel about leaving a note and moving on? Make sure to let me know where you are visiting from so I can follow you back and see what you're up to.

So moving on...

Today's mascot is a typing duck!

ROW80 July Goals Rundown

1. Write at least 800 words per day on my Camp NaNo novel The Most Magical Place.
Was doing really well on this, but only wrote just over 200 so far today and I am not thinking I will make it because it is already after 9 and I am working on this.

2. Post for every ROW80 check-in.
Well, this is the first and I'm here. YAY!!! OK, so maybe it's not that exciting, but like I said I'm feeling bored and restless.

3. Spend 1 Pom per day visiting ROW80 friends.
I was able to do this and have visited lots of friends, but don't remember exactly how many. I also made sure to leave a comment.

4. Post to Twitter every day.
Yeah, I completely forgot to even post when I got my initial goals post out. So set an alarm on my phone to remind me. The worst part about posting on Twitter is I usually get stuck there for a while because there are so many good links to check out.

photo credit: ducktyping via photopin (license)
Other photos by Pixabay.

Going Rogue

Today is the first Wednesday of the month and so it is time again for the Insecure Writer's Support Group. Oh so many are the reasons to be insecure and especially when writing. My biggest problem still is making time for the writing thing. I suppose I might have other problems if I made more time.

I haven't made much progress, but it hasn't been that long. My bad guy is being snotty, but I guess that's a good thing because he's... the bad guy. I had plans for his first interaction with the heroine, but he seems to have a completely different idea. It feels like I'm dealing with a 4 year old who won't listen. I have never had such an unruly cast. Of course I've never successfully finished a novel either. Maybe there isn't enough time in a short story for things to get so out of hand. 

Have you ever had a character just ditch what you planned and go rogue? What did you do and how did it turn out? Please leave me a comment and tell me who the mascot for your most recent post is, but also make sure to let me know where you are visiting from so I can follow you back. 

ROW80 Rundown:

1. Spend 2 poms on plotting using Hiveword.
I was able to sit down and write Monday, but Tuesday was so crazy and I didn't get there.

2. Spend 2 poms on posts for this blog.
I probably spent 1 pom in the last few days brainstorming and I responded to the lovely and encouraging comments so probably got this one.

3. Spend 1 pom on social media for blog posts.
I posted a link to my Nope post on my Author Facebook page and on Twitter, but that is all I was able to accomplish.

4. Spend 1 pom on visiting other ROW80 bloggers.
I did this on Sunday and Monday, but again I fall on the Tuesday was crazy sword.

Photos by Pixabay.

Out Voted by Characters

I've been working to flesh out my outline. Last night I was so engrossed in what I was doing I lost an hour and a half. Either I was so distracted I didn't hear the alarm go off or, more likely, I forgot to start it. The kiddos asleep and hubby busy made the house so peaceful. I was working on a particularly difficult part for me... the middle. 

My mid-point, which is supposed to be context shifting, is so into the shifting thing that the setting just changed dramatically. The characters were standing outside an apartment arguing and they were attacked. Then in the middle of combat they were transported to the beach. The story just decided it needed to relocate and the characters agreed. I kinda feel out voted and like I am loosing control. Now I need to change around the scene before it and decide what the beach is like. Since there is very noticeable magic going on I would prefer if it was an unpopulated beach. Now I must do research. That means a beach trip for inspiration!

How do you do your research? Obviously if you are far away there isn't much choice for direct observation, but some times I get the itch to experience things first hand. Leave me a comment and don't forget to let me know where you came from so I can follow you back and see what you are up to.

ROW80 Rundown:

1. Spend 2 poms on plotting using Hiveword.
I didn't use Hiveword every day, but I did spend at least 2 poms every day on plotting. I am really pleased with my current progress.

2. Spend 2 poms on posts for this blog.

Yea, this hasn't happened since the last post. I'm not really sure what I should spend my poms doing when not actually constructing a post. Do you have any suggestions on activities that might help to make my posts easier when it comes to time to check-in?

3. Spend 1 pom on social media for blog posts.
Nothing Thursday or Friday, but I used Twitter on Saturday so that's something. It isn't like it's hard or extremely time consuming, but I just don't seem to remember. Maybe I should set an alarm to remind me. Of course that would make like 12 daily alarms to remind me of different things.

4. Spend 1 pom on visiting other ROW80 bloggers.

I did get a chance to hop away. I left comments on most of the blogs I visited and really enjoyed the posts. My ROW80 friends are very inspirational, even when you are facing roadblocks.

Photos by Pixabay. 

Plans and Plots Lead to Confusion

Have you ever had an idea, but you weren't sure how to make it work? I mean, I'm not Tim Gunn for goodness sake. I have an idea that really excites me for one of my A to Z posts, but I am worried if the post gets too long when visitors are trying to hop to as many new blogs as possible they will bail before they even get half way through. We all always put a lot of effort into each post and hope at least someone is reading to the end, but this is significantly more effort that I usually invest especially when effort and time are in short supply. If it works it will be awesome and it would make me very happy, but there are so many different ways it could epically flop. What do you do when you encounter this kind of situation? Should I go for it or skip it and focus on my Camp NaNo story?

I am kind of sad to see the last check-in of the first ROW80 round of 2015. It feels like this year is flying by and I am not sure I am really ready for the next phase. I thought about taking a break until stuff starts back up for me on the first day of April, but then I would risk breaking out of the habit of posting. We all know replacing a bad habit with a good one is hard to do, but worth the effort. Why would I want to make it harder on myself, particularly when I have a real knack for procrastination.

ROW80 Rundown:

1. Write 500 words per day on any project
I don't know how many words I put out on Monday or Tuesday individually because I was not feeling well which caused me to sleep and be awake at odd hours. It feels like it has been 4 or 5 days since my last check in. Those mini days are a blur of napping and writing on my phone happened more than my laptop. I made a lot of notes and lists with 2 started posts that are really rambley and need to be gutted until they bleed red ink. I will call this a win because I managed 1163 for the combined total.
Wednesday: 786 on this post and it's still early, but my day is full and I probably won't get to much more than a little brainstorming and planning.

2. Blog at least every Wednesday and Sunday.
So far so good. Since I jumped in I think, don't quote me on this, I only missed one check-in. A few times I even beat the linky.

3. Check out at least 10 posts from each new ROW80 linky before the next one comes out.
HA! I did this and it felt awesome to see what you all were up to. I want to keep this goal a part of my next round. I had to adjust it from 20 blog hops to 10 and still didn't make around to see everyone sometimes, but I will not get down on myself for making the change. Flexibility is what ROW80 is all about. Keeping your goals realistic and achievable then holding yourself accountable and making it happen.

4. Use Twitter at least once per day.
Getting back into Twitter has been a great experience and I have found a lot of interesting posts that have helped me with my battle plan for both The Most Magical Place and A to Z. Now it all comes down to execution.

5. Post on my author Facebook page at least 2 times per week.
I made it through the round feeling successful in this goal even though I did have to adjust it from the original.

6. Read 1 book per week.
It will come as no surprise that I have not been able to keep up with reading 1 book per week if you have been following along. I am not sure how to change this goal so that I can challenge myself and still set a manageable goal that won't leave me constantly frustrated. I type fast, but read really slow. When I start reading it is like I am watching everything, even details that weren't specifically mentioned in the book are filled in by my imagination and the scenes play out in my head. This image kinda becomes an overlay to the words I am reading. I am not sure if that exactly makes since, but it is the best way I can describe the reading experience for me. It is very rich and satisfying, but also slow.

Photo Credit: Pixabay
photo credit: For me too via photopin (license)

Midweek Check-in And My "Don't Mess With Me" Stare

My midweek check-in and things are not going as smoothly as last week.

Writing 500 words everyday – I have not met this goal, but it seems this one has been the hardest one. I thought it would be the easiest. Funny how things turn around on you. I was able to write four out of the last seven days so at least I got some writing in.

Posting Monday, Wednesday and Friday – Well I thought this would be the hardest and so I may have set myself up to miss some. I was not able to post last Friday.

Posting a flash fiction for Friday Flash – Which brings me to my last goal. I didn't get a story posted, not because I didn't have the story, but because I ran out of time during the day (and night). For the life of me I can't remember what I was doing, but I am sure it was important.

Model for "Don't Mess With Me" stare.

So what is my plan to help me reach my goals? I am implementing an hour of writing time and combining it with my “Don't Mess With Me” stare. After the kiddos are in bed and before I start to get ready for bed will be my writing window. This is my new plan anyway, but you know what they say “The best laid plans of Mice” and all that.

What plans do you have to help you reach your goals that you have been falling short on or have you been right on target?

photo credit: rachfog via photopin cc