Thursday, January 8, 2009

Woo

The first week of January 2009 has been a rollercoaster, rising into periods of confidence and awesome productivity and then screaming down into the urge to just crawl into bed and pull the covers over my head because I suck and what difference does it make if I write, anyhow?

Part of the idea of the blog was that it would encourage me to track my progress and force me to think about the positives. So, let's see... Since my last post on Jan. 1, I have scheduled the Loki novel (the new idea) onto my work calendar. I gave myself two weeks for pre-planning and for researching the genre. I've mostly worked out all the pre-planning, except for a working outline, on which I have become stuck. I read two books, one in my target genre of YA paranormal/fantasy and the other just in YA (because the library didn't have the books I really wanted), and skimmed a third in the target genre that I plucked off the shelf even though I had a feeling I wouldn't like it much. (I was right.) So, productivity is not an issue--I've covered a good amount of ground this week, and it's not even Friday yet. I even had some flashes of insight on how to approach my rewrite of Crowmaker when I get back to it.

My issue is my mental/emotional state. This should not be a surprise to me, given it's my usual January state of mind. I guess this is where I dig in and keep doing the best I can while I wait for sunshine and warmth and the return of my optimism.

For those wondering: A Certain Slant of Light, by Laura Whitcomb, and The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, by Ann Brashares. I won't name the skimmed book, because I wouldn't recommend it anyhow, but I also refuse to risk hurting another writer's feelings with my opinions about their work. (And hey, it did get published, after all. More than I can say.)

Elizabeth Bear has tossed out the possibility of offering her services as a writing tutor. My initial response was to cheer internally, "Ooooh, Elizabeth Bear looking at my stuff!" This was quickly followed by a shudder of horror: "Oooh. Elizabeth Bear looking at my stuff." The woman is one of those incredibly intelligent and straightforward people who intimidate the hell out of me.

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