Working on Deadline

A glimpse into my life - I work at a seasonal day job and we are now in high season.  I am on deadline this week, and while I've tried to get in some writing time, there are certain times of the year where my focus has to be laser sharp.  This week is one of them (which means my imagination is a bit blocked in order to earn my paycheck).

Working on deadline can be interesting.  Everyone is in a panic - "Will we get it all done?" Generally, we do. Adrenalin starts pumping, people push themselves to their limits, and beyond. Every year is a little bit different in terms of how much work comes in ahead of schedule and how much of it pushes to the last minute. Don't misunderstand, there is always a lot of work that pushes to the last minute, but sometimes . . . sometimes they actually do plan ahead. This year seems to be moving smoothly (hence the time to write a blog post). However, late last night I got a panicked email asking how many of my staff would be available to work how many hours to meet the deadline. Same staff we have every year, same staff we always meet the deadline with, in fact, I have additional staff this year. Calm heads actually make it easier to accomplish the deadline. Panic generally slows the pace and upsets the people involved. We are in better shape than we've been in some previous years, but panic is an almost essential element to deadlines. I used to panic. The powers that be seem to think panic kicks up the adrenalin and pushes people past their limits. Me? I already work at a very fast pace, so kicking it up a gear overheats my engine. For one of the supervisors who works under me, kicking up the adrenalin short circuits her brain.  We have capable people in place to meet the demands, race horses that will get to the finish line without the use of whips.

My role today is to be the voice of calm. Reason. We are pushing through the work easily. Deadline is tomorrow. Unless they back up a dump truck and bury us, I think we'll get through this one just fine, thank you.

Update on the new book - Mist on the Meadow will likely be available the first of April. I'll keep you posted.

Museum-ing

So after my rant, I though you all deserved a public service announcement.

As mentioned here last week, I've been researching art history. Also as mentioned here last week, Chicago has a fine art institute, and every Thursday, between 5:00 and 9:00 p.m., admission is free. Fun, huh? Last night while I was watching the news, they mentioned said museum, the reason being that it is now the only art museum in the country with an app that takes you where you want to go, AND free WiFi to use it. Pretty cool, huh? So if you're in my city and you want to go to the art institute, download the app. It will GPS you to where you want to be, whether its the miniature room (mu favorite when I was a kid) or A Sunday in the Park by Seurat (make sure to look for the monkey).

Here's a link to the app.  Art institute of Chicago app

I can't, I won't, I don't

Pet peeve day at Karla's blog. Had a rude revelation at the day job during which I sent a request to a cooperative department and they rejected it.  I didn't spoon feed them the information, even though they already have it. So I basically said "WTF?" and the response was, "that's not protocol." They decided that logical, rational thought was outside thier job description. Since when is this type of attitude acceptable?

When I was growing up, if I said I can't, my father said "you can."  If I said I won't, my father said "you will." And if I said I don't, my father said, "you do." This is the entrepreneurial spirit on which our country was founded. "Can-do" spirit. So I really struggle with people who, in good conscience, say "no." I can't even blame it on the other department being staffed by "millennials." These people grew up in the same era I did. But clearly thy didn't know my father.

Is the entrepreneurial spirit lost? Isn't this EXACTLY what's wrong in Congress? "That's not protocol. Don't ask me to think for myself. I'll only do what I want to do and forget about everyone else."

I wish I could feel comfortable blowing something off now and then, but when all is said and done, I think I'd rather say, "thanks, dad."

The Joy of Research

Let me start by saying that sometimes when you start writing a new novel, you get carried away from the start. Imagination carries you off on a sea of inspiration. Then there are the times when you have "a brilliant idea," but have a hard time pushing off with it, or you get interrupted enough times during the "discovery phase," that you lose track of the brilliance.  This is where research sometimes helps.

I'm in the beginning chapters of my newest endeavor, which I'll just refer to as the Shoemaker and the Elves (since that was the point of inspiration), even though it really doesn't have anything to do with making shoes, or with elves. The story is about an author and a ghost writer. I'm becoming acquainted with my characters, and that takes several chapters as they reveal themselves, but I'm finding these characters are a little more reserved. I've also been distracted by the day job, by the new baby in the family, etc., so I haven't been able to spend as much time as I'd like. But life's like that, sometimes.


"Flora" from
Flora and the Zephyrs - John William Waterhouse



I've also been doing research for the story. The hero in my new novel writes crime novels about art thefts. The Renaissance and Pre-Raphaelite periods have jumped up to be noticed, and I'm learning a lot about John William Waterhouse. Back in grade school, we had an art appreciation class that exposed us to classic works of art (thank you, Mrs. Najarian). I also live near Chicago, where we have a fabulous Art Institute, which is calling out to me for a visit.

Every novel has to have conflict.  Goals, Motivation and Conflict. GMC. My hero is pretty well set, as far as all that goes, but my heroine has been a little more standoffish with me.  As noted last week right here on my blog, I have been trying to determine what her deal is, and I've come up with two scenarios. The one scenario is almost a cop-out, it's been done a million times, including by me in Intimate Distance. The second is a little more interesting, and I did an interview over the weekend with someone who has been through that particular scenario. That one would be a challenge, because it requires sensitivity and deep emotional content. Yes, I'm leaning that direction, but it does make me nervous to do so. So I'm going to jump in and see how it plays out, reserving the right to go back and change it to scenario one. BUT, this reinforces the title of this post - the joy of research. I have learned some very interesting things, and I'm re-discovering some beautiful pieces of art.

Research can be a form of procrastination. An interesting subject can take you down all sorts of roads and alternate scenarios, but that's part of the fun. The most important part is knowing when to rein it in, knowing what it is you want to write about. Sometimes the research changes your original intent. Either way, I always enjoy learning something new, or dusting off knowledge that hasn't been used for a number of years.



Buckling Down

Isn’t winter the best time to sit in a corner and read? Well, it is for me. I’ve been cashing in my Kindle gift cards and I’m down to my last $11.38. Binge reading. That’s what it is. I haven’t been completely idle when it comes to my own writing, but I haven't been highly productive, either. 

After Christmas, I needed a break after having finished Mist on the Meadow, and in January I received my edits back from my editor. To fill space, I did outline a new story, but I also picked up Epitaph, my last story from the shelf. Epitaph is essentially written, but requires some rework and a ton of editing. I was amazed at how “unpolished” it was when I picked it back up, but that’s probably one of the reasons it went to the shelf in the first place. So I’ve been practicing my craft, but not creating.

And now it’s February. High time to jump into that new project, don’t you think? I got as far as Chapter One a couple of weeks ago, but that elusive something wasn’t right, and my creative brain was still exhausted from the sprint on Mist on the Meadow. I do believe that creative space is ready for some exercise again. Yes, I’m jumping into the new story, as yet untitled, but inspired by the Shoemaker and the Elves. I have my main characters, I have a sketchy plot, but I’m still working on “she’s hiding something. She has a secret.” This has to be a big deal, that’s part of what makes the story interesting, but so far I have no idea what that “something” is. And that’s okay. It generally takes a couple of chapters for me to get fully acquainted with my characters, and if she has a secret, it will take her at least that long to confide in me what it is. Note: No, the story isn’t based on a real person.

So . . . while I’m waiting to hear back from agents who are dying to represent Mist on the Meadow to the big publishing houses, I thought I’d check in with you folks. Help me write my story. The heroine in my story has moved to another continent to escape the United States and “her big secret,” but now she has to come back to attend to family and/or business matters, while being careful to protect/avoid association with her secret. She’s either running away or she’s hiding out. (This is how an author’s mind works.) What would be motive enough to send you packing to a foreign country?