What's Going On?

People have been asking me what's going on. Normally I keep my readers posted on my latest projects here on my blog and folks have been reminding me that I haven't been doing that through the holidays. So . . . .

The holidays are over. In answer to the question, YES. I am working on Cinda's story, currently titled "Rekindling." I'm going to give you a view inside the paranoid workings of an author's head so you can see where I'm at with this story. Bear with me a moment.

First: In each of my stories, I pull in personalities that I've known during the course of my life. These personalities do not necessarily coincide exactly with the characters in my novels, i.e., my best friend might have an odd personality quirk which I find entertaining that I decide to bequeath to one of my characters. This does not make that character a representation of my best friend. (That's the disclaimer.) In Cinda's story, I have called on certain incidents that are stranger than fiction from real life, and my critique partners are not on board. I will admit that on a first draft, the writing might not be sharp enough to justify said situations.

Second: Critique groups are awesome. Sometimes.I love my critique partners. Really, I do. But because my writing style can be a little scattered, their comments in the beginning stages can be toxic to the process. This is where I have to pull on my "big girl pants" and just keep going. I know that the story will develop, I know that the writing might not be perfect on the first round. Hearing people you know and trust tell you that the story doesn't track and isn't realistic can definitely derail you. I need to remind myself that the foundation for some of these situations will be there - but for my personal writing style, it might not be there until the second draft.

Third: holidays and family are distracting. Yes. I have been writing. I'm also still developing the story, so research is being done, plots are reshaping, and just when you find out the information you need to keep going with the story, you're out of "writing time" for the day. Status check? I am about 10,000 words into the story, I have the research I need to keep writing, and the month of January will offer increased blocks of writing time. In fact, while I generally will spend some time each day dedicated to writing, in January I am planning a full week - no day job, no family commitments - for writing time.

{Deep breath} Where does that leave us? Full speed ahead. I have to tell you that winning the award at Writer's Digest is an excellent boost to the confidence level which also helps squash those insecurities that tell me I'm writing garbage. So pressing forward with Cinda's story. Readers of Living Canvas need to see there's more to her than "Audrey's unlikeable friend." I'm comfortable with my voice, I'm comfortable with some of those "stranger than fiction" situations finding their way onto the page, and even if the first draft isn't perfect, I feel good about this story!