I'm Gonna Go All Medieval On Your...

I'm pretty sure the makers of the Sims 3 franchise plan the release of their new games around the worst possible time for me to play it.

Last time, they released it on October 26 or something like that. Right before National Novel Writing Month.

Now. They release it while I am in the middle of my edits. OF COURSE.

There are WITCHES. And QUESTS.

AND CASTLES.

It will be reward for finishing the edits. And making me story pretty.

I will not get it until I AM DONE.

Sigh.

It's Who We Are!

So I am big fan of Deb Caletti ever since I read Honey, Baby, Sweetheart. Here is what she has on her Web Site about advice for aspiring writers. Very inspirational!

Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

"I think being a writer is about who you are, more than about the task itself. It is a way of looking at the world, a state of observance coupled with a deep need to make sense of the life and the people around you. If this is truly you, you won’t be able to help the desire to write, but you’ll need to learn to write and write well. Read everything you can. That is the best way to learn – reading the bad stuff, reading the great stuff. Write, write and write some more, and submit your work wherever you can. More than anything else, focus on the goal and don’t let go. Being an author is one of the Big Dreams. You have a better chance of becoming a rock star or an astronaut, so persistence is everything. QUEEN, the first of my books to be published, was the fifth book I wrote. If I didn’t have this feeling that being a writer was who I most was, and that giving up on the dream would be giving up on myself, I likely wouldn’t have kept going. I was (and still am) motivated by my profound love and respect of books and the feeling that being a writer is the ultimate PRIVILEGE. If you want to be a writer, have the determination of a dog with a knotted sock. Sink your teeth in and don’t give up. Become who you are, as Nietzsche said."

This is seriously how I feel. I've tried to find other occupations I could enjoy. Even a little. Because writing is freaking hard. But the truth is, I always come back to writing! I can't seem to let it go!

Chapter Titles

Some books name their chapters. Some just number them.

This seems like such a minor thing but sometimes it really bothers me. If I name my chapters, I think I lose some focus sometimes because I'm trying to stay true to what I name it? Or something? I don't know. But in my latest edit, I am just numbering them, concentrating on hitting an emotional note for each chapter. Just trying to make it flow more easily because it gets kind of choppy at times.

And I feel better about this round of edits. I think that has something to do with the weather, which is finally kind of glorious.

Yesterday I sat at my kitchen table as a soft breeze blew through the screen door. It was strange. I guess I really felt like, I don't know, a writer. Sitting in the gentle glow of the approaching evening. Starbucks coffee cup to the right of my computer. A black cat to the left. My eyes squinting at the tangled pages in front of me while somewhere outside dogs barked with glee and strollers scraped against sidewalk.

It was just so...oddly peaceful.

If only things were so peaceful for Leslie Lee Baker...=)

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Fact about me: I am not Irish. I am Welsh!

Where Do You Get Your Ideas?

So last night I ate Chinese food.

I want to bed.

I had crazy wierd dreams about very cheesy pizza...

And a title came to me.

This kind of bizarre, magical title not linked to anything.

I want to write a story around this title. I want to create this character.

How wierd, right?

Sometimes phrases come to me in dreams. I'll get maybe a cool sentence and that's it. I don't dream about vampires in meadows or anything like that.

But I dreamed of this title last night. I wrote it down. And I still like it! Aw!

Where do you get ideas from? Do you write around a character? A book title? A single scene? It's always so fascinating for me how a whole story can spring up from a single seed of something.

For Leslie Lee, I had the hook first. I then created Leslie. And she drove the story. Everything else came after.

What Goes On In My Head During Editing

So, as I mentioned, I am editing.

Editing can be...awesome. And awful. At the exact same time.

I thought it would be funny to give you all an idea of my thought process during editing. While I didn't write my thoughts as I had them (that would get in the way of editing you know) this is probably a pretty close representation to my editing last night:

*sits down*
*crack knuckles*
*winces in pain*
*wiggles in chair*

I am ready to tackle this chapter!

Oh, wait. That's out of character for her...better rework...

There. That's better. Oops! Typo!

Maybe I should outline.

Okay, I will outline a little since some things are moving around...

A rough outline so I need a better idea of structure...

OH MY GOD! I FORGOT TO WALK THE DOGS!

*walks dogs. Thirty minutes later...*

*sits back down. Ready to tackle next chapter...*

I am exhausted. THIS STUPID TIME CHANGE.

I need to fix this chapter...

I need to make this smoother...

I need to work on this transition...

Wait. WHERE THE HECK DOES THIS CHAPTER FIT?

Sets Mystery Chapter aside to see if might need to be cut...

And on and on.

Oh, goodness.

ACK!

Well, I hate this time change. I lose an hour. Doesn't the world know that I am editing? I CAN'T LOSE AN HOUR!

That is all.

Somewhere Between...

Today I decided to use my little code from National Novel Writing Month and order a paperback copy of my book! I had so much fun creating the cover for it and I can't wait to see it! EEK! I am such a dork. It's not like it's even ready to be seen in print yet but whatever. It was fun to design a cover and as I tried to design, it always reminded me of what the focus should be.

Sometimes imagining a cover can help with that. Or imagining where it will sit on a book shelf. I think THE MYSTERIOUS ENLIGHTENMENT OF LESLIE LEE BAKER would sit between:



And...



Both great reads!

Anyway...I'm just writing along...keeping my fingers crossed that something amazing might happen this year...

Random Excerpt Monday! And The Adjustment Bureau!

Hi!

So as I gear up for another round of edits, I've been reading A TON. I have now been banished from my Nook for a few weeks because, well, I have a book buying problem. You're welcome, publishing industry and authors!

But don't worry! Turns out I've got some books sitting on my shelf I haven't read yet. So I'll be okay. Phew.

Also, I've been writing a new WIP. A NEW NEW WIP? An old WIP? I don't know. I've just been writing! Would you like to read a random snippet?

I know he’ll crack but I don’t know when. I’m amazed he’s held out this long for me. Amazed he’s trying to save me. He’s the only person who ever really understood. The only one paying any kind of attention.

And then I know.

I love him.

Oh! And go see The Adjustment Bureau. It is made of awesome. Think of The Adjustment Bureau as authors. And Matt Damon as the main character. Just keeping throwing obstacles in the way! It's great. Really. And very romantic!

Have a great Monday everyone!

Author Names

So I've never thought my name sounds like an author name:

Lisa. Aldin.

Hmm. It just doesn't sound very author-y.

It seems like everyone else out there has an author name. For example, a few of the favorite blogs I follow:

Marsha Sigman

Stephanie Faris

Natalie Whipple

There are more, of course, but those are just a few I picked out. There are more. They sound so AUTHOR-Y!

I can see their names so easily on a book. Mine? Eh.

I was thinking that if I ever do get to that glorious stage of publication, maybe I could swing one of these pen names:

THE AUTHOR
THE OTHER STEPHANIE MEYER BUT WITHOUT VAMPIRES AND STUFF.
THE PEN FAIRY.
LOOK AT ME. I WROTE SOMETHING.
READ THIS BOOK PLEASE.
SALLY MANDER.
IVANA TINKLE.

I could totally see any of those on a book cover!

Old Shiny Idea

So we all love Shiny New Ideas. Things that suddenly push aside our current WIP and scream LOOK AT ME!

But like the good little writers that we are, we know to not always be so distracted by Shiny New Idea. We have work to do on WIP. So, during these are times when we resist temptation, we tuck Shiny New Idea into a drawer and work on WIP.

And so Shiny New Idea transforms into Shiny Old Idea.

I like Shiny Old Idea's. But they can be just as distracting! Like...why haven't I written this yet? THIS MUST BE WRITTEN NOW!

Well, anyway. I have no news to report. I feel like I'm getting pulled into a million different directions and I'm just standing still and...I don't know.

In kind of an odd mood today. I blame it on Shiny Old Idea.

Saving and Publishing May Fail...RETRYING...

So I had this cute little post all ready to go but I got an error message from Blogger:

"Saving and Publishing May Fail...Retrying..."

STORY.

OF.

MY.

LIFE.

In other news, my house did not get damaged from the nasty thunderstorm/possible tornado the other night. I feel blessed and lucky that my dogs didn't fly away like that cow in the movie Twister. I hate natural disasters. Hate them. There is no control, sometimes no warning, and the results are completely devastating. Praying everyone effected makes it through the muck.

In other other news...

Happy March! So long February! I will NOT miss you.

In other other other news...

Welcome New Followers! This is a happy place. I promise. Sort of. Really. It's happy. Thanks for stopping by!