Hullo, all:
You've been most patient while I neglected my blog. I'm really home now. And Chrysophylax (my laptop) works and has internet access and everything. (Happiness!)
Saturday: Home! We unloaded the car and truck. They were full. I moved my bed, vacuumed my floor, and promptly put books, boxes, boxes of books, clothes, suitcases of clothes, and tubs of clothes and books on it. I commenced unpacking. The closet became completely unreachable, though the long bookshelves weren't. They were just stuffed with books.
Sunday: Church! Then I unpacked. I set up my nice wooden shelf--the one that held dishes at school--and put books on it. My sister kindly organized my desk so I could get to it (and write DRW thereat). Clean laundry started piling, but I organized the closet enough to sort of get at it.
Monday: My first ten-page installment of DRW for my mentor was due. So I wrote an eight-page outline of my story at a rate just better than a page every two hours and sent it to her, unpacking in the corners. I discovered I couldn't deal with the manuscript itself after that.
Tuesday: I wrote the other two pages I owed her for Monday, sent them in, finished two books, watched Hitch, and unpacked. Mom had an extra shelf in the backyard (I'm still not sure why it was out there), so I set it up and put books and DVDs on it. I think all the boxes of books became empty and put in the hall. The clean laundry piled higher.
Wednesday: Mom and I went shopping. All day. We also did some eating. :-) Em's birthday is this Saturday, if you want to email her, and Dad's is Monday, so Mom and I bought them presents and party supplies. I also got two Chinese lanterns, one defective (sad days), both of which I attached to my ceiling where they belonged. I also unpacked my other Chinese lanterns and put them up, packed away sundry figurines which did not match my room's projected new Asian-beach theme, and decorated a candle to sit (along with a red vase, nice piece of volcanic black rock, and little Chinese doll) on the shelf formerly holding figurines. It is now a decorative and thematic shelf.
Thursday (today): I wrote all day and sent in the first ten pages of chapter 2, and my rate improved to about a page an hour. It was blissful having my books on shelves where I could consult them, besides the double bliss of having my family's library available. I love having books. I named several characters, though my heroine might need a different last name, and my plot is sort of having technology issues. I also seriously misjudged how much paper various events were going to take up. I did get back quite helpful and sensible comments on the outline. I feel revisions coming on. One thing, it's DRW, so I can't get discouraged and abandon the story to the bowels of Chrysophylax.
5 comments:
Envy at the room. I still sleep in the same small room as three other sisters, and I've been living from boxes and a pile of clothes in the middle of the basement since Christmas. Ah well.
lol at the writing. I know the feeling well. I think you should expect that some events will take much longer and some much shorter than you expect. The best thing is when you don't have to outline your stories. In mine I have a general idea where I want them to end up, but that is quite different from blocking out all the plot points in advance. I normally only know a few steps ahead in three dimensions and color, and I think that's all right. The actual words I've written help determine what comes next.
On the other hand, if one is writing a book one should probably outline.
Welcome home, dear! I was checking your blog most regularly hoping for news. I can just see you unpacking all those boxes and bags and kind of recreating the room you had at school :).
Writing so much actually sounds like fun ... though I know it is a lot of hard work on top of the big transition you've got going on right now. I'll be praying for you :). You should share tid-bits on your blog ...
Dearest Carolyn,
So glad your story is going. Sounds like you're happy to be home. Have a delightful summer and stay in touch! God bless.
-Merry
Go Carolyn! :-D
Your unpacking experience sounds sort of like my packing experience - books, clothes, books, clothes, clothes, books... booooooooks, books, more books... and a computer. (My dad is still having a hard time believing how many books we packed. :-D)
Do keep us updated on how the story's going.
- Nic
Thanks, guys. It's encouraging to get commiseration on my writing woes--you've all done more of it than I have.
The outline is mandatory, part of the project.
Okay, if you want a segment, I will gladly give you a good bit. I love inflicting my writing on other people! :-) (But I can't now because I'm blogging from the sister's computer.)
I know, books do rather expand to fill any available space and then some. :-)
Good to hear from you all. Do keep up the comments.
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