The Writer on Saturday Morning

Saturday mornings (and sometimes Sundays too) are the most productive times for me. I wake up early, as my body is conditioned to do all week long, and in the quiet of my still sleeping apartment, I nurse a cup of coffee (or two!) and write. It is the most magical part of my week and I look forward to it.

While the dishwasher is rocking and the coffee is brewing behind me, I thought I would put down some of my thoughts, news and other miscellaneous items.

The critique group looks like it's going to begin in a week or two. Again, it will be only three members - two non-fiction writers and myself - but I don't mind. I haven't touched my poor novel since NaNoWriMo in November, and this group has given me that nudge to pull it out again. As I do, I am looking for some guidance on structure. I read a lot of fiction so I have a general sense of how to structure a story, but as a first-time novelist I really want to nail it. I asked some friends in the Austin WriterGrrls group for advice and Wendy Wheeler, a fabulous Renaissance woman, directed me to some notes on the 7 Point Plot Outline on her site that I am currently taking a look at.

In other news, plans are in the works for a third panel event at BookWoman. The store manager has signed off on my new idea and I already have some great leads. I will keep you posted!

In that vein, I should mention some other exciting events going on in Austin that have caught my attention. I had lunch yesterday with Laura Pressley, a SafePlace board member I interviewed for my first piece on domestic violence in The Good Life. She brought me up to speed on some excellent legislative work they are doing.


In addition, SafePlace is having a Field Day Festival on April 18 where my friend and former interview subject and panelist Michelle Mock will be speaking. She is a strong woman with a dynamic story, and those of you in Austin should come out! If you plan to, leave a comment here and let me know - I'd love to meet you.

The Writer Has a Cup of Coffee and Thinks Out Loud

There are talks among some of us Austin WriterGrrls about creating a critique group. I tried in the past but it fell flat after one member (of three total) decided it wasn't for her. It's difficult to have a critique group with only two members. I suppose you can do it but I don't think it was what either of us wanted, so the whole thing came to an end.

The discussion has been revived among writers of non-fiction and has led to the idea of having a group that accepts members who are working on non-fiction or fiction. We are all professional writers and I don't think it would do any harm; in fact, it might break up the monotony. There is some interest and I am really hoping it takes off because getting honest feedback on my novel in progress is something I could really use.

In other news, those of you who are on Facebook can become a fan of Della Donna if you so wish. I should probably put that up on the actual DD site somewhere. I am planning a design change now that I am being trained on the Adobe Creative Suite. I plan to, at the very least, overhaul the banner on top.

TSS Week 26

I read A Tale of Two Cities in high school about 10 years ago and have been meaning to reread it ever since. After watching some TV programs on the French Revolution I decided that it was time. I am so glad that I did. A 15 year old simply cannot comprehend the beauty that is this novel.

Very few books have ever made me cry, and this is one of those select few. One of the best things about it, aside from Dickens' powerful prose, was the fact that he did not make it good vs. evil, black vs. white. The reader feels sorry for the despised poor who are so sorely misused that they live their lives in misery. S/he also feels sorry for the aristocrats who are being carted off to the guillotine in droves. There are no right answers, and there are no easy explanations. Everyone is a victim, and everyone is a villain.

While I'm at it, I am going to read another work that is set during the French Revolution: Les Misérables. I know it is a monster and I usually can't hack those but DailyLit emails make everything manageable.