The Writer Re-Organizes

Over the holiday last weekend, I sat down and read my novel draft. I started my novel over a year ago but I have let life get in the way so much that every few months I have to sit down and reread what I've written. I made a lot of progress during November 2008 thanks to NaNoWriMo, but I haven't worked on it consistently since, so rereading what I had written was a surprise to me. (Imagine that!) It was as if someone else had written it. There were parts that made me think, "Wow, this is really good," and other parts where I said to myself, "Why did I make this character do that? What was I thinking?" It was a really interesting experience. As I've said, I've had the experience many times, but never with 20,000+ words in one sitting.

My goal now is to really buckle down and not let myself get to that point again, where I have to reread to remember. If I can't finish this novel now, when can I? When I'm in graduate school? When I have children? Now is the perfect time.

Anyway, I decided to jot down each scene on a small index card and put them up on a bulletin board. I've seen writers do this and it seems like a good way to: a) help me remember what I've written ;) and b) rearrange scenes and visualize the plot in a way that a super long Microsoft Word file does not. I've also color-coded according to who the narrator is and if the scene is written yet. I hope this works. Do any other writers out there have suggestions or insight into their own plotting processes?

The Writer Moderates, Take 3

I am so pleased with the outcome of our latest BookWoman panel on Mental Health. There was a great turnout and the discussion was very helpful. Our panelists were:

Polly Ross Hughes, an award-winning journalist who has done extensive work on mental health issues and has just started her own publishing company.

Andrea Ball, an award-winning journalist who currently writes on philanthropy for the Austin American-Statesman.

Holly Hollan, the author of Soaring & Crashing, My Bipolar Adventures.

Diana Kern, the founder of EXPECT RECOVERY!

I am so thankful to all of them for participating, as well as to Susan Post of BookWoman for providing the venue and support, and all of the people who came out.

The Writer Must Refocus

Despite my silence, a lot has been going on recently. I am stuck in a quandary of where to spend my time and devote my energy. My personal Achilles' heel is to believe I can do 50,000 things at a time and to then attempt it. Through discussions with friends and personal reflection, I have realized once again that it is time to prioritize and make some sacrifices. (Ugh! So hard!)

Anywho, rather than waste more time discussing how I manage (or don't manage) my time :) I am going to give my brief updates!

The most pressing and arguably exciting news is that next Saturday, May 23rd, is my newest panel on women's issues at BookWoman in Austin, Texas. You can find all of the info at their website. The panel is chock full of impressive ladies and it should be great, so if you are in Austin please come out. We'd love to meet and talk with you!

Aside from that, I am focusing once again on my novel. The critique group I belong to is really helping me learn how to "show, don't tell" and bring my scenes to life. It's very exciting!