Writing After a Long Illness

As most people will agree, life isn't always easy. It throws us curve ball after curve ball and doesn't bother to ask us if we're ready to deal with it. And deal with it we do. Until we're given more than we can handle.

Such was the case for me at the end of 2017. I have a chronic illness, so I haven't been well for years, but at the end if 2017 things took a turn for the worse. Doctors discovered a diffuse brain tumour, one they couldn't do a lot about. I couldn't be fixed. I cannot be fixed.

But there were things that could be done to control the symptoms. The tumour is slow growing, very slow, so was not in immediate danger. But it was still impairing my brain activity, still causing it's own set of problems. Without going into the details, it's taken an entire year to get to the point where I can return to work. Return to writing.

As anyone who has been forced on medical leave can attest, returning to work after a long illness is difficult. Beyond difficult. It is never an easy process. But when you're a writer, working from home, there are a whole new set of challenges.

First, it's motivation. I don't have a boss. I don't have someone hanging over me demanding work get done. My editor doesn't care if I work or not. No one does, really. So just sitting at the computer and pounding out some actual words can be a challenge. Forcing creative work is, while not impossible, very difficult.

But once I'm at the computer, ready to write, then what? What words do I write? What story? Where was I in that cruddy novel I was writing more than a year ago? Can I continue with that novel? Start a new novel? What novel? I need an idea and I need it now. Hello...

So, while I wait for that idea to arrive, I'll blog. I have multiple blogs about multiple topics. Dogs, horses, paganism, I write about a lot of things. Maybe I'll get back into the swing of things with some blogging.

Maybe...

Wish me luck!

Searching for a Name

I hate naming characters. Probably because I'm so bad at it. I either make up names that have never existed or I end up with names like "Bob". Very creative. By the time I'm ready to publish, usually someone has suggested appropriate names, but I'm trying a whole new approach as I wander into the realm of science fiction. I'm trying to actually give people real names.

Starting with my main character. I spent a great deal of time on this guy, so I know everything but his name. I do know it begins with a 'W'. Why? It just does. So...a good 'W' name. Not William. Seriously not William. I eventually had to choose between 'Wyatt' and 'Wesley'. As much as I like Wyatt as a name, I eventually went with Wesley. I'd like to say that the name just came to me, but actually I was watching The Princess Bride. So Wesley it is.

I can't write a science fiction political thriller with just one character, so I need some others. After checking my plot-tree, I realize I need names for Wesley's parents. I drew a total blank, so I asked my son (who is eight years old right now). He likes the name Diane for the mother. Good. And Greg for the father. I don't really like the name Greg, so my son decided Gregor was okay. Fine. We have names.

But still not enough, especially since the parents aren't really in the story much.  Must have more names. I hate names. Maybe I should roll a dice. Or totally make them up. Nope, can't do that. Must have REAL names. I hate names.

I need a name for a little girl. Random little girl who ends up not being quite as random as Wesley thought she was. Since I really had no idea, I turned on the TV, flipped channels, and watched random TV shows until a name appealed to me. Leisha. There we go.

Leisha needs a father. Everybody Loves Raymond just came on. His name is officially Raymond. And Raymond's brother is Royce just because if I use Robert again I'm going to lose my mind. Raymond needs a wife. My father is currently yelling at his phone, so the wife's name is Siri. Raymond also needs a girlfriend (hey, it's crucial to the plot), and her name is...Melinda. Because my sister's friend Mel just called. Creative, no?

Melinda needs daughters (courtesy of Raymond, of course). Now I'm all stuck on the letter 'M' so I ended up with Mia, Mairy, and Maiya. And Melinda has another daughter (not courtesy of Raymond), but I was out of 'M' names. My son suggested Maige, and it sounded silly enough to suit the story (bear in mind, Melinda is a little nutty).

Okay, I now have enough characters to get started. Now to have everyone do something.

Twists and Turns: The Ever-Shifting Plot

I've been writing fantasy, and only fantasy, for several years now. But after completing The Imperial Series I've been longing for something a little different. Not too different, mind you, because I absolutely love speculative fiction. So I've been playing around with different genres, but eventually ended up with the biggie--science fiction.

Never having written science fiction before, I then had to spend two months doing my research. Lucky I love research, because there's a lot to read and organize. So two months of reading, basically. And somewhere along the way my interest in politics, which I had thought had taken a long nap, decided to wake up. Now I wanted to write a political novel. No, a science fiction novel. Or maybe a political science fiction novel.

Now that sounded interesting. More research was needed. And a new journal to jot down ideas and such. So I read more books and popped in every political movie I could find on my shelf. There weren't that many of them, truth be told. I'm more into books that movies.

Three months had now passed and I'd done little more than read. It was time to actually get something down on paper. I'm not much of a plotter, but I needed some basics to get me started. Especially as my new novel now had a decidedly political bent. Okay then...

What was my plot? Never mind that. I need some characters. Right. Characters. At least one. Let's start with a young woman. No, a man. Young man? Let's run with that. He needs a name. What movie is on right now? The Princess Bride? Fine. His name is Wesley. Or maybe Wyatt...no, definitely Wesley. I'll probably change it later, so let's just call him W.

Where is my story set? No idea. When? 1032 years in the future. Why 1032 years? That was the number randomly banged out by my youngest son. You'd be surprised how many times I decide things in that just way.

Good, then. I have a person and I have a time period. After only four months I'm semi-ready to write this thing. What was my plot? It's definitely not the same as it was when I started researching. Or when I finished researching, for that matter. Am I finished researching? Irrelevant. Did I just sidetrack myself?

Back to the point (though I'm not sure I remember what the point way). After prepping since before Halloween, I'm finally ready to let pen hit paper. My plot changes once more as pen hits page, but this is a good thing. It means my lot is refining itself, and I realize my plot has been boiling away in my brain the entire time.

Science fiction, here I come. Eventually.

Print or Electronic: How I Like My Daily News Served

I understand electronic media. I'm an author, and all of my work is available in electronic format. More than half my sales come from e-books and other electronic media. That's fine. But in my heart of hearts, I like print. I especially like print when it comes to consuming the daily news.

There are very few things in life that I find as satisfying as walking down to the corner and purchasing my daily paper each and every morning. It's not just about reading the news or being informed. It's about the feel of a paper in my hands and the sight of all those neatly printed columns. In our house, the personality of print media has never been more important.

It may sound odd, but the thing I enjoy most about the daily newspaper is the smell. All print media, whether it be a book, magazine, or newspaper, has a particular scent, no matter how faint that scent may be. The daily paper smells of paper and ink and hard work, and that's something that my computer just can't replicate. The scent of the paper as I slowly turn the pages in the comfort of the conservatory is an experience that I'm not ready to give up any time soon.

I much prefer looking at a print newspaper instead of the electronic version. The columns are arranged neatly, everything is well organized, and best of all, the ads are placed in logical places that do not interfere with my ability to read and enjoy the stories which interest me. Whenever I've read the news online, I'm noticed how the adds detract from my experience. They get in the way, and instead of getting my attention, they only persuade me to surf on over to a different site.

Part of my morning routine is stretching, grabbing the leashes, and walking  the dogs down to the corner where I purchase my paper. Sometimes, we even run into my father, who's doing the same thing. It's a chance to get outside, breathe the clean and cool morning air, and get some exercise before the rush of the day descends upon us. The walk over to the computer just doesn't have the same effect. I rather like having to get dressed first thing and head outside.

Electronic media may be somewhat cheaper and more convenient, but that isn't always a good thing in the long run. Too many things in this world are just too convenient, including finding the daily news online. In this age of computers and instant access, it's all too easy to forget the simple pleasures in life. My morning paper is one of those simple pleasures that I intend to cling to.

The Importance of a Writing Journal When Writing a Novel

I'll be the first to admit that I often ignore my writing journal, at least for certain projects. Of course, those are also the projects that never seem to get finished or, if they do get finished, they take years to get anywhere near completion. So I understand as well as anyone the logic behind keeping a writing journal. Keeping a writing journal almost forces me to work on my project of the moment every day simply so that I have something to record in my journal.

Sometimes my journal reads "4100 words written, Thief's Heartache. Subject to revision" In fact, this was my only entry from yesterday. It's not a very helpful entry, but I had been just writing and not thinking about what I'd written. Therefore, what I wrote on that particular day will have to be heavily revised before anyone ever gets to read it. Very heavily revised. It's not my best work, but it has the potential to be very good. Somewhere.

But my most useful entries usually include reflections and observations about what I wrote. What's working, what's not, and what might work in the future. If I'm writing a novel, I might keep track of the plot. Even if I have a fully formed plot in my mind before I begin writing, it usually changes before the end of the second chapter. So it's a good idea if I keep track of important changes. Like names. I change the names of minor characters quite frequently. And if I don't write them down, I can forget and keep using a name I've long since discarded.

So a journal keeps me motivated to finish a certain project and helps me keep track of changes I might make to an overall plot. But it also helps me keep track of other things that relate to my writing. Did I read a book or article that can serve as inspiration, now or in the future? Maybe I watched a TV show or movie that could serve the same purpose. Or maybe I found a particular spot in the local park that inspired me to write 5000 words in one shot. These are all things worth keeping track of. My memory might be good, but with over 20 story lines and hundreds of characters running around in my head, I forget things. A journal makes me write it all down, and I can always go back later if I have to.

This isn't to say that I reread every writing journal I've ever kept. Hardly. But it's all there, organized on a bookshelf, waiting for me to need it.