Muse Musings

I am very happy to have published the two previous posts on this blog. For one, I'm happy to share and I hope those of you who visit here have found the information useful, but also, I am continually utilizing the resource myself.

I am following Elana Johnson's prescription for editing my monster WIP and it IS REALLY HELPING. I've divided the beast into chunks which has miraculously allowed me to focus and to stop RE-READING and revising the first three chapters. Like Lady Macbeth washing her hands, I've read, rinsed, repeated way too often.

Thanks to Elana, I've gotten out of my rut and moved onto—woohoo—chapter 6! And, to bolster my confidence as I plow ahead, trying not to balk at the monumental task, and trying not to let doubt cloud my vision, I have been re-reading Kathryn Craft's pronouncements. They have become my EIGHT COMMANDMENTS OF CONFIDENCE. If anyone wants to voluntarily embroidered them on a sampler so I can nail them to my wall, please let me know.

So, hat's off to my Blog Muses and may the force be with us all.

Thank you, Libba Bray

I think it's high time I created a blog, something I have studiously avoided for quite some time. Everyone says aspiring authors should have one. I am part of Sharing the Brain, the blog my critique group, the Wordslingers share, but I have been pretty lame of late.

I've been toying with the idea of what I'd like to speak about in my blog. I can't imagine dispensing daily, or even weekly words of wisdom that anyone would want to read. I totally admire the noble efforts of my friends Mary Lindsey and Elana Johnson who spout consistently great bits of blog advice that I gobble up religiously. And then there is the amazing Heidi Ayarbe (Freeze Frame, 2008) who bubbles with humorous tidbits and has me laughing constantly.

And another thing I don't want to do is whine. Lords knows I could whine from sun-up till sundown. It's my birthright. But no. I don't want to do that(well, maybe just a little). So, I was left thinking I have nothing I want to say to the world until I can say...hey, I have an agent and my book is coming out...not. Not yet, anyway.

Another thing I refuse to do is post negative reviews of books I have read. I respect the work ALL authors put into their writing and who am I to dash their hopes when I am struggling myself?

So, this morning, while tearing through the pages of Going Bovine (while I should really be putting the final touches on a massive project for work with an ominously looming deadline) I had a revelation. I want to tell everyone how this book has me absolutely floored. How lately I've bought one YA book after another (no names, please) only to slam them shut after 50 pages, with the notable exception of all things Suzanne Collins (The Hunger Games, Catching Fire). Of course, Libba's previous series, The Gemma Doyle Trilogy, are my absolute favorites. How I've been on a quest for something to read that will remind me why I WRITE.

So THANK YOU, LIBBA BRAY, you funny, brilliant, poignant and wonderful woman for sharing your genius with me. For giving me something to blog about. For reviving my excitement for writing. I'm not nearly half way through and my only fear is that I will read it too fast.