tanyamcdonald

NaNoWriMo 2009: Day 10

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:55:19 GMT

The novel continues! I'm up to 18,503 words now, which, for those of you who are counting, is a little over a day ahead of schedule. So that's good. The novel is evolving in odd, unpredictably interesting ways, which is why I'm able to be ahead a little bit.

On Sunday, I took a class at Richard Hugo House http://www.hugohouse.org/ from Jeff VanderMeer called "Exploring Your Booklife." The lessons were taken from his new book, "Booklife" which talks about how to balance one's writing life with other activities, as well as how to meet your writing goals. It was a medium-sized class, about 7-8 of us, which was good, because that way everyone had a chance to ask all the questions they wanted. Although we did some writing in the morning, it's the first class I've taken at Hugo House that wasn't craft oriented. That said, it was extremely helpful. Yesterday, I made myself a list of goals for 2010, including steps to take in order to reach said goals. So often, it seems like I'm either overly optimistic on when I'll finish projects, or I make myself arbitrary deadlines that don't mean anything. Now I think I've got a better grasp on what I want, and what I need to do to get there, so maybe I won't feel like I'm floundering around quite so much.

Well, time to figure out what's for dinner and get a few haiku things done. I'm still hoping to get to work on "Pawn" tonight. On Sunday night, I'd just finished getting ready for bed when an idea about Lucian's past popped into my head, so I opened my notebook and jotted it down on the bathroom counter. My muse must have seen that as an open invitation, because then she threw a few more ideas at me, and before I knew it, I was sitting on the bathroom floor, back against the cupboard, writing page after page of backstory. Some 45 minutes later, I finally exhausted that train of thought and finally went to bed. Even when the timing's weird like that, I really can't complain when the inspiration hits me.

Oh, one last thing: if you're a fan of Pink Martini, check out their new album, "Splendor in the Grass." I've been listening to it over and over, laughing and dancing around the kitchen, much to the cat's chagrin.

NaNoWriMo 2009: Day 6

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 05:59:50 GMT

Well, the novel continues. Today I reached 10,220 words, so that's just over 1/5 of the way done! I'm getting to that point of it, though, where I need to throw in a bit of a twist to keep it interesting, so my narrator just discovered a hidden room in the restaurant. I have no idea where it came from, or what's going to happen to it, or if I'm about to take a sizeable step away from the usual plot, but at least I have an interesting place to resume tomorrow.

The rain continues in copious amounts. Last night, Guy Fawkes Day, we fell asleep to thunder & lightning. Time for sleep so I can get up and churn out 1,667 more words tomorrow.

NaNoWriMo 2009: Day 4

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 06:25:44 GMT

Well, even though I don't have as many words as I did when I abandoned my first novel this month, I'm still feeling good about the change. I'm at 4,857 words tonight, and although it's tempting to grind out that next 150 to make it to 5,000, I'm going to call it a night. My wrists are still recovering from planting spring flower bulbs yesterday, and typing several thousand words since then isn't doing them any favors.

So that's the update. Still playing catch-up. When I get there, then the experiment of working on two novels at a time can resume.

NaNoWriMo 2009: take two

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 06:15:37 GMT

Yep, it's official. I've started my novel over. It was inevitable, I'm afraid. I mean, any time I spend half the afternoon outside planting over a hundred spring bulbs when I should be writing must mean that there's something seriously wrong with the story. So, having dirtied my hands and cleared my head, I came back inside, warmed up a bowl of leftover jasmine rice, and had that "aha!" moment that I've been waiting for. I could almost hear the door slam as my muse walked back into the house, waved her arms in the air, and announced, "I'm back! Did you miss me?"

So my word count has gone from 5,000ish to 1,004, but it's all good. I am not trying to write another fantasy novel. (Working on one--"Pawn"--is quite enough!) Instead, I am now writing a haiku novel. Or rather, a novel with haiku in it. And haiku poets. (No, they're no one you know.) And that's all I'm going to tell you, because that's all I know, and frankly, you aren't going to get to read it anyway. (Sorry.) So I'm glad I finally made the choice to bail and start fresh. I feel like a weight has been lifted from me, which may seem odd since I'm now 5,000 words behind for the day, but just being able to look forward to writing tomorrow morning means a lot. Why spend 30 days with a novel you hate?

Anyway, time to answer a few much-neglected emails and then to let my wrists rest for the night. Typing on my Eee PC is an interesting experience, and while I am getting used to the smaller keyboard, it just makes me love my Macbook all the more.

Oh, and did I explain why I'm using my EeePC (aka Immelman) for NaNoWriMo this year when I've got a perfectly wonderful Macbook? Well, I haven't used poor little Immelman for much since I got him, so I figured now is his chance to shine (yes, my laptops apparently have genders...don't ask). Anyway, since Immelman is considerably more convenient to tote around to cafes and libraries and such, he gets the honor of being my official NaNo laptop this year. It's also my way of separating my NaNo noveling from my "serious" work on "Pawn." Yes, it's confusing. Just trust me. It all makes sense in my head.

Why Immelman as a name? Go watch a few episodes of the anime show "Last Exile." You can find it on Netflix. The animation is gorgeous, and I loved Neo's character, but the ending of the series...well...let's just say someday I'm gonna write a better, more satisfying one.

Good night, all.

NaNoWriMo blues

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 20:36:32 GMT

Maybe someday I'll be smart enough to prepare for NaNoWriMo. Not by plotting out my story or characters, but by simply getting in the right mindset to begin 30 days of frenzied writing. In previous years, I've been frantically finishing up other projects before changing gears and launching into NaNoing. This year, my intent was to do that and be done with this draft of "Pawn" before Nov. 1st rolled around.

Fail.

While Russ & I spent last week relaxing in Port Townsend, I did not get more than about 10 minutes of work done on "Pawn." Before that, it was getting ready for the Seabeck Retreat, going to said wonderful retreat, and basking in the aftermath. As a result, I was still only halfway through this draft of "Pawn" when the proverbial clock struck 12:00 on Nov. 1st.

That said, I have been dutifully working on my NaNo novel since then and just cleared 5,000 words a little while ago. This would be worth celebrating for several reasons, the first of which is that we're into day 3 of NaNoWriMo and I have yet to scrap this version and start over. The second is that 5,000 words by noon of the 3rd day means that I'm right on track to finish it early this year (before Thanksgiving, is my goal). And the third is that I'm finally making good use of my little laptop (Immelman).

Unfortunately, there's just one tiny problem: I'm not in love with my novel. Sure, it's in 1st person present tense with an elf, a winged guy, and even haiku in it, but for some reason, it's just not exciting me. Could I write 45,000 more words of it? Maybe. But if I'm not enjoying it, if I'm not itching to sit down and work on it at least some of the time, then something's fundamentally wrong.

In going back through my word count sheets for the previous 4 NaNo novels, I determined that Day 3 & 5,000 words is not the latest that I've restarted a novel. In 2006, I scrapped all 6,668 words on Day 4 and started over, somehow managing to finish 3 days early with over 51,000 words. So it's not impossible. Not recommended, but not impossible.

So am I going to stick with this start and grind through the mediocrity, or am I going to jump ship like I always do (okay, except for year 1, but I started that one a day late & on a complete whim)? I'm hoping that a cheddar, mustard, lettuce sandwich and a cookie will help me decide. Stay tuned!

haikuishness

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 01:36:21 GMT

Do you ever get the feeling that there's just too much social networking to be done? I've been posting on Facebook lately and sadly neglecting this blog. Apologies.

The Haiku Northwest retreat at the Seabeck Conference Center last weekend was a blast! In spite of a serious lack of sleep, I had a wonderful time. It was great to meet folks from further afield (Canada, California, New Jersey), as well as to reconnect with some more local folks. I will post a few pictures soon. In the meantime, here's a link to the video that Dejah took of all of us reading one of our poems on Sunday. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMKA14Imqzw

Time to attend to dinner. I shall leave you with a photo of one of the stars of the weekend:

September is slipping away...

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 05:38:15 GMT

Is anyone else trying to figure out where the hell the month of September went? I am. My calendar says I've been busy, but I think I've been TOO busy! More writing, that's what I need to balance out my life. You laugh, but I'm serious. I love going to events & going on adventures, but I am still woefully behind on my revision of "Pawn." Still, as much as I love disappearing into the world of my story, reality does need to be tended to now & then.

That said, I did get over 2 pages written this afternoon, which makes me feel good. (When stuck on a part in "Pawn," just add Nivalis & everything just gets much easier & fun to write.) With the return of the rain, tomorrow should be an excellent day to stay home, nestle down in my chair with an afghan blanket & copious cups of tea, & write equally copious pages . . . at least if I get a decent night's sleep. So boa noite! I will put up some photos from last weekend's South Seattle meet-up with the Port Townsend haiku folks soon.

meeting Holly Black

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 01:16:00 GMT

In spite of the fact that it's a beautiful last day of summer (as opposed to pouring down rain, which it did much of yesterday), there are two pots of vegetable soup on the stove, simmering away. Since I'm heading down to Salem tomorrow, that should keep Russ fed for a few nights, plus leave plenty to put in the freezer.

Last Tuesday evening, I had a fantabulous time at a signing/reading given by Holly Black & Tony DiTerlizzi at the Redmond Borders. I've been wanting to meet Holly in particular for ages and nearly tried to figure out how to get myself to Vancouver, B.C. a number of months ago to go see her (and Cassandra Clare) at a signing there. But this was great. Both she and Tony are such warm, funny people. For some reason, it always surprises me when I discover that writers I have admired for years are, in fact, people, as opposed to untouchable gods. I had the same experience with Charles deLint last Fall at Hugo House. Holly and Tony chatted about the Spiderwick books and how they collaborated on them, including their sources of inspiration (old bestieries, fairytales, etc.), then Tony drew some pictures, which was great fun. They also talked about their involvement with and opinions of the Spiderwick movie, which was interesting. Then they signed books, as many as one had. I bought two there and brought two with me, and had a pleasant chat with Holly while she cheerfully signed them. It was truly a delightful evening and I left there glowing.

The next day, I read the final "Beyond the Spiderwick Chronicles" book, a little sad that it was the last, but satisfied that it ended how it did. If you haven't read the series yet, do yourself a favor and check it out. You don't have to be a kid to enjoy them (as evidenced by yours truly). Now I'm reading "Tithe," which I credit as the book that got me started down the Urban Fantasy path. (Followed closely by Charles deLint's "The Onion Girl.") I also just finished reading "City of Bones" by Cassandra Clare and am eager to start the second of her Mortal Instruments books, "City of Ashes," which I read a couple years ago. "City of Glass," her third in the series, came out this year and I am very keen to read it before I accidentally find out anything that happens in it from Cassandra's tweets.

So that's my book/author news for the day. Oh, one final thing: I'm going to Wordstock in Portland on the weekend of Oct. 10-11th. http://www.wordstockfestival.com/#/page_id=110/ It sounds like a ridiculous amount of fun!

Well, time to check the soup and clean up the house a bit before I head down to Salem tomorrow. The biggest challenge will be getting some writing done while I'm there, but I'm determined to make it happen. I've been going strong all weekend and although I've hit a sticky patch in Ch. 5, I shall wrestle my way through it on the train tomorrow and all will be well.

progress on "Pawn"

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 17:53:29 GMT

Well, with just 42 days left to finish this draft of "The Pawn of Faery" (formerly known as "Nullum Desiderium: Book One"), I am making decent progress. I'm up to 66,746 words and am confident that it will be easy to bump that up past 80,000. I'm liking this version even more than the previous rough draft, so that's good. If anyone wants to be a first reader, by the way, just give a shout and I can supply you with pages. It's a bit darker this time around, but that just makes it all that more delightful to write (and hopefully read).

Last weekend, though, I didn't get much writing done because I was at the Haiku Northwest table at Aki Matsuri. It was fun, but exhausting (I'm not used to being "on" for so long). Here I am at the table. The colored sheets on the wall are haiku from members in our group. If you'd like to read some, you can follow this link: http://sites.google.com/site/haikunorthwest/poems-by-members

I didn't get many haiku written that weekend, either, but I did have fun watching folks. We were right next to the Sakura-Con table, so we got to see the interesting characters who passed by there.

Well, Belle is meowing at me, reminding me that my tea is going cold, so I'd best get on with writing. I'm hoping to finish Ch. 4 today and move on to Ch. 5. I shall try to be more diligent about updating these postings. My life's just not terribly exciting, but I shall see what adventures I can have this weekend to change that.

vintage typewriter

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 00:39:05 GMT

I forgot to check how long it's been since I posted, but I sense it's been a while. Apologies to those of you who have actually been checking. I will try to be more timely.

Yesterday, to combat frustration caused by writing and hormones (a dangerous combination), Russ & I took an excursion to Issaquah (why not?) to look for absinthe spoons, glasses, and related items at antique stores. We didn't find anything remotely absinthe-related, but I did find this:

It had two keys that were out of joint, the O & K (insert your own theory or joke about this here), but I wanted it just the same. Serious case of typewriter lust. But Russ was doubtful. Could the keys be fixed, or would it just be a very hefty paperweight? He talked me out of buying it, saying (quite logically) that I should do some research about fixing vintage typewriters first. So I agreed and reluctantly walked out of the store without it. Sigh. All the way home, I was thinking about it, plotting how I could borrow the car later in the week to go buy it (because no way was I lugging it home on the bus), justifying spending the money on it. After arriving home and doing a bit of research, I decided that it would just be one of those things I always regretted not going back for if I didn't go back for it, so I did.

Here's a close-up of the keys.

It was a risk, buying it with two unfunctioning keys, but when I got it home, Russ turned it over and started examining it while I tried to be helpful by shining the Maglite in the right place.

It took a pair of needle nose pliers, a tiny allen wrench, and a lot of patience, but he finally got both keys back in place on their springs. Now it works! It still needs some cleaning (though it has that glorious old typewriter smell), but I am looking forward to using it. It doesn't have a base plate (though from the 2 screw holes, I suspect it should), so I don't know the serial number, but from what I can tell from various websites, it was probably made in the 1930s. Anyway, so that was yesterday's adventure. Maybe someday I'll mention how my writing is going. One last picture of the Burroughs.

pitching my novel

Wed, 05 Aug 2009 22:03:56 GMT

It's been a busy last few weeks. Two weekends ago, I was in Canada (for the first time ever) on Gabriola Island in B.C. for a haiku weekend. It was fabulous, especially the double rainbow/ sunset/ lightning show on Saturday evening. I'm eager to return to the area, even though it takes a while and a few ferry rides to get there.

Last weekend, I was housesitting for the wonderful poet, Lana Hechtman Ayers, and her husband. With such a beautiful view of the water, it's a wonder I got any work done, but some I did.

Which brings me to this coming weekend. I'll be down in Portland for the Willamette Writers Conference (my 3rd). And yes, I will be pitching "Nullum Desiderium" Book One. Only I've been having a crisis of titles, so I am now tenatively calling it "The Pawn of Faery" to keep from confusing folks with the Latin. I also rather like "Beck & Call" as a snappy title, but maybe that's just me. Any opinions out there? Anyway, wish me luck. I will be glad when it's over, because like most writers, I prefer writing the stories to trying to sell them.

summertime with "Nullum"

Fri, 17 Jul 2009 20:09:58 GMT

A toasty day here and it's barely past noon! The back lawn continues to resemble a field and Belle is curled up on my chair, wishing it wasn't so warm. I've been writing a new opening chapter for "Nullum." It's still very rough, but I'm having fun with it. Yes, I have plenty of other things I should be doing with "Nullum," like figuring out how to pitch it at the conference in 3 weeks, but the more I've been thinking about it, the more I think that it probably does need to follow the traditional story structure for this sort of tale. First, we need to see Lucian in the ordinary world, even if only for a page, then he knocks his head on the warehouse floor and after that, everything changes. He can see the fey. They start paying attention to him. Welcome to the wonderous world of Faery.

Wait. What was that? You've been reading these posts for months now and I still haven't told you what "Nullum" is about? Sorry. Let me fix that.

"Nullum Desiderium," (which means No Regrets in Latin) is an urban fantasy story set in the Seattle area. No, there aren't any vampires. Or werewolves. Or zombies. There's 21 year old Lucian Teller, a scrawny, easy-going, college drop-out. He works at a large grocery store and lives with his girlfriend, Delkana West, in a rental house in Bellevue. He's been happy enough to just float through the past year. Sure his mother bugs him about when he's going to get married, Delkana hints that maybe he should look for a better job, and everyone at work treats him like a dogsbody, but stasis works just fine for him . . . until the day he slips in the warehouse and hits his head. Then everything changes.

When he comes to, Lucian discovers that he can now see creatures and beings the likes of which he never even imagined existing. The fey take an immediate liking to him and ask him to be their pawn, to serve both the Seelie and Unseelie Courts of Faery, answering summonses from each and performing their assigned tasks. Dazzled, he agrees. But being at the beck and call of Faery does not come without its challenges, the most difficult of which is balancing his new duties with those in his ordinary life. How is he supposed to keep everyone happy when he gets summoned to Faery in the middle of dinner with his girlfriend, especially when he can't tell her a thing about the fey?

Complicating matters is a poet named Theo, who has lived among the fey for the past seven years. He's supposed to be sacrificed at their Tithe ceremony on Halloween, but Lucian doesn't think he's feeling as keen about giving up his life as he was seven years ago. Guess who'll be their second choice for the dubious honor if Theo manages to dodge it?

Then there's the matter of a glanconer named Nivalis. He's an elven charmer in the Unseelie Court who keeps aiding and outright rescuing Lucian. But if Lucian has learned anything about Faery, it's that no one offers favors without expecting something in return, and with every favor, he knows he's getting deeper and deeper in debt with the glanconer. At the same time, he feels a growing attaction toward Nivalis, and he's not so sure it's just the glamour that's causing it.

So there you have it. "Nullum" in a nutshell. Intrigued? Confused? Want to know more? Just ask. I'll be glad to tell you what I can, and tempt you with hints of what I can't.

Speaking of which, back to it. Lucian's first contact with Faery, a bunch of chanting pixies...

July already??

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 19:10:24 GMT

Hello? Lost & found? Could you please tell me where the month of June went? I seem to have missed it...

Okay, that's not entirely true. A week and a half ago, I was camping with my family in the Ochoco Mountains in Oregon. Gorgeous weather, with highs in the mid-70s and lows in the upper 20s. True to my plan, I wrote quite a few haiku, though I have yet to seriously go through them and see if I can find any gems to submit somewhere.

I also took great pleasure in finding and identifying wildflowers. Don't ask me why. Maybe it's an offshoot of bird watching. At any rate, here are a few flowers. This one is a grass widow.

Here's a Mertensia longiflora, also known as trumpet lungwort and leafy bluebell, according to Wildflowers of the Pacific Northwest by Mark Turner & Phyllis Gustafson (I highly recommend this book).

Spanish Peak had a little bit of snow on it this year, as it has for the past few years now.

Here's a view while hiking up the Spanish Peak the next day.

A westish view from the top of Spanish Peak. That's Rock Creek Lake. It was hazy in the distance, but we could still see Mt. Hood.

One more photo. This one's of the rainbow trout that Agnaldo found in the creek below camp. It was a good two feet long and all banged up from swimming from who knows where to spawn. In all the years we've been camping up there, we've never seen a fish of this size! It was truly remarkable. Even more remarkable was finding a second one down at the Crossing the next day. Unfortunately, it was dead, but it makes me wonder about their story. Where did they swim from? Did they get a chance to spawn before they died? Are there others? Fascinating!

Time to get some other things done. Haiku things. Tanka things. Post office things. Pondering the next short story I'm going to write for Clarion West's Write-a-thon. There's still time to sponsor me, by the way. :) Here's the link to the website, or you can contact me (those of you who actually know me know how to contact me): http://www.clarionwest.org/events/writeathon/TanyaMcDonald I've managed to write two short stories so far (the first is about 1,600 words, the second is about 3,200 words) and am excited about writing another one this week. Off and away!

recharging the creative juices

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 00:34:23 GMT

Well, Chapter One of "Nullum: Book One" has been mailed off to Willamette Writers, along with a lousy synopsis, for critique at the WW Conference in August. I really need to learn how to write better synopses. But it's done, so now I am recharging my creative juices by reading "City of Bones" by Cassandra Clare and "The Breaking of Northwall" by Paul O. Williams. I'm rereading the former because I've been itching to read the 3rd book in the Mortal Instruments trilogy, but I wanted to read the previous two books first, and I know once I start her books, I'll get sucked into them and not get any writing done. (It has happened before.) And I'm reading the first of the Pelbar series because Paul O. Williams was a talented haiku poet and wrote science fiction as well, and being an amateur haiku poet myself who is trying to write fantasy, I thought I should partake of his fiction.

Last Sunday, Russ and I went kayaking around Deception Pass with our kayaking class. I am happy to report that neither of us tipped over and fell out of our kayaks, though I had a close call while crossing a current and ended up bracing with my hands (should have used my paddle, but it worked). The kelp was quite lovely to watch, but not too closely, because bobbing kelp plus bobbing kayak equals bobbing sense of balance. Still, I had a lot more fun than I thought I would, and was less sore the next day than I'd anticipated being (except for a headache, which retreated after a couple Excedrin). Russ may be able to convince me to go kayaking with him again someday.

Let's see, haiku news. I got a senryu accepted for the January 2010 issue of Prune Juice, so that's exciting (though it seems sooooo far away!). I should hear back from The Heron's Nest about my recent submission in a few weeks. In the meantime, I need to send some more poems out...

silent movie night

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 18:09:19 GMT

I love silent movies and old theatres.

Last night, I took a couple buses over to Seattle to watch a silent movie at the Paramount Theatre. http://www.theparamount.com/ Trader Joe's sponsors Silent Movie Mondays there (this year in June and November) and has for 7 years now, which is nice of them, though I still don't understand why they feel the need to shrink wrap nearly all their produce. But I digress. I arrived about 40 minutes early, but the lobby was already swarming with people. Not only was it free admission night, but Trader Joe's was also giving away free snacks in the lobby. So I stuffed my pockets with mocha chocolate bars and trail mix, then set off wandering around. If you were there, you could have recognized me by the huge grin on my face. There's just something magical about old theatres. I bought a pair of Wurlitzer organ key earrings from the Wurlitzer preservation society (I forget their official name). They're actual keys from an old organ: one says "Trumpet" and the other says "Xylophone." They're dangly, but light, and are my new treasures.

After wandering up to the balcony and elsewhere, I finally settled on sitting in the third row from the front near the aisle, right behind the Mighty Wurlitzer organ. And it is, indeed, mighty. Cream-coloured and gilt, it looks as much like a throne as an organ. They had what looked like close to a full house there, which added to the excitement, and was heartwarming to see that many people interested in watching a silent movie, even if it was free.

Speaking of the movie, it was "Flesh and the Devil" a 1926 film starring Greta Garbo, John Gilbert, and Lars Hanson. It was quite entertaining, with lots of smoldering looks and hearty embraces. I'm already looking forward to the one next Monday, as well as the ones in November.

Now, back to Chapter One of "Nullum." It doesn't have the Grosvenor Theatre in it where Lord Hiorne holds court, but hopefully when I get to that part, I can describe the scenery better since it's based on the Paramount.

Write-O-Rama!

Sun, 07 Jun 2009 04:52:35 GMT

I just got home from Write-O-Rama at Hugo House. Wonderful and exhausting all at once. Thanks again to Dave for donating $$ in my name. If you'd like to follow Dave's generous example, you'll have a chance again this fall for the Dec.5 Write-O-Rama!

Favorite classes:
Stab Bound: Self-Publishing with Zines - I brought my collection of "typewriter fog" poems along and then proceeded to type up 18 of them on an old Royal typewriter in the Zine Archive, then cut them out and glue them onto pages. Cambray was then kind enough to make copies and assemble the zines for me since I ran out of time. (Thank you!) I gave a few away to folks and then read the entire thing at the open mic. Some poems got reactions, others didn't, but I wasn't booed off stage, so that's good. Want a copy? Let me know. I can make that happen...

Nonsense Poetry - Many of my longer poems are nonsense poems, so it was great to read some similar poems and to have a chance to compose a few in class. Ed Skoog is a very passionate teacher of poetry, which is always a joy.

I Sing the Body Electric - It's always a bit awkward to take workshops on erotica writing, especially with a group of strangers, especially when they're not all complete strangers. Not surprisingly, I didn't produce anything I felt like sharing, but other folks had some brilliant pieces that they read aloud (esp. the one about the hosiery clerk).

So yes, a fabulous time. And I would be remiss if I didn't mention Dave's marvelous salad, starring French lentils, shallots, yellow bell peppers, walnuts, green beans, and fennel, among other things. I think I ate at least 4 helpings of it and would have taken some home if I'd had room in my bag. Now I am vacillating between wanting to stay up until all hours writing poetry 'til the well runs dry, and turning off my brain to watch some anime before bedtime. Perhaps a snickerdoodle will help me decide. Good night, all.

haikuishness

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 18:08:11 GMT

Returned home from a beautiful but long drive up to the North Cascades yesterday to find that the new issue of The Heron's Nest is on-line. http://www.theheronsnest.com/ I've got a haiku on pg. 11, my first to be published by them, so I'm pleased. It was much more welcome than the headache I got (and which is thankfully in retreat).

Here's a picture from our trip yesterday, a random waterfall coming down off a random mountain. Couldn't have asked for better weather to drive up to the North Cascades.

This one is of Diablo Lake.

And here's one of Ross Lake. If you look closely, you can see a few jagged peaks of Mt. Hozomeen in the distant center. I tried to write a few haiku about it, but I imagine Kerouac had a better view of it from Desolation Peak than I did from the southern viewpoint. Still, he wrote haiku (to varying degrees of success) about it, so here's one of my attempts:

Mt. Hozomeen
distant jagged peaks
guarding Canada

But now, I really must focus on editing and revising the rough draft of "Nullum." More on that in a future post...

Write-O-Rama!

Tue, 26 May 2009 23:10:23 GMT

WRITE-O-RAMA!

The very phrase conjures up an event of epic proportions, full of furious scribbling, bottomless baskets of muffins, and clanging bells. Twice a year, Richard Hugo House puts on this spectacular extravaganza of writing, and even if you're not going to be in the Seattle vicinity on Saturday June 6th, you can still participate by clicking on this link http://www.hugohouse.org/laureates#tanya and donating to Hugo House on behalf of yours truly. By doing so, you'll be supporting a place that supports writers of every sort from every walk of life.

My favorite memory of Hugo House (to date) is chatting with Charles de Lint out on the loading dock after taking a class from him last October. It had been a long day, and although the class was excellent, I was tired and had sunk into "I'm a lousy writer" mode. I was sitting out on the concrete dock, waiting for Russ to come pick me up, and Charles came and sat down next to me while he waited for Leslie to finish up with a few things inside. Just sat down as casual as could be and we chatted about books and writing. It was truly magical. (If you are unfamiliar with Mr. de Lint, here's a link to his website: http://www.sfsite.com/charlesdelint/ )

Through classes I've taken at Hugo House with Charles de Lint, Michael Dylan Welch, Monica Drake, Ellen Klages, Gregory Frost, and most recently, Paul Park, not only have I learned about the craft of writing, but I've learned that these magnificent writers are actually people. (Gasp!) They're not just awe-inspiring names on the front covers of books, but actual people who learned how to write and are willing to share their knowledge with aspiring writers. This is the sort of magic that happens at Hugo House, connecting writers with other writers, and it's worth supporting this connection, worth supporting the dreams of other writers.

One last shameless plea: donate to Hugo House. Who knows, that next book or poem or article you're reading when you're stuck overnight in the Phoenix International Airport could be written by someone who found their writing boost at Hugo House!

haikuishness

Tue, 26 May 2009 22:23:21 GMT

I mentioned in my last post that I'd talk about haikuishness later. So here's my haiku news:
http://wistaria.blogspot.com/2009/05/pinewood-haiku-contest-winners.html

I took 2nd place in the 2009 Pinewood Haiku Contest with my junco haiku. It's the first haiku contest I've ever placed in, so I'm quite pleased. The haiku itself came about last winter when I was sitting here at my desk, probably working on my novel and watching the juncos eat seed outside my window. Simple as that.

The following link will take you to the Roadrunner Haiku website, where 3 of my "seven moons" poems are published after 5 of Michael Dylan Welch's "seven suns" poems. (Five of his "neon buddha" poems are also published in this issue of Roadrunner.) http://www.roadrunnerjournal.net/pages92/haiku92_revealed.htm If you don't know the story behind the surreal "seven suns" and "seven moons" poems, it's this: Michael wrote the "seven suns" poems all in a go, and emailed them to me to see what I thought. They struck such a chord inside me that I had to respond to them, not by just circling my favorites, but by trying my own hand at something similar. So I sat down and wrote "seven moons" all in one go. They just came to me, just as they came to him, quickly and with very little conscious thinking. They were a lot of fun, and we followed them up with two rengay and a kasen renku, though none of the linked forms seemed to carry quite the energy of the originals. Ultimately, it would be wonderful to publish all of the "seven suns" and "seven moons" poems.

Simply Haiku also has two of my senryu in their summer 2009 issue: http://simplyhaiku.com/SHv7n2/senryu/senryu.html I'm tickled to find my humble senryu right next to poems by Cor van den Heuvel and Christopher Herold.

And to top it off, the summer issue of Modern Haiku arrived in the mail today, right when I was wanting a fresh dose of haiku! Here's a link to the site, which includes Deborah Kolodji's great haiku, among others: http://www.modernhaiku.org/issue40-2/haiku40-2.html

OK, that's all the haiku news for now. I'd better get some submitted so I might have further haiku news in the future!

ROUGH DRAFT COMPLETED!

Fri, 22 May 2009 22:24:17 GMT

Well, the subject line just about says it all. This afternoon, I finished the rough draft of "Nullum Desiderium: Book One." There is sparkling apple cider chilling in the fridge, along with more than a few bottles of beer (it is a long weekend, after all, and the weather is gorgeous!).

I just finished printing out the last two chapters. The word count is 53,195, which probably means more than the page count of 154 pgs. since I type in 1.5 spaced Cochin font. But it is slowly starting to sink in that I'm done. Of course, it'd probably be more satisfying if I hadn't just received a letter from my cousin suggesting something I could possibly do to help out the sagging Janine parts. As brilliant an idea as it is, I'm trying not to think about it and just enjoy the sense of completion.

Of course, after I let it sit for a few days (a week??), I need to dive into the revision. I'm submitting the first 20 pages to the Willamette Writers Conference to receive an advanced manuscript critique with Mary Rosenblum and that's due June 19. Then I need to revise the rest of it and start getting a pitch ready for the conference in August. No rest for the wicked.

OK, the weather is too nice and I've been spending waaaaay to much time with my laptop lately. Heading outside. Haiku news later.

haikuishness

Sat, 16 May 2009 21:45:20 GMT

What an absolutely gorgeous day here! 70 degrees with hazy blue sky. Still working to finish the rough draft of "Nullum: Book One." Three cheers for writing outside on the shaded patio, surrounded by potted trees and herbs!

On a different writing front, the Summer 2009 issue of Simply Haiku is on-line now: http://simplyhaiku.com/SHv7n2/senryu/senryu.html I've got two senryu in it and more to come in future issues. Still waiting for Roadrunner to publish their May issue, and I don't know if Wisteria's April issue is late, or if I just didn't receive it. Now I need to get some more haiku (and tanka) submissions circulating.

Time for tea and writing.

writing, writing

Thu, 14 May 2009 23:17:02 GMT

Work on the rough draft of "Nullum Desiderium: Book One" continues. I have decided that Delkana, the star of the short story, "The Tithe", does not actually need to be in this book. Poor Del. I just couldn't figure out how to introduce a soon-to-be major character in the last chapters of the book, so I'll just have to find some other way to introduce her in Book Two.

That said, I am on page 147 (1.5 spaced & Cochin font) and nearing 50,000 words for Book One. The tithe scene is underway and gaining momentum. With luck, I will get enough written this evening to justify taking a break tomorrow to go to Top Pot and reread previous chapters. If not...well, no doughnuts for me.

In other news, yesterday was Russ's birthday and we saw our first ever pair of Wilson's warblers in the backyard right before we were going to head out for Indian food. Such cheery yellow birds on an otherwise grey day. The sun is making a half-hearted attempt to shine at the moment. It's supposed to be nice this weekend (upper 60s), which means I'll have to break out the t-shirts again (I've moved back to long-sleeved shirts and a scarf this week).

Has anyone seen the April issue of Wisteria yet? Just curious. I have not. I am also eagerly awaiting the May issue of Roadrunner and Simply Haiku: http://www.roadrunnerjournal.net/ and http://simplyhaiku.com/SHv7n1/index-issue.html since I should have poems in each issue. Ah well...patience...

OK, time to stretch the legs and then resume writing!

Write-O-Rama!

Fri, 08 May 2009 21:06:20 GMT

Can you believe it's less than a month until Write-O-Rama at Hugo House in Seattle?

Truly! Once again, I am one of the laureates helping to raise money for Hugo House and its fabulous writing programs. You can check out the link here: http://www.hugohouse.org/giving/writeorama If you have a few dollars to spare and either are a writer, an aspiring writer, or simply like to support those who write, please donate to Write-O-Rama. Even $5 or $10 helps! If you're in the area on June 6th, please consider attending. It's an absolute blast being around so many other folks who are passionate about writing. And the clamor of clanging at the end of each workshop session is not to be missed (except perhaps by those of a delicate disposition).

All right, back to "Nullum: Book One." I'm trying to finish up Chapter 11 this afternoon. To the tithe!

long time, no post

Tue, 05 May 2009 04:11:12 GMT

Golly, has it really been 3 weeks since I last posted? Have you been wondering if I've been abducted by aliens or run off to a remote corner of Scotland with Russ and the cat? Well, nothing so glamorous has been going on. I've just been writing.

And writing.

And writing.

April was my month to complete a rough draft of "Nullum Desiderium: Book One." It's May now, and although I didn't finish yet, the end is in sight. So I'm extending the deadline a week, and we'll see how close I come. After that, it's time for a brief break to get enough distance from it so I can dive back in with editing, particularly the first 3 chapters. I'm turning in the beginning for a manuscript critique by Mary Rosenblum at the Willamette Writers Conference in August. http://www.willamettewriters.com/wwc/3/ I'm also pitching it (for real this time) to several different agents there, so I need to get an amazing pitch ready by then, too. No pressure...eek.

But I have been having a great time writing. Truly. This is why I'm a writer, because this is what I love to do. All day long. If the weather is warm enough to sit outside and write (which it has been a handful of times), then all the better.

My alter-ego, haiku poet, has been suffering from neglect a bit, though she did get to indulge in the fabulous Field's End writing conference on Bainbridge Island last month. http://www.fieldsend.org/ Thank you to Michael and to Lana for letting me tag along and for filling my head with poetry!

Speaking of poetry, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the incredible tanka symposium that is happening this Saturday at the Mercer Island Library from noon to 5pm. The link will do it more justice than I will, but if you have ever wondered about tanka and are in the area, please do attend. There will be cookies! http://sites.google.com/site/haikunorthwest/Home/2009-events-2/tanka-symposium

OK, enough for now. Time for some rhubarb crunch and vanilla ice cream.

"Nullum" update

Sun, 12 Apr 2009 21:29:22 GMT

And now for the "Nullum Desiderium" progress update!

To recap, after receiving comments from a few people that my short stories all seemed to be part of a larger whole, I decided to try merging them into the novel, "Nullum Desiderium" that I wrote 2 Novembers ago for NaNoWriMo. My current goal is to have a rough, rough draft done by the end of April.

It's proving to be an interesting process. On Friday while taking a walk through the forest, it occurred to me that I may be working on two books. Book One would be the product of the merged short stories, with the climax being the tithe. Book Two would follow the arc of the original NaNoWriMo version of "Nullum." Both books would fall under the title of "Nullum Desiderium," (which, yes, I know, isn't a saleable title, but it's all I've got for now). The reason I'm considering this is because I'm not sure how to make the pivotal tithe ceremony anything less than a climax, but it's nowhere near the end of the story and I've already got a climax for the NaNo part of the novel.

I've never tried to do with before, so I feel like I'm sailing in uncharted waters. The present word count is just over 80,000 words, with about 50,000 of those belonging to the NaNo novel (Book Two). Once I get all the short stories merged and transition scenes written, I figure Book One will be approximately 40,000-45,000 words. Neither of those lengths is long enough to stand as its own book, hence the desire to have them between the same covers.

So what do you think? Might that work, to have Book One and Book Two of "Nullum," or do such stunts only work with sprawling epics?

In the meantime, I'll just keep writing. It's been a lot of fun losing myself in the story, though I have been sorely neglecting my haiku lately. And my reading. And bulb planting. And countless other things. That's one of the reasons for giving myself a month to do this, so I can get back to other things in May. So without further ado, back to the story!