Friday Five: The School Daze Edition

         

1)  Dropped Zebu at the high school this morning for freshmen orientation.

2)  Zebu was disdainful yesterday when I asked if he knew what he was going to wear today,
     yet this morning proudly pointed out that his shoes matched his shirt. 

3)  Wildebeest got himself up and out the door for a 6 a.m. cross country practice this morning.  Wow.

4)  Zebu and Wildebeest have a gym class together this semester, and are giddy with excitement.

5)  I cannot believe summer vacation is over.

         
                                                                     © Tracy Abell 2010

Wishing everyone a glorious August weekend!
                    

Life can be nuts . . .

            

 

. . . so you might as well take a big bite.

         
                                                                          © Tracy Abell 2010

Today I’m out from under a cloud that hovered for the past two months,
and I’m feeling lighter and more like me again.

Now it’s back to my life being nuts on my own terms.
                                                                       

Plot Revealing Itself?

    

A couple weeks ago I wrote about my panic over
characters revealing themselves.

Wise writer-friends weighed in on how they enjoy this aspect
of novel-writing because it means (among other things) that
my characters are still speaking to me,
and that I’m getting to know them just as I get to know people in real life,
and that I should bask in those little revelations because they add an element of surprise to the process.

Such wise friends.

I’m now hip to (and content with) the character revelation thing,
but am now wondering how you all feel about plot points revealing themselves.

What I’m struggling with is that I have basic plot points figured out,
but I have to keep tweaking and tweaking to fine-tune them.

Do you all have this issue with plotting?
(I’m not even sure if I’m making sense here so will try one last description):

It’s as if I know the plot points but it turns out that’s not enough to write this draft;
I have to keep rethinking/reworking the plot points to get where the story wants/needs to go.

I was making such headway but in the last couple days have gotten bogged down
in figuring out what I thought was already figured out!

Anyone have insights?
               

Juvenile Behavior

            

I’m supposed to be working on BIRD BRAIN,
but keep getting distracted by three juvenile Western Scrub Jays.

I saw one hopping around my patio table this morning,
checking out the umbrella turn-handle as if hoping it would yield food.

Fortunately, she came around the house and found the motherlode of peanuts.


                                                                                                              © Tracy Abell 2010

The youngsters aren’t able to extract the whole thing the way adult jays do,
but they peck at the shells until they can pull out one peanut at a time.

(This qualifies as research, right?)
                       

Selective Neglect

           

I went out into my garden just now.
It’s not a pretty sight.

I’ve neglected it for the past couple months
as I focused on my writing projects.

Here’s Lamb’s Ear strangled with bind weed:

Yarrow upstaged by thistle:

Sunflower in a neck-and-neck race with incredibly tall thistles:

Yesterday Zebu came out in the front yard where I was busting sod,
a task I began a month or so ago.
I’m taking out a huge area of lawn to be replaced with rocks
and isolated plantings.

Zebu asked, "Do you expect to have this done by winter?"
I replied in the affirmative.
Zebu expressed some doubts.
"Not only that," I said.  "But I’m also going to have the kitchen all painted
and finish my book."
He said, "Something won’t get done."
I said, "Well, it won’t be my book.  I’m finishing that."

He went back inside,
and I dug out another piece of lawn.
                                

Friday Five: The Where-I’m-At Edition

         

1)  I’m loving my whiteboard as I sort out characterization and plot for BIRD BRAIN.

2)  But for the sake of my brain cells, I need to make the big investment and buy non-toxic, no-odor markers.

3)  I’m now enjoying all the little revelations that come with revision, and am no longer beating myself up 
for not being an omniscient author.

4)  I’m writing every single day, making progress every single day, and feeling better about myself
every single day.

5)  This week I received a 14+ month response to a query for FRAMED, and all I could do was laugh.

Wishing everyone a grand weekend filled with whatever brand of happiness your hearts desire!
              

We’re All Bird Brains

 

          

Working hard on BIRD BRAIN
and feeling good about making progress.

The cool thing about this project
is that most anytime I look out the window,
I see my inspiration.

These Grackles visited me almost a year ago
but they still make me smile.


                                                                                                                                              © Tracy Abell 2010

I might have to take a break and belly up to the feeder for a snack (or two).
                                  

Boy Stink

        

Seeing as I live in a house full of boys,
I think it’s fair I post the girl perspective:

AGNES by Tony Cochran

I don’t know about dead chickens,
but I’d definitely say my snorts of boy
either clear my head or knock me out.
               

Friday Five: The Trail Running Edition

                   


ONE bunny sighted on the trail.
TWO humans sighted on the trail, one on foot and the other on a bike.
THREE brief walking stints because the hills were killer.
One-two-three-FOUR-one-two-three-FOUR, the cadence I chant in my head to keep me moving along the trail.
FIVE pounds lost this summer that I don’t miss hauling around with me.

Happy Friday to all!  Have a wonderful weekend filled with blue skies and laughter.
                    

Characters Revealing Themselves

      

I’m trying not to panic about all this,
but as I work on BIRD BRAIN, 
I keep going back and adding bits and pieces of characterization.
Stuff I just recently discovered about the characters.

I’ve been working on this project off and on
(with lots of OFF), since April of 2008.
You’d think by now I’d know the characters inside and out.

What’s it like for the rest of you?
Do you continue to get glimmers of understanding as you write?
Or do you figure out all the basic, most important stuff beforehand?

Or, like me, have you ever thought you knew all the basic, most important stuff
only to discover you did not really know those characters?

As I said, trying not to panic . . .
                   

Friday Five: The Steven Wright Edition

              

STEVEN WRIGHT SAYS:

Everywhere is within walking distance if you have the time.

Cross country skiing is great if you live in a small country.

Curiosity killed the cat, but for a while I was a suspect.

A lot of people are afraid of heights. Not me, I’m afraid of widths.

I intend to live forever. So far, so good.

 

Wishing everyone a weekend filled with much laughter and just enough absurdity to keep it interesting.
                

Two Birds, Two Birds, Two Birds in One

            

This morning Zippy dropped Wildebeest and Zebu at the bus station
where they got on a bus headed to Albuquerque.
They will be with Zippy’s sister for the weekend.

Which means….
I get to write and write and write.

So, in honor of my BIRD BRAIN focus,
here is a blurry pic of two birds huddled together on a branch in Kiowa.
I felt their watchful gaze as I took wildflower photos with my macro-lens,
and turned to see them in the tree.

The photo quality is poor but I still think they’re darned cute.
Whatever they are.

Happy writing day to everyone!
            

Rear-ending a Writer

             

Let me say right upfront that I am fine.

Yesterday afternoon I was in my Prius at a red light,
and I watched a woman use the cross walk in front of me.
She was dressed in business clothes, dark blue form-fitting blouse
and blue slacks that showed off her full hips.
Her blonde hair was shoulder length and slightly kinky.
She carried a purse over one shoulder and held a Subway sandwich bag in her hand.
A six-inch sandwich.
I thought, "Wow, it’s pretty late for lunch."
I glanced at my clock and it said 2:55.

Just as I wondered if the woman always ate lunch that late or whether it was
such a busy day she couldn’t get out of the office any sooner, I was hit from behind.

Lots of adrenaline and shaking ensued.
I pulled off the street into a parking lot,
followed by the guy in the minivan who’d hit me.

More shaking.
I wrote down my name and insurance carrier and policy number
and gave it to the man.  He gave me his card so I could do the same
but I was shaking so much I asked him to do it.

I couldn’t read his name as written so he spelled it out for me.
He didn’t include his insurance carrier until I asked.

After he left, I realized his policy number was a bit scribbly,
and I wasn’t entirely positive I was reading it correctly.

As I sat in my car waiting for the adrenaline to wear off,
I felt some tightness in my back below my shoulder blades.
I decided to be smart and call my insurance company just to let them know
what had happened in case it turned out I was injured.

Here are some of the pieces of information they wanted that I could not provide:
Man’s license plate number.
Man’s phone number.
Man’s address.
Man’s vehicle identification number.  (VIN, really?!  How about a DNA sample while I’m at it?!)
Description of man’s vehicle including number of doors and presence of child restraints/car seats. 
(I told her I didn’t know about car seats but that there was a black dog riding shotgun).

So I guess the moral of this story is . . . what?
That Tracy should make a little checklist to keep in her glove compartment so she’ll remember to ask for the obvious next time?
That writers are incredibly detail-oriented up until the point of suffering a trauma?
That Tracy is never going to get a job as a detective?
That Tracy should cut herself some slack and give herself points for having the guy spell out his last name AND
include the name of his insurance carrier?  I mean, imagine the embarrassment if I hadn’t been able to supply that basic info.

Writers be warned: your brains might not function at their usual levels after getting rear-ended.
Cheat sheets are highly recommended.
                  

Voice: I’ve got it!

               

I’ve struggled off and on with BIRD BRAIN,
sometimes feeling good about how it was shaping up,
but other times feeling it lacked a certain oomph.

I don’t want to invite the wrath of the  universe by getting too confident,
but would like to document here that I believe I’ve finally cracked the code.
Now that I’ve let go of my preconceptions about length and format,
the story is flowing quite nicely.

And even better?
I’ve finally, finally found the narrator’s true voice.

I’m so very happy.
(Which does NOT translate to over-confident.  You hear, Universe?)

And just because it’s cute, here’s a squirrel from Westcliffe:           

                                                                                     © 2010 Zippy
                         

Call to Action: Afghanistan funding

               

Following up on yesterday’s post regarding WikiLeaks and Afghanistan,
this week the House will vote on an additional $33 BILLION supplemental
for the occupation of Afghanistan.

I just called my representative’s office and urged him to vote NO
(and said I would withhold my vote in November if he voted for further funding).

You can call your representative toll free at 1-888-493-5443.

Think of all the good that could come of $33 BILLION dollars.
Thank you.
                      

WikiLeaks and Afghanistan

Yesterday, Wikileaks released 90,000 pages of classified U.S. military material
documenting 2004-2009 of the ongoing occupation of Afghanistan.

Surprise, surprise,
things are not going so well over there.

The U.S. has killed lots of civilians, many more than admitted,
the Taliban is stronger than ever before,
Pakistan and Iran are involved,
and the U.S. government, the same U.S. government that last week
barely saw fit to extend unemployment benefits,
has spent over $300 billion in Afghanistan.

War crimes, waste, corruption, and insanity.

So all this obviously means the U.S. gets out ASAP, right?

(Glenn Greenwald has more information plus links to why WikiLeaks is secret government’s Enemy #1
and further analysis of the released documents).

Not a great way to start the week, I know,
but very necessary.
                            

Friday Five: The Random Synapse Edition

             

1)  I hope to return to my regularly scheduled blogging from here on out, as I
have emerged from my funk (thank you, friends!)

2)  Zebu and I just got home from a run which feels extra satisfying since it’s
going to be about 20 degrees warmer in an hour or so.

3)  I sent my BIRD BRAIN pages and synopsis off for the conference critique,
and feel good about my decision. 

4)  I’m back at work on BIRD BRAIN but am not rewriting as I’d planned;
turns out I know those pages so well I couldn’t let go of wording so it’s
actually better to tweak what I already have.  Weird, huh?

5)  Happy Birthday to my sister and Wonderful Weekend to all. 
               
              

Headed South

            

Tomorrow (Friday morning) we’re headed to Westcliffe to spend time with family.
We’ll be at 9000 feet elevation
so sunburns will be more likely,
as will being out of breath.

It’s always a challenge to run there.
Listen carefully and you might hear hear me panting.
This year Zebu and Wildebeest plan to run, too,
so if the wheezing is extra loud, know I had company.

I’m taking BIRD BRAIN with me because today some extra special friends
gave me a much-needed boost of confidence.  Thank you, all.

Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend.
               

Hello, It’s Another Week

             
               

Saturday was the official end-of-Mentor-Program picnic in the mountains.
I gave my mentor, Claudia Mills, a little plaque that included this:

                        CLAWDIA

 

This morning I ran on the trails and fell.
But it was the best fall, ever.
When I told Zebu that, he asked "Did you stick it on the dismount?"
I did!

Today I start my new plan for BIRD BRAIN,
which is to rewrite chapters from scratch.
I’ve been working on voice/characterization but it feels as if I’m
nickel and diming the story.
So….time to get serious and write it anew.
Zoinks.

I hope everyone’s Monday is off to a stellar start, and that the week just keeps getting
better and better.
            

Do You Have Book Order Memories?

                          

I’m working on my From the Mixed-Up Files…of Middle-Grade Authors blog post
and wanted to tap into the collective memory here in LJ-Land.

I’m writing about the huge role Scholastic Book orders played in my childhood,
and I’m wondering if anyone here wanted to share a memory or thought on the subject.
I’m also including stuff about my kids’ book order days, so those kinds of thoughts are welcome, too.

You may leave your comments here or send me a personal message.
And unless you tell me otherwise, I’ll asume it’s okay to use your material and name/link in my post.

Thanks much in advance!
               

4th of July Flowers

       

Yesterday we made the trek to Kiowa
for the annual 4th of July picnic in the cow pasture.

Flowers weren’t as plentiful as last year,
and the yucca weren’t in bloom,
but I got some nice pics.

Here’s a bouquet of Scarlet Paintbrush:

Hope everyone had a grand weekend and that the coming week
is filled with the sweet silence of NoMoreFireworks.