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.
              

Adaptation

      

I was hearing that nasty voice in my head today
as I worked on a project long dormant.

It tied me up in knots.
Filled me with self-loathing and doubt.

I pushed past it and met the small goal I’d set.

Then I watched one of my favorite movies about writers and writing:
ADAPTATION.

I’m feeling much better.
                 

New ‘do, New Me

  

I left the revision cave today to get my hair done
(looking something like this):

I wanted a crew cut but knew that wouldn’t fly with my stylist.
So I tried to make a half-way change and get it cut as short as possible
while still allowing a ponytail (for running).

But at the moment of decision I thought about my Laura-bracelet:
LEAP & THE NET WILL APPEAR.

I opted for short-short.
And I’m very happy.
                

Update on Overall Wellbeing

           

I want to check in here since I haven’t been around much lately,
but don’t want to completely fall out of the habit of blogging
while I’m hunkered down in the revision cave.

So here’s where I’m at in my collective health:

Emotionally speaking, I’m feeling good about the positive changes I’m
making via my revisions and choices for my career.  I feel in control
of those factors I can control.

Physically speaking, I’m doing very well.  Last Friday I graduated from
PT after seven weeks of no running.  I can now run again on a limited basis
as I work back to where I was before.  I’m also able to hoop again!!
My daily plank routine is going well, and I just finished a three-minute plank. 
(I’m telling you, if you haven’t tried them, they’re a great way to firm up your core;
you see results very quickly). 

Parentally speaking, in this exact moment I’m doing a better job of remembering
I already navigated my high school years and that it’s up to my boys to do the same.
(But, oh, it would be so nice to have a magic wand to keep away the hurt and angst).

Friendly speaking, I miss everyone here.  And while I have glimmers of guilt for not
keeping up, I know you all understand.  You get why it’s important to keep my head
down and push on through.  But please know I’m thinking of you and sending good
thoughts your way.
               

Highlight This!

      

Am hard at work in the revision cave,
but wanted to share a tip that might help others.

I had concerns about continuity within a relationship
between two characters,
so I went through my entire manuscript and used the Highlighting function
to color code everything having to do with that relationship.

I used one color for interior thoughts
and another for direct interaction between the characters.

The colors made it very easy to track the progression in the relationship,
and I’m now confident the ms isn’t suffering from emotional ping-pong.
(I thought I’d already eliminated that stuff but apparently my emotionalism dies hard).

There’s a good chance you all know about this computer highlighting trick
(I’ve done this before with hard copy but never within my document),
but I’m a big believer in putting info out there.
May this tip reach the right person at the right time…
                      
I’m missing this community, but am sending good thoughts for all your writing and life projects!
               

Garden Critters

                  

Spotted this guy sunning himself on the patio this morning:

And here’s Lebowski lounging in the sedum:

He didn’t even notice the snake,
and neither did the dogs.

It’s scary when I’m the most observant on a Monday morning.