transcript

Friday Five: The Befuddled Edition

/ Tracy Abell / 10 Comments

              

 


                                                                         image from morguefile.com

1)  I haven't written my 1000-words/day for the last two days, in part because
I can't decide whether to forge ahead OR go back and iron out some major plot
stuff I've since figured out.

2)   I've been working on a new WordPress site but have hit a major wall in terms
of what my limited computer skills can achieve, and am not sure how to proceed:
hire a web designer/installer to finish up the job OR muddle through as best I can
OR pretend none of it is happening and let it all wither away in cyberspace.

3)  I'm not sure why this Friday Five is the Befuddled Edition when numbers one and two 
seem less Befuddled than Indecisive.

4)  Wait! I've got befuddlement for you: On the first day of school, one of Zebu's teachers
asked students to share a little about themselves, and when no one else volunteered to
go first Zebu did, and proceeded to offer a lengthy explanation of the underwater basketweaving
club he founded at the school. Because the teacher asked questions along the way, Zebu
continued to spin his tale, thinking she was appreciating his silliness. Turns out she went home
and told her husband all about the amazing student who took the initiative to create
an underwater basketweaving club at school, to which her husband said "It's a joke." She told
me about it last night at Back to School Night. I kid you not.

5)  About this time every year I start wondering why I've agreed to be the facilities coordinator
for the local fall SCBWI conference. Okay, that's probably more Grouchy than Befuddled.

Wishing everyone clear, concise thoughts and actions today and throughout the weekend!

                

Word Count

/ Tracy Abell / 8 Comments

                   

I actually have no idea what my word count is right now
because I'm writing in chapter chunks and don't really care
about total word count.

All I know is I'm back in the 1000-words-per-day saddle
and it's the best thing happening for me these days.

I'm a little past the halfway point in this first draft
and I'm going to push on through to the end.
I hope to finish before our fall conference in a month
because then I'll show up there feeling like a champ.

You heard it here first, folks: Tracy is going to feel like a champ.

                                                                          image from morguefile.com
(For those pondering the significance of this image:
I went to morguefile.com and put "champ" into the search engine,
hoping I'd get the image of a boxer such as Muhammad Ali.
Nope. Only boxer dogs)

                           

Art Blossoms

/ Tracy Abell / 8 Comments

                 

Art is born of the observation and investigation of nature.
                                                      ~ Cicero


                                                                                                                                                                 © Tracy Abell 2011
      


My current project is cherry blossom-free, but the glorious natural world keeps me going.
In art and life.

Wishing everyone a week filled with Nature’s inspiration and rejuvenation.  

Slow Down, Little Missy

/ Tracy Abell / 9 Comments

                 

Yesterday I wrote and rewrote
the opening pages to my new project
and by the time I went to bed,
felt pretty good about those pages.

Today I picked up where I left off
but almost immediately ran into trouble.
After a few moments of panic
and several choruses of
"Why did I ever think I could write this story?!," 
I remembered something.

My notebook.

It’s there to help me sort out the characterization

and sticky plot issues 
that always, always raise their knotty little heads
as I write a first draft.
 
So now I’ve taken my foot off the gas pedal
and am investing a little more time 
in the Hows and Whys of my story.

                                                                                                               image from morguefile.com
 
 
 
Today I refuse to be in a rush.
 
            

Unlocking the Story

/ Tracy Abell / 11 Comments

            

One night last August as I was falling asleep,
a story idea popped into my head.
I turned on the light and jotted it down.
The next day I wrote a couple pages of notes 
and set it aside to continue working on another project.

The other night the same thing happened as I fell asleep;
the same story idea came into my head, whispering a little louder.
But this time as I turned on the lights to write more notes,

my pulse quickened and I realized this was the story for me.
 
In a very un-Tracy like fashion, I’ve stopped working on my other project
and am now taking lots of notes on this idea that won’t let me go.
An idea that’s nothing like anything I’ve written before.
A story that intimidates me just a little bit.
 
                                                                                 image from morguefile.com 
 
Once I unlock the story, I’ll begin to put it down on paper.