Yesterday, I wrote The End on the second Dragon Queen book (one more to go). Ends are my real weak point, because I tend to rush and have a hard time slowing down and getting everything in the first time around. I imagine the end is what I will devote the most time to in the edits/revisions stage. That's some time to come, though, and I refuse - refuse! - to think about it. My brain has other ideas, and wants to think and continue creating; it's all wound up from the intense three weeks of writing that ushered in the majority of DQ Book 2. My brain is not the boss! I know better than to keep creating; this is wind-down time and refresh time.
I intend to finish making and mailing my wedding invitations, quilt a square or two for my block-a-month quilt project (haven't done Feb yet or picked up the March block), and get in some reading. I don't read fiction right after a book, though; once my muse accepts the fact I'm not giving her free reign anymore, at least for a time, she curls up and retreats. I think that's part of the reason I have difficulty with the early portions of a new book, but I digress. Reading-wise, I turn to nonfiction instead of fiction. I especially enjoy diet books. Is that bizarre? I'm by no means a chronic dieter, but I like to get back in touch with my physical side after spending so much time with my mental side during the course of a book.
Currently, I'm reading Bob Greene's The Best Life Diet, and have designs on re-reading DQ Book 1 (how's that for narcisstic?) to prepare for edits on DQ Book 2. In between the diet book and the self-written book, I'll TRY to squeeze in a just-for-pleasure novel. I keep eyeing Patricia Briggs' new Mercy novel, which has been sitting on my bookshelf for the last 6 weeks, and last night I picked up Melanie Jackson's Writ on Water. Let's not talk about the books I've forgotten I have, and leave them for another time, shall we? Makes me feel less guilty that way. :)
What do you all do after you finish writing a new book, or even after you finish a (fiction) book for pleasure? Does your brain need a time-off, cooling-down, recharging period?
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
Saturday, March 3, 2007
Setting the Stage
The other night, I watched the Academy Awards. I'm not really a big fan of them due to their political nature, but there wasn't much else on. What did I have to lose? Besides, I was curious to see what Ellen would do as host.
One of the first awards I saw was for costumes. As each movie and its costumes were shown, music from the movie was played. I don't remember the name of the person who won, but I do remember the award went to the designer of Marie Antoinette costumes. The costumes were sumptuous. (How could they be otherwise?) The music was, um, the wrong period. LOL The piece they played was by Vivaldi, a Baroque composer most famous for his Four Seasons. Matter of fact, I think the music played at the Oscars was from Four Seasons. Um, if I remember correctly, Marie Antoinette was born after the Baroque period ended (1750). And trust me, one of the most famous Baroque composers of this time, Bach, wasn't known by the general public, including the courts, until the mid 19th c. At which point, he was "rediscovered" due to Fanny Mendelssohn and her brother, Felix, and their performance of his "St. Matthew's Passion". Bach's fame was secured at this point, for obvious reasons.
Now, I know this is nitpicky, but, honestly, there were many well-known composers of the time that appeal to current audiences. A few I can name off the top of my head: Mozart, Haydn, Handel, Beethoven, although he was much later than the first three and more of an early Romantic period composer...
Okay, am I losing you yet? LOL Yeah, I tend to get too technical when I start talking about music.
I do believe their choice came from the structure of Vivaldi's music more than the timeliness of it. In Hollywood's mind, they equated Louis XVI's court with the rigidity of Baroque music. Classical period also had a great deal of structure, but the Classical composers used the Baroque masters as their springboard for innovation in music, testing, and breaking, the rules set by the church, society, etc. However, the director's choice of music does make sense when you look at the dances, the manners, and expectations of one another of this time period.
My point is this: They had plenty of famous contemporary composer to choose from and they picked someone who had died more than a decade before Marie Antoinette was born. I have nothing against Vivaldi's music. It's glorious, full of tension and resolution, but the likelihood of the court listening to something from 30 years in the past would have been slim to none. People were moving forward, looking to the future, not concerned so much with the past. And while Vivaldi influenced many composers, like Mozart, his burial was modest.
On another note: My dau, who is 31 months old, is brilliant. LOL Not that I am biased, or anything. LOL Why do I say this? Well, because she is constantly surprising me. For instance, today I wrote down her name. I know she can read her name, so I asked her what it said. Predictably, she told me. Then, I spelled out "mommy" and asked her what it said. She glanced at the word and said, "Mommy." I did the same with "daddy", "cat", and "dog". Now, we have worked with her on all of these, but it's been a month or more since we did anything. However, that she can recognize these words is pretty amazing. Of course, I have nothing to compare this with, so I could be completely wrong. LOL
It's a beautiful day here, so those of you in miserable weather, I wish you sunshine and warmth.
Marci
One of the first awards I saw was for costumes. As each movie and its costumes were shown, music from the movie was played. I don't remember the name of the person who won, but I do remember the award went to the designer of Marie Antoinette costumes. The costumes were sumptuous. (How could they be otherwise?) The music was, um, the wrong period. LOL The piece they played was by Vivaldi, a Baroque composer most famous for his Four Seasons. Matter of fact, I think the music played at the Oscars was from Four Seasons. Um, if I remember correctly, Marie Antoinette was born after the Baroque period ended (1750). And trust me, one of the most famous Baroque composers of this time, Bach, wasn't known by the general public, including the courts, until the mid 19th c. At which point, he was "rediscovered" due to Fanny Mendelssohn and her brother, Felix, and their performance of his "St. Matthew's Passion". Bach's fame was secured at this point, for obvious reasons.
Now, I know this is nitpicky, but, honestly, there were many well-known composers of the time that appeal to current audiences. A few I can name off the top of my head: Mozart, Haydn, Handel, Beethoven, although he was much later than the first three and more of an early Romantic period composer...
Okay, am I losing you yet? LOL Yeah, I tend to get too technical when I start talking about music.
I do believe their choice came from the structure of Vivaldi's music more than the timeliness of it. In Hollywood's mind, they equated Louis XVI's court with the rigidity of Baroque music. Classical period also had a great deal of structure, but the Classical composers used the Baroque masters as their springboard for innovation in music, testing, and breaking, the rules set by the church, society, etc. However, the director's choice of music does make sense when you look at the dances, the manners, and expectations of one another of this time period.
My point is this: They had plenty of famous contemporary composer to choose from and they picked someone who had died more than a decade before Marie Antoinette was born. I have nothing against Vivaldi's music. It's glorious, full of tension and resolution, but the likelihood of the court listening to something from 30 years in the past would have been slim to none. People were moving forward, looking to the future, not concerned so much with the past. And while Vivaldi influenced many composers, like Mozart, his burial was modest.
On another note: My dau, who is 31 months old, is brilliant. LOL Not that I am biased, or anything. LOL Why do I say this? Well, because she is constantly surprising me. For instance, today I wrote down her name. I know she can read her name, so I asked her what it said. Predictably, she told me. Then, I spelled out "mommy" and asked her what it said. She glanced at the word and said, "Mommy." I did the same with "daddy", "cat", and "dog". Now, we have worked with her on all of these, but it's been a month or more since we did anything. However, that she can recognize these words is pretty amazing. Of course, I have nothing to compare this with, so I could be completely wrong. LOL
It's a beautiful day here, so those of you in miserable weather, I wish you sunshine and warmth.
Marci
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Rain, rain, rain
Well, it's about time. We've had freezing temperatures like we rarely see. Then a taste of spring came to tease us. Finally, the rain has come. Rain we can certainly use at this point in the season. I don't mind it, other than people driving like maniacs despite the slick roads. I just grab a cup of cocoa and snuggle up with a good book or my laptop for a session of writing. I'd rather avoid the roads with so many people either driving like they have to win the Indy 500 or so slow you wonder if you'll make it the last mile before your bladder bursts.
Alas, for me, I wish it was fog. Strange comment. Well, yes, but it would set the mood for me to write on my present WIP. The setting is almost gothic, but set in modern times. Yes, I like to live on the edge. LOL
So, a quick question for all of you: Do you ever find a certain type of weather is more conducive to your writing depending on the story? For instance, does sunshine do more for you if you are writing lighthearted material or stormy weather for something that is heavier? Or does the weather matter at all?
And for readers, do you find that the weather influences what you read or how much?
Kit
Alas, for me, I wish it was fog. Strange comment. Well, yes, but it would set the mood for me to write on my present WIP. The setting is almost gothic, but set in modern times. Yes, I like to live on the edge. LOL
So, a quick question for all of you: Do you ever find a certain type of weather is more conducive to your writing depending on the story? For instance, does sunshine do more for you if you are writing lighthearted material or stormy weather for something that is heavier? Or does the weather matter at all?
And for readers, do you find that the weather influences what you read or how much?
Kit
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Hot time in the old town tonight!
Okay. Well, this all depends on baby. Last night, my DH had a dozen red roses delivered. I love red roses. I hadn't planned on doing anything for him, but then, I thought perhaps I should... beyond the chocolate cake I baked. So, I'm nattering on the phone with my mother this morning, and she suggests I go to a sex shop for lingerie and a "few other things". (grin) (My mother is in her 70s, btw.) What a great idea, I think. I call my MIL to see if she can watch my dau while I go. (Um, sex shop and baby don't mix in my book. LOL) I'm thinking this is going to take me 15 minutes tops.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Um, no. I wanted to buy some of the toys, but I have no experience with toys. None. Yeah, I edit erotica, but I've just never tried them. First, I feel like you have to trust the person if you are going to play with someone else. Second, the thought of buying a toy never proceeded beyond the thought... until today.
Two and a half hours later and a long conversation punctuated with "Oh, my god", "did you know they had these", "is that what I think it is", "18 inches? Can I cross my legs now?", and so on, I left the store with a neatly wrapped bag for my honey. No lingerie. I have some. Why waste money on more when I can spend it on toys? LOL
So, tonight should be interesting... if the little one decides to go to sleep. We shall see. LOL
I hope your Valentine's Day is spicy and fun... or whatever you are looking for.
Marci
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Um, no. I wanted to buy some of the toys, but I have no experience with toys. None. Yeah, I edit erotica, but I've just never tried them. First, I feel like you have to trust the person if you are going to play with someone else. Second, the thought of buying a toy never proceeded beyond the thought... until today.
Two and a half hours later and a long conversation punctuated with "Oh, my god", "did you know they had these", "is that what I think it is", "18 inches? Can I cross my legs now?", and so on, I left the store with a neatly wrapped bag for my honey. No lingerie. I have some. Why waste money on more when I can spend it on toys? LOL
So, tonight should be interesting... if the little one decides to go to sleep. We shall see. LOL
I hope your Valentine's Day is spicy and fun... or whatever you are looking for.
Marci
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
snow again, snow again
Tuesday is one of my days off, and instead of sleeping in this snowy morning, my brain woke up wide-eyed and alert at 8:30 a.m. with a scene firmly in mind to finish the short story I'm working on for the Romance Divas e-book challenge.
Snow anywhere else? Anybody else writing? Is it just me and the vanilla chai against the world?
Snow anywhere else? Anybody else writing? Is it just me and the vanilla chai against the world?
Tuesday, February 6, 2007
Online Stalking Tips on Boom! PR Solutions for Authors
I was interviewed by the owner of the Boom! PR Solutions for Editors blog:
www.boom-pr-for-authors.blogspot.com
I recently wrote an article on how to protect yourself online from harassers, and the owner of the Boom blog was my editor for the magazine that published the article, so she invited me on to talk about how to protect yourself.
Check out the interview! I hope you learn a little something...and while you're there, show me some love in the comments section...
www.boom-pr-for-authors.blogspot.com
I recently wrote an article on how to protect yourself online from harassers, and the owner of the Boom blog was my editor for the magazine that published the article, so she invited me on to talk about how to protect yourself.
Check out the interview! I hope you learn a little something...and while you're there, show me some love in the comments section...
Friday, February 2, 2007
A Whole Inch? Gee!
Some of you may know that I'm fortunate to have a ay job that's super flexible. Since I work for the federal government, I can't work more than 80 hours every two weeks (try getting a deal like that in a law firm--HA!). And the agency that I work for is allows us to choose when those 80 hours are (I could work 13 hours a day for 6 days straight and then take the next 8 days off and only take 2 hours of vacation if I wanted).
So I work 10 hours a day Monday through Thursday and then have 3-day weekends every week. It's lovely. Perfect opportunity to get lots of writing done.
Anyway, since I don't work on Fridays, I've taken to doing my grocery shopping on Friday afternoons, so I can get it all done without dealing with the rush and chaos that is the store on a Saturday or Sunday. Only today, the aisles were packed and the lines snaked and wrapped around and around.
What the heck?
Sadly, people were out to do their run on eggs, bread, and milk that always happens whenever we get a forecast for snow. Never mind the fact that we're only expected to get an inch, if that. What if we get trapped in our house without eggs, break, or milk?! Oh no! We might not be able to dig out for days!
*shakes head*
We're supposed to get 1 inch, people! 1 inch!
DC is arguably the most powerful city on the planet, yet one loudy inch of snow throws everyone into a tizzy and panic and completely incapacitates us. Pretty darn pathetic.
So I work 10 hours a day Monday through Thursday and then have 3-day weekends every week. It's lovely. Perfect opportunity to get lots of writing done.
Anyway, since I don't work on Fridays, I've taken to doing my grocery shopping on Friday afternoons, so I can get it all done without dealing with the rush and chaos that is the store on a Saturday or Sunday. Only today, the aisles were packed and the lines snaked and wrapped around and around.
What the heck?
Sadly, people were out to do their run on eggs, bread, and milk that always happens whenever we get a forecast for snow. Never mind the fact that we're only expected to get an inch, if that. What if we get trapped in our house without eggs, break, or milk?! Oh no! We might not be able to dig out for days!
*shakes head*
We're supposed to get 1 inch, people! 1 inch!
DC is arguably the most powerful city on the planet, yet one loudy inch of snow throws everyone into a tizzy and panic and completely incapacitates us. Pretty darn pathetic.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
