Mixed bag of life

Things are picking up here. It’s National Novel Writing Month, and while I’ve done (and won) it a few times, I decided this is a good time to do it again. The point is to spit out a draft, not a pretty baby book, and that’s what I need for the next step.

It’s going well. Now. I’m doing extra word count because I’ll be in the virtual 20 Books To 50k conference next week, and we’ll have family here the whole week of Thanksgiving. I planned super low word count goals for those days, so I have to make them up elsewhere.

When you add all that to normal work-a-day life, it adds some pressure. I’ll admit to being a little overwhelmed, but I remind myself it’s about making a book, not hitting a number. One of the things I’ve started doing is getting up an hour earlier so I can get in the office sooner. It seems to be helping, but it’s hard to get up when it’s dark. The up-side is I get views like this out my kitchen window most mornings, so it’s hard to complain. Well, a little harder. Not super hard. OK, there is grumbling right at first. It’s not as bad when I’m not awoken by a furry overlord before I’m ready.

I thought progress this week was great, but then I realized I’m supposed to be working ahead. Instead of keeping steady with the current projected normal goal, I need to be chipping away at next Friday’s word count. So while I’ve written a little over 11k this week, which is a lot more than I’ve done in a long time, I’m really about 8k behind. The good news is, according to the latest newsletter, the conference next week is going to be recorded, so if I get on a roll writing before my sessions, I can keep going and watch the replay. So it’s a mixed bag, really. Isn’t everything?

Stormy skies

This is Ryan. At some point before he came to us, he was in a scary storm. That’s all we can figure because this is what he does when it’s going to rain. When he can hear it, whether it’s rain, thunder, or wind, or something that sounds like one of those (like searing meat or the garbage truck), he hides and won’t come out until it’s over. I can’t hold Ryan when it’s stormy. He doesn’t feel safe. But if it’s going to storm, or just has, he becomes Velcro Kitty. (In his defense, he used to be afraid of the fireplace and the ceiling fan, too. He still regards the ceiling fan with some distrust, but he doesn’t run when it’s on.)

I get it. I used to be afraid of storms, too. I still dislike them when I’m camping, but when I have a sturdy building around me, I like them. Canvas? Not so much. Like Ryan, I’ve been in some scary storms while camping.

The last two years or so have been pretty stormy for everyone I think. I know I want to hunker down like Ryan and just wait it out sometimes. He has the luxury of doing that. The rest of us still have to go to work, cook, clean, and feed cats. But we also don’t have to be afraid. God is bigger than the storm. He gathers us in when we’re afraid, but only if we let Him.

I hope life is sunny for you today, and that the worst of the storms are over for a while.

Oc-tooooooo-ber!

This isn’t my tree; it’s my mom’s

I have no idea why it makes me so happy that it’s October now. It’s probably a throw-back to my childhood. I’ve always loved autumn, and I grew up further north, where the seasons change a little more reliably. Here in eastern Missouri, the colors are starting to change, but we’re a whole gardening zone south of where I grew up, so it’s a little slower to come. Soon enough, though, we’ll have the colors, but right now it’s too early to rule out highs in the 90s.

This is a prep month for me. My goal is to have the series plot nailed down so I can go dark and write in November. It’s not an ideal month for a big writing project, what with Thanksgiving and friends visiting and all, but I’ll have to work with it. I’d really like to be hip deep in a fast edit come the new year. Operative word being fast, ideally. We’ll see.

You know what’s not ideal? I got over my cold as hay fever season started. Let the sniffling and sneezing continue. At least it’s not contagious, so I can be out and about without worrying that I’m Typhoid Mary.

I hope y’all had a good week!

Cross-over

If you’re reading this, chances are good that you also get my email newsletter from Tiny Letter. There is some confusion about which is which since they’re both named Coffee With Dragons. It’s probably further compounded by the fact that this link landed in your inbox from MailChimp, whereas the newsletter (Coffee With Dragons Gazette) lands in your inbox from Tiny Letter.

Here’s the rationale. According to current wisdom, newsletter readers and blog readers are different groups. In my situation, that is not the case. Essentially, signing up to get blog updates puts you on a newsletter list. In both cases, it’s hard to get the word out.

Why do I need to do them? I’m glad you asked. Email lists allow me to communicate directly with readers without relying on social media. It’s the best way to get updates and information to you. It’s kind of the bread and butter for artists who want to get the word out about their work.

My plan is to make this space a little more personal. It will have writing updates, but also garden/cat/family stories. The CWD Gazette newsletter will be based more on the office and writing.

I’m telling you all of this because I need your help. These will be marketing tools for me at some point when I have new things to market. One of the things I’ve learned this year is that marketing isn’t about sales; it’s about relationships. I need to get to know y’all, and you need to get to know me before I ask you to buy and/or promote my work. None of it happens in a vacuum. My life would be easier if it did!

Here’s what I need. Tell your friends about the blog. They can come to the website anytime for updates, or, like you, they can sign up to have them delivered to their email. Seriously, y’all, I can only wear the Coffee With Dragons t-shirt so often. If there is something that will make it easier for you to share, please let me know. Maybe it will help me, too.

Best laid plans and all that

We are supposed to be here this week.

It’s near our campsite in Indiana. The plan was to leave last Saturday, camp until Friday, and come home so I could leave again on Sunday to help a family member. There’s nothing like a sudden illness to clear your calendar.

Don’t worry, it’s not Covid. We were tested. We have been down with what seems to be the same cold virus for a week. All of our plans have been scuttled.

It’s annoying. I get good work done in the camper, and I get to see my dad and bonus mom. I was looking forward to the other trip, too. I’m sure something good will come from having to back up and punt. I’ll have to wait and see. Maybe we’ll get to the camper one more time this year.

I’ve had good chats with the editors about book 3. The plotting is slow going, but it’s going, and the process is teaching me how to think through the book in advance. We never really get off the learning curve, do we? The path curves, but it’s always uphill.

Wishing you a smooth, shady spot in your path today.

Parrot Cat

Chloe decided to perch on my shoulder last night. It’s not unusual for her to be sprawled across my chest, blocking the view of my book or tablet. She’s pushy like that. Why she decided to try this I don’t know, but she stayed there for a good 15 minutes.

When she came to us 18 years ago, she was partially feral and didn’t like to be handled. (I know, she looks like a kitten. We get that a lot. She’s not; she’s a cranky old lady.) Over the years, she’s developed enough trust for, well, this. At least I was able to keep reading.

Plotting

There are, in theory, two kinds of writers. There are plotters, who plot their stories from beginning to end, know everything that will happen, and plow through. It’s efficient, neat, and tidy.

At least, I think it must be. I’m not a plotter. I’m a pantser. I might have a vague idea of what’s going to happen and what the end should look like, but it’s murky. I have to get into it and flail around for a while before I find the treasure. I get the job done, usually, but sometimes it takes re-writes before I wipe all the slime off. It’s not at all how I do anything else in my life. I dislike this method.

I’m told there are ways that pantsers can plot. Mind-mapping. Free writing. Sticky notes on the wall.

Mmmhmmmm. Those are great if you have a little nugget of story to work with. There needs to be some source material, or I’m staring at a blank page. I’m giving it another try for book 3, using all of those tools and working on a little piece at a time. I’ll leave an open spot on my sticky note wall to bang my head against.

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Business As Usual

This has been my view this week. It’s good to be back at work with no significant plans for the next few weeks. My office has become my happy place.

Life has been blissfully dull this week. Honestly, my excitement has been watering the garden and researching when to plant fruit trees. (Early October in zone 6, if you’re interested.) I’m working on book 2, of course. I’ve tried (and failed so far) to connect virtually with my web mistress to do some cleaning up on the website. Her life has not been blissfully dull, but we’ll get it done. There are some other ideas simmering on the back burner, but nothing firm as of yet. I’m keeping busy, but not with anything interesting to other people.

I hope you are well and staying cool.

Rest. Finally.

This has been quite a month, what with the conference flanked by family visits. I expected to be tired, and I am. The take-away is I need more than 5 days to recover from things, but sometimes the ideal isn’t what’s real.

This week our houseguests are family by choice who have been to see us many times. Usually we run around seeing the sights, and then coming home to crash and watch movies. This time, we’ve been out and about a little bit, mostly to run errands. It’s been a days-long introvert party, spending hours at a time doing our own things together, and broken by conversation, debate, and laughter. We always have fun together, but since we’ve all seen a lot of what St. Louis has to offer, and since the dreaded Covid has spiked in this area, we’re all content to stay in this time.

Next week we’re back to business as usual. I’m having fun now while looking forward to that.

My cat, Ryan

What I'm Reading

Photo swiped from Amazon

If you haven’t seen “Shadow And Bone” on Netflix, do yourself a favor and add it to the top of your binge list. I was so entranced I had to check out the books, which, of course, are different from the series. There was a fair amount of re-writing for the script, but the big change is that they’ve taken multiple series within the universe and smashed them into one. I’m learning a lot from both. The world-building is incredible.

The books are YA, so normally I’d be tearing through them at a pretty quick pace, but I’m not. I’m trying to take time to notice the subtlety and detail.

It’s best to read the books in order, and as further proof of Leigh Bardugo’s genius, there is a guide on her website.