Every Thursday I have decided to share a picture, idea, song, artist that have been the inspiration for my current fantasy novel "On the Other Side of the Teacup." A lot of my stories and ideas are grown from the most random moment of clarity and also a spark of intrigue from my fellow human beings.
This song that I am sharing with you today is one of the original sparks that started the creation of this book. I love the imagery found in the lyrics. It created this forlorn longing based on selfish love which moved me and made my muse take notice. The moment occurred back when I was working night's as a proofreader. It was one of the main motivators/philosophies used to create my main character Rigby and the inspiration for one of the opening scenes. Well this song and one another which I will share next week.
This song is Heart's "All I Wanna Do Is Make Love To You." See the 80's in all it's epic glory below.
Thursday, October 24, 2013
Monday, October 7, 2013
The Year of Completion
So I have decided that after the last three years of attempting various NaNoWriMo and CampNaNoWriMo events that I still hate myself and have little regard for my sanity. This year feels different though and not for obvious reasons.
When I first heard about NaNo, I was in college and overheard a couple of the writing tutors that I worked with talking about it. (Yes, I was eavesdropping and yes, I am aware that is rude. BUT being a writer means that I have express permission to such things in the name of research, boredom, and procrastination!) I could not even contemplate writing more than a twenty page paper let alone a 50,000 word novel. I knew it was possible considering I had read books longer than that but for me to partake in that adventure seemed impossible. Now I feel totally removed from that feeling.
The last few years have been a trial of pushing myself to make that goal of 50k. Of the many attempts that I've made I succeeded every time I tried. I only made it to 50k once though. I call every attempt successful in that I sat my butt down in a chair, avoided the internet hole like the plague, and made time to write for me. I wasn't writing some horribly boring document on failed letters or an article about trying to gain weight. I wrote about the worlds that only existed in my mind. Worlds that are trying to get out of my conscious and into the mainstream collective.
This year feels different because I've already proven to myself that I can do it. This year's competition will be more about finishing my novel and less about making the word goal. And I am completely okay with that. I've proven myself and I've achieved self belief. Now it's time to challenge myself and get that novel finished. So this year I've set a minimum goal of 25k with the caveat that the next month will be 25k and the month after that and the month after that until it's finished. This will be the Year of Completion!
So are you guys doing NaNo this year? What are your goals?
~Here's some tuneage for your own epic training and motivational sequence~
~V.M. Flower
When I first heard about NaNo, I was in college and overheard a couple of the writing tutors that I worked with talking about it. (Yes, I was eavesdropping and yes, I am aware that is rude. BUT being a writer means that I have express permission to such things in the name of research, boredom, and procrastination!) I could not even contemplate writing more than a twenty page paper let alone a 50,000 word novel. I knew it was possible considering I had read books longer than that but for me to partake in that adventure seemed impossible. Now I feel totally removed from that feeling.
The last few years have been a trial of pushing myself to make that goal of 50k. Of the many attempts that I've made I succeeded every time I tried. I only made it to 50k once though. I call every attempt successful in that I sat my butt down in a chair, avoided the internet hole like the plague, and made time to write for me. I wasn't writing some horribly boring document on failed letters or an article about trying to gain weight. I wrote about the worlds that only existed in my mind. Worlds that are trying to get out of my conscious and into the mainstream collective.
This year feels different because I've already proven to myself that I can do it. This year's competition will be more about finishing my novel and less about making the word goal. And I am completely okay with that. I've proven myself and I've achieved self belief. Now it's time to challenge myself and get that novel finished. So this year I've set a minimum goal of 25k with the caveat that the next month will be 25k and the month after that and the month after that until it's finished. This will be the Year of Completion!
So are you guys doing NaNo this year? What are your goals?
~Here's some tuneage for your own epic training and motivational sequence~
~V.M. Flower
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
I'm Back!
Hello hello hello! I believe the title says it all. Sorry for the long delay. I have been a bit busy what with settling into our new home in California and having a baby. Oh yea, did I mention we had the baby? *grin*
On July 10, in the wee hours of the morning, our little Alice was born. She was a little itty bitty thing weighing in at 6lbs 12oz and 19inches.
Alice is now two months old weighing in at a whopping 10lbs 13oz and 21.09inches. Both J- and I are super proud parents of our adorable little girl and Tyr and Campbell are super proud big Corgi brothers.
Anyways, so now that Alice let's me get more than three hours of sleep at night, I feel like I can string together coherent sentences again so here I am!
My goal of the rest of the year is to do at least one blog post per month. What I would like to do is to make one post every other week until I can get into the habit of making a blog post every week. But for now, it's once a month!
Until then,
V.M. Flower
On July 10, in the wee hours of the morning, our little Alice was born. She was a little itty bitty thing weighing in at 6lbs 12oz and 19inches.
 |
| Baby Alice just a couple of days old. |
Alice is now two months old weighing in at a whopping 10lbs 13oz and 21.09inches. Both J- and I are super proud parents of our adorable little girl and Tyr and Campbell are super proud big Corgi brothers.
 |
| An Angry Alice at 2 months |
Anyways, so now that Alice let's me get more than three hours of sleep at night, I feel like I can string together coherent sentences again so here I am!
My goal of the rest of the year is to do at least one blog post per month. What I would like to do is to make one post every other week until I can get into the habit of making a blog post every week. But for now, it's once a month!
Until then,
V.M. Flower
Friday, March 1, 2013
Woohoo! Another post!
I think the title says it all. My goal this year is to make at least 10 posts and beat out last year's record of probably about 5. LOL :D
Not a lot has happened since I dropped my last blog. The house is up for sale and has been for about a week and a half. J started his new job in California last Tuesday. The baby is super squirmy and has crazy hours as babies tend to do. Oh and we found out that "it" or "the thing" as I affectionately called "it" is a girl. We are super excited about that. I want to call her the "infant inconvenience" but that is an Alexia Tarabotti thing and I don't live in Victorian England.
As for the writing, it moves slowly. I thought with J being in another state that my major distraction would be gone and I could let my muse run wild. Turns out he was an excuse that my procrastinating side used to not write. Now that he's not here, I'm still not writing! :(
I need to kick my lazy side to the curb and restart some kind of writing habit.
So to coincide with the start of the new month, I am starting a new word goal challenge for the month of March. Even though I don't follow college basketball, I too this month will be participating in my own version of March Madness.
My goal this month is to write 30,000 words and to finish my novel "On the Other Side of the Teacup." It's half way finished and I think only needs about that many words to complete this story. I need to get Rigby, my main character, and my muse off of my back so that I can focus on my new snowflake for the Consortium series that JakJak, Smokey, and I are writing.
My novel kicks off the series and the mystery that happens in the Consortium. I need to nail down the world and get this thing written!
If all goes according to plan, I will have one novel written and another one plotted out and (extreme optimism prompts me to say this) and half written if not all the way written by the time that the baby is born. Which if it's my kid gives me time past the July 22nd due date or if it's Jason will probably arrive on time or even a bit early. Either way, time is a ticking and I need to scratch off "writing a novel" on my Before Kids (BK) list.
What do you guys do stay motivated to complete a project?
Not a lot has happened since I dropped my last blog. The house is up for sale and has been for about a week and a half. J started his new job in California last Tuesday. The baby is super squirmy and has crazy hours as babies tend to do. Oh and we found out that "it" or "the thing" as I affectionately called "it" is a girl. We are super excited about that. I want to call her the "infant inconvenience" but that is an Alexia Tarabotti thing and I don't live in Victorian England.
As for the writing, it moves slowly. I thought with J being in another state that my major distraction would be gone and I could let my muse run wild. Turns out he was an excuse that my procrastinating side used to not write. Now that he's not here, I'm still not writing! :(
I need to kick my lazy side to the curb and restart some kind of writing habit.
So to coincide with the start of the new month, I am starting a new word goal challenge for the month of March. Even though I don't follow college basketball, I too this month will be participating in my own version of March Madness.
My goal this month is to write 30,000 words and to finish my novel "On the Other Side of the Teacup." It's half way finished and I think only needs about that many words to complete this story. I need to get Rigby, my main character, and my muse off of my back so that I can focus on my new snowflake for the Consortium series that JakJak, Smokey, and I are writing.
My novel kicks off the series and the mystery that happens in the Consortium. I need to nail down the world and get this thing written!
If all goes according to plan, I will have one novel written and another one plotted out and (extreme optimism prompts me to say this) and half written if not all the way written by the time that the baby is born. Which if it's my kid gives me time past the July 22nd due date or if it's Jason will probably arrive on time or even a bit early. Either way, time is a ticking and I need to scratch off "writing a novel" on my Before Kids (BK) list.
What do you guys do stay motivated to complete a project?
Thursday, February 7, 2013
Goodbye Arizona!
Well not quite yet but soon.
My husband has accepted a new job in California doing the same thing he did here (inspection) but with pieces of a space rocket. To be more specific, he's working with one of his dream companies SpaceX and is just one step closer to putting himself as well as the rest of us in space and possibly living on Mars. Check out the video below to see who and what he'll be working with.
So yea. We are leaving the Grand Canyon State. Despite the fact that I have just taken that tech job I wrote about back in August and the fact that I'm pregnant. Oh yea. I forgot to mention. I'm 4 months pregnant. Gender still unknown for at least another week and a half. Pictures of the alien spawn will be posted soon, I promise. So the future grandparents are not very happy that we are leaving, all of whom actually live in the Valley.
Between the guilt induced comments of our parents, the stress of moving, and the future little one, we are also trying to sell the house that we just bought last March. Somewhere along the way we were headed towards the standard American dream but decided "Nope! Not for us!" Which I'm actually okay with, once I think about the whole situation minus the stress factor.
Moving to California could open up a lot of doors for me creatively and career wise. Plus, I'll finally get to live in a place that's not by a man-made body of water.
So yea. That is the last five or so months. Quitting newly acquired job. Selling our house. Moving to L.A. Having a baby. And dealing with pouty depressed parents.Life is grand, right? My consolation? Disneyland and the beach. :D
My husband has accepted a new job in California doing the same thing he did here (inspection) but with pieces of a space rocket. To be more specific, he's working with one of his dream companies SpaceX and is just one step closer to putting himself as well as the rest of us in space and possibly living on Mars. Check out the video below to see who and what he'll be working with.
So yea. We are leaving the Grand Canyon State. Despite the fact that I have just taken that tech job I wrote about back in August and the fact that I'm pregnant. Oh yea. I forgot to mention. I'm 4 months pregnant. Gender still unknown for at least another week and a half. Pictures of the alien spawn will be posted soon, I promise. So the future grandparents are not very happy that we are leaving, all of whom actually live in the Valley.
Between the guilt induced comments of our parents, the stress of moving, and the future little one, we are also trying to sell the house that we just bought last March. Somewhere along the way we were headed towards the standard American dream but decided "Nope! Not for us!" Which I'm actually okay with, once I think about the whole situation minus the stress factor.
Moving to California could open up a lot of doors for me creatively and career wise. Plus, I'll finally get to live in a place that's not by a man-made body of water.
So yea. That is the last five or so months. Quitting newly acquired job. Selling our house. Moving to L.A. Having a baby. And dealing with pouty depressed parents.Life is grand, right? My consolation? Disneyland and the beach. :D
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