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
Monday, August 6, 2012
Quick Update
Hi all,
Just a quick update. My summer wasn't too busy, I guess blogging really isn't my thing or I guess I'm just really lazy when it comes to writing my blog and reading others' blogs. It's really not that difficult and I actually enjoy it when I do it. I guess I just have difficulty committing myself to writing something at least once a week if not twice a week. I do plan on making that better. What do you guys do to stay consistent on writing your blog?
This Wednesday sees me starting a new contract job as a technical writer. Woo! My first "official" job in which I can call myself a technical writer. :D It feels awesome and for the first time I'm getting paid way more than I feel I deserve to be. Hopefully this is good bye to crap minimum wage jobs. *fingers crossed*
Other than my cousin's wedding back in mid-July, I've basically stayed in state. However, we are taking a late vacation to Florida to visit Kevin, a long time friend from high school, and I'm definitely going to Harry-Freakin-Potter Land. I have made it my mission.
As for writing, "On the Other Side of the Teapot" is taking longer than foreseen. I did not complete or even start June's Camp Nanowrimo. I am however doing August's. I'm not in very deep but I'm hoping that doing the competition while starting a new job will allow me to create habits in which I write every single day again despite what is going on in my life.
So yea. That's the last few months in a nutshell. I have a couple of blogs planned in which I will wax poetic details of a certain cousin's religious nuptials and my exploration of family roots in Springfield, MO. Also, the always inspirational Neil Gaiman's college graduation speech will get it's own spotlight in this month's blogs.
Happy Writing!
~V
Just a quick update. My summer wasn't too busy, I guess blogging really isn't my thing or I guess I'm just really lazy when it comes to writing my blog and reading others' blogs. It's really not that difficult and I actually enjoy it when I do it. I guess I just have difficulty committing myself to writing something at least once a week if not twice a week. I do plan on making that better. What do you guys do to stay consistent on writing your blog?
This Wednesday sees me starting a new contract job as a technical writer. Woo! My first "official" job in which I can call myself a technical writer. :D It feels awesome and for the first time I'm getting paid way more than I feel I deserve to be. Hopefully this is good bye to crap minimum wage jobs. *fingers crossed*
Other than my cousin's wedding back in mid-July, I've basically stayed in state. However, we are taking a late vacation to Florida to visit Kevin, a long time friend from high school, and I'm definitely going to Harry-Freakin-Potter Land. I have made it my mission.
As for writing, "On the Other Side of the Teapot" is taking longer than foreseen. I did not complete or even start June's Camp Nanowrimo. I am however doing August's. I'm not in very deep but I'm hoping that doing the competition while starting a new job will allow me to create habits in which I write every single day again despite what is going on in my life.
So yea. That's the last few months in a nutshell. I have a couple of blogs planned in which I will wax poetic details of a certain cousin's religious nuptials and my exploration of family roots in Springfield, MO. Also, the always inspirational Neil Gaiman's college graduation speech will get it's own spotlight in this month's blogs.
Happy Writing!
~V
Friday, June 1, 2012
Summer Camp Time!
Well CampNaNoWriMo that is. What's that you say? It's a sadistic ritual that I previously have only been practicing once a year that has now become a twice maybe even three times a year event. Basically, it's a fun (for the masochistic) writing encouragement program that provides excellent support to people who are writing a novel or 50k words in one month.
Sounds good right? Until you reread the part that states writing a novel and/or 50,000 words in a month.
That's my plan for the next thirty days or so. Writing 2,000 words a day (basically a chapter) until I finish my half done novel from 2010. I'm excited and motivated to "git 'er done!"
Wish me luck and here's a quick blurb of my novel, "On the Other Side of the Teacup."
Sounds good right? Until you reread the part that states writing a novel and/or 50,000 words in a month.
That's my plan for the next thirty days or so. Writing 2,000 words a day (basically a chapter) until I finish my half done novel from 2010. I'm excited and motivated to "git 'er done!"
Wish me luck and here's a quick blurb of my novel, "On the Other Side of the Teacup."
Synopsis:
Eleanor, "Rigby" to her friends, finds herself
in a magical world after taking the advice and tea mixture from a
friendly gypsy working at the Renaissance Festival.
Excerpt:
It was an unusually cloudy and rainy in Arizona
the day Eleanor Ashby stumbled upon the chance to find life and magic in
a world that had gone stagnant and stale. Like most stories where
extraordinary circumstances prey upon seemingly ordinary people, the
journey started in the most mundane of ways. Before Eleanor’s, Rigby her
preferred nickname, meeting with the Sisters of Fate or at least one
particularly meddlesome cousin of the Sisters Three, she must first
journey back in time to a place far, far away.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Dear Lord it's the Middle of February Already?!
I think the title explains it all. Where did January go? Between searching for a house and all the variety of social and family engagements, there just doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day or days during the weekend to get the things I had planned on done. I even had three or four different blog topics planned out for my blog. Topics started but never finished. Kind of like all my WIP. :-/ Which leads me into my first planned blog topic: Yearly goals.
Some call them New Year Resolutions. I call them my short and long term goals. Keeps them away from the stigma of well meaning intentions that are quickly forgot soon as March or April rolls around. Here goes-
Writing:
So far I've taken small steps to getting these accomplished. I'll do small blog posts on them throughout the year as I complete different parts of the goal and hopefully finish them come December 1st!
That's it for this post. I definitely have more goals/objectives than these but for now, these are things that I really want to accomplish in 2012.
~V
Some call them New Year Resolutions. I call them my short and long term goals. Keeps them away from the stigma of well meaning intentions that are quickly forgot soon as March or April rolls around. Here goes-
Writing:
- Finish my Nano 2011 WIP!!!
- Edit my Nano 2011 until it glitters and shines. (I might need critique partners, if anyone is interested.)
- Consider it for publication.(Thinking this will require beta readers for anyone interested.)
- Polish and write short stories for contests and submissions.
- Get more freelance jobs.
- Post a blog once a week. :D
- Get to goal weight. (Cliche, I know but always true)
- Stay at goal weight. (So I don't have to keep having the above goal!)
- Run one race a month working to the point where I can do a half marathon. Ultimate goal run the Honolulu Marathon.
- Find a job that actual gains me skills in areas that I need in order to be a writer.
- Find at least one, if not two, serious writers willing to make a commitment to critique and writing stories every other month.
- Try and create a network of writers in the Phoenix Valley.
So far I've taken small steps to getting these accomplished. I'll do small blog posts on them throughout the year as I complete different parts of the goal and hopefully finish them come December 1st!
That's it for this post. I definitely have more goals/objectives than these but for now, these are things that I really want to accomplish in 2012.
~V
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Shiny Brand New Blog
Here marks the official post of writing/reading blog that I originally began with livejournal. I've decided to move my blog over here in hopes of finding an awesome writing and book reading community. To read about why I started to blog my writing challenges read my very first blog here. Now that is out of the way...
Let me introduce myself. Hi! I'm Victoria. Although when I try to publish items and stories I'll probably go by the initial V or V.M. I love my name- Victoria Flower. It has a nice ring to it. A name that one would see on a romance or fantasy novel and not on a science fiction or horror story. I don't mean the whole issue of losing credibility by being female writing in a primarily male dominated genre, even though that is part of the case, but my name doesn't exactly illicit images of pirates in space shooting laser beams (pechew! pechew!) or creepy pseudo-demon serial killers back from the graves to exact their pound of flesh from humanity. I see my name and think meadows in Britain where the fey dance and play or some ancient female warrior defending her clan from invading armies that are wrapped in metals and wielding sharp, pointy things.
So for now I'll keep my blog under my name but in reverse. (The 'M' standing for my husbands last name.) I've been toying with the idea of keeping Flower or changing it to another family name, 'Reynolds.' Still haven't decided though. Names are tricky. Every writer knows that. Names carry connotations of who the character is or might become, what kind of town or world or planet the story takes place in, and what dangerous things they know and wield. And unlike our given names, a pen name or a stage name is entirely in that person's control. I could be anyone I want to be with a change of name. It's tempting and a little intoxicating knowing you hold the power of your destiny in your hands with a name change. Anyways, all that to say, "Hi! I'm Victoria. Nice to meet you. :-)"
If you're reading my blog, I hope that you are like me in that you wish to pursue the daunting life of a published author. Or at least enjoy reading the same books or maybe discussing the books that I've read. If like me, you are an insane person, highly imaginative, easily captivated by amazing stories, or all of the above, then you've come to the right place!
As I might have mentioned before, I'm an aspiring published author. I used to say writer but I feel like I've gotten past the point of dreaming about writing to actually doing it, therefore qualifying me as a writer. Recently married, no children except of the four legged corgi variety, unemployed (working on that) except for the occasional freelance job that floats my way (also working on increasing that as well). I'm an avid reader of fantasy, science fiction, horror, and recently some young adult fantasy novels. Another recent phenomenon of reading and love interest: steampunk.
I <3 everything about steampunk. From the Victorian style of dress and architecture to the incorporation of "what if" technologies. I'm actually in the early stages of working on my own mystery steampunk novel that I'm hoping will turn into a series. It's kind of like Agatha Christie meets Sherlock Holmes but in steampunk technicolor glory. I'm super excited about it and can't wait to start it! After I finish my current science fiction W.I.P. leftover from Nanowrimo. Which, by the way, I did complete the challenge but 50,000 words did not bring me close to finishing the novel. :-/ I'm thinking it needs another 30k- 50k. Intimidating to say for sure but I wrote one third of it in a month so I can definitely finish it in another month. :-)
So follow me as I blog about my travails of completing my current desert scifi novel, plan for the steampunk story, all while herding corgis and reading/writing reviews on old, current, and new books. :-) Welcome! Welcome to my world.
Let me introduce myself. Hi! I'm Victoria. Although when I try to publish items and stories I'll probably go by the initial V or V.M. I love my name- Victoria Flower. It has a nice ring to it. A name that one would see on a romance or fantasy novel and not on a science fiction or horror story. I don't mean the whole issue of losing credibility by being female writing in a primarily male dominated genre, even though that is part of the case, but my name doesn't exactly illicit images of pirates in space shooting laser beams (pechew! pechew!) or creepy pseudo-demon serial killers back from the graves to exact their pound of flesh from humanity. I see my name and think meadows in Britain where the fey dance and play or some ancient female warrior defending her clan from invading armies that are wrapped in metals and wielding sharp, pointy things.
So for now I'll keep my blog under my name but in reverse. (The 'M' standing for my husbands last name.) I've been toying with the idea of keeping Flower or changing it to another family name, 'Reynolds.' Still haven't decided though. Names are tricky. Every writer knows that. Names carry connotations of who the character is or might become, what kind of town or world or planet the story takes place in, and what dangerous things they know and wield. And unlike our given names, a pen name or a stage name is entirely in that person's control. I could be anyone I want to be with a change of name. It's tempting and a little intoxicating knowing you hold the power of your destiny in your hands with a name change. Anyways, all that to say, "Hi! I'm Victoria. Nice to meet you. :-)"
If you're reading my blog, I hope that you are like me in that you wish to pursue the daunting life of a published author. Or at least enjoy reading the same books or maybe discussing the books that I've read. If like me, you are an insane person, highly imaginative, easily captivated by amazing stories, or all of the above, then you've come to the right place!
As I might have mentioned before, I'm an aspiring published author. I used to say writer but I feel like I've gotten past the point of dreaming about writing to actually doing it, therefore qualifying me as a writer. Recently married, no children except of the four legged corgi variety, unemployed (working on that) except for the occasional freelance job that floats my way (also working on increasing that as well). I'm an avid reader of fantasy, science fiction, horror, and recently some young adult fantasy novels. Another recent phenomenon of reading and love interest: steampunk.
I <3 everything about steampunk. From the Victorian style of dress and architecture to the incorporation of "what if" technologies. I'm actually in the early stages of working on my own mystery steampunk novel that I'm hoping will turn into a series. It's kind of like Agatha Christie meets Sherlock Holmes but in steampunk technicolor glory. I'm super excited about it and can't wait to start it! After I finish my current science fiction W.I.P. leftover from Nanowrimo. Which, by the way, I did complete the challenge but 50,000 words did not bring me close to finishing the novel. :-/ I'm thinking it needs another 30k- 50k. Intimidating to say for sure but I wrote one third of it in a month so I can definitely finish it in another month. :-)
So follow me as I blog about my travails of completing my current desert scifi novel, plan for the steampunk story, all while herding corgis and reading/writing reviews on old, current, and new books. :-) Welcome! Welcome to my world.
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