Author Archives: Amy Jane

Shaping Titles

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I’ve found a rhythm of shifting between POVs and storylines that has become quite natural

…to the extent that if I’m not careful I can veer into the next storyline before appropriate for the time line and *really* confuse things…

And it works most of the time.

One of the sorting out sessions that I did a few months ago had to do with peeling apart a few multiple-POV scenes and giving them their own breaks– numbers and titles– and their own line in the spreadsheet.

A Great Honkin scene that jumped multiple times between Kennett and Tykone was divided into two (merely) Honkin scenes that I worked with today.

These were designated, for lack of better handles, “Finding and Losing” (Kennett learning his wife was sentenced to death) and “Losing and Finding” (Tykone hunting for a murderer and finding, well you’ll see when you read it.)

Anyway, as I juggled the old and new parts of these scenes, trying to bring them to a level-seven polished-ness, I realized they both had a single natural break left in them (more then natural, they were begging for a breather).  So I split each, then realized I needed another set of handles.

I was still attached to the idea of reversed titles since the time lines were so close and overlapping.  I chose, nearly randomly, Failing to Plan and Planning to fail.

And now that I have finished both scenes they are both of them quite reasonable handles, suggesting what I would leave in and what I could cut out.

So, now I can’t decide if that’s bad.

To make titles and then make the scene fit their predictions.  Or is that really good instincts, coming up with a set of titles that gave focus that was previously lacking?

Maybe I’ve just got really good luck.  That I depend on.  (A la the Baggins.)

“It’s not that I believe in miracles-I depend on them.”

Nearly done.

  • Cleaned 9 scenes (two newly extradited)
    • 68 (consecutive) pages.
  • Rearranged several scenes to clarify sequence and motivation
  • Pages remaining: 34
  • Current word-count: 116,012.
  • Next “guaranteed” work-day: Monday, October 5

Update, September 2009

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Hmmm, here’s the quick rundown:

  • My kids have all started ballet.
    • Yes, even the 3-year-old boy, and no, he doesn’t think of it as a “girly” thing, it’s simply a kid thing since all the kids in his family are doing it.
  • Winter has arrived (not quite in earnest, but enough that to choose a walk is an act of the will)
    • to take the dog out today I wore long-johns under my corduroys, two long-sleeve shirts under my sweater and a polar fleece jacket over all.
      • And I did not feel warm until about 45-minutes into my hour-long walk.
    • Yes, it gets a lot colder, but (as I love to say this time of year) 40-degrees is a lot colder in September than in February. Which is my way of saying, we all adapt.
  • However, this is my first winter in 15 years or so that I’ve gone into cold weather without a layer of “insulation.”  I am still losing weight (almost 20lbs down since January, yippee!) and, yeah, I do feel colder.
    • But since I’ve always adjusted in the past, I imagine this winter can’t be a lot different…
  • Also, I got two more scenes done on the novel– one of them a no-brainer (7th review of a 7th revision) and one of them hard: I just added it last round, so it was needy.
  • Learning all sorts of new recipes, but haven’t decided yet how many are keepers (to put into regular rotation–assuming I have such a thing), or the best way to juggle both new and left-overs food.

So, all in all, nothing earth-shattering, or life-changing (though the ballet and the weight-loss both have the potential, I suppose), so you can see why I didn’t make mention of this sooner.  Even now I only take the time as a sort of warm-up.  I’m sitting with the children now (enjoying my illuminated keyboard and Pandora) as they go to sleep, bracing myself to jump back into the novel-revising.

I’ve stopped reading most of the writing blogs I follow.  The recurring theme is *dedication* in the form of priority to writing, which I used to Amen! with some vigor and now… I’m living a different life.

And it’s such a good life I can for no reason complain.

God is faithful, and if nothing else were true, that would be enough.

Random Noveling bit

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My female villain’s name is Irene.

I picked it years ago, when I learn both that is means peace (and I like the irony) and that a famous Irene has killed her own son to keep the throne she held for him as regent.

So there was this great history behind the name of a ruthless woman.

And then, about a year and a half ago my pastor and his wife named their adorable little baby girl Irene.

Major bummer for me, since I feel for “all reasons of prudent policy” I need to change her name. Inspiration has not yet struck, and since it’s not generally available (i.e. to by read) yet I’ve left it for now.

I’ll take suggestions.  Listen to them anyway.  Don’t promise to actually take them. ;)

~

Got on a roll tonight: Cleaned 8 scenes, 32 pages.  Currently on p. 329/440

Word-count: 116,981

Nine Years, People!

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And to celebrate, we… backpacked 16 miles!

Not all on the same day, though.

After dropping the kids at my mom’s place we drove an hour out of town and hiked for the rest of the afternoon (up and down some serious ravines).

We learned a lot to do differently “next time” but thankfully weren’t miserable at all (the first day’s hike was through steady rain) though I might have been edging toward hypothermia by the time we reached the cabin– I’ve never been good at generating and/or retaining heat.

Jay did the fire and all the work unpacking (and packing the next morning).  We both worked harder than we’ve worked in a long time.  For me, maybe ever.

My thoughts at the end of the day:

  • I took some of the junk food I’ve denied myself for the last three months (since I was working harder than usual)– and decided I’m not missing much.
  • This “weaker vessel” stuff is totally legit. I am so thankful for how well Jay took care of me– taking care of all the details at the cabin and taking on extra weight for the trip back to help me keep pace.

Should Break 500 tomorrow. And might start a fight?

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431 titles entered in the database, taped in 10 boxes, all piled by the garage door waiting for the transfer to the under-the-house (yes, it’s book-safe).

~

Anybody reading this blog identify yourself as a Christian?  Anybody in that group ever prayed (or heard someone at your elbow pray), “Lord let the people around me see my life is different and ask me about it”?

Does that make anybody besides me nuts?

Here’s the thing: I have never heard those words from someone whose life I would have identified as “different” (at least, not in an attractive way), and I can honestly say, I don’t *want* to attract attention because I’m different.

{grin}

Let me try that again.

I have all my life been different.  Different is not the problem.

Here’s the logic/expectation I see behind that prayer:

If my life and/or attitude is good/blessed/happy/amazing/perfect (or at least more so than the lost around me) they will notice and want to be like me. Then I can talk to them about Jesus.

My problems with this idea:

  1. My life (or attitude) must be good/blessed/happy/amazing/perfect before I even get a chance to share the truth that is central to my life.
  2. You’re giving people a lot of credit for noticing.  It is my writerly opinion that the vast majority of humanity waits for things to be pointed out to them.  Not many have trained themselves to notice stuff (Sherlock Holmes/Monk stuff really feeds off this).
  3. You’re assuming that these people in dire straits/hard times/grumpy moods want to admit to themselves they’re unhappy with the life they’ve built.
  4. You’re assuming that these people in dire straits/hard times/grumpy moods want to admit to you they’re unhappy with the life they’ve built.
  5. You’re assuming they’d actually want to be like you. 

All of these problems can and have been gotten around.  I’ve heard the stories too.

But for someone who is ready, someone (forgive me for dividing believers into categories, but here I go) who actually wants to actively share his or her faith, I think this is the wrong way to pray.

If I attract people because of how I look or live my life, how do I know I won’t equally turn them off (or away) when I, as a fallible, sinful human being simply (or sensationally) screw up?

It can’t be about me.

I am not going to save anyone.

And while I want my behavior to reflect well on the Savior who ransomed my life from Hell, well, the fact that I need a Savior should be enough of a reminder I won’t always reach that goal.

I pray for opportunities to speak Truth, and the courage and sensitivity to create opportunities.

It’s not the only way to pray, but I’ve rarely heard it at my elbow, and have only just begun to do it myself.

The juxtaposition is hard for me: seeing the need to box books, teach my children, manage my home… and pray for a hurting world. Speak to hurting people.

It’s becoming overwhelming now.  It feels like too much. And that (as I told myself after the birth of #2 and again with #3) is likely the point. I think it is possible to become too “competent,” or confident.

Only when we recognize how inadequate we are do we seek God for what only He can provide.

Advice to Politicians from Davy Crockett

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From David Crockett, Exploits and Adventures in Texas (1836).

The more things change…

If your ambition or circumstances compel you to serve your country and earn three dollars a day, by becoming a member of the legislature, you must first publicly avow that the constitution of the state is a shackle upon free and liberal legislation, and is, therefore, of as little use in the present enlightened age as an old almanac of the year in which the instrument was framed.

There is policy in this measure, for by making the constitution a mere dead letter, your headlong proceedings will be attributed to a bold and unshackled mind; whereas, it might otherwise be thought they arose from sheer mulish ignorance.

‘The Government’ has set the example in his [Jackson’s] attack upon the Constitution of the United States, and who should fear to follow where ‘the Government’ leads?”

The mistake I won’t make this school year

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Last year was my first experiment with Homeschooling my own children.

I think the biggest mistake I made was to group and label my three subjects as *school,* thinking their smallness in the context of the day would make them more bearable than the long school day.

It didn’t.

It cemented in my precocious 5-year-old’s mind that school was a drag.  Particularly homeschool, since all those books she gravitated toward show only the *fun* parts of public school.

You know, special friendships, groups for music, art class, recess.  You never see Oliver laboring over letter tracers, or having to sit until he finished his work.

This year, everything we do as we follow the schedule is part of school.

Yup it takes up a good deal more of the day (or will after Monday, when Mother’s done with her outside commitments and plans), but it makes plain how much of school is sitting still and how much is exploring and delighting in the world they love.

This is the image I want them to have of school: yes there’s always work we have to do (just because we have to do it) but there’s many other things, and even the bonus of more time in the day with Mama.

Celebration of Miscellanea

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My laptop is back.

But it’s not.

I was shipped a new (refurbished) machine instead of my old one (poor dear must have been too far gone), and one of the results of getting a new machine is that it is compatible with a recently released *illuminated keyboard.*

Believe-you-me we ordered it right away, and Jay just installed it tonight. Way. beyond. cool.

So the book-cataloging software is all that’s left, right?

Well, I’ve just picked one because I got tired of comparing them, and I have the scanning gun to speed the inputting process on those books that have bar codes.

A rough, unscientific, scanning of my shelves indicates a 50/50 split (I have a lot of old and/or jacketless books), but I still think this device was worth buying.  I inputted maybe a dozen ISBNs to experiment with before I had the scanner, and those took more time and focus than the 32 I popped in tonight to see how the scanner works.

Anyway, I have one more book-buying spree on my calendar (Kids’ books are half-off next week), then I expect the rigorous reality of school to fill up all our time.

All we need now are boxes small enough to lift when full of books, and they will be quietly packed away until called for.

And I don’t think I’ve yet said it here, but I’ve lost nearly 13 pounds this summer.  I finally passed the point where I could feel the difference myself, rather than just seeing it in my clothes.

My mom’s been saying for weeks that she could see the change, but she doesn’t see me every day…

Yes, I’m celebrating.  God is good.