Unwillingly Dammed

MISSING MY WIP

I'll try to make this post more ponderous and less whiny, but I can't make any guarantees to that effect. As you can probably tell, my blogging has been non-existent lately. That's fitting in right along with all other forms of writing. The honest-to-goodness truth, not an excuse but a reason, is simply this: I haven't had the time.

I'm the sort of person who over-extends herself on a regular basis. Being short on time is something I'm used to. Being under a deadline? No problem. Having lots of work piled up on me? Yeah, that's old hat. Running a website, two and a half blogs and a forum in addition to twittering and poking my nose in various cyber-spaces? Well... yeah.

But somehow, my firm purchase on the actual work of writing (the art of applying but to chair and fingers to keyboard) has slid towards non-existent. I'm chewing through lots of books on the bus ride to and from my new job - but that is really just making my hunkering to write even worse. And here comes the whining...

A lot of writers complain that they sit down and the words won't come. Or that they find themselves shuffling writing to the bottom of their list and making excuses *not* to do it. At the moment, I envy those writers. If I had the time to talk myself out of writing . . . well, I'd be writing. Sadly, my case is something else entirely. The words are there. The ideas are flowing. They are just piling up behind the dam built by my brain in order to let me deal with the more pertinent issue of . . . well, survival. (At the moment.) I have so much work to do, I can't even allow myself to dawdle in my make believe worlds, or to ponder characters or stories, or anything. I'm effectively cut-off from my creative flow. And not by choice. It's like a forced block. And it's frustrating as hell.

It comes down to this: I miss my WIP. I *WANT* to dive into it, to finish the story of the people I've come to care deeply about in the past months. I *WANT* to add in my new ideas, and yes, yes - even to trudge through edits because I know the editing process inside-out now and know that the end-product will be more than worth it. But . . . woe is me . . . I can't do that. Yet.

Soon. Soon, I keep telling myself. I miss all of you guys too - if there is anyone out there still reading this. I'll say the same to you. Soon I will be filling your head with fluff, or maybe even something more substantial, telling your what I've read and what I thought, expanding my reperatoire of writing-issues, finally tackling the projects I've been talking 'bout for months, and generally poking my nose in your business again. Soon.

Signed,
Unwillingly Dammed Writer

Rant for August Arrives Early

I’ve heard a lot of feedback from other authors and readers within the romance genre about the way other people see us from the outside. Heck, there are even uber-popular sites that go ahead and make fun of it. *cough*sidebar*cough*. But I have to say I have never really experienced it first hand.

My husband (bless his heart – he is already out there marketing for me) gets more flack than I do. He receives plenty of taunts from ‘the guys’ about his reading choices, as he makes an effort to keep up with me. His standard reply: “You don’t know what your missing. You should give it a try. You would understand women a lot better.” No, really. Guys - if you read romance, I’m confident this is the best possible response to such testosterone-laden posturing.

I, however don’t usually get harassed. I get the glazed eyes and plastered smiles, and the ‘that’s nice’ from people who just. Don’t. Get it. As a result, I have reverted to a slow-reveal technique, hooking people with the other premises and dynamics of my book before revealing that it stands among the ranks of *gasp* romance.

Alas, in light of the recent RWA, the arrival of my newsletter and the general commaraderie among readers and writers alike permeating the webveins recently, I’m feeling pretty proud to be a part of it. Like I know something a lot of other people don’t. Like they are missing out on something great, and I’m glad I’m not one of those brainwashed drones anymore.

You see, my family is proud of me. They understand they don’t see much of me because I am persuing a passion and trying to turn it into a career ON TOP of working a full-time job and finishing a degree. They already claim me as ‘the author of the family’. (I know – no pressure, huh?) So, the ‘and she’s a WRITER’ always gets tagged onto my introduction. At which point, the acquaintance usually feels obligated to inquire into what sort of writing I do.

This is where it gets tricky.

Usually, my breadcrumb trail goes something along the lines of: popular fiction > novels > paranormal (compare to fantasy) > action/adventure > romance.

But LATELY, I’ve been feeling more and more like I should be proud of the romance part. I should say that first, because whether my stories fit the formula or not, they certainly are about love. I should hold my head high and declare it!

Or at least, that was the high I was on until an acquaintance at a recent social gathering down-shifted from, “That sounds really cool,” to “Oh, no, I don’t waste my time on that smut.”

Excuse me? What gives you the write to assume I write smut? I do not. In fact, most romance authors don’t. Hell, most erotica authors these days have strong, emotionally grounded stories behind the sex. Romance DOES NOT EQUAL smut!!! And that so-called smut that you are so vapidly against? It accounts for almost half of the books that are read in the WORLD. It dominates the bestsellers lists. It makes dreams come true.

So, needless to say . . . I lost that potential future reader. Maybe the slamming my drink on the counter after instabitching and storming away was a bit overdramatic. *sigh*


Now that I've faced the derogatory attitude head-on, I’m on a crusade, or uh . . . officially joining a crusade. As other creative masterminds before me, I will find a way to do my part . . . *cogs start turning*

Thursday Thirteen Play Resumed. (Sorta)

So, this week, I had planned to do a boring 'to-be-read' pile overview. But instead, you get semi-rant list of excuses. Ten of them are completely true. Three of them are not. You make up your mind which is which. I solemnly swear I won't do this to you again.

Thirteen Reasons Gwen's Been a Lazy Blogger Lately 1. I've gone 11 days straight without caffeine. 2. Last Saturday the weather in Seattle was gorgeous and nothing could keep me inside at the computer. 3. I've put 672 miles on my car in the last 10 days. 4. Every night I must first engage in a barter with my husband for internet minutes, as we only have one connection, and he has to play Xbox Live. 5. If I do not make said husband food, he will not eat. 6. I'm in charge of an annual trade show at my day job and have 16 more working days until I get on a plane for Ohio. I am already nervous about this. Did I mention I hate flying? 7. Due to the lack of caffeine, I had to take up smoking. Now my two daily ten minute breaks, which I would spend blogging, have been overtaken by the need for nicotine. ~Intermission~ 8. I blame sexyjack! 9. We just started a series of writing workshops at the Writer's Retreat forum, and getting everyone settled took some special admin attention. 10. My cat has been on a four-day puke-a-thon, leaving me to barely sleep at night, because in addition to flying, I hate the sound of retching, human, animal or otherwise. Srsly. 11. I mean it - I really did give up Red Bull. I hate to admit it, but I'm just lazier without it. *sigh* 12. My husband has taken to traipsing around the house scantily clad. Nothing is more distracting than live eye candy. 13. The processes that control cellular mitotic division, up to and including the protein phosphorilation cascades are complicated.

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

Leave a comment, and I'll link back to you here:
Kathleen Oxley
Shelley Munro
Ms. Menozzi
Gina Ardito
Morgan St. John
Adelle Lauden
Tempest Knight
~Liz~
Tara S. Nichols
Brenda ND
Alice Audrey
Jennifer McKenzie
Jennifer Bianco
Kaige (Impulsive Hearts)
R. G. Alexander
Paige Tyler
A. Catherine Noon
Robin L. Rotham
Unhinged
Eaton Bennett
Dana Belfry
Chloe Devlin
Nicholas
Susan Helene Gottfried
Word Trix

Grrr...

It's official. This is the week from hell. I know it's a lovey-dovey holiday week and all, but I'm NOT feeling it. There is simply too much to get done, and not enough hours in the day. I feel scattered, and frustrated and, and . . . and just plain GRRR!

Okay, now that I got that out of my system . . . *dives back into to-do list*.

Web Headache...

This is my first post, and a bit of a test. I am still trying to figure out how to customize a Wordpress blog so that it fits seemlessly into the rest of my site - and it's turning out to be much more challenging than I originally thought. It's not only that I have to learn a whole other web-language (which I don't mind - it's just time consuming) ... but there really aren't that many resources out there to learn how to do it. It's pretty much up to trial and error. Normally, I would be up for something like that - learn as you go - it's sort of my motto, unofficially: learn by doing. But right now, I'm short on time, and energy, and it's become a frustration.

In the meantime, luckily - blogger is nice and user-friendly and lets me at least 'pretend' that it's a part of my website - even if it's not. And I can still use my Scribefire - which I was sad about losing. I'm not giving up . . . but this should stand in adequately and take the pressure off.