Tuesday, November 14, 2006

The writing life

Two acceptances; a poem and a micro story. So now I have one work out. Just one? I used to keep at least 50 works (reprints included) in submission at any given time. I need to get busy submitting.

But I need stories first.

Was thinking I'd write a novel during November (ha ha) but we know how last year went. Cried "uncle" after three, four days?

What I decided to do was simply write every day during November. Thirteen days now. Much of my writing (hard copies, disks and all) got left behind (my move was rushed and sloppy and harried) so I'm writing all new stuff until I go back and get the rest of my things. A work called "An Early Fall" about a boy who witnesses his father kill someone was finished (well, the rough draft)Sunday. Decided yesterday to write a story from the newspaper. A nine-year old killed herself and of course that article struck me. After work I churned out close to a thousand words. When I'm done here, it's exercising and morning pages and then back to the story.

I'm beginning to see a change in my writer's world. I used to not work seriously on stories until I had the end line (I want to know where this is going) but I haven't a clue in this new story about what's going to happen. Opening myself up to new ideas. I know it's about the aftermath and what happens to a couple when their child, a young child, has killed herself. Have to go deep inside myself and feel (no tears for the writer, no tears for the reader, someone said.)

And of course there are parts of the process that are always exciting and fun---Watch me pull a story out of my hat.

Hmmm, hope I'm so unlike Bullwinkle and I bring the right hat!

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