How goes National Novel Writing Month, you ask? Okay. Maybe you have not asked, but it is a question I'm asking myself. I've managed to pick up a cold this weekend, which hasn't helped. (I've taken two covid tests, and both came up negative. And I've checked various websites about symptoms--cold, flu, or covid19? Cold. …
I might have finished my novel, The Book of Astrophilia. I say might...it is hard for me to know when something is finished. I'll rewrite forever. And I haven't had a beta reader or anyone give me feedback, and that is part of the process. So is it finished-FINISHED? Well, I've done what I can …
Pictured: Not my character, FWIW, but still a fairly demanding lady. Some authors say their characters take over. Some authors say that's rubbish. The writer is the boss! Well, yes? While I wouldn't say my characters take over, at times, when I'm contemplating the plot, I write the plot a certain way and it just …
When people ask me, "What's your story about?" I have a slight panic attack. Why? I can speculate, but I don't really know. I can't afford therapy. BUT I am excited about the story I'm currently working on. (I'm excited about every story. At this moment, however, I'm also in an optimistic mood. Why optimism …
I've been jumping from project to project. The term monkey mind comes to, uh, mind. My ideal self would sit down and concentrate. But at this point in my life, I'll just work with the mind I have. Jumping to a different project might be procrastination. It might be a way to never finish even …
Today, I received this lovely deck of oracle cards. I received the book last year and actually met the artist. Next month, I hope to meet the author. So, the booklet included states, The words on the cards and in this booklet provide suggestions for interpretation, some purposefully contradictory, some mystic and ambiguous. In the …
I finished Story-a-Day May! I wrote every single day and ended up with probably 29 stories or scenes I can polish up or use somewhere. And even though I've ended up re-publishing my first novel on my own, that isn't what I want for the rest. Or I don't think it is. My dithering about …
What's on your mind today? I've been thinking about my work-in-progress. Well, I have multiple WIPs. Right now I'm focused on a sci-fi fairy tale. I want to finish the manuscript, go back to my Fairy Tale Asylum story and then to drafts of other stories. So many stories fluttering around in my head. I've …
One late afternoon in my Florida childhood, another lightning storm rolled in. A wall of rain moved steadily over the lake towards our house. I love the change in the air and the smell. The lightning flashed and flashed and flashed. I knew to go inside, but the terrifying and amazing light fascinated me. I …
Marta Pelrine-Bacon 