Dark and Twisty meets Light & Fluffy

So. I’ve always thought that what I wrote was a little… fluffy. Mostly the bright side of the fiction barrel. Anything dark and twisty in my writing must be an abberation, or at the very least the result of something in my life. Right? Right!

Wrong!

I am basically a “Look on the bright side” kind of person. I’ve been called Pollyanna while at work. But as I’ve told my boss, just because I’m cheerful or putting a positive spin on something does not mean that I’m living in lala land. Oh no.

nononononono

I don’t like to share dark and twisty Wyn so much. When I do, it is perversely more personal than any bright and happy story I could ever share. Dark and twisty is where the artist in me has created her lair… She hides in there sometimes, waiting, watching. Others, she comes roaring out spinning webs of darkness and beauty wherever she might go.

Because that’s what I really like. I don’t like horror. Not anymore. Grew out of most of it rather quickly. But if you can spin me a web of darkness and beauty, oh.

Oh.

I write the two different types of stories differently, too. Happy, funny stories I write in discovery mode– finding out what’s gonna happen next. It’s great, it’s fun for me as a writer. The other comes out of my brain fully crystalized and it’s a marathon to get it out. And get it out correctly.

So.. I guess what I’m saying is this:

I might have a split personality.

But that’s ok. We’re all doing just fine in here 🙂

 

 

Do you have any story abberations? Or stick to one style/type?

My Little Obsession

If you know me at all, you’ve probably seen me with one of these close by. They are small notebooks, 8.35 in x 6.5 in. They’re made by Studio C and are called Ideal Books. I love these.

I have about 9 of them now. Maybe more.

Within those pages are magic— the magic of my stories. I now prefer writing in these, at least to get me going. And if I’m stuck, it’s within those pages where the muse kicks back into gear. Sometimes they contain a letter to a friend. Notes on the webinars I’ve been taking lately. A to do list like above. And once in a while, as I’m scribbling away, I come across pure gold. Because there are pages scattered throughout where the princeling has drawn pictures in Mommy’s notebook. Some were drawn while we were in the car are he was bored. I’d pass back the book (pen handily clipped to the front) and let him go for it. It makes for a lot of really nice surprises while writing.

Now, if you’re able to see the list I attached above, I have to admit a few things. First of all, the first 3 things had already been accomplished. I believe in making sure that I have some sense of accomplishment LOL. 6-10 all have to do with writing, although 7-9 are the only ones dealing with short stories that I’m actually working on right now. On those, I only worked on Broken, but.. But… I finally finished it. WOOHOO! I finished it! I finished it! AND, um, well, it’s going to have a part 2. But I finished it and sent it off to Beta’s!

So. On my list there were 3 items that I didn’t even touch. I thought a bit about two of them (which does count, but not for this list), but nothing was written down either in my lovely note books or on the computer so I’m not counting that. But, all in all, I’m happy with my little list and with what I accomplished today.

Back to Work

I go back to work on Wednesday and I’m excited about it. I’m excited about other things, as well.Things they are a changing.

There’s the passing on of knowledge, which will happen but needs to be deferred for a small time. I’m excited about it and cant wait to start, but will of course wait patiently.

Something a little weird happened while I’ve been off work recuperating. One is that I realize that I am currently a sprinter when it comes to writing. I would love to write long, involved epic fantasy novels but it’s not going to happen. At least, not right now. Right now, I’m still doing a lot of my writing longhand, in snatches that come in 10-15 minute bursts. If I’m lucky, i have a few hours to devote to the keyboard and will write that way. But if I’m stuck, or just starting a story… Out the notebooks come. I like them. They like me. The length of my stories has less to do with any of that than with the fact that the stories that are popping out of me are shorts. I can live with that. I’ve always been a fairly quick writer– I don’t agonize over that anymore either. Being a real writer only involves actually getting the stories out, right?

But something really interesting keeps popping up on me. Free webinars on copy writing.

Hmmm….

I’ve taken two so far (one last month and one last week), and am about to make another one on Tuesday. So. I’m thinking this is a pretty good thing. Because God keeps dropping  it in my lap I should probably pay attention. Perhaps as something that could at least help with the hospital bills, but hopefully become my full time job. Or main money maker. Who knows? But you know, there’s so much I want to do in life… and none of it has me chained to a computer or phone all day every day. Barring finding a multi-millionare to marry on the quick, this might be the way to go.

If something lands in your lap that many times, you kind of have to take that leap of faith, don’t you? It would be different if I didn’t have experience writing copy for businesses, but I’ve done that at my current job. I’ve been published in trade magazines both under my own name, and with no by-line just to try and drive business. If all I had ever attempted to do was fiction, I’d be very leery of this. Timid, even. But I’ve done this work for years.

And apparently have been valuing that talent too lightly.

Do any of you do this for a living? How did you start? Do you enjoy it?

Seeds of Change

If you’re on Facebook, you’ve probably seen the analogy of the seed: that it has to allow itself to be completely undone in order to change into something else.

I’m debating this one, hotly, right now.

And yes, I am talking to myself again. Loudly.

I had major surgery back at the end of June. One week from today, I’ll go back to the day job. But I’ve had a lot of time to think, think, think… Especially when I was waking up all the time for pain managment (making sure I got the ibuprofins at the right time) and hot flashes (back chohate really works!). I thought of what would make me feel good about my writing, what would make me feel like things were worth it.

Let’s face it, right now I’m a sprinter. I can do the short story, and I enjoy writing them. Even when I was writing novels, however, I never saw myself as sitting at a conference selling books and signing autographs. Would I like to be on the best seller list?  Of course.

But it was never my main dream.

Every time I let myself drift and dream, I find myself imagining not scores of readers… but talking to potential writers. Poety. Journaling. Story telling. All of it. I want to share my passion for words and how they have helped me every step of the way.

My seed hasn’t come completely undone. Perhaps it already had done that a long time ago. Instead, my branches are reaching for a different part of the sky. Maybe not the part you’re reaching for, maybe not the part others like… but the little slice that is mine.

Now… how to go about doing this? I have some preliminary plans in place… we shall see if they go anywhere. But I’ll never know until I start.

(The hilarious part is I’ve always shied away from teaching because of the public speeking part of it. Wheeee!)

Book Review: Fools Assassin by Robin Hobb

I told you a while ago to go forth and buy Robin Hobb’s Fitz & the Fool books. Did you do it my lovelies? Did you? Because I’m going to go right ahead and get my geek on over this book.

It starts a bit slow. I advised you to get the previous 2 trilogies under your belts because if you have, then the beginning of this will be fantastic. It’s like reading the happily ever after part of your favorite novel, except… umm… it’s Robin Hobb and the first in a new trilogy so it’s going to get bumpy. And boy howdy does it. By the end of the book, I was howling for book two already, and three pretty please because PLEASE DON’T LEAVE ME HANGING HERE LIKE THIS. (Note: she is one of the few authors that I will read a complete series, waiting (im)patiently for the followup. Normally I wait for the whole thing to be published hehehe).

There are themes that are being woven throughout this novel that harken back to the other novels. Fitz’s natural tendency to be caught up in his own head, the feeling of aloneness, being pitted against everyone else, the other, and gender identity whispers through it.

I read this as a galley copy, but have already bought my very own copy for myself so I can love it, hug it and call it my own.

 

What books or series do you geek out on?