Few random things and a question for you

A random collection of things in this post today, folks.

First, what’s the deal with the word verifications I see some people put on blog comments? I have no idea what this is. Can someone please explain the goal? I hate feeling like I don't know what's going on. Let's not even talk about how Twitter is working out for me...

Second, did anyone else see this article in TIME magazine? It appears the State of Indiana has deemed cursive an archaic lesson (my term, not theirs) and are instead suggesting teachers teach (that feels redundant) typing skills to grade school students. Does this make anyone else wince and reach for a pad of paper and pencil? And how many writers do you think are now crafting a story about a day not so far in the future where paper and writing instruments are forbidden in a technological universe? No one else? Great, my idea! No one steal it!

Third, I had a happy happy surprise in the mail on Tuesday. Here is a pic of my proof copy of my 2009 NaNo. The working (horrible) title is Journey to Andryea, but coming up with titles has never been my strong suit. Check out this post over at Jen’s Bookshelf for her take on titles. It sucks. (clarification: coming up with titles sucks, NOT Jen's post. Her post is quite lovely and you should check it out. I'll wait...)

Finally, my real question for all of you… I’m still working on my story idea for this year’s NaNo and it involves transporting the MC to another time/place. Perhaps I have CS Lewis and his wardrobe on my mind, but do you have other suggestions for stories where the MC was taken from this world to another via “ordinary object” means? Magic telephone booth? Stepping into a book? Board games (Jumanji, anyone?)… I would like a list of books to read or movies to watch where this technique is used, but the more I try to think of examples, the more my brain shuts down.

Which came first, the theme or the plot?

Happy Day After the 4th of July!

I trust we are all well-rested and appropriately grumbled on our way into work this morning? No, just me? I had a wonderful weekend and returned home yesterday afternoon drunk on sunshine and lake water, my sunburn just starting to slightly itch and turn tan. Well, as tan as this Irish lass can get, but I'll take any color over pasty Minnesota white.

After I unpacked and got organized, I sat down and finally began transplanting the seeds of a new story from my head, planting them down on paper. At this point, there are a helluva lot more questions than answers, but at least my ideas aren't stuck in my unreliable head any longer. It was that mad rush of brainstorming where your hand can't keep up with the ideas flowing from your mind. Where you start a new paragraph of ideas before you could finish the last one and you draw arrows connecting the plot points as they develop across the pages.

It was awesome and it's the part of writing I love the most.

However... as my pages grew, I noticed a problem. I had a plot line, but there was no theme. No real point to the story. Ack! I spent another full page trying to come up with my theme. It was so hard. It felt forced, like I was trying to come up with the recipe for a best seller when all I really wanted to do was tell my story that had been brewing in my mind.

I felt like I was doing it wrong. Clearly, the "good" writers sit down gracefully at their computer with a mug of steaming tea by their side and classical music gently dancing through the air. They sit, close their eyes for a moment while they grasp the ideas in their heads, and get it all down on paper. First the over-arching theme, then the plot, and then these "good" writers flush out their characters. Once it's all done, they open a new word doc and bang out a 75K book and call it a night.

I, on the other hand, gnash my teeth, pull out my hair, become OCD about my music choices, need a tray table for all my beverages (tea, water, coffee, beer? WHAT TO DRINK?), and stare at my paper, praying the ever-elusive "point" comes to me.

Because really, if you can't find the point to your story, why write it, right?

Wrong. I have to write this story just like I've had to write the others. I realize it's a learning process and already my craft has improved greatly over my first story. But the crushing need for a theme, for a point to it all, the pressure of knowing my story is missing its purpose is driving me nuts.

So, I will continue to brainstorm but I am very eager to know how you all do it. Do you sit down like the "good" writer and make it look so lovely and easy? Does your theme come, then your plot, then your characters? Or do you just throw your words up and see what sticks, hoping a theme emerges?

Something Wicked blogfest!

I've been thinking of Wicked & Tricksy's Something Wicked blogfest since it was first announced a few days ago, unsure of how to participate. But when I read this post about the awesome prize boxes, well, how can I pass this up!?

The blogfest asks you to answer one of three questions:
1. Name 3 of your favorite spec-fiction stories (books, movies, tv shows, anything goes)
2. Tell us why you love spec-fic -- what plot line, character type, story trope, setting, time, place is your absolute favorite.
3. Take a guess if you can: where do you see spec-fic stories going in the next two, five, ten years? What will be popular and how will the sub-genres have changed?

I was going to answer number one because I've been looking for a reason to talk about LOST, but then I read Sommer's entry and her description of LOST was damn near perfect, so why ruin a good thing? I'm also trying to get away from using the LOTR books and films as my default contribution to Wicked & Tricksy, so it's time to try something... new.

*le gasp*
I know. I don't do new. Bear with me.

Why I love spec fiction...
I have a great memory from when I was no more than 6 or 7 years old. My mom was standing in front of the sink, preparing dinner while watching the local news on the tiny black and white television sitting on the counter. To keep me out of her hair, she would give me blank sheets of computer paper (much to my father's dismay--he claimed it was too expensive to be coloring paper) and a box of crayons and tell me to draw her a picture.

I wish I still had those pages. I knew exactly what I wanted to draw. I created a beautiful green forest with a cobblestone path winding across the page. Not to be restricted by borders, I lined up the pages in a landscape fashion and taped them together, thus creating my very first world map. My forest had pine trees, maple trees, the token river and requisite fish, unicorns, and gigantic mushrooms.

I worked on my map for a few nights, until I was cut off from further computer paper until I agreed to draw something else, something other than the stone path weaving along five taped together pages with no end in sight. I don't remember what I did next, but I can see those pages on my kitchen table as clear as if they were in front of me today.

THAT is why I love spec fiction. Because it's voluntary escapism. It has the power to pluck a six year old girl from the middle of corn and cow country (aka, Wisconsin) and drop her in the middle of a fantastic, magical forest where unicorns roam and there is no sickness or sadness.

Source

Perhaps I'm looking a bit too deep into this question, but spec-fic took me away from the cancer that entered our household, the IV lines, the hair loss, the tears, and the fears. It took me to a place where magic lived. Where princesses were strong and life was exciting instead of scary and uncertain.

To this day, I prefer magic, quests, and drafty castles in my spec-fic. Not necessarily in that order, but the medieval setting is most comfortable to me. Add to it the sense of adventure that comes with climbing through an old wardrobe and I'm happy. (Though, I should add that the 4 main characters in The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe were too many for me to keep together so I never made it past the first book, but the concept of going through the wardrobe to a new world fed my imagination for years...)

What about you? Why do you love spec-fic?

Procrastination Station

I'm procrastinating. Big time.

How big? Like, I woke up and decided I'd rather run 9 miles in the humidity than start working on my edits and formatting I have scheduled for today.

Folks, this is bad news. I have to get my book dumped into the appropriate template and formatted for submission by June 27 at the latest. I'm at the point where I'll deal with wonky scenes or poorly written sentences later. Right now, this is crunch time. The literary equivalent of BUTT IN CHAIR except now it's WORDS IN TEMPLATE.

I have Eddie Vedder's Into the Wild album lined up on repeat with the soundtrack to William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet as a quality backup, a massive latte by my side, and knees that are yelling at me for my attempt to jump right back into the running world after a few weeks off. I also have my browser windows fired up to Google Reader alongside the Bransforums and Facebook.

Don't judge. I'm the Queen of Pressure-Prompted Production. I'm a professional procrastinator. I'm also a professional sleeper and drinker, but those are stories for another day.

And no thanks to Hektor over at After Troy, I have summer and Bruce Springsteen on the brain. This doesn't bode well for my productivity when I'd rather be on a pontoon boat with a case of beer. Alas, the countdown begins: two weeks until 4th of July.

Seeing as this is getting me nowhere closer to finishing my read-through and painstakingly copy/pasting each chapter and dumping them into the template, I really should run. But I wanted to let you know where I've been lately. I've been reading and encouraging you all from afar.