Creating

Thanksgiving weekend was a time of firsts for my family and me:

1. My husband and I went snowboarding for the first time. Okay, "snowboarding" might be an overstatement, but it was still fun!

2. My husband got pneumonia for the first time (at least that I'm aware of), possibly as a result of said snowboarding. I thought the sport would be dangerous on non-microbiological levels and that one of us would manage to break something, but what do I know?

3. My six year old wrote his first book based on the football game he watched with his dad. And, yes, it was probably the first time we watched football in our house, which should have given me a hint to just how sick my husband was...

4. Our two year old figured out how to open the soy sauce for the first time. And spilled in in the pantry. Everywhere.

5. I cleaned the tub in my bathroom. Okay, it wasn't really the first time I'd done that, but it really needed it, so I felt like I should include it in my list. I'm feeling pretty proud of myself.

Sometimes I find myself thinking I should be doing something more useful than writing, like finding the tile in the bathroom underneath all the mildew. It's especially hard when people ask how the writing is going and then stare blankly at me when I say I'm still working on the same novel. I've even had people ask me why I'm revising, as if it should have been perfect the first time. It's hard, especially after working so hard to turn off my internal editor so that I can actually get it down on paper and have something to work with. As that wise person, Anonymous, once said, "I can fix a bad page, but I can't fix a blank page."

Anyway, when I get discouraged and wonder why I'm bothering to try to write, I think about this:

Create

Could it possibly be said any better?

Fictional Moons

What does it say about me that, after watching Stranger than Fiction, not one, but TWO of the clocks in our house stopped working? Fortunately, I don't think I've been hearing my life narrated. Unless it was the constant screaming in my head as I tried to maneuver a full cart and three kids through a crowded Wal-Mart yesterday afternoon.

I went to see New Moon last night and had a great time. I can't remember when I laughed so hard at a movie. (I wasn't laughing so hard when, after three hours of sleep, my two year old decided that 4:15 a.m. was a good time to wake up...) For a nice recap of the movie, check out this site. And, I do have to say, that Edward made a very poor showing when he went shirtless after watching Jacob and the other wolves for most of the movie. But still, lots and lots of fun.

Cutting Darlings

Every February, BYU hosts a science fiction and fantasy symposium called Life, the Universe, and Everything. I attended the 2009 convention where Mette Ivie Harrison made the comment that, after finishing a novel, a writer should try to cut it down by at least 10%. Now, typically when I revise, my story ends up longer rather than shorter. This time, it's going to be different. I started at 75,000 words and am hoping to get it less than 70,000. So far I'm still on page one, but it's at least a different page one. Anybody else having more luck with theirs?

Why is it so hard to cut down something we've written?

As I've been contemplating what is unnecessary in my novel and how to cut it out, I also find myself trying to cut down other books and movies. Like the new Star Trek, which was released on DVD last week.

First, let me say that I loved the movie. Lots of fun---fighting, romance, big explosions. And yet, what was the point of the scene with Kirk stealing his stepfather's car? First of all, I'm really slow, I guess, and didn't even realize that the voice was his stepfather's. Still, I don't get it. Why did we need to see that? Was it to show the path Kirk was taking as he grew up? Because I think we figured out in the bar that he wasn't living up to his full potential.

Still, it helps with my own writing when I come to a scene to ask: Is this necessary? Is there a way to show it later? Or does it have to happen now? Each scene needs to have a reason to be included. And it can't just be because I love the scene.

And now I'll get back to cutting out my darlings.

Two Year Olds and Jelly Donuts

Ever wondered what happens when a two year old gets a hold of a jelly donut?

They discover that it's more fun to squeeze the jelly out than to actually eat the donut.

The Dark Divine

Romantic Times is doing a preview of The Dark Divine by Bree Despain. For six weeks, they'll be posting a chapter from the novel. To read the first chapter, click here. I went to a conference with Bree several months ago and she's amazing. I'm really excited for this to come out.

NaNoWriMo

Does it count for NaNoWriMo if I rewrite the first page 500 times and get 50,000 words that way?

I'm not actually trying to write a novel this month. I'm working on revising my current project, and the first few pages are proving to be a challenge. As in I think banging my head on the keyboard might produce better results.