Zoom zooming along we are! Coming to the end of out first year of Project Muse! How time flies.

I hope everyone has lots of great creative writing time over the holidays. Such a good time to feel like ou have a fresh start. Pick a new story and finish it. Or find an old one to give a refresh edit. Send something off to an agent or an editor or a writing competition. So many options!!!

I feel like I've really achieved a lot this year with my writing and I have all of you guys to thank for that. Without your support and encouragement and friendship I don't think I would have had the courage to go that extra mile. And I hope I have been the same for all of you.

Think of this site as our big pink fluffy blankie to wrap ourelves up in if we have bad news or to rap aorund our shoulders as a cape and run around the loungeroom feeling like a super hero when we get good news.

So I sit here in Cafe Muse and raise my coffee cup in salute at our lessons of this year and the fulfilling of our big dreams for the next year.

Love
Alyson

Now where has that goreous waiter gone to.....

Al! You are soo mischievous sometimes!! I scrunched my eyes up at the thought of a pink blanket (can it be purple instead??), but then I read on... "run around the loungeroom feeling like a super hero" and thought "YEAH!!!! Girls kick butt!!" I had a great night at hockey tonight... saved some awesome shots on goal, if I say so myself (which I do! ) and am really feeling like conquering the world tonight!!

So.... Opened up my "writing" folder and went in search of one of my fave little "starters" and decided to read through it again as I was inspired!... was cruising along... right into the scene when up pops an idea I had been needing for ages! Yeah! Made it feel like new again, and all I did was play around with it a bit. Gotta get this hype back more often cos work is really "yuck" at the moment and I need a bit of something else to make me get up and go to work. Anyway, Yeah again! Lifted up into my secret writing zone and off with my fairy friends!!

Ok one thing I have never mentioned is that almost all my "starters" have the same lead character, (ie same name, and same "personality" up here *taps noggin*).... and most "starters" end up about 2 pages before I get stuck and lose the plot... literally. The story ideas are all pretty different other than that ONE character.. soooo I am thinking, maybe they are all going to tie in together one day into one big story?? Maybe I write like Diana Gabaldon, who writes scenes first, all over the place, and then pieces them together and adds more story to blend them into a book (or series). She does it brilliantly, mind you, but who knows???

Ok, so Al - please find me that waiter! He disappeared a bit too long for my liking! I'm really curious as to what he's been upto. Maybe he's had a chat or two with my muse, and might know when she's coming back! I think I'll have to write her a letter and tell her I'm sorry for being such a wimp and running away from my dreams of being an author. If writing makes me feel so great, like I'm making something of my life, instead of hiding my tail between my legs, then I really do have to sort out how to keep up my part of the bargain.

Ok, 'nuff said for now! Luv Fi

I agree with you Alyson, this has been a great year.  I feel as if the messageboard has given me a lot - a wonderful supportive community that comiserates when things go badly and cheers when things are great.  I just wish every aspiring writer had what we have. 

Fi, I'm so pleased that you're thinking of diving into your writing more.  If something gives you pleasure, you really need to make time for it, and writing seems to feed something in the soul that doesn't get fed any other way.

I think we all have an urge to be creative and express ourselves  in some way, whether it's private poetry or gardening, sport, or just talking to people.  Some of us seem to be born with the urge to write as well, and ignoring that urge is like ignoring your destiny.  It won't go away, but it won't push you either.  It just waits to be pursued.  And if you never pursue it - if you never begin your real life's journey - you just end up with an empty space inside you.

So I figure it's better to risk looking like an idiot and at least try... 

Well, I have the pink blankie tied around my shoulders and I have suspended myself off the rafters by a heavy duty rope and am flying around the lounge room! YAY!
I feel so great about our group here I cannot help but embroider a big "D" on my shirt for Dreamer-gal and zoom zoom zoom about the place!

I know I have not come in on deadline but I am still writing and that's the main thing ~ 112600 words now ~


I am soooo happy you are back into writing, Fi! So glad to have you back again.

deb

Deb,
is that your word limit? you put me to shame!! i wish i could be as motivated as that.. but things are a little better at work this week and i don't think i will manage to write that much during my weeks when the pace is like this..

I am very happy for you- you have come so very far! i remember when your ms was just a baby still, only 50k.. then 65 and 70... how it grew in so little time!

Good for you Deb! CREAM PIE

Kerrie.

Gee thanks, Kerrie! And a cream pie too! Yum just my flavour...
I remember when I hit the 50K and thought that was huge... doubled that now and then some...
Wow I feel like putting that pink blankie on again and going for a quick zoom about the back yard.


deb

Its been a while since i last had the time to sit down and just cruse around the message board and answer emails, let alone to write any stories.
But i have reached that point once again.... the uni year is over!

This message board has definately given us all hope and encouragement when needed.

ps. just alittle notice for all those horse crazed girls - my horse is pregnant once again.

I just loved all of your messages! So much energy it practically zaps of the page. ZOWIE!!!

That pink blankie made a real night of it! Imagine what you could achieve in the pink blankie and a garland! SUPER ZIPPIDY DOO DAH ZOWIE!!!

Posted my 8500 word count on another thread but thought I would shuffle it over to Project Muse to keep on track.

Deb, that is such a humungous effort for a book in a year! Maybe be need to extend your to a year and a half. I reckon you could have this thing finished before Winter comes on. Winter is usually consideerd the time of ending so it fits.

Fi, you madcap crazy gal!!! You get those writing spurs on and kick butt, girl! I am so glad to hear how inspired you are. Just write and write and write and enjoy every darned second of it. This character of yours is so desperate to tell his (her?) story so just keep at it!

Timna, give your horse a big congratulatory hug from me. Just think you are a grannie a few times over and you're still a spring chicken yourself!!!

Yay to everyone!
Al

Timna, give Kat a hug from Rachel too.  She's thrilled for you (and pestering me for a horse again - I keep saying "when you're fifteen honey").  Deb, I can just see you in a pink blankie, with the tiara.  We really must have a photo.

I agree, Alyson, everyone is pretty zoomed at the moment and I think it's only fair that we congratulate ourselves on a really productive year.  We might not have all been writing all year, but when we've had breaks from it we've continued to keep talking and thinking about it, and sometimes that's all it takes to keep on track.  Life intervenes but if you manage to hold your focus and keep planning to write again when you can, you'll never give up.  And that, my friends, is the secret to getting published: 

Don't give up.

Not sure if I've already mentioned it, but I've been given an extension to finish book three so I'm coasting.  Thoroughly enjoying my rewrites now that I'm not scrabbling to finish, and will end up with a much more polished manuscript, which is great for the readers, great for me and pretty darned good for my publishers too.  Don't you love a win-win situation?

 

Hey

Well it sounds like everyone's writings coming along great. I havent written since before I started house sitting for my sis so that was 2 weeks ago now, but in that week I did manage to get about 7000 words done on my latest novel...but a couple of days into house sitting i decided I didnt like it anymore so i ditched that idea until i get the storyline falling better in place. Instead I am just bursting to get back into my old novel... the psych triller... because I had so many fantastic new ideas when I was away. Ways of overcoming those final few scenes I wrote and hated also. I am very confident with it all so lets just hope its not fake confidence, but that I can actually get things back on track... an ever better track than before.

Thanks for the support everyone. It really has helped keep me motivated. Especially my emails back and forth with Kerrie. It means the world to me. -hugs- Kerrie. (Peace + Harmony always hehe)

Bye bye
Holly xx

Wrote another 5000 words of "A Drop of Ink" today so I am up to 45000 words.

A few new twists and turns came about and then I figured out who done it!!! A little bit of a murder mystery thrown into this one and I had kind of figuyred out who had really one it but the one mystery woman I thought was going to be the secret alibi has turned out to be the bad guy!!! It's all gorgeous and complicated and makes perfect sense! I am so excited.

I have worked out the sequence of scenes to come which is very unusual for me and actually stopped me writing this one for a while (no thrill of the chase) but now I can't wait to get to the end. IT's all just pouring out!

There will be tonnes to edit out at the begining, lots of secondary character bits I no longer need, but no worries, I will get to that only when I am finished!

I think the chat last night helped too. A little bit of encouragement from each other is such a huge help.

Love youse all.
Al

Whoop-dee doo for you, Alyson! 5000 words in one day is amazing! Your fingers must be smoking and your key board must have melted!

I actually opened my lap-top today and turned it on!
But it has been so long now I could not make myself tap out a few words! I am so cranky with myself... I know all it will take is just a couple of paragraphs and I will be away again, but I am finding it hard to start....
Well I have been in this nasty zone before and forced my way out of it and I will do it again...

I hope everyone else is hopping along with their writing!

deb

5000 words is fantastic Alyson. That puts my few chapters of editing to shame. But its great to see some of us making such progress. I think my best in one day is 2000 words but I could be wrong. There's probably been more. In fact im sure there has been more.

well i am at 30k and sooo ahppy ive had my hissie fit moments and the hard and frustrating times with school but now all is ok. in reading some boojks i cabn see what i dint have in my boojk and are improving and my story is very complex and the plot is exellent! i love it

I agree with everyone else, 5000 words in a day is awesome, Alyson.  Congrats.  So pleased that it's all happening for you.  And don't worry, Deb.  It will all fall back into place for you too.  It must be so frustrating to have it all there and not have the time, then when you do grab a minute, it doesn't come out!  Never mind.  It will come eventually.

Great to hear from you Holly and to know your work is ticking along too. And 30k is fabulous Cassie.  Well done.  We're all achieving in our own time and in our own way which is just perfect.  There's no set finishing line/time - so long as we all get there in the end and enjoy ourselves in the process

Sorry i have not been able to get to chat for the last two weeks but things have been hectic with Chrissy Decorations being made and me being paid to make them. I have been dreaming angels all weekend. So I took the chance to make a little cash and then went back to writing and have now about 25000 on my manuscript.
Also my eldest daughter had her Grade Seven Presntation Night(a big night for Skye) last night, I am so looking forward to writing more soon.
So ggod to hear that everyone has been writing so well!!!
Just to top off a weird 2 weeks my computer picked up a worm that was one step ahead of my virus checker each time. It took me a week to get rid of it!!! So if anyone gets the w32.HLLP.Handy worm jsut scream and take it to the nearest shop (it was a nightmare to get rid of yourself LOLOL)
Have to go and write some more. See ya all around

I started some rewriting on my ms this week and managed to rewrite the chapters ive been stuck on for months. For that reason, i've managed to start writing the story again, with 1, 250 words yesterday... a small but worthwhile start. It feels so good to be back on track

Holly

Good news Holly, and lovely to hear from you again, Nancy.

I've been working away diligently on book three every day I don't have some family thing on.  Busy time of year, but so much fun.  I'm almost to the end of writing my changes in on the computer, then I'll be printing it out and reading it over to make sure I've covered all the editor's queries and the bits I wanted to add in.  After that I want to do a bit of line editing of my own before it goes off to the line edit, so there (hopefully) won't be much to do on it when it comes back to me in January.

I've seen a black&white rough of the cover art work (wish I could show you guys but I don't think my publishers would like that) and it's really good.  I'm hoping it will be even more striking than book two and the artist has really captured not only the scene from the book, but the mood of the book as a whole.  I'm hoping that's still there when it's painted, but at the moment I'm thrilled with it.  When I get the coloured version I'll ask if I can post it on my website.  Will let you know then.

 

 

Sounds fantastic Lou. I can't wait until book 3 comes out... but its such a long wait :-S Although the way I'm going lately... You'll have whole new trilogy written before I finish the one book! lol Everytime i think I'm on a role I get stuck again. I think i need to plot out each chapter...not in detail... just so i know who's POV each chapter is in before i write it...that way I will know what comes next and dont have to wait for the inspiration to come again!

Make sure you give us a demo on what its about. I am up to Chap 38 in the Daughter of the Dark. It was sheer serindipity that I found the fist book. I was in a book store after Id finished reading The Lord of the Rings book 1 and was searching for another book when I came acrss your novel. My mum said she wouldnt get me it seeing though we were going away on holiday but thats why I wanted it. Half way through the Holiday I went to another book store this time mum said I was paying so I could get anything. I was walking down the fantasy section when your book stood out like a sore thumb. So I got It and I love It Im a bit p.o. at the fact I have to wait until June next year for the last book. I guess that means It will be a great read.
Danni

Oooh, what fun! Same artist Lou?. I'm sure we can all wait for the artwork as long as we get first look see.

Seeing the intended book cover in black and white would be like looking at the shadowed future... oooh! shivers...
I hope it's everything you wanted, Lou!
Can't wait to get a glimpse.

deb