What Happens When You Read Other Blogs First

Ack!!

I've been reading through Miss Snark's blog (see the link in the sidebar), absorbing what she likes and what she doesn't like in query letters and the first page.

Of course, I did zilcho as to my own work in progress.

Anyway, I've decided that instead of this being a writing advice blog (since I haven't had a novel published as yet), I'm going to make it more of a personal blog--with a writerly bent. I'll occasionally comment on the sleazy side of the industry (scam publishers and agents), but I'll leave the advice to those who've said it much better than me--and who don't go off on tangents like I tend to do.

Over the Weekend

So, did I do anything this weekend? As a matter of fact, I did. I wrote some more scenes on index cards, wrote the back blurb for the novel (which probably won't see the light of day beyond my eyes), and put together a more-organized writer's notebook than the tattered gamish-gamash that I've been hauling around.

If you're the outlining type (and I've conceded to myself that that's what makes me the most comfortable--and productive), here's what I've done to tab different sections of my notebook:

• Tab 1 - Plot Ideas
• Tab 2 - Characters
• Tab 3 - Research
• Tab 4 - Plot Summary
• Tab 5 - Questions/Misc.
  

It's a great idea--but I certainly can't take credit for it. It's a suggestion in James Scott Bell's Write Great Fiction: Plot & Structure. This book is turning out to be my best ever purchase, as far as writing books go.

So far, that is.

We'll see if this eventually leads to publication.

Let's see--I've done quite a bit of research into Egyptian gods and goddess (and their idea of the Netherworld); I'll need to do some more NYC research; plus some more on feral cats and the organizations that trap them, spay/neuter them, then release them back onto the streets (these are wild cats that can't be adopted).

I'm still not sure on the character names, but they can be changed.

Tomorrow, I'm hoping to dive in and get the story off to a good, moving start. I just have to remember not to cram a ton of description and backstory into the first few paragraphs...and I should be okay.

The operative word is "should." The next few weeks and months will let me see if this is viable, if this is doable.

Keep writing!