In which I start over
Well, I hadn't intended to take ALL of December off from this blog, really I hadn't. It's not like I took all that time off from writing, either. I have an "easy reader" story I'm trying to bring down the reading level for before submitting. "Easy readers" probably shouldn't be coming in at the 4th grade reading level. Though I don't know, it seems pretty easy to me. I'm trying to figure out what words are triggering the higher level, or if I just have too complex sentences. I tend to like long sentences, and am frequently told to cut them up a bit to simplify them at work. I also need to check I've made simple word choices. I did find I'd used words like "declared," which probably isn't necessary.
I like the story though, and will see what I can do with it. I'm thinking I may go with easy readers or beginning chapter books for a bit. Two reasons: one, I can usually stick with them long enough to finish them, and two, I'm not too impressed with the selections out there for my own beginning reader. One thing I want to play with is some of the really kooky ideas I had as a kid. I had some pretty kooky ideas. Periodically I wonder what happened to my imagination since then. I had a very nice one once. Now it only seems to work on natural disasters, bills, and other yucky stuff like that. I think it's time I tapped back into my more primitive imagination.
When I was in fourth grade, we were supposed to write about a deserted house. I wrote about an actual one I knew about that I'd imagined lots of things about. Unfortunately I'd gotten bogged in description (thank goodness I know how to work around that now!) but the ideas I'd started out with were cool. But not as cool as my friend, who wrote about a deSSerted house! And then, of course, we all had to write about desserted houses too. And each was more wild than the last, with 200 stories of marshmallows and ice cream, and rides in 300 people limosines. Upshot of it all was we were all jealous of our friend's imagination.... I guess in many ways, I'm still jealous of other people's imaginations. I keep thinking, "Why don't my stories turn out as cool as theirs??" But today, for every two or three books that make me think that, there are thirty that make me think "These people are published and I'm not????" So I guess it evens out. But sometimes I do wonder if that spark of true imaginative insight exists anymore-- or if it ever did.
Ok, well, that was more negative-sounding than I feel. As I said, I'm pretty happy with the idea behind the thing I wrote, I am very happy about the idea I am in the middle of having now, and my one writing resolution this year is to write 15 minutes a day in here, and 15 minutes a day on something I'm working on, for at least 4 days a week. I think this blog was actually pretty helpful in getting the juices flowing prior to NaNoWriMo. Maybe I should start a "total word count in 2005" meter or something, but it would probably be more effort to maintain than it is worth.
At any rate, for more writing angst, writing joy, and weird insights into my mind, stay tuned!
I like the story though, and will see what I can do with it. I'm thinking I may go with easy readers or beginning chapter books for a bit. Two reasons: one, I can usually stick with them long enough to finish them, and two, I'm not too impressed with the selections out there for my own beginning reader. One thing I want to play with is some of the really kooky ideas I had as a kid. I had some pretty kooky ideas. Periodically I wonder what happened to my imagination since then. I had a very nice one once. Now it only seems to work on natural disasters, bills, and other yucky stuff like that. I think it's time I tapped back into my more primitive imagination.
When I was in fourth grade, we were supposed to write about a deserted house. I wrote about an actual one I knew about that I'd imagined lots of things about. Unfortunately I'd gotten bogged in description (thank goodness I know how to work around that now!) but the ideas I'd started out with were cool. But not as cool as my friend, who wrote about a deSSerted house! And then, of course, we all had to write about desserted houses too. And each was more wild than the last, with 200 stories of marshmallows and ice cream, and rides in 300 people limosines. Upshot of it all was we were all jealous of our friend's imagination.... I guess in many ways, I'm still jealous of other people's imaginations. I keep thinking, "Why don't my stories turn out as cool as theirs??" But today, for every two or three books that make me think that, there are thirty that make me think "These people are published and I'm not????" So I guess it evens out. But sometimes I do wonder if that spark of true imaginative insight exists anymore-- or if it ever did.
Ok, well, that was more negative-sounding than I feel. As I said, I'm pretty happy with the idea behind the thing I wrote, I am very happy about the idea I am in the middle of having now, and my one writing resolution this year is to write 15 minutes a day in here, and 15 minutes a day on something I'm working on, for at least 4 days a week. I think this blog was actually pretty helpful in getting the juices flowing prior to NaNoWriMo. Maybe I should start a "total word count in 2005" meter or something, but it would probably be more effort to maintain than it is worth.
At any rate, for more writing angst, writing joy, and weird insights into my mind, stay tuned!
posted by BlogShy | 5:16 AM
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