Zion Rising

ohhhhhhhh let’s not hit writers’ block today. sure it’s sunny and nice out--but face it, you’re tired by this point already. sure the housework is begging you to work on it. but you’ve been working. it’s time to sit down and type.

 

Oh but I’d so much rather be typing email! or checking the board for messages and comments.

 

so... write my 1-2000 word quota and I can go do that.

having trouble pulling up a scene. I know I left Margret in the spirit world.

don’t have any real BEGINNING to the plot yet either--been filling in the middle. have the prologue/backstory.. that’s ping. that part’s been done for a long time... pulled it from book 2. If I could ever publish the thing as one long o’ book I would put it all back in chronological order.

 

wasn’t I going to bring up some guy from South America too? except I think... that would have to be a short story.

 

I could bring Ocwen to Margret in the Spirit world.... that would be odd. We could see who he really is.

 

I’m tired. Y’know, really tired. I haven’t moved this much in a week. and I had extra duty today with the Seminary run. maybe I’d rather nap.

how many useless words have I typed so far rambling on like this?

236.

OK, so that would have gotten me 1/4 way there if I WAS WORKING ON THE BOOK instead of whining about doing it... hm... ok, point taken.

bye...

 

[pause...writing occurs]

 

all righty, well, I just threw in a cameo I’ve been dying to get in...have to check with Danielle whether I can get away with it or not!

and I think I made my decision on Margret’s fate by myself.

 

BUT I’m still 103 words short of goal. URGH!!

bye again...

 

the next day.

 

Made my goal and exceeded by 550 words yesterday after all.

in the car now. wondering whether to read the book I brought or try to make a goal.

Of course I should try. . . don’t have much in my head though.

 

5-30

Okay, today I got a cool fan letter.

It made me smile for a long time!

...And reminded me why I’m doing this, and WHAT I’m doing with this... and dang, it should be finished by now, and in the final tweaking stages.

I’m having to overcome a lot of real fear to write it. Don’t know why. It’s just there.

I’ve talked before how I’m afraid of real success, right? Maybe that’s why I wind up with publishers who stop publishing. Who knows.

So... I’m about done with “pre-written” scenes floating about in my head, and have to get down to some real work. I don’t need to wait for inspiration either, necessarily... just start making sentences.

 

Got solid comments on my song for the JPF showcase today too, which is good. One vote for singing a church song, because I’m solid on Gospel singing. That much is true. Still... I’d like to expand. That’s all beside the point, but it’s taking up a lot of my attention because I hope to rehearse it 100 times before next Thursday’s performance in Kansas City.

 

So where should I write today? I think I may just have to go back to the beginning and figure out the whole Prologue. Oh--and my fan letter mentioned she wanted more detail and description of New Hope. I was trimming for space and just didn’t write any at the time... I started out with 600 MS pages and had to trim by a third. Prodigal was 800, if I remember right. And STILL should have been 400. Oy.

 

Now, this one, I’m not sure I’ve hit [hidden number!] yet. Gracious.

I’m sitting around with my Dana waiting for a terribly long band concert, last one of the year, to begin. Maybe I should’ve encouraged S. to do track after all... I may have gotten more writing done at these things. Seems like I’m pulling it out when I have to wait. I hope hope hope to get some good stuff written on the plane next week too. I hope hope hope I have a storyline brewing in my head by then. I have sure tried to outline this thing, and it refuses. It’s like trying to stuff one of those springy coils back into the fake can of peanuts... just doesn’t want to go.

And yes, I do pray for help. Maybe not enough.

 

I’m going to write a whole book on how I wrote a book here, that is much much more boring than the actual book. Thank you  for tapping into my stream of consciousness today...

 

See I’m not ready to go yet.

But I’d better be.

 

Side note: nachos for dinner (corn chips) and not 10 minutes later my sore throat is back. RATS! There may be something to it. I may just have an allergy. C’mon, I already gave up sugar and Cheetos! You want tacos too?

 

Well, I’m still eating tacos at Salty Iguana next week if it kills me.

Reminder: CALL and find out when we can go do that!

 

OK... a reluctant farewell ensues... sniffle sniffle... off to the torture chamber oops I mean the joy of writing!  There’s just so much HARD crappy stuff that has to happen. I’d better just write it and get it over with. Then let the first readers yell.

 

~sigh~

 

bye.

 

June 5

Back for another band/orchestra concert. S. hopes she goes first so we can go... so do I, if this is the strings performing. Ha! They are typically not very good here. Perhaps I should say, painful. [Note: My apologies to anyone with a child in this particular orchestra.]

Let us go now instead and create some more painful fiction.

bye...

 

 

 

“Exploration Team Two checking in,” Peter said.

 

Oh that is crap. That is just, like, almost worse than:

Why we should explore the ruins of the city.

Yes! Let’s do. Come, Alyssa, let’s go see lots of dead bodies moldering in disease.

Why that sounds fun and romantic, Peter! Whatever shall we find there. Oh whatever shall we find.

 

LOL. I may just leave that in to tweak with my first readers’ minds.

You would not BELIEVE the number of English papers I started out that way. Then cut it back once I got down to the real paper. I lost one on Hamlet once... it was good... I still have half of if on a printout somewhere.

 

OK. This is complete digression. Let’s just say, that scene isn’t coming right now. Onward.

What were they doing before Alyssa saw Ping?

Good question. Soon as I figure it out, I’ll let you know.

Don’t know why I can’t write something easy. Shoulda written my Kansas City novel inbetween. Or the fantasy one. Oh well. Too late.

 

I’ve probably written a thousand words just BS-ing by now, I betcha. Wasted time!

Did a word count. Yep.

 

Nevermind. Why is Tory Nichols in the story?

What happens to July-Marie?

Chloe--now, she’ll get baptized.

Howard, I’m afraid, may wind up in a straitjacket. But he’s important for getting the network back online. And man, is he motivated.

Do I get any credit for trying, here??

 

What can I write up for Alyssa and Peter, moving in? That’s so boring! Something else has to be going on, and that’s the backdrop.

And what about Phil?? Hello... we can’t just drop him like a rock.

How soon does Jon’s arrest come into play?

And Horne needs some scenes.

Also I want to bring in Victor Caldwell somewhere... with Kensington. Caldwell’s POV.

 

Well that sounds interesting, maybe I’ll try that.