Writing

What The Hell Was I Thinking?

/ Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 1 Comment

Okay. I admit I bit off more than I can chew with my 2012 writing resolutions and let’s see…oh, it’s only day four of 2012! I’m so frazzled I had to check a calendar! Four days into the new year and I don’t know what day it is. Perfect. What do you expect? I’m new at this, AND I had this insanely jacked up muse who reappeared after sneaking off with Santa’s helper, for an exotic vacation from who knows where, ready to go.

My God, Mr. Elf has her smiling and oozing energy into the atmosphere. Hell, even I’m tingling. Does he have a brother?

Anyway, I’m not sure now if it was her or the glass ball dropping in Time Square, but the ideas for getting the writing ball rolling (no pun intended) were just bouncing around the room. She squealed with delight as our plan began to take shape, and I ran around going “Yeah, I can do that, sure, sounds great! “After all, I’m retired, piece of cake. 500 words a day, a blog, a short story, one word writing exercises daily, writing prompts, join another writer’s group, hell, seemed easy. Especially with the wine we were consuming.

Well, it was New Year’s Eve. Only problem… life gets in the way of grand schemes.

Little things like husbands – who call right when you sit down to write those 500 words – “Honey, I need you to come pick me up, I’ve left my car at the mechanic’s,” or the dogs that need walking- you can’t very well let them do their business in the house. The laundry- can only pile so high before you have to give in and do it. I tried running loads while writing, but somehow I kept losing focus, I can’t imagine why? And there’s always the unexpected visitor, the dreaded grocery day- I hate grocery day and our children – OMG our children – need I say more?

So, yeah looks as though I might want to reevaluate my resolutions. I might have been a little over zealous in listening to a giggling over satisfied muse back from a romp with her Elf, but for now, I’ll keep pushing myself. I may not reach every goal, but at least I won’t be idle.

Here’s, to achieving our writing goals in 2012!

 

2012 Resolutions

/ Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 2 Comments

The New Year is about to dawn and with it, a promise to myself to do better. I had a pretty good start last year and then faltered for many reasons and too many lousy excuses. Funny how that happens even when pursuing our dreams. Life just gets in the way, and excuses become easy.

Learning a new craft is exhausting and trying on the family. Oftentimes, explaining the time commitment required to learn and grow becomes the thing most exhausting leading to writers block or down time. For me, I had a bout with the flu, and then the audacity of my muse taking off with Santa’s helper for a long vacation, didn’t help either. But, it looks like we’ll be back on schedule first of the year. I’ve put a plan together to help keep me focused and hopefully move forward in pursuit of my dream. Wish me luck, The Road to Hell is Paved with Good Intentions!

My  2012  Resolutions  are:

1. Write at least 500 words a day on my novel in progress – Hello Hell

2. Do oneword. com every morning, as a writing exercise.

3. Improve my blog and blog weekly.

4. Utilize writing prompts for short stories; seek publication.

5. Write a  new short story at least bi-weekly.

6. Submit to contest and literary magazines.

7. Expand my writer’s groups.

8. Organize my writing files.

Missing Muse

/ Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 1 Comment

My muse is missing. I think she may have run off with one of Santa’s helpers. Come to think of it, she may have snuck out with the Clown I  saw her hanging around with the week of Halloween. At any rate, she’s missing.

Since she’s been gone, I’ve been thoroughly distracted, and unable to find one creative thought to put on paper. Nothing, Nada, zilch. When she was here, I got up every morning my brain overflowing with story ideas. I could pick any one of my projects and work all day non-stop. Even a stranger’s comments overheard in passing can stimulate ideas, a character or scene. Now, All I can think of are the things I can’t think of and wonder where the Hell my muse has taken off to.

It has gotten so bad, I’m wondering why I bothered to buy my new apple laptop computer, although I admit surfing the web is much faster. My only hope is that she’ll tire of hanging around a guy who dresses funny and only shows up once a year. I’m pretty sure she hates the cold, too.

In the meantime, if you see her, send her home.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Is It Good if They Shudder???

/ Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / Leave a comment

I love writing and belonging to a writer’s group. Receiving constructive criticism has improved my skills and pushed me to discover things about myself. So, it was with some trepidation I submitted a short story for their critique this past month. I knew would give them pause.

It was a genre I hadn’t written before, contained language I hadn’t seen in any of the groups’ writings, and the subject matter was deadly, diabolically so. I had written a short story about a woman murdering her husband, and I’d had a ball doing it. My husband and I shared many laughs, although he did make an announcement at Thanksgiving…. “If anything should ever happen …”

I admit I was a little nervous as I arrived at our monthly meeting, and when my time came for the round table critique, silence ensued. I wished the room had been bugged with a camera, as the looks on their faces were priceless.

“Uh, uh… She is cold…I don’t want to know her…” My peer shuddered as she tossed her critique to me. The others followed suit.

“It was completely believable…”

“She was a sociopath…”

Three of the six, actually, physically, shuddered as they handed their critiques. Their looks prompted me to ask, “Are you all going to disinvite me to the group, now?” We all laughed, jokes followed, and it broke the tension, which my story had created. Isn’t a story supposed to do? Create tension, be believable?

I had written a story just the way I had intended. Murder is not pretty or comfortable or warm and fuzzy. It should make you shudder. My short story did that this time.

Maybe, I’ll be a writer after all.