Getting My Bearings

Well, I've been taking some time off.

See, not only did I finishe writing my story (46, 320 words!), I also finished reading Stephen King's book "On Writing". VERY informative.

He suggested that upon completion of a story, the writer should just leave the manuscript alone for four to six weeks before going back to it. One needs to separate emotionally and mentally before starting to edit it.

And in the meantime, get started on the next one. Ostensibly, I believe, in order to further separate (or break the umbilical cord) to the previous story.

Only with this separation does the writer again get enough perspective to treat the story with an objective eye.

I whole-heartedly agree.

Although it's driving me crazy not to start ripping the thing to shreds already. The fact that I have to wait until Nov 14 (the 4 week mark) is almost unbearable. But this is EXACTLY why it's necessary to wait.

So, in the meantime, I have been starting to think about my next story.

I grabbed the nearest spiral notebook I could find, and started jotting down whatever points have come into my mind.

I also went right to the Harlequin guidelines page and took down notes on the three categories that interest me the most: Xtra-Sensual Romance, Romantic Suspense, and Silhouette Desire.

It was my way of clarifying what exactly it is that the editors of each line are really looking for. Right down to the vocabulary used to describe the lines. (I've begun to notice that many of these words appear repeatedly in some of the books I've been reading.)

This time I intend to write with a more specific target line in mind.

I don't know if the first book will ever sell, although I think it might. At the very least, I believe it should get me an agent.

And speaking of Agents, I've spent the day checking out all the RWA-approved agents listed on the RWA website. I'm getting a bit ahead of myself, but it's always better to be as prepared as possible.

Anyway, back to brainstorming.

C.J

AT LONG LAST!

It's DONE!

I FINISHED IT!

I typed the last words yesterday afternoon, and today at our monthly Romance Writer's Meeting I got my chocolate and a round of applause.

That applause felt awesome. (You can take the boy out of acting, but you can't take the acting out of the boy.)

Seriously, I accomplished several breakthroughs yesterday.

First of all: I completed something that I started.
Second: It was something for which I had no TRUE deadline.
Third: I did it because I loved it.
Fourth: I turned out not half bad.
Fifth: I did it in a reasonable amount of time. (More on that ina minute)
Sixth: I worked till it was DONE.
Seventh: I now know I can write a complete story/book from begining to END!

All this because I slowly pecked away at it.

And as for the the "reasonable amount of time" thing, well, here's my reference for that.

At today's meeting, I was asked by a couple of fellow members how long it took me to write my first one. I told them, and they were COMPLETELY STUNNED.

They both told me it took them roughly TWO YEARS to write theirs.

And one of them had written a book that was EXACTLY the same length as mine!

What a RELIEF!

Here I was thinking I wasn't taking this whole thing seriously enough, and I come to find out that I'm a tad prolific in my writing.

I can DO this.

I'm not saying my rough draft is anything better than a VERY rough draft. But the point is I got the ROUGH draft done in ONE THIRD of the time it seems to have taken other people.

Which means: I have a passion for this. I wanted it done, because I believed in it, and felt, intrinsically, that I could do it.

Even if this manuscript never sees the light of day, I will know that I did it.

And more importantly, I can do it AGAIN!

The other short contemporary writer and I have decided to share our stories with each other and see if we can't help each other rejig our respective manuscripts to get the into some kind of acceptable form for submission.

Next steps.

I am SO excited.

And proud.

Can I just revel in that for a moment?

J.D

Knuckle Biting

It's so close I can almost taste it.

I'm talking of course about the ENDING OF MY BOOK.

I am roughly 3000 words from the end! That's less than one whole chapter!

THE END! Can you believe it??????

You have to understand, I NEVER finish ANYTHING I start. EVER.

I've just written a 50000-ish word novel. How AWESOME is that?

I have learned so much so far. About myself, and myself as a writer. It's fascinating.

Like for instance:

I don't like to write more than 1000 words a day, and that if I stick to that I am more likely to actually
write those 1000 words.

Writng 1000 words a day means I can write a chapter in four days. Three if it's going well.

I will also make sacrifices for writing that I would NEVER have made when I was acting.

Example:

Tonight, when I got home, (anxious to get another thousand or so words down on my chapter--I have a deadline of Saturday this week to get it done), THE POWER WAS OUT ONLY ON MY BLOCK!

Can you believe??????

And I didn't have any part of Chapter Eleven in my home computer. It was saved in my email so I could download it from my work computer. Stupid.

Here's how I handled it.

I actually packed up my laptop and marched down the street to Starbucks to see if I could get on the internet and do the writing I needed to do.

I would NEVER HAVE DONE THIS for ANYTHING to do with the acting biz. EVER.

Something has changed within me. (Not a deliberate quote from Wicked, but what can I say, it's TRUE!)

I want to sell MILLIONS of books!

I want to tour the world spreading the joy of writing and reading romance.

I am so bloody excited, I can't stand it.

I'll post again when I'm done.

Keep your fingers crossed for me. I gotta be done by tomorrow night.

Yikes!!!!!

J.D

After WOTS

Word on the Street was a great experience.

I met several more of our members at the Toronto Romance Writers booth.

Also, I noticed an odd reluctance on the part of passers-by to openly talk about romance.

People seem embarrassed to admit that they like to read or write romance.

I think it has to do with the fact that ultimately the romance industry is about promoting love, joy, hope, and faith in something intangible.

Something that EVERYONE wants.

We live in such a cynical time, that I believe people don't want to been seen as "foolish" by admitting that they believe in something as seemingly simplistic as love or joy or hope.

WHY?

HOW have we arrived at such a place?

WHY is it foolish to be optimistic?

I would say it's BRAVE to be optimistic.

I have refused in my past to be closeted about a number of things. My homosexuality, the fact that I grew up on a pig farm, that I suffer from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and that I like cheesy pop music.

I again to refuse to be closeted about my love for romance, joy, hope, faith, and love.

Wouldn't we all be in a better mood if we believed that GOOD things can acutally happen?

Something to think on.

J.D

WOTS

Word on the Street.

Yes, I will be appearing at Word on the Street, tomorrow, Sunday 24th.

I'll be at the Toronto Romance Writer's booth: WB15.

We'll be on the NorthEast Crest of University/Queen's Park Ave.

I'll be there from 3 until 6 pm.

Come by and see me/us!

J.J

Chapter Seven!!!

At long, long, long, long, long, long last!

I think I had a bit of a writing burp there. Man I did NOT want to keep writing this story. I had gotten a bit off the track of the outline, and I couldn't see how it was going to continue.

But it finally came to me.

It does mean that Chapter Seven is a bit uneven with the rest of the book. The last several chapters were all about one night in the lives of Maggie and Glen. And then all of a sudden, I realized, they'd had sex, had breakfast the next morning, and had...ABSOLUTELY NO MOVEMENT FORWARD IN THE PLOT.

As is terms of outside influences affecting the hero and heroine.

I'd focussed so intensely upon getting the two of them together and then in the sack that I lost sight of all the external plot devices that could be going on.

Anyway, after a bit of a choppy chapter, the plot is alive and cooking, and needless to say, I think I now know how I'm going to get through to the end.

It may even end the way I had originally planned.

Althought the journey is turning out to be somewhat different.

Hmmm.

I think there's a life lesson in there somewhere.

J.J

Chapter Six

It's been AGES since I posted an update on this site.

I've been awfully busy, as any of you who've been following jamesandthecity.blogspot.com.

Travelling here and there, and working on getting my life together.

Well, I wrote Chapter Six and though it was short, I quite like the way it put a certain part of the plot back on track.

I'd spent so much time with Maggie and Glen recently, just getting them from moment to moment, that I was unable to address someof the larger issues in their relationship.

So now I'm getting to represent the essential conflicts in the story, and bring back some of the supporting characters.

Helena for one. Maggie's mother for another. And the best friend Sandy. She hasn't made an appearance since Chapter Two or Three, I think.

I'm currently working on Chapter Seven, and hopefully will get it finished some time in the next week.

And all you lucky readers will get a chance to see what else happens next in the lives of Glen and Maggie.

In fact, I'm qute interested to see how things turn out, because they've started to take over the story a bit, and they're starting to lead me into some new territory I hadn't considered when I was plotting the chapters.

The book may not end the way I had planned it.

Now all of you and I really ARE on this journey together.

Soon.

J.J

Five Done

WELL!

It's been ages , I know. But this chapter was a toughy to write. It's their first love scene. Also, it was MY first love scene. Never written one before. Interesting.

And a lot easier than I thought.

Well, once they were IN the bedroom it was easier. The trip TO the bedroom, however, was NOT.

Also, the structure of this chapter has broken completely from my synopsis. They weren't supposed to do it till Chapter Six. Now they've already done it, and I don't know WHAT the hell is going to happen next, or how I'm going to stay on track with the rest of the breakdown.

But at this point, I think that characters are starting to lead me.

The ending still feels like it will be the ending that I wrote, but I think the journey there is going to change just a bit.

Oh well, I guess that's all a part of the writing process.

I know my friend Joy Fielding (New York Times Best Selling Author, said the name-dropper), has talked on her site about the halfway point where a book suddenly changes direction and she realizes that she has to go back and retweak the opening. Sucks. But hopefully it means the end product is better.

The top of Chapter Five was tough going. My GOD I didn't feel like writing it. I even did HOUSEWORK to avoid writing it. Yeeks!

However, once they started getting it on, amazingly, I ZOOMED straight through it. (I didn't even want to take my lunch break at work today, because they were JUST about to climax!!)

Writing the sex seems to come quite naturally to me.

THAT'S something I wasn't aware of before.

Just means I have an over-active, and mildly filthy imagination.

Anyway, that's all from me today.

I can't wait to see what they do in Chapter Six, cause quite frankly, I'm like all of you, I haven't the SLIGHTEST idea.

Soon.

J.J

One Step, Two Step

Just an update on my writerly status.

I am now officially a member of both Romance Writers of America (10 000 strong and growing!), and its local affiliate, Toronto Romance Writers.

I have been checking out the newsletters and magazines published by both organizations and I have to say I am finding it all incredibly interesting, and very informative.

I am more and more convinced of my choice to follow this path in my life.

However, there was a momentary hiccup when I opened my first issue of Romance Writers Report (from RWA National), and had the unpleasant experience of having the first letter-to-the-editor be a blatantly homophobic one.

I am debating writing a response. Since the writer of that letter was already responding to someone else's obviously NON-homophobic letter, I don't want to turn this into a tit for tat.

But really, it just upset me so much, I feel compelled to respond.

This is MY association, too. I paid my dues. I have the right to say something.

I'm just letting myself cool off long enough, so that I can create a non-shrill (the writer's words) repsonse. Also, a response that is about writing and not about homophobia. Also, we are not allowed to attack another writer directly.

Oh, well, after being raised by grandma, who could call you an asshole, and you'd never know it, I figure I can come up with something fairly cutting but still printable.

Until next time.

J.J

PS: Chapter Five is underway. Slowly. Gee, writing is hard!

The Story Goes On

It's done.

In a flurry of activity I finished Chapter Four last night between calls at my day job. (I work in a call-centre.)

It never ceases to amaze me that when I start each chapter all I can think about is how far away 5000 words seem.

Then, before I know it, I've arrived and in fact have usually exceeded the number.

What I'm loving about writing is that with the completion of EACH chapter I get a sense of accomplishment.

I'm finally begining to understand that whole idea that "it isn't about the product, but rather the process." I used to DESPISE this expression. (And needless to say I was miserably unhappy.)

Now I get to feel happy TWELVE TIMES (there's twelve chapters) before the manuscript will be completed. And the HAPPY that I will feel when I type the last line of Chapter Twelve will hopefully feel even better!

Hold on to your hats, readers, Chapter Five is on the way!

J.J

Chapter Four

For those of you who are counting, or for those of you who are just interested, I'm currently in the middle of Chapter Four.

I have a feeling it's going to spill over into Chapter Five, which is fine, because Chapters four, five, and six, are all kind of tied directly together with each other. They're the most chronological chapters in the book, and now that I look at my synopsis, I may have left each chapter a little thin when it comes to plot points. So the fact that some of four may spill into five and five into six, seems like it's going to be a good thing.

The book is really getting going now. It's amazing how the momentum of the story itself is just taking over as I write it.

I even want to write it faster. Unfortunately, it still takes just as long to write each chapter as it ever has.

Anyway, I intend to finish off Chapter Four tomorrow.

I now have two readers in my office, and now they've both become involved in the story, and they keep asking/pressuring me to get the next chapters written.

It's stressful, but awesome. Especially when I consider the fact that their outside influence is keeping on track, and forcing me keep writing.

I can't wait till this manuscript is done.

How awesome is THAT going to feel?

J.J.

Three Done

Sorry it took me so long, folks, but I was away last weekend in Charlottetown.

It's odd that it took me this long to finish Three because it came quite easily, although I'll admit that the last few pages were a bit of a strain.

However, I did make it past my word count. I'm supposed to hit 4750/chapter, and I was over 5000 when I finished writing Three.

I may start Four tomorrow.

The Dinner!

For those of you who are following the story, you know that the first part of the book has been leading up to this moment.

In other news:

I have finally received my membership numbers for both Romance Writers of America and its Toronto Branch: Toronto Romance Writers.

I missed what was to be my first meeting of TRW a couple of weekends ago. It was on a saturday, and as per usual I slept in. I must fix this habit if I'm going to be a serious writer who wants to be taken seriously.

I've been checking out all of the articles on the RWA website, and have already plowed through my first issue of TRW's newsletter: romANTICS.

In all my years as an actor, I never ONCE finished reading a single issue of either the Equity Newsletter, of the ACTRA magazines.

I read all of romANTICS in one sitting. And it was twice as long as both of those other publications put together!

I think I have finally chosen a career I can live with. And enjoy.

Yay me.

E you later...

J.J

Chapter Three

Chapter Three is underway and, in fact, is turning out to be much easier to write than Chapter Two.

While I was writing the first half, I managed to toss off 1700 words before I even did a word count.

And at that point, I hadn't even finished writing the scene I was working on.

I knew that I would hit the 2500 word mark by the scene's end, and then I would be able to continue on with the second half of the chapter and not worry about hitting the final count because I knew that scene will be quite lengthy.

It's going well.

I intend to have Chapter Three finished some time in the next two days.

I seem to be averaging one chapter a week.

I start the chapter some time between Sat and Mon, and usually finish it off by Thurs/Fri.

At least I have a writing schedule.

And I'm sticking to it.

J.J

Two Done

Once again, I have amazed myself by buckling down and getting done what needed to be done.

Chapter Two is done.

I have to say this chapter was a LOT harder to write than I had expected. I was so worried about the pologue and chapter one, that I never even thought about two.

See, with the first bits, you put yourself under all that pressure to get it started the "right" way. You know, with the right amount of plot, and character explanation. You want to hit the reader with just the right amount of info and excitement to make them want to invest their time and get involved in the lives of these characters. You want them to want to read more.

Well, I did that. I think fairly successfully.

THEN! (And this is the part I never thought about.) I had to FOLLOW IT UP WITH SOMETHING.

I realized that chapter two is the hardest chapter to write because you've done the hard bit, and the exciting bit, and now you have to follow it up with a chapter that probably won't have a lot of plot going on, but will have a lot of description, but all before the momentum really starts to get going. And you still have to hold the reader's attention.

It's kind of like the second number that you do in a show. You know, the one that follows the big excitng opening number. How do you choose the second number? It has to have just the exact right amount of energy, but not as much as the first, and not as much as the act one finale.

Chapter Two is the tough one.

But I finished it.

In about an hour, no less.

Which makes me realize that each chapter basically has a time value, for me, of about three and a half hours. Maybe four.

Now, I will say that I didn't quite hit my word count for this chapter, which should be 4750. I came in at around 4150, which means I'm alreay about 600 words shy of reaching the ultimate goal of 57 000 words at books end.

Oh well, chapter one/prologue was over 5000, so I guess I'm still technically on track.

And besides, when I wrote what was to become the last line of chapter two, I kind of knew that it was done, and that I wanted to leave the reader right there, because it would hopefully make them want to read on into chapter three.

The cliffhanger. Where would we be without that.

I guess all those years of watching soap operas has finally paid off.

What's that line from "Gypsy"?

"Make 'em beg for more...and then don't give it to them!"

J.J

Working

I'm working on Chapter Two as you read this.

In my defence, I was sick this past week, and just couldn't bring myself to write anything while feeling like that.

Of course, it nagged at the back of my brain every single day!

So now that I'm feeling better, I'm going to do something about it.

I'll post another blog when Chapter Two is done.

Hopefully in about two hours!

Start the timers.

GO!

J.J

The Story Continues

Well, my readers, Chapter Two is under way. I'm sure you're all dying to know what happens after Glen kisses Maggie. Well, so was I!!

To be honest, when I wrote that final line to Chapter One, I wasn't sure what was going to happen.

It was not exactly how I had planned to finish the first chapter, so I wasn't sure if I should start Chapter Two with the way I'd planned, or if I should just see what would happen.

Well, I went with what would happen, and I have to tell you that by opening myself, and my writing, up to what was new, and fresh, I came up with story bits that were far more rich then anything I had previously planned.

I've read several writers' websites, and they've all talked about the moment that the story, or the characters take over and start to tell you where they want to go.

I, like you, can't wait to see where they tell me they want to go next.

Also, realizing that when this chapter is done, I will only have ten more chapters to write is still amazing to me.

Someone once said to me that it's about small projects and short-term goals, and I have to say that I think I finally get that.

In the past, it was always about the finished product, and the complete whole. It was so BIG! No WONDER I never finished anything.

When I just think about it on a word-by-word, chapter-by-chapter basis, it becomes far easier to deal with.

And easier to write.

Not such a huge project.

Because, really, it isn't. I mean, I'm not writing public policy here, am I?

Just some romance, and some emotion.

And I am loving every minute of it.

See you at the end of TWO.

J.J

Done One

Okay, so after my last little blurb of self-hate, I sat my arse down at the computer, opened up my word document, and jumped back into Chapter One.

I'm happy to report, that it is now DONE!

And I'm even 100 words OVER my WORD COUNT requirement!

I printed it all off, so that I have a hard copy (cause I still don't entirely trust the computers not to lose things), and stood there and just stared at it for a few minutes.

I did this, I thought. All of it. From the back of my brain, to the top of each page, I wrote it all.

I even re-read some of it, and I have to admit that it doesn't suck.

It's rather quite decent, actually. It seems to ring true like the books I've been reading from my favourite romance line.

The book isn't finished yet, but at least Chapter One is.

Only 11 Chaps to go!

I'm just tickled that I did it.

Hmmm. Maybe I can do this after all.

J.J

Old Habits

My GOD I don't want to write anything right now.

My whole body is screaming that I just DON'T want to do it.

Actually it's screaming that I CAN'T do it, which of course is horseshit.

I have SEVERE discipline problems.

It's very frustrating, especially since I know that I'm half way through chapter one, and it's been haning like that since Monday, and I said I would have it done by Friday, and it would only take me about 2.5 hours to write the end, and then I would have one WHOLE chapter done, and only have 11 more to write. And then 10. And then 9. And then 8. And then...well, you get the picture.

But I can't do that. Oh, heavens no. I don't FINISH things, do I? No.

Hell, if I finished them, THEN what would I do? What would I have to agonize about?

What would I have to distract myself from?

How would I make myself feel shitty?

Answer: I couldn't. I would just have to accept the fact that I can ACCOMPLISH something, and then that, since I can, I might ACTUALLY have to DO something with it.

THAT scares the hell out of me.

Better to not even have to go there.

Just keep Chapter One hanging.

Forever.

Keep feeling like shit.

Keep proving to yourself that you can fail at everything.

Yeah....

Um, Jackie, how's that WORKIN' for ya?

Soon

Well, I'm happy to report that Chapter One is well under way, and I've now broken it up into a prologue and chapter one. This way I'm able to get a couple of the cool things accomplished in the first "chapter" so that it can start off the right way.

I've been writing for a bout 2 hours and I've only managed to come up with just over 2000 words! It takes nearly 5000 just to complete ONE chapter.

WHAT have I gotten myself into?

But I will say that when I realized I was coming up on the time that I had to quit today, I had this overwhelming feeling that I didn't want to.

I was jivin'. If that's the right expression. Everything was just flowing and moving. It was hard to say to myself that I just had to stop. Laundry is more important.

Anyway, as promised, some form of Prologue/Chapter One will be available for your perusal sometime later this week.

Can you even BELIEVE?

I know I can't.

Hee hee.

J.J

Amazed

Romance fiction truly amazes me.

Not only that actual writing, but also this entire sub-culture that exists around it.

The stats on the Romance Writer's of America's website alone are staggering:

1.2 Billion dollars in sales EACH YEAR

54.9% of all mass market fiction sold

39.3% of ALL fiction sold

And the fact that there are even IS a Romance Writer's of America Association (9500 strong), seems incredible to me.

They have their own awards (the RITA's, the Golden Heart, the Romantic Times Book Review), their own international conferences, and a whole world-wide fan base.

AND there is a Toronto chapter (Toronto Romance Writers), with published authors...well, I'm just truly stunned.

I had no idea.

There are publishers, and classes EVERYWHERE, which I'm assuming also means that there are AUTHORS everywhere, and everyone has a manuscript in their pocket.

I have already been in contact with one member of Toronto Romance Writers, who was very helpful, and all I can say is, I think I've chosen the right new path for myself.

As you've all no doubt discovered from my Blogbits, I LOVE communicating through the written word. I think it allows me to finally express myself in the way I've always wanted to.
I get the chance to consider WHAT I'm going to say, and HOW I'm going to say it.

I think I'm far funnier when I write than when I speak.

I guess it's because of all those years, alone in my room, typing my heart out on my electric typerwriter. That's how I first expressed all that STUFF that I didn't even know existed.

(Of course, when I go back and read some of that stuff now, I'm HORRIFIED by what I see: pages and pages of my issues and crap, all OVER the place.)

Now that I get to consciously write about all the stuff that's going on in my head, it feels so good to connect to it, own it, and then send it out into the world, where, hopefully, it will do someone else some good too.

Even if it's just to entertain someone, and take them away from the hum-drum of their own lives for a few hours, I know that I will have finally done something with my life that isn't completely motivated by selfish reasons. (Although, admittedly, the paycheck will feel AWESOME!)

This all goes back to a therapy session I had about 5 years ago, during which I had an epiphany.

I was complaining about the state of my life, and my therapist asked, point blank, "well, what DO you WANT from your life?"

And the answer came out of me so quickly, I knew it had to be true. I said: "I want my creativity to pay."

Even in that moment, I knew I had touched on something that was profound and that would change my life at some point.

You see, acting just never did that for me. It's very hard to be creative when no one will give you a job, and THEREFORE, you are UNABLE to be creative in that way. You sit around WAITING for the chance to create.

Well, let me tell you something, kittens:

I was DONE waiting.

Especially, since I knew, deep in the back of my mind, that I had an alternative.

True I couldn't paint, or take snappy photographs, or play and instrument, but I knew that I had something creative deep inside of me that was still untapped: I could express myself through the written word. I had written boxes full of stuff, as a kid, but writing had always come so naturally to me that I was unaware that there was anything special, or even remotely interesting about it.

But then, my dear friend Christopher, not too long ago, mentioned that he so looked forward to my emails, because not only did they let him know what I was up to, in my life, but that they were also entertaining, and that they always had a neat beginning, middle and end. With proper punctuation, if I do say so myself.

He even said: "You should think about writing."

That started the little grey cells ticking away.

Truthfully, I always knew that writing was kind of my absolute fall-back plan. If all else failed, I could always tell stories. I've been doing it all my life.

It was my Grade Two teacher who was so surprised by my desire to write stories and entertain the class with them, that he instructed my mother to "never stop this kid from being creative."

Bless her, she never did.

It was also my mother who was ALWAYS reading romance novels. "Sex, lust, and violence books" my Dad called them.

It was all around me really, wasn't it?

I guess, I just needed to open my eyes.

It's incredible how simple it all is when you just add it up, and let it be, isn't it?

It amazes me.

It truly amazes me.

J.J

Once Upon a Time...

I am excited to announce that I begin work on the first chapter of Role of a Lifetime this coming weekend.

I should have some kind of draft ready for you all to read some time next week.

This is very exciting for me.

As a kid I was obsessed with soap operas. I loved everything about them. Especially, the way you had to keep tuning in to find out what was going to happen next. The way characters came and went, and how they related to each other. And, of course, the surpirses; the ones you DIDN'T see coming because every once in a while the writers WERE just one step ahead of you.

I tried to do this myself.

You see, in order to write out my trauma (though I didn't know it at the time), I started writing my own soap operas.

I created: Our Lifetime, Search for a Lifetime, Our Family Secrets, and various other bits and pieces.

Although, I have to note that I somehow never got passed about ten episodes a piece. I would always get bored.

I wrote these with the full intention of getting the school video camera, and film my friends acting out all the parts.

It never happened.

Another of my life's unfulfilled achievements.

So now, here I am, with a new start, and a new direction. Even though nearly 20 years have passed since I typed my last "fade out", my passion for writing, romance, and the continuing story have not wained.

And now I'm writing for a living. (Or at least working on it.)

And here's where I need your help.

As some of you know, I am remarkably adept at NOT finishing things I start.

So, when I finish each chapter and send it out to some of you folks, I'm asking you to keep on my butt, in case I get sidetracked, preoccupied, or just bored, and stop writing.

I hope that since I have a responsibility to all of you, my readers, to keep the chapters coming , I will actually COMPLETE something I've started.

And together we'll both get to experience the excitement of a story, as it continues to come to life.

Now, back to my story, already in progress.

J.J

Hallelujah!

It's DONE!

The Chapter Breakdowns for my novel are now DONE!

All twelve chapters are sufficiently filled out enough to help me start writing everything out in full manuscript form. I can't tell you what a relief it is to have this step done.

Honest to god, it's like pulling teeth. You have to go so far down into your creative well, that you discover you have things in there you didn't even know you had. And when the good stuff comes up, usually as a surprise, it's a truly AWESOME feeling.

What I can't believe is that there's such a difference between what the first draft of my chapters looked like, and what this second and, hopefully, final draft look like.

Maybe it'll change again, but only incrementally, and quite frankly, it's just time I started writing the "long" version of all this stuff.

I feel like I've piddled away enough time on getting the chapter breakedowns "just right" before properly starting the book, that I just can't wait any longer.

I feel like I should have done three versions of the breakdowns, but then, that could just be my obsessive compulsive nature to have everything done it some kind of magical pattern. Two hardly seems like a finished product, to me. Three is a much more finished number, don't you think?

Oh, well, since I am known for procrastination, I'm just going to get the hell on with it and get started on writing THE FIRST CHAPTER!

And who knows, I'm sure things will chage, yet again, in the story, but at least I have the peace of mind to know that I have a baseline structure that I can always drop back to if I should ever lose my way.

What a treat that is.

I'm just so THRILLED people that I even got THIS far.

I can't even imagine how I'll feel when and if I actually ever get the thing properly DONE.

Oh, well. Only time will tell.

Here's to it!

J.J

Working It Out

Writing is REALLY hard.

The working title of my first book is: "The Perfect Role".

I've already written one complete version of the 12 chapter breakdowns that make up the novel.

And, like most things, once I was done, I realized that I'd written the story entirely BACKWARDS.

So, I've spent the past week rolling the whole thing over and over in my head trying to rework it, and then put all of that down onto the page so that it makes some kind of chronological sense.

I will say that this second version is definitely MUCH better than the first.

This is all based on something one of my drama teachers taught me back in my theatre days: "Always play the opposite."

Of course, in that context, it simply meant that if you wanted the audience to cry, then you SHOULDN'T. Play the opposite. It's always more heartwrenching to watch someone REFUSING to cry even in the face of great adversity, than it is to see them crumble and give in like a victim.

But I've always liked that word: opposite.

I remember helping a former boyfriend write some poetry, a few years ago. He'd written all this beautiful work, primarily in couplets. I mentioned to him that I thought that if he simply reversed the first two couplets in each four line stanza it would be more powerful, and surprising for the reader.

Cause when you write something for the first time, you are still just figuring it out yourself. Once you're done doing that, then you should always go back, and switch it around, so that both you and the audience are surprised where something is going.

Play the opposite.

Anyway, all this has led to a complete back-to-front reversal of my storyline and chapter breakdowns. Which of course also means that I've now had to rewrite and ADD tonnes of stuff to the new re-jigged story.

But it isn't taking quite as long as the first version took.

Certainly the characters are seeming more and more at my fingertips, and is some cases are telling me where they want to go.

It's a fascinating process.

And a frustrating one.

But then, like most things in life, it all depends on how you look at it.

Play the opposite, indeed.

Hello Friends!

Welcome to my new blogsite.

I'll try to keep you all properly updated on my writing progress.

Perhaps one day, I'll even have a finished product to tell you about.

And to sell!

Let's keep our fingers crossed.

J.