I started having my computer read my It’s A Wonderful Life-inspired novel out loud, so I can hear how it sounds and find typos/repetition/things like that. It’s exciting to hear my story come to life, even if the voice sounds like a computer lady, because it is.
I’m trying not to make changes at the moment, though I did go in and fix the typos/repetition that I found, because those are easy fixes that don’t need to pass into the next draft. I want the next draft to be ready for the bigger changes. Hopefully I won’t have too many, since this isn’t the first time I’ve written this story. 😅
Meanwhile, ideas for my next story keep falling into my brain. I got one idea for a plot and it just sort of snowballed from there. I have an outline file to store everything for now, since I’m focusing on polishing the other story first.
Just when I’d started to wonder if I’d ever have another idea for a story…
This one is about shyness and past selves. It’s inspired by going through all of my old emails, and some of the nearly-but-not-wholly-forgotten heartaches that lurked within. I won’t say more than that for now, since I’m only at the beginning of thinking about it. Just reading the old emails has been A Lot.
On a lighter note: Luis made fun of me for laughing at something I’d written in my novel. I didn’t remember it, and the computer lady voice made it extra amusing. Imagine Jimmy Stewart’s words coming out of a female robot.
I finished writing my novel’s second draft on Monday! 🎉 It was much easier to write this time, largely because I retooled my outline and gave myself enough time to really think it through before writing it all out. We watched It’s A Wonderful Life again on the 14th, and it inspired my final push to the end. My novel is very different, but it’s influenced by that movie, sort of like how Planes, Trains, and All The Feels by Livy Hart is clearly inspired by Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. It gave me the initial “Hey! I want to do that!” inspiration.
I can’t remember if I’ve shared this story here, but my parents have watched It’s A Wonderful Life every Christmas Eve my entire life. It’s as much a Christmas tradition for me as putting up a decorated tree or opening presents. I still watch it every holiday season, though not on Christmas Eve since that’s become the evening we spend with Luis’s family.
When I was around seven years old, I noticed I couldn’t hear in my right ear. I remember being on the phone with my grandpa and I couldn’t hear him if I switched which ear the phone was up against. I remember thinking, “Huh, that’s weird. I wonder if everyone’s ears are like that.” (I was young.)
I voiced my concern a few years later, because my friends were playing Telephone at a party — another telephone! — and I couldn’t hear the messages being whispered into my right ear. In moments of panic, I just made things up and passed those messages along instead. My friends kept being like, “Where did the message get messed up??” and looking at me. Now, I was a strange and silly child, but in this instance I wasn’t trying to deviate! I was embarrassed about not being able to hear. Looking back, I know I could’ve just turned my head and insisted on using the ear that hears, but at the time it felt like it would break the rules…
When I told my family, they thought I was pretending to be George Bailey because I’d seen that movie every year and I had a penchant for pretending to be my favorite characters.
Now, that’s one thing, but when I was in school, for the hearing test they used to give us with the headphones and the hand raising if you hear the tone on one side or the other, I used to wait until there was a pause and the tester was looking at me expectantly, and then I’d dutifully raise my right hand. “Oh yeah, I definitely heard that…” [Not.]
It wasn’t until I was fifteen that I finally stopped faking and honestly took that test. My parents were told I should go see an ear, nose, and throat doctor. I did more hearing tests. My right cochlea doesn’t work. Records were checked. Apparently, I’ve been deaf in that ear since I was two years old, after a bad fever and ear infection.
So I love George Bailey because I identify with him. Sure, I didn’t save anyone from a frozen lake, but I have the same hearing loss! One thing I noticed this year is that George situates himself at the table with his father on his bad side. I’d never do that! I always make sure the people I’m most trying to hear are on my “good side.” That’s to say nothing of the balance issues he probably should display, etc.
Maybe that’s why he trips at the dance.
Anyway, I finished my writing draft. This is the nifty chart. I’m going to take a break from it for at least two weeks. How handy that the holidays are at the same time. 😄
I hope you have happy holidays and a happy, joyous New Year! Try not to stress too much about the future. That’s probably my resolution.
P.S. The “George Bailey” character in my novel doesn’t have hearing loss. That would be too similar to the original. I gave him something else of mine: he has car anxiety.
Am I the only one surprised that Halloween hasn’t happened yet?
It’s not that I’m in a rush. I’m excited about our party this weekend, and I’ve even considered wearing my costume to work this year (a slightly toned-down version to not be distracting.) But October has been dragging its feet. I say that as someone who’s had a hectic month.
We watched the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductions last weekend, with a break to see Saturday Night. It was great to see Peter Frampton finally get honored. He and Ozzy Osbourne could commiserate about their muscular ailments; it’s sad to see inclusion body myositis and Parkinson’s disease affecting such energetic, youthful rock stars. I know they’re getting up there now, but still! I wish them both well. Combined with the fact one of the other inductees (Phife Dawg from A Tribe Called Quest) died of diabetes complications and another (Jimmy Buffett) died of cancer, I kept thinking “I wish we could find cures for all of these things.”
Saturday Night was delightful. It left me wanting more, which is a good thing. We came home and I just had to watch the very first episode of Saturday Night Live, so I could see the moments referenced in the movie. I’ve been a fan since the early nineties when Dana Carvey and Phil Hartman were on. Some of the movie felt a bit like a play, which works since it’s all about live performance, and some of it felt a bit like parody. Some of the impressions were better than others. For example, I liked the Jim Henson guy as Jim Henson, but his Andy Kaufman was a little off, not least of all because he’s even ganglier than Kaufman. It’s a shame Benny Safdie had to drop out. I bet he would’ve been good.
On the writing front, I’m clawing my way to the finish line with my magical cat transformation romance story. One thing I’ll need to work on with it is tightening that description. 😅 Then, almost immediately after finishing that one, I have my It’s A Wonderful Life-inspired romance to rewrite. That will be nice during the holidays.
I’m going to use the NaNoWriMo method of writing around the same amount each day, although skipping Thanksgiving because I do have a life. Honest. I’m avoiding the actual NaNoWriMo site this year, though. I don’t support what they’re doing lately. Since my novel is longer, the draft will be “finished” in mid-December. And then I can breathe again before the edits! Weee!
Before you ask (why would you ask?) I’m planning to take a mental break from the cat story until sometime next year. It’s messy. I always knew it would be. Don’t all novels start out a bit messy?
Trying to find something between a strict writing schedule and a looser one that still doesn’t let me just, you know, stop writing. It’s dangerous to become too lax.
The timing of this post turned out to be more prescient than I thought it would be. Good lord. I planned to write about how I feel less pressured/guilty when writing without NaNoWriMo or any other progress tracker looming over me. I’ve been keeping track of my word count each day simply by putting it into my calendar, and I gave myself a loose end goal of 2 weeks before NaNoWriMo+ starts…
Now I suppose I should feel even less concerned about using the official NaNoWriMo site. They’re apparently allowing their users’ writing to train AI and other such nonsense. 😲 I’ll stick to Pacemaker, thanks. I still plan to write/revise a novel in November through mid-December, but I won’t use NaNoWriMo’s website to help motivate me. It’s unfortunate for all the young writers who look forward to it each year. I hope a lot of users leave it and stop donating.
My current novel is easy to write, somehow. It helps that I carefully outlined it and I’m playing with some quirky fantasy ideas. It feels like there are fewer rules with magical romance. As long as there’s a happily ever after. (Of course there is!) Some people think it’s unnecessary for a romance to end happily, but they’re wrong.
Speaking of the rules of romance novels, I’ve noticed for at least the second time that the book I’m currently reading — this time it’s The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston — has such negative reviews on Goodreads that I keep thinking “Did we read the same book?”
I know different people have different tastes, but people can be so heated and mean on there. I happen to LOVE this book, if it’s not obvious. It’s a spooky love story with ghosts, gallows humor, and even a few Haunted Mansion references! What’s not for Sara to like?? I got a copy from my local library but I have since put it onto my gift wishlist because I feel I must own a copy.
Nine out of ten times, I want to own the book I’m reading.
Speaking of spooky stuff, we’re seeing Beetlejuice Beetlejuice this weekend! It got better reviews than I expected. I’m relieved. I still doubt it’s better than the first one. It’s hard to be better than Tim Burton’s best movie.
Luis and I saw It Ends With Us last weekend. I keep accidentally calling it The Last of Us, but that’s not fair to The Last of Us. If you’re not aware of It Ends With Us, it’s a romantic drama starring Blake Lively, based on the Colleen Hoover novel by the same name. It’s controversial in how it deals with domestic violence. It’s also apparently controversial because Blake Lively and the director had different visions. My vision is perhaps this movie didn’t need to get made.
It’s funny because, initially, I thought it wasn’t as bad as I first imagined. It got pretty bad reviews, but romance movies are often harshly judged. But then I had more time to think about it when I wasn’t watching it anymore. And yeah, there is a lot that’s messed up about it. (I still love Jenny Slate, though. She’s in it as the best friend who kind of shows up in the story to bethe best friend.)
Anyway, it’s a good lesson in how not to write things… Then again, Colleen Hoover is very successful, so it’s working for her. It definitely made me think. I don’t think I’ll read the book.
Speaking of books, I’m getting close to the end of The Good Part — that sounds sad — and I love it so much. It’s not what I thought it would be. It’s way more heartwarming. I also recently started reading The Dead Romantics. Both of these books should round out my reading challenge to read 15 books this year. I’m not going to stop reading, of course. It’s only August! 😅
The Dead Romantics is in past tense, which is throwing me a little now that I’ve read a few present tense novels. I know I once wrote that I don’t like present tense, and I still prefer past tense, but present has grown on me. It makes it feel as though you’re a part of the story, instead of watching it unfold. I think it works for certain stories more than others.
My new novel I’m working on is in present tense, so I don’t want to be a hypocrite. I’m trying something new! It’s a little intimidating, but I’m enjoying it so far. It’s bridging the gap between the last novel I wrote and the one I’m planning for November.
A lot of my blog post titles are Kate Bush lyrics. I always end up listening to her when I’m writing these entries.
Wuthering Heights as a novel didn’t do much for me, mainly because it’s a story told from a random perspective. And then there’s the character I can’t understand at all. But somehow, the story still stays with me. The spooky ghost stuff always gets me in the end.
It feels like a lot has happened, but it’s mostly just a lot of hopeful ideas and planning that’s been going on. I thought of another novel idea, so I’ve been working on it as a sort of “summer fling” before NaNoWriMo in November. I thought of the idea when I was half awake on Saturday. If Paul McCartney has taught me anything, great ideas can strike when one is semi-conscious*!
It’s a romance novel inspired by my cat.
Bookwise, I’ve finished reading the book about Sophie Scholl (with much sadness for her and her brother and compatriots.) I’ll work on plotting out the novel based loosely on her at some point in the future. I’ve hit my limit with story ideas now. I can only think about so much. 😅
I’ve started reading The Good Part by Sophie Cousens and it’s been a warm reminder that I adore Sophie Cousens novels. It’s also nearly made me burst into tears a few times. It’s delightful. A lot of toddler grossness, but in a cute way? It might be my favorite of her books (so far.)
Tomorrow is Luis’s birthday. I’m taking the day off and taking him out to a fancy seafood dinner. He’s been working so hard with a big transition at his job, so I hope to help him have a great weekend.
I hope you have a great weekend too.
*He claims to have written both “Yesterday” and “Yellow Submarine” while in this dreamlike state.
First of all, hello to all of my new followers! I didn’t expect my last post to get so much kind attention. I’m happy to have you with me. 😊
I recently bought a copy of Natalie Sue’s I Hope This Finds You Well, and I’ve been enjoying it so much that I almost don’t want to read too much of it at once. Because then it will be over. Does that happen to you when you read? I want to prolong it.
My local library also gave me two books, so I’m suddenly swimming in a wonderful mini pile of new-to-me novels. One is The White Rose, a poetic young adult novel about Sophie Scholl and her brother Hans. I’m reading it as research for my latest story idea. When I used to work at the US Holocaust Museum, I remember often stopping by the wall that told their story. It gave me pause that such young people dared to take a stand, even though it certainly meant death.
The other novel I got from the library is The Dead Romantics. It’s a romance novel (not surprising, right?) involving a ghost, so it appeals to a few of my interests.
When not reading other people’s novels, I’ve been reading my own as I begin revising. My new benchmark will be to submit it to The Shit No One Tells You About Writing again. I feel much more confident now that I’ve revised and rewritten it about three times. 😅 It’s very different from the story it used to be.
Wouldn’t it be great if we could just read and write all day?
Luis* and I are going to see Tim Minchin in August! I’ve been a fan of him** since 2011 when I saw him on Conan. I’m so excited. I wonder if we’ll get to meet him afterward…
We’re going to see Inside Out 2 this weekend. I told Luis that Fear and Anxiety should be in a relationship because they go hand-in-hand. They’re the two emotions I feel the most. If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you’re probably SHOCKED to read that. 😉
In Writing Update news, things have been going well. It’s starting to be summertime, so my thoughts are more distracted by sunshine and fun places we could go, but I’ve been good about writing my daily word total each day. I’m following Pacemaker’s recommendations so I’m not writing my brain ragged. I write about 1,766 words per day, which is nearly the NaNoWriMo amount.
I’m 72% of the way through this draft. And there’s still a lot of good bits I’ll be writing in it. It’s not winding down yet. I think I’ve tried to wind down too early in the past, making the end kind of… fizzley. I can’t stress the Save The Cat outline strategy enough.
Aside from writing, I’m beta/arc reading for two other authors. And reading probably too many books at the same time.
How’s your early-almost-summer going?
*My husband **Tim, not my husband. I’ve been a fan of my husband since January 28, 2012.
Remember when I said I was working on my holiday-themed story? I was hit by a creativity spark while reading my beta reader’s feedback on my other novel, so I’m planning to finish the holiday novel’s rewrites in November now (for NaNoWriMo+) and I’m working on rewriting the first story again.
I got a burst of inspiration last Friday as I looked through my notes for a romantasy story I was slowly starting to piece together. It clicked! I could combine elements of that story with my first story. My first story is so personal and matters so much to me. Like they discussed in today’s episode of The Shit No One Tells You About Writing, taking the time to really focus and hone the story I want to publish is important.
I don’t want to give up on it and leave it in a closet to die.
Since Friday, I’ve completely retooled the plot outline, making it follow the Save The Cat beat sheet. It has a real flow now, and the themes jump out much more than they used to. The conflict is much clearer. I’m so excited to work on this draft! I only wish I’d discovered STC sooner, so I wouldn’t have been such a strugglesaurus these past few years. But I know, thanks to WriterThreads, that I’m not alone.
I changed the title of the novel for the fourth time, too. Ha. It fits the story better, though it could’ve worked with the older drafts as well. That’s part of how I know it’s a good one. Titles change a bunch of times, though. I’m not getting attached to any of the ones I come up with.
Thanks to Carly Watters, I have another genre I can add to my pitch paperwork, too: autofiction.
Don’t be afraid to work on something else if you’re feeling stuck on something. Even if that something else is the thing you’ve already “finished” twice. 😉
My goal this week has been to take it easy. I’ve created a novel outline; I’ve thought of things to include in this new draft. I’m not letting myself start writing it until Monday.
Meanwhile, I’ve been reading The Other Side of Disappearing by Kate Clayborn. It’s so good. I need to read everything she’s ever written. Her writing style matches mine and my preferences in novels I like to read. I’m still obsessed with Georgie, All Along.
This go-around, I’m not going to worry so much about the publishing side of things. I want to focus on my writing and enjoy it. I figure the more “business” side can come later, once I’m sure I’ve got a manuscript worthy of the effort.
Short post this time. I said everything I wanted to say in the video above. Plus, I said it through burned lips.
Sara Mazariegos 