Archive for the 'Writing' Category

January 2, 2006 | Writing

Today is the first day of an online class I’m taking entitled, Defeat Self Defeating Behaviors: Allow Writing Productivity to Soar. It’s taught by Margie Lawson, a counseling psychologist. So far today’s lecture has been a real eye opener. The class is fairly large, with published and pre-published writers/authors. Margie has asked us to keep a notebook, and not write long missives to ourselves, but basically power point what’s holding us back. Procrastination, writer’s block, time drains. She’s going to address them all. Meanwhile, I plod along with my line editing. I find I’m really starting to enjoy it. Yesterday, I wanted to just kill Elizabeth and Stephen and rename my book, “Romeo and Juliet in Black and White, but Still Dead.” Sloane encouraged me not to, and suggested more sex and a dream menage that I’m going to add at the end. It actually fits, Elizabeth realizes who she really loves. Critique Partners, you gotta have ’em and you gotta love ’em. I’m still aiming for Friday, January 13th completion and submission to my critique partners for final review. This serves as their warning. This means, I can practice tennis, but no tennis matches for me until February. Gotta make allowances for the craft.

This month, Beth Anderson, a Chicago crime mystery novelist, has agreed to provide information on point of view. It was Beth who finally got me to see point of view. Now she’s working on my commas. Her work is never done. She will be posting on my Writing, Humps, Dumps and Lumps page beginning January 11th, weekly, and will be taking questions. I invite you to read, ask questions, or contribute what you know about good old point of view. Now, that’s my point of view.

December 20, 2005 | Writing

Well, my countdown continues. Could someone explain to me, why my writing muse strikes at 11pm? My characters don’t sleep during the day, they bug me then also. It’s not so bad, except when I’m practicing my backhand, and all of a sudden, here comes Elizabeth, my heroine, wanting to know if I’m making her appear weak where her father is concerned. Of course I miss my shot, not enough shoulder rotation or follow through on my swing. I mentally remind her that she’s a ‘Daddy’s girl’. She’d rather face the Supreme Court in her underwear singing Tupac than confront her father. She loves Stephen and is caught in the middle trying to negotiate a family truce. My tag line for my novel, Romeo and Juliet but they don’t die. As for Stephen, he’s just happy to have five hot sex scenes in the book with Elizabeth. Men. In my original novel, I killed the father to create more conflict. Now, he’s still alive causing trouble. He’s not an evil man, just one who has seen what the world has to offer interracial couples, Elizabeth is black and Stephen is white, and doesn’t want it for his daughter. Of course, he has a secret, but that isn’t revealed until the sequel. Yes, I took a BIG chunk of the book out to keep the story focused on Elizabeth and Stephen, and have a second book. Provided of course, book one is published. I line edited two more chapters last night, before I decided to go to bed at 2am. I almost stayed up and watched Star Trek’s The Wrath of Khan, but decided not to. It’s bad when you start reciting dialogue and can identify the main plot, subplots, and dark moments. Tomorrow, I’ll explain how I was ‘recruited’ into tennis, when all I was looking for was a way out of aerobics.

December 15, 2005 | Writing

I’m definitely in purge and writing mode. Purging all old papers, filing workshops, important emails, Sloane’s recipes, that kind of thing. I’m also line editing my romance. I had to take a 48 hour break from that. Beth, Sharon, and I met Tuesday evening, it was a late night but we worked through my chapter, an article Sloane is writing, and as usual, our Two By Four Leader, was our greatest cheerleader. I invite you to join me in purge mode. I’ll be posting on my Writing, Humps, Dumps and Lumps page, rejection letters writers have received this year. Send yours to YasminePhoenix@aol.com and I’ll post it this month. Make it brief, and include your response, your positive growth response, people. I’ll go first and post my favorite later on today.

December 13, 2005 | Writing

My horoscope for Tuesday December 13 states: You know you need to get back to business, but you can’t help being distracted by what you’d rather be doing. Hey, you’re only human. Bribe yourself with something special – if, and only if, you finish your work.

Well duh, I guess that says it all. I attended my Chicago North monthly meeting last night. I really like these women. I’m the only ‘dark woman’ of color in the group and they’ve always made me feel a part of the group. One in particular, doesn’t really know me, but damn if she isn’t always pushing me to succeed, to not settle for okay, go for the best. It’s like she sees something I don’t see as clearly. It’s also probably got something to do with the fact she shares my daughter’s name. So far, everything she’s told me has been correct. Guess I should listen to her, huh? The President has a lot of potential and quiet energy, could be wrong on the quiet part. She’s going to be published next year. There is inspiration and success in this group. Between them, my online fellow writers and friends, and my critique partners, I suppose my horoscope is on target. So back to work, I can think of a few things I want to reward myself with. And no, I can’t bribe myself with tennis this time, that’s part of my life.