B's · life

I am so very excited today because I got my first promotion at work! Hooraaaaaay! I am no longer a lowly assistant editor but a distinguished and talented managing editor. Thank you, thank you. What this really means is that I will still have to do a lot of the somewhat menial assistant editor tasks, but I will be doing them for my very own projects, which I will "manage" through the publishing process. Very cool!

As for my writing, I've been doing a good job of sitting down regularly and making words flow out of my fingers and onto the screen. I can't say that I've written anything I especially love or would show anyone, but I do feel good about actually putting in the time. I like to think of this period as my "getting my body used to the act of writing" period. Once I master that, maybe I'll move on to "hey, I'm writing this stuff and it's going somewhere!" And then maybe after that will come the stage where I'll have enough written so that I can say (to myself, at least) that I'm writing an actual book with an actual plot and stuff. Baby steps.

Hi! I'm supposed to be working right now, but instead I'm reading other people's LJs, which is way more fun. I'm mulling over the concept of plot treatments and wondering if I should try to create a good, detailed outline because without one I'm not getting very far. Lately I've been kind of just typing out whatever scene is in my head, but it always turns out being really rambly and not very interesting. I think I need to try approaching a book as I would a research paper in college. I'd have tons of notecards, a detailed outline, a clear picture of where I was going with it, and then when I sat down to write it would pretty much write itself. Sounds good in theory, right? BUT, I can't believe how hard it is to a) come up with an original idea, and b) work out what should happen from beginning to end. Another thing is, I'm horribly impatient. I want to know what to write and how to write it RIGHT NOW, without doing the necessary legwork.

Right now I'm reading Someone Like You, by Sarah Dessen, which (I know) came out SO long ago. I'm so behind on the good YA books. Anyway, it is so good and I've decided that I love Sarah, want to be just like her, and know that she must have lived inside my head in high school. I'm just amazed at how well she writes the average teenager. While I'm reading this book I feel so inspired to run to the computer and write a fabulous story of my own. But then I get there and just stare blankly at the screen thinking how incompetent I am. Then I get all frustrated and go plunk down in front and the TV and sulk for a while. Then I pick up the book again, and the cycle starts over.

So, the point of all this is that I've got to figure out how to
* squelch the nay-saying voices in my head,
* patiently allow/force myself to work out my plot, characters, etc. without trying to write something flying by the seat of my pants, and
* make time every day to do this stuff.

It can be done, right? It can be done by ME, right?

So. This morning I started out in a really foul mood because work has been very stressful for the past few weeks. We have a big book/CD-ROM project that we've been trying to finish up, and it is pushed right up against its deadline, which is tomorrow. After frowning and grumbling all morning, I've finally convinced myself to change my attitude and make the best of things. The project is in much better shape than it was last week, and I think we just might get this out the door and to the printer tomorrow. Hooray! You have no idea what a relief it will be to have this project finished.

During my mid-morning break I used my frustration and angst to scribble down a random scene in my still-un-thought-out-completely WIP (am I a real writer now that I feel comfortable abbreviating work-in-progress?). Anyway, it's very rough, but I like what I came up with. I'm excited to type it into the computer later and improve it as I go. Now, if only I could do this every day... I'm trying to be better about it.

But at least for today I can pat myself on the back with a "Job well started!" right?

One of the things I shamelessly love is Live with Regis and Kelly. Some might say that I'm abusing the freedom that comes with working from home two days a week, but I'm allowed a half hour of break time and I'm not ashamed to say that I use it to have my coffee and watch the beginning of Regis. And I *hate* it when, as Regis and Kelly sit down and say, "Well, it's Friday, August 11, 2006..." while under their smiling, perky faces appears in tiny type "This program was recorded." And then they proceed as usual, as if they didn't tape this show eight days ago at 2:00 in the afternoon. Hurmph! I want my Regis and Kelly, and I want them live, dammit! But, *sigh*, it's okay. I understand that they need time off just like everyone else. How about I get a life, or get back to work, and stop letting Regis and Kelly determine the direction my day will take. But really, it's hard to bounce back from such disappointment! :)