Battle of the Bands and My Novel ~ Emotion

Hello again, friends.

Before we launch Battle of the Bands (early again), I want to take a moment and share what's going on in my world.

Now, when I talk about my migraines, I know many of you think that they are WORSE than before. That isn't true. They are better than they were when I started blogging, but they are not as good as I want them to be (that would be gone). I still have days that knock me out and put me in bed (more than I'd like), but less than I had before we made the move to Florida.

The thing is that I only get so many *good* hours in a day and I have to decide how I want to use them. When I'm  using them blogging, you know it. I'm writing blogs. I'm reading blogs. I'm posting HERE'S TO YOU weekly. If you don't know what the latter is, I apologize. When I'm not using those hours blogging, it looks very much like the last two months. Again, I apologize.

The rewrite on my novel is sucking my *good* time. I wish I could say I'm making fine headway. Mostly, I'm writing. Deleting what I wrote a few days later. Reading someone else's (good) book. Writing. Deleting. Rinse. Repeat. It finally occurred to me yesterday what the problem is. Yeah, it only took a month or so. The POV of my MC has completely changed (and I'm not talking about first to third and that business). I'm talking about the thrust of the plot. The action. All of that internal dialogue has shifted, along with the events that go with it. You see, in the old story my MC was a bit like me. She more or less stumbled into things and then had to figure out how to deal with what she stumbled into... as opposed to making things happen.

If you want an example from my life, this blog serves excellently. I had no idea what I was doing when I started writing it. I stumbled around for months (mostly without clue). Eventually ran into (quite by accident) interesting bloggers and built relationships. Then I discovered via them other interesting bloggers. When I started writing, I began to discover writer blogs. They had links to other writer things... like agent blogs. You see, I backdoored my way through this entire blogging experience. My MC was backdooring her way through my novel. That is what I know how to do (too well, I think). Turns out, it really isn't that helpful to the reader. Bryan (from a A Beer For The Shower) gave me commentary that I sorely needed. He said something like, "I'm 40+ pages in and this is entertaining as all get-out, but I have no idea what it's about." And he was right. My MC didn't arrive at *the point* until Chapter 6. She was backdooring around, allowing the reader to fully glimpse the calamity that was/is her life, but there wasn't really a *point.* Turns out, that inserting the *point* sooner changes everything. I'm struggling with it. I've already scrapped stuff I really liked about the old MS to make way for the *point.* I keep trying to work around what's already there. I'm just about at the place where I think  need to start rewriting altogether. I can't make the backdoor and the *point* walk hand-in-hand.

Actually, that's good advice for life. I think if I want to get to the point of my own life, I need to stop wandering around hoping to backdoor into it. I will ponder that more later.

Tomorrow is busy for me, but it's also Battle of the Bands. So, I'm launching early.

I discovered this cover quite by accident. Do you sense a recurring theme in this post? I didn't even recognize that it was a cover until the chorus. Then I was like, "I know this song. Just not this song." So, I scrapped what I was considering for this BoTB installment in favor of this song: Emotion. The original is a Bee Gees number featuring Samantha Sang. The cover was something I'd never heard until a few days ago (although it was apparently a big hit) by Destiny's Child.

Since I think you probably know the original, let's begin with the cover. Here's Destiny's Child covering Emotion:



And here is The Bee Gees featuring Samantha Sang:



For more Battle of the Bands fun, check out the other BOTB bloggers to vote on their battles:

• Far Away Series
• Stephen T. McCarthy's Battle of the Bands Blog
• Tossing it Out
• DiscConnected 
• This Belle Rocks
• Mike's Ramblings
• Curious as a Cathy 
• Book Lover
• The Sound of One Hand Typing
• dcrelief ~ Battle of the Bands
• Alex J. Cavanaugh (sometimes)

If you are participating in Battle of the Bands, and you are not listed here, leave me a note in the comments. Thanks!

Now, is the critical moment. It is time to vote for your favorite version of this song. I even encourage you to leave me long comment explaining all the ins and outs of why you voted as you did! 

IWSG and Battle of the Bands ~ Autumn Leaves

If I have seemed absent these past few days... well, there is a reason for that! On Monday, I felt a little draggy and migrainey... By Monday night, I started to feel Bad. I began popping Vitamin C like it was candy.

Thank you Alex J. Cavanaugh for starting this amazing group!

I slept through yesterday (more or less) in that sick-dream-state. When I wasn't sleeping I was still popping Vitamin C and imagining the war in my body. Bacteria=bad guys, Vitamin C=good guys. I can't say for sure, but I think I might come out of this thing without an infection. I still feel like crap. My voice sounds like I am doing a Kermit the Frog impression. And my head is woooozy. And don't get me started on my hair. Just gross. (My shower was calling my name, but so was my computer....)

What does any of that have to do with IWSG? Nothing really. I just wanted you to fully understand that anything I type today is coming out of a person who is not fully alive.

A couple of CPs sent back their suggestions for my WiP. If you read this, and think, "Oh drats. I really need to work on that," the answer is yes and no. I am busily making changes suggested by the fine folks who were speedy, but I am sure that YOUR input will arrive at just the time I am ready to hear it. Each layer of suggestion has improved this little baby of mine. So, here are my thoughts on editing and revising...

• Hearing that you need to make big changes is difficult to digest, but shouldn't be ignored.
• It is better to hear it from a CP when it is fixable than every agent you query in the form of "No."
• If you find that you are "telling" too much, figure out how to work that information into dialogue. Explore different places that it could go. You might be surprised at where it ends up.
• Some of the best things you do become not so great if you do them too often (I love a good simile, but one of my CPs pointed out that too much of a good thing... isn't good anymore).
• Better to use verbs like look, saw, watch (and other "common" verbs that the reader easily reads and understands) than to overuse an unusual one. For instance, I just finished a novel by a best-selling author who used sparked and/or sparks so many times that it pulled me out of the story every time I came across it. Not good. We need to pick and choose our "great" words.
• Use the Find feature to see how many times you use the words "just," "really," "only," "very," and more. 
• Read your WiP out loud.

If you didn't have time to be a CP last month, and do this month. Email me. My address is in the sidebar. I am willing to reciprocate:)

That is all I have on writing for now. And on to Battle of the Bands...


In September, both Arlee Bird and Stephen T. McCarthy used different versions of September Song for their battles. It reminded me that I like my musical choice (when possible) to reflect what is going on. (Yes, that means coming soon will be Christmas music!) I live in Florida (now) and there is only now just the barest hint of fall in the air. The temps are hovering around 80 and dusk is arriving sooner. Those two things are promises of what is to come. My favorite season is on the way. And I better not blink or I will miss it! I love autumn with its gorgeous leaves and cooler temps. I even love that it means saying good-bye to summer (much easier in Florida as an adult than a kid in Ohio) and hello to winter. Despite that it is only here for the briefest of time, I love autumn best of all. Or maybe because it is here for only the briefest of time. Hmm.

So, today's song is about my favorite season. Fall. Autumn.

When I started researching the people who recorded this song... the list was endless! And I am sure that someone (I am looking at you, StMc) will probably tell me that I should have chosen my participants differently;) That is a winky face, if you missed it. 

If you like this song, I encourage you (in all that free time you have) to check it out on YouTube.

First up is Nat King Cole with his version of Autumn Leaves:



versus

Eva Cassidy with her version of Autumn Leaves:




For more Battle of the Bands fun, check out the other BOTB bloggers to vote on their battles:

• Far Away Series
• Stephen T. McCarthy's Battle of the Bands Blog
• Tossing it Out
• DiscConnected
• The Creative Outlet of Strat Player 
• Mike's Ramblings
• Donna Hole
• Curious as a Cathy 
• The Sound of One Hand Typing
• Alex J. Cavanaugh 

Now, is the critical moment. It is time to vote for your favorite version of this song. I even encourage you to leave me long comment explaining all the ins and outs of why you voted as you did! 

IWSG: Ballroom Dance Lessons and Writing

During the month of April (and all the A to Z crazy) I joined a dance studio that teaches ballroom dancing. You might be scratching your head trying to figure out how that relates to writing, insecure or otherwise. Let me tell you...

I learned fairly quickly that I have a good sense of rhythm and I follow the lead fairly well. Since I can't afford daily, or even weekly, private lessons that means I have one private lesson for one hour a month. And the rest of the time I participate in Group Classes. They might be teaching dances in which I have a keen interest... and they might not. Thus far, the classes I have attended focused mostly on waltz and east coast swing. I really like both, though they are vastly different from one another. Last night I went to my first Mambo class. It reminds me very much of salsa. The instructor said it was like salsa with cha cha in some way (expression, movement, Manzi can you help with this ???) Since I don't know much about cha cha the explanation was lost on me.

I had my Private Lesson last week.... Oy. We focused on waltz and determining how well I retained what I learned in Group Class. I learned that following isn't as easy as I thought. An underarm turn can go several different ways and I have to know where by monitoring his shoulder tension. Say what??? Yep. I should be able to determine by his shoulder if I am to come all the way around or he will meet me halfway. But wait... it gets worse. Based upon where his hands are at the halfway meet indicates what he has planned next. Once again, this can go two different ways. I can't tell you how many times I thought we were going to meet halfway, but he wanted me to come all the way around and I finished at the halfway meet point. Meanwhile, he was standing to my right (where I should have been). Or I thought I was going all the way around and I crashed into him at the halfway point.

What does this have to do with my writing insecurity?

I was spotty with editing/revising on my WiP in April. Honestly, I wasn't able to juggle the A to Zing with my book (and now dance class) very well. But, when I did sit down and work on it... it felt a whole lot like that waltz session.  Turns out that feeling the pace of the plot is similar to that shoulder tension. It is subtle, but it determines everything. Sometimes I follow it well and the pacing is great. Other times, not so much and it reads like a crash or the reader feels lost in the middle of the dance.

The same goes for my characters. I really like some of the choices that I made. That is when the dance feels really good. You are on the beat. There is a perfect amount of flex in your knees. You move up on your toes and down again and the whole thing is just So.Damn.Graceful. you want to cry with the loveliness of it. Yeah, that is how a waltz should make you feel. It is big and sweeping and elegant and glorious. And then there are those character choices that feel clunky. Out of time. You step with your right foot when you should have used the left.

There is good news and bad news with dancing. The good news is that you only get better with practice. The bad news is that you only get better with practice. Yeah, it was the same news.. That is it. There is no magic wand that turns you into a wonderful dancer. Dang!!!! The same truth applies to writing. You only get better with practice. I have noticed that as I move further into my novel the writing is improving. I red penned like crazy in the first seven chapters. Some pages were so marked that very little survived the "hack." With each chapter, there is less Red Pen.

Aha, there is hope! I have been writing much longer than I have been dancing. And reading longer than that. I might actually become proficient at the writing thing before I die of old age. Not so sure about the dancing... but I am going to stick with it. Practice makes perfect!

This is part of the IWSG, the brainchild of Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh. If you would like to join in the first Wednesday of every month and share your writing insecurities click HERE. The purpose of this group is to offer encouragement. If you don't want to share, but do want to support struggling writers... bless you.