Jodi the Author

This week I’m determined to work through another edit of the first chapter of my book. I never thought I would enjoy the edit as much as I enjoy the original creation, but I do. More than that, it is like having a small shed and transforming it into an gleaming sky scraper.

Over twelve years ago, I made a commitment to write a book. After that, I worked to learn more about my craft by traveling to my first writers’ conference. Going to the conference I had three very rough chapters, that have since been transformed into a book of over 107 thousand words.

Each day I work on my writing, I enjoy other worlds and cultures that up to now only I and a few in my writers’ group have come into contact with. It continues to be a dream that I will some day be able to share it with others and inspire their imaginations.

I’ve said it before, and I’m sure that I will say it many times more, that it has become so much more than I ever anticipated. Many things, not the least of which are the names and expressions of the characters, have changed. Words that at the time seemed to take a lot of thought to create, now seem like the only words I could have chosen to express what they portray. An example of this is the skimboard. Shaped like a skateboard, it is hydrogen powered, using water that is broken down into oxygen/hydrogen atoms. The oxygen atoms enrich the atmosphere and the hydrogen when split release the energy needed to propel it and its passenger(s) forward.  The boards come in various sizes and carry anywhere from one to four passengers.

That’s just a sample of something on my world and in my new universe. There is still much work to do, but now is the time of the edit. Words, time and circumstances are in place, but may yet change. Only by getting back to work on it will I ever know.

Keep the coffee flowing.

Respectfully submitted,

Jodi

The more I work on my writing, the more excited I get. I’ve started another edit of “Not Too Late Forever”. So far, each week at my writers’/critique group, I’m getting better and better feedback. Whichever of my two genres I work on, Soft Science Fiction with elements of romance and Midgrade Urban Fantasy, the joy I get from my writing continues to grow. Now I need to publish in one, then the other. From that point I can pursue working with both. I can do it, but how?

Last year, at The Surrey International Writers’ Conference, I went to a workshop with Meg Tilley and KC Dyer. They both talked about having to self publish, because they felt a need to write in a different genre than what they had first sold with their agent’s assistance. I’m not saying that I am anywhere near as good a writer as either of them, however I am a writer and I want to get my work out there and get my work published.

Over the time that I’ve been working on my books, workshops from multiple writers’ conferences have helped me polish my craft. Along with the best critique group that I can imagine, I have gained greater insight into my writing and me personally. Combined with these experiences, over the years, years because I have written some form of fiction all my life, I have built on my knowledge and passion for writing. I have also escaped into the lives of characters, some like me, some not.

There are so many opportunities I have had the privilege of enjoying that have led me in the direction that I now pursue. When I started writing, I was lucky enough to participate in a workshop class put on by local best selling author, Con Sellers. it was amazing to take a class at the local community college and listen to the brilliant creativity of others. The first I shared something of my own creation, I did not have the courage to read it. Instead I asked one of my gracious classmates to read it for me. Even at that, my heart was pounding so heard I could hardly hear the words being read.

I have come a long way since then, in so many ways, not the least of which is that I have a complete novel. Someday soon, once I’ve gone through at least one more edit, I hope to share it with the world. After that I have so much more to write.

So for now, keep the coffee flowing.

Respectfully submitted,

Jodi

When I talk writing, my mind takes control and starts planning. Today, I read a fun little blurb on Twitter. It ended up with a child saying all stories were better, if they have dragons in them. Hummmm. I could write a story with a young dragon protagonist.

What would her problem be? Maybe it would be when she breaths out, she exhales a blast of fire. That could really hurt if, she was trying to comfort someone. Or, what if she ended up on a block of ice that was slowly melting, and when she breathed out, her breath melted it even more.

Why would any of this matter?

If we take a look at our world today, and all the anti-science people who don’t want to believe what we are doing to this planet, maybe that would be a problem where I could develop a story.

Alright, taking that into consideration, who is this little dragon? Also, what is meant by little? What can I compare it to so that we, you and I, can visualize it? There are so many questions to answer before I get started. The first, and most important, is who is the main character. I will work on my character study and determine if it is time to work on this story. More on this later.

In the meantime, keep the coffee flowing.

Respectfully submitted,

Jodi

I love my writing, but sometimes I procrastinate and don’t get as much accomplished as I need to. What stops me? First is playing on the internet. Do you remember the times when we did not have Twitter or Facebook? I do, but we also did not have Google and Wikipedia.

Do you remember before we had ebooks or online banking? I do, but back then we had to resort to buying books and balancing checkbooks. And by balancing checkbooks, I mean those paper registers we had to make sure that we listed everything down and checked off, from paper statements, that things had posted to the account.

Perhaps I am dating myself here, but I am also stating my appreciation of our current technical abilities to make our lives easier. For several years now I have been talking to my friends, aka my characters, via typing on my computer. Their feelings and lives flow out through my fingers. Add to this that word documents also spell check and offer recommendations for grammar. The only time this is a little, and I do mean a very little, aggravating is when the character talks funny.

So, to get back to what will I accomplish this week, I am ready to finish the latest scene for “Misty’s Magical Shed”. I need to get this book written, so I can start working on the edit. The edit is what I have going with “Not Too Late Forever”. Life is very good. I am living the dream, but let’s see how we can make it better.

Keep the coffee flowing.

Respectfully submitted,

Jodi

It seems many times that I reach that point when it’s time to stop working on my writing. After all, I could easily sit on the couch and read books other writers have published. There are many waiting for me. Multiple problems arise with this. I would be giving up on the characters who have set up residence in my brain, and the worlds I’ve been privileged to visit would remain unknown to anyone else.

I guess what I’m really saying is that I want to share the characters, worlds and stories waiting to escape the confines of my brain. Unlike Yellow Glow, a character in my book, “Not Too Late Forever”, known as a Luminarie, who travels out of body to distant locations when there is need, the others want to live and work in a real world. These real worlds bear similarities to the one where I live, yet they have their own peculiarities.

Therefore, despite the fact that I continue to get rejection after rejection, I will stop only when I am no longer able to put my fingers to the keyboard. I would dearly love to share my worlds with you. Someday I hope that will become a reality. In the meantime, I will climb Mt. H’Olenberg, swim in the oceans of whatever planet I visit and fly in any vehicle available, sentient or not. I will do this by myself, or with a few friends, until an agent, editor or publisher determines it’s good enough to be shared with the world.

For now I’ll return to the edit of “Not Too Late Forever” or dive back into the writing of “Misty’s Magical Shed”.

Keep the coffee flowing.

Respectfully submitted,

Jodi