Juggling Projects

Today, Rachelle Gardner has an interesting post about working on more than one book at a time. She wonders if it is possible to do your best work when you are focused on more than one book.

I have to admit that find myself juggling several projects at once. I don't know if my mind just won't stay focused on the one project, or I'm too impatient.

I do know that I enjoy working with different ideas and putting one WIP away for a day or two sometimes gives me time for new thoughts on the work.

Is this something that most of you do? Or, can you keep your focus on just the one book and get it completed?

Where do most of your writing inspirations come from? I think I find them almost everywhere. The news, an incident in a television program, different events, a phrase from a conversation with a friend, etc.

A couple of months ago, we attended a Tales From the Crypt event at a cemetery in a larger town north of us. It was a lot of fun to 'meet' these people from the past, and something I really enjoyed since I've been working on an idea for a historical novel.

I'm also enjoying the research I've been doing for this novel. I love the internet, but I also love books~being able to hold them in my hands and snuggle back into my favorite chair. I suppose you can do that with a lap top and surf arount the internet~but somehow, it's just not the same:).

Have a great day!

Wednesday Writing

My writing seems to have slowed down lately. There have been a lot of interruptions, as well as chores that need done around the house. I'm blaming some of my lack of production on the oppressive heat. We are having the sort of temperatures that we usually have in August! Guess summer decided to start off with a blaze!

The main WIP that I've been trying to complete is over three quarters finished~so I should be able to wrap it up in another month. If I get with it and actually do some writing! I have another WIP that I started in first person, but now I'm debating on changing it to third. I'm not very experienced in first person and I spend a lot of time worrying about using past, present, and future tense.

Is first person a problem for any of you? Do you know of any easy 'tricks' to keeping yourself in the correct tense?

Looking through my small 'how to write' library, I realize that I don't have as many books about the craft of writing as I had thought. There is a small assortment of very out of date books from the early 1980s that I probably need to get rid of. I'm sure that Christian publishing has gone through some changes since then.

I think that my favorite, the one I go to over and over again is, Writing the Christian Romance, by Gail Gaymer Martin. I've seen many reviews for this book, all of them positive and I could see why after my first glance.

Have any of you purchased the The Complete Idiot's Guide to Writing Christian Fiction, by Ron Benrey? I've been considering it, but I don't know anyone else that has read it.

What other books would any of you recommend as important for your Christian writing library?

Wednesday

The summer has brought a lot of projects other than writing for me. I've been catching up on some painting in the house, gardening, and just general trying to get some things organized. Nevertheless, I am trying to get in some writing each day.

A few months ago, I mentioned that my daughter and I were entering the ACFW Genesis contest. We were anxious to get our scores back, and a little bit nervous when they arrived!

First, let me say congratulations to all the winners and finalist. Although we did not final in the Contemporary Fiction category, it was an interesting experience for both of us.

Like many others that I've read about, our scores were certainly a 'mixed bag' of results. We had one rather high score, a medium score, and a low score.

Only one of our judges gave any sort of identity--free lance editor. The other two were silent on their qualifications.

The high score we received is nice. We love it. But, I also wonder if that judge gave mostly high scores. The comments were rather sparse and mostly complimentary.

The low score? Well, I don't think that judge really 'got' the story. He/she suggested that our characters needed more quirkiness. Maybe this judge thought we were trying to write chic lit, or comedy. Then again, maybe that is what readers want today. Quirky characters are okay, but personally, I don't want them in all the books that I read or write.

The middle score is the one that we've taken the most notice of. He/she gave us compliments on our writing style and advice on how to 'tighten' up our story. This judge took the time to mark lines and areas of the partial manuscript. We felt like he/she really read what we wrote and understood what we were writing. We feel like this judge's comments alone made our entry worthwhile and we are already talking about entering again next year.

How have most of you felt about the scores you've received from writing contests? Do you think they are fair, do the judges 'get' what you story is about in the sparse amount of pages you send in?