Updated My Website

I’ve found yet another method of procrastinating! I updated my website last night. I’ve used research as well to whittle away the hours so I didn’t have to write.

The website hadn’t been updated since last year so it was time. Apparently, there’s nothing worse than a stagnant web presence. I still have to finish putting the photos from our trip to Scotland in 2000 up there. A rather daunting task since I have four large photo albums to go through. I’ve managed to get through the first two but since this trip was taken BD (before digital), the pictures have to be taken out, scanned and saved before I can go any further. But that’s a project for another time.

Two More Scenes…

Two more scenes for Sarah’s Gift came to me yesterday. So far, I’ve only managed to get them committed to “paper”. But at least, I have a fair idea where each one will fit in. It’s just a matter of getting them put in there and fleshed out so as to blend them in at the beginning and the end so they’ll flow seamlessly.

Additional Scenes for Sarah’s Gift

The basic ideas for a couple of scenes for the current revision of Sarah’s Gift I’m working on came to me yesterday so I got the bare bones of them captured “on paper”. Last night I inserted them where they fit, and fleshed them out some more.

Read them over this morning and made a few more minor changes before sending them off to a critique partner for her input.

I’ve set myself a goal of having this revision finished by September because my intention is to pitch to an agent and would much prefer to pitch a completed project. Actually, you shouldn’t pitch until your project is complete… Ooops, my bad. I’ve pitched this manuscript a couple of times in it’s incomplete form.

Addition to my website

I’ve been pondering this for some time… actually since attending a Canadian Authors’ Association (National Capital Region) meeting back in May.

During the course of the meeting, the President of the group reminded the members present to check out the podcast section of their website and if anyone wanted to participate to get in touch.

So, on the way home, I began to formulate my plan. I would add podcasts to my website. How do I put these audio snippets on my site? Beats me. But if I get them created, my webmaster can worry about how to put them there.

I’ve gone out and bought myself a nice compact digital recorder that I can plug directly into my main computer through the USB port. Much easier for transferring files and better yet, it saves my creations in MP3 format.

What will I talk about? I don’t know. Will I do it in a Q&A format? Maybe.

Oh decisions, decisions.

Meeting with fellow writer

This morning I’m meeting for coffee with a fellow writer who is in town doing research for her novel. She wants me to collaborate some facts with her as well as pick my brain about my own particular area of expertise – Home Children.

We spoke briefly on the phone last night and I’m looking forward to meeting with her in a couple of hours.

Who knows, maybe I’ll get a chance to plug my three manuscripts?

Writing and Revising Workshop

One of the tasks we were given at the workshop was to come up with two “fortune cookie” writing prompts but with a few twists. Once everyone had come up with them, we all drew two from the “hat”. If we got our own, we put it/them back and drew again.

Then the fun began. You picked which one you wanted to write on and began to write furiously (no crossing out or erasing or going back) for about 10 minutes then slowed down to a somewhat normal pace where some minor editing could be done. Over the lunch break we were to expand on our earlier writings.

The fortune I got was Your Bad Habits Will Soon Be Exposed! We were allowed to vary them a bit, so I went with something from the past coming back to haunt my protagonist.

I think I’m sitting at about two and a half pages written in long-hand and on every line. Now to get it typed into the computer and saved.

I’m thinking if this goes according to plan it could be an entry for next year’s Scene of the Crime contest. We’ll see.

Recent writing prompts

Since I was unable to attend my local writers’ group April and May meetings due to attending Brian Henry workshops, I made the extra effort to write something to contribute in my absence. Not ready to share them online – yet – because I might use them for entries in the Writers’ Union of Canada postcard contest (flash fiction up to a maximum of 250 words) next year.

I’ve got one entered in this year’s contest, too, that was originally written for one of our monthly prompts.

The prompt for April was It Was the Day She Dreaded – The Day of the Appointment. This one garnered quite the response, especially from the male members of our group when it was read aloud. Oh to have been there in person or a fly on the wall.

The May prompt was He had missed the perfect opportunity to say nothing.

Our prompt for June is War and Peace. Yowzers! I’m sure I’ll come up with something before the 27th but, if not, I’ll be there for the meeting so maybe I’ll be a rebel and not contribute!

Un-privatized posts

Some time ago, I made a couple of my posts regarding Sarah’s Gift private rather than prejudice my chances of getting her published. Well, I think I’ve varied from my original story enough that I can safely “un-privatize” the posts of the synopses… the full and the brief.

Home again, home again

The trip to Sudbury was a blast! Great time spent with family and I got in some quality shopping, including a suede jacket from Danier Leather. Woo Hoo!!!

The writing workshop was entertaining but mostly informative without being overloaded/overwhelmed. The same workshop is being offered in Kingston in October – much closer to home – so I might go again. I mean, you can’t absorb everything in one go around.

Now I just have to apply everything I learned this past Sunday to my revisions/rewrites of Sarah’s Gift.

Cross your fingers for me.

My Scottish roots and writing by Melanie Robertson-King