Pushing Through it

I'm still pushing through the middle of my outline for my next novel The Sapphire Siren. This is the least exciting part for me.
In the beginning the idea is fresh and new so it's easy to write. Towards the end you can see the finished product and that gives you the energy you need to write on. The middle is where you need to piece everything together, very important just not as exciting. Still, like any other job there are days when you gotta do it even if you don't wanna do it.

Reading writer's forums I often see the question, "what do you do on those days when you don't feel like writing?" (Okay, maybe not that exact question but that's the general idea.)

The answer, "you sit your butt in the chair in front of the computer and you write." At least that's what I do. Writing is my job and I try to treat it like a regular 9 to 5 job. (Okay more like a 9 to 3 job and then a 11pm to 1am job in my case.)

That means I make myself write everyday rather I feel like it or not. Some days I will just plop myself down at the computer and type away and see what comes out. It may be crap at first but often that crap is the fertilizer that turns into flowery prose. (Well in my case, pulpy prose.) I've been doing that for the last couple of days and quite frankly I've been surprised by certain turns of events in my plot. One character who I thought was going to be the "minor bad" turns out to have just been used. Another character who I thought was going to be turns out to be much sneakier than I thought. So while I certainly know how the book begins, now due to changes in the middle the end may not be quite the end I first envisioned. This is what makes writing: challenging, fun, frustrating and ultimately rewarding.

I also should note that not all of writing consists of writing. There is a lot of research involved either in the form of web surfing for facts or reading other types of material just to sample other styles. The more you read the better you write.

For those of you are really observant, yes I actually go through two middles. The middle while outlining and then again the middle while turning the outline into a novel. The middle while outlining is far more a sludge for me as once the outline is done and complete for me the writing the story is the easy part.

The moral of today's blog: Nike is right, sometimes you just gotta do it..

Rants for today:

Rant 1:
I keep asking myself, self if Sarah Palin was a man with the exact same qualifications would she be potentially one failed heart beat away from being president of the United States? I keep answering myself, "ah no."

Picking a candidate because they look good on camera and shake things up seems to me is a good way to choose an American Idol judge not a possible American VP.

Rant 2:
The president want to spend 700 billion to bail out the mortgage industry. I can see where it would be bad if the industry failed. My question is, where the heck does the 700 billion come from? (This is more of a question than a rant.)

Rant 3:
Apparently, texting while driving is becoming more and more of problem. Studies are showing that texting while driving is even more hazardous than driving while intoxicated. To which I say, "duh." At least when you are drunk you are making some sort an attempt to look at the road. If your life is so busy that you must be constantly texting let somebody else do the driving. (Either that or have a designated texter while you drive.) :)

Just yesterday I passed a guy texting while on a bike. While this is not as dangerous to me or others it's still pretty foolish. Now I see what Darwin was talking about with survival of the fittst.