One of my problems writing is that I keep having new ideas. I'l start the story and then something pops into my mind and I stop writing and wonder if I should use that new idea instead of the old one. Couple this with my poor memory in which I'll be revising and think of a "new" idea and put it down. The next paragraph or scene will have that idea.

I've benn too lazy. We have had a lot of rain recently, about six inches in the last six days, but that is not really an excuse. This week I need to get going and finish that short. I really like it so my laziness is unexplainable. My reluctance to work on the story is prbably because I don't like the middle. It seems just like make disaster for my MC. Yes, I know that is what is supposed to happen but it seems contrived to me. No disaster means - boring - so what can I do except throm demons at him.

I've decided to work on a short for a bit and get away from the novel for a while. The short was inspired by a quote from Winston Churchill and ends by flouting one of the rules from Elmore Leonard. Or maybe I should say it pays homage to Elmore Leonard. I hope that you will see it pass through the group by the end of the month so keep an eye out for it.

While walking the dog I got an idea for another short or it might be a flash. That is why I like the shorter formats. One idea, a few thousand words and I'm done. 

I managed to get my writing goals done for August. Perhaps not well done but done enough. Now I've got to decide if I plug on with the novel or take a break and do something else for a month. The novel is basically heavily outlined. A lot of detail and even some dialog written. Should I let it simmer in the back of my mind? I have a short I worked on last year that got about half way done before I switched to the novel. I would like to finish that. But will I forget (I do that a lot) my novel and have to relearn it all over again.

Dilemma.

My novel work is proceeding on schedule but life is intruding this week so I may not make the actual deadline. But I will be close and that is good. It all depends on how stubborn I get. This part of my system is expanding my expanded outline and put in more detail. I'm not writing as many words as I hoped but I am getting the plot nailed down so that is a major accomplishment.

That stubborn comment got me thinking. Why are those who claim that life is a journey not a destination are the ones who want to get to the top of the mountain.

Well my novel writing is proceeding but at a slow pace . I'm at the point where I'm expanding the outline I did by either writing actual scenes or parts thereof or by writing about the scene in a telling not showing manner.

Hi,

Good news everyone! Per the 100% request for it I'm going to be posting these links on my SFWW blog: http://sfwritersworkshop.org/DaveK_blog . So if you ever need to find an old link you will be able to. Big question is should I go back and create a bit of a history of these links. Let me know.

Many of you know that I'm a great believer in journaling, specifically as described by Julia Cameron in The Artist's Way. (Everyone should at least read the book, in my not so humble opinion.) It has certainly helped me through plenty of stuff through the years.

If you attend the weekly chats, or read the logs later, you'll notice that Dave and I spend a lot of electrons cajoling each other to write more, write more regularly. For writing to be effective long term, I'm convinced it has to be a habit, not a sporadic activity. I'm sure there's someone out there who can dash off a novel over a weekend and have it sold to a publisher by Monday afternoon, but that person is not me. If I knock myself out, I can win at NaNoWriMo, but that still leaves me with an unfinished project.

New Year, new site updates. Nothing major (yet). I don't think I blew up the smileys this time, so there shouldn't be too much to complain about. Things may work a bit differently, but if you do come across anything that doesn't seem quite right, do let me know. Of course, I'm always open to suggestions about how to improve the site as well. Remember, as a site member you have full access to create your own blog, participate in the chats and forums and contribute to or project pages.