I'm Not in MA Yet, But at Least There Are Cats
I start every scene with a plan in mind, and occasionally the characters behave, and the plan in mind becomes the scene on paper. But more often, I discover something I didn't realize about one of the characters, or an interaction doesn't play out with the particular type of feeling I thought it would, and the scene starts to go off course, and I have to chase after it, and pages get written and then crossed out, and I can't figure out what needs to happen, and I begin to get Extremely Grumpy and mope around under a storm cloud.Happily, I'm at my parents' house right now, which means that a cat named Lickety comes by rather often to commiserate. Well, really, she comes by because she wants to make herself the center of my world and be petted forever. I was lying on the couch the other day in artistic despair when Lickety jumped up and threw herself against my hand, which only ever means one thing.
Me: [not petting her] Lickety, how come this relationship is so one-sided? I rub your ears, but when do you ever rub mine?
Lickety: [goes down to the other end of the couch and sits on my foot, usually the cue for me to scratch her with my toes]
Me: I'm not going to pet you. I've got nothing left to give.
Lickety: [walks up the length of the couch and throws herself against my face]
Me: No! Not petting you! I'm the one who needs comfort! [sneezes and splutters]
Lickety: [lies on my stomach, one eye closed, the other trained on me (feline eyeball hypnosis)]
Me: [with great pathos] O, Lickety, why does writing have to be so hard?
Lickety: [stabs me with all her claws at once]
"Oh, you stupid cat," I say, laughing, and then I pet the stupid cat.
At least if my goal is to please the cat, success is easy.
How is your work going?
Comments
Thank goodness for cats! I've been trying to get the last of my second ms transcribed onto the computer, and I've had several furry secretaries over the last couple of days 'helping' me. I wouldn't be so distressed over my efforts except that a plethera of odds and ends have kept me from getting any writing, and little editing done recently, and nothing at all prepared to send out.
And then I took a good hard look at my thirt ms and acknowledged that there's simply too much left to write, to have it all fit in one book. So that means adding a book where I hadn't planned on having one. That, or the world altering war occurs neatly within only a few paragraphs, which ain't happening because too many things are affected by it. So now I've got to wrap up book three, and begin book four, which is bubbling inside my head with no regard for the fact that book three hasn't been squared off yet.
Again, *sigh*
At least the cats don't mind drama, as long as there's and hand, or foot left to rub them. Oh, and I have to tell you, Lickety could be my Ari's long lost relative! For a moment, my over-taxed mind was trying to reason how you got into a photo with my cat! :)
haha the stupid word verification thingy is fartagan. haha.
How is my work? Much like yours I think,I have a few areas to pull together.
Sorry got to go, the dogs are bar....purr, purrrrrrr
Also, my book is set in a real location that I will be visiting this weekend. I feel that I need to let this place speak to me, tell me its story before I can move on. I'm bringing reinforcements to help with the baby so the place will have its chance to say all it needs to say. So this week, I'm in the Suessian waiting place, just waiting. And I am really hoping to get enough rest so the creative part of my brain will be awake enough to hear and interpret all that will be said.
I'm not expecting the floodgates to magically open after this visit because when I leave, I will still have a beautiful baby boy who is my primary responsibility. However, I do believe that I will see the shape of the story I want to tell. Maybe with a little of this coming sleep I've been repeatedly promised, I will begin to witness that beautiful and illusive thing "they" call progress.
It's going well. The days are long, but the material is fun.
Right now my only job is to play with my 2 1/2 yr old son, pull grape tomatoes, banana & jalapenos from the garden, read books, drink good wine, grill, and relax.
Of course Ziggie and Zoe, my clawed and furry friends, need lots of lovin' and I'm sure that job will not get a vacation this summer!
My cats (Cole and Lugana) looked at me from their positions to either side of me with relief, "Finally! She will pet us! We must attack her hands and face with haste lest she again begins using them on this metal contraption that seems attached to her lap!"
I do love the dears, we've been together almost a year. They have great patience with me, most of the time.
Sometimes they just stare at me with a look that says, "What on -Earth- are you doing? Do you not see this magnificent tummy I am offering you for scratching? Silly human, the way to true happiness lies in petting me. It's really not that hard of a concept..."
I can understand, we have people in our cat house. Five cats to two humans, they outrank us completely, thus own us. Demand attention at three in the morning and bite your toes, fingers and nose. -^_^- all because they love you loving them
And we can never win against them, they are just too darned cute!
Through a Glass Darkly, do you take your name from the Bergman film?
Libby, that's a great little fact :o)
And Alissa, I have to say a change in POV does sound like a TOTAL pain in the ass, and also, I completely understand about the disappearing time. I'm a full-time writer. And ever since I became a full-time writer, I find I have less time to write than I did before. Sigh...
Everyone, I am typing my first comment from my new home in MA! :o)