Sylvia's novel writing blog

11 more months to go

1/12th of the year is already over, but I feel confident that I can make some headway with the narration and dialogue in the historical fiction in the coming days. My wonderful mother flew back home a few days ago, leaving behind my youngest boy who will miss her dearly. They bonded like Superglue. She was lucky to witness his first steps. He was content to hold her finger as they walked together through the house. Now I feel obligated to keep up with the standard she set for him (but of course it's fun for me as well). My husband and my 3-year old won't return home from their traveling adventure in Nepal for another couple days yet. And the spring semester doesn't begin until February 7th.

Little kid #2 doesn't sleep much (he must have inherited the no-sleeping gene from my dad who is also a writer and only needs two hours of sleep per night--sigh). So I've spent the last couple days tweaking The Long Distance Relationship Guidebook. I've also spent more time researching Cuba, where the current day part of the story will take place. What breathtaking culture and architecture and wonderful people! Only the cuisine (rice and beans) makes me want to brown bag it.

I charged an affordable, ultra-lightweight LG laptop to a credit card about 2 weeks ago. I haven't charged something to a credit card in a decade, but I need that convenience of easily toting the laptop around everywhere with me. Plus, it's connected to frequent flier miles. So tomorrow I will pick up the writing again and hope the creative juices flow. Please cross your fingers for me!

Mid-January writing update

Confession: I haven't kept to my 1,000 words a day as per my 2007 New Year's resolution. In fact, I haven't reached 1,000 words total. More like 750 words. Normally, this would worry me, but I try to look at my slow progress as time to steep in my thoughts over the opening dialogue and 'hook'. I'm trying to be realistic about the kind of challenges a person faces when trying to write a historical novel and take care of family, spend time with friends, and work. So here are my reasons for not reaching my writing quota.

Reasons:

1. work duties 

2. mom is visiting me in the United Arab Emirates for the first time  

3. both kids have been sick  

4. I've needed to do more research for the current day part of the story. I'm researching a Carribean island as a travel destination, as well as a neuropathological disease. Wikipedia website has proven to be an invaluable research tool.

Outlook: I'll continue researching until the end of January when I will begin writing on a regular basis.