Currently...Spellbound

On the recommendation of web-buddy Gina, I am starting a new segment entitled "Currently...", in which I let you know what I'm currently up to on a number of highly important topics.

I AM CURRENTLY...

READING:

Novels: Spellbound by Rachel Hawkins, the 3rd (and final) book in the Hex Hall trilogy. While not exceptionally original, they are easy to read, well-written, and entertaining enough to keep my interest. Just finished: The Unnatural Inquirer, Book 8 of the Nightside Series by Simon R. Green. Blatant infodumping and the sloppiest plotting I've ever seen, but his description of the world (and the world itself) just keeps getting better and better.
Manga: Kamisama Kiss vol. 10 - aside from Skip Beat, my favorite manga series to date. Just finished: 5 Centimeters per Second, a melancholy romance about people who love too deeply. A beautiful story, but what is it about Japanese endings that it isn't worth telling unless it makes your soul hurt?

WATCHING:

Leverage Season 4, one of the best shows ever. Although if they were to replace Nate and Sophie, it most certainly wouldn't be the end of the world (Elliot, Parker, and Hardison totally make the show). Also watching the last season of Eureka - loved the "Smarter Carter" episode. And then I'm re-watching the 2nd season of White Collar, the 1st season of Human Target, the 2nd season of Sherlock, and random episodes of the 1st-3rd seasons of Leverage. Just finished: Warehouse 13, another awesomesauce show. Gotta have some variety, and television is my movies. :)

WRITING:

Project BW: I have a huge stack of research books from the library, the first few chapters are written and the first 3rd sort-of outlined, most of the main players are in place, and the world is coming along nicely. I'm even generating a few ideas for the 2nd book.
Project V: Finally called for my attention again, so I printed out what I have so far and am reading through it to see if my interest truly sparks. So far I'm pleasantly surprised with how good it is. I really would like to pick it back up, so fingers crossed it sticks.

PLANNING:

Nano2012 for my East Valley Region! I've got bigger plans this year, especially for October. I let time get away from me, though, so now I'm in a bit of a mad rush to get everything moving. Never put off today what you really should have done a month ago.

That's it for me. What are you "currently" up to?

Writer, Know Thyself

Guess what? I'm dropping Project MS.

I know, I know - you are shocked. Me, drop a project? Unheard of!

So what's my excuse this time? The simple fact that I am ruining it.

As explained in my previous post, Project MS is technically the 2nd Draft of a finished manuscript. But it needed a complete rewrite of the first half, and a complete overhaul of the Main Character, a woman who had no life.

For the past month I and said MC have struggled together to create her a family, a background, a life. But no matter how real she becomes, I have no idea how she will react when I drop her into the story. Stick her into a familial situation, no problem, but fold her into the magical diversion that is the story and I find myself forcing it. And if I have to force anything, I know I am doing something horribly wrong.

The final realization that I was, indeed, forcing came with the last scene I wrote. It flowed smoothly from my fingers, but once the scene was done I stopped and thought, "Is that really how the characters would've acted in that situation?" I still, at this very second, have no idea. I have never asked that question of a story before, and so I knew it was time to give up on the book before I ruined it further.

So I am tucking Project MS back into the trunk for another time. I am determined to finish it someday, but this is not it.

Now, what am I to do with myself? I'm still not ready to tackle Project V, and I don't quite hear the call to complete Project P. I actually feel the need to take a kind of story break and focus on blogging - both my own and a new Q&A blog I shall be launching for my Nanowrimo group. To fill any creative writing itch, Project BW has been wiggling its fingers at me and throwing winks my way, so perhaps I'll play with it a bit - it always proves such enjoyable company. I also want to read more research books. I almost exclusively read novels, and it's high time I broadened my literary world a bit.

I know it seems as if I'm always dropping projects, never to finish anything. But sometimes, a person just has to go with their instincts. And so I am.

Wish me luck!

Project Updates: Inspiration can be a bad, bad thing...

Remember when I wrote last month on inspiration, and how it was okay to run with it as long as you go back to your current story once you're done? Well, there can be a flaw in this plan: what happens if the inspiration becomes the current story?

I have become so fascinated by Project V that it is dominating my attention right now. Even though I still don't have a clear picture of the world, I came up with a good beginning (after several false starts) and am now on Chapter 3, making it up as I go along (which is really what I do best). It's just so interesting, I can't stop!

That said, Project ID has been put on the back burner. I have been under the weather for the past few weeks and, mostly unable to write, lost my momentum. Although I know what to do for the next scene, after that I am completely lost as to where the story is going. This is why I don't normally write mysteries - too much to keep track of! I will have to go back and re-read what I have so far (again) and re-structure my plot points before I can go any further.

As for Project BW, being under the weather has made research difficult, and any I can do has gone towards Project V. So not much is happening.

I hope to get back to Project ID and ultimately finish before really diving into Project V, but until then writing is writing, so I'm not kicking myself too much.

Project Updates

It's been a while since I last posted! I've been busy reading a ton and writing a little. (I know - it really should be the other way around. Bad Jane!)

I have started two new projects: Project BW and Project V.

Project BW I have "mentioned" before - I consider it my Ultimate Story, and it is a doozy! I have a ton of research ahead of me, so I've decided to take my time and create it properly. It'll happen one day, but it will be several years from now. All I can say so far is that it's set on an alternate timeline and deals with books.

Project V I consider my "Ultimate YA Series." My Harry Potter, if you will - or probably more like my Hunger Games, but only because it's a trilogy and geared towards older teens (that's about all they have in common). I have been researching and mapping common denominators in popular young adult series for about a year now, and it has finally paid off. It's still in the very early planning stages, but the concept is coming along nicely. It's sort of about a secret society and ghost-like beings, but really isn't - I not quite sure how to describe it yet.

Project ID is coming along slow but relatively sure. The plots are a bit of a rat's nest right now, but I'm discovering ways to keep them straight. The writing part is going pretty smooth, thankfully - when I actually sit down and do it (again, bad Jane!). The actual "putting your butt in the chair and writing" part has always been my hardest obstacle.

So my one project has turned into three. But so is the life of a writer.