Friday, July 01, 2011

#WIPMADNESS July Check-in and Introduction

I don't know what happened to my June #wipmadness check-in with Erin Bow on her fabulous blog, but somewhere I just lost track.  But July has arrived and I promise I will be better about posting the progress, or lack thereof, and offering a little inspiration wherever I can.

Today, I am sharing an insight.  One of those little bolts of lightning that zaps you at the core and makes you feel like an idiot before you realize what a treasure it is. And her it is:  my muse is a ghost.

As I have struggled through the middle of my WIP and stopped to re-plot and explore where the hell I intended to go in the first place, I have wondered where she was taking me. Sometimes I wondered was she was at all.  I knew she had a plan, but she was absolute mud at revealing it to me.  I tripped over the holes in my story and got stuck in the trench somewhere, but today my muse snatched hold of my hand and yanked me up and back onto the path.

What did it?  What slap in the face woke her up? The spooky side of my book.  Yes, as you know I am the Ghost Girl and I guess that's what my muse was trying to tell me.  Quick mucking around with all the psychology and character exploration and just jump in with a ghost again.

So, today's 1,061 words centered on a ghosty scene and it came pouring out in all its luscious creepiness.  Finally!  It felt good.  Like a big cool drink after a month in the desert.  So, that will be the order of July.  Plow ahead and let the Ghost Muse lead me.  I can muck it up with character development and all that jazz later!

What revelation is launching you into your July #wipmadness?

6 comments:

  1. My only revelation is that there are not enough hours in a day. I had hoped to be done my revisions so I could start a new project by July 1st, but I'm still plodding along on edits. Hopefully just one more week.

    Happy Canada Day, everybody!

    ReplyDelete
  2. My revelation? That I'm probably going to be 50 by the time I get published so I better keep writing like a fiend to make it happen! 11.5k into the new WIP - So I will announce a goal. 25k by end of the month. I think I can do it.

    Pssst, tell your ghost to stay in Georgia please.

    ReplyDelete
  3. How did I miss this post yesterday? Good thing I checked the bluedboards this morning.

    I'm still plugging along, 3500 words a week on the WIP. I hope to be done with this draft by the end of August, but realistically, it'll probably be September.

    Happy to hear you've recaptured your joy, Mary Ann.

    Thanks for hosting this month.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I hear ya, Denise. Never enough time...or energy. Good luck with those last edits.

    Okay, JRo...I've got only 3 1/2 years to make that goal, which makes my stomach tighten just thinking that I could possibly be that old already. Ack! Rock that word count, babe! You'll get there. I can't make any promises about the ghosts...

    3500, Angelina! That's great! I hope I can keep up. Happy to host! :-)

    Good luck, everyone!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi everyone!!

    Sorry I'm late! (huff, puff) Was out camping in the mountains since Friday, but I'm back in town now, and ready to dig back in to more #wipmadness. I finished a revision last month, but got more great critique and now I have a really clear plan that I think will nail this thing. I am SO PSYCHED. I'm on chapter four of this next revision already, and I'm just going to plug through it every day until I'm done and can send it to my last (gulp) reader, and then you know what happens then, eeeeep! Another productive month to us all! And yes, here's hoping we're all pubbed before 50!

    ReplyDelete
  6. YAY, Kip! Catch your breath... Bang out that fabulous revision! :-)

    ReplyDelete

Thanks to spammers, this blog is moderated, so don't be alarmed if your comment doesn't appear right away. Thanks for stopping by!