New Ledgie saying hi to all!

[Miss Vicky]

Originally Posted by bushesandbriars

I followed the link and read "Innocent and Unknowing" because you said that was your favorite of the ones posted. I liked it a lot; I thought the drama of the story was really immediate, and the pace was right. You moved things along really well, which I thought suited the overall atmosphere and mood of the action, especially Darren's frenetic, unhappy state of mind. (God, I sound like someone's high school creative writing teacher; I mean what I say, though.) What's your novel about, if that's not too personal and won't mess up your writing karma? (I find if I go on about an idea, sometimes I lose it.)

Hmm... my high school teacher told me to rewrite the ending because he "didn't get it." I smiled, told him "I'll think about it," and then did nothing of the sort.
My novel... started out as a challenge to write a simple love story with a happy ending (something I NEVER do). I couldn't get started so I changed the idea to a simple gay love story with a happy ending... the premise now bears absolutely no resemblance to the original idea and was never intended to be a novel but it kind of ended up that way. Now it's about an 18 year old boy who find himself homeless and out of desperation becomes a male escort. But don't get the wrong impression, it is not erotica. I've tried to keep the sexual aspect to a minimum and only include erotic scenes that are pertinent to the plot or to character development. The protagonist, Jordan, is an extremely insecure young man who finds himself involved with four love interests. One is a wealthy and kind hearted middle-aged man who has an almost paternal relationship with Jordan. Another is a young man - in his twenties - who is extremely possesive and ultimately abusive. Third is a woman in her late twenties who offers a relationship based on equality. The fourth is an insecure virginal girl about the same age as Jordan who looks to him for support. Initially, only the middle-aged man knows that Jordan is a prostitute. I have decided how the story will end, and it's not really happy, but I won't reveal the details right now.

Originally Posted by bushesandbriars

You sound precisely like me; I have several things I'm working on, and have been for several years, but I tend to get a few ideas and write on them in bursts, then reach an impasse, or life interferes. Dratted real life! If I ever come up with a cure for writer's block, I'm bottling and selling it and making my fortune.

Do you ever read Anne Lamott? I'm not much on her novels, but she wrote this book about writing called Bird by Bird, and I find bits of it preachy, but some of her actual advice is good. She suggests that every day before you write, you work up a little ritual to tell your brain it's time to get in writer mode, like lighting a candle and taking a few deep breaths and taking a moment to just relax and get focused, and I find that pretty valuable, so that may help you, if you don't already have a ritual worked out. Actually ritual sounds a little dramatic; maybe routine is a better word. And keep at it, which I'm sure you don't need me to tell you, if you've been writing this long already. I firmly believe writing is a calling of sorts, and if you have it, and it sure looks like you do, it'll be with you all the time. That's the thing that keeps me going when I feel frustrated and miserable with it.

Okay, enough rambling on from me

You'd make a killing selling that.

As for Anne Lamott, I am one of those really bad writers who almost NEVER reads anything - though really cheesy period romance novels are a guilty pleasure. I write because I hate reading; I only rarely ever find anything that can get and keep my interest so I usually don't even bother to look.