Month: November 2011

Bookclubs Are Awesome!

Bookclubs Are Awesome!

I belong to a bookclub and have for a couple of years. I love the gatherings because I end up reading books that I never would have found, or if I found them, I would have said, “No, not my type of book” or “I 

Eeek, I’m Running Out of Plot!

Eeek, I’m Running Out of Plot!

It’s November. I’m still doing Nanowrimo and working on the last novel in a series. I’ve run into what I realize is a common problem for me. I’m past 30,000 words into the novel and since doing Nanowrimo means writing a 50,000 word first draft 

Growing Roots

Growing Roots

It’s finally beginning to look like autumn around here. Only a few trees in the garden have dropped all their leaves. Our fall garden is just beginning to come into its prime. The Japanese Maples are coloring up in reds, golds and oranges. Big leaf maples and hostas are getting that lovely butterscotch hue. The scarlet oak is beginning to turn.

The weather’s getting crisper. The nonstop fall rain hasn’t quite begun yet, so the leaves on the ground haven’t turned to mush. Our koi have had their last meal till spring and are lying on the bottom of the pond, slipping into dormancy. The cats and the horses are getting woolier.

I love this time of year. November first marks the beginning of the Celtic New Year and the first day of winter. In their world view – beginnings start in darkness – like seeds underground. The darkness of fall and winter allows us to grow our roots deep in the soil. When spring comes again we can burst forth into the world with new life.

I’m not quite sure what type of plant my seedling will pop out as in the spring. We can’t always know these things in advance. But I’m working hard on growing deep roots as I move into the darkness of winter.

I have a lot of old projects to finish up in the next four or five months. Five novels worth of old projects. And several more short stories. Once those are finished it will be very interesting to see what characters and stories come to the forefront and demand to be written next.

What are you growing over the winter?

 

Marathon in Progress!

Marathon in Progress!

Last night I watched a documentary called ‘Running the Sahara’ about three guys who ran the equivalent of two marathons a day, across the Sahara Desert. Fascinating story, but mostly I watched it because the novel I’m writing takes place mostly in the desert and