Make it work!

Tim Gunn is right. I adore Project Runway and he's a big part of the reason. With each weekly challenge the young designers face, he drops by to give his guidance on their WIP. Sometimes her raves. Sometimes he blanches. Always, he gives them the advice that regardless of their chosen path "Make it work."

I'm still trying to make those first three pages work. I think I might finally have it and so I've moved on to the synopsis (which is nearly as much fun as a root canal without novocaine.)

I haven't been as productive as I'd hoped. I took the kids to see WALL-E (loved it! A must see!) and I've done laundry. Plus I've watched far too many SG-1 reruns.

On a happy note, my novel is out next month at Trunk Novels and I need to get busy adding links to this blog. But first, time to cram four hundred pages of twisty-turny plot into a one page. I can do this. I can make it work. I CAN!

Yeah. Where's that novocaine?

Are we there yet???

Goals! I has them! And I've failed. I wanted to be sending queries today. Instead, I'm rewriting the opening to my novel yet again. Everyone agrees that by chapter two, my book is rolling along and they're hooked. But agents and readers are less forgiving than my beta club. They won't give me until chapter two. I have to hook them right off the bat and for some reason that boffo opening has eluded me.

Just so you know how frustrated I am, I finished this novel in November. NOVEMBER!!!
To be fair, I haven't worked on it continuously since then. I put it aside until February and then rewrote it. Then I put it aside again. I've rewritten it two more times based on feedback and everyone agrees that it's really good now. Except of course for the beginning.

Why are beginnings so hard? They should be fresh and wonderful. All possibilities for the story exist. I love writing beginnings to my short stories. Why is this one so hard?

Well, I'm off to work on it again. I've redone the first three pages and I have four people reading them. Once more into the breach, dear friend!

Oh good! You're Up!

Welcome to my new blog. This one is going to be all about mystery. Well, okay--mostly about mystery. We all know I can't stay on topic worth a...ooooh shiny! Where was I? Mysteries. Oh yes. I'm a sucker for a good mystery.

Mysteries were my first love. I started with Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden. Before I knew it, I was reading Agatha Christie. I'm a sucker for the unknown and I have a hard time not flipping to the end of a book just to see how it turns out. I can't help it. I'm nosy. I just have to KNOW!

I want to have that effect on people. I want them turn the page because they have to answer a question, have to see what happens to the characters, have to know whodunnit and why and what ever happened to Uncle Jake who was mentioned on page three and never again. That's what I want to do.

I've written a half dozen mysteries and I finally feel like I have "the one." This is the one that will get me published.

Huzzah!

Now that you're up: Make me some waffles? Please?