I wrote last night

It's a cold night in Tampa Bay and I decided to put on my new "walking/exercise sneakers" (the ones that have the rocking shape that makes you tone up) and stroll the neighborhood. It was very therapeutic to burn some calories and enjoy the Christmas light displays. I needed that time to just reflect and forget about coupons and ad sales. I am a writer afterall and I need to keep focused on the big picture.

I managed to write and fall asleep at the keyboard last night. About 11:30 or so I began to review my prior entry. I write in a final draft mode. I am sure editors would say there is no such thing, but it's what I do. I write and rework and reread and rewrite a chapter at a time. I am not one for long chapters, so it's fairly easy.


My style of writing is more cinematic -- enough scenery to get the lay of the land and plenty of dialogue. I like stories to progress, I don't care for a visual of all four walls if I know I am in a cinnamon-vanilla scented candlelit den with rustic Early American furnishings. Our imaginations are rich enough to see what else is in the room. Cinematic in a sense that I write and plot in a format that could be shot in the same sequences and you'd see the story unfold on the screen or the page and hopefully stay interested. Well, at least I think so and most of the people who have read my first novel said they couldn't put it down. They read it in a day or over a weekend. So I think I do have a "style".


I haven't read enough about how other authors write, but I let my characters tell me the story. I am aware of where the story is going, but I am constantly amazed to see what unveils on the page. While waiting for a prospect to meet me tonight, he was running late, I opened a tool on my blackberry and wrote a few paragraphs. I am 67 pages into the novel so far.

Tomorrow we go to our oldest daughter's first starring role in a local play. I am praying she has a stellar performance and enjoys herself. She has been in a supporting and featured role in two other shows and had a favorable mention in a local newspaper. We are so excited for her. Our youngest heads back to LA on Friday morning to look for work. She rents a mother-in-law cottage in the city and hasn't been back since July (when she got her first feature film job). Thankfully she'll come back in a few weeks for Christmas, then we'll be backing to weekly Skyping once she is in LA or wherever she finds a show. How I do appreciate technology!