#WIPlash Wednesdays Complete Manuscript Number 11 #writing

Sunday I put the finishing touch on my 11th manuscript, Perfect Recipe for Love. Well, the official finishing touch- The End. Edits will ensue eventually, but for now I'm enjoying that sense of accomplishment that comes with putting the finish on yet another story...

Up next, I plan to start the 4th and last in the Pryce of Love series about the Pryce Brothers, manuscript #12 for me. Mark is up next, young surfer boy and he's going to have his hands full with the competition- "Alex" Alexa- who's the only girl in a male-dominated surf competition. You know she's going to be stubborn and bullheaded.

Considering I write by the seat of my pants though, that about all I can tell you at the moment. LOL I intend to invest in a few books about surfing, perhaps see if there are any videos on Youtube that might give me more insight and I have a bunch of websites bookmarked that list surfer lingo and information about the lifestyle. The last few books I've written had minimum research, but this one I will be giving a bit more time over to learning about the subject matter so I can present it in a realistic knowledgeable way.

I'm also endeavoring to learn more about self-publishing, and have currently been reading Smashwords Style Guide, just to familiarize myself with it before I attempt anything. Learning a little at a time, I'm really warming to the idea, but I'm not quite ready to rush in headfirst, but I'm seriously considering self-pubbing both of my 4-book series and after that, who knows. :o)

This week I'm still enjoying visiting with my parents and sister and friends and just enjoying touching base with my roots. The older I get, the more I need it. Hope everyone's having a great week! Stay cool!

Hello! My Name is Pantser

From where I sit, I see the mist...

The other day I was checking out a blog over on Fresh Fiction.com because of an interview Joan Swan (a debut author of Fever due out at the end of February) was having with Cindy Gerard for a discussion on setting goals and having a book giveaway. I left no comment, as I'm not a registered member. I clicked the link Cindy had posted just to check out what was being discussed and though the book giveaway sounded nice, the thing that stopped me was Joan's take on writing. The very thought has stuck with me for the past few days—

Here is what Joan had to say....

Now, my goal setting techniques are a lot like my plotting techniques. I write (and set goals) into the mist. It's similar to the panster way of writing, but with a tad more structure. The best way to describe it is that I'm standing a point, looking forward. I can only see so far—to where the landscape gets a little fuzzy (that's the mist). I write (or set a goal) to the farthest distance I can see, then set out for it. I know where I am, I know where I'm headed, and if time is an important factor, I have a rough idea of how long it will take me to get there. And somewhere, out there beyond my scope of visibility, is an end point. In a story, that might be the next chapter, the next act or, if we're uber lucky, The End. It's the same with goals for me.

I really like her take on how she writes into the mist. I am a bit more structured when I write, too, though I don't plot at all but I kind of take it as far as I can see into the mist myself and her sentiment really rang true to me, so I just had to share that small gleaning of commonality. Her debut novel also sounds intriguing (title links to the amazon page for it)

Anyway, the first thing this sentiment made me think of was one of my favorite quotes about writing—

It's like driving a car at night. You never see further than your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.
~E.L. Doctorow~

It's amazing how often I forget that other authors out there are really, truly just like me. We all are traveling this road to reach similar destinations and I think we all enjoy our own method of getting there. Just as some cannot type a single word without a clearly defined outline, there are also those of us who want to walk into the mist, taking that mysterious journey with our characters as they make the journey as well. Either way, I think that's what is so exciting for us.

Writing revs our engines, fills us with a need for the adventures that lay ahead and whether we use a road map or just jump in the car and drive with only a few little clues as to where we're going, we still know we're going to make it to our chosen destination just the same, with all the little bumpy scenic routes along the way.

This felt very appropriate for this blog today— Into the Mystic—

Here's to lovely travels today my friends. Stop by tomorrow to check out what's on the roster for Fun Feature Friday.