writer’s life

Photo credit: StartupStockPhotos on Pixabay.

Hey guys, welcome back! It’s been a busy time and as I type this, I’m looking at the screen through tired eyes. While many are out enjoying their Summers at pools and vacations, I’ve been writing for hours upon hours each night. And you know what? I’m loving every minute of it!

Last night alone, I typed for six hours straight and with hands that are affected by arthritis, it was an exercise in determination. (Also, shoutout to the makers of painkillers. You guys rock!)

I’m in the final third of the book and have been having lots of issues with both story and character development. I’ve strayed quite a bit from the original feel of the book. However, the way it has progressed? Has now given me the basis for a future novel. NEVER THROW YOUR WORK AWAY! Just because what I’ve written doesn’t fit with the current story, doesn’t mean it won’t be good for a new one with new characters. Sometimes you just need to write it out. Get the thoughts out of your head so you can move on to the rest. While doing that, this past week alone, I have almost three chapters worth of material that I can use for a future project. I just wish I knew where this storyline came from because it was completely out of the blue.

Anyway, I’ve been writing and rewriting, changing chapter after chapter and also rereading what I’ve already done to make sure that everything flows. It is vital for me that I do this as I have memory issues. But also for continuity’s sake, it is so important that I keep reading this work over and over. I keep finding areas that need work and unfortunately, big chunks that now need to be cut. I wrote 42 pages over two days and looking over them tonight, there is so much that cannot be used. I have no idea where my mind was going with what I wrote, but again, at least it’s out of my head. And as you can probably see, I am so tired right now, I’m talking in circles. I do believe that the tired has infiltrated my story and is helping to take my characters to a place that they were never destined to go.

I’ve said before and I will say it again, these characters mean the world to me. I’ve created a place I look forward to going to every night. There’s pieces of me in each one and they deserve my best. However I am feeling lately that I am not giving it to them and I need to reel myself back in and get back to the foundation of this book and what I started to do with it. The early chapters came so damned easily to me and keeping the flow of it as I get to these later ones is proving to be the true challenge. It is one that I am up to though and I will make this the best work that I possibly can do.

I have found great support with the writing community slash #booktok community on TikTok. When other writers post about the struggles they are going through with their own characters and plot lines, it makes me feel better knowing I’m not the only one dealing with these issues. It’s like having access to a support group from my home and I’m so grateful to all of them for being there. I’ve tried to do the same, posting videos with some kind of message here and there, thanks to the new five hashtag limits though, my views have gone to almost nonexistent. I’m still there though and happy to be a part of that community. After all, creatives help creatives and that is what I hope I am doing here with this blog. 😉

In the words of the immortal Forrest Gump, that’s all I have to say about that.

Remember, if you are looking for reading suggestions for the rest of your Summer and beyond, be sure to hit the ‘On the Bookshelf 2025’ page. I’ll be adding to it all the time. I’ve been on a great reading roll myself and will once again be participating in the Read Every Day Challenge for the American Cancer Society and I’ll put the link below if you’d like to donate. It’s a very personal cause for me being a survivor myself as well as having many family members affected by it. If a donation isn’t in your budget right now? (Which I totally get btw.) You can certainly join in the challenge yourself! It’s of course free to join and it is such an important cause.

And that is where I will leave you for today. Thank you as always for following along with my insanity and tired ramblings. No matter what your creative outlet is, remember to just keep going. Even if something doesn’t fit, even if something comes out wonky, it doesn’t matter. Just keep doing what you are doing and keep being the best you that you can be. 🩷

Until next time…

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On the Bookshelf 2025

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New Chapter Cove on TikTok/#booktok: Click HERE

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My donation page for the Read Every Day Challenge for the ACS can be found HERE

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To keep up with all of my social, shops and more: linktr.ee/promosocially

Photo credit: soramang on pixabay. As usual, all other relevant links will be under article.

It’s just days before St. Patrick’s Day and everything is just a bit too quiet around these parts. I am a huge Paddy’s day person, I always considered it my second Christmas. The parade days around here have been legendary. The parade usually taking place on a Saturday, early afternoon, usually a week or two before the big day and lasting well past closing time. The day was always a marathon, not a sprint and it was always good times with good friends. Plus, it would usher in the busy seasons for our downtown area. If you’ve ever worked in a bar or restaurant, you know that the slow to a crawl time is from New Year’s Day thru St. Patrick’s.

Our town, like many, would have two celebration days, parade day and the day itself. Being part Irish, I always embraced the days and those leading up to them as well. I have been benched for a few years, with finally making my return back to the fray last year. This year, our parade was held the first day of the month and while I was only able to stay for a little bit, I still loved every second I was amongst those dressed in green from head to toe. Got to hear the music, see the pipers and of course, being it’s like a homecoming day, got to see friends I hadn’t seen since last year. Always a good time and since I won’t be able to go out this Monday for the actual holiday, getting to celebrate even a little bit on the ‘outside’ meant a whole lot.

Of course, that doesn’t mean that I won’t do anything at home! I’ve been listening to a lot of Irish music which I love and will of course be watching Father Ted for my annual marathon. (If you have never seen this hilarious show, it is so worth the watch.) On my FB page for this site, I designed some celebratory phone wallpaper freebies for my followers (I post new ones every month/season/when I come up with a new design, so be sure to follow) with a Paddy’s day theme and what March wouldn’t be complete without a shamrock shake or two!

I grew up with my mom’s side honoring their Irish roots and loving the music and the movies, etc. As I got older, I ended up with a lot of my friends from over there and Irish pubs were my second home for a while. I got to work in one for a while and loved every second of my time there. I still remember being in a pub here in town and one of the guys who was just back from a business trip to Shannon brought in a video of a new dance troupe that was making a splash in the latest Eurovision competition. They asked the owners if they could play it on the projection screen for everyone and the owner cued it right up. That was when we here in the US were introduced to a little known group then called Riverdance! The place erupted with cheers and screams when their dance was over with and then just a few years later, I got to see them live in Radio City on one of their tours.

A few years before that, I was working backstage in a theater and on Monday nights we had special performances unrelated to whatever musical we were putting on at the time. For March, we would have Irish groups come in including the Wolfe Tones and the Clancy Brothers. It was pretty cool to go out to the bar after the gig to shoot darts with the Wolfe Tones and having grown up with the Clancy’s music and it was an honor to work a few of those shows and party with them afterwards backstage as well. What was an even greater surprise, when I went back to the theater after I had left and had gone to a show to see the boys play, I sent a note backstage to see if they’d remember me. How shocked was I to get a note back inviting me to hang out with them after the show for hours of storytelling and belly laughs. That was over 30 years ago now and it still brings the best smiles to my face. They are all gone now and I miss every damned one of those guys. So grateful for the time I had with them and still listen to their music to bring it all back.

Having to stay in this year is once again going to be a bummer. Still battling Covid and it’s been a rough ride. I haven’t written a word since my post last week. It’s been tough to focus and just the idea of typing or editing hasn’t been something I could sit and just do while I’m on meds and all kind of dizzy and such from the illness. It even took me days to finish the last 50 pages of the book I had been reading when normally, I would have finished it several days prior. The words kept jumbling up on me and really not making sense. As for writing anything, it has been nearly impossible. So frustrating for a creative who just wants to sit and write the stories that are coming to her! Even writing this post has been a challenge with lots of stops, starts and edits while my focus has been all over the place.

While I’ve been in my daze this past week, I spent hours playing a game or two on my iPad while living inside of my head. Then somehow, somewhere, the plot twist that has been eluding me for weeks came to me suddenly and from out of nowhere. It was one of those bolts of lightning that happens every blue moon where you literally sit up and go ‘THAT’S IT!’ and have to jot it down quickly before you forget it. I was so worried that the fevers I’ve been having were going to finally pass and I’d forget about where my story was going. That I’d get through these couple of weeks of isolation and then have no clue where the new book was headed. Again, the biggest issue right now is sitting down to focus and get it written out but at least the main hurdle has been jumped and now the fun will be to see where the story leads me.

I’ve talked in the past about being inspired by other writers and during this ‘down time’ has been no exception. One of my favorite shows of all time is NYPD Blue. I found out this week that prime video has a live station dedicated to the show and I’ve been glued to it for the last few days. Now, I know I could stream it on a few other services, but there is something about seeing it live like it’s on regular tv again that brings it all back. It’s funny, the first time I got really sick, years ago, the show had just gone into syndication on TNT and I watched it for the first time and got hooked on it then. Well over a decade later, I had another bout of illness and the show was back on tv in reruns and now, covid time, here we are again. Basically, this show has gotten me through some bad moments in my life and this time around, I am really paying attention to the writing. This show was brilliant and the jargon, the language, the storytelling, it was all done by genius minds. I think NYPE Blue and West Wing are two shows that I could never get tired of just listening to the music that is the dialogue presented on screen. I find myself taking notes on phrasing, humor and of course, the one liners. If ever there was someone to help make me feel better it is the great Dennis Franz playing Andy Sipowicz and for that, I will be forever grateful to the man himself. The perfect marriage of man to character and watching how he evolved throughout the series makes this show must-see tv forever.

All in all it’s been a rough week but one that in some ways, has been a sort of mental vacation. All of the zoning out from covid has partially helped me to rest while also clearing my mind. Now I just hope that I will be able to get my fingers to cooperate with me when all is said and done to keep up with all of the ideas that I’ve been getting during this down time! In the meantime, let’s get ready to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day!

Until next week…Sláinte!

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Relevant links for items mentioned in post:

Clancy Brothers Live in Tipperary 1995

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Original 1994 Eurovision perfomance and introduction to Riverdance

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The comedy Father Ted is streaming on several services including Tubi, Peacock and more. If you’d like to catch the first episode of the series: click here

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Free phone wallpaper designed by me available here or click fb page link on the sidebar to the right.