October 20, 2013: Current writing projects include: Dubious Grief, a memoir of my grieving journey since my husband's death in March 2009. My goal is to understand my experience of grief now 5 years into my journey. I kept a journal for several years and these writings ground the memoir in my early grief. I used to wonder why memoirs of grief seem to be written several years following a loss. It is only now that I'm beginning to make sense of my journey. It is difficult writing when in the grip of grief and understanding comes slowly over time. I am learning to be kind to myself.
A second writing project is Hippie Girl, an historical novel set in the 20 years between 1964 - 1984. In thinking about this writing I wanted to create a story about the ways events from this era shaped the protagonist's life choices. The novel begins in 1964 Mississippi during Freedom Summer of the civil rights movement. Set within the context of the contra-culture and feminist movement, the story moves through the anti Vietnam war movement of the 60's and early 70's and into the challenges of the environmental issues of the late 70's and 80's.
My third writing project is a novel (co-authored) set within a small, struggling business. The company hires its 15th CEO in 17 years to turn the business around from dismal failure to technology giant. The new CEO has a year to accomplish this change while dealing with an inept Board of Directors and staff who are at best resistant and often hostile.
Writing three different pieces has allowed me to engage with each piece without getting bogged down. Since each project is in a different stage of development, I can choose to write what inspires me at the moment without loosing momentum on any single piece.
September 29, 2012: Thinking about revising Out from the Fog - I now realize it's really two stories. My original idea for the novel - women sharing their experiences, helping each other grow - is one story. There are three or four POV characters and when I first conceived of the novel I didn't know how to write from more than one POV. Now I'm ready to try this. The second story - the real out from the fog - reveals a woman's struggle to come to terms with her life - when she returns to her home in Eastern Oregon at the time her father dies, and the family secrets are revealed. She must find a way to deal with these revelations at a time when she faces major transitions in her own adult life. So, two very different stories, both about mid-life women struggling to move on with their lives. A challenge to dissect the original manuscript, research to conduct regarding changes in East Oregon ranching over the years, but I believe both stories are worth telling.
September 12, 2012: Preparing for fall term and trying to decide which writing class to enroll in - short story or novel writing. I've not worked on my fiction for awhile but now that my memoir is completed I'm pulled in the direction of fiction writing again. My co-authored farce about transitions is moving along - we've completed the entire story board and many of the scenes are drafted. What seems to need my immediate attention is revising Out from the Fog - which may in fact turn out to be two novels. And then there are the short stories set in the mid 1960's - and another group of short stories - memoirs really - about growing up in the 1950's with my two sisters. So lots of writing projects to choose from - I'll see what inspires my creative juices.
August 27, 2011 - Writing fiction this summer I've not done much with Out from the Fog. Instead I have written a number of scenes for two new fiction projects. One is about life in the psychedelic youth oriented mid 1960's. The second is a farce about transitions. Both projects have helped revealed my writing voice - and have provided me with the freedom to explore ideas I've thought about for a long time. I look forward to more writing as these pieces develop.
April 28, 2011 - It overwhelmed me to think about revising my novel. I needed to figure out a process that is manageable. I decided to identify the "BIG SCENES" and begin with rewrites of these. Yesterday I read the first of my revised scenes - the one the initiates the the protagonist's quest to uncover the truth beneath the lies she grew up living - to my critique group. Revising scenes makes it easier for me to connect the threads of the story, the character's motivations, secrets, etc and to rev up the conflict moving the story line along.
A second writing project is Hippie Girl, an historical novel set in the 20 years between 1964 - 1984. In thinking about this writing I wanted to create a story about the ways events from this era shaped the protagonist's life choices. The novel begins in 1964 Mississippi during Freedom Summer of the civil rights movement. Set within the context of the contra-culture and feminist movement, the story moves through the anti Vietnam war movement of the 60's and early 70's and into the challenges of the environmental issues of the late 70's and 80's.
My third writing project is a novel (co-authored) set within a small, struggling business. The company hires its 15th CEO in 17 years to turn the business around from dismal failure to technology giant. The new CEO has a year to accomplish this change while dealing with an inept Board of Directors and staff who are at best resistant and often hostile.
Writing three different pieces has allowed me to engage with each piece without getting bogged down. Since each project is in a different stage of development, I can choose to write what inspires me at the moment without loosing momentum on any single piece.
September 29, 2012: Thinking about revising Out from the Fog - I now realize it's really two stories. My original idea for the novel - women sharing their experiences, helping each other grow - is one story. There are three or four POV characters and when I first conceived of the novel I didn't know how to write from more than one POV. Now I'm ready to try this. The second story - the real out from the fog - reveals a woman's struggle to come to terms with her life - when she returns to her home in Eastern Oregon at the time her father dies, and the family secrets are revealed. She must find a way to deal with these revelations at a time when she faces major transitions in her own adult life. So, two very different stories, both about mid-life women struggling to move on with their lives. A challenge to dissect the original manuscript, research to conduct regarding changes in East Oregon ranching over the years, but I believe both stories are worth telling.
September 12, 2012: Preparing for fall term and trying to decide which writing class to enroll in - short story or novel writing. I've not worked on my fiction for awhile but now that my memoir is completed I'm pulled in the direction of fiction writing again. My co-authored farce about transitions is moving along - we've completed the entire story board and many of the scenes are drafted. What seems to need my immediate attention is revising Out from the Fog - which may in fact turn out to be two novels. And then there are the short stories set in the mid 1960's - and another group of short stories - memoirs really - about growing up in the 1950's with my two sisters. So lots of writing projects to choose from - I'll see what inspires my creative juices.
August 27, 2011 - Writing fiction this summer I've not done much with Out from the Fog. Instead I have written a number of scenes for two new fiction projects. One is about life in the psychedelic youth oriented mid 1960's. The second is a farce about transitions. Both projects have helped revealed my writing voice - and have provided me with the freedom to explore ideas I've thought about for a long time. I look forward to more writing as these pieces develop.
April 28, 2011 - It overwhelmed me to think about revising my novel. I needed to figure out a process that is manageable. I decided to identify the "BIG SCENES" and begin with rewrites of these. Yesterday I read the first of my revised scenes - the one the initiates the the protagonist's quest to uncover the truth beneath the lies she grew up living - to my critique group. Revising scenes makes it easier for me to connect the threads of the story, the character's motivations, secrets, etc and to rev up the conflict moving the story line along.
Yesterday- (April 13, 2011) I read a draft of the opening chapter of Out from the Fog, my novel in progress at my writing critique group. The members provided me with kind words and valuable feedback. Today I think about their suggestions as I begin reworking the writing. Thanks all!
