Everything was on time. Except for you.

Writing Challenge: Day 2

noreply@blogger.com (Joy N. Hensley) — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 02:09:00 +0000

Well, today wasn't as good as yesterday, but I still got a bit done. Chapter two is shaping up, but there are still some things that need to be fixed. The voice needs to be stronger. I have such a great chapter one and I'm scared that I won't be able to make it as good.

Why am I so scared of writing?

Writing Challenge, Day #1

noreply@blogger.com (Joy N. Hensley) — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 00:37:00 +0000

I decided to get out of my funk by going to the library to write today. The baby was taking a nap, the husband was playing video games, so everything was under control. I grabbed my wee laptop and headed out.

I got quite a bit written (five pages or so) and am pleased with the results. I have learned that my rough drafts are very rough, but the secret of my writing ability comes at revising time. So, once chapter two is finished (dare I say tomorrow??) I will let it marinate while I work on one of my shorts, and then edit on the ride up to DC over the weekend--that's when things start to shine.

More on revising later...

Winter Blues

noreply@blogger.com (Joy N. Hensley) — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 01:31:00 +0000

Winter is the worst time of the year for me in many ways. Mostly though, it's in regard to motivation. The lack of sunlight hours makes me want to be lazy, sleep, and do anything other than what I should be doing which, right now, is working on GEMMA. I know what I want to do, I know how I need to do it, it's just getting the motivation to do it that's the problem.

I can find a million other things to do. I could be sleeping, watching movies, watching the television shows I've missed. Maybe I should call my mom for the fifth time today. Or, what about cleaning out my inbox, or googling myself or working on my household budget. Maybe I should job hunt...

You see? The list just goes on and on. So my goal for this coming week (starting tomorrow, of course, because I've procrastinated all week this week, why not tonight as well), is to write every day. I'm serious. I need a draft of Chapter Two by Friday PM because I'm going to my niece's dedication next weekend and wont' be able to write at all Saturday or Sunday. So, that's my goal. That, and critique a story that's been sitting in my inbox since October. And run. And edit my short story, "Mountain Done Called Me Home."

So, in the spirit of writing, I will update every day this week, starting tomorrow, in hopes of motivating myself to write. I would hate to have to write "I didn't write anything today. I suck," every day this week. That would be a total morale-killer.

What We Put Characters Through

noreply@blogger.com (Joy N. Hensley) — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 16:28:00 +0000

I've been spending the majority of last night and today (thanks to two snow days) wrestling with what Gemma is going through. I'm in between chapters two and three, after spending a long time discovering that I was indeed starting the book in the wrong place. Gemma is going through something very difficult at the moment.

Here's the problem: she shouldn't be.

This poor girl has been down on her luck since she was born. Now that she's alone in Australia, being followed by two males of the not-so-friendly variety, I just want her to outhike and forget them. She can pick up the pace, put some kms under her feet and just be free of them.

But it can't happen. There's a knight-in-shining-armor moment that must happen. She has got to trust and lean on someone. Ki is filling that role. Unfortunately, Gemma doesn't see it. She thinks she'll be just fine on her own. Hell, she has been for the last few months anyway, so what should be any different now?

Oh, I've cried, gotten sick to my stomach, tried to delete the scene, but I can't. do. it. I'm immersing myself in the Twilight Score, hoping that the music will just get me to push through it, but it's still hard. Still difficult. It still breaks my heart and makes me want to stop writing.

The only thing that is getting me through is knowing that she'll come out of it ok and nothing really bad happens to her. Now, I just have to lower my head, plow through, and get done with it. Putting it off will only make it worse.

...And We're Back

noreply@blogger.com (Joy N. Hensley) — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 01:39:00 +0000

After a long haul of getting used to the new job, the kids at the new job, the other employees at the new job, etc., etc., I'm back on the bandwagon folks.

GEMMA UP-OVER is now on the front burner and firing on all pistons. Man, am I mixing some metaphors or what? Anyway, things are full steam ahead and I'd like to have a draft finished sometime around April. I know that's pushing things like crazy, especially with the musical coming up in January that I'll be working on, but still, a girl can dream, right? I still have a year and a half until my No. 1 Dream Deadline comes and I've got a lot of work to do if I want it to come true.

On another note, I've read the Twilight Saga for about the fifth time and am, once again, completely in love with Jacob Black. Edward and Breaking Dawn be damned. I love me some New Moon Jacob Black and that is that. I certainly do hope, though, if they really go through with making a movie version of New Moon that they don't keep the Jacob from Twilight. Not that there's anything wrong with Taylor Lautner, but he's just not Jacob Black material, IMHO.

Well, enough rambling. Back to some serious plotting for me!

Bon nuit!

The Value of Give-Aways

noreply@blogger.com (Joy N. Hensley) — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 02:11:00 +0000

On Monday, I won tickets to go see Sara Evans in concert. I phoned into the local radio station and won tickets, allowing me to go to a concert last night. Now, I'm not normally a stingy person, but I certainly wouldn't have paid $25 to go see a concert--that's just not what I'd choose to spend my money on. Anyway, because I won the tickets, I went to the location of the concert, the Rockingham County Fair. After a deluge, and the concert being postponed for 45 minutes for fear of the audience being struck by lighting while sitting on metal stands listening to country music, the actual performance began. I was impressed, though glad I didn't spend $25 to hear an hour of singing which I could have heard on a cd and not gone quite as deaf.

Anyway, the point of this ramble is that, as an author, one of the best things you can do to grab the attention of readers, and web-surfers alike, is to offer free things, give-aways, contests, etc. on your website. Since I don't have much published, I have little to no web traffic. However, once things start rolling, I will be giving away books, etc. because it's just nice to give back to the people who support you.

Overwhelmed

noreply@blogger.com (Joy N. Hensley) — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 01:50:00 +0000

I've been at the new job exactly four days and I am feeling so overwhelmed, my stomach is acting up again. You know: the rumbles that act like a fault line in your body, the rumbles that make the voice in your head go "Oh, hmmm...where's the closest bathroom? Like, now?"

Yeah, that's been me for the past two days. Luckily I have learned breathing techniques that keep me safe until I get home (usually). Granted, I have to drive faster than four miles over the speed limit, which could be life-threatening, but, I do what has to be done.

I mean, why am I so nervous in the first place? I've taught for three years. I've taught MIDDLE SCHOOLERS for three years. High school students CAN'T be worse than middle schoolers--can they?

I think the biggest problem I have is just the material: getting comfortable with it, knowing what I'm doing, where I'm going, so I don't have to stop and interrupt a class when I have the earthquake in my stomach that needs to be dealt with and I can't find the bathroom.

I wonder if this is how Stephenie Meyer feels like before she faces a roomful of fans. All these people are here to see moi? Gulp.

So tomorrow through Monday evening I have to get myself under control. I have to find some confidence, I have to find some relaxation techniques. I have to get my head in the game without getting the rest of my body in the game, too!

Ugh. New jobs are stressful!

Phew!

noreply@blogger.com (Joy N. Hensley) — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 03:11:00 +0000

I tell you what, starting back up at school, even without the kids there, is a tiring, stressful time. Not to mention the diet, the teething 1 year old, the constant uncleanliness of my house, the tiles that need doing, the garden that needs weeding, the mulch that needs spreading, the rain barrels that need finishing.

Where, oh where, am I to find the energy to write?

Oh, I won tickets to go see Sara Evans in concert on Wednesday! I'm so excited!

And, with that, I'm leaving my suds in the bucket and my clothes hanging out on the line.

Goodnight!

Procrastination

noreply@blogger.com (Joy N. Hensley) — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 02:21:00 +0000

Wow, I've only been doing the daily blog for three days and I've already missed one. I'm such a slacker. I find that when I set myself up to do something I find whatever I can in the world to do but that. I've really got to work on that. I'm hoping getting back into school will give me the structure I need to follow through with things, especially my writing. I should have Gemma almost finished and yet, here I am, mid-August with the same amount typed that I had at the middle of July. It's quite disappointing. Never going to get anything published this way! Arg.

I've just got to get off my butt, stop being discouraged my "nice" rejections that say they loved my story and I should have no problem publishing it somewhere else. I need to get back into scouring Writers Market to find places to submit to.

Come on, Joy, get off your ass!

Breaking Dawn Clarifications

noreply@blogger.com (Joy N. Hensley) — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 01:44:00 +0000

I suppose I should clarify a few things about my Breaking Dawn Comments made yesterday.

While I found major issue with Mrs. Meyer's new book, I could not help but be fascinated, once again, by her writing style and voice. She has such unique voices for each of her characters.

I am one of those people who do not read chapter titles in the table of contents. I like to be surprised as I go through a book, like opening Christmas presents. I don't want hints. I want to be surprised and WHAMed in the face when I'm opening them. The same rule applies to books.

When I got to book two and was in Jacobs head, I was in heaven. He's so feisty, so intense, so raw. My heart broke for him, I wanted him to imprint on someone, or fall in love with someone, or at least shag the devil out of Leah. Meyer's treatment of Jacob in BD was fantastic. I loved his voice, his chapter titles had me laughing out loud at each turn.

Bravo, Mrs. Meyer, on your Jacob treatment. I just had another plot in mind for book four...then again, that's why they pay you the big bucks and I'm stuck writing blogs and procrastinating on my own books...!

Oops...hello again

noreply@blogger.com (Joy N. Hensley) — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 01:59:00 +0000

Sorry for the rant below without any warning. I've been at the beach, designing my website, starting my new job, tiling my floor, and getting ready for a yard sale on Saturday. To top it all off, I feel highly let down by Stephenie Meyer and am not in a good blogging place right now :) Hopefully things will get better tomorrow and I am vowing to write a blog a day for the next two weeks (we'll see how that goes!).

Thoughts on Breaking Dawn

noreply@blogger.com (Joy N. Hensley) — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 01:09:00 +0000

So, after much anticipation and gnawing of teeth about waiting for my pre-ordered Amazon copy to come in the mail, I finally finished Breaking Dawn. Like millions of others out there, I was/am completely obsessed with the Twilight series. I've read the first three books numerous times, and although I have problems with the dependence Bella seems to have on Edward and Jacob, I got past it. I still remember the power of first loves, and the loves that take hold after a broken heart. I am not so far past my high school years to not understand that pull.

However...however, Breaking Dawn goes beyond what is necessary in terms of the ideals Ms. Meyer puts on relationships and individualism. Bella, although the "girl next door," clumsy, not the most popular, not able to fit in (please--who does in high school?). Not only does Bella not find herself, but even after being married to Edward, having sex with Edward, and having a baby (what? Who the hell saw that coming?), she's still not satisfied. She continues to need Jacob, someone who lied to her, forced himself on her, and who continues to give her ultimatum after ultimatum.

Sure, I figured Bella would become a vampire, but I was really hoping Stephenie Meyer was going to be able to find a way to keep Bella human. I mean, everyone has character flaws--it's what makes us loveable, and it's what keeps life interesting. Perfect people can only be interesting for so long, and Edward had struggled for three books to keep her human. Why does she feel the need to cave in now?

As a writer, I have been told time and time again not to take the "easy" way out. Unfortunately, I feel (and from the fandom, it seems a lot of other people do, too) that Mrs. Meyer did just that. She had so many people (fans, publishers, editors, promotional gurus) to please that she forgot her cardinal rule of writing for herself. If she could have pulled back and looked at the story without the buzz of the publishing world in her ears, maybe she would have heard the ring of falseness coming from her anuscript.

Where's the struggle? Where's the point where someone has to sacrifice something in order to get what they want? Bella's wishes are served up on a silver platter--Edward, sex, baby (still can't get over that), Jacob, Cullens, not having to deal with the Italian vamps again. There is absolutely no struggle at all. She even gets to keep Charlie, one of the determining factors that held her human for so long.

I cannot get over the feeling of letdown I have from reading this book. I was hoping for some struggle, some major life change, but everyone seemed to get what they want without much struggle. There wasn't even any death at all. I thought certainly as I read about the Volturi that someone I had grown to care about in Twilight, New Moon, and Eclipse was going to have to suffer. Like Bella constantly thinks, no one can be that happy. There has to be some balance to her life, and the way Mrs. Meyer serves it up, there is no balance. There is no struggle, no disappointment. I think Mrs. Meyer would have done better to leave it at the trilogy it shone best as.

All is well in the land of Forks. Unfortunately, it doesn't sit well with me as a reader or a writer.

Website Design

noreply@blogger.com (Joy N. Hensley) — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 18:12:00 +0000

Instead of writing, I am sitting here contemplating new website design. I am going crazy trying to learn html, css, and everything else needed to design a website and I'm wondering if it's worth the effort. I mean, I know I need a website for promotion, but while I've got nothing to promote is it really necessary? Is a blog enough--that is, woulda blog be enough if I actually wrote in it?

I'm guessing a basic site would be enough, but does that mean switch to wordpress or stay with this blog and just link it to a poorly, obviously home-made site? I just wish I knew more than I did about this and that it could be easier that it is...I guess that's why people make money doing it...

GUD Contest!

noreply@blogger.com (Joy N. Hensley) — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 01:21:00 +0000

So, the literary magazine GUD is hosting a pre-launch contest for their latest issue.

Go here to read all about it and check out their awesome magazine!

It's about time!

noreply@blogger.com (Joy N. Hensley) — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 17:36:00 +0000

It's been awhile since I started a new blog. And, since I feel as though I'm starting a new, a new blog is in order. Pop the champagne, have a swig, and lets get started, shall we?

My name is Joy. I'm a family woman (god, am I a woman? That sounds so...old). I've got a husband (hereafter referred to as Man) of three years. He is wonderful most of the time, and well serviceable all the other times. A little tune-up is all that's needed. I have a wonderful son (hereafter referred to as Little Man) who just turned one and is driving me, quite literally, to distraction. Forgetting the dog would be a sin, so my darling 100-lb Akita who never leaves my side (except when I leave her to go, well, anywhere) also gets a shout-out.

As far as jobs, like my blogs, I've had dozens. I'm a teacher by day, just making a huge switch from middle school to high school English. I start the new job in August, which I'm sure I'll write about a lot here. When I'm not teaching, though, and even sometimes when I am, I fall back on my great love, which is writing. I've had a few stories published, but haven't done anything like what I dream of doing. My goal is to have a book contract by the time I'm 30. That's nearly two years. I've got a lot of work to do.

My current works in progress (hereafter WIP) are:
MADE FOR WALKING (women's fiction)
GEMMA UP-OVER (Young Adult fiction)
AFRICA BY ELEPHANT (children's fiction)

When I'm not busy with work, family, or writing, I have a few other things I do on the side:

I run. Or at least I try to. I'm looking into three races in the September-October time frame that range from 3-10 miles. Nothing major--at least nothing as major as what made me start running in the first place which was an 18 mile run on the Virginia Creeper Trail (haha!). I've since come to my senses.

I remodel. I am currently remodeling, with the help of Man, our master bathroom. We're tiling the floors, painting, and, if all goes well, tiling the shower. We'll see about that last part.

I pretend to be green. And by pretend, I mean that I am working very hard on making my life as green as possible. I make my own laundry soap, I use cloth bags when I go shopping, I recycle, I compost, I'm working on a raised bed for next year to plant veggies since veggies don't really like the clay that is my soil around here. Generally, I'm trying very hard to reduce my carbon footprint and the collective footprint of my family. It's hard, but I'm trying.

Any or all of these things are fair game in my blog and I hope you enjoy growing with me! Let me know if you stop by, I'd love to see who's reading!