“The only reason for being professional writer is that you just can’t help it.”
--Leo Rosten
So this next one is both a question and not-a-question from Kim of Temporary Insanity (who you simply must follow if you’re not already. Kim is one of my favorite people on the planet. Nuff said. Or not. I could talk about her all day.)
Kim said, I have to confess to a burning desire to know more specifics about your WIP (Work In Progress) but no worries if that’s private for now.
Well, I have to confess that it’s quite flattering that anyone would feel a “burning desire” to know anything about me, let alone my WIP! *blush* Seriously, can you see why I adore this girl?
Another confession here. (Wow, it’s a reveal-all day!) I know I haven’t been very forthcoming about my WIPs on my blog. It really doesn’t stem from a wicked paranoia about idea thievery (though it does and has happened to people I quite care for) but comes from that part of me that asks, “Does anyone really want to know or will I get that glazed-over dull sheen that happens so often when I talk about my writing?”
Although I think Kim would listen with rapt attention if I chose to talk about the polarity of water and oil and how it’s the only thing from my high school chemistry class that I still use on a frequent basis, her question did make me wonder if I’m a bit too miserly about my WIPs.
So in an effort to de-Scroogify, I’ll shed a little light on what I’m up to. Feel free to duck out now if the urge to yawn is coming upon you. I have more ideas than I know what to do with but I’ve narrowed down my options (yes, I have to force myself) to just three.
1. Blood Oath: This is a fantasy story that’s been written a couple of times. However, I took an unplanned slice of it to a conference on what I can only call a divinely inspired whim and an author that I quite admire finally gave me the permission to write this story the way it was meant to. Unfortunately, that meant an enormous overhaul with more outlining and plotting than I have heretofore delved. This has taken a lot of time but I’m now happily writing the story I always wanted to write but was never brave enough to do before now.
2. Unnamed Steampunk. This baby was a dream that came to me the night before NanoWriMo. It was one of those rare dreams where I got to watch my entire novel like a movie. Kevin Spacey was the villain and man did he rock. Kudos, Kevin. Can’t thank ya enough.
3. Model’s Club. My first foray into the world of contemporary YA. I know—bizarre. This one also came from a dream I had and I hated waking up from it. Really. When you’re a size 3 with great hair and legs, you don’t ever want to wake up to the reality of me. And I’ll never get to be that tall. =P
Still with me? Anyone still awake? ;) Kim also asked me: What things transport your to your “happy place?” Sights, sounds, smells…
Music really transports me. It can change the tide of an entire day. Particular modes of transport: Nessun Dorma sung by Pavarotti, Consider the Lilies by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, I Will Show You Love by Kendall Payne, and Your Song sung by Ewan McGregor on the Moulin Rouge Soundtrack.
As for sights and sounds, I’ll stick with rain. God is in the rain.
Tell me what you’re working on. What takes you to your happy places?
Thanks to Kim for the great questions and see you guys soon!
--L.T.
28 comments:
I can barely figure out what I want to write for one blog post, and here you are, working on multiple, awesome projects.
They all sound great to me and kevin spacey as the villain? you can't go wrong there.
I am excited that you are "freed up" to write Blood Oath the way you are passionate about. I just took the leap and posted teasers for my WIPs on the blog. Aak!
AND, I'm following Temporary Insanity's site, now. Love. It.
Thank you for sharing!
Do we love Kim, or do we love Kim? I know. She rules the world. As do your summaries (although I know that's not what they are...) Fun to get a little glimpse!
Feel free to duck out now if the urge to yawn is coming upon you.
Are you freaking kidding me? Seriously, yawning was the last thing on my mind! I was all atingle with anticipation to find out more!
I am so excited that you're working more on Blood Oath, and if you need any more readers...*hint, hint, oh-so-shameless hinting*
Steampunk, eh? I looked up the definition after I saw you refer to it once and I really enjoy it. I can't wait to hear what this one is about.
And Model's Club sounds really interesting.
Please don't hesitate to share more about what you're doing. I find it anything but boring. You amaze me with your way of writing, and I'm always quite eager to hear more!
Oh yes, and Kim is completely awesome. She's a complete sweetheart who I'm entirely fond of, much as I am of you!
p.s. You have all the luck. I dream that I have three, hairy legs. Not exactly inspiring, eh?
Ha Ha everyone! I've read some of LT's WIP!! And she's awesome!
I love "Consider the Lilies".
And I love Kim, too! She'll be there with us at Storymakers! YAY!
Okay, so you rock as a writer! Three books going and your blog. Awesome. Loved every one you're working on. You're an inspiration.
I have several WIPs. I just finished the edits on The Stone Traveler due out in August. I'm working on a romantic suspense titled River Whispers. Also on my desk is a screenplay of my Christmas book that was released last year and as soon as that is finished I'm going to turn my attention to another YA time-travel titled Chasing the Star. And I think that is the most I've ever written in a blog comment. Thanks, L.T. I'm going to have to blog about my WIPs. Oh, and my happy place, hmmm? How about at my computer keyboard?
Not glassy eyed or yawning. I love hearing what you are working on.
Ewan McGregory You song. *sighs* Just love that song.
As for my WIP, it is a YA paranormal novel. that is getting written very slowly. :( I'm working on that.
OH, LT, I'm so glad you shared!! I still can't believe you had a dream the night before Nano for the ideal book. HOW COOL IS THAT??!
I love that you say "God is in the rain." Well put.
And I LOVE all the music from Moulin Rouge. Now I'll have to listen to Your Song again.
So you have THREE works in progress. You're amazing. Which one is your biggest focus right now?
I had no idea you love Consider the Lilies! I love that song. Who knew?
Oooh, Laura... I really like Blood Oath. I love your poetic writing. I really think you and I ought to co-auth one of these lifetimes, we'd do great!
Love your Steampunk. You're so creative!
As for your contemporary . . . I know where you're coming from. I never dared to dream I'd write one, and yet, I have.
Luv ya!
Thanks for being willing to talk about your books. I can't wait to read them. What I read of Blood Oath was awesome.
And of course everyone wants to see what you're up to (duh!) because you're brilliant and creative and talented and everyone loves you and you hardly ever talk about yourself because you're so busy making other people talk about themselves.
Besides, inquiring minds want to know these things.
I simply ADORE Nessun Dorma. It gives me chills!
I am all kinds of blushing over your sweet words, but that delightful tingling is overcome by near rabid curiousity. It's so intriguing to get a wee little peek at what you're working on and I may just start harrassing you until you tell me more!
Clicking my heels and saying "There's no place like home, there's no place like home." Err, ummm... wait, that's what takes me to Oz. Hmmm... Well, L.T. I guess you'll have to continue being my happy place provider :)
That was way fun to hear about your WIP's. I've heard how wonderful you are, but haven't ever read any of them myself. You should share more.
Yay! You've hinted at some of you WIPs, but this is the most explanation I've ever gotten. Wow!!! I can't wait to see how this stuff comes out.
I can only write one thing at a time. I've been known to break up my editing so that I do different WIP in between.
My WIP include editing and rewriting a shorter novel I wrote during a NANOWRIMO a year ago. Really that WIP is more like a in-between-my-real-novels kind of piece, but it's still a fun ride.
Happy Places:
Ice Skating
Swimming Pools
Art Museums
The Symphony
Watching my kids all laugh together
The smell of homemade bread
I could go on and on. I have lots of happy places.
WIP? Story based on my grandfather's life.
Adore you. Can't wait to finally meet you irl.
wv word: yalatess. That just needs to be defined and become part of the English lexicon. I'm going to think about it. And it looks so beautiful on my computer in lovely red lettering. . .
I'm so curious about your punk one and contemporary YA. You're just dropping us teasers :) Sorry I've been absent a lot lately, I'm just getting back to being online, I've been unplugged from blogging for awhile and am no catching up. Sigh, this may take some time.
I'm working on final, first round edits for my book (though I'm afraid the July release might be optomistic) and collecting full requests with matching rejections on my latest ms.
...and thinking, thinking...maybe it's time for something NEW! :)
Your WIPs sound awesome! Writing is truly a passion thing. There's so much work involved to get the right story down, that anything less than passion for the writing/the story would make it so we could walk away. *writing cookies*
I love the wind. :)
Hey, I've enjoyed your comments on my book review/interviews! You sound like you have some great WIPs--keep up the good work.
Music takes me to a happy place too! I can only listen at certain times when I'm writing though and the music has to match the mood of my writing--yep, I'm weird, but I'm a writer so that's okay. :)
So fun to hear about your writing projects. (And yes, we all adore Kim!) I also love the music you listed. And rain. No wonder I also love YOU.
Last year for NaNoWriMo I wrote a book I've been planning to write for years (and was really my impetus to start blogging. It's called The Bridge Club Chronicles, and it's a hilarious romp through my teenage years, loosely based on my 8th grade journal.
I have another novel project I'm co-writing with a friend. It's an untitled project, a technological thriller, and it also happened in real life. But it is so creepy and twisted you'd SWEAR we made it up!
My next NaNo project also came to me in a dream, almost like watching the whole movie unfold, as you describe. I'm calling it Mason Hamlin. It's an epic. (Kind of like this comment's becoming.)
Wow! I really enjoyed reading this! I didn't know what you wrote at all, and it appears you are quite eclectic!
I don't talk much about my wips on my blog, either, which is why I just made the blog I invited you to. I'm never quite sure who will really be interested.
I'm glad Kim asked because I've been dieing to know too!
You know my friend I was with tonight? She's totally into steampunk right now (trying to write her own) so it's totally catching my interest to hear about it! We must all do lunch together sometime so you two can chat and I can hear all the writing goodness.
I am so so excited that I got to meet you tonight! You are so stinkin beautiful and just as friendly as I imagined!
LT: I was always curious about your WIPs. This was a great tell-all post!! ;)
I've shelved a YA fantasy I started working on last year and now I'm into developing a new YA dystopian novel.
In addition, I'm working on a paradigm shift from blogging to writing more. It hurts, but I know I must do it in order to evolve as a writer.
Chocolate & blog visiting takes me to my happy places. And my children (most of the time) and my friends and mom & sisters. and shopping and shoes...(I could go on & on here...)
:)
I'm so glad you answered this question. I just recently figured out you were working on something in the steampunk genre and I was super excited because I knew what that was. (Granted, it was because of a steam punk cake on the Cake Wrecks blog and then I went to wikipedia to figure out what steam punk meant, but still. I knew!) These sound like cool projects. I write in one genre but I wonder if writing in multiple ones would fuel creativity even more. But I'm also too easily distracted to attempt it.
Keep up the good writing work!
Girl, I am SOOO guarded about my WIP that I won't even tell published author friends who ask me what I'm writing. Nobody sees my work until it's time to get beta'd.
I think it's awesome and hilarious you dreamed you were your char's. I can never write a char who's taller than me unless she's also fatter than me, b/c I'm such a jealous person lololol.
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