Photoshop Friday

3 Reasons Why I am Slow

So, some of you may have noticed (actually, i hope no one has noticed) that on this blog I have made several "ballpark" estimations of when I would be finishing PAMR, my work in progress. Some of you may have watched those estimated completion dates creep by, like the thief in the night. Fact of the matter is, this novel is taking a bit longer than I expected.

Here are three reasons why.

Don't be alarmed! Those are not invaders from another planet! Those are kids. My kids. And in case you didn't know, kids kinda take a lot of time. There's this whole feeding thing, and bathing, and cleaning up after them, and, you know, talking to them and stuff. Yeah, it takes a bit of my time. Just a bit.



MOVING! If I were to write a memoir about this year in my life, that would be the name of it. From Fall of '08 to Fall of '09, I will have moved roughly five times. I'm moving again this Saturday. YAY!!!! I wish you could all see my huge grin right now! *Squinty smile*



I've said it before, but I'll say it again, my Inner Editor is a harsh task master. ESPECIALLY for this book. I mean, just look at her! Here's an example: February 12, 2009 (entry date in my writer's notebook,) I was going along swimmingly in my writing. In fact, I had nearly reached the big climax in the story. Well, then Inner Editor decides that there are TWO HUGE plot arcs that need to be fixed. And fixed before we go a step further in the story. *sigh* It's meant a lot of work, and a lot of time. Don't get me wrong, the story, and the climax for that matter, will be so much stronger. But still. Time.

So there you go. Make of it what you will. If you speedy writers, who write a book in a month/two weeks wonder what in the heck is taking me so long, now you know.

Philosophy 101

My husband was a philosophy major in college. (I know, useful, right? Alas, the market for philosophers just isn't what it used to be.) However, he has used his degree to come up with a few amusing insights. This one reminded me of all us aspiring authors out there.

"I think, therefore I am. . . . If only it were that easy."

One Year: A Contemplative, Restrospective Extravaganza

Yes folks, one year ago this day (er . . . not really, but close enough. Go with me on this.) Renee Collins, a very eager, very green aspiring writer decided that she had better start her blog soon, for when the fans came pouring in, she would need a website to address them all.

*laughs, wipes a tear* I kid (kinda.)In truth, I started this blog in the hopes of networking with other writers, and hopefully making some friends. I have been lucky enough to do both. So, right off the bat, I want to thank all of you. Thanks!! I have loved getting to know you all.

At any rate, call it cliche, but reaching an anniversary always makes me reflect on the year that passed. So, I've decided to give you a brief photo essay to highlight some of the my writing journey thus far.

ONE YEAR

When I started writing my first book, I felt as if I were beginning a huge journey. The goal was clear to me, but the path was a whole different story. Honestly, part of me wondered if I actually had the stamina to write a whole novel.



Well, I did! The result was my lovely first novel. I refer to it as Tristan, but it never really had a title. Celebrating my completion of Tristan were some of the first posts on this blog. Poor Tristan was fun, but flawed. You can see where he has ended up now, but I maintain to this day that I love that book because it showed me that I CAN actually finish a novel.



About this point, I met my two writer BFFs, Kiersten and Natalie. We call ourselves the MoMo Writers. And we rock. Here we all are! And yes, I had blonde hair once. :)



Shortly after gently laying Tristan to rest, I started work on my second novel, Miss Midas. It's a fun YA love story that has a bit of a magical twist. I have to say, I love this book. Like Tristan, it has taught me SO much. This is the book that showed me that I can not only finish, but actually put my work out there in the big, scary world of agents and editors.



Well, querying is hard. Really hard. Sometimes the trenches were a bit too much to handle, but I have all of you to thank for getting me out of my blue period.



Because I have something SO much more exciting to put my energy into now! My WiP! PAMR! (better title coming soon) Honestly, what could lift the spirits more than a story of betrayal, violence, darkness, and death, in a world ravaged by massive war?! I say, nothing!!! (P.S. I know I sound sarcastic, but this book truly brings me joy.)



So, I journey on. Through ups and downs, I'll keep blogging and I hope you all keep reading. I'm glad to have so many friends going through it all with me. :) Some days, we may feel a bit like this. (I sure as heck know I do) But, hopefully, one day soon we will all be seeing this.


That's my parting wish. :)

Did I say Monday?

I meant Tuesday. . .

yeah. Look for my Special Occasion Photoshop Friday/Bloggiversary post tomorrow.

Oh, and remember how I promised you a laugh? Better not count on that either. I now promise that it will be only remotely amusing.

Collins Out (note the clever play on my previous post's title)

Due to an unexpected combination of a puking son (Kiersten, I feel your pain!!) and a spontaneous trip to Las Vegas (woot woot!), I'm actually out for the rest of the weekend.

But stay tuned!

My One Year Bloggiversary is upon us! It's actually this Saturday, but seeing as how I will be out of town, I will begin the festivities* on Monday!!! So come back and see me then!



*Said festivities will--regretfully--not include: games, prizes, or other interactive events generally expected at blog events. The best you can hope for is a laugh, which I will be striving for most vigorously. I'm brewing something more along the lines of a glorified Photoshop Friday. :)

Cop Out

So, I do a lot of driving, and I always listen to the radio. Well, lately the song, "Love Story" has caught my attention. But, in a bad way. (All except for a pretty rockin' guitar solo just before the bridge.)Anyway, here is the song, roughly paraphrased:

verse 1-Teenage angsty, forbidden lovers
chorus-Teenage angsty, forbidden lovers
verse 2-Teenage angsty, forbidden lovers
chorus-Teenage angsty, forbidden lovers
rockin' guitar solo
bridge-Teenage angsty, forbidden lovers
last verse-Teenagers get married, live happily ever after

Um . . . excuse me? Did I miss something? I mean, no offense to Taylor Swift, but this is the biggest cop out ending I've ever heard. It's all wrong! We are not allowed to hear any satisfying reason why the father figure should suddenly agree to the match, and let them get married, for heavens sake. It just doesn't make any sense. It's like Swift was going along, writing the song, got to the end said, "Aw, they should end up together. Okay!" And she happily scribbles away the last verse.

Do you see the connection to writing novels? I believe that every story has a right ending, but sometimes it isn't always the happiest, or the funnest to write. But, we writers can be so fixated on how we think it should end, on how we want it to end that we refuse to write it that way. We can also be so in love with our characters that we don't want them to suffer, so we wrap up the story in a big, pretty bow. *coughBreakingDawncough* It just doesn't work. The readers will sense it. And your story will lose some of the power that it could have had.

So, I call for all of us writers to be aware of the truth in our stories. The ending will show itself to us, we just have to be brave enough to write it that way. And, for the record, I think "Love Story" should have ended with the two forbidden lovers realizing that High School relationships are a joke, and that they would probably break up after a few weeks anyway, making English class lame and awkward for the rest of the year, so they should just skip the drama and move on.

Photoshop Friday!

Agent's just not that into you.

Last night I was wrangled into going to see the movie, He's just not that into you. Well, I've been out of the single scene for a while now (thank heavens,) however, as I watched the movie, I couldn't help but think that this is perhaps a message we writers need to hear sometimes, hard as it is.

The Scenario (come on, you know you recognize this):

You find that dream agent, the one who makes your heart go pitter patter. The one who is so perfect for you that it makes you scream. You know, that one. So, you send him/her you awesome, fantastic query. WOO HOO!! The dream is on! You can't stop thinking about him/her! You can't stop gabbing with your writer friends (or just your own mind) about how much you want that agent!


Minutes tick by. . . then hours . . . then days. You check your email every few hours. And yet . . . nothing. You start to worry. Is there some problem? Have I done something wrong? You send your friends test emails to make sure that both your outbox and inboxes are working. And yet . . . nothing.


So you get sad. You wonder, what the heck? Why isn't he/she contacting me? Your writer friends assure you that they had this one agent who waited four weeks to contact them, but when they did it was with a full request. You hear the stories, but they don't make you feel much better. So, you drown out your confusion and frustration in a huge can of Dr. Pepper. (P.S. I kinda wish they made them this big. Wouldn't it be awesome?)

But, ultimately, don't we have to accept the one truth? Agent's just not that into you. Yes, it hurts. Yes, it sucks. But, if we can just embrace that fact, our lives open up to the healing powers of moving on. Isn't it a freeing feeling?

*This blog does not recommend the act of jumping from a cliff, no matter how free you feel, until you have consulted with your physician and/or spouse.