Pauline's News

I want to go out and explore my new city, decorate my new place, look for nooks and crannies around town but I can’t because I am in crunch time with the book.

I want to stay in and write the book but I can’t because I have to get the apartment organized, buy those little things that you need every time you move into a new place (and yes, I’m following my own CLBB rules *wink*) and not coming off as totally rude to the new neighbors.

As far as dilemmas go, this isn’t a bad one to have.

I try to write every day. I don’t always succeed, but I do try. And when DH is home, I tend to write about 1000 -1200 words per day. But when DH is away, as he is now, as he was during my 3 day, 10K word marathon, I push it. Mind you, I don’t usually push it to 10K words, but I do push it. At the end of the day, there is a great feeling of accomplishment but you know what the best part is? The best part is the wicked hot, uber-fragrant, super bubbly bath. I love baths any time but the end-of-a-long-day-of-writing bath? That’s the best part.

With many, many thanks to housekeeping at the Extended Stay hotel in Fairbanks Alaska who paid attention to the Do Not Disturb sign, my friends and family who have been ignored for three whole days, and the respective casts of NCIS and White Collar for doing their jobs so I could do mine, my three day experiment is done.

Not a shabby word count, if I do say so myself.

I have a new goal. Guess what it is?

I have:

• lots of strawberries
• more coffee
• clean towels, fresh sheets, and an empty trash can
• 3 seasons of NCIS; 1 season of White Collar
• Do Not Disturb sign on the doorknob

Wish me luck. I’m excited.

As of today, I am not allowed to read anyone else’s work until I have written my own. It is too easy to get sucked into other people’s (excellent, amazing, time-destroying) writing and not do my work. *sigh*

When a book is flowing, it is nothing for me to spend 8-10 hours in a day working. I fall into the hole in the page, into my characters’ world and the day here IRL goes by without my noticing. If I needed any further validation that I have made the right decision to change out this story, I have it as of today. For the first time with this book, I have worked for nine hours today. Nine Hours. I’m back to loving my job and that feels great.

Part of me doesn’t even want to admit this ~ but I’m going to anyway. I’ve been writing. Why wouldn’t I want to admit that? Because I totally threw out everything I had written and, with only about 3 months before my deadline, decided to start over. From scratch. Which is more than a little scary.

The problem was that I had created this great plot and this wonderful storyline…for some character other than Carter Anne Kane. Putting Carter Anne into this plot and this storyline was forcing her to act and react in ways she wouldn’t actually do. I tried to keep on writing, forcing us both into boxes that didn’t fit us but it just wasn’t working. Finally, I emailed my love-of-words-and-all-things-written mentor/friend/former teacher and she gave me the pep talk I needed to find the courage to throw it all out and start over.

You know what? The story is flowing better than it has in weeks and weeks. Carter Anne is a character I like, and I think you’ll like. And her story is interesting and romantic without being too heavy or dully written. Hello! Isn’t that what it’s all about?

I’ll try to post more news and not only just the Champagne Life on a Beer Budget posts. If I don’t post often, though, at least you know where I am now.

~ Pauline

I really love writing my blog, Curl Up With a Good Book…and Live a Champagne Life on a Beer Budget. Honestly, it’s one of my favorite parts of my job. It allows me to write fun nonfiction as well as (equally fun) fiction, and it gets me out of my characters’ heads for a little while every other week. However, it also requires forethought, time management, and internet access to keep it current. Right now, for this moment at least, I have pre-published several entries worth. No worries about losing track of what day it is; no worries about having internet connectivity for the next several weeks. Just a sense of accomplishment and relief. Which, wow, feels good. Definitely part of my personal champagne life on a beer budget!

Even when I have a deadline, I have to eat. These days, that means the dining hall at the Galena Bureau of the Interior base. The fires have started up here in Alaska, which means fire crews. Which means smokejumpers. And here, it means the Alaska smokejumpers. This handful of men and women do things most of us, myself absolutely included, would never dream of doing. Going into the Alaskan bush with only what they can carry on their backs. Jumping out of aircraft. Fighting fires. And they do it all at once.

I write good heroes. My fellow authors write good heroes. Yet, sometimes, fiction cannot possibly impress as thoroughly as reality.

Love having deadlines. Seriously.