This week I'm Celebrating:
1) Although my muse refuses to get back on the writing/revising train for my novel -- she's been a Muse on the Loose! -- she's been giving me good ideas for artwork and copy for promotions.
She helped me make this:
From this:
Pretty cool, huh? :)
2) My wild & crazy Muse has also pointed me away from a new project -- Oooh, ahhhh! Shiny! -- (which had actually kept me scratching my head for a month because I couldn't iron out the details) and pointed me toward a project I thought up a while ago. The old idea has a more interesting premise and characters. My muse showed me a way to combine the new shiny one with the old one and create something unique and better! It will be a novella, the first in a trilogy, and I'm starting to research, write the blurb, and plot now! Woohoo!
3) Although my Muse has been an uncontrollable nut for a while, I think she'll settle down soon and allow me to finish my novel, Bloodwalker. (Yes, the one I swore would be done by the end of this month. I gave up trying to be Speedy Gonzalez -- which was making my writing a dull, cliche-ridden disaster -- and had to admit that at heart I'm just a slow-but-meticulous Tortoise.)
Does your Muse ever get wild and crazy by giving you ideas for new projects instead of the one you're supposed to be working on? Do you go with the new or stick with the old?
My kind and wonderful co-hosts of Celebrate the Small Things are:
L.G. Keltner @ Writing Off The Edge
Tonja Drecker @ Kidbits Blog
Celebrate The Small Things Linky:
Grab the Linky html-code here:
Celebrate the Small Things. To be part of this blog hop, all you have to do is visit the Celebrate page on Lexa's Blog for the rules, and then post every Friday about something you're grateful for that week. It can be about writing or family or school or general life. This is the funnest and easiest blog hop ever! (Originated by VikLit)
Here are Foxy's suggestions for July 30, 2015:
(These are older freebies that you might have forgotten about)
Free First Page Critiques -- Three fabulous and talented published authors are willing to critique YOUR FIRST PAGE FOR FREE! Dianne Salerni (author of The Eighth Day series, HarperCollins 2014) and Marcy Hatch (author of West of Paradise, WiDo 2014) and Krystalyn Drown (Legasea, Curiosity Quills 2013) will post your WIP's first page (350-400 words) and offer their impressions as will their readers/commenters. That's AWESOME feedback and super-helpful for any aspiring author! For rules and mailing address go read the side bar on any of their blogs.
Free Query Critiques by Kim Graff (editor, cover designer, & agent intern). Go to Kim Graff Blog - Free Query Critiques and read the instructions for getting a critique. I know Kim, and she's a great editor!
Free Query Critiques from Matthew MacNish. He writes full, detailed and helpful crits that appear on his blog. Contact him at: mattmrush(at)gmail.com
Free Copyright-Expired Books at Black Mask Free eBooks. (They're dated, but they're a fun change of pace and great if you're researching historical modes of speech and style.)
1) Although my muse refuses to get back on the writing/revising train for my novel -- she's been a Muse on the Loose! -- she's been giving me good ideas for artwork and copy for promotions.
She helped me make this:
From this:
Pretty cool, huh? :)
2) My wild & crazy Muse has also pointed me away from a new project -- Oooh, ahhhh! Shiny! -- (which had actually kept me scratching my head for a month because I couldn't iron out the details) and pointed me toward a project I thought up a while ago. The old idea has a more interesting premise and characters. My muse showed me a way to combine the new shiny one with the old one and create something unique and better! It will be a novella, the first in a trilogy, and I'm starting to research, write the blurb, and plot now! Woohoo!
3) Although my Muse has been an uncontrollable nut for a while, I think she'll settle down soon and allow me to finish my novel, Bloodwalker. (Yes, the one I swore would be done by the end of this month. I gave up trying to be Speedy Gonzalez -- which was making my writing a dull, cliche-ridden disaster -- and had to admit that at heart I'm just a slow-but-meticulous Tortoise.)
Does your Muse ever get wild and crazy by giving you ideas for new projects instead of the one you're supposed to be working on? Do you go with the new or stick with the old?
My kind and wonderful co-hosts of Celebrate the Small Things are:
L.G. Keltner @ Writing Off The Edge
Tonja Drecker @ Kidbits Blog
Celebrate The Small Things Linky:
Grab the Linky html-code here:
Foxy's Friday Freebies!
Foxy has been nosing around the net.
When she finds great FREE STUFF, she'll feature it on Fridays Freebies posts -
- Free short stories, novellas, and novels
- Giveaways for books and swag
- Free services for authors
Here are Foxy's suggestions for July 30, 2015:
(These are older freebies that you might have forgotten about)
Free First Page Critiques -- Three fabulous and talented published authors are willing to critique YOUR FIRST PAGE FOR FREE! Dianne Salerni (author of The Eighth Day series, HarperCollins 2014) and Marcy Hatch (author of West of Paradise, WiDo 2014) and Krystalyn Drown (Legasea, Curiosity Quills 2013) will post your WIP's first page (350-400 words) and offer their impressions as will their readers/commenters. That's AWESOME feedback and super-helpful for any aspiring author! For rules and mailing address go read the side bar on any of their blogs.
Free Query Critiques by Kim Graff (editor, cover designer, & agent intern). Go to Kim Graff Blog - Free Query Critiques and read the instructions for getting a critique. I know Kim, and she's a great editor!
Free Query Critiques from Matthew MacNish. He writes full, detailed and helpful crits that appear on his blog. Contact him at: mattmrush(at)gmail.com
Free Copyright-Expired Books at Black Mask Free eBooks. (They're dated, but they're a fun change of pace and great if you're researching historical modes of speech and style.)
If anyone has a FREE short story (for download or online at a free ezine), novella, novel, special giveaway, or author service, please let Foxy know so she can plug you here! Write to: laura.6eg(at)gmail.com
39 comments:
My muse is always out of control, coming up with too many story ideas while I'm trying to finish one project. Huge congrats on making progress forward on your new novella idea. Yay.
My personal muse has Alzheimers lately, I think. I'm pretty scattered from juggling too much and it makes me feel flaky, ha ha.
My muse doesn't exist, maybe that's why I am getting no where lately. I love what you have done with that photo. It looks really cool and so professional.
I love your manipulation of the image Lexa and your story sounds like your muse is right onto it. :-)
Really dig the artwork you created.
Two ideas into one great idea - now that's clever.
I wish ideas hit me more often. Care to share?
Nice job on the cover, Lexa.
I have never really been one to swing back and forth between projects. I may get an idea for something, but it's more along the lines of "Hey, this might be kind of cool, keep it in mind for The Next Thing" rather than "DROP EVERYTHING AND WORK ON THIS NOW!!!" Have a great weekend!
A wild and crazy muse can cause me problems. It constantly takes me off track. But I've learned I need to concentrate on one project at a time. I have 3 works in progress because of an unruly muse...
Great job on the image...it is fabulous!
Awesome that you have so many ideas lately. Love your artwork.
My muse is there, but not at her best. But it's the end of summer break, so I'll let it slide ;) Love your artwork!
Lovely artwork! Well, even if it's not what you're *supposed* to be doing, an active muse is always a good thing to have! Have a great weekend, =)
Love the art! And I'm not a speedy writer or reader. I take time to digest every word, plot, and character. It's just the way I am. It used to take me hours when in school to finish my homework because of it.
Hugs and chocolate!
Oooh gorgeous artwork!! and YES story of my life lol. I force myself to stick with what I'm working on since if i let it, I'll just keep getting carried onto new things and never finish. It's so hard sometimes!
Pretty cool artwork, great difference between the before and after. Really nice effort indeed. Greetings!
Your graphic is amazing. Yay for shiny new ideas and projects. My muse is taking a break, because she's tired. All week I've been editing, proofreading, and submitting, but I hope to get creative soon.
that image is so cool!
I admire people who can take an image and completely re-invent it.
I'm not good with image-related programs, but it looks like such fun!
My muse is busy eating chocolates and reading the newspaper:) I love your cover! It's great what you did with it
Hi Lexa,
Your muse is workin' it on your artwork. Love it! My muse has me all over the place--jumping from project to project. She's always drawing me to something new and shiny so I have to reel her in and work on what I'm supposed to be working on instead of moving to the new.
My muse is always trying to distract me with new shiny ideas. That's why I have so many un-revised MSs littering my hard drive. Even now, I'm being teased with a new idea and I'm desperately trying to finish a draft so I can get onto doing some of the revising I so desperately need to do.
My muse is always providing ideas for new projects when I'm busy working on something else. I write down these ideas and turn to them when my creativity is tapped.
Good muse for the cool new ideas, but bad muse for being unfocused. My muse is unpredictable at times as well. When I "finished" edits on SW last summer, I was gearing up for Dragon, but my muse instead gave me shiny new ideas for another literary fiction piece. I gave her about a week of thinking--writing everything down for later--and then went back to Dragon. She shaped up, but it required some chocolate and a lot of fantasy reading time to get her soothed enough to behave. ;)
Nice job on the artwork, and good luck with your current projects.
I love what you did with that image. You're always so busy!
Have a wonderful weekend :)
Your muse will start behaving herself. She might even surprise you. Great job, Lexa. Enjoy your weekend.
Good to hear you are being creative. The cover looks great. If I have a muse she is a quiet one or I am good a ignoring her.
Hooray for your muse, that is a way cool creation! And don't worry about using the crock pot method rather than the microwave. It turns out better fare.
I love that artwork!
Yep, my muse is in a very kinky mood. He has made me abandon one project and flirt with another. I need to get back to the deserted project soon.
I just love your artwork! It's all so cool.
I think your muse took mine and they are on the loose together. Can't find mine to save my life, damn her.
Hey Lexa!
Muse on the Loose
Footloose
With Mother Goose
In a caboose.
Impressive change in the artwork. Nicely done.
I shall have to go and look up what the hell, "Muse", means! :)
Penny says "arf!" to Foxy!
Enjoy the rest of your weekend.
Gary :)
Hi, Lexa,
Apart from Egypt, we now have another thing in common: Rats! Such a "lovely" addition to any story (or so we must think, otherwise we wouldn't let them run loose).
Keeping at your own pace will only benefit your novel. I know, it's "in" these days to plot and speed-write; but some of us are made for quality, not quantity. Keep at it, though - and don't let the rats bite!
Love the new artwork! I tend to go with whatever's strongest in my head at the time. If I don't, I don't accomplish anything. I write like a tortoise, too. No one will ever accuse me of being a speedwriter. Glad your Muse is being so lively! Have a great week!
Muses are ADD, I swear it. Best of luck with your new treasury of creativity!
Listen to your muse. I think she's giving you good advice. Yes, mine is always coming up with something new. She's the reason I have so many stories started. :) Now I'm trying to focus on one or two at a time.
Your artwork is gorgeous. You're very talented.
Well, good for that muse. Did you give her a raise?
I love the artwork for SOUL CUTTER!
I haven't had a lot of time for the Muse in the past month. There was LOTS of stuff going on that kept us apart. I'm hoping to reunite with her this month. ;)
I've learned over time I can't control my muse. But loving your other creative endeavors.
Isn't it great when your muse explodes all over the place, leaving shining bits of inspiration and making you wonder if she might be able to put 48 hours in a day and make you independently wealthy and not needing sleep so that you can do all the great things that occur to me. I love the graphic for Soul Cutter! Well done!
Your muse and my muse must be related! Mine works on whatever feels right for her at any given moment. I just follow along :)
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