cj Sez: Well, here I am typing on my blog when I should be
writing.
I have immediate deadlines (less than two weeks for one and less than
a month on another) for two short stories on which I have written about ten
sentences. I blame that on trying to outline the stories. The attempts have
blocked my creative juices.
I’ve read that
plotting is the way to go and have passed along verbiage about its virtues. I even
took a course on it, thinking I could master the methodology, but my psyche
says no dice.
Ergo, I call myself
a pathfinder…that’s a pantser who changes methodologies in the middle of the
story. I know how I want the story to start and how I want it to end. Once I start
writing and get past chapter one or two, I jot down a few possibilities then stair-step
my way through the plot points, creating solutions to a character’s blocked path as
I go along.
With the deadlines
for the stories so close, I wish I were like my author friend Carrie Dalby who
regularly whips through three to five thousand words (sometimes more) a day. I’d
be done in two days! Wonder if I can persuade her to do some ghost writing….nah.
It’s my chore, and I’ll get at it as soon as the blog is done.
So, tell me, how do you work best? Are you a plotter, a pantser, or, like me, do you do some combination and create your own path?
///
I have short
stories in two of the anthologies pictured below: “Call me Jake” in VALENTINE’S
DAY PIECES (releasing soon) and “Puppy Love” in the December release of FINALLY HOME. All three of these anthologies
have lovely stories (and make thoughtful gifts) so here’s your chance to pick
up hours of enjoyment for very little money.
FINALLY HOME is filled with year-round reads, feel-good short stories about animal
rescues . . .
As a busy adult, I’ve not wanted the responsibility of a
pet. These uplifting short stories have encouraged me to reconsider. I
especially like CJ Petterson’s “Puppy Love”. Her main character, Frankie, is a
foster mother for a pet rescue. As her romance with a military veteran turned
civilian firefighter developed, I was educated on the ins and outs of animal
fostering. This could be my year to visit a shelter.
Finally Home is a holiday themed anthology loaded with 8
remarkably written stories. I was familiar with a couple of the authors, but
most were new to me. Each of these stories stands well alone, but together they
have created a warm holiday delight that any reader should take on over the
holiday break. The writing flowed seamlessly. Overall, a great read!
That’s all for this
week’s post. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same.
cj
Autographed print copies of CHOOSING CARTER, DEADLY STAR, THE
POSSE, and FINALLY HOME are still available at the Haunted Bookshop. TO ORDER
(and support an indie bookstore) contact The Haunted Bookshop here: The Haunted Bookshop Angela Trigg, the awesome owner and an award-winning
author in her own right (writing as Angela Quarles) will be happy to ship you
the book(s) of your choice.
If you’re in Mobile area, do stop in at the
book store; it’s a neat place to browse. These friendly people make a point to
shelve the books of local authors, and VALENTINE’S DAY PIECES anthology will be
available there soon. If they don’t happen to have any copies of the book you
want, they’ll order it for you.
➜ Follow me . . .
➜ on Facebook
at: cjpetterson/author/facebook
➜ on
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/cj-petterson
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