You're Never Too OId To Learn!

I'm always apologetic about my books because, though I can tell a good story, I don't quite know the mechanics of how to make it really work so that editors love it and quit trying to fix what they perceive as being wrong. It's not the story that's not good - it's the engineering of the story that doesn't feel right, thus lately multiple re-writes.

I'm really excited that I'm able to attend this year's LDStorytellers Conference and delighted at the classes I signed up for. I thought Larry Brooks Story Engineering class sounded like something I needed: Mastering The 6 Core Competencies of Successful Writing. I got a note from Storyteller's that Mr. Brooks had written a book and wanted his attendees to read it before conference. I sent for it - and it totally makes sense! The nice part is that when I bought the book - something under $12, I think, he sent a 160 page free e-book on 101 Slightly Unpredictable Tips for successful writers. Some are really off the wall but not everything is for everybody and we can all get something out of wild and wacky suggestions.

So after I get grandkids to bed at night (I'm so exhausted I can hardly keep my eyes open, much less make sense of anything)I'm reading the book and trying to decide if I'm going to have to totally rewrite the ghost story or simply re-engineer a lot of it. Or just some of it.

I think it's weird that I can't come up with a title for this book. It's been "the ghost story" for fifteen years! I'd name it "The Cat Who . . ." if Lillian Jackson Braun hadn't already done a series by that title. But the cat figures so prominently in the book that once I come up with a fitting title, I'll have to sub-title it "A Dominique and Duchess Mystery." Mmm - that sounds like series. Probably would have been if I'd made it to Egypt.

Back to Larry Brooks: his book has me defining my core concept for the story. I think this is something that might take awhile to figure out and I'm anxious to get to it, writing down all the what-ifs that define what he's talking about. But that will have to wait until next week when my head isn't muddled with stories of dump trucks and Fancy Nancy, wading through mud puddles just because it's fun, and finding new ways to do beautiful blonde curls into something that is manageable and out of the face for school and play.

Now if I could find some way to get the two year old to sit still long enough for me to cut off some of his blond curls, that would be a miracle. The other miracle is that I actually found time this morning to blog - and though it is rambling beyond measure, it gives you insight to my state of mind - such as it is! Grandmothering on a full time basis is not for wimps!!