Where to Begin…

So wonder of wonders, miracle of miracles (teehee – since I know Lynn liked the last first sentence, thought I’d give her a little musical theater this time – got to give the people what they want, you know.  First rule of writing…), the blog is set up and – wait for it – people actually seem to want to READ IT.  Seriously.  That’s amazing.  And scary.  Seriously scary.  Because now I actually have to write things and let people see them.  Eek.

So what to write, she asked?  (As I have started trying to write actual stories, I’m discovering I’m not that good at dialogue – writing it is surprisingly not as natural as speaking it – and so may periodically throw in dialogue-ish bits as practice.  Or maybe I will just throw them in because it’s surprisingly fun to refer to one’s self in the third person, she said.)  It’s hard to figure out where to begin in this – much like it’s hard to figure out where to begin in actual story writing.  Pressure’s on here too, because unlike the stories which I guard very closely and haven’t released to more than two people (you know who you are, so I shall not name you…  I will say thank you very much to the one of you who has provided feedback (as well as unconditional support and encouragement!); to the OTHER, well, dude, you owe me comments after being after me to actual write something for so long!), the blog is OPEN, which means anyone can see it.  And judge it.  And me.  Eek again, she said.

But I shall persevere.  I am woman, hear me roar.  (teehee)  I am also, apparently, very derivative and a stealer of other people’s lines…  Oh well, one must start somewhere, mustn’t one?  Besides, it’s not my fault so many great lines have already been written.

So back to the point (wow, I even ramble in writing) – where to begin?  I guess with why I’m doing this and how things are progressing.  As most of you who have found this know, I am trying to Write a Book.  This was my Great Idea for a way to (a) walk away from corporate America (which sucks, by the way, if you were curious), (b) not look like a total slacker while not working at anything compensatory, (c) fulfill a life-long dream, and (d) sound cool, smart, and wordly (as in, “oh yes, well, I’m taking some time off to Write a Book, you see…”).  I’ve always been a talker/story teller, and so foolishly thought that once I no longer had a real job and sat down at the computer, words would flow like water and I’d have a book in no time.  HA! she said.  Turns out it is much harder to write a book than to read one.  Huh.  Who’d a thunk it?!  Oh, wait – everyone but me.  Sigh.

So the great and wondrous novel ideas have sat stagnant because whenever I sit down and try to write about them, the sheer magnitude freaks me out and I don’t know where to begin or what to say…  So I, the girl who doesn’t generally like to read short stories, have become a person who is trying to write them.  Because short stories are not as scary.  And I have to start somewhere.  I am trying to make them novel-like though, by finding themes that will tie them together and bring unity.  I figure that way, either they’ll feel novel-like or they will eventually develop organically into something larger and novel-like.  At least, that’s what I hope.  If nothing else, and they end up going nowhere, they are at least getting me to write SOMETHING, which has to be a good thing.

So anyway (have you noticed I start a LOT of sentences/paragraphs with “so”?  What’s that about anyway??  Odd, she said.), short stories and novels.  What do you think?  I tend to like novels WAY better – I like a long and involved story that sucks me in and renders me completely and totally lost to the “real” world – although there are a few authors whose short stories I really enjoy (Neil Gaiman, Stephen King, Margaret Atwood spring immediately to mind).  I’ve always said I’m not writing to be commercialized in some vast way – and that still holds true, although if I ever actually write something it would be nice to have someone (besides family/friend-sympathy purchases) want to actually buy it – but do wonder about the fate of a book of short stories.  On one hand, in this “now, Now, NOW!” culture, you’d think that shorter things that are consumable in brief spurts would be a hot commodity.  On the other, if I don’t like to buy short stories, how many other people do/will?  So again I ask, what do you think?  If you have a thought and a minute, post a comment – I’m curious…

I still can’t really wrap my mind around the fact that anyone wants to read my blatherings – a story is one thing, me talking is another entirely – so hopefully I haven’t bored you yet.  Or turned you off by my repeated use of contractions – something you are not supposed to do in actual writing, but this is more like me talking, so I figure it’s ok.  Teehee – it’s actually a LOT like me talking – I keep going on and on, and never let YOU get a word in edgewise. Wow – maybe I can write dialogue after all, as long as it’s one-sided Jill-Dialogue, that is…  😉