Prize-Winner and Monday Map

Thanks, everybody, who came and read and commented on Annette Dashofy’s guest post last week. Son pulled out a name for me this morning, for a copy of The Writing & Critique Group Survival Guide, and the winner is…

Norma Huss!

Norma, if you can send me an email at beckylevine at ymail dot com, with your snail-mail address, I’ll get a copy of the book out to you soon!

Last week, I pretty much followed through with my plan of getting back to the YA WIP. I’m still working on the Breakout Novel workbook and got started with the plot worksheets. I didn’t get far, which was a little frustrating, but I’m still there and working.

An incidental character got bigger, I think, and I got closer to figuring out my antagonist’s goals and how they match up with and conflict with my hero’s. I imagined a scene of hope for my MC, just before it all starts to fall apart in a bigger way…and this was new. I had Scrivener open most days and dropped ideas for a potential scene or two onto the corkboard.

The plan for this week is about the same–get my fiction time scheduled first and make some progress. This morning was tough, for some reason: the wrong dose of caffeine, negative ions in the air, distracted thoughts about my picture book–take your pick!), but I did the “showing up.” I sat in the chair, I opened the file, I worked through the exercise. Sometimes, those are the steps you take, while you wait for the muse to come calling again. I’ll be here again tomorrow.

Here’s hoping your muse is not only visiting, but has brought leis and spiced chocolate and confetti!