WIP - a Work in Progress

I have several WIPs around the house. The term "WIP" stands for Work in Progress and rightfully belongs to the writing world, where it refers to the manuscript you're working on. For me, it means a whole lot of unfinished projects. Currently, it means the overly-ambitious deck project I'm working on, and which keeps expanding at an alarming rate.

I blame it on the miserably cold and wet winter and spring we've had: unrelenting rain and a spring with hardly any sun at all. It kept me indoors to the point of dementia. And every time we had a rare day or two of good weather I went screaming outside to roll in the dirt in my garden or some other equally physical activity.

So when the forecast a few days ago said we were going to have several days of exceptional weather, I roared into Home Depot and bought a bunch of pressure-treated lumber so I could build benches for my front deck. Then I decided to build a taller bench in one corner, to use as a potting table for when I repotted plants. Then I decided it needed to be longer, so it could double as a table for holding side dishes during barbecues. Then I decided I needed two benches, not one, since I was going to have more barbecues, meaning more people needing places to sit. Then I decided to add a third bench to the end of the potting table. Then I decided I needed to have a place for hanging plants to decorate the deck, so I hoisted a 13-foot beam above two of the benches and bolted it into place.

I'm envisioning a Babylonian Hanging Garden, steaks on the barbecue, the clink of ice cubes in glasses of Sangria, and good friends sprawled comfortably on my brand new benches while the sounds of Stevie Ray Vaughan waft from the stereo. My neighbors will sit in their mean shacks, green with envy, salivating over the delicious smells emanating from the barbie. Or so I imagine. If I ever get this WIP finished! That's a picture on the left of what I've done so far: 2 benches and the overhead beam (it's not really bent--I stitched 4 pictures together using Photoshop) The potting table will go on the left wall where the lumber is stacked. I still have to add backrests to the benches, and complete the arm rests, and then once everything's done, I'll paint the deck and benches.

I'm terrified of what I'll think up next! I'm still working on the bench project, and I have to say that it's coming along nicely, though I sometimes wish I had an extra hand for things like holding up one end of a 13-foot beam while I bolt the other end into place. On the other hand, I . . .

Oh, wait! How about if I put arm rests on my benches? Yeah, I need arm rests. And maybe I could cut out holes for cups, like they do in movie theaters!

What about you? Do you have any WIPs? If not, I envy you! *g*

National Novel Writing Month

I'm considering joining NaNoWriMo next month. When you sign on with NaNoWriMo, you commit to writing a 50,000 word novel in one month. That comes to about 6 1/2 pages per day. If you aren't a writer, that sounds easy, right? Well, if you are a writer, you know just how hard that can be.

In my case, it should be easier than it is for those who hold down a full-time job. I am self-employed, so I have more time for this sort of thing. I don't commute. My biggest obstacle is procrastination and a lack of stick-to-it-iveness. I always have stuff I need to do around the house, and I let that interfere.

Plus, I'm pretty busy with the editorial business right now. That will always be my first priority, because it puts meat and potatoes on the table and oil in the furnace and gas in the car.

Have you ever participated in NaNoWriMo? If so, how did it go? Any tips for a newbie?

Movie In My Head

I just finished watching Cinderella Man, starring Russell Crowe (the man with the velvet voice) and Renee Zellweger. It was a great movie, and it inspired me with ideas for about ten million new stories I want to start writing this very minute.

I'm a very visual person. When I write, I envision the scenes like a movie playing in my head. When I play out the scene in my head, I often stop to visualize camera placement, lighting, sound effects. Each element clicks into place like pieces of a puzzle, and then the scene and actors are set, and my fingers start flying.

I often wonder if readers do the same thing. When I read a book, my internal movie is always running. How about you? Do you visualize as you read, like a movie in your head? Or is it the actual words that do it for you? How do you experience a book?

On Weather and Writing

A few weeks ago we had a doozy of a thunder/lightning/rain storm. Before the rain came, the skies rumbled and grumbled and flashed for hours as the storm moved closer and closer. It was hot and muggy, and I was outside much of the time, hanging freshly laundered dog blankets on the clothesline. Naturally, the moment I hung the last blanket on the line, the skies opened up and I got drenched running back to the house. It was fun. I felt energized by all the sweetly fresh air and the abundance of negative ions that a storm always brings. Negative ions are a Good Thing. Here's a link that explains it better than I could: http://tinyurl.com/26ezx6

I find storms invigorating, so much so that I have a "Thundering Rainstorm" CD that I play when I'm writing. Of course, a recorded storm doesn't put negative ions in the air like a real storm, but it does evoke the happiness and energy of a storm. In fact, I listen to it only when I write, and it's become something of a conditioned response now, like Pavlov's dogs. If I am stuck in a writing slump, I put on the storm CD and suddenly I am inspired again. Now I'm looking into an air ionizer to put on my desk so I'll be surrounded with negative ions.

Do you have a favorite CD you listen to that energizes or inspires you when you write? Do you have a ritual that gets you in the mood, such as drinking tea from a special mug or lighting a scented candle or wearing your lucky sweatshirt inside out? Do tell!

Cats - Gotta Love 'em

Most of my writer friends have cats. I think cats are very good for the creative soul. My two cats, Christopher the Assassin and Lord Byron, often keep me company when I write. (That's Lord Byron on the left) Usually, they sprawl on my desk and offer editorial comments and get cat hair in my coffee. They are great company, as is my dog, Nova.

Writing is a solitary profession, and writers tend to be hermits. That's probably why so many writers have cats or dogs--for the companionship as well as for the calming influence. As a reader, I love nothing better than to curl up on the couch with a good book in my hand and a comfortable cat in my lap.

If you're a writer, do you have a cat or dog or some other pet? Do they hang out with you as you write, and do you find their company a help or a hindrance? (All those who have cats that drape themselves over your forearms as you type, raise your hand!)