Winding Down the Year

The end of the year is always a mix of emotions for me. I'm looking forward to a new start but also a little down about all that I had hoped, dreamed, and planned for the year that wasn't accomplished. The hopes and dreams I move over to the upcoming year (unless they came true then I pick some new ones), but the plans that were never accomplish leave me feeling disappointed in myself. It's why I don't usually do resolutions as I don't want more to "beat myself" over but I like to have some items I want to accomplish in the new year. I like planning, just not as much when I look back and see so much of what I wanted to do never got done. And the only person that stopped the accomplishment was me.

Some of it was beyond my control as some important duties fell on me toward the end of the year that lessened some of the time I had for writing and doing other projects, but I wouldn't trade in the extra time I was able to spend with two very important little ones in my life. And other plans that were to set us on a course for a new adventure--moving--didn't happen and while at first I was sad about the new opportunities I envisioned for me, it actually turned out to be good that the move didn't take place as we were needed here.

So, today I ponder what can the next year bring and what can I do to help accomplish those goals. Toward the middle of the year, I went from using a paper planner to an electronic one on my phone. And what I discovered is that I stayed on track better when I used the paper planner than my phone. There is just something about writing down my tasks and schedule that works better for me. I find I remember them better and it's a great encouragement for me to see what I have accomplished by glancing at my calendar. One of the tasks for today is to find a plan that will work for keeping track of my personal and professional plans (appointments, daycare pickup, and writing projects). The one I previously used didn't give me enough space to jot down everything. (I also like to write notes in my planner if an idea strikes me.)

Happy New Year to everyone! Make plans, dream dreams, and remember to be kind to yourself.

Beginning a New Dollhouse Project

When approaching a new dollhouse project, I tend to circle around for weeks, getting my bearings. As you can see, there's a LOT of work to be done here on the 2017 Creatin' Contest entry. I hope to blog my steps along the way...

1. Order the kit that's the centerpiece for the contest. (I ordered two kits, actually. You'll see why later.)

2. Open the box and ponder, ponder, ponder. Use a lot of masking tape to "dry fit" the pieces together.

3. Make a commitment.

Yeah. Step #3 is the hardest part. I have to quit circling the project and start making decisions that are largely irreversible. I also try to get a handle on the 3-D aspects of the dollhouse project. I have to consider how I'll handle lighting. Where will I hide the batteries and wiring? What sorts of flooring and wallcovering will I want? What about the landscaping? How much of a base will I need and how will the house fit on that? And finally, how will people be able to view the interior of the project? This will be a big consideration as I think about the floorplan. It won't do much good to create rooms that can't be seen.

As you can tell, all of this should be planned in advance.

The fabric is to the left of the piano and to the right of the orange kidney table.

I already know that I want this project to reflect Mid Century Modern sensibilities.

To help me, I have done a lot of research and pinned it on Pinterest. I have been looking  for architectural styles, floorplans, and decorating boards that will guide me as I move forward. Of course, I'm also influenced by what I've seen and experienced in RL (Real Life). Two weeks ago, I went to a museum of modern art that featured furniture and stairways from the Mid Century Modern period. I found them fascinating. I was also able to pick up two trinkets that will work well as accessories.

Getting a handle on where all the rooms will be -- how big, how they'll flow, and what they'll contain -- requires spacial awareness. Furniture can't overwhelm. It has to work with the doors and windows and make sense.

This is the time for dragging out all the bits and pieces of furniture that I've squirreled away. For the living room, I bought that yellow chair a while ago, but now I'm thinking it won't work. I will plan to take it apart and  turn it into a sofa. To tie everything together, I will be sewing a new rug, using the colors in my head. I also want to design pillows that add pops of bright color. Room dividers were really big, and I want one that's iconic and ultra-cool.

The kitchen will be lots of fun, but I will have to make most of the pieces from scratch.

As for the bedroom, well, once in a while, synchronicity weighs in. Can you see that scrap of fabric? It's white, yellow, gray and aqua. My dog wore it home from his groomer--and it's a perfect combination for the bedroom and its accessories. I'll be making the bed myself. I'll need to research what I want.

Do you have a favorite Mid Century Modern piece? I'm thinking about copying a 1950s issue of LIFE Magazine and re-creating it in miniature. What else should I do?

Is This Any Way to Write a Book?

It's been said that authors are divided into two camps: Planners and Pantsers.

A planner outlines her book. A pantser works by the seat of her pants.

I do a bit of both. Right now, I'm 25,000 words into Kiki Lowenstein Book #6. When I proposed this book to my publisher, I had one idea of where it would start and how it would go. But after giving it more time to percolate, I decided that I needed to follow up on the last book before I could move ahead.

Right out of the gate, I could see Kiki and the impact the climax of READY, SCRAP, SHOOT had on her. I could tell she wasn't the same woman who was my protagonist at the start of the series. In the first few chapters, I wanted to show how the constellation of characters around her had also changed. So I did.

I knew where I wanted to go, what dangers were ahead, and where each character was in his/her life journey, but after 25,000 words, I needed to orchestrate what would happen to each person and when it would happen. I also needed to figure out  the clues and the resolutions that would provide satisfaction to my readers.

So I stepped away from my keyboard. On full-sized sheets of paper, I started flow charts, detailing each individual thread of the book, who was involved, what happened, and so on. When I finished, I had three major flow charts. I also wrote down the theme of this book, as all my books have a social theme. This one is bullying.

With that in mind, I reviewed the flow charts. Where did I need to emphasize the bullying? Where did I need to clearly delineate the bully and the victim?

Next, I cut paper into narrow white strips. On these, I wrote snippets of scenes, comments, revelations to characters, and actions.

What you see above it all those small strips laid out on my dining room table. Once I had them all in front of me, I gathered them into days of action, working to sequence them logically--and also to swing the action from one character to another for variety. Now I have six stacks of slips. From these I'll write the rest of my book.

Any questions? Thoughts? How do the rest of you write if you do?