BACK TO BUSINESS MONDAY: Labels & Plans

Happy Monday-After-Thanksgiving!  The day on which we avoid scales and pray we never see a slice of turkey again in our lives.  Also the day on which the panic over Christmas preparations sets in.

Between writing and holiday plans, I am worried about keeping up with my cyber-presence (ahem, note that tardiness of this Monday's post).  And, I've got a lot to do to get the website live by my March 1 deadline. In conversation with fellow writers and website folks, I've come to realize that a good website requires a great deal of thought and planning.  And, as I consider some of the issues which have been pointed out to me, I realize both shortcomings of this blog and things I want to do so that what I share here makes sense and connects to my main author website.  A LOT to ponder. So, to avoid feeling completely overwhelmed, I have decided to give myself a number of clear, quantifiable (e.g., I'll know when I'm finished) tasks to get this blog in maximum good shape between now and Christmas.

This week: BLOG LABELS.  I am going to go back through at least six months of blog posts and add labels so the blog is searchable.  Anyone want to join me?  Or are you all blog-efficient smarties who label as you go?  (If so, I am very jealous of you right now!)

Shopping? Hah!

Nope.  Writing.  And researching. 

I've got a couple layers of what I call texturing that I'd like to add to my new ms and I want to make sure they have the ring of authenticity.  So, after a couple of hours of writing, I hit the books.  Yeah, I know I write fiction but research is still critical to make sure the world I am writing about feels as real as it can be--that every reference, metaphor, allusion made by my characters is done in the vocabulary of their environment, informed by their interests.

In the last couple of years, I feel that my understanding of and process for revision has really evolved.  And research has been a part of this development.  The more I feel that I know what my characters know (not just about feelings or backstory, but about actual things--sports, hobbies, foods, television shows, whatever), the better I feel I can represent them on the page.

It's a time consuming step, but sometimes research can really shake a creative knot loose, too.

How do you fit research into your creative writing and/or revision process?

GUEST POSTING & FAT FRIDAY!

First, if you're in need of a few post-Thanksgiving, get-back-in-gear thoughts on writing, I'm guest blogging over at the delightful SEIZE THE DAY. 

Next, must admit that stuffed like a turkey am I!  With sweet potatoes and brussel sprouts and asparagus and homemade Italian bread and cookies and pie and...


(originally, this was shaped like a star but a point or two got eaten before I found my camera)

What is it?  Well, around the house, we call it "THE Jell-O Salad" because, honestly, we don't use Jell-O for anything else or any other time of year.  Family lore says my maternal grandmother added this dish to the Thanksgiving feast sometime in the 1960s.  And, here's the thing: It looks, well, kind of disgusting but it tastes DELICIOUS.  What's in it?  Admit it.  You're a little bit curious.  Here's the recipe:

Boil 2-1/3 cups water
Pour over 1 large package of LIME JELL-O and stir a good 2 minutes to dissolve
Chill Jell-O approx. 30 minutes until cool and beginning to set, remove from fridge
Beat in 3/4 cup cream cheese until cream cheese is mostly dissolved (small chunks okay--you heard it!)
Stir in 1 cup crushed pineapple  (no need to drain juice)
Fold in whip cream (1 cup heavy cream beaten to stiff peaks) AND 2/3 cup chopped walnuts
Pour into well-greased mold of your choice
Refridgerate overnight
Unmold and serve

Before you scoff, give it a try and tell me, if you ate it in a high-end restaurant (with your eyes closed so you didn't see the GREEN color), wouldn't you think it was lovely?

Where's the Writer-on-the-Side connection?  There isn't one really, except to say that on Tuesday, amazing agent emailed to say she liked the draft of my new ms and told me to keep writing.  So, I'm one stuffed-but-happy writer this week and far mellower than normal.  Relaxed enough, in fact, to take a whole THREE DAYS OFF from writing (this is VERY RARE) to, among other things, whip up THE Jell-O Salad.  So, I'll be well-fortified to get back to my writing desk tomorrow.

Do you have a somewhat disgusting but strangely fabulous holiday food tradition?  Do share!

WORDY WEDNESDAY: Challenge!

If you love reading the newest YA & MG novels, consider signing up for the Story Siren's third annual (and super-cool) DEBUT AUTHOR CHALLENGE.  Here's the the list of debut authors (I'm on it!) and here's how you can participate.  Check it out!