Procrastination Can Be A Writer’s Friend

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 2 Comments

Procrastination? Don’t feel like writing but want to hit your word count?

Writing a novel can be an intimidating task, so why not try something shorter?

For me, when I’m overwhelmed or feel too pressured by word count, I write something else. I like to have my blogs written and pre posted. In my lifestyle, I’m never sure I’ll have internet access on a daily basis, so writing blogs ahead of time reduces the stress for me. You’re probably laughing and thinking what stress can I have living on a boat for the winter, but I take my writing and my blog seriously. Self induced stress, but still stress.

How does writing in smaller increments help with novel writing?

I find by taking on a shorter piece of work, I often get in the flow of writing and can switch over to the novel. Even if I don’t, I’ve been productive and written something.

Does it have to be a blog? Nope. You could write a short story or an entry in your journal.

How do you kickstart your writing?

Thanks for reading . . .

Farley’s Friday: A Wheaten Wears A Collar

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 8 Comments

Farley here,

I have a little cut on my leg. How I got it, I don’t know. Kristina cleans my wound and rubs on something she calls antibiotic cream. Not so bad really, but then I see her sneak back into the my medical kit, yes I have my own medical kit on Mattina, and I know what’s coming.

I run along the port side of Mattina and jump on the tramp.

“No, no, no,” I bark.

Kristina is coming with the dreaded cone of shame. She reaches the tramp . . .

But I’m faster. I run along the starboard side, jump into the cockpit, scamper into the main salon and launch myself onto the port bed. Now, I’m not allowed up there, so I know I’ve made mistake. I’ve cornered myself.

“Stop,” I bark. “I won’t lick my cut. I promise.”

But nope, Kristina grabs my front paws and drags me off the bed.

“Pretty please,” I whine in my nicest voice. “Don’t make me wear that.”

Well, you can see how that worked out for me.

Here I sit, looking silly.

Farley with cone

Don’t tell Kristina, but this thing is actually pretty comfortable when I’m lying down. I have my own personal pillow that goes everywhere with me.

Woof Woof.

Mahi Mahi: Fishing off a Catamaran

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 2 Comments

Sometimes life offers a bounty.  Mattina is equipped with two stainless steel rod holders, one off each hull, and we love to fish while we’re sailing. Sometimes we catch a Mahi Mahi . . .

Mahi Mahi
Mahi Mahi

Sometimes we catch a shark. The trick is to get the lure back without hurting the shark. This shark snagged a homemade cedar plug, and lucky for us, it popped out of the sharks mouth and we got the lure back. The shark swam happily, or maybe grumpily, away and all was well.

Shark 1

 

And sometimes we don’t catch anything at all, but we still got to sail.

Thanks for reading . . .

Books about the Writing Life

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 4 Comments

Do you love to read books about writing and life as a writer?

Ann Patchett has just released a series of essays on her life as a writer. Now, I’ve only read three of the essays and think they are fabulous.

In This Is A Story Of A Happy Marriage, Patchett writes about how she started writing, her life as a child, her life with dogs, diverse. It’s personal and well written, so I thought I’d share here in case you are interest.

Patchett’s books include:

  • The Magician’s Assistant
  • The Patron Saint of Liars
  • Bell Canto
  • Truth & Beauty: A Friendship
  • State of Wonder

And now This Is A Story Of A Happy Marriage.

If you have any suggesting for books by writers writing about their life, let me know.

Thanks for reading . . .

Farley’s Friday: One Tired Wheaten Terrier

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 6 Comments

Farley here,

Kristina is crazy. She made me run 12 km. I told her I wanted to nap in the shade, but she ignored me.

Now look at me.

Farley 12 k run

I need a long, long nap to recover. Luckily, I got to the best seat in the cockpit first. I have my own towel to cover the seats, like I’m sandy or something, but once I’m settled, it’s pretty nice.

Kristina’s napping too, so I don’t feel guilty at all. And if I have to run with her, the least she can do is let me sleep later.

Woof Woof.

Wind sports in the Bahamas

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 2 Comments

While we sail around the Bahamas, we are always on the search for places to windsurf or kite board from. We carry two windsurfers with us, and our friends  carry kite boards.

The sand bar below appears at low tide and gives everyone a launch pad for their sport of choice. This is just south of Big Farmer’s Cay. Playing on the sand bar keeps us on our toes as far as the tide is concerned. When the water comes up, it’s time to head back to Mattina.

Sandbar for Windsurfing

If we can’t find a suitable beach or temporary sandbar to launch from, Matt rigs on the trampoline and windsurfs from the back of the boat.

We have the routine mastered, so it doesn’t really matter where we are, as long as there is wind.

Thanks for reading . . .

Setting the Scene: Template for A Novel

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 6 Comments

Last week I wrote about my template for writing a scene. One of the questions I asked in that template was:  Is the setting the best place for emotional impact?

How do I answer that question? I use another template. For each setting, I ask myself:

What is the Setting Role in Story:

Who are the Related Characters:

Season:

Unique Features of the Setting:

Description:

Sights:

Sounds:

Smells:

Notes:

 

This allows me to determine if I’ve described the scene in a vivid manner. If I can’t answer most of the questions,  I don’t think the scene is the best place for emotional impact. I don’t believe sight, sound and smell have to be in every scene, but there should be something there.

The real purpose of the template is to make myself think about the scene in a structured way. If you have a way to do this, I’d love to hear about it.

Thanks for reading . . .

Farley’s Friday: A Wheaton Gets In Trouble

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 2 Comments

Farley here,

If you’ve been reading, you know I’m a good dog. But don’t all dogs have issues once in a while?

I don’t beg. I don’t jump on people. I don’t bark often, okay I bark when I see a dolphin or a turtle. I also bark when Kristina goes swimming. So it’s a water thing with me.

Anyway, I’ve lost focus already because I don’t want to tell you I misbehaved. Kristina told me I had to since I only write good things about myself.

I was innocently digging in the mud when I spotted something bright yellow. Now, you say to yourself, at this point, I should have taken stock and chosen a different path forward.

Farley and Bag 1

Good thought, but not what happened. The next thing I know, I’m biting and tossing Kristina’s water proof camera bag. Not good, I know. I couldn’t seem to stop myself. Even with Kristina telling me to stop, I just couldn’t do it.

Farley and Bag 2

The best thing about my human is even when she’s not happy with me, she’s smiling at me. The worst I get is, “What do you think you’re doing?”

Not so talented with discipline, is she.

Woof Woof.

Windsurfing in the Bahamas

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 4 Comments

What does a sailor do when their boat is for sale? 

Enjoy the Bahamas of course.

But first, Matt must know what the wind strength is.

Matt cheking for wind

Then, off with our kiting friends to enjoy the water.

Matt ws

Thanks again to everyone who has helped us get the word out and to those who have contacted us about Mattina.

Thanks for reading. . .

Scene Development

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 2 Comments

Writing is an endless process of revisions and editing, at least for me. So how does a writer know when a scene if finished? I use a template, shown below, to make me ask myself some hard questions. Once I can fill in the blanks below, I feel like I have a working draft of a scene.

I also have templates for settings and a detailed spreadsheet to keep track or dates, when a character is introduced, weather, etc., but template below gives me a sense of whether the scene has done its job in the context of the novel.

My template keeps growing and changing with each novel, but here it is in it’s current format.

Beginning = Hook:

Middle = Development:

Climax = Disaster:

Action (Scene or Sequel):

What does POV Want:

Outcome if POV fails:

How Does Scene Move Plot Forward:

How Does Scene Builds on Previous Scene:

How Does Scene Leads to Next Scene:

What’s Happening Between Characters That’s Not Spelt Out:

Is Setting Best Place For Emotional Impact?

Do you have anything you could add to the template?  I like to add new items that I can think about.

Thanks for reading . . .