Keeping track of details in one novel can be an overwhelming task. My handy-dandy spreadsheet does the job for me.
But what happens when one novel becomes two and then two become three? And then you make a change in one . . . and it has to be updated in two and then three.
This is enough to drive a person crazy or at least keep them entertained or maybe keep them from sleeping. Who knows?
My solution. As always my spreadsheet. I have now added a new spreadsheet to my collection. I keep one spreadsheet per novel and have found an extra one for details that need to be remembered from one book to the next helps.
I can remember the big details, but what about the ones like an address, a description of a room, a character’s sibling.
I find I write best if I have a routine, but life doesn’t alway cooperate. I’m able to write during random times during the day or when I have a free half hour here or there, but what really gets me is too much external input.
I find can’t write while on a long distance drive, but I can write while on a plane. Could be because there is too much to see in the passing landscape along the highway, but really, on a plane? What’s to see.
I can write while I’m alone on a walk (digital recorder is much easier and safer than a pen while walking). But if someone is with me, it’s pretty rude to work on a novel instead of socializing with a walking partner, so no writing during social times.
I can write while we are sailing, assuming my husband is at the helm and the water is flat. Rough water = no writing.
I can write if a TV is on in another room. But I can’t write if music is on. TV – boring. Music – interesting.
I can write in very short periods of time but not if there are too many interesting things going on around me.
When do you write best? Do you get frustrated when you can’t get enough writing time?
One of the most important things a dog does is choose his humans. Humans often think they choose the dog. But any good dog knows it’s not true. Even some cats know this.
The human my choose a breeder or shelter to visit, but when I ask my dog friends they all say the same thing.
They know instinctively which human will be a match. And then here’s what you do:
Approach human
Wiggle, wag and generally make a fuss
Stare at human with doting eyes
If human is sitting, put head on humans lap. They seem to like it.
I’m a wheaten and wheatens are known for their ability to hug. So of course, run to human and hug them.
At that point they can’t resist.
I love my humans. I always seem to bark about Kristina, so here’s Matt picking a burr out of my paw. All I have to do is look sad, give him my best brown eyed stare, hold my paw in the air, and tada! I am taken care of. I don’t even have to bark.
Sometimes I wish I had thumbs
I could tell the first time I saw Matt that he was the guy for me.
Emotions are crazy and have a life of their own. I’m sad to be decommissioning my sailboat for the summer, but extremely happy to be going home to my family for a few months. Happy – Sad – Happy – Sad . . .
I just can’t have everything I want at the same time 🙂
We prepare the boat as if we are expecting a hurricane and have a two step process for Mattina. Part of the work is done in the water and part on land. Luckily we do most of it in the water and only a few hours on land. Too hot up on the hard.
In the water . . .
take down, clean and store main sail and genoa
wash all salon and cockpit cushions
remove all safety gear and store
maintain dingy engine
empty and clean all storage areas (what’s left of our food sits on the counter until we leave)
defrost and clean fridge and freezer
remove all batteries for anything that has batteries.
and on and on it goes.
THEN, Mattina gets hauled.
Mattina stripped and ready for hurricane season.
On the hard. I’ve listed a few items so you get the idea of what needs to be done. Our actual is list is 3 pages long.
maintain diesel engines
install dehumidifier
seal all hatches and put on hatch covers
close and plug thru-hulls
check deck drains clear
turn off fuel supply
disconnect batteries
disconnect solar panels
disconnect all radios and wifi
lock up . . .
Matt has a detailed decommissioning list that we seem to add to every season. I keep asking Matt why the list doesn’t get shorter and he just smiles and assigns another item to me.
Our dog gets the best deal. He plays on the dock and greets anyone who walks by. He also lets us know if dolphins or manatee swim by and we get to take a break and watch.
Farley waiting for someone to pet him. Anyone who walks by will do.
I’m in Florida. The land of leashes, poop bags, thunderstorms and dark water.
My reflections . . .
I don’t mind the leash, but Kristina thinks I don’t get enough free running time.
Poop bags? Well, that’s Kristina’s duty. I barked, “duty.” Ha Ha 🙂
Thunderstorms scare me. They’re too loud and shake the boat. I pant at Kristina to make them stop, but she just smiles at me and says, “You’re fine.” Easy for her to say when she understands what’s going on and to me, well I’m a dog so how could I know?
The dark water . . . That’s where my reflection comes in.
Reflections in Flat Water
I look in the water.
“Come here,” I bark and wag my tail.
“Hang on,” Kristina says, but she’s obedient as usual and is at my side in seconds.
I look at her, back at the water and at her again. She does well with visual signals and gets my meaning.
“There’s a dog in there,” I bark like a crazy dog from the Canadian wilderness. “Get it out! How can it breath underwater?”
Kristina laughs.
I’m getting a little scared now. “Don’t laugh,” I bark. “That dog needs help.”
“That’s you, silly.”
“Me? Me?” I bark. “Am I really that handsome?”
“Of course,” Kristina says.
So now I’m obsessed. I stare at my handsome reflection every chance I get. Who knew I was sooooo good looking?
Me handsome!
Okay, I’ll admit it was fun watching fish and dolphins in the clear Bahamian water, but now I have a new hobby to entertain myself.
As we motor north on the Intracoastal Waterway, I sit on the bow and check myself out!
Sailing on the Exumas banks in fifteen knots from the east, flat water and clear skies is our favourite. Our plan had been to sail north each day and make our way to Florida within five days.
We didn’t quite stick to the plan, or as we call it, Plan No Plan.
Highbourne Cay marina has a new restaurant that we had to try out.
The spotted eagle ray gave us a lovely show at Cambridge Cay.
After that it was off to Rose Island, Chubb Cay, South Bimini and then – and I feel like I should play music here – Florida.
Time to work on the Mattina, go through our decommissioning checklist and put her on the hard for the summer. Boo Hoo.
I’ve often read the advice that a novelist should be able to summarize their novel in one to two sentences. This made me start thinking about scenes and chapters.
I asked myself if I knew the point of a scene, and if I didn’t should I cut – yes the dreaded word cut – the scene from the novel? It’s easy to get attached to a scene for many reasons but if there is no point, then I ask you what is the point? J
I challenged myself to go through my latest novel and write one sentence describing the point of the scene.
Taking this one level deeper, and adding a new column to my spreadsheet, I tried to reduce the sentence to one word that described the scene.
This did a couple of things for me.
It showed me what to cut. Ouch.
I helped me organize my chapters into a theme.
The second item was a surprise and created a new way for me to look at organizing chapters.
Of the Exuma Islands in the Bahamas with very limited internet access.
Love the time away, but miss the connection.
Will be back posting when we reach somewhere with better band width.
So my humans tell me it’s getting hot in the Bahamas and it’s time to start the sail north. Sound exciting? Not really, for a dog anyway.
When we travel, Matt and Kristina sail the boat and I do a lot of sleeping. Sometimes we anchor for the night and there’s not even a beach to go to. Sometimes there isn’t even land in sight over night. They’re crazy.
My problem. I don’t sleep well when Kristina is awake at night. I sit in the cockpit waiting and waiting to go to bed, but I just can’t do it while she’s in the cockpit. She needs my constant protection. Matt, on the other hand, can stay up all my himself.
As we head to Canada, Kristina promises none of this . . .
Not sure about this white stuff. Me thinks it’s cold.
