More general and assorted stuff...

I decided to do separate posts. My mind just keeps hopping from topic to topic, freed, I guess from concentrating on that contest entry.

I mentioned at the beginning of my other other post that I don't want to look at those pages till after the finalists are announced. Is this normal? Do you do the same thing after sending something off to a contest?

I guess it comes from the humiliation of discovering a typo on the FIRST page of my MA thesis. Talk about an ARRRGGGHHH moment! I don't need another till I know whether I finalled or not (ok, I'm really NOT expecting to final, but hoping - I can at least admit that).

Part of the hope stems from the reader feedback I've received and the amount of polishing I did. And the great idea my dh gave me for a particularly sticky passage from the hero's POV. If this story gets published, my husband will most definitely get extra kudos on the acknowledgement page for that suggestion. It took me a while to put it into effect, but when I did - I think it worked really well.

Anyway, enough about that d****** entry.

I have to move forward with editing the rest of the ms. While putting the sequel on hold. Well, kinda. You know I mentioned yesterday about music and writing? Well, my friend Elizabeth Chadwick told me a few years ago about the soundtracks she puts together for all her books. Inspired by the tapes/CDs she sent me, I started doing the same. So while editing the current ms, I'm working on the soundtrack for its sequel. Choosing the right songs for the right points in the books helps me to sort out the basics of my plot. While in the shower the other day I heard the PERFECT song to set the mood for the book. It was one of my favourite songs in the 80s, but one I'd forgotten over the years. Hearing it again brought back a lot of memories and made me remember why I loved it so much. It's helped me with the theme of the book as well. Very cool.

Along with the soundtrack, I'm also working on the collage for my book. Yep, I decided to try collaging after reading Jenny Crusie's article about it in the RWR last year. Ok - our entire RWA chapter held a collaging workshop late last year and I found it an incredibly useful exercise. (Here is a photo of that first collage.) Jenny has photos of collages at her website. Then my critique partners and I spent one of our meetings working on collages, which is when I chose a lot of the pictures etc for Henri's story (the final title hasn't come to me yet, so I'm just referring to it that way). But I haven't put the collage together yet - am thinking it's almost time to do it.

Have you tried collaging? Putting together a soundtrack? I'd love to hear about it :-)

Well, better go now, those GH scores won't get to the National office by themselves!

Teresa