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Credit & Copyright: Isaac Gutiérrez Pascual (Spain)

And suddenly my well was brimming over again. I’ve been staring at it on and off throughout the day, trying to identify the reason why. Something about the juxtapositions, I think. Massive and minuscule, dark and bright, soft and sharp-edged. It’s not just beautiful– it provokes an emotional reaction, a yearning and a fear. I still haven’t worked out why exactly. Perhaps it’s the inherent tension: will the moon be consumed by those clouds? Where are the birds flying?

This picture feels like the next book I want to write.

After seeing it in my google reader this morning I immediately set it as my new background, and cracked open a new file of story notes. I spent the morning reading background mythology and listening to Irfan and Vas and Dead Can Dance. I saw a feather on the ground as I was taking a walk at lunchtime and it stuck in my brain in the way that makes me think it means something, even if I don’t know what yet. I can feel the mental pot filling up with tidbits, and with luck they will start precipitating into actual story soon.

~

Writing-wise I’m taking a break from the sequel to Circus Galacticus, partly because I need some distance to see it clearly, and partly because, due to the vicissitudes of publishing, it is no longer under contract (the UK publisher who had contracted for CG and the sequel has canceled the project, and the sequel hasn’t sold– yet!– in the US). Sad, but hey, it gave me the opportunity to use the word “vicissitudes”! And of course Circus Galacticus itself is still on the way in the US, although the publication date has been pushed back to Fall 2011. I really did enjoy writing the sequel, so whether or not it is ever published I do not regret writing it. Plus, now I have more time to make it as good as I possibly can. So that’s how I’m trying to look at things.

~Staying at Ballynahinch Castle when my husband and I visit Ireland this fall. I was a goner as soon as I read this article that included the phrase “Ballynahinch feels like the bustling center of a mysterious forest straight out of Tolkien.”

~Spending long luxurious days reading all the books in my to-read pile. I just started A Spy in the House by Y. S. Lee and I just want to curl up in my comfy chair with a cup of tea and READ IT ALL RIGHT NOW. I’m aslo listening to The Golem’s Eye, book 2 in the Bartimaeus series by Jonathan Stroud, and enjoying it even more than the first. Less Nathanial, more Bartimaeus and Kitty, and Prague!

~Visiting Boston at the end of the month to see Cirque du Soleil’s OVO, visit friends, and hopefully eat lots of tasty food. The Cirque du Soleil has been a big visual influence on Circus Galacticus and it has been at least 15 years since I saw one of their shows live. The costumes! The music! The acrobatics! Can’t. Wait.

~Fresh tomato bruschetta. I really need to get to the farmer’s market and pick up some tasty heirloom tomatoes and good bread. Mmmmm….

What are you daydreaming of?

And so is my brain. I refer to this as the “Fire Bad, Tree Pretty” phase of writing. Like Buffy, I feel triumphant but also completely drained. So I spent the rest of the day eating nachos and ice cream and painting my nails sparkly blue and watching Project Runway. I took it as a good omen that the final pre-Bryant Park challenge involved designing an outfit inspired by… the CIRCUS! Hah!

I’ve been thinking how Project Runway (the reality show where a bunch of designers compete for a chance to show a collection at NY Fashion Week and to launch their own line) really has a lot of interesting and potentially useful lessons for any kind of creative work. And since my brain has nothing else to fixate on right now, here’s what it came up with:

FIVE THINGS PROJECT RUNWAY TAUGHT ME ABOUT WRITING:

1) Better to strive for greatness, even if you don’t pull it off completely.

There’s one word that is (almost always) the kiss of death during the judging on PR. That word is BORING. People want to see something new, something unexpected, something that dares to be great. And as long as it’s not a complete trainwreck, they generally are going to be forgiving of its faults. On the other hand, you can make the most exquisitely tailored dress in the world, but if it’s boring, no one will remember it. No one will care.

2) But don’t get so wrapped up in your concept that you can’t edit it.

Another thing I notice a lot on PR is designers who have a particular concept for their design, or some element that they LOVE. This is a variation on the “murder your darlings” advice. Maybe it’s a particular fabric, or a beloved technique. Whatever it is, if it is compromising the success of the final result, you have to let it go.

3) Pay attention to feedback.

I love Tim Gunn, the design guru who serves as mentor to the contestants. He’s dapper, he’s funny, and he uses all sorts of lovely words like “flabbergasted” and “Sturm und Drang”. In fact, here, see for yourself:

Anyways, when Tim comes around to give his critiques during each challenge, there are always some contestants who listen to him, and some who don’t. And fairly often, the comments Tim has that get ignored are the ones that come back to bite the contestants during the judging.

4) But don’t let critical comments make you doubt yourself.

On the other hand, there are times when a contestant flips out after Tim’s comments, and loses focus, and then spends hours doing catch up for lost time. Or they get scared and disheartened, and play it safe.

The thing about criticism is that you have to allow it to help you, but not let it break you. Feedback is important. But so is remaining true to your own vision and enthusiastic about your work.

5) Be professional.

Every season on PR there are challenges that require the contestants to work in teams. And it always makes them groan and grumble, because they know (as we the audience know) that it’s going to present a whole new challenge. Almost always, the teams that end up on the bottom are the ones that didn’t work well together, regardless of how talented the team members may be independently.

You can have all the talent in the world, but if you act like an jerk and people hate you, it is going to hurt you. If you are a creative genius you can get away with it for a while, maybe, but fashion and publishing are businesses that require you to work with other people. Which means treating your business partners respectfully and understanding your own responsibilities.

~

What about you guys? Any other Project Runway fans? And if so, what do you think? Have you gotten anything out of it that you can apply to writing?

I’ve always called myself a Plotter. All the books I’ve written (the trunked and the published alike) have started with a plot idea, which I’ve then expanded, found characters for, and outlined prior to actually writing. That may sound like I go into writing a book with everything figured out, but it’s not really that simple.

For example, just today I was writing a scene about midway through my current book (the sequel to CIRCUS GALACTICUS) and suddenly – like, as I was writing his dialogue the realization hit me– the Ringmaster revealed his secret plan. I didn’t know he had a secret plan up until that point. And actually, it was kind of bothering me because I couldn’t figure out how certain things that happen later in the outline were going to make sense. So maybe some part of my brain has been brewing this secret plan all along. But it definitely was not in the original outline, and it definitely took me by surprise. But I am also pretty definitely sure it’s the right thing to have happen.

Those surprises are one of the best parts of writing — when the story feels like it is alive and making decisions and moving, not just being prodded and shaped and directed. And they happen even when you are a mostly-Plotter.

So that’s today’s writing epiphany. Now here’s some cool space stuff I found while researching something for the WIP:

Check this out: four women astronauts! All in space at the same time! And a diverse group, too. How cool is that?

And this is the answer to the question I was actually trying to answer (for sekrit, book-related purposes).

I have emmerged victorious on the other side of the boggy bit I mentioned in my last post, although there was a 5K word casualty in the form of a chapter that just went in completely the wrong direction. And now my protag is breaking into an alien research base so things are zooming along again.

Some other miscellaneous things:

• Author Beth Revis (who has an awesome sounding YA scifi series on the way starting next year! Go go scifi!) has a series of posts on love triangles up on her blog that I couldn’t help but comment on. If you want to discuss what works and what doesn’t, head over here and here! Oh, and RJ, if you are reading this — am I remembering correctly that you posted about actual three-sided triangles in your blog? I was pretty sure I first heard that from you but I can’t find the post now.
• Speaking of love triangles, I just finished Maggie Stiefvater’s BALLAD, and really,really enjoyed it. I found it particularly interesting how a character I sympathized with in the first book could turn into a character I kinda loathed in the second. But it ended in a way that made me very happy!
• I adore the Eleventh Doctor and new companion Amy. So. Very. Excited for the rest of this season! I turn into a squeeing fangirl just thinking about it.
• I need a planet or moon to hide a spaceship behind. Any suggestions? Deimos is pretty nifty looking, isn””t it?

And in a last bit of miscellany, I got a package in the mail from my editor yesterday, and inside were…

Finished copies of THE MAGICAL MISADVENTURES OF PRUNELLA BOGTHISTLE!

My favorite part of seeing the real book is taking of the dustjacket and seeing what the book looks like underneath. In this case I started giggling with delight because they used this dark green alligator-skin texture, to match the giant alligator on the jacket. Genius! I love it, and I am so pleased to see the real book. Only about a month now til it goes out into the big world.

In the meantime, here’s some linkiness:

A bunch of YA authors and readers are getting together to do what they can to take a stand against bullying (you all read the news stories about Phoebe Prince, right?). You can join the group here.

Author Jim C Hines is doing a raffle and fundraiser for rape crisis centers. More info at his site here.

And it’s the first year anniversary of the Enchanted Inkpot, and we’re giving away bunches of books to celebrate! Go and enter! And while you are there, you can read the recent interviews with Megan Whalen Turner and Alexandra Bracken, or the great topic discussion on what happens after the story ends.

First, I did a Skype visit! I had not done one before, but I certainly hope to do more because it was so fun, and so easy! Author and teacher and generally amazing person Kate Messner invited me to visit her Advanced Writing class to answer questions. And they were some GOOD questions! We talked about beginnings, since all of us were at the start of new projects. You can read Kate’s account here (she also talks about what sounds like a fantastic in-person visit by Newbery-award-wining author Rebecca Stead).

Things I learned about Skype visits:

• Kate is an awesome host. Everything went smoothly, she had the setup ready to go, and she organized her class so that each student came up to introduce herself and ask her question in front of the camera.
• It’s just so cool that I can be talking with students in another state, about books and writing! This kind of thing makes me grateful I live when I do.
• I should try not to wave my hands around like a maniac (I talk with my hands a lot when I get excited, and writing excites me).
• My dog is perplexed when strange voices start emanating from my laptop.

Thank you so much for inviting me, Kate! And thank you to the students as well!

Second good writing thing: After struggling to find my footing in the first draft of the sequel to CIRCUS GALACTICUS (working title: CIRCUS SPECTACULAR) I think I finally found it. Fortunately I have learned to recognize my own patterns, so I know it’s not unusual for me to flail around writing several different first chapters, throw them out, stick them back in, etc before finally finding the right one. It doesn’t make the flailing any more fun, but it makes me a little less prone to despair.

This weekend I had one of those moments I covet when I really fall into the story. I had written a good chunk in my morning session, but when I came home after running errands and walking the dog I didn’t want to just flump down and watch my new netflix video (She-Wolf of London — did anyone but me ever watch that?). No, I wanted to go back to the circus world. I even (shockingly!) ignored my vegetable sushi dinner in order to finish the scene I was on. It was the best feeling! I know there is slog to come, but moments like that are what give me the strength to get through the slog.

Third good writing thing: my new writing office furniture is on the way! Soon my new bookshelves will be in place, and I can put away the piles of books trying to take over the guest room. Even better, I will have a roll-top desk. With cubbyholes! I still don’t know what I will put in the cubbyholes, but I am excited to have them, because I’ve always dreamed of having a cool roll-top desk with cubbyholes, in a room with bright walls lined with books, and sunlight streaming through sheer-curtained windows.

I’m very grateful for all my dreams that have come true.

I fully admit that I am also feeling a tiny bit lazy — and also a tiny bit nervous about getting the house cleaned and prepped (I need to paint the living room trim, eek!) for my parents’ Thanksgiving visit. Not to mention a number of other mundane-life things that were stressing me out to be putting off. And the soulful, neglected looks the dog keeps giving me.

So I may not be going full-tilt for 50K, but I am still trying my best to write 1K per day. And I’m definitely cheering the rest of you on toward meeting whatever November goals you have set!

In other non-guilty-admission news, I wanted to spread the word to any librarians out there about a big contest we are holding over at the Debs of 2009 community. We’re giving away 46 (!) of our novels to one winning library (public OR school). Details on how to enter are in this entry. Please pass it on to any librarians you know who might be interested!

And a few miscellaneous fun links:

I am coveting these Star Wars Trash Compactor bookends! (Thanks to Pinot and Prose for the link)

Did you know a baby echidna is called a puggle?