i-did-it-i-did-it

A week or two ago, I took an online writing workshop (frankly, the first I had ever done). Shelley Bradley came and spoke to my RWA chapter and mentioned she had a class on Storyboarding. (She’s actually having another hosted by the Red River Romance Writers later this summer–if you can take it, DO! But the link is not up yet. . . so keep checking back for more info.) Several of the chapter members thought this was great and I think half of us signed up.

So . . . I ordered the materials needed and of course they don’t arrive until day two–don’t get me started about the $2 yard stick I bought that came in a box all by itself only it was a partial piece–and don’t get me started on the silence I got on the other end of the line when I told the gal, “I got inches 1-9 and 18-36. I was hoping to have gotten all 36.” TOTAL silence–apparently dry humor is lost on customer service. . . Sarcasm is a lost art form I think  . . . anyhoo, I digress.

When I had all my supplies ready I look at the e-mails and I am SO far behind. I decided to wait until the end and wade through it all. I printed up the actually lessons delivered and sat down trying to use my doggie-door WIP to plot the storyboard, but it was NOT working for me. So I pulled out a different story that I had worked up, but not written on, still a no-go. I couldn’t get my head around the process for works already started.

I moved onto to an idea I had germinating in my head for a while but had yet to put any of it to paper. I holed myself up in my room over the weekend with the instructions and went step-by-step. (Okay, I did get hung up on one question for a day or two, but once I had it squared away in my mind, I was ready to roll) I made this grid and filled out that sheet. Then you are supposed to come up with “scenes”. And I got stuck. I had the over-all idea of the story, but my write-as-I-go brain was fighting the idea of coming up with too much.

So when dinner times rolls around, I set aside all my work, we do the family thing, then watch TV for a bit. When I get back to the scene-building, it flows, and I mean like the Trinity River after last week’s storms. . . I get 33 scene ideas written down. WAHOO! I plotted a HUGE chunk of the book–again WAHOO! I haven’t plotted a book in ages, I am so very happy!

It’s another Ghost story. . . tenativly titled Giving up the Ghost

Next week–progress report on the book