Writing – Page 3 – Joan Hall

Tried and Failed #WIP Wednesday

Published on April 13, 2022April 12, 2022 by Joan Hall38 Comments

Hey, everyone. It’s already the second week of April, and it’s been a while since I wrote a WIP Wednesday post. This one is more of a WIHW (What I Haven’t Written) story.

I thought by now I would have already written tons of words this year.

Wrong! So far, 2022’s word count is shaping up to be as bad as 2020. I don’t even want to think about that year. I believe most of us would like to forget it, so we’ll not go there.

But what happened with 2022?

I had high hopes for this year—publishing a book of thirteen short stories in the spring and my second Legends of Madeira novel in the fall. With my upcoming retirement in August, I had the audacity to think I might squeeze in a third project. I planned to submit more stories to Vocal.

After completing six of the thirteen short stories, I pretty much took the month of December off, except for a new experiment. Convinced the way to complete stories more quickly, I outlined the remaining seven short stories.

That’s right. The panster (planster) was going to become a planner. When I say outline, these were still what I call skeletal outlines. I just don’t understand those writers who plot every chapter and every scene of their book. To me, that takes all the fun out of writing, but some swear by it. They don’t understand pansters.

I even had one die-hard planner say I needed to start over with my first novel because I didn’t outline it. By that time, I was 75% into the first draft. No way was I going to begin again, only to write the same things. I finished and published Unseen Motives in 2016. Without an outline!

When January arrived, I was excited to begin writing again. It was hard to decide which of the seven remaining stories I would begin with, but I decided on one with the working title of Sterling House.

I liked the first draft of my opening paragraph:

Tendrils of fog drifted across the winding road—shades of gray against an ink-black night. Devlin Adams gripped the steering wheel tighter as he slowed the car. The sense of unease that began as a tiny seed when he left home this morning had grown…

ID 138378790
© Zacarias Pereira Da Mata | Dreamstime.com

January started out good. Over 700 words on the first day, more than 600 on the second. Then came day three. Sixty-five words. Things went downhill from there. Days and weeks passed without me writing a single word on the story.

There were a few triumphant moments—a 1300-word day in February. Another 2300 words in early March. But all of it was forced writing. I was determined to stick to that outline. Even though it wasn’t working, I refused to move on to one of the other stories, perhaps out of fear the same thing would happen.

It took until the end of March (and a fantastic post by Beem Weeks at Story Empire) for me to figure out I needed to put aside the story.

My original idea for Sterling House was ghost fiction. Since I plan for the collection to be mixed genres and had already written two ghost fiction pieces, I turned Sterling House into a modern crime story with an amateur sleuth.

“I haven’t failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”
Thomas Edison

Planning and outlining didn’t work. I felt stifled. So, I ditched the 7200 words and resolved to start over. It may take me a while to get back to this one. I’m still recovering, but I plan to keep and revise that opening paragraph.

So far, April has proven to be a better month. I’m writing again. I may even use some of the ideas for Sterling House in another short story where many of them are better suited. I’ve started editing some of the already written short stories. I’ve scheduled my Mystery Monday and Legends and Lore posts through July. And I’ve written a few scenes for the second Legends of Madeira book.

Writing is tough. If you’re an outliner and it works for you, stick with it. But if you feel stifled, then stop. Reflect. Put the story aside. Sooner or later (hopefully sooner), you’ll realize what’s wrong.

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal, it is the courage to continue that counts.”
Winston Churchill (disputed by some)

On The Road With Marie Sinadjan

Published on February 18, 2022October 20, 2022 by Joan Hall2 Comments

Hey, everyone. Normally, I don’t post on the weekends, but Marie Sinadjan is hosting me for her author spotlight feature.

If you haven’t met Marie, you should take time to visit her blog. Marie is not only an author but a singer-songwriter as well. She recently published her first book, Hotel Fin, an urban fantasy novel co-written with Meri Benson

I hope to see you at Marie’s place. Just click here to visit. And while you’re there, be sure to check out Marie’s writing projects and her music.

Movies, Music, and Writing

Published on February 16, 2022February 13, 2022 by Joan Hall36 Comments

It’s no secret that my all-time favorite movie is Casablanca. What’s not to love about this classic with a cast including Bogart, Bergman, Peter Lorre, Paul Henreid, and Claude Rains? It also contains some fantastic quotes.

“Here’s looking at you, kid.”

“Play it, Sam.” This is often misquoted as “Play it again, Sam.” (Bogart never said that.)

“Of all the gin joints, in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine.”

“Louie, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”

From a writer’s standpoint, the character arc of Rick Blaine (Bogart) is undoubtedly one of the best. He went from saying, “I stick my neck out for nobody,” to giving up the woman he loved for the greater good.

But long before I first saw the film, a song was written with an opening line that mentioned a Bogart movie. I knew the artist had to be talking about Casablanca. Al Stewart’s “Year of The Cat” and the album by the same title is also a favorite. (On a side note, between my brother and myself, we’ve owned that album in just about every form—vinyl, eight-track, cassette, and CD. I now listen to it via Spotify.)

It wasn’t until years later that I learned Stewart was in fact speaking about Casablanca. Chinese astrology doesn’t have a “year of the cat,” but Vietnamese astrology does. Stewart set two lovers in Morocco in the mid-seventies and had them have a love affair much like Bogart and Bergman in the 1940s.

As many of you know, music often inspires my writing. I recently wrote a short story titled Summerwood. The male lead, Dylan, is a popular music star who returns to his hometown in search of peace and quiet. He also wants to find and make amends with his former girlfriend, Lydia. Here’s an unedited scene:

The crowd started to grow as more merchants arrived to set up their stands. Dylan recognized a few of them like Harley Campbell and George Weaver. No one seemed to notice him.

It wasn’t long before the door to the cafe opened, and Lydia walked out. Seeing her was like taking a breath of fresh air. A ray of sunshine on a cloudy day.

She wore a sleeveless floral-print dress and white sandals. Her blonde hair hung loosely around her shoulders, and she carried a wallet-sized purse. Simple and uncomplicated, much like the lifestyle Lydia had chosen.

Dylan inhaled deeply. He could almost smell Lydia’s signature scent—an exotic blend of patchouli and sandalwood. Never overpowering. Always subtle. And so enticing.

He remained beside the tree as Lydia strolled through the various stalls of the market.

If you’re familiar with the song, “Year of The Cat,” you might recognize a couple of things.

Summerwood is one of thirteen short stories that I plan to publish this year. And if you’re in the mood for a little music, here’s Al Stewart telling the story and singing his megahit, “Year of The Cat.

My 2022 Writing Goals

Published on January 12, 2022January 11, 2022 by Joan Hall29 Comments

Hey, everyone. We’re already well into 2022, so this is a good time to list my writing goals for this year. I’ll also tell you a bit about the projects I’m working on this year.

A Book of Shorts (working title) is a collection of thirteen short stories. I’ve shared a couple of excerpts in past WIP Wednesday posts. To date, I have drafts of six stories completed. I’m currently writing the seventh story. The remaining ones are outlined and ready to write. (Yes, this panster is trying to be a better planner.)

The collection is mixed genre—some are ghost fiction, some are mystery and suspense, there is one military/family fiction story, and at least one romantic suspense. Two of the stories will have dual timelines.

Blood Red Dawn is the second book of the Legends of Madeira series. I’ve also completed a loose outline, and I plan to begin writing it as soon as I complete the short stories.

In Cold Dark Night, I introduced minor characters Connor Hughes and Abbey Lane. They’ll take center stage in book two. Like the first book, there will be dual timelines and a legend.

My goal is to publish both the short story collection and Blood Red Dawn this year.

I have a third project that’s been on my mind, but it’s still in the thinking/planning stage. Suffice to say, it’s something I’ve wanted to do for a while, but with plans to release two books this year, I don’t want to stretch myself too thin.

Last year, I joined Vocal. While I only submitted one story, I’d like to participate more this year. If you didn’t get a chance to read my submission, you can do so by clicking here. By the way, an expanded version of The Dare will be included in the short story collection.

As far as blogging, I’m continuing the Mystery Monday posts on the first Monday of each month. Those who have followed my blog for a while know that I did a series last year on the Native American names of the moons. To take place of that, I have a new series I’m calling Legends and Lore.

While somewhat similar to Mystery Monday, Legends and Lore will feature urban legends and folklore. I’ll post these on the third Monday of each month.

The first post is scheduled for next week, and the topic is a well-known legend from the city of Dallas in my home state of Texas.

I began sending a newsletter late last year and I plan to continue to write and send one every other month. To subscribe, just click the link on the sidebar.

Finally, a personal note. Big changes are coming for me. While I haven’t formally announced my plans (my immediate coworkers know), I’m retiring at the end of August. Needless to say, I’m getting excited. That means I’ll have more time to write.

Maybe I will do that third project…