It's the curse of the blank planner pages.
You may ask, what is she talking about?
Some history:
I have kept a planner for as long as I can remember, even in high school, I was the kid that had a planner. Of course, I was also the kid that started working at age 14. I had to keep a planner even if just to keep track of my work schedule.
Fast forward a few years. Okay, already--a LOT of years--and I still have my ever present planner with me at all times.
If you were to scan through the weeks, you will notice that there are times where the weeks are stuffed so full, the writing so small and cramped, that its hard to see a single white space. This would represent a nice normal week for me.
Now, open it up to a blank, very white and unspoiled week. Does that mean I actually had a break? A vacation, maybe? No. These are the weeks that went off the wall, out of the ballpark, or in other words 100% wonky.
To explain further--I was too busy to even record my schedule. My note system during these weeks denigrates to sticky notes and various mini floating squares of the cut-up paper you see at libraries to jot down call #'s.
I've had a lot of empty weeks lately.
This is not to say they are bad. I am one of those people (okay, I admit it, one of those highly caffeinated people), that absolutely THRIVES on chaos and excitement and energy and batting at curve balls and at responding to the next thing that has come around the corner and and . . .
Like I said, there's kind of been a few of these weeks lately. Lately?! Who am I kidding! Let's be honest, let's talk months.
So what IS the purpose of this post?
I don't really know. Other than to say I've had a lot of posting ideas backing up in my brain and this one was the fastest one to get out of the starting blocks. There is only so long I can hold back the gates. In the near future I hope to release at least of few of the juicier posts soon.
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Examples of some of the items, maybe:
I had a BLAST at LTUE in mid-Feb. I met some incredible people. I want desperately to post some workshop/lecture reviews and comments. But who am I kidding. I have a book deadline!
Yes, I have a super real, super crazy few months ahead of me as we put the final touches on the forthcoming, Dressing the Naked Hand: The World's Greatest Guide to Puppets, Puppetry and Puppeteering. Yes, I know it's already available for pre-order on various book sites, but don't go busting your buns to get it--yet. For the sake of making it truly the WORLD'S BEST . . . we are probably not going to release this fall.
This is just a place holder cover-- probably not going to be the final choice)
Oliver is finally coming back out, out of my dusty old files. Yes, I do refer to my books by the main character's first name. In any case, I've been letting Oliver sit for a year. alright, maybe a bit longer than a year. Anyway, Oliver is finding some friends and I am starting to have faith in him once again. I hope that there will be some movement and news with him in the near future.
Philippa is still sitting.
Ditto for Decoration Day and the Afghanistan novel based on the same storyline.
Hana and Denton are struggling--I'm struggling. As much as I obsess over Script and Text analysis, I'm just not sure that I am as much a novelist as I am a picture book writer. I know what needs to happen. Pulling it off is a different story. It calls to me. They keep me up nights with their incessant conversations. And as much as Hana and Denton refuse to shut up and let me sleep nights, I don't know if I can truly write well enough to tell their story. But who said I'm doing it for any other reason than to keep my sanity. It being the writing stuff. I have to write. I can't not write. And, I tell you, these characters aren't about to let me off the hook.
Oh heavens, you let one out and the resulting hole allows so much more to get through!!
Anywho, now there is a NEW one begging for it's story to be told. First line:
I thought the day it rained bodies was the worst day of my life. Now I know better.
