Jenny Crusie has been blogging her way though a novella, and I have SO identifed with her journey. This quote seemed appropriate. Apparently, she’s more of a panster than a plotter–like me.

“Writing a book is like driving a car at night. You only see as far as your headlights go, but you can make the whole trip that way.” E. L. Doctorow

I’m the kind of writer who can write an outline, but only the highpoints and a lot about the character’s backgrounds are in there. I can see a few turning points, but the intricacies of the journey are still a mystery. The characters reveal their angst as I go along, and they usually have a lot of angst. Fits the Desire line well, I think.

But enough about that. On to the praise, more publically given (Or the more coherent Maggie acceptance speech I wish I’d given)…

I wish to thank my family and friends:

Last night I was talking to the DS and gave him a rough synopsis of Return To Paradise. Okay, maybe he was humoring the old lady, but he showed enthusiasm for the plot. You may remember from previous posts – he’s an actor. He GETS things like Vogler’s hero’s journey and the 3-act structure, GMC, etc. He’s becoming a reader, bless his heart. There’s hope for him yet. But I digress… He’s been super supportive in this writer’s journey as has been my DS & DH. The DS directs her friends to my website to read excerpts. The DH tells the neighbors of each milestone of my journey before I can. 🙂

My mama and sister eagerly await my first book on the shelves (hey, me too!) as if it’s a given. My best-ever friend, Sharon does the same. When I told her of my Maggie win, her comment (after the excitement died down) was something along the lines of the judges finally getting what she’d known all along. Bless her. (Sidebar note: I don’t think my bros know much about the whole writing thing.)

my CP’s:

There’s a slew of CP’s from the RWClist and ContempoCats that have helped my writing grow, and I thank them all. But a few stand out for their long-term suffering through some of my drafts and agonizing: Linda, the Rebels past and present (Mel, Randy, Terry, Vonda, Pam, Tammy, & Betty), Darcy (Hey–aren’t you supposed to be writing?). There are others in the writing community too numerous to mention, but a few have stood out in the crowd with their steadfast encouragement: Morag, Clara, Charlotte, Kelsy, Nancy, Elisabeth. I’m sure there’s others I can’t think of right now. To all of you I say a heartfelt thanks.

my chapter mates:

Another thanks to the very supportive members of Aloha RWA and GRW.

and the Maggie contest:

My gratitude to all involved in the Maggie contest from start to finish.

Ah, much better than that thick-with-tears and much shortened version I actually gave. 🙂 Now I feel better.