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Engaging my senses

I took this weekend off – well, to be honest, it wasn’t voluntary; I’ve been feeling out of control of my life a bit, what with things changing and my temporary housing situation, so I really wanted to cling onto my project as the one thing I felt like I could actually exert my control over.  But Jake, in his infinite wisdom, told me I should take a couple of days off and take in some material instead of trying to output it again right away.  He was right, of course.

Ignoring my project, except when I was inevitably reminded of it, was rather difficult. At first, everything I was watching, seeing, doing, smelling, etc. had everything to do with AGGO and I felt like I couldn’t turn my brain off. Finally I got to the point where I was actually ignoring it, and I did take in quite a few useful pieces of media and experience, including:

  • A bit of Viewing #3 of HIMYM
  • Hand-sewing a shirt design that I created
  • Paddling around on a crystal-clear prehistoric lake at night (it was as cool as it sounds)
  • Reading a book called “The Accidental Creative”
  • Reading a Star Wars book
  • Watching Jake play SW:TOR
  • Playing some Oblivion

And now I’m thinking what I need to focus on is taking in new sensory experiences, no matter how unrelated to my project.

Weird? Not really. Sensory details are one of my strengths, and though I’ve spent several months’ worth of solid time in a desert environment, I want as many sensory details and experiences as possible to bring my book to life.  It’s a story for which my readers are going to need to suspend their disbelief, and I would like to inject as much realism as possible into it so they don’t feel cheated.

So I’m going to start with the sense of smell.  To this end, I will:

  • Walk by restaurants that make unusual or aromatic dishes
  • Sniff all the shampoos, lotions, and other yummy-smelling products I can find
  • Really stop to smell my food before I eat it
  • Try to identify city smells when I’m wandering around downtown

If you spot a girl in a sweatshirt and cap (I’ve taken to always wearing a hat, my hair is at that super awkward length) wandering around downtown Seattle sniffing the air like a dog, it’s probably me.

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Today, I outline!

this is a very strange place to be with a project – confident enough to draw up a road map, but hesitant because there’s no way I could be done with research on this subject.

which, in fact, I am not. superhandyawesomeboyfriend was able to find a buttload of helpful stuff last night, which I’m going to peruse today before/while/after I start typing up this outline. yes, it’s finally time – moving away from the notebook and pen and into the digital world.

I’m a little nervous, to be honest. when a project is on paper, it feels alive, real, and changeable. once I have typed it up, it feels like it settles into something resembling really thick clay: I can mold it, but it takes a lot of work and grunting and general whinging. but this has been a new experience, enjoying a novel idea this much, so maybe it will be different.

future-fear is a silly thing. it’s useless, except for informing my plans, but it can be crippling. I experience it a lot, especially regarding people I care about, but it settles like a bad cold over my projects as well.

so here’s to facing future-fear and overcoming it with a few good keystrokes!

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Win a character appearance in my novel!

don’t forget about this! just one week to go!

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as I launch into the final phase of preparation for my novel – I’m about to write the final draft of the outline, eek!! – I want to start ramping up my promotion of my baby!  A God Grown Old is going to be AWESOME… and this is your chance to be a part of it. a real part of it.

so yes, this is a giveaway for a guest appearance in my novel!

I’m still in planning mode, so I’m not giving away too much about the book itself, but here are a few tidbits that should give you a feel for what I’m going to be writing:

  • it’s set in the Middle East and North Africa, around 200 AD.
  • it’s a re-telling of a famous myth, but from an unusual point of view.
  • the main character is a dragon, and the four primary secondary characters (shhhh, it makes sense) are two humans, an Egyptian wolf, and a karkadann.

your character could be just about any animal, creature, or human that would exist in this kind of story-world (remember, this is a myth, so traditional African mythical creatures are welcome as well). you can choose to include an OC you haven’t written into something, or you can have yourself wandering through the wilds of Libya. I am happy to take any name and set of characteristics so long as I can find a creative way to work him, her, or it in to the story.

want to enter? rules rules rules!

  • you must be following me. I know, I know, but I don’t post more than two or three times a day max, so I won’t be flooding your dash. plus, if the book sounds like something you’d like to read, you may want to stay informed anyway!
  • you may reblog twice and like once. each will be considered an entry, for up to three entries.
  • you may follow me on Twitter (AGodGrownOld) for one entry.
  • I will be choosing the winner randomly on Monday, April 23rd, and contacting them by the next day. so basically you have ten days from the start of the contest to get your entries in!

I think that’s everything! if you want some more details about A God Grown Old, I am happy to answer some specific questions via my ask, but I’m kind of keeping it under wraps to some extent until I’m a little further along.

thanks for reading, following, reblogging, or snorting with derision! 😉

– August