I've Always Wanted To...

For the past week or so, I've been going through my (thrashed) notebooks, trying to find little tidbits of information I've jotted down over time. See, I'm nearing the end of my current WiP, and I'm gearing up for the second round. Which means adding in little things to give the writing more depth, the characters more personality, the setting more believability. (Wow, that's a word. Didn't even underline it. I'm shocked.)

See, I carry a notebook everywhere I go. Little things I notice, I jot down, thinking I'll stick them into a story somewhere, someday. So I went hunting through the notebookage. It was actually quite disgusting. The corners are all curled, some type of granola bar was wedged in the wire, and yeah...it was pretty gross. Good thing I found those sweet cream-colored-page notebooks at Office Max.

I found some interesting things:

• Visor hats. These are cool, striped like a zebra.
• A wall covered with old license plates, the smell of oil and machinery.
• The smell of wet cement, the first rain of summer.
• A girl who has super-short (shaved) hair.
• A cat statue in the bathroom. I feel like it's staring at me. I had to turn it into the wall to use the bathroom. Someone who's rich?
• Someone who doesn't like onions, but loves onion rings. Hates cherries, but loves cherry-flavored candy, etc.
• High heels with skinny jeans. (maybe ankle boots)
  
• Someone who never takes their sunglasses off, even inside.

This is just a partial list of things I've jotted down while waiting in line at the post office, waiting to cross the street for a Jazz game, while visiting friends, etc. That cat really did freak me out. Yes, I made it face the wall. No, my friend wasn't rich, but I thought it would fit into a novel where someone was rich and someone who wasn't was visiting. I still haven't used it.

I didn't find anything to fit the character I'm currently trying to develop. But it was still fun. And now I have something to think about while waiting at the next red light.

So here's my question of the day: What real-life observations have you used in your writing? Which ones are you still waiting to use? What quirks or characteristics have you always wanted to write into a character?

Work in Progress Wednesday

This week, I'm showing you my uber-cute notebooks again. I have two I'm writing in now; the second one is almost full. I also have a third notebook, labeled NOTES. Since it's almost impossible to go back and add a detail you've thought of later [when writing by hand], I needed this third notebook. (Oh, and LA stands for the working title, Living Assistants. I have other notebooks, but they are labeled with a totally lame black Sharpie. Not even a shred of cute paper on them. One's called "EH" for Elemental Hunger, another novel I've written by hand. Well, "written" isn't the correct term there, as that book is not acutally finished yet. I didn't write The Mirror or Control Issues by hand, but I have sections of those two books that I did completely rewrite. When I did, I wrote them by hand. That notebook is labeled TM/CI. That almost sounds like YMCA. "Tee, em, see, I! It's fun to read and write, tee, em, see, i-hi!" Yeah, see why I need to write by hand? I can get off on a tangent like nobody else.)

Anyway, back to business.

You see, I have stupid little marks like the ones below, indicating a place where I need something more. Since I didn't have space, I simply drew a line, put the lame symbol and wrote the inserted scene. Um, yeah, it's a mess. I'm not sure I'm going to be able to figure out where those three stars go...

So I made a new notebook. Now I have a purple marker and I put a number where I need to add something. Then in my NOTES notebook (it has pink paper! Squee!) I label the number, write what I want added, and go back to my regular place.

Note: This page is a mess. I had written the scene between my MC, Jesse and his BF Lorenzo (L-zo). Then I decided that wasn't going to work. So the conversation is between Jesse and his not-so-BF-but-becoming-at-least-a-friend, Ty. So the whole thing is just a complete mess of scribbles, and arrows, and other stuff I hope I'm going to be able to figure out. I had not worked out my NOTES system at this point, so don't judge me too harshly!

It's so much easier. And I think I'll be able to figure it out when I actually go to type this bad boy up. Which should be happening soon. My goal is to finish this novel by the end of March. I think I'm going to make it. But I suffer from that 3/4-writer syndrome, and I can feel myself getting bored. But I've made a deep, personal commitment NOT to introduce a new character, a new power, or anything new at this point. I just need to tie together all the threads I've got unraveled. I can do it. I know I can. *repeats to self five times daily*

But I sorta suffer from my-endings-always-suckitis, so we'll see how long it takes me to come up with something that's actually tied all together. *repeat above mantra one more time*

Sidenote: Turns out the photobooth is not the best picture-taking program. Go figure.

How was your writing week? Goals? Major breakthroughs? Lay it on me, baby.