Whip-It UP Wednesdays!

Hi-OH!

Well, how is the first full week of January treating you? Have you been sticking to your goals?

Hold on to your bloomers because I have actually been going with the program!! Before you shower me with tons of chocolate, please note that I'm in chocolate rehab. Yes, too much of the tasty treat is making the holidays stick a"round", if you catch my meaning! So, hand me an apple, my good reader!

I didn't accomplish much over the last month- at least anything to write home to mom about- but I did do a lot of "research." I read and listened to books on CD. Surprisingly, I managed to learn a few things. I made sure to pay attention to word choices and sentence structure. Another thing I picked up was that my character conflict was a bit on the thin-side.

Enter my newest WRITE STUFF FIND (now, you're gonna be humming New Kids On The Block all day! lol)

I picked up Jeannie Ruesch's WIP Notebook off of Amazon.com. Let me tell you, it is a fantastic use of a gift card. I'm a quarter of the way through and have really made head-way. The book starts out with pages dedicated to recording every tidbit about your characters. Very handy, indeed.

When it came to the part asking for Internal/External conflict and Motivation, I blanked out. I mean I'd always had an idea of what my H/H's issues were but I'd never really put it to writing. So, when combined with all the reading I did over the last month, hence a better feel for GMC, something just clicked!

And maybe even changed a my plot a little. *gasp* Imagine that!

It's just simple "upgrades" to my H/H and by strengthening their roles, I'm helping to bridge a gap in some of my weaker plot points. Definitely something worth poking a stick at, I think. (well, one of the good things to point a stick at- bears, dogs, prizes on the lawn . . .not so much!)

For the rest of this week, I'm going to allow some time during my day to work through the WIP Workbook and flesh out my ideas. I must say I'm quite excited. I think taking a step back from my work and digesting some craft really helped spur me to this point. Time will only tell.

But one thing is for sure, I'm going to keep with the forward motion. I want to see that darn progress bar move, blast it all! I will be sure to keep ya'll updated on what's come of this shift. Mood for today: VERY MOTIVATED!!

What about you? Have you had any breakthroughs to share?