Thirsty Thursday: STELLA!!!!

Oh Marlon, you were once so attractive.  We miss it.

Anyway, beyond a Tennessee Williams play, here's our beverage of the Thursday.

Devil duckie not included.

I found Stella Artois by accident.  I was at one of my favorite bars back in Chicago (Prarie Moon, go if you can) and I asked for Harp.  No Harp.  Well, shitballs.

"If you like Harp, try this," smartest bartender ever.  All bartenders are smart.  Great people.  Tip them well.  Because they introduce you to magical things.  Like this beer.

Have any suggestions of what I should be drinking?  Let me know in the comments!

I wrote stuff last night!

Don't get too excited for me, I'm not sharing any of it here.

I got in a good hour of brainstorming/writing last night.  Considering I work late Mondays and had a crummy day at work, I'm proud I got that much done.

I bounced ideas slash asked what I "should" be doing with Adam last week and determined I should first complete the WIP from where it's at.  Literally get to a THE END point.  That itself is a struggle as I haven't built up enough already written to get to an ending that makes sense.  So much is still in my head but I don't want to go back just yet to re-work everything.

Already I'm going over what needs to be re-worked.  The antagonist needs to be more of the main antagonist and not just a looming/empty threat.  My protagonist needs stronger motivation that fits with the plot.  Those are really the big things, those two characters.  If I can get the two of them nailed down, I'll be golden with the rest of the story and it'll all come together.

Channeling Chuck Wendig:
"Plot is like Soylent Green: it’s made of people."

More on the WIP goal and Thirsty Thursdays

If it's one thing I do understand about setting goals is that I need to be clear and specific.  If I come up with some general, bland, blanket goal, you bet your ass I'll find a way to meet it in the most minimal way possible.

And that's not what I want to do.

I promised for myself to have "a manuscript complete by September 6."  Why that date?  It's our wedding date.  I figure it's fitting.

More importantly, I need to define "manuscript" for myself.  Not for you, for me.  Right now, the WIP is the super-ugly draft as it stands; plot holes, name hole, scene holes, a whole lot of holes.  I want to complete the story from where I left off.  Get to some sort of ending where I can say to myself, "Alright, Dara, it's over.  You can go curl in a ball for the next week and then get back to fixing the mess you have there."

Phase 2 will involve going back to the start, notebook at my side, and fix things.  Not all shiney and fancy, but certainly have it flow a lot better.

THAT is what I want to have done by September 6.  Ideally, from that point, I will be ready to hunt down a critique partner or editor or whatever the hell the next step would be.

I don't know, I've read so many articles on the writing process, it's all mashed together into a lump in my brain.  What's a good step-by-step for a newb?

Thirsty Thursday: Pacifico

A belated Cinco de Mayo theme.  Although when I had it, it was Cinco de... Tres?

While I'm not a fan of Dos Equis or Corona, I will drink the crap out of Pacifico.  It's labeled as a "Mexican pilsner-style" beer, which I find funny because I personally don't like pilsners.

I'm not planning much on Thirsty Thursdays other than sharing with you a different drink each week and whether I enjoyed it or not.  I would love some suggestions!  I get a bit stuck in my ways so any recommendations of beer would be welcomed.  Yes, beer.  We'll start there and see where that can expand to.

Anyone have their own favorite they'd like me to feature?

IWSG - May 2014

The Insecure Writer's Support Group is the sexy creation of Alex J Cavanaugh.   Its glorious purpose is to share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!  Visit the website and/or join the Facebook Group.



Oops!  Well then!

My insecurity this week is forgetfulness.

Because while I rocked scheduling two posts for the week, I neglected this month's IWSG.

This will be one of the shortest posts ever as I did want to participate this month but didn't pay attention to my schedule.

June will be way better, I swear.  Hugs and kisses.

A to Z Challenge aftermath

Well that was fun!

A formal welcome is due to any new followers.

Welcome!

..... I'm wearing a ballgown, you can't see it.  It's formal, I promise.

I own the fact that while I rocked out a post every day through April, I sucked at visiting other blogs.  I also sucked at reading any and all of the other blogs I follow.  I feel bad about it.

I alluded to two goals for myself during the recent challenge.  The first being some sort of blog schedule.  I have a habit sort of built in where I'm drawn to my Blogger dashboard and the need to schedule something for some point.  Score!

Decision: Tuesdays and Thursdays.  Let's make it fun.  THIRSTY Thursdays.  Oh!  Brilliant idea!!  Not only will I whine about writing, I'll also highlight a beverage of the day.... and by beverage, I mean beer.

This excites me.

On another note, I did myself in on April 26th by making a promise to myself that I would have a manuscript complete of my WIP, tentatively titled Life and Body Organs.  I sit here at our dining table on my ultrabook, much like I was in November, putting it off once again.

Hey, at least I'm writing.  :)

How about you people?  Will it be business as usual now that the A to Z Challenge is over?  Or have you made some big plans for yourself as well?