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When I Should Have Been Writing

I've been doing a lot of thinking about the beginning of the story that I'll work on after my WiP is finished.

And I started thinking of things that remind me of beginnings:
babies
shopping
new deck of cards
wedding

When I realized those things really had nothing in common except for me, I moved on to middles:
apple
trampoline
hammock
lake

And, of course, endings:
divorce
funeral
flat tire

Pacing:
ocean tides
horse race
pogo stick
hills

Plot:
skeleton
ladder
fence
trellis
map

Characterization:
onion (no brainer...how many times have we all heard this one)
pomegranate (thanks to Holly's comment on my post last Friday)
day and night
jigsaw puzzle

What about you?
Do you think about these things?
Does it do any good for my mind to wander into this territory?

Happy Valentine's Day!
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Aubrie said…
Sometimes it's neat to start with an ending, because it's also a beginning for something new!

Great post. Very reflective for a Monday!
February 14, 2011 at 8:31 AM
Linda Kage said…
Happy Valentine's Day!!

I the middles are where I get snagged. I think I've started a dozen stories (okay, geesh, more than a dozen) and when I get caught in the middle, I just move on to the next one.
February 14, 2011 at 8:37 AM
Carol Kilgore said…
Aubrie - Great suggestion.

Linda - I need to remember that. Middles are tough.
February 14, 2011 at 9:30 AM
Elizabeth Spann Craig said…
Nice visualization! I think it's always fun to think ahead to the next project (sometimes a little TOO fun!)
February 14, 2011 at 9:38 AM
Jane Kennedy Sutton said…
What a fun idea. Are you going to work all these words into your next project? I’d like to see how you tie them together.
February 14, 2011 at 9:54 AM
VR Barkowski said…
Terrific visualizations, but until I dig myself out of the morass I'm in with my current WIP, any future projects are fantasies.
February 14, 2011 at 10:03 AM
Carol Kilgore said…
Elizabeth - Yes, it is TOO fun. I try to limit myself.

Jane - LOL...I don't think so. Why did you plant that thought in my head :)

VR - Last draft was the digging myself out of the morass draft for me. This one only requires a little digging at the beginning. I'm trying to hustle through it to catch pacing and continuity goofs.
February 14, 2011 at 10:16 AM
Alex J. Cavanaugh said…
No, can't say I've thought of a pogo stick since I was a kid. But feel free to let your mind wander!
February 14, 2011 at 10:19 AM
N. R. Williams said…
Wandering is refreshing. No walks on the beach here. Climb every mountain, maybe. More like glance up and admire.
Nancy
N. R. Williams, fantasy author
February 14, 2011 at 10:23 AM
LR said…
Hammock is a very positive, pleasing image for a middle. :)

I've always thought of the middle as more of a sticky swamp or coffee dregs. Now excuse me while I go lie in my relaxing novel hammock.
February 14, 2011 at 10:40 AM
Unknown said…
That's really cool. I've never thought about the words that mean the different parts of a book. Great.
February 14, 2011 at 11:26 AM
Elspeth Futcher said…
I try *really hard* to remember that the new project that's flirting with me will sooner or later turn out to be as flaw-filled as the project I'm now writing.

I think I need a new pair of rose-coloured glasses.
February 14, 2011 at 12:12 PM
Carol Kilgore said…
Alex - It wanders all by itself.

Nancy - Mountains are good :)

LR - Aha! Maybe the reason I have middle trouble is because I think of them as hammocks. Bring on the sticky swamps!

Clarissa - Glad you liked.

Elspeth - Why DOES that happen :)
February 14, 2011 at 1:02 PM
Joanne said…
If I think ahead to the next project, I'll usually write my thoughts in a journal dedicated to that project. That way I can refer back to it whenever, and have that stash of ideas.

Happy Valentine's Day :)
February 14, 2011 at 1:37 PM
Lydia Kang said…
What an imaginative post!
Let your mind wander. It's healthy!
February 14, 2011 at 1:51 PM
Donna Volkenannt said…
Hi Carole,
Very intresting post. It got me to thinking.
I have a WIP file on my laptop where I jot ideas for stories.
Donna V.
http://donnasbookpub.blogspot.com
February 14, 2011 at 2:17 PM
Golden Eagle said…
I like the way you used the words to represent different parts--interesting!

Happy Valentine's Day!
February 14, 2011 at 2:56 PM
Terry Odell said…
Writing romance, the ending is pretty much a given. It's the journey. I've never really thought about the rest of the book the way you have here.

Terry
Terry's Place
Romance with a Twist--of Mystery
February 14, 2011 at 3:02 PM
Carol Kilgore said…
Joanne - If I did that, I would have shelves of journals with notes on one page only. I get a lot of ideas, but not many make it further than the initial premise or what if stage.

Lydia - My mind must be quite healthy :)

Donna - I should organize all my one-sheet wonders into one folder. Good idea. Thanks!

Golden Eagle - Thanks. Happy Valentine's Day to you, too.
February 14, 2011 at 3:06 PM
Southpaw said…
I like the idea of words for the parts of a novel. They even set a mood.
February 14, 2011 at 3:40 PM
The Words Crafter said…
I liked the stuff your wandering mind came up with, very interesting. My nano story began with an ending. My other wip....maybe at the beginning....? It came from a different idea that I didn't like. Hmmm.

Happy Valentine's Day :)
February 14, 2011 at 6:10 PM
RaShelle Workman said…
Carol - I think you have a fantastic, vivid mind. It was fun to see where your mind went. =D
February 14, 2011 at 8:11 PM
Carol Kilgore said…
Holly - They could set a mood with the right words.

Words Crafter - I've begun a story at a funeral before.

RaShelle - If I could just get it to work for me, it would be awesome :)
February 14, 2011 at 10:36 PM
Hart Johnson said…
You know what I notice? I put several of those things in different places than you...I think I'm probably the wonky one, but weddings and babies are definitely ENDINGS (good-bye freedom) in my mind and puzzles are PLOTTING... It's a fun exercise, though, to see what pops into our heads with those key words...
February 15, 2011 at 9:18 AM
Conda Douglas said…
Yes, I think about this stuff all the time--but the trouble is I get lost on these trails--they criss-cross...and end and begin and AARGH!
February 15, 2011 at 11:35 AM
Carol Kilgore said…
Hart - I love how we're all so alike and yet so different. I think there is a lot of similarity between a beginning and an ending because an ending opens up a whole new story.

Conda - LOL...see my comment to Hart right above yours.
February 15, 2011 at 1:31 PM
Anonymous said…
That's awesome. I never equated aspects of writing to these words before.
February 15, 2011 at 10:09 PM
Talli Roland said…
Middles are the worst for me! And I love Hart's comment - that's exatly my way of thinking, too.
February 16, 2011 at 6:51 AM
Carol Kilgore said…
Medeia - Maybe all of us learned something, including me.

Talli - The dreaded middle muddle. Hate 'em :)
February 17, 2011 at 9:14 AM
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