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Blogs by Velda E Brotherton
Writing, researching and canning 7/27/2009 12:41:57 PM
Talk about multi-tasking In the past few weeks I've alternated between canning all morning, writing all afternoon and spending a couple days a week on research for my latest two books: Raised in the Boston Mountains: Ozark Meals and Memories and The Boston Mountains: Lost in the Ozarks. This has meant I've totally ignored the house. Since hubby is so busy nowadays tinkering in his shop, we just kind of kick things aside occasionally. This morning I cleared the kitchen of everything and declared the canning done. We can only eat so much.
Ignoring the spider webs tying the walls to the floor, the furniture to each other and the dust on all flat surfaces, I danced upstairs to my office to post blogs and deal with promotion for the upcoming release of my latest books.
I've learned that a writer must have a schedule and keep to it as much as possible. So Mondays I promote online in all the ways I can think of, including social networking to remind folks of who I am. Tuesdays I write my weekly historical column and any other short articles or stories due in the near future. The remainder of the week, the afternoons are for writing work in progress. Mornings I follow up research. I've learned there's just a bunch of stuff you can't find online. Especially when writing regional and local stuff. Historical societies, local libraries, and folks who have information need to be visited.
Every Thursday evening I attend our long standing critique group. We've been around over 20 years helping writers get a handle on their work, and I don't think I've missed more than a few meetings in all that time. We have a large membership but weekly attendance is generally between 12 - 15, which is plenty when it comes to doing a good job of critiquing.
Visiting the lost communities of the surrounding four counties has been an exciting and revealing experience. I've dug up facts on stuff I never knew existed right here on my own stomping grounds. I've found a connection to President Obama in one of the communities, discovered a gold mine that is really a cover for treasure, met descendants of outlaws, and interviewed tons of people who know so much about these beautiful Boston Mountains here in our Ozarks.
Last week my daughter and I were lost in the woods (we were in an SUV) for seven hours, but we sure had a good time and found some hidden places in the process. If you've never been lost in the mountains on back roads and rugged byways, you've missed something. Luckily we finally stumbled on a sign that directed us to a nearby highway. If 10 miles and forty minutes is nearby, and we popped out of the woods at last.
When I finish researching for these two books, I think I'm going to relax a write some fiction for a while. It's a lot easier to make stuff up than it is to dig up real things to write about.
I wish all my readers who are writers the best when it comes to their writing, and don't worry about cleaning house.
