Due to technical problems with my ISP, I was unable to access the Internet for a short while.  I'm happy to say that the problems have been fixed, and I have been able to make some updates and upload the files I needed.  I now have files available in the short stories section, and I am preparing to add a couple more essays soon.

Well, it has been an interesting week or so, to say the least.  I have probably only written twenty pages in about half as many days, which is always frustrating, but I can feel myself slowly coming out of the fog.  Writers' block happens to everyone, and I'm aware of the fact that I'm not immune to this torturous phenomenon, but it doesn't make it any easier to deal with each time it does come along.

I normally average five to ten pages a day.  On an exceptional day I can pump out twenty good pages, although that only happens once in a great while.  When the Muse is on strike, as I put it, I'm lucky to get one or two pages, and that is after hours upon painful hours of squeezing out each sentence, one laborious word at a time.

I'm a huge advocate for writing every day, no matter how heavy or hardly the inspiration comes.  Bad days produce little work, and that work is usually also in need of redrafting, but I've found that every little bit still eventually adds up.  I do also believe, however, that every writer needs to know when it is time to take a self-imposed day off, no matter how exciting the project; sometimes a step back and a day or two of reflection is all it takes to get that Muse singing again....

I'm sure this is common among writers.  There are days when all I can think about is writing, to the point of being useless on just about all other fronts.  I end up sitting in front of the computer until my wrists are sore and my eyes can't focus, literally writing until I cannot write another word.  Sometimes I'm lucky and end up amassing a huge amount of quality work in a short period of time, while others I find myself writing for so long that the last of it is garbled nonsense that I end up having to rewrite ... after at least a couple of days of self imposed rest.

It is tough to find a balance, given the uncertainty of writer's block contrasted against the intermittent (and blissful) surges of inspiration.  Sometimes I feel like I'm racing against an invisible clock, struggling to get as many stories "out" as possible before I die, certain that there just isn't enough time....

I believe in Muses.  I think I've been the willing slave to a few of them, actually....

Inspiration is like air for me: without enough of it, I know I will surely suffocate.  Sometimes it comes in heavy waves, however, and during those times I feel as though my mind has become a tea kettle, the ideas turned to steam, and something is going to blow if I don't do something about it.  One can only write so fast and go so long without food and rest, as unfortunate as that may be.  I've found that I have to perform, both regularly and well, if I want the Muses to keep returning.  I really can't complain, though: I am grateful for the Muses, even if they do sometimes get a bit demanding.

I'm grateful to be a writer.  I'm grateful for inspiration.  I went many years without writing, mainly due to depression and illness.  I hope I never know that ever again.

I'm not sure what percentage of novelists also consider themselves screenplay writers, or vice-versa, but I really have to consider myself both, as completely different as the two formats are.  While novels rely on narration and internal dialog with which to move forward a story, screenplays must rely solely on what can be perceived through a camera's eye.  Both present an equal number of challenges, especially when it comes to converting one format to the other, but both are also so wonderfully rewarding to write.

Speaking of format conversion: I recently took on the challenge of converting my most recent novel, The Darkness and the Night, into a screenplay, and I have a whole new level of respect for people who do that type of work for a living.  The hurdles that present can be more complicated than one might think: What to cut?  What to add?  How to stay true to the story, given the constraints in time and media?  I am happy with the draft, but I do have to say that I very nearly went insane in the week it took me to get it done.  I set out to convert The Last Great Minds of 2084 in the past, but set it down to start other projects ... I have no doubt in my mind that, after The Darkness and the Night, The Last Great Minds of 2084 will be a piece of cake....

Hello.  My name is Lisa and I'm a wordaholic.

It is late, but I decided for some reason that I would get started on this website tonight.  Obviously it is still a work in progress, but I hope to have things a little more interesting here soon enough.

I think I've done enough damage for one night (see "About Me" and "More"), so I'm going to sign off for now.  Until next time....