Wishes For a Fantastic Day

I'm posting late today because I've been having a wonderful Mother's Day. My family has treated me well, as always, and I've just had time to get to my beloved keyboard and write.

I didn't want to let the day go, however, without sending wishes out to all the other mothers out there, for a fantastical day, and night, and, we can hope, year. May you enjoy all that makes you happy and nothing that makes you too sad -- a little sadness, of course, is fine and makes the joys all the better. But I hope your mother's day is filled with contentment and your heart is filled with love.

Yours in well wishes,
Anita Ensal

Coming Out...Wrong

I'm in the middle of a variety of WIPs, one of which is a short story. I like the story only...I think I'm failing it.

What I mean by that is that the story seems so much more electric and interesting in my brain than it's translating onto the page. I know it's me, after all, who else could it be, but I'm not sure where I'm falling short.

I loved my first draft. Then realized that it seemed somewhat obvious, no surprises at the end, so to speak. So I revised. But it made the story too convoluted. Now I'm at it again, trying to make this work in the way it does in my head.

In my mind, these characters are interesting. Some are mysterious, some are in dire need, some are magical, all are three-dimensional. On the page, they're not working right. And the worst part is that I have a feeling they'd be working just fine in a novel -- only I don't think their story warrants novel-length.

So, I'll dive in again and see what can be done. Many times, if necessary. This is, after all, part of the whole writing process. A painful part, to be sure, but still a necessary one.

Yours in frustrated wonder,
Anita Ensal

Indecision 2009

I'm ready to start work on my next book. And I'm undecided.

I have several WIPs that I'd like to revive, fix up, and finish. I have several new ideas that I'd like to get going. I also have some short stories my agent suggested I might want to turn into novels, or take the characters and put them into a novel.

And...I can't decide. The time I've spent fretting over the decision is clearly wasted, since I'm no closer to a decision than I was a week ago. I've considered going for whichever one moves me the most, but I love all my babies, so to speak, so that's not working. I tried the dart method -- my dear husband suggested that until he can find something less painful and destructive than a real dart, I should, perhaps, try something else. I don't have a story idea about a sofa, a shattered coffee cup, or a fireplace, so I suppose he's right. I tried writing the titles on pieces of paper and tossing them in the air. I ended up with a mess. And the moment I pulled one out of a hat, that was the very story I didn't want to work on.

Perhaps it's time to try that most effective plan -- just sitting down and doing it. It does help if you know the 'it' you're going to just do, of course. It is a problem.

Yours in somewhat frustrated wonder,
Anita Ensal

New Worlds or the Old One?

One of the first things I consider when creating a story is if I want to create a whole new world, or merely use the one we have in a different way. I like both, so to me there is no right or wrong here, just a choice that will ultimately affect the rest of the story of and about that world and the characters living within it.

I tend to prefer alternative Earth stories as opposed to post-apocalyptic, though I'm not against those, either. Alternative Earth forces certain restrictions -- the continents must be at least somewhat similar to how we know them, if I want to insert magic, it has to have a stronger explanation than "that's how it is here", and any creatures need to conform to what we know has and can exist on Earth.

When making up a whole new world, of course, then, in a sense, anything goes. I enjoy the freedom to make a world how I want it to be, sometimes with disregard to physics. It's my world, I can make the scientific laws as well as the rest.

So, how do you like your fantasy worlds? Brand new to explore completely, or based on Earth, to find the differences and similarities?

Yours in wonder,
Anita Ensal

Welcome to My Worlds

Hello, Blogosphere! I’m a writer of mostly fantasy and science fiction, with other sub-genres of speculative fiction thrown in. As such, I figured it was time to start getting more active in the wonderful world of blogging.

I have a novel series being shopped by my wonderful agent. I also have a short story up at Raphael’s Village, and just sold a short story to Eposic to be included in their “The Book of Exodi” anthology.

I’m looking forward to discussing how the muse affects us all in terms of our individual creativity, as well as share my journey along the way.

Yours in wonder,

Anita Ensal