Crossword Puzzles – Not Just For Sunday Morning Coffee

As one ages, one starts to worry about one’s mental faculties (and one starts to refer to oneself in the third person).  To that end, I’ve taken to doing a daily crossword puzzle on my iPad.  They might be New York Times puzzles, but if they are, it’s sure not the Sunday puzzle – I can usually do one in about 30 minutes.

I figure it’s a good investment of time and interestingly, I’m also finding that the exercise is trickling over to my writing.  A crossword puzzle is an excellent way to think about different words meaning the same thing (what’s the word for that?) or, on the flip side, the many different meanings a word can have. That’s got to help a writer, right?

One of the exercises I did in an on-line editing workshop involved writing a poem and then re-writing it using different words.  Suddenly, a thesaurus is a beautiful thing.  Mental exercises like that will help my writing now and help my mental acuity well into my, well, gee, 80s?

Eschew Obfuscation

This is my motto. It’s a core philosophy adopted in college some 30-odd years ago, and still declared on my Road ID.

I’ve always interpreted the phrase to mean “Keep things clear,” and it’s been a part of my life for so long, I take that meaning in every aspect of my life, from writing, to work, to relationships.

To me it means I should be clear in my goals, clear in my wants and desires, and don’t depend on someone else’s interpretation of my meaning.

It’s a useful tool in storytelling, when one is outlining and sketching out the bare bones of a story. I have come to learn, however, that a lot of depth and color of setting and character is lost with that classic “Just the facts, ma’am” mindset. So eschew, but don’t eschew too much.

In my personal life, being clear has meant the difference between an evening at a loud bar in uncomfortable shoes and bra, and cozied up with a good book on the couch in fuzzy pants. “I’ll tell you what I want, what I really really want.”

And just to be clear (see what I did there?), this is what MS Word’s thesaurus says about these two simple words that have been governing my life for so long:

Eschew

Obfuscation:

Clear as mud, no?

Avoid complication, shun confusion, and steer clear of smokescreens. All good mottos for life.

Gawd, I was BRILLIANT when I was 18…

What to Do, What to Do…

Okay, I’ve had my time off. And it was GOOD. But now I need to get back to work. And as I review my projects, I can’t decide what to work on. So many projects, so little progress/positive feedback/energy.

In a perfect world, I would have just sent my perfect manuscript off to my perfect agent/editor. You know, the one who gave me a January 31st deadline, which I’ve beaten by a month. My agent/editor has a publisher lined up and my book will be out by the end of year. After a week off, preferably on a warm beach, I’d get back to work, starting the next book in the series with the knowledge that the publisher and the public would welcome it with open arms.

Alas, it’s just not so. My story is half done and there are issues with plot and character. Editing has bogged down in minutiae, and feedback is brutally harsh.

So, do I continue to whip this horse, trying to get it to the finish line, or do I switch horses in the middle of the stream?

I’m sorely tempted to start researching ANOTHER book. Yeah, THAT’s what I need – another unfinished book in a box.

Or I could work on the next most completed book, something with real horses to whip.

Then there’s the story with huge gaps to fill. Yes, there’s a lot of EDITING to be done, but there’s a lot of WRITING to be done, first.

Then there’s that NANO project that I stuck in a drawer at the end of the month, and NEVER LOOKED AT AGAIN. I’m sure it’s brilliant, in places. But also know that the ending collapsed.

And then there’s the novel started and not yet finished which might make a better novella or even a short story.

Which brings me to the idea of writing a short story right now. Quick turnaround, satisfying result, and an all-around ego boost.

I may not know what to do, yet, but I know my options. And at least I don’t seem to have a problem with writer’s block.