Forward progress!

June 4, 2024

Forward progress was made today! I was determined to accomplish two things and both of them worked out great. I incorporated an idea into one of the WIPs and I fleshed out the premise and character bios for an idea I've been kicking around for a fourth story set in Centerville. I'm calling it a WIN!. 

Maybe it was a reflection of the decal I put up above the patio doors this morning. "She believed she could so she did." It was an impulse purchase but it's something I need to remember. I need to set my mind to a task and do it. And maybe  blogging yesterday about my unrest helped bring what I want into better focus. 

Since Ron passed, I've been procrastinating on a lot of fronts. I've handled those things that were urgent, but let other things, like the writing, slide. It's been bothering me which is why I'm blogging about it again. I don't like procrastination. I don't like that I fell into that trap. And yet I know I need to allow myself some leeway. The death of a spouse changes everything. 

Ron encouraged me to write. He was amazed, and a bit envious, that I could write not one story, but over seventy stories. In the early writing years, he sent me to the computer while he put the dinner dishes in the dishwasher. Times change but the memory of the ways he supported me remain. Now I need to remember his voice saying, "don't you have a book to finish?'

Yes, Ron, I believe I do. It may still take a while, but at least for tonight, I believe I'll actually get it finished. 

    _*_*_*_*_*_*_

 KC Kendricks

My home on the web- Between the Keys: 

http://kckendricks.blogspot.com

Visit my bookshelf at: 

https://kckendricks.blogspot.com/p/bookshelf.html

Social media links:

Life through the eyes of my black Lab, Greenbrier Smokey Deuce: deucesday.blogspot.com

My country life at The Hideaway/Holly Tree Manor: hollytreemanor.blogspot.com

Snips and clips on my YouTube channel: KC Kendricks Between the Keys

twitter.com/kckendricks

facebook.com/kckendricks

KC Kendricks, Between the Keys, contemporary gay romance, m/m romance, romance for Kindle, writers on writing, loss of spouse, procrastination, gaining focus, character bios, LGBT romance

July Heat - I didn't "quite" follow the plot board

June 29, 2021

My writing is a combination of plot and pants. I do a brief character development being age, occupation, current obsession, current hangups, darkest secret, biggest dream, and from there do a very rough story outline. Let me reiterate. That's a r-o-u-g-h outline. My stories start out on the plan and generally end up on the plan, but in between? All bets are off. 

July Heat has been no exception to my style. I was checking the notes in my folder, seeing if I had anything I didn't use and could transfer back to the "ideas" sheet, and had a good laugh at myself. The middle of July Heat did not go where I thought it would. The characters led me in a different, and better, direction. And writers know that sometimes it's best to follow the characters. So I did.

It was also very easy to write in part of Logan and Mick's continuing story. I like to go back and revisit favorite characters and see how they're doing. Does that sound strange? It's a writer thing. 

I'm at the stage of story creation where I go back and re-read from the beginning and make adjustments. After that, it's forward a bit and a pass through Grammarly. Then it's a repeat from the top, and it's time to finish. I will say the end rather sneaked up on me, so much so I've taken a step back to think and be sure I've given Drew and Morgan their just due. 

After July Heat wraps, it'll be time to decide what's next. Do I continue with stories set in Centerville? Is three enough? The trilogy is a time-honored tradition, but I seem to do better with five instead of three. Ian Coulter's Amethyst Cove, the Sundown Saga, and the Southern Cross series are each a five-book set. 

Maybe I'll go back to the Bar RC Ranch and tell another modern cowboy story. Or I can travel back to Four Points, Kentucky, and see how Boone and Vic are doing. The options are endless, but there is one thing I'm pretty sure about. 

I probably won't follow the original plot. 

 _*_*_*_*_*_*_

 KC Kendricks

My home on the web- Between the Keys: 

http://kckendricks.blogspot.com

Visit my bookshelf at: 

https://kckendricks.blogspot.com/p/the-bookshelf-of-kc-kendricks-and-rayne_3.html

Social media links:

twitter.com/kckendricks

pinterest.com/kckendricks/boards

instagram.com/kc_kendricks

facebook.com/kckendricks

Life through the eyes of my black Lab, Greenbrier Smokey Deuce: deucesday.blogspot.com

My country life at Holly Tree Manor: hollytreemanor.blogspot.com

Snips and clips on my YouTube channel: KC Kendricks Between the Keys

Bird song and character bios

June 25, 2017

Living in the country, my life is full of simple pleasures. Sunday mornings are singular among them. The quiet is unbelievable, so much so I wonder if a city dweller, accustomed to the constant background noises of man, truly believe such quiet can exist. 

Ron and Deuce are sleeping. The neighbors, my cousins, are ensconced behind their doors. They'll make noise soon, but never do they stir outside before seven-thirty on a Sunday morning. 

This quiet morning, I took a notepad and my coffee outside to my deck. The spousal unit has taken over the patio and I've "thrown in the towel" on reclaiming it. Outdoor living now takes place just outside my office door. 

I think better when it's quiet. With all of life's complications, it's been difficult for me to be intentional about the next few stories. Vague ideas don't get me started. Character bios do.

Who is the antagonist? What's he look like? What talents does he possess? What's his family history? What does he want that he cannot have? Does he have a vice? A secret wish? 

Enter the protagonist. What's he look like? What are his talents and family history? Is there a tragedy in his life? Does he need to be reformed in some manner? 

Once I know the main characters, it's easy to find a setting for them to meet and set them on the path to their future. Are all futures rosy? With some it is readily apparent it will be. Sometimes the characters need to be left accepting they're ready to love, nurture and cherish each other one day at a time just like real life. Sometimes trying to sell the total happily ever after is not true to who they are.

I can tell you this. After spending an hour on the deck with a few of the local songbirds, the next guy's story might involve his fondness for our feathered friends. Maybe he'll be a birdwatcher, or have a pet shop with birds. Maybe he'll have a parrot who helps him drink his Sunday morning coffee on his balcony. Maybe he'll like ancient birds - the dinosaurs!

Maybe I should get back to work before the world turns noisy.  Character bios don't write themselves and the birds won't sing like this all day. 

KC Kendricks
www.kckendricks.com
www.twitter.com/kckendricks