Cathy C. Hall Writes

So I just spent 5 days at the beach.

I never actually made it to the beach. But there was all that driving to get down there, and the fixing of the flat tire once we got there, and the flowers to pick out and buy and plant and deliver and the great seafood to eat and the bands to give a listen and so today–today–I just wanted to pull a Libby:

(Libby goes to stay with Uncle Jimmy and Aunt Cappy and their four dogs whenever we take a trip. And when we get her back home, she lays about, pretty much like the above for…oh, a week or so.)

But I’ve got a revision that ain’t gonna write itself. Still, I needed a little more motivation than a dog picture. So I decided to review Pixar’s Practically Perfect 22 Rules of Storytelling to just, you know, get the old gray cells working again.

And right off the bat–

Rule #1: You admire a character for trying more than for their successes.

I was like, yes. This. This is what I need to keep in mind as I tackle the revision, as I strive to keep this 12-year-old protagonist…well, twelve. So how about you? If you have a minute, read the 22 Rules and let me know which one resonates with you.

And if you’d rather just pull a Libby, well, maybe keep that to yourself.

An idea that didn't quite work--apparently, you can't grow a working writer, no matter how many Cathys-on-a-Stick you plant.

An idea that didn’t quite work. Apparently, you can’t grow a writer, no matter how many Cathys-on-a-Stick you plant.

So the other day, I read a post (“Growing as a Writer”) by writer friend, Tina Cho. She had some lovely suggestions (and a very lovely analogy about plants and writing) and I’m sure you’ll find something that can help your writing grow when you give it a read. As for me, I found a little something extra.

See, I’d read her thoughts and posted a comment, adding that I believed you also needed patience for good writing (and a beautiful garden). Then I took my shower and started thinking about my upcoming Muffin post.

The one that looked more or less like a blank page.

Um…yeah. But all that hot water pouring over my head and Tina’s post that was still bouncing around up there and my own comment mixed in with it…well, pretty soon, I had an idea. You can read for yourself if you zip over to the Muffin for The Writing Waiting Game.

A little water, a little fertilizer from a friend’s post, and whoosh! That’s how you grow a lovely idea.

(Thanks, Tina!)