It's fascinating . . . frustrating but fascinating . . . to see just how many questions arise with each element of plot. It seems as though I discover 3 new questions for each one I answer.

Plotting a murder from this side of the pen (or keyboard) is proving to be quite challenging.

If my victim is A, and A's relationship to B is X, then how do we discover that? And, is it feasable to discover this information in the way I've determined? Will my timing and setting allow for the story I'm plotting? Will (or DID) the weather cooperate? Will anyone really care if I make up a weather element that happened x# of years ago? Please! Don't answer that . . . I've just spent an hour and a half looking through weather records, trying to find a time that will work.

I think I'll be ready to sit down and write chapter two in . . . oh, I don't know . . . three or four years!?

Gee, I hope there weren't any phone calls I was planning to make, this afternoon!
 

The sense of euphoria I felt after finishing the first chapter of Digging for Clues is slowly ebbing. It felt so wonderful to have gotten that far. I have an idea, I'm getting it down in writing, and I'm getting very positive feedback. Next . . . ??

Well, first of all, I know I have a lot of work to do, if I'm going to create a really solid plot and also an enjoyable story. So, there's research . . . police procedures, etc etc . . .

And then, I realized that I've been thoroughly neglecting everything else, while focusing on my writing. My house is a disaster, my children need Dr. appointments . . .

And gulp I was suddenly smacked right in the head with the realization that I have only four and a half months until my daughter's Bat Mitzvah! I have so much left to do. It really snuck up on me. I started planning at least 9 months ago, and thought to myself "oh, you have plenty of time. It's too early to start thinking about that . . . or that . . . " HAH!

So, the bottom line here is that I think chapter two is going to take a lot longer to write than chapter one did!

And, on that note . . . with Jakie napping this would probably be a great time to start making some of those phone calls.
 

We’ve officially found Jakie’s first obsession. After a trip to the local Natural History Museum a few months ago, the boys (my husband and my son) came home with a book on dinosaurs. Not quite 3 yet, Jakie could sit for half an hour while we read this incredibly detailed book. Who knew there were so many different types of dinosaurs!? He’d come toddling up, book in hands, and ask “can you read early predatory dinosaurs?” or “can you read cretaceous predatory dinosaurs?” or “can you read Herrerasaurus?”

Knowing how fond he’d become of dinosaurs, we made sure he received some for his birthday. He’s been having a blast with them. I just wonder, though . . . how many 3 year olds make their dinosaurs ask for tea? Or start to cry when Daddy tries to make them eat one another?

What is it about dinosaurs that little boys find so fascinating? Is it the idea that you have to dig in the dirt to find them? Is it the fact that once you’ve found the bones, you have a gigantic puzzle to put together? Is it that they’re big and scary, and you can make loud sound effects while playing with them? Or is it the challenge of learning all of the minutiae relating to each creature?

We started a class last week, at the museum. There’s a different theme each week, and lucky for Jakie, the first theme was dinosaurs! He probably could have taught the thing. The teacher is comparing big, medium, and little dinosaurs, different colors and shapes . . . meanwhile Jakie’s itching to figure out if one of them is an Utahraptor. Today’s theme was bugs. I made my way to the other side of the room when Millie the giant African millipede, and the Hissy the hissing cockroach came out. Thankfully, we left the museum without a new favorite creature.


Amygdalia
 

I spent over an hour crafting a blog entry for today. But when it came time to actually post it . . . I decided this wasn't where I wanted it! It's called What is passion? and you can find it in my item list.

So, what is a blog? I've seen blogs that are basically online journals, others that ruminate on a particular topic, and still others that critique professional journal or newspaper articles (perhaps a bit dry, but I'm proud of my pharmablogger ).

In my first entry, I introduced myself a bit. Now my task is to determine what function I want my blog to serve. Perhaps it should serve whatever function I'm in the mood for, on a particular day? I think that's it - check back . . . you may read something funny my kids have said, or take a journey into my surrealistic dreams.

Hmmm, and completely on a different note, I just looked over and realized that my son's dinosaur has a lever in a very interesting place. What's up with that?

Amygdalia
 

Saturday evening my hubby and I had our monthly date night. Our goals for date night are threefold: 1 - have a good time; 2 - reconnect; 3 - stay out until after the kiddos are in bed.

First stop was an Indian restaurant I hadn’t had the pleasure of visiting before. If you’ve never had Indian cuisine, and think to yourself “but I don’t like curry” or “but I don’t like spicy food,” I urge you to keep your mind open. Try a creamy korma http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korma or skip dinner and go straight for dessert with a rich kulfi http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kulfi ! Go to a lunch buffet where you can sample several different dishes.

I love to immerse myself in the culture of different countries. While I’ve been a fan of Indian cuisine for many years, it’s just within the past year or so that I’ve delved deeper into what the enormous subcontinent has to offer. Film, music, art and religion – all are intertwined, often with food as a focal point.

I started one of my little *research projects* (read: spending all afternoon surfing the ‘net, learning about a particular subject) after watching the film Bride and Prejudice (a Bollywood version of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice). Aishwarya Rai, described by Roger Ebert as “not only the first but also the second most beautiful woman in the world,” is one of the stars of the film. Her presence is truly magnificent, and her acting is fantastic (particularly considering that Bride and Prejudice is her first fully English language film). If you happened to watch the Oscars last night, and didn’t run off for a snack or a potty break during the commercials, you might have seen her briefly grace the screen with her presence, in a makeup ad.

I love the music and dancing in the film, which prompted me to look further into Indian music. I’m only just starting to discover the different types of Indian music – from classical, to Bollywood, to more modern Punjabi Banghra music. I even bought a Bollywood dance workout dvd! It’s a lot of fun, though I’ll admit that I haven’t made it through to the end, yet. My husband enjoys it too, though I suspect he’s more interested in the instructors than the exercise.

And thus ends tangent number one . . .

After dinner we had just enough time to buy me a new cellphone. *giggles* I’m enjoying playing with it. My husband discovered a program that allows you to turn any music clip into a ringtone, which can then be sent directly to your phone. Choosing songs has been a lot of fun. My husband suggested a particularly charming line from The Who's song Who Are You? for my unknown caller ringtone.

Then we were off to the movies! We’d decided to see Music and Lyrics, with Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore. Hugh Grant plays a former ‘80s pop band member, who is trying to keep his head above water financially. Drew Barrymore plays the quirky plantsitter whom he co-opts into helping him write a new song. I think anyone who writes might identify with some of their experience in this story. And, as someone who grew up during the ‘80s, I got a huge kick out of the music video that started the film!!

Look at that . . . I ended up with two little movie reviews in this entry!


Amygdalia
 

Wow! First of all, a warm thank you to the anonymous donor of my upgraded membership! I've only been a member for 4 days, but the support I've felt from the very beginning has been incredible. Just being here has inspired me to dive deeper into my project.

As I was setting up my blog, I was faced with choosing a genre/genres for the book item. Hmmmm . . . I'm working on a mystery. If I choose *mystery* for my genre, does that make me mysterious? I like to think that my life holds some secrets. Perhaps they'll come out in my writing.

I’ve heard that one should write what one knows. So, what do I know? More importantly, what do I know that someone else might be interested in reading about?

Depression – a lovely, uplifting topic for a humorous, cozy mystery.

Parenting – at least I’d like to think I know something about it, after 12 ½ years!

Breastfeeding – now here’s a topic I’m both passionate and knowledgeable about. How to work it into a story? I’m not sure . . . perhaps along with the next item . . .

Postpartum doula-ing –“Wha?” you may ask. It’s ok, I’m used to it! Besides writing, my other life’s goal is to build a successful postpartum doula business. Going into homes to help new families in the weeks after the birth (or adoption) of a new child is such a joy for me. Knowing that I’ve helped a family through this (quite often overwhelming) transition is incredibly gratifying. And they PAY me for it, too!

A postpartum doula protagonist would have the opportunity to meet many people and get herself entangled in all sorts of interesting situations and mysteries. I’ve thought seriously about creating this character, but my greatest concern was that it would severely limit my reading audience. I may revisit this at some point.

School counseling – I’m a bit rough, having not used my degree in over 8 years, but a school counselor would be another character who could be involved with many people throughout her school and community.

Cooking/baking – This is where I’m leaning, at the moment. I love experimenting in the kitchen! The character I’m working on owns a bakery, and I’m hoping to weave some recipes I’ve devised into my story.

Food allergies – I’ve had a crash course in food allergies over the past year and a half! A lot of my experimenting has been dairy/egg/peanut/tree nut free baking. I’ve toyed with the idea of having my character specialize in allergen free baking, but I think perhaps that’s a challenge I can face at another time.

Greece – Ok, so it’s more of a passion than anything else. I’ve probably forgotten more than I ever knew about Greece and Greek language. But the 4 months I spent studying in Athens were so magnificent that I yearn to return. I’m planning a trip with a friend, next year, and you can bet I’ll be doing some research for a book, while I’m there. Now THIS is something I could sink my teeth into!

Ahh . . . there are others I could add to the list, but then where would the mystery be?

Oh, and just to be clear, murder is NOT something I know all about!

Amygdalia