Maxie wants to go to the La Jolla Writers Conference.
with me this weekend. This would be fine, except that Maxie's a character in my book, not a real person.
I've been to several sessions of the La Jolla Writers Conference. I'm going to the latest conference this weekend. What do they have to offer besides a splendid resort location in San Diego? Contact with other authors, workshops to help you improve your writing, 5-minute pitches to an agent or publisher, and enough information on how to improve your writing to make your head ache.
At the moment, I'm working on Maxie Book 1: Murder in Malibu. That's what I call it since every time I get warmed up on the writing, Maxie takes over and goes some way I never anticipated. Like the time she chased Charlie onto a boat and out into the boat channel, then had to rescue him because the boat was sinking. To put it mildly, I have an out-of-control character.
To be truthful, it's kind of fun watching the words fly on my computer while Maxie does the thinking. It's much more fun than thinking it all up by myself.
The question comes up: Does Maxie live in my head somewhere, somehow? Probably. Who wrote this post anyway?
Marilynne
Telling you how I see things to be.
Showing posts with label Maxie. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Maxie. Show all posts
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Watercolor and writing
These are my two favorite things (as opposed to family and friends who don't even count as things). I love to do both.
Today was watercolor day. All day, I sat with my paints working on a little picture of a vase and some flowers. I finished the vase and flowers several weeks ago, but I lacked the courage to begin the background. Somehow I was sure I would mess up, so I left it on my desk.
Today I decided to do that background. I painted the background wet on wet, which means I wet the paper, waited until it soaked in, then carefully dropped paint onto the wet paper and watched it spread. I love doing that. The paint doesn't go farther than the wet paper, so if you're careful with the water, it only goes where you want it to be.
Wet on wet allows you to drop more than one color on the page and watch them compete for space. They don't mix unless you brush them. So, one color flows along, and the other color competes for space. Today it was the lovely red/orange color of burnt sienna and the dark and stormy Payne's gray. I painted with the burnt sienna first, then dipped the grey into the corners to form shadows and such. It's fun to watch.
Then, just as the burnt sienna and Payne's grey settled down, I dipped a pale bit of alizarin red into the mix. Yummy! To make it more fun, I lifted some of the paint with a Kleenex. This left a whitish spot on the paper, but it was still wet. Paint flowed into the white spot and made a paler mix of the colors.
So they're all there in the background. You can see each color separately and the overall effect is a beautiful rusty orange darkened in places with the gray and sparked with the red.
The reason I was reluctant to start the background was because the foreground was a lovely pale vase with white roses in it. I was afraid that it would be overwhelmed by the bright background. Was it? No, it set it off and I have something pretty to hang on my wall.
The overall result of the day was not only the painting, not only lunch with my friend, but also a sense of relaxation, delight, and accomplishment. Why shouldn't I pursue something that gives me such satisfaction?
No reason at all. Still, in the back on my mind Maxie is waiting. Maxie is a character in the murder mystery I'm writing. Last thing I wrote, she entered a strange house in the dark. She was at the top of the stairs when a big earthquake hit. Maxie was tossed back into the stairwell and fell down the stairs to a little landing. That's where she waited out the earthquake in the dark. Afraid and alone.
So, after a day of painting, I've got to go and rescue Maxie. I need to know how she survived and what she decides to do about the house. It's tough work, but someone's got to do it.
Marilynne
Today was watercolor day. All day, I sat with my paints working on a little picture of a vase and some flowers. I finished the vase and flowers several weeks ago, but I lacked the courage to begin the background. Somehow I was sure I would mess up, so I left it on my desk.
Today I decided to do that background. I painted the background wet on wet, which means I wet the paper, waited until it soaked in, then carefully dropped paint onto the wet paper and watched it spread. I love doing that. The paint doesn't go farther than the wet paper, so if you're careful with the water, it only goes where you want it to be.
Wet on wet allows you to drop more than one color on the page and watch them compete for space. They don't mix unless you brush them. So, one color flows along, and the other color competes for space. Today it was the lovely red/orange color of burnt sienna and the dark and stormy Payne's gray. I painted with the burnt sienna first, then dipped the grey into the corners to form shadows and such. It's fun to watch.
Then, just as the burnt sienna and Payne's grey settled down, I dipped a pale bit of alizarin red into the mix. Yummy! To make it more fun, I lifted some of the paint with a Kleenex. This left a whitish spot on the paper, but it was still wet. Paint flowed into the white spot and made a paler mix of the colors.
So they're all there in the background. You can see each color separately and the overall effect is a beautiful rusty orange darkened in places with the gray and sparked with the red.The reason I was reluctant to start the background was because the foreground was a lovely pale vase with white roses in it. I was afraid that it would be overwhelmed by the bright background. Was it? No, it set it off and I have something pretty to hang on my wall.
The overall result of the day was not only the painting, not only lunch with my friend, but also a sense of relaxation, delight, and accomplishment. Why shouldn't I pursue something that gives me such satisfaction?
No reason at all. Still, in the back on my mind Maxie is waiting. Maxie is a character in the murder mystery I'm writing. Last thing I wrote, she entered a strange house in the dark. She was at the top of the stairs when a big earthquake hit. Maxie was tossed back into the stairwell and fell down the stairs to a little landing. That's where she waited out the earthquake in the dark. Afraid and alone.
So, after a day of painting, I've got to go and rescue Maxie. I need to know how she survived and what she decides to do about the house. It's tough work, but someone's got to do it.
Marilynne
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