New Greenfield Library

Greenfield Library Balcony     It’s now going to be one of my favorite places to write. Sure, the Starbucks I usually hit has a lively atmosphere, which can help set the mood for knocking out a fast, tense scene, but when you need to settle into the emotions of a character, loud music can stymie your progress. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not knocking Starbucks. It is what it is, and that’s a coffee shop.Greenfield Library Main Level It’s not pretending to be a quiet place for writers. And sometimes you need that.

     The new Greenfield Library opened July 4th, 2009, and it’s got some great private study rooms, which I know will be the perfect retreat for me. No reservation, two hours, and longer if no one else is waiting.Greenfield Library Upper Level There are even vending machines and kitchenette nearby. What more could you ask for?

     Here are some pictures of the new place. Kudos to those who made it happen. It looks great!

Messy Notes

Paper Stack     My test readers are done with my manuscript (Thank you, all!) and helped make it a better work. Now it’s in the hands of those professionals who actually make a living selling books. I’m sure they’ll find ways to improve it, which is a good thing.

     Meanwhile, I’m back to work on a young adult fantasy that I started some time ago. First, however, I had to reorganize my notes because they were an absolute mess. Usually I’m very, very organized, so I was surprised to see just how sloppily I’d left my jottings. The trouble came when I was working out different outlines in a notebook and just turned pages as I abandoned certain plotlines. I should have ripped out the pages, but I didn’t, thus I really had my work cut out for me when I revisited them later.

     Actually, I suppose I could say that the trouble really started when I chose to write my outlines on paper at all. I usually do everything on my computer specifically because it’s easy to cut and paste, etc. Must have had a reason for trying the outline freehand, but darned if I can remember what the reason was.

     So let that be a lesson to myself — and anyone else who may choose to heed it. Don’t drop work for awhile that’s in a messy state. Makes it slow-going to get started up again.

     Happily, I’m done reorganizing and back to writing (Finally!) and I’m having fun again. I like this story a lot and hope to finish it this summer.