- Lorin Petrazilka
Running On Empty
Updated: Apr 17, 2022
It's easy to run out of steam when you've been pushing forward on full burn. You could complete a huge deadline, and then not know how to pick back up on the next project once you're finished. You could hit a roadblock with what's currently on the table, and then not sure how to move forward. Or just by being emotionally exhausted, and not having it in you to write. Anytime this happens to me, I read. I read authors who are well-known and accomplished, I read authors who are lesser known. But I am not passively reading, I'm actively reading. I read for inspiration, and I read to learn. How did they deliver that bomb-drop line? What breadcrumbs did they leave and how did they pay them off later? At what percentage of the way through was the inciting incident? I learned a lot from the Writer's Digest Novel Writer's conference, one tidbit I picked up from a literary agent was when the inciting incident should occur: if you want to make it out of their slush pile, it needs to happen at the 15% mark or sooner. As I'm reading a book further, at what percentage did the climactic moment occur? What's the shape of the story? Kurt Vonnegut has a fantastic lecture where he talks about the shape of a story. Check it out with the link below!
When the shape of our own story is on a downbeat, we can take that time to reflect on other's works, to enjoy them, and to learn from them.
DRAFT PROGRESS
I pushed hard all through July (hence my burnout and reason for my blog post!) but I FINISHED my novella! Unrelated to my Vale Born series, this turned out to be a genre splice between a PNR (paranormal romance) and Christmas fantasy. I'm really happy with how it ended up, it took me on a fantastically enjoyable ride as I wrote it. I can't wait to share this wolfy-shifter Christmas story! Laura L. Hohman and I expect the release of our set of three novellas to be Holiday Season 2021!
FAMILY TIME
Okay, admittedly this project is more for me, but the kids love making it (and sneaking bites of it!). It's a simple sugar scrub to make your skin super soft. I let the kids use a little on their hands and feet while in the bath, beyond that it's a bit too harsh for their skin. For adults it's great for your body, especially when your skin is dry during winter months. Be careful, it can make your shower slippery, so make sure to rinse it down well and spray a bit of cleaner on it at the end to remove oily residue. Mix one part coconut oil with one part brown or turbinado sugar. Done!
ON MY SHELF
I just finished Dalya Book 1, Ashes and Blood by Katie Zaber, and am onto book 2! Book 1 was dual POV, for book 2 it starts with a new POV, so I'm interested to see how many there will be. I'm enjoying it so far, and excited to get further with it. All in all I'm really loving this Adult portal fantasy, the world building is fantastic and the story is compelling.
You can find Katie's books here.