John Scalzi is one of my favorite author bloggers. He’s funny, insightful, and downright practical. His blog post “Writer, Professional, Good” is worth the reading. Whatever Here are three questions I was recently asked about writing. I’m going to condense the questions, because when they were asked, they meandered across several paragraphs; they boil down to three sentences, which are: When may you call yourself a writer? When may you […]
Archive for January 2012
REPOST: What does “Start from Scratch” Mean?
One of the most searched-for posts in recent months on my blog is this one. I thought it apropos to post it again, as this is what I’m doing with the Super Secret Project.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
A colleague at the day job asked me yesterday why we use the term “start from scratch”. I didn’t know, so I threw out some offhand suggestions. But it lingered with me, so today I did a web search. Below is from Phrases.org.uk:
Start From 
Meaning
Begin (again) from the beginning, embark on something without any preparation or advantage.
Origin
‘Start from scratch’ is an expression which has altered slightly in meaning since it was first coined. It is now usually used to mean ‘start again from the beginning’ – where an initial attempt has failed and a new attempt is made with nothing of value carried forward from the first attempt (as opposed to ‘made from scratch’ which means ‘made from basic ingredients’).
In the late 1800s, when ‘start from scratch’ began to be used it simply meant ‘start with no advantage’. ‘Scratch’ has been used since the 18th century as a sporting term for a boundary or starting point which was scratched on the ground. The first such scratch was the crease which is a boundary line for batsmen in cricket.
If you want to learn more about how “start from scratch” became a part of today’s vernacular, then visit one of the following websites:
Guess Who Hit Creative Pay Dirt Today?
One of my most creative times during the day is in the morning, halfway between sleep and wakefulness and up through showering, when the challenges of the day haven’t had time to seep into your consciousness. I love those times. I take pains to nurture them, setting the alarm earlier than necessary just so I have the time to think and plan, as these precious minutes in the morning are the prime times for me to brainstorm creative solution to problems that have been bugging me.
Today was even better than that.
As I lie in bed this a.m., allowing my mind to wander, a story idea burst upon me in full bloom. Within an hour, I had ideas for potential characters, conflicts, setbacks, etc. And all day long I’ve been adding to it as new ideas pop into my head. I haven’t felt this jazzed in a long time.
Will this be my next writing project, instead of the one I have been planning?
You know what? It just might.
Am I going to tell you what the idea is?
Nope. Not until the thing is written.
For now, we’ll call it the Super Secret Project. And while I won’t give you any of the details, I will keep you updated about my progress, and any learnings I have along the way.
So stay tuned, dear friends.
Until next time, happy writing!
Still Here…
This was NOT me the last ten days.
The good news is that I think I’ve gotten past the worst cold I’ve had in years. It knocked me flat, bruised my ribs, and has made the living room recliner by bosom sleep buddy. Why is this the good news, you ask? Because I only get hit this hard every two-to-three years.
Which means I’m done.
You hear me, germs? I’m over it. Begone with you. Do not darken my doorstep again in 2012. Or 2013, thank you very much.
The other good news? I have some amazing new ideas for stories. 2012 is going to be a great writing year!
Happy writing!
Happy New Year
Happy New Year, everyone. It occurred to me tonight that I had not made any resolutions this year. That’s a first in a long time.
After giving it some thought, for the most part I either achieved or made progress on all my resolutions but one–writing daily on this blog. I gave it a good shot. 2011 was a good year, but also a very hard year on multiple fronts.
As for 2012, I have resolved not to have any new year’s resolutions. This year is about continuing to enjoy life with my husband, evolve my craft by trying new things to see what resonates with me, and of course, continuing on the journey to Cynthia 2.0 (the new and improved me). Nothing new there. Just more of the same forward progress.
Now, resolutions are not the same as goals. And I have several goals:
- Finish the revamp of my novel into (what to some will be) a new incarnation with more depth, emotion, and conflict–along with a few chills and thrills.
- Pitch said novel at a writer’s conference this summer.
- Upgrade this site, which will include a new, more direct internet address, as well as revamped and additional materials.
Between goals I have set for the day job and some of my personal goals, the above are enough for me this year.
If anyone would like to share their resolutions and/or goals, I’d love to hear what they are.
Until next time, happy writing.
MOMENT by MOMENT 