Story visuals

This week's blog topic is on story visuals. I find these to be a very important part of my pre-writing process. I need to know what people look like before I begin a story. Having a photo or drawing gives me a starting point on which to build character traits. I have a collection of folders, all of which are stuffed with pictures. I collect pictures from everywhere, from newspapers and magazines, from advertisements. Sometimes it's the face that draws me into a picture, sometimes it's a mood, but most of the times, it's the eyes. So, getting back on topic, I have these folders of pictures that I already have a connection with. When I narrow down the choices by gender, age, and ethnic group, I can usually people a story in an hour or so.

But, since I also have this arts and crafts muse, I don't just stop with the picture of the character. I take great joy in creating a story collage. I mount the photos on foamboard, label them with charcter names, and stand it up behind/beside my monitor. That way, I never have to search for a piece of paper with names on it, or try to remember who has brown eyes and who has blue eyes.

Nearly ten years ago, I was quite moved by a group of elderly British ladies who, very tastefully mind you, posed nude for a calendar. I lost that calendar when I moved, but it made an impression on me. I learned that naked could be very well done, it didn't have to be sleazy or slick pin-up quality. Since then, I found a photo of a group of lady friends in a hot tub laughing and having a good time. You can't see anything but heads, necks, and shoulders, but it certainly appears they are naked. I snipped that picture and placed it in my files. Every now and again I'd come across it and wonder why in the heck I'd cut that one out, but I hung onto it. Then when I started writing about a murder in the nudist colony, that picture came out and went in the story collage. That spirit of personal freedom the women exemplified, that pure joy in being themselves, that's what I wanted for my fictional nudists.

So, I've learned to cut out pictures that appeal to me. I also clip story ideas out of newspapers. Here's a truth: life is much stranger than fiction!

Until next Monday, Maggie Toussaint

Help! I need a face!

Where do you get the faces of the people in your book?

Personality is easy, I think, but physical appearance is sometimes tricky to get down right.

I keep a notebook (see smiley notebook there, on the side) where I paste in pictures of people that I've found in magazines, newspapers, on the Internet, etc.

But sometimes they just aren't quite right. I'm struggling with that now. I'm doing a proposal for a book in a series, and the hero has to be physically scarred. This will reflect his emotional scarring, too.

I've been considering giving him a missing leg or arm, but this was in the early 1900s, and I'm hazy on the use of prosthetics at that time, if any were available, how mobile he'd be, etc. If anything, I may have him missing an arm with some attendant scars with it.

Since he's a WWI veteran, I was considering mustard gas scarring, but I think that was mainly internal (i.e., ruined the lungs). Then I thought that I'd have some facial scarring -- maybe a bayonet wound or sword wound, something just bad enough to cause partial blindness? Anyway, he's sort of embittered and mad at the world, and that's reflected in his appearance and his personality.

I'm pretty sure what the heroine will look like. She's a sunny, optimistic type, sort of a cross between Rachel Ray and Sally Field. Except she'll have light colored hair, I think.

But Mike -- he's got me stumped. Anybody got a good pointer to a web site with some pictures of gloomy people? I just need to glance through some non-smiling faces and I'll have one of those 'ah ha' moments, I know it.

J

Dive into the Wildfire!

A new book!
A new release is always exciting, believe me, sending your babies out into the world isn't easy, especially this one.

I love rock music, the power and the energy, and I've had some favourite fantasies for years. Finally I had a chance to write them down, and do an exciting plot around them.

So I took my daughter to her first rock concert last year, to see Velvet Revolver. They were great, she was over the moon, so I had the inspiration for WILDFIRE. It's the first of four, the second has already been contracted, and I'm going to start it this month. Woo hoo!

Here's the blurb and details, (just in case you love sexy shapeshifting musicians, too!)

Rock meets classical. Paranormal meets mortal. Will anybody get out alive?

Two guitarists - one a wild man of rock, the other a talented classical goddess. Opposite ends of the music spectrum, but when they join together, the sparks fly, and they create their own special kind of Wildfire.

The members of Wildfire are Talents - Firebirds - but once John Westfall, the band's manager, realizes what a prize he has in Aidan Hawthorne, the band's lead guitarist, he'll stop at nothing to obtain the power he's coveted for so long. Including sacrificing his own daughter.

The moment he hears her play, Aidan is drawn to Corinne in a way he's never known before. They connect on so many levels and Aidan will do anything to release her from the cage John Westfall has trapped her in.

He offers her marriage, he offers her freedom, but Aidan wants more from Corinne than a place on his band and a piece of paper - he wants her heart, body and spirit. And he'll give her his in return.

Classical guitarist Corinne is desperate to escape her father's control. More so when it becomes apparent just how much control he has over her, and not just the contracts she's signed. Her only way out is through Aidan's proposal. She loves him but craves the freedom to choose - can she trust him to give it to her?

WILDFIRE
http://Wildfirebook.notlong.com
1-933874-93-7

ah -- but do you match your socks?

I'm always amazed when people tell me they use colored highlighters, story boards, spreadsheets, and other tools to help them write and/or edit the manuscript. I don't mean that in a disparaging sense. Believe me when I say that -- 'amazed'. I would have no idea how to go about doing that.

No, I take that back. I'd know how to do it. But then it wouldn't be fun any more. I'm all about the fun.

Writing for me is fun. I have a story in my head, some killer dialog that is aching to be put into somebody's mouth, and usually one or two characters who just jump off the page. That's enough to get me going.

When I finish, I do read throughs, usually three -- once for consistency, once for pace, and once for nitty gritty craft crap (adverbs, too many conjunctions, etc.)

Then I let it sit, usually for a month or two and move on to the next project. When I'm pretty sure I've forgotten the plot details, I go back and read it again with a fresh, objective eye. I'm one of my own worst critics and I'm never 100% sure that it's Okay To Go.

But I send it anyway -- to my critique partner, to a contest, to an editor -- I throw it out there.

Then I forget about it. Literally. Once it is out the door, it's off my mind and I'm on to the next project.

Until I get that phone call that it finaled, or (please!) that it caught enough attention to request a full, or I get comments back.

See, it's all about the fun. It's gotta be fun, otherwise I wouldn't sit at the computer/desk for hours at a time. The way I did last night, developing back story for characters in a new book. That back story won't see the light of day on a page, but now I know the characters and their personality and can sit down at the computer and write.

See you in a few weeks ....

When is a book done?

I'm a scientist by training. So, I don't just accept my word for the book being done. I have to prove it.

I have a rigorous editing technique I put my writing through. I double check the big picture to see if that came out right, then I take apart the scenes to make sure they have meaning. I'm a big fan of Margie Lawson's EDITS technique, which means I use colored highlighters to check for balance of dialogue, setting, narrative, emotion, and tension. After I finish all that, I let the work sit for a bit. Then I do a final read through. For me, that's an essential because sometimes in all that editing, the music of the words gets mucked up. The last read is to make sure the music is still there. With each book, my craft becomes smoother and hopefully more appealing to agents, editors, and readers.

It just goes to show, you can't fight your nature. Mine is to be organized and systematic. What's yours?

Until next Monday, Maggie Toussaint

Do you match your socks?

Here are the items in question.

Note that they are both from the Species Footwear, Genus Sock, subgenus Sport Sock.

Both are white, or were white in their initial incarnation before they clothed my little piggies and were worn around the house.

Both cover the foot.

But they are different. Not immensely so, but different. One has a little cuff and one doesn't. One is thicker than the other (problematic if I was wearing it to the gym, but in normal wear, probably not an issue).

So here's the question: do you pair these and wear 'em out in the Real World or would you wait until the missing Sock Spouse appeared from wherever it is that Sock Spouses go during their sojourn in the dryer?

I pair and wear. I figure, hey, they're both white. That's close enough for government work, right? I might draw the line at a white sport sock and a white bobby sock but even then I figure, "white. Who cares?"

How does this translate to writing, you ask?

So glad you asked.

Do you dot every 'i' and cross every 't' before you consider a book done? Do you agonize over GMC, do you feel concern if a scene isn't JUST RIGHT (although people are telling you, 'it's fine, get over it already, it's good'). Do you send a manuscript out thinking "IT'S DONE! Yea!" only to get it back with someone saying, "Um, why did she do that and he do that -- that makes no sense?" Do you then scream, calm down, and say, "hmm. I wonder if I need to ..."

What's your modus operandi when it comes to considering a mansucript Ready for Prime Time. Do you go by gut feeling or group concensus (did I spell that right? it looks wrong) or a wing and a prayer? Do you sort your socks precisely or do you figure, 'hey, close enough'?

See -- you wondered how I'd get around to socks again.

J

P.S. The offending socks in the above photo are even now on my tootsies. Close enough for government work.

Muse = Spike

While in Memphis several months ago with family and friends. I got the bright idea of getting a 'mascot' to pose in pictures.

Mainly this idea came from a French movie, where the subplot was a grieving widower's daughter, who took the gnome from his garden and gave it to a stewardess friend, who then took pictures of the gnome in various sites around the world. I wonder which came first, the movie or the Travelocity ads.

Then, another friend, received a stuffed bear from her beloved...she wanted jewelry! So, to get back at him she brought the bear on all their trips and took pictures of him on all their globetrotting trips.

So, there we were in Memphis, in yet another Elvis souvenir shop, when I noticed a small bear with an Elvis print material...seven different ones with various prints! I couldn't resist, I asked my friend which one she liked the most and picked up 'Spike' for myself. After explaining the purpose of the 'mascot' she got busy and soon ran out of film of her Elvis bear being posed around anything and everything that had to do with Elvis in the store, outside, etc. You can get the idea.

And I had Spike.

Spike's real name is Sizzles, due to his bright red color and fuzzy strands that stick out all over. But I prefer Spike.

So far, beside Memphis, he's been to Reno, where you can see him sitting on the Jukebox at Mel's Diner. Atlanta, where I didn't get any pictures of him. Which is a shame, as he travels well.

Right now, he's sitting on a sofa on my desk. Yes, I have a small sofa on my desk which is next to the computer screen, so I have a visual of him whenever I'm hacking away on the keyboard.

Muse?

Why not?

He makes me smile. And somedays I really need to smile just to get through it. I think we all need that smile.

A Muse.....Does My Ex Count?

Ya know, I started to respond that I didn't have a muse. No special place to write, no particular time of day, no special music playing in the background. But then I realized that I become particularly productive when I am ticked off at my ex. Invariably after one of his off-the-wall comments, helpful suggestions on how to discipline our child from hundreds of miles away or unreasonable visitation requests, I can sit at the computer and pound out a chapter or two.

Now I can't say what I produce is any good or useable but, boy, do I work out my frustrations on the keyboard! (chuckling)

I don't call it brainstorming; I call it Brain-Fuming! The other side benefit is that afterwards I'm not tempted to mistreat my baby just because she looks so much like him. Just my luck!

All kidding aside.....

I can honestly say that my muse manifests itself in the form of my condition. Having multiple sclerosis for 15 years and going from a high school valedictorian, Summa Cum Laude in college and ambitious corporate ladder-climber to a disabled but ambulatory, stay at home mom tends to put a damper on my spirit. "I had so much promise," I cry to the gods. But I try to count my blessings everyday and use my writing and other brain-stimulating "hobbies," like my web-design business, to keep me going. When I am particularly blue, I sit with my notebook and write just to spite my own doubts and insecurities.

My life could be much worse and the best of me is yet to come. - AJ

Real life romance

It was my wedding anniversary this week.
And oh, did I get a surprise! My husband had booked a few days away in a luxury hotel in Llandudno, Wales.
It was wonderful. I was wined and dined and - well, you know! We even managed to fit a visit in to beautiful Conwy Castle, one of the huge castles built by the King of England, one of the Edwards, to secure Wales for England.
But unlike many of the books you've read, Wales was assimilated into the United Kingdom quite easily, it seems. After Llewellyn, the prince who married King John's illegitimate daughter, was put down, a very sad business.
The castle is a walled city as well, medieval stuff all over the place. And we visited an amazing house in Conwy, Plas Mawr, which was built by a merchant. It's been restored and preserved, and now walking through it is just like walking into the house of a prosperous merchant. Going back in time for real!
I've put a picture of one of the main bedrooms at Plas Mawr above, so you can see for yourselves!

Creative well

Maggie's comments about the 'creative well' were interesting. I think the reason I can write so prolifically is because my 'well' never runs dry in the middle of a project. Once I sit down to write, I write the entire book, start to finish, in one draft. It usually takes about six weeks. And there's always a residual 'wash-over' when I'm done that allows me to pick up another book and do re-reads on it in the next week or two after that initial draft.

I do have lulls, of course. What I do during the lull is work on marketing ideas, query letters, synopsis -- the 'mechanical' stuff of publishing. Then I'll go through my notes for books and something will set me off, and I'm off and writing again.

I'm not sure what's filling that creative well, but I hope it doesn't stop. I have seven or eight ideas for books that I'd like to pursue, and that's not counting my SciFi series about an alternate America. Heavens, there's a gazillion plot ideas there.

Guess I'll be busy for a while ...

J

Speckled Muse

One might think writers don't need to spur their creativity, but many do. Putting everything you have into your work drains the creative well, or at least it does for me, so I find ways to recharge. I like vivid color, and I like working with my hands.

Completing a small arts and crafts project gives me immense satisfaction, and the repetitive motions of my hands free my thoughts. Before you know it, ideas are burning brightly in my head. Through the years, I've tried many projects: decopague, embroidery, counted cross stitch, collages, tile mosiacs, ceramic painting, seashell frames, creating a planter. The particular craft doesn't matter as much as my absorption in the project.

Another key thing I keep in mind is that my creative well doesn't run dry at convenient times, like at the end of a project. It may be in the middle of the story, it might be at the plotting stage of a book, or even when meeting a publication deadline.

For me, listening to that inner need releases my creativity. I do believe in muses; I picture mine as a Victorian cherub with primary paint colors splattered on her hands, and a few on her face as well.

Until next week, Maggie Toussaint

Where is your inspiration spot?

I was out of town this weekend with some writing friends. We went to a local casino, did a bit of gambling, and brainstormed like crazy people.

I usually swim on Sunday at the gym. I get up REALLY early and often get there when nobody else is there, so it's nice -- I've got the pool to myself. I get a lot of plot points resolved, character arcs plotted, etc.

So I went to the casino's pool when we were there for my usual swim (on Saturday and Sunday). I had it to myself on Saturday but this morning at 6:15 there were 7 other people in the pool -- go figure. To their credit, they stayed out of my way as I did laps and hung out in the spa until I got out, then they swarmed the pool. Anyway, I managed to come up with a couple of book titles for my friends and some killer opening lines. One of my friends joked, "I'll be sure to mail you my sticky plot points on Saturday night so I can get your feedback on Sunday".

I find the mechanical motion of exercise to be very useful when I'm plotting, writing, etc. I always carry a memo pad or digital recorder when I'm out walking or at the gym in case I need to note something (and I always do). I find it's easier to get in my exercise with this in mind. It doesn't feel like wasted time. Since I try to exercise every day (but usually only do it 5 days a week) I find it really helps my writing.

So where's your inspiration spot? What helps jump-start your creative process?

J

The Day I O.D.'d on Romance...

Not feeling well, I read three Barbara Cartland's books in one afternoon...I overdosed on Romance...it took me a month to overcome and read romance again.

I got to thinking why I read romance and I think the reason is that the stories are so wonderful. When you read a man's book, and they get to the romantic stuff, it's not there. They just 'do' the deed. There is generally no sexual tension, no deep longing for the other person, no 'feelings' about the sexual relationship between the two characters. Makes you wonder about men and their thought processes.

I love to read. As a kid, nothing was safe. I read so voraciously that I went through every book that our extremely small library had in my age group. Pollyanna, with it's slight pink fuzzy cover. Toby Tyler at the Circus was another favorite, and both those books were thick. Lois Lenski was my favorite author, she took me to worlds beyond my experience, with kids who were struggling through life, and came out stronger individuals at the end. Strawberry Girl and Indian Captive come to mind, and it's been a long time since those books came out.

I remember the day that I picked up The Diary of Anne Frank. A slim black volume, it was nestled on a shelf above my usual reading material, and I'd read all of those books. I pulled it out and brought it to the front desk. The librarian looked me over. I was in there often enough so she knew me, though we never talked. As a kid, I knew that librarys were supposed to be quiet, so when she asked my my age, I was startled. "Eleven." She looked me up and down again, then stamped the book and handed it to me. It wasn't until I was fifteen and read the book again in high school that I realized why...a young girl's feelings about her sexual awakening went over my head at eleven, but stayed with me at fifteen. No wonder she hesitated. It was the fifties, and life was different then.

Like Angela, I have tons of books to be read in my house. I can't go to the market without checking out the book aisle. And I have way too many friends who write! There were three books out by authors I know yesterday, and yes, I picked up the books.

Plus, I'm a craft bookaholic. I like to read about the craft of writing and how I can put the information in there to use. One of my favorites is Christopher Vogler's 'The Writer's Journey,' I just purchased Janet Evanovich's book, 'How I Write,' which I haven't opened yet.

So yes, I read. Hopefully, I always will, and when I can't physically read anymore, there's always books on tape.

My name is Angela and I'm a bookaholic!

Boy! This is a topic for me.

I have been a romance bookaholic since I was nine-years-old when my mother gave a Harlequin Romance she was reading so that I could get out of her face for awhile. I am addicted. So addicted that I carry a romance every where I go. I read at least 3 single titles per week and resale them on Amazon.com. My family laughs at me - or gets seriously irritated - when I can't seem to function with my book. Every night I read myself to sleep and if I am standing in the grocery store line, car wash line, or waiting for my meal at a restaurant, I have my trusty book along. If I misplace a book that I am reading, I have a fit. (laughing)

My daughter is NOT a reader and is quite sick of my book habit but my hobby (uh, addiction) has gone from being just a hobby to now research into the art of writing a selling romance novel. I'll be the first to admit that reading does distract me from writing. But I am working on that.

I can't even begin to list my favorite authors. The first novel that touched my soul was Ashes in the Wind by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss (1979). Oh my God!I still remember the story and characters of the Civil War Era novel after all these years. Cole Latimer was the perfect hero. He was complex, conflicted, gentle, sensual, at times temperamental, but with a heart of gold. Alaina MacGaren was definitely a strong heroine, able to adapt and handle every situation that was thrown at her. Her strength and determination were admirable. I enjoyed the fact that she challenged Cole during various situations and was able to outsmart him to boot. Now that I'm thinking about the story, I'm going to have to read it again. I kept the book until I graduated from high school then lost it when I went to college.

But the seed was planted for sure!

I enjoy most genre of romance novels but I love the vampire and werewolf stories, single titles as a part of a series, and romantic suspense. I've picked up some erotica - and many of my male friends think I read romance simply for the sexual content - but the erotica can be disappointing because they tend to lack character development and a truly fleshed out plot.

So, my love for books and romances started at a young age and I will always make time to read a book. Hopefully, when I'm published I can touch readers in the same way Kathleen Woodiwiss and the early writers of romance touched me and plant the seed for another book addict.

Time? What's Time? and Portable Books

I think I've lost track of time ....

I know how you feel, Judi. In the past 6 weeks, I've had something scheduled to do almost every night, and those nights that weren't scheduled, I had a crisis -- usually a car crisis (don't get me started). Reading has fallen by the wayside unless it's a magazine or two here and there.

However, I've found a marvelous time-saver. I don't carry books with me anymore -- at least not traditional books. I have 27 books loaded on my Palm Pilot (yep, I just checked).

I'm working my way through the Harry Bosch novels while I wait in line at the grocery store, wait for my car to be fixed, wait for the dentist, etc., etc. I LOVE IT -- I don't have to plan ahead, Harry Bosch is always with me, in my purse (and since I love Harry, it's a match made in heaven).

No more stuffing paperbacks into my bag, snatching a book as I leave the house -- I just open up my Palm, click a couple of icons, and I'm right back where I was when I left off. I can even highlight text, bookmark pages, etc., to revisit as CRAFT (yes, I'm thinking of craft as I read).

I love technology ... when it works. We'll get into the Saga of the Reformatted Computer another day.

To have time or not to have time, that is the question

Reading these days...hmmm. I know I read Julia Quinn's latest that I got at national. I believe I read a few more, but with working at my day job to get ahead of my time b/c of the surgery (I don't work, I don't get paid) and now I've got requests coming at me (which is always a good thing) so, no I'm not doing much reading these days. I'm blogging, I'm promoting, I'm emailing, I'm organizing my troops for the ATIII battle (excuse the melodrama) and I'm finally writing again. Am I reading? I wish I had the time. But I will make the time now that I'm in recovery mode from the surgery. I'll shuffle my time, settle down and get focused, allot specific hours of the day for emailing, blogging, working, promoting, reading, being a mom and a wife.

Somehow, though, I'm going to have to figure out how to live without sleep.

I'll think about that tomorrow. After all, tomorrow is another day.

(wait, I think I read that line somewhere...)

To read or not to read? Maggie's answer

A few years back, I used to wonder about writer friends who had stacks of unread books sitting around. I couldn't imagine letting all those great books go to waste. But after studying the mechanics of writing, I've learned a few things about unread books. They'll keep.

I still buy my favorite authors. I still read those books through the night. But the rest, they have to wait. Because I found that it isn't productive for me to get someone else's plot running around in my head when I'm creating one of my own. I don't seem to have any problems with reading books while I'm in an editing mode, in fact, I read voraciously at those times.

Before I became a serious writer, I read two to four books a week. That works out to sixteen books a month. And back then, I didn't reread books. I'd pick up a book and think, have I read this? And if I had, I put it down. Not so anymore. I reread lots of books. Especially late at night. If I'm tired, a pre-read book is just the thing. Because then (hopefully) I won't get caught up in the story and read all night. Because then I'll actually be able to put the book down and get a reasonable amount of sleep. But not always. I'm such a sucker for a good story.

What books do I like? Nothing too scary - I get vivid nightmares! I'm a fan of good writing, so most NYT best sellers are on my keeper shelves. My all-time personal fav is Jayne Ann Krentz, especially her futuristic books. And I'm a big Nora/J.D. Robb fan. All of my chapter mates in Washington Romance Writers and First Coast Romance Writers are great writers - I'm scared to list their names for fear I'll leave someone out.

And I'm a big fan of my critique partners' writing. We're getting it done, and our books should be on the bookshelves soon. Here's hoping that one day readers will gush over their favorite Maggie Toussaint books.

Until next Monday, Maggie Toussaint

American Title III

American Title III voting begins tomorrow! I'll post the link once it goes live, which is supposed to be around 11 am Eastern time. Remember, Beauty and The Best - not to be confused with a similarly titled entry, so please check your typing! Thanks to everyone who votes for Beauty and The Best! -Judi

Tell me about your reading habits

I'm just curious ...

Now that you're committed to a writing life, do you read as much as you used to?

I don't, that's for sure. I used to be an avid reader and now I barely read a book a month, if that. And I tend to read outside the genre that I write in. I'm reading 'straight' SciFi right now (going back through Frank Herbert and reading his books, then moving on to his son's, which pick up the storyline after Frank died). I plan to re-visit Julian May's "Jack the Bodiless" series next. I just finished re-reading Martha Grimes.

Hmm. There's a pattern here. I'm revisiting old friends, not picking up new ones.

I take that back. I did read the Jenny Crusie/Bob Mayer book on my trip. That was fun, but skimmable. I also read an historical that was on the shelf in the cabin (can't remember the author, but it was a fun read). I also read William Kent Krueger, but I always read him when I go on vacation because his books are set right where I'm vacationing -- near "Iron Lake" (the Boundary Waters of Minnesota).

But that was on vacation. Here at home, I probably won't pick up a romance or romantic suspense for at least another few months, if then. Ditto with paranormals -- I don't like vampires, don't get into werewolves, and have trouble with some of the 'fantasy' worlds that are created. So many of them are cursory and derivative.

So tell me -- have your reading habits changed since you started to seriously pursue the writing life?

J

Squirrelly c.1928

There are squirrels on our property, cavorting across the property from pecan to pine to oak. It's a virtual supermarket, plus I like to watch them, so a cob of dried corn is pushed on a nail that sits on a board attached to a pecan tree. I have a desire to make a squirrel run on my property someplace, one of those strange contraptions that they have to learn to manulipate in order to get a treat.

And like them, I put things away. Either a paper copy or a computer copy. Why not? With the flash drives, it's possible to store gobs of information.

Lately, what I have been doing, is saving each days work with the date, so that I know where I was last. Each book has it's own folder in my computer, and don't laugh, I only figured out how to do that a few months ago.

As far as planning, I have a spreadsheet that I'm working on, it has the hero's journey, a storyboard - complete with the steps to intimacy, character sheets, plot, scene and sequel sheets, research, progress, edits (what to look for, etc.), tracking sheets, and all of this information has comments attached, so I can figure out exactly what I meant when I placed something pithy in a slot.

I like to plan, but sometimes the muse takes over and I fly into the mist.

I signed up for NaNoWriMo next month, I have a title and nothing else.

Squirrelly.

Yes, I am nutty.

Now you know the truth.

And the c.1928 is the year that word came into common usage, check your Webster's Ninth, every writer should have one.