Tag: Janet Quinn

A Fantasy Life by Janet Quinn Cornelow

Writer’s Block!!

I think it started when I hurt my back last year. And, it seems to persist. Losing my job just seemed to make it worse.

I started a new fantasy romance this year. I wrote eight pages, which I somehow deleted along with the essays I was grading. It took me three weeks, but I finally managed to rewrite those eight pages, only it was more like six. I don’t know if it is better or just shorter. I got a bit further in the story, then I stopped.

It was February that I wrote those pages. The beginning of February and I am still at eight pages with no idea of what my characters are going to do next.

I have spent time building the universe. I know who my villain is and what he wants. I know why he does what he does. I know my hero and heroine and of course they have to stop the villain and fall in love. That is easy enough.

How they get to that point though, I have no idea. I was talking with Debra Young at lunch today about the problem. She often runs into this problem. My problem is that I always know what my characters are going to do next. Or at least they do. Now. Nothing.

It is very disconcerting. Someone better decided what has to happen next because all I am doing is grading papers and playing Mah Jong. There has to be a way to get this book moving forward.

A Fantasy Life by Janet Quinn Cornelow

This has been a dreadful week. I didn’t get any writing done. I had plans to go to lunch with Debra Young, my critique partner, on Saturday, but had to cancel. I had lunch scheduled tomorrow with someone I have known since I was two, but have not seen in 35 years. I cancelled that also. I hope to make Plot Group next Friday.

The reason I had to cancel my plans and got nothing done was I met my ex-boss for lunch on Thursday at Applebee’s. On the way in as Kathy was telling me how well I was walking, I caught my toe on something and fell. Hit my knees, then went down on my face. Tweaked my glasses. Hit my cheek on the step. Landed on my purse, which I think bruised my ribs. And, I broke my fingernail. Thank goodness that was all I broke. I didn’t hit my head, which was good.

Of course I instantly had waitresses asking if I wanted an ambulance. I really just wanted to be able to breathe. Then the manager was there asking the same thing. I finally managed to sit up. The manager order me a chair and I just sat there and looked at it. I had to get on my knees to get up in the chair and that was not happening. I levered myself backwards to the stairs, lifted myself up one using the railing, then up the second. I could put my feet on the floor, but couldn’t get up. I had to use one of the waitresses’ arm to get to my feet.

Lunch was nice and they gave us extra ice cream. I didn’t hurt my back, which was good, however, I can hardly move. My right arm turned black and blue today and I didn’t even hit it. I must have twisted it because I was holding on to my cane.

Once I can think again, I may use this experience and give Pax some bruises from his slipping and sliding in the alley, then being whisked into another dimension.

I hope everyone is doing better than I am.

A Fantasy Life by Janet Quinn Cornelow

It is a new year and January is speeding by. I have not done as much writing as I had planned on. I started a new job and I am getting adjusted to that, but it is still taking more hours than it will once I get adjusted. At least I get to work from my couch or my desk. The problem with working from the desk is that Chewbaca, my dog, thinks I should play ball with him.

I started my alternative universe book the first week of January, got to page eight and got Pax into the new universe. Then I went back to work on it and somehow I had deleted it. I guess it got mixed up with the essays I was grading. I could not find it anywhere. It bummed me out.

I managed to get back to page two, but that is as far as I have gotten. Pax is back in the alley in New York City chasing the wizard. Not that he knows the man is a wizard. He just knows he’s a serial killer. This really is a romance.

If I can get Pax back to the alternate universe, I might start making progress. Next week. I don’t have so many essays to grade, so I hope to get writing done.

I am missing my old job a little less, but that has also been keeping me from writing. Changing jobs is so stressful.

Everyone have a productive and happy month.

A Fantasy Life by Janet Quinn Cornelow

It is that time of year again. Time to take stock of what happened in the previous year and set goals for the New Year.

Last year seemed to fly by and I didn’t get much done. My writing stalled for most of the year. The last part of the year I was busy helping to shut down the Sylvan Learning that I had worked for over the last 12 ½ years. We were trying to cause as little disruption to the students as possible. I didn’t really feel like writing during that time and pretty much didn’t.

Now the new year is about to start and it is time to go back to writing as well as looking for employment. I am going to write the three books I had planned to write this year. One is a new one in my mystery series. One is an alternate universe romance. The third is fantasy book that will have a monster bounty hunter and the guard of the first monster. This will not really be a romance.

Seeing as I have two online schools that I am teaching for starting in January, I should have plenty of time to write.

I hope everyone has had a wonderful holiday and I wish everyone a Happy New Year.

A Fantasy Life by Janet Quinn Cornelow

I would like to say that I have been writing and working on my new fantasy romance. That would be stretching things. I had planned on writing last Saturday because I had cleared everything that needed to be done. Then my youngest and his wife showed up. That ruined the rest of my plans. I ended up fixing the dinner and settling some other problems. Needless to say I got no writing done.

Life has been a bit upside down, so I don’t know how much writing I will be getting done. My day job that I have had for 12 years has gone bankrupt and we will be closing December 18 unless someone buys my boss out. That probably isn’t going to happen. It is really sad. I really like my job and will miss my babies (my students).

I have been teaching on line for the last three years and have found a second place to teach. Of course that means training for four weeks. It starts November 1 and goes into December because we get Thanksgiving week off. That will take the up any extra time I have because I still have to show up at work and teach my other classes. I figure the training won’t be that bad since it is basically the same thing I do now. The polices are a bit different, but the actual teaching is the same.

The good news is that Michael, my middle son, and his wife are having a baby, so I will finally be a grandmother in May. The baby is due around Mother’s Day so I figure I won’t be seeing them this year, but that is okay. I’m excited about being a grandma. Of course, I won’t be taking the baby around since I don’t carry too well, but I figure by the time the baby’s walking, I can get seatbelts installed on the walker so he or she doesn’t fall off.

Everyone have a great Thanksgiving since this is my last blog until then.