A Weekend of Laughter and Lager

So this weekend was a raging success! 

Saturday morning my husband and I went to the Rhode Island Scottish Festival and we are definitely going again.  Everyone was incredibly friendly and there was a lot going on.  As a Spence, I knew this name was associated with the Clan MacDuff, while my husband's family is Clan Cameron.  Coincidentally, the tents for the two groups were right next to each other

If you notice, Clan MacDuff's tent is bigger.

Well, Mike and I went to our respective peeps, and we both ended up walking in the opening ceremonies!  (Another complete coincidence was that the MacDuff's were the Clan of Honour for the day - a sign of good things to come!)

All playing aside, the people we met in both tents were wonderfully funny, warm and in the MacDuff tent a bit sarcastic.  These are people I hope to meet again.

I couldn't resist the "pet haggis" and Nessie on display in the MacDuff tent.

Overall we talked, we shopped, we jumped when the cannon went off and listened to some great music. (I fell in love with a band there named MacTalla M'or - I have got to download their albums)

We left early due to rain and the graduation party.

After celebrating much of the night, we managed to still get up early for Sunday's adventure - the Worcester Irish Music Festival.  I even managed to work in another 2 pages of manuscript that morning, still riding high from Saturday's adventures.

The music at the festival was good, and there was some really great genealogy information from the people of The Irish Ancestral Research Association aka TIARA .  The highlight was truly the O'Lympics.  Competitors had to first pour a can of Guinness, after it had been shaken and then run an obstacle course with the the beer in their hands.  In the obstacle course they had to kick a boiled head of cabbage through some pylons

They threw snakes into a basket a la St. Patrick

They also had to bob for potatoes in the baby pool

So, did this weekend do what it was supposed to do?  I think so.  I'm writing, I'm energized.

 I'm motivated.

Developing my fictional world

I feel like I haven't done much - but in reality I have taken my book from novella to novel. I finally broke the 50K word mark.

I'm trying to find the balance between being descriptive and overloading the reader with too much detail. When I speak - I am a rambler. I have worked so hard to NOT ramble in my writing that I have made it too succinct.

It always comes down to balance, doesn't it?

I finished another round of edits, and I am getting the manuscript reviewed by another person. However, I know I have to increase the book by 50% so I have continued to write and fill out what scenes I keep identifying as needing help.

One weird problem I have - this book is written from a man's perspective, which I have been mostly successful to date - but I have both sex and kissing scenes in it. I'm having a really hard time writing these scenes in general but especially writing them like a man. Normally when I am struggling on a perspective or style issue, I try to read books I like which parallel that aspect - but I can't even think of an example of a sex scene written from a guy's perspective.

Ooh - just thought of one, but I can't remember the name or author of the book. It's about a Druid, at the time of Caesar, who ends up befriending Vercingetorix - there's a few "action" scenes, including some for ritual purposes, and the protagonist is a man.

Off to start googling and finding this book! If you can think of it - or have another recommendation - please let me know!