The Writing Spectacle

Moved

2009-03-20T19:25:00.000-06:00

From now on, all new posts will be at The Writing Spectacle II. I look forward to seeing you all there.

Thank you.

-B.E. Sanderson

An Ending and A New Beginning

2009-03-20T09:34:00.003-06:00

The time has come for I-shrugged to bow out of my writerly existence. It's served me well these past few years, but as I was laying there thinking about my career and my future as a writer, I realized that it's not pertinent to what I am as a writer.

So, as i-shrugged.blogspot withers into nothingness, a new Writing Spectacle is born. If you enjoyed reading what I had to say here, please follow me over there for more musings, rants and daily affirmations of my sanity (or lack thereof).

Fear not, though. This blog will remain (it has to - I'm linking to it) in perpetuity - or at least until Blogger tells me I can't have it anymore. The Agent Sites post will still be there for those who need it, as well as all the other important stuff. I'm just switching locations to give myself a better - and more writerly - place to live.

I'm also going to try and give you more intelligent and useful posts than I have in the past. I'm going to try to get out there and network more. And who knows, if my readership grows, I may even try to get some guest bloggers every now and then. (Time will tell about that.)

In short, what I'm trying to do here is give myself a jumpstart. A new blog and a new attitude for the rest of the year and the years to come. Come along with me and see what the future holds.

Almost Human

2009-03-19T21:16:00.002-06:00

Well, if that wasn't an adventure, I don't know what is. After a mistaken belief that I was over the worst of it on Tuesday, Wednesday arrived and showed me what the worst of it could be. I wouldn't wish that crud on my worst enemy. (Well, maybe... I know that in my illness induced daydreams I did consider going over to a certain person's house and licking his doorknobs. If anyone deserves this, he does.)

The only upside to laying on the couch hour after hour, trying not to wish for death, is this:

It gave me a chance to think about things. Perhaps all that thinking has shaken some things loose. Hard to tell as I'm still a little muzzy-headed. I do know that things haven't been right with the writing yet this year, so I think I need to shake things up. (If that makes any sense.)

I'll reveal all in the days to come. (Or as much of 'all' as I have figured out at this point.)

Hope all of you are well, and things are peachy-keen in your worlds. =o)

I've Got It Too*

2009-03-16T07:19:00.004-06:00

Sorry about the silence, but whatever my family has, I got too. (Though nowhere near as bad. Yet.)

So, between taking care of them, and trying not to cough up a lung, and taking over my daughter's dish duties (without which we wouldn't have clean bowls for soup), and laying on the couch storing energy for the next task, I've been lax online.

Of course it doesn't help that I can't think of a damn thing to say that doesn't involve whining. You don't want to hear it, and I don't want to either.

Hope y'all have a great day, and here's hoping I'm somewhere near normal soon.

*Ever see Muppet Treasure Island? It's from the "Cabin Fever" production number.

Overheard on the Street

2009-03-13T19:46:00.002-06:00

Overheard just now. Three teenage girls walking down the sidewalk. Before I can even see them I hear one talking on her cell phone...

"I miss you already... What do you mean you don't care that I miss you?... Tell me you miss me too... I'm not hanging up until you tell me you miss me... Tell me you miss me... Tell me you miss me!" (Keep in mind this started halfway up the next block and was still in progress at the other end of my block.)

Is it just me or should she have done consulting for the movie "How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days"?

Greetings

2009-03-12T13:47:00.002-06:00

Greetings from what I am jokingly referring to as 'The Plague House'. Whatever crud is making its way across the continent has landed here.

I don't have it. Yet.

Hubby does, and dearest daughter came down with it this morning.

If you have it, you have my deepest sympathies. In honor of this situation, I am making chicken soup. (And with all the flu supplies I bought, the pharmaceutical companies should be sending me a gift basket.)

Good luck out there.

Putting Customer Service Back into the Chain Store

2009-03-10T17:39:00.003-06:00

Yesterday when I was at Borders, I was approached by an employee with a book in her hands. Now I was in the middle of using their computer to find some of the books on my list, and at first I thought she was going to be the third person to ask me if I needed any help. Instead she started talking to me about the book in her hands. (Sorry, I don't remember the title - but it was women's fiction, and I'm just not that into it.) After I gave her my standard 'thanks but no thanks', I started thinking about what it was she was doing.

And even if it started out a little annoying, I realized it was a great idea. I thanked her for the effort (nicely, of course) and she said it was a new thing they were doing at their store - choosing books they liked and talking to patrons about them. Afterwards we got to chatting, and she brought me another book she liked - because she asked if I'd heard of it, and I had. I didn't end up buying that book either, but I did end up buying a couple more books because of her and her co-worker. They were both so helpful and friendly. Well frankly it shocked the heck out of me.

Those two gals brought customer service back to a big chain store. Usually when I hit Borders, I just want to get my books and be left alone. After ten minutes I feel typically like every employee has asked me if I needed help - in that 'I really don't want to help you, but I have to ask' way they have. These ladies were serious, and they were helpful. The other gal - not the one with the book recommendations - actually went into the back to find me two books that were in stock but hadn't been shelved yet. She and I got to talking about The Dresden Files and she recommended a similar series I'd never heard of (and plan on buying on my next go round).

If I remember correctly, Borders is having troubles right now. Last year there was talk of them going out of business, and in a way, I can see why. They don't stock nearly as much as B&N and as I said, their employees are usually annoying. It's hard to stay in business that way, but if they can just up the number of helpful, friendly employees, they might just make it through this economy.

They just need to clone those two ladies, or at least have them give pointers to everyone else.

Oh, and I do need to give a shout out to the cashier there as well. She was just a friendly and helpful, and she made my daughter's day by complimenting her on her dagger necklace.

Wouldn't it be great if people like that were the only kinds we ran into when we shopped?

Book Jamboree

2009-03-09T21:08:00.002-06:00

I did it. I admit it. I bought too many books today - and I didn't even scratch the surface of my list.

Okay, so I'm not exactly contrite about it. I love books. If it wouldn't destroy the pristine covers, I would throw them on the floor and roll around in them. (And I like to keep my books as pristine as possible for as long as possible. I'm demented that way.)

Anyway, I loved the shopping, hated the driving, and had a nice lunch while I was in a real town with real restaurants. What I didn't love was the fact that Borders was out of several titles I wanted. If I'd driven another half-hour, I could've been to B&N and gotten them - I just know it. (Mainly because I saw some of them there on my last trip.) I'm currently working through the backlist for Lynn Viehl's StarDoc series, and while I have read the last two, I've only read the first one. Totally chaps my hide.

On the upside, I discovered a new (to me) bookstore, and found a couple books I didn't know I wanted. And it was only five minutes from Borders - toward home - so no extra driving. Yay.

So now I'm pooped, but satisfied. In my TBR stack now are:

Highlander Outlaw by Monica McCarty!! Finally. I almost screamed because I thought Borders was out. Then I realized it was shelved with the new fiction instead of the rest of the series.

The third book and the newest book from the Dresden Files. (Working through that backlist, too.)

Two books by Anton Stroud. (I don't remember who recommended him on their blog, but thank you.)

The Mammoth Book of Paranormal Romance

The Killer Year anthology

Just to name a few. There may be more, but the titles escape me and the bag is in with my sleeping husband.

What are you reading right now, or what are you waiting for the release date of?

Spring Ahead

2009-03-08T09:35:00.002-06:00

It's that time again, ladies and gents. Time to turn your clock ahead one hour.

Personally, I hate this daylight savings thing. It had its purpose when the business of America was primarily agriculture. Now it's just outlived its usefulness. I mean, really, what do we need it for anymore?

This one is always worse for me than the Fall one. Something about getting up an hour early every morning and trying to go to bed an hour early kills me. I'll be dragging ass for a week or so. *shrug* Stuff happens, so I need to just get over it.

How does your body adjust to the time changes? Everything go fine for you, or are you like me? And what do you think about the idea of getting rid of the daylight savings thing all together?

Taking the Plunge

2009-03-07T18:42:00.002-07:00

I took the plunge (as well as Kristen's advice) and joined the Romance Divas forum yesterday. After spending time both last night and today reading posts and acquainting myself with the site, I jumped in and posted. So far, so good.

Seems like a nice group of writers, and sans flaming or crabbing or general snertiness. Yay. If you haven't been there, check it out. Lots of interesting information, and camaraderie, and writerly-ness.

Considering how my last two forays into writers' forums turned out, wish me luck. Although I don't think I'll need it. I'm just going to be good and not get involved in flame wars (not that I think there will be any - the mods keep a tight rein from what I see).

Eclectic Post

2009-03-06T07:48:00.005-07:00

First off I'd like to vent a bit about the book distributor for my area. They went belly-up and I haven't seen new books at the local stores for weeks. Weeks without new books! I'm seriously jones'n. This means that despite the fact Monica McCarty's latest hot Highlander book has hit the bestseller list, I haven't gotten a copy yet. Wah.

In happier news, I'm going to a real bookstore next week, and Borders should have a copy. It's on my shopping list along with eight other titles (so far - I may not be done writing the list yet). By this time next week, I should be happily surrounded by new reading material. It's just a shame I have to go out of town to buy books*.

As for writing, a read an interesting post this morning over at Karin Tabke's blog. She had a guest blogger by the name of Charlotte Featherstone, who wrote about staying true to yourself and to your characters. The hero of her recently published book Addicted could be considered unsympathetic (because he's an opium addict), and because of this I have no doubt she had one hell of a time getting it published. But she had to write him that way in order to remain to true to the story. Good reminder to us all, and a very positive note for those of us yet to be published. Gives me a bit of hope that maybe someday someone will want to read Caldera even though Myke's been called unsympathetic. (Which I totally don't see. I love her personality. Not that she's an addict or anything like that. She's just focused, and driven, and she doesn't suffer incompetence lightly - which can come off as bitchy sometimes.)

Another happy note: I got the last edit notes from my beta reader this morning! Yay. Her comments really made my morning. Nothing like hearing she had a tough time reading for edits when the story kept sucking her in and making her forget she was supposed to be beta reading. I'll be working on her suggestions this weekend, in addition to trying to get the synopsis written. With any luck, I'll be ready to start submitting soon. And this time maybe getting an agent.

Wouldn't that be loverly?

What are your thoughts on this fine pre-Spring day? Ever written or read a supposedly unsympathetic character that you just connected with? Any positive news to share?

*Yes, I can buy books online. I just love the bookstore experience too much.

Page by Page

2009-03-05T09:09:00.003-07:00

You may have noticed I changed my word meter to reflect pages edited rather than chapters. The reason for this change is simple.

Nano is giving me fits.

Usually when I sit down to edit, I do it chapter by chapter. Sometimes I get more than one chapter edited in a night, but when the editing is slow, I just get one finished. With Nano, I'm lucky if I get a partial chapter done in an editing session.

Take last night for instance. I got eight pages done, and even those I'm not completely happy with. Chapter Four is the chapter where I really introduce the hero. (He's mentioned in a couple other chapters, but he doesn't make his POV debut until #4.) And I don't think I really have him down yet. I'm getting there. He's becoming a real person in my head. But I'm not there yet.

So anyway, I'm having to rewrite whole paragraphs and scenes to make Jack more alive on paper. Which is slowing me down to page by page editing. Maybe on the next round of edits, it'll all be easier again. (God, I hope so.)

How are things going in your work?

2009-03-04T06:40:00.003-07:00

I didn't get anything done last night. Nada. Bubkis. I wish I could blame it on the dirty trick Biggest Loser played last night at the weigh-in, but that would be lame. Not that I wasn't irritated, but it wasn't to the point where I couldn't work. (I like Biggest Loser, but I'm not that addicted.)

After the show was over, I did sit down to work on editing Nano. I made it through approximately three paragraphs before I admitted to myself that I was just phoning it in.

Could be that I took an Aleve earlier in the evening, and those things make me all loopy. Could be that I twisted my knee falling off a step yesterday afternoon (only hurts when I use that tendon to stand up and sit down, though). Could be that I just wasn't in that place I need to be in to accomplish worthwhile work. Hell, it could even be hormonal. (Look out! She's gonna blow!)

In the end, I closed the file and went to bed.

I guess sometimes that's okay, but I still feel guilty about it.

Connecting with Other Writers

2009-03-03T09:13:00.002-07:00

This morning Alison Kent has a wonderful post over at GenReality about critique groups and crit partners and such. It really got me thinking about this lonely business of writing, and whether I'm doing enough to connect with other writers. I mean I don't belong to any writing organizations, I don't network on writing forums or other such sites, and I don't go out into the world to visit trade shows or writers' groups or conferences.

In some circles, this inactivity would be the kiss of death for a writing career.

Sometimes I consider doing some of these things. I've even joined a couple online writing things. I was very active in two of these, and if you've been around this blog long enough you know how those turned out (which is to say, not well). I still belong to a couple that I haven't really been active with, but probably should (if I can even remember my passwords after all this time). I've thought about joining RWA or ITW or something like that, but I just can't seem to muster the interest necessary to fork over all that money.

Instead I blog. I visit dozens of writerly blogs every day. I communicate via comments, and on occasion email, with other people in the profession. But is that enough?

You know every time I think this through, I ask myself that question. Sure, I have a couple of awesome beta readers (Hi guys!), but that's as far as that goes. I had a crit parter I met at one of the writing communities, but she disappeared last year. (Literally. One day she just stopped replying to my emails. No reason why. No 'it's been fun, but it's over' note. Just silence.) My BRs are doing an awesome job, but listening to everything around the net, it just seems like I should be doing more.

And then I look at Lynn Viehl. I don't know how many books she's published now (seems like it was around 35 the last time I looked), but she seems to do very well sans the whole 'getting involved' portion of the biz. She doesn't attend conferences, or trade shows, or participate in writing groups. She just writes - and very well I might add.

So what's a girl to do?

I guess I just keep on keepin' on. I write, I edit, I learn from my mistakes. I read other people's blogs and learn from their mistakes. Sure I'd like to have a half dozen people I can trust to read and comment on my work - if only for the sake of validation. (And yes, even hermits like me could use a little validation once in a while.) I love to have an awesome crit partner like I used to have - someone to bounce ideas off of, and kvetch to, and sympathize with - but in the whole scheme of things, it's not necessary. Because in the end, the only person capable of writing my books is me. Connecting with other writers would be fun, but when the books ever get published, they're my responsibility.

Anyway, I still have the blogosphere and all the wonderful people I've met here. You're all helping me whether you know it or not, and I'd like to thank you all for that. Hopefully I'm helping in my own way, too.

What do you do to connect with other writers? Do you have live people you connect with, or is it all online?

Personality, or Lack Thereof

2009-03-02T06:49:00.006-07:00

I don't know if you're familiar with the Myers-Briggs personality test, but it's an interesting way to get insight into who you are. Not that some quality introspection and a thorough knowledge of yourself can't give you that, but it's nice to have hard data - even if it only underscores what you already knew.

According to the above test - which I just took - I'm what they refer to as an ISTJ (heavy on the I and T). Which basically means I'm an introvert who relies on thinking rather than feeling. No big surprise there. Usually when I do this test, I end up as a INTJ, but these past few days I must be leaning more toward the S (Sensing) than the N (Intuitive).

A problem area with the ISTJ type is the tendency to downplay their own accomplishments for fear no one else will find them of value. This little do-ma-hicker jumped up and slapped me upside the head last night. (Don't ya hate when psychological baggage ambushes you like that?) Not a good trait to have when you're trying to get people to read your work, and even worse when you're trying to convince an agent to represent you.

Since I'm a firm believer that knowing what's wrong is half the battle, I should be back to semi-normal soon.

(And to that person who got that email last night, I'm not a complete freak - really I'm not. The ISTJ made me do it.)

Grunt Work

2009-03-01T19:15:00.002-07:00

It's that time of year again. Tax time. Umm, yay?

Anyway, that's what I've been up to this weekend. Gotta love the fact that in order to use TurboTax this year, I had to download Firefox - because TT doesn't work with IE on this old an operating system. =op---

So now I have Firefox. Uhh... ok. I don't really care which browser I use. I don't need bells or whistles as long as it gets me where I need to go, when I need to go there. I'm still using IE for everything else (if it ain't broke, don't fix it).

As a related side rant, why the hell do people think they need to keep fixing things that aren't broken, and breaking things that work fine? That's messed up. Seriously.

Now I really have to get back to work, so maybe one of these days I can show income under Novelist. Ya know what I mean?

What To Read

2009-02-27T08:36:00.005-07:00

Over at the Fictionistas today, they posted a list of books put out by the BBC. The BBC's guess is that most people won't have read more than six books out of the 100. My total was 24.

Now I already have a list of what I would consider books everyone should read at least once in their life. (And yes, there are a slew of those books I've never read myself. Just because I should doesn't mean I have.) Please note that I said 'should read' not 'must like' - because some of the books are on there for learning purposes, not enjoying purposes. There are a myriad of books I really don't like, but I read them anyway so I could learn from them - like The Good Earth, for instance, which has a crappy sense of life, but good writing. (The same can be said for Steinbeck, or Hemingway, or Irving.)

You may notice there are books I didn't put on my list that are on so many other lists of this type. Like, for instance, Catcher in the Rye (which is on the curriculum for most public high-school English students). I really don't see any purpose to suggesting anyone read that book. The only thing I got out of it was a feeling that life was hopeless. And is that really what we want any teenager to experience from reading. (Yes, I know. Teenagers already feel that way - so why compound the problem.) I'm sorry my teacher made me read it, and I wish I could scrub the memory out of my head. Same goes for Lord of the Flies.

You'll also notice that I have books on my list you won't see on some of the others. One glaring example is Ayn Rand. I have my own thoughts on why she's left off the lists of important books (even though Atlas Shrugged is second only to the Bible as 'most influential' to its readers), but I won't rant about them now. Love her work or hate it - your choice - but don't deny its place in literary history. (And if you can't fathom reading 1168 pages, read Anthem instead of Atlas Shrugged.)

I've also placed some more commercial works on my list, because they are important, too. The Mummy, for instance, is a wonderful story - very well written with a positive sense of life. Or take Ken Follett - with his excellent writing and interesting storylines. Or Michael Crichton - who created techo-thrillers, and proved that science can be thrilling here on Earth.

I guess what I'm saying is: People find different things valuable in books. Books that I loathe and make me want to scrub my brain with steel wool, others may hold dear to their hearts. The important thing is that people read. Preferably something of value to them in some way. (And yes, even the trashiest of commercial novels can have value - hell, people find value in James Joyce, don't they? Personally I can find more value in a bodice-ripper than anything he wrote.)

So regardless of what I or anyone else tells you to read, just read something. And if you're short on time, read a kid's book.

Are you reading anything right now (I mean other than this blog, smart aleck)? What's on your nightstand, or what's next up for you? I'm between books right now, but I think I'm going to read some Roald Dahl next.

Axing Cliches

2009-02-26T08:17:00.002-07:00

Yesterday, I was reading Janet Reid's Query Shark and in #100 she brought up a point I know I know, but forgot. Avoid cliches - especially in your query letters. And the instance she pointed to was exactly the one in my own letter. "Discovering the truth..." Ack.

So, that's been chopped. Along with several other unnecessary words and phrases. What I now have is a tighter, cleaner, and more hook-like paragraph (I hope).

In a world where the Union rules everything, Mary Jones was raised to believe she’s nothing. When an underground society known as The Order chooses her for a mission to escape the city, she’s suddenly more important than she’s ever been allowed to know. On the run from the Union Guard, it’s either chancy survival beyond the boundaries of home, or certain death within. Protected by a man she’s not even sure she can trust, she travels through land ravaged by a long-forgotten war, discovering a history the Union wants everyone to forget and an idea worth risking her life for. Mary never promised the Order she’d return, but she can’t be free while the others in her city remain trapped. She just never dreamed they wouldn’t want her help.

I implemented some of the suggestions given in previous comments, but in the end, I just couldn't make some of them work. (btw, I don't have your email addy, Kristen.) With the third limited POV and the voice, giving the hero his own paragraph seemed odd. Everything is from Mary's perspective, and he's more like a 'best supporting actor' than a star.

Anyway, my beta reader is working on Blink (Thank you!), so I won't be sending this out until that's finished. Which gives me time to let this simmer. Meanwhile, I did chop those chapters out of Nano last night, and this morning I resurrected my word meter. (I actually snipped more words, but then added some into the new Chapter One.)

Okay, off to start the day. Can't sit around forever in my jammies. (Well, I could but I won't.) Have a great one, everyone.

=o)

Missed Again

2009-02-25T07:53:00.004-07:00

By now I'm betting you're wondering why I'm so stressed about this damn query copy thing. I mean, geez, that's all I've talked about lately. That's all I've been thinking about lately, too. When I wake up in the morning, I sit down and work on the damn thing.

Well, I was thinking about it yesterday. The reason I stress so much over the query letter copy is simple. I spent untold hours writing a book, and all that work either stands or falls based on one little letter. I know I've talked about this before, but it bears repeating. 94K words lives or dies based on whether 250 words can entice an agent enough to read more.

Pressure anyone?

So, I'm sorry if my posts have been a little irritating lately. I'm sure you're all sick of reading about it by now. I know I'm sick of thinking about it. In fact, I've been at this so diligently for so many days that now it seems like each subsequent draft blows chunks worse than the one before. But even the older drafts still aren't right. I thought I had it yesterday, but in retrospect, I missed again. :cue Phil Collins: Missed again, Ohh-oh-oh-oh. I think I missed again. oh-Oh-oh.

Anyway, whilst in the midst of this battle with submission materials, I am doing other things. I finally got around to working on the edits for Nano. The first bit - a sort-of prologue - still looks good, but I think the entire first chapter has to go. Snippity-snip. It's interesting and gives some important info, but it's not crucial and the info can be woven in later. Ba-bye words.

And as for C&D, I'll get back to Jordan later. Don't worry. The book is getting used to being put off, or at least it should be by now. Thank goodness it's not a time sensitive piece.

In other news, I got the first chapter of Blink back from a beta reader last night, and she likes it. Always a good thing.

But enough about me. What's new with you?

Hewp my bwain mewted

2009-02-24T16:12:00.004-07:00

In a world where the Union rules everything, Mary Jones was raised to believe she’s nothing. When she stumbles across an underground society known as The Order, and they choose her for their mission to leave the city, she’s suddenly more important than she’s ever been allowed to know. On the run from the Union Guard, it’s either a chancy survival outside the city, or certain death within. With a man she’s not even sure she can trust as her protector, she travels through territory ravaged by a long-forgotten war, and discovers the truth about the Union. Returning could mean either her death or a chance at freedom for them all, but it’s worth the risk. She just never imagined she might have to force people to want to be free. And she never counted on losing her heart to someone who could betray her.

Needs work. I know. I've been at this off and on for days, though, so all I'm wondering is if I'm on the right track.

Uhh, yeah, I scrapped the other one. I know, I'm a freak. My bwain is dwaining froo my ears.

It's the writing... the writing, I say...

:trails off into maniacal laughter:

If anyone needs me, I'll be donning my 'I love me' jacket and drooling over there in the corner.

btw, if i get one more piece of spam telling me how much oprah loves acai berry, i'm going bat-shit friggin whacko

How Much Is Enough... or Too Much?

2009-02-24T06:00:00.003-07:00

Writing a query letter is much like walking a tightrope. You have just so much space, and falling to either side of that space can be disastrous. (And part of the problem is you don't know you've fallen until after you're already smushed on the rejection concrete below.)

Yesterday Kristen asked if Blink has any romance, since I didn't hint at it in my last pass at the cover copy. It does. I mentioned it in one of my other drafts, but I eventually elected to delete that information. Why?

As I said above, there's only so much space. You have to make a decision on each story element as to whether it's crucial enough to stick into that space. In the case of the romance angle, I decided it wasn't germane to the crux of the story. It's like the suspense angle, or the betrayal angle, or the mystery. It's there, and it adds conflict for Mary, but the real story is her journey from crawling to fighting.

The urge is there to put in a snippet about the hero. I'd also like to mention the villain, but in the scheme of things, it's enough to use the Union and not mention the man who heads it. If I had the space, I'd talk about the grandfatherly Russell who introduces her to the Order.

I could delve into Mary's search for identity, because as a 'foundling' she doesn't really know her past or her family, and it's key to discovering who she really is as an individual.

See why writing a query blurb is so damn hard? It was actually harder for this book than any other so far. There's a lot woven into those 94K words.

Anyway, I think I hit the right balance. The book is broken into three parts, and each is represented in the three paragraphs - albeit not in any encompassing way. Time will tell if I got it right or it fell off the tightrope into the abyss. I just need to hook them, so they'll want to read more.

Now I have to write the synopsis (something I neglected to do last year for my aborted query pass). There's where I can let it all hang out - in five pages or less.

Heh. Is it any wonder I'm a wee bit loony?

.

Next!

2009-02-23T18:42:00.003-07:00

And here we go again, with extra query verbiage added:

A foundling raised in a state home, Mary Jones should be a meek servant under the Union’s dictatorship. Instead, she has a tendency to wander where she shouldn’t be, and this time it’s straight into a forbidden store run by a member of a secret society—The Order and they need help. Before she can blink, they decide she’s perfect for a mission they’ve planned for decades. Now, she can either stay home where the Union Guard already has orders to kill her, or she can escape the city to search for traces of mankind outside.

If she survives long enough to return, that is.

Beyond the ravages of a long-forgotten war, she learns freeing her city means eradicating the Union—by herself, if necessary. The problem is: when she promised to free her people, she never dreamed they wouldn’t want her help.

Blink of an I is a 94,000 word speculative :or other pertinent genre: novel set in America’s distant future.

After reading :personalization:, :more personalization:. Almost four years ago, I quit the big city and my life in corporate America to write full-time in the relative solitude of tiny-town Colorado. Since then, I have five completed novels under my belt—Blink of an I being the most recent work.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

(BTW, I don't really space between paragraphs - that's a no-no - I just can't get the blog to indent text without becoming a huge pain in the hiney.)

Better?

.

New Take on an Old Try

2009-02-22T21:16:00.004-07:00

This was originally called Blurb7 - out of like 15 - and was written before I rewrote the middle and revised the beginning. I revised this to meet the changes I'd made to the book, so I can maybe hit the mark a little closer.

Let's see if this is an improvement.

Raised in the strangling embrace of the Union, Mary Jones was supposed to be exactly what they wanted her to be, to think what they wanted her to think, and to live how they wanted her to live. She failed. Fired from her job and denounced as incompetent, she wanders into a curious old store, and into the arms of a secret society known as the Order. Before she knows it, these strange people have chosen her for a mission no one else has survived. Unless Mary wants her life to remain the same, she must accept their plan to escape the city and discover whether other people still exist in the world—if only to prove life can go on without Union control. What she finds beyond the ravages of a long forgotten war will force her to accept the only way her city will be free is to eradicate the Union, even if she has to do it herself. But when she made the promise to free her people, she never dreamed they wouldn’t want her help.

Seems a little wordy to me, but it says what I need it to say. I think it addresses some of the concerns Kristen raised in her comments on the previous post. (Or maybe I'm just too close to see how I'm missing the mark.) Any help anyone can provide will be appreciated. In fact, if you leave a help-related comment about this blurby thing between today's posts and the time my poll closes, I'll enter you into a drawing for a prize - just as a thanks.

Maybe 2009 will be my year.

The Latest Incarnation

2009-02-22T10:04:00.006-07:00

Well, after all the work I did yesterday, I scrapped everything this morning and went back to a draft I did several weeks ago. Not that what I wrote yesterday was crap. It was actually pretty good as cover copy goes. I was even prepared to go ahead with it, but when I looked at it this morning, I realized it didn't have the right tone. It wasn't in keeping with the voice of the novel.

So anyway, here's the latest incarnation. There's still something off about it, but I'm so brain-fried I can't figure out what. If any of you want to comment, feel free.

Raised as a foundling, Mary Jones was taught to believe she's nothing and no one. As castes go, she’s just one step above servants and slaves, and she’s lucky the Union allowed her that. But after she wanders across a secret group known as the Order, she discovers she’s more special than she’s been allowed to know. The Order sees something in Mary, a chance for success where so many others have failed. Mary’s only task is to escape the city and find others who may still be free beyond the wastelands, but after learning she’s always been a tool for the Union, she makes plans of her own. She’ll return to see her city free from the Union’s control, whether it wants to be free or not.

*shrug* It's close, but I don't want to touch it anymore for fear I'll screw it up. Like making spaghetti sauce - sometimes you know it's missing something, but you can't figure out what, and then the next thing you know you've added too much thyme and ruined the whole pot.

Hamster Wheel

2009-02-21T09:01:00.003-07:00

Write, rewrite, edit... go back to previous draft... Edit, tweak, revise... Start over fresh... Revise, rewrite, edit, tweak...

Aarrgghh!!

Can you tell I'm trying to write the 'cover copy' portion of my new query for Blink? I feel like a friggin' hamster, running in his little wheel. Round and round. Never getting anywhere. I've been at it for two hours this morning already. Every time I think I've almost got the jist of it, I look at it and realize, something not right. It's driving me fruit-bat.

:sets hair on fire and runs down the street screaming:

Ok, not really. But that's what I feel like doing sometimes, ya know?

And it occurred to me this morning that I started this book over two years ago. For some reason I was sure I started this in '07, but no. First file date? August 2006. Yuck. I started it in August, finished the first draft in December, redrafted a couple times and then sat on it for a year. I re-redrafted it, and in January of '08 I sent out a couple queries. No nibbles. Then I got distracted again writing another book, and another book. Editing each of those, querying each of those... More Hamster Wheel activity... And finally, here I am with Blink re-written - yet again. And yet again, I'm rewriting the submission materials. First the query, then the synopsis.

Then submission.

Hamster Wheel. Run little furry guy, run.

Ever see a hamster get running so fast that when he falls, he just rides the wheel all the way around to the bottom again before either falling off or getting a fresh grip? Pretty funny stuff. Unless, of course, you're the hamster.

(Okay, so it's pretty funny even then.)

Of course, as frustrating and irritating as this writing business can sometimes be, I wouldn't trade it for any other job. And for all my occassional whining, I do love this endeavor. I just wish it was easier sometimes. Know what I mean?

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have miles to go on before I sleep (considering it's only quarter after nine and I'm only really running in circles). ;o)

When I get it to a version I don't hate, I'll post it for y'all. Then you can tell me if you think it sucks or not. Maybe I'll make it an anonymous poll. LOL

Rewrite Complete, and Other Sundry Stuff

2009-02-20T08:38:00.005-07:00

Last night I finished Blink's rewrite. All told, I ended up about 1000 words lighter than it was. There's no way to know for sure how much I actually snipped out because I added some along the way. One thing I do know is it's so much better now.

I also read Unwind by Neal Shusterman yesterday. It's a YA speculative with an interesting - if flawed - premise. It's tight and well written overall. Good stuff. One thing about it, though, made me want to talk about the book here today.

The premise flaws.

Well, not the flaws themselves specifically, but the fact that they are there. You see, I try really hard to make sure the premises I put forth - however wild - don't have any major, glaring flaws. The thing about Mr. Shusterman's book, though, is that it's well written enough that even with those flaws, he gets his point across and the story doesn't suffer for it. In fact, one major flaw didn't even jump out at me until after I finished the book and was trying to sleep last night. It may be a plot spoiler, but here's the niggler: you can't trade body parts between people with different blood types. (And it wouldn't have been noticeable at all if he hadn't made such a big deal about one of the characters being AB neg.) Simple stuff, really, and something that would probably be overlooked, but it got me.

Anyway, like I said, the writing was good enough that the flaws fell by the wayside. They made the first few pages hard to get into, but beyond that they were negligible. All in all, that is a really tough thing to do as a writer - make your writing strong enough to get the reader to ignore the flaws. (Of course, IMO, it would be better to have good writing and no flaws, but you get the drift.)

As I sit here this morning writing this, I'm wondering though. Is 'good enough' really good enough? Shouldn't someone somewhere along the way have pointed out that either an explanation is needed for why the flaw is possible or the flaw needs to be rewritten?

Agents say good writing trumps all. Does it? I guess in this case, it did. And really, the writing was excellent. I'll give Mr. Shusterman that.

Or am I being too anal this morning?

Oh, and once again I'm asking for readers. If you'd like to beta read Blink for me, I'll be happy to exchange crits or throw in a free book from the store. I just need some extra eyes to make sure I'm not committing any unforgiveable sins (like those flaws that drive me nuts). If you're interested, shoot me an email or leave a comment. Thanks.

.

Achievement - Biggest Loser Style

2009-02-18T07:38:00.004-07:00

I may have mentioned before (or maybe not) that I'm a fan of the show Biggest Loser. I got hooked a couple years ago after watching a marathon of it on Bravo. Seeing those people push themselves to lose weight, many of them after years of not being able to so much as eat smaller portions, was heartening. Seeing those people, who thought they could never do it, find the motivation to at least try is heroic. True, this time it's the lure of money, and since money is a great motivator, I say more power to them.

Now, I'm not overweight by any stretch of the imagination. (Although I am trying to lose weight, that's because the more pounds my bum leg carries the worse it feels. 140 is best; 163 was too much.) So that's not why I'm watching the show. I can't empathize with those people. I can sympathize because I've had some difficult things I had to get through myself, and because my sister's been battling her weight for 25+ years.

The main reason I watch is to see people doing difficult things and succeeding. It's the same principle behind watching Top Chef or Project Runway. Given a set of things to overcome, these people put their shoulder to the wheel and get the job done.

And what I hate about any of these shows are the whiners. With Biggest Loser this season, we had Joelle, who kept whining about how she was doing her best - but you could tell she wasn't. Even her own partner yelled at her. Even Bob the trainer (who has never flown off the handle in all the seasons of Biggest Loser) lost it and screamed at her. And still she went along her lazy way. If all the rest of the people were working out, she was sure to be seen sitting and watching - unless Bob jumped all over her. Now she's gone - voted off the ranch - and no one was sorry to see her go.

Another person I couldn't wait to see go, even though she was only back for a couple weeks, was Shanon. She and her mother were a team, and every week her mother (Helen) busted her butt to lose weight, but Shanon didn't seem like she could be bothered. In the end, she asked to be voted off because she was sure she could lose weight better at home. From the glimpse at her after she left, she was right. Unfortunately, in that mother-daughter relationship, it was clear she was going to do better without her mother around, because Helen was an enabler. Sad really. In trying to improve her daughter's self-esteem, she actually was crippling her ability to work through difficulties by herself. I didn't think Shanon was going to be able to lose weight, and I'm glad she proved me wrong.

Heh. There was a point in all this... Somewhere.

Ah yes, achievement. I like to see people achieve. I want to watch them succeed at their efforts. That's part of the reason I like sports. I need to see people taking that spark inside themselves and putting forth the tremendous effort it takes to win, and then doing winning. No whining involved.

It's also the reason I celebrate the launch of new books by people I know have busted their asses to see their books in print. I know how hard it is to write a book, and how hard it is to get something published. Seeing these hard-working people get it done, make me happy. (And conversely, seeing someone fall ass backwards into it, kinda ticks me off - but shit happens.) Sure, I'm jealous, but that just spurs me to work harder so I can achieve that success, too.

Without whining. Without complaining. Accepting the obstacles life sometimes puts in our way, and succeeding in spite of them.

Now if I can just get Biggest Loser to move to Thursday night, when nothing else I want to watch is on. This coinciding with NCIS thing is the pits. ;o)

Overheard on the Street

2009-02-16T14:50:00.002-07:00

Today's installment of Overheard on the Street is brought to you by a group of teenage boys. From the looks of it, one of them was playing something on his cell phone. As they walked past me, I heard the boy say to one of his friends:

"Dude, I tried for like ten hours. Seriously, from like 10 to 6."

Umm, yeah. Today's youth, inspiration for the future.

Taking Advice Albeit Late

2009-02-15T07:47:00.002-07:00

As I forge through the rewrite of Blink, I thought I'd take a break and thank those people who told me the beginning needed to start from somewhere else. Of course, that was over a year ago, and I wasn't in a place where I could SEE how right they were.

And how wrong I was to not see it.

It may take me a while, but I can admit when I'm wrong. The problem here is I was too close to Blink to see it. I loved the beginning. It said all the things I wanted to say and got the book moving. Or so I thought.

You see, I was so entrenched in making that beginning work, I couldn't see how badly it wasn't working. Hell, even after I knew it wasn't working, I had a devil of a time rewriting it. As I said before, the old words kept getting in the way of making a new start. I understand... They didn't want to die. But they had to, if the book was going to survive.

Now that they're gone, the story is so much better. A new start made a world of difference. I'm just sorry it took me a year to learn that lesson. And I'm sorry I didn't listen when people told me that truth whether I wanted to hear it at the time or not.

Don't get me wrong. I'm open to advice and suggestions - unless they seem like they're totally out of step with where I want my story to be. In this instance, that was the case, and I was wrong.

I didn't take 100% of the advice, of course. (It's the rebel in me, I guess. heh.) Back then, the idea was put forth to start the book at X point instead of Y. Instead, I threw out Y and created a totally new beginning to lead to X.

Starting at X would be too weird, IMO. And yes, I did try it. It really didn't work. Or at least it I couldn't find a way to write it so it would work. (Still can't. Starting at X seems too jarring - like throwing the reader in at a place where nothing makes sense. If that makes any sense.)

Anyway, the new beginning is finished, and I'm almost done weaving the new ideas into the original story. In deleting the old beginning, I had to snip a couple very minor characters, and now I have to get rid of the only other place they reappear. Plus, in the new beginning, I added some information that has to be worked in to later chapters. So far, it's all weaving together wonderfully well.

So, to those crit'ters who offered advice last year, thank you. I apologize for having my head up where it doesn't belong and not taking your words to heart.

Have you ever not taken someone's advice only to find out later they were right all along?

My Arch Nemesis Has Returned

2009-02-13T07:46:00.002-07:00

Call him Old Man Winter, or maybe Jack Frost... Whatever name he goes by, he is my arch nemesis and he returned with a vengeance last night. Bastard.

I used to have a fairly amiable relationship with him. I loved him when I was a kid. The snow days he gave me were a joy. The huge mounds of powdery white stuff that I could use to build a friend or a fort or a wicked sled run, those were wonderful presents when I was a child.

As I grew older, he began to wear on me. Still, it wasn't horrible. He did his thing and I did mine. Hell, I lived in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan for four years. You can't survive up there if you spent your time seething over his effects. For one thing, you'd never get anything done. And I have to admit, the traces of his passing are always pretty to look at.

Over the years, though, the relationship has definitely soured. I mean, I moved out of Michigan to get away from his annoying games. (Florida was wonderful for the short time I lived there. Winter was a little chilly, but Jack really doesn't have more than a passing acquiantance with the area.) How I ended up back in his realm is a long story, but here I am. And I returned to find that Jack--my childhood friend turned arch nemesis--is still up to his old tricks.

After more than a week of unseasonable warmth, I awoke this morning to three inches of snow with an anticipated four more on the way. Yesterday it was in the fifties, for cripesake. It was sunny and beautiful. Which makes this just so wrong.

Curses.

This isn't over Jack. You've won this time, but I will defeat you yet.

Maybe with a beach house on the Gulf. That'll show him.

;o)

Bad n Good

2009-02-12T08:59:00.002-07:00

Bad:

I didn't find Monica's book yesterday.

Good:

I found Rachel Vincent's Pride instead.

Bad:

They didn't get hubby's computer fixed.

Good:

Payless had really cute boots for cheap. (Really really cute and really really cheap, so I got two pair - one was marked down from $35 to $10 and I got it half off SCORE!.)

Bad:

I'll have to drive back up there to pick up hubby's computer when they finally get it done.

Good:

Maybe I'll find more cute shoes and good books when I go.

Bad:

My book room is overflowing.

Good:

Walmart had shelving for $15 each. I bought two units. So guess what I'll be doing today.

What's the bad n good in your life? (And yes, you must find something good to go with every bad.)

Wrap up

2009-02-10T21:47:00.004-07:00

Just a quick wrap up before I cruise off to bed. I know I took my word meters down. (Had to. The pressure was killing me.*) But I got 1200 words out on C&D tonight. Yay me.

I also sent a snail mail query off today. Just testing the waters with an agent I hadn't heard of - with a reputable agency, so no worries. We'll see if she likes RTL. If not, she might be a good one for Blink. We'll see what she has to say. Over the next few weeks, I'll be sending out others - and for other books as well.

You see, between the comments from my lovely blogpals and this book I'm reading, I got the kick I couldn't give myself. I'm going to publish. I'm going to get an agent. I will see my books in print. (And not just off my own Lexmark.)

In other news, I'll be taking the hubby's computer in for service tomorrow. Not a yay, but if it fixes the problems, it's worth the lost work time. Here's hoping Walmart has Monica McCarty's latest Hot Highlander novel. Kill two birds with one stone. ;o)

What are you up to? Any progress in what you're doing? Any good things to report? Have you read Monica's new book yet? (If you haven't read her others, they are hot hot hot - and the stories are awesome, too.)

*Kidding. I just got bored with it. They might come back later.

YoDip

2009-02-09T13:03:00.003-07:00

In my search for ways to have snacks without breaking our diet, I created a concoction last night. I call it YoDip. Super easy, nonfat, and yummy.

YoDip

2 cups Nonfat Plain yogurt (220 calories)
1/2 packet onion soup mix (50 calories)

Stir thoroughly. Chill overnight for best results. Serve with lowfat crackers or chips or veggies - whatever blows your skirt up. They way I figure it, it's about 9 calories per tablespoon for the dip (check the package for calorie count on your dipable substance of choice) and none of those calories are from fat. Yay.

Next time, I'm going to try creating a sweet dip for rice cakes. I'll let you know how it goes - unless it's really nasty, in which case I'll carry the recipe to my grave. ;o)

A True Hero

2009-02-08T20:59:00.005-07:00

You've probably heard all about the plane that crash landed in the Hudson River last month. Thanks to the skill and cool-headedness of Capt. "Sully" Sullenberger, all 155 people aboard lived to spend more time with their families.

Tonight on 60 minutes, they aired an interview Katie Couric did with the courageous captain (read an article about the interview here). Everything I've seen of the man has impressed the hell out of me - starting with the amazing landing, and continuing with every appearance he's made on TV. He's a rare human being. A hero who doesn't apologize for being heroic, and neither does he trot out a load of hubris. He's not even comfortable with being called a hero, because he knows he was just doing his job.

In my book, that makes him even more heroic.

Hell, the guy is still wracking his brain trying to figure out if he could've done the whole thing another way. Maybe he's thinking there was some way to avoid those damn birds, but I don't think there's anything else he could've done to make that landing any sweeter than it was. They showed a video caught by some security camera, and damn if he didn't set that baby down like he was sliding into home.

He gets hero of the year, if you ask me.

Of course, I could've slapped Couric, but I never liked her anyway. It was almost like she was trying to take away from man's accomplishment. Feh. I know she was going for the whole 'human interest' thing, but I think the story has all that without trying to pry weakness out of a man who had better things to do than cry or pray or shiver in fear. If he had taken the time to do those things, we'd be mourning the loss of 155 people instead of celebrating the fact that they're alive. Thank goodness a cooler head prevailed.

So, this one is for you Sully. Thank you.

Ta Da

2009-02-07T20:57:00.003-07:00

Well, I finished Nano's first draft today. I don't remember how many first drafted books* that is now - I have at least one I never finished beyond that - but if I get this one through the edits, I'll be at #6. Five years, six books... not too shabby.

Let's see...

Spectacle
Caldera
AWJ (never finished beyond first draft)
Blink
RTL
Manhunter
Nano
(*okay, now I remember)

Of course, there are several I never got all the way to THE END on. C&D is one of those, along with one I call Redemption, another known as Be Careful (short for Be Careful What You Wish For). Add to that several shorts: Fire, Mirror, Haudego, Pigwell, Bad Fluffy Bunny, etc. - and that's something to be proud of.

I haven't sold yet, but I am proud. I'll be even more so when I'm published, but for now I'll bask in the glow.

As for completing Nano to the point where it's ready for other people to read it, I probably should take some time before I edit, but after so much time away already, the only parts still fresh are the ones I did recently. With that in mind, I'm guessing I've already taken my gel time on this project and should just get back to work.

Which, of course, means shifting either Blink or C&D to the back burner again. Hmmm, I wonder if I can work the schedule and do all three.

Time will tell. All I know at this point is that it just feels good to get back to work.

Writer Fix Thyself

2009-02-06T08:38:00.002-07:00

Back in Utah, I bought this book - not because I thought I really needed it, but because I respect the author and I figured I could read it later. Problem with that was, I never did. As I was sorting through my store earlier this week, I noticed it again and decided to take it out of the store (can't remember why I even put it in there) so I could actually read it. At this point, I could probably use a little kick in the ass anyway, right? Lord knows kicking my own ass hasn't done me much good this time around. So between store work and school work, I started reading it again. And you know what?

It seems to be working.

Oh, I forgot to tell you what the book is. It's Grow Up America! by Dr. Michael Hurd. If you're not familiar with Dr. Hurd (and you're probably not), he's a psychotherapist with some decidedly new ideas on how to help people the rational way. I used to visit his site on a regular basis, read his 'Daily Dose of Reason', and soak up his knowledge like a sponge.

Anyway, one thing I got just from reading the first couple chapters is a reminder that A is A. Or basically what is, is - and that's all that there is, so make the best of it. Control the things you can control, and get over the rest of it. Sitting around wishing I had an agent isn't going to get me one. I can't control any of them or their reactions to my work. All I can do is write the best stories I can write, and sooner or later the rest will follow. I can't make it happen any sooner by sitting on my ass, whining about the unfairness of it all - or how hard it all is, or how unfair. Neither will pouting over how much I suck. If I think I suck, the only thing to do is to try harder not to suck.

Another thing Dr. Hurd points out is to look at life with optimistic realism. Start every situation with a positive outlook, and adjust to reality as necessary. Negative thoughts only perpetuate themselves. (I'm going from memory here, not quoting - so if I missed the point, correct me, please.) Which means if I think I suck, I will suck. If I hold the thought that I am a good writer, until reality proves otherwise, then I will continue to write well and continue to improve as I receive more information.

Well, duh. I knew that, but I forgot about it. I was spending so much time wallowing in my rejections that I couldn't see what was staring me in the face. I'm a good writer. I know that. I also know there is room for improvement - there's always room for improvement - but those things I need to improve on don't make me a horrible writer or a horrible person.

:grin: Sometimes all it takes is a nudge.

Dr. Hurd doesn't fix people. He shows people how to fix themselves. And I need to work on that just as hard as I work on everything else - harder even because sometimes I can be a slacker.

And on that note, I have to say I wrote 1600 words last night - 1000 on C&D and :drumroll: another 600 on Nano! I might actually finish this book now that I don't think I suck.

Here's hoping all of you have a productive and successful weekend.

=o)

Five Years

2009-02-05T07:15:00.002-07:00

So, it's been a half a decade now since I started writing seriously. As you might have noticed from my post a couple days ago, sometimes this fact hits me like a sack of wet cement. (Almost like my 30th birthday and my upcoming 40th in another 16 months.) Sometimes it just gives me pause, and I look back at the things I've learned over those years. Today is one of those look back and ponder days.

Yesterday, Jessica Faust over at BookEnds wrote an excellent post called Rolling with the Punches in which she says: "Give It Five Years... In my opinion, five years is the time you need to really be able to judge whether or not your business is working.". At first this statement about derailed me. Since it's been that exact amount of time for me, I wondered whether this particular tip was going to indicate I should probably chuck this business of writing and take a job at the local grocery store. (How hard can scanning food into a cash register be?) Lucky for me, that isn't what she was trying to say at all. In the second paragraph of that, she goes on to say that at five years look back and evaluate your progress.

Have you learned anything or are you still in the same place you were when you started? I've learned a bunch. I've learned that this isn't anywhere near as easy as I assumed when I started (not the writing part, but the publishing part). I've learned that not everything I want to write is going to mesh with the market - and that sometimes that's okay because writing with the market in mind may mean not being true to myself. (Tried to write for the market - failed miserably.)

True, in some ways I'm still in the same place. After all, I'm not published, I'm not agented, and I'm still adding to my rejection collection. But for the most part, I've grown as a writer. My work now is much tighter and cleaner than it was five years ago.

Additionally, I've grown as writer as it pertains to the business side of this enterprise. My query letters and other submission materials are much better than they were when I started trying to get someone interested in Spectacle. I'm receiving partial requests and full requests. So I must be doing something right. Right? Another thing Ms. Faust mentions is a change in my publishing network, which has certainly happened. (Many times over, as a matter of fact.) I still don't belong to any writerly groups - well, I used to, but that didn't work out - but I have people I can connect with in this business. I have this blog, for instance, and I have a wide range of blogs I read and comment on, which is sort of like a big amorphous writerly group.

So all in all, I'm moving ahead. Not at the rate I originally assumed I'd be moving at, but forward motion shouldn't be discounted even when it's baby steps.

As for the accomplishments of the past five years, I've:

- Written five books (Spectacle, Caldera, Blink, RTL, Manhunter) to THE END.
- Revised and revised and revised all of the above.
- Gotten book six to almost THE END, and I've restarted a series I've been meaning to write for the past three years.
- Written umpteen query letters, synopses, outlines, bios, etc. With each pass getting stronger.
- Had a great CP
- Lost a great CP (has anyone seen my missing CP?)
- Made some awesome new friends (some of whom have also become beta readers - thank you)
- Started and maintained this blog. I've even had some notable people stop by.
- Guest blogged for another blog.
- Wrote and entered a few shorts to competitions and lit journals.
- Started two other blogs (although posting has been sporadic at best)

During all this, I also started homeschooling my daughter, and we've been at that going on four years now. Who knew I could re-learn Algebra, and teach myself enough Chemistry to point her in the right direction?

Looking back, I guess I really don't have anything to bitch about. I'm sure I could've done more to get my career off the runway. I could've sent more queries. I could've learned about the business more before I sent Spectacle out into the world, so maybe it wouldn't have failed so miserably. But what's past is passed, and as much as we might like to, we can't change what's gone before. We can only learn and move forward.

Thanks to Jessica Faust for reminding me about that part. She really is an awesome person - whether she knows how much she's helped me over the years or not.

Your turn. How long have you been writing? What are some of the lessons you've learned over your time in the business? Do you feel like you've grown or are you in the same place you were when you started?

Shhhh

2009-02-04T08:08:00.004-07:00

:imagine this in whispers: I don't want to jinx anything, but I wrote some new words last night. Not a lot of words, mind you, but enough to get C&D rolling again. yay. :end whisper:

And on the subject of being quiet, can anyone explain to me why the level of noise seems to be rising? Is it just that I'm creeping up on 40, or is a large portion of our populous really looking forward to being deaf some day?

Years ago, I read a really great article on this noise thing, but right now I'm at a loss as to the name of the writer or the article. He theorized that it had something to do with people wanting to shut out reality and/or their own thoughts by turning their stereos up. (You know, it's really hard to think with the bass booming and some person/band shrieking in your ears.) Made a lot of sense to me then, and it still does.

Not that it's just stereos, iPods, CD players, MP3 players, etc. (You'd be surprised how many kids in this little town blare their iPods - like loud enough to hear across the street.) People seem to be talking louder, too, but maybe that's just a function of the self-induced hearing loss. :shrug:

Thoughts?

Working in the Store

2009-02-03T13:45:00.004-07:00

While I pull my head out of whatever orifice it's jammed into at the moment, I'm reading and working on my bookstore. (If you weren't already aware, I sell used books through Amazon. I'm not going to get rich, but it feeds my book-buying addiction, and I hope gives some people who can't afford new books a chance to read.)

Anyway, that's what I've been hip-deep in for the past few days. After we moved in October, I never took the time to reorganize my stock. Around 1500 books in no particular order, spread through three rooms. Ever try to alphabetize that many books? It ain't pretty. Still, considering what a pain it was to find anything, in the long run it'll be worth it.

Oh, and the unhappy circumstance that while I was moving about a third of my stock dropped out of my listings... Well, now that I have them organized and sorted, I'm in the process of relisting those 500 or so books. Weeee.

On the upside, it's keeping my mind off my recent slump. Here's hoping all that physical labor shakes something in my head loose. (Not that there aren't already a lot of things loose up there. They're just the wrong things.)

As for the reading front, I just finished book #13 for the year so far. (If you haven't read G.A. Aiken's dragon books yet, get thee out and buy both. You won't regret it - they're hot.) That's way ahead of last year, and if I read at this pace, I'll be looking at around twice the number read this year than last. I'm hoping I don't have this much time to read all year, but I'm trying to look on the bright side.

How's your life going? Read any good books lately?

Sick of Myself

2009-02-02T06:57:00.005-07:00

A couple days ago, Karin Tabke asked what challenges her blog readers face for the coming year, and my answer is - as usual - getting an agent (and all the stuff that comes after that). Karin's reply was simply: "Are you sending stuff out?"

Umm... :hangs head in shame:

Not at the moment.

You see, everything I have ready to send out has already been rejected by damn near everyone on the planet (or at least it feels that way). :cough:loser:cough: Which is why I'm reworking Blink - which hasn't been rejected because it was never queried - and trying to write that cute mystery series I've always wanted to write.

Still doesn't make me any less of a loser. I mean, seriously, five years? (Officially, five years last week was when I typed the first words of Spectacle.) And not five years of working on one book, either. It wasn't even five years where I had to compete with a day job for writing time.

Of course, some days are better than others. Some days I hit the world with a bright outlook and cheerful optimism (no, really... I do). Other days are like today when all I can think of goes kinda like this quote from Shelley:

I could lie down like a tired child,
And weep away the life of care
Which I have borne, and yet must bear.

And then I get totally pissed and sick of myself. (I can only wonder whether you're sick of me yet, too. Wanda Whiner that I am. Boo fucking hoo.)

So, coming back around to the question of the day: Am I sending stuff out? In truth the answer is: No, I'm too much of a big baby to send anything out lately. "What if they don't like it?" "What if they stomp all over it (and by it, I mean the story and therefore my chest) again?" Wah.

I know I can't sell anything if I don't send it out. I know if I never try I'll always fail. I've heard all the maxims. I know all the rah-rah'isms. I've tried all the tricks to get myself out of this slump. Unfortunately, it all comes back to this.

And I'm totally sick of myself.

Who Needs Groundhogs?

2009-01-31T09:38:00.003-07:00

Two days from now, good ol' Punxsutawney Phil will be pulled from his hole to tell the world whether Winter is over. What a crappy job, and for what? He's only right 50% of the time anyway. (And in any given situation where you have two answers to chose from, you're going to get the same odds.)

For me, my sure signs Spring is near comes from my feathered friends. First off, the finches are eating at my feeder again. No finches all winter, and then a couple of days ago, I get finch-a-palooza.

But the real kicker was that this morning, I saw the first robin of Spring. Not only saw him, but he started singing from his perch at the top of our neighbor's tree. Huzzah!

Regardless of whatever anyone else says, the birds are usually right. They don't begin to migrate until whatever internal sensors they possess tell them they're going to find food wherever they're headed. God, I love evolution.

Sure, there could be one stupid robin who jumped the gun. I've seen it before. He arrives way too early and either starves or freezes. If it was just one bird, I wouldn't stake my reputation on it. But, the finches - and a whole flock of them - followed by that one robin pretty much nails it for me. Add in the fact that he was singing - which they don't do unless there's a fairly good chance a mate will be arriving soon - and I'm predicting winter here will end with a whimper this year.

If I'm wrong, you all can come back and laugh at me later.

So, Phil? Sleep in on the second. The birds have got your back. ;o)

Scattered

2009-01-30T07:56:00.004-07:00

As you may know, I've been trying to work on at least two unfinished projects - Blink and C&D. The problem is I still have Nano to finish. AND my brain has been skipping to ideas for other projects I either haven't started, or completely new stories I haven't even plugged into my Ideas file yet. I can't seem to get my brain centered on one thing long enough to keep at it.

And it's making me so scattered I'm unable to get a firm grip on anything.

For instance, in the middle of Manhunter, I got the idea to write it as one of a series - each about a serial crime of some sort. (Since the organization behind Manhunter is a serial crimes task force.) Manhunter deals with a different kind of serial murderer. The next book deals with a bizarre serial rapist (not bizarre as in those things normal society sees as deviant acts of sexual behavior - beyond the raping itself, that is - but bizarre in what drives him to do what he does). A third is also a serial murder story, but with an interesting twist. Those two books after Manhunter are ones I've been thinking about for a while, but I just got the idea for a fourth in the series - having to do with a serial arsonist this time.

And then there is the fact that C&D is being written as part of a mystery series. Same problem. I have the first book. I have a general premise for the second and third. Just now, the idea for a fourth popped into my head.

(Don't even get me started on the 9 pages worth of other ideas I already have in my files.)

No wonder I can't get my brain to focus on the two... okay, three books I already have on my plate to finish. I'm thinking there's some psychological reason behind all this, but I'm stymied as to how to fix what's going on in my head. I mean, all this could be my brain throwing new ideas out as roadblocks - because if I can't finish something, I won't have the opportunity to get rejected again. Could be.

Anyway, I'm scattered, and it's making me stuck. I try to move past it, and you know what happens? My brain throws more things at me while I'm trying to fall asleep. The other night I made some real progress on getting back into C&D, and as soon as I went to bed, the muse barfed up a new plot line for a book I'm not even planning on writing (at least not in the foreseeable future). Dirty rat bastard.

I guess I just need to sit still for a while, figure out what in the hell is going on in my subconscious, and get my ever-widening ass back to work. Or if not the former, definitely the latter.

Ever run across this type of thing in your own world? Ever have your subconscious attack you when you think you're trying to get something done? (I think it's akin to when you know you have to clean the bathrooms, and suddenly you find yourself doing laundry, or vaccuuming, or baking... anything to avoid the chore.) Any thoughts?

Trying Something New

2009-01-28T16:29:00.002-07:00

I've been a voracious reader for most of my life (except for those years in the '90s when I had my head up my... ummm... yeah), and I've found that once I find an author I like I tend to stick to those books. After a while, though, I run into a major problem: some of those old favorites are dead and I've read everything they wrote.

For a while, I just started reading everything I could get my hands on. Unfortunately, that led to buying some real stinkers, some well-written but irritating things, and some that were just bleh. Needless to say, I got burned enough to stop buying books unless they were recommended by someone I knew and trusted. That can be problematic when the people you know aren't readers like you are, and I burned through whatever recommendations I got rather rapidly. (And I got burned by a few because our minds weren't on the same page, if you know what I mean.)

Nowadays, I really have a tough time picking up new books, unless they're by someone I know is good (And those people really need to write faster, darn it all. :smirk:) OR they've got a cover blurb by an author I like.

Say, for instance, Allison Brennan has a quote on the cover of a book. That's one sure way to get me to shell out my cash. So far, she's only steered my wrong once, and the books in that series weren't really that bad - just not Brennan caliber. There're probably about a half-dozen writers who I respect enough to buy based on their word.

Without those recommendations, I'm pretty lost. I hate reading back cover copy - because I don't want the copy to spoil the excitement of reading a story blind. I don't read the first few pages - because it's like eating grapes at the store: If I didn't pay for it yet, I'm not consuming it. Basically, when I'm looking for something new to try, I rolls the dice and I takes my chances - so to speak.

I hit about 50/50 doing that. Not a cost effective way to work this reading thing I do, but since I look at all books as research of some sort (even if it's only researching what NOT to do), it's not a big loss. And really, when I think about it, in the past few years there's only been one book I started and stopped reading only a few pages in. That was a real gag-fest of crappy writing. I didn't chuck it against the wall, but the urge was there. Yuck.

Anyway, I guess there really isn't a point to this post. So far this year, I've liked everything I read - some more than others, but that's expected. I'm just waiting for the next time I plunk my money down for an untested title and end up wishing I had my $7.99+tax back.

Tell me: Do you try new authors out? How do you decide what to try?

Links and Things

2009-01-27T07:43:00.002-07:00

First off, let me just say... IT'S FRIGGIN' FREEZIN'!!! I just walked in from shoveling snow, and I had to get that off my chest. I mean, four degrees and snow?? Who's idea was that? Yuck.

Now, for the real post...

This morning as I was skipping through the blogosphere, I came across some interesting posts I thought y'all might like. For instance...

At BookEnds, Jessica shares a letter from a reader that I think any writer can relate to. Some days this business of trying to move from unpub to pub can really suck. I feel bad for the teen who wrote the letter. I mean, I started doing this at 34 and even with my self-worth firmly set, it wasn't easy. I can't imagine what it would be like at 17, when you're still pretty unsure of yourself anyway, to be getting rejection letters. Ack. All I can say to the writer of that letter is: Hang in there, kid. Oh and: Don't let the bastards grind you down.

In other news, Monica McCarty's latest hottie Highlander novel releases today. I'm not usually a fan of historicals, but this series has me wanting to inhale them all. I'll be panting in line to buy in today (if the local store has it, that is - otherwise, it'll have to wait until my next book trip).

If you haven't seen it already, there a new blog in town. Last monday was the launch post of a writerly blog called Genreality. Plenty of good authors are hanging out there, including one of my favs: Lynn Viehl (aka Paperback Writer). So far they've had some interesting posts, and I'm guessing it'll prove to be a valuable source of information in the days ahead.

Over at The Fictionistas today, Kristen Painter discusses the various words and phrases coined by The Bard himself. I don't know about any of you, but I love Shakespeare. As I said in my comment on the site, 'he's da man'.

Otherwise, I'm just reading and trying to write. In the reading category, I've got my hands on the second Dresden Files novel (or is the third?): Fool Moon. Like the Dresden books I've read before, this one is a good read. Not only that, but it's also good research (on how to write an excellent mystery) and it's good inspiration. Reading it has led me to revisit my own mystery series.

Which means I'm back to re-re-reading Cut & Dried. While it doesn't have any paranormal or fantasy elements like the Dresden novels, it has that same quick wit and gritty reality you see in the works of Raymond Chandler, Mickey Spillane and Erle Stanley Gardner. I'm thinking of billing Cut & Dried (the first JA mystery) as what would happen if Mickey Spillane and Rita Rudner had a love child who was then raised by Janeane Garofalo (without her politics, of course). So far, it's pretty funny and, I hope, fairly hard-boiled. Time will tell.

Of course, I'm still working on revising Blink. I think I'll leave it for the weekends, though, and get back to my old schedule: Write on weekdays. Edit on weekends. (Since I'm only 84 pages into C&D, it counts as new writing.)

What's new in your world? Seen any good posts?

Snipping Words and Deleting Grandma

2009-01-25T08:23:00.004-07:00

Wading through pages and paragraphs, trying to find the path that will make this book better... Well, it ain't easy. Blink is giving me fits. It haunts my brain, especially while I'm trying to fall asleep. It whispers to me in the shower, and while I'm outside smoking.

The old words are still there, and while they aren't right, they're trying to claim some strange type of seniority. "Well, we were here first," they say in a somewhat whiny voice. "How could you try to replace us with new words?" Entitlement mentality for the verbage, I guess. I know it's wrong, and I suspect, so do they. But there they are, staring back at me every time I try to re-write chapter two. And they aren't the worst of it. During this re-write, I'm deleting a few minor - and wholly unnecessary - characters. They aren't doing more than taking up space. They only have a couple of lines at most, and they aren't driving the story forward.

But they don't want to die.

Of course, it doesn't help that the one named character I'm going to delete was named after my grandmother. Silly me. I have to delete my grandmother. Good thing she's already gone, or she'd chew me out for certain. (Let's just say she wasn't a cookie-baking, soft and cuddly grandma and leave it at that. I don't want to speak ill of the dead.) Don't get me wrong. Grandma was a great character. She may make an appearance in one of my other books someday. But not here.

Anyway, to get around the words on my screen, and stop their incessant whining, I decided to print them out and get rid of them that way. I'll just take them over to the couch, do the necessary snipping and when I have a new chapter two, I'll bring it over here for the finally dirty work.

Sorry Grandma.

For today's question, let me know if you've ever named characters after relatives/loved ones, and whether you've ever had to kill off or delete someone you knew (in your writing, of course).

Chewing Myself Out, etc.

2009-01-22T07:45:00.006-07:00

Heh. After my post about intentions, the writing gods have been conspiring to put me in my place. I won't bore you with the details. Suffice it to say my intentions really have been for shit lately.

Okay, one detail... An unexpected trip out of town yesterday led to a book-buying extravaganza. Eight new books for me, five (I think) for the daughter-person. My TBR pile is now officially huge (for me). I love Barnes & Noble - even more than Borders, because B&N has a better selection of both books and music. Of course, there were still two books on my must-have list that were out of stock, but all-in-all it was a successful trip.

Of course, having so many books to read gives me an excuse not to write. Must... fight... lame... excuse. Last night, I started in on the last book in Lynn Viehl's Darkyn Series, though, so the fight is on. I should've been writing instead. I need to keep my reading down to those hours during the day when my computer is unavailable. No reading at night. Damn it.

Umm... ok.

Anyway, I've got plans to get back to work on Blink tonight. (Note to self: As much as you love the title, change it. It's not working.*) We'll see how those plans go.

In other news, the books I picked up yesterday as full of awesomeness. They are:

Stay the Night by Lynn Viehl
At Grave's End by Jeaniene Frost
Devil May Ride by Wendy Roberts
About a Dragon by G.A. Aiken
Fool Moon by Jim Butcher
Stardoc by S.L. Viehl
The Little Book of Mathematical Principles, Theories and Things by Robert Solomon
The Element Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures by John & Caitlin Matthews

Oh, and I forgot I bought a book locally last week:
Whisper No Lies by Cindy Gerard

Which brings the grand total of new books to nine. The first five books are from series I've been reading (although with the Stardoc series, I'm clearly reading out of order - since I read the last two in the series first, and Stardoc is the first in the series). The last two I got yesterday are reference - one for school and the other for writing. The funny thing is, the only romantic suspense I bought was the one I picked up last week - and that was because it had a quote from Allison Brennan on the cover.

Eh, I look at it this way: Everything I read is research, even if it's not in my genre. There are things to be learned from every writer, so even though I'm not writing SF or paranormal or fantasy, I still can pick things up.

Or at least that's what I tell myself when I see how much I spend on books every year. Ugh.

Reading anything good? Or are you writing like you're supposed to?

:lashes self repeatedly using wet noodle:

Making it Believable

2009-01-19T21:54:00.005-07:00

The new beginning? Well, it's been snipped. This morning I woke up with a better idea in my head and went to work. All told, Blink is 1652 words shorter than it was, but it's tons better already. I just have some new things to weave in the rest of the story to make it all more believable.

And that's what this is all about, right?

Whether we're writing about today or a thousand years ago, here or some distance galaxy or a made-up world of our own imagination - it's all about making it believable.

To illustrate let me use some examples from the film industry. Take, for instance, the movie Volcano. Premise is simple and a little outlandish - a volcano sprouts up in the middle of LA. Probable? No. Plausible? The way they wrote it, yes.

Around the same time, the movie Dante's Peak hit theaters. A dormant volcano wakes up and takes out a town of disbelievers. Both probable and plausible.

Of the two, though, the more believable movie was Volcano. Why? Because the writers put some thought into the little things that would make the moviegoers forget the implausibility of the premise. Little things like the immense heat from lava can and will kill people. Volcano lost a few characters - like the guy who played Drew Carey's cross-dressing brother - because lava kills (awesome scene, btw... I cry every time I see it). Dante's Peak? The MC drives his truck through a river of molten rock and the only thing that catches fire are the tires.

Umm, ya.

So these are the types of things I try to catch when I'm creating a world. Right now it's a little more difficult because I'm dealing with the future, and as long as I stick to the laws of reality, I can play with the world. Just how to make each piece work with every other piece... Well, that's what's making this so tricky. And those are also the places where I'm catching the little inconsistencies that will trip the reader up.

I hate those little trips.

Almost like when you're reading along and a character's hair color changes, but worse. I ran into theis very problem when I had to rewrite the middle at the end of '07. I couldn't put my finger on what was wrong, and then it hit me upside the head. It was one of those "DUH" moments. Like "if the other guys have all this technology why wouldn't they have wiped out the bad guys decades ago... duh." I tried to wiggle my way around it by creating a lame excuse, but in the end, that's all it really was - LAME.

So I rewrote it, and it's really so much better. Only problem is, I didn't see I still had flaws earlier on. I see them now, and I'm fixing them. It just takes time.

As for Nano, until I've taken Blink as far as I can go (or I get her finished - whichever comes first), I'm putting Nano on hold. It'll still be there when I get back. So will all the new notes I made trying to put it back together again.

*shrug* Such is the writing life.

Ever have to do something like this with your story? If not, just tell me about an inconsistency you saw or read that totally tripped you up.

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A New Beginning

2009-01-18T21:28:00.002-07:00

Well, after days of worrying and wondering and trying desperately to find a spark that would light the way, I did it. I finally have the makings of a new beginning for Blink. I'm still not sure I'm on the 100% track, but it's something. 660 words of something as a matter of fact, which is more words than I've written in the past month +.

So, to recap, I rewrote the entire middle of Blink last year. Now, I'm recreating the beginning. If I decide to the end needs to go, I'll have written an entirely new book - only with the original premise shining through more completely than before.

Ever had to rewrite something - especially something that on first (or tenth as the case may be) pass looked pretty damn good to begin with? It ain't easy, let me tell ya.

Oh well, no one said any of this gig was going to be easy. And hell, something of the best things in life aren't easy. ("So get over it already," I say to myself.)

Onward.

Totally Useless Trivia

2009-01-15T21:24:00.003-07:00

Since I'm a bit scattered... I wish I could claim revision brain, but I'm not there yet... I decided to give you some totally useless trivia.

For instance, did you know that...

Oldsmobile Achievas, without fail, will blow a gasket between 50-60K miles. Yep, something about the fabulous design of the Quad4 engine and antifreeze getting into the oil. Mine blew at 56K. Nothing like $1500 for repairs. And now we know why the Achieva was discontinued.

The sperm whale has a penis that's 12 ft long and 2 ft in diameter at the base. Something I heard on a nature program back when I was in college. It led to several interesting discussions, let me tell ya.

There was once a war in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. My college resident advisor was doing her Masters thesis on it. It was between the Finnish immigrants and the Italian immigrants. Several people were killed, if I remember correctly.

And of course, a skirmish occurred between Ohio and Michigan over the strip of land that is only notable because it held Toledo. I don't know who won. LOL

Jack Benny was married to Mary Livingston. She was on his show, but they didn't really talk about it. (Caught that on a PBS special the other night.)

Speaking of TV, did you know that Star Trek was the first show to show an inter-racial kiss? Kirk and Uhura.

Oh, and even though you probably don't think that rabbits make noise, they do. They have the most horrific scream. I'd tell you the story of how I know, but it was upsetting 23 years ago, and I'm still not over it. Silence of the rabbits, perhaps?

People used to believe that you could see ghosts by looking at them through the space between the ears of a cat. Try and find a cat who'll hold still long enough for that. They also thought you could see them by looking through the hole in your wedding ring.

If you're into football, did you know QB Ben Rothlisberger now has a punt to add to his stats? Last weekend, he kicked one. I don't remember how far it went, but probably far enough to get him into the record books. (QBs don't kick... at least not any more. I think they might've back in the old days, but I don't know.)

Okay. Your turn. Have any totally useless trivia? Who knows when it might come in handy.

Oh, and one last one. Do you know how a fly lands on the ceiling? I once spent an afternoon in college watching to find out. They hover just below the ceiling and then reach up with their front legs. Once their front legs touch, they swing the rest of their body around. Heh. I told you it was totally useless.

;o)

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Random Thoughts

2009-01-14T07:24:00.004-07:00

WTF? Who got coffee on my Caps Lock key?* :grumble: Umm, it was me, but I don't remember doing it, and it's irritating.

In other news, I've restarted my mission to get healthier. I'm back on my 1300-1400 calorie a day diet, and I'm exercising again. This means: A) I'm hungry, and B) I'm sore. On the upside, my jeans are already starting to feel more comfortable. Yesterday's workout was a killer - for me, anyway. We (my daughter and I) only exercised for about 20 minutes, but we went through a range of things, and now I'm feeling the burn. Push-ups are evil, btw. And if you've never walked up and down stairs for a few minutes straight, you probably aren't familiar with how necessary your quads are for things like standing up and sitting down. Somebody slather me with Aspercreme.

Did anyone else get the Dilbert daily desk calendar for Christmas? I love Dilbert, but so far this year, the comics are lame. Last week was all about Scott Adams getting trapped in the strip, and while it should've been funny, it just wasn't. Here's hoping they pick up later in the year. I still have pages from a Dilbert calendar I had back in Michigan - they were that funny.

Due to hubby's ongoing computer problems, and daughter's online classes, my computer time is seriously curtailed. First thing in the morning and late at night are the best time slots for me to accomplish anything, which means if you don't see a post here in the morning, you may not see one. The limited time at night means I need to utilize every bit for work.

Which is my way of saying that, yes, I am writing again. Not new words, but I am working my way through Nano. Still loving the story, but as I go through the story trying to pick up where I left off, I can see some things that I definitely need to fix. Right now, I'm just making notes in red whenever I find something, as well as changing typos as I see them. I'll reserve the real editing for when I finally finish the book.

You know, the last couple autumns I burned up the keyboard. First I wrote Blink in the fall of '06, and then I wrote RTL in the fall of '07. The fall of '08? I got partway through Nano. :grrr: I'm such a slacker. And spring is usually my slow time. Not this year. I got work to do. If the mid-winter blahs try to catch me this year, I'm just going to have to kick the shit out of them.

Speaking of Blink, I still need to re-write the beginning, but after I get done with that, I'm going to be looking for readers. It's a speculative (i.e. dystopic, futuristic - think Hunger Games or Fahrenheit 451 or Anthem) that should appeal to YA as well as adult readers. And I'll be looking for Nano readers as soon as I get this sucker finished.

Anyhoo, work calls. What random thoughts do you have today?

*Turns out it wasn't coffee. It was grapefruit. Daughter dear ate one when she was doing Physics and it squirted. She's been properly chastised. ;o)

The Big Chapter... or What Not to Do During First Draft

2009-01-12T22:11:00.002-07:00

So, I am trying to get back into the swing of working on Nano again. It ain't easy, lemme tell ya. Of course, it would've been a whole lot easier if I had done one simple thing while I was first-drafting.

You know, like put in chapter breaks.

Sitting here looking at where to begin catching back up with Randi and Jack and Vic, I was faced with the daunting size of chapter 15. (Hereafter known as The Big Chapter.) You see, way back when I wrote chapter 15, I must've been on a roll. I just kept typing and typing, and before I knew it chapter 15 was fifty-plus pages long. Never one to heed my own inner warnings, I forged ahead.

And then I stopped writing. After which, I came back to find myself thoroughly lost, without so much as a bread crumb to guide me back onto the path. It was either start over from the beginning (actually, in this case, the midpoint) or tear my hair out trying to figure where I went astray.

Usually reading a last chapter shakes something loose, but in this case, the last chapter was 192 pages long. Just the sight of that huge sea of text looming over me was enough to send me running back to my notebook. :shudder:

Tonight, I waded in and decided to tackle the beast by doing what I should've done in the first place. I put in chapter breaks. I didn't much care exactly where - except for the obvious fact that each was placed at a scene break. It doesn't really matter where they are, just that they are.

Heh. The little hang-ups we writers get ourselves tangled up by.

This done, though, I feel much better about wrestling the story into place. Even scanning through the pages tonight, I got a better sense of who my characters were and how they all fit together. I even saw a few places where I had changed the gist of a minor character, and realized I now have to go back to the beginning and make him who he really is. Good stuff wandering through pages.

And if I'd done this sooner, I could already be deep in the fixes rather than trying to write the end so I can get to the fixes.

Some days I could just throttle myself. Know what I mean?

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Ugh

2009-01-11T21:00:00.003-07:00

Well, I'm still battling the crud from hell on hubby's computer, but tech support is being awesome, so I can't complain. It seems that this latest batch of boredom-induced, geek-vengeance is the very newest of its kind. (BTW, way to take geek-vengeance on a self-avowed geek. Thanks you moron.)

Anyway, in the midst of this severe PITA, I have managed to get some things accomplished. Since we're sharing my computer, I've been working with my handy-dandy notebook and nifty ink pen. It's not so bad, really. Sometimes I shift over to the by-hand method to shake the muse loose, and it seems like it's working for me.

First off, I started by working on the story idea I got the other night. Not much actual story on paper yet, but I have a lot of worldbuilding I need to do before I know who my MC is and where she's going to go.

Then, I shifted my brain over to Blink. I thought about some things that might need changing - like the entire beginning of the book - and I brainstormed for ways to dig out of that hole.

Finally, after over a month, I took a look at Nano. I still think the beginning is awesome, but I can see where some of what I wrote in the first few chapters clashes with what I wrote near the end. Lots of stuff to fix, but that's what editing is all about. I do have some good notes to work from to fix the beginning, and I'll be working as I go along. I know I haven't finished the book yet, but I have to start from somewhere after all this time away, and the beginning seems like the best place to go. Maybe I'll get partway through this edit and remember how exactly I wanted everything to come together at the end.

All in all a frustrating weekend, but productive.

How are things in your neck of the woods?

PS. Oh, and to put a little perspective on things: If you haven't heard about it by now, writer and blogpal Travis Erwin lost his house to a fire last week. I meant to post about it earlier, but as with everything, it slid through the sieve I call my mind. Travis really is a good person and a good writer, so if you have any way you can make his life just a little bit better, please help. (Even if it's only to pass the message along by posting about it on your blog.)

Malware Alert

2009-01-09T07:28:00.006-07:00

I had several things I wanted to talk about this morning, but despite my post yesterday, my intentions really did go to hell.

I did get some writing accomplished during the day, but then I was presented with major computer issues (not this computer - my hubby's) that I had to address. I'm still addressing them this morning as a matter of fact. To that end, please be aware of a new vicious piece of malware calling itself Spyguard 2009. It mimics actual spyware killing software, and to the untrained eye could pass for real software - except for the fact that you never remember actually downloading this crap onto your computer.

When it first presents, it's scary as hell. It tells you your computer is loaded with viruses and trojans and other disgusting stuff created by people with nothing better to do. This fear will be especially true for those of you who know your way around a hard drive, because it tells you that it's going to delete some 'infected' files - like regedit and sys.com. :shudder: Never never never touch those types of files.

Anyhoo, I knew it for what it was, and I've been working ever since to get the insidious piece of crap off his computer. Tenacious little bastard that it is. Oh, and another gem that comes with this malware is it leaves the door open and invites other crap to take up residence on your computer. Nice. To the creators of programs such as these, I only have one thing to say: Get a girlfriend already (one that doesn't require inflation). Find another outlet for your sexual frustration - you know, something that won't cause pain to other people.

One more thing... I will kill this thing. It may take me all day, and ruin my friggin' newfound intentions to write, but I refuse to be defeated by some wastoid who lives in his mother's basement and who can only get his rocks off by writing malicious software.

:fume:

BTW, you don't have to do anything special or go anywhere you're not supposed to be, to get this crap. It just hides in the code on websites and plants itself in your computer. Once I kill this crap, I'll update and let y'all know how to get rid of it yourselves.

*Update 2:24pm: Still battling this damn thing, and even though I bought the software that's supposed to be able to kill this thing, it's still alive. F!#$%&ng Mother F%!#$rs Now waiting for an email back from tech support.

.

Intentions

2009-01-08T07:26:00.005-07:00

It was fully my intention to blog yesterday, but as my father always said "intentions are for shit". (He was a doer, not an intender.) So, needless to say, my post didn't get written.

For the past month, I have been intending to write - and we all know how that's worked out so far. I sit on the couch during the day, thinking about writing. I tell myself "tonight will be the night", but when the night rolls around, the computer sits here humming to itself while all my good intentions go to hell.

As someone once put it: The road to hell is paved with good intentions.*

It's like the blanket I intended to make for myself once I finished the x-mas present blankets for my mother and mother-in-law. The first strip has been half-finished since the beginning of December. It's sitting in a grocery bag next to my spot on the couch. My crochet hook lays on the table above it.

Yesterday, despite the useless intentions which never seem to get me anywhere, I did something. I got back to crocheting for one. And for another, I took out my handy-dandy 5-subject college-ruled notebook and I worked.

Last week I got an idea for a new story. It wasn't much. Just a kernel of an idea really. A 'what would happen if the world was this way'. I didn't have a plot. I certainly didn't have characters. I just had a glimmer of what I wanted to explore. Well, last night I took the kernel and brain stormed how to make it into a real story. I wrote pages of questions for myself and answers that were, more often than not, lame as hell. I wrote until I thought maybe I had the beginnings of being on the right path toward having a plot and characters and scene. Then I went to bed.

Intending to sleep of course.

Heh. My brain had better ideas. Much better ideas as it turned out. I had a main character. I knew where I wanted to start and what the general plot would be (at least for the beginning). So, I dragged my butt out of bed about fifteen minutes into it, and walked back out to my notebook. It only took me a few minutes to write it all down, and then instead of intending to sleep, I really did.

This morning my notebook is still sitting in the middle of the couch where I left it. It's ready for me to read over what I created last night (because instead of intending to remember it all in the morning, I got up and saved my thoughts onto paper). I'm ready to get back to work again.

Now I don't mean to say that intending to do something is never a good thing. Intentions can be fine if they're followed up with actions. Otherwise, they are, as my father put it, for shit.

What are you intending to do today, and what are the chances those intentions will be accomplished? Personally, I intend to write tonight - even if it's just me and my notebook hashing out the guts of my new story.

*Of course, in Michigan, the road to Hell is paved with asphalt.

BFFF

2009-01-06T07:24:00.006-07:00

BFFF is short for Big Fat Frickin' Failure. Old Year's Day (or New Year's Eve) morning I was wallowing in a case of BFFF. Looking back over my sum total of non-accomplishments has a way of doing that to me. I mean, if you really don't have a lot to show for twelve months of life, you really can't help but feel like you are an expert in mental masturbation. And I don't know about you, but for me that spells failure.

Anyway, I thought I was over the whole BFFF thing... that request for full got me over it. Right? If someone wanted my work, I wasn't a total failure. Right? That feeling lasted four days.

Yesterday morning as I was getting prepped to start the new year right, I got an email that pretty much took me right back to BFFF status. It was a rejection on the full I just sent.

Now, if said agent is somehow reading this post, I don't want her to think any of this was her fault. I was already most of the way there anyway. But here's how it went...

I saw the From and the Subject, and I cracked in half. Part of me was sure it was her saying she loved it and wanted to represent me. The other part was certain she was rejecting me. Half of me was excited and wanted to pop that bad boy open so I could bask in the glow of success. The other half knew better. I listened to the happy half, and the unhappy half spent the rest of the day saying "Told you so".

As rejection letters go, it wasn't a bad one. I think she said she loved my voice. I think she even pointed out a particular scene she liked, and said some other nice things. (I'd go back and check, but I'm not in a place where I can re-read the letter yet - not even to send the 'thank you' note she certainly deserves.) Regardless of how nice and helpful she was, the sum total of it was she wasn't accepting me for representation. I was so close, but I failed... yet again.

Of course, as luck would have it, I was halfway through the letter when I realized my daughter was standing behind me (and she reads over my shoulder on occasion), so no matter how I felt about what I was reading, I couldn't let myself show any reaction. She was so excited about the full, I just couldn't ruin her morning, too. (Dude, if you're reading this right now, get back to Physics or else.) So I sucked it up. I closed the mail, shifted it to my Agents folder, and went outside for a cigarette - to compose myself and get some badly needed nicotine into my system. I didn't have time to deal with it. The resumption of our routine came first.

The falling apart would have to wait until later.

Instead, I took my daughter through our new exercise routine. Nothing like a workout to distract a person. (And for which I am paying mightily today.) Then we did our morning errands. No time for worrying about being a BFFF while you're running errands. Then school started and for the next few hours I was blissfully distracted from that little piece of reality.

Except when she was working on her own. When she started Physics - which she has to do on my computer (get back to work already, junior) - I was left without distraction. I tried reading, but that only made it worse. I tried crocheting, but that activity only allows my mind to wander. When I was on my dozenth row and starting to feel weepy, I stepped outside.

I've talked before about the stages of grief and how they fit into the whole rejection thing. You really do have to go through them before you can come out a whole person on the other side. Needless to say, I'm still working on them. On the upside, I didn't set fire to my manuscripts and quit the business. (Not that it didn't cross my mind.) I'm still here. I'm not working right now, but I'm here.

I'm not over feeling like a BFFF, but the only way to really fail is to quit. I haven't quit yet. Like the poem says, the road I'm trudging feels like it's all up hill. But I haven't quit.

I just need some time to get through this.

Please understand, I'm not typing this to ellicit sympathy. What I try to do here at The Writing Spectacle is give my readers an unvarnished look into the life of a writer. Sometimes good things happen, and sometimes they don't, but whatever happens, it's all part of the game. Some of this shit hurts like hell, but writers either get over it or they really are BFFF. Maybe some writer reading this will see they aren't alone, and it will give them the courage to keep going. If that happens, at least something good will come of this.

At this point, I don't know if I'll ever be able to put 'published' in front of my writer status, but I'm still writing.

And maybe that means I'm not such a BFFF after all.

Rough Day

2009-01-05T19:39:00.001-07:00

It's been a rough one. The above poem says it all.

I'll be back when the BFFF feelings go away.

Never Let A Month Go By

2009-01-04T21:22:00.002-07:00

Seriously. I last worked on Nano a month ago yesterday, and sure enough, I'm lost.

Take it from me... Never never NEVER let a month go by without working on your WIP. Of course, I didn't think it would be so long when I typed those words on 12/3. If I had expected this length of time to go by, I might have made some notes about where I was headed with this.

Did I?

Ummm... no.

I do remember I'm only about 10K words off the end. I think I had everything thought out. I was ready to move ahead with it, but I got lazy. I took a couple days off. Then that thing with my mother happened. Then I had holidays to prepare for... and to recover from. "I'll start back where I left off after the New Year," I said to myself. "It'll be no problem." Yeah right.

Humphf.

This too shall pass. I'll have to go back and re-read what I already have so I can pick up the thread again. It'll take some time, but I can do it. It'll just be a pain... a pain I already knew better than to open myself up for again.

So, take it from me. Never do this to yourself. It's just not worth it. Take a day off here or there if you need to. Take a week if there's an emergency. If it's more than a week, pick up a friggin' notepad and write your ideas down before you lose them.

Tomorrow, the journey of rediscovery begins. Wish me luck.

;o)

2009 Books Read

2009-01-02T19:07:00.066-07:00

It's that time of year again... Time to wrap up last year's reading list and begin one for 2009. At last count, 2008 was left after reading 73.5 books. (The .5 is for the last book, which I started on December 31st and finished today.) That's up 3.5 from the year before. Not a great gain, but it's probably better than in 2006 - before I began keeping track.

As before, they're in the order in which they were read - with the most recent book at the top. Right now, it looks a little lonely, but I'm sure it won't be by itself for long.

Cutting Edge by Allison Brennan (8/14/09)
Planet of the Damned by Harry Harrison (8/8/09)
Little Fuzzy by H. Beam Piper (8/5/09)
Charmed and Dangerous by Toni McGee Causey (8/4/09)
Marco Polo by Keith Miles & David Butler (6/27/09)
Highland Scoundrel by Monica McCarty (6/20/09)
Eve of Darkness by SJ Day (6/14/09)
Burning Alive by Shannon K. Butcher (6/13/09)
Vamped by Lucienne Diver (6/10/09)
Blood Magic by Jennifer Lyon (6/9/09)
Death Masks by Jim Butcher (6/6/09)
Fablehaven: Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary (6/5/09)
Master of Craving by Karin Tabke (6/3/09)
Summer Knight by Jim Butcher (6/2/09)
Highland Warrior by Monica McCarty (5/30/09)
Beyond Varallan by SL Viehl (5/25/09)
The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan (5/23/09)
Fatal Secrets by Allison Brennan (5/23/09)
Wives and Sisters by Natalie R. Collins (5/19/09)
The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan (5/12/09)
Shoot/Don't Shoot by J.A. Jance (5/3/09)
Grave Secrets by Kathy Reichs (4/30/09)
Small Favor by Jim Butcher (4/26/09)
Gods of Manhattan by Scott Mebus (4/22/09)
The Mammoth Book of Paranormal Romance by Various (4/2/09)
Sudden Death by Allison Brennan (3/29/09)
Killer Year: Stories to Die For... by Various (3/22/09)
Deader Still by Anton Strout (3/20/09)
Dead To Me by Anton Strout (3/19/09)
Grave Peril by Jim Butcher (3/17/09)
Highlander Outlaw by Monica McCarty (3/13/09)
Superstition by Karen Robards (3/11/09)
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl (2/27/09)
Vanish by Tess Gerritsen (2/25/09)
Footloose by Leanne Banks (2/22/09)
Unwind by Neal Shusterman (2/19/09)
Deal Me In by Cynthia Thomason (2/18/09)
Grow Up America! by Dr. Michael Hurd (2/17/09)
Pride by Rachel Vincent (2/12/09)
Dogs and Goddesses by Crusie, Stuart and Rich (2/7/09)
Jewel of Atlantis by Gena Showalter (2/4/09)
About a Dragon by G.A. Aiken (2/3/09)
StarDoc by S.L. Viehl (1/30/09)
At Grave's End by Jeaniene Frost (1/29/09)
Whisper No Lies by Cindy Gerard (1/28/09)
Fool Moon by Jim Butcher (1/27/09)
Devil May Ride by Wendy Roberts (1/23/09)
Stay the Night by Lynn Viehl (1/22/09)
Smiley's People by John LeCarre (1/18/09)
La Vita Nuova by Dante (1/12/09)
Heart of the Dragon by Gena Showalter (1/5/09)
Omega Games by S.L. Viehl (1/4/09)
The Stone Bull by Phyllis A. Whitney (1/3/09)
The Quest for Cosmic Justice by Thomas Sowell (started in 2008... finished 1/2/2009)

ETA: Just for kicks, I decided to add the date I finished the book to this year's list.

54

HAPpy New Year

2009-01-01T07:52:00.004-07:00

Have any of you ever seen Showboat? (The old movie version with Katherine Grayson, not the theater version.) Well, the subject of today's post is a nod to Joe E. Brown's memorable New Year's line in that movie. I love that scene, and that character, and heck, I just love Joe E. Brown.

But that's not what the post is about.

Yesterday, I spent a large chunk of the morning writing a post wherein I waxed philosophic about the total bleh of 2008. Truth be told, it wasn't a bad year, but it wasn't a great year either. Wrapped into one big ball of twelve months, it was mostly unmemorable - at least on a personal level.

Anyway, I wrote most of the post before I had to go run my morning errands. Of course, my daughter wasn't ready to go when I was, so I left her and just got donuts while she finished getting ready. Donuts in hand, I arrived home to find her putting her coat on, so it was all good. And just before we stepped out the door, I checked my email - because it never fails... I get home from errands to find one of my used books sold or something, and then I have to go back out again. I didn't sell a used book yesterday morning, but I did have a different happy email in my inbox.

I got a request for full.

So much for nothing important happening in 2008. (Okay, so I also got a full request in May, but since nothing ever came of that, I wasn't thinking of it during my bleh moments yesterday.)

Since the partial was sent back in October, I was pretty certain the whole thing was dead. When the request came, at first I thought it was another rejection. I'm standing over the desk thinking as soon as I open the email and verify I've been dumped again, we can go finish our errands. I even read the first few words and thought 'rejection'... and then came the words '...I enjoyed reading what you sent so much. I would love to read the full manuscript...' My daughter squee'd when I read it aloud, and she ran over to give me a hug. I just stood there with my mouth open, not quite believing what I was reading.

Let's be honest... Lately, I've been feeling like a BFFF (and I don't mean Best Friends For Friggin'ever - think more along the lines of Big Fat Frickin' Failure, with 'frickin' being replaced with its less PC version). The first couple years it wasn't too bad, but these past couple... Well, when New Year's rolled around and I looked back over the previous twelve months - with no measureable progress to show for my efforts - it's not hard to feel like a BFFF. This year was worst than the last, of course, and not only were the previous months bleh, but the next twelve looked like more of the same. Bleh, bleh and more bleh. A never-ending, ever-winding road of bleh.

And then I got a full request from a big agent who actually sounded like she loved the first three chapters. Here's hoping she loves the rest.

I'm trying really hard to not get my hopes up, but since I lay in bed last night envisioning what having an agent would be like, that endeavor is failing big time. If nothing else, though, that one glimmer of hope is going a long way toward pulling me out of my funk. Thank you, Ms. Agent Person. Even if you ultimately decide not to take me, you've given me enough rope so I can climb up and get back to work.

So, here's to a Happy New Year for all of us. May we all see good things in the coming twelve months.

:HUGS:

Reading Reading Reading

2008-12-28T08:14:00.003-07:00

These past few days, I've been reading. Lots of books. Heh.

Ain't life grand?

Just before x-mas I finally finished Exodus by Leon Uris. I'd been meaning to read that book for years, but I just never got around to it. Now I know why it was my father's favorite book (well, actually, it was the only novel he ever read). What a book. Wow. It really gives some major insights into the whole Middle East crisis - and how the things that happened during the birth of Israel are still affecting us today. Uris truly was a master, and even though I'm not always thrilled with the choices he made to put his stories together, I have profound respect for his writing.

Last Monday, I made my shopping trip to Borders, during which I bought presents for myself, my hubby, and our daughter. I can't even think of the exact number of books purchased. It was over a hundred dollars worth. Anyway, x-mas morning we opened our presents (yes, I wrapped most of the books I bought for myself) and the reading extravaganza began.

First I read Master of Torment by Karin Tabke. This is the second in her Blood Swords series, and once again, she nailed it. I'm not much of a historical romance reader, but these books appeal to me. There is plenty of action, for one. For another, Karin doesn't write historicals like anyone else I've read. Most other historicals I've tried to read spend too much time patting themselves on the back for the amount of research they do (i.e. they overwhelm the reader with details of the time period and lose the story). Karin isn't like that. She gives just enough detail to show what the characters of that time would be experiencing but she doesn't drown her readers with it. Way to go, Karin.

The next book on the pile was the most recent Fablehaven. Now these are, I think, middle grade novels. The MCs are a brother and sister. I can't remember his age, but he can't be more than nine and I think the sister is 14. That's MG, right? Anyway, I love these books. Smart writing for any age, but if I had these when I was in the MG age range, I would've been bowled over by them. Definitely something I would recommend buying- even if you don't have kids, aren't a kid, or your kids are too old for them any more.

Then there was The Hunger Games. It's a dystopic novel and I think it's YA. Good book overall. Not perfect, IMO, but worth the purchase price. The main reason I bought this book, and the main thing I got from it, is I am trying to reignite my muse. I'm trying to get excited about working on Blink again - which is also a dystopic novel, just not YA. Mission accomplished. And I'm even thinking about tweaking Blink so it could fall under YA. Time will tell.

After this, I picked up Have Yourself a Naughty Little Santa by Karin Tabke. This is a complete change from her historical series. It's a pretty good book, but I wouldn't recommend reading it so close to the Blood Sword novels. The writing style is different, and the genre is different, so it might be a shock to the brain - like it was for me. After some thought, I realized if I separated this book from the others, it was perfectly good and well written for its purpose - which was as an erotic romance w/ suspense elements.

The only purchase I made for myself that I haven't read yet is Omega Games by Lynn Viehl. In four days, I wiped out my stack. It's a little depressing, which was probably the reason why I couldn't bring myself to start Lynn's novel yet. I might read the book I bought for hubby next, or maybe a few of the books daughter got. We'll see what happens.

What did Santa bring for you (even if you had to be Santa and buy it yourself)? Read anything good lately? (Come on, I need new materials to read in the coming year.)

(Note: Links to the above, and all the books I read this year, are available HERE.)

Merry Christmas

2008-12-25T07:19:00.002-07:00

more animals

Here's hoping Santa didn't notice any of your slight indiscretions this year, and you got what you wanted.

Merry Christmas, Everyone.

-B.E.

The Twelve Days...

2008-12-24T07:16:00.002-07:00

Okay. It's Christmas Eve, and by now everyone is sick of listening to the Twelve Days of Christmas. I mean, seriously, how many times can you say 'and a partridge in a pear tree' without wanting to beat yourself with a rolling pin?

So, to break up the monotony of hearing the same repetitive song a bazillion times, I offer you the following (and sorry, I couldn't get the youtube videos to embed):

The McKenzie Brothers doing their version of the Twelve Days of Christmas. If you're not familiar with the brothers, it's a Canadian thing. After living in the Upper Peninsula for some many years (it's like Canada-lite), this song is one of those goofy things that makes me happy. Oh, and somebody took the time to animate this version, which is a hoot.

If that's not your thing, and you are really up to your neck in the tribulations of the season, maybe The Twelve Pains of Christmas will give you a little solace. (Or at least a little empathy.)

If you're too traumatized to listen to even a spoof of the Twelve Days, try out Adam Sandler's Christmas Song. Or if Christmas isn't your thing, you can listen to his Chanukah Song.

Or for those of you who've been really bad (not me, of course, I've been extra super good) there's always the idea that You Ain't Gettin' Diddly Squat. ;o)

And for the infidel, Achmed the Dead Terrorist sings Jingle Bombs.

Heard any funny Christmas songs lately? Share them in the comments.

Merry Christmas Everyone.

-B.E.

Christmas Vacation

2008-12-23T07:31:00.002-07:00

I didn't realize it until just now, but I've been taking a long vacation this holiday season. With the unexpected trip to Michigan, it started on December 6th, and there really isn't much I'm going to do until after the start of 2009.

And I refuse to feel guilty about it.*

This past weekend, I watched football and read. Yesterday I went out of town for a shopping spree. Today I might wrap presents and I'm definitely going to the grocery store (because in all my brilliance, I forgot to buy that duck I wanted, and now it's too late to defrost one... ham it is).

The rest is left to chance and necessity. My present shopping is done. The cards have been mailed. The house is decorated. The cookies are made and distributed throughout the town. All that's left is some wrapping and the holiday itself. Yay. Now I can rest.

I can watch silly movies all day. I can play poker. I can read. Lots and lots of reading going on. I could even take a nap or two if I want. My daughter and I might play Scrabble, or have one of our incredibly long and protracted conversations. The possibilities are endless.

So, what's on tap for this time of year for you?

*Okay, so I still feel guilty about not working. I want to not feel guilty, but I can't help it. If it gets overwhelming enough, I could be back to writing before January 5th. We'll see.

Persistence or Lack Thereof

2008-12-19T08:23:00.002-07:00

Isaac Asimov is quoted as saying: "You must keep sending work out; you must never let a manuscript do nothing but eat its head off in a drawer. You send that work out again and again, while you're working on another one. If you have talent, you will receive some measure of success - but only if you persist." Easy for him to say. Right?

I mean, Asimov was not only one of the greatest writers of the past hundred years or so, but he also wrote during a time when not just anybody could whip out a manuscript and send it out to a hundred potential buyers via email. (I've also heard he never edited, but that may be an urban legend - and it's a moot point anyway.) He also wrote when people genuinely wanted to read.

But that's not the point of today's post.

I read that quote again yesterday and was struck by the idea of it. Persistence. You have to have it in order to succeed in anything. (And yes, I am aware of the rare instances where success falls into someone's lap, but those are the exceptions to prove the rule.) The problem is, I'm just not that persistent. Not only that, but I do have a manuscript just eating it's head off in a metaphorical drawer. (Several, if you look at the lack of success for my other books.) I never really submitted Blink. I sent off five queries, to which I only got one reply. I sent out those queries and got distracted by RTL.

But was distraction really a good enough reason to let Blink lounge? Looking back now, the answer is: not really. I could've easily been querying while I was concentrating on writing. They're two completely different skills, after all. Instead of pushing to see Blink get its day in the sun, I shoved it into the shadowy recesses of my hard drive. A severe injustice if there ever was one, let me tell you.

The funny thing is, I still love Blink. And maybe that's part of the problem. I love it so much, I'm terrified of sending it out. I'm so afraid of people saying mean things about it, I'm unable to run the risk she'll be hated and rejected - which, of course, means I'll never know if she might actually be liked and published. (And yes, I have started thinking of that particular book in terms of 'she'.)

But let's forget about Blink for a second. When I really think about it, I haven't been all that persistent with my other books either. I send each one through the gambit of agents and then shove each one into its folder - never to be heard from again. I still think about them. Sometimes I lay in bed at night reminiscing over a particularly well-written scene or wondering how a book would've sounded from a different perspective. I never act on these thoughts, though. Oh sure, every once in a while, I'll get a wild hair and send Spectacle or Caldera out, but it's more a matter of desperation than of persistence.

You see, I still believe in every one of my books*. Not a single one of them can be classified as a 'practice book'. I don't think any of them should be left to rot in a trunk or under my bed or at the back of the closet. Each of them deserves to see the inside of a bookstore. (Yes, I am biased, but just because I am doesn't mean I'm wrong.)

So, if they are as publishable as I think they are, the problem then comes down to a lack of persistence. They aren't published because I haven't really tried hard enough. Instead I've allowed them to eat their heads off in a drawer while I play at writing another one to sell - which will most likely end up joining them because I'm not persistent enough.

Starting after the second week in January - because now is the beginning of the holiday season and the first two weeks of the year are catch-up time for most people - I'll start sending out manuscripts again. I'll beat the bushes looking for an agent. I'll revamp all my query materials in order to write the letters that will get my books noticed. I'll go directly to the publishers if I have to. I will be persistent.

I'm not a resolution maker, but that seems like the best one I could make for the coming year.

I know it's early yet, but have you given any thought to your plans and goals for 2009? Any resolutions you'd like to share?

My Surreal Life

2008-12-18T07:13:00.003-07:00

Lately I've been feeling like I've taken a trip to the Twilight Zone. One week away has shifted everything into the surreal. I'm left looking at my life and my writing as though I'm getting a glimpse into the life of some other woman. She writes books. She teaches homeschool. She crochets. She's me...

And she's not me.

Maybe it was the trip back to Michigan. I left almost eight years ago, and I hadn't been back. So many things have changed, and yet jammed in between all the changed things was something so familiar it was like a blow to the chest. For instance, I went to see the house where I grew up. It's still there. It looks pretty much the same, but it's not the same. The new owners put a white picket rail around the front porch. They sided our old chicken coop with bright red plastic. The tiny Jack pine my sister and I planted is now the tallest tree in the yard. The house sits at the top of a hill, and the valley across from it has always been a wide open space. It used to be a horse pasture. Now, it's working on becoming a forest. Tall, fast-growing pine trees have taken over. You can't even see the pond in the middle any more. But the tree we buried my dog under looks the same.

The nearby town of Goodrich has exploded with people. All the fields that used to lay around it now have big beautiful housing developments. They moved the post office. They closed the old IGA store that my mother once worked at, and that I spent a great deal of time in when I was younger. The old 'stop-n-rob' convenience store was torn down and a modern brick gas station took its place. But the mill pond where my father took me ice fishing looks the same.

Grand Blanc - where my mother now lives - now has a Walmart where the deer park used to sit. The Halo Burger was torn down and a Starbucks is in its place. But the old high-school hangout - Hotdog Heaven - is still serving customers out of its ramshackle little building. (I'm guessing the hotdogs are still the same, too.)

I think it all started at the airport. When I lived in Michigan I was at Detroit Metro frequently - if not to fly myself, then to pick up visiting sales managers for work. I knew DTW like the back of my hand. Now it's all changed around. (Of course, I left before 9/11, so it was pretty much a given.) But the trip down I-94 toward Ann Arbor looked the same. Hell, since the last time I was at DTW it was snowing, it really looked the same.

Is it any wonder I came home to this unreal feeling?

At this point, I'm guessing I just need some time to be home and get back into my old routine. I need to wrap myself in normalcy to feel like myself again. At least I hope that'll work, because right now, I should be writing and I don't feel like a writer. I feel like the kid who left Michigan in 2001.

And she wasn't a writer. She was just a gal who thought maybe someday she would try to write a book.

Busy Beaver

2008-12-17T06:57:00.003-07:00

Last week's departure put me behind on all the things I have to do this time of year. Thank goodness I got the decorations up the day before it happened. But I still had a bunch of cookies to bake, packages to mail, cards to sign and get out, and shopping to get done.

Over the past two days, I've been cramming and jamming like a mad woman. After this morning, the only thing I'll have left to finish is my shopping. The cards are stacked beside me, the packages are on the floor beside the desk, and the cookies are in tins all over the kitchen. The remainder of shopping is scheduled for Monday, so I can finally kick back and... Well, I was going to say rest, but I haven't written in over a week and I'm this close to getting Nano done.

Anyway, the cookies were the big job. I love baking, so usually this cookie-gift thing is a breeze. Every year I bake a ton of goodies for passing out to my friends and my hubby's co-workers. I like doing it, and they like eating the fruits of my labors. It's all good. This year it wasn't easy, but it was worth it.

This year we made*:

Spice cookies with walnuts and raisins
Chocolate cookies with pecans and chocolate chips
Strawberry cookies with white chocolate chips
Chocolate cookies with mini-chocolate chips and white chocolate chips
7-layer bars
Peanut butter fudge
Chocolate fudge
Creamy mint patties
Cream Cheese cookies
Coconut Rum cookies
Butterscotch Chewies
Mint-Patty cookies

Today I'll be packing them into tubs and delivering them around town. Plus slogging through the lines at the USPS to mail stuff. Ho-dee, ho-dee, ho. Then I can sit down and catch myself back up with Nano.

How are your holiday plans going this year? Have you gotten your shopping done? Baking anything yummy?

* Most of my recipes are available upon request. The first four cookies on the list can be found here.

(Note: If I ever secure an agent, he or she will, of course, be added to the cookie-receiver list. Not a bribe, necessarily, but I'm just sayin'. :wink:)

Last Week's Adventure

2008-12-15T08:22:00.003-07:00

Last Saturday I was halfway through a very yummy breakfast sandwich when the phone rang. It was my niece and she was crying so hard I could barely understand her. By the time I got her settled down, I was hit with the knowledge that my mother had a heart attack. After learning that my oldest sister was unavailable to give me the rest of the details (because she was calling all my other siblings), I got the name of the hospital and began trying to find out the reality of this whole thing.

After being bounced to a couple different departments, I landed a nurse who just happened to be standing next to my mom. She told me that Mom was fine and she was just headed to the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit. I could hear Mom talking in the background, so I was pretty sure she was fine. In fact, the nurse told me Mom was on the phone with my oldest sister, otherwise I would've been able to talk to her, too.

So, Mom was okay. The disaster was averted. (And believe me, losing my mother would've been a major disaster.) Now that my own heart was beginning to return to normal, I talked about my feelings with my hubby. I told him that while I was on hold with the hospital, I was mentally clicking through all the things I would need to do to get out there if the worst had been true. He told me not to wait for the worst.

And like usual, he was right.

Around noon Saturday I booked tickets for my daughter and I to fly home. For those of you who don't know, I live in Colorado. My mother lives in Michigan. This makes quick visits and emergencies problematic. It also makes them expensive. But we did it. Sunday morning we were on a plane headed for Detroit.

By the time I reached the hospital, Mom had been transferred out of CICU, and she was set to be released on the following day. She was looking pretty damn good for a woman approaching 70 who had just had a coronary. She was also looking pretty damn bored and sick of being incarcerated in a hospital. (She shares my hatred of most things medical.)

Needless to say, I sprung her the next day and we spent the week with her recuperating. We watched a lot of TV. I cooked a lot of heart healthy meals. We talked and talked and talked. It was a good visit, and my honey was so very right. I needed to be there, and she needed me there. It was expensive, but it was more than worth it.

The holiday season this year almost sucked in a major way. I don't even want to revisit all those images I had before I learned my mother was going to be okay. Instead of sucking, though, it turned out to be a Merry Christmas.

May all your loved ones be happy and healthy. The rest is just glitz and sugar.

I'm Back

2008-12-15T06:37:00.002-07:00

I made it back last night, and I'll share more a little later. I just wanted to let y'all know I'm home safe and sound.

.

Life comes at ya sometimes

2008-12-06T17:20:00.002-07:00

I'm not really going to give you all the details, but let's just say I have a family emergency that's going to hamper my online time (i.e. ability to blog, answer emails or post comments). Starting once I shut down tonight and continuing for the next week or so. Don't worry it's not me, my daughter or my hubby. Just someone else I love who needs me, and so off I go.

If I can find time to find a computer, I'll be around on Monday, and probably once a day through Friday. Weekend days are flat out.

Anyhoo, take care of yourselves while I'm away. If I don't see you before then, see you after the 14th.

PS. Write lots of words. Lord knows I won't be.

Annual Cookie-Stravaganza

2008-12-05T10:37:00.003-07:00

Yessir, it's that time again. Time for the Sanderson women to bake cookies until we can't stand ourselves or the smell of vanilla. Of course, not everything we make are cookies. We have two kinds of fudge to do, too. Plus, the kidlet is planning on two kinds of candy this year.

In honor of this event, I'd like share a little quickie recipe I found this year.

Cake Cookies

1 box cake mix (whichever one turns you on)
1/2 c vegetable oil
2 eggs
nuts, raisins, chocolate chips, candy bits... whatever works with whichever mix you pick

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a medium bowl, mix all ingredients together until thoroughly combined. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes until firm and slightly browned around the edges. Remove from oven and transfer cookies to cool.

Now, yesterday we used a Spice cake mix then added walnuts (1/2 cup chopped) and raisins (1/2 cup). It was so easy, we also made a batch using Devils Food cake mix with pecans and milk chocolate chips. Both were so yummy that today we're trying Strawberry cake with white chocolate chips and Triple Chocolate cake with the rest of the white chocolate chips.

Ummm, the diet? Well, that sucker is on hold indefinitely. We'll try again after the new year.

Have fun!

*Update: The count for today was two batches of cookies, peanut butter fudge and creamy mint candies. Not the most we've done in one day, but a good start. OTOH, I did finish the blankets so I can ship them in time for x-mas. Tomorrow, coconut rum cookies and cream cheese cookies, plus chocolate fudge and maybe a couple other new cookies depending on my stamina (and how much my kitchen assistant can take). ;o)

Nano is Huge

2008-12-05T07:20:00.003-07:00

That's right... My WIP is huge... and I have the t-shirt to prove it.

(Or I will have one in 7-9 business days.)

Fighting the Economy Blahs

2008-12-04T07:19:00.004-07:00

I'm trying really hard not to think about what happened yesterday in the publishing industry (and right now, I'm trying to be happy I'm not published and worrying about whether an editor is getting laid-off). I'm also trying to build some Christmas spirit while the economy slowly swirls its way down the drain.

In honor of this 'thinking positive' attitude, I'd like to share some shopping ideas with you. (Because no matter how bad it gets, shopping - even window shopping - helps me feel better.)

First, I'd like to introduce you all to O&H Danish Bakery. I subscribe to their newsletter, and every so often I get a scrumptious surprise in my inbox. Every newsletter is full of pictures of pastries. If you've never had a Kringle, you're really missing out. Buttery, sweet, gooey and flaky. I'm getting drooly just thinking about them.

Next, we have a little gem I heard about on CNBC yesterday. Shoebuy.com seems to be just about the only place not feeling the crunch right now. I mean, let's face it. Women and shoes - they just go together. And when you've got designer shoes cheap, plus free shipping, you can't go wrong. (Personally, I've got my eye on these boots. I don't know where I'd wear them, but yow.)

For those of you who like online auctions, and who are bargain hunters, try PropertyRoom.com. Over 1500 law enforcement agencies use the site to offload seized merchandise. Want a laptop for under $500? How about some nice jewelry? And if nothing else, I thought just looking at all the strange things the police have seized was a hoot.

Other favorites are:

ThinkGeek for all the brainy people on your x-mas list.
Morley Candy and Guylian for the chocoholics.
The Swiss Colony for other yummy treats.
For the mystery lover who also likes cheesecake: Cheesecake and Crime.
And for the fashionable gal on your list, try Blondissimo Gems and Jewelry

Share some of your online shopping hotspots. Are you doing anything to combat the economy's effect on your Christmas spirit?

Santa Esploded

2008-12-03T21:21:00.002-07:00

Heh. That's just my way of saying I decorated the house today. I... well, I have a lot of decorations, and once I get started doing x-mas decorations, I just can't seem to stop until I've put everything out.

Strange thing is, I have a small tree. Well, two small trees of my own. The house came with a huge tree, and two tiny ones. I left the huge tree in the basement. (Don't really have space for it anyway.) I used one of the tiny 'Charlie Brown' ones, though. So, we have three decorated trees. And for some reason - I'm not exactly sure why - we have a profusion of stockings. Ummm... Seven big ones, and three or four small ones. For the three of us. (Four if you count the cat, and yes, she does have her own stocking.)

I also started x-mas shopping today. I know, I know. Some of you are already finished, and some are most of the way done. By now, I'm usually in that group. This year, time got away from me. I still have to put the finishing touches on my homemade blankets and get those suckers in the mail so they arrive in time. I still have tons of cookies, and fudges, to make so I can give those away. And it's already the end of the third.

Ugh.

Well, at least I got my writing done in November. I even got some writing done today. Tomorrow? Well, we'll see if I get started on making foodie-gifts. I'd like to at least get both blankets ready for shipping by this time.

How are your holiday plans coming along? Got any shopping or baking to do?

.

In Other News

2008-12-02T08:11:00.005-07:00

57% Geek

Not that the news should come as any surprise. LOL Actually, I thought it would be higher. I guess I'm not as geeky as I used to be.

Update: While my daughter was taking the quiz, I realized I answered the 'competition' question wrong. I have won an academic competition... I was captain of the Quiz Bowl team, and we made it to semi-finals. So, I'm not 52% geek. I'm actually 57%. Heh. Maybe I should wear my glasses more often and get some tape for the bridge of my nose.

Good Rejections

2008-12-02T06:53:00.006-07:00

*yawn* :blink: :blink:

I feel like Rip Van Winkle this morning. Not that I spent yesterday sleeping or anything, I just feel like I did. In fact, I probably should've, but that's a whole nother story. After the weekend writing marathon, I was just bleh. To combat the blehs, I sat on the couch and watched TV, and I read most of a book. I also played some poker, but that went badly so I'm trying not to think about it.

Now about that oxymoron of a subject...

In the midst of my bleh-defeating day, I received a rejection letter from a partial of RTL I sent back in May. And yay, it found me, since it was sent before I knew I would have to move and therefore the SASE had the old address. On the rejection scale it was a really nice letter. She said she really liked my writing, but... 1) with the economy sucking like it does, she has to be extra super selective, 2) the synopsis didn't wow her, 3) from said synopsis, the bad guys all seemed one-dimensional, and 4) she was concerned the politics of the plot would overwhelm the suspense.

I'm hanging on to the 'really liked my writing' part. I'm also cursing the economy and the people who got us in this mess. As for the synopsis thing, I'm going to have to take a look at it and see where it fell apart, because it obviously wasn't doing its job.

For instance, I really don't think my villains are one-dimensional. Sure, they're all evil (because I don't do diet evil) but each of them has many layers to their personality. Perhaps that's not quite apparent in the first few chapters, and obviously not in the synopsis, but the layers are there.

There's nothing I can do about the politics. They're integral to the plot, but IMO they don't overwhelm the suspense of the book. I purposefully wrote the novel in such a way that the politics are an undercurrent, but not the main thrust of the plot. *shrug* I guess my synopsis didn't tell that tale very well.

So anyway, I'm taking that one as a positive letter. Have to take the positives where you can. I'm also calling another RTL rejection positive (I got this one back in November from a partial sent in September). In that one, the agent said she liked the premise but she thought it was more suited to the SF market, with which she wasn't familiar. *shrug* Miss Snark always said : Query Widely. Since RTL is one of those stories that crosses genre, I was trying everyone who represented any of the three genres it touches.

Anyway, as I approach the end of the year, and the end of another novel, I'm starting to think about the query process again. I'm taking the lessons learned, and working to apply them to the next round.

Oh, and speaking of rounds... Karin Tabke is getting ready to host another First Line Contest. I think I'm entering RTL this year. Here's hoping my first lines make the cut. I could really use some good news this month.

Your turn: Any thoughts on my rejections? I'm trying to stay positive about it, but I don't want to turn into Pollyanna. Have you ever gotten a good rejection, or is the oxymoron just too much?

4444

2008-11-30T19:24:00.002-07:00

Four thousand, four hundred and forty-four. That's how many words I did today. Not my best day ever, but damn fine for a gal who wasn't sure she could do that many when she woke up this morning.

And I did it. I completed the requirements for my own personal game of NNWM. I said I would write 50K this month, and by god, I did.

I'm tired as hell, you know. I haven't read a single book this month. And I never did finish that blanket. Now, I'll have time to do all that. Plus, I am sooooo close to finishing Nano, I can taste it. I thought I would close it out this weekend, but I'm not sweating it. Should have the sucker first-drafted by the end of the week, and still have my sanity in tact. (Or as much as it ever was.)

I have a boatload of editing to do. I'm still looking at a swiss-cheese novel. But I did what I set out to do. Yay.

Now, I must collapse and give my hands a well-deserved vacation.

:thud:

Cramming

2008-11-29T08:33:00.012-07:00

Umm... Monday is December 1st. Whoda thunk it? Where the hell did November go?

And whose big idea was it to put a holiday weekend at the end of NNWM? Huh? Huh? Huh?

Well, I have no one to blame but myself. I chose to take the last three days off. I could've written Wednesday night - nothing was stopping me. I could've written most of the day Thursday - hubby did all the work. Yesterday? Well, that was just me being lazy. And the result of three days without writing? I'm 8200 words* behind. With two days left before my self-imposed deadline.

Reminds me of college, now that I think about it. I always knew when my tests were, and I always had plenty of time to study. Did I? Nooooo. I waited until the night before, loaded myself up on caffeine and crammed like hell. If it weren't for Mountain Dew I would've flunked out long before my money ran out.

Now I have two days to cram in 8200 words.

Sure, I could just say to hell with it. After all, no one is holding a gun to my head. If I don't get this finished by Monday, no one is going to die. I'm not even going to flunk anything this time around. I'll have just broken a promise to myself. All the contractual deadlines and paid-for classes can't compare to the promise I made myself.

So, I'll be cramming for the next two days. I may not make 50K by Monday, but it won't be from a lack of effort over these 48 hours. If I get tired, I can just kick myself for being lazy, and for a lack of foresight. I mean, I should've known I would take at least some time off for the holiday. Seriously.

Now's the time for coffee - lots of it. Later, the old pal will be brought into the game. Mountain Dew... save me one more time for old times' sake.

What's on the agenda for you this weekend? Are you sweating these last two days of November or are you smart enough to work at your own pace without worrying over NNWM?

*11/30/08 Update: Only 1466 left.

Acting Out of Character

2008-11-28T10:01:00.003-07:00

Kristen brought up an interesting point in last night's post. Possums out in the daytime are acting out of character, and that can only mean one thing: Something's wrong with it. The same can be said for raccoons out during the day, or wild animals that seem tame enough for you too approach them. Once, in college, I got within a foot of a fox squirrel. I thought he might be just a little guy who was used to all the people around campus. I would've reached out to pet him, but just then I noticed some kind of nasty festering wound around his neck. Chances are he would've bit me.

Anyway, the whole thing got me thinking. The same 'acting out of character' thing can be used when writing or editing. For writing, it can be one way to show that something really is wrong with your character. If she's normally pleasant and then flies off the handle, it would show the reader something is wrong, or at least foreshadow the possibility she isn't quite herself. And we've probably all seen instances where someone we know is bad acts all sweetness and light - usually right before they shove a knife in someone else's back (either figuratively or literally).

One example I can think of to illustrate the whole 'out of character thing' is the personality of Harry Potter in 'Order of the Phoenix'. Angst-ridden teenager didn't seem like him, and I've talked to a lot of people who found it irritating. I found it annoying myself until I read far enough to realize how JK was trying to show that Harry's life was such a mess it was making him behave like a toad. I don't know whether she consciously did that or not, but once I figured out what was happening, it worked perfectly. Once he felt like he was in control of his life again, his personality came back online.

On the other hand, keeping your characters in character is necessary for the flow of the story. You shouldn't really have them act one way for most of the book and then act totally different in other areas without a good reason (like the ones mentioned above). I know I'm guilty of this during my first draft stages. Early on, I'm still getting to know my characters. Hell, I didn't really hear Vic's voice until most of the way through Nano, and now I have to go back. By the time I'm done editing, he'll sound and act the same throughout the book (unless I need to make him otherwise for the story). Like changing a character's name mid-book. You can do it, but you have to make sure you go back and rename him all the way through. I just wish realigning personalities was as easy as Find/Replace.

Have you ever used this? Have you read anything where a writer used this device? Inquiring minds... and all that.

Mystery Solved

2008-11-27T21:53:00.003-07:00

I'm an animal lover. I keep a birdfeeder, and I usually leave a pan of sunflower seeds for the neighborhood squirrels. I also occasionally leave catfood out for the numerous strays we have around here. Anyway, since we moved, the birdfeeder is up, and I set out the seed pan. (I haven't started feeding the cats here yet - I think the landlady would have a problem with it.)

A few weeks ago, I noticed something odd in the seed pan. Some critter was using it as a restroom. (I know... ew, yuck... but it wasn't really nasty scat.) So, being the curious person I am, I researched scat. (Hey, I'm a writer. You never know when you might need a good working knowledge of critter crap.) For a while I thought it was raccoon scat, but it was too... not-nasty... to be a raccoon. Too big to be rabbit or squirrel. Too full of vegetable matter to be fox or coyote (or dog or cat, for that matter).

I gave up trying, and put the seed pan away. Sure, the squirrels were mad. They'd even taking to leaving their own little presents - presumably to tell the intruding animals off - but it had to be done.

Then just now, I was outside having a smoke before bed. As I was standing there, minding my own business and trying to stay out of the snow, I saw movement. Something was creeping out from under my husband's truck. And it was making it's way toward me.

My first thought was that it was one of the neighborhood cats, and it was looking for either company or a free meal. That's when this things stepped out of the shadows and into the light from the corner streetlamp. White and gray, pointy face, ungainly body... long rat-like tail.

About six feet from me was probably the biggest damn opossum I'd seen in my life. (Unless you count the ones sunbathing by the roadside.) Now, in my experience, 'possums are nasty buggers, but they're basically cowards unless you back them into a corner. So I shouted at it.

Nothing. In fact, it waddled forward. Stupid critter.

So, I stamped my foot hard on the pavement and shouted again. That got its attention. (And hurt like hell, btw.) It stopped and stared at me. I took a step forward, and it shot me a dirty look before slowly creeping back under hubby's truck.

For the remainder of my cigarette, it stared at me from between the back tires while I watched to make sure it didn't sneak up on me.

It's probably on its merry way now. I like animals, but I'm not a huge fan of 'possums. I'm happy it's gone, and it's probably just as happy that I'm back inside.

But, hey, at least the mystery of the midnight scat has been solved.

PS. In retrospect, confronting a wild animal probably wasn't the wisest move on my part. Chances are it can run faster than I can, and all I had for a weapon was the snow-shovel I keep by the door. (And I'm not even sure I could've grabbed it before the 'possum grabbed me.) Nasty little things with sharp pointy little teeth. Ugh.

PPS. Umm... is it just me or did that last part remind you of Monty Python and the Holy Grail?

;o)

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-27T06:14:00.003-07:00

You all know the story of Thanksgiving, and what it has traditionally meant for Americans. But it's really so much more than just pilgrims and natives getting together for a meal. It's a celebration of the bounty they produced. America was just a harsh wilderness until men shaped it into this beautiful and bountiful land we call home. They didn't just live off the land and accept whatever they could scrounge from nature. They worked the soil to bring forth food that wouldn't have existed before. Later, they built the machines to work the soil. Each generation added something important to make life here easier, and with each addition, our bounty grew.

Back in the days of the pilgrims, the average lifespan was between 30-40 years. Today, the lifespan of the average American is double that. Most Americans have plenty of food to eat. Most of us have shelter and clothing - that we didn't have to make ourselves, btw. We don't have to worry about cholera or typhus or polio or rickets or a hundred other diseases that crippled and killed our forefathers. And most of us can read, btw. A skill very few of the settlers of this great nation could brag about.

So today, and every day really, I'm thankful for the advances mankind has made. I'm thankful that because so many men worked so very hard for so damn long, I have a warm home, electricity, the internet, a fat turkey waiting for me in the fridge... Hell, I'm thankful for the fridge. (Because salmonella is horrible thing.) I'm thankful for the immunizations, and medications, and surgeries that have helped keep me and mine alive. And I'm thankful to all the men who have made these things possible.

As I sit down to my sumptuous feast, I'll be thinking of those who came before and brought me the possibility to have a feast at all. So, please join me in lifting a glass to these great men. May we live to add our own accomplishments to the sum of them all.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone.

-B.E.

Black Friday = Book Friday

2008-11-26T07:09:00.005-07:00

Tomorrow is Turkey Day. You know what that means, don't you? A full on cleaning today. Plus some baking, since starting tomorrow morning I won't be allowed in the kitchen other than to refill my coffee cup. (Hubby cooks on Thanksgiving. It's a tradition.)

It also means that day after tomorrow is what some people have come to call Black Friday. (Such a gloomy name for a day devoted to shopping, but I'll let it slide.) I don't shop on the Friday after Thanksgiving. On that day, people seem to be possessed by some particularly nasty demon who forces them to shop against their will whilst sucking all thoughts of courtesy and propriety out of their heads. Needless to say, unless I need groceries, I'm staying home.

Now, as for the looming BIG HOLIDAY for which Black Friday is designed... You've probably heard it all before. Hell, I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Buy Books. Get Grandma a nice cozy mystery. Get the nephew an adventure story. Buy Aunt Lucille a cookbook. And if your mom is anything like mine, pick her up a pile of romance novels. (A big pile - Mom reads fast.)

Buy a book. They're still relatively cheap in the scheme of things. Hell, while you're out shopping this week, buy several. Swamp the indy sellers. Take over Borders. Clog the book aisles of Walmart, or K-mart or Meijers. Turn Black Friday into Book Friday.

It's sounds so much more positive that way.

.

Dealing with Self-Doubt

2008-11-25T07:20:00.004-07:00

Self-doubt (SD) can be a killer. It stops us from asking that cute guy or girl to dance. It keeps us from applying for jobs. If it hits us at the wrong moment, we could make a horrible decision that could effect us for the rest of our lives. (Like the time my best friend pulled out of an intersection in front of my brother and hit the brake instead of the gas. They both made it out okay, but it could've been so much worse.)

In writing, SD isn't so drastic, but it can be the one thing that keeps a person from finishing a book. Or it could be the thing that makes a book so-so instead of amazing. I know it's a factor in whether we get the words out, or we spend our writing time editing and re-editing.

Should I move the story down this path or that one? Is this premise really working, or do I need to re-write the whole damn thing? Should the MC be gutsy and a little butch - which could turn some people off - or should she be sweetness and light, and as such unable to do the things the story requires?

Every decision we make both on the page and off can be turned in another direction by SD. So how does one deal with it?

Personally, I try to shove it into a box and push the box into the back of my head where it won't bother me. It doesn't always work, and sometimes SD leaks out to poison my ability to write, but most of the time I'm safe with it back there.

Of course, on occasion SD can be your subconscious telling you something. Perhaps the scene really doesn't work in it's current incarnation. Maybe your heroine is too butch, or your hero is too wimpy. Take note of the things it's telling you and move on. Do not let the hint of suspicion rule your writing. Make actual physical notes of its concerns for later editing. If the problem is bad enough, go back and fix it, but don't let it stop you from reaching your goals.

I used to let SD run the show. (With my writing anyway, and it used to play way too big a part in the rest of my life, too.) That's part of the reason Spectacle took me so damn long to write. On the other hand, when I wrote Blink I knew something was wrong with the middle the whole time I was writing it. And after I finished the book, I went back and rewrote like 6 chapters. If I had waited until I knew what the problem was with the middle, Blink probably still wouldn't be finished. If I let SD take the reins, I wouldn't have finished the book, and got the flash of insight on how to fix the middle. I needed to see the end to know where the problem lay.

If you're a plotter, you probably don't experience this problem so much. You have the whole story laid out before you start, and presumably have confidence in the plot lines you've crafted. I guess SD could still come up and slap you while you're plotting. I wouldn't know. (If you're a plotter and SD has caught you mid-plot, tell me about it in the comments.)

I guess what I'm trying to say is this: If you really want to succeed at this writing thing (and by succeed, I mean complete a book you can be proud of), then you need to stop doubting your abilities. You need to grab some measure of self-confidence and kick your old nemesis to the curb. In the end, that's the only way to really deal with it. At least, that's how I managed to get out from under the clutches of SD.

Does SD factor into your life? What do you do when it's got you? Share some tips and tricks for dealing with SD in the comments.

*Don't worry. I'm not currently in the grips of SD. Yes, I think the majority of my WIP stinks on ice, but I also know it can be fixed, so I'm not letting it stop me.

Woohoo

2008-11-24T22:22:00.003-07:00

Ahead by 200. Damn it feels good to get the words out, but I'll be glad when November is over.

Actually I'll be glad when this book is finished, so I can start editing. This thing is heaping pile of compost with more holes than a worm farm. (Okay, maybe compost is too strong a word, but what imagery!) The words are just the beginning. This sucker is going to keep me busy for weeks shaping it into a cohesive unit, complete with sympathetic characters, a gripping plot, and a airtight premise.

Heh. Good luck with all that, right?

And I know you're all getting sick of reading about the continuing adventures of Insane NNWM Writer. Tomorrow I'll try and write a post about something else for a change. (Look on the brightside, though, at least I'm not talking about the economy. It's depressing enough on the news without seeing it here, too.)

Anyhoo, have a wonderful evening... or morning, if you're already in bed. See y'all tomorrow.

Close Enough

2008-11-23T20:13:00.002-07:00

I'm 82 words short, but I'm calling it good. And I'm calling it a day.

Over the past three days, I managed 7100+ words. My left hand is all tingly-feeling, and my ass is flat. I think the last 82 can wait. I'll tack them onto tomorrow.

Earlier I realized that somewhere along the way, I missed the weekend. Yesterday was a blur and today was just as bad. Not that I spent the entire time writing. I managed to get the kitchen cleaned yesterday on a between scene break. I watched parts of the Wolverines losing and the Spartans losing. Today I caught bits of the Dallas game, and made homemade (Jiffy-box mix) pizza.

I wonder how many words I could've written if that's all I did. Of course, they'd probably be crappy words, and my hands would be lumps of meat, but wow. Anyway, I'm happy with my three day total. Now I have to see what this holiday week brings for the totals.

On the holiday note, are you ready for Thanksgiving? We're doing the traditional route for dinner again this year - turkey, stuffing, potatoes, cranberry sauce. The only non-traditional item is I think I'm skipping the pumpkin pie this year and doing cheesecake instead. What's on the menu at your house?

NNWM Update

2008-11-23T08:10:00.003-07:00

Ack. I meant to do an update on the 20th. Eh, better late than never.

11/10 - 876 words
11/11 - 0 words
11/12 - 1818 words
11/13 - 1924 words
11/14 - 1258 words
11/15 - 2570 words
11/16 - 2261 words
11/17 - 1876 words
11/18 - 978 words
11/19 - 1363 words
11/20 - 0 words
11/21 - 1043 words
11/22 - 2763 words

I didn't include today - because I'm nowhere near done for the day. Actually, I wasn't really done last night, but my hands both went numb and I figured that was a sign. On the upside, my first thousand words today were leftover from last night, so what I missed yesterday is getting picked up today.

As of this morning I needed 3400 words to get back on track. Now I'm down to 2400. I think I can... I think I can...

Numbs hands be damned. ;o)

How's the writing going for you? Anything stopping you from doing your best (like my friggin hands)?

.

The Weekend Approacheth

2008-11-21T08:34:00.003-07:00

Yup, it's Friday. I'd say TGIF, but the end of the week just means I'll be doing more work over the next three days than I did over the last four. At least on a weekday, I can use the excuse that my daughter was on the computer doing her Physics or her Spanish, or researching for any of the various scholarship essay thingies she'll be submitting. During the weekend, though, this computer is all mine.

Umm... yay?

Anyway, this weekend is also the weekend of the Ohio State/Michigan game. The rivalry to end all rivalries. The epic confrontation wherein someone goes home triumphant and someone else goes home covered in dirt and shame. Sadly, I think this year the dirt and the shame will belong to my own beloved Wolverines. :sigh:

Hey, I'm a fan, but I'm also well acquainted with reality. The reality is the team seriously blows this year. To put a bright spin on the slaughter, maybe I can write instead of sitting glued to the TV. If they have to lose, I really don't want to watch the carnage. Maybe MSU will beat Penn State and my home state will be able to salvage some football glory this weekend.

Meanwhile, if I'm going to get back on track and stay there, I have about 6000 words to write over the next three days. 2K a day doesn't sound so bad. We'll see how it works out and whether I'll be wearing a frowny face on Monday.

What's on tap for you this weekend?

Day Off

2008-11-20T21:26:00.002-07:00

Yeah yeah... I know I know... this is going to kill my averages, but I took the day off writing. I did some work trying to get my bookstore back to 100%, and watched too much TV.

It'll make more writing work for me over the next ten days, but I needed it. I needed a break from Randi and Jack and Vic and all the rest of the characters who live in my head these days. They'll be better for it, and so will I.

The question of the day is: What do you do when you need to step away?

Damn the Torpedoes

2008-11-19T21:02:00.003-07:00

I've taken a hit and she's taking on water, but I think if I can just get her into port, I can fix her.

Which is to say: If I can write THE END on this sucker, I can fix the problems and the book will sail again.

I thought about this on and off throughout the day, made some cogent notes on where the errors were, and I think even with the fresh holes I discovered last night, I can still make this premise work. The real damage is in the sub-plots anyway, so she still floats.

Now, for the 'damn the torpedoes' part. I can't let a few holes stop me. Arr, there's writing to be done*. Let's see how close I can get to shore tonight.

*I probably could've pulled the pirate thing off better when I still had me eye patch. Arr.

Torpedoes off Port

2008-11-19T07:53:00.003-07:00

Sailing along quite nicely here. I'm getting some words out - although not as much last night as I'd have liked - and everything seems to be peachy kee...

OMG! What's that?! Plot torpedoes off the port bow! How could I have not seen those? They could blow a hole the size of QEII into my premise, and sink the whole damn book.

Man your battle stations! Evasive maneuvers! Turn, dammit, turn!

...

ZzzZzzZzz

2008-11-17T22:11:00.001-07:00

I'm still kicking NNWM's hiney, but I'm paying the price. I'm too pooped to post.

Nighters one and all.

Hah Ha!

2008-11-16T20:07:00.003-07:00

Take that NNWM! Thought you could beat me? Well, neener neener boo boo. =op

(This moment of insanity is brought to you by my word count which, as of just a few minutes ago, not only met my word count for today but exceeded it enough to catch me back up.)

Wheeeeeeeeee.

And they were even good words today. (Plus, I figured out how to fix yesterday's words and solve a plot hole that's been driving me nuts.)

Time for the Snoopy Dance...

Missed it by That Much

2008-11-16T07:32:00.002-07:00

Well, yesterday was a pretty productive day all things considered. But in the words of the immortal Maxwell Smart (the original one, not this new incarnation), "I missed it by that much". I'm 350 words short of being back on track again. *shrug*

Considering I got one scene out and at the end of the scene, my fingers left me a present I hadn't planned on, only missing the mark by 350 ain't bad. You see, I got to the end of a necessary scene and before I knew it one little sentence sent the plot zooming off in a different direction. I took my between-scene break and when I sat back down, I couldn't figure out how the hell I was going to resolve that one sentence with what I had planned for the rest of the book. Seriously, everything I plotted for the remainder of the book was toast. So, as much as I liked the sentence and as delicious as it was, I snipped it. Didn't even save it.

Unfortunately, it was probably the best sentence I wrote all day yesterday. Stephen King has a great quote that fits yesterday perfectly for me: "Sometimes you have to go on when you don't feel like it, and sometimes you're doing good work when it feels like all you're managing is to shovel shit from a sitting position." Except I really don't think I was doing the 'good work' part. I've got the 'shoveling shit from a sitting position' part down pat, though. I'm blaming that one sentence for derailing my train of thought.

Feh. I don't even remember what the sentence is any more.

So, here's hoping today is a better day. I can feel myself getting close to the end. Of course, I'm going to have a lot (A LOT) of editing to do once this is finished, but it's all good. I'm writing again. I'm getting words out.

And that's the most important thing. =o)

NNWM is Good Practice

2008-11-15T07:22:00.004-07:00

Yesterday I was being a whiner. I admit it fully. When writing time came, all I wanted to do was sit on the couch and watch TV. (Damn USA network for running a three hour marathon of NCIS every night starting at 6:00 my time.)

When I mentioned... okay whined... to my husband that I had writing to do, he gave me the ol' 'Why?' look. I mean, I don't have a contract and no one is standing behind me tapping their foot as they wait for the words to come out. I don't have to write 50K words this month. I don't have even have to do 50K this year. If I don't write another word in 2008, no one is going to die.

Still...

As I told my better half, I'm doing this because it's good practice for the day when I do have a contract and I am under a deadline. It'll happen someday and I'd better be ready for it when it does. A contract is a commitment and if I sign something that says I'll have a book to them by x-date, then by god, I'll honor my commitment. (Barring flood, famine, disaster or grievous bodily injury, of course.)

When I first started writing, I was absolutely sure I wouldn't be able to write to deadlines. I had a meandering way of writing. I waited for inspiration to strike me, and then I'd sit down to let the words pour out of my fingers. It made writing really easy, but it was so unrealistic I could go back in time and pat my former self on the head like I was a misguided child. (Which I was.) If I was never planning on being published, writing when the muse was ready would be fine. Except I plan on being published, and I want to be able to meet the expectations of my publishers.

So here I am. I'm still straining against the convention of sitting my butt down and typing every night, but I'm also kicking myself when I don't. I know I have work to do, and I will do it. By the end of today, I need to have about 3000 words done to be on track for my goal. I know I can do it. I have the next three scenes already plotted out, waiting to be written. (I should've written at least one of them last night.)

I know I can do this. Now I just have to prove it to myself. And when my contract finally comes, I'll be ahead of the game.

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ugh

2008-11-14T21:36:00.001-07:00

My eyes feel like tiny raisins behind my lids. Tiny, dirty raisins. With laser beams directed backwards into my brain.

Ain't November fun?

Make Books A Priority

2008-11-14T06:18:00.005-07:00

There's been a lot of buzz around my blogroll lately about the depressing state of publishing, and about ways we can all work to help (or even save) the world we work in.

Things are bad. No amount of sugarcoating can change that. I won't go into how it got that way or why I think some of this is a vicious circle that feeds on itself. I will talk today about things we can do to help the industry, and maybe ourselves, out a bit.

A few ideas I've heard and that I have:

- Buy a book - any book. If each writer bought one book this week, it wouldn't save the industry but it would go a long way toward showing the industry that books aren't dead (and never should be).

- Skimp a little to buy that book if you have to. Around here a standard paperback runs about $8 at the grocery store (sometimes if I'm lucky $7). Bigger paperbacks run around $16. Big hardcovers are about $30. I know that most of you already know what books cost in your own area, but I'm working up to a point here. The point is that most people spend at least $8 on lunch for themselves. If you're into fastfood, it's $8 easy. If you're more into a sit-down experience, you're looking at $16 - after the tax and tip. If you're dining with friends, $30. If you miss one meal, you'll have enough and if you just cut back to tuna, you'll probably be able to make up the cost of one book in two or three days. A little skimping goes a long way.

- Make books and reading a priority, not just for you but for those around you. Try to get other people as excited about a new book as they would be about a new movie. If you've got kids, take the Wii controller out of their hands, and shove a book in. Take a book to grandma and read it to her if you have to.

- Find ways to infuse your own enthusiasm about the industry into other people. Write a blog encouraging people to read a new book. If you know someone whose book is about to release, shout it up. (BTW, Karin Tabke's latest: Have Yourself a Naughty Little Santa just released! Know any women? Sure you do. Buy them a copy. Better yet, show them yours, say 'neener neener neener' and tell them to get their own.) If you've recently read a really great book, chat it up with store clerks and neighbors and strangers in the park. I've sold more books to the cashiers at my grocery store than I can count. I read 'em, I chat 'em up, they go to the rack and buy them.

- Read. No matter how busy you are, approach reading like you do writing. Set aside a certain amount of time to read every day. (I'm guilty of not doing this lately, but I really need to get back to it.) Shut off that sitcom, and spend the half hour reading instead. Put the kids down for a nap and instead of picking up a living room that's just going to be a disaster again when they wake up, read. Brown bag it, and read on your lunch hour. Take a book to your next doctor's appointment instead of thumbing through their ancient magazines. (Which works two-fold. You read, and other people see you reading which might give them the idea to get a book themselves.)

Anyway, no matter what you do, do something. If you want to see new authors on the shelves next year, or the year after, or ever... If you value the printed word... If you're a writer and are worried about ever getting published (or ever getting published again)... DO SOMETHING TO HELP.

Just to put my money where my mouth is, I bought two books yesterday. Night Secrets by Cherry Adair for my daughter and Crossfire by JoAnn Ross for myself. (Cost me about $17 - which means no Pizza Hut tonight. I'll live. In fact, my ever-widening ass will thank me for it later.)

What are you doing to help the industry (and yourself, if you're a writer)? Have you bought any books this week? Help a writer along and leave the titles in the comments.

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Playing Catch Up

2008-11-13T07:17:00.004-07:00

I knew this would happen. Twelve days in and I'm 1100 words behind on my goal. That's what comes of taking Tuesday off (and not because it was Veterans Day - it snowed like 9 inches, so after shoveling on and off all morning I was wiped out). Of course, taking last Friday off didn't help either. (I don't remember why.)

Yesterday I was talking to my mother, and we were discussing the fact that my sisters told my daughter I NEVER did any chores when we were growing up. True, I wasn't the best little helper as a kid, but never is stretching it. I didn't like chores, and if my two older sisters were around to do them, I guess I wriggled out of it more often than not. What they neglected to remember is that after both of them moved out, I was the go-to gal for all things domestic. (Mom's worked since I was five and is still going strong.) But I digress... as usual. The part of the conversation that pertains here is my admission that I was profoundly lazy back then.

As we all know, old habits are hard to break. I have left the 'profoundly' part behind, but I'm still basically lazy. If I don't break out the whip and make myself sit in this chair to write, it just doesn't get done. Regardless of whatever other reasons I may have had for the days off I took, behind it all is the fact that I just didn't get up off the damn couch and write.

Which means now I'm playing catch-up. (It's not playing with ketchup, but it looks just as gruesome from where I'm sitting.) I have to complete an average of 1730 words a day for the rest of the month if I want to hit my goal of 50K. Not really that much more than the 1667 it would've taken anyway, but it means no more days off. No more excuses, or the catching up will get so much worse. One day missed adds means I'd have to add another 100 words a day to my average. Miss a second day? Add another 120. It's a vicious mathematical vortex. (Was it the Scylla or Charybdis that was the whirlpool? Either way it's not good.)

I know 100 extra words doesn't sound that bad, but when you're fighting the pull of extreme laziness, a hundred words feels like a chapter.

So, this morning I am recommitting myself (hard to type with a straightjacket... LOL) to the endeavor. I will have Nano finished by December 1st, and if that doesn't get me the 50K, I have several other novels waiting for my attention. I can do it.

At least, I think I can.

How are your words coming this month? If you're not doing NNWM, or NaNo, or Sven, did you set yourself a goal?

If you do set goals, do you kick yourself when you fall short? I know I do, which is why I'm not a big goal-setter.

The Suspense Was Ruined

2008-11-12T06:59:00.005-07:00

Last night was the broadcast of the 2008 WSOP (World Series of Poker) final table, and for a while now, I've been studiously avoiding all news about it. I really wanted to wait and watch the action for myself.

Yesterday while I was taking a break from shoveling snow, I sat down to flip around the TV for a few minutes, and what did I see scrolling across the bottom of ESPN? The results of the final table. I closed my eyes, but not fast enough. I didn't catch it all, but what I saw was "...defeats Demidoy to win...".

Dirty bastards.

I spent the whole time watching the tournament knowing there was only one person who could take out the lucky Russian. Thanks ESPN. =op---

How does this relate to writing, you say. Well, I'm the same way about books. I don't want to know what's going to happen in a book before I read the book. I think I actually would've throttled anyone who ruined the last Harry Potter for me. Seriously. If I'd known the end, I still would've read the book, but it wouldn't have been as yummy for me.

But it's even more than that. I don't read book excerpts - not if I want to read the book, that is - and I don't read the little teasers they put at the end of one book to get you to buy the next book. If I liked the first book, I'm going to buy the second without needing to read the first few pages. Hell, I don't even like to read the cover copy on books I already know I'm going to buy. And I only read cover copy on unknown books if I really can't decide.

I can deal with a one-liner. Like the one I created for Manhunter: Dwelling on the past can be murder. Stuff like that makes me want to know more, but it doesn't give away any of the story. I like to discover the story on my own, thank you very much.

Maybe it's that I like the mystery of not knowing what happens. Last season's ender for Criminal Minds had a delicious cliff-hanger. They showed each of the main characters getting into his/her own black SUV, and then they showed a black SUV blowing up. Sure, it was mind-blowingly frustrating to not know who got blown up, but I was a good girl about it. I didn't check online to see if anyone knew, and I didn't try to figure it out any other. Once again, I avoided all talk about the show. I never dreamed CBS - who set the cliff-hanger up in the first place - would out the damn secret in a commercial ONE WEEK before the show was scheduled to air. A whole summer of letting the suspense build, and it was ruined in a thirty second spot. As I said before: "Dirty Bastards".

I liked the summer of wondering. I like the months between book releases. Suspense builds to a fever pitch and when I finally get a hold of the book, I devour it. It's like cooking an awesome meal - the scent of dinner wafts through the house and by the time dinner is ready, you're starving. (Yesterday I cooked a pork roast. Two plus hours of the house smelling awesome seemed to make the eating itself even better.) I don't need no little taste ahead of time. I just want the meal. If I'm that hungry, I'll snack on something else while I'm waiting. (Watch a different program, read someone else's book, etc.)

Maybe that's why I write what I do and they way I do it. So far everything I've written has an element of suspense to it. And since I don't really plot, even I don't know what's going to happen before it does. The not knowing is delicious, and when the plot twists hit me, I'm delighted. (Tickled pink, in fact.)

I know I'm in the minority with regard to book teasers, and I can deal with not reading them. I have my own strategies for keeping myself in the dark. It's just when they sneak them in when I'm not expecting it that really gets my undies in a bunch. To those sneaky, dirty bastards I say:

Knock it off.

How about you? Do you like to know ahead of time or do you get into the wait? Have you ever waited for something only to have it spoiled by someone else (like the damnable ESPN)?

Or is it just me?

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Veterans Day

2008-11-11T06:33:00.005-07:00

Celebrate Veterans Day and honor those men who, throughout the past 232 years, have protected their values by protecting this country. The Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave could not exist without them.

(Image courtesy of The Department of Veterans Affairs Poster Gallery)

Inspiration Strikes & NNWM Update

2008-11-10T10:15:00.003-07:00

Saturday night I was typing along, trying to get some words in before I got too tired to type, and WHAM! Inspiration hit me. Like a freight train. Out of the recesses of my subconscious, I got a great idea for a new twist, and it fits in so perfectly it's almost like I plotted it that way. It even ties up a loose end I wasn't aware of. Hurray. I even told my husband about it, but he just looked at me like I'm nuts. Can't blame him really since he hasn't read this book, and the whole thing would sound weird to someone who hasn't been enveloped by the story. (When he finally reads this, he'll totally get it.)

I wish I could tell you what it was, but it would be a major plot spoiler. =o(

Anyway, I just wanted to squee with you all.

Now for the NNWM update. Since this is the tenth day of NNWM, I thought I would give you my stats as they stand now.

11/1 - 1349 words written
11/2 - 4023 words written
11/3 - 1733 words written
11/4 - 493 words written
11/5 - 2014 words written
11/6 - 1309 words written
11/7 - 0 words written
11/8 - 3560 words written
11/9 - 1723 words written

Which leaves me at 16204 total so far this month, or 32.41% of the way to my goal of writing 50K this month. So far I've only worked on Nano, but if I get this first-drafted before the 50K, I'll start something else. I think the important thing to understand with NNWM is that you may not hit your daily goal every day, but you may be able to make it up another day. I just have to stop myself from shooting only to hit the goal, or to make up the lost words. I need to remember to keep writing until the ideas and/or my hands are used up. And it also means that if I haven't hit my goal, I need to stop watching football and get back to work. Yesterday was almost an 800 word day because my average was above 1665, but I kicked myself in the butt and got another 900 or so out.

Or to borrow a phrase from Dorry the fish: Just keep swimmin'. ;o)

How's your writing going so far this month?

Trying Something Different

2008-11-09T09:31:00.002-07:00

Okay, you all know I was having some difficulties a while back. I couldn't get back into Nano. Well, the problem's solved, but the result is that I have no more chapters.

I just started writing. I put in spaces to note scene changes, but I didn't put in any chapters. I really didn't even notice it until the other day when I went to see how long my last chapter was and whether it was probably time to put in a new chapter, and I was like thirty pages in. At that point, I just shrugged and went back to writing. I've never done it before, but if working without putting in chapters is getting the job done, I'm down with it.

LOL, right now chapter fifteen is 56 pages long.

*shrug*

I'm usually pretty good about keeping track of my chapters. I even put in bookmarks for each chapter so I can move around my book more easily when I edit. Right now, it's a cluttered mess. It ought to be driving me nuts, but it's not. (Okay, it is a little.)

The theory here, I guess, is that I have some issues farther back in the book, so I might need to move some scenes around. After I get everything where I want it, I'll put the chapters in. Never worked this way before, but hey, if it works, why mess with it?

How do you handle chapters? Do you put them in while you're doing the first draft or later? Do you move things around in your manuscript? How about bookmarks, ever use 'em or is it just anal retentive writer me?

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