Hello, my darlings!
I missed last week's post due to some extreme craziness at the Day Job, on top of the expected craziness incumbent with trying to get them all prepared for my absence, since I'm on vacation with the family this week.
But since I neglected you last week, I couldn't let it go this week! So here I am, at a stool in my mother-in-law's kitchen, trying to keep the kids quiet while she and the Hubs are sleeping, and writing to you, my favorite readers!
I hope you all had a fantastic Christmas! (Or whatever your favorite winter solstice holiday is. I'm not picky.)
I brought my iPad with me on vacation, and all the stories I'm currently working on, but there's the hustle and bustle of trying to get around to visiting with as much of the Hubs' extended family as possible and the kids staying up late and trying not to make anymore impact on people's spaces and routines than we have to... And all that leaves me really wiped out at the end of the day and not inclined to write. Heck, most nights, I've even been too tired to read, and I bought some really fun-sounding stories to fill up my spare time with!
We fly home on Friday, and then there's Christmas with my family and New Year's with friends, and then we're back to the regular routine by Tuesday...
So in the meantime: leave me a story prompt to help me get back into the swing, tell me what you did for your holidays (were you naughty?), and tell me what kind of New Year's Resolutions you're going to make, if any!
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Stupid Awesomeness.
Argh. I was about a third of the way through my review/edit of Foxfur this past week when I thought, "Hey, the motivation for [action X] is really shaky and not very well explained. What if there was another force behind it? Like, an [antagonist B], working behind the scenes, who wants [motivation Y]! That would add another 15,000 words to the story, easy, and it would explain [action X] better, and it would let [protagonist B] actually do something big and useful, and then [antagonist B] could turn up in the sequel I've been head-working!"
Awesome!
The only downside is that, even setting aside my lackluster writing performance lately, there's no way I can get all that done before the end of the year. I'll be taking my iPad with me on our holiday trip to visit the Hubs' family, but I'm not expecting to have much time for writing while I'm there -- there maybe one or two quiet evenings, but mostly I expect to be too busy and (congruently) too tired to write.
And then when we get back, I'll be a) exhausted, and b) prepping for the combination Christmas/New Year's celebration with my family and our friends.
So I've got approximately one week before the "end" of the year, writing-wise. And given the way I've been turning into a pumpkin promptly at 10:30 lately, I just don't see managing another 15,000 words, minimum, in that time.
At least this isn't a story on contract, so it's not like I'm missing anyone's deadline but my own. And I'd have been right on target with it, too, if I hadn't had that Awesome Idea.
Last night, reading through the action climax (as opposed to the romantic climax, which follows it) (yes, my inner 14-year-old boy is giggling at the multiple climaxes) it was tempting to just say screw it, skip the Awesome Idea, and keep the story as-is, just so I can be done with it. Lynn and I have been talking about rewriting a story we wrote together about nine years ago, now that we're both published and have a better idea of what we're doing, and so ideas are pinging around in my head for how to approach that project. And I've had an anthology idea I want to consider and then pitch. And there's all the other projects and ideas I've got notes for, just waiting...
But it is an Awesome Idea, it will solve some problems and open some new doors, and I'm not on deadline, here. So I'll probably hold onto it. Wanting to dump it just to finish the story is stupid, it's just exhaustion talking. Once the holidays are through and I'm able to get back on a decent schedule, it should come a lot easier. So I'm thinking end of January, maybe mid-February, now? Heh. Of course. Because early spring is when I always submit my longer stuff.
Awesome!
The only downside is that, even setting aside my lackluster writing performance lately, there's no way I can get all that done before the end of the year. I'll be taking my iPad with me on our holiday trip to visit the Hubs' family, but I'm not expecting to have much time for writing while I'm there -- there maybe one or two quiet evenings, but mostly I expect to be too busy and (congruently) too tired to write.
And then when we get back, I'll be a) exhausted, and b) prepping for the combination Christmas/New Year's celebration with my family and our friends.
So I've got approximately one week before the "end" of the year, writing-wise. And given the way I've been turning into a pumpkin promptly at 10:30 lately, I just don't see managing another 15,000 words, minimum, in that time.
At least this isn't a story on contract, so it's not like I'm missing anyone's deadline but my own. And I'd have been right on target with it, too, if I hadn't had that Awesome Idea.
Last night, reading through the action climax (as opposed to the romantic climax, which follows it) (yes, my inner 14-year-old boy is giggling at the multiple climaxes) it was tempting to just say screw it, skip the Awesome Idea, and keep the story as-is, just so I can be done with it. Lynn and I have been talking about rewriting a story we wrote together about nine years ago, now that we're both published and have a better idea of what we're doing, and so ideas are pinging around in my head for how to approach that project. And I've had an anthology idea I want to consider and then pitch. And there's all the other projects and ideas I've got notes for, just waiting...
But it is an Awesome Idea, it will solve some problems and open some new doors, and I'm not on deadline, here. So I'll probably hold onto it. Wanting to dump it just to finish the story is stupid, it's just exhaustion talking. Once the holidays are through and I'm able to get back on a decent schedule, it should come a lot easier. So I'm thinking end of January, maybe mid-February, now? Heh. Of course. Because early spring is when I always submit my longer stuff.
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Making It Happen
We're well into the insanity of the holidays, and it's taking a toll on my writing time. Last weekend, it seemed we had an Event of some sort going at every single minute -- and for those few minutes that weren't Events, I was trying to squeeze in some shopping or wrapping.
I have managed to add a solid 1500 words to Foxfur in the past week or so, though -- a pitiful word count, but I've only managed to get about a quarter of the way through. Knowing that I have at least one scene to add and plenty more fluffing and expanding to do makes me think I can get this to that 50,000 word limit without too much trouble.
And I think the worst of the craziness is actually done for the next couple of weeks. We still have Events on the calendar, but I'm almost done with the shopping and the crafting and the wrapping, so I think I can take a few deep breaths and try to get back into this review. My goal is still to have it ready for my betas by the new year. (Which would have me submitting to the publisher probably around early February? That seems to be my favorite time of year to toss things over the fence.)
One way or another, I'm going to make this happen.
Oh, and! It looks like "Assumption of Desire" is tentatively scheduled for release in March! I'll offer up more details when I have them, I promise!
I have managed to add a solid 1500 words to Foxfur in the past week or so, though -- a pitiful word count, but I've only managed to get about a quarter of the way through. Knowing that I have at least one scene to add and plenty more fluffing and expanding to do makes me think I can get this to that 50,000 word limit without too much trouble.
And I think the worst of the craziness is actually done for the next couple of weeks. We still have Events on the calendar, but I'm almost done with the shopping and the crafting and the wrapping, so I think I can take a few deep breaths and try to get back into this review. My goal is still to have it ready for my betas by the new year. (Which would have me submitting to the publisher probably around early February? That seems to be my favorite time of year to toss things over the fence.)
One way or another, I'm going to make this happen.
Oh, and! It looks like "Assumption of Desire" is tentatively scheduled for release in March! I'll offer up more details when I have them, I promise!
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Ebb and Flow
I had my day off from the Day Job yesterday, and so, as usual, I went to Panera, got a coffee mug and a bagel, and settled in to write. I was hoping to break 3000 words again.
Alas, I barely managed 1200. There isn't a lot of blame I can cast, though -- not even on myself. I just finished the story. I wrote the end, and I went back and wrote a fill-in scene that I'd planned. Both of those took longer than I'd expected, because I had to keep reading back to make sure I wasn't contradicting things I'd said earlier. And when I was done, it was after lunch and the story was mostly done. (I need to do a full read-through and write down my timeline, though, because I think I've muddled it once or twice.)
I sat down again last night to work on it, found another spot that could use some expansion, and wrote another 1000 words or so. But I'm definitely into the "reviewing for beta draft" stage and not still in the full-on "getting it out" phase of things, so progress is not going to be measured so much by word count anymore.
But here's my question: It's currently just shy of 40,000 words. 50,000 makes a (small) novel -- but I'm not close to that. I'd have to add a lot more to the story to make it novel-length. I might be able to manage that -- there are a few scenes that could be expanded, one or two new scenes I could write, and with dribs and drabs, I could probably beef it up.
But I'm not sure it needs it. I'm not sure it wants it. I'm not sure that beefing it up wouldn't make the story less robust, rather than more, even though that doesn't sound like it makes sense. And I'd hate to do it just because I want to be able to say I've got something in print, you know?
I think what I'll do is, I'll finish this edit-for-beta stage. Add the scenes that I think will add to the story and the structure. Make things clean. Make it a good story. And then see where I am with the word count. And then, probably, see what my betas think. (Speaking of which, I can always use more betas... anyone want the gig?)
Alas, I barely managed 1200. There isn't a lot of blame I can cast, though -- not even on myself. I just finished the story. I wrote the end, and I went back and wrote a fill-in scene that I'd planned. Both of those took longer than I'd expected, because I had to keep reading back to make sure I wasn't contradicting things I'd said earlier. And when I was done, it was after lunch and the story was mostly done. (I need to do a full read-through and write down my timeline, though, because I think I've muddled it once or twice.)
I sat down again last night to work on it, found another spot that could use some expansion, and wrote another 1000 words or so. But I'm definitely into the "reviewing for beta draft" stage and not still in the full-on "getting it out" phase of things, so progress is not going to be measured so much by word count anymore.
But here's my question: It's currently just shy of 40,000 words. 50,000 makes a (small) novel -- but I'm not close to that. I'd have to add a lot more to the story to make it novel-length. I might be able to manage that -- there are a few scenes that could be expanded, one or two new scenes I could write, and with dribs and drabs, I could probably beef it up.
But I'm not sure it needs it. I'm not sure it wants it. I'm not sure that beefing it up wouldn't make the story less robust, rather than more, even though that doesn't sound like it makes sense. And I'd hate to do it just because I want to be able to say I've got something in print, you know?
I think what I'll do is, I'll finish this edit-for-beta stage. Add the scenes that I think will add to the story and the structure. Make things clean. Make it a good story. And then see where I am with the word count. And then, probably, see what my betas think. (Speaking of which, I can always use more betas... anyone want the gig?)
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Gratitude
Thanksgiving (for those of us in the US) is tomorrow.
On the surface, it looks like a holiday to deplore -- a paean to gluttony and sloth and greed. Like Valentine's Day, it's a holiday that shouldn't need to exist, because it represents a feeling that we should acknowledge daily, or at least more than once a year.
But like Valentine's Day, I like it, specifically because while I am frequently grateful for my life, I'm also glad to have an opportunity to put that gratitude into the limelight for a while.
I'm glad to say: Sure, I'm not one of the 1%, but I don't need to be. The Day Job, no matter how tedious, more than pays the bills. And in my breaks and evenings, I have the job of my dreams, the job I've longed for since I was younger than my daughter is now. I'm a writer and an editor, and I love it. And I love it for reasons I never even imagined, before it happened.
I love the writing, of course. I've always loved the writing. I love building worlds, I love getting into my characters' heads. I love it when they take over and demand that I tell their stories.
I love knowing other people are reading what I've written. Every time I see one of my stories move to someone's "currently-reading" list in Goodreads, every time I see a new ranking or review, I squeal with excitement. Even the mediocre reviews fill me with delight. (And I'm duly grateful that I haven't seen any unalloyed bad reviews, yet.)
I love working with my editors and seeing their suggestions for improving my writing. I'm not being facetious or tongue-in-cheek there, either. My writing has improved by leaps and bounds since I submitted Of One Mind to Torquere almost two years ago, and every time I re-read a sentence and remove an unnecessary comma or fix an unclear pronoun antecedent, I mentally tip my hat to the editors who showed me those bad habits of mine. I love that I've learned how to separate my work from my self-worth so that a good, harsh (but fair) editing feels cleansing and refreshing rather than like an attack on my person.
I love being an editor and helping other writers stretch themselves from "pretty good" to "great". I love knowing that something I put my hands on -- even if I didn't write it myself -- is going out into the world to entertain people.
And most of all, I love the people that I've met through this second job of mine. I love exchanging ideas and information and bantering with fellow authors and editors. I love the community feeling and the sense of inclusion that transcends gender and race and religion and political orientation. And I love my little blog here, knowing that you're reading my words, even if you don't always answer.
I have my dream job. It doesn't pay my bills, but it doesn't have to -- and that might even be having the best of both worlds, because I can take things at exactly the speed I want (or need) to. I have my dream job, and I have it on my own terms.
And that's something for which no words could ever properly express my gratitude and my thankfulness.
Thank you, for being with me.
On the surface, it looks like a holiday to deplore -- a paean to gluttony and sloth and greed. Like Valentine's Day, it's a holiday that shouldn't need to exist, because it represents a feeling that we should acknowledge daily, or at least more than once a year.
But like Valentine's Day, I like it, specifically because while I am frequently grateful for my life, I'm also glad to have an opportunity to put that gratitude into the limelight for a while.
I'm glad to say: Sure, I'm not one of the 1%, but I don't need to be. The Day Job, no matter how tedious, more than pays the bills. And in my breaks and evenings, I have the job of my dreams, the job I've longed for since I was younger than my daughter is now. I'm a writer and an editor, and I love it. And I love it for reasons I never even imagined, before it happened.
I love the writing, of course. I've always loved the writing. I love building worlds, I love getting into my characters' heads. I love it when they take over and demand that I tell their stories.
I love knowing other people are reading what I've written. Every time I see one of my stories move to someone's "currently-reading" list in Goodreads, every time I see a new ranking or review, I squeal with excitement. Even the mediocre reviews fill me with delight. (And I'm duly grateful that I haven't seen any unalloyed bad reviews, yet.)
I love working with my editors and seeing their suggestions for improving my writing. I'm not being facetious or tongue-in-cheek there, either. My writing has improved by leaps and bounds since I submitted Of One Mind to Torquere almost two years ago, and every time I re-read a sentence and remove an unnecessary comma or fix an unclear pronoun antecedent, I mentally tip my hat to the editors who showed me those bad habits of mine. I love that I've learned how to separate my work from my self-worth so that a good, harsh (but fair) editing feels cleansing and refreshing rather than like an attack on my person.
I love being an editor and helping other writers stretch themselves from "pretty good" to "great". I love knowing that something I put my hands on -- even if I didn't write it myself -- is going out into the world to entertain people.
And most of all, I love the people that I've met through this second job of mine. I love exchanging ideas and information and bantering with fellow authors and editors. I love the community feeling and the sense of inclusion that transcends gender and race and religion and political orientation. And I love my little blog here, knowing that you're reading my words, even if you don't always answer.
I have my dream job. It doesn't pay my bills, but it doesn't have to -- and that might even be having the best of both worlds, because I can take things at exactly the speed I want (or need) to. I have my dream job, and I have it on my own terms.
And that's something for which no words could ever properly express my gratitude and my thankfulness.
Thank you, for being with me.
Saturday, November 19, 2011
FREE READ!
"Of Sound Mind" -- the second (standalone) episode in my One Mind universe, has been re-released under a Creative Commons license as a free online OR downloadable book at Goodreads (account may be required)! Check it out! (And while you're at it, check out its awesome new cover, courtesy of my amazing, award-winning artist brother!)
Thursday, November 17, 2011
4000
I took the day off from the Day Job yesterday.
I spent 5 hours sitting in Panera with my iPad. (Thank goodness for the bottomless mug of coffee.) In that time, I knocked out some 4000 words on Foxfur, bringing it very close to 40,000 words. If I get to 50,000 (which is entirely possible, as I have one whole sex scene left to write, which will probably be a good 3-4K, plus at least two scenes earlier in the story that I need to back up and expand) then it counts as a novel, and if it gets published, then it will also be available in print!
I'm feeling good about this one, too, and I even have a serious plan of attack for it. I'm still thinking that it might be ready for beta by the end of the year or early next. (I just need to come up with a better title, because Foxfur isn't going to cut it.)
Four thousand words in one day.
My schedule doesn't have enough squeeze-time left in it to attempt anything as ambitious as NaNoWriMo, but it's nice having the kind of writing day that makes me think it could be achievable, if I did have time to write every day.
It gives me something to look forward to, when the kids are grown and the house is paid off and I'm ready to retire from the Day Job. Heck, that first year without a "real" job, I might do NaNoWriMo twice.
I spent 5 hours sitting in Panera with my iPad. (Thank goodness for the bottomless mug of coffee.) In that time, I knocked out some 4000 words on Foxfur, bringing it very close to 40,000 words. If I get to 50,000 (which is entirely possible, as I have one whole sex scene left to write, which will probably be a good 3-4K, plus at least two scenes earlier in the story that I need to back up and expand) then it counts as a novel, and if it gets published, then it will also be available in print!
I'm feeling good about this one, too, and I even have a serious plan of attack for it. I'm still thinking that it might be ready for beta by the end of the year or early next. (I just need to come up with a better title, because Foxfur isn't going to cut it.)
Four thousand words in one day.
My schedule doesn't have enough squeeze-time left in it to attempt anything as ambitious as NaNoWriMo, but it's nice having the kind of writing day that makes me think it could be achievable, if I did have time to write every day.
It gives me something to look forward to, when the kids are grown and the house is paid off and I'm ready to retire from the Day Job. Heck, that first year without a "real" job, I might do NaNoWriMo twice.
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