First up, ROW80 updates. It's been a good week for me. I've gotten a fair bit done on Verity but I'm still stuck on the same problem. It's at 62k right now and basically needs one or two chapters adjusted and a little bit of rewriting once I figure out how to link the new and old stuff properly. If/when I figure out that niggling problem, it's done and I'm on to Taunt.
One of my original ROW80 goals was to edit Verity and, technically, I have so I sort of feel like I've accomplished something in January. The best bit is that I don't hate the story and I'm enjoying the characters again. I told my OH earlier that I think I might actually be done with it this year. So whoop whoop for that. One month done, lots of up and downs, but I'm a happy camper. :) Hope you're all feeling optimistic for February!
ETA: Okay, been waffling to my OH again. The poor thing (he's not a reader) has no idea what the book is about or who the characters are but he helped me figure out how to bridge the gap I've been moaning about. It's just for now so I have an actual complete story to edit but it might work long-term. We'll see. It'll bulk up the action, which is good because I'm crap at the romance. I feel a little guilty for what I'm putting these kids through. :D
On to other schtuff. Fellow ROW80er, Vicki Keire, author of Gifts of the Blood, made me cry this week. Actual tears, people. She gave Thirst a really generous, thoughtful review on her blog. See, I'm not used to people talking about stuff I've written. When Andrew Mocete interviewed me, he did a little intro about Thirst and said what it was about and I swear, I was on a high for days. Days. That stuff is addictive. My stories are in my head, I talk about them to nobody, yet the characters are like family so when somebody else "knows" them, it gets to me. Sad, I know!
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Thank You
Last check-in I took the comments on board and decided to take Sunday night off. On Monday I ran away from work until that evening when I printed out everything. While that was going, I jotted down a few things I wanted to adjust in the story and came up with a new idea that doesn't solve all my problems but gave me enough of a boost to start enjoying what I'm doing. Still haven't gotten that big breakthrough but after reading all your comments, I'm happier about it so thank you. I've stopped tormenting myself about it, it'll happen when I'm ready for it. *Please don't require a major rewrite*
I'm going through all of the chapters I'm keeping and noting little additions and cuts I need to make for the whole manuscript to make sense then I'll be going through the 40k or so I cut and marking out the things I want/need to keep before I rewrite the end. I've gotten through seven chapters so far and am feeling good about it. If I work hard then I'll be finished with it soon - really hard and I'll be finished this round of edits/rewriting by February. I've also come up with a few ideas for the sequel, not sure if that's a good thing or not. :D
I would absolutely love to finish Verity this year - it takes up so much of my time, it's ridiculous. I can't work on anything else for long because it starts bugging me again. I'm still thinking about Taunt though, so it's not a total loss. There's a little twist I've been thinking about and wondering is it time for plus I've been getting to know one of my more unpredictable characters, always fun. The fae novel has been springing up a bit too again - I wish I didn't need to sleep. :)
So updates are, I kinda plotted and I've edited seven chapters with the new plot in mind.
I know I keep changing my goals but bloody hell, I didn't expect to change my mind about Verity this many times. ;) My mood has improved bucketloads, sorry for the whininess last check-in! I would have chucked it all in if it wasn't for ROW80 so again, thank ye very much.
New goals:
I'm going through all of the chapters I'm keeping and noting little additions and cuts I need to make for the whole manuscript to make sense then I'll be going through the 40k or so I cut and marking out the things I want/need to keep before I rewrite the end. I've gotten through seven chapters so far and am feeling good about it. If I work hard then I'll be finished with it soon - really hard and I'll be finished this round of edits/rewriting by February. I've also come up with a few ideas for the sequel, not sure if that's a good thing or not. :D
I would absolutely love to finish Verity this year - it takes up so much of my time, it's ridiculous. I can't work on anything else for long because it starts bugging me again. I'm still thinking about Taunt though, so it's not a total loss. There's a little twist I've been thinking about and wondering is it time for plus I've been getting to know one of my more unpredictable characters, always fun. The fae novel has been springing up a bit too again - I wish I didn't need to sleep. :)
So updates are, I kinda plotted and I've edited seven chapters with the new plot in mind.
I know I keep changing my goals but bloody hell, I didn't expect to change my mind about Verity this many times. ;) My mood has improved bucketloads, sorry for the whininess last check-in! I would have chucked it all in if it wasn't for ROW80 so again, thank ye very much.
New goals:
- Get latest version of Verity out of the way so I can get back to Taunt.
- Stop sitting around doing nothing when things aren't going like I planned.
- Visit more of my fellow ROW80ers than I did last week.
- Remember it's still only January - this round isn't nearly over so we've lots of time to crack on.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Let It Be
Randomness:
Mac have a Wonder Woman collection coming out. Take that Barbie. I love Wonder Woman, it might not be out over here until March which coincides with not just the end of ROW80 *reward!* but also my birthday. Hi, Mister Farrell. ;) You can tell I really love all things Wonder Woman because I used bold and italics.
My 6 month old keeps making strange with me. WTF? Everytime I get out of the bath, she puts on a sad lip and won't feed. I know I take my time in the bath but I'm not gone that long.
Kids are all okay, thanks for asking. Except for the boldness, dear god, the boldness. They're all looking forward to getting away from each other. Even my sensible kid had a meltdown this week because his sister was singing in her own room and he couldn't concentrate so his lego fell apart. Um, yeah, roll on school.
Not feeling very social this week so I'll do my blog rounds later. Serious case of the blahs this week, mostly down to the following paragraph. Goddamnit.
ROW80 Update: Since Wednesday, I've basically been trying not to let my head explode. Need to figure out how new second half of Verity fits in with end of Verity - finding it hard to write while I'm thinking so hard. I feel like something obvious is just. right. there. but no, can't find it.
I've been plotting and have gotten roughly 5k worth of new chapters written so weekly challenges done.
Rest of the challengers are here:
Mac have a Wonder Woman collection coming out. Take that Barbie. I love Wonder Woman, it might not be out over here until March which coincides with not just the end of ROW80 *reward!* but also my birthday. Hi, Mister Farrell. ;) You can tell I really love all things Wonder Woman because I used bold and italics.
My 6 month old keeps making strange with me. WTF? Everytime I get out of the bath, she puts on a sad lip and won't feed. I know I take my time in the bath but I'm not gone that long.
Kids are all okay, thanks for asking. Except for the boldness, dear god, the boldness. They're all looking forward to getting away from each other. Even my sensible kid had a meltdown this week because his sister was singing in her own room and he couldn't concentrate so his lego fell apart. Um, yeah, roll on school.
Not feeling very social this week so I'll do my blog rounds later. Serious case of the blahs this week, mostly down to the following paragraph. Goddamnit.
ROW80 Update: Since Wednesday, I've basically been trying not to let my head explode. Need to figure out how new second half of Verity fits in with end of Verity - finding it hard to write while I'm thinking so hard. I feel like something obvious is just. right. there. but no, can't find it.
I've been plotting and have gotten roughly 5k worth of new chapters written so weekly challenges done.
Rest of the challengers are here:
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
So It Goes
What's happened since the last ROW80 check-in?
Six members of my household are sick now so no school. Again. Last time I said I was editing Verity in full before I returned to Taunt. Yeah, well, not really.
I got to the half way point and felt like there was too much going in the second half but not enough excitement. I talked it out with my OH - by that I mean I spoke to him in incomplete sentences and he nodded, pretended he understood and thought about Arsenal/World of Warcraft/how many minutes until bedtime.
I realised the pacing would probably be better if the big fight at the end came in the middle instead as part of the big reveal and I stopped trying to squeeze a series worth of minor story arcs into one book. After some more rambling in sentences that I never managed to finish I had a better idea, one so awesome it requires an almost total rewrite of the second half of the book and a purge of certain plotlines. *Screams soundlessly*
So. Changing my goals. Instead of editing Verity (I. Was. So. Close.) I will need to rewrite the second half and probably do a bit of an outline to tidy up major and minor plot points. Part of me can't bear the idea but my dominant half is excited so it all works out. ;) Also, I'll need to use the new stuff to fit in with book 2 so I want to jot down the ideas I've been getting for that.
I should really be concentrating on Taunt - since I'll be epublishing it - but I'm too stubborn to let Verity go. If I die and that book isn't finished, I'm going to be really pissed. By the next check-in, I would like to have a clear path to the end of Verity - even if it's just an outline. I'm not being ambitious considering how much "but it's my turn to sit beside Mammy" is going on. Oh, and by February all of this mind-changing better be done, okay self?
For more sensible check-in posts, clicky here.
Updates:
Take the last two digits of the year you were born plus the age you will be this year.
Answer: 111.
Six members of my household are sick now so no school. Again. Last time I said I was editing Verity in full before I returned to Taunt. Yeah, well, not really.
I got to the half way point and felt like there was too much going in the second half but not enough excitement. I talked it out with my OH - by that I mean I spoke to him in incomplete sentences and he nodded, pretended he understood and thought about Arsenal/World of Warcraft/how many minutes until bedtime.
I realised the pacing would probably be better if the big fight at the end came in the middle instead as part of the big reveal and I stopped trying to squeeze a series worth of minor story arcs into one book. After some more rambling in sentences that I never managed to finish I had a better idea, one so awesome it requires an almost total rewrite of the second half of the book and a purge of certain plotlines. *Screams soundlessly*
So. Changing my goals. Instead of editing Verity (I. Was. So. Close.) I will need to rewrite the second half and probably do a bit of an outline to tidy up major and minor plot points. Part of me can't bear the idea but my dominant half is excited so it all works out. ;) Also, I'll need to use the new stuff to fit in with book 2 so I want to jot down the ideas I've been getting for that.
I should really be concentrating on Taunt - since I'll be epublishing it - but I'm too stubborn to let Verity go. If I die and that book isn't finished, I'm going to be really pissed. By the next check-in, I would like to have a clear path to the end of Verity - even if it's just an outline. I'm not being ambitious considering how much "but it's my turn to sit beside Mammy" is going on. Oh, and by February all of this mind-changing better be done, okay self?
For more sensible check-in posts, clicky here.
Updates:
- I edited like ten chapters but it might not count in the end.
- I haz a new plan.
Take the last two digits of the year you were born plus the age you will be this year.
Answer: 111.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Check-In Time
Funny sort of week. After reading everyone's comments and posts after the last check-in, I started thinking and realised I was looking for the perfect time to write. Except there is no perfect time so I was wasting reasonably worthwhile chunks of time instead. I'm at a messy stage right now, think laptop and mounds of paper and notes spread all around me in a humongous circle, so I've been waiting until I'm alone to write. I realised that was silly and sat down with a pen and paper to write down a couple of notes (amongst the battling toddlers) and ended up rewriting the entire outline. One goal done.
I deleted chapters and then wrote more than my week's word count in one day so weekly goal done (although I'm not finished yet).
I got a small bit of editing done but I've been mostly hands-free for the last few days because my eldest daughter has been sick (she even missed her belated Christmas party at playschool because she vomited all over the classroom) and my youngest daughter had a bit of a reaction to her injections. Sometimes only Mammy's cuddles will do. Add in some visitors yesterday and work has slowed down again. But, today is mine, sort of, and I'm planning on getting as much editing done as possible because I want Verity out of the way next week so I can concentrate fully on Taunt. Taunt's exciting me right now so I want to devote all my time to it.
I feel like this week has gone well, blips and all. I just have to keep remembering to work with what I've got. Part of it has been the really good, positive atmosphere from the rest of the ROW80 challengers. There's something very inspiring about it all. I'm also thinking part of me feeling like I had a good week is down to the fact I've been avoiding the internet as much as possible for the last three or four days - definitely been a good thing for me. I might try more of the same.
Quick question for anyone in the know. (I should have stayed offline. LOL). A reviewer said they were offended by the little copyright paragraph at the beginning of my book. I thought we had to have this and that all books have it. Am I being stupid and knobby by adding it? I vaguely remember copying it from somewhere, maybe the Smashwords Style Guide. Anyone have more of a clue than me? *Confused*
ETA: Just read this blog post on managing your time and thought it might be useful - or just interesting to read. Good luck next week everyone!
I deleted chapters and then wrote more than my week's word count in one day so weekly goal done (although I'm not finished yet).
I got a small bit of editing done but I've been mostly hands-free for the last few days because my eldest daughter has been sick (she even missed her belated Christmas party at playschool because she vomited all over the classroom) and my youngest daughter had a bit of a reaction to her injections. Sometimes only Mammy's cuddles will do. Add in some visitors yesterday and work has slowed down again. But, today is mine, sort of, and I'm planning on getting as much editing done as possible because I want Verity out of the way next week so I can concentrate fully on Taunt. Taunt's exciting me right now so I want to devote all my time to it.
I feel like this week has gone well, blips and all. I just have to keep remembering to work with what I've got. Part of it has been the really good, positive atmosphere from the rest of the ROW80 challengers. There's something very inspiring about it all. I'm also thinking part of me feeling like I had a good week is down to the fact I've been avoiding the internet as much as possible for the last three or four days - definitely been a good thing for me. I might try more of the same.
Quick question for anyone in the know. (I should have stayed offline. LOL). A reviewer said they were offended by the little copyright paragraph at the beginning of my book. I thought we had to have this and that all books have it. Am I being stupid and knobby by adding it? I vaguely remember copying it from somewhere, maybe the Smashwords Style Guide. Anyone have more of a clue than me? *Confused*
ETA: Just read this blog post on managing your time and thought it might be useful - or just interesting to read. Good luck next week everyone!
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Signing Off
I had been feeling frustrated with Taunt and yesterday I think I figured out why. It's supposed to be a novella and I had written a drawn out novel to "win" NaNoWriMo so I had some great chapters that were fun to write but didn't add to or carry along the plot. I realised I had to cut my favourite chapter (oh, how it hurt) and go in a different, more condensed direction. I sat down with a pen and paper to scribble down a detail I had forgotten in the first chapter and ended up re-writing the entire outline of the story. Take that ROW80 goals!
I'm feeling good about it and I think I'm back in business but I've been so tired today that I've spent most of the day fluting about the Internet. I need to concentrate on fixing Taunt and work some more on editing Verity, which reads like it was written by a 12 year old. I don't even know where to start on Verity - yes, it's that bad. I need help. Lots and lots of help.
On the other hand, I'm pretty sure I'll finish Taunt this round. (Did I mention I figured it out? Can you hear the angel choir?) Although I won't if I keep getting distracted online so I'm taking myself offline for a bit. Not completely but I'm definitely cutting down - apart from my ROW80 commitments.
So I'm officially taking a step back until I have something to show for it. For real. I mean it. If you happen to see me skulking in forums then send me home. Kick me off Facebook. No Twitter. I shall work hard this week. If I can't work for some reason then I shall read. And maybe even finish a book this month. Yeah, sounds like a plan. Until Sunday, then I have to read everyone's check ins. ;)
I'm feeling good about it and I think I'm back in business but I've been so tired today that I've spent most of the day fluting about the Internet. I need to concentrate on fixing Taunt and work some more on editing Verity, which reads like it was written by a 12 year old. I don't even know where to start on Verity - yes, it's that bad. I need help. Lots and lots of help.
On the other hand, I'm pretty sure I'll finish Taunt this round. (Did I mention I figured it out? Can you hear the angel choir?) Although I won't if I keep getting distracted online so I'm taking myself offline for a bit. Not completely but I'm definitely cutting down - apart from my ROW80 commitments.
So I'm officially taking a step back until I have something to show for it. For real. I mean it. If you happen to see me skulking in forums then send me home. Kick me off Facebook. No Twitter. I shall work hard this week. If I can't work for some reason then I shall read. And maybe even finish a book this month. Yeah, sounds like a plan. Until Sunday, then I have to read everyone's check ins. ;)
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Whoops?
I think I have a small problem. :) Some of the feedback I've gotten regarding Thirst sounds like a lot of people seem to think it's PnR. Or at least expect it to be. Erm, whoops. I'm not a HEA kind of writer and I never intended Thirst to be anything close to romance. The bigger whoops here is that I'm working on the sequel during ROW80 and I cannot get the romance thing out of my head. I keep looking at every sentence differently - which is sooooo not productive. My update is not much to update, basically. :)
I've been trying not to force the word count so I've put more effort into editing. Bloody hell. The kids are like my little shadows this week. I ended up taking my ereader into the bath to try and edit (touchscreen is the best invention ever) but that didn't last long. Every two minutes the eldest was knocking on the door to boast about learning another "tricky word" (senior infants homework stylee) and then I could hear the baby giving my OH grief so I gave up. I fell asleep early last night but then I woke up at around three and got about two hours editing done so I'm happy with that. The baby is still asleep and the twins are amusing themselves so after this post I'm going to try and get something else done.
So mid-week update - very little in the way of actual word count on Taunt, edited a moderate amount of cringey cheese from Verity but most importantly I made an effort to work each day so overall I'm quite happy. I've gotten past the forcing myself stage and I'm just getting on with it and trying not to get frustrated when everything else gets in the way. Hope everyone else is feeling good about their goals. :)
I've been trying not to force the word count so I've put more effort into editing. Bloody hell. The kids are like my little shadows this week. I ended up taking my ereader into the bath to try and edit (touchscreen is the best invention ever) but that didn't last long. Every two minutes the eldest was knocking on the door to boast about learning another "tricky word" (senior infants homework stylee) and then I could hear the baby giving my OH grief so I gave up. I fell asleep early last night but then I woke up at around three and got about two hours editing done so I'm happy with that. The baby is still asleep and the twins are amusing themselves so after this post I'm going to try and get something else done.
So mid-week update - very little in the way of actual word count on Taunt, edited a moderate amount of cringey cheese from Verity but most importantly I made an effort to work each day so overall I'm quite happy. I've gotten past the forcing myself stage and I'm just getting on with it and trying not to get frustrated when everything else gets in the way. Hope everyone else is feeling good about their goals. :)
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