What a conference! The Emerald City Writers' Conference was the BUSIEST conference I've been to so far! Probably because this is the first conference where I've volunteered to work :) I enjoyed the work, but I found it challenging to get to any of the workshops. I was only able to attend a few: Allison Brennan, Jennifer Ashley, and Julia Quinn. I spent a lot of time pouring champagne up in the hospitality suite, chatting with out-of-towners and making new friends. GSRWA is an incredible chapter. Soooo many successful, motivated authors and all of them willing to help you realize your dream. I love them already!
The editors and agents held a panel discussion on Friday night after dinner and I enjoyed hearing the "other side" of the writing business. It's a funny thing: writers and publishers are dependent upon each other. Why is there such a big gap between them? Thank God for agents and editors! I didn't hear anything new from the panel, but it gave me a chance to get to know them each a little better. For instance, I found out that they're all human and not, in fact, superheroes. This cut the intimidation factor back quite a bit.
After agonizing over my pitch for a week, I finally decided to trust my own instincts. I found a short pitch that included the main plot points, encapsulated a bit of the tone of Err Apparent, and sounded like something I would say. I didn't trip over the words. The best news was that my appointment was with my first choice: Kevan Lyon of the Sandra Dijkstra Agency (The Sandra Dijkstra Agency!!! Diane Mott Davidson! Lisa See! Amy Tan! Need I say more?). That made my day. I'd already researched the SDLA and just needed to know how to get an appointment. So obviously, I was anxious to get an appointment with Kevan Lyon. Of all the editors and agents at the conference, she was THE fit for me considering Err Apparent is an urban mystery with a strong romantic element and Falling Short is a mainstream women's fiction with a small romantic element.
I realized rather quickly that it must be difficult for Kevan to remember any one person she sees at these group appointments. She immediately put us all at ease, and I breezed through my first pitch without any trouble. One drawback to the group pitch is you really don't get a chance to get to know each other at all. All I have to go on is the way she portrayed herself during the editor/agent panel and the few minutes during the group pitch.
She didn't do anything hideous; come to think of it, that's pretty much all she can say about me, too. Which is good.
I'm giving myself a week to polish the first 50 pages (again) and rewrite my synopsis. Currently, the synopsis is written as a series of notes for myself, so I have a bit of work to do to turn it into good reading material. As soon as I send that off, I need to finish the revisions to Err Apparent so I can start on the novel I pledged to write at Cherry Adair's Write the Damn Book challenge. Since Falling Short is going to take a complete rewrite (what else is new?), I figure it's the perfect book to write after Err Apparent is off to my trusted beta readers.
Motivational tip of the day: Cherry Adair said, "If you can't write a page a day, what the hell are you doing at this conference?" I have soooo many ideas for other stories, so it's tempting to start something new, especially after a conference when you feel like anything is possible. Work on three novels at once? Sure! Why not? Alas, I make notes and write random scenes to save for later.
November is coming...NaNoWriMo...Allison Brennan made me feel better about the way I write my novels. She said it takes her 300,000 words to write a 100,000 word book. I'm glad I'm not the only writer who has to write organically. My short stories are always that way; why did I think novels would be any different?
Back to work, polishing and rewriting.
Showing posts with label Falling Short. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Falling Short. Show all posts
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Friday, April 25, 2008
Workshops and back to work on the novel
The workshops at tomorrow's Field's End conference look to be informative, and I'm motivated to hear from the variety of presenters. This conference caters to writers of non-fic, fic, and poetry, so it will be much different than the RWA conference that I attended earlier in the month. I'm aiming to attend the following workshops:
- Jennifer Louden: Writing Naked (with your clothes on): How to nurture your creative truth, romance your muse, and get the work done. (Note: Devlin ought to enjoy this one ;))
- Suzanne Selfors: Finding Your Genre. This one interests me because I'm writing both a mystery and a women's fiction.
- Page One: Fiction; with Laura Kalpakian and Alice Acheson, moderated by Sheila Rabe. During the Page One workshop, the presenters will pull from first-page samples anonymously submitted by workshop attendees and critique before the group. I will be submitting the *current* first page of Falling Short, but they don't get a chance to critique all of the submissions.
Beyond the world of conferences and workshops, I've made progress on Deception. Presenting the first page of Falling Short to my critique group has been constructive and it's fueled my interest in that story as well. I can't continue to bounce back and forth, however, so I am determined to keep at Deception until I feel it's ready for a full MS review. With family commitments and all, I've made embarrassingly slow progress since the first of the year.
On a personal note, I adopted a new exercise schedule when the spring weather finally arrived. It's been a long road to wellness since my adrenals gave out in May of '05. This past week I've been rather sore but thankful that I can push myself a little further each day. For the first time in 3 years, I'm hopeful about getting in shape.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Devlin, the evil muse
My muse is evil. Faithful blog readers will remember that I dubbed him Devlin. His recent actions have given me vindication for my choice of a name.
He's engaged me in a short story when I should be concentrating on taxes, or at the very least, I should be concentrating on my novel. Thus far, I don't think it's a very good short story, either. If he's going to interrupt me, the least he could do is tempt me with something better.
Before assailing me with new characters, Devlin allowed me an exercise from the book Emotional Structure: Creating the Story Beneath the Plot by Peter Dunne. Though this book is for screenwriters, much of what Dunne has to say applies to novel writing. I thank my writing friends Celine Shinbutsu (Writing from Japan) and Madison Leigh for the referral to this book. (Both of their blogs are on my link list.)
Celine and Madison encouraged me to try the 3 sentence summary exercise from Emotional Structure for The Art of Deception. I did, and this is what I came up with:
One of Rebecca Allyn's art gallery customers has been murdered and homicide detective Erik Thorne put Rebecca's name at the top of his suspect list. But Erik appears to run hot and cold whenever Rebecca sees him, and she has to scramble to prove her innocence while at the same time fighting her attraction to him. When the case against her unveils past wrongs by one of her family members, Rebecca finds out she must rely upon the very man she wants to run from.
Devlin then allowed me an exercise from Plot and Structure by James Scott Bell. Funny how I always return to that book. I highly recommend it to my writerly friends. Emotional Structure is new to me, and I'm sure I will find it quite useful, but Plot and Structure is a book I cannot do without. I applied Bell's "L-O-C-K" method to Deception and ferreted out plot details that needed to be found. I can't post the results of that exercise here as it contains spoilers for the story, but the result of my efforts was a one-page summary.
I'd like to apply both of these exercises to my other novel Falling Short as soon as I finish the taxes. And finish Deception. I'd sure like to have the mystery done before I continue Heidi and Dave's story.
What I find most haunting about my muse is the fact that he insists on being heard when I have little opportunity to follow him. Where is he on those days when I need him? Why does he insist on showing up when I need to concentrate on something other than my writing?
He's engaged me in a short story when I should be concentrating on taxes, or at the very least, I should be concentrating on my novel. Thus far, I don't think it's a very good short story, either. If he's going to interrupt me, the least he could do is tempt me with something better.
Before assailing me with new characters, Devlin allowed me an exercise from the book Emotional Structure: Creating the Story Beneath the Plot by Peter Dunne. Though this book is for screenwriters, much of what Dunne has to say applies to novel writing. I thank my writing friends Celine Shinbutsu (Writing from Japan) and Madison Leigh for the referral to this book. (Both of their blogs are on my link list.)
Celine and Madison encouraged me to try the 3 sentence summary exercise from Emotional Structure for The Art of Deception. I did, and this is what I came up with:
One of Rebecca Allyn's art gallery customers has been murdered and homicide detective Erik Thorne put Rebecca's name at the top of his suspect list. But Erik appears to run hot and cold whenever Rebecca sees him, and she has to scramble to prove her innocence while at the same time fighting her attraction to him. When the case against her unveils past wrongs by one of her family members, Rebecca finds out she must rely upon the very man she wants to run from.
Devlin then allowed me an exercise from Plot and Structure by James Scott Bell. Funny how I always return to that book. I highly recommend it to my writerly friends. Emotional Structure is new to me, and I'm sure I will find it quite useful, but Plot and Structure is a book I cannot do without. I applied Bell's "L-O-C-K" method to Deception and ferreted out plot details that needed to be found. I can't post the results of that exercise here as it contains spoilers for the story, but the result of my efforts was a one-page summary.
I'd like to apply both of these exercises to my other novel Falling Short as soon as I finish the taxes. And finish Deception. I'd sure like to have the mystery done before I continue Heidi and Dave's story.
What I find most haunting about my muse is the fact that he insists on being heard when I have little opportunity to follow him. Where is he on those days when I need him? Why does he insist on showing up when I need to concentrate on something other than my writing?
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Conference update
I'm officially registered! I'll be going to Massachusetts in April. I'm so excited!!! I've never been to the northeastern states, and I get to meet one of my long-time online writing buddies for the first time. Way cool!
Deception is coming along very well. I have over 8,000 words on this draft so far. But I'm anxious to get back to Falling as soon as possible. I feel guilty, like I'm cheating on my characters. At the very least, I'm neglecting them. How rude of me, especially considering that those particular characters were productive in December, even though I was not :-)
I've really, really enjoyed the break from routine that the holidays provided. So much so that I'm not ready to go back to the normal routine. I thought about kicking and screaming, but I've never been good at tantrums. My daughter has a science class tomorrow and basketball on Saturday, my son goes back to school on Monday, and my daughter's homeschool classes resume on Monday. Our busy week includes a play at the Seattle Children's Theatre (The Neverending Story), piano lessons, orthodontist appointments, and evening meetings. So it wouldn't matter if I had a tantrum, I'd still be thrust back into Life As Usual.
What that last paragraph leads me to believe (she says with dawning realization) is that I need to take a look at how I spend my time and why I dislike my usual routine so much. Duh.
Deception is coming along very well. I have over 8,000 words on this draft so far. But I'm anxious to get back to Falling as soon as possible. I feel guilty, like I'm cheating on my characters. At the very least, I'm neglecting them. How rude of me, especially considering that those particular characters were productive in December, even though I was not :-)
I've really, really enjoyed the break from routine that the holidays provided. So much so that I'm not ready to go back to the normal routine. I thought about kicking and screaming, but I've never been good at tantrums. My daughter has a science class tomorrow and basketball on Saturday, my son goes back to school on Monday, and my daughter's homeschool classes resume on Monday. Our busy week includes a play at the Seattle Children's Theatre (The Neverending Story), piano lessons, orthodontist appointments, and evening meetings. So it wouldn't matter if I had a tantrum, I'd still be thrust back into Life As Usual.
What that last paragraph leads me to believe (she says with dawning realization) is that I need to take a look at how I spend my time and why I dislike my usual routine so much. Duh.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
First blog post of 2008
In between making merry with my friends and family over the past two days, I took down the Christmas decorations, cleaned house, and got busy on The Art of Deception. I also made a few notes on Falling Short which resulted in a minor change that will have a big impact. It's funny how a small change in one character can effect so much. Like looking through binoculars and shifting the view just slightly - a little closer, a little farther away - and suddenly so much more comes into focus. I am excited to be having some "yes!" moments in my writing.
Those of you who are near and dear to me know that I need fistfuls of Starbucks and loads of patience in order to partake in the Great American Pastime known as shopping. I loathe shopping. For myself (when and only when I must do so) I go in with a purpose, grab what I need, and get out. Unless we're talking about a bookstore; then, I can spend hours perusing and it takes superhero-willpower to keep from spending my mortgage payment on the latest releases. My daughter, by some fluke in the gene pool, is a true shopper: she needs to explore every possibility before making a decision. My idea of hell. So yesterday, I had a plan: daughter had a gift card to spend at a store within walking distance of my house. Solution: send her with teenage girl next door, follow along a few minutes later to check on them, and spend the time browsing the aisles of Barnes & Noble! I thanked said teenage girl for having the patience to wait while daughter tried on every article of clothing at Old Navy. It was a win-win situation, especially since I had B&N gift cards to spend.
She spent her gift card, snagging bargains and coming away with a cool sweater, two hip new shirts, and a cozy pair of slippers. I bought only one book: The 2007 Best American Short Stories, edited by Stephen King. And a venti-decaf-nonfat-one pump chocolate-mocha :)
Those of you who are near and dear to me know that I need fistfuls of Starbucks and loads of patience in order to partake in the Great American Pastime known as shopping. I loathe shopping. For myself (when and only when I must do so) I go in with a purpose, grab what I need, and get out. Unless we're talking about a bookstore; then, I can spend hours perusing and it takes superhero-willpower to keep from spending my mortgage payment on the latest releases. My daughter, by some fluke in the gene pool, is a true shopper: she needs to explore every possibility before making a decision. My idea of hell. So yesterday, I had a plan: daughter had a gift card to spend at a store within walking distance of my house. Solution: send her with teenage girl next door, follow along a few minutes later to check on them, and spend the time browsing the aisles of Barnes & Noble! I thanked said teenage girl for having the patience to wait while daughter tried on every article of clothing at Old Navy. It was a win-win situation, especially since I had B&N gift cards to spend.
She spent her gift card, snagging bargains and coming away with a cool sweater, two hip new shirts, and a cozy pair of slippers. I bought only one book: The 2007 Best American Short Stories, edited by Stephen King. And a venti-decaf-nonfat-one pump chocolate-mocha :)
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Productive Day
I wrote today, but not on Falling Short.
Not on a short story, either.
No, of all things, I was besieged by the voice of Rebecca, the character in the murder mystery I got all tangled up in a year and a half ago. The one, you may have heard me mention, that was going to take an act of God to untangle the plot lines. I was writing The Art of Deception when I got frustrated and switched gears last October and started writing Falling Short. Rebecca had a lot to say. Apparently, she wanted me to add to chapter one. So I did.
Now I am working on two novels at the same time.
If I seem a bit off, it's only because my brain is trying to listen to too many characters at once.
Not on a short story, either.
No, of all things, I was besieged by the voice of Rebecca, the character in the murder mystery I got all tangled up in a year and a half ago. The one, you may have heard me mention, that was going to take an act of God to untangle the plot lines. I was writing The Art of Deception when I got frustrated and switched gears last October and started writing Falling Short. Rebecca had a lot to say. Apparently, she wanted me to add to chapter one. So I did.
Now I am working on two novels at the same time.
If I seem a bit off, it's only because my brain is trying to listen to too many characters at once.
Saturday, December 29, 2007
December
Wow, December flew by in a flash! I've been neglecting my blog. Shame on me.
I received my copy of the anthology yesterday and I sat down and read every story. I needed a day of R&R so it arrived at precisely the right time. It felt wonderful to be holding a book in my hands that contained one of MY stories. I read Devil's Breath again, but it didn't feel like reading a story because I'm (obviously) too close to it. It's still too fresh in my writer's mind for me to have any perspective.
On Thursday, I received a very nice rejection letter from Story Quarterly. It's time to put "Not Your Average Joe" aside for a while - let Joe sit until I can look at him objectively and figure out why he didn't win anything more than finalist status in the Lunch Hour Stories contest.
This December, I enjoyed time with family and friends. I didn't hover over my keyboard. My ISP helped: we've had intermittent connectivity problems for months and in December we rarely had any internet access. But stepping away from my story was good for my family, for me, and for my characters. Guess what they did while I was making merry? They GREW! Isn't that amazing? I'm so proud of them. Now they're ready to pounce back onto the page.
I received my copy of the anthology yesterday and I sat down and read every story. I needed a day of R&R so it arrived at precisely the right time. It felt wonderful to be holding a book in my hands that contained one of MY stories. I read Devil's Breath again, but it didn't feel like reading a story because I'm (obviously) too close to it. It's still too fresh in my writer's mind for me to have any perspective.
On Thursday, I received a very nice rejection letter from Story Quarterly. It's time to put "Not Your Average Joe" aside for a while - let Joe sit until I can look at him objectively and figure out why he didn't win anything more than finalist status in the Lunch Hour Stories contest.
This December, I enjoyed time with family and friends. I didn't hover over my keyboard. My ISP helped: we've had intermittent connectivity problems for months and in December we rarely had any internet access. But stepping away from my story was good for my family, for me, and for my characters. Guess what they did while I was making merry? They GREW! Isn't that amazing? I'm so proud of them. Now they're ready to pounce back onto the page.
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Middles
Conference Fund: $165
House: a total disaster. I struggled to keep up with homeschooling, errands, music lessons, writing...so the house suffers. My loving husband picked up dinner, bless his heart.
NaNo Word Count: 15,811
Not spectacular progress, but I worked on a short story submission today as well. It seemed to take me all day to write a dedication and a bio, and make a few small (we're talking one word here and there) changes to the short story. The story has been submitted. I'm done. Woohoo!
The slow progress on NaNo isn't bothering me too much. I like the structure of what I have so far, which cannot be said for previous years and the blustering cacophony of words that poured forth. I've been keeping a chapter outline as I write - about a paragraph describing each chapter. I think the next order of business will be reviewing that outline and deciding what needs to be set up next or if I've missed setting something up. It's important for me to weave in all the threads of the story within the first 20,000 words or so. That way I won't run into any of those, "oops, shoulda mentioned that sooner" kind of surprises in the busy, bulky middle.
I love and hate writing the middle chapters, so I approach this 4th rewrite with a small amount of trepidation. The middle is the best part of a novel (who doesn't love being in the middle of a thoroughly engrossing read?) and it can be so much fun to write, but it's also tricky and sometimes exasperating. In my first completed novel, Among Friends, the middle was confusing and muddled. In my second, not-completed novel, The Art of Deception, I seem to have lost a few threads along the way. I never got to the end because I simply got lost in the plot.
So this middle, which I have written three times so far, should be a piece of cake, right? What I noticed from my last version is that it's too easy for me, as a writer, to interfere and manipulate when I know what's coming next, but as a reader, I hate it when I notice the author manipulating the characters. It kills the momentum of the story. This time, I have to find balance: rising conflict, continuing story goal, and a reason for the reader to actually care what's going to happen.
I might spend a bit of time tomorrow reviewing character goals and story goals, too.
Can you tell I suddenly have mixed feelings? I started this post off saying I was feeling good about my progress, and now I'm thinking I should re-examine the entire concept of the story. Argh! I love writing. Really, I do.
House: a total disaster. I struggled to keep up with homeschooling, errands, music lessons, writing...so the house suffers. My loving husband picked up dinner, bless his heart.
NaNo Word Count: 15,811
Not spectacular progress, but I worked on a short story submission today as well. It seemed to take me all day to write a dedication and a bio, and make a few small (we're talking one word here and there) changes to the short story. The story has been submitted. I'm done. Woohoo!
The slow progress on NaNo isn't bothering me too much. I like the structure of what I have so far, which cannot be said for previous years and the blustering cacophony of words that poured forth. I've been keeping a chapter outline as I write - about a paragraph describing each chapter. I think the next order of business will be reviewing that outline and deciding what needs to be set up next or if I've missed setting something up. It's important for me to weave in all the threads of the story within the first 20,000 words or so. That way I won't run into any of those, "oops, shoulda mentioned that sooner" kind of surprises in the busy, bulky middle.
I love and hate writing the middle chapters, so I approach this 4th rewrite with a small amount of trepidation. The middle is the best part of a novel (who doesn't love being in the middle of a thoroughly engrossing read?) and it can be so much fun to write, but it's also tricky and sometimes exasperating. In my first completed novel, Among Friends, the middle was confusing and muddled. In my second, not-completed novel, The Art of Deception, I seem to have lost a few threads along the way. I never got to the end because I simply got lost in the plot.
So this middle, which I have written three times so far, should be a piece of cake, right? What I noticed from my last version is that it's too easy for me, as a writer, to interfere and manipulate when I know what's coming next, but as a reader, I hate it when I notice the author manipulating the characters. It kills the momentum of the story. This time, I have to find balance: rising conflict, continuing story goal, and a reason for the reader to actually care what's going to happen.
I might spend a bit of time tomorrow reviewing character goals and story goals, too.
Can you tell I suddenly have mixed feelings? I started this post off saying I was feeling good about my progress, and now I'm thinking I should re-examine the entire concept of the story. Argh! I love writing. Really, I do.
I'm J Latta
Phantom Squirrel reminded me of this. In case anyone wants to find me on the NaNo site, my NaNo ID is J Latta.
Conference Fund: $160
Word count: 15,060
I've finished the short story I was working on. Did I mention it's titled "Devil's Breath"? Readers who live in Southern California will understand the reference in the title. I'm not shopping this one around because it's already spoken for. I will post publication specifics when I know them.
Conference Fund: $160
Word count: 15,060
I've finished the short story I was working on. Did I mention it's titled "Devil's Breath"? Readers who live in Southern California will understand the reference in the title. I'm not shopping this one around because it's already spoken for. I will post publication specifics when I know them.
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Day - what? Oh yeah. 6
The days and nights have lost distinction, one from the other. Sleep happens whenever I can't keep my eyes open. I put food in my mouth when my stomach growls. I think I took a shower yesterday. The dirty clothes are spilling out of the laundry hamper. And my family has to go to great measures to get my attention.
Yep, it's definitely NaNoWriMo.
I'm getting sick of keeping track of how many words I have for NaNo versus how many on my novel, so I'm just going to go with my overall number. Cheating? Only if winning NaNo is my goal, which it is not. Finishing the novel is my goal. And right now, I'm feeling good about the story. I had to drop the first person POV (one of my multiples) because it wasn't working with the rest. But that's okay. It led me to the multiple third, which is working very well. I left off yesterday in mid-action, which is one of the oldest tricks in the book to keep the writer motivated. Funny how those old tricks work so well. Why are there so many writing books that try to reinvent the wheel?
Though my word count is low, I am significantly pleased with the progress I've made so far. My words should begin piling up from this point, now that I have the pacing and structure I want.
Back to it. I'll post my word count at the end of the day.
Yep, it's definitely NaNoWriMo.
I'm getting sick of keeping track of how many words I have for NaNo versus how many on my novel, so I'm just going to go with my overall number. Cheating? Only if winning NaNo is my goal, which it is not. Finishing the novel is my goal. And right now, I'm feeling good about the story. I had to drop the first person POV (one of my multiples) because it wasn't working with the rest. But that's okay. It led me to the multiple third, which is working very well. I left off yesterday in mid-action, which is one of the oldest tricks in the book to keep the writer motivated. Funny how those old tricks work so well. Why are there so many writing books that try to reinvent the wheel?
Though my word count is low, I am significantly pleased with the progress I've made so far. My words should begin piling up from this point, now that I have the pacing and structure I want.
Back to it. I'll post my word count at the end of the day.
Sunday, November 4, 2007
Day Three
I finally surpassed the 10,000 word mark on the rewrite of Falling Short. 10,000 words isn't a big deal since I started NaNo with 8900 words, but the way my November has gone so far, it's a milestone worth noting.
My word count is now 11,234 making my NaNo tally 2,334. Lame, considering I should have over 7,000 by now, but at this point I'm happy to have forward progress.
And the story! I'm pleased to say that it's surprised me already. Remember the narrator idea? I changed it slightly. And it's working! Multiple POV isn't gimmicky, new, or trendy. (Multiple POV is where the author shows a different character viewpoint each chapter - the multiple referring to more than two character viewpoints - and so far I have 5.) It's been used a lot for a reason. Yes, I know it will drive some people batty, but it's brought the characters, and the story, to life.
I also made notes today on a few changes to the short story I recently finished, the one I titled "Devil's Breath."
Hoping to bring my word count close to 15,000 tomorrow.
My word count is now 11,234 making my NaNo tally 2,334. Lame, considering I should have over 7,000 by now, but at this point I'm happy to have forward progress.
And the story! I'm pleased to say that it's surprised me already. Remember the narrator idea? I changed it slightly. And it's working! Multiple POV isn't gimmicky, new, or trendy. (Multiple POV is where the author shows a different character viewpoint each chapter - the multiple referring to more than two character viewpoints - and so far I have 5.) It's been used a lot for a reason. Yes, I know it will drive some people batty, but it's brought the characters, and the story, to life.
I also made notes today on a few changes to the short story I recently finished, the one I titled "Devil's Breath."
Hoping to bring my word count close to 15,000 tomorrow.
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Day One
In years past, I have produced some stellar first day word counts.
Not this year.
I spent 7 hours on the telephone with various IT support techs who helped me sort out why I had no internet signal (stupid IP addresses), why my wireless print router wouldn't communicate with the new modem/router (IP addresses that don't like other IP addresses), then why my laptop wouldn't communicate with the printer router, etc (let's all cheer for Windows Vista!). It was a nightmare, and the last thing I want to do tonight is sit at my computer and write.
My "zero" for NaNo is not the 10,000 as I had hoped before I dumped coffee on my laptop and lost 800 or so words. As of 12:01 am November 1st, I had 8900 words written on Falling Short v4. So that will be my zero. The NaNo norm is to try to write at least 1667 words per day. My personal goal is 80,000 by Nov 30th, so that means I need to write 2370 per day, and if I don't write that many today, I'll have more to do tomorrow.
I'm setting the timer for 30 minutes and I'm going to write like mad.
* * * * *
Well, that did not go well at all. My word count is 369 for the evening's work. Phooey.
I have a lot of words to write tomorrow!
Not this year.
I spent 7 hours on the telephone with various IT support techs who helped me sort out why I had no internet signal (stupid IP addresses), why my wireless print router wouldn't communicate with the new modem/router (IP addresses that don't like other IP addresses), then why my laptop wouldn't communicate with the printer router, etc (let's all cheer for Windows Vista!). It was a nightmare, and the last thing I want to do tonight is sit at my computer and write.
My "zero" for NaNo is not the 10,000 as I had hoped before I dumped coffee on my laptop and lost 800 or so words. As of 12:01 am November 1st, I had 8900 words written on Falling Short v4. So that will be my zero. The NaNo norm is to try to write at least 1667 words per day. My personal goal is 80,000 by Nov 30th, so that means I need to write 2370 per day, and if I don't write that many today, I'll have more to do tomorrow.
I'm setting the timer for 30 minutes and I'm going to write like mad.
* * * * *
Well, that did not go well at all. My word count is 369 for the evening's work. Phooey.
I have a lot of words to write tomorrow!
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
November = NaNoWriMo
It's NaNoWriMo time again! 30 days of writing until my eyelids feel like sandpaper, my butt goes numb, my fingers cramp up, my back and neck ache, and my family wears dirty underwear. (I swear, no amount of laundry piled in the halls will compel any member of this household besides myself to run a load. They'd as soon wear stinky clothes than wash and fold.)
Of course, I'm going into National Novel Writing Month with a backlog of work to be done on a handful of short stories. What else is new? I have this insane optimism that I'll be able to fire off my NaNo daily word quota and then spend the rest of the day polishing my short stories. Please don't burst my bubble. I'm a professional writer, after all. I work best when I'm up against a deadline.
Quit laughing, Mel.
Okay, so now that Happy, Too and I are acquainted, I have had a quarrel with my ISP. I am going public with my rant. VERIZON DSL SUCKS! How's that for eloquence in writing? The basic problem is that my Internet access is spotty. My husband has threatened to go broadband and I've been encouraging him to follow through on his threat. Really, Verizon has done nothing to help. They refuse to send out a technician to check the service, although my IT-wise friend said that is the problem. Verizon says I don't have a Verizon-approved modem/router and therefore they swear it isn't configured properly. I don't know enough about IT to argue properly, but it would seem to me that if the modem/router combo was at fault, it wouldn't work at all, would it? They claim it doesn't have the right setting in order to communicate with Verizon. So why does it communicate sometimes and not others?
And these machines are supposed to make our lives easier!
On the positive, compared to computer problems, writing a story is easy.
Of course, I'm going into National Novel Writing Month with a backlog of work to be done on a handful of short stories. What else is new? I have this insane optimism that I'll be able to fire off my NaNo daily word quota and then spend the rest of the day polishing my short stories. Please don't burst my bubble. I'm a professional writer, after all. I work best when I'm up against a deadline.
Quit laughing, Mel.
Okay, so now that Happy, Too and I are acquainted, I have had a quarrel with my ISP. I am going public with my rant. VERIZON DSL SUCKS! How's that for eloquence in writing? The basic problem is that my Internet access is spotty. My husband has threatened to go broadband and I've been encouraging him to follow through on his threat. Really, Verizon has done nothing to help. They refuse to send out a technician to check the service, although my IT-wise friend said that is the problem. Verizon says I don't have a Verizon-approved modem/router and therefore they swear it isn't configured properly. I don't know enough about IT to argue properly, but it would seem to me that if the modem/router combo was at fault, it wouldn't work at all, would it? They claim it doesn't have the right setting in order to communicate with Verizon. So why does it communicate sometimes and not others?
And these machines are supposed to make our lives easier!
On the positive, compared to computer problems, writing a story is easy.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Word count, narrators, NaNo, friends
Final word count of the day: 9314
I think my last word count was around 8500. So it wasn't a great day, but not a bad day, either. To be writing at all felt like a major accomplishment, but once I got rolling, it was easy and fun. I'm still toying with the narrator and the tone and pacing of the opening chapters. By NaNo in November, I should have at least 10,000 words. Assuming the 10,000, my NaNo goal would then become 60,000 in order to make the 50,000 word minimum. However, I hope to have 80,000 words by the end of November, the last two being The End.
Haven't worked on The Painting in a while and I'm okay with that. I'm letting the feedback settle in around me, digesting it, deciding what I want to do with the story. I respect the feedback I receive and like to give it the deliberation it deserves, even if I don't always use it.
I had one of those long talks last night with a friend I've known practically my entire life. We haven't actually seen each other in years, but lately we've had reason to talk on the phone a few times a month. Our spirits are connected (seriously - I'm not kidding) so we can chat comfortably any time at all, even if it's been months since we last talked. But I'd really like to make the time to see her soon. Ellie helps me see myself. I don't know why, but she does. Sometimes I miss my horse days because we were together often - riding, sharing tack, having a beer after a hot day at the stables. Funny thing is, our relationship has been seasoned by experiences, both mutual and individual, and yet here we are, still connecting through it all.
Just thought I'd share that.
I think my last word count was around 8500. So it wasn't a great day, but not a bad day, either. To be writing at all felt like a major accomplishment, but once I got rolling, it was easy and fun. I'm still toying with the narrator and the tone and pacing of the opening chapters. By NaNo in November, I should have at least 10,000 words. Assuming the 10,000, my NaNo goal would then become 60,000 in order to make the 50,000 word minimum. However, I hope to have 80,000 words by the end of November, the last two being The End.
Haven't worked on The Painting in a while and I'm okay with that. I'm letting the feedback settle in around me, digesting it, deciding what I want to do with the story. I respect the feedback I receive and like to give it the deliberation it deserves, even if I don't always use it.
I had one of those long talks last night with a friend I've known practically my entire life. We haven't actually seen each other in years, but lately we've had reason to talk on the phone a few times a month. Our spirits are connected (seriously - I'm not kidding) so we can chat comfortably any time at all, even if it's been months since we last talked. But I'd really like to make the time to see her soon. Ellie helps me see myself. I don't know why, but she does. Sometimes I miss my horse days because we were together often - riding, sharing tack, having a beer after a hot day at the stables. Funny thing is, our relationship has been seasoned by experiences, both mutual and individual, and yet here we are, still connecting through it all.
Just thought I'd share that.
Sunday, October 7, 2007
Narrators and characters
Yesterday, I played with the idea of adding a narrator to my story. Actually, the voice and the words came to me late the night before last. I jotted them down in the notebook I keep beside the bed and now the narrator won't shut up. This narrator, by the way, is talking to another character about the story. So if you ask me a question and I don't answer right away, it's probably because I'm trying to listen to three people at once.
Here's what I found out through my "play" time:
Here's what I found out through my "play" time:
- I didn't know enough about this secondary character who wants to do the narrating.
- I'm distanced from this character for personal reasons and there's just no room for that in novel writing.
- The narrator wants the reader to discover his/her identity. In other words, I'm not supposed to say who it is. Wants you to believe it's for modesty's sake, but it isn't. This character can be dramatic and self-centered.
- Making a seamless transition from narrator to story isn't as easy as you'd think, especially when said character is in the story and doesn't want to say "I" in the scenes pertaining to him/her.
- The narrator sets the tone of the entire novel.
- I don't like fiction gimmicks, so where did this one come from?
My official word count remains the same since these words are not on the manuscript yet. I haven't determined if the narrator stays or if I'm just using an unconventional method to find out more about the character.
Beyond the narrator thing, I had some fun: I cut out pictures from catalogues and magazines that reminded me of my characters. So far, I have Heidi, Dave, Scott, Lynette, and Kirsten. I have a *maybe* on Sophie and a tiny picture of Cortanie. I'd still like pictures for Brady and Bill, Grandpa, Cecelia, Claudia, John and Suze, and some of the minor characters like Sunflower and Rich. Unfortunately, catalogues and magazines aren't ideal places to find your characters' faces. I don't envision models when I'm writing a story.
I also read through a good bit of the last manuscript and while there are some entertaining and well-written scenes, it reads like a warm-up to the story I'm writing now. It's like I have this 300 page outline, much of which is background information and side notes.
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
A Good Day
Final word count of the day: 8528
I just had an awesome, productive writing day. I copied parts of several of Dave's scenes from the previous draft and had a blast making the changes and turning them into one chapter. It wasn't a lot of writing, but it took some creativity and I snuck in some writing when I got the characters to open up a bit more. I really like writing Dave's POV. Plus, I went back (yes, again) and made some changes to a few scenes with Heidi.
I also went for a good, long walk today, enough to be feeling it now. Homeschooling lessons with my daughter were rather fun. My son was selected as one of the 10 students in his school to be on the Lego Robotics team - something he really wanted to do. I tried a new recipe. Had dinner on the table earlier than usual. AND the family gobbled it up, evidence that it was pretty good.
All in all, a pretty darn good day. That I got one load of laundry done on top of all that other great stuff was just icing on the cake.
I just had an awesome, productive writing day. I copied parts of several of Dave's scenes from the previous draft and had a blast making the changes and turning them into one chapter. It wasn't a lot of writing, but it took some creativity and I snuck in some writing when I got the characters to open up a bit more. I really like writing Dave's POV. Plus, I went back (yes, again) and made some changes to a few scenes with Heidi.
I also went for a good, long walk today, enough to be feeling it now. Homeschooling lessons with my daughter were rather fun. My son was selected as one of the 10 students in his school to be on the Lego Robotics team - something he really wanted to do. I tried a new recipe. Had dinner on the table earlier than usual. AND the family gobbled it up, evidence that it was pretty good.
All in all, a pretty darn good day. That I got one load of laundry done on top of all that other great stuff was just icing on the cake.
Word Count v4
New word count at the end of today:
4557
I've dubbed this version of Falling Short "v4" until I make a decision on the title.
4557
I've dubbed this version of Falling Short "v4" until I make a decision on the title.
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Step by Step
What to leave in, what to leave out...
Some parts of my novel are staying the same from the previous draft, but a lot is changing. Therefore, I have decided to do a complete rewrite and only copy over the scenes that work in this final revision. What's nice is having a blank slate to work with. What isn't nice is saying goodbye to the 73,000+ words I already wrote. Plus the over 100,000 words in the first two drafts (combined).
I suppose I resisted a complete rewrite because I was already on my third draft. And I asked myself, before starting a fourth draft, why I thought rewriting would be any easier than revising what I had. I couldn't come up with an answer, so I did what all writers do: I just started writing.
With any luck, I'm learning from this process and when I get back to the other two novels I've written, I'll be able to rewrite those with confidence, right?
Word count of Falling Short, take 4:
4795
Some parts of my novel are staying the same from the previous draft, but a lot is changing. Therefore, I have decided to do a complete rewrite and only copy over the scenes that work in this final revision. What's nice is having a blank slate to work with. What isn't nice is saying goodbye to the 73,000+ words I already wrote. Plus the over 100,000 words in the first two drafts (combined).
I suppose I resisted a complete rewrite because I was already on my third draft. And I asked myself, before starting a fourth draft, why I thought rewriting would be any easier than revising what I had. I couldn't come up with an answer, so I did what all writers do: I just started writing.
With any luck, I'm learning from this process and when I get back to the other two novels I've written, I'll be able to rewrite those with confidence, right?
Word count of Falling Short, take 4:
4795
Friday, September 28, 2007
NaNoWriMo
Best Stressed Woman
Internet Affair
Falling Short
Whatever I end up calling it, I'm going to be calling it finished by the end of 2007. Instead of waiting for NaNo, I'm starting right now. What if we're back to working full-tilt on the home addition by November? The timing is right. I have to strike while the story is rewriting itself in my head.
Word count today: 945
My goal is to write 1,000 words per day, give or take. At that rate, it will take me 75 days to complete my novel. A writing friend of mine made that her goal, and she had sound logic. Anything over 1,000, she said, and she started wandering aimlessly away from the plot. I've had some awesome 5,000 word days. I've loved those days. I've even written a few good scenes on those days. But without the word-count desperation of NaNo, I'm free to have 5,000 word days only when the story is coming down fast and furious.
Internet Affair
Falling Short
Whatever I end up calling it, I'm going to be calling it finished by the end of 2007. Instead of waiting for NaNo, I'm starting right now. What if we're back to working full-tilt on the home addition by November? The timing is right. I have to strike while the story is rewriting itself in my head.
Word count today: 945
My goal is to write 1,000 words per day, give or take. At that rate, it will take me 75 days to complete my novel. A writing friend of mine made that her goal, and she had sound logic. Anything over 1,000, she said, and she started wandering aimlessly away from the plot. I've had some awesome 5,000 word days. I've loved those days. I've even written a few good scenes on those days. But without the word-count desperation of NaNo, I'm free to have 5,000 word days only when the story is coming down fast and furious.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Heidi and Dave
I spent a little while with my characters today. I only got 500 words written, but it felt good to be working with them again. Curiously, what I wrote longhand is not what ended up being typed in. I edited as I copied it over. It just didn't sound like the right narrator for Heidi and Dave. I think my editing got me closer, though. I know a lot of writers think editing while writing is taboo, but often I find that if I don't have the right voice, my inner editor actually blocks my path. I can't go on until I figure out what's wrong.
Heidi's loosened up a bit in the time I've been away. I think that will be good for the novel. She's more approachable.
Heidi's loosened up a bit in the time I've been away. I think that will be good for the novel. She's more approachable.
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