Page by Page

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

Nano is giving me fits.

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

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

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

How are things going in your work?

Axing Cliches

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

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

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

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

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

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

=o)

Missed Again

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

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

Pressure anyone?

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

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

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

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

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

Hewp my bwain mewted

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

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

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

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

:trails off into maniacal laughter:

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

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

New Take on an Old Try

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

Let's see if this is an improvement.

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

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

Maybe 2009 will be my year.

The Latest Incarnation

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

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

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

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

Hamster Wheel

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

Aarrgghh!!

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

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

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

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

Then submission.

Hamster Wheel. Run little furry guy, run.

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

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

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

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

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

Taking Advice Albeit Late

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

And how wrong I was to not see it.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Links and Things

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

Now, for the real post...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Snipping Words and Deleting Grandma

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

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

But they don't want to die.

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

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

Sorry Grandma.

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

Making it Believable

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

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

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

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

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

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

Umm, ya.

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

I hate those little trips.

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

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

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

*shrug* Such is the writing life.

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

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A New Beginning

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

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

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

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

Onward.

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

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

You know, like put in chapter breaks.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Woohoo

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

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

Heh. Good luck with all that, right?

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

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

Checking In

Hi!

It's been a couple days since I stopped by here, and I just thought I'd take a moment to let y'all know what's been happening.

Let's see... Friday: I think we may have found a house. I'll be finalizing details tomorrow. It's lovely, and it's not too expensive. The only problem is it's furnished. Not huge - most of our furniture is old and worn - but the problem is: What to do with all this crap. Garage sale anyone? Great, but if it doesn't sell, where the hell am I going to put it? *shrug* Distractions, distractions. I also started packing. I've only done the living room and only the books we're definitely keeping, but I've already got a dozen boxes filled. I haven't even started on the store. (BTW, the store is closed until further notice. I can't pack and sell books at the same time.)

Yesterday I proclaimed it would be a weekend where I wouldn't do any packing or think about moving. I needed a day off. The proclaimation was great, but it only half worked. I didn't do any packing, but I can't stop thinking about the damn move. Sleep? Not getting any. I also took the day off writing. Instead, I watched football, played poker and read. Kay Hooper's new book "If There Be Dragons" is pretty good. Not what I was expecting, but still enjoyable. Oh, and MSU beat Notre Dame, so the honor of the state of Michigan is once more intact. Too bad Michigan didn't play, but maybe they needed a week off to get their heads out of their... Ummm... Maybe they needed a week to get their game back together.

Today I sat down and worked. I took the comments I've gotten back on Manhunter so far and plugged in suggestions, fixed typos and generally cleaned up the manuscript. One comment I found helpful was that I used the word 'bitch' too much. I searched the whole document, and switched out about 75% of the instances. (Couldn't remove them all. After all, sometimes 'bitch' just fits.) Thank you very very much, Ladies. :hugs: You guys are awesome. Once I finished up that bit of work, I started back on the synopsis. (Okay, I played poker for a while first, but I did get some synopsizing done.) I'm now about halfway through the story, and 2100 words into the synopsis. I'll finish it all up - hopefully by tonight - and then start with the weed eater-whacking off unnecessary bits. I was hoping to start submitting this by the end of the month, but with the impending move and stuff, I think it might have to be put off until I have a firm physical address again. Unless, of course, I get antsy... then I'll submit to people who take e-queries. My email addy is not changing, and neither is my phone number - so if I get requests for more pages or THE CALL, I won't be out of touch completely.

Well, that's my life in a nutshell. How's things on your end?

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This n That

This weekend signaled two things...

First, it was the opening weekend of Pro-Football. Yay! I love football. Of course, I love college football more than pro, but they both make me happy. I love the artistry of a well-caught pass, and the athleticism of a running back juking his way through a mass of huge bodies to get the ball down the field. *happy sigh* I can't wait for the first Monday Night Football of the year. Packers vs. Vikings. GO PACK!

Also Michigan finally won a game this weekend. I only wish that Ohio State had lost.

Second, I got back to writing new words. Double Yay! It wasn't much. But considering I was still stymied as to how to proceed from here, I'm happy with even 700 words. I sat down on the couch with my trusty red pen and notepad, trying to figure out the answer to the eternal question: "What comes next?" When I talked myself through the problem, the answer presented itself, and I sat here. 700 words ain't a bad start.

As I said before, this book is more difficult than any I've written. More twists, more tension, and more players involved in the outcome. I'm keeping it third limited, and I'm trying not to head-hop - at least not so that it's jarring. So far, I'm liking the outcome. Time will tell if anyone else likes it, too.

And on that note, I think I'm pretty close to getting ready to send Manhunter out into the world. The only problem is my readers have busy lives right now. So, if any of you have any free time and would like to read a suspense novel tinged with romance, drop me an e-mail. All I'm looking for is a little proofing and a heads-up if you find anything that either isn't explained well or sounds off for some reason. I'll be happy to do a reciprocal read, or if you don't have anything you need read, I'm willing to send you a book in appreciation. (I have about 1500 to choose from.)

If you're interested, let me know. Otherwise, tell me how your teams did this weekend.

Caught Up With Myself

Well, I just finished re-reading and editing what I'd already written on Nano. It's was pretty good stuff and now it's even better. New layers. New twists.

And the same old wall.

You see, I wrote something that I'm not sure I can get out of, but it's so damn good, I'm not sure if re-writing that part will make the story better or worse. (I'd say what, but that'd be telling.) Whenever this happens, I'm reminded of one of my favorite movie quotes:

"Okay, Joan Wilder, write us out of this one." (Or something like that. I haven't seen the movie in ages. Oh, and bonus points for naming that movie.)

This has happened before, and the results - once I figure them out - are usually better than I originally hoped. I'm not worried yet. Tomorrow, I'll get to brainstorming how to get myself out of the corner I painted myself into.

How are things going in your world? Ever write yourself into a corner like I do, or are you one of those people who plot everything out in advance?

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Character Problems

Rewriting this sucker has been like pulling teeth. I don't think I've had this hard a time yet with anything I've edited.

On the bright side, I think I hit on what was killing me on this. I hadn't found what was making my MC tick. His voice wasn't ringing true for me. Well, I think I hit it tonight. Might have to go back over the first couple bits again to make sure everything is consistent, but it shouldn't be a problem.

Heh. Thought you could get away from me, eh Dennis? Well, I'll show you. Bwa ha ha. Another character falls under the writer's spell.

;o)

Editing This n That

As I said in Saturday's post, I'm back into the red-inking phase of editing for my... third, I think... book. (Or was Blink #3? If so, then Justice was #4.) Anyway, so far the process is going well, but going slow. Yesterday I got two chapters done - three if you count the fact that I decided I'm going to toss what used to be the first chapter and begin the book with the next chapter. I'll be posting that now-defunct chapter over at Tabula Rasa later. It's pretty good, but it's also all backstory and with the new direction I'm taking Justice in, it's no longer even necessary backstory.

The first other two chapters are now bleeding red-ink, and several pages of my notebook are covered in stuff that probably should've been in the book in the first place. I can't wait to type it all in, but I'm trying to wait until I have the whole thing done. (We'll see if my patience holds out that long.)

One thing I forgot about red-inking... It's HARD. Much harder than editing directly on the computer. It's forcing me to rethink the wording, the plot points, the very structure of how this book is laid out. My new beginning scene didn't take that long, because I really have edited it to death already, but the second scene - eleven measly pages - took me nearly two hours to mark up last night. I wanted to quit halfway through. My eyes were beginning to cross. But I promised myself I'd finish the chapter before I went to bed, and that's what I did. This morning, I'm tired but very satisfied with the progress.

I think once I type in all the edits, I'll be pleased with the results. (Which is why my statement about waiting until all the hardcopy edits are finished might not be correct.)

That's my weekend in a nutshell. How are things going with you?

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Writer Hokie-Pokie

Two steps forward, one step back. Turn yourself around. It's called the Writer Hokie-Pokie. (I know, I know... the other thing is called the hokey-pokey. But this isn't that, so I spelled it different.)

Anyway, I don't know about any of you, but sometimes I have to go back to move forward. Manhunter is waiting on editorial suggestions from my CP and my beta readers. Nano is currently stalled. But I have to work. So what did I do?

I revisited one of my older manuscripts. The much-ignored, but still viable... AWJ. Or as I like to call it 'Justice'. (In case you haven't noticed, I like one word names for my early editions. It makes life easier.) Of course, I was working on it last night, and still skimming over the same old problems.

:::Short attention span moment... Phelps just took gold! Yay! He didn't even look like he was working at it either. Now, back to the actual post:::

Anyway, I think I figured out what my problem was. Sometimes when I'm editing on the computer, I have a tendency to skim. My eyes glaze over and I catch myself just reading the manuscript instead of looking for ways to improve it. The best way to solve the problem is to do what some people dread. I print the whole thing out and then over the course of the next few days (or weeks as the case may be), I red-ink the whole damn thing. Not only that, but I keep a notebook beside me for when my edits won't fit on the page. I have a whole boring system, which I'll spare you from reading about.

Starting tomorrow, I'll be sitting on the couch with my printed manuscript, my handy-dandy notepad, and a red pen - trying to figure out what needs to be adding, what needs to be deleted and whether the story I told is the story I wanted to tell. (And of course, whether I told it in the best way possible.)

I did this in the past with both Spectacle and Caldera. I must've printed out Spectacle a dozen times (which is saying something considering it was 147K words at one point). I even did it with Blink, but after that I went to the cheaper computer-based editing. Personally, I'd rather do it all on the monitor, but that isn't always the best way. Unfortunately, editing on the computer put me in the position I'm in, and the only way out is to go back to the old ways.

Back to the old manuscript. Back to the old methods. Here's hoping that by going back, I can move forward again.

That's it for me tonight, folks. I'm bushed. What do you think about the whole idea of Writer Hokie-Pokie? Ever had to go back to move forward?

Or am I the only nut in the cookie jar?

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