Writers, WIPs, Wrangling & Work

I'm back from my workshop in Atlanta, but I am not jumping back into my writing. Why? Because the answers I sought only led to more questions about my story. I am glad I went to the all day workshop, but now I must examine my story a bit more closely and make sure that my plot is strong enough.

Intuitively I already knew my story has plotting issues. This is what happens when you don't shore up all the lovely scenes in your head with solid structure points. And every time I go back into the story to fix a major plot point, it affects the entire story. As one writer friend said, it's like pushing down a domino and then a whole row tumbles.

I know my beginning, my set up, my ending and my pinch points. But the middle is a bit iffy. I believe it's a decent midpoint, but I brought the middle to the workshop to make sure it was decent. And the leaders said I needed more. A bigger reason for why my heroine wants to do what she does. I need a very compelling reason for her decision to stay in the area she is living in. But I balk now at the idea of adding a HUGE plot element to fix the story. Why? Because another author who critiqued my work said to "keep it simple." And there will be "more than enough conflict" to compel the reader to read.

I've brainstormed fun ideas to shore up the story with one CP. Suddenly I am on the Internet researching Burlesque dancing (don't ask--long story). Another CP said "if the writing is compelling, the reader will read it anyway and why does anyone read the books they read?" Back to keeping it simple, right?

Repeat after me: writing isn't for sissies or the faint of heart.

In the meantime, I got contest entries back for my opening. I scored well. My "writing voice" was strong and they scored me high in that regard. Whew. One problem solved. I didn't final, but I didn't expect to as the story was still in major revision at the time I entered. I sent in the first 10 pages to see if I was going in the right direction before I was told by the author I had a two tone story. I've worked my little writer fingers to the bone to fix the tone, but that was before the entry flew to the coordinator.  So I was pleased that the comments and scores were pretty decent. Lots of perfect scores from two judges, one of the judges (a published author in romance so gotta heed that one) marked me low on my characterization and the other two marked me high. Two loved the original plot, but the author was iffy on the originality (there are only 12 stories in the world, the trick is to tell them in unique ways). Well, the plot is different now, but that's okay. I believe the issues with characterization are cleared up by fixing the tone.

Right, so now I have even MORE information to digest and deal with before I trudge onward. And I eagerly (not) await my other contest scores (I know I didn't final because they called the finalists on Sunday and I didn't get a call). That entry was the same entry I sent to the critique author and has been changed already. I'm sure that one will not do well--I am praying for decent and constructive feedback.

Repeat after me: not all contest judges strive to be constructive and some of them are soul crushing critics who may not realize the pain they inflict isn't necessary. I try to be constructive when I critique. I usually succeed.

Ironically, I judged another category in that contest. I hope my entrants receive my critique with spirit it was given. I want to build people up, not tear them apart. Why pi**on somebody's parade? I sincerely hope I have judges who judge like me: with kindness in their intent.

On the way home from the workshop, my writing friend and I chatted about what we had learned. We had a four hour drive so we chatted a lot. We clarified her plot points (Larry Brooks' book continues to help me understand plot and I wish I had read it BEFORE I wrote this MS).

But mine? Hmm, not so much. I did decide that I am not writing a thriller or RS (why are nearly all the examples for writing taken from thrillers and suspense movies?) and that the main conflict is, as always BOY MEETS GIRL, BOY AND GIRL WANT EACH OTHER, BOY AND GIRL CAN'T HAVE EACH OTHER, BOY AND GIRL FIND WAY TO BE TOGETHER. THE END. All the other plot stuff is just that, plot stuff. Romance readers want to be entertained, and they want a credible plot, but most of all they want to fall in love with our hero and they want our heroine to deserve him. They want the LOVE to be compelling.

Romance is MORE about characters than it is about plot.

So here I sit, at my computer with a lot of questions. And a lot of ideas and a lot of information. I sit here and wait for contest results to come back so I can digest them and think some more.

Repeat after me: writing doesn't always mean writing words and counting them. Writing takes a lot of thinking, daydreaming, wondering and mulling.

And today I will do a bit more wondering and mulling. I've also decided to talk to my hero and heroine. I'm going to sit down with my Main Characters and ask them a lot of questions. Why? Because I have realized that I have played Goddess of their lives too many times and it is not working for me. I've tried to direct their lives with plots and schemes and ideas. And they aren't cooperating. Therefore I will step aside and let them take charge. I need them to tell me why I should write their story.

Stay tuned. I'll let you know if they reveal their story to me later. I hope they do because I entered this MS in the MAGGIES and the contest deadline is June 1, 2010. There's nothing like putting all our proverbial derrieres into the fire to get the job done.

Two Tone Writing

Last weekend I was fortunate to attend the GEORGIA ROMANCE WRITERS OF AMERICA's Author Critique Workshop held for members only. I sent in the first 25 pages of my MS and the synopsis. My work was assigned to a published author (turns out she is someone I admire a lot and she is a prolific writer with sage advice). Prior to the workshop in Atlanta, she returned my pages to me and said she enjoyed the story and the writing, but I had two problems:

1) The "through line" or  "log line" was a bit muddy. In my attempt to grow my category romance into a single title romance, I had two stories going on: one is a fun, lighthearted romantic comedy with super sizzle while the other is deep, serious, woman in jeopardy romantic suspense. Yikes! And she's right. Totally right. I've recognized this issue all along but decided to ignore it till I got to THE END for the zillionth time.

2) The tone of my story is directly affected by the muddy through line. Tone A is funny and light humorous writing. Tone B is definitely serious and deep. Yikes again! My story is bipolar. Again, I expanded this book into what I hope will be a single title, but in doing so I wrote two stories.

There are other problems: too many elements, the backstory is too complicated, I have enough conflict without the history, and so on. The thing is, my writing was not heavily edited. She liked it. She just wants me to fine tune my story line.

And that means I have to make a very hard decision: do I keep it light or do I go dark? I can do either. But one thing is for sure: I cannot do both in the same book. Another issue I have is the backstory. I can't really eliminate the characters' history without literally destroying my ending. Seriously! And many minor plot points will have to be cut or revised heavily or ... or ... I am in a dither about what to do. Why? Because I just cut over 20,000 words. I added 28,000 new words. And now I must face the same nightmare again.

And I am avoiding it like one avoids catching a stomach virus. I hate throwing up. I think I hate cutting my words even more. So I am taking another week off. What am I doing while I let my WIP in revision percolate? I'm reading. My reading has two purposes: pleasure and genre research.

I've inhaled two Berkeley Sensations, one HQN single title and a Suzanne Brockmann romantic suspense this week. I've already been confused by the Sensations line. One book bordered on porn with a plot and I'm not sure the porn was used properly given the plot (and I am not a squeamish reader or writer). The other book read like a category super romance with zero sex other than references to it at the end of the book. I loved the story and read it with great pleasure, but where was the "sensation?"

The HQN Single Title I read was nicely written and a sweet story with some beautifully written sensual scenes. I plan to reread this author's work as well as more for that alone. However, the motivation and inner turmoil seemed to be repeated to the point of saturation. By the end of the story, I was frustrated by the MC's and merely wanted them to get together. Seriously. It was like a stretched out category with none of the pep.

If you've read my blog, you know how I feel about Suzanne Brockmann's writing. She is a master and if I could be half the writer she is, I'd be thrilled. I did notice one thing. Back in 1996, she wrote a lovely contemporary romance with a single plot thread. Even then you could see her future would be great: she knows her characters and their emotions. That's what I'm trying to take away from my reading her books. Of course, I plan to read more! Although I don't plan to write only romantic suspense, if I can write emotion and character better because I read her work, I'll be rewarded as a writer with a better book.

Can you see which direction I am headed? Am I making the right decision? Those of you who read my blog know the duality of my tone already. I can be funny or serious. And that's okay for my blog. But it's not okay for my future writing and revision. I need to step off the precipice. As my critique author said, "You need to take a risk."

Why am I afraid? Because what I am naturally buoyed by as a writer, what gives me pleasure and makes it fun for me has been rejected for the very fact that it is fun, light writing. But maybe that's because I muddied the waters with too many elements. I've also been told that they like my writing, but they haven't connected with it. Maybe I wasn't serious or emotional enough? In trying to fix the rejections by weaving my response into my writing I may have tried too hard and tossed the proverbial baby out with the bath water.

I don't know. I do know I am going to work this out. Snippets of plot revision and character solutions are popping into my head. I'm realizing that I have confused plot events with emotional lives. I need to weave in the emotions while being true to the story line. And keeping it simple is a good thing to do as I expand the book.

On my to-do list? I plan to hit the bookstore today and pick up more books, single title, that reflect the future tone of my own story. Then I will read more. I've got Larry Brooks structure book downloaded and will read that as well.

And next week? Oh yeah. Let the work begin again.

Mission Confirmed

Yesterday I went to the Heart of Dixie's first meeting of the year. We had a lot of business to cover because we missed our January meeting due to snow conditions (in AL!). Afterward we were treated to a great discussion about the creative brain and how to keep our brains in gear for writing. So many things can impact our creativity: lack of sleep, health conditions, hormones, medications and stress. Even the published author who shared her information to us had her own story of how she had to battle to regain her writing mojo after losing her thyroid to thyroid cancer. Wow. But she did it. If she could battle back to regain her desire to write every day, then I feel even more inspired to keep my fingers on the keyboard.

Sure, there's not a lot of money in it (read zero for now) and the publishing industry is suffering from the economic meltdowns so there aren't a lot of doors opening right now for new writers, BUT the doors are still there.

After the meeting was adjourned and we had put up the tables and chairs, I was happy to talk with other authors, published and unpublished, about their experiences and their plans for the future. I came away from that meeting feeling energized and more than ready to keep pursuing my dream. For you see, if I just keep swimming in the low tide and wait patiently for the next wave to come in, I will be ready. If I quit now because the tide is low and I am  not getting anywhere, well too bad for me when I do miss the next wave.

I have reevaluated my writing goals and I believe I've made some wise decisions for this year. I am taking control of the things I can control and letting the stuff I can't control go out of my mind. I cannot control the ePublishing industry, iPad, Amazon, publishing, the business. None of it. I can control writing, learning my craft, submitting and entering contests. Based on what I learned yesterday, I believe I don't need to be in a hurry to set up a web page or create an Internet presence beyond my blogging.

After all, what am I promoting? Nothing. Yet. But I will do the following: I will continue blogging, sending in articles to the two chapter newsletters and obtain a domain name for when that time arrives.

Another thing I will do is maintain a patient attitude about the end result. I have one wonderful book out there. I'm proud of it. I have another book I want to revise and make stronger for the CR market. I have a fourth MS that I'm writing for the sheer joy of telling the characters' story. And I have another CR, ST that I will write as well. During the summer, I will begin processing my YA idea. I am rewarding myself with that book. I've wanted to write this one for a while, but I am still seeking a credible plot. I have the idea and the method of execution firm in my mind, but the plot must be strong enough to stand alone and be part of a larger series.

Stay tuned. Writing is a game I love to play. I am never setting aside my passion for this craft. It brings me joy and pain; friends and comrades; highs and lows. The process is a wrenching and excruciating ecstasy. I will not surrender my dream just because the world is not aligned with it today.

Muffin Top Middle

I am currently revising my dreaded middle section of the WIP. Let me repeat: dreaded middle section.

Now for the non-writers out there or for the writers who only make it to the middle of a novel, lose heart and quit, here is a truism: writing through the middle section of a WIP/FIRST DRAFT; WIP/IN REVISION FOR THE BILLIONTH TIME is painful and soul-sucking work. This is not for the faint of heart. Nope. One must forge ahead, knowing the maps and outlines created to prevent this mind-numbing process have FAILED. Or at least we believe they have and we would love to kill the characters and move on.

Confession: According to my loving CP in VA, I whine a lot as I enter into this phase.

As I grit my teeth and buckle down to wrestle the horrible plot into shape, I begin to have hope and become somewhat euphoric because I can see the solutions unfolding and bringing me to new lands. I don't kill my peeps, they find a great way to fix life's many problems, the villain or bad dude is conquered and all the loose threads are neatly tucked into a bow.

It's a glimmer of hope. One that will ebb when I have to tighten the writing, but it can be done.

Confession: I don't know of a single writer, published or unpublished, who doesn't go through the "I suck" period while stuck in the middle of their MS.

I'm muddling along with my current WIP in Revision while nursing DH through his hip replacement recovery and all that entails. While not trying to squeeze in writing time, I am reading Maass's book, WRITING THE BREAKOUT NOVEL. A few days ago, while waiting for DH to get through his surgery, I read the following:

Breakout novels sprawl... it can be a scary prospect, this business of writing large. In midmanuscript a breakout novelist can feel lost, overwhelmed by possible scenes and the challenge of tying up every thread... it is common for outlines to breakdown... many breakout novelists realize they have not looked at their outline in months... instead they are pushing forward on instinct, using some inner sense of direction to keep them driving toward the hight moments and, eventually, the final line.


This is where I am-the midsection. And it is growing into a muffin top midsection. Yet I persist because I sort of envision the final destination for my peeps. The story is taking a life on of its own. I love this part of the writing process. It's not going fast, but it is going well. I know it will need a lot of shining and polishing when it's done, but oh the plotting and playing with it is fabulous.

My midsection is a muffin top.

What is a muffin top? Well, it's that top of the muffin that spills over the ends of the cupcake holder and makes a lovely half moon shape. It's got all the ingredients inside it and when one bites into it, sheer delight.

Confession: Not only is my midsection of the MS a muffin top, my belly is currently a muffin top spilling over my jeans due to a long cold winter, too many hours in BICHOK and not enough hours trimming the middle down through diet and exercise.

That is what I am getting ready to do--put my MS on a diet and exercise program. I will whip this puppy into shape using whatever means I can to get the story told.

Meanwhile, pass the muffins.

There I said it. No amount

Voice: Not a Song, but Your Heart on the Page

I've been haphazardly plowing through my MAASS book, WRITING THE BREAKOUT NOVEL as I work on my huge revision. I tend to revise in pieces: write a little, read a little about craft, ruminate a lot, read through my pages in advance, generate ideas (occasionally brilliant, often not) and write some more.

Some of my writing/blogging friends like Martha and Gwen have a more scheduled way of blogging about their writing and craft work and prompts (read the daily squirrel or prompt). I do not. I blog the way I write and I write the way I think. Basically, I am a bipolar writer/or left to right brain to left again writer. I cross the lateral a lot.

I can be logical and organized, making my neat little Scrivener scene cards, or I can be a musical mess of a jumble of hand written index cards flying around the house. I've got charts, graphs, hard copies, soft copies and a bundle of in-between stuff as I work.

Reading through the Maass book this week, I generated a lot of cool ideas or thoughts about my current WIP in Revision and I also revisited the core of my writing: voice.

What is voice? Is it style? Is it a unique way of writing that sets you apart? Is it tone? What is the elusive quality of "voice" that people are talking about when they talk about a writer's voice? I think Maass covers it very well in his book:

... voice is a natural attribute. You can no more control it than you can control the color of your eyes--nor would you want to. Plenty of breakout authors have a distinctive voice.


To set your voice free, set your words free. Set your characters free. Most important, set your heart free. It is from the unknowing shadows of your subconscious that your stories will find their drive and from which they will draw their meaning. No one can loan you or teach you that. Your voice is your self in the story.


POWERFUL!

Eloisa James said the same thing in a very eloquent way during her Keynote Luncheon speech during the 2009 RWA National Conference. Pour your soul onto the pages. Pour your heart into your writing. Mine your feelings.

You have a story to tell. It's YOUR story. Whether you write romance, gothic literature, vampire YA novels or mysteries, YOU HAVE A STORY.

How we approach writing the story might very well reveal our writing voices. Just as no two writers approach their writing the same way, no two writers have the same writing voice. They can't. They're different people.

Yes. Read other amazing authors' books. But be sure to remember that as much as you may admire their work, only YOU can write a book with YOUR voice in it.

Tea Anyone? A Maass Illumination

I'm currently in revision hell and whenever I come up for air, I try to read a chapter in my WRITING THE BREAKOUT NOVEL book, by DONALD MAASS. Yesterday I plowed through his chapter about plotting the contemporary novel. I'm guilty of committing a lot of the mistakes he writes about: car drives, eating in restaurants, introspection, the too long sequel to the scene. I usually weed out the worst of my writing offenses with each pass through of my WIPS and this current POS is undergoing a similar surgery. But oh man, is it tough!!

*confession: I wrote in the last pages of my GH entry where I knew no one would read the words the following nonsense:

And then they went for a really long car drive to go and eat at a restaurant because my characters get hungry and do things like eating, driving and taking breaks from the action. 


*confession: I needed to reach my word count and I knew I'd cut this almost immediately after I sent of the drek... and it is drek... no doubt about it.

Maass gives a lot of wonderful insight into the writing industry and about how writers need to elevate their writing to the next level. Obviously, if the scene is only a "driving" scene to get the character to and from work, then by all means slash it out. If it's integral to a chase scene and the car careens over a cliff, keep it. The action is great.

Apparently eating isn't all that well received either. Nor is drinking tea... another Maass Illumination:

Certain types of scenes are so reliably low in tension that when reading a manuscript, I count them in my notes with hatch marks ... mulling things over while driving from one place to another, relaxing in the shower, fixing a cup of tea or coffee. Category Romance writers are especially prone to these time wasters. When they complain to me ... that they cannot seem to break "out of category," it is a pretty good bet that their heroines are tea addicts."


My friend, Ellen, in Ireland who keeps a nice blog about writing might laugh at the tea addiction comment. I did. But I also paused because my heroines don't really guzzle a lot of tea. They enjoy the following: chardonnay, cabernet, champagne along with a nice helping of Brie cheese, gourmet crackers and fruit.

Dear Lord! My heroines are lushes! They don't go to restaurants. Mine are hanging out in bars, swank gourmet bistros and at wineries. Oh dear. Now they don't get drunk (tipsy for humorous moments), but they do prefer wine over tea.

Confession: I enjoy drinking the aforementioned alcoholic beverages and have been known to tipple back a martini or two as well.

To combat my heroines' affection for wine and champagne, I often make them very health conscious in other ways. They go to the gym, they jog and they eat very healthy food. My girls do not eat deep fried food unless forced to and they drink the requisite 8 bottles of water per day.

So basically, my heroines are healthy lushes.

Confession: I enjoy hitting the gym, working out with weights, power walking and Wii Sports EA. And I drink at least 8, 8oz glasses of water per day.

My revision work today consisted of doing the following:

*cutting out driving to and from work (aack)
*eliminating my hero's breakfast gourmet java
*no jog for my heroine today
*mulling over things that happened

I did not cut out the scene where my heroine and her BF snuck out to the radio station's engineering room with leftover Rose wine, brie cheese and leftover Valentine's chocolates for their secret meeting.

After all, a girl's got to have her vices.

The Write Stuff: Process and Perseverance

As I've had to revise my goals for the year to reflect the new direction of my WIP--transforming a category length romance into a single title length romance with suspense elements--I've battled back a lot of doubt in order to focus on fixing the story. Again.

I've whined. I've had angst. I've been frustrated. I've moaned.

Part of my angst is born out of knowing how much time I will lose when my DH goes into the hospital for his hip replacement. Instead of hours to wrestle my manuscript into shape, I am faced with snatching moments here and there where I can work on a paragraph, a scene, a line, a thought or an idea.

And at first I thought this loss would suck. Yes. It would suck big time. Why? Because I am a Time Queen. I see time as domino blocks. One block neatly lined up with another block until a long line is formed. And I am setting the blocks down. But one false move and the blocks tumble into each other and crash down. Oh, I've been seeing my blocks of time crashing into each other and falling away with each new interruption and distraction I see hovering in my future horizon.

Sigh. Not good.

That's why I was desperate to FINISH the revision by the 31st. Now I realize that was a monumental boulder to place on my shoulders and I have removed the burden by giving myself permission to take my time and let the story evolve.

I admit I've whined about it to my CPs. My CP in VA was firm with me when I said this didn't happen with the third MS. It was so much easier. She gave me a talking to and said I moaned just as much with the third book and wanted to move on as well.

She's right.

But her words also reminded me about how that book was revised. Where and when, too. I revised (for the third/fourth times) my third MS during a HUGE move. I literally snatched time to write and revise for almost six months. I was forced by circumstances to write in short amounts of time and be away from my MS for large amounts of time.

That book went on to become a MAGGE FINALIST. Hmmmm. Brain Jolt.

Hmmm indeed. Once again, due to circumstances, during my 3rd/4th revision, I am forced to write in short amounts of time and be away from my MS for long amounts. Hmmmm. And the truth is, whenever I do sit down to work, I can see the problems more clearly. I am more amenable to *gasp* cutting them out and shifting them to other spots. I see the big picture more clearly.

Hmmm. LIGHT BULB MOMENT. Apparently, when I am in this part of my revision, my right brain needs a lot of time out so my left brain can take a scalpel to the material in short, straight and deliberate cuts. Meanwhile, during time out, my creative right side of the brain sends me inspiration and ideas and gives me scenes to work on.

Wow. I am beginning to surrender to the process. I know I will solve the issues I'm facing in this WIP.

This is where my personal religious views come into play. Whenever I beat my wings in my cage, I get NOWHERE. But when I pause, surrender to my surroundings, I see the door is open and I am free to fly.

*Please remind me of this illumination when I start to whine during my next book's revision*

*Oh, I hope I don't need to endure a major life hijacking to get to this point*

To Write Well is to Revise a Lot!

Writing is not easy. It is not for sissies. It is not for the weak of heart. A lot of would-be writers never finish their first drafts. They start many novels, but get mired in the middle never to escape the bog of doubt and fear that they've lost sight of their vision. A few struggle past and pull themselves out of the soul sucking middle ground and race happily to THE END.

Yay! First draft! The writer is officially DONE.

But not so. No. Unfortunately, after a breath of air and a break from reaching the story's resolution. One learns if one is a writer with the guts to go the distance again. Not just once. Not just twice. But often times three, four, five and six times. Maybe more. Each time issues with the story, the characters and the plot are ironed.

Someone once asked, when is it finished? I say not until it's sitting on a shelf in a bookstore or on-line with an e-publisher ready for someone to buy, read and yearn for more of the author's writing.

However, as a writer, I must say that for me the end comes when I've polished it to the point where the only way I'd rip into a plot again is if an editor and/or agent said, "Love your voice, but we want you to do X to make it better." In other words, I want to be under contract before I revisit the book for a billionth time.

And at a certain point, it's time for me, the writer, to take what I've learned and move onto the next project. Hopefully, all will happen faster. There will be less revisions to the overall plot and characters as I grow as a writer honing her craft.

For now I slog on. I have beaten back this story a lot. I've rescued my characters three times. I've reinvented the plot three times. I'm back in for more work. Deep work. Hard work. Unrewarding work (no pay here). One pat on the back I will receive will come from other writers who know all to well the pain of revising (cutting our beautiful words, letting go of the original ideas and moving on--HARD).

The other pat will come from me. To myself for having endured again. And for trying.

That's all I can do. That's all any of us can do.

How do we do this?

At times, for me, it's the mere fact that I refuse to give up on my characters. This is their story. Other times, I refuse to give up on myself. I started this journey. I want to finish it.

And you know what? The craziest part about being an unpublished writer wrestling with words is the greatest reward after multiple revisions is that I get to start a brand new book.

I get to do it all over again.

A Little Bit Naughty & A Little Bit Nice

Yesterday I was a little bit naughty. I did write (the little bit nice part for the day). For about an hour. I finished another chapter's chop and block and reset and cut.

Then I went out for lunch with two girlfriends and we chatted for two hours. Wow. What a luxury. I was so happy to just "be." When I got home, I picked up the house, and I made a lovely meal for the family. Not a hastily cobbled together one, but a full on gourmet favorite. Yummy!

I skipped my blog altogether just to hang out on the sofa and watch TV with my daughter. It was so much fun. No computers on our laps (we're huge MACbook fans -- each have one) and no status checks on Facebook, either. No blogging. No responding to people on their blogs.

We watched Glee. My all time favorite show of the year. We also watched Criminal Minds. My other all time favorite show. What can I say? We're an eclectic and diverse family.

Today I had to take my DD to the Driver's License place to get her Learner's Permit. Sorry folks. She passed. We are talking about a girl who has broken two, no, make that three, bones by literally tripping over her feet. We are talking about a girl who almost suffocated herself in the changing room at the mall while trying on a dress (now and forever known as "the demon dress"). We are talking about a girl who tripped in the same changing booth and bumped her head.

Shopping with her is always great fodder for future YA ideas. She will be immortalized (disguised, but...).

Yes. That girl is learning how to drive.

So here's where I was a bit more nice than naughty. We got to the DMV and DD had all the paperwork according to the manual she'd studied. Unfortunately, the rules changed since September and we had to have an additional piece of paper from her school proving she was in school. Now the DMV (Dept. of Motor Vehicles) is about 30 minutes from door to door. Darling Me asked if she could take the test while I hurried back (of course driving the speed limit *wink*) to get the silly slip of paper. They said yes.

Thus time I would have spent writing/reading at the DMV was spent cruising to and from her school to bring a piece of paper signed by a clerical aide stating that she was, indeed, a student (apparently her most recent, all A progress report wasn't adequate enough). DH knew I was upset about the time lost, but offered to meet me later (to shop for same girl's Christmas), and offered to come get me an hour later so I could squeeze in some writing time (I love it when they show their belief in me by supporting my need to write).

DD passed the test. I was so happy for her (despite my concerns for all the innocent drivers who are blissfully driving unaware of this newbie's future reign of terror), and we celebrated by shopping a bit and being happy (plus she got to miss most of her honors chemistry--double bonus). DD had a great day. She's happy.

I am, too. For during the time I was driving back to her school, I thought how lucky am I? I can pursue my own passion and dreams, but I don't have to take away my time from being the mom she needs me to be when things like this happen. And she's growing up. Soon I won't be chasing down roads driving her forgotten articles to school, hauling teens to malls and dance and school. Soon she'll be chasing down the roads and I'll be a worrying wave goodbye.

So I treasured today's bit of nice.

And I was nice again. I managed to squeeze in a bit more writing (chop and block/move and paste), meet my DH to shop for our DD, and feel like I had accomplished quite a bit after all.

Slow and steady through these times. But even a little moves us forward. Tomorrow, I'll have one less scene to visit as I trudge toward the finish line. Not the first time across. Nor the last. But at least it is one less time to do it once I get there.

Whew.... onward ho! Countdown begins: 14 sleeps till Christmas Morning!!!

My Monster Revision

Well I am working on the revision. Today I rearranged all the scenes, found where B fit into C spot, and retooled ideas about the original MS... course I wrote the dang thing in a week, set it aside to finish the third MS, reread it before I went to Nationals, agonized about the final polish of third MS after I returned. And NOW? What on earth was I thinking? AAAACCKKK.

I thought I knew what I wanted to say with this story, but it is again taking a life on and a new path. I am cobbling together my monster. But it is a heck of a monster! The core is there. It is there. I keep telling myself that as I struggle to revise, retool it. But it isn't easy. There are papers and scenes in piles all over my office room floor. Seriously, my cats can't even find a path through this madness.

WHAT WAS I THINKING? My original concept is the same. My brain is in overdrive trying to make this fit a certain market, or not, but also incorporate the SEX BETWEEN THE PAGES WORKSHOP. My goodness--so many things to think about... and I am questioning my ability to write now.

Ha.

Who doesn't?

I am officially peeling myself off the ceiling.

But I do want to pitch this at the M&M Conference. Ha Ha... this is the start of my hysterical laugh.

But I am going to do this... I am I am.

Meanwhile, I continue to make lunch dates, volunteer (cause I am nuts), and pray I can complete my ridiculous goal by the time set by my own standards.

hahahahahahaha-- will do it. will do it...

Nurturing My Writing Voice

I am in the midst of my revision for book 3. I feel like I've been dealing with these people FOREVER. But with each new revision or change, I find I like the book more and more.

Part of this is the discovery of CRAFT and learning to polish my writing. Another part is taking the Book in a Week class which helped me rediscover HOW I DEVELOP my story. My unique way of getting into my characters' heads.  And the final part of this is through reading some amazing new books published by fellow writers I respect and admire. There, sometimes, the "rules" of CRAFT  and CONTEST are blurred because the STORY is the key. 

And I LOVE THESE BOOKS!! 

I only read other books at night, or when I am on vacation, right before beddie-bye. If I read them during the day, I will lose precious writing time. Right now I am on a mission! I must finish the next seven chapters (THE LAST SEVEN) in revision in 7 allotted writing days. Then I get to dive into my fourth novel and play around with those wonderful people (who are starting to get very impatient with my constant dabbling with book 3).

The flow of the words in the books I read has infiltrated my own writing; not as an exact duplication, but in the idea of how my characters think, act, talk to themselves, and face the world. In that world, overused words are, well, allowed, and echoes can occur, and "ly" words exist, and "was" isn't a demon word. 

Thus my inner critic is silenced to allow my people to become who they are: internally. 

Love that feeling.

And the writing is tighter. No doubt about it. The weaving in and out of elements is more precise. I like the new flow. Will it appeal to an editor or an agent? I don't know. But I do know it appeals to the deeper part in me who enjoys reading a well-crafted romance with a fabulous hero, though flawed, and an independent heroine who's itching for a bit of subduing. 

It's like first draft writing but it's a tighter blend of writing for self, writing for the reader or critique group, and writing for the editor who might one day request it and then accept it with the codicil: more revision required.

I'm determined to move forward with this book. I want to pitch it at the conference. I am ready to try to sell the work. If no one asks for it, well I'll try elsewhere via queries. Then I will lovingly set it aside and use what I've learned by writing it in all my future novels as well as in other revisions. 

This is why I love to write. It challenges me, it changes me, and it moves me beyond preset boundaries. 

And I've learned that is quite all right to be a "delusional masochist" while pursuing this grand obsession.

Derailed by Health Issues

Well on Monday I had stupid sebaceous cyst removed and it hurt like the dickens. Now the medication and the general discomfort, plus the knowledge that I am getting the dressing changed and it will hurt again today is weighing me down. I am not accomplishing anything except reading about writing, slight revisions, and learning to use Scrivener. Yesterday I didn't even do scrivener. Today I plan to do it a bit in the afternoon, but I am frustrated by the fact that the stupid printer won't allow me to print from the front tray due to the computer change. And I have read the manual on line, managed to figure it out twice, but haven't figured out how to make that default setting. So it is a huge pain. And then my CP has graciously sent me more pages with comments but for some reason all the comments are at the back of the story instead of woven throughout the story. ARGH.

I've got the third MS inputed. I know I need to work on a query and a synopsis as well. But I can't seem to wrap my brain around it. I think I will use a craft corner lesson on the bloody thing to get me started next Monday. I'll revise in the AM, do synopsis and query in the PM. Some of the places I am targeting don't require the first three chapters so I will send to them first. Meanwhile, hi ho hi ho... it's off to the doctor I go for my torture time.

Scrivener--Importing My MS

I decided to import my third MS/WIP into the Scrivener Program and play around with it. I know. I said I wasn't going to do it, but I took the plunge. First I did a blank, non-formatted document. Then I cut and pasted all my individual scenes into different folders. Then I called my CP and we spoke about it. She said she uses the Manuscript format. So I imported all I had worked on into the MS format for novels. Now I have folders and scenes cut and pasted but I am miffed because I have no idea how to use the program's specific formatted chapter headings and I've tried by playing around with various buttons and so forth, but to no avail.

A few things I found cumbersome:

*cutting and pasting (obviously) an entire doc into either the blank or formatted MS
*not being able to figure out how to add a "CHAPTER" formatted folder into the MS when if full edit mode
*not being able to get word count for total MS in MS format, but able to do this in Blank formatted doc (blah)
*clicking around from keynotes to the main body of the doc
*not sure how to undo erasing an entire amount of work as I was cutting and pasting, but easy to fix by going back to the imported scenes on blank format and copying and adding into the document later.

A few things I loved:

*seeing the notecards with the synopsis of each scene in the format as I worked. I wrote a synopsis for each scene (great memory tool!). It's easier to see how the story is progressing with these mini pictures on a cork board
*the ease I anticipate in the future of juggling the scenes
*working on an individual scene, focusing on the scene in it's own space before doing it in totality with the rest of the MS
*KEYNOTES -- while a pain to start them up, I have labeled each main character that is in the scene. I can go through and do a search for the characters and make sure there is balance or OOPS did I forget about one or three? I haven't done it for all of them, but as I revise I will add them in.
*I used the top of the scene card to note the setting in brief. Interesting to see where they are at a glance on the cork board view.

In a way, just going through the process of importing and reviewing each scene really set the stage for the next phase of this revision. The changes I make will be noted in the note cards. I think this will be easier to do from scratch, because less cutting and pasting, just adding and moving around. But the effort will be worth it. My CP LOVES it. And she and I write in similar styles, so far I see the benefits outweighing the negatives.

To Do Today

Finished the MS--like the ending and that means I want to keep the beginning the same, but just flesh it out a bit. I know the global fixes. I know the tiny fixes. Global first -- might not need to handle the tiny fixes if that occurs.

So I am medium pleased with the book. The story is decent. The scenes are good. I have some ideas about what I want to do to add tension and layer in greater attraction. I know how to make my hero heroic and not sleazy in the beginning. And I know I have to get started soon.

But first I want to finish up my character workshop classes and work on my hero a bit more. I will do that, think a bit about the heroine, and then I will start the revision on Monday. I like what a writing buddy said. She said to call it "learning" and then it won't feel as much as "here we go again."

I just finished a book by a favorite author and I loved it. She published it in 2007, which means it was probably finished in 2005. There is a lead time into getting these things out the doors of the publishing houses. All kinds of repeats and passive voice and telling but the story was GREAT and the hero and heroine were well drawn. It was a great story. I've been so worried about the "rules" of writing that I forgot about the "story being the point." I wanted to read her book because I was drawn to it. And she is a fabulous writer. No writer is "perfect." Every writer is working toward improvement in their own craft. And that's all I am doing except I am not getting paid to do it -- YET. I will. One day I will get published. Period.

More about that in another post.

Now my happy news. Two people I know and care about are PUBLISHED. One is my first critique partner and she is published in children's fiction. As soon as I figure out how to paste that info into a blog (because I am blog challenged... see any pictures in here? I don't like figuring out all the techie stuff), I will. And another friend I met last year at a retreat in Charleston who is also my other critique partner's SIL has A FOUR BOOK CONTRACT!!! Yay! After 16 years of writing. And I am soooo happy for her.

As soon as I find out how to post that information, I will do it!!

When I hear stories about people like my friend's SIL, it gives me hope that I am not whistling dixie and I will get published one day.

Hooray for my friend's victories!!

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_b?url=node%3D4&field-keywords=witness+tree+and+the+shadow+of+the+noose

Eager to Start Again

After a very busy busy week and being away from my novels, I am ready to start working again. I can't wait to start the revision process on the fourth book as well as to continue polishing the third book. I miss my babies.

I am also chomping at the bit to start marketing my book(s) again. I feel adrift, but also very very tired. I am sooooo exhausted. My brain seriously hurts. But I know that by Monday I will be ready to hit my books again. Hard.

Revision Prep

I'm already eager to read through my critique partner's comments for the third book. I can't wait to chomp into the book again and polish it.

Do I have any high hopes for finaling in the Golden Heart. Nope. Not after the crap contest results I got about one scene in the beginning. Sure, the writing was solid, craft was solid, and the pacing was solid, but the guy comes off like a "rutting deer" to quote one judge.

I'd struggled with that first encounter. It actually was much spicier and I took out all of the racier elements, leaving a kiss only. But apparently, that came across as "sleazy." DARN IT.

If it weren't for that, I think I might have finaled.

Oh well. But on the off the chance that my GH judges can look past that issue, I must polish the MSS for the GH before March 31's deadline.

But that happens next week. This week I play.

Early Morning Musings

This morning I drive to Nashville to pick up a friend and have her come spend the week with us. I'm looking forward to the break from intensive writing and from my brain constantly mulling over the story.

Because now my inner editor is screaming to get out and fix the story. And of course, she's found pleny of holes to plug, dilemmas to solve and issues to iron out.

And she hasn't even read it! Well, but then the inner critic's voice has been silenced with duct tape and she's been pushed into a closet all week. Now she is out and she wants to be heard.

And that is a good thing. Sort of. For now I have removed the bindings and I am listening to her suggestions and her ideas and jotting them down in my story notebook.

It's a relief to know I don't have to fix it yet. And the third book needs a go around. A more serious polishing before March 31.

These damn books are never finished. They're ongoing adventures.

And it suddenly dawned on me this morning that if I plunge back into the first book, ever, it can't be about a developer for a construction company.

Bloody economy tanking has flushed that idea down the toilet. So seriously back to the drawing board for that first POS.

Oh, the joys of writing. Really.