Pattern Recognition

On Saturday July 23rd, I drove down to Birmingham, AL so I could attend the Margie Lawson EMPOWERING CHARACTERS' EMOTIONS daylong workshop which was hosted by the Southern Magic Romance Writing Chapter.

I'd read Margie's lecture packet with the 8 lectures in it prior to going to the workshop so my brain would be ready for her lessons. And I'd completed a "clean" first draft as well. I didn't want to bring something I'd worked on and sent out before because I intuitively knew that would make me feel like my writing sucked. Bringing a new, clean, SHORT first draft that I knew needed revision seemed like the way to go.

And it was. I learned so much that my brain went insane with a desire to head home and apply everything she'd taught to me as I revised my MS. The first assignment Margie gave us was to work on 50-75 pages. I have about 100 pages in the short first draft, so I am tackling the entire mess. My instructions were basic:

1) Take out the five highlighters and apply the EDITS system to my MS. Look for patterns in my writing. Do I have too much green, not enough yellow, a bit too much blue?

2) Take out my handy, dandy red pen and apply the DABS system to my MS. Look for action, dialogue cues, senses, and more.

3) Circle tired, worn out cliches and pump them out. Delete them, or twist them into a new, fresh sentence.

Sounds easy, right? Highlighting the MS and looking for what is and isn't there is easy. That's easy peasy. That's so easy anyone could do it. After all, it's just analyzing the work. But fixing the work? Not so easy.

As I highlighted I realized I had a lot of all blue and a lot of all yellow scenes. I had very little pink and green in the scenes. I didn't even bother to drag out the orange highlighter because first I have to fix the other four colors. And the red pen? Well, I have boxes around paragraphs that I know I will shift around and move. Boxes that indicate where the paragraphs will go. I have notes and circled words. I have a lot of work to do.

I learned that in a clean first draft I tend to write all yellow, then all blue scenes. Usually the yellow stuff has to be woven into the blue scenes that are before or after the yellow scenes. But I had a feeling that would be the case. I am a revisionist style writer. I have to get the story down, my way, even if it is the wrong way and then I fix it. I've been intuitively weaving yellow into blue for 5 years! I knew I'd be low in green. What I didn't know is how low I'd be in pink. And that is where the fun starts. Adding powerful pink to key scenes will punch up my writing and take it to the next level.

Oh, I am excited. I can't wait to braid together the yellow and blue. I can't wait to add more green and pink where necessary. I can't wait to apply the orange pen to the pages after I print and go again. This kind of editing is right up my alley ("cliche alert!").

I've learned more than a better way to edit and revise my work. I've validated my process, my natural writing process, with this workshop and Margie's lecture packet by applying her lessons to my manuscript.

Now some of you may be wondering what the colors mean. Others may already know because they've graduated from one or more of Margie Lawson's workshops or online classes. A select few may have even gone to her total immersion class. Wow, I'm green with envy ("cliche alert!").

If  you already know what the colors and DABS system mean, then you've given yourself a great gift and are probably an NYT published writer or on your way to becoming one. If you don't know what the colors and the DABS system mean, then I highly recommend taking one of Margie's classes.

And here's a challenge to all of you. Take my two cliches and rewrite them in a fresh way. I can't wait to read the results!!

Deck My Time with Feats of Folly

Last weekend my darling husband and I began the arduous process of cleaning our deck and veranda. There went our Saturday. Sunday we stained the deck with a natural coating of protective gunk. Thursday I spent four hours finishing up the inside of the veranda and adding a second coat to the outer part of the deck.

I thought I was finished. But no. Darling husband had to cut four boards and needed my help with stabilizing them. Fun. Not. Then I had to hold them in place while he screwed them into place. Then I was free. Well, not really. Then I had to catch up on my writing, my grocery shopping and general life happenings. So much for Saturday.

Today I am officially finished staining the deck with my husband. Note to self: never ever ever buy a house with a wood deck or veranda ever ever again.

I am not Suzie Handygirl. I don't like doing these tasks. However, as it is with all the tasks I undertake, I did learn a few valuable things and can apply them to my writing.

1. Working together forges bonds. I can put my hero/heroine together while they work on a project. In the case of my fictional characters, they will probably end up having accidental touches that send shivers and trembles up and down their spines. Then they'll probably splatter a little paint on each other and he'll look at her and say you missed a spot after she wipes her face. And then, well... you figure it out.

In reality, Darling Husband and I cursed the dang deck, the time spent doing it, and the fact that we'd rather be sipping drinks on top of the Washington Hotel overlooking the White House than spend a sunny day cleaning wood. The best part about the whole thing was telling Darling Husband that his brilliant plan to spray the stain through a crappy little sprayer wasn't going to work and having him decide he couldn't possibly be wrong. Of course, he was. We have the splatters on the deck to prove it.

2. Sometimes you have to remove old stuff to make room for new, better stuff. In the case of writing fiction, this means I have to cut old words, words that are destroying the shape of my story and replace them with better words that support my story. Now the new words may not be perfect, but they are better and with each new cut I have the opportunity to improve my writing.

In reality, we bought four new boards for the deck. Two of the boards weren't perfect. We had to use them anyway because we weren't going to go out and buy two more boards. We are cheap. So we cut what we could, were grateful we could hide what wasn't perfect, and slapped the dang things into place. Heck, anything we did was an improvement over what the builder had put in. At least these boards would warp in the proper direction.

Hmmm.... I think that could work for my writing. I can replace really bad crap with a higher quality crap and it is still an improvement.

3. Working alone is a dangerous idea. In the case of my fiction, my hero or heroine could get injured while on the project. The hero/heroine will arrive to save the day just in the nick of time. Then the hero/heroine will lovingly tend to the other's wounds and then another tender, tingly moment will happen and voila! I have another love scene. Woohoo.

In reality, I just stepped into the paint tray, splattered the dang sh*& everywhere, got it on my butt, on my shoes, cursed in three languages, might have cursed my Darling Husband for not being there (ask the neighbors--I'm sure they heard me across the state line), and did all this while quickly slapping the pool of paint onto my brush and putting it on the door dealybob before it dried into a nasty blob. Again. I am cheap. I don't waste stuff. When Darling Husband got home, I was in the shower cause I smelled like two day old sweat and mold and there is no way anyone was coming within ten feet of me. I had to get that stain off my butt.

4. In the end, if you don't look too closely, the final product looks really nice and everyone is happy. Okay, in the case of my fiction, the hero and heroine get married, have a party, celebrate the new life they are beginning after working hard to be together despite all the obstacles. They ride off into the sunset or fly to some nice tropical island for a honeymoon.

In reality I just drink copious amounts of wine and declare that I am not doing this again until 2012. I will not be moved from this position of thought. There's no tropical island in my future, but I might have a Seabreeze or three to celebrate the end of an arduous project.

Darling Husband wisely sits beside me and agrees.

Off to the Workshop-- Hooray!

I am so excited. Today I leave for Atlanta with my writing friend. It's about a four hour drive, and the BRAVES are playing this weekend, so we're heading out early to beat the crowds and traffic. She should get here around 9AM, and then we'll load up for our road trip.

Oh glorious day! Four hours with a writing friend where we can talk to our hearts' contents about our passion without worrying about boring the listener. This is my favorite thing to do (well I DO have a few other favorite things--but that's romance research LOL).

Here's what I am bringing for the trip:

*wine
*clothes
*toiletries
*chocolate
*lap top
*a book
*jammies
*my workshop homework

I had to print out four different parts of my current MS in Revision. Sounds easy, right? Not really. First I had to export the various scene info out of Scrivener and into WORD. Always a minor snafu when I do that--next time I meet my CP in Birmingham I will get a tutorial from her. Then I had to look at the stuff I wanted to bring with my own critical eye and redo it to the best of my ability. And I can tell you that rewriting stuff with the knowledge that Mary Buckham or Diana Love will critique it is, well, *gulp* very motivating.

But I managed to churn out a reasonable stash of homework pages. I have my 150 word opening, my approximate 100-150 word setting scene bit for deep POV analysis, my sagging middle scenes (help me please! I have to figure out if these even are the middle part!), and my scene to check for hooks in general. Most of the homework I am bringing is taken from the first 15 pages of the current WIP. Only the mid-section is not.

Before I could even determine what to bring for the mid-section, I had to finish my structure outline/label scene cards in order for the WIP. I worked solidly for 2 hours to wrap up that work. Then I analyzed the number of scenes, calculated the word count necessary for each story Act, and I approximated where the major plot points should fall.

You know what? I am pleased to say that I have a clear set up, a clear ending, solid dissecting plot points to break the 1st Act and 2nd Act as well as the 3rd Act from the 4th Act. Now only the MidPoint is nebulous, but it is within striking distance in the mid 40-44 scene range. I also have a pretty darned good idea about the PINCH POINTS (Larry Brooks Story Structure) in Acts 2 & 3. In working on the resolution/Act 4, I realized I had introduced new information, so I quickly marked it, changed it to reflect the way the Act was supposed to flow and voila, brainstorming occurred that would affect the rest of the book in a positive way.

The MAJOR issue I have is TONE. I'm still working on lightening the tone without losing the emotional elements I feel are necessary for my WIP to come to life.

Getting ready for this workshop deadline has helped me focus on my overall story structure. But I know that what I learn in this workshop MIGHT force me to reevaluate my PLOT. Or, if I am super lucky, the workshop will CONFIRM my plot's direction and give me more fodder to support the structure. Or maybe it will lead to my realizing how to fix the mess regardless of the outcome/analysis.

Stay tuned! I'll keep you posted about my writing adventures in Atlanta.

(PS--I see some of my fellow bloggers on blogspot have lovely links to other pages and the blogs look like web pages--any information about that would be greatly appreciated)

Ripping Out Word Weeds

The hardest part about revising is wanting to add words and having to wait. Yes, wait. Sure, I've got the first global pass on the total WIP and I've managed to fix a couple of big picture problems more easily than I had anticipated which is a relief. I've even got some fabulous ideas about how to make this a bigger, lighter book with the depth it needs to go to a single title.

But I can't act on the ideas because I'm not finished weeding out the words I don't need. I am editing out the darker elements I had in the book and layering in lighter touches and/or marking the scene to do so at another time. I am also noting where I need to add scenes, and I am writing down all my brainstorming ideas into my trusty notebook. I have to be patient as I work through the scenes I've already written otherwise a good idea might not be useful OR I won't know where to place my new scenes and my revised scenes.

It's like gardening. First you have to pull the weeds, plow the dirt and add the fertilizer before you can plant the seeds for new growth. That's what I am doing. Some writers give up at this point and move on to writing a new MS because the task is overwhelming. Then they might return to their WIP in revision and be able to work on it, but I can't work that way. To me that would be like planting seeds for a new garden next to a weedy patch. And then the weeds in the old garden might overrun my new garden. 

What would be the point? I'd have another weedy garden to fix.

Oddly enough, I had hoped to play with my new YA idea this week, but by the time I finish working all day on my revision, I have nothing left to draw from my creative well. All my energy is going into the revision. I'm not fighting it. I believe that if I do have a spark for the other idea, then I'll run with it. My brain will know when it is ready to work on something different. 

I've been down this revision path before. It's murky at times. MS #3 took over a year to wrestle into shape. The book did get better with each revision, but the revising didn't get easier. Even at the very end of #3's revision, I went through it and picked out details that needed strengthening or finessing. Now I can play around with it to change the minor details and keep my mind focused on the 4th MS, but I don't think I could work on a first draft of a new story without draining my creative energy. And I need my creativity to stay true to the task at hand.

I imagine published authors work on more than one book at a time, but I wonder if that is after they've really gutted a story and revised it. Line editing and tweaking is not revising. Revising is getting into the heart of the story and rearranging the way the story is pumped out.

I know I can't revise this 4th MS forever. I need to get it to a point where I can say I'm as done as I can be and move on. I've given myself till the end of June. Maybe I'll finish earlier. Maybe I won't. I do know that I need a partial and a synopsis by June 1 for the MAGGIES, regardless of where the rest of the MS stands. Afterward, I need to know that the book I'm pitching has a solid plot. That the bones and muscles of this book are set and grounded. Then it'll be easier to fine tune the story should an editor or agent request the full. 

What do you think? Or are you able to juggle two manuscripts when one is major revision? And if you do juggle two manuscripts, do you feel you're giving both stories the same level of effort? Or do you feel you're short changing one of the stories?

WIP Goals

The WIP is cut down by about 5000 words. Now I go into the whole document and continue working toward getting it ready for the Scrivener round of scene by scene work. I hope to be adding words by the end of the week. I had hoped to work on my YA idea, but that hasn't happened to date. I'm not worried about it. This WIP is the priority. If time allows, I'll play with the YA.


Goals for Today:

*check tracked changes and accept or not
*make line edit changes as marked in the comment section
*shift four scenes that I know need to move
*free write where I am inspired (you know those moments where you go "aha"--like those)

Everything else I accomplish is icing.

Do you set daily goals? I like to set word count goals when I am in first draft work, but it's hard to do when I am revising. Yet I joined the RWA-PRO Forum to reach 50,000 words by the time the RWA National Conference opens at the end of July.

Crazy? Maybe. But it's good to push ourselves where we can if we want to become prolific writers.

WIP Whack

Yesterday I barreled through the first 150 pages of the WIP. I tried to focus on the global changes and not on the micro changes. I managed to do so for the most part. How? I used my handy dandy "insert comment" button in WORD.

When I am writing on a big scale, I don't work in Scrivener. It's a fabulous program for individual scene work, but a bit wieldy for me for large scale tracking of changes and comments. Right now I have a huge document on WORD that has lots and lots of tracking blood and blue comment blood. I don't want to stop and make small editorial changes yet, so I'm marking the areas with those changes along with the page numbers in the MS they are located in.

Sometimes I want to fix the scene right away, or make notes straight into the document. That slowed me down a bit yesterday as my goal was to move through to the end. I was also baffled by the fact that 100 pages of edits I had saved were gone for moment. A FRIGHTENING MOMENT. But I found it almost immediately and saved again under a new title just in case.

It's important to save a lot during this process or all those brainstorming moments will be lost. The moments where free writing is occurring and grammar be darned. Yeah, I had a few of those yesterday and that is a great time for a writer. I like to work fast and quick so I don't over think my creative bursts of energy or my inevitable cutting of scenes.

I haven't lost too much as far as word count is concerned. I started at over 68,000 words. I'm down to 67, 211 now. I am sure I will lose more today as I head into the last act of the book. But that's okay. I have TONS of ideas about how to add more delicious words to the document.

I have about 120 pages left work through for this part of the revision. I also have the real world pressing in: calls to make for the darling FIL and handymen coming to the house. I am structuring my workday to write first, call during the "hurry up and wait for us to show up" time period this afternoon.

This is the part of the revision that I love cause it is quick. Generating new ideas and writing them is fun for me as well. Finesse work? Not so much. But I will do it. I've got less than two weeks before I have to bring bits and pieces of this MS to a writing workshop. Good times. I have less than a month before I have to start reworking the synopsis and the first twenty-five pages for the MAGGIES.

Having a wee fire under my behind works wonders for my motivation to get the job done. Perhaps that's why I procrastinated so much.

What helps motivate you to write and get the job done if you don't have an editor hanging over your head? I use contests and writing workshops to give me deadlines. Learning to write as if one has a deadline is vital if one wants to survive the post "call" period of one's career.

WIP Round 1

This week I am heading back into the treacherous waters and revising my current WIP. Oh joy. Actually, now that I want to plunge into the story, I'm excited about the possibilities.

Today's Goals:

*go into total doc and mark global changes I know will stick
*put transposed scenes back in order
*if time, start cutting out scenes I know won't stay

And for fun:

*500-1000 words on my YA idea
*play with a new blog site (I plan to move to a new site over the summer)

All you writers know that these goals are part of my bigger life: one where I have to put on my other hats and be a helpful DIL and mother and wife and friend. But somehow, with proper time management, I believe I can get this work done. I am nothing if not ambitious.

Repairing the WIP

I've groaned about revising this WIP long enough. I've procrastinated and creatively avoided the WIP for almost three weeks. Other than reading through my printed pages and blogging about how to avoid working on this POS, I've done nothing to begin the long process of yet another revision.

I'm ready.

I cleared the decks, literally, on Monday with a huge re-organization of my office. I played a bit more. I read through all my contest entries and judged them. Now they are in the coordinator's capable hands. I organized my future online coordinator files and got in touch with the instructors. I went to the library and signed out a bunch of books written by authors who have been recommended to me based on their tone and style. I've brainstormed new ideas for the current revision's direction. I've spoken to one CP long distance about the future of the book and what to look for as she reads my pages. And I spent the morning going through another CP's critique.

Now I've saved my WIP under a new document in Word.

I'm ready to tear into this and start my revision.

I don't plan to start at the beginning. No. I learned a few good methods about revision from a great online class I took about a year ago. In a nutshell, besides the whole procrastination part, I revise my messes by doing the following:

*let the MS sit for at least two weeks, longer if you can (but not for six months)
*quick read through of the hard copy pages with a pencil in hand bearing in mind the WIP's new direction
*mark micro changes as I catch them
*mark global changes throughout the MS based on earlier brainstorming and critiques
*go through CP's comments and grammar check (TG she is so good at the technical side of writing)
*make minor changes and answer some questions immediately in the document
*add my own comments to the doc as I look at CP's work based on WIP's direction
*save the document with stored comments on WORD with a new title reflecting upcoming round of revisions (TFC7)

Now that the new document is stored in WORD, I plan to do the following:

*macro changes first--no point in fine-tuning something that might be cut due to big changes
*cut the scenes that no longer work and shift to a cut scenes document in WORD
*micro changes in scenes I plan to keep
*address all comments after scenes are cut or shifted
*any brainstorming or old scenes that might work are checked for possible use in next draft
*save the doc

After I complete Part A of my revision, I will move my document back into Scrivener's writing program and break all the scenes into separate documents. Then I will will begin the process of adding new scenes, shifting other scenes and fine tuning the story's timeline. I will focus on the revision throughout the month of April.

During the first part of May, I need to step back and work on the contest entry for the MAGGIES Contest run by the GEORGIA ROMANCE WRITERS OF AMERICA.  I will write a new synopsis and fine tune the first twenty-five pages for the contest. I'll probably have other contest feedback to look at and will consider incorporating some of that feedback into my MS.

Once I have that contest entry ready to roll out the door, via electronic transmission, I will go back into the MS and continue revising until the end of June (or hope against all odds that I am finished earlier). Then it's time to put this MS on the shelf and let it percolate while I begin working on a NEW project (yay!) and spend time with my family.

I have a plan. I have an end in sight. I have a bit of hope that I can wrestle this one back from the brink. And that is why I am beginning to feel a bit of a rush, a high and a thrill.

Onward ho!

Status Update: Cat, Characters, Conflict

Status Update for Dowager Feline Clancy: She is on the mend. The Grand Old Lady is healing nicely with the antibiotics, her blood work came back with nothing too scary other than raised white count (infection is our going diagnosis), and she's chowed down 6 small cans of Fancy Feast wet food. She started purring again yesterday and was laying in bed with me this morning for love and affection. Whew! Dodged a bullet!

Status Update for Cast of Current Characters: Muddling through this WIP in Revision with doubt and frustration as my constant companions. I've unearthed surprising emotional elements and have attempted to shore up the plot with new scenes, but I am not sure if my attempts are stellar. I know I have to go in and layer tons of senses and eliminate some repetitive phrases and word tics, but I am not ready to CUT again. I am so tired of cutting and pasting and rewriting. I love my characters. If I didn't love them so much, I would have thrown in the towel and started a new book. But I am fighting for them.

Status Update for Conflict: Wow, I know I've got internal conflict going strong. I know I have a crazy external plot and that's what is driving me insane. This started off as a category BLAZE type of a book. Now I have this insane ST with suspense and sex and laughter. Yes, deeper emotional elements are surfacing. Why now? Argh. I know I will have to weave them in later. I've literally had "Place Marker Scenes" that I've expanded into decent first draft scenes, but will this MS be ready for other eyes by the middle of March? I don't know. So much feels like it needs to be layered in and I am completely adrift regarding my Villain (who finally revealed himself to me by the last third of the book). I want to send it out and get feedback, but one of my CPs says I should wait till it's super strong. Another reader is willing to peek now and see what is working. I still don't know if the other two CPs can withstand some the rawer parts of the current WIP. Need to ask them first.

Conclusion: keep muddling along, keep layering in stuff, keep working on the new scenes. Give myself time to finish it to MY satisfaction.

Hopefully I won't have total drek by mid-March.

Stay tune!

K.I.S.S. & Tell

Revision is an interesting process. I've discovered that when it comes to the PLOT revision, reading a craft book alongside the writing work helps me to generate new ideas and fix my MS's holes. Sometimes I take a course online during this time. Sometimes I just read and learn.

While revising, I am always on the phone or pinging emails to my CPs. They are all working on their WIPs and going through the same process. All of our voices bring new thoughts and solutions to the table. All of us find different ways to get to the heart of the matter.

So where is the KISS?

Well, for me it's in the phrase: KEEP IT SIMPLE SILLY. The  more I learn, the more I realize that writing does boil down to basics. There are some amazing methods to approach writing, but they all derive from similar roots. I can call a plot point a twist point, a pivotal plot point, a false victory, a turning point... a whatever... But bottom line: the idea is the same. I have to have sections in my book that bring about changes internally and externally to my main characters and all of these changes must deepen the sympathy my future readers have for my characters.

Goals? Motivations? Conflicts? Internal and external? They all come from some deep well within ourselves. If we don't mine our own hearts and experiences, we aren't bringing an honest revelation to the table, either. At times it takes some wonderful teacher to lead us to that discovery. Other times, it's an aha moment within our own brains that crystalizes the soul baring drive to write the story. Is our theme throughout our writing about betrayal, hope, lost souls finding home, overcoming injustice, saving people, truth and justice overcoming dishonesty? What? When we discover this, we are on a roll.

Sounds simple doesn't it?

But that's the part that's hard to tell. When does the writing shift from complex to simple? When does the book take on an amazing life of its own where the characters are really telling ME how to write their story? I think it happens all along as long as I don't force the issue. As soon as I try to fake it, I lose it.

I lose the essence of my people. I lose the essence of their story.

Revision opens up new pathways, new directions, new goals. Revision brings along interesting developments, unexpected characters and evocative emotions. Now the questions is: are you ready to expose them to the light?

Surgery Statistics--Novel and Real

*DH is recuperating nicely. Who knew a new hip could be put into a man in less than two hours.
*Who knew they'd release said man so early from the hospital?

Confession: I am not a nurse for a reason, but I try.

*I have applied my own scalpel to my MS
*cutting is such sweet sorrow

Confession: I'm not an editor for a reason, but I persist.

*I have neat statistics thanks to my CP. I know exactly how many words I have cut.
*I know how many words I've written since January 1, 2010.

Confession: I have cut half as many words as I have written :(

*Woot, I am edging close to 60,000 words!
*Boohoo, I know I will be cutting more!

Confession: surgery recovery sucks (real -- ask DH --and imagined)

So all is well in my little world. I am working despite my DH's surgery and recovery. I am an adequate nurse and an adequate writer. I hope to improve in all areas.

Best of all, I see where I am going in both jobs. The end is in sight. Just as my DH's mobility improves every day that he gets up and clomps around the house with his walker, so does my writing. Every day that I pull out my writing cane and work, my writing does improve.

My Writing Quilting Bee

I am slogging away at my revision three chapters at a time per my CP in VA's suggestion. Poof. Hard work. And I'm not hitting a timer or listening for the sand to drop through the hourglass as I work. Nope. Instead, I've found the revision is working out much like one might put together a quilt (my apologies to real quilters as all I know about quilting is the fabrics and what I read about them).

I have a huge bunch of fabric of work that I've carved into small scenes. I've bundled sets of scenes into chapters. I've color-coded the scenes according to hero (blue), heroine (pink), villain (yellow), chapters (pale cream) and unknown scenes/unwritten (white). What is super cool is that I have the MAC Scrivener program and it makes it very easy to see these things on the computer screen, shift them around and not lose a bit of my work in the process. 

Confession: I have an amazing CP (Gwen) who is a super guru tech whiz and she has tons of advice about Scrivener on her blog. Click the link and check out her Tech Tuesdays.

I print out my batches of scenes, edit them hard copy, make notes on them based on what I've read in Maass's books or had the muse send to me (by giving myself time to breath, I actually have found more inspiration and motivation to plow through the dreaded middle) and then I hit the computer and work till my brain fizzles out.

Confession: My brain seems to fizzle out after about 2 hours and then I jump start it with a wee dram of wine.

Today was cool because I could see the whole picture begin to emerge. Scrivener allows me to play and move whole scenes while on a cork board background. Ideas are starting to form. Strange directions are opening up. Now I didn't pound the keys endlessly. I stopped to email and ask questions about certain gun types as well as talk to my CPs in AL and VA. 

But it is coming together. My fabric bits are starting to make sense. I can see where I need to add more fabric or snip some away. I see where the stitching is too loose or too tight. I know the threads I need to pull out and I am picking out new threads to insert into the pattern.

The pattern is there, it's not all put together, but the pattern is starting to create a picture. Now I am excited about the revision.

Confession: I usually need to whine for about 6 chapters and joke around for about 2 of them before excitement kicks in.

*Warning: Whining does resume as I reach the Black Moment/Climax*

A Little Less Written, but a Little More Cut

Sometimes the idea of writing toward the word count goal must move aside for bigger issues facing the story.

Today was that day. Despite family underfoot and tearing down Christmas crud, I managed to squeak out almost a thousand words. But I also cut over 900 and shifted them to another file. I put in a lot of time writing, but I didn't make my lofty goal of 2000 words.

Technically, if I want to be kind to myself, I did work with almost 2000 words, but not in the way I wanted to: moving forward and adding words. Nope. Not today. But the truth is, I can't move forward in a clean manner unless I rip out useless roadblocks to my creativity. 

This is where the flexibility of my overall writing goals comes into play. If I had beat my head up against the goal and forced the words, chances are I'd be cutting them at some point in the future. Rather than waste valuable time writing crud, I chose to fine tune a scene, layer in elements regarding scene and settings and build my Villain's persona in a vignette. He's emerging for me and I must pay heed to him.

Now I've never written a true villain before with his own viewpoint. It's interesting to crawl inside his head and try to give him a three dimensional, conflicted personality. He isn't all bad. He's very flawed and needs help, but he's motivated by a need to be seen as good and valuable. Who isn't? I have no idea if I'm getting it right, but I'm trying.

That's all this writer can do...

No time to read today. Brain is dead. Stay tuned... I believe Maass's book is giving me a lot to chomp on and it's nourishing my writing efforts. 

Hero and Heroine Attitude Readjustment

I got my first five chapters back from my CPs (2 of them) and the questions they raised are questions I have as well. And they are biggies. I don't know if I can pull these two characters' stories off without a MAJOR overhaul of the s/l. The good news my writing voice is strong and the craft elements in general are improved. However, the s/l has a lot of weak points to it as far as the premise is concerned.

I was/am in a bit in a panic.

BUT overnight I had an epiphany of sorts. I am giving myself time to do it right, regardless of my preset deadlines. First of all, this book was written in a week. Yup. And I pitched the basic story to an agent after I had spend a month resetting the bones of the story based on what I had written and my thoughts about it at the time.

She asked for it. I offered to send a partial by the end of the year. I had thought I'd clarified the careers of the hero/heroine (don't ask, but his changed during the first draft and hers changed during the first pass through) I had believed, based on the current cast on the story, I could revise it further from that point and fine tune it by December. I also entered it into the GH because I knew that would force me to kick it into high gear and make me do the dang synopsis and get the partial ready to roll.

Upon my own self-reflection and the comments I received from the CPs, I must step back and reevaluate the story's plot line. I'm not sure if I can do this properly by November 20. Hence MY PANIC. My epiphany is that I can send the GH entry, written as best as I can, by the 20th without worry about the prospect of being a finalist with this story. The most I can hope for is to have the new plot line reflected in the story. Period.

How do I accomplish this goal? Can I even achieve a semblance of beauty by the 20th of November? I think I can if I don't stress too much about the word county or the pages after page 50. So my plan of attack is as follows:

*keep moving forward on the story scenes and writing the story as it stands so it LOOKS GOOD when they open the file. I can always change what I've written after Nov. 20. Realistically, I was truly done revising SS by January 23/09 last year. The pages after P. 50 weren't so fabulous for the GH LOL. But I continued revising it AFTER I sent it in. And we all know how that ended. I didn't final in the GH, but I did final in the MAGGIE. I had improved the story by forcing the deadlines. And I had a synopsis!

*brainstorm the front end of the story, the first meeting, and the careers of my hero/heroine. I've come some conclusions about them and while a part of me wants to toss the whole story out and start on something I KNOW is marketable, I HAVE TO TELL THEIR STORY. I have to. I love them both. This is for them, not me. It won't be easy, but I feel if I can muddle through this story and tell it for them, then my next stories will be so much stronger for the all I've learned in telling this one.

*go through my hero/heroine book and my BREAK INTO FICTION book and answer the tough questions when I am not writing their story.

*brainstorm with my CP up in Fairfax this afternoon --run some of my thoughts I have by her

*Keep moving forward--the ending of this story is very important to me. I know it reveals a lot about the characters and the beginning may reveal itself in those scenes. I'm stuck in the middle chapters right now. I might reflect the changes I need to make in those middle chapters as I move forward. The beginning scenes can incorporate the scenes.

*print out CPs' comments and pages. Reflect and note changes I agree with into the story.

*Set target to begin again--November 2. So keep moving forward till then, step back, restart my engines and go forth

*research a bit more on the careers I am considering for my characters

*try not to stress out

All of the above is easier said then done, but writing is hard. Fun, but hard.

I shall solve this conundrum and be true to my characters' stories.

A Very Long Long Long Day

Chapter 16--I knew it would be rough, very rough. And I was oh so very right. I spent a good portion of 8 hours working on one scene. Then I fried and had to finish the second scene. Painful!

But the good news is I had an epiphany about where the story needed to go next--the bad news is it means completely reworking the NEXT SCENE! Argh!! But I think it will be okay. Then I'll incorporate some of the second to last scene into the last scene and hopefully I won't lose too many of my words (though some of them need snipping). 

Oh lord, I like the direction this is going, but I am so tired of it as well. When I am done, I am going to read through the last 5 chapters and rework them one more time based on where these two people are telling me to go now. God, will the next book be any easier?????? Probably not. But I do hope it is faster. 

Blah.

Now it's time to decompress, relax, look at other postings--and I realized I'll have to rework my synopsis for querying based on the revised ending. Blah again. But isn't that the truth for all books out there?

Sigh--

Potholes and Grammar Gremlins

I'm edging ever so close to the finish line, but I am bogged down with grammar gremlins. I keep questioning my verb tenses. I sent off two scenes to my CP and she changed a lot of my past tense verbs from "had created" to "created" and now I am mightily self confused. I'm sure it's cause my brain hurts. Might be a sinus infection or could just be too much information.

Yup, the PRO loop has tons of grammar info floating around it about "ing" words and more. Now I am worried about all my "ing" sentences (not even going to go into detail there). Will fix in line edit.

Meanwhile, I chug on. I am finished chapter twelve's revision (for now). I am heading into the black moments and to add to my angst, I have overnight guests arriving tomorrow PM. That means I will have to park my writing cap earlier and, as I don't want to blow a gasket, I will take my time going through this crucial chapter. 

Is it a coincidence that my Black Moment chapter is CHAPTER THIRTEEN????? Yikes!

I've fiddled with the first 9 chapters a lot. Now I feel I must finish revising the rest of the book and then I'll go through the last 8 chapters again--read through and revisit via edits. I'm close to resolving some of my personal problems with the story. I hope I get them fixed (for now-to where I feel better about pitching it) soon. 

I have 5 more chapters. I'm giving myself 7 writing days to finish them. That's fair.

Oh, I want to finish sooooooooooo bad. 

But I feel the need for a bit of a slow down. My brain hurts. It needs a break. I am going to treat it to a dinner and a movie with the family today. 

A Productive Saturday

Saturday morning, I worked on my MS revision and polished up the 8th chapter. Now I am ready to roll into the 9th Chapter and strengthen it. Then I will back track and work on chapters 4, 6, & 7. The goal is to complete them by the end of the week, Friday afternoon. 

I feel I got deeper POV in the love scene this time. I am pleased with the results. Of course, another read through and line edit will occur when I complete the entire revision. 

I woke up this morning with two ideas for the black moments/resolution. I plopped them into the document notes section of my Scrivener program and will address them a week from Monday or on Tuesday. 

Not a bad week for accomplishing goals: I got my two contest entries out, and I managed to get serious work done on the revision. And I have my editor/agent appointments.

Header Challenged

Yesterday I worked to perfect my Reveal Your Inner Vixen entry. I redid the entire love scene and tried desperately to make it less cliche and richer with emotional elements. Three hours of work! Thank goodness I didn't have to worry about the header being perfect throughout the documents as I could submit them in a folder via attachment. I hope I do okay in this contest. But at best, I'd like some feedback about the scene. It's a pivotal one.

I just watched a recap of a show where HQN romance was featured. Woohoo! Apparently their sales are up 32%. That's good. Recessions hit a lot of industries, but romance sells. Why? Because it transports us out of the problems we're facing and sends us to exciting locales where gorgeous men and women fall in love and live happily ever after. Who needs more angst today?Not me! I love happy endings.

I just finished my WILD & HEXY by Vicki Lewis Thompson. What a fun read. And it had a very happy ending. Yay! Now I get to read Christy Reece's first published book, RESCUE ME. I can't wait to crack the spine.

Meanwhile, now that I am done entering contests for a few months, I must revise my 3rd book and get it ready for pitching at the National Conference. I dug into the love scene a lot and need to transport that over to Scrivener (still a pet peeve, but I love the program so it's worth the extra steps of importing and exporting docs).

Goals for next week are:

*survive recital weekend in one piece

*revise every day

*shoot for 5 chapters revised by Friday, 3PM (approximately 3 scenes per chapter)

*work on web site 

*brainstorm tag  lines for web site and business card

General Goals:

*ask a published author with pseudonym about how to structure the business card

*go to HOD meeting

*go to SM meeting with Pitch session

*work on pitch

*research editor and agent backgrounds in depth

*take PRO class about Pitching starting Mid-June

Gearing Up for Another Revision of the 3rd Book

First of all--I AM SICK OF THIS BOOK. Okay, got that out of the way. And THE MORE THINGS I LEARN ABOUT THE BOOK, THE MORE I HAVE TO FIX. Okay. Got that out of the way.

Now I am doing a character workshop with April Kihlstrom and I'm using it to help me flesh out my hero a bit more. I love the questions she is asking to ask about my characters in general and I will use them in the future for all other books and revisions.

So, today's to do list includes:

*work on Lesson 5 and answer questions about my hero for the class
*start reading through my MS and make notes for future revisions
*review my revision lesson from April Kihlstrom's BIAW class and begin applying that to the revision next week Monday
*Find a happy heart about the book
*Research possible hooks for querying the book

Oh joy. The beat goes on.

Considering the Business of Writing

I'm already chomping at the bit to revise this book, but I am not starting till after I tinker with the third one. Instead, any ideas that float to me, I am writing down in my notebook, or putting on post-its and transferring over to the notebook when I have time.

I must get my third book tighter, fix some trouble spots, and march it out the door in queries to agents and publishers.

I am targeting BLAZE/HQN, and Ellora's Cave, Red Sage, and Avon Red to start. And I need to find some more publisers that will accept unagented submissions and queries. It's so hard. I tried to find out who the editor was for Avon Red, but can't find a portal into that mysterious knowledge. Argh.

It's the business side of writing that drives me crazy. I think I was almost grateful for an excuse not to query as it meant I couldn't be rejected at all last year. I could just write to my heart's content.

Well, head up out of the sand, quick gander around, and back to the dreaded business of trying to get someone with the power to sell my books to actually READ ONE!! Argh. And that means coming up with a witty query, an eye catching letter that stands out from the slush pile, and a good enough synopsis to get someone to say, oh yes, by all means send the first three chapters! Argh again.

I had entered a lot of contests last year in the hopes that if I finaled I would get an editor to read my work. I managed to get one editor in my Touch of Magic contest final, but it was not to be... boo hoo.

This year I am entering contests because they force me to tighten my writing, and to write the dreaded synopsis -- it is like a CURSE for me to compress all my words into 3-5 pages, double spaced. But I will do it.

And I have to wrap my head around all of that in a week.

But for now, I still get to play a bit.