Well that didn't work - but I'm still here

I knew - even as I was starting to post that Wednesdays were not going to play nice for long.... the middle of the week is always packed with writer and non-writer activities.

So I'm going to keep trying - probably to include updates over the weekends when there is a little more down time... does anyone even have down time anymore and if so - HOW!??

Now where were we?

WRITERLY Things:

• I'm playing with STATIC - need to find a bit of time to work some edits on that this week. I know I have changes to make in the beginning, but I want to get through before I go back.. I'm sort of obsessive like that
• Also working with an awesome CP, which is keeping me on track. Thank you!!! <3
• There are two conferences I am looking at attending this year (at least two) - one looks very doable with the timeline and schedule - I'm just waiting for a bit more information about the Greater Lehigh Valley Writers Conference. The other (Philadelphia Writers Conference), which I have wanted to go to for EVER is right over graduation weekend and I want to be there. I'm still trying to figure if there is a way I can be in two places at once.

PUBLISHINGLY Things:

• Etched in Lies is officially out there and I still can't quite believe it... does this ever feel real? (Yes, I already shared this.... some things don't change) - A few reviews have come in - I'm honored that some have taken the time to tell everyone what they thought... have you read it yet?
• Getting closer to announcing some book signings and maybe a reading in a few places.
• And I'm reading Goodreads for some questions - hit me with it!

READERLY Things:

• I'm sad to say that I'm still working on the book I started before Christmas... STILL. I love it, but haven't had one of those days where I can just sit and read ad nauseaum (like THAT will ever happen) - I hope to finish it soon. I already filled my kindle with lots of books I can't wait to read.
• Hoping to get a bit more reading done now that I'm getting back on the treadmill to read... multitasking is my specialty - okay - so reading while I walk on the treadmill is my multitasking superpower - wish I had another.

OTHERLY Things:

• I'm still PiYOing and can feel results happening - more flexibility and strength - now I just have to get the diet into alignment (coughs - looks around...)
• I'm neck deep teaching Shakespeare as I always am in January and I love it...
• And trying to find time for everything else I want and/or need to do - like the laundry... so I have to call it for this week with promises of more again in the near future.

Until then....

Wanderings of Wednesday 1/6/16

How is it possible that it is already Wednesday again?!!!! Yikes!
So this will be short and sweet as normal chaos has been amped up a bit with the new year... 

WRITERLY Things:

• I'm still working edits for STATIC... discovering that the substantial rewrite I did helped with the beginning, but now the ending needs help - I'll keep plugging away at it. Something will stick eventually.
• And yes, I want to play with ETCHED and others, but I'm trying to watch my focus now - I don't have time to be flaky and play with too many ideas as once - so STATIC is getting all my attention - the others will have to wait their turn regardless of how much they kick and scream.

PUBLISHINGLY Things:

• Etched in Lies is officially out there and I still can't quite believe it... does this ever feel real? (Yes, I already shared this.... some things don't change) - A few reviews have come in - I'm honored that some have taken the time to tell everyone what they thought. 
• Now, I'm working on setting up some book signings and maybe a reading in a few places.
• I'll also be setting up to answer questions via GoodReads! At least once a month - more often when I have the time, I will answer one question posted... want to ask me something... now's your chance!

READERLY Things:

• I'm sad to say that I'm still working on the book I started before Christmas. I love it, but haven't had one of those days where I can just sit and read ad nauseaum (like THAT will ever happen) - I hope to finish it soon. I already filled my kindle with lots of books I can't wait to read.

OTHERLY Things:

• Winter is finally here - my ankle is killing me in this cold, but I am happy to report that I have stuck with my workout routine that I started before the New Year. I'm into week two of PiYO - it is kicking my butt and I love it!
• Lots of things happening at work - busy with yearbook and student government... but it's all worth it.

And so this week is wrapped up!

Chat again soon!

What's Up Week in Review...

We're back to Wednesday so I think it's a little time for an update... 

WRITERLY Things:

• I've gotten back into edits for STATIC - altering from feedback with one critique partner and swapping pages with another. I'm liking where this one is heading, and hope to clean it up by the spring for queries.
• I'm playing around with the idea of a companion to ETCHED... there's more that needs to be told - I may have to break my November only rule (well - it's been the only time in the last few years that I have drafted) and set some of those ideas down soon....

PUBLISHINGLY Things:

• Etched in Lies is officially out there and I still can't quite believe it... does this ever feel real? Part of me hopes it does... part of me hopes it doesn't.
• It's still not to late to get your copy in time for the holidays.... (hint hint) Check out the Etched tab at the top for links to retailers from around the world

READERLY Things:

• Knocking out a few books before the end of the year - though my to read list keeps going... I'm almost afraid to finish reading my current books because I'm not sure which ones I should read next...

OTHERLY Things:

• You can feel the buzz in the air as the holidays approach - it doesn't matter that it's warm and raining...well, maybe for the atmosphere - but around school you know everyone is counting down to a longer break from everything...on both sides of the desk.
• Hoping to make some cookies soon - that might help build a little of Christmas cheer since Mother Nature is having a hissy fit.

Chat again soon!

Well it's Wednesday....

I lost last week in the craze that was the end of NaNo as well as Thanksgiving preparations - sorry about that. I won't make a habit of it... Is it just me or has the hectic pace of life only increased with time? I remember thinking and hear it often from my students: "I can't wait to be an adult and get to do what I want when I want..." cue laughter, which is my usual response because seriously! In a technological society where convenience is expected, we are so busy the idea of relaxing is several levels removed from reality!

Whoops! Sorry about that rant - though I do feel marginally better - yet now to get down to business with my weekly wrap-up

WRITERLY

I did finish NaNo coming in at just over 58K - *does a little happy dance* To celebrate?? I've given myself a little time away from writing and editing to just relax...but that is quickly coming to an end as I dive back into the editing trenches this week for STATIC - I would really love to have this ready for agents early 2016 - so that's my goal and I've made it public. We'll see how it all shakes out.

PUBLISHINGLY

Can you believe that ETCHED will officially hit the shelves in TWO DAYS!!!!!!!! I can't! I know amazon has been shipping them early - but I'm really excited to see ETCHED out there and get some feedback from readers. For those in the area, I am working with a local artist to set up a book signing in the very near future - I'll let you know when I get more details!

READERLY

Still swinging away at my to be read list so I can add more - though I am trying to get into the holiday spirit and throwing a few Christmas inspired books into the mix. One of the books I'm currently reading Dash and Lily's Book of Dares which I started not realizing the time setting of the book. I have a few others to add to my read list for this month...

OTHERLY

As far as other things go, I feel like a bit of a broken record - lots to do - not a lot of time to get it all done... feeling a bit rundown with a crazy pace needed to keep up with everything had needs to happen. I'm looking forward to a bit of time off for the holidays and hope it will be a period of at least a little rest.

Weekend Review & Mashup

Obviously Wednesday's wrap up didn't happen... my procrastinator spirit was in full drive as I raced from work to liquor store and grocery story (no one can say I don't have my priorities straight...) home to finish cleaning before in invasion on Thanksgiving.

I'm also getting ready for a little release/count down fun - so be sure to check back starting on December 1 to see what's happening!

So a lot in a little space:

I'm doing one more crock pot meal for the month. Last week's turned out really well - and left overs were still good.. but there was something about the way it smelled that made me less then happy with the cool ranch chicken (sometimes it is the little things) - But this one is different. It's my twist on a lasagna soup. It took me about 45 minute to get everything ready and into a crock pot to simmer all day was the lasagna sauce (my own recipe: tomato sauce; paste; seasonings/spices; garlic; onion, ground beef) + Italian sausage (first time I tried that)
Then it will be buffet style later with gluten and gluten free noodles for the guests... hopefully this will work well?


And onto other things:

WRITERLY

I am almost done!! I have a few bits to add while I'm thinking about them - and then not thinking about them because ideas will always pop into my head when I'm NOT actively writing *grumbles* So as of Monday - I'll be done with NaNo and taking a few days off to reset the mind before jumping back into edits for STATIC

PUBLISHINGLY

We are at t-minus 12 days.... EEEEP!! I'm so excited and so nervous... and I'm working on a bit of fun for the beginning of December.

READERLY

Taking a little of that down time to get some reading started. i have a huge wish list stored for Christmas, which means I need to knock out some more now (twist my arm!)

OTHERLY

Getting ready for a crazy three weeks at work before the nice Christmas break - lots to finish in a short period of time... but if you haven't noticed, I tend to thrive a bit on chaos - so I say bring it! (remind me I said that then I'm losing it later)

So short and sweet - as I have rooms to vacuum, food to prepare and workouts to starts... and obviously words to pound

Chat soon!

Checking in one last time #YABbootcamp

I'd love to say that I stayed strong, and completed all my goals....but I can't. Life, as it usually does, got in the way more than I would have liked.

BUT I did make progress in each of the goals I set forth at the beginning of the boot camp, and I can honestly say that #YABbootcamp helped me get further than I would have if left to my own devices. That is both awesome and saddening at the same time.

But spring is hard for me. Real life demands a lot in these three months - a lot more than I realized when I decided to jump on and walk the plank.

And these three months have left me with lots to think about as I move forward.

SO: status:

I DID edit some, and in so doing, really evaluated the genre. I went NA with the story - a shift I was happy with, but has left me wondering if the characters survived the shift - jury is still out.

I DID send query drafts and a few rounds to my CP of awesome for some valuable positive and negative feedback

I DID get to see and provide feedback for that same CP of awesome - and I was soooooo happy to see words from her. I think that inspired me to keep going.


Where do I go from here?

Forward.

I think the query for WHITE LIES I've been playing with is finally ready for a round with agents.

STATIC - thought definitely still a draft is going somewhere - and there WILL be time in the near future to play with it more.

Thanks YA Buccaneers for a lot of fun, the chance to meet some truly awesome and inspiring teammates, and the time (and accountability) to keep writing even when everything was in my way!

Checking in: Am I making progress?

Looks like its time for another update, and the progress this week has been slow - sickeningly slow. Most likely because, well, I was sick. Nothing life threatening - just enough of an annoyance to make my life miserable for several days.

And I'm not 100% yet, but there was enough of a recovery over the weekend to warrant continued progress.

So where does that leave all the words?

Well, apparently I've made enough progress to realize I have no idea if I'm making progress.

That's clear...well maybe it is to some writers.

When we last chatted, I had established a working title for the latest project - STATIC is still holding!

But the other alterations that I've been playing with have reached a critical junction. It's time to see if anything is actually working.

And so I have to get some feedback from my awesome CP and see if the beginning has shaped itself into something positive.

My story is definitely starting to take shape, and some of the missing elements have been found, but the beginning is continuing to pull my attention and focus. I need to put it in the hands of someone I trust and move forward.

So this week, my goals are to keep moving into the novel and wait to see if there IS progress, or if the element of confusion is still controlling my story.

Fingers crossed.

Check in #4.... YABbootcamp

This week... well... it went. Real life got in the way a tad - actually a lot more than I want or care to admit, but some good things did happen.

Goal Update:

First things first, and update on goal #2: I'm happy to report I have a working title! My current project shall henceforth be known as STATIC

*does happy dance* *Muppet flail*

This title was hard to peg - but I think this title may stick - at least until an agent or editor wants to change it. I resisted it originally because that is the first word in the book, but the more I thought about it, not only does static play a pretty important part in the entire thing, but it also serves as a pretty nice metaphor for what Sam, my main character, has to go through as she tries to unravel and understand exactly what is going on around her.

Now as to goal #1:

I think I went into red overload - no reference to static or any other electrical charge intended here. I had gotten to far with edits and changes, that a vast majority of my story was red. To clarify, I utilize and LOVE the track changes feature in Word. So everywhere I altered anything, it either became red, was underlined in red or was crossed out in red.

And before you suggest, I am fully aware that I can change the color of the edits...but I'm a teacher - red works for me... until this week, that is.

So this past weekend, I realized what I had to do. I was so overwhelmed with all the red, that I couldn't see what I still needed to do....

File - Save As - Create new File - Accept all changes - Voila! - no more red - and a shiny new document to bleed all over :)

I am not ready to send anything to anyone, but I feel like progress can be had this week. I am almost to the point where feedback will be needed to let me know if I'm going in the right direction, but there are some holes and elements that I need to fix first! And naturally, my story is shifting again, taking another turn I wasn't ready for.... but I'm trying to let the story tell itself, rather than me force it to tell something it doens't want to.

This week, I also started Mapping everything after the fabulous post on YA Buccaneers. For some...err....most this will probably seem backwards, but right now, as I'm shifting from one genre to the next this is helping me validate where those plot holes are and what I still need to fix!

And now I need to get back to those words....

Shifting Hurts: YABbootcamp Check in #3

? ? ? ? ? ?? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?? ?  ? ? ? ?
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?? ? ? ? ? ? ?

? ? ? ? ? ?? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?? ? ? ? ? ? ?

In case you couldn't tell, for me this past week has been full of questions and what ifs....

I found myself in what I felt was a moral dilemma. My original premise set my main protagonist being a 16-year-old girl...but this week, as I started editing - I mean really started editing the plot and events, I found that I wasn't completely comfortable with some of the situations I was putting her in.

This led me to wonder if the plot would still work if she was older, and since I knew I had a long way to go, after a lot of deliberation and I'm sure annoyance to my critique partner, I decided to give it a try.

And can I just say this shift - from 16 to 19 is not. easy...and one week later, I'm not 100% sure if it is the right thing to do. And one person that I trust with my words stated that she thought it read like a teenager in YA rather than NA...And I value her advice and criticism above just about evetrytyhing, so her feedback gave me pause. But I knew that if I didn't at least TRY I'd alwasy wonder and maybe never be completely comfortable with it all. 

Basically, this week was a lot of staring at the tracked changed in my word document and wondering if they were the right changes to make and therefore a lull in forward progress - but this happens from time to time.

Let me qualify this post by stating that I am fully aware that teen age girls can get caught in some very sticky situations, and that I loved the toughness of my 16 year old girl.... but in the long run, it is my hope that some of the character interactions and plot elements will work better with a little bit older individual.

SO bottom line -
I did make some progress towards goals #1 - a *cough* working draft.
I DID play with a few possible titles BUT would like to hang on to those until I've made a final decision
And it is my goal for this week to be able to send a bit to my CP of Awesome and see if the age shift actually is working - and if not, work though elements to either make it work at 19 or make it work at 16.


Guess I better get back to the words!
Until next time.

Walking the Plank #YABbootcamp Style

So here goes... an updated, though still early draft from the beginning of my still *coughs* untitled story.

“Why won’t you believe me?” I yelled at my mother for the 157^th time since Megan disappeared. A week later and already it was as though nothing had happened. I squared my shoulders and continued. “Lori told me what happened. Lori told me what they did. She wasn’t kidnapped by some random idiot, she was taken.”

I thought back to what I did…what I should have done on that first day…

I know what happened. It wasn’t pretty, and I’m not entirely proud of myself for what I did to Lori, but I had to find answers since no one else was telling me anything.

I looked down at my hands. My knuckles were bruising and there’s blood still under my nails.

“Well that’s just silly,” my mom said and pulled me back into the conversation. “You and your government conspiracies.”

I rubbed my temples and shoved the last of my homework into my bag. “Mom,” I started in a softer tone, hoping to get some kind of response, “it’s not my conspiracy.” I bit my lip to keep from yelling. “I heard the three clicks from the hallway. Everyone knows what they mean. Someone was listening.”

“Enough,” she snapped but didn’t look at me as she cleaned off the kitchen counter. “Now, this is hard enough on all of us. We don’t need you spreading these types of rumors. You know the government doesn’t take people just for saying the wrong word. You know those camera systems were put in for our benefit and protection.”

Roller Coasters of the Editing Persuasion

#YABbootcamp Goals Update:

• Progress on #1

• stalemate on #2

• no advancement on #3…yet

Editing sucks.

This isn’t a new, earth shattering realization by any stretch of the imagination, but I needed to put that out there for the universe so that I could deal and move on.

I am currently *cough* enjoying the editing roller coaster. For those of you who’ve experienced the ride, you understand exactly that I’m going through. 

I love it.

I hate it.

I love it.

I’m ready to throw my computer out the window.

I wonder why I even bothered to write this in the first place.

I laugh.

I cry.

 

And then, I walk away from the computer and repeat everything again the next day...

Let me go back and qualify a bit, because I’m realizing I was too harsh in my initial comment. I DON’T hate hate editing….I just hate the place I’m at right now.

And where’s that? Somewhere, sadly enough and ironically enough, between love and hate.

I haven’t touched this story since I finished that first draft a few Nanos ago… and because of that, I had forgotten about some elements… but not all.

I hadn’t forgotten that the beginning needs major restructuring, or that some of the content may read too mature even by YA standards – and these are things that I am actively dealing with…

But!

I had forgotten about the good. I had forgotten about the interaction of some of my characters. I had forgotten a few scenes that even in edit stage gave me goose bumps when a read them (yes…toot toot…but we, as writers a allowed and required to do that from time to time).

I had forgotten that in less than a month, I had managed to take a premise and turn it into something intriguing…

And it’s important not to forget those positive – especially when other elements feel so daunting.

So I’ll get back on the roller coaster and continue the editing ride and see what’s left when I finally decide to get off.

 

Until next time...

I wasn't ready....are you?

   This, about sums up my current state of being....

but that is a good thing! (I swear!)

So after months of read, revising, editing, rounds of emails with my super fabulous critique partner, a few trusted friend readers, I was feel just pretty good about posting materials for this year's Writeoncon.

 And why shouldn't I? I've worked diligently over the last few months to polish my MS and make it agent ready....

And then I hit the forums, and all I can think is:

NOW why the Hell didn't I see that??

Yup. I had a totally head slap moment. Actually, I've had a few of them in the past few hours. *pops open the Advil and takes a few more from all the head slapping fun* And you know what? I am so glad!!

I am not channeling one of those athletes who wanted and were expected to get gold and are "happy" with silver.



I am channeling all those writers who sent things out thinking they were READY only to get no bites. I am channeling all those writers who a week after sending out queries spotted that one mistake (yes, I've done that too). I am channeling all those who thought they were ready but took a step back and waited just a little longer....

Did I want to wait? Does any one want to wait? No! I was ready and willing to send out last week...but I didn't, and it had nothing to do with the state of my manuscript. I didn't think I had my agents in a row yet. I thought everything else was as closed to prepped as an agent-less query could be.

But now? I'll gladly take that step back, and force myself to breathe just a little slower and look even more closely at what I'm sending.

It sort of hurts. I really REALLY thought I was there... but I know I'm not. My query may be there, but based on comments, maybe my manuscript deserves another round of edits and tightening...and don't I deserve it to myself AND my story to make it as polished as possible?

Yes. So I'm turning that "D'oh!" into a learning experience that reminds me there is a positive in patience....even if I have trouble seeing it. :)

Happy Writing!