Sunday Check-in

I’m not in ROW80 this round, but I decided to do a Sunday check-in anyhow.  (If you want to see what ROW80 is about, or how the other folks are faring after their first week, here’s the Blog List.)

I’ve made some great headway over the past couple of days on transcribing BD&L.  The reason it’s not simply re-typing and double-checking is because I’ve made some changes and additions.  I took out some very obvious “telling” scenes and made them “showing” scenes.  But, I’m on Chapter 8, so over half way done.

I’m also almost done reading Captives as well.  There are some books so well-crafted you just want to reach out and slap the authors.  That’s a good thing, really, and totally different from wanting to slap an author for making you waste your time on their tripe.  In the good, well-crafted smack-down, it means the authors have really sucked you in, they’ve made you care deeply about the world and the characters they’ve created.  That’s a double-edged sword.  As a reader, when you care about the characters, you don’t give a fig for the reality of the world they exist in.  You want them to come out of the tale whole and well.  Even if they go through some bad times, you hope they survive.

But that’s not life.  That can also be boring storytelling.  If there’s no tension, no risk of loss, there’s not a whole lot of reason to stay engaged and want to turn the next page.

I can guarantee, you’ll want to keep turning pages in the second book of The Druids Saga.  Next on my reading list, Show Dog by Josh Dean.

Write on!

Lucky Me…me

Krista Walsh over at The Raven’s Quill tagged me in a rousing Blog game called the Lucky Seven Meme. The rules are relatively simple:

• Go to page 77 of your current MS/WIP
•  Go to line 7
•  Copy down the next 7 lines (sentences or paragraphs) and post them exactly as they’re written. No cheating.
•  Tag 7 authors
•  Let them know.

So herein lies the first public viewing of any portion of Between Darkness & Light (or BD&L as it’s known) — 7 sentences from page 77:

His expression gave nothing away.  You have seen how easy it is, for one such as you.  Draw your focus inward, see your power as the living thing it is.  Call it past the Goddess’s stale, decrepit earth magic.

Such a simple thing really.

“Don’t,” Bolin said, the single word laced with warning.

But the voice persisted.  It takes no more effort than drawing breath.

And now I’m supposed to tag seven authors…which is going to be hard.  So I’m going to think on that, and see who I can come up with who hasn’t been tagged already.  In the meantime, check out Krista’s blog to see who she tagged in case you want to go read their 7 Meme’s.

Write on!

 

Organized Geekdom

I did it!  I’ve reclaimed my space.  Okay, so I’m not 100% done.  I still have some filing and organizing to finish up, but the bulk of it is complete — including file cabinet, bookcase AND closet.  We’re not talking small coat closet either.  I have my drawing table and work spaces back, with all non-essential who-ha either tossed or put away.  Best of all, I have my desk back.  That means I was able to set my laptop up as a two monitor system (my PC being just one step away from the trash bin ~ if only I didn’t need it to run my archaic plotter).

Why do I want a two monitor system?  Because what I *really* want is one of these:  Isn’t that about the coolest, geekiest thing you’ve ever seen?  Unfortunately, I don’t have $40,000.

My next choice would be this:  Quite a bit less than the Emperor chair, but still a chunk-o-change I don’t have to fling around at the moment.  <sigh>

So I’m settling for this.  Which will eventually include a bigger, better monitor than the one on the right.

Which brings us back to the ‘why’.  (But, really?  Do you need to ask?  It’s just freaking cool!  Yes, I have a little geek in me.  So what?)  I did find out a two monitor system is handy for transcribing a manuscript when you have some notes in a different electronic file and need to compare two files at once.  That’s what I was doing above.  Much easier than flipping screens on a single monitor.

But what I really intend to use it for is graphic design and digital artwork.

Yes, I do that also.  Not enough of it lately.  And, no, I didn’t find more time in my schedule.  I’m just certifiably insane, and need to constantly be working on fifteen projects at once.  I can’t help it.  I can’t shut my brain off, and it’s always generating ideas.  Some of them have to leave my head.  There’s not enough room in the ol’ brain pan for everything.  Besides, I’ve always wanted to do book covers and with the surge of self-publishing going on, there are folks who need covers.  (So, psssst, anyone needing a cover, let’s talk.  Get me now while I’m still cheap.  LOL )

For now, my lovely two monitor set up will continue to be used for finishing up BD&L so I can get it the heck out of here!

Write on!

Getting A Round It

A Round of Words starts up again today.  I’ve decided to pass on this session mainly because I’m not actually writing anything.  Although, check-ins at least got me to blog regularily.  I’m still transcribing the results of my editing on BD&L back into a word document.  I’ll still breeze by the other ROWers and show my support for the efforts toward hitting their goals.  If you’d like to check them out, here’s the day one link.

And I should clarify my “not writing” statement.  I do write, constantly, but at this point it’s more about keeping the muscles in shape as I’m not working on any specific thing beyond BD&L.  Rather like using a treadmill instead of actually getting out and walking to a certain location.  Although I do have another Greyland’s bit I’m working on for Krista’s endeavor — and a shout out to check out the new Raven’s Quill site.  It’s fun being in someone else’s world, a little scary as well since I don’t want to veer too much from the original vision and only add to it, but the darn character that took me over has his own ideas.

Then there are the two books I need to read and review.  I’m half way through Captives, Book 2 in The Druids Saga by Barb Galler-Smith and Josh Langston.  The second book waiting in the wings is Show Dog by Josh Dean.  I’m a bit behind.

Oh, and this past weekend I tackled my office/studio.  I have three projects languishing and others I’m itching to start, but the organized chaos I adore has become disorganized clutter.  I’m only half done but I have to reclaim my space because it’s awesome, and when I’m in it people understand I’m working (by ‘people’ I mean the hubby).  I understand I’m working.  Sitting at the kitchen counter or plopped on the couch with the laptop leaves me open to distractions, and obviously means I’m available to jump into a conversation at any time.  The filing cabinet alone took most of a day andbroke my paper shredder.  I made it half way through the closet, which I’ll finish this week.  Those two areas were the worse and once I’m through those it’s clear sailing.

Write on!

 

 

 

 

Faster Than a Herd of Turtles

My friend’s father used to respond to questions regarding how fast something might occur by saying, “Faster than a herd of turtles in a wind storm.”

It’s slightly more colorful than my standard, “Slower than molasses in winter.”

It means about the same thing.  That is:  An incredibly long time.  Which is how long BD&L seems to be taking.  I thought the editing part took a while.  And it did.  Along with nearly killing me, or in the very least driving me crazy.  Yes, that is a very short drive, thank you.

I thought transcribing my assorted notes, scribbles, hash marks, changes, corrections, deletions, additions, and every other little thing I did whilst editing, would go quicker by comparison.

I obviously need to find a hobby other than thinking.  It never leads anywhere good, nor is it very accurate.

Transcribing is taking way longer than the editing did.  Why?  Partly because I can’t stop making minor edits, and partly because my characters have decided to say and do things they obviously forgot to say or do earlier.  I’m of the opinion they find that sort of behaviour funny.  Take my main character, for instance, who just the other day must have thought one particular scene came off a bit too flat.  So, what did she do?  Picked up a bloody sword, pointed it in my direction, and nearly 500 words later she’s now content and ready to move on.  For now.  She’s a bit impulsive, foolhardy and strong-willed so who am I to argue?  Me?  I’m just the author.  I’m just the vehicle by which her story gets told.  Please, dear character, continue to run roughshod over me until I am subdued.

And when you’re done, please stick to the dang storyline so we can fling you into the world and others can appreciate what you’ve put me through.

p.s.  In case you’re wondering, and I know you are, a grouping of turtles is actually called a “bale”.

Write on!

 

Why I Love My Kindle Fire

Okay, I don’t consider myself a geek, but I do love gadgets.  I may have mentioned that before.  Still, it took me a while to break down and get an e-reader.  I spent a lot of time wavering over spending the money when I could download the Kindle ap to my phone and my laptop.  Problem was, the phone’s too small for reading, and the laptop’s not conducive to reading while lying on the couch.  There are all sorts of balancing issues that come into play.

Then the color vs black & white debate raised its ugly head.  If I truly planned on using ‘it’ solely for reading, why not stick to the basic version of the Kindle?  C’mon now, people.  Bright shiny, bright shiny!

And if I planned on forking out a couple hundred bucks for a color reader, why not add a bit to it and get an actual tablet?

After literally months of wavering back and forth, and hemming and hawing, I purchased a Kindle Fire in January, knowing if I didn’t go color I’d regret it.  I read all the specs and reviews first so I pretty much knew what to expect, and what not to expect.  So I thought.  You see, I expected a reader with ability to browse the web and check e-mail if a wireless connection was available.  That’s pretty much all I wanted.  No, it doesn’t have its own 3G connection; you need to provide the wireless access.  Also not a big deal for me.

Can I just interject here and say, I freakin’ LOVE my Kindle Fire.  It’s like my smart phone and my laptop hooked up one night and had a baby.  Now that I got a case and a stylus for it, I love it even more.  Let’s not forget the addition of Quickoffice Pro, which I admit, I haven’t used a ton, but I see the potential.  Though typing, even with the stylus, isn’t as fast as a normal keyboard — at least for me — the Fire has become what a spiral bound notebook and pen used to be.  And it easily syncs with Dropbox for even more productivity.

Not only do I read books on it, the Fire acts as date book and address book as well, and allows me to access all my social networking sites.  I even use it as a cookbook in the kitchen.

At this point, the biggest gripe I have is then inability to comment on some blogs/forums, while on others I can.  That’s a pretty minor issue.  Oh, and the carousel ticks me off a bit.  I like only the items I want to appear on the carousel, others in my Favorites location.  But whatever I open gets added to the carousel forcing me to remove it.  Repeatedly.  If there’s an option to not have that happen, I haven’t found it yet.  Again, minor.

The Fire is lightweight, extremely portable, and the battery life seems pretty decent.  All in all, if you’re in the market for a tablet, but don’t want the high cost and can do without a camera and things like that, you might want to take a peek at the Fire.  It’s a nice compromise.

Write on! 

Final ROW80 Check-in

Wow, the final check in for A Round of Words in 80 Days.  I looked back through my posts to find my original goals for this go round:

• 2k per day which would put me easily through the first draft of the second BD&L book (I might have to adjust that to 1500 given my schedule but I’ll push for 2k)
• If I get stuck on BD&L2, I must dedicate those words to short stories or flash fiction
• Two regular blog posts per week (Monday & Friday) plus ROW80 updates on Sunday & Wednesday
• Print out a hard copy and line edit BD&L when it returns from my beta
• X number of queries per week once it’s ready to go (I haven’t decided on that number yet)

So, how did I do?  2k per day:  I found I *could* hit it when I had the time, and I did hit it for quite a few days, or at least I came close.  My reasoning behind the 2k was simple.  I already knew I could do 1k1hr.  I’m not saying it was always purty.  C’mon, it was first draft stuff, let’s be realistic.  But Icoulddo it.  So how much harder would it be to tag another 1k onto that for an entire day?  I did not, however, get through the first draft of BD&L 2.  But I’m not concerned about that because it was contingent on another goal.

Write FF or shorts if I got stuck on BD&L 2:  Did some.

Regular blog posts in addition to ROW80 updates:  Um . . . Fail.  But writers write, and writers read, and those two things (along with other bits of my life) take precedence over blogging.  That’s the way it is.  I don’t like that, just so you know, I may not have a gazillion followers on either blog, but I do like to keep my readers entertained (must be the writer in me).

Line edit BD&L:  If you are one of my regular readers, that’s all you’ve been hearing about.  But it’s done!  I struggled through some parts, re-writing scenes and scraping off the superficial glossing they originally wore to make them grittier, more intense (I hope), and really pull the reader into the story.  That’s my job, after all, isn’t it?  Rhetorical question, of course.  That’s EVERY writer’s job.  Now I’m putting it all back together in the correct format.

Queries:  Have to re-write mine because a scene referenced in my *final* query is no longer anything more than a mention in the book.

Will I join in the next ROW80 round?  I haven’t decided.  We’ll see where I am on BD&L.  Until then, as always…

Write on!

Happy Dancing into the Week

As of Friday I am done red-lining my WIP.

Yes, you read that correctly.  I wrote correctly.  I’m happy dancing all over the place.

The next step is to take all my notes, corrections, additions, new scenes, etc. and combine them into the final, properly formatted file, re-write my query, and kick the little sucker out of the nest.  Which, I haven’t started yet because we spent an absolutely awesome, relaxing weekend with friends, enjoying the odd March weather (70 degrees in the middle of March?!!?  In WI?!!?)

That also means you’ll no longer be bored to tears by my repetitive progress posts.  And, to further reward your patience, wander over to Raven’s Quill today and read my submission to Krista’s Greylands project.  Better yet, if you’re a writer, submit your own addition to the tale and see where it takes you.  To get the background on my piece, make sure you read Krista’s original prompt.

Okay, time to pay attention to the day job.  Happy Monday!

Write on!

 

Going into the Stretch

Allow me to set the scene:  A door opens on a darkened room, the sounds of crickets chirping fill your ears.  Back in the far corner, behind assorted clutter and collected oddities (yes, that’s a Cat in the Hat hat on top of a gargoyle – don’t judge) you glimpse a faint light.  As you draw closer you hear a noise few will recall — the sound of a phonograph needle stuck at the end of an album — kktcchhhht kktcchhht  kktcchhhht.  You creap closer.  There, huddled over an upturned crate with nothing but a cheap desk lamp for illumination, sits a woman, one hand clenched around a coffee mug, the other scribbling furiously with a red pen.  She’s muttering to herself.  As you watch she cackles — hysteria bordering on madness.  She never even knows you’re there, and you back away slowly so as not to disturb her.

Yep, that’s me.  Broken record.  In the corner.  Same ol’ story.  BUT I am on the  <ta, ta, ta, da!> final three chapters.  BesidestheoneIhavetoaddbecauseIdon’tlikethewayIendedthings.  *cough*  What?  Did you say something?  Didn’t think so.

Moving on . . . I realize I’m absent from most of the social networking fronts.  Between the WIP and the fact that warmer weather has finally arrived and I can be outside pursuing other things I enjoy, well, eats up the time pretty quickly.   But, I am still here.  I am still fighting the fight.  And, hopefully, soon, you’ll hear something different from me.

I did find time to join in on Krista Walsh’s project, Greylands.  I believe my addition will be posted Monday at The Raven’s Quill.  It was a nice little break from the WIP.  And I haven’t forgotten I promised to post bits of another project I occasionally dabble at for those of you who want to read some of what I spend my free time at.  But we’re heading out of town Friday so it’s very likely you won’t hear from me again until next week.

Still ROWing — at least for another week. 

Write on!

ROW80 Update

The bad thing about downloading a calorie counting ap to your cell phone, is finding out you’ve been consuming far too many — calories, that is.  Not aps and cell phones.  It turns out I’m making smarter food choices as far as type, not so much as far as portion size.  What an eye-opener.

The bad thing about spending all your writing time editing, is it makes you more aware of flaws in the writing of others.  Which only becomes a problem when you’re trying to read for pleasure.  Which is basically why I read.

<sigh>

So, my ROW80 update?  Yep, you guessed it, still in the seemingly endless stint of editing the WIP.  Some days I wonder. . .

  Write on!