Updates, Edits, & More...

Happy Tuesday all,

It's been a while since I've updated my blog. Like always, I mostly concentrate on Facebook and Twitter. However, I do try to get on here at least once in a while. I used to be so much better about this. I'm sorry!

My revisions for Immortal Dreams Book 1:  Dream Weaver are coming along. I'll be sending them to my proof reader very soon, then I'll go through it again and get it out. I'm ready for this novel to be going out into the world. It's not a Third Realm novel, but I think it's a lot of fun. I'm classifying it as a New Adult Paranormal Romance. It does have magic in it, which lends a little bit of the fantasy to it.

New Adult is a fairly new designation. I was reading in article in a magazine about how it's not quite adult and not quite YA. In general, the characters tend to be between 18 and 25. It's based on getting into new adult situations--college, marriage, adulthood. (Most of what I'm saying is based on the article I read and what I've read around the internet about the genre). I plan for this to be a 3-book series. I have started writing the 2nd book, and the 3rd book is in the planning stages.

What about my Third Realm novels? All's Fair In Love & Lion is the first out of the Third Realm books and currently the only book that's published. As to more Third Realm stories? I still have to finish Loralyn Xavier's novel. The working title is Out Of The Flames.  Loralyn is on the Third Realm Council, and you meet her through Monroe--although he doesn't know much about her.  Her mystery and past lend for some interesting story ideas--which, I won't go into (it's a surprise).  I do have hopes to write another Third Realm novel. This one would focus on Quin Erone, the Nightshade who is also on the Council. He's an interesting creature in and of himself--but his story isn't quite developed completely in my mind, yet.  His story's working title is In The Shadows. 

I also have another project--a New Adult Paranormal one--that's lurking in the background. I won't reveal much about that. It's an idea I worked on years ago, but could never get it to come together. I'm hoping this time it will, but I'm not positive, yet.

There are plans for a spin-off series of the Immortal Dreams books.

I plan at least 2-books for the spin-off, with a possibility of other spin-offs later.  Right now, however, I'm focused on getting the 3 books of the Immortal Dreams series put together.

For those of you who have read All's Fair In Love & Lion is there a character you're longing to hear about? If so, leave a message in the comments and I'll answer it as best I can.

Have A Thrillingly Terrific Tuesday!

The Writers' Rejection Pile

Hello Everyone,

Okay, today's topic has nothing to do with the pile of stories you're currently working on, or even your rejection slips. It has to do with those stories who you started writing at first and then said "This won't work" or "I think I better put this one on hold indefinitely...unless something grabs me."

I'm sure we all have stories like that. Ones we got excited about and then was like "Wait, no I'm not ready to write this, it's not coming together, what was I THINKING???!!"

This is what I'm calling the "Writers' Rejection Pile".

I remember on a computer I used to have (that has long since crashed, poor computer; it was properly mourned, now we're just hoping one day my younger brother will be able to unlock its secrets and pull out some files we had on there, that didn't make their way to disc!) But I remember I had a couple of stories.

One was an anthology of short stories, which included such titles like, "The Madman", and "White Hall's Lady". I only vaguely remember the premis for these stories, but I do remember that I just didn't have enough "vim and vigor" for them. I didn't have a clear enough idea of what I wanted to do with them to pursue them.

Sometimes we have to start writing stories that end up in the Writers' Rejection Pile in order to get to that story that lights up our faces and makes our fingers fly across the keyboard (or the page) with incredible speed and lightning flash after lightning flash of inspiration.

Now, this doesn't mean a writer never revisits his or her Rejection Pile. Some do, and realize that they finally know what they're going to do with that unfinished tale.

Often times a writer has to put aside a story, not because he or she wanted to, but because it's not working out for them. Who knows? Somebody might say or do something that makes them think "Oh! That's what I should do with that one story!"

So, don't worry, the Rejection Pile isn't always the end of a life for a story, sometimes it's the beginning and sometimes the Funeral March is appropriate.

What about your Rejection Pile? What constitutes a story going there or getting out of it?

Have A Thoughtful Thursday!

Woe Is Me

Morning/Afternoon All,

I have to have sympathy. I know, I'm not usually one to ask for a pity party, but in this case, I think I might actually need one. I'm having reflux issues and so I emailed one of my doctors (the 2 doctors are married to each other and own a family practice, I've been to both the husband and wife on different occasions for different things). I emailed because I really didn't want to call the office and wait for a call back or have to go in and negotiate the dang hospital complex parking lot. My doctor wrote me back told me what to do, but she also warned that I should avoid certain foods. Among the foods mentioned...caffeine and chocolate. (I can handle avoiding peppermint, that ain't so hard, and tomatoes I can avoid). But coffee and chocolate???

Okay, the chocolate I've been mostly avoiding for awhile now because of my diet--but CHRISTMAS is coming! I was going to make FUDGE...my sister and her husband make Million Dollar Pie--it has chocolate in it! I drink coffee in the morning!

Okay, I get it, I could switch to a tea that has caffeine, but honestly, it's not the same. (And I like tea, but it really can't hold a candle to the coffee).

So yes, your sympathetic comments are most welcome, and please drink an extra coffee in my honor. (I'm supposed to let my doc know how things are after 2 weeks of being on the meds)

As to writing, the revisions I've been working on seem to be coming along. I'm thinking this new approach might just be what Conjure A Man needed.

I still have to get the word count down on Surreal but I have gotten started on that--it's slow going because I have to figure out what words are necessary and which ones I can cut (and sometimes I have to rewrite a sentence). But at least I've found ways to bring down the word count.

Have you had to give up something you really like (love, rely on)? And how's your writing going?

Have A Tremendous Tuesday!

Please Excuse Me / Excuse Me, Please

Good Morning All,

My weekend was nice and quiet for the most part (other than Friday evening when I went up to my high school Alma mater to see my son's Godsister perform in the choir--she did not do a solo, but it was still fun). Saturday and Sunday were pretty quiet, though, which is fine :-)

I've been wrestling with the question of approach and the way to write one particular story for some time (if you all remember previous entries about my trying to revise this story, you know precisely which one I'm talking about and how many times I've been trying to figure out what to do with it).

I don't know if this new approach is going to work or not, but it brings up the question I've often brought up, which is when one method isn't working, that a writer should try a new one.

Do you write mainly third person omniscient? If that's not working, try third person limited, or even try a whole different pov altogether.

Trying to start the book with an argument but it sounds petty? Why not start with the beginning of tension--maybe someone said something to really hurt the other character and the one who was hurt is trying to decide just how to handle it, while shooting sparks (through his or her glare) at the one who hurt him/her.

Sometimes you have to scratch one idea and try a new one. If you really like/believe in a particular story idea and you truly want it to work out, you have to exhaust the possibilities.

I once jokingly said I'd have one of my characters jump off a cliff, but due to her abilities, didn't think it was possible. My husband laughed over it, but two RWA Chapter members started running with the story and shooting off ideas, which, I ended up really liking.

I haven't figured out exactly how to make them work, but I still think they're fun suggestions.

So, what about you? What's your "usual" approach and what's your "back up" approach? (pov, way you tell a story, do you just jump right in or outline the whole thing out? If that doesn't work, what do you do?)

Have A Meaningful Monday!

Oh Dash It All!

Good Morning Folks,

Don't you just love that saying? Okay, maybe you do, maybe you don't, but I think it's cool.

So yesterday I did (as I said I was going to) actually get to writing on Conjure A Man. Chapter 3 is finished being rewritten (for now). But chapter 4 might need some work. The idea for chapter 4 isn't bad (I mean it makes sense Delaney's vampire friend, Caruso, would want to meet Pierre, especially since he suggested Delaney summon up a human in the first place). However, I'm not sure how well it works (hence the "dash it all" title for today's post). But, that doesn't mean it can't work.

We writers sometimes have to make a decision. Sometimes this decision is easy and sometimes it's painful. And that decision is whether or not a scene works in one particular place or even at all for the story in question.

Sometimes we have these "Dash it all!" moments where we think "If I have to revise this story one more time I'm going to scream!" And other times it's "Okay, so this doesn't work, so I gotta fix it or take it out."

What are some of your "dash it all" moments? Was it hard to fix/delete a scene or was it something you were just thinking "okay it has to happen."?

Have A Triumphant Tuesday!

Brandishing The Pen (Or Rather, Keyboard)

Morning Folks,

Well another beautiful Fall Day (yay for pretty sunshine and cooler temperatures!) Yes, I will cheer on the cooler weather all Fall and Winter if it means I don't have to wear shorts during the Christmas 12 days (and earlier and through January).

I think we writers need a slogan on button that says "I have a pen and I'm not afraid to use it!" Hmmm...I wonder what kind of questions we'd get about that?

Maybe we could also have our own coffee from all the major coffee manufacturers (do they realize how many writers drink coffee?) They could have "The Write Stuff" or "Write Bold" or "Write Italian Roast"

Okay...maybe the coffee is already hitting me and I need to back off the sugar. But still...it seems like novelty coffee would be fun. What do you think?

In along the same lines as the title of this post (which, don't ask me how I thought of it, just all of a sudden it occurred to me and I liked the sound of it)

Lately writing Conjure A Man the writing part isn't too bad. Although I have gone back and fixed up places to make sure Delaney isn't too stand-offish or too defensive. Don't want her overdoing it. But I'm thinking the new ideas will make writing the rest easier. I'm finally satisfied with Chapter 1 and for the most part satisfied with Chapter 2 that I was able to start chapter 3...but I cut myself off--why? Because I wanted to save some of that creative juices for the following days so I don't lose momentum. After all, Todd Stone said "don't fight fair" (got that quote in the margins of my blog on the right hand side) So I intend not to fight fair and encourage the story to come bursting out of me. After all, writers love those wonderful bursts where everything seems to fall into place, right?

I'm looking forward to getting back to Heartbeats. There's a place I need to fix, but I think it's going to go pretty well. I've got ideas bouncing around in my head on and off, so that's always a good sign.

Surreal still has to finish undergoing major editing, but I'm glad I have a good tool and that already 3 of my scenes are going to be better than they were. One of my goals is to cut down the word count (I have 500 pages so I'm feeling this need to tighten things up and lower that count so it's not too high of a word count, I don't want anyone going "Man, this is way too wordy.")

Anyway, so that's what's up on the writing front.

How are you brandishing your pen (er, keyboard)? What writing slogan buttons (or products) do you think would be fun to have on the market for writers?

Have A Tremendous Tuesday!

'Tis The Season For Paranormal

Morning Folks,

Halloween Day seems like the perfect time to announce that I have a book preview video (not great quality, but I'm hoping to either figure out how to fix the problems or have my younger brother who knows about a lot of media stuff might be able to help when he's in town for Christmas).

You see, I don't have a Youtube account (I might end up getting one; but I'm not sure, yet) so I think maybe I'll wait until I have a website to put it up. But once I'm able to work out the kinks I think it's pretty good. The preview is for Surreal.

Other than that I'm working more on Conjure A Man. I worked on Chapter 2 yesterday, but I'm not sure if it's just right or if I went overboard a different direction. I'll have to review it and if necessary, I'll make changes. But I do like Delaney's character better for this, now. I just didn't like having her appear so weak because I know that in all her life she was pretty strong.

I haven't worked on Heartbeats in awhile, but maybe it'll help me figure out Delaney's character even further. I like the idea and story line I have for Conjure A Man, it's just the execution of it is proving more difficult than originally anticipated. But, oh well, some stories are easier to write than others. Just got to keep letting creativity flow and try not to let it bother me that this is a bit more frustrating than writing Surreal.

Speaking of paranormal and spooktacular stories, I've been reading Kim Lenox's So Still The Night. Pretty spooky stuff going on currently. This book is the sequel to Night Falls Darkly; she has another one coming out next year, Darker Than Night it says it supposed to come out April 2010. If you're interested in immortals, good versus evil and romance, these books are definitely worth checking out. So far I think Night Falls Darkly is my favorite (it was pretty creepy having Jack the Ripper involved, but I think So Still The Night is even creepier--I think a friend of mine would really like these, she likes spooky stuff).

In any case, whatever your plans are for today, I wish you well!

Question for the day: What are you currently reading? (something other than your own manuscripts).

Have A Spec-Spook-Tacular Saturday!

Revisions Part 2

Happy Late Evening One And All,

Whew. I've been immersed in some serious revising. I ought to be working on Surreal, however, I think one chapter a day works best for that project at this time. Once ideas start flowing I can do more. At this point I'm reintroducing myself to the story after an absence.

The other revising I'm doing? Serious reconstructive work on Conjure A Man. After some thought based on some advice Kim Lenox gave at the chapter RWA meeting on Saturday morning, and some suggestions from Tess, I went back and cut out all of Chapter 1 to lead off with chapter 2. This way, I throw the reader immediately into the action and the story. The situation is right there and the back story flows through the dialogue. Combining chapter 2 and 3, I'm working on improving the beginning. Fortunately I only have about 11-12 chapters so far, but I'm getting reinvigorated.

I have to quit for now, because it's almost 10 p.m. and with motherhood responsibilities I have to get ready for bed or suffer severe sleep deprivation in the morning. Since I'm not my best without some sleep, I'll have to let it go for the night. Hopefully ideas won't keep me awake.

Anyway...anyone ever experienced something similar? The light bulb goes on and you suddenly remember why you loved the story in the first place? It all rushes back to you in a wave of inspiration, triumph and the "AH-HA!" moments. Please share your experiences in the comment section. I like hearing about other people's writing journeys.

Once I'm reacquainted with Surreal I'm sure I'll have some "AH-HA!" moments with that project as well.

Have A Thrilling Tuesday Night!

Oh The Revisions!

Hello Everyone,

Welcome back from the Labor Day Weekend. Hope everyone had a safe and great time. Mine was peaceful, which is just fine by me.

Recently I've received the first chunk of edits for Surreal back from my editor. Earlier this year I realized a valuable lesson: edit as you go. Either after finishing the first 3 chapters, begin the edits or go chapter by chapter. It will make the load of revisions lighter and give you a sense of already "polishing and buffing" before an editor or critique partner gets a hold of your story.

Rewriting can be rough, but it's a fact of a writer's life. Writers write the first draft, go back, fix mistakes, rewrite, rewrite, rewrite, then begin the process all over again until the project is polished, buffed and as good as they can make it. You want to send your best work. Not your first draft.

After having spent almost a year of hardly looking at Surreal, I realize how much I've learned about writing since having completed the draft. I can now apply what I've learned to the first draft and other projects I have going, which includes Conjure A Man and one other novel I've got started.

It's nice to have a completed work. However, even better is when you know you've done your best by rewriting, editing, shining, and fixing it up so that the story is ready to send to an agent or publishing house.

I've only completed some work on revisions for the prologue of Surreal. Already I think it's better than the original draft. I'll probably have to go back over it again and again. But at least its on the road towards readiness.

So, how are revisions for you? Do you have a method you follow? Do you have a sense of accomplishment once it's all finished? Or are you more nervous than you were before?

Have A Terrific Tuesday!