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Page Proofs (w/screenshots)

  • Nov. 16th, 2009 at 9:46 AM

After working all weekend, I sent in the page proofs for SHIFT last night, which means that one’s officially done! At least, my part. I won’t see it again until I get finished copies in the mail. Well, except for ARCs, which don't really count, because they're unedited.

Last night Aly, my awesome discussion group moderator, asked me what exactly I do with page proofs (Known as Author Alterations at my publisher), so here goes…

Page proofs are my last chance to make any changes to the manuscript before it goes to print. At this stage, most of the big stuff should already have been caught, so we’re mostly looking for typos, but I have been known to insert or delete as much as a paragraph at a time, to fix an overlooked inconsistency. Fortunately, that wasn’t necessary this time.

At this point, all of my work for my publisher is done electronically. I no longer receive or send anything in hard copy, though in the past I’ve received huge printed copies of manuscripts to proof, which was a total pain. I haven't printed or shipped a manuscript in more than two years, for which I'm thoroughly grateful. ;-)

For page proofs, my editor’s assistant sends me a PDF of the manuscript, with each page and every line numbered. It looks like this:

(This is an actual screenshot of the PDF of SHIFT that I worked from. It contains a Prey spoiler, so consider yourself warned. But I've already released this first paragraph online anyway. ;-))



She also sends an expandable Word form for me to type the changes directly into. The form looks like this:

(This is an actual screenshot of the form I sent back to Elizabeth, my editor's assistant. But there are no spoilers here. Just a glimpse of the changes I made, with the important part in red, so it's easier to see.)



I read through the manuscript carefully (these are edits, not pleasure reading) and document every typo or minor change by page and line number. When I’m done, I just save the form and email it back to her. She’ll use it to make my requested changes.

It's actually a pretty nice system, now that we're not messing with paper and killing trees. Plus, I have extra time to get stuff done, because I don't have to account for shipping time! Or pay to send heavy paper to NYC.

Anyway, up for today is the final fight scene I didn't actually get to on Friday. I wanted to write it. But I wasn't as done with the setup as I thought I was. But I'm ready now. ;-)

Since I turned in SHIFT (Shifters book 5) for the final time yesterday and hope to finish ALPHA (Shifters book 6) this week, I've just ordered something yummy for a celebratory giveaway. Stay tuned! As soon as I finish the book, I'll post the contest.

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So close I can taste it...

  • Nov. 13th, 2009 at 10:17 AM

I lost my home Internet connection yesterday (user error; there was no real problem) and got it back late last night only to discover bunches of spam blog comments. So I've had to turn on the word verification, at least for now. I'm sorry about the hassle, but wading through indecent website ads first thing in the morning is not a good way to start my day. I much prefer coffee and Special K. ;-)

In other news, ALPHA now stands at 114,764 words and 399 pages. I'm writing chapter 30 today. It's the big fight scene. At least, that's the plan. I'm hoping there will only be 31 chapters (the big fight scene, then the epilogue), but I'm not sure that'll work out. Because of pacing and chapter break tension, that may turn into 3 shorter chapters, rather than 2 longer ones.

Yesterday's chapter was... intense. It was tough to write, and took me until nearly 11 pm, but I'm very, very pleased with the result. I wish I could say more about it (writing triumph, and all!) but even the fastest readers out there are still two Shifters books behind, and this scene would spoil... well... everything. ;-)

Today will probably be another long day. Fight scenes are tough, and they take much layering, as I've already discussed. And this one involves a bunch of people, which will be hard to show, since we only experience what Faythe sees, hears, smells, and feels. And tastes, but in a fight scene, that's mostly just blood.

And... now I'm wondering if there's some way to integrate chocolate into a fight scene, just to give it a better taste. ;-)

Okay, wish me luck!

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Kitty drama

  • Nov. 10th, 2009 at 1:54 PM

I'm behind(er) on Alpha. Again. I spent half of yesterday at the vet with Kaci, the oldest of my two cats, because I suspected she had a bladder infection. After a couple of hours, an X-ray, a couple of shots, a subcutaneous fluid injection, a prescription for special food, and a hefty vet bill, I'm still not sure exactly what was wrong with her. The vet says her bladder has "gunk" in it (I saw said "gunk" on the X-ray) and that it has inflamed her bladder. And that if it went untreated, it would become bladder stones.

She now has prescription S/D food, which has the proper acidity to break down the "gunk" (minerals) in her bladder and prevent it from reforming. After a month, she can switch to the "C Diet" food, but can't go back to regular cat food. Ever. Or we risk more gunk, which she is evidently susceptible to. Just because.

So, she's been treated and released, and I got her a new litter box, hoping she'll be willing to use it (please, please, please!) because she doesn't associate it with painful urination. And it's not in the laundry room, so the dryer won't scare her. Hopefully.

So, after much cat drama, I am now in my office trying to work, but half the day is gone, and I'm feeling kind of (really) stressed. Also, I'm feeling like someone set the universal clock to FF and forgot to tell me. So many deadlines, so little time. So I might not have time for much blogging in the next couple of weeks. Though I tend to hang out on Twitter, because 140 characters don't take much time. ;-)

Writing Progress: ALPHA stands at 110,291 words, but the story isn't quite over, even though I can only add 10,000 more words. Fortunately, I think I know where I can cut a bit. Wish me luck.

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Anatomy of a fight scene

  • Nov. 6th, 2009 at 10:31 AM

I’ve discovered a cure for the new release nerves. You ready? Deadlines. Yup, the way to keep from worrying about how one book will be received is to keep working on another. Or… three more.

My Soul to Save comes out in six and a half weeks, and I should be firmly planted inside the panic zone. But I’m not. There are a million things that could go wrong, but I just don’t have time to worry about them. Much. Not while I’m working on the rough draft of ALPHA, page proofs for Shift, and revisions for My Soul to Keep. All due within a month.

Then I have to turn in two short stories in January, and another complete novel in April.
For the moment, I’m focusing on Alpha, which now stands at 99,000 words. Almost officially long enough! Though of course, an acceptable word count means nothing without an appropriate ending. ;-)

I wrote chapter 23 yesterday, half of which was that fight scene I mentioned, and wound up with 4,200+ words for the day. It’s weird, though. It took me most of the day to write the first 1,200 words, then only an hour and a half to do the next 2,300. (There were more after that.) Why such a difference in productivity?

That first part was the fight scene.

The fight scenes typically flow very slowly for me. And they come in several different layers. The first is basic choreography: Where are the fighters and what are they doing? This was a one-on-one fight, in human form, unarmed, so it was a bit simpler in theory than past scenes where Faythe and crew fought several bad guys at once, either in cat form or wielding rudimentary weapons. Like that first fight scene in Prey.

However, it was that very simplicity (in theory) that made it so hard to write. Because of the particular (crucial) set up, they’re outside, on flat land. There are no walls or trees or bars to be thrown into. Nothing to be used as a weapon. No one to interfere or help. In short, nothing to make the fight interesting, other than the basic punching and kicking. Which means I had to get creative. ;-)

After the choreography comes the reactions. What the pain felt like and where it occurred. How it affects Faythe’s next move. How her blows slow the bad guy down—or just make him mad. Normally, bits of setting would also come in both of the first two phases, as integral parts of the fight. Being slammed into a brick wall (Stray), falling onto the mat (Rogue), being pounced on by a cat on the side of a hill (Pride), clinging to a locked car door handle to keep from being dragged away (Prey). But there was little of that in this scene, because there’s only the ground to interact with.

Next come the details that didn’t make it into the broad strokes above. Blood (or sweat) shining in sunlight (or moonlight) or dripping on the grass. The sounds of the fight: screams, grunts, moans, thunks, etc… Scents (very important to Shifters).

Last of all comes the internal monologue: what Faythe’s thinking as she fights. This should be sparse. There isn’t much time to think while you’re literally fighting for your life. But once I have just enough of that to establish her frame of mind… ta da! The fight scene is finished.

At least until it’s time to polish. Because yes, after all that, it’s still in rough draft form. ;-)

The scene after that was terribly traumatic for Faythe. (Always fun to write!) Don’t worry, no one died or broke up. It was a different kind of traumatic. But those really emotional scenes really flow quickly for me. Which is a huge relief after the fight scene. ;-)

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Back in the swing!

  • Nov. 5th, 2009 at 10:10 AM

First, a friend's amazing news: Keri Arthur's Bound to Shadows has hit #6 on the NYT bestseller list. (Which will be printed next week. The list, not the book. The book is already out.) And check out this huge display of them in my local HEB:




Also note my fellow Mira author Jennifer Armintrout's latest release, at the top of the photo! (The one with the cool neon seahorse.)

As for me, I had an awesome writing day yesterday, for the first time in weeks. Seriously. With the move and the laborious (read: pain in the tail) restructure of the Alpha plot, it's been awhile since I was truly happy with my work. And yesterday was awesome. I put in 3,900 words before dinner, then spent the evening helping #1 get our den organized.

That puts the novel at 95,004 words, and means I'm almost finished. I need about 20,000 more words, and they need to come very, very quickly. Which means I'll be working weekends too.

Today's chapter is a big fight scene. Not THE big fight scene, but the most important fight Faythe's ever had, so far. It's one on one, and she's definitely the underdog. Er... undercat. (Doesn't quite have the same ring, does it?) And the timing is... horrible. She's literally never been in a worse position, politically or emotionally, and there's sooo much going on. And going wrong...

Yesterday's chapter ended with her opponent (let's just say they have a history) throwing the first (surprise) blow, so things are not off to a good start for Faythe. But that's how I like it. I can't wait to write this scene!

In fact, you may not hear from me until it's finished...! ;-)

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A lift here, a tuck there...

  • Oct. 26th, 2009 at 4:13 PM

[Note: My friend and fellow author Jocelynn Drake is giving away a signed copy of Stray this week. If you're interested, click here to enter!]

I got an ARC of My Soul to Save in the mail today. Unfortunately, it was just the one, so it looks like I can't give any away until I get my author copies. That should be soon though. The book went to press a couple of weeks ago, and it's due out in just two months. Which hardly seems possible. ;-)

Today I'm performing surgery on ALPHA. This weekend, while #1 and I were unpacking box after box, figured out how to fix the pacing problems and how to tighten the focus, if that makes any sense. It involves reordering a few of the events. This is harder than it probably sounds, because this little operation will also necessarily alter the motivation driving several of these events. In short, it's a huge pain in the tail, considering I'm already almost 90,000 words in. But hopefully it'll be good for the story.

But honestly, until the book comes out of surgery and the work proves worth it, I'm kind of seeing the glass as half-empty. So much to do, so little time, and all that. ;-)

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New Releases!

  • Sep. 30th, 2009 at 10:16 AM

Yesterday, I managed almost 4000 words on ALPHA and knocked chapter twenty-two out of the proverbial park, in my own opinion.



It was a fun chapter! Faythe got to interact with Kaci, Holly, and another character we haven’t seen in a while, and having a chapter flow well was a rare relief during all the packing/moving stress.

Speaking of which, I think #1’s planning to take our bed apart tonight, so I may be sleeping on a mattress on the floor until our actual move next week. No big deal. I’ve slept on mattress on the floor before, and as far as mattresses go, ours is not a bad one. The part that bothers me (if we’re being honest here) is seeing my bedroom disassembled and empty. It feels like I don’t really live anywhere right now, and that’s both disorienting and discomforting. And it makes it very difficult for me to concentrate on the work at hand.

And oh boy is there work at hand right now. I’m expecting revisions for Shift this afternoon, and for My Soul to Keep in the very near future. And for those of you who may not understand the process (someone asked about this on Twitter last night), no revisions won’t mean a delay in the release dates. Revisions are a normal part of the editorial process, and they happen with every book. At least, they should. I’d be highly suspicious an editor who told me my book needed no work at all.

So while I’m getting my utilities turned on in the new house and preparing myself mentally for Shift revisions, here are a few yummies for you guys, the readers.

Yesterday was the official release date for a bunch of awesome-sounding books, among them, these three:

(click the covers for to order or read plot descriptions)

The first in Ilona's new series: The Edge.
The latest Elena book, in the Women of the Otherworld series.
Book 3 in Jocelynn's Dark Days series.

Note: I haven’t actually read any of these yet—my TBR pile makes the leaning tower of Pisa look stable—but the authors are all awesome people and great writers, so I will be buying these three books and reading them as soon possible. Also, I’m not sure what Joce has planned for promo, but both Kelley and Ilona have some serious promotion going on, so be sure to check that out on their websites.
 

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Spinning...

  • Sep. 29th, 2009 at 11:08 AM

I'm not really sure where to start this morning, on this blog and in my work. I'm 75,000 words into ALPHA, but just got word that edits on both SHIFT and MY SOUL TO KEEP are... needed. But I don't have revision letters yet, so I'm preparing myself to set everything aside and get lost in books I've already written as soon as the letters arrive. Which is usually pretty fun. Seriously. ;-)
 

 


 

Ideally, I'll get to do the YA first, so that I can finish with SHIFT and be emersed in Faythe's world again just in time to dive back into ALPHA. But that may not work, because SHIFT actually comes out before MSTKeep.
 
 
Also, the covers for MSTSave and MSTKeep are probably going to be tweaked, but I don't have final word on that yet.
 

And... both SHIFT and My Soul to Save are up for pre-order at Amazon now.

 
 
And finally, I'm getting really tired of eating food out of the freezer just so we won't have to move it or give it away. I want Subway!

Is your head spinnin? ( Read more... )

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Drifting plot (and a winner)

  • Sep. 28th, 2009 at 10:25 AM

First of all, the random number generator has selected a winner:

Juliann the Insane, email me with your mailing info, and I'll stick your copy of Immortal in the mail. Unfortunately, since I don't know most of the other authors in the book, it'll only be signed by me. ;-)

Also, I have good news for those who were searching for a copy of Rogue. Newly printed copies have made it to Amazon, so I'm assuming that means they've made it to your local bookstore as well. Or at least that they can now be ordered from your local bookstore.

ALPHA update:

I continue to update Alpha with new words every day, though this gets more and more complicated as the packing chaos continues to take over my house. I'm eternally grateful to #1 for shouldering most of that burden this time, so I can hopefully meet my November 1 deadline, but I'm finding it increasingly difficult to concentrate with each fragment of my life that gets packed, and taped, and stacked against one of the walls.

We're letting the movers take most of the furniture, but a staggering amount the actual stuff has been pronounced "irreplaceable" or necessary during the period before the moving truck will actually arrive at the new house with our stuff.

However, even with all that going on, I've been meeting my goals, and am now 20 chapters into ALPHA.



Regarding the book itself... the plot has drifted a bit from what I originally intended. The original plot looked good in the synopsis, but in the actual execution, it was starting to feel ... tedious. Which means the pacing was off. Or else that the book was feeling slow because I had to take nearly 2 weeks off for moving related stuff, during which the plot began to stagnate in my mind.

Either way, I needed to shake stuff up a bit, and that actually works out, because as it was originally plotted, the book was running waaaaay long. So this change will shorten the book and tighten the plot, and hopefully quicken the pace.

It occurs to me at this point that the above paragraph would make more sense if you guys were actually inside my head, but with any luck, I'm alone in here, and you'll all just have to wait until next October to see what I'm talking about. ;-)

My favorite part of chapter 20: Faythe and her mother have a short, frank, awkwardly-timed discussion of Faythe's rather complicated love life. And, frankly, I'm pretty shocked that the scene actually works. It was unplanned, mostly because I couldn't figure out in advance how to pull off such a discussion and still be true to both of the characters.

Sometimes I like those little surprises. But mostly I just like coffee. ;-)

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SHIFT: the blurb

  • Sep. 15th, 2009 at 11:24 AM

[THE LAST BIT OF THIS POST CONTAINS SPOILERS FROM PREY. CONSIDER YOURSELF WARNED!]

Sorry for the recent blog silence. I've been dealing with real life, which refuses to fade into the background sometimes, no matter how badly I need to work.

On the writing front, I've officially passed the half-way mark of ALPHA, and I don't quite know what to think. I like the book. It's not that. It's just that it feels really weird to be on the downhill slope of the last Shifters book. It's more emotional than I expected, considering that the characters aren't actually real people. But I swear they feel like it to me, more in this book than ever, and saying goodbye to them is going to be hard.




But I have to take a short break from ALPHA (yesterday and today) to work on something else needing attention, so I'll be back in Faythe's world tomorrow, and ready to tackle chapter 18. Faythe has just discovered one of those very difficult-to-swallow life-truths, which represents her last step on the road to maturity. My spoiled brat is all grown up! ;-)

I can't believe how much she's grown (and you guys are still 2 books behind...), and where that's allowed me to take her story. And she and I both are very grateful for the rest of the Shifters cast right now, for being what she needs and for saying what she needs to hear--even if neither of those is exactly pleasant.

And to make up for my recent absence, here's something I've been meaning to post before. It's been up at my discussion group for a while, but this is the first time I've posted it in public. The official cover blurb for Shift (March 1, 2010).

WARNING: CONTAINS MAJOR SPOILERS FROM PREY!!!

Don't read any further if you don't want to know...





 

TROUBLE IN THE AIR...
 
Being the first female werecat enforcer isn't easy. Scars accumulate, but I'm stronger in so many ways.
 

As for my personal life? It's complicated. Choices worth making always are. Ever since my brother's death and my father's impeachment, it's all I can do to prevent more blood from spilling. Now our Pride is under attack by a flight of vicious thunderbirds. And making peace with our new enemies may be the only way to get the best of our old foe.
 

With the body count rising and treachery everywhere, my instincts tell me to look before I leap. But sometimes a leap of faith is the only real option...

 
 
And tomorrow, I'll be posting a short excerpt from the Shift manuscript at the Deadline Dames. ;-)

 

 

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Sanity, by the numbers

  • Sep. 11th, 2009 at 1:15 PM

Yesterday was a very rough day. I woke up with a migraine, which lasted all day, in spite of two doses of the magical, END OF ALL PAIN medication. I want my money back for those pills. ;-)

Unfortunately, I'm not one of those people who can drop everything and go back to bed when I get a migraine. There's simply too much that HAS to be done. So I function with the pain. A lot of pain.

The highlight of my day was talking to my CP. It was so good to hear her sound so happy. ;-)

Somehow, in spite of both the headache, and the medication, and a huge real life hassle, I made my goal. And the words are good words. Not flawless, but close to how I want that scene to feel in the final version.



As you can see on the progress meter, I'm almost right at the halfway point in Alpha now. Heartbreakingly close. In fact, if I'd realized I was so close last night, I probably would have written another couple of pages, just to hit that magical 50% milestone.

No, it's not real. The book won't wind up at exactly 115,000 words, and will probably be a bit longer. But few milestones are ever real. They're just an excuse to celebrate. To pat ourselves on the back for a lot of hard work, and frankly, we deserve it.

56,494 words is a lot of words. According to Word, it's:
 

  • 198 pages
  • 249,393 characters (with no spaces)
  • 1,567 paragraphs
  • 4,275 lines

Who, me? Obsessed with the numbers? Yeah. I am. So you should know that this is my 12th novel, and will be my 9th release. (Three are unpublished, four come out next year.)

My world is made up of words. Lots of words, which express thoughts and abstract concepts. Emotions, and opinions, and an entire spectrum of shades of gray. (Because in fiction, as in life, sometimes there is no "right" answer.) But nothing is ever concrete.

Reviews, least of all. Different people like different things. Passionately. Some people loved Faythe in the beginning, because she was realistically flawed. Some hated her, because she made mistakes. Some people like Marc because he's loyal, and protective, and strong, and others hate him (again, passionately) because he's possessive.

Some people use words to say exactly what they mean. Some just want to get a point across. And some are trying really, really hard to make someone happy without really saying anything at all.

Sometimes words have double meanings. They can sound kind or encouraging on the surface, but when wielded properly (or improperly, depending on your perspective), they're actually an insult. Or a taunt. Or a gloat.

My point is that in a career like mine, where so very many things are subjective, sometimes looking at numbers is a bit like taking a vacation. Numbers are concrete. Absolute (unless we're talking BookScan. Don't even get me started...). They provide a way for me to measure my time, and my progress, and my income, and my expenses, and my sales.

They're not based on opinions, they don't vary depending on who gives them to me, (Again, this does not hold true for Book Scan numbers.), and they aren't intended to change the way I write, promote, or think about things. They aren't trying to convince me, stop me, trick me, berate me, nag me, or even encourage me.

Number simply are. They exist. And on days when I can't find the right word no matter what I try, simply existing starts to sound really, really good... ;-)

 

 

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A milestone and a move...

  • Sep. 9th, 2009 at 11:10 AM

I have officially crossed the 50,000 word mark on Alpha, and things are getting really good. Or bad, depending on your perspective. As this is the last book in the series, I'm taking the S-C Pride somewhere it's never been before, and ... well ... I'm in unfamiliar territory. So it's a bit like hacking a path through the woods with only a pocket knife, trying to see the forest in spite of the trees. If that makes any sense at all


 

 
Chapter fifteen is up for today.
 

Also... a bit of news on the personal/real life side of things. As my personal friends and family have known for a little while, in a few weeks, I will no longer be a Louisiana resident. Number 1 and I are moving from Shreveport to San Antonio next month, and things have been pretty hectic around here (at least mentally), preparing for that event.

 
So, if you have my PO Box number and were planning to send me anything, that address will only be good for a few more weeks.

 
And, if you live in or near San Antonio, I hope to get to see you at an event sometime in the future! ;-)

 

 

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Is it luck?

  • Sep. 3rd, 2009 at 11:13 AM

Some days, the actual writing part of writing goes very quickly. Yesterday was one of those days. Unfortunately, while it came quickly, it didn’t come very early in the day.




I got a late start yesterday, then got distracted by some real life stuff (plenty of that going on right now), but did finally get going and wrote all of chapter twelve.

In chapter twelve, Faythe disabled three people in less than half an hour. (Her time, not mine. In my time, it took more like three hours.) She’s really getting good at her job! Some days I feel like I am too. Then other days I feel like I’m still stumbling around in the dark, and every now and then I happen to bump into the right idea at the right time.

At those times, it’s easy for me to believe that the only reason I’m here right now (with five books on the shelf and four coming next year) is because of really amazing luck. I hit on a hot idea at just the right time. My agent hit her head on her dresser and was actually kind of woozy the day she offered to represent me. The editors who offered for my first book were all having individual really good days—all at the same time. Ditto for my second series.

It’s not me, it’s just a string of really good luck.

And I’m sure part of that is true. (Though hopefully not the part about Miriam whacking her head.) And sometimes, from the outside looking in, it’s easy to start thinking along those lines about other people, who have already broken into publishing while you’re still struggling. But truth is that most authors work really, really hard.

(Also, I’m kind of doubting that “hot topic at the right time” theory now because I can’t think of another series focusing exclusively on werecats or bean sidhes. So… not really hot topics, huh?)

For me, the hardest part is getting the ideas. I’m not one of those people who trip over good ideas on the way to and from the kitchen eight times a day. In fact, I can’t recall ever having one just drop into my lap. My agent didn’t give me a brilliant idea to write. My editor didn’t suggest one. My critique partner didn’t leak glowing drops of brilliance all over me. (Although, to be fair, she and #1 are each quite the brainstorming sounding board.)

Relatively speaking (because none of this is easy, if you’re doing it right), the actual writing is the easy part, and it feels very rewarding, because you can watch that word count go up every day and know you’re actually accomplishing something. But figuring out what to write? That’s a challenge. At least for me.

I’m a brainstormer. And a researcher. When I’m trying to come up with a new idea for a book or series, I spend hours and hours (and hours and hours) researching various creatures and lore (because for me, it’s a given that I’ll write urban fantasy, at least at this point in my career), hoping and waiting for something to strike that spark inside me. For something to beg me to write it.

I don’t just sit there and watch TV all day, expecting my muse to pop in with a million dollar idea. I don’t believe in muses. (Which you can tell, because I wrote about one as a fictional species in “Binge,” my story in the upcoming Immortal anthology) And I’m not so sure I believe in a million dollars either. ;-) I work hard for every single idea I get.

I have a white board. In fact, I have two of them, and they’re not just used for outlining. They’re used first and foremost for brainstorming. I use bubble brainstorming a lot, to throw out every possible idea, or use for an idea. And I can’t remember ever having used the first idea that landed on the board. Which means that if I’d stopped when I got that first idea, the Soul Screamers in their current incarnation would never have come to pass.

I could probably talk about brainstorming for another hour, but I won’t bore you. My point is this: good writers work hard. Yes, luck comes in handy, but you can get there without it. As a slushpile survivor, I’m living proof.

Do I know good writers who aren’t published? Yes, of course. But just because they aren’t published yet doesn’t mean they won’t be. So have hope, those of you who are still struggling. Because if you’re working hard and improving with every book, eventually you will get there.

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It's research, I swear!

  • Sep. 2nd, 2009 at 12:05 PM

Today I blogged at the Deadline Dames about the weird things I've researched for Alpha. Click here to see what I needed a video demo of...

As for my progress, after writing chapter eleven yesterday, here's where I stand:





I'm pleased with the progress so far, and hoping to write chapter twelve today, in spite of a late start. ;-)

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Tidbits

  • Sep. 1st, 2009 at 11:00 AM

I wrote chapter ten of ALPHA yesterday, and am now officially 1/3 of the way through the manuscript. I plan to cross the 40,000 word mark today.

My favorite (non-spoilery) bits from yesterday (and keep in mind, this is a very rough draft):


 

---------

Alex hesitated, glancing at the door, as if his father could see him through the hollow wood panel. “You promise not to try anything?”

“You know I can’t do that. We’ve kind of got a mortal enemy thing going on here, in case you haven’t noticed.” I shrugged and tried on a cocky grin of my own. “But I promise not to try anything right now, and if I make a break for it later, you can totally try to catch me.”


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And…

----------

Alex swallowed thickly. An instant later his expression hardened and his eyes narrowed. “You are a bi***.”

“Like that’s a newsflash.”

----------

Faythe’s in a bit of trouble right now, and she’s about to try to get out of it the hard way. But only because the easy (read: non-violent) way has already failed.

I’m starting to have some real fun with this book! Chapters nine and ten were very dialogue heavy, but we’re about to have some serious action so it should balance out. I hope. If not, I’ll fix it in the rewrites.

FYI, that previous sentence is the one I say most often during the rough draft phase. ;-)

Also, if you’re into fantasy, check out the nominations for the 101 Best Fantasy Books. You can vote for anything from Beowulf to urban fantasy, and yes, my titles are among the nominations. A word of warning, though: the list of nominees is looooong. Like, 800 different books. But it looks like you can vote for more than one.

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Progress, at last!

  • Aug. 28th, 2009 at 10:34 AM

Well, suffering for my art must have worked, because yesterday's chapter of ALPHA flew by, at more than 3,800 words. And that's almost exclusively dialogue. I'll go back and add the scenery bits in the rewrites. Layering, you see. ;-)

With chapter eight written, here's where I stand:






Also, I flew by the 100 page milestone, which is a big one.

I'm not sure exactly how long this one will be. I believe I can go up to 120,000 words, which is a bit longer than Prey, if memory serves, and I think I might need it to get everything wrapped up in this one. Everything in the entire series. Fortunately, there's a lot of action and tension in this one, which keeps the pace... um... pretty stinkin' fast.

Chapter eight turned out to be a lot of fun. For me, not for Faythe. She was in serious trouble (and still will be, in chapter nine), and those seem to be the scenes I enjoy most, and the scenes that are the fastest to write. So, yea for grave peril!

Also, I wrote my favorite line in the book (so far) yesterday. I wish I could share, but it might spoil something. ;-(

Happy Friday!

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Brilliance! (in the form of sleep deprivation)

  • Aug. 27th, 2009 at 10:25 AM


Every now and then, I stop to actually think about what I do for a living, and it never fails to astonish me. And throw me completely off my game.

Why?

Because thinking of the book as a whole while it's still just a small bit of that whole is a very bad idea. It makes the job seem that much more overwhelming.

Usually (and fortunately) my during-the-process doubts are few and far between. While I'm the only one whose seen the book, it seems perfectly logical to think it will be awesome (naturally), which tends to keep me going. My real doubts typically hit after I've finished and polished and sent the ms off to be judged by the real world, starting with my agent and editor. That's when I panic. Which is convenient, because by that point, a good deal of the real work has already been accomplished.

But so far, with ALPHA, it's different. I'm doubting nearly every word.

This may be some weird author-version of (approaching) Empty Nest Syndrome. If my little chick never grows up and learns to fly, it can never leave me, right? But then really, who wants to change dirty chick diapers forever? So I don't think that's entirely the root of my problem.

I think it may also have to do with the pressure--mostly from myself--to make this the best Shifters book yet. You know, out with a bang. The good kind of bang. More like fireworks, than hand grenades. ;-)

To combat that, I've been reminding myself that, as usual, it's okay to write a lousy rough draft. That is, after all, why they call it "rough." The real magic happens in subsequent drafts, after I've gotten the story down on the screen for safekeeping.

But the truth is that in this case, I don't have time to fix too much "rough" writing. I need to get it mostly right the first time around, which, honestly, never happens for me. I'm not a pristine first draft kind of writer. I'm a sloppy, notes filling the margins, "insert scenery details here later" kind of writer.

Time is a luxury I've always taken for granted before. Back when I had it, even though I thought at the time that I didn't have enough. I was wrong. I had plenty, and I'm ashamed to say I squandered it! I spent countless perfectly good working hours eating, sleeping, and showering, just to maintain acceptable levels of health and cleanliness so I could interact with people who don't exist only in my head.

Well, not this time! I have seen the error of my ways, and I vow not to repeat past mistakes. I'm going to spend so much time writing this book that the characters and plot will be sick of me. They'll leap onto the screen of their own free will, just to be rid of me sooner.

It'll work. You wait and see. The key to writing quickly is to drive the book mad with your very presence. So here I go; don't worry if you don't hear from me for a while. Or if I look skinny and grungy. What good writer doesn't suffer for her art?

[In case you didn't pick up on it, I'm joking. I would not sacrifice my health for my job. Much. ;-)]

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And so it begins again...

  • Aug. 13th, 2009 at 10:06 AM

Yesterday I recorded a video blog Q&A session...then couldn't get it to load to Blogger. The file was too big. Evidently I talk to much. ;-) I'm going to try it again later, but honestly, I can't be bothered to wear makeup every day, so today I'm going with a traditional post, with more pictures of My Soul to Take in the wild at the bottom. ;-)

Alpha Update: I'm now two chapters and 6,500+ words into the novel. This is the point at which, if I think of the book as a whole, I start to get overwhelmed. Somehow, even though I've done this eleven times before, completing an entire book seems like an insurmountable task. It's too many pages. Too many words. Too many plotlines, characters, and conflicts. I can't do it.

Except that I can. And I will.

How? By taking it in baby steps. When I'm this early in the process, I try not to let myself think of the entire book at once. There's no long-term goal. Instead, I use a series of short-term goals, which will eventually add up to a whole book.

One chapter a day. It's like building a wall one brick at a time. Only without the heavy lifting. If I just think about writing a single chapter a day, five days a week, I can do this. I've done it before, and I'll do it again. And once I'm over the hump (that all-important half-way mark), the going is all downhill. In fact, sometimes I have to put on the brakes to keep from slipping and sliding all the way down.

Yes, I'm mixing metaphors, and my CP is probably laughing at me now (Inside joke. Not too hard to figure out, though.), but I'm serious. I try never to look at the landscape until I'm viewing it from the top of that half-way-done hill.

And the best part is that once I'm past the first few chapters, it will never again occur to me that I might not be able to do this. At least, not with this particular book. Though I'll be right back here again with the next one. ;-)

Now for some pics!
( See the pictures... )

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All the small things

  • May. 14th, 2009 at 9:17 AM

Hmmm... I just discovered that for some reason, Blogger stopped notifying me when I had comments to moderate, so my apologies to everyone who commented yesterday. I just moderated more than 30 comments stuck in my moderation page. Weird.

And--surprise!--they were all contest entries from the favorite shapeshifter poll! You guys are awesome! As of this post, Marc and Faythe are currently in second place (behind Ilona's Curran) with 282 votes. We're still a long shot (everyone is, behind Ilona's 554 votes) but I'm totally thrilled by the turnout!

If you haven't voted and/or entered my contest, scroll down to yesterday's post for details.

And for the record, some of my favorite (non-werecat) shapeshifters are among the nominees too, so no worries if you voted for someone else. ;-)

 

( Other assorted announcements... )

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Vote! And my lack of time...

  • May. 12th, 2009 at 10:15 AM

Guess what? Marc and Faythe have been nominated as one (they’re one combined entry) of the favorite shapeshifters by the reviewers at Bitten By Books, one of my favorite review sites (they do tons of great giveaways!). If you like Marc and Faythe (or either one of them), please click here to go vote. The poll is in the right sidebar. They’re up against some very tough competition, and I’m thrilled that they (we) were even included. ;-)

In writing news, I’ve reached the desired wordcount in my Soul Screamers short story, but it’s not done. No surprise there. Fortunately, since this one’s an ebook (or an e-short), I don’t think anyone will mind if I go over, since it’s not costing any extra ink or paper. And I’m going to have to go over, because while the story could definitely be tightened, there aren’t any scenes (or even any complete paragraphs) that I can cut. It all has to be in there for the story to work, both on its own, and as a prequel to the series.

Unfortunately, I need to finish it very quickly. It’s due in three days, and the polished manuscript for Shift is due June 1. Then there’s another short story due June 29. Then Shifters 6 (the series finale!) is due October first. And I haven’t started it yet.

So, as usual, there’s no time for anything. Add to that my travels (BEA in NYC this month, and RWA + vacation in July), and I’m stressing pretty hard at the moment.

And drinking too much coffee.

If I had a superpower, it would be the ability to freeze time and work while everyone else gets stiff from not moving. ;-)

Anyway… Hi ho, hi ho, it’s off to work I go.

P.S. Please go vote. ;-)

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