Yes, I have been lying in bed for over an hour trying to fall asleep but my brain won't turn off. I'm tired, so very tired, yet still sleep eludes me.
As I found myself chewing on the bigger chunks of my second book, I realized that my brain needed a bit of a vacation. Thus I changed my focus to look at one of my other writing projects: The Cera Chronicles. This is one writing project where I'm going to let myself off the leash and poke fun at pop culture. She is a traveler that is going from world to world, trying to find a cure for her father. Rules regarding human nature? Bah! Who needs them. In my novels, I try to adhere to reasonable thinking. The Cera Chronicles are planned to be outrageous. They'll be much shorter, 20K words or less. They may offend some people. But I think that's alright with me. It might not win me any fans, but at least I'll have fun writing them.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Sunday, February 19, 2012
And it goes on...
While my editors plug away at critiquing my first book, Thanmir War, I have started putting words to paper for my second book, Rise of the Teymir. Seeing that this book has not been reviewed in my head repeatedly, I am finding it a bit more difficult to lay down the order of events. That turns into writer's block. I figure I'll just write all the interesting parts and figure out how to tie them together at a later time.
I've been rereading my old work that I have stored on Google docs and I'm happy to say that I've improved over the years. I suppose practice does make... well, better. I wouldn't go as far as to call it perfect because it's far from it.
I've decided that I'm going to start reading some of Amanda Hocking's books. They seem to fit in with the Patricia Briggs and Ilona Andrews books, perhaps a bit more romance. She's a self-published author. I hear that they are entertaining so I figured I'd give them a try. I'm starting with a zombie one since it was free on Amazon. If I like it, I'll buy the others.
On the work front, I have officially passed my 6 month probation and I again work for the State of Idaho. Hooray me! My manager is leaving and my co-worker is debating if he is going to try for the position. I think he'd be good at it, assuming that he'd actually want all the roles and responsibilities that come with it. He is a programmer, tried and true. But he is a good leader and has vision for the future, which I think is important for a team to succeed.
Seeing that my mini has died on me twice today, I think I'm going to give it a rest. Until next time!
I've been rereading my old work that I have stored on Google docs and I'm happy to say that I've improved over the years. I suppose practice does make... well, better. I wouldn't go as far as to call it perfect because it's far from it.
I've decided that I'm going to start reading some of Amanda Hocking's books. They seem to fit in with the Patricia Briggs and Ilona Andrews books, perhaps a bit more romance. She's a self-published author. I hear that they are entertaining so I figured I'd give them a try. I'm starting with a zombie one since it was free on Amazon. If I like it, I'll buy the others.
On the work front, I have officially passed my 6 month probation and I again work for the State of Idaho. Hooray me! My manager is leaving and my co-worker is debating if he is going to try for the position. I think he'd be good at it, assuming that he'd actually want all the roles and responsibilities that come with it. He is a programmer, tried and true. But he is a good leader and has vision for the future, which I think is important for a team to succeed.
Seeing that my mini has died on me twice today, I think I'm going to give it a rest. Until next time!
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Character driven writing
There have been a few authors that I've enjoyed reading that speak of their characters as if they were real people. Terry Goodkind wrote his book dedication to Richard and Kahlan for being able to tell their story. Karen Marie Moning says that Mac takes over and Barrons has a mind of his own. I laughed at first. I mean, these are fictional characters, not real people. And then it happened to me.
It was a slow process.
First my main character was just a cartoon character on sketch paper. He didn't have much of a personality and I decided who and what he was going to be. I decided that he was going to drive a motorcycle and date Britney just because she was attractive. I decided that he was going to college for botany. I decided that he had a little sister Melanie who was too advanced for her own good.
And then Derek said, "wait, you have it all wrong". Derek took control of his own life. He started to point out how my theories of who he was just didn't work. As more and more words formed on my computer screen, he took control, showing me things I hadn't seen before. Soon, I made discoveries about my characters that I didn't even know. I've come to find out that Derek isn't exactly the selfless type. He wanted more power and pointed out that not only was he an upholder (a whole nother class of people that he pointed out that I needed), but he was also much more. He started dishing out details that I tried to protest, but he simply refused to listen. With each revelation, I pointed out that it would complicate things and that I'd have to rewrite sections to fit. He flicked his hand and said "pssh! Sorry, but that's how it is. If you want to tell the story right, you have to put it in there."
It makes me wonder if I've lost my mind at times.
With editing, I had hoped to cut down my word count of my book to a reasonable level. I had cut out 10 pages worth of words. And then added 10 pages worth of new content. At least I am in the final stages of my editing, which I feel is a major step in the right direction. With my sister-in-law's help, I managed to figure out the naming convention used for my calendar. I also wrote a creepy poem that my Isto hunter recites. I had hoped to bring him in again, but it doesn't look like he's going to return until the next book.
As of this point in time, I have about 75 pages left to edit. I've just added another unanswered twist that will return for more interesting exposure in the second book. At least it'll help explain Peter's presence. Let's see if I can get to the end without revamping everything again.
It was a slow process.
First my main character was just a cartoon character on sketch paper. He didn't have much of a personality and I decided who and what he was going to be. I decided that he was going to drive a motorcycle and date Britney just because she was attractive. I decided that he was going to college for botany. I decided that he had a little sister Melanie who was too advanced for her own good.
And then Derek said, "wait, you have it all wrong". Derek took control of his own life. He started to point out how my theories of who he was just didn't work. As more and more words formed on my computer screen, he took control, showing me things I hadn't seen before. Soon, I made discoveries about my characters that I didn't even know. I've come to find out that Derek isn't exactly the selfless type. He wanted more power and pointed out that not only was he an upholder (a whole nother class of people that he pointed out that I needed), but he was also much more. He started dishing out details that I tried to protest, but he simply refused to listen. With each revelation, I pointed out that it would complicate things and that I'd have to rewrite sections to fit. He flicked his hand and said "pssh! Sorry, but that's how it is. If you want to tell the story right, you have to put it in there."
It makes me wonder if I've lost my mind at times.
With editing, I had hoped to cut down my word count of my book to a reasonable level. I had cut out 10 pages worth of words. And then added 10 pages worth of new content. At least I am in the final stages of my editing, which I feel is a major step in the right direction. With my sister-in-law's help, I managed to figure out the naming convention used for my calendar. I also wrote a creepy poem that my Isto hunter recites. I had hoped to bring him in again, but it doesn't look like he's going to return until the next book.
As of this point in time, I have about 75 pages left to edit. I've just added another unanswered twist that will return for more interesting exposure in the second book. At least it'll help explain Peter's presence. Let's see if I can get to the end without revamping everything again.
Saturday, January 7, 2012
The definition of me
I like who I am. Over the years, I've decided who I want to be. I want to be polite refinement. I want to be casual ease. I want to be super mom and wonder wife. I want to be graceful elegance. I want to be sexy geek. I want to be selfishly selfless.
I won't nag. I don't want to be viewed that way. I won't pester you to do chores. It doesn't mean I won't ask you to do something. It just means I'll ask you once, and then I'll just do it myself. I am independent. That doesn't mean I will choose to pursue my passion and desires if it comes down to the choice between that or a request made of me, spoken or not. I'd rather put aside what I want if it means that you will gain a sense of fulfillment by my presence or actions. I will play with you, if that is what you want of me. I will give up what hours I may have. I don't want to say "screw you", even though some see that as spine and confidence. That's not who I want to be. That's not selfless. I will be strong and bold, but I won't do it at the cost of manners. I detest rudeness. I will put you before me if I see fit. Don't think less of me for doing so. I strive to be the person people appreciate, not put up with.
This is who I am, and I like it. I am a good and loyal friend. I am a firm yet loving mother. I am a happy and hopefully sexy wife. I am a hard worker. I will do my best in any situation I can. I will be the best me I can be.
This is the definition of me.
I won't nag. I don't want to be viewed that way. I won't pester you to do chores. It doesn't mean I won't ask you to do something. It just means I'll ask you once, and then I'll just do it myself. I am independent. That doesn't mean I will choose to pursue my passion and desires if it comes down to the choice between that or a request made of me, spoken or not. I'd rather put aside what I want if it means that you will gain a sense of fulfillment by my presence or actions. I will play with you, if that is what you want of me. I will give up what hours I may have. I don't want to say "screw you", even though some see that as spine and confidence. That's not who I want to be. That's not selfless. I will be strong and bold, but I won't do it at the cost of manners. I detest rudeness. I will put you before me if I see fit. Don't think less of me for doing so. I strive to be the person people appreciate, not put up with.
This is who I am, and I like it. I am a good and loyal friend. I am a firm yet loving mother. I am a happy and hopefully sexy wife. I am a hard worker. I will do my best in any situation I can. I will be the best me I can be.
This is the definition of me.
Friday, December 9, 2011
Editing sucks
I have found that editing on a netbook is less than ideal, especially when the MS Word document is over 300 pages... single-spaced... size 11 font. A lot of the time, I find myself wanting to reference a different portion of the book to keep with consistency and then I have to juggle with keeping two spots in one mega electronic document.
Thankfully, I have a terrific husband who was willing to print off all 315 pages for me so that I could better edit my book. I has been extremely helpful to be able to write in the margin, make notes, underline certain words, cross out others, and flip back to see the content side by side. However, I've found that it's a lot more difficult to quickly set aside a stack of loose papers than it is to lift a netbook out of the reach of an interested 15 month old girl. Granted the paper doesn't interest her nearly as much as the glowing screen, but she still wants to climb up onto the bed and play around where she can fall off. Who am I to deny her the simple pleasure of playing with mama? Therefore, when she is on the bed, there's no editing taking place.
I have decided to rearrange my schedule for the rest of the month in order to put serious effort into getting through my editing before Christmas. This should give me 1 1/2 hours to work baby and husband free four days out of the week. Seeing that I'm only on Chapter 5, I'm not certain of the validity of my aspirations, but I'm willing to give it a shot. Wish me luck!
Thankfully, I have a terrific husband who was willing to print off all 315 pages for me so that I could better edit my book. I has been extremely helpful to be able to write in the margin, make notes, underline certain words, cross out others, and flip back to see the content side by side. However, I've found that it's a lot more difficult to quickly set aside a stack of loose papers than it is to lift a netbook out of the reach of an interested 15 month old girl. Granted the paper doesn't interest her nearly as much as the glowing screen, but she still wants to climb up onto the bed and play around where she can fall off. Who am I to deny her the simple pleasure of playing with mama? Therefore, when she is on the bed, there's no editing taking place.
I have decided to rearrange my schedule for the rest of the month in order to put serious effort into getting through my editing before Christmas. This should give me 1 1/2 hours to work baby and husband free four days out of the week. Seeing that I'm only on Chapter 5, I'm not certain of the validity of my aspirations, but I'm willing to give it a shot. Wish me luck!
Monday, November 21, 2011
Taking a moment to breathe
Life has been busy and I thought it'd be best to take a moment to breathe. So here I sit wrapped up in a fleece blanket in my husband's chair, eating fried rice and drinking a Red Bull.
These past few weeks have been filled with projects, work, outings, and frustration. We have a coat closet now that just need a kick plate to cover the hole in the door and some flooring. Chris has done a fantastic job with it. Just getting to the closet is a bit tricky at times since there's always something in the way at the moment, in order to block the hole. But it'll be good soon.
I've done another project at work that I'm pleased to say that my coworker is happy with. I have proven myself effect that he can tell me what he wants done with a particular project, and I can get it done in a clean fashion, though it may take me a few attempts to get everything in order. Work is nonstop. Sometimes I think I should get up and walk away from my desk more often, but I suppose I'll do that when the work lets up.
My brother has announced that the Mona Lisa will be closing so the gang went out for some fondue. It was fun, but I had to bail on my best friend and leave her to babysit, which I felt bad for. But Kimi loves playing with Beverlie, and Beverlie is a trooper when it comes to kids. I'll be taking her out to the new Twilight movie this coming Friday as part of the thank-you package. Even though I haven't read the books, I figured I'll probably enjoy the movie anyways. No, I haven't seen the other movies in the series either. I'm not about to hate it just because over-fanatic fans have made it "uncool" or a joke in today's society. I'll watch it with an open mind and judge the quality for myself.
As far as frustrations go, I have found the freezing habit of my netbook to be thoroughly annoying when I'm trying to edit a book that's 194K words long. That translates into a 311 page Word document at size 11 Calibri font, single spaced without the extra spacing between paragraphs. As you might be able to tell, I don't appreciate my computer seizing up when I'm trying to scroll to a different point of the document as a reference. Chris ordered me a cooling stand which I hope will alleviate most of the problem, but my little Acer Aspire One has a bad rep for the whole freezing issue. I don't want a full-sized laptop, and all I'm doing is word processing. Chris has offered to get me a new netbook, but I keep putting it off, hoping that the issue will just go away if I ignore it. We'll see.
These past few weeks have been filled with projects, work, outings, and frustration. We have a coat closet now that just need a kick plate to cover the hole in the door and some flooring. Chris has done a fantastic job with it. Just getting to the closet is a bit tricky at times since there's always something in the way at the moment, in order to block the hole. But it'll be good soon.
I've done another project at work that I'm pleased to say that my coworker is happy with. I have proven myself effect that he can tell me what he wants done with a particular project, and I can get it done in a clean fashion, though it may take me a few attempts to get everything in order. Work is nonstop. Sometimes I think I should get up and walk away from my desk more often, but I suppose I'll do that when the work lets up.
My brother has announced that the Mona Lisa will be closing so the gang went out for some fondue. It was fun, but I had to bail on my best friend and leave her to babysit, which I felt bad for. But Kimi loves playing with Beverlie, and Beverlie is a trooper when it comes to kids. I'll be taking her out to the new Twilight movie this coming Friday as part of the thank-you package. Even though I haven't read the books, I figured I'll probably enjoy the movie anyways. No, I haven't seen the other movies in the series either. I'm not about to hate it just because over-fanatic fans have made it "uncool" or a joke in today's society. I'll watch it with an open mind and judge the quality for myself.
As far as frustrations go, I have found the freezing habit of my netbook to be thoroughly annoying when I'm trying to edit a book that's 194K words long. That translates into a 311 page Word document at size 11 Calibri font, single spaced without the extra spacing between paragraphs. As you might be able to tell, I don't appreciate my computer seizing up when I'm trying to scroll to a different point of the document as a reference. Chris ordered me a cooling stand which I hope will alleviate most of the problem, but my little Acer Aspire One has a bad rep for the whole freezing issue. I don't want a full-sized laptop, and all I'm doing is word processing. Chris has offered to get me a new netbook, but I keep putting it off, hoping that the issue will just go away if I ignore it. We'll see.
Monday, November 7, 2011
Compiled!
I've finally got a compiled piece of work. Through my three points of views, I am telling the story of love and war. And after rereading the first half, I realize with great dismay that it's somewhat boring. Now that I've begun my editing stage and lay out the story along a congruent timeline, I see the parts that need tweaked. A bit more creative description here. A little removal of unnecessary detail there. I haven't been able to sit down and get through it all consecutively which has been a detriment to the whole editing process, but I think I'm still on schedule for my Christmas deadline.
Now if only I could stop changing the story. Alright, so it's not exactly the story that I'm changing. However I've decided to work in someone that I could kill senselessly. So, I've created a valet. Peter Collins, the Commander's valet, will meet an unfortunate end. I haven't exactly figured out how yet. And I hope that I make the character loved enough that my readers will be outraged by it. But all in all, I think he'll add value and personality.
Now if only I could stop changing the story. Alright, so it's not exactly the story that I'm changing. However I've decided to work in someone that I could kill senselessly. So, I've created a valet. Peter Collins, the Commander's valet, will meet an unfortunate end. I haven't exactly figured out how yet. And I hope that I make the character loved enough that my readers will be outraged by it. But all in all, I think he'll add value and personality.
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