Found a link to a blog post on Rachelle Gardner's blog (she's a literary agent) that sounds like this winter in the northeastern U.S.: HELL.
Here's the link.
Is it any wonder that more and more writers and would-be writers are turning to self publishing?
Nancy
16 February 2011
Publishing Nightmares
Found a link to a blog post on Rachelle Gardner's blog (she's a literary agent) that sounds like this winter in the northeastern U.S.: HELL.
Here's the link.
Is it any wonder that more and more writers and would-be writers are turning to self publishing?
Nancy
Here's the link.
Is it any wonder that more and more writers and would-be writers are turning to self publishing?
Nancy
10 February 2011
Antagonists
A poster over on the AW blog started a February blog chain (of course I missed out on "signing up" for it, lol). So, instead, I'll be doing that on my own - although the OP did say that "Bloggers, you are welcome to join in as we progress."
And I'll get my chance...whenever the chain gets to me (could be a while).
So here's my take on it all.
Antagonists - Part 1
Describe your antagnoist in 50 words or less.
Well, since I have two current WIPs, I'll do it for both.
Background for Personal Demons: The Home Front, World War II, Los Angeles. The federal government has enacted a law where all people of Japanese descent are to be rounded up and put in internment centers. (historical fantasy)
First, for Personal Demons, wherein the antagonist, a Japanese American, is masquerading as a Chinese, calling himself Charlie Lee:
Born to first generation Japanese (issei), Charlie Lee isn’t his real name, but he needed to stay out of the internment camps to kill his impure sister and unborn child. Physically he’s skinney and slight, but he doesn’t need a human body in order to accomplish his ends.
Background for Changing Faces: A woman in a small New Jersey town has magical powers that lead her to believe a landlord in an old house might know about or is the focus of evil invading that town. (paranormal suspense)
With most of his face disfigured in the Vietnam War, Mr. Underhill feels lucky his stumpy hand was healed by a creature he encountered when separated from his platoon. He feels the only way he can go through life with his hideous face is to do his own cosmetic surgery.
As you can see, I don't have this one all worked out as yet (the guy's name is just a working name for now).
Antagonists - Part 2
What would you say to your antagonist if you met him or her in real life? Post a scene in response to this question in 100 words or less.
Personal Demons:
The small, skinny man’s Asiatic eyes dart about and he hugs the walls as he eventually sidles past me.
I can't resist.
"Excuse me," I say. He turns, scowling, and I hesitate. Will he hit me? Then I notice his "I am Chinese" button. Of course. "Is someone after you?" A sudden thought of being involved in a shoot-'em-up is eased by his wavering smile.
"Um, I am looking for my sister. She is...in a bad way, and I need to talk to her boyfriend."
He doffs his hat as he skulks away, while my skin prickles.
Scary liar.
I did this in present tense because I can. :-) And keep in mind that this takes place in 1942, so I'm imagining how I might have looked at things back then.
Changing Faces:
I hear strange things about the landlord. His apartment is on the second floor, and the floor creaks as I approach the door and rap on it. “Mr. Underhill?”
The door groans open, as if stricken with arthritis. A person stands there with a hood drawn taut over most of his or her face. Shadows amid the dim light. “Who are you?”
“The new owner.” Deep male voice. “Need to check something.” My eyes take a minute to adjust, but I notice the jumble of furniture and papers. Clear jars litter the floor.
“They’re for preserving,” he says.
Again in present tense. Just little teasers, heh.
I'm not sure if this is what the OP had in mind, but I'm running with it anyway.
Fun!
Nancy
And I'll get my chance...whenever the chain gets to me (could be a while).
So here's my take on it all.
Antagonists - Part 1
Describe your antagnoist in 50 words or less.
Well, since I have two current WIPs, I'll do it for both.
Background for Personal Demons: The Home Front, World War II, Los Angeles. The federal government has enacted a law where all people of Japanese descent are to be rounded up and put in internment centers. (historical fantasy)
First, for Personal Demons, wherein the antagonist, a Japanese American, is masquerading as a Chinese, calling himself Charlie Lee:
Born to first generation Japanese (issei), Charlie Lee isn’t his real name, but he needed to stay out of the internment camps to kill his impure sister and unborn child. Physically he’s skinney and slight, but he doesn’t need a human body in order to accomplish his ends.
Background for Changing Faces: A woman in a small New Jersey town has magical powers that lead her to believe a landlord in an old house might know about or is the focus of evil invading that town. (paranormal suspense)
With most of his face disfigured in the Vietnam War, Mr. Underhill feels lucky his stumpy hand was healed by a creature he encountered when separated from his platoon. He feels the only way he can go through life with his hideous face is to do his own cosmetic surgery.
As you can see, I don't have this one all worked out as yet (the guy's name is just a working name for now).
Antagonists - Part 2
What would you say to your antagonist if you met him or her in real life? Post a scene in response to this question in 100 words or less.
Personal Demons:
The small, skinny man’s Asiatic eyes dart about and he hugs the walls as he eventually sidles past me.
I can't resist.
"Excuse me," I say. He turns, scowling, and I hesitate. Will he hit me? Then I notice his "I am Chinese" button. Of course. "Is someone after you?" A sudden thought of being involved in a shoot-'em-up is eased by his wavering smile.
"Um, I am looking for my sister. She is...in a bad way, and I need to talk to her boyfriend."
He doffs his hat as he skulks away, while my skin prickles.
Scary liar.
I did this in present tense because I can. :-) And keep in mind that this takes place in 1942, so I'm imagining how I might have looked at things back then.
Changing Faces:
I hear strange things about the landlord. His apartment is on the second floor, and the floor creaks as I approach the door and rap on it. “Mr. Underhill?”
The door groans open, as if stricken with arthritis. A person stands there with a hood drawn taut over most of his or her face. Shadows amid the dim light. “Who are you?”
“The new owner.” Deep male voice. “Need to check something.” My eyes take a minute to adjust, but I notice the jumble of furniture and papers. Clear jars litter the floor.
“They’re for preserving,” he says.
Again in present tense. Just little teasers, heh.
I'm not sure if this is what the OP had in mind, but I'm running with it anyway.
Fun!
Nancy
Antagonists
A poster over on the AW blog started a February blog chain (of course I missed out on "signing up" for it, lol). So, instead, I'll be doing that on my own - although the OP did say that "Bloggers, you are welcome to join in as we progress."
And I'll get my chance...whenever the chain gets to me (could be a while).
So here's my take on it all.
Antagonists - Part 1
Describe your antagnoist in 50 words or less.
Well, since I have two current WIPs, I'll do it for both.
Background for Personal Demons: The Home Front, World War II, Los Angeles. The federal government has enacted a law where all people of Japanese descent are to be rounded up and put in internment centers. (historical fantasy)
First, for Personal Demons, wherein the antagonist, a Japanese American, is masquerading as a Chinese, calling himself Charlie Lee:
Born to first generation Japanese (issei), Charlie Lee isn’t his real name, but he needed to stay out of the internment camps to kill his impure sister and unborn child. Physically he’s skinney and slight, but he doesn’t need a human body in order to accomplish his ends.
Background for Changing Faces: A woman in a small New Jersey town has magical powers that lead her to believe a landlord in an old house might know about or is the focus of evil invading that town. (paranormal suspense)
With most of his face disfigured in the Vietnam War, Mr. Underhill feels lucky his stumpy hand was healed by a creature he encountered when separated from his platoon. He feels the only way he can go through life with his hideous face is to do his own cosmetic surgery.
As you can see, I don't have this one all worked out as yet (the guy's name is just a working name for now).
Antagonists - Part 2
What would you say to your antagonist if you met him or her in real life? Post a scene in response to this question in 100 words or less.
Personal Demons:
The small, skinny man’s Asiatic eyes dart about and he hugs the walls as he eventually sidles past me.
I can't resist.
"Excuse me," I say. He turns, scowling, and I hesitate. Will he hit me? Then I notice his "I am Chinese" button. Of course. "Is someone after you?" A sudden thought of being involved in a shoot-'em-up is eased by his wavering smile.
"Um, I am looking for my sister. She is...in a bad way, and I need to talk to her boyfriend."
He doffs his hat as he skulks away, while my skin prickles.
Scary liar.
I did this in present tense because I can. :-) And keep in mind that this takes place in 1942, so I'm imagining how I might have looked at things back then.
Changing Faces:
I hear strange things about the landlord. His apartment is on the second floor, and the floor creaks as I approach the door and rap on it. “Mr. Underhill?”
The door groans open, as if stricken with arthritis. A person stands there with a hood drawn taut over most of his or her face. Shadows amid the dim light. “Who are you?”
“The new owner.” Deep male voice. “Need to check something.” My eyes take a minute to adjust, but I notice the jumble of furniture and papers. Clear jars litter the floor.
“They’re for preserving,” he says.
Again in present tense. Just little teasers, heh.
I'm not sure if this is what the OP had in mind, but I'm running with it anyway.
Fun!
Nancy
And I'll get my chance...whenever the chain gets to me (could be a while).
So here's my take on it all.
Antagonists - Part 1
Describe your antagnoist in 50 words or less.
Well, since I have two current WIPs, I'll do it for both.
Background for Personal Demons: The Home Front, World War II, Los Angeles. The federal government has enacted a law where all people of Japanese descent are to be rounded up and put in internment centers. (historical fantasy)
First, for Personal Demons, wherein the antagonist, a Japanese American, is masquerading as a Chinese, calling himself Charlie Lee:
Born to first generation Japanese (issei), Charlie Lee isn’t his real name, but he needed to stay out of the internment camps to kill his impure sister and unborn child. Physically he’s skinney and slight, but he doesn’t need a human body in order to accomplish his ends.
Background for Changing Faces: A woman in a small New Jersey town has magical powers that lead her to believe a landlord in an old house might know about or is the focus of evil invading that town. (paranormal suspense)
With most of his face disfigured in the Vietnam War, Mr. Underhill feels lucky his stumpy hand was healed by a creature he encountered when separated from his platoon. He feels the only way he can go through life with his hideous face is to do his own cosmetic surgery.
As you can see, I don't have this one all worked out as yet (the guy's name is just a working name for now).
Antagonists - Part 2
What would you say to your antagonist if you met him or her in real life? Post a scene in response to this question in 100 words or less.
Personal Demons:
The small, skinny man’s Asiatic eyes dart about and he hugs the walls as he eventually sidles past me.
I can't resist.
"Excuse me," I say. He turns, scowling, and I hesitate. Will he hit me? Then I notice his "I am Chinese" button. Of course. "Is someone after you?" A sudden thought of being involved in a shoot-'em-up is eased by his wavering smile.
"Um, I am looking for my sister. She is...in a bad way, and I need to talk to her boyfriend."
He doffs his hat as he skulks away, while my skin prickles.
Scary liar.
I did this in present tense because I can. :-) And keep in mind that this takes place in 1942, so I'm imagining how I might have looked at things back then.
Changing Faces:
I hear strange things about the landlord. His apartment is on the second floor, and the floor creaks as I approach the door and rap on it. “Mr. Underhill?”
The door groans open, as if stricken with arthritis. A person stands there with a hood drawn taut over most of his or her face. Shadows amid the dim light. “Who are you?”
“The new owner.” Deep male voice. “Need to check something.” My eyes take a minute to adjust, but I notice the jumble of furniture and papers. Clear jars litter the floor.
“They’re for preserving,” he says.
Again in present tense. Just little teasers, heh.
I'm not sure if this is what the OP had in mind, but I'm running with it anyway.
Fun!
Nancy
09 February 2011
My Writing and the Indie Scene (such as it is)
This post got me thinking about a lot of things, mostly writing related.Of course, I've been thinking about my writing, which, BTW, now includes another WIP, a paranormal suspense, that's actually based on a short story I tried to submit mucho years ago. It was rejected by a few different ezines and print zines, and I let it slip by the wayside.
I think I know why: it wasn't good enough. I thought it was. After all, I'd just sold my First. Ever. Short. to an ezine...after only submitting it to three places. Yeah, I was high on myself, and was brought waaay down to Earth after those rejections.
So I moved on to novels.
Novel In Progress Number 1
This is one I originally started years ago. It had a time travel element to it (a woman going back in time to 1942 to see her birth mother, also, a Roman deity :-)), but I started reading articles about different things I needed to do (or so I thought) or have in the story, so I chucked in just about anything I could think of.
What a bloated mess.
Well, I resurrected that this past year, completely reworking it, thanks to a writing instructor whose only question was how timely and up to date the time travel element was in fantasy books. My reading time is small at the moment, but I've been a voracious reader in the past, and I know I'll get back to that way at some point...so my look at recent fantasy books made me conclude to drop that altogether.
Remember that for the next section of this post.
I think it's progressing very well, with a few bumps, but I'll deal with that AFTER I've finished the first draft.
I haven't done any writing in that in about a week or so, because of that short story I mentioned earlier.
Novel In Progress Number 2
Words so far this week: 2,500. Don't know what chapter I'm up to, as I haven't figured that out as yet. But the words are flowing, which is more important.
As I said above, it's a paranormal suspense, like this one, and this one. All right, not exactly, lol. The paranormal elements are there, including the protagonist, who has powers to undo dark auras, which can induce people to kill; some romance, with a hunky guy who has a leg prosthesis (the romantic element is NOT of the Happily Every After (HEA) variety; and a creepy guy who's the landlord of the building the hunky guy lives in. Oh, he's got a grisly, um, habit, that was suggested to me by a Beatles tune (I won't say which one). Not that this particular Beatles tune has anything grisly in the lyrics; it's one of their most wistful almost melancholy tunes, I think.
The New Indie Scene
With lots of sales of The Kindle
ebook reader last Christmas, tons of people started to download ebooks from Amazon. And figure in Barnes and Noble's Nook. And smartphones.
ebook reader last Christmas, tons of people started to download ebooks from Amazon. And figure in Barnes and Noble's Nook. And smartphones.You get the idea.
Amanda Hocking is the current darling of the self pubbing scene, having sold a boatload of ebooks. Her key was to upload a slew of books in the same series (YA paranormal, I believe), and enough people decided to give it a whirl that she was number one on Amazon's Kindle bestselling ebooks list for weeks.
Now you're wondering...where is this leading to? (If you've already figured it out, skip this sentence. ;-))
I'm not getting any younger, and my health has come into question a lot lately - I'm not ready to kick the bucket yet, and intend to be around for a looong time - so I'm considering other ideas. Nothing is set in granite at this point, but I like to explore everything that's available. And ebooks - Kindle, Nook, whatever - are a big thing at the moment.
I'll just continue to gather facts and opinions before doing anything. Part of that fact finding mission was accomplished over the weekend: I bought two Kindle-formatted ebooks off of Smashwords. Why there and not Amazon? Because Amazon doesn't use PayPal and Smashwords does.
I downloaded To Kill a Warlock
, by H. P. Mallory (great cover, BTW) and Loose Ends
, by Terri Reid. The first is an urban fantasy (which I thought I didn't care for), while the second is a paranormal mystery. Both women decided now was the time to get their stories out there, instead of going through the query agent/submit to publisher grind. I admire them both for deciding to go this route, because it's not an easy thing, ESPECIALLY if you've heard for quite a while that getting an agent is not only a pain in the ass but they can do some horrid things to your royalty statements (I'll probably do a post on that sometime). Submitting directly to publishers ain't easy, either; most have eliminated their slush piles (with the agents now in charge of that).
, by H. P. Mallory (great cover, BTW) and Loose Ends, by Terri Reid. The first is an urban fantasy (which I thought I didn't care for), while the second is a paranormal mystery. Both women decided now was the time to get their stories out there, instead of going through the query agent/submit to publisher grind. I admire them both for deciding to go this route, because it's not an easy thing, ESPECIALLY if you've heard for quite a while that getting an agent is not only a pain in the ass but they can do some horrid things to your royalty statements (I'll probably do a post on that sometime). Submitting directly to publishers ain't easy, either; most have eliminated their slush piles (with the agents now in charge of that).I haven't gotten through either book as yet, but when I do, I'll do reviews.
In the meantime, you simply have to see this fun cover of Ms. Mallory's (which she did herself!):
My Writing and the Indie Scene (such as it is)
This post got me thinking about a lot of things, mostly writing related.Of course, I've been thinking about my writing, which, BTW, now includes another WIP, a paranormal suspense, that's actually based on a short story I tried to submit mucho years ago. It was rejected by a few different ezines and print zines, and I let it slip by the wayside.
I think I know why: it wasn't good enough. I thought it was. After all, I'd just sold my First. Ever. Short. to an ezine...after only submitting it to three places. Yeah, I was high on myself, and was brought waaay down to Earth after those rejections.
So I moved on to novels.
Novel In Progress Number 1
This is one I originally started years ago. It had a time travel element to it (a woman going back in time to 1942 to see her birth mother, also, a Roman deity :-)), but I started reading articles about different things I needed to do (or so I thought) or have in the story, so I chucked in just about anything I could think of.
What a bloated mess.
Well, I resurrected that this past year, completely reworking it, thanks to a writing instructor whose only question was how timely and up to date the time travel element was in fantasy books. My reading time is small at the moment, but I've been a voracious reader in the past, and I know I'll get back to that way at some point...so my look at recent fantasy books made me conclude to drop that altogether.
Remember that for the next section of this post.
I think it's progressing very well, with a few bumps, but I'll deal with that AFTER I've finished the first draft.
I haven't done any writing in that in about a week or so, because of that short story I mentioned earlier.
Novel In Progress Number 2
Words so far this week: 2,500. Don't know what chapter I'm up to, as I haven't figured that out as yet. But the words are flowing, which is more important.
As I said above, it's a paranormal suspense, like this one, and this one. All right, not exactly, lol. The paranormal elements are there, including the protagonist, who has powers to undo dark auras, which can induce people to kill; some romance, with a hunky guy who has a leg prosthesis (the romantic element is NOT of the Happily Every After (HEA) variety; and a creepy guy who's the landlord of the building the hunky guy lives in. Oh, he's got a grisly, um, habit, that was suggested to me by a Beatles tune (I won't say which one). Not that this particular Beatles tune has anything grisly in the lyrics; it's one of their most wistful almost melancholy tunes, I think.
The New Indie Scene
With lots of sales of The Kindle ebook reader last Christmas, tons of people started to download ebooks from Amazon. And figure in Barnes and Noble's Nook. And smartphones.
ebook reader last Christmas, tons of people started to download ebooks from Amazon. And figure in Barnes and Noble's Nook. And smartphones.You get the idea.
Amanda Hocking is the current darling of the self pubbing scene, having sold a boatload of ebooks. Her key was to upload a slew of books in the same series (YA paranormal, I believe), and enough people decided to give it a whirl that she was number one on Amazon's Kindle bestselling ebooks list for weeks.
Now you're wondering...where is this leading to? (If you've already figured it out, skip this sentence. ;-))
I'm not getting any younger, and my health has come into question a lot lately - I'm not ready to kick the bucket yet, and intend to be around for a looong time - so I'm considering other ideas. Nothing is set in granite at this point, but I like to explore everything that's available. And ebooks - Kindle, Nook, whatever - are a big thing at the moment.
I'll just continue to gather facts and opinions before doing anything. Part of that fact finding mission was accomplished over the weekend: I bought two Kindle-formatted ebooks off of Smashwords. Why there and not Amazon? Because Amazon doesn't use PayPal and Smashwords does.
I downloaded To Kill a Warlock, by H. P. Mallory (great cover, BTW) and Loose Ends, by Terri Reid. The first is an urban fantasy (which I thought I didn't care for), while the second is a paranormal mystery. Both women decided now was the time to get their stories out there, instead of going through the query agent/submit to publisher grind. I admire them both for deciding to go this route, because it's not an easy thing, ESPECIALLY if you've heard for quite a while that getting an agent is not only a pain in the ass but they can do some horrid things to your royalty statements (I'll probably do a post on that sometime). Submitting directly to publishers ain't easy, either; most have eliminated their slush piles (with the agents now in charge of that).
, by H. P. Mallory (great cover, BTW) and Loose Ends, by Terri Reid. The first is an urban fantasy (which I thought I didn't care for), while the second is a paranormal mystery. Both women decided now was the time to get their stories out there, instead of going through the query agent/submit to publisher grind. I admire them both for deciding to go this route, because it's not an easy thing, ESPECIALLY if you've heard for quite a while that getting an agent is not only a pain in the ass but they can do some horrid things to your royalty statements (I'll probably do a post on that sometime). Submitting directly to publishers ain't easy, either; most have eliminated their slush piles (with the agents now in charge of that).I haven't gotten through either book as yet, but when I do, I'll do reviews.
In the meantime, you simply have to see this fun cover of Ms. Mallory's (which she did herself!):
07 February 2011
Congrats to the Green Bay Packers!
Yup, watched the Super Bowl all the way through.
It was an enjoyable game, and it wasn't until the end of the fourth quarter that (I think) anyone knew the Pack would win.
Aaron Rodgers was stellar; Ben R., less so. Of course, Green Bay could've been up by a lot more points if some of his receivers held on to the ball. But the Steelers kept coming back and coming back, and I was reminded of the 2nd Giants-Eagles game this year (what a nightmare, one I really don't want to remember).
The Steelers, though, weren't able to overcome the Packers' defense at the end. Or maybe it was a combo of that and some poor throws by Big Ben.
Whatever. I like both teams, still do (except when they play the Giants).
This was a great ending to the 2010 NFL season. Now if the Collective Bargaining Agreement can be worked out before the start of the 2011 season...
Nancy Beck
It was an enjoyable game, and it wasn't until the end of the fourth quarter that (I think) anyone knew the Pack would win.
Aaron Rodgers was stellar; Ben R., less so. Of course, Green Bay could've been up by a lot more points if some of his receivers held on to the ball. But the Steelers kept coming back and coming back, and I was reminded of the 2nd Giants-Eagles game this year (what a nightmare, one I really don't want to remember).
The Steelers, though, weren't able to overcome the Packers' defense at the end. Or maybe it was a combo of that and some poor throws by Big Ben.
Whatever. I like both teams, still do (except when they play the Giants).
This was a great ending to the 2010 NFL season. Now if the Collective Bargaining Agreement can be worked out before the start of the 2011 season...
Nancy Beck
Congrats to the Green Bay Packers!
Yup, watched the Super Bowl all the way through.
It was an enjoyable game, and it wasn't until the end of the fourth quarter that (I think) anyone knew the Pack would win.
Aaron Rodgers was stellar; Ben R., less so. Of course, Green Bay could've been up by a lot more points if some of his receivers held on to the ball. But the Steelers kept coming back and coming back, and I was reminded of the 2nd Giants-Eagles game this year (what a nightmare, one I really don't want to remember).
The Steelers, though, weren't able to overcome the Packers' defense at the end. Or maybe it was a combo of that and some poor throws by Big Ben.
Whatever. I like both teams, still do (except when they play the Giants).
This was a great ending to the 2010 NFL season. Now if the Collective Bargaining Agreement can be worked out before the start of the 2011 season...
Nancy Beck
It was an enjoyable game, and it wasn't until the end of the fourth quarter that (I think) anyone knew the Pack would win.
Aaron Rodgers was stellar; Ben R., less so. Of course, Green Bay could've been up by a lot more points if some of his receivers held on to the ball. But the Steelers kept coming back and coming back, and I was reminded of the 2nd Giants-Eagles game this year (what a nightmare, one I really don't want to remember).
The Steelers, though, weren't able to overcome the Packers' defense at the end. Or maybe it was a combo of that and some poor throws by Big Ben.
Whatever. I like both teams, still do (except when they play the Giants).
This was a great ending to the 2010 NFL season. Now if the Collective Bargaining Agreement can be worked out before the start of the 2011 season...
Nancy Beck
04 February 2011
Maria V. Snyder
I've loved Ms. Snyder's Study and Glass books. Poison Study was especially an eye opener for me - plenty of humor, some romance, danger...really good stuff.
I know she has a new book out that's not in the universe of those books, and I'm not interested (at this point) in reading it; it's dystopian, which isn't what's stopping me, it's just that I have SO MANY books to read, lol.
Anyway, I found the following interview of her. She sounds like a really lovely person (and I get her email newsletter), and when I reviewed Poison Study way back when, she actually went out of her way to comment on it (nicely, of course). Although I understand why authors are a little hesitant to get in touch with readers (I understand about stalking), I've never done more than one or two emails back and forth between an author and me (yes, I've contacted two other authors, one on one of his novels, the other on an author's online short story).
So, um, what was I talking about before I went on my spiel? Oh, yeah, the interview of Ms. Snyder. She mainly talks about the Glass series.
I know she has a new book out that's not in the universe of those books, and I'm not interested (at this point) in reading it; it's dystopian, which isn't what's stopping me, it's just that I have SO MANY books to read, lol.
Anyway, I found the following interview of her. She sounds like a really lovely person (and I get her email newsletter), and when I reviewed Poison Study way back when, she actually went out of her way to comment on it (nicely, of course). Although I understand why authors are a little hesitant to get in touch with readers (I understand about stalking), I've never done more than one or two emails back and forth between an author and me (yes, I've contacted two other authors, one on one of his novels, the other on an author's online short story).
So, um, what was I talking about before I went on my spiel? Oh, yeah, the interview of Ms. Snyder. She mainly talks about the Glass series.
Maria V. Snyder
I've loved Ms. Snyder's Study and Glass books. Poison Study was especially an eye opener for me - plenty of humor, some romance, danger...really good stuff.
I know she has a new book out that's not in the universe of those books, and I'm not interested (at this point) in reading it; it's dystopian, which isn't what's stopping me, it's just that I have SO MANY books to read, lol.
Anyway, I found the following interview of her. She sounds like a really lovely person (and I get her email newsletter), and when I reviewed Poison Study way back when, she actually went out of her way to comment on it (nicely, of course). Although I understand why authors are a little hesitant to get in touch with readers (I understand about stalking), I've never done more than one or two emails back and forth between an author and me (yes, I've contacted two other authors, one on one of his novels, the other on an author's online short story).
So, um, what was I talking about before I went on my spiel? Oh, yeah, the interview of Ms. Snyder. She mainly talks about the Glass series.
I know she has a new book out that's not in the universe of those books, and I'm not interested (at this point) in reading it; it's dystopian, which isn't what's stopping me, it's just that I have SO MANY books to read, lol.
Anyway, I found the following interview of her. She sounds like a really lovely person (and I get her email newsletter), and when I reviewed Poison Study way back when, she actually went out of her way to comment on it (nicely, of course). Although I understand why authors are a little hesitant to get in touch with readers (I understand about stalking), I've never done more than one or two emails back and forth between an author and me (yes, I've contacted two other authors, one on one of his novels, the other on an author's online short story).
So, um, what was I talking about before I went on my spiel? Oh, yeah, the interview of Ms. Snyder. She mainly talks about the Glass series.
02 February 2011
My Writing
I got back to writing my own stuff this week. It's been a while, and I think it's a combo of being lazy (of which I have a lot of practice ;-)) and a tad of depression.
The depression stems from this crappy weather this winter. Living in the northeastern U.S., you know the winter is going to be cold as all get out, there will be some snow, and you deal with it.
But this winter? I mean, WTF?
Every frigging week there's at least one day where you have snow up the ying-yang. This week, it's the fun and frolic of ice. However, it looks like I might actually make it into work, because the temps are warming up more than the weather people originally thought. As I'm a temp (not by choice), I don't get paid if I don't get in, so this is changeover to good, old regular rain is welcome.
Number of words written this week so far: approximately 1,500.
I'm also critting/betaing a novel for someone over on Absolute Write, so that's cut into my own writing time a bit. But it's also helped me get back into my own writing, which is always a good thing.
In fact, I've decided that I'm not going to edit the crap out of this ms. No more. I did that with the original version of this story and stuffed so full of odds and ends, that it made no sense. (And editing was a nightmare.)
So...I've laid down the law. I will do three revisions, then send it out/whatever. The first draft is the "Get Down the Story" draft. It's minimalist, with some bits of dialogue and some description. Second time around is for adding more details, excising things that seemed like good ideas at the time, and to fix any typos/grammar nits/punctuation problems.
Third time will be to add any further necessary details and further typos, etc.
That's it. I'll then work on a query and either a sequel or another series idea. I'm no spring chicken anymore, so the time to get moving is now.
I've noticed that there are at least two people who believe that writing fast and minimal revisions are the way to go. I've finally come around to that way of thinking.
Nancy
P.S. It's Ground Hog Day (hubby and I watched the movie yesterday; profound and funny at the same time, not an easy thing to pull off)! Already saw Punxy Phil this morning - early spring! (Let's hope he's right, 'cause I'm really sick of all this snow and crap!)
Of course, I had to find a clip where Phil Connors (Bill Murray) has fun with a woman named Nancy. :-)
The depression stems from this crappy weather this winter. Living in the northeastern U.S., you know the winter is going to be cold as all get out, there will be some snow, and you deal with it.
But this winter? I mean, WTF?
Every frigging week there's at least one day where you have snow up the ying-yang. This week, it's the fun and frolic of ice. However, it looks like I might actually make it into work, because the temps are warming up more than the weather people originally thought. As I'm a temp (not by choice), I don't get paid if I don't get in, so this is changeover to good, old regular rain is welcome.
Number of words written this week so far: approximately 1,500.
I'm also critting/betaing a novel for someone over on Absolute Write, so that's cut into my own writing time a bit. But it's also helped me get back into my own writing, which is always a good thing.
In fact, I've decided that I'm not going to edit the crap out of this ms. No more. I did that with the original version of this story and stuffed so full of odds and ends, that it made no sense. (And editing was a nightmare.)
So...I've laid down the law. I will do three revisions, then send it out/whatever. The first draft is the "Get Down the Story" draft. It's minimalist, with some bits of dialogue and some description. Second time around is for adding more details, excising things that seemed like good ideas at the time, and to fix any typos/grammar nits/punctuation problems.
Third time will be to add any further necessary details and further typos, etc.
That's it. I'll then work on a query and either a sequel or another series idea. I'm no spring chicken anymore, so the time to get moving is now.
I've noticed that there are at least two people who believe that writing fast and minimal revisions are the way to go. I've finally come around to that way of thinking.
Nancy
P.S. It's Ground Hog Day (hubby and I watched the movie yesterday; profound and funny at the same time, not an easy thing to pull off)! Already saw Punxy Phil this morning - early spring! (Let's hope he's right, 'cause I'm really sick of all this snow and crap!)
Of course, I had to find a clip where Phil Connors (Bill Murray) has fun with a woman named Nancy. :-)
My Writing
I got back to writing my own stuff this week. It's been a while, and I think it's a combo of being lazy (of which I have a lot of practice ;-)) and a tad of depression.
The depression stems from this crappy weather this winter. Living in the northeastern U.S., you know the winter is going to be cold as all get out, there will be some snow, and you deal with it.
But this winter? I mean, WTF?
Every frigging week there's at least one day where you have snow up the ying-yang. This week, it's the fun and frolic of ice. However, it looks like I might actually make it into work, because the temps are warming up more than the weather people originally thought. As I'm a temp (not by choice), I don't get paid if I don't get in, so this is changeover to good, old regular rain is welcome.
Number of words written this week so far: approximately 1,500.
I'm also critting/betaing a novel for someone over on Absolute Write, so that's cut into my own writing time a bit. But it's also helped me get back into my own writing, which is always a good thing.
In fact, I've decided that I'm not going to edit the crap out of this ms. No more. I did that with the original version of this story and stuffed so full of odds and ends, that it made no sense. (And editing was a nightmare.)
So...I've laid down the law. I will do three revisions, then send it out/whatever. The first draft is the "Get Down the Story" draft. It's minimalist, with some bits of dialogue and some description. Second time around is for adding more details, excising things that seemed like good ideas at the time, and to fix any typos/grammar nits/punctuation problems.
Third time will be to add any further necessary details and further typos, etc.
That's it. I'll then work on a query and either a sequel or another series idea. I'm no spring chicken anymore, so the time to get moving is now.
I've noticed that there are at least two people who believe that writing fast and minimal revisions are the way to go. I've finally come around to that way of thinking.
Nancy
P.S. It's Ground Hog Day (hubby and I watched the movie yesterday; profound and funny at the same time, not an easy thing to pull off)! Already saw Punxy Phil this morning - early spring! (Let's hope he's right, 'cause I'm really sick of all this snow and crap!)
Of course, I had to find a clip where Phil Connors (Bill Murray) has fun with a woman named Nancy. :-)
The depression stems from this crappy weather this winter. Living in the northeastern U.S., you know the winter is going to be cold as all get out, there will be some snow, and you deal with it.
But this winter? I mean, WTF?
Every frigging week there's at least one day where you have snow up the ying-yang. This week, it's the fun and frolic of ice. However, it looks like I might actually make it into work, because the temps are warming up more than the weather people originally thought. As I'm a temp (not by choice), I don't get paid if I don't get in, so this is changeover to good, old regular rain is welcome.
Number of words written this week so far: approximately 1,500.
I'm also critting/betaing a novel for someone over on Absolute Write, so that's cut into my own writing time a bit. But it's also helped me get back into my own writing, which is always a good thing.
In fact, I've decided that I'm not going to edit the crap out of this ms. No more. I did that with the original version of this story and stuffed so full of odds and ends, that it made no sense. (And editing was a nightmare.)
So...I've laid down the law. I will do three revisions, then send it out/whatever. The first draft is the "Get Down the Story" draft. It's minimalist, with some bits of dialogue and some description. Second time around is for adding more details, excising things that seemed like good ideas at the time, and to fix any typos/grammar nits/punctuation problems.
Third time will be to add any further necessary details and further typos, etc.
That's it. I'll then work on a query and either a sequel or another series idea. I'm no spring chicken anymore, so the time to get moving is now.
I've noticed that there are at least two people who believe that writing fast and minimal revisions are the way to go. I've finally come around to that way of thinking.
Nancy
P.S. It's Ground Hog Day (hubby and I watched the movie yesterday; profound and funny at the same time, not an easy thing to pull off)! Already saw Punxy Phil this morning - early spring! (Let's hope he's right, 'cause I'm really sick of all this snow and crap!)
Of course, I had to find a clip where Phil Connors (Bill Murray) has fun with a woman named Nancy. :-)
28 January 2011
Naomi Novik
I originally thought about posting a Scott Lynch vid (he of Lock Lamora fame), I decided on a female writer instead, Naomi Novik in particular.
Depending on how you look at it, she either writes historical fiction with a fantasy bent or historical fantasy; I'm going with the historical fantasy label (because that's what I'm writing). Either way, history is an important element of the story.
BTW, some critics of her later books are saying these books are becoming more alternative history than historical fantasy.
Whatever.
To me, it's still a good read, whatever label you put on it. According to Ms. Novik, in the vid anyway (filmed in 2008), this one goes to nine (not 11, lol). I need to stock up ye olde PayPal and buy her latest, which I've neglected to do - not that I don't have anything to read :-). My TBR pile is up there, trust me.
One of the reasons I like the Temeraire series is the dragon is so smart and erudite and curious. Maybe that's how I look at myself (hah!), although some would beg to differ. In fact, that's the problem the MC in my WIP (Viv Cambridge) looks at herself, so I don't have a problem with self deprecation.
As I said, this is a Q&A (Part 1) at a bookstore in Seattle back in July 2008.
Depending on how you look at it, she either writes historical fiction with a fantasy bent or historical fantasy; I'm going with the historical fantasy label (because that's what I'm writing). Either way, history is an important element of the story.
BTW, some critics of her later books are saying these books are becoming more alternative history than historical fantasy.
Whatever.
To me, it's still a good read, whatever label you put on it. According to Ms. Novik, in the vid anyway (filmed in 2008), this one goes to nine (not 11, lol). I need to stock up ye olde PayPal and buy her latest, which I've neglected to do - not that I don't have anything to read :-). My TBR pile is up there, trust me.
One of the reasons I like the Temeraire series is the dragon is so smart and erudite and curious. Maybe that's how I look at myself (hah!), although some would beg to differ. In fact, that's the problem the MC in my WIP (Viv Cambridge) looks at herself, so I don't have a problem with self deprecation.
As I said, this is a Q&A (Part 1) at a bookstore in Seattle back in July 2008.
Naomi Novik
I originally thought about posting a Scott Lynch vid (he of Lock Lamora fame), I decided on a female writer instead, Naomi Novik in particular.
Depending on how you look at it, she either writes historical fiction with a fantasy bent or historical fantasy; I'm going with the historical fantasy label (because that's what I'm writing). Either way, history is an important element of the story.
BTW, some critics of her later books are saying these books are becoming more alternative history than historical fantasy.
Whatever.
To me, it's still a good read, whatever label you put on it. According to Ms. Novik, in the vid anyway (filmed in 2008), this one goes to nine (not 11, lol). I need to stock up ye olde PayPal and buy her latest, which I've neglected to do - not that I don't have anything to read :-). My TBR pile is up there, trust me.
One of the reasons I like the Temeraire series is the dragon is so smart and erudite and curious. Maybe that's how I look at myself (hah!), although some would beg to differ. In fact, that's the problem the MC in my WIP (Viv Cambridge) looks at herself, so I don't have a problem with self deprecation.
As I said, this is a Q&A (Part 1) at a bookstore in Seattle back in July 2008.
Depending on how you look at it, she either writes historical fiction with a fantasy bent or historical fantasy; I'm going with the historical fantasy label (because that's what I'm writing). Either way, history is an important element of the story.
BTW, some critics of her later books are saying these books are becoming more alternative history than historical fantasy.
Whatever.
To me, it's still a good read, whatever label you put on it. According to Ms. Novik, in the vid anyway (filmed in 2008), this one goes to nine (not 11, lol). I need to stock up ye olde PayPal and buy her latest, which I've neglected to do - not that I don't have anything to read :-). My TBR pile is up there, trust me.
One of the reasons I like the Temeraire series is the dragon is so smart and erudite and curious. Maybe that's how I look at myself (hah!), although some would beg to differ. In fact, that's the problem the MC in my WIP (Viv Cambridge) looks at herself, so I don't have a problem with self deprecation.
As I said, this is a Q&A (Part 1) at a bookstore in Seattle back in July 2008.
24 January 2011
I still have a Wordpress blog
But I decided to resurrect this one...because it's more fun for me (and I can do neato things like suggest books, including my own (once that day comes)).
For the time being, I'll keep the Fantasy Scribblings blog, but I'll phase it out at some point.
Hmm...welcome back, welcome back, welcome back! (Remember the old sitcom, Welcome Back, Kotter. Yeah, sung to that music.)
Fun to welcome myself back, wot?
Nancy
For the time being, I'll keep the Fantasy Scribblings blog, but I'll phase it out at some point.
Hmm...welcome back, welcome back, welcome back! (Remember the old sitcom, Welcome Back, Kotter. Yeah, sung to that music.)
Fun to welcome myself back, wot?
Nancy
I still have a Wordpress blog
But I decided to resurrect this one...because it's more fun for me (and I can do neato things like suggest books, including my own (once that day comes)).
For the time being, I'll keep the Fantasy Scribblings blog, but I'll phase it out at some point.
Hmm...welcome back, welcome back, welcome back! (Remember the old sitcom, Welcome Back, Kotter. Yeah, sung to that music.)
Fun to welcome myself back, wot?
Nancy
For the time being, I'll keep the Fantasy Scribblings blog, but I'll phase it out at some point.
Hmm...welcome back, welcome back, welcome back! (Remember the old sitcom, Welcome Back, Kotter. Yeah, sung to that music.)
Fun to welcome myself back, wot?
Nancy
21 January 2011
I'll post this...
...because I can! :-)
Hubby and I LOVE Absolutely Fabulous (aka AbFab), with Bubble being the pinnacle in ditzy blondeness. No, it's not about writing, but who cares? We all have to have some fun, and if you live in the wintry parts of the U.S., isn't it nice to just take a few moments away from the crappy snow and have a chuckle?
Yeah, I thought so. Enjoy!
Hubby and I LOVE Absolutely Fabulous (aka AbFab), with Bubble being the pinnacle in ditzy blondeness. No, it's not about writing, but who cares? We all have to have some fun, and if you live in the wintry parts of the U.S., isn't it nice to just take a few moments away from the crappy snow and have a chuckle?
Yeah, I thought so. Enjoy!
I'll post this...
...because I can! :-)
Hubby and I LOVE Absolutely Fabulous (aka AbFab), with Bubble being the pinnacle in ditzy blondeness. No, it's not about writing, but who cares? We all have to have some fun, and if you live in the wintry parts of the U.S., isn't it nice to just take a few moments away from the crappy snow and have a chuckle?
Yeah, I thought so. Enjoy!
Hubby and I LOVE Absolutely Fabulous (aka AbFab), with Bubble being the pinnacle in ditzy blondeness. No, it's not about writing, but who cares? We all have to have some fun, and if you live in the wintry parts of the U.S., isn't it nice to just take a few moments away from the crappy snow and have a chuckle?
Yeah, I thought so. Enjoy!
19 January 2011
What I'm Going to Do
I have a few ideas for stories (short stories) that aren't necessarily related to fantasy that I've been kicking around for a while.
That, and I also have an idea for a novella that is definitely not fantasy related (a romance - strange for me, because I can't remember the last time I read one). I have just rediscovered a TV soap opera that I watched back in the late 1970s (Ryan's Hope), and I'm digging it again.
(Hopefully, Faith Coleridge won't give us any more examples of her dancing. If you've ever seen Elaine Benes on Seinfeld dance...yup, just like that ::shudder::).
I've ordered a bunch of books on different things and hope to be writing shorts very soon. Since I've been given more to do at this temp job thing (yay!), I'm encouraged to go for it.
And maybe some other things too.
But more about that at some other time.
That, and I also have an idea for a novella that is definitely not fantasy related (a romance - strange for me, because I can't remember the last time I read one). I have just rediscovered a TV soap opera that I watched back in the late 1970s (Ryan's Hope), and I'm digging it again.
(Hopefully, Faith Coleridge won't give us any more examples of her dancing. If you've ever seen Elaine Benes on Seinfeld dance...yup, just like that ::shudder::).
I've ordered a bunch of books on different things and hope to be writing shorts very soon. Since I've been given more to do at this temp job thing (yay!), I'm encouraged to go for it.
And maybe some other things too.
But more about that at some other time.
What I'm Going to Do
I have a few ideas for stories (short stories) that aren't necessarily related to fantasy that I've been kicking around for a while.
That, and I also have an idea for a novella that is definitely not fantasy related (a romance - strange for me, because I can't remember the last time I read one). I have just rediscovered a TV soap opera that I watched back in the late 1970s (Ryan's Hope), and I'm digging it again.
(Hopefully, Faith Coleridge won't give us any more examples of her dancing. If you've ever seen Elaine Benes on Seinfeld dance...yup, just like that ::shudder::).
I've ordered a bunch of books on different things and hope to be writing shorts very soon. Since I've been given more to do at this temp job thing (yay!), I'm encouraged to go for it.
And maybe some other things too.
But more about that at some other time.
That, and I also have an idea for a novella that is definitely not fantasy related (a romance - strange for me, because I can't remember the last time I read one). I have just rediscovered a TV soap opera that I watched back in the late 1970s (Ryan's Hope), and I'm digging it again.
(Hopefully, Faith Coleridge won't give us any more examples of her dancing. If you've ever seen Elaine Benes on Seinfeld dance...yup, just like that ::shudder::).
I've ordered a bunch of books on different things and hope to be writing shorts very soon. Since I've been given more to do at this temp job thing (yay!), I'm encouraged to go for it.
And maybe some other things too.
But more about that at some other time.
14 January 2011
How some pro covers are made
Found this vid to be interesting, altho it goes by a little too fast for me. :-)
It's for Blameless, by Gail Carriger. I have her first book in the series, Soulless, but haven't finished it yet. (My TBR list is huge, lol.)
It's for Blameless, by Gail Carriger. I have her first book in the series, Soulless, but haven't finished it yet. (My TBR list is huge, lol.)
How some pro covers are made
Found this vid to be interesting, altho it goes by a little too fast for me. :-)
It's for Blameless, by Gail Carriger. I have her first book in the series, Soulless, but haven't finished it yet. (My TBR list is huge, lol.)
It's for Blameless, by Gail Carriger. I have her first book in the series, Soulless, but haven't finished it yet. (My TBR list is huge, lol.)
13 January 2011
This makes my blood boil
I've set it up so that I do posts on this blog twice a week, but I couldn't let this one go.
Free Books Aren't Free
Click on that, and you'll see a post that exactly describes why you shouldn't illegally download books. Those authors who want to be commercially published - and those serious about self publishing - have the right to be compensated for their hard work.
Look, I'm working a long-term temp job, I have a mortgage, COBRA is almost $400 a month for hubby & me (& that subsidy's going to end soon, alas), so I'm not exactly rolling in dough. That said, if I couldn't come up with the money to buy a new book or buy a used book or buy an e-book...I'd go to the library. Or I'd go onto Paperback Swap & see if the book was available there, the basic premise being that these are used books and might as well be shipped to people who are going to read them (give them a new home).
Yes, I've used that site to unload books I've already read (and I have plenty - yeow!), and I've also sold used books off of Amazon. I'd give books away rather than have them sitting around the house collecting dust.
Think before you download illegally.
Nancy
Free Books Aren't Free
Click on that, and you'll see a post that exactly describes why you shouldn't illegally download books. Those authors who want to be commercially published - and those serious about self publishing - have the right to be compensated for their hard work.
Look, I'm working a long-term temp job, I have a mortgage, COBRA is almost $400 a month for hubby & me (& that subsidy's going to end soon, alas), so I'm not exactly rolling in dough. That said, if I couldn't come up with the money to buy a new book or buy a used book or buy an e-book...I'd go to the library. Or I'd go onto Paperback Swap & see if the book was available there, the basic premise being that these are used books and might as well be shipped to people who are going to read them (give them a new home).
Yes, I've used that site to unload books I've already read (and I have plenty - yeow!), and I've also sold used books off of Amazon. I'd give books away rather than have them sitting around the house collecting dust.
Think before you download illegally.
Nancy
This makes my blood boil
I've set it up so that I do posts on this blog twice a week, but I couldn't let this one go.
Free Books Aren't Free
Click on that, and you'll see a post that exactly describes why you shouldn't illegally download books. Those authors who want to be commercially published - and those serious about self publishing - have the right to be compensated for their hard work.
Look, I'm working a long-term temp job, I have a mortgage, COBRA is almost $400 a month for hubby & me (& that subsidy's going to end soon, alas), so I'm not exactly rolling in dough. That said, if I couldn't come up with the money to buy a new book or buy a used book or buy an e-book...I'd go to the library. Or I'd go onto Paperback Swap & see if the book was available there, the basic premise being that these are used books and might as well be shipped to people who are going to read them (give them a new home).
Yes, I've used that site to unload books I've already read (and I have plenty - yeow!), and I've also sold used books off of Amazon. I'd give books away rather than have them sitting around the house collecting dust.
Think before you download illegally.
Nancy
Free Books Aren't Free
Click on that, and you'll see a post that exactly describes why you shouldn't illegally download books. Those authors who want to be commercially published - and those serious about self publishing - have the right to be compensated for their hard work.
Look, I'm working a long-term temp job, I have a mortgage, COBRA is almost $400 a month for hubby & me (& that subsidy's going to end soon, alas), so I'm not exactly rolling in dough. That said, if I couldn't come up with the money to buy a new book or buy a used book or buy an e-book...I'd go to the library. Or I'd go onto Paperback Swap & see if the book was available there, the basic premise being that these are used books and might as well be shipped to people who are going to read them (give them a new home).
Yes, I've used that site to unload books I've already read (and I have plenty - yeow!), and I've also sold used books off of Amazon. I'd give books away rather than have them sitting around the house collecting dust.
Think before you download illegally.
Nancy
12 January 2011
Word Count
Altho I didn't do any of my own writing today - a day at home & lost pay (I'm doing a long-term temp thing) makes me a bit irritable & very lazy - I have written since I last posted.
Number of words: about 8,700.
I recently said I was going to do a chapter or two from the antagonist's viewpoint. And I did. Now I'm not so sure I want to go that way. Not because I can't, but because I came up with a great idea for the first big event to happen (that first door that James Scott Bell talks about in his fantastic how-to, Plot & Structure). This will propel the story into the middle, usually the land of muck and mire and much that is swampy (read: boring).
I'm hoping that doesn't happen, and I don't think it will.
You'll notice under the Writing Helps section that I've listed Godchecker.com; what a find that was! It's given me more ideas to further shape the antagonist, and, no, I'm not going to make him all evil, all the time (mwahaha!). That would be boring.
Onward and forward!
Number of words: about 8,700.
I recently said I was going to do a chapter or two from the antagonist's viewpoint. And I did. Now I'm not so sure I want to go that way. Not because I can't, but because I came up with a great idea for the first big event to happen (that first door that James Scott Bell talks about in his fantastic how-to, Plot & Structure). This will propel the story into the middle, usually the land of muck and mire and much that is swampy (read: boring).
I'm hoping that doesn't happen, and I don't think it will.
You'll notice under the Writing Helps section that I've listed Godchecker.com; what a find that was! It's given me more ideas to further shape the antagonist, and, no, I'm not going to make him all evil, all the time (mwahaha!). That would be boring.
Onward and forward!
Word Count
Altho I didn't do any of my own writing today - a day at home & lost pay (I'm doing a long-term temp thing) makes me a bit irritable & very lazy - I have written since I last posted.
Number of words: about 8,700.
I recently said I was going to do a chapter or two from the antagonist's viewpoint. And I did. Now I'm not so sure I want to go that way. Not because I can't, but because I came up with a great idea for the first big event to happen (that first door that James Scott Bell talks about in his fantastic how-to, Plot & Structure). This will propel the story into the middle, usually the land of muck and mire and much that is swampy (read: boring).
I'm hoping that doesn't happen, and I don't think it will.
You'll notice under the Writing Helps section that I've listed Godchecker.com; what a find that was! It's given me more ideas to further shape the antagonist, and, no, I'm not going to make him all evil, all the time (mwahaha!). That would be boring.
Onward and forward!
Number of words: about 8,700.
I recently said I was going to do a chapter or two from the antagonist's viewpoint. And I did. Now I'm not so sure I want to go that way. Not because I can't, but because I came up with a great idea for the first big event to happen (that first door that James Scott Bell talks about in his fantastic how-to, Plot & Structure). This will propel the story into the middle, usually the land of muck and mire and much that is swampy (read: boring).
I'm hoping that doesn't happen, and I don't think it will.
You'll notice under the Writing Helps section that I've listed Godchecker.com; what a find that was! It's given me more ideas to further shape the antagonist, and, no, I'm not going to make him all evil, all the time (mwahaha!). That would be boring.
Onward and forward!
07 January 2011
Brandon Sanderson Video Interview
I recently purchased the doorstopper called The Way of Kings, by Brandon Sanderson. Now, I enjoyed the Mistborn trilogy, never bothered reading Warbreaker, gave up on the Wheel of Time series a loooong time ago...
But I was curious to see if I would like his newest series (10 books, at this point in time), so I went out of my way to buy the hardback version (unusual for me).
This is an interview of him. Ignore the little water fountain thingie next to him, lol.
But I was curious to see if I would like his newest series (10 books, at this point in time), so I went out of my way to buy the hardback version (unusual for me).
This is an interview of him. Ignore the little water fountain thingie next to him, lol.
Brandon Sanderson Video Interview
I recently purchased the doorstopper called The Way of Kings, by Brandon Sanderson. Now, I enjoyed the Mistborn trilogy, never bothered reading Warbreaker, gave up on the Wheel of Time series a loooong time ago...
But I was curious to see if I would like his newest series (10 books, at this point in time), so I went out of my way to buy the hardback version (unusual for me).
This is an interview of him. Ignore the little water fountain thingie next to him, lol.
But I was curious to see if I would like his newest series (10 books, at this point in time), so I went out of my way to buy the hardback version (unusual for me).
This is an interview of him. Ignore the little water fountain thingie next to him, lol.
05 January 2011
Word Count
Chapter 5 is going to be in another person's POV (that of Kathleen's brother). I feel it's necessary because I want readers to understand where he's coming from, that he's not all bad.
Wrote 750 words today. Yay!
Wrote 750 words today. Yay!
Word Count
Chapter 5 is going to be in another person's POV (that of Kathleen's brother). I feel it's necessary because I want readers to understand where he's coming from, that he's not all bad.
Wrote 750 words today. Yay!
Wrote 750 words today. Yay!
Query Letter Help
I decided, as a way to get me back to writing my WIP, to write a query letter. Or at least the barebones of a query.
If you want an agent, as many wannabe writers know, you have to write a query. (In the U.K., I think it's referred to as the cover letter. Same idea, though.) So, how do you distill the essence of your 80K novel into three paragraphs?
Answer: not easily.
This thread at the Absolute Write boards helps by giving you 3 questions to answer:
1. What does your protagonist want?
2. What does s/he have to do to get it?
3. What happens if s/he fails to get what she wants? (the stakes)
Pretty good way to take those first tentative steps, hmm? :-) I thought so, too, but I was having trouble using that with my current WIP. It takes place in 1942 Los Angeles. The main character is Viv Cambridge, a woman who has "run away" from her blueblood mother. (There's bad blood between them. That was a joke, son, as Foghorn Leghorn would say. Well, anyway...) She's an editor at a crappy small publisher, lives in a house with a starlet who thinks nothing of bringing home "strays," women who've been kicked out of their homes, and is a witch-in-training, to boot.
That last, the witch-in-training bit, is a way for Viv to get back at her mother. But I'm not going to say how in this post.
Back to topic.
Those initial 3 questions just weren't working for me, because I start off with Viv saying she's pissed off at her mother for various reasons. What the hell agent is going to want to read pages if I say something like, "Viv wants to live a normal life," or "Viv ran away from her blueblood mother at the tender age of 26"? (Well, the last one is true, but it won't draw in agents. I mean, did it draw you in, dear reader? No, I didn't think so.)
But then the OP of the thread qualified those questions: go for the bigger goal. This works for me, dear reader.
The answers to the questions are:
What does Viv want? To save Kathleen
She's the latest stray (magical). Viv needs to save her from her brother, who's trying to kill her (yes, he's magical, too).
What does Viv have to do to get it? Spirit Kathleen away from the starlet's house
What happens if Viv fails? (the stakes) Viv, the starlet, and Kathleen will die
and who knows who else?
Viv's big problem is that she has a hatred against Japanese Americans (due to something that happened in her past), and after she accidentally gets rid of Kathleen's glamour (she's erected a veil to disguise the characteristics of her face), Viv has to deal with the fact that Kathleen is...a Japanese American.
How does deal with that to get to the point where she's helping Kathleen? I have a few twists up my sleeve. ::cue wicked laughter::
Is writing a query easy? For most people, no. But the answers to these questions - including the qualified ones, which are talked about in this post of the thread mentioned above - may help you cut through all the flotsam and jetsam that are your twists and subplots.
And that's what you have to do: Get it down to the essentials and build up (somewhat) from there.
If you want an agent, as many wannabe writers know, you have to write a query. (In the U.K., I think it's referred to as the cover letter. Same idea, though.) So, how do you distill the essence of your 80K novel into three paragraphs?
Answer: not easily.
This thread at the Absolute Write boards helps by giving you 3 questions to answer:
1. What does your protagonist want?
2. What does s/he have to do to get it?
3. What happens if s/he fails to get what she wants? (the stakes)
Pretty good way to take those first tentative steps, hmm? :-) I thought so, too, but I was having trouble using that with my current WIP. It takes place in 1942 Los Angeles. The main character is Viv Cambridge, a woman who has "run away" from her blueblood mother. (There's bad blood between them. That was a joke, son, as Foghorn Leghorn would say. Well, anyway...) She's an editor at a crappy small publisher, lives in a house with a starlet who thinks nothing of bringing home "strays," women who've been kicked out of their homes, and is a witch-in-training, to boot.
That last, the witch-in-training bit, is a way for Viv to get back at her mother. But I'm not going to say how in this post.
Back to topic.
Those initial 3 questions just weren't working for me, because I start off with Viv saying she's pissed off at her mother for various reasons. What the hell agent is going to want to read pages if I say something like, "Viv wants to live a normal life," or "Viv ran away from her blueblood mother at the tender age of 26"? (Well, the last one is true, but it won't draw in agents. I mean, did it draw you in, dear reader? No, I didn't think so.)
But then the OP of the thread qualified those questions: go for the bigger goal. This works for me, dear reader.
The answers to the questions are:
What does Viv want? To save Kathleen
She's the latest stray (magical). Viv needs to save her from her brother, who's trying to kill her (yes, he's magical, too).
What does Viv have to do to get it? Spirit Kathleen away from the starlet's house
What happens if Viv fails? (the stakes) Viv, the starlet, and Kathleen will die
and who knows who else?
Viv's big problem is that she has a hatred against Japanese Americans (due to something that happened in her past), and after she accidentally gets rid of Kathleen's glamour (she's erected a veil to disguise the characteristics of her face), Viv has to deal with the fact that Kathleen is...a Japanese American.
How does deal with that to get to the point where she's helping Kathleen? I have a few twists up my sleeve. ::cue wicked laughter::
Is writing a query easy? For most people, no. But the answers to these questions - including the qualified ones, which are talked about in this post of the thread mentioned above - may help you cut through all the flotsam and jetsam that are your twists and subplots.
And that's what you have to do: Get it down to the essentials and build up (somewhat) from there.
Query Letter Help
I decided, as a way to get me back to writing my WIP, to write a query letter. Or at least the barebones of a query.
If you want an agent, as many wannabe writers know, you have to write a query. (In the U.K., I think it's referred to as the cover letter. Same idea, though.) So, how do you distill the essence of your 80K novel into three paragraphs?
Answer: not easily.
This thread at the Absolute Write boards helps by giving you 3 questions to answer:
1. What does your protagonist want?
2. What does s/he have to do to get it?
3. What happens if s/he fails to get what she wants? (the stakes)
Pretty good way to take those first tentative steps, hmm? :-) I thought so, too, but I was having trouble using that with my current WIP. It takes place in 1942 Los Angeles. The main character is Viv Cambridge, a woman who has "run away" from her blueblood mother. (There's bad blood between them. That was a joke, son, as Foghorn Leghorn would say. Well, anyway...) She's an editor at a crappy small publisher, lives in a house with a starlet who thinks nothing of bringing home "strays," women who've been kicked out of their homes, and is a witch-in-training, to boot.
That last, the witch-in-training bit, is a way for Viv to get back at her mother. But I'm not going to say how in this post.
Back to topic.
Those initial 3 questions just weren't working for me, because I start off with Viv saying she's pissed off at her mother for various reasons. What the hell agent is going to want to read pages if I say something like, "Viv wants to live a normal life," or "Viv ran away from her blueblood mother at the tender age of 26"? (Well, the last one is true, but it won't draw in agents. I mean, did it draw you in, dear reader? No, I didn't think so.)
But then the OP of the thread qualified those questions: go for the bigger goal. This works for me, dear reader.
The answers to the questions are:
What does Viv want? To save Kathleen
She's the latest stray (magical). Viv needs to save her from her brother, who's trying to kill her (yes, he's magical, too).
What does Viv have to do to get it? Spirit Kathleen away from the starlet's house
What happens if Viv fails? (the stakes) Viv, the starlet, and Kathleen will die
and who knows who else?
Viv's big problem is that she has a hatred against Japanese Americans (due to something that happened in her past), and after she accidentally gets rid of Kathleen's glamour (she's erected a veil to disguise the characteristics of her face), Viv has to deal with the fact that Kathleen is...a Japanese American.
How does deal with that to get to the point where she's helping Kathleen? I have a few twists up my sleeve. ::cue wicked laughter::
Is writing a query easy? For most people, no. But the answers to these questions - including the qualified ones, which are talked about in this post of the thread mentioned above - may help you cut through all the flotsam and jetsam that are your twists and subplots.
And that's what you have to do: Get it down to the essentials and build up (somewhat) from there.
If you want an agent, as many wannabe writers know, you have to write a query. (In the U.K., I think it's referred to as the cover letter. Same idea, though.) So, how do you distill the essence of your 80K novel into three paragraphs?
Answer: not easily.
This thread at the Absolute Write boards helps by giving you 3 questions to answer:
1. What does your protagonist want?
2. What does s/he have to do to get it?
3. What happens if s/he fails to get what she wants? (the stakes)
Pretty good way to take those first tentative steps, hmm? :-) I thought so, too, but I was having trouble using that with my current WIP. It takes place in 1942 Los Angeles. The main character is Viv Cambridge, a woman who has "run away" from her blueblood mother. (There's bad blood between them. That was a joke, son, as Foghorn Leghorn would say. Well, anyway...) She's an editor at a crappy small publisher, lives in a house with a starlet who thinks nothing of bringing home "strays," women who've been kicked out of their homes, and is a witch-in-training, to boot.
That last, the witch-in-training bit, is a way for Viv to get back at her mother. But I'm not going to say how in this post.
Back to topic.
Those initial 3 questions just weren't working for me, because I start off with Viv saying she's pissed off at her mother for various reasons. What the hell agent is going to want to read pages if I say something like, "Viv wants to live a normal life," or "Viv ran away from her blueblood mother at the tender age of 26"? (Well, the last one is true, but it won't draw in agents. I mean, did it draw you in, dear reader? No, I didn't think so.)
But then the OP of the thread qualified those questions: go for the bigger goal. This works for me, dear reader.
The answers to the questions are:
What does Viv want? To save Kathleen
She's the latest stray (magical). Viv needs to save her from her brother, who's trying to kill her (yes, he's magical, too).
What does Viv have to do to get it? Spirit Kathleen away from the starlet's house
What happens if Viv fails? (the stakes) Viv, the starlet, and Kathleen will die
and who knows who else?
Viv's big problem is that she has a hatred against Japanese Americans (due to something that happened in her past), and after she accidentally gets rid of Kathleen's glamour (she's erected a veil to disguise the characteristics of her face), Viv has to deal with the fact that Kathleen is...a Japanese American.
How does deal with that to get to the point where she's helping Kathleen? I have a few twists up my sleeve. ::cue wicked laughter::
Is writing a query easy? For most people, no. But the answers to these questions - including the qualified ones, which are talked about in this post of the thread mentioned above - may help you cut through all the flotsam and jetsam that are your twists and subplots.
And that's what you have to do: Get it down to the essentials and build up (somewhat) from there.
