Kimber An's Blog, page 4

Novel Progress: I think I've Hit the Beat

For the beginning, I mean, I pretty darn sure I've hit the right beat to launch this story the way it needs to be in the Reader's mind.  Check out the post below this one to know what I mean.

Novel Progress: Writing on a 'Need to Know' Basis

Hey, Blog Buds.  Check out my wordcount thingy to the right, slowly but surely.  The funny thing is I keep bumping and weeding and the starting point, namely the first three scenes.  The first scene, the first chapter, and the first three chapters of a novel are the most challenging, followed be dead center and the finale in that order, at least for me. 
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There's a saying about starting a story at the point on the fictional timeline in which the Hero or Heroine 'starts a fire she can't put out.'  A novel has lots of fires, so this can be hard.  That's when a girl has to go back to theme and main plot.  So, all the scenes I've written are good and fine, but figuring out what order to put them in takes Trial & Error.  I'm constantly asking myself 'Does the Reader Need to Know this yet?"  If not, it can be put off.  So, I switch things around again until the right fire rises to the top.
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I think it may be extra tough because this is the final book in the series.  Everybody and everything must come full circle, loose ends need to be tied up.  Think about Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part Two when Professor McGonagall suggested asking Seamus for help blowing up the bridge.  If you've watched and loved all the movies, you know Seamus is famous (hey, that rhymed) for having his spells explode from his very first year at Hogwarts.  When little things like that come back by the end, it's a wonderful, nostalgic feeling.  So, I'm going to mine the first three books of my series for little things like that too.
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Okay, I must get on with my day.

Novel Progress: It's kinda Like Skateboarding

You've probably seen skateboarders doing those tricks were they swoop down one curve and then up the other.  Writing scenes is like that.  In one sitting at the computer, I swoop down approximately three pages of story.  Then, I go about my daily life, loading the dishwasher, cleaning up barf, that kind of thing.  I come back and in the next sitting I swoop back up.  This is because each scene needs to be a miniture story of it's own with a beginning (swooping down,) middle, and end (swooping back up.)  Weird, huh?  So, no movement on the wordcount thingy there, but I am making significant progress, promise.

Novel Progress: The Importance of My Outline

I was born a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants storyteller.  Unfortunately, I was so much like that I couldn't pull a story together enough for publication.  Thanks to Jacqueline Lichtenberg  and  Blake Snyder   and the Monomyth  I learned to sort out the mess and here I am.  Let me tell ya, root canal is faster and less painful! 
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Anyway, I had a hard time getting going on Blood, Dark and Sweet this morning and I knew, without looking, that I had scenes mixed up.  Thanks to the outline, all I had to do is go back and look.  Oh, that blood-sucking dead guys is a minor antagonist.  He doesn't come in until the second chapter.  Duh. 
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The beauty of the scene-by-scene outline is it saves me a lot of time and frustration.  I work the story out in my head first, hammer out the outline, and I'm good for go.  When I run into problems, I can easily move things around like putting a jigsaw puzzle together.
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It's also easier to stop and start, which I do a lot because I have four children.  Speaking of which, I need to get off the comp and go load the dishwasher.
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HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I've Begun My New Novel

I'll update the wordcount for Blood, Dark and Sweet, daily.  This is the first draft and first drafts always stink.  I'm one of those rare authors who always comes in under the wordcount goal and barely squeeks by on the final draft.  So, I'm setting the first draft wordcount at 50,000, although I might only make it to 30,000 this round with a final goal of at least 60,000.  In any case, the scene-by-scene outline is hammered and I'm already mostly through my daily goal of five pages or two scenes.

New Year's Resolutions

*Isn't this a beautiful kitchen?  I need more sunshine in mine though.*

1)   Learn to put on a sit-down family dinner, mostly cooked from scratch, every single night and teach my children to do the same.  This should be easier because my beautiful step-mother sewed a new tablecloth and placemats for me for Christmas!  I'm going to use fabric paint to paint the outlines of plates, cups, and such on the placemats to help the children learn.  My beautiful mother-in-law gave me money so I can go pick out new dishes.  I still need a table that seats my entire family comfortably though and enough chairs.  I can find those at the second-hand store for really cheap though, and the money I spend there goes to charity.  Meanwhile, I continue to work on my cooking-from-scratch skills, which is both healthier and less expensive.

2)   Finish putting together and also maintaining a Disaster Preparedness Kit.  Not easy with such a large family in such a cold place.   http://www.ak-prepared.com/

3)   Release two novels and two novella or short stories.  The first short story is already done and due out February 6th, so I'm one-quarter of my way to this goal.

Okay, that'll do.  Gotta get off and rest my hands.  Tomorrow, New Year's Day, I start writing down the next and last novel in the Ophelia Dawson series, Blood, Dark and Sweet. 

Working On the New Master Schedule

Only four days of Christmas vacation left.  The housework must be finally caught up on and the new Master Schedule must be worked out.  Wanna bet I'll be the one scrubbing toilets today?  Oh, well, I should not complain.  I should be thankful to have a family who works together, as well as plays together.  All I gotta do is figure out how to fit all that and writing a new novel and editing a short story and promo into each day of the coming year.  Hmmm...I think I'm gonna need a new day planner book.

'Blood, Dark and Sweet' Will Likely Be the Last Book...

...in the Ophelia Dawson Young Adult series.  I've been hammering the scene-by-scene outline over Christmas break and that's how the story's working itself out.  The actual writing down of the story starts dark and early Sunday morning, New Year's Day 2012.  'Dark and early' because, hey, I live in Alaska where it's dark most of the time in December.
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I'm also doing pre-edits on my short story, Valentine's Day in the Hardware Store Parking Lot, which is due out February 6th, 2012.  It's also my very first Adult story.  Don't worry.  It's 'Sweet,' meaning no sex.  So, I don't think the parents will freak.  The heroine, Eve, is almost thirty years old, but she's struggling with an issue most teens figure out before graduation.  She's worked very hard to live Happily Ever After, just like in those mushy romance novels.  But, it's not working for her at all.  She's miserable and alone.  Then, one Valentine's Day she takes a risk and seeks the advice of a little old woman who can find the right guy for every girl just by looking at his truck.  Is she psychic?  No.  Not exactly.
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Okay, now I must return to being a lazy bum on the sofa.  Moms don't get to do that very often, you know.  Sometimes, I hope I'll get sick just so I can.  Of course, there's decluttering to do.  But, what's the rush?  (((yawn)))  I love Christmas break.

Christmas Memories

Daughter #1 received what every teenager wants for Christmas.  Money!  Guess what she's getting with it? Actually, she's getting the whole series.  That's my girl!  Mama sooo prouda her girl!. Daughter #2 made me proud too, because she received just what she wanted too!  American Girls books!  And a doll to go with them..And our only begotten son received what he wanted most and we think he deserved it too, after wanting to spend all his birthday money on his sisters.


He was so excited I thought he'd have to be sedated..And my youngest child got exactly what she loved most too.  Shoes.  And lots of 'em.  Pretty, glittery shoes.  Shoes?  Hmmm, well, okay, Mama respects her right to choose her own path in life.  I don't get it.  But, that's okay.  Mama so prouda her too!  Maybe we should start thinking about tap-dancing lessons..We all loved our family gift! Like it says in the movie-   "Your story may not have such a happy beginning but that doesn't make you who you are, it is the rest of your story, who you choose to be."
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What'd I get?  Oh, I think I probably got some cool stuff, like a hammer so I can build a chicken coop, but the best gifts I received were being a part of a happy family, seeing happiness on their faces, and also I got to a hold a brand new baby!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from Space

This is my favorite way to bid everyone a Merry Christmas.  I used to not be sure why.  Now, I think it's because so many people on boths sides of the debate believe Science and Faith are like black and white.  They're so far apart they can't get along.  I disagree.  I believe they magnify each other.  So, have yourself a Merry Little Christmas and a Happy New Year in which you open your mind to ever greater wisdom and your heart to compassion and friends.  Now, click on the link above the picture and listen to the crew of Apollo 8 give their holiday greetings to the entire planet way back in 1968, which was before even I was born.