Shanna Swendson's Blog, page 131
June 6, 2016
Family Traits
I'm back a day earlier than I planned from the family reunion. I'd thought I'd come back to my parents' house from Louisiana yesterday, then come home today, but when I got to my parents' house, I decided to just move my stuff into my car and then come on home to get all the travel out of the way at once rather than face yet another day on the road. As a result, I'm at home on a workday that I'd planned to take as "vacation," so I've been trying to decide if that obligates me to work. I decided that I'm not going to try to stick to a workday schedule, but since I'm doing research and that mostly means lying around reading, I'll do that work.
It was a good trip and a nice chance to catch up with the family, or in some cases, meet family. There were cousins I knew, and even some of their kids I knew, but then there were cousins' grandkids I hadn't met (including a baby who launched himself into my arms at first sight). And then there was my grandmother's side of the family, the descendants of her siblings and her aunts and uncles. It's been so long since I've seen some of those people that even if I knew them, I didn't recognize them. It was interesting seeing how the family traits play out. A number of the girls had wild, curly hair like mine, and so many of the people look the same around the eyes. Plus, apparently cooking is either genetic or cultural because there was so much good food. I didn't even eat dinner Saturday night and wasn't starving for breakfast the next morning.
Now I've got a couple of days of newspapers (and crossword puzzles) to catch up on and some history to read. Tomorrow, I'll make myself think more.
It was a good trip and a nice chance to catch up with the family, or in some cases, meet family. There were cousins I knew, and even some of their kids I knew, but then there were cousins' grandkids I hadn't met (including a baby who launched himself into my arms at first sight). And then there was my grandmother's side of the family, the descendants of her siblings and her aunts and uncles. It's been so long since I've seen some of those people that even if I knew them, I didn't recognize them. It was interesting seeing how the family traits play out. A number of the girls had wild, curly hair like mine, and so many of the people look the same around the eyes. Plus, apparently cooking is either genetic or cultural because there was so much good food. I didn't even eat dinner Saturday night and wasn't starving for breakfast the next morning.
Now I've got a couple of days of newspapers (and crossword puzzles) to catch up on and some history to read. Tomorrow, I'll make myself think more.
June 1, 2016
Creativity Boosters
In my writing posts, I've been talking about what to do when you hit the hard part of a story, whether you're stuck or distracted. To wrap up the series, today I'm going to share some creativity boosters that can help whether you're stuck, uninspired, or just want to juice up your work. Some of these come from actual scientific research that I picked up during my years in my previous career as a medical writer and some are things I've picked up or tried in my current career as a full-time novelist. Not everything will work for everyone, but I don't think there's anything potentially harmful in here, so give it a try and stick with what works for you.
1) Get some exercise. There have been a number of studies showing that physical activity increases cognitive performance and creativity. It makes sense that more blood flowing to the brain will help it work better.
2) Listen to -- or better yet, make -- some music. There's something about music that has an effect on the brain and wakes up parts of the brain that aren't used in other activities. This is especially true when you play music. There can also be a meditative quality to playing music that can spark creativity.
3) Dance. This combines #1 and #2 -- physical activity plus music -- in a way that really gets the creative juices flowing. Before a writing session, try putting on some tunes and dancing around.
4) Use your non-dominant hand for some routine daily activities, like brushing your teeth. This is one of those scientific research things. Supposedly, using your non-dominant hand forces your brain to forge new pathways, and when new things in your brain light up or when a different part of your brain is used for different things, creativity increases. This is also supposed to help you in forming new habits -- if you're doing things a different way, the new habits you're trying to form at the same time are more likely to stick because they become part of the brain rewiring itself.
5) On a related note, change your habits or routine. It's hard to think outside the box when you're living inside the box. Change the order in which you do things, take a different route to work, eat something new or different, write at a different time of day. The change doesn't have to be permanent. You just want to shake things up a bit.
6) And this leads to … take a real vacation. That doesn't necessarily mean going to a new place. The word "vacation" means an emptying. The idea is that your mind gets "full" from everyday life, and every so often, you need to do a kind of emptying to release it all and make a fresh start. You can get the same effect at home by changing your routines and taking a break that actually feels like a real break. This is something good to do between projects, if deadlines allow. Instead of writing or even thinking about writing, refill the creative well by doing other activities. Go to the theater or a concert. Have a picnic and walk in the woods. Try to not think about work for a few days. If you can do so without twitching, take a break from social media.
7) Do something else that's creative -- dance or music are good, but there's also drawing and painting, coloring, woodworking, sewing, baking, etc. Create something tangible.
8) Learn something new -- this is another one of those brain exercises. Picking up a new skill requires your brain to work in different ways. Learn a musical instrument or foreign language. Take a continuing education class in a subject that's always fascinated you but that was too impractical to study in college. If you don't already play the piano, learning piano hits multiple creativity boosters -- it's making music and learning a new skill that requires you to use your non-dominant hand (I'm currently learning to play the harp, which does the same thing).
9) Meditate, or just be still. Creative brains tend to be going a hundred miles an hour in every possible direction, with multiple mental "tabs" open. A lot of writers think in narrative. It's good to every so often let all that go and just be. Take some time to sit still and let the thoughts flow in and out without trying to direct them. You can try actual meditation where you don't think about anything, or you can use this as thinking time. The idea is to just relax and be without feeling like there's something you should be doing.
10) Play. Studies have shown that a session of play before a work session improves work performance and creativity. So before you sit down to write, act out a scene with the action figures on your desk, play fetch with your dog, get out the bubble soap and make bubbles, dress up some dolls, or do something else childlike and fun. I don't know if video or computer games have the same effect. The study I saw only mentioned real-world active play. I think the problem with video games for this is that they have an immersive, hypnotic effect, but I'm not a gamer so I haven't tested this in real life. I can vouch for the soap bubbles, though. I think the idea is that doing something silly and childlike before you start to work gets your mind into that mode, so you're less likely to let "adult" constraints hold back your creativity.
Obviously, some of these tips work best at certain points of a project or between projects, some have to be incorporated into a creative way of life, and some are probably best for giving yourself the occasional boost.
1) Get some exercise. There have been a number of studies showing that physical activity increases cognitive performance and creativity. It makes sense that more blood flowing to the brain will help it work better.
2) Listen to -- or better yet, make -- some music. There's something about music that has an effect on the brain and wakes up parts of the brain that aren't used in other activities. This is especially true when you play music. There can also be a meditative quality to playing music that can spark creativity.
3) Dance. This combines #1 and #2 -- physical activity plus music -- in a way that really gets the creative juices flowing. Before a writing session, try putting on some tunes and dancing around.
4) Use your non-dominant hand for some routine daily activities, like brushing your teeth. This is one of those scientific research things. Supposedly, using your non-dominant hand forces your brain to forge new pathways, and when new things in your brain light up or when a different part of your brain is used for different things, creativity increases. This is also supposed to help you in forming new habits -- if you're doing things a different way, the new habits you're trying to form at the same time are more likely to stick because they become part of the brain rewiring itself.
5) On a related note, change your habits or routine. It's hard to think outside the box when you're living inside the box. Change the order in which you do things, take a different route to work, eat something new or different, write at a different time of day. The change doesn't have to be permanent. You just want to shake things up a bit.
6) And this leads to … take a real vacation. That doesn't necessarily mean going to a new place. The word "vacation" means an emptying. The idea is that your mind gets "full" from everyday life, and every so often, you need to do a kind of emptying to release it all and make a fresh start. You can get the same effect at home by changing your routines and taking a break that actually feels like a real break. This is something good to do between projects, if deadlines allow. Instead of writing or even thinking about writing, refill the creative well by doing other activities. Go to the theater or a concert. Have a picnic and walk in the woods. Try to not think about work for a few days. If you can do so without twitching, take a break from social media.
7) Do something else that's creative -- dance or music are good, but there's also drawing and painting, coloring, woodworking, sewing, baking, etc. Create something tangible.
8) Learn something new -- this is another one of those brain exercises. Picking up a new skill requires your brain to work in different ways. Learn a musical instrument or foreign language. Take a continuing education class in a subject that's always fascinated you but that was too impractical to study in college. If you don't already play the piano, learning piano hits multiple creativity boosters -- it's making music and learning a new skill that requires you to use your non-dominant hand (I'm currently learning to play the harp, which does the same thing).
9) Meditate, or just be still. Creative brains tend to be going a hundred miles an hour in every possible direction, with multiple mental "tabs" open. A lot of writers think in narrative. It's good to every so often let all that go and just be. Take some time to sit still and let the thoughts flow in and out without trying to direct them. You can try actual meditation where you don't think about anything, or you can use this as thinking time. The idea is to just relax and be without feeling like there's something you should be doing.
10) Play. Studies have shown that a session of play before a work session improves work performance and creativity. So before you sit down to write, act out a scene with the action figures on your desk, play fetch with your dog, get out the bubble soap and make bubbles, dress up some dolls, or do something else childlike and fun. I don't know if video or computer games have the same effect. The study I saw only mentioned real-world active play. I think the problem with video games for this is that they have an immersive, hypnotic effect, but I'm not a gamer so I haven't tested this in real life. I can vouch for the soap bubbles, though. I think the idea is that doing something silly and childlike before you start to work gets your mind into that mode, so you're less likely to let "adult" constraints hold back your creativity.
Obviously, some of these tips work best at certain points of a project or between projects, some have to be incorporated into a creative way of life, and some are probably best for giving yourself the occasional boost.
May 31, 2016
New Stuff
This is going to be a short week for me, not just because of the Monday holiday, but also because I'll be going to a family reunion at the end of the week. I'm in research/brainstorming mode, so I'll probably still be "working," but I won't be doing my usual office hours/social media/admin stuff.
That means I'll be cramming a lot into the next couple of days, with getting ready for a trip and trying to do work. I got a lot of research reading done over the weekend. I'm in the stage where I'm reading up on things that might be historical or cultural parallels, just to see what ideas it sparks. And no, I'm not ready to talk about what this book is going to be because I want it at least plotted and outlined and maybe some writing done before I know for sure if it's going to work. It's still too vague to commit to.
However, I do have a release date for Rebel Magisters, the sequel to Rebel Mechanics. We're aiming at putting it out July 12, which is the same day the paperback of the first book comes out. I'm hoping that will maximize the exposure for both, and if people discover the first book in paperback, then they won't have to wait for the sequel.
And yes, I'm planning a sequel to the sequel. I originally plotted this out as a trilogy, but we'll see where it goes. There are just a couple of other things I want to write first. I'm planning for this to be a nose-to-the-grindstone writing summer so I can get a lot of the projects that are in my head out into the world.
Now to go bake some cookies to take to the family reunion. I guess you could call it Cookies for the Cousins.
That means I'll be cramming a lot into the next couple of days, with getting ready for a trip and trying to do work. I got a lot of research reading done over the weekend. I'm in the stage where I'm reading up on things that might be historical or cultural parallels, just to see what ideas it sparks. And no, I'm not ready to talk about what this book is going to be because I want it at least plotted and outlined and maybe some writing done before I know for sure if it's going to work. It's still too vague to commit to.
However, I do have a release date for Rebel Magisters, the sequel to Rebel Mechanics. We're aiming at putting it out July 12, which is the same day the paperback of the first book comes out. I'm hoping that will maximize the exposure for both, and if people discover the first book in paperback, then they won't have to wait for the sequel.
And yes, I'm planning a sequel to the sequel. I originally plotted this out as a trilogy, but we'll see where it goes. There are just a couple of other things I want to write first. I'm planning for this to be a nose-to-the-grindstone writing summer so I can get a lot of the projects that are in my head out into the world.
Now to go bake some cookies to take to the family reunion. I guess you could call it Cookies for the Cousins.
May 27, 2016
Waging a War
I've had quite the week. Not only did I get a book finished and turned in and provided input on the cover design (oh, it's going to be gorgeous), but I've fought and won a battle in my house. Here is the epic tale (which my Facebook followers have already heard, in pieces).
Before I went on my trip, I got the downstairs part of my house cleaned. The kitchen, especially, was scrubbed down, with the counters decluttered and disinfected and the floor mopped. I was very proud of maintaining this upon my return, cleaning up after cooking and having it spotless again every night before I went to bed.
And then I got up Saturday morning to find the shredded remains of a Hershey's Kiss wrapper on my countertop, along with some suspiciously sparkly mouse droppings (it must have eaten as much foil as it shredded).
Well, right there we had two capital offenses: stealing my chocolate and messing up my clean kitchen. After I put the chocolate in a safe location and scrubbed the counters with disinfectant, I found that I still had a mousetrap lying around. My Hindu neighbors may try to catch and release copperheads rather than killing them, but I figure that letting a mouse go is only inflicting it on someone else and letting it multiply (since they don't do that neuter and release thing for mice that they do with feral cats). Killing the mice quickly and mercifully lowers the population so they don't get so hungry they invade houses and eat chocolate. So, that night before I went to bed, I set the trap. I found the corpse of my slain foe the next morning. Success! I scrubbed and disinfected the counters again and figured I was good.
Until I found more (less sparkly) evidence of rodent incursion the next morning. More cleaning ensued. When I went shopping Wednesday, I bought more traps and set them that night. This is where it gets ugly.
I'd braced myself to enter the kitchen the next morning and find a dead mouse, since that's why I set the traps in the first place. I'll admit to being a bit squeamish, so since the traps are cheap, I don't bother with trying to empty them. I just put my hands in the plastic sleeves the newspapers come in and scoop the whole trap into a bag so I don't have to touch anything. But when I went to pick up this trap, it moved. The mouse was still alive! It was at an odd angle, so the trap must have triggered before it was in the right position, and it was pretty large, so the trap may not have been strong enough to kill it quickly. Still in the trap, it was skittering all over my kitchen.
I really wasn't sure what to do. I suspected the injury from the trap was eventually going to be fatal, so releasing it outside wasn't an option. I wasn't sure I was up to killing it directly. It reminded me of a scenario presented at that lecture on the psychology of good and evil I went to a few weeks ago, where people were willing to do something that led to the death of one person in order to save many, but they weren't willing to directly kill one person, even to save many. I may set a trap, but then it's on the mouse for being greedy and falling into it. I wasn't sure what to do after that to put it out of its misery. I settled for putting a stack of newspapers on top. Eventually, it got quiet, and I scooped the newspapers and what was under them into the trash and took the trash to the dumpster. Then I scrubbed and disinfected the counter and floor.
To cap it all, one of the pieces of music used in ballet class last night was "Ben," that love song to a rat. I had a massive giggle fit at the barre.
This morning, the trap I'd set last night was empty, and my counters and floor were clean. I'm going to keep a trap set for a few more days until I'm sure they've either gone away or I've got them all. This is great incentive to keep my kitchen spotless, with nothing out that even resembles food.
I've lived here for nearly 18 years, and last year was the first time I've ever had a mouse. It may have something to do with the wet weather and the flooding. I've also heard that exterminators talking about higher populations because of the mild winter. Whatever the case, stealing my chocolate will only lead to death. I feel kind of like the Brave Little Tailor, with his "Seven at one blow" belt. I need a t-shirt that says "I killed the last individual who took my chocolate."
Before I went on my trip, I got the downstairs part of my house cleaned. The kitchen, especially, was scrubbed down, with the counters decluttered and disinfected and the floor mopped. I was very proud of maintaining this upon my return, cleaning up after cooking and having it spotless again every night before I went to bed.
And then I got up Saturday morning to find the shredded remains of a Hershey's Kiss wrapper on my countertop, along with some suspiciously sparkly mouse droppings (it must have eaten as much foil as it shredded).
Well, right there we had two capital offenses: stealing my chocolate and messing up my clean kitchen. After I put the chocolate in a safe location and scrubbed the counters with disinfectant, I found that I still had a mousetrap lying around. My Hindu neighbors may try to catch and release copperheads rather than killing them, but I figure that letting a mouse go is only inflicting it on someone else and letting it multiply (since they don't do that neuter and release thing for mice that they do with feral cats). Killing the mice quickly and mercifully lowers the population so they don't get so hungry they invade houses and eat chocolate. So, that night before I went to bed, I set the trap. I found the corpse of my slain foe the next morning. Success! I scrubbed and disinfected the counters again and figured I was good.
Until I found more (less sparkly) evidence of rodent incursion the next morning. More cleaning ensued. When I went shopping Wednesday, I bought more traps and set them that night. This is where it gets ugly.
I'd braced myself to enter the kitchen the next morning and find a dead mouse, since that's why I set the traps in the first place. I'll admit to being a bit squeamish, so since the traps are cheap, I don't bother with trying to empty them. I just put my hands in the plastic sleeves the newspapers come in and scoop the whole trap into a bag so I don't have to touch anything. But when I went to pick up this trap, it moved. The mouse was still alive! It was at an odd angle, so the trap must have triggered before it was in the right position, and it was pretty large, so the trap may not have been strong enough to kill it quickly. Still in the trap, it was skittering all over my kitchen.
I really wasn't sure what to do. I suspected the injury from the trap was eventually going to be fatal, so releasing it outside wasn't an option. I wasn't sure I was up to killing it directly. It reminded me of a scenario presented at that lecture on the psychology of good and evil I went to a few weeks ago, where people were willing to do something that led to the death of one person in order to save many, but they weren't willing to directly kill one person, even to save many. I may set a trap, but then it's on the mouse for being greedy and falling into it. I wasn't sure what to do after that to put it out of its misery. I settled for putting a stack of newspapers on top. Eventually, it got quiet, and I scooped the newspapers and what was under them into the trash and took the trash to the dumpster. Then I scrubbed and disinfected the counter and floor.
To cap it all, one of the pieces of music used in ballet class last night was "Ben," that love song to a rat. I had a massive giggle fit at the barre.
This morning, the trap I'd set last night was empty, and my counters and floor were clean. I'm going to keep a trap set for a few more days until I'm sure they've either gone away or I've got them all. This is great incentive to keep my kitchen spotless, with nothing out that even resembles food.
I've lived here for nearly 18 years, and last year was the first time I've ever had a mouse. It may have something to do with the wet weather and the flooding. I've also heard that exterminators talking about higher populations because of the mild winter. Whatever the case, stealing my chocolate will only lead to death. I feel kind of like the Brave Little Tailor, with his "Seven at one blow" belt. I need a t-shirt that says "I killed the last individual who took my chocolate."
May 26, 2016
The Once Upon Stilettos Reread -- Chapters Eleven through Thirteen
Now that I'm back from my trip and done with copyedits, back to the Once Upon Stilettos reread, with chapters 11-13.
The loss of Katie's magical immunity is a pretty big deal, and it was interesting trying to imagine the full impact. Emotionally and psychologically, she feels like she's lost the thing that made her special. At the beginning of the first book, she was on the verge of giving up on New York because she didn't feel like she had what it took to make it. She was so ordinary that she didn't stand out in any way. Then she learned that magic existed and that she wasn't at all magical. That was a flip on the standard fantasy story that's about discovering that magic exists and that you can use it. It was a real blow to learn that she wasn't magical, but then she learned that her very ordinariness was at such a level that it counted as special, so she was valuable in her own way. That gave her a big confidence boost. She had something rare that she could contribute. And now, just as she's gotten used to that, she's lost it. That could mean losing her job, since she got her job by being immune. If she loses her job, she could lose some of her friends. She also worries that her friendship/whatever relationship she has with Owen might not exist if she weren't immune.
Then there's the physical danger and sense of vulnerability. She's been able to see past the magic to spot threats, and now it's like being blind. She knows there are things out there, but now she can't spot them. I can imagine that would be terrifying.
At least one review of this book criticized Katie for not telling anyone about the immunity right away, but I thought that made sense for her as a character. She's got a stubborn streak that makes her want to figure it out for herself (gee, I wonder where that character trait came from). But also, there are all those very good reasons to keep it to herself until she knows more because she has a lot to lose. She doesn't know how the company will react if she's no longer immune, and she doesn't want to be cut off from the magical world now that she's truly normal again.
Owen and Katie spend a lot of time in this book walking to and from the subway station, but you should have seen the first draft. I ended up cutting a lot of those scenes, or else I added more action to them. It was tricky because that was their main time of interacting, so that's when all their good conversations took place. At the same time, I didn't want this to be a book about commuting.
The secret Santa as team-building/mole investigation is something I got from my days in corporate America. Well, not the mole investigation (that I know of). There's always that social butterfly in the office who thinks it will be really fun to have to buy something for a random co-worker you don't know very well and to receive a gift from a random co-worker who doesn't know you very well. Like we all need more candles (which seems to be the generic secret Santa gift). It can kind of work in a really small office, though that also opens things up to having to live with the ugliness later if someone gets it wrong. There's always the overachiever who goes over the spending limit and the slacker who forgets to do anything and comes up with something like the coupon book for favors at a later date that they hastily make on their computer that morning (but just try to redeem them and see what happens). It's worst when the slacker is the Santa for the overachiever, who ends up feeling ripped off. So, yeah, there's a lot of potential there if you're trying to depict (or create) tension within a company.
Then we have the scene that all the Katie and Owen shippers were waiting for: Ethan breaking up with Katie (and clearing the way for the one true pairing). I've never actually been on a break-up date (that I knew of -- there was one that I later realized was meant as a big send-off, but he didn't actually break up with me while on the date), but I've known people it happened to. I'm more likely to have guys just disappear on me right when I thought the relationship was going well, but apparently for the guys who do actually break up with a woman in person, it's a thing to do so in a public place so they can avoid a big scene and possibly soften the blow. It's particularly painful for Katie at this time because she's already reeling from losing her immunity and therefore her sense of specialness, and now she's getting dumped for being too normal.
My agent loved the line about even the evil magical creatures knowing not to mess with a woman who's just been dumped.
It's funny, even though I wrote the book, I get a little teary-eyed on Katie's behalf during this scene.
The loss of Katie's magical immunity is a pretty big deal, and it was interesting trying to imagine the full impact. Emotionally and psychologically, she feels like she's lost the thing that made her special. At the beginning of the first book, she was on the verge of giving up on New York because she didn't feel like she had what it took to make it. She was so ordinary that she didn't stand out in any way. Then she learned that magic existed and that she wasn't at all magical. That was a flip on the standard fantasy story that's about discovering that magic exists and that you can use it. It was a real blow to learn that she wasn't magical, but then she learned that her very ordinariness was at such a level that it counted as special, so she was valuable in her own way. That gave her a big confidence boost. She had something rare that she could contribute. And now, just as she's gotten used to that, she's lost it. That could mean losing her job, since she got her job by being immune. If she loses her job, she could lose some of her friends. She also worries that her friendship/whatever relationship she has with Owen might not exist if she weren't immune.
Then there's the physical danger and sense of vulnerability. She's been able to see past the magic to spot threats, and now it's like being blind. She knows there are things out there, but now she can't spot them. I can imagine that would be terrifying.
At least one review of this book criticized Katie for not telling anyone about the immunity right away, but I thought that made sense for her as a character. She's got a stubborn streak that makes her want to figure it out for herself (gee, I wonder where that character trait came from). But also, there are all those very good reasons to keep it to herself until she knows more because she has a lot to lose. She doesn't know how the company will react if she's no longer immune, and she doesn't want to be cut off from the magical world now that she's truly normal again.
Owen and Katie spend a lot of time in this book walking to and from the subway station, but you should have seen the first draft. I ended up cutting a lot of those scenes, or else I added more action to them. It was tricky because that was their main time of interacting, so that's when all their good conversations took place. At the same time, I didn't want this to be a book about commuting.
The secret Santa as team-building/mole investigation is something I got from my days in corporate America. Well, not the mole investigation (that I know of). There's always that social butterfly in the office who thinks it will be really fun to have to buy something for a random co-worker you don't know very well and to receive a gift from a random co-worker who doesn't know you very well. Like we all need more candles (which seems to be the generic secret Santa gift). It can kind of work in a really small office, though that also opens things up to having to live with the ugliness later if someone gets it wrong. There's always the overachiever who goes over the spending limit and the slacker who forgets to do anything and comes up with something like the coupon book for favors at a later date that they hastily make on their computer that morning (but just try to redeem them and see what happens). It's worst when the slacker is the Santa for the overachiever, who ends up feeling ripped off. So, yeah, there's a lot of potential there if you're trying to depict (or create) tension within a company.
Then we have the scene that all the Katie and Owen shippers were waiting for: Ethan breaking up with Katie (and clearing the way for the one true pairing). I've never actually been on a break-up date (that I knew of -- there was one that I later realized was meant as a big send-off, but he didn't actually break up with me while on the date), but I've known people it happened to. I'm more likely to have guys just disappear on me right when I thought the relationship was going well, but apparently for the guys who do actually break up with a woman in person, it's a thing to do so in a public place so they can avoid a big scene and possibly soften the blow. It's particularly painful for Katie at this time because she's already reeling from losing her immunity and therefore her sense of specialness, and now she's getting dumped for being too normal.
My agent loved the line about even the evil magical creatures knowing not to mess with a woman who's just been dumped.
It's funny, even though I wrote the book, I get a little teary-eyed on Katie's behalf during this scene.
May 25, 2016
Ready to Move On
I only have about 90 more pages to proofread, and then I'm done with this book -- other than writing cover copy and checking the interior layout and other production-related stuff. I enjoy the story enough that I keep forgetting that I'm supposed to be proofreading and end up just reading, so I have to go back and proofread, but I'm still ready to be done so I can write something else.
I've started doing research reading for the next project, and ideas are starting to flow. I think I have a concept, but the trick will be that I'm taking a more serious situation and finding ways to do it in a wacky, humorous way. That means taking some of the concepts and leaving a lot of it out. I'm looking forward to doing a weekend retreat for research and brainstorming. I've got books, and I picked up a couple of relevant movies when I was at the library yesterday for the runoff election (I love it when my polling place is the library).
I've said it before, but the development phase is my favorite part of writing -- coming up with the plot and characters and imagining the world. At that point, the story only exists as potential. It's still perfect while it lives only in my brain. Putting it into words is the hard part. That's when it becomes real and is limited by my ability to capture all those thoughts and ideas in a way that they can be conveyed to others.
But for now, it's all play, and the idea is pure potential. It could be anything.
I may also take some time this weekend to go to my ballet school's recital. They're doing movie music this year, and I've watched some of the class rehearsals of the advanced students doing a ballet to music from Star Wars. It's interesting enough that it might be worth seeing the final product. I think I also have some of my choir kids and former choir kids in the baby beginning classes, where the cute is going to be more interesting than the actual dancing.
I've started doing research reading for the next project, and ideas are starting to flow. I think I have a concept, but the trick will be that I'm taking a more serious situation and finding ways to do it in a wacky, humorous way. That means taking some of the concepts and leaving a lot of it out. I'm looking forward to doing a weekend retreat for research and brainstorming. I've got books, and I picked up a couple of relevant movies when I was at the library yesterday for the runoff election (I love it when my polling place is the library).
I've said it before, but the development phase is my favorite part of writing -- coming up with the plot and characters and imagining the world. At that point, the story only exists as potential. It's still perfect while it lives only in my brain. Putting it into words is the hard part. That's when it becomes real and is limited by my ability to capture all those thoughts and ideas in a way that they can be conveyed to others.
But for now, it's all play, and the idea is pure potential. It could be anything.
I may also take some time this weekend to go to my ballet school's recital. They're doing movie music this year, and I've watched some of the class rehearsals of the advanced students doing a ballet to music from Star Wars. It's interesting enough that it might be worth seeing the final product. I think I also have some of my choir kids and former choir kids in the baby beginning classes, where the cute is going to be more interesting than the actual dancing.
May 24, 2016
Digging into the Nebula Book Haul
One fun thing about the Nebula Awards conference is that when you arrive, you get a big bag full of books. The publishers give out books and advance reading copies, probably assuming that authors not only are big readers, but are likely to talk about the books they've read, and they may have a bigger audience than your average reader when they do talk about books, so it's a good way to spread word of mouth. I suppose it's mostly true, though there are average readers and book bloggers who have bigger Twitter followings than I have. (There are inanimate objects who have bigger Twitter followings than I have.)
At any rate, I ended up with enough books that I picked up a Priority Mail flat rate box at the post office down the street and stuffed it with as many books as would fit, along with some dirty clothes for cushioning, to ship back to myself, and I still ended up with my duffle bag packed full.
Now, I suppose I need to carry out my end of the bargain and talk about the books I've read. I've already read one, The Queen's Poisoner, by Jeff Wheeler, and I liked it well enough that I'll probably pick up the sequels.
Clever readers may figure out somewhere during the book that it's kind of an alt-history fantasy retelling of Shakespeare's Richard III, with some other bits of history woven in, but from the perspective of a young boy taken to court as a hostage when his father betrays the king. He's befriended by a mysterious woman who lives secretly in a remote tower of the castle and who seems to be manipulating events. There's also the spirited granddaughter of one of the lords, brought to court to get her away from trouble at home, and the two kids become close friends. This is rather pleasant fantasy reading. There's plenty of tension because the fates of our young hero and his family are always teetering on the brink of disaster, and he's up to activities that could lead to dire consequences if he's discovered, but it's not as dire or grim as has become the vogue in fantasy lately. There are good people who don't suffer terrible fates and there are bad people who get what's coming to them, and that's satisfying to read. I found the book engrossing enough that I almost finished it on the airplane and then stood reading it at the train station while waiting for my bus on the way home. In this book, the protagonists are kids, but apparently in the sequel they'll be in their late teens. This book has its own arc but is also about setting up the characters for more major roles in events.
So, if you're looking for people you want to cheer for, an intriguing fantasy world based on water, bits of real history, and a lot less darkness, this might be a good choice. It's a book published by one of Amazon's imprints, so you'll probably have to get it from Amazon, as most other outlets are refusing to carry Amazon books.
At any rate, I ended up with enough books that I picked up a Priority Mail flat rate box at the post office down the street and stuffed it with as many books as would fit, along with some dirty clothes for cushioning, to ship back to myself, and I still ended up with my duffle bag packed full.
Now, I suppose I need to carry out my end of the bargain and talk about the books I've read. I've already read one, The Queen's Poisoner, by Jeff Wheeler, and I liked it well enough that I'll probably pick up the sequels.
Clever readers may figure out somewhere during the book that it's kind of an alt-history fantasy retelling of Shakespeare's Richard III, with some other bits of history woven in, but from the perspective of a young boy taken to court as a hostage when his father betrays the king. He's befriended by a mysterious woman who lives secretly in a remote tower of the castle and who seems to be manipulating events. There's also the spirited granddaughter of one of the lords, brought to court to get her away from trouble at home, and the two kids become close friends. This is rather pleasant fantasy reading. There's plenty of tension because the fates of our young hero and his family are always teetering on the brink of disaster, and he's up to activities that could lead to dire consequences if he's discovered, but it's not as dire or grim as has become the vogue in fantasy lately. There are good people who don't suffer terrible fates and there are bad people who get what's coming to them, and that's satisfying to read. I found the book engrossing enough that I almost finished it on the airplane and then stood reading it at the train station while waiting for my bus on the way home. In this book, the protagonists are kids, but apparently in the sequel they'll be in their late teens. This book has its own arc but is also about setting up the characters for more major roles in events.
So, if you're looking for people you want to cheer for, an intriguing fantasy world based on water, bits of real history, and a lot less darkness, this might be a good choice. It's a book published by one of Amazon's imprints, so you'll probably have to get it from Amazon, as most other outlets are refusing to carry Amazon books.
May 23, 2016
Austen Obsession
I had a nice weekend that was actually sort of relaxing. My house seems to have crossed some kind of tipping point where it's clean enough that additional mess bothers me, so I'm motivated to clean even more. Since I got home from my trip, I've cleaned the kitchen after the day's cooking and eating every night before bed, and I've made my bed every morning. Now the real problem to tackle is the upstairs. I spent Saturday morning cleaning, so I got to spend the rest of the weekend hanging out and relaxing. I've started researching the concept for the next book I want to write and got through a whole research book on Saturday. Plus, I did some other leisure reading. It was nice to have a couple of days in which I had no plans or obligations, and even the house stuff was mostly done so I could enjoy myself without any sense of what I should be doing.
I got through the copyedits on Friday, so today I start a thorough proofread. I may try having the computer read out loud so I can make sure I'm seeing what's on the page rather than what's in my head. We'll see how long that lasts. I may find it very irritating.
While I was hanging out and relaxing on Saturday, I caught the movie Austenland on cable (actually, DVRd it and then watched it that evening). I'd wanted to see this when it came out, since I read the book, but it was at a theater I don't usually go to, didn't run very long, and had terrible reviews. It ended up being a rather cute movie. I might have been annoyed if I'd paid full price at a theater to see it, but it was just right for a cable movie, and if I find the DVD at a cheap price I might be tempted because it was fun and would make good companion viewing for either a conventional Austen adaptation or Bridget Jones Diary. (I may have to have a Jane Austen-themed girls' night in party someday.)
The plot follows a young woman who's been utterly obsessed with Jane Austen her whole life on a splurge vacation to what's essentially a Jane Austen immersion experience in England. Guests assume an identity appropriate to the period, wear period clothes, and live in a grand mansion. There are actors filling out the group (mostly men, since the guests tend to be women), playing out all the little flirtations toward a somewhat scripted storyline that the guests aren't aware of. The trick is that when so much is scripted, it's hard to tell what's real, so our heroine finds herself suspicious when she encounters the perfect Darcy type. Meanwhile, there's that stablehand/coachman who's willing to break character and show her what goes on behind the scenes.
It's been a long time since I read the book, so I didn't remember how it worked out and only remembered a few odd details. I think it could have been better, but it was mostly played for farce, and that proved to be rather entertaining. I just wish there had been more of the scenes of the actors hanging out in their free time because the contrast between them in Austen mode and their real selves was fun. I was never really sure what the movie was trying to say about the heroine's Austen obsession because it kept waffling on whether she was right about her ideals or foolishly deluded. She was so obsessed that it wasn't healthy (her home was a shrine to Austen), but at the same time she seemed to be one of the sanest people in the movie and I couldn't blame her for the way she reacted to things. You wouldn't have to be obsessed with Mr. Darcy to be turned off by the men she encountered before her trip.
It was just nice to have a fun romantic comedy without gross-out stuff added to attract men and with male love interests who were actually adults rather than overgrown fratboys who needed to be tamed by a shrew who forced them to grow up.
Speaking of movie romance, they've released a teaser trailer for the live-action Beauty and the Beast, and it looks lovely:
I'm so there. It might work as brain bleach to purge the atrocity Once Upon a Time has created of that story.
I got through the copyedits on Friday, so today I start a thorough proofread. I may try having the computer read out loud so I can make sure I'm seeing what's on the page rather than what's in my head. We'll see how long that lasts. I may find it very irritating.
While I was hanging out and relaxing on Saturday, I caught the movie Austenland on cable (actually, DVRd it and then watched it that evening). I'd wanted to see this when it came out, since I read the book, but it was at a theater I don't usually go to, didn't run very long, and had terrible reviews. It ended up being a rather cute movie. I might have been annoyed if I'd paid full price at a theater to see it, but it was just right for a cable movie, and if I find the DVD at a cheap price I might be tempted because it was fun and would make good companion viewing for either a conventional Austen adaptation or Bridget Jones Diary. (I may have to have a Jane Austen-themed girls' night in party someday.)
The plot follows a young woman who's been utterly obsessed with Jane Austen her whole life on a splurge vacation to what's essentially a Jane Austen immersion experience in England. Guests assume an identity appropriate to the period, wear period clothes, and live in a grand mansion. There are actors filling out the group (mostly men, since the guests tend to be women), playing out all the little flirtations toward a somewhat scripted storyline that the guests aren't aware of. The trick is that when so much is scripted, it's hard to tell what's real, so our heroine finds herself suspicious when she encounters the perfect Darcy type. Meanwhile, there's that stablehand/coachman who's willing to break character and show her what goes on behind the scenes.
It's been a long time since I read the book, so I didn't remember how it worked out and only remembered a few odd details. I think it could have been better, but it was mostly played for farce, and that proved to be rather entertaining. I just wish there had been more of the scenes of the actors hanging out in their free time because the contrast between them in Austen mode and their real selves was fun. I was never really sure what the movie was trying to say about the heroine's Austen obsession because it kept waffling on whether she was right about her ideals or foolishly deluded. She was so obsessed that it wasn't healthy (her home was a shrine to Austen), but at the same time she seemed to be one of the sanest people in the movie and I couldn't blame her for the way she reacted to things. You wouldn't have to be obsessed with Mr. Darcy to be turned off by the men she encountered before her trip.
It was just nice to have a fun romantic comedy without gross-out stuff added to attract men and with male love interests who were actually adults rather than overgrown fratboys who needed to be tamed by a shrew who forced them to grow up.
Speaking of movie romance, they've released a teaser trailer for the live-action Beauty and the Beast, and it looks lovely:
I'm so there. It might work as brain bleach to purge the atrocity Once Upon a Time has created of that story.
May 20, 2016
Efficiency!
I got about halfway through the copyedits yesterday, so I should finish today, and then next week I'll do a very thorough proofreading, and then I'll be done with this book, other than work on the cover and cover copy and publicity, and all that.
Yesterday was a pretty good day. Not only did I get all that work done, but I also baked cookies, did my bookkeeping from the trip (so I won't be desperately searching for receipts next April when I'm doing my taxes), took care of a couple of things from the to-do list I came up with following the conference, and got everything else on the day's to-do list done. Plus, I made my bed, washed dishes and otherwise cleaned up from the baking, and went to ballet class.
And no, the Internet wasn't down. I think it was the cool weather, which always gives me more energy.
Since I'm so close to finishing this book, I'm starting to dive into the research phase of my next project. I'm not yet saying anything about what it is because I want to get far enough into it to know if it's going to be viable. It's still just a vague idea at this point. I know the kind of story I think it might be and the subject matter I think it will deal with. I went to the library today and checked out just about everything they had on the topic, so this weekend I'll start filling my brain with all that info and see what comes out.
I'm on track today to being as productive as I was yesterday, as today I've already gone to the library, unpacked from my trip, made the bed, and taken the trash out, and it's not even noon. This bodes well.
A lot of the sessions I attended last weekend involved promotion and publicity. I'm not sure I gained that much new information, but I did start thinking about things in a different way. I may start doing something different with my web site and blog, for one thing. I'm probably going to ditch Live Journal when my latest membership runs out. When I first started blogging, that was the big place, and there were a lot of communities. I figured that participating in communities would be a good way for people to discover my journal and then discover me. I think I'm now at the point where anyone reading my blog is doing so because they know who I am, or else they're driven by social media posts. And if they're driven by social media posts, I want them to come to my web site rather than to some third-party blogging site. My current site setup doesn't allow a blog to be incorporated, so I may do something different there, and I may even hire someone to do the work so I don't have to fiddle with the technical stuff. I talked to someone who does this stuff for authors, and he can do something where he sets up the structure and framework and the author can fill in the content and update it without needing to go through the webmaster. Is there anyone who wouldn't follow me anymore if I weren't at LiveJournal?
There was also a lot of talk about podcasting, social media, and even serial fiction. I have an idea I think might work well as a serial because it's inspired by Dickens, and that's the way he published. It might be a way to build an audience and interest. That's something I'll have to discuss with my agent, and after I get a couple more books done.
Yesterday was a pretty good day. Not only did I get all that work done, but I also baked cookies, did my bookkeeping from the trip (so I won't be desperately searching for receipts next April when I'm doing my taxes), took care of a couple of things from the to-do list I came up with following the conference, and got everything else on the day's to-do list done. Plus, I made my bed, washed dishes and otherwise cleaned up from the baking, and went to ballet class.
And no, the Internet wasn't down. I think it was the cool weather, which always gives me more energy.
Since I'm so close to finishing this book, I'm starting to dive into the research phase of my next project. I'm not yet saying anything about what it is because I want to get far enough into it to know if it's going to be viable. It's still just a vague idea at this point. I know the kind of story I think it might be and the subject matter I think it will deal with. I went to the library today and checked out just about everything they had on the topic, so this weekend I'll start filling my brain with all that info and see what comes out.
I'm on track today to being as productive as I was yesterday, as today I've already gone to the library, unpacked from my trip, made the bed, and taken the trash out, and it's not even noon. This bodes well.
A lot of the sessions I attended last weekend involved promotion and publicity. I'm not sure I gained that much new information, but I did start thinking about things in a different way. I may start doing something different with my web site and blog, for one thing. I'm probably going to ditch Live Journal when my latest membership runs out. When I first started blogging, that was the big place, and there were a lot of communities. I figured that participating in communities would be a good way for people to discover my journal and then discover me. I think I'm now at the point where anyone reading my blog is doing so because they know who I am, or else they're driven by social media posts. And if they're driven by social media posts, I want them to come to my web site rather than to some third-party blogging site. My current site setup doesn't allow a blog to be incorporated, so I may do something different there, and I may even hire someone to do the work so I don't have to fiddle with the technical stuff. I talked to someone who does this stuff for authors, and he can do something where he sets up the structure and framework and the author can fill in the content and update it without needing to go through the webmaster. Is there anyone who wouldn't follow me anymore if I weren't at LiveJournal?
There was also a lot of talk about podcasting, social media, and even serial fiction. I have an idea I think might work well as a serial because it's inspired by Dickens, and that's the way he published. It might be a way to build an audience and interest. That's something I'll have to discuss with my agent, and after I get a couple more books done.
May 19, 2016
Inspiration
I let myself have a couple of weekend-like days, since I worked all weekend. I apparently needed to catch up on rest, as I didn't sleep well while I was gone but have been sleeping late at home. I really missed my pillow. I've become accustomed to a memory foam pillow that's shaped for side sleepers, and it's hard to make hotel pillows give the same effect.
Not that I was totally slacking on work. We've been brainstorming cover possibilities for Rebel Magisters, which meant scrolling through stock photo sites to come up with things that might fit the format established in the first book. Of course, looking at all these photos tends to spark other story ideas. I find myself wanting to write the stories that go with the photos. That may be a fun exercise for brainstorming -- enter key words related to an idea into a stock photo site and then see what comes up.
Today, though, I'll be digging into the copyedits on that book, which means that I'll probably have it edited and proofread and ready to go into production after next week, so I need to start brainstorming my next book. I have some research I need to do, so there will be a library trip, lots of reading, and maybe a creative brainstorming retreat to set the mood.
Though what I really want to do right now is go on a cleaning/organizing spree. Before I left town, I got my house fairly clean. Then I spent a long weekend in a hotel, which inspired me to keep the house clean (I've made the bed and done dishes every day) and makes me want to get it even cleaner and more organized, with this as a starting point. I guess you could call me a lazy neat freak. I love the idea of a perfectly clean, organized space, but I hate housework, so it tends to slide. I've promised myself that if I make enough money and get the house clean and organized enough to start with, I'll hire a cleaning service for a once-a-month deep cleaning. I figure that's often enough to give me incentive to maintain things on my own and not let things get out of hand (since I'm the sort of person who cleans before the maid comes) and takes care of the stuff I seldom get around to, like thorough dusting, mopping, scrubbing, and vacuuming. I can swipe at it during the month with the professional cleaning as a starting point. I finally have the house clean and decluttered enough that this goal is in sight.
Now I just need to write and sell enough books to pay for it.
Not that I was totally slacking on work. We've been brainstorming cover possibilities for Rebel Magisters, which meant scrolling through stock photo sites to come up with things that might fit the format established in the first book. Of course, looking at all these photos tends to spark other story ideas. I find myself wanting to write the stories that go with the photos. That may be a fun exercise for brainstorming -- enter key words related to an idea into a stock photo site and then see what comes up.
Today, though, I'll be digging into the copyedits on that book, which means that I'll probably have it edited and proofread and ready to go into production after next week, so I need to start brainstorming my next book. I have some research I need to do, so there will be a library trip, lots of reading, and maybe a creative brainstorming retreat to set the mood.
Though what I really want to do right now is go on a cleaning/organizing spree. Before I left town, I got my house fairly clean. Then I spent a long weekend in a hotel, which inspired me to keep the house clean (I've made the bed and done dishes every day) and makes me want to get it even cleaner and more organized, with this as a starting point. I guess you could call me a lazy neat freak. I love the idea of a perfectly clean, organized space, but I hate housework, so it tends to slide. I've promised myself that if I make enough money and get the house clean and organized enough to start with, I'll hire a cleaning service for a once-a-month deep cleaning. I figure that's often enough to give me incentive to maintain things on my own and not let things get out of hand (since I'm the sort of person who cleans before the maid comes) and takes care of the stuff I seldom get around to, like thorough dusting, mopping, scrubbing, and vacuuming. I can swipe at it during the month with the professional cleaning as a starting point. I finally have the house clean and decluttered enough that this goal is in sight.
Now I just need to write and sell enough books to pay for it.
