Leah R. Cutter's Blog, page 21

Audio versions available!

Woo and hoo!

The audio versions of both The Raven and the Dancing Tiger and The Guardian Hound are now available!

Sorry for such a short post and no more details, but I’m still on the road.

More details later!

Crossposted from my website. If you'd like to comment, you can do so here or there.

2013 Writing Numbers

Because it’s the end of the year, I’ve been updating a spreadsheet that I use to keep track of all the words I’ve written for the year.

I surprised myself once again. At the end of last year, I wrote about what I wrote and published. I did a complete accounting, which I suppose I will do again this year, at some point.

I didn’t publish nearly as much this year.

I did write more.

Last year, I wrote 203,814 words. Approximately. (^_^)

This year, I’ve written about 308,759 words so far. I have one more short story to write, so I figure that number will be up to at least 312,000 or so. That averages out to about 854 words per day.

Which isn’t bad, considering I had a day job that sucked away a lot of my time, as well as some major life rolls toward the end of the year.

Next year, well, I plan on writing a lot more than that.

Crossposted from my website. If you'd like to comment, you can do so here or there.

Story Inspiration Sunday

I also blog about inspiration over at Book View Cafe. Feel free to comment either here or over there!

Between now and the end of February, I have six short story assignments rolling in, for a workshop that I’m taking.

I’ve written two short stories, each about 5000 words, in the last few days. I have one more to write. Then I’m traveling to New Zealand, and I won’t be writing (or blogging!) for a few weeks.

Last weekend I escaped to Canada with my sweetie, up to Victoria. We took the clipper from Seattle and got into Victoria about 10:30 AM.

It was a gray, misty weekend, but we didn’t mind. We walked everywhere, through the old neighborhoods up Government street, around the park, then down into town again.

There are so many old buildings that weren’t destroyed, so many that have been restored. Both of us are interested in architecture, and had a wonderful time browsing, as it were.

Victoria’s Chinatown is the second largest in North America, I believe. There are quite a few of the old, 1890s buildings still standing.

While we were there, I picked up a marvelous book about Victoria’s Chinatown–and have been using it extensively as research for the second story.

So how did I get inspired by this place?

A big part of it was the closed in sense of the place. While the streets were wide, the spaces between them were tight–lots of twisting alleys between the buildings.

Closed in spaced means places to hide. And places to be trapped in.

I spent about a day traipsing through the internet, as well as reading my research books, trying to pinpoint a day in time (1890) and a reason for the main character to be in Victoria (Tong wars.)

I also spent a lot of time looking at the pictures of these buildings, both modern day as well as the few photos from the 1890s. While I was writing, I kept going back to the pictures, imagining how the landscape affected my main character. Could he get to that building from there? What streets did he have to cross? How many wide boardwalks?

The story was very inspired by these pictures, but also, informed by it.

What places have inspired you recently?

Crossposted from my website. If you'd like to comment, you can do so here or there.

Sale!

I’m participating in a sale over at Kobo.

From now until January 5th, you can buy my book Siren’s Call for half off!

All you have to do is use the promo code 50COUPON when you check out.

There are lots of other lovely books for sale over there as well.

The sale lasts until January 5th.

I’m participating in this sale as part of Book View Cafe.

Crossposted from my website. If you'd like to comment, you can do so here or there.

Story Inspiration Sunday

(Subtitled: Novel plotting edition)

My short story assignments haven’t come yet. This is good — it means I’ll finish the current novel before they arrive.

In the meanwhile, I’ve been working on another novel as well. I’ve often said that I have a two-plot novel brain: While I’m writing one novel, I can generally also spend time noodling around and plotting out a second novel. I can’t do more than two at a time, though. I also can’t write on more than one novel at a time, and I envy those who can!

So–let tell you a secret.

It’s just us, right?

My most recently published novels, Siren’s Call, is actually the first book in a series. (I don’t want to advertise this because I’m afraid people will not want to read the first one if they know more are coming. But each of these novels is completely stand alone. They can even be read out of order.)

There are four other books planned: I have titles, vague plots, and cover ideas for all of them.

The next book is called Pan’s Pipes. The simplest description of the plot: Street kids are disappearing.

One of the characters in this novel, not Pan, but a friend of his, I see as a young Johnny Cash, dressed all in black, as a street preacher. It’s that voice that gets me.

How am I plotting this novel? I have most of the “American” recordings, done by Rick Rubin, just before Cash’s death. I keep pulling songs out of the various albums and putting them into a playlist, then re-arranging them, searching for just the right combination to reflect every chapter in the novel.

A novel has an ebb and flow, high points and low points, fast and slow. The first song is always the same–”The Man Comes Around.” It’s Revelations. It’s this preacher. Then I dither about the next song. “Hurt” is the current choice, but it probably won’t be the final.

One of the high points, probably in the middle, is “God’s Gonna Cut You Down.” Good stomping beat of the antagonists coming to attack. “Further On Up The Road” is their prep for the battle and comes just before.

It’s kind of odd, I realize, to be plotting a novel based on the emotional journey of the bad guys, particularly since the novel will be written from the protagonist’s POV. But that’s just how this novel’s story is unveiling itself to me.

So how about you? Do you ever use a playlist of songs to plot out something? Rearranging the tunes to better reflect the the ups and downs?

Crossposted from my website. If you'd like to comment, you can do so here or there.

Hex in the City Now Available!

The latest of the Fiction River anthology series has come out, and I have a short story in this anthology! “Fox and Hound.”

Part of what I wrote for the intro:

“I wrote, and threw out, three other beginnings to this story. The process felt as though I was circling in, getting closer and closer, until I finally had Gou in the train station with his fare beside him. That theme continues throughout the story as well, circling and circling, as Gou tries to corner his prey.”

There will be more NEWS coming in a while.

It’s been a good year. And I’m anticipating that 2014 will rock as well.

Crossposted from my website. If you'd like to comment, you can do so here or there.

Story Inspiration Sundays

I blog about inspiration both here and over at Book View Cafe. Feel free to comment either here or there!

Starting sometime next week, I’m going to be given writing assignments.

Why am I turning away from the novel, you may ask.

Good question!

Come February 2014, I’m attending the anthology workshop, listed here. For this workshop, I must write the stories ahead of time.

What are the stories, you may ask. What am I supposed to be writing?

I haven’t a clue. Won’t know what the first story is supposed to be about until I receive the first assignment.

Am I worried about coming up with a story idea? Not really. Here are some of the tricks I use for story inspiration for this sort of challenge.

Suppose that our challenge is, say, science fiction car trips.

This isn’t a topic that instantly brings a story to mind, at least, not for me. (Fantasy car trips, on the other hand, take me to a whole other place. Or even steampunk car trips.)

The first question I ask has nothing to do with the topic. It has everything to do with me being able to generate excitement about this writing challenge.

It’s, “What are you interested in right now? What are you reading/studying/learning about?”

That’s easy enough. I’m right now reading, The Book of Tea by Kakuzo Okakura. I find the book fascinating, and relaxing.

For the day job, I’ve been obsessed by SEO and the Google Search Appliance (GSA.) Those are kind of high techy things.

Could I somehow combine this zen tea ceremony with a science fiction car trip? Or is the trip in search of the zen tea ceremony, using SEO, the GSA, or the near equivalent thereof?

For me, that’s enough of a start to get me going. I have a setting–a car on a long, flat, boring Kansas or Iowa road, mid-summer, in search of a zen tea master.

But the car is doing the smart search, or is futzing with the results, or scrubbing them.

So the main character not only has to outsmart a zen master who’s in hiding, she must also outsmart the vehicle assigned to get her there.

That entire idea just arose while I was typing this post up. I may even go an write it sometime, Zen and the Art of Car Searches, or something.

How do you respond to writing challenges or prompts? How do you find the story for a challenge that doesn’t instantly inspire you?

Crossposted from my website. If you'd like to comment, you can do so here or there.

The road is ever changing

One of the joys of novel writing–no, really, it’s a joy!–is remembering that, at least for me, every novel is different.

Different characters, different feel, different process.

I’m currently writing a new novel. I’m in that messy middle, where things aren’t coming together and I don’t know where I’m going. (About 40,000 words in.)

I spent much of today throwing out what I’d already written–completely tearing it out–and having to replace those words with new words.

I know what the next scene is. I can see it in my head.

I can’t for the life of me figure out how to get that character into that situation.

Normally, I “write into the dark.” I have no idea where I’m going. I just make up stuff as I go along.

For this novel, though, at this time, I’m going to need more planning.

I’m throwing in the towel for tonight. Tomorrow, when I get up, instead of trying to write more words, I’m going to plot out where I’m going. Because I think that’s what this novel needs, at this point. Just writing into the dark has had me stymied and throwing out a bunch of words.

So yeah. Every novel is different. The process is always different. And that really is a joy.

Once you figure out why you’re stuck.

Crossposted from my website. If you'd like to comment, you can do so here or there.

Story Inspiration Sunday

In America, it’s Thanksgiving weekend. Both me and my sweetie have taken off a bit extra as well, so we have not been working since Wednesday, and we’re also both taking Monday off.

For the past few years, my Thanksgiving tradition has included a writing marathon. I have several days off, and all I do is write for those days.

This year is no different. My sweetie and I are both marathoning. He’s been writing on several different projects, whereas I’ve been sticking with the single novel that I started last week.

I’m currently 22,000 words into the novel. If the novel is really 80,000 words long, that means I’m about one-quarter of the way through. Thursday, Friday, and now today, Saturday, I’ve written 5000 words per day. I’ll do another 5000 tomorrow and Monday.

I know very little about this novel, except for the last couple of final scenes. I’m writing completely into the dark, making up each chapter, every scene, as I encounter it.

How do I keep myself inspired? How do I manage to keep coming back to the page and writing the next 1000 words?

Part of it is what I described here in this post, all about deadlines and grit. It’s a huge part of why I’m getting my butt in that chair every day. Having someone here to support me helps, and certainly makes my life so much easier (particularly since he cooks!) But I’d still be writing this many words with him here or not.

Part of it, honestly, comes from judicious use of caffeine and walks where people cross the street to avoid the crazy writer who’s talking to herself.

But part of it comes from this post here that describes how she started writing 10,000 words per day. She uses a triangle of knowledge, time, and enthusiasm.

I have times when I’m more productive, but I don’t pay as much attention to that part as much as knowledge and enthusiasm.

As soon as I get stuck, I flip over to another file or I pull out pen and paper and I write out what comes next. Usually that gets me over the hump.

And anyone who’s ever met me know that at heart, I’m kind of excitable. So once I have a clue about what I’m writing, it’s pretty easy for me to realize that it’s the KEWLEST THING EVAH and just keep going.

Tomorrow I’ll write another 5000, and on Monday, yet another 5000. I don’t know if I’ll be able to keep writing on the novel–life may interfere. In the meanwhile, I’m going to continue marathoning, keep putting my butt in the chair for hours everyday, and writing.

So how do you survive a writing marathon? What tricks work for you? Do you use caffeine? Alcohol? Liberal amounts of bribes, like chocolate?

Crossposted from my website. If you'd like to comment, you can do so here or there.

I lost that battle

Sooo…for those following along at home, I’ve started writing a new novel. (When the Moon Over Kualani Comes)

I really, really kind of wanted this to be a single novel. I’ve got too many other novels planned, sequels and such for already published works, for me to be taking on yet another trilogy or something.

However, the muse wants what the muse wants. And at least two, maybe three books with these characters, are what she’s demanding.

I’m only about 4700 words into the novel so far. The honeymoon is so very much on right now. I love the world, the mythologies, all the bits and bobs and pieces I’m discovering about the characters. I knew somethings about the characters before I started, but for me, a big part of the writing is discovering more of these things as we go along. Some people start with character, and sometimes, I do as well. But this time, I’m starting with the world and figuring out the characters as I go along.

I’ll be drafting this novel fast, creating the first draft fairly quickly. Then I’ll take my time going through the second and third drafts, adding in all the things I forgot or missed in the first pass.

This book feels “bigger” to me than my most recent books, more like 80,000 than 60,000. But we’ll see how long it actually ends up being. It has the one major plot and two really strong minor plots, which I’ve found are what makes a book bigger, as it were.

I’m not going to do some kind of counter, because that would imply I’d be checking in or posting more regularly, which I’m not likely to do. (It’s the holidays. CRAZY TIMES HERE.)

But I will post now and again about the progress I’m making — or not.

Crossposted from my website. If you'd like to comment, you can do so here or there.