Jamie DeBree's Blog, page 54
September 2, 2011
Serial Novel: Falling in Public, Ch. 16
Ch.1|Ch. 2|Ch. 3|Ch. 4|Ch. 5|Ch. 6|Ch. 7|Ch. 8|Ch. 9|Ch. 10|Ch. 11|Ch. 12|Ch.13|Ch. 14|Ch. 15
Falling in Public
Chapter 16
Holly knelt down beside the couch, shaking Eddie's shoulder. "Oh no. Oh God. Wake up, dammit!" She dialed 911 on her cell phone, but remembered just in time that there was a medical team on staff, and they would be closer. She ran over to the phone hanging on the wall above her dressing table and pushed zero, pacing back and forth while she waited for an answer. When a voice finally came over the line, she nearly cried with relief.
"I need help right away," she said, unable to take her eyes off Eddie's still form. "There's a guy...uh...a friend of mine collapsed after he smelled some flowers someone sent to me. You have to hurry. He's breathing, but it doesn't sound like he's getting enough air..."
The paramedic promised they'd be there in five minutes and she hung up, going back to Eddie's side. She stroked his forehead, not knowing what else to do while she waited. If he hadn't been there, she'd be the one passed out, and who knows what could have happened? Guilt tugged at her conscience, not only because Eddie had gotten caught up in this mess, but also for the things she'd said on stage. She should have answered the phone when he'd called, let him explain. Maybe somehow they could have...
A firm knock at the door interrupted her thoughts, and she ran to open it, relief pulsing through her veins. But it wasn't a paramedic on the other side, and she gasped when the man in dark blue coveralls holding a gun grinned knowingly up at her.
"We meet at last, Ms. Saunders," he said, peering around the door to where Eddie was on the couch. "I see your friend is sleeping - don't worry about him, he'll be fine in a few hours. A little hung-over, maybe. You, on the other hand, need to come with me. We have some unfinished business to take care of."
Holly glanced at the door, assessing the situation to see if there were any other options. Was it thick enough to stop a bullet? Or maybe if she grabbed the poisoned bouquet and tossed them in his face? He was short and not very big, and for half a second she wondered if she could tackle him. That's probably what Shelby, the heroine in her current novel would do. The thought nearly made her smile.
"Don't even think about it, Saunders." The man motioned with his gun for her to step out into the hallway. "I really won't hesitate to shoot you if that's what it takes. And they're filming some action scene right outside, so no one's going to blink if they hear gunshots."
As if on cue, two loud pops rang out, followed by two more. Holly looked back at Eddie, then reluctantly moved into the hall, leaving the door slightly ajar.
"Where are we going?" she asked as he took her arm, pushing her forward in front of him as the barrel of the gun pressed into her spine. "Why are you doing this?"
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August 31, 2011
Writing Notes – Working in the Dark
takes place in the dark? I don't mean a little dark, but pitch
black, no light whatsoever is getting into that space. The kind of
dark that makes people wonder if they even exist.
I like to write them every once in
awhile just to force myself to explore the senses other than sight.
Sound, touch, feel, taste...all things that we tend to take for
granted until we lose them (and so do our characters).
I think that sometimes, the dark can
facilitate feelings as well, make us feel things on so much more
grand a scale that emotions are heightened and connections are
strengthened. All great things for leading up to a satisfying
romance. Or some serious trouble, depending on how you decide to spin
it.
In last night's "dark" scene, my
characters were drawn together, then nearly pulled apart, and back to
the beginning again. Since they don't have a flashlight, their
"dark" could last a long time...or could be over in a manner of
minutes. We shall see.
What's your favorite "in the
dark" scene, either in your book or someone else's? Enjoy this post? Support your author: Tempest | Desert Heat | The Biker's Wench
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August 29, 2011
Weekly News, Goals & Archive 8/29/11
Summer has finally kicked into high gear around here...I just hope the weather holds out another month or so to allow us to finish our "warm weather" projects before the snow flies. I have to admit, I'm looking forward to the cold so there's not as much to do, but it's pretty exciting getting new siding (nearly done!), a new fence (hopefully next month), new carpet (definitely next month), and a new front door. Probably more exciting since we're not doing the work ourselves. 
Of course fall is encroaching too...which means our annual Halloween party will be here in 54 days, and we need invitations & a plan for that very soon. Never a dull moment, I tell ya.
Oh, and I've decided to start a new organizing blog – Routinely Yours. I need to revamp some of the routines that don't work for me any longer, and do some reorganizing, and since I'm constantly being asked how I manage to get so much done, I've decided to share the whole process. Posts will be every Saturday. Feel free to join me...
If that isn't enough – this Thursday (Sept. 1) Rattles Flash Fiction will be officially open for submissions. This is a joint effort between myself and Heidi Sutherlin, and we're hoping to get some good participation. There will be a monthly writing prompt for flash fiction stories of 800-1000 words, and submissions will be accepted for an anthology to be published by Brazen Snake Books at the end of the month. This will be a paying market for writers – so if you're interested in writing themed flash fiction and getting a little $$ in return, I hope you'll check it out.
This Week on The Variety Pages
Monday: Weekly News, Goals, & Archives 8/29/11
Wednesday: Writing Notes – Characterization
Friday: Ch. 16 of Falling in Public
Sunday: Code Name: Succulent – But How Are Your Plants?
Elsewhere
Tuesday: Chapter 16 of The Minister's Maid at Fantasy Ranch Novels
Tuesday: New design at NailArt Tuesday
Tuesday: Tea post at Tea onTap
Thursday: Revisiting the Business Plan at Beyond the Words
Saturday: Know Thyself at Routinely Yours
If you missed a post last week and want to catch up, here's the link list. Note that this includes *all* of my posts, including for my pen name genres and non-writing blogs, so click at your own risk.
Posts for August 22-28
Fiction
Chapter 15 of The Minister's Maid (Romantic Suspense, FantasyRanchNovels.com)
Chapter 15 of Falling in Public (Romantic Suspense, The Variety Pages)
Chapter 10 of The Pile Driver (TrinityMarlow.com – Erotica, Adults only, NSFW)
Chapter 11 of The Pile Driver (TrinityMarlow.com – Erotica, Adults only, NSFW)
Chapter 56 of Angel Eyes (AlexWesthaven.com, Thriller)
Writing/Reading/Publishing
Writing Notes: Reworking Old Themes (The Variety Pages)
Print & Digital: So Happy Together (Beyond the Words)
Personal/Hobbies
(The Variety Pages)
Chocolate Covered Strawberry Pu'erh Review (Tea on Tap)
Pierced Fall Foils (Nail Art Tuesday)
Introduction & Welcome (Routinely Yours)
Goal Reports
I made some progress last week, and managed to get all of my serial chapters done. I've been chipping away at the other things on my list, but deciding to go ahead with the flash fiction project kind of derailed the other stuff last week. But the set-up part of any project takes the most time, so this week should be more productive, I think.
Goals for the Week
Writing
5 serial chapters (finish the short story in progress?)
1 chapter revised for TWC
Start my flash fiction for Rattles
Business
Reply to emails
Submit TBW for review
Open the Rattles site & call for subs.
Catch up bookkeeping (this really is going to happen one of these days...)
Update web sites
Personal
Start revamping morning & evening routines
Reply to correspondence I've been falling down on
Renew car registration (oops!)
Schedule carpet installation for my vacation week next month
Workout three times
That's the plan for this week – lots to do, but I'm pretty optimistic, overall. And the siding guys should be done sometime this week too, which will be a huge project crossed off the list. Yay for progress! What's one thing you've completed or made progress on in the last week?
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August 28, 2011
Code Name: Succulent – Time Outs & Routines
When was the last time you gave
yourself a time out? I don't mean a scheduled fun time or activity,
but when you were in the middle of something and just forced yourself
to put it down and walk away for a few minutes. Or hours, depending
on how late at night it was.
I've been doing this more lately. If
I'm writing, or working on something and I'm not getting anywhere
because I'm tired or distracted or whatever, I'll force myself to
stop and walk away for at least a few minutes. Odds are that when I
come back to the project even after a five to ten minute break, I'll
see it with fresh eyes and be able to move forward.
Honestly, sometimes I think it's just
getting up and moving around that helps the most. I sit a lot for
both of my jobs, and getting the blood moving faster again is good
for the brain, methinks.
The trick, of course, is getting back
to work after the time out is up. If I take a break in the middle of
a project, that does not mean I check twitter or play a game of
solitaire. It means I get up, move away from the computer, and go get
a drink, look out the window or whatever. I don't try to do some
other task that could end up distracting me...that would be
counter-productive.
I've also realized that some of the
routines I've used in the past aren't working for me anymore,
because my own natural rhythms have changed. This isn't a bad thing
– it's bound to happen since we're constantly changing
throughout our lives (or I hope we are!). But it does need to be
addressed, because if I keep trying to use routines that don't
work, it just makes me less efficient and more frustrated. So I'm
in the process of revamping the way I do some things to be a better
fit for my own life.
To that end, and because people keep
asking how I manage to do so much stuff, I've created a new blog
where I'll be sharing my process for creating routines and
organizing life around our natural inclinations. If you're
interested, feel free to join me at Routinely Yours, for a new post
every Saturday.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to
go water my succulents...
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The Biker's Wench
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August 26, 2011
Serial Novel: Falling in Public, Ch. 15
Ch.1|Ch. 2|Ch. 3|Ch. 4|Ch. 5|Ch. 6|Ch. 7|Ch. 8|Ch. 9|Ch. 10|Ch. 11|Ch. 12|Ch.13|Ch. 14
Falling in Public
Chapter 15
Adrenaline shot through Eddie's veins as he went to the door, hoping whoever had left those threatening messages for Holly was on the other side. Pounding on the bastard would feel really good right about now. Quickly checking to make sure Holly was hidden, he pulled the door open just enough to fill the space with his own body.
The scent assaulted him first, followed by a gigantic bouquet of flowers that obsured the person nearly underneath them.
"Hello? Anyone there? A little help would be good, before I drop these..." The female voice was shrill and whiny, but he automatically reached out to grasp the large basket from her.
"Oh thank you," she said on a long sigh, clearly winded. The sickly sweet stench was cloying and Eddie put the flowers on the dressing table as fast as possible, then reached for the card.
"Hey," the delivery woman said, smacking his hand lightly for good measure. "Those are for Ms. Saunders. And you aren't her. You're..." her eyes got big as she looked at him more closely. "Oh wow. You're Eddie Pierce. Wait until I tell--"
"No one," he said sternly, knowing it wouldn't do any good. "You'll tell no one, or I'll have you fired."
Her lips twisted up in a sly grin. "Of course, Mr. Pierce. My lips are sealed." She drew her fingers over her lips, then turned on her heel and flounced away. He shook his head as he watched her go, then reached for the card in the flowers again.
As soon as the door closed, Holly came out from behind the screen. "Do you think she'll keep quiet?" She came up beside him, and peered around his arm as he removed the small square of cardstock from the envelope. He fought a sudden bout of dizziness, confused at what might have caused it. If he could just find out who sent the flowers...
"Nope. In about thirty seconds, the whole studio will know I'm in your room. And that's not going to go over well considering what you just said on National TV. But we have two larger problems at the moment." He handed her the card and staggered to the couch, collapsing on it just before he would have fallen. He settled back against the cushions, focusing on each breath.
She looked over at him and frowned, holding up the card. "He really expects me to just wait for him to come get me? God, this guy is delusional."
Eddie nodded, closing his eyes. "That's problem number two."
"What's problem number one then?" He heard her step closer, felt her staring down at him. "Eddie, what's wrong? Are you okay?"
"Stay away from the flowers," he said, the words feeling thick on his tongue as he sunk down onto his side. "There's something...so tired...can't breath..."
She said something, but he couldn't make out the words, and it didn't really matter. Sleep beckoned and he gave in to the urge, drifting off into peaceful oblivion.
Enjoy this installment? Try The Biker's Wench, available now at:
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August 24, 2011
Writing Notes: Reworking Old Themes
"Reworking Old Plots", but realized as I was writing it that it's
really more about themes than plots…
The first novel draft I ever finished
was titled (cheesily enough), Blooming Jade. It was supposed
to be a contemporary romance, and within the first chapter Jada, my
heroine, was being chased, and subsequently saved by a stranger she
knew only from glances exchanged at the local conservatory (where she
went weekly to see if the huge Jade plant in the collection had
bloomed yet). Yes, it was a NaNo novel. Yes, I did spend some time
trying to revise it with the help of a very small local writer's
group. It's been on my bookshelf (quite literally – the whole
thing is printed out and in a binder) ever since then.
I can't remember what the second
draft I finished was…it sucked, I know that much, and I doubt I
even saved a copy, I hated it so badly, if I recall correctly. Yet
again, I tried to force myself to write in a contemp. romance "box",
and failed – rather spectacularly, I think.
The third completed draft was called
The Confetti Party, and started off with my fascination with
what happens when complete strangers are thrown together for an
evening. I wasn't even trying for a romance that time; though one
developed as I wrote (they always seem to). Unfortunately, my brain
went straight for the horror that time, and I ended up with a locked
warehouse, hunters preying on the party guests, and a serious
bloodbath wherein I think everyone died at the end. Or maybe one
person lived. Long enough to finish the story, anyway (it started
with someone bleeding out, and ended at the same scene). It was
gruesome. Konrath would have been proud of the mess (have you read
Draculas? That's the kind of carnage we're talking about
here).
I also have a "thing" for hidden
identities, masks, and pretending to be what you're not (which is
odd, since with me, what you see is what you get). So the last
completed draft I wrote before I decided to learn about plot &
continuity was called Perfect Companions – and for some
reason, I *still* thought I could write it as a contemporary romance.
Needless to say, there was a drug lord and undercover agents and
many, many layers of subterfuge before I even hit the midpoint. Oh,
and just as a nod to Indiana Jones, a sand-filled snake pit *on a
yacht* for the final scene
Is there a writer out there who never
does cheesy things in a draft out of desperation? If so, don't tell
me. I'm embarrassed enough by that scene already, and I'm the
only one who's read it. I was embarrassed about 60 seconds after I
wrote it, actually, but dang it, I hit my 50k words by the deadline
that year.
All NaNo novels, and all of which would
require a complete rewrite in order to be publishable. That's not
just because I've finally made peace with needing action and
adventure along with my romance…but also because I've come a long
way in terms of my voice and understanding of structure (don't
worry, I still have *plenty* to learn).
Interestingly though, I'm still
exploring the same themes. I've tried to write stories (in several
genres) based on the "confetti party" idea several times and I'm
definitely getting closer. I'm fairly certain that one of these
days, I'll write something readable with that basic theme. And the
hidden identity plot is a big part of The Wise Critique that
I'm working on revising now. I may revisit the original idea again
someday, but I find it comforting that those things stick with me
constantly, rather than just disappearing.
Are there themes that stick with you,
even through works that you'd rather just forget existed? How many
times/ways have you explored the same theme in your own work?
Readers, do you seek out writers due to
the underlying themes they explore? Why or why not?
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August 22, 2011
Weekly News, Archive & Goals 8/22/11
I have a love/hate relationship with air conditioning. We normally keep our household temp a steady 72 degrees or so year-round, but where 72 is comfortable with the heat on, 72 with the A/C is just too cold for me (comfy for hubby). Needless to say, I've been freezing this summer so hubby doesn't burn up at night, and I'm ready to turn the heat back on. So I'm not too sad that fall seems to be floating down like so many leaves. Bring on the cooler weather, I say. *ducks*
I've been doing a read-through of The Wise Critique to prepare for revisions, and in the beginning (a few days ago), I thought it would be a piece of cake. Now that I'm into it, there's a lot that needs to be scrapped and completely rewritten, just because it doesn't work. So it's looking like September was a bit optimistic for a release – my original plan was to have it out by November, but I'd like to have it done before then, so we'll say sometime in October instead. With any luck, the rewrite will go quicker than I think and I'll have it out earlier...but no promises.
This Week on The Variety Pages
Monday: Weekly News, Goals, & Archives 8/22/11
Wednesday: Writing Notes – Reworking Old Plots
Friday: Ch. 15 of Falling in Public
Sunday: Code Name: Succulent – Time Outs
Elsewhere
Tuesday: Chapter 15 of The Minister's Maid at Fantasy Ranch Novels
Tuesday: New design at NailArt Tuesday
Thursday: Bundling Print & Digital at Beyond the Words
Saturday: Tea post at Tea onTap
If you missed a post last week and want to catch up, here's the link list. Note that this includes *all* of my posts, including for my pen name genres and non-writing blogs, so click at your own risk.
Posts for August 15-21
Fiction
Chapter 14 of The Minister's Maid (Romantic Suspense, FantasyRanchNovels.com)
Chapter 14 of Falling in Public (Romantic Suspense, The Variety Pages)
Chapter 9 of The Pile Driver (TrinityMarlow.com – Erotica, Adults only, NSFW)
Chapter 10 of The Pile Driver (TrinityMarlow.com – Erotica, Adults only, NSFW)
Chapter 55 of Angel Eyes (AlexWesthaven.com, Thriller)
Writing/Reading/Publishing
WritingNotes: Recognizing Weaknesses (The Variety Pages)
Publishing Schedule Logic (Beyond the Words)
Health & Personal Wellness
(The Variety Pages)
Goal Reports
Last week I had a bunch of plans...and several evenings out. Evenings out are not really all that conducive to actually completing goals. So I kept up with the writing, made my dentist very happy with job security, hit the county fair, went to a book launch, made a trip to Costco, and ran around nearly every night last week. Since evenings are "writing work times"…a lot went undone.
So…moving along…
Goals for the Week
Writing
- 5 serial chapters
- Get busy on the rewrite for TWC, at least one chapter done
- Email a friend story suggestions I was supposed to send weeks ago (oops!)
Business
- Send TBW out for reviews (no really!)
- Get in touch w/graphic artist for Fantasy Ranch map, plus other projects
- Catch up bookkeeping
- Make final decision on potential anthology project
Personal
- 3 workouts
- Have someone come out to measure for new carpet (yay!)
- Schedule treadmill repair for the week I'll be home on vacation next month
- Come up with solid design for Halloween party invitations (getting to be party-planning time…)
That's my week…what are you up to? Enjoy this post? Support your author: Tempest | Desert Heat | The Biker's Wench
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August 21, 2011
Code Name: Succulent – Keeping House
I know what you're thinking.
Something like, "Hey, these post are supposed to be about enjoying
life, living to the fullest, not stuff we hate to do! What gives?"
You're right, of course, but if
you're like me, and you sit too long in a messy house, pretty soon
it's nearly impossible to concentrate on whatever task happens to
be at hand. Why? Guilt, for one thing. That, and the fact that for a
lot of people (whether they want to admit it or not), it's hard to
focus when the environment is too cluttery.
Now I don't really care for perfectly
clean and sterile – personally, I need a "homey" atmosphere to
work in. But I never seem to realize just how negatively my generally
messy house affects my attitude until I'm forced to clean.
Naturally, once the house is picked up and I feel how much lighter my
overall outlook is, I want to keep it that way. I'm sure you know
that's easier said than done...
As part of my "succulent living"
project, I want to keep the house cleaner, because it has such a
direct effect on my overall attitude. When I have a better attitude,
I get more done, and I enjoy life more. It's not really rocket
science, right?
I've tried a lot of different
methods, with varying results. The most useful has been Flylady,
though it does have to be tweaked quite a lot for my personal
tastes/schedules. Still, getting a daily digest email that gives me a
list of the scheduled tasks for the day is motivating, even if I
personally only do one thing off said list. I unsubscribed when I
started writing, and just resubscribed again to have the daily
reminders. It's her "shiny sink" habit that got me cleaning the
kitchen every night (and no, I don't shine my sink every night, but
it is empty before I go to bed, and the dishwasher's running).
I think the trick to cleaning without
really feeling like it's work is to do little things daily, every
day, so they're more routine than "task". I know that since
I've been cleaning my kitchen every night before bed, mornings are
less stifling when I'm not facing messy counters and no room to
work when I'm trying to make tea. When I was keeping the laundry up
well, it was so much nicer facing a bedroom that was reasonably clean
every morning/night (needless to say, that's on my list of things
that must be kept up again).
Another thing I learned through a lot
of years on the GardenWeb Organizing the Home forum was to work with
my own natural routines. Though we have an office, when we come in
the door I head through the kitchen to the back door to let the dogs
out. It makes more sense to sort the mail at the kitchen counter than
it does to try to remember to take it back to the office, because the
office isn't even in my normal "path" until twenty minutes
later. So the mail sorter & recycling bin is near the kitchen
instead of in the office, because I'm more likely to keep up with
it that way.
So this coming week, I'm working on
my housekeeping routines again. Today hubby and I spent one hour
(*only one hour*) vacuuming, cleaning the yard, starting laundry, and
just doing a general pick-up. In one hour we got enough done that the
main areas of the house are still very neat and tidy, and won't
make either of us feel guilty or overwhelmed for the next week. And
because I started the laundry early, I won't have to wait as long
to start on my nails later tonight, which means more sleep for me.
Actually, I'll get another load of laundry done before evening,
which will mean fresh towels tomorrow as well.
All this will make the next week
better, even if I do no other housekeeping all week, it will still
have a noticeable effect on my mood. And being happy, not worrying
about whether the house is in bad shape or not is part of living a
succulent life, in my opinion.
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August 19, 2011
Serial Novel: Falling in Public, Ch. 14
Ch.1|Ch. 2|Ch. 3|Ch. 4|Ch. 5|Ch. 6|Ch. 7|Ch. 8|Ch. 9|Ch. 10|Ch. 11|Ch. 12|Ch.13
Falling in Public
Chapter 14
"What are you doing here Eddie?" Holly scooted up from her sprawled position on the couch and toed off the too-high heels. "If I wanted to talk to you, I would have answered my phone. At least one of the fifty times it rang this afternoon."
He sat down beside her, too close. Her body tingled with awareness and she wanted to move away, but forced herself to stay put. Sneaking a quick peek at his face, she could see he was confused.
"I tried to call twice. Both this morning. My agent called once that I know of. Have you checked your messages?"
She got up and went to the coat rack her purse was hanging on, glad for the excuse to put distance between them. "I haven' t had time. I just assumed..." She opened her phone to scroll through the recent calls, all from the same unfamiliar number.
"At least you were thinking about me," Eddie teased as she walked over to show him the phone.
"So that's not your number then?"
He shook his head. "There are messages though. You'd better check them. Seems like it might be important."
She pressed the key to start the first one and held the device to her ear.
"You're going to pay for what you did last night, bitch. I'm watching you."
The high, nasally male voice assaulted her eardrums, and she cringed at both the sound and the message. Holding the phone out, she pressed the speakerphone button in time for the next message.
"You should be ashamed, doll - sleeping with that trash and tossing it in my face. You need a real man to drape that body over."
Eddie reached for the phone, taking it from her shaking hands and then tugging her back to the couch as the verbal attack continued.
"I'm watching you on TV, babe. Make sure you keep those sexy heels. We're gonna need 'em."
Holly gripped the cushions as the last message played, needing to hear the rest even though she really didn't want to.
"I was going to wait in your dressing room, but it appears to be occupied already. Don't worry though, doll. I'll find you soon enough."
Eddie snapped the phone shut and pulled Holly into the circle of his arm. "I don't know what the hell Sean's trying to pull, but he's gonna regret it. Until we get this settled though, you're staying with me."
Holly pulled back to look at him, confused. "Sean who? You recognize the voice?"
He stared at her for a moment, waiting for...something. When she frowned, he shrugged. "I think my ego is officially bruised. The voice isn't familiar, but I think the only person who could be behind it is Sean Winston, right? Unless you pissed off someone else before I showed up to rescue you?"
"That doesn't make any sense though - why would he stalk me just for turning him down? Surely he's not that desperate. I mean, I'm sure he has girls falling all over him on a daily basis. Would he really be that stupid?"
Someone knocked on the door, and Holly jumped.
"Are you expecting anyone?" Eddie asked, getting to his feet.
Holly shook her head. "No."
"Stay out of sight. I'll handle it." He went to the door, and Holly moved behind a screen in the corner to wait, her heart pounding.
Enjoy this installment? Try Desert Heat, available now at:
Amazon US | Amazon UK | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords | Diesel | All Romance
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August 17, 2011
Writing Notes: Recognizing Weaknesses
I was asked recently how I identify my own weaknesses when it comes to writing. There are many answers to the question, and as I've been thinking a lot about the process of self-editing lately, I thought I'd address it here as well.
There are several ways I identify weaknesses in my writing:
- Readers: Comments on my serial drafts and reviews both give me a wealth of information about what my readers are feeling/thinking, and what I should be focusing on in the next book. Everything starts and stops with readers. This is normally big picture stuff – plot, continuity, etc (revisions).
- Writers: Beta readers (used sparingly these days) and my editor are invaluable in pointing out my weaknesses, and making suggestions to fix them. This can encompass both the big picture and line-item levels.
- Self-editing: Wherein I pick through the book myself looking for plot holes, grammar/spelling errors, etc. I do a lot of this as I go, but also do a read-through after the draft is finished to fix the obvious mistakes before sending it off to my editor.
I have a pretty decent "feel" for grammar/spelling (always have), though I'm the first to admit that I'll never be able to see all the little line-edit issues myself. The brain just doesn't work that way – when it's my own writing, I automatically see things the way I expect them to be for the most part, even when I've had time away from the story. So the need for a copy-editor other than myself will never go away. I have considered using editing software to quickly find potential problems with my prose, but have waffled on that. Because my phrasing and the rhythm is a big part of what constitutes my own "voice", and I don't want to edit that out.
As far as big picture items go – plot, continuity and character development (revisions, not edits)…I really depend on my readers and editor for feedback. Reviews and comments on the serial scenes really help guide what I focus on with regards to my characters and the overall plot. As described on DWS's blog here (see "Cycler"), I write, check for spelling/grammar issues, send to one trusted reader for feedback (in my case, my editor), and publish once those issues are fixed. Then reader reviews and feedback for that story tell me what I need to work on in future books. I like this method because I'm learning as I go, practicing the craft with every story I write. And since I hate revision with a passion, this allows me to keep moving forward. I'm just as much a perfectionist as the next writer when it comes to my stories, but I get the best feedback from the books/parts of books I've revised the least, which says a lot, I think.
Once my weaknesses are identified, I can work on them by reading blog posts on craft, using reference books for writers, studying how other authors have dealt with the issues (ie, reading a lot of books), and then applying what I learn to whatever I'm working on. It's a constant process, and I don't expect it to end.
Writers, how do you know what you need to work on? Do you rely more on your own intuition, or do you rely more on the comments of others?
Readers, how you do feel about your reviews, presumably written for other readers, being used to help the author grow and learn? Enjoy this post? Support your author: Tempest | Desert Heat | The Biker's Wench
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