Kate Copeseeley's Blog, page 10
July 1, 2012
Quick Update While I Have Internet and a SALE!
Hi. For like 3 hours I will have some internet, so I wanted to come on and tell you how much I am enjoying vacation and how much I'm enjoying the thought of getting back to WORK! :)
For now, though, I'm reading, reading, reading. You can keep track of my stuff on goodreads, as always.
My biggest announcement is that I've been having an issue with Amazon KDP (MORE ON THAT LATER!!! A LONG ENTRY TO COME!) and have set my book's price -for a very limited time- to $.99! Tell your friends, tell your relatives, tell strangers on the street! This is a blip in the radar and will probably NEVER happen again and it will only be on sale for like 5 or 6 days.
I just did it this morning after receiving numerous emails from KDP, so it may take a day or so to go live. Enjoy it while it lasts and have a great next week! I'll see you soon for the next ROW!
Happy Reading!
For now, though, I'm reading, reading, reading. You can keep track of my stuff on goodreads, as always.
My biggest announcement is that I've been having an issue with Amazon KDP (MORE ON THAT LATER!!! A LONG ENTRY TO COME!) and have set my book's price -for a very limited time- to $.99! Tell your friends, tell your relatives, tell strangers on the street! This is a blip in the radar and will probably NEVER happen again and it will only be on sale for like 5 or 6 days.
I just did it this morning after receiving numerous emails from KDP, so it may take a day or so to go live. Enjoy it while it lasts and have a great next week! I'll see you soon for the next ROW!
Happy Reading!
June 17, 2012
These are a Few of My Favorite Things...
I love Oprah. Well, everything except her bookclub. Man, Oprah, do you want me to slit my wrists and leave behind two innocent babies, because YOUR BOOKS ARE SO DEPRESSING!!! Like,"I have no will to live" depressing.
My favorite episodes of Oprah before her show ended were those ones where she had a "favorite things" episode. She'd stand up on the stage and start throwing stuff at the audience.
"Have a new playstation!"
"It's a year's supply of $5,000 face lotion!"
"A new Jetpack!"
Okay, maybe not that last one, but you'd think so, from the way the people in the audience act.
See what I mean? Who likes bees that much?
To kick off my lovely vacay, I now give to you, Kate's favorite things on the internet! Be forewarned, many of these are nerdy in the extreme.
The first is poupee dolls. It's this little game/social networking thingamagig. Basically, you join up, and you get a little paper doll.
This is just an example; my doll doesn't look like this. So you earn "ribbons"—the poupee girl cash—and you buy super cute clothes and accessories and you dress her every day. This is my 3rd year. And I love it. I'm not a super girly girl in real life (yes, I wear dresses, but man, what a hassle) and I don't have the budget to buy myself endless amounts of cute clothing. So poupee is how I feel my need for shoes and bags. It's Japanese, which leads to some rather confusing site announcements, but more and more Americans join every day.
Next up is my beloved Korean dramas. Imagine that you are awake all hours of the night and you can't make a lot of noise. Imagine also that you've run through everything in your Netflix queue and all your Friends DVDs. Let the dramz begin. Kdramas are these amazing, short series that are pure entertainment and romance. Why do I love them? Well, first, they're subtitled. So I can turn down the sound and not worry about keeping the household awake when I'm up with New Baby. Second, they are so CLEAN. I mean, I'm not against a healthy amount of sexiness in my shows, but I've got kids. I don't want to watch anything that will be bad for their eyes. Most of what's in them is hugging and hand holding. It's like Pride &
Prejudice with Korean Smartphones.
And Coffee Prince is like the BEST THING EVER!!! *sigh* (The above link is to my favorite Korean Drama site, Drama beans. It's a page with the BEST of the Kdramas. And also, there are a TON of Kdramas on Hulu.)
Then there is cracked.com. If you want to know the top 5 reasons for anything—the awful websites of people who should know better (*cough* George R.R. Martin *cough*), gay guys who got more women than straight men, things flight safety presentations should mention—read these articles and be wildly entertained. Kind of like the onion, except it doesn't take itself as seriously.
And finally, thanks to my son, I have become doubly addicted. First of all, I am addicted to My Little Pony. The first time I saw it, I was like... "Uh, that's cute, son, but what happened to Mighty Machines?" Cut to two days later and I was like, "MUST. WATCH. ANOTHER. EPISODE!" Seriously, I love the show. Applejack is my favorite character and I'm not sure if that's because she's so sassy or because I just love that cereal. :)
And from there blossoms my other newest addiction: My Little Pony gifs. :) My favorite tmblr is HERE.
In quick ROW update news, I've been writing a sequel to Fire of God, which is one of my Angelic Agents short stories. I'm not sure how long it's going to be yet, but I'm going to keep writing until it's finished. I've also started plotting the next book in the Five Tribes series. Terris is going to be AWESOME, but I'm afraid there are some plot changes ahead. Aeris really got away from me. hahaha
Happy Father's Day and Happy Reading!
My favorite episodes of Oprah before her show ended were those ones where she had a "favorite things" episode. She'd stand up on the stage and start throwing stuff at the audience.
"Have a new playstation!"
"It's a year's supply of $5,000 face lotion!"
"A new Jetpack!"
Okay, maybe not that last one, but you'd think so, from the way the people in the audience act.
See what I mean? Who likes bees that much?
To kick off my lovely vacay, I now give to you, Kate's favorite things on the internet! Be forewarned, many of these are nerdy in the extreme.
The first is poupee dolls. It's this little game/social networking thingamagig. Basically, you join up, and you get a little paper doll.
This is just an example; my doll doesn't look like this. So you earn "ribbons"—the poupee girl cash—and you buy super cute clothes and accessories and you dress her every day. This is my 3rd year. And I love it. I'm not a super girly girl in real life (yes, I wear dresses, but man, what a hassle) and I don't have the budget to buy myself endless amounts of cute clothing. So poupee is how I feel my need for shoes and bags. It's Japanese, which leads to some rather confusing site announcements, but more and more Americans join every day.
Next up is my beloved Korean dramas. Imagine that you are awake all hours of the night and you can't make a lot of noise. Imagine also that you've run through everything in your Netflix queue and all your Friends DVDs. Let the dramz begin. Kdramas are these amazing, short series that are pure entertainment and romance. Why do I love them? Well, first, they're subtitled. So I can turn down the sound and not worry about keeping the household awake when I'm up with New Baby. Second, they are so CLEAN. I mean, I'm not against a healthy amount of sexiness in my shows, but I've got kids. I don't want to watch anything that will be bad for their eyes. Most of what's in them is hugging and hand holding. It's like Pride &
Prejudice with Korean Smartphones.
And Coffee Prince is like the BEST THING EVER!!! *sigh* (The above link is to my favorite Korean Drama site, Drama beans. It's a page with the BEST of the Kdramas. And also, there are a TON of Kdramas on Hulu.)
Then there is cracked.com. If you want to know the top 5 reasons for anything—the awful websites of people who should know better (*cough* George R.R. Martin *cough*), gay guys who got more women than straight men, things flight safety presentations should mention—read these articles and be wildly entertained. Kind of like the onion, except it doesn't take itself as seriously.
And finally, thanks to my son, I have become doubly addicted. First of all, I am addicted to My Little Pony. The first time I saw it, I was like... "Uh, that's cute, son, but what happened to Mighty Machines?" Cut to two days later and I was like, "MUST. WATCH. ANOTHER. EPISODE!" Seriously, I love the show. Applejack is my favorite character and I'm not sure if that's because she's so sassy or because I just love that cereal. :)
And from there blossoms my other newest addiction: My Little Pony gifs. :) My favorite tmblr is HERE.
In quick ROW update news, I've been writing a sequel to Fire of God, which is one of my Angelic Agents short stories. I'm not sure how long it's going to be yet, but I'm going to keep writing until it's finished. I've also started plotting the next book in the Five Tribes series. Terris is going to be AWESOME, but I'm afraid there are some plot changes ahead. Aeris really got away from me. hahaha
Happy Father's Day and Happy Reading!
June 13, 2012
Tah-Dah! *poof*
So, Aeris is done. Finished. Over with my proof reader. It is out in the ether. I'd post a meme of triumph, but the truth is, I'm just numb. This is the part, even larger than the editing, where I start to doubt myself and my abilities. Not fishing for compliments here, it's just the plain truth.
When I've finished my edits and left it in the hands of a proof reader, I start thinking, "I should have changed this. I'm still torn about that. Was I too obvious? Too vague? Did I edit my natural prose too much?" I think I have pretty healthy instincts on what to edit in my own writing. But no one is perfect, and neither will my story be.
So, let's go over what happened. Aeris went through two edits.
The first read through and edit was for continuity, naming, and storyline. That is where the biggest changes happened in Aeris. I rewrote Zyander's storyline. I deleted two chapters from Luka's story, then added a whole new one at the end of the book. I moved 3 or 4 chapters into different order. I deleted parts of Nikka's story, and rewrote portions of it. Then there were the MULTIPLE changes along the way, the little ones.
The second read through and edit were for paragraph, sentence, style and structure. This is the most tedious, but ultimately necessary part of my editing. This is where I examined each sentence for its meaning, and its form. I try not to mess too much with my inherent writing style, because, well, I like my style. It's not for everyone, but its what makes me unique. Still, writing at 5 in the morning is telling sometimes. Many sentences were unclear, or said too much or were repetitive. Those have got to go.
Now, the book will be with the proofreader for about a month, I'm guessing. When it gets back, I will look over any changes that are called for, then I'll format the book, and post it on Amazon, B&N, and Smashwords.
What am I doing while I wait? Taking a much deserved break. I've been dwelling on this storyline so long my brain hurts, frankly. I've got several chapters plotted out for when I start up with Terris, but for now, I'm going to be on vacation for three weeks. YES, THREE. I'll be in Utah, Yosemite and the Sierra Nevadas. Some of the time I'll have access to the internet, so I may post an entry or two.
I will also—because I have a DISEASE—still be writing.
I've gotten some requests to write more of my angelic agents, so I will probably do a third in Gideon & Samora's tale, and start in on the story of Bethel and her transformation. Fun stuff!
I will also have my kindle and like a BAZILLION books on it. If you are interested in knowing what I'll be reading, I made a list on my pinterest. LINK HERE
And finally, I just want to give a shout-out to Kait Nolan and her wonderful ROW80 writing challenge. Without the cheers and encouragement of so many who have been on this year-long journey with me since the beginning, I don't know if I ever would have finished Aeris. So thanks, everyone!
Happy Reading!
When I've finished my edits and left it in the hands of a proof reader, I start thinking, "I should have changed this. I'm still torn about that. Was I too obvious? Too vague? Did I edit my natural prose too much?" I think I have pretty healthy instincts on what to edit in my own writing. But no one is perfect, and neither will my story be.
So, let's go over what happened. Aeris went through two edits.
The first read through and edit was for continuity, naming, and storyline. That is where the biggest changes happened in Aeris. I rewrote Zyander's storyline. I deleted two chapters from Luka's story, then added a whole new one at the end of the book. I moved 3 or 4 chapters into different order. I deleted parts of Nikka's story, and rewrote portions of it. Then there were the MULTIPLE changes along the way, the little ones.
The second read through and edit were for paragraph, sentence, style and structure. This is the most tedious, but ultimately necessary part of my editing. This is where I examined each sentence for its meaning, and its form. I try not to mess too much with my inherent writing style, because, well, I like my style. It's not for everyone, but its what makes me unique. Still, writing at 5 in the morning is telling sometimes. Many sentences were unclear, or said too much or were repetitive. Those have got to go.
Now, the book will be with the proofreader for about a month, I'm guessing. When it gets back, I will look over any changes that are called for, then I'll format the book, and post it on Amazon, B&N, and Smashwords.
What am I doing while I wait? Taking a much deserved break. I've been dwelling on this storyline so long my brain hurts, frankly. I've got several chapters plotted out for when I start up with Terris, but for now, I'm going to be on vacation for three weeks. YES, THREE. I'll be in Utah, Yosemite and the Sierra Nevadas. Some of the time I'll have access to the internet, so I may post an entry or two.
I will also—because I have a DISEASE—still be writing.
I've gotten some requests to write more of my angelic agents, so I will probably do a third in Gideon & Samora's tale, and start in on the story of Bethel and her transformation. Fun stuff!
I will also have my kindle and like a BAZILLION books on it. If you are interested in knowing what I'll be reading, I made a list on my pinterest. LINK HERE
And finally, I just want to give a shout-out to Kait Nolan and her wonderful ROW80 writing challenge. Without the cheers and encouragement of so many who have been on this year-long journey with me since the beginning, I don't know if I ever would have finished Aeris. So thanks, everyone!
Happy Reading!
June 3, 2012
Look, a Shiny Distraction!
The world is full of people who will either drag you down or lift you up. I have seen both, and today is my day of VINDICATION! Let me just note that vindication is a petty emotion. It usually involves feeling like not only has someone stood up for the awesomeness that is you, but that you can now feel free to rub it in ALL THE PEOPLES' FACES!!
My family is amazing and supportive. May you be blessed with such a plethora of willing and excited readers, encouragers, and cheerleaders, my friends. One of these days, I will write a book about THEM, and you will know the depths of my thankfulness and appreciation.
Unfortunately, not everyone is as supportive as they are. Here in the blogosphere, I must treat those in the real world like patients under the HIPAA code. I will not name names. It wouldn't be productive anyway. Let's just say that a couple of weeks ago, a certain someone from my real life had some not so nice things to say about both me as a person and as a writer. Suckage. I brushed off the writerly part, because I've gotten a thick skin about this sort of thing. But the personal stuff hurt. I admit it.
Cut to today, when said person commented to a friend of mine (perhaps not knowing he was a friend?) about me (thinking to gain a partner in commiseration), and my friend rose to my defense in the nicest way! It was hard not to feel spitefully vindicated. I squashed it down with a vengeance, but I will admit, it does warm my heart that I have good friends who have my back.
And now, my readers and writers alike, I will point you to many shiny distractions, so you don't ask how the editing on Aeris is going (fine, just fine. Ask me next Sunday and you will hear me say YAY! IT'S DONE!!).
HERE is an interesting article about the publishing industry from an insider.
HERE is yet another place to post your scribbles, fellow authors.
HERE is some excellent advice from writer Wesley Dean Smith on thinking of yourself as a publisher.
And HERE is a link to the awesome My Little Pony Tumblr I borrowed the gifs from. My son is in love with this show right now, so I have it on the brain. :)
Happy Reading! And stay awesome!
My family is amazing and supportive. May you be blessed with such a plethora of willing and excited readers, encouragers, and cheerleaders, my friends. One of these days, I will write a book about THEM, and you will know the depths of my thankfulness and appreciation.
Unfortunately, not everyone is as supportive as they are. Here in the blogosphere, I must treat those in the real world like patients under the HIPAA code. I will not name names. It wouldn't be productive anyway. Let's just say that a couple of weeks ago, a certain someone from my real life had some not so nice things to say about both me as a person and as a writer. Suckage. I brushed off the writerly part, because I've gotten a thick skin about this sort of thing. But the personal stuff hurt. I admit it.
Cut to today, when said person commented to a friend of mine (perhaps not knowing he was a friend?) about me (thinking to gain a partner in commiseration), and my friend rose to my defense in the nicest way! It was hard not to feel spitefully vindicated. I squashed it down with a vengeance, but I will admit, it does warm my heart that I have good friends who have my back.
And now, my readers and writers alike, I will point you to many shiny distractions, so you don't ask how the editing on Aeris is going (fine, just fine. Ask me next Sunday and you will hear me say YAY! IT'S DONE!!).
HERE is an interesting article about the publishing industry from an insider.
HERE is yet another place to post your scribbles, fellow authors.
HERE is some excellent advice from writer Wesley Dean Smith on thinking of yourself as a publisher.
And HERE is a link to the awesome My Little Pony Tumblr I borrowed the gifs from. My son is in love with this show right now, so I have it on the brain. :)
Happy Reading! And stay awesome!
May 27, 2012
Alive and Kicking
Despite rumors to the contrary, I am still alive and writing. Thank you for asking—those of you who did. I've pretty much cut myself off from the internet these past two weeks. Don't expect more of me, either, until about June 9th.
Why? Well, every waking moment has been taken with either gardening or editing. Have I gotten more done? Why yes I have. I'm halfway there, folks. Of course, halfway just isn't good enough, Dangit! Which is why I've concocted my master plan. Do nothing.
Hahaha, Just Kidding!
Oldest son is going to stay at grandma's for a week, and while he's there, I will be house sitting for my parents at their place. An empty place. With no distractions. Except New Baby, of course. But he's just gotten over a cold so he should be good for another 2 weeks.
Yeah, I forgot to mention that. I'm about 25 pages behind because my parents came up for a week, then New Baby got sick, and now my sister and her husband are visiting for Memorial Day. Which is all good and fun (except for sick baby, who spent literally a full day in my arms), but doesn't get the work done. So the first week in June is my big push.
Gotta get it done, FOR GOOD! AERIS MUST BE FINISHED!
I swear, if I get another email or message or comment telling me how much someone liked the book and how excited they are to read the next one, I will expire from guilt! Seriously, I feel soooo bad. I feel like I'm letting people down. Not a good feeling.
So yeah. I will try to update next weekend, but if I don't, you know it's because I'm WORKING.
Happy Reading!
Why? Well, every waking moment has been taken with either gardening or editing. Have I gotten more done? Why yes I have. I'm halfway there, folks. Of course, halfway just isn't good enough, Dangit! Which is why I've concocted my master plan. Do nothing.
Hahaha, Just Kidding!
Oldest son is going to stay at grandma's for a week, and while he's there, I will be house sitting for my parents at their place. An empty place. With no distractions. Except New Baby, of course. But he's just gotten over a cold so he should be good for another 2 weeks.
Yeah, I forgot to mention that. I'm about 25 pages behind because my parents came up for a week, then New Baby got sick, and now my sister and her husband are visiting for Memorial Day. Which is all good and fun (except for sick baby, who spent literally a full day in my arms), but doesn't get the work done. So the first week in June is my big push.
Gotta get it done, FOR GOOD! AERIS MUST BE FINISHED!
I swear, if I get another email or message or comment telling me how much someone liked the book and how excited they are to read the next one, I will expire from guilt! Seriously, I feel soooo bad. I feel like I'm letting people down. Not a good feeling.
So yeah. I will try to update next weekend, but if I don't, you know it's because I'm WORKING.
Happy Reading!
May 13, 2012
SAY WHAT??
ROW80 confession time, folks. It turns out that my editing eyes were bigger than my editing stomach. In other words, I'm not as far along as I want to be. In actuality I'm 47 out of 216 pages finished with editing Aeris.
Yeah, I know. Ultimate writer FAIL, right? But it takes sooooo long! I can't help it. At this rate, much to my dismay, I think it's going to take about a month to finish these edits. *sigh* Which pushes back my May release of Aeris to end of June. That is the bad news. The good news is, I CARE about how this book ends up. The good news is, rather than do a slap-dash, half-assed effort and speed through my edits, I'm looking at the overall picture, the chapter-by-chapter picture, and the sentence-by-sentence picture. My personal vow, and my commitment to my readers is that I'm going to put out the best possible product that I can, starting with my edits. Thankfully, my proofreader is a very patient woman! So, Onward! Remember, my Word Of The Year is DETERMINATION.
And now, to take my mind off of my troubles, I'm going to talk about what I've heard most authors discuss at one time or another: Inspiration. More specifically, musical inspiration. :)
I've read several different authors' blogs, and everyone has their own thing. Heck, Vicki Keire posts her ongoing playlist for readers to sample. (Much appreciated, Vicki!)
I am a Pandora girl by nature. I have about... 20 different playlists going right now. hahaha But here is my issue. I can NOT write if the music has words. I love music so much that if I hear a song I know, I start singing it and forget about writing. hahaha So I had to find something else to inspire my writing.
Right now, my writing is pretty much all fantasy, what most would call "high" or "epic" fantasy. It requires lots of dramatic writing: romantic, lots of action, full of longing. It takes a special composer to write music that fits my world vision. But I found one!
Let me introduce you, dear readers, to Bear McCreary, the genius behind the best sci-fi series of all time: Battlestar Galactica (reimagined version). (Side note: never thought I'd say that about any series but Firefly, but BSG is fully awesome!) This is seriously some of the best music I've ever listened to. Violins, piano, DRUMS, DRUMS, DRUMS! Just what the author ordered. I've posted two of my favorites here. SOOO GOOOD!
My other recent discovery is a guy who is admittedly an amateur composer. The coolest part of his story is that he reads books and composes inspirational songs to match. He is passionate about The Hunger Games, and has 3 albums worth of music for each of the 3 books. His name is Sam Cushion and he is FANTASTIC! Seriously, I love his compositions. Here are two of my favorites.
This is why writers write! To inspire and uplift! Can you imagine someone loving your books so much that they want to write music dedicated to them? That is so cool! Sam Cushion, I salute you and your passion for reading! You are awesome.
What do you listen to for inspiration? If nothing, then I suggest you try out my two favorites.
BTW- Here is a link to Sam Cushion's Website .
PS- That is New Baby putting in a cameo. Can you believe his expression? We still have no idea why he made that face. There was no flash involved in the picture. :)
PPS- Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers!
Happy Reading!
Yeah, I know. Ultimate writer FAIL, right? But it takes sooooo long! I can't help it. At this rate, much to my dismay, I think it's going to take about a month to finish these edits. *sigh* Which pushes back my May release of Aeris to end of June. That is the bad news. The good news is, I CARE about how this book ends up. The good news is, rather than do a slap-dash, half-assed effort and speed through my edits, I'm looking at the overall picture, the chapter-by-chapter picture, and the sentence-by-sentence picture. My personal vow, and my commitment to my readers is that I'm going to put out the best possible product that I can, starting with my edits. Thankfully, my proofreader is a very patient woman! So, Onward! Remember, my Word Of The Year is DETERMINATION.
And now, to take my mind off of my troubles, I'm going to talk about what I've heard most authors discuss at one time or another: Inspiration. More specifically, musical inspiration. :)
I've read several different authors' blogs, and everyone has their own thing. Heck, Vicki Keire posts her ongoing playlist for readers to sample. (Much appreciated, Vicki!)
I am a Pandora girl by nature. I have about... 20 different playlists going right now. hahaha But here is my issue. I can NOT write if the music has words. I love music so much that if I hear a song I know, I start singing it and forget about writing. hahaha So I had to find something else to inspire my writing.
Right now, my writing is pretty much all fantasy, what most would call "high" or "epic" fantasy. It requires lots of dramatic writing: romantic, lots of action, full of longing. It takes a special composer to write music that fits my world vision. But I found one!
Let me introduce you, dear readers, to Bear McCreary, the genius behind the best sci-fi series of all time: Battlestar Galactica (reimagined version). (Side note: never thought I'd say that about any series but Firefly, but BSG is fully awesome!) This is seriously some of the best music I've ever listened to. Violins, piano, DRUMS, DRUMS, DRUMS! Just what the author ordered. I've posted two of my favorites here. SOOO GOOOD!
My other recent discovery is a guy who is admittedly an amateur composer. The coolest part of his story is that he reads books and composes inspirational songs to match. He is passionate about The Hunger Games, and has 3 albums worth of music for each of the 3 books. His name is Sam Cushion and he is FANTASTIC! Seriously, I love his compositions. Here are two of my favorites.
This is why writers write! To inspire and uplift! Can you imagine someone loving your books so much that they want to write music dedicated to them? That is so cool! Sam Cushion, I salute you and your passion for reading! You are awesome.
What do you listen to for inspiration? If nothing, then I suggest you try out my two favorites.
BTW- Here is a link to Sam Cushion's Website .
PS- That is New Baby putting in a cameo. Can you believe his expression? We still have no idea why he made that face. There was no flash involved in the picture. :)
PPS- Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers!
Happy Reading!
May 6, 2012
I Must Have Been High
Seriously, have you read Aeris? Have you? I knew it would be rough. I did. But MAN ALIVE I HAD NO IDEA.
Honestly, I don't know if I was on crack when I wrote it or what, but IT NEEDS SO MUCH WORK!!! Like 5 or 6 edits per kindle page(that's at LEAST, most of the time it's whole blocks of text that need work).
Some people have problems with the words: writer's block or story structure. They doubt themselves, their work languishes. The words have never really been a problem for me. No, the editing is where my big doubts hit. I look over my work and shudder. "This is awful!" "What was I thinking?" "This makes no sense!" "How can I call myself a writer?!?!?!"
It certainly doesn't help that I've read so many awesome and amazing books lately! All I can do is read my words and fret over my characters not being kick butt enough, my stories not being action-packed enough, that my readers (the ones who've emailed to tell me how excited they are about the new book) will HATE where I've gone with the story line. I don't want them to feel like I've let them down.
Anyway, to get my mind off of my troubles, let me tell you about my process for editing. I've recently made a couple of changes, too, thanks to Elizabeth May and her FABULOUS ENTRY ON EDITING and also, if you're a glutton for punishment take a look at her really educational First Page Edits HERE and HERE .
I'm not that far yet. I'm still in the early stages of my process. The first thing I do with a book when I finish the rough draft is put it aside. I sent it to beta readers. I think about the overall arch of the story. What are my character's motivations and does my plot reflect that? Is there anything I put in that doesn't make sense for the story? How will this book move me along toward Terris? All of my musings are mental.
Then I start making notes in my Wonder Woman notebook (which is dedicated to all my Five Tribes scribblings. Scrivener, anyone?). I wait for the feedback. With each passing comment, I get a sharper image of what I need to do to improve the book.
I finally open the book again for myself. It's been interesting this time around, because some of this stuff I haven't read in a YEAR, so it is totally foreign to me. So I do a quick format job on my book (OMG, I HATE .mobi, did I mention that? I have scads and scads of random paragraphs in italics, for no apparent reason!) and start reading.
Here is where I started to feel bad for my beta readers, because IT'S SO LONG!!! It takes me an hour to get through 5 percent of the book, and I'm a fast reader. I think it's gotta be close to 500 pages. Holy crap? Did that come out of my brain?? Using kindle notes and highlights, I mark the rough draft up for changes.
What are my trouble spots to look out for? Bad words: just, like, as, SO, basically, really, likely, and barely. I keep my eyes out for adverbs (those bad TELLING -lys): softly, angrily, roughly, wistfully. I don't have a huge problem with them, because I've become good at training myself out of using them when I write. -ING on the other hand. What a nightmare! I'm like an addict. So I mark those up. I highlight anything that seems confusing or doesn't make sense. I highlight stuff that is repetitive, or gives away any surprises I might have coming up. I mark passages that are too passive or places where there is too much dialogue and not enough description. Basically, my rough draft is a plethora of notes to myself.
And that is where I'm at right now. The book took longer to read than I thought, so I will have to push back my editing deadline. I'm thinking that it won't get done till the end of next week. At which point it goes off to the proof reader and I get started on some of the other things on my list.
Happy Reading!
Honestly, I don't know if I was on crack when I wrote it or what, but IT NEEDS SO MUCH WORK!!! Like 5 or 6 edits per kindle page(that's at LEAST, most of the time it's whole blocks of text that need work).
Some people have problems with the words: writer's block or story structure. They doubt themselves, their work languishes. The words have never really been a problem for me. No, the editing is where my big doubts hit. I look over my work and shudder. "This is awful!" "What was I thinking?" "This makes no sense!" "How can I call myself a writer?!?!?!"
It certainly doesn't help that I've read so many awesome and amazing books lately! All I can do is read my words and fret over my characters not being kick butt enough, my stories not being action-packed enough, that my readers (the ones who've emailed to tell me how excited they are about the new book) will HATE where I've gone with the story line. I don't want them to feel like I've let them down.
Anyway, to get my mind off of my troubles, let me tell you about my process for editing. I've recently made a couple of changes, too, thanks to Elizabeth May and her FABULOUS ENTRY ON EDITING and also, if you're a glutton for punishment take a look at her really educational First Page Edits HERE and HERE .
I'm not that far yet. I'm still in the early stages of my process. The first thing I do with a book when I finish the rough draft is put it aside. I sent it to beta readers. I think about the overall arch of the story. What are my character's motivations and does my plot reflect that? Is there anything I put in that doesn't make sense for the story? How will this book move me along toward Terris? All of my musings are mental.
Then I start making notes in my Wonder Woman notebook (which is dedicated to all my Five Tribes scribblings. Scrivener, anyone?). I wait for the feedback. With each passing comment, I get a sharper image of what I need to do to improve the book.
I finally open the book again for myself. It's been interesting this time around, because some of this stuff I haven't read in a YEAR, so it is totally foreign to me. So I do a quick format job on my book (OMG, I HATE .mobi, did I mention that? I have scads and scads of random paragraphs in italics, for no apparent reason!) and start reading.
Here is where I started to feel bad for my beta readers, because IT'S SO LONG!!! It takes me an hour to get through 5 percent of the book, and I'm a fast reader. I think it's gotta be close to 500 pages. Holy crap? Did that come out of my brain?? Using kindle notes and highlights, I mark the rough draft up for changes.
What are my trouble spots to look out for? Bad words: just, like, as, SO, basically, really, likely, and barely. I keep my eyes out for adverbs (those bad TELLING -lys): softly, angrily, roughly, wistfully. I don't have a huge problem with them, because I've become good at training myself out of using them when I write. -ING on the other hand. What a nightmare! I'm like an addict. So I mark those up. I highlight anything that seems confusing or doesn't make sense. I highlight stuff that is repetitive, or gives away any surprises I might have coming up. I mark passages that are too passive or places where there is too much dialogue and not enough description. Basically, my rough draft is a plethora of notes to myself.
And that is where I'm at right now. The book took longer to read than I thought, so I will have to push back my editing deadline. I'm thinking that it won't get done till the end of next week. At which point it goes off to the proof reader and I get started on some of the other things on my list.
Happy Reading!
April 29, 2012
Cover Love...
Quick ROW update: I've gotten all my feedback and I've plunged into hardcore editing for Aeris. I'm hoping to have the majority of my cuts and edits done by early in the first week of May (not this coming week, but the week after). After which it will be shipped off to the proof reader's and then back to me for formatting. Then it will be out, out, out!
When that is done, there is the super secret writing project to finish and then I will get started on Terris. Not quite sure how long this next book will be. I'm thinking it will be somewhere in between the first book and the second. So, maybe about 300 pages or so? I haven't finished my outlines yet, because I started editing, so that will be another task to get to when Aeris is completed.
This has been a week of upheaval for my favorite book bloggers. If you google "The Story Siren" and plagiarism, you'll see why. I don't have a lot to say about it, because I'm not a book blogger, but plagiarism sucks. It happens all the time in the indie writing world. Kindleboards are filled with people whose books have been ripped off and sold under a different name (or the same name) on Amazon. All that to say, I sympathize, and I hope all my favorite bloggers are feeling better soon.
I also ran across some interesting articles full of commentary on covers, particularly for either YA fiction or Paranormal romance. Basically, the criticism is: men are portrayed as powerful and pose in more realistic poses. And no, it is not just women saying so. In fact, two of the more hilarious posts are by writer Jim C. Hines. His posts are on Women and Fantasy Covers & Posing Like a Man. But if you are interested, there's a great post by Emily Asher-Perrin on the sexy, over the shoulder shot for women, HERE. There another blogger trying more insane book cover poses, HERE. Then there is my personal favorite, by my favorite blogger Kat Kennedy at Cuddlebuggery.com and some of her insightful commentary on YA Covers .
There is a growing trend in YA fiction, to make covers like magazine covers- pretty white girls who most of the time have nothing to do with the content inside. That sounds harsh, but it's like a parade of pretties.
Let me just say, there is NOTHING wrong with a pretty cover. I do worry, a little, that YA books are really going to end up like magazine covers, all about the pretty. Almost as though a pretty enough cover will forgive any literary flaws.
Thank goodness for Hunger Games! :)
Have a great week, all. Hope to have some good news for Wednesday's check in.
Happy Reading!
When that is done, there is the super secret writing project to finish and then I will get started on Terris. Not quite sure how long this next book will be. I'm thinking it will be somewhere in between the first book and the second. So, maybe about 300 pages or so? I haven't finished my outlines yet, because I started editing, so that will be another task to get to when Aeris is completed.
This has been a week of upheaval for my favorite book bloggers. If you google "The Story Siren" and plagiarism, you'll see why. I don't have a lot to say about it, because I'm not a book blogger, but plagiarism sucks. It happens all the time in the indie writing world. Kindleboards are filled with people whose books have been ripped off and sold under a different name (or the same name) on Amazon. All that to say, I sympathize, and I hope all my favorite bloggers are feeling better soon.
I also ran across some interesting articles full of commentary on covers, particularly for either YA fiction or Paranormal romance. Basically, the criticism is: men are portrayed as powerful and pose in more realistic poses. And no, it is not just women saying so. In fact, two of the more hilarious posts are by writer Jim C. Hines. His posts are on Women and Fantasy Covers & Posing Like a Man. But if you are interested, there's a great post by Emily Asher-Perrin on the sexy, over the shoulder shot for women, HERE. There another blogger trying more insane book cover poses, HERE. Then there is my personal favorite, by my favorite blogger Kat Kennedy at Cuddlebuggery.com and some of her insightful commentary on YA Covers .
There is a growing trend in YA fiction, to make covers like magazine covers- pretty white girls who most of the time have nothing to do with the content inside. That sounds harsh, but it's like a parade of pretties.
Let me just say, there is NOTHING wrong with a pretty cover. I do worry, a little, that YA books are really going to end up like magazine covers, all about the pretty. Almost as though a pretty enough cover will forgive any literary flaws.
Thank goodness for Hunger Games! :)
Have a great week, all. Hope to have some good news for Wednesday's check in.
Happy Reading!
April 25, 2012
Artsy Fartsy
First of course, is my update. Hello, ROW crew. Hope all of you are meeting your goals. I have moved from contemplation to implementation here in Aeris land. I've charted my edits for each of the characters and their story lines and decided what I will cut or add. Basically, Zyander is going to get another two chapters. One will be near the beginning to help aid in some foreshadowing and the other at the end will aid in some resolution. I will also be rearranging a few of my chapters to aid in the timeline flow. Nikka will also get another chapter at the end, because her ending was WAY too passive for my taste and if I admit it to myself, I was being lazy or maybe hurried when I wrote her ending. One of her chapters will also be rearranged. Luka is getting the least amount of editing. I already did a lot of work on him before the beta reading, as I cut 2 chapters out of his story that didn't advance him in any way. I'm going to add some better foreshadowing for him at the beginning as well. I've written half of the summary of Compis for the beginning of the book.
It's tough, because I use a combination of planning (as in an overall outline) and just letting the spirit take me where it will. The result of this is that the story often seems to get away from me and leaves me determined to plan better next time. But for my writing style, if I'm too rigid in my planning, none of the cool/good stuff seems to happen. It's only when I lose myself in the writing that the story seems to write itself without effort. So I continue to tread this fine line and hope for the best. I just hope everything isn't a hot mess at the end! You know? :)
On my thoughts this week, writing as art...
It's a tricky subject that everyone seems to have an opinion on. We live in a unique world, where amazon has introduced the most interesting concept of reviewing what we buy. This has led to some... volatile interactions on the internet. I don't think it's an accident that one of the most recent and hilarious skits of SNL is one that deals with internet comments. HILARIOUS VIDEO HERE. (Hulu won't let me imbed it, sorry.)
It's easy to eviscerate when you don't have to show your face, or when you can be anonymous. There is a culture of people (commonly called trolls) on the internet who garner much amusement from this.
For writers, in the past, there was no exposure to this. It was basically paper/magazine reviews, and word of mouth. Goodreads, amazon, shelfari and others have given readers the power to praise or deride books and for many authors that is a bitter pill (or a spoonful of sugar) to swallow.
Rather than rehash what I've already discussed multiple times... I want to address a particular argument that I recently read(for the hundredth time) about writing as art. I have seen this argument over and over again. How can anyone critique art? It's a travesty! No one ever reviews paintings! No one stands around saying, "Picasso's art is totally amateur. He obviously had no idea what he was doing! Cubism? It's total crap."
Well, actually, there are plenty of people saying that. My mom, for instance. She's just not saying it on the internet.
But here is how I see it. Art differs from literature in one KEY way. You don't have to lay down a DIME to buy it unless you like it. Art is all there, at the get-go. What you see is what you get. If you like waterlilies, Monet is the guy for you. Go down to Target and buy yourself a $15 print. (or fork out a few mill, if you've got that kind of cash) If you like Degas and ballerinas, it's all there for you to see. My point, and I do have one, is that there is no obligation to purchase before you know if you'll like it or not. Have your opinion about Kandinsky, no one is telling you that you have to buy a wrapped painting by him and only open it AFTER you've paid.
Yet that is essentially what we ask readers to do every day. Here is where you say, well, what about libraries and freebies? I would argue that there is still the investment of time. Even giving 5 minutes to try out a book when you have two children, a garden, a continuous mound of laundry and a budding writerly career is a BIG DEAL.
People aren't trying to buy art (or read it) when they pick up a book. They are paying (or hoping for) an experience. What experience do I look for? I want to be diverted. I want to enter a new and interesting world. I want to read about love or hate, growth or decay, kick butt heroines, main characters that make me give a crap about them. I don't want to deal with the crap I have to in the real world. Now, that is just me. Every person in the world, dealing with their different experiences, has different needs from the books they read. And they can want "art" or more realistically, "artistic" books or they could want silly fluffiness that they don't have to think about.
But books are experiences, and never something that can be taken at face value from a cover or a story blurb. And even though their words may sting sometimes, we really just need to give readers a break. They are not out to get us.
Happy Reading!
It's tough, because I use a combination of planning (as in an overall outline) and just letting the spirit take me where it will. The result of this is that the story often seems to get away from me and leaves me determined to plan better next time. But for my writing style, if I'm too rigid in my planning, none of the cool/good stuff seems to happen. It's only when I lose myself in the writing that the story seems to write itself without effort. So I continue to tread this fine line and hope for the best. I just hope everything isn't a hot mess at the end! You know? :)
On my thoughts this week, writing as art...
It's a tricky subject that everyone seems to have an opinion on. We live in a unique world, where amazon has introduced the most interesting concept of reviewing what we buy. This has led to some... volatile interactions on the internet. I don't think it's an accident that one of the most recent and hilarious skits of SNL is one that deals with internet comments. HILARIOUS VIDEO HERE. (Hulu won't let me imbed it, sorry.)
It's easy to eviscerate when you don't have to show your face, or when you can be anonymous. There is a culture of people (commonly called trolls) on the internet who garner much amusement from this.
For writers, in the past, there was no exposure to this. It was basically paper/magazine reviews, and word of mouth. Goodreads, amazon, shelfari and others have given readers the power to praise or deride books and for many authors that is a bitter pill (or a spoonful of sugar) to swallow.
Rather than rehash what I've already discussed multiple times... I want to address a particular argument that I recently read(for the hundredth time) about writing as art. I have seen this argument over and over again. How can anyone critique art? It's a travesty! No one ever reviews paintings! No one stands around saying, "Picasso's art is totally amateur. He obviously had no idea what he was doing! Cubism? It's total crap."
Well, actually, there are plenty of people saying that. My mom, for instance. She's just not saying it on the internet.
But here is how I see it. Art differs from literature in one KEY way. You don't have to lay down a DIME to buy it unless you like it. Art is all there, at the get-go. What you see is what you get. If you like waterlilies, Monet is the guy for you. Go down to Target and buy yourself a $15 print. (or fork out a few mill, if you've got that kind of cash) If you like Degas and ballerinas, it's all there for you to see. My point, and I do have one, is that there is no obligation to purchase before you know if you'll like it or not. Have your opinion about Kandinsky, no one is telling you that you have to buy a wrapped painting by him and only open it AFTER you've paid.
Yet that is essentially what we ask readers to do every day. Here is where you say, well, what about libraries and freebies? I would argue that there is still the investment of time. Even giving 5 minutes to try out a book when you have two children, a garden, a continuous mound of laundry and a budding writerly career is a BIG DEAL.
People aren't trying to buy art (or read it) when they pick up a book. They are paying (or hoping for) an experience. What experience do I look for? I want to be diverted. I want to enter a new and interesting world. I want to read about love or hate, growth or decay, kick butt heroines, main characters that make me give a crap about them. I don't want to deal with the crap I have to in the real world. Now, that is just me. Every person in the world, dealing with their different experiences, has different needs from the books they read. And they can want "art" or more realistically, "artistic" books or they could want silly fluffiness that they don't have to think about.
But books are experiences, and never something that can be taken at face value from a cover or a story blurb. And even though their words may sting sometimes, we really just need to give readers a break. They are not out to get us.
Happy Reading!
April 18, 2012
Twitterpated
I'm pretty sure the birds are twitterpated -that spring state of mind mentioned in Bambi (the movie). They are just crazy here in Cali. They flit and fly all over the place making the most hilarious noises. :)
I've been busy every weekend lately, it seems. There was Easter, then last weekend driving home, and this weekend I'll be in Monterey. That's right, fellow readers, if you're in Monterey this weekend for the Sea Otter Classic, you might see me and my new(to me) double stroller wandering around the booths and cheering my husband across the finish line. My parents are joining us to take the kidlets to the aquarium on Friday(hopefully before all the brouhaha) and then for a few races on Saturday.
Needless to say, I will be AFK after Thursday, so good luck to all of you until next week! Finished my editing. Did some work on the super secret writing project and I'm waiting for feedback until I continue. I've heard from all but one of my Aeris readers and I have some minor edits planned out for the start and finish of the book. Zyander's story is still going to need some tweaking, but nothing as major as a full rewrite. That's about all I got done this week, thanks to spring.
Ah, spring. GARDENING TIME! Nothing gets my blood pumping more than digging my fingers in the earth, planting seed, weeding, and harvesting the delicious fruits of my labor. I think I must be from the Terris tribe. :) Anyway, everything else fades away while I do it.
But on to other things. This will be short, but sweet.
There is a lot of hubbub on the internet about the state of women (and their rights) in the US. Authors and book bloggers have commented on it: HERE , HERE , HERE , and HERE . (And that's just a small sample!)
I don't have much to say about it, but I do think a lot about women when I write my books. I read a LOT of YA fiction. It seems to me there are a lot of complicated messages about women circling around in the books I write. What are the proper roles of women in the society of the books they inhabit? What power (or powers) should they have? What should they be interested in? What should they look like? Who should they fall in love with?
If I were going off some kind of norm in what I read, I would say, there are a lot of confused girls with special powers falling in love with dark mysterious, yet dangerous strangers. Lots of times, there are even two boys involved. Many times I find the main characters or the situations they find themselves in to be annoying in the extreme!
I'm not the only person who feels that way, nor am I the most critical of YA fiction at the moment. But here's the thing that is most disturbing to me. YA fiction isn't written by other teens. It's written by adults, mostly women adults. What does it say about us, the things we are telling young girls about themselves?
"Let a man make all your decisions."
"You will have to fight bitchy cheerleaders wherever you go in life."
"It's okay if a man stands outside your window watching you, because he wants to protect you."
"You should forgive a man ANYTHING he does to you, if he loves you."
I SOOOO get the argument that these are just stories. It's all fiction, so what's the big deal? It's what girls want to read anyway, right? It's not OUR job to be the moral force of writing for YA fiction.
And that could all be true, except why wouldn't you WANT to be? Why wouldn't you WANT to write about girls who fight for themselves, who extend past the same old stereotypes? Why wouldn't you WANT to write about a girl who falls in love with the smart and steady guy instead of the damaged loner? Why wouldn't you WANT to write about a girl who takes longer than 5 seconds to fall in love with the guy of her dreams? Why would you WANT to write about a love triangle instead of about the statistically more likely story of girl meets boy instead of girl meets boy-boy.
Just something I've been thinking about.
Happy Reading!
I've been busy every weekend lately, it seems. There was Easter, then last weekend driving home, and this weekend I'll be in Monterey. That's right, fellow readers, if you're in Monterey this weekend for the Sea Otter Classic, you might see me and my new(to me) double stroller wandering around the booths and cheering my husband across the finish line. My parents are joining us to take the kidlets to the aquarium on Friday(hopefully before all the brouhaha) and then for a few races on Saturday.
Needless to say, I will be AFK after Thursday, so good luck to all of you until next week! Finished my editing. Did some work on the super secret writing project and I'm waiting for feedback until I continue. I've heard from all but one of my Aeris readers and I have some minor edits planned out for the start and finish of the book. Zyander's story is still going to need some tweaking, but nothing as major as a full rewrite. That's about all I got done this week, thanks to spring.
Ah, spring. GARDENING TIME! Nothing gets my blood pumping more than digging my fingers in the earth, planting seed, weeding, and harvesting the delicious fruits of my labor. I think I must be from the Terris tribe. :) Anyway, everything else fades away while I do it.
But on to other things. This will be short, but sweet.
There is a lot of hubbub on the internet about the state of women (and their rights) in the US. Authors and book bloggers have commented on it: HERE , HERE , HERE , and HERE . (And that's just a small sample!)
I don't have much to say about it, but I do think a lot about women when I write my books. I read a LOT of YA fiction. It seems to me there are a lot of complicated messages about women circling around in the books I write. What are the proper roles of women in the society of the books they inhabit? What power (or powers) should they have? What should they be interested in? What should they look like? Who should they fall in love with?
If I were going off some kind of norm in what I read, I would say, there are a lot of confused girls with special powers falling in love with dark mysterious, yet dangerous strangers. Lots of times, there are even two boys involved. Many times I find the main characters or the situations they find themselves in to be annoying in the extreme!
I'm not the only person who feels that way, nor am I the most critical of YA fiction at the moment. But here's the thing that is most disturbing to me. YA fiction isn't written by other teens. It's written by adults, mostly women adults. What does it say about us, the things we are telling young girls about themselves?
"Let a man make all your decisions."
"You will have to fight bitchy cheerleaders wherever you go in life."
"It's okay if a man stands outside your window watching you, because he wants to protect you."
"You should forgive a man ANYTHING he does to you, if he loves you."
I SOOOO get the argument that these are just stories. It's all fiction, so what's the big deal? It's what girls want to read anyway, right? It's not OUR job to be the moral force of writing for YA fiction.
And that could all be true, except why wouldn't you WANT to be? Why wouldn't you WANT to write about girls who fight for themselves, who extend past the same old stereotypes? Why wouldn't you WANT to write about a girl who falls in love with the smart and steady guy instead of the damaged loner? Why wouldn't you WANT to write about a girl who takes longer than 5 seconds to fall in love with the guy of her dreams? Why would you WANT to write about a love triangle instead of about the statistically more likely story of girl meets boy instead of girl meets boy-boy.
Just something I've been thinking about.
Happy Reading!
