Kate Copeseeley's Blog, page 8
January 6, 2013
WOTY
Holy Moley, has it really been over a month since my last post?? The good news is that I have my laptop back. And I've been writing, too. Except that things took a nosedive over the holidays. Not in general or anything, just in the writing dept. Nothing like having the entire family (eight kids, assorted in-laws and grandkids) all together this year to throw plans out of whack.
But that's okay. I'm here now, and in honor of my first post of the year (as well as my first ROW post of the new round. That's right, people. I'm still here to hang with my favorite writers!) I'll be doing a Word of the Year post- which I freely admit to stealing from Kait Nolan last year.
Last year my word of the year was DETERMINATION. It was a word that got me through Aeris and a couple of teeny side projects. It got me through multiple child sicknesses, a nasty bout of teething (my youngest got 6 teeth at once!) and 10 days of pushing through so hard to finish. It was a word I needed last year, and I'm happy with that choice.
This year, my WOTY will be Scrumptious Pretty Fighting!(A shout out to my Kdramas) FEARLESS.
This year, I'm going to try new things. I'm going to push my creativity to the limit. I'm going to experiment with pricing and genre and write whatever the hell I feel like writing. I'm tired of playing it safe and feeling like I have to write a certain way "to make people love me".
Where did this come from? Well, it's no secret I love my readers. Just ask the super fans that all received free copies of Aeris. And since most of them loved the second book, I've been trying to make the third book even better (which is a good personal goal). The problem is, I've let myself get so caught up in what the fans want that I forgot to look for what I want. I have two examples.
Luka's storyline has some elements this time around that won't please everyone. Most of it is stuff that will KICK ASS, because he is such an awesome character, but he's also going to make some big mistakes this time around, too. He's not perfect. I've had such a struggle writing that, though, because every time I go to make the big choices, I wonder if it will anger the readers. Not a good thing to second guess every plot point when you're a writer.
The second is Zyander. Once again, to my UTTER FRUSTRATION, I think I'm going to have to ditch his story line and start over. The problem is that unlike Nikka, who is very action oriented, Zyan is a thinker and tends to mull over every little fact before he makes a decision. This does not make for a fast paced storyline. The rewriting has needed to happen for a while, but the idea that I might disappoint fans by taking longer to write this book has kept me from doing what I need to do.
So, my WOTY will be FEARLESS and I will do what needs to be done this year, consequences be damned. That sounds more dramatic than it actually is. hahaha
So, goals for this ROW: Go back to my outline. Meaning, rewrite some elements of Zyan's story line and make the appropriate changes to the manuscript. Two, be better about updating my blog. And Three, continue my side project writing of two days a week.
Oh, for those who asked, if you actually want the other name I write under, send me an email at katecauthor@gmail.com and I'll send it to you. I've gotten a couple of requests, so I thought I'd share that. It's NOT YA fantasy, though.
Good luck to all my fellow ROWers in the New Year and Happy Reading!
But that's okay. I'm here now, and in honor of my first post of the year (as well as my first ROW post of the new round. That's right, people. I'm still here to hang with my favorite writers!) I'll be doing a Word of the Year post- which I freely admit to stealing from Kait Nolan last year.
Last year my word of the year was DETERMINATION. It was a word that got me through Aeris and a couple of teeny side projects. It got me through multiple child sicknesses, a nasty bout of teething (my youngest got 6 teeth at once!) and 10 days of pushing through so hard to finish. It was a word I needed last year, and I'm happy with that choice.
This year, my WOTY will be Scrumptious Pretty Fighting!(A shout out to my Kdramas) FEARLESS.
This year, I'm going to try new things. I'm going to push my creativity to the limit. I'm going to experiment with pricing and genre and write whatever the hell I feel like writing. I'm tired of playing it safe and feeling like I have to write a certain way "to make people love me".
Where did this come from? Well, it's no secret I love my readers. Just ask the super fans that all received free copies of Aeris. And since most of them loved the second book, I've been trying to make the third book even better (which is a good personal goal). The problem is, I've let myself get so caught up in what the fans want that I forgot to look for what I want. I have two examples.
Luka's storyline has some elements this time around that won't please everyone. Most of it is stuff that will KICK ASS, because he is such an awesome character, but he's also going to make some big mistakes this time around, too. He's not perfect. I've had such a struggle writing that, though, because every time I go to make the big choices, I wonder if it will anger the readers. Not a good thing to second guess every plot point when you're a writer.
The second is Zyander. Once again, to my UTTER FRUSTRATION, I think I'm going to have to ditch his story line and start over. The problem is that unlike Nikka, who is very action oriented, Zyan is a thinker and tends to mull over every little fact before he makes a decision. This does not make for a fast paced storyline. The rewriting has needed to happen for a while, but the idea that I might disappoint fans by taking longer to write this book has kept me from doing what I need to do.
So, my WOTY will be FEARLESS and I will do what needs to be done this year, consequences be damned. That sounds more dramatic than it actually is. hahaha
So, goals for this ROW: Go back to my outline. Meaning, rewrite some elements of Zyan's story line and make the appropriate changes to the manuscript. Two, be better about updating my blog. And Three, continue my side project writing of two days a week.
Oh, for those who asked, if you actually want the other name I write under, send me an email at katecauthor@gmail.com and I'll send it to you. I've gotten a couple of requests, so I thought I'd share that. It's NOT YA fantasy, though.
Good luck to all my fellow ROWers in the New Year and Happy Reading!
November 30, 2012
Laptopocalypse
I have some rather disturbing news. News that will set back my deadlines for at least a week and put a halt to my writings, ramblings, and bloggings. My beloved laptop is on the fritz.
No, Little C. I am most assuredly not kidding.
And so, I shall make the trek down to the store known as UPS, to drop off said laptop and will be AFK for at least a week, maybe two. I will be back before Christmas, never fear. I'm also hopeful that I'll be able to snag husband's laptop to use, but he's very clingy with it, so we'll see.
Meanwhile, I wish you happy end to November, happy beginning to December, and most of all...
Happy Reading!
PS- I don't know how the feed handles my personal picture posts, but if you are reading this on my Amazon author page or on goodreads and you can't see the picture of my ADORABLE child, I highly recommend you follow the link back to my blog. Because he is worth seeing.
No, Little C. I am most assuredly not kidding.
And so, I shall make the trek down to the store known as UPS, to drop off said laptop and will be AFK for at least a week, maybe two. I will be back before Christmas, never fear. I'm also hopeful that I'll be able to snag husband's laptop to use, but he's very clingy with it, so we'll see.
Meanwhile, I wish you happy end to November, happy beginning to December, and most of all...
Happy Reading!
PS- I don't know how the feed handles my personal picture posts, but if you are reading this on my Amazon author page or on goodreads and you can't see the picture of my ADORABLE child, I highly recommend you follow the link back to my blog. Because he is worth seeing.
November 25, 2012
The Cure for it All
As mentioned in my previous post, I may have a bit of the crankypants going on, because of hateful, detestable November slump! But I have found the cure my friends! Now, I know what you're thinking... but it's not Ryan Gosling.
I was disappointed, too.
Turns out, all it took was belting out my favorite Christmas Carols to give that slump a kick in the pants. More editing has begun, which doesn't do much for the word count, but I'm hoping to finish up the majority of that this week. It's not a lot, anyway, just a matter of clarifying some things and broadening some of the descriptions. Then it will be in the hands of my proof reader and I'll be free to concentrate on the pickle that is Zyander's story.
Why oh why is Zyander so difficult for me? Maybe it's because he's the most grown up of my characters, being an actual adult. Luka has so much immaturity and I find myself always knowing what he'd say and do when I write for his story line. Zyander is such an enigma, though.
Even though I know in the general sense what I want to happen for his character this time around, somehow he always seems to wiggle free of the most basic questions I have for him. Whenever I think I know how he's going to react to a situation, he turns around and says the exact opposite! Sometimes I feel like saying, "That's it, you are on a timeout! Go sit in the timeout chair and think about how you're acting toward your creator!"
So, I guess in a way, this week will be his timeout week. When I pick him up again, perhaps he'll behave himself. If not, I'm moving on to Nikka. :)
That's all for this week. Found some interesting stuff on the web, so check it out if you have time. Otherwise, Happy Reading!
Links:
Ann R. Allen has two really interesting posts: 6 ways to avoid the pitfalls of the beginning novelist AND Hooks, Loglines, and Pitches
Sean Beaudoin has a laugh out loud funny post featuring The twelve sexy MALE apostles of YA writing
(And let me just say, it's nice to see the guys of YA represented, for a change!)
Dean Wesley Smith offers some perspective on the world of publishing in 2012
I was disappointed, too.
Turns out, all it took was belting out my favorite Christmas Carols to give that slump a kick in the pants. More editing has begun, which doesn't do much for the word count, but I'm hoping to finish up the majority of that this week. It's not a lot, anyway, just a matter of clarifying some things and broadening some of the descriptions. Then it will be in the hands of my proof reader and I'll be free to concentrate on the pickle that is Zyander's story.
Why oh why is Zyander so difficult for me? Maybe it's because he's the most grown up of my characters, being an actual adult. Luka has so much immaturity and I find myself always knowing what he'd say and do when I write for his story line. Zyander is such an enigma, though.
Even though I know in the general sense what I want to happen for his character this time around, somehow he always seems to wiggle free of the most basic questions I have for him. Whenever I think I know how he's going to react to a situation, he turns around and says the exact opposite! Sometimes I feel like saying, "That's it, you are on a timeout! Go sit in the timeout chair and think about how you're acting toward your creator!"
So, I guess in a way, this week will be his timeout week. When I pick him up again, perhaps he'll behave himself. If not, I'm moving on to Nikka. :)
That's all for this week. Found some interesting stuff on the web, so check it out if you have time. Otherwise, Happy Reading!
Links:
Ann R. Allen has two really interesting posts: 6 ways to avoid the pitfalls of the beginning novelist AND Hooks, Loglines, and Pitches
Sean Beaudoin has a laugh out loud funny post featuring The twelve sexy MALE apostles of YA writing
(And let me just say, it's nice to see the guys of YA represented, for a change!)
Dean Wesley Smith offers some perspective on the world of publishing in 2012
November 21, 2012
Crankypants Syndrome
My husband is in charge of the deviled eggs for Thanksgiving this year (his assignment from Grandma) and when I reminded him of this on his way out the door, he said, "Oh, do I need to get anything? Like that deviled egg powder?" To which I said...
I mean, I didn't know there was such a thing as deviled egg powder. Turns out, he meant paprika! hahaha
I'm feeling so cranky today. It might be PMS or maybe it's editing (sometimes I hate editing, especially when it gets in the way of writing.) or maybe it's good old November Slump.
What is November Slump? Well, it's a lot of things. It's the 2 weeks before my birthday. I'm turning 34 this year and for some reason that seems worse than 30, 31, 32, 33, AND 35.
It's the time right before the holidays start: crazy shopping, busy streets, people EVERYWHERE... which makes the introvert in me sooo twitchy. There is a REASON I'm a writer, people!
It's the worst season of bookselling for me. I know, seems weird, right? I mean, there are a LOT of authors who spare no testimony when describing their success of November and December. But for whatever reason, my books are more like Summer Vacation and Back-To-School books. I've been doing this for 2 years and thus far, my best months are April through September. The worst are October, November and December.
It's the last few days of Nano, which always makes me mad for some reason. Pressure to perform? Even though I swore to myself I wasn't going to get that this year, I seem to have been bitten by the performance bug anyway.
Whatever it is, I hope it leaves soon. In the meantime, I'm going to skip the editing today and do some writing, because that's where my heart is.
Happy writing, ROW80ers and Happy Reading, everyone else!
I mean, I didn't know there was such a thing as deviled egg powder. Turns out, he meant paprika! hahaha
I'm feeling so cranky today. It might be PMS or maybe it's editing (sometimes I hate editing, especially when it gets in the way of writing.) or maybe it's good old November Slump.
What is November Slump? Well, it's a lot of things. It's the 2 weeks before my birthday. I'm turning 34 this year and for some reason that seems worse than 30, 31, 32, 33, AND 35.
It's the time right before the holidays start: crazy shopping, busy streets, people EVERYWHERE... which makes the introvert in me sooo twitchy. There is a REASON I'm a writer, people!
It's the worst season of bookselling for me. I know, seems weird, right? I mean, there are a LOT of authors who spare no testimony when describing their success of November and December. But for whatever reason, my books are more like Summer Vacation and Back-To-School books. I've been doing this for 2 years and thus far, my best months are April through September. The worst are October, November and December.
It's the last few days of Nano, which always makes me mad for some reason. Pressure to perform? Even though I swore to myself I wasn't going to get that this year, I seem to have been bitten by the performance bug anyway.
Whatever it is, I hope it leaves soon. In the meantime, I'm going to skip the editing today and do some writing, because that's where my heart is.
Happy writing, ROW80ers and Happy Reading, everyone else!
November 18, 2012
The Best of the Peps
I love the Nano Pep Talks. As I mentioned before, they are really why I love Nano. Nano is HARD. I've participated 5 times and finished 3. 1667 words a day, people. Some years are easier than others. This is one of the others.
But there is something about a pep talk written by an author. No, it's not the blatant appeal to authority. Or the cache of having one of your favorite authors (Kristin Cashore, anyone?) speak their best words of wisdom and enthusiasm for your eyes only. For me, it's the camaraderie I feel, realizing there are other people out there, like me.
There are other authors who get lost in the plot, who get stuck in a rut, who over think their writing, and who can't seem to write an outline to save their lives. These authors share their darkest fears and their greatest moments of clarity with us. And I deeply appreciate the vulnerability that entails. It's also one of the reasons why I love ROW80.
It's so great to not only read about others who are struggling like me, but so fulfilling to see their triumphs and successes.
So in the spirit of Nano—which is halfway over already—here are my favorite bits of advice:
1) Don't cheat! Don't let yourself get caught up in the seductive attraction of a new story! Finish your book and then move on to another idea, otherwise you will end up with a box full of starts and no finishes. (Courtesy of Meg Cabot. Side note, this one pep talk gave me the courage to finish Six Keys so long ago.)
2) Figure out what's next. When you get to the end of your writing day, take a few minutes to think about what happens next, so you don't find yourself staring at a blank page when you start again the next day. I tend to do this at night before bed. When I'm not dying of exhaustion, that is. (Courtesy of Holly Black.)
3) Write for your reader self, not your writer self. This is probably one of the best pieces of advice out there, and it goes hand-in-hand with "write what you read". If you LOVE YA fantasy, and you read a ton of it, then you know exactly what people like you want to read. Write for the you that reads YA fantasy, and the others like you will follow. (Also courtesy of Holly Black.)
4) The only way out is through. When you get to the point where you despair of your story, where it seems like nothing but a BIG GIANT TASK, remember not to quit. The only way to finish that story is to sit down and write it, warts and all. (Courtesy of John Green.)
5) Writers are dreamers. Being a head-in-the-clouds dreamer is a fine thing. Dreamers see possibilities where others see a blank word doc or an empty notebook. Dreamers give people beauty, hope and a few minutes of wondrous entertainment. They make people happy (overall, that is. I know you've all had some one star moments. I certainly have.) (Courtesy of Piers Anthony.)
6) No one else can write the book for you. I mean, they could... but it wouldn't be as good. Imagine JK Rowling had a ghostwriter for the last Harry Potter book. Would it have had her great sense of humor? Would the story have ended the same? (Courtesy of Neil Gaiman.)
So, I know I've been radio silent over here, but I've had good reason. I've written 15,500ish words so far this month. For me, that is practically a miracle. Of course, there were some setbacks and some successes. I have rewritten Zyander's first part about 3 times. I know what I want to say, but I just can't seem to say in a way that I like. hahaha I also finished my super secret project that I started... oh... 6 mths ago, I think. This may shock you, but I don't write everything under my own name. I follow Dean Wesley Smith's advice and put different genres under different names. Nothing I'm ashamed of, but I've found that fans of one or the other genres don't tend to like crossovers.
Anyway, I'm making good progress and feeling happy with where I'm at. I'll let you know when I finish Zyander's first part.
Happy Reading!
But there is something about a pep talk written by an author. No, it's not the blatant appeal to authority. Or the cache of having one of your favorite authors (Kristin Cashore, anyone?) speak their best words of wisdom and enthusiasm for your eyes only. For me, it's the camaraderie I feel, realizing there are other people out there, like me.
There are other authors who get lost in the plot, who get stuck in a rut, who over think their writing, and who can't seem to write an outline to save their lives. These authors share their darkest fears and their greatest moments of clarity with us. And I deeply appreciate the vulnerability that entails. It's also one of the reasons why I love ROW80.
It's so great to not only read about others who are struggling like me, but so fulfilling to see their triumphs and successes.
So in the spirit of Nano—which is halfway over already—here are my favorite bits of advice:
1) Don't cheat! Don't let yourself get caught up in the seductive attraction of a new story! Finish your book and then move on to another idea, otherwise you will end up with a box full of starts and no finishes. (Courtesy of Meg Cabot. Side note, this one pep talk gave me the courage to finish Six Keys so long ago.)
2) Figure out what's next. When you get to the end of your writing day, take a few minutes to think about what happens next, so you don't find yourself staring at a blank page when you start again the next day. I tend to do this at night before bed. When I'm not dying of exhaustion, that is. (Courtesy of Holly Black.)
3) Write for your reader self, not your writer self. This is probably one of the best pieces of advice out there, and it goes hand-in-hand with "write what you read". If you LOVE YA fantasy, and you read a ton of it, then you know exactly what people like you want to read. Write for the you that reads YA fantasy, and the others like you will follow. (Also courtesy of Holly Black.)
4) The only way out is through. When you get to the point where you despair of your story, where it seems like nothing but a BIG GIANT TASK, remember not to quit. The only way to finish that story is to sit down and write it, warts and all. (Courtesy of John Green.)
5) Writers are dreamers. Being a head-in-the-clouds dreamer is a fine thing. Dreamers see possibilities where others see a blank word doc or an empty notebook. Dreamers give people beauty, hope and a few minutes of wondrous entertainment. They make people happy (overall, that is. I know you've all had some one star moments. I certainly have.) (Courtesy of Piers Anthony.)
6) No one else can write the book for you. I mean, they could... but it wouldn't be as good. Imagine JK Rowling had a ghostwriter for the last Harry Potter book. Would it have had her great sense of humor? Would the story have ended the same? (Courtesy of Neil Gaiman.)
So, I know I've been radio silent over here, but I've had good reason. I've written 15,500ish words so far this month. For me, that is practically a miracle. Of course, there were some setbacks and some successes. I have rewritten Zyander's first part about 3 times. I know what I want to say, but I just can't seem to say in a way that I like. hahaha I also finished my super secret project that I started... oh... 6 mths ago, I think. This may shock you, but I don't write everything under my own name. I follow Dean Wesley Smith's advice and put different genres under different names. Nothing I'm ashamed of, but I've found that fans of one or the other genres don't tend to like crossovers.
Anyway, I'm making good progress and feeling happy with where I'm at. I'll let you know when I finish Zyander's first part.
Happy Reading!
October 28, 2012
Success -A Little, Anyway.
Sorry I've been MIA for the past week. My older son was at Grandma's so it was just Little C. and me for 8 days. I decided to use the time with only one child to push for some words. My goal was 20,000, but Little C. got sick. Sooooo... that didn't happen!
But guess, what, guys, I hit 16,000 words! Whoohooo!!! That is more than I wrote last month. And the other thing was, it was FUN. I think with all no sleep and the stressing about writing, I lost sight of why I love this so much. I started to feel pressured to finish instead of feeling happy to let the story continue.
Discouragement is pretty easy to get lost in, as a writer. Sometimes it's a review. Sometimes it's lack of progress. Sometimes it's lack of confidence. I've certainly experienced all three. My word of the year, as you will recall is Determination. However, Determination without enjoyment equals STRESS.
Why do I do this? Why do I plow away, day after day, trying my hardest to finish this series? Because I love the characters. Because I love the story. Because I love the world I invented. This is the reason I started writing about The Five Tribes in the first place.
Using my WOTY, I've Determined, not to let myself lose sight of why I do this. I've Determined not to lose my love for writing. I've Determined to keep this fun, no matter what.
Otherwise, what's the point?
Here are some super interesting articles I ran across last week:
The first is a guest blog by Erin Kern talking about how Indies are the new query letter. If you'd asked me a year ago if this was true, I probably would have laughed. Since then I've been approached by both a publisher and an agent, so I'd say I was dead wrong. Take a look, it's a pretty interesting story.
The second is an article by one of my faves, Kristine Kathryn Rusch. It's on PERFECTION, which is a big deal for me. I loved pretty much everything this article had to say.
That's all from me this week. Hope you all had a successful writing week!
Happy Reading!
But guess, what, guys, I hit 16,000 words! Whoohooo!!! That is more than I wrote last month. And the other thing was, it was FUN. I think with all no sleep and the stressing about writing, I lost sight of why I love this so much. I started to feel pressured to finish instead of feeling happy to let the story continue.
Discouragement is pretty easy to get lost in, as a writer. Sometimes it's a review. Sometimes it's lack of progress. Sometimes it's lack of confidence. I've certainly experienced all three. My word of the year, as you will recall is Determination. However, Determination without enjoyment equals STRESS.
Why do I do this? Why do I plow away, day after day, trying my hardest to finish this series? Because I love the characters. Because I love the story. Because I love the world I invented. This is the reason I started writing about The Five Tribes in the first place.
Using my WOTY, I've Determined, not to let myself lose sight of why I do this. I've Determined not to lose my love for writing. I've Determined to keep this fun, no matter what.
Otherwise, what's the point?
Here are some super interesting articles I ran across last week:
The first is a guest blog by Erin Kern talking about how Indies are the new query letter. If you'd asked me a year ago if this was true, I probably would have laughed. Since then I've been approached by both a publisher and an agent, so I'd say I was dead wrong. Take a look, it's a pretty interesting story.
The second is an article by one of my faves, Kristine Kathryn Rusch. It's on PERFECTION, which is a big deal for me. I loved pretty much everything this article had to say.
That's all from me this week. Hope you all had a successful writing week!
Happy Reading!
October 9, 2012
I'm Just Here for the Pep Talks!
I got my NaNoWriMo email. *cue ominous music* How I long to join nano this year. Such a great motivator and a fabulous way to rack up a bunch of words (50,000 to be exact)!
Alas, I know that if I join up, I won't make it to the goal. Not enough sleep.
Still, I'm considering signing up anyway, simply because some of the best pep talks I've ever read have been from the authors who participate in nano. One by Meg Cabot, I swear to you, changed my writing career FOREVER.
I'm going to think on it some more. I have 22 days, according to the letter, before it starts, so I have time to make up my mind.
I actually got some writing done in the past week. Yay! Not much on Terris, but some is better than none. Terris: 23,968. Tues./Thurs. side project: 5,583. I think I've gotten about 5,000 words total in for the week, I think. For a person who has written in the hundreds of words in the past couple of weeks, it is a major victory. Next week I'm off to my parents' house while my oldest son goes off to visit his grandma. The last time this happened I was able to finish off Aeris. My goal this time around will be 20,000 words. In two weeks, that should be quite a goal, but I need to make up some ground given my utter failure to write in the past month and a half.
Right now, I'm hopeful and determined. I'm wishing progress on all my fellow ROW participants! Fighting!(It's a Kdrama thing, hahahaha)
Happy Reading!
Alas, I know that if I join up, I won't make it to the goal. Not enough sleep.
Still, I'm considering signing up anyway, simply because some of the best pep talks I've ever read have been from the authors who participate in nano. One by Meg Cabot, I swear to you, changed my writing career FOREVER.
I'm going to think on it some more. I have 22 days, according to the letter, before it starts, so I have time to make up my mind.
I actually got some writing done in the past week. Yay! Not much on Terris, but some is better than none. Terris: 23,968. Tues./Thurs. side project: 5,583. I think I've gotten about 5,000 words total in for the week, I think. For a person who has written in the hundreds of words in the past couple of weeks, it is a major victory. Next week I'm off to my parents' house while my oldest son goes off to visit his grandma. The last time this happened I was able to finish off Aeris. My goal this time around will be 20,000 words. In two weeks, that should be quite a goal, but I need to make up some ground given my utter failure to write in the past month and a half.
Right now, I'm hopeful and determined. I'm wishing progress on all my fellow ROW participants! Fighting!(It's a Kdrama thing, hahahaha)
Happy Reading!
October 3, 2012
A Hint of Desperation...
I've been skipping naptime. I'll be honest. It kind of sucks, but otherwise, no writing is done. Little C. has stopped teething, but caught the flu then a cold. I can see winter around the corner, folks!
But all is not lost. Thanks to my nap skipping I have 3,000 more words written in the Angel story, which I been sadly neglecting. I also have a rough draft of a new bio written.
I chaptered out the Angel book in Scrivener, which I have to say, I'm kind of disappointed with. Scrivener is more of a writing program than an organizational program. I don't really need a writing program. I have my chapter outlines that I put in my Wonder Woman notebook, but I don't think I would ever take the time and effort to type those into a program. I also prefer to write in Open Office. I don't know why, but I just like writing everything out in one place.
So I think I'm going to go back to Notebook (I think that's what it's called.) MUCH better for organizing your thoughts and world. The labeling is amazing!
Beta Reading Claudia Lefeve's new book, Paradox. So interesting to see where the twists and turns are leading us. Etta is a grownup in this book, so that is also way cool!
Yes, I know, it's not an out of the ballpark blog entry today, but it's there!
Goals for the last ROW80 of the year? Write something everyday. Try to keep to my schedule of Tues/Thurs Angel, every other day of the week. One blog entry a week, to keep accountable on my writing.
Happy Reading!
But all is not lost. Thanks to my nap skipping I have 3,000 more words written in the Angel story, which I been sadly neglecting. I also have a rough draft of a new bio written.
I chaptered out the Angel book in Scrivener, which I have to say, I'm kind of disappointed with. Scrivener is more of a writing program than an organizational program. I don't really need a writing program. I have my chapter outlines that I put in my Wonder Woman notebook, but I don't think I would ever take the time and effort to type those into a program. I also prefer to write in Open Office. I don't know why, but I just like writing everything out in one place.
So I think I'm going to go back to Notebook (I think that's what it's called.) MUCH better for organizing your thoughts and world. The labeling is amazing!
Beta Reading Claudia Lefeve's new book, Paradox. So interesting to see where the twists and turns are leading us. Etta is a grownup in this book, so that is also way cool!
Yes, I know, it's not an out of the ballpark blog entry today, but it's there!
Goals for the last ROW80 of the year? Write something everyday. Try to keep to my schedule of Tues/Thurs Angel, every other day of the week. One blog entry a week, to keep accountable on my writing.
Happy Reading!
September 30, 2012
Korean Summer
Well, my summer obsession with Kdramas is over. American television has come back and I'm finally watching TV (admittedly on the internet) in English again. Even though my love affair with Kdramas is far from over (can we say ADDICTION?), I think I'm off them for a while. And so, as a temporary farewell to my favorite angst ridden drug of choice, here are a few things I'm going to miss about Kdramas.
1) Piggyback Rides: Every Kdrama I've ever seen has a piggyback ride at least once. It gives uptight Kdramaland culture an excuse for having two main characters close together before they actually KNOW they like each other.
courtesy of
kdramareasons
2) Wide-eyed Kisses: Apparently, every girl in Kdramaland has never had a kiss in her LIFE until that show. So when the main man swoops in, she is just SHOCKED. And hardly moves. LOL (A variation on this kiss is the "squinty-eyed, OMG, I can't believe I'm about to be kissed, kiss".)
3) Shin Kicks: Beware, Kdrama males! If you piss off our spunky heroine, you will get a nasty kick. And the more she does it, the more you will like her.
4) The Angry Granny: Is it just me or is every grandma in Kdramaland a cranky oldster? Seriously, put on your best behavior for these ladies. That means the DEEP BOW!
5) Bathroom Issues: Kdramas and their potty humor! In Kdramaland, heroes and heroines feel it in their BOWELS. When they are upset or depressed, either they can't go or they go too much! Hilarity ensues.
6) Sorrow Drowning via Soju: I read on a Kdrama blog that Koreans are like the Irish with Whiskey, except they prefer Soju. I have no way of knowing if this is true in real life, but it sure seems to be true for Kdrama land. This pulls in some of the other elements previously discussed: bathroom issues, piggyback rides, and one that I haven't mentioned—copious vomiting.
7) Manly wrist/arm grab: We read about them (and let's face it, make fun of them) in our favorite romance novels. The point where the girl is about to walk away in a huff, when the hero grabs her arm, whips her around, and gives her the liplock we've been praying for! Kdrama romances are no exception to this. Most often though, it is followed up by him dragging her off to some private location where he can spew his anger. One thing you have to admire about Kdrama heroes, they are VERY in touch with their feelings.
8) Heroes that cry buckets: I love a man who isn't afraid to express his feelings. If you feel the same way, Kdramas are for you! Men laugh, rage, confess their love... oh and cry rivers of tears. I don't know how they do it without becoming severely dehydrated, but it is often very touching to watch. *sigh*
9) Engrish: Man, I just can't get enough of Kdrama characters speaking English. It makes me wonder what our shows sound like when people speak other languages. I always think they sound cool, but if they are anything like the Engrish in Kdramas, we should all be embarrassed. (BTW- I searched high and low for a good video example of English speaking, but this is the best I could find. Sorry about the quality!)
10) Karaoke singing (At the Noraebang!): This is another element no Kdrama is without. There is nothing an audience enjoys more than a chance to see their favorite stars (often drunk and off-key) singing their hearts out to their favorite kpop tunes! Or so I must assume, since they happen in every drama.
And these are just a few of the reasons I love Kdramas. I actually listed them the other day, and I came up with 45 different Kdrama staples. I'll miss you Kdramas!
Happy Watching! :)
1) Piggyback Rides: Every Kdrama I've ever seen has a piggyback ride at least once. It gives uptight Kdramaland culture an excuse for having two main characters close together before they actually KNOW they like each other.
courtesy of
kdramareasons
2) Wide-eyed Kisses: Apparently, every girl in Kdramaland has never had a kiss in her LIFE until that show. So when the main man swoops in, she is just SHOCKED. And hardly moves. LOL (A variation on this kiss is the "squinty-eyed, OMG, I can't believe I'm about to be kissed, kiss".)
3) Shin Kicks: Beware, Kdrama males! If you piss off our spunky heroine, you will get a nasty kick. And the more she does it, the more you will like her.
4) The Angry Granny: Is it just me or is every grandma in Kdramaland a cranky oldster? Seriously, put on your best behavior for these ladies. That means the DEEP BOW!
5) Bathroom Issues: Kdramas and their potty humor! In Kdramaland, heroes and heroines feel it in their BOWELS. When they are upset or depressed, either they can't go or they go too much! Hilarity ensues.
6) Sorrow Drowning via Soju: I read on a Kdrama blog that Koreans are like the Irish with Whiskey, except they prefer Soju. I have no way of knowing if this is true in real life, but it sure seems to be true for Kdrama land. This pulls in some of the other elements previously discussed: bathroom issues, piggyback rides, and one that I haven't mentioned—copious vomiting.
7) Manly wrist/arm grab: We read about them (and let's face it, make fun of them) in our favorite romance novels. The point where the girl is about to walk away in a huff, when the hero grabs her arm, whips her around, and gives her the liplock we've been praying for! Kdrama romances are no exception to this. Most often though, it is followed up by him dragging her off to some private location where he can spew his anger. One thing you have to admire about Kdrama heroes, they are VERY in touch with their feelings.
8) Heroes that cry buckets: I love a man who isn't afraid to express his feelings. If you feel the same way, Kdramas are for you! Men laugh, rage, confess their love... oh and cry rivers of tears. I don't know how they do it without becoming severely dehydrated, but it is often very touching to watch. *sigh*
9) Engrish: Man, I just can't get enough of Kdrama characters speaking English. It makes me wonder what our shows sound like when people speak other languages. I always think they sound cool, but if they are anything like the Engrish in Kdramas, we should all be embarrassed. (BTW- I searched high and low for a good video example of English speaking, but this is the best I could find. Sorry about the quality!)
10) Karaoke singing (At the Noraebang!): This is another element no Kdrama is without. There is nothing an audience enjoys more than a chance to see their favorite stars (often drunk and off-key) singing their hearts out to their favorite kpop tunes! Or so I must assume, since they happen in every drama.
And these are just a few of the reasons I love Kdramas. I actually listed them the other day, and I came up with 45 different Kdrama staples. I'll miss you Kdramas!
Happy Watching! :)
September 17, 2012
Mini Update
So, Little C (my new nickname for New Baby) has cut the last of his eight teeth, but then of COURSE, he got a cold, leading the charge in what I like to call "The Battle for Mama's Writing Time". It's a battle where I admit to few victories, but they are there. Terris is at 22,225, which is more than it had last week, so YAY!
I also got together with my cover designer to figure out the look for Terris. Which is very exciting, but at the rate I'm going, it will be another year in the making, so I don't anticipate on needing it any time soon. hahaha We also figured out a cool look for the angel book, which is going to be something different than anything I've done before now. It will also have people on the cover. Another thing I'm not usually interested in having on my covers. I'm not knocking anyone that has a pretty girl cover, but if you know me, you know I like something a little more abstract.
So this week, my goal is to write at every small opportunity, even if it's only 15 min. and to do what Kait Nolan's awesome entry suggests, which is train my brain to keep in mind my WORD OF THE YEAR: DETERMINATION.
Hope all of you are doing well in your respective goals, and sorry to those of you I've sadly neglected. These days I'm moving through a haze of exhaustion, with not a lot of time left over my my ROW friends.
Happy Reading!
I also got together with my cover designer to figure out the look for Terris. Which is very exciting, but at the rate I'm going, it will be another year in the making, so I don't anticipate on needing it any time soon. hahaha We also figured out a cool look for the angel book, which is going to be something different than anything I've done before now. It will also have people on the cover. Another thing I'm not usually interested in having on my covers. I'm not knocking anyone that has a pretty girl cover, but if you know me, you know I like something a little more abstract.
So this week, my goal is to write at every small opportunity, even if it's only 15 min. and to do what Kait Nolan's awesome entry suggests, which is train my brain to keep in mind my WORD OF THE YEAR: DETERMINATION.
Hope all of you are doing well in your respective goals, and sorry to those of you I've sadly neglected. These days I'm moving through a haze of exhaustion, with not a lot of time left over my my ROW friends.
Happy Reading!
