Cate Morgan's Blog, page 26
September 5, 2011
September 4, 2011
September 2011
Keepers of the Flame #2: The rough draft is moving apace. I want to have the final manuscript in to Lovely, Intrepid Editor ™ by September 30. Combining the "rules" (aka mythos) of the world I created for Brighid's Cross with more demonology and now a healthy helping of voodoo is proving to be an interesting, and fascinating, task.
Big Dang Projeckt: Creeping up on Midpoint, most stealthily. I had to go back in recent weeks to learn more about my protagonist's father's story, given his history with the main antagonist. My Good Guy cast is about to become fully entangled with my Bad Guy cast, and sorting out the threads beforehand is intricate work–so many dynamics converging, and, of course, being Midpoint–EVERYTHING CHANGES.
ROW80:Enjoying my sponsorship duties thoroughly. It's uplifting to give back to the proverbial community by sharing one's recent good karma. I'll also be reading and reviewing fellow ROW-er Kait Nolan's Red before the month is out. Tune in for updates.
OWW: Alas, I've had to pull back for the time being on critiquing First Chapters on the workshop, given my need to focus on plot shenanigans for Big Dang Projeckt. However, do not despair! I am still accepting requests for critiques, so I will post submission guidelines shortly if you are not currently or do not want to become a member of OWW. And I will return to my normally scheduled one chapter/week goal as soon as I am able. If you're interested in a First Chapter critique, feel free to wave your hand in the comments.
August 26, 2011
Brighid's Cross – Coming November 1, 2011
We interrupt this supersonic SQUEE! to bring you a very special Brighid's Cross update:
The official publication date is November 1, 2011. Also, be sure to check out Mina Carter's "Reaper"and Karen Erickson's "Neon Chaos". I've recently been given a hint as to the direction the cover art is going, and all I can say is the Divine Kanaxa is doing a fuh-mazing job. The End of Days anthology is going to be really something special.
August 18, 2011
August 8, 2011
Brighid's Cross Update
Copy edits are in to Lovely, Intrepid Editor as of Saturday, and I discovered my cover art is being handled by Divine Artist Kanaxa, who happened to be one of my top choices. Do you blame me?
SQUEE!!
August 3, 2011
The Comeback
Original Post: Writer Unboxed
Donald Maass on Aug 03 2011 | Filed under: CRAFT, Inspirations
We have a deal. Sweet words.
Unless you mean the U.S. debt ceiling. Anybody feel good about that one? What a bruising fight. What childish refusal to compromise. Everyone is sick and tired of our government, including our elected officials. Trip to Greece, anyone?
As the House of Representatives crawled through its vote on Monday night, the mood was sour and tense…until the final minutes. Then a miracle happened. Into the chamber, unannounced and unsteady, came Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who in January was shot in the head. She voted.
On Twitter she said, "The Capitol looks beautiful tonight. I am honored to be at work."
The chamber erupted in applause as she arrived. The whole nation was lifted. It is beautiful, this big mess of ours, isn't it? We can look forward in hope. The return of Rep. Giffords reminded us of what's important. She inspires us. We can come back from anything.
The uplift of a moment like that gets to us extra hard because we previously sank so low. Fiction writers take note. Sink your characters low. Bring them back with high symbolism. Works every time. Let's get it working for you.
In your WIP, what's your protagonist's biggest mistake? Make it bigger. Work backward. Build your protagonist's commitment to do things right. Now line up what it will cost your protagonist to do something wrong.
Who will be crushed when your protagonist later screws up? Make that person's high regard of your protagonist utterly important. What's something your protagonist cannot afford to lose? Tie it in. What principle will your protagonist later violate? Make it foundational.
The screw up itself: Make it bigger, more public, more ill-timed. Make it so that even your protagonist's closest friends look away, ashamed.
The comeback is not just a return but a redemption. Your protagonist must atone. Give him or her work to do. Impose humility. What's the lesson? What's the biggest thing he or she must do to show that he or she has changed?
Again work backward. Focus on the action that will demonstrate change…plant it, make it important in your story world, rehearse it in smaller ways-which is to say, build up its symbolic value.
Uplift is a sweet moment in any story. It fills us with hope, inspires us with its courage. But there's work behind it, and that work belongs to you. But if you do it faithfully, your readers will love you.
Do we have a deal?
Photo courtesy Flickr's peasap
Donald Maass is president of the Donald Maass Literary Agency. He has written several highly acclaimed craft books for novelists including The Breakout Novelist, The Fire in Fiction, Writing the Breakout Novel and The Career Novelist. You can follow him on Twitter (@DonMaass) for regular writing tips.
Donald Maass
The Comback
Original Post: Writer Unboxed
Donald Maass on Aug 03 2011 | Filed under: CRAFT, Inspirations
We have a deal. Sweet words.
Unless you mean the U.S. debt ceiling. Anybody feel good about that one? What a bruising fight. What childish refusal to compromise. Everyone is sick and tired of our government, including our elected officials. Trip to Greece, anyone?
As the House of Representatives crawled through its vote on Monday night, the mood was sour and tense…until the final minutes. Then a miracle happened. Into the chamber, unannounced and unsteady, came Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who in January was shot in the head. She voted.
On Twitter she said, "The Capitol looks beautiful tonight. I am honored to be at work."
The chamber erupted in applause as she arrived. The whole nation was lifted. It is beautiful, this big mess of ours, isn't it? We can look forward in hope. The return of Rep. Giffords reminded us of what's important. She inspires us. We can come back from anything.
The uplift of a moment like that gets to us extra hard because we previously sank so low. Fiction writers take note. Sink your characters low. Bring them back with high symbolism. Works every time. Let's get it working for you.
In your WIP, what's your protagonist's biggest mistake? Make it bigger. Work backward. Build your protagonist's commitment to do things right. Now line up what it will cost your protagonist to do something wrong.
Who will be crushed when your protagonist later screws up? Make that person's high regard of your protagonist utterly important. What's something your protagonist cannot afford to lose? Tie it in. What principle will your protagonist later violate? Make it foundational.
The screw up itself: Make it bigger, more public, more ill-timed. Make it so that even your protagonist's closest friends look away, ashamed.
The comeback is not just a return but a redemption. Your protagonist must atone. Give him or her work to do. Impose humility. What's the lesson? What's the biggest thing he or she must do to show that he or she has changed?
Again work backward. Focus on the action that will demonstrate change…plant it, make it important in your story world, rehearse it in smaller ways-which is to say, build up its symbolic value.
Uplift is a sweet moment in any story. It fills us with hope, inspires us with its courage. But there's work behind it, and that work belongs to you. But if you do it faithfully, your readers will love you.
Do we have a deal?
Photo courtesy Flickr's peasap
Donald Maass is president of the Donald Maass Literary Agency. He has written several highly acclaimed craft books for novelists including The Breakout Novelist, The Fire in Fiction, Writing the Breakout Novel and The Career Novelist. You can follow him on Twitter (@DonMaass) for regular writing tips.
Donald Maass
July 31, 2011
August 2011
Keepers of the Flame #2: Prep work is complete. Now we begin re-drafting process. I hope to have a new rough draft of this Trunk Exile by the end of August, thus marking a successful Rehabilitation.
Big Dang Projeckt: Creeping up on Midpoint, with some exciting stuff in the works. Still in love with this project, always a good sign. I learned some interesting things about my titular character this week I didn't know before, which, I believe was exactly the kind of baggage I was looking for. She really needed the extra dimension, and the discovery process is part of the joy of writing for me. These people really do have lives of their own when I'm not there, poking them around the stage with an imperious, goddess-like finger.
ROW80: Had some LiveJournal issues this past week, as most of you are probably aware, so it was an epic flail in regards to my sponsorhood duties. This week I am building this WordPress site as a central location for Stuff, in case this happens again. Lesson Learned. This round of ROW80 continues on into September.
Online Writing Workshop: Still critiquing a First Chapter of a fantasy novel on OWW each week, which has afforded me a variety of styles, experiences, and stories. If anyone ever says all fantasy is the same hasn't read enough of it. There's some really great stuff out there, and more stuff coming down the pike if any of my review experiences–all great–is any indication. It makes me excited for the genre, and the industry as a whole. So many great voices out there, just waiting to be discovered!
