Cate Morgan's Blog, page 7

Author’s Log: Why Is The Rum Gone? (#ROW80, #amwriting)

Because it was Our Birthday, Precious. *hic*

Allergy season is upon us once again. My co-workers at Ye Olde Day Jobbe and I are now involuntary players in an orchestra of sneezes, coughs, hacks, and head-achey moans.

I hate this. I didn’t have allergies Up North (I’ve found that hardly anyone is actually from Florida), but something blooms this time of year that sends me and my poor Production Schedule skidding off track like a bad Indy 500 blooper reel.

The added difficulty this time is that my local store stopped carrying the one over-the-counter allergy med that helps, so I had to splurge on same-day delivery at Amazon to garner some relief. I haven’t been able to work out much, and thankfully I’m still working in my notebook Sweet Home #1, so I don’t have to stare at a computer screen any longer than is necessary. Because BY ALL THE ELDER GODS HEADACHE. *wince*

We did have ourselves a merry little birthday, however, in which epic snackiness and rum imbibing ensued. If Captain Jack Sparrow is still wondering why the rum is always gone, send him my way. (Seriously. No birthday wrap necessary.) It didn’t help my allergies any, but at least I feel a bit better about them.

This week I’ve continued building my key scenes for SWEET HOME OKLAHOMA, and, speaking of sweet, a whole new, much better opening chapter to DRAGON’S HEART that opens plotlines to All The Conflict. I feel like a weight’s been lifted from my shoulders.

It wasn’t ready before—I can see that now. But now? This bad boy is BEGGING to be written. And I can see it happening FAST. Now that I have my new opening, I’m going to work (and re-work) my key scenes for optimal impact, and then begin drafting in earnest as a bonus project on Oct 1.

But first, my actual, deadline-driven projects. Then I can reward myself with epic DRAGON-ry.

As soon as this headache stops. Ow Ow OW. X-/

 

Project Insanity

Project Insanity is my mad scheme to publish one novella per month for the next FIVE years, beginning in 2016 (which means I have to draft like a crazy person NOW). Behold, as I apply lightning to The Monster of my Production Schedule, and probably fall flat on my face whilst so doing.

*dons fez*

*blows noisemaker*

 

The List (3Q2015):

The Mysterious Adventures of Becca Carlisle (Blood & Steam #2)

Sweet Home Oklahoma (Sweet Home #1)–IN PROGRESS

The Innovative Adventures of Lucia Carlisle (Blood & Steam #3)

Tess (Keepers of the Flame: Origins #4)

Untitled (Keepers of the Flame: Origins #5)

 

Sanity Check (Aug Edition):

1. Draft SWEET HOME #1: In Production

Hey, I finally have a name for my heroine: Riley Givens. Now I just need to locate the Find/Replace feature on Scrivener!

Key scenes are still coming along nicely. Eventually, I’ll develop these into scene sequences that make chapters, but I’m focusing on the keys for now (Opening/Closing, Inciting Incident, Plot Points One and Two, Midpoint, Climax, Catharsis). I’ve got pretty much everything story-boarded, and am filling in all my notes and comments regarding research.

2. Plan BLOOD & STEAM 3: In Pre-Production

Research, research, research. I haven’t figured out yet where Captain Robert Carlisle is. But I think I want Lucia to blow up a mountain. Because what could be more fun?

I still have my heart set on the Old West for this one, so I’m REALLY hoping I can pull it off.

3. Rebrand Current Works: In Progress

I’m still fiddling with new covers in Photoshop for some of my stuff, and well as new jacket copies and optimized back matter that will lead the reader to the next book in the series.

 Happy allergy season, everyone! *sniff*

DOG DAYS OF SUMMER GIVEAWAY (#steampunk #freebook)

Whoo! It’s a hot one out there, yo. Especially down here in my neck of the woods, where we take the term “Dog Days of Summer” to whole new levels of heat and humidity.

So why not escape for a day or two, and take the bold and cunning Acacia Carlisle with you? She’s ALWAYS up for an adventure!

He Took Her Family. She’ll Go to the Ends of the Earth to Get Them Back.

FREE AUGUST 22-23

DOWNLOAD NOW

Author’s Log: Nameless and Confused (#amwriting, #ROW80)

Yeah, it’s been that kind of a week.

You know the one. The one where you’ve accomplished a lot, but end up paying for it in the end. The one in which Wednesday totally felt like Thursday, aka Friday Eve. And then you get mentally bunged up in the Space-Time Continuum and end up questioning everything you ever thought you knew.

And then you can’t stop spelling “Continuum.” And fall over a lot from the effort.

But. BUT. I finished Blood & Steam 2. And started Sweet Home #1, even though I still don’t have a first name for my protagonist. She is currently navigating rural Oklahoma as a series of questions marks, like Prince only more confused.

I also got together a Dread Synopsis for MINSTREL’S DAUGHTER, as some agents want one in addition to query and pages. So, 90K plus words distilled to 1,000. It wasn’t easy, y’all. It made me all o_O.

As though I don’t have enough to do, I restarted my Dragon Age: Inquisition game as an archer, specifically so I can play with my new gee-whiz-this-doodad-is-nifty toy, Fraps. This app allows me to film game play, so in an effort to decode Bioware’s amaze-balls storytelling I’m making and editing movies in episodic form for the game’s main storyline and companion quests, because Holy Cutscene, Batman!

I game on Friday nights anyway with my husband (same room, different games, amid much drinking and snarfing of epic snackery), so now I have a legitimate creative reason to do so. And I love adding new storytelling skills to my repetoire, because it helps me gain perspective in other areas.

I have the first act, or “Season” shot, and will start putting short episodes together shortly. I’ve already learned a lot, so feel fully justified in my gaming endeavors.

I don’t know what it is about me that makes me feel guilty for taking time off for myself, and it’s something I need to think about. There were no such things as mental health days when I was growing up, that’s for sure. I wasn’t allowed off school unless I was dead, dying, or expelling some sort of bodily fluid a la Poltergeist. I went to school with Appendicitis for a week before I ever saw a doctor.

And, for the record, I hated school.

I think, when I finally become a full-time author, I will no doubt feel vaguely guilty that I will be spending a significant part of my day in pjs, making stuff up for profit as well as fun. There’s something unnatural about it, at least in my psyche. Or self-indulgent, even. When I was getting ready to graduate high school (right at the burgeoning of Gen X), it was taken as rote by the adults in my life that I was going to hate my job, whatever it turned out to be. Because everyone hated their jobs, because that was life. (I was also supposed to go into massive debt to go to school, because everyone was in debt, also a part of life.)

And there was me, baffled, going “And you actually expect me to do this? WHY?!”

Misery loves company, I guess. So I shucked off going to college, and waited tables while I pursued experience in community and regional theatre. I became a dance teacher, which was awesome in some respects but not so much in others. And my folks kept nagging me to go to school and/or get a real job. I don’t respond well to being nagged, so I got a real job (in retail), and moved out. And it’s been “real” jobs ever since, with a lot of misery attached to almost all of them. But they gave me the financial room to pursue my craft, and the perspective to know that I don’t want in this lifetime. Because it’s the only one I’ve freaking GOT.

So a lot of internal monologue-ing this week, of the slightly tired and shagged out variety, following a prolonged bout of Getting Things Done.

But, hey–they got done, right? Right.

Okay.

*passes out*

Project Insanity

Project Insanity is my mad scheme to publish one novella per month for the next FIVE years, beginning in 2016 (which means I have to draft like a crazy person NOW). Behold, as I apply lightning to The Monster of my Production Schedule, and probably fall flat on my face whilst so doing.

*dons fez*

*blows noisemaker*

 

The List (3Q2015):

The Mysterious Adventures of Becca Carlisle (Blood & Steam #2)

Sweet Home Oklahoma (Sweet Home #1)–IN PROGRESS

The Innovative Adventures of Lucia Carlisle (Blood & Steam #3)

Tess (Keepers of the Flame: Origins #4)

Untitled (Keepers of the Flame: Origins #5)

 

Sanity Check (August Edition):

BLOOD & STEAM #2: In Revisions

 I ended up clocking in around 27,000 words on this one, but I have no idea what I have at this point. I’m pretty certain I got overly silly at some juncture, but that’s okay–Book 1 was pretty darn silly, too. I already know I’m going to have to expand some scenes, and go deeper into character with Becca and Avery.

So this one goes away for a bit to marinate in its own words while I switch gears and work on Other Things. I think there’s going to be a bonus Christmas story in this world starring the Head Engineer of the Icarus II, Ash. Because she is easily one of my favorite characters of the series.

SWEET HOME #1: In Production

 You gotta love a heroine who throws her meager belongings into the back of a broken-down jeep and drives across country with her violin strapped in the passenger seat. Who she has named, and talks to. And blames for said jeep breaking down in the middle of Oklahoma.

But how sad is it the violin has a name, but not our intrepid heroine.

 BLOOD & STEAM #3 In Pre-Production

Ash DEFINITELY needs her own story, but this isn’t it. This Lucia’s story, and I’m still in my initial research phase. Luckily, this book isn’t due out until the end of December, so I have time. Once I have a better idea of the parameters of the world I’m building here on the American side of the pond, I can dig deep into my Production notebook and start a list of Questions That Must Be Answered.

I might have to watch Deadwood again, just for the dialogue. I think I want a character who speaks in a poor man’s version of Shakespeare, like E.B. And/or a pseudo-but-not-really-villain like Al, who talks to a head in a box.

BONUS GOAL: Lose Some Dang Weight!

 So I think it’s my Wii-Fit who’s to blame for my seemingly yo-yoing weight stats, not me, because every time I check in I get the strangest results. Maybe I should start taking bets.

This week when I checked in, I was down -4.4 lbs and -0.78 BMI. I also bought a pair of good running shoes from Under Armour, so I can start tread-milling it and alternating my workouts (I do Zumba bare-foot, because I’ve always danced barefoot. I’m an odd bird in that, because my right side is shorter than my left side by 2-3 degrees, being barefoot makes me less clumsy and helps me adjust my center of gravity). Until the music stops, at which point I collapse like a broken marionette.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Author’s Log: Onward and Upward (#ROW80, #amwriting)

Still recovering from the flood tides here in Tampa Bay—the rain has only stopped within the last couple of days. Still bummed I missed the last day of Comic Con, and all the photos and autographs I meant to get, but at least I got to meet Matt Ryan of TV’s Constantine, who is as lovely as he is talented. YAY!!

I created a new web page dedicated to Project Insanity, for those equally Mad Hatters interested in seeing what I’m working on for the year.

THE MINSTREL’S DAUGHTER is till waging battle in the Query Wars. Based on some feedback I received from a very generous, very top agent who I have enormous respect for, I’m going to take another look at the characters and some additional polishing for the next round. She did say she could see this project selling, but it didn’t end up being right for her because of problems connecting with the characters. But it sounds like I got reeeeeeeally close my first time out, which I find encouraging rather than discouraging.

This is one of those times I feel fortunate for my background in theatre, where you soon learn that 1) You get better from criticism, not compliments, and 2) You have to learn to love audition, because that is at least 80% of the reality of craft. I now know where to focus my improvement efforts, so I’m ready to try again.

And, hey—if I get through my list of 100+ and still no takers? Or if I get an agent, and we don’t end up selling to a publisher? I’ll rent the editorial services of The Pink Hammer, invest in a cover and formatting, and pub it myself. I have options.

Onward and upward, my friends. Soldier on!

 

Project Insanity

Project Insanity is my mad scheme to publish one novella per month for the next FIVE years, beginning in 2016 (which means I have to draft like a crazy person NOW). Behold! As I apply lightning to The Monster of my Production Schedule, and probably fall flat on my face whilst so doing.

*dons fez*

*blows noisemaker*

 

The List (3Q2015):

The Mysterious Adventures of Becca Carlisle (Blood & Steam #2)

Sweet Home Oklahoma (Sweet Home #1)

The Innovative Adventures of Lucia Carlisle (Blood & Steam #3)

Tess (Keepers of the Flame: Origins #4)

(Keepers of the Flame: Origins #5)

 

Sanity Check (August Edition):

BLOOD & STEAM #2: In Production

I’m finishing this up over the weekend, and then I get to put it away for a bit and let it marinate to work on other things. After the non-stop action of Book 1, however, I’m concerned about the lack of hard core action in this one—it doesn’t come up until a really great shoot out scene in Vauxhall Gardens. But I won’t know what I’ve actually got until it spends some time off my radar. Becca is a much quieter heroine than her swaggering, gun-toting sister, so we’ll have to see.

I don’t have a solid word count as of yet, because most of the story’s in my notebook, written I longhand. I should have final count at next week’s check-in.

SWEET HOME #1: In Pre-Production

Plotty Plotness ensues. I expect to begin drafting later this week. I find it interesting that all my characters want the essentially the same thing, but they’re handling their circumstances differently. My heroine (who I still don’t have a name for—eep!) will become the catalyst in their midst, blowing into town and then blowing out again leaving everyone else changed.

BLOOD & STEAM #3: Begin Pre-Production

Readers will meet the third and youngest sister of the Carlisle clan toward the end of Book #2, to set up her starring in Book #3. Lucia’s story will take place in the American west, and I’m looking forward to writing it (I’m a fan of Hell On Wheels and Deadwood).

My first order of business is research, and figuring out where Captain Robert Carlisle actually is—I have an idea, but no specifics. I think my hero might be of Asian descent, so I’m looking forward to getting into that culture, of that time.

BONUS GOAL: Lose Some Dang Weight!

Up a bit this week, but still down overall. I think I’m reaching a point where I’m toning up more than anything, and I’m starting to build muscle. I did a lot of walking over the course of Comic Con (not to mention the sprint around hotel room when I discovered that massive bug on my neck *shudder*), and I certainly did a lot better than I did last year. I was up 2.4 lbs. last week, and .43 points on my BMI.

I’m going for losing ten pounds during the month of August.

Essentials of Character (#IWSG, #amwriting)

This last weekend I was fortunate enough to make the acquaintance of Matt Ryan, aka TV’s Constantine, at the Tampa Bay Comic Con. Given the sheer epic level of unfortunate of events that otherwise occurred (including Ark-worthy flooding that invaded Tampa), suffice it to day this was definitely the high point of the entire experience, at least for me.

Later that day, after getting his autograph and enjoying an enthusiastic discussion with the charming, talented, and altogether lovely Mr. Ryan as well as some of his fans while in line, we also saw his panel talking about what it was like to work on the show (sadly cancelled after just 13 episodes).

In both instances, it was incredibly interesting listening to what he had to say about building a character, especially a well-known character previously misrepresented to some extent in movies, for a mainstream audience. ESPECIALLY especially for a character not, let’s face it, entirely likeable. As Mr. Ryan put it: “He’s a bit of a bastard. He’s a charming bastard, but, yeah–he’s a bastard.”

This got me to thinking about character. Again. (It’s a habit, I know.) Namely, it got me to thinking about the elements–or essentials–of character.

Strengths

This is pretty self-explanatory. Part of the thrill of writing is figuring out what makes our characters so cool and special. Many beginning writers start by dabbling in  Mary Sue fan fiction, where they insert a cooler version of themselves into an existing world. Part of being creative, in general, is to fill a void we have in ourselves by expressing the things we’re trying to figure out or our place in the world. There’s a whole lack of confidence hurdle to deal with a lot of times, when you’re a creative, and so writing cool characters who do cool things can be deeply satisfying.

But, along with strengths, characters should also have:

Flaws

Acacia, my heroine in the first Blood & Steam book, is intelligent and courageous and things like math and navigation come easy to her. She does things, and shoots things, and deals with the occasional kraken with aplomb. Also, banter.

However, she’s extremely prideful and not a little arrogant. She is very clear about who she is, and where she comes from. She doesn’t give a good gorram what other people think of her, or their expectations of her. Her tunnel vision creates problems for other members of her family, who are left at home to deal with the consequences of her unthinking actions. It takes an  airship explosion and resulting casualties for her to reassess her point of view.

She does NOT deal well with inactivity, or situations that require patience.

Wants

Acacia is on the hunt for her missing brother, and is determined to bring the antagonist, a member of the peerage with a respectable reputation despite his behavior, to justice. He’s responsible for not only her brother’s disappearance, holding him hostage, but for that of her father as well.

Acacia loves her family more than anything. She wants them back and whole once more. She is therefore driven to exceptional limits of determination and fortitude to get them back.

Conflicts

When I was a wee Writer Monkey, in my Mary Sue fan fiction days (hey–we all have to start SOMEWHERE, right?) I had a fantastic English teacher. She was young, and hip, and did more to teach me about story craft than any other teachers combined, barring my theatre director in high school. Even my better teachers just expected us to good at things, or not. But Miss Richardson actually broke down character and conflict in such a way that I still remember and use to this day. Plot Mountain (aka the Plot Incline or Plot Sketch) is one of them. The other was Character Conflict.

Character versus Character: Protagonist versus Antagonist (conflicting wants and/or agendas). A really good example of this is Netflix’s Daredevil, where the protagonist and antagonist essentially want the same thing, they both think of themselves as heroes, but they go about it from opposite ends of the alignment scale. Both–and this is important–are sympathetic, admirable, and easy to root for.

Character versus Self: This is the internal conflict a character has when they doubt themselves, or fight their own natures. One of my favorite examples of this is Riddick, from Pitch Black and The Chronicles of Riddick. Riddick is, in every sense of the word, a badass. He starts out as a sociopathic predator, but something about the people he’s fighting for survival with, and, in Chronicles, the extreme measures he takes to protect Jack from the inclinations of her own nature and his influence on her, changes him.

This internal monologue of self-conflict permeates the fantasy novel I wrote and am working to get published, THE MINTREL’S DAUGHTER. My protagonist, seeking for redemption, constantly questions his worth as a fallen knight and failing his family’s legacy of honorable conduct. It takes the titular character, the story’s catalyst,  to change his perspective. It’s the internal challenges we must overcome to mature and become who we need to be.

Character versus Nature:

The example most of us studied in Character versus Nature was most probably Hemingway’s Old Man and the Sea. Another good example is the movie Castaway, or the Jurassic Park films. However, I take it this conflict to be the key of making setting a character in its own right. In Acacia’s Blood & Steam adventure, she has to contend with not only a kraken, but the fickle nature of the science and technology of her steampunk world. The High Winds are a thing, as is swearing by the Skies and the Earth. There was a lot of exploration and the rapidly expanding British Empire during this time period.

Creed

Pretty much everyone has something, some belief or ideology they hold dear. For characters, this influences the decisions they make and the actions they take. Acacia absolutely believes Baron Lindsey must be brought to justice, that her family needs her to save them. She believes people ought to be able to do precisely what they like regardless of race, religion, sex, or class, provided they aren’t hurting anyone else. This is enforced when other people think she should be doing other things that are more suitable. This means she makes a point of doing the unexpected.

She is also absolutely loyal to her family. She is a Carlisle, and this means something–everything–to her. Swanning off to rescue to her missing brother is the only possible action she can take, as far as she’s concerned.

Sacred Object

People, from time immemorial, get attached to things. It must come from the habit we have of sticking teddy bears and special blankies into our children’s cribs from a young age or something. Cars, jewelry, musical instruments (I named my violin, y’all, just to give you an idea). There’s a comfort bordering on the superstitious with these things.

In Daredevil, Fisk wears his horrible father’s cuff links every day. The One Ring is the obvious example, of course. Sometimes, however, it can be as simple a thing as a paperclip bracelet a character might fidget with like worry beads, or the hat their father wore when they were growing up, or the classic car they restored together.

Acacia wears a gentleman’s overcoat tailored to her size, and a wide-brimmed hat on her adventures. She has a favorite rifle she takes with her. But her most sacred object isn’t an object at all, but her family’s name.

Aine, in THE MINSTREL’S DAUGHTER, carries her father’s lute–her talisman to him and her past. It keeps her grounded, even through the tough decisions, like giving herself up to the enemy in order to save her adopted town.

I think that’s about everything I’ve got on character, guys. Happy writing!

 

 

Author’s Log: Like A Kid Again (#amwriting, #ROW80)

So this post is going up a little late because I attended Tampa Bay Comic Con over the weekend, quite frankly, it wasn’t quite as fun as I’d hoped it to be. The Exhibition Hall really didn’t have anything new to offer other than some pro Cos-players, all of whole were nice and friendly.

The high point for me was meeting TV’s Constantine (Matt Ryan) in person, and he was perfectly lovely. Sadly, the show was cancelled right when it was finding it’s feet, so no one would have backed out of the engagement. But he discussed the show and the source material with great enthusiasm as he signed autographs, and seemed to be genuinely happy to be there talking geek with everyone.

Unfortunately, the Tech Monkey and I were forced to walk a half mile through a Florida monsoon to get to the convention, so I was a soggy mess when meeting him (though he did compliment my Constantine costume, so YAY). We also left the camera in the car, so no pictures this year. NONE. Because my phone also died. ARGH.

Thinking I still had another day to dry out, I decided to delay my photo op until today, Sunday. Instead the streets of Tampa were flooded to Noah-like proportions and we were stranded overnight, unable to get home. We were forced to slosh through two feet of water to a hotel across the street from the gas station we took shelter at, and no sooner did we make it inside our room than I discover a B-horror movie sized bug. On my NECK. *shriek*

So we’re missing the last day of the con, with little more than a slightly damp Hellblazer with Matt Ryan’s autograph inside to document our adventures.

*splayed* *birdies*

HOWEVER.

A couple of really fun, sorta-great things happened prior to the Con, however, that I’m kind of tickled to report on. I was really REALLY busy again last week at the day job, especially with taking Friday off, so my lunchtime writing sessions just didn’t happen. But. BUT.

A couple of nights last week, once the Tech Monkey went to bed, I stayed up and wrote in my notebook instead of my computer. Like, I literally turned off all the lights, hunkered down on the couch with my favorite Comfy Blanket (TM), my lap desk, a book light, a spiral notebook, and a good, flowy pen (you know the ones I mean.) And I just WROTE.

This is how I did it as a kid, prior to computers let alone the internet, in the Deep Dark Times when the Earth was just starting to cool. When I wasn’t under the blankets reading books or comic books, I was scribbling bad epic fantasy and even worse fan fiction (sometimes both) in a spiral notebook, with only a dying flashlight for light. And it was some of the most fun I had as a kid.

I think I may be on to something here. Maybe, a couple of nights per week, I should revert to kid-dom and simply have fun, instead of worrying about word counts and craft and all the stuff that makes writing a job. (A fun job, no doubt, but still a job nonetheless.) Sometimes, just sometimes, it’s fun the thumb your nose at your grown-up self and refuse to adult for a time.

Because the floodgates opened, y’all. I got pages and pages of Blood & Steam 2 down, and a WHOLE NEW OPENING for DRAGON’S HEART, which had been giving me whole issue of Not Being Right At All, and has been tapping me on the shoulder, begging to be fixed, ever since.

Holy Words, Batman–it became a challenge to stop, not to start. I had to force myself to go to bed. Project Insanity might not be so insane, after all.

(Well, okay. It’s still insane. But at least I feel better about it.)

Oh, hey, look–updates!

Project Insanity

Project Insanity is my mad scheme to publish one novella per month for the next FIVE years, beginning in 2016 (which means I have to draft like a crazy person NOW). Behold, as I apply lightning to The Monster of my Production Schedule, and probably fall flat on my face whilst so doing. *dons fez* *blows noisemaker*

 

The List (3Q2015):

The Mysterious Adventures of Becca Carlisle (Blood & Steam #2)–IN PROGRESS.

Sweet Home Oklahoma (Sweet Home #1)

The Innovative Adventures of Lucia Carlisle (Blood & Steam #3)

Tess (Keepers of the Flame: Origins #4)

 

Sanity Check (July Edition):

 

 

BLOOD & STEAM #2: In Production

 I’m noooooooot quite there, but I am inching closer. I got to blow something up, however, which always makes me happy. Krakens in the last book, and now explosions. YAY!!

SWEET HOME #1: In Pre-Production

 I’m working out a plot sketch/outline for this, and seem to have hit a snag around about Plot Point 2 (instead of Midpoint, just for a change). I think I know what’s going to happen, but I need to work my main character around to giving up what she thought was most important to her and instead make the decision to settle–however temporarily–in a small ranching town instead of on the west coast like she originally planned. It’s gonna be a tough sell, folks, and begs the question of what she’s really looking for.

UPDATE BLOOD & STEAM #1: Quest Completed!

Ugh. This is going up later today. And let’s NEVER do THAT again, shall we? Naturally, I discovered a better way to format my back matter in regards to my Other Books, so I’ll have to go through those Other Books, and update those as well at some point.

BONUS GOAL: Lose Some Dang Weight!

I was down 2.9 lbs last week, and 0.62 points on my BMI–whoo-hoo!! I guess being sick for the first time in years has to be positive in some way, doesn’t it? I noticed my appetite change dramatically, in that I’m not eating nearly as much even now that I’m healthy again.

 

Author’s Log: Pressing On (#amwriting, #ROW80)

This is going up a little late today, I’m afraid. July’s a busy month for me at Ye Olde Day Jobbe, the third week especially, this last week was no exception. I’m covering for someone on maternity leave, in addition to my own work, and while summer is ostensibly our slow season, this means our field forces likes to come up with wild requests for research and analysis, our extensive housekeeping projects that have been on the back burner until now.

Then, on Friday, I was forced to leave work early with a stomach bug I initially thought was a mild case of food poisoning from the previous night’s shrimp–the D.S. discovered a new, cheaper supplier. Also, I don’t generally get sick, unless it’s something epic and worthy of the emergency room.(I haven’t called in sick in a smidge over nine years or thereabouts, just to give you an idea.) So for the better part of the weekend I was forced to sit very, very still lest I trigger an inadvertent chain reaction resulting in a great deal of unpleasantness.

But better this weekend instead of next, during Comic Con. Yikes!

Also this week, I started putting together documented process to help me through what I’ve started referring to as “Project Insanity”–releasing a novella per month beginning next year, meaning I’m having to start drafting those releases THIS year. It consists of daily tasks and exercises in four sections: Pre-Production (Character and Plot Development), Drafting (Discovery Draft and Meditation Draft), Revisions, and Editing. When I finish one section, I not only move on to the next, but start from the beginning again with the next project. As least, that’s the idea.

I got the tasks and exercises largely from Robert J. Ray’s The Weekend Novelist, which helped me tremendously in developing my craft significantly in a relatively short period of time–significant enough see the novella I wrote using its methods and practices to be traditionally published. What I particularly liked about it is that you’re actually developing and writing a tight, well-crafted story as you’re learning to do so, so there’s no “okay, now you’ve done all this, you should be able to write a publishable story”, but “now you’ve done all this, you’ve FINISHED a publishable story, and can now do so again.”

This fits right into my plan to spend more time in Pre-Production than in drafting, so the drafting goes faster as well as staying tighter, with a clean manuscript at the end. Overall it’ll be a sixty-day process (though not necessarily all in one go), with a few templates for character, plot, and scene sketches and entails carrying a notebook with me so I can work during my lunch hour and several evenings a week–and any other free time I might find myself with.

The List (aka Project Insanity) 3Q2015:

Blood & Steam 2

Sweet Home 1

Blood & Steam 3

Keepers: Origins 4

Goals (July):

1. Draft Blood & Steam 2: 12,618/30,000 (17k to go)

I lost some drafting time this week from general business and being sick, so I’ve got some catching up to do this week if I’m going to even come close to finishing a rough draft this week, and me with a convention waiting for me at the end of it. I need to average 2.5k a day this week to meet this goal.

2. Re-publish Blood & Steam 1: I think I’ve got this one pretty well covered, but I want to go over it again this week, now that I’ve the benefit of some distance. Then I’ll let this one go.

3. Begin Sweet Home 1: I’ve got my characters pretty well worked out, I think. I’ve got a restless violinist moving cross country to explore opportunities on the west coast despite a successful career on the east, and a rancher trying to save his home and family business while caring for his ailing father–and fighting a restlessness of his own.

Bonus Goal–Lose Some Dang Weight: Down half a pound last week, and the ol’ waist is slowly becoming more prominent. My knees have gotten a great deal better as well. The problem is that my body wants to do what it’s been trained to do and move in a way it can no longer manage–at least, not yet. But I’ll get there in time, if I can keep it up.

Next week I’ll be reporting live from Tampa Bay Comic Con, first via Twitter and then summaries and pictures to come on Facebook and here on the blog. Come Monday I’m fully expecting the after effects of a full-blown case of Con Coma, but I’m also expecting the experience to be worth it.

Author’s Log: The Process of Re-Discovery (#amwriting, #ROW80)

Weekly Stats (Sun-Sat):

Words Drafted: 8,073 (27% Done)

Best Day: 3,579 (Tuesday)

We’re a couple of weeks into a new round (and new Production quarter), and I’ve already identified a couple of things.

For one, I’ve noticed that my best productivity seems to be between 11:00am and 2:00pm, with a short break either around noon or noon-thirty. If I can increase my word-output speed I should be able to crank out a chapter (approx. 3500 words) during that time, especially if I manage to cut down on distractions. 1000 words/hour should be completely doable.

So (I’m thinking), if I brainstorm out my scenes in the evening for the next day, I might be able fly through the words fairly quickly. *crosses fingers*

The other thing I’ve noticed is that what I thought of as my writing days aren’t it seems, my writing days. Mondays and Wednesdays in the evening? Not so much. I also work out on these days, and working out makes me drowsy and not all that good for much else. Brain mush hurty. Netflix take away hurty. *poke poke*

This weekend I’m starting on Pre-Production for Sweet Home #1, which means going back to the process that got me published to begin with. I really upped my craft when I started using Robert J. Ray’s The Weekend Novelist, so going back to basics seems like a bingo idea at this point. If all goes well, I’ll be able to spend a couple of days a week the Development lab, and the weekends in Revisions/Post.

I finished updated cover art for Keepers: Origins #1 this week, and am working on updating the art for Keepers: Origins #2.

In other news, we’ve got our passes for Tampa Bay Comic Con pinned to the fridge, and the last of my costume pieces came in. I debated (okay, for about thirty-two-point-seven seconds, but still) about dying my hair blonde for my femme Constantine costume, but decided against it. Mainly because I am a redhead by choice and nature, and when I mentioned it in passing there was a Vast Disturbance in the Force. As though every fiber of my husband’s being cried out and was silenced by the shock of the very idea.

So, Tampa Bay, July 31-Aug 2. If you’re planning to attend drop me a line and we’ll meet up at some point. Otherwise, I’ll try to document the event as best as I can between social media platforms with pictures and impressions.

 

The List (3Q2015 Edition):

The Mysterious Adventures of Becca Carlisle (Blood & Steam #2)

Sweet Home Oklahoma (Sweet Home #1)

The Innovative Adventures of Lucia Carlisle (Blood & Steam #3)

Tess (Keepers of the Flame: Origins #4)

 

Goals! (July Edition)

BLOOD & STEAM #2: In Production

Three chapters into this bad boy, and so far so good. Becca is definitely the more conventional of the Carlisle sisters, but she’s no less brilliant or courageous. Her adversary is the viperous, calculating sister of Book 1’s villain, and the story starts in a parallel timeline with Book 1’s conclusion.

I hope to have a rough draft completed by 7/25 on this one, and then a week off before beginning revisions August.

SWEET HOME #1: In Pre-Production

I started character work this weekend, beginning with sketches of my hero and heroine. At this rate I think my hero’s sister is going to be the well-meaning antagonist. I’ve wanted to set a story at a ranch for a while now, so now’s my chance.

Also, at some point, I get to watch a great deal of Christian Kane being a cowboy, since I’m modeling my hero after him. Which means refraining from licking my TV screen, but whatever. (What?)

UPDATE BLOOD & STEAM #1: In Progress

I’m using my non-drafting time to go through the manuscript again, scene-by-squirrely-scene. The end still feels a bit rushed and messy to me, but I may have found a way or two to tie it in with Book 2 now that I’ve got my first Act drafted, so making the updates asap seems like the thing to do. Should be done by the end of the week (or so I dearly hope.)

BONUS GOAL: Lose Some Dang Weight!

I largely maintained my weight this week, being down by half a pound and slightly increased BMI. However, I’m feeling and doing better, so that’s the important thing. I missed a day of working out because I wasn’t feeling well, but I should be back on track now.

I have toned up a bit, however, as I seem to have a waist again. (Oh, hello waist. Fancy meeting you here. It’s been awhile.)

Over to you, then–how’s your round going so far?

Author’s Log: All Things Shiny and New (#amwriting, #ROW80)

Okay, guys—here’s the Shiny, New Plan.

Which I will, no doubt, fail miserably at. But I don’t care. I’m going to throw caution (not to mention sanity) to the winds, and give it the ol’ college try anyway.

It should be noted that I, in fact, did not go to college. So this should be interesting to say the least.

My most ambitious goal is release a novella every month beginning in 2016, until my To-Be-Written queue is cleared (meaning sometime in 2020—EEK!), whereupon I will transition to full-time novel writing. This does not mean I will stop writing novels now—but they will be my Bonus Books on the side until further notice. I’ve proven before I can write two books at once, so that’s what I’m going to do—just at a slightly slower pace until I can cull The List.

This means I still need to average around 30K words per month—and if I can manage to draft a chapter a day (not necessarily in consecutive days) I can get potentially get a rough draft done in approximately 10 days. In order to do this, I need to spend a lot more time in Pre-Production than I’ve been doing, because I’ve noticed things go a lot faster when I’ve done all my homework ahead of time (imagine that).

So here’s the new process (I think):

Month 1: Pre-Production—Character work and plot sketching/outlining.

Month 2: Drafting—30K words, or approximately 1 chapter at an average of 3.5k words a day. This will (I hope) leave room for developing the next project and revising a previous one. Once I identify where my writing blocks are, then I can schedule my drafting accordingly (at least 3-4 times per week). I also got myself a tablet so I can take advantage of other little snippets of time as they become available.

Months 3-5: Cooling-Off Period—This is where my rough draft sits out of sight and out of mind for a while, so I can come back to it fresh for revisions. I know this is a long time, but I’m using this as lead time—in other words, getting more first drafts finished faster—but with a release deadline that’s further out, I shouldn’t be rushing anything (and therefore stressing myself out).

But this doesn’t mean I won’t be doing ANY work–I’ll be getting tentative cover art, jacket copy, and advertising plans in order.

Month 6: Revisions—I’m planning on three passes that I will approach with intent. I want to come up with a reliable process here, so I’ll be doing some experimenting over the rest of 2015 so I can hit the ground running next year.

Months 7: Edits—Separate from revisions, this is when I go into BETA, critiques, and professional edits. I come from a background in the performing arts, so collaboration is important to me, but I really need to make more time for it. During this period the manuscript will be out of sight, out of mind again, again so I can come back to it fresh.

Month 8: Post Production—This is for writing jacket copy, designing cover art, the final polishing and formatting of the manuscript, and general administration like creating the landing page on my website and advertising/promotion.

Month 9: Completion/Release: Uploading of the final draft, formal announcements, newsletter blast. ARCs will also go out, so that reviews can start trickling in—release will typically take place on the last Friday of the month.

This is schedule is actually closer to my experience of a traditional publishing schedule. I’ll still be on a ninety-day release schedule for the rest of 2015, so there won’t be any delays to my readers.

Where, previously, my focus had been drafting, I’m hoping my spending more time in Pre- and Post-Production I’ll actually be getting quality books out faster. By focusing more on development, my drafts should come out cleaner the first time, and I’ll waste less time and resources on stumbling blocks and whatnot.

I don’t know if this will work, but hey—what do I have to lose, really?

In other news, I’ve got my three-day pass for my local comic con here in Tampa Bay, and my final costume elements just arrived this week. It’s amazing how just a few years ago this convention was small enough to fit into a single hotel ballroom and now we’re filling a convention center to the rafters for three solid days. Carrie Fisher (Star Wars) will be there, as well as Linda Hamilton (Terminator), Billy West (Futurama), Freema Agyeman (Doctor Who), and Matt Ryan (Constantine), among many others.

I’m hoping to spend less time enduring the exhibition hall this year and more time enjoying the events. *crosses fingers*

 

The List (Revised):

DEADLINES

The Mysterious Adventures of Becca Carlisle (Blood & Steam #2)–DUE 3Q2015

The Innovative Adventures of Lucia Carlisle (Blood & Steam #3)–DUE 4Q2015

Tess (Keepers of the Flame: Origins #4)–DUE 1Q2016

Keepers of the Flame: Origins #5 —DUE 1Q2016

 

BONUS BOOKS

The Dragon’s Heart (Fantasy Novel)

Blood & Steam Bonus Story (Tentative)

COMPLETE BLOOD & STEAM #2: In Production

I started drafting this week, and so far, so good. I’ve got all the players at least introduced, and I’m enjoying Becca Carlisle immensely. She’s proper, intelligent, and suffers the shenanigans of her family with aplomb, if not without inconvenience.

DRAFT BLOOD & STEAM #3 : Begin Pre-Production this month.

The third installment, starring youngest sister Lucia, will take place in the American West. So I’m watching things like Deadwood and researching the Chinese slave/opium trade prevalent during that time. It was also during that time when the Irish were treated as badly as African-Americans (“Irish Need Not Apply”) signs were all over the place when businesses advertised an open position, meaning proprietors were more willing to take blacks over Irish as employees in a lot of cases.

CLEAN UP EXISTING CATALOGUE:

I’m going to re-touch up my existing Origins covers, finish designing new covers for Waking Muse, and master the art of the jacket copy this month, all in preparation for getting ahead of the game for next month when I start drafting Origins 4 next month and Origins 5 in September.

BONUS GOAL: Lose Some Dang Weight!

I lost almost 3 lbs. last week—woo-hoo!! I also worked out three times this week, so I’m hoping to keep up the pace. I’ve also noticed things tightening and toning, so YAY.

I really need to establish some sort of non-food based reward, like a new piece of clothing every time I reach a goal, and purging my closet of old stuff in the process. Say, for every twenty pounds I lose I exchange an old piece of clothing for something shiny and new.

Okay, fellow ROW-ers—how’s the summer heat effecting your goal pursuits so far? Got any big summer plans to attend conventions or conferences?

Author’s Log: Dancing The Production Schedule Shuffle (#amwriting, #ROW80)

So I got Blood & Steam #1 out into the world last week, but I reaaaaaally took it down to the wire. Like, 1:00am on release day. Needless to say, I’m going back through to manuscript again to smooth things out so I can get updates up as soon as possible.

So this last weekend I took a good, hard look at my Production Schedule and decided to make some changes. The conclusion I came to was drafting new books in order of priority was probably my best bet, instead of staggering my drafting according to release method and date.

Once I get my deadline-driven stuff completed, I can then turn my attention to the traditional-bound stuff. Luckily I’ve got enough of these in the hopper while I’m waiting to hear from agents on THE MINSTREL’S DAUGHTER that I’ve got a little breathing room on that score. My ultimate goal is to get around six months ahead on my drafting, so I get about three months ahead on my professional edits.

With that in mind, here’s what my drafting schedule for the rest of the year is looking like thus far (aka The List):

DEADLINES

The Mysterious Adventures of Becca Carlisle (Blood & Steam #2)–DUE 3Q2015

The Innovative Adventures of Lucia Carlisle (Blood & Steam #3)–DUE 4Q2015

Tess (Keepers of the Flame: Origins #4)–DUE 1Q2016

Sweet Home Oklahoma (Sweet Home #1)–DUE 2Q2016

Reliance (Defiance #1)–DUE 2Q2016

BONUS BOOKS

The Dragon’s Heart (Fantasy Novel)

Blood & Steam Bonus Story (Tentative)

By catching up and then getting ahead with so much lead time, I’ll be able to start drafting 2017’s projected roster in the latter half of  2016 and thus stretch my production schedule by several months. My first order of business is to write first a short synopsis about each story, then expand on the synopses by writing down everything I know (or think I know) about the story. Then it’s plot sketching, fleshing out the characters, and honing everything before I begin drafting.

With that in mind, let’s go to The Goals (3Q2015 Edition):

1. COMPLETE BLOOD & STEAM #2: In Production

I’m fleshing out the story and characters now. I plan to begin drafting this week. I need to get this into the hands of The Hammer for editing next month if at all possible.

2. DRAFT BLOOD & STEAM #3: Begin Pre-Production this month.

I want to have a full outline finalized by the end of the month, so I can begin drafting next month.

3. DRAFT ORIGINS #4: Begin Pre-Production in August.

This month I need to do a read-through of my notes and manuscript for Keepers 4 so I can pull out all the tidbits I need to write Tess’ Origin story. I’m planning an Escape From Las Vegas story, where the city goes from a tourist’s playground to a demon- and war-ravaged blast zone.

BONUS GOAL: Lose Some Dang Weight!

I’m looking at losing 10 lbs. a month–doable, healthy, and if I can get through one Zumba workout without having to take a break at some point, I’ll be happy. To meet this goal I’ll have to work out 3-4 times per week.

I figure if I can get through a convention without falling over in a Dead Man’s Sprawl and look halfway decent in costume, I’m doing good.

Your turn! What are you guys looking to accomplish this round?