A.M. Hodgson's Blog, page 4
August 6, 2014
knight-of-tuxedo:
carriesfirstperiod:
my mom just looked at a spider at our kitchen and yelled...
my mom just looked at a spider at our kitchen and yelled “why do you have to be like that? you dont need that many eyes or legs you need to stop”
That.
August 4, 2014
A couple interesting stats...
Caprice:
Revised: 110,000; Cut/Edited: 28,000
On the whole, I think Caprice was the best thought out of the bunch, or maybe it just went the smoothest overall. It was certainly the easiest in terms of goals to complete. I also think I did more little additions to scenes rather than straight up cuts.
I was just so, so naive then. Caprice’s current word count? Around 130,000 and will probably be about 130-135k when it’s finished.
So here’s what’s really going on with it: I was working diligently on the first half, which is loads more difficult than the second for multiple reasons. As I’m going through, polishing the scenes, making sure it’s all flowing well and there’s a nice continuity of things, my story pulls one of these:
Which leaves me face-palming and realizing that everything needs to change. I only allow this to happen when it genuinely makes the novel much better, and in this case it makes the whole series better. Unfortunately, changes at the beginning ripple through so I’m almost back to square one. Still on schedule to reach my deadline, though!
So that’s where I’m at.
And I might be doing more Sailormoon nerding lately, too, which is eating into a bit of writing time. But seriously… have you seen Sailormoon Crystal?
July 15, 2014
That One Spot in my Novel
I’m sitting in my back yard. It’s too hot to think. Too hot to write, certainly.
The steady thwap, thwap, thwap of arrows hitting their target act as my soundtrack.
I’m supposed to be writing— specifically, I’m supposed to be revising. But the cruel task of fixing the words already on the page feels daunting to me. Maybe more daunting than it ever has.
I sip lukewarm water as my husband practices his archery, pretending I know what I’m doing.
I can do this. I’m an author.
But the words fail me. Everything I write feels like garbage. Maybe this is that 'writers' block' people always talk about. But that feels more like a cop-out. Call it what it really is— insecurity, fear, with a heavy dose of procrastination. The task before me feels insurmountable.
Here’s the thing, though: I’ve been here before. I reach this point with every one of my novels, sooner or later. I could list a thousand reasons why this time it’s different, how it’s hard because it’s Caprice and there’s a million things about that book that have always given me headaches, how I am trying to walk a tightrope of emotion and drama and fantasy and am pretty sure I’m wobbling with every step.
But the fact of the matter is, it’s just hard. It’s always hard. And I need to remember that I can do this.
July 2, 2014
Prelude is Free! Or, Why I'm the Worst Marketer Ever
So, Prelude is free again. Yeah, I’m just getting around to posting this here. And it’s the last day. (See above about worst marketer ever). It’s free because I just released Tryst, and that generally prompts me into making Prelude free. I really want to have, you know, readers.
So here’s the thing about this promoting business: I really, really suck at it. I’m much better at crawling into a hole somewhere and writing. I wish that I could have a team of fairy god PR people who just take care of this nonsense for me, but it’s a one-woman show (with a whole lot of help from some fantastic people— see my acknowledgements) and that means I get to take care of my own promoting. Even though I suck at it.
So, you may wonder, why didn’t you just go the traditional publishing route? There’s a few reasons. One of which being fear of rejection (let’s be honest), but some others that are more legit. The main reasons were three-fold:
I’ve always known Rhapsody needed to be a series. If it wasn’t a series, it would be a ridiculously LONG novel. Soooooo, here’s the issue with that: publishers hate long novels because they cost more to print and are generally more risky. And they’ll give you a series (if you’re lucky) but usually they want volume 1 to be stand-alone just-in-case it sells poorly. I was told by lots and lots of people: don’t even try for a series. Pitch book one and see if anyone bites. But I couldn’t really see pretending it wasn’t a quartet— Rhapsody is really carefully planned out. Most of it was drafted before I’d even considered selling it.
I got nothing to back me up. Not even a degree with some writing classes. I’ve got a pretty diverse education, including some creative writing on it, but nothing is stamped with a ‘so this girl knows how to string sentences together’. That makes it harder to get noticed and/or published traditionally.
I’m kind of a fussy crazy person. As much as I hate the marketing aspect of this, I LOVE the rest of it— approving the cover art, requesting changes to things, fiddling with the formatting, etc. I love that I’m responsible for everything and that I make the decisions. I used the word “bastard” in Tryst and my line editor turned to me and said, “That’s the right sentiment, but is it okay to do that?” And I just got a big grin on my face, said, “Let me ask my publisher… yeah, they’re good with it.” I love having that freedom.
Anyway, in the end I’m not really regretful over my decision except when I’m dealing with PR. so, since it’s apparent that I have a few fans (a couple, anyway), here’s how you could help me out and be amazing in the process. You earn my infinite gratitude:
- Tell your friends and family about it, especially if you think they’d enjoy reading the Quartet.
- Leave a review on Amazon and/or Goodreads. This is probably the single biggest thing you can do to have a legit impact.
- Join my social media sites. That will increase the chances that facebook or twitter would recommend me to others.
June 30, 2014
Electively Paige Review & Giveaway
A few days ago Prelude was featured on Electively Paige’s blog site. Somehow I always forget about promoting things here (I’m seriously the worst marketer ever). But there’s still time to click through and check out the review and enter my giveaway for Tryst. (Releases tomorrow!!!)
To celebrate this new release, I’ve set Prelude up to be free for a few days. Get it while you can!
June 25, 2014
Giveaway of Tryst!
(http://electivelypaige.blogspot.com/2...)
June 11, 2014
word-stuck:
An elflock / fairy-lock is a lock of hair...
An elflock / fairy-lock is a lock of hair supposedly tangled by elves/fairies after a slumber. Fairies, they say, tangled and knotted the hairs of the sleeping children as they played in and out of their hair at night.
I absolutely love this… Oh, it might end up in a story some day.
June 2, 2014
May 30, 2014
May 27, 2014
Visiting Whitecrest
Check out that panorama! Gorgeous! You’re looking at Whitecrest itself, a long stretch of sandy beach that is sometimes bustling with tourists— but not this morning when I waved goodbye.
Okay, so I’m making it up. But the next best thing is where I spent my Memorial Day weekend. Whitecrest is, of course, fictional. But the setting isn’t entirely fabricated. It’s based on a conglomeration of towns along Washington’s Long Beach peninsula. I don’t live there, but I do visit often (and have some locals who keep me in check with details like weather patterns, etc).
I love it there. There is something about digging your toes in the sand that completely recharges my batteries. This was the first time I’ve been up when it was ‘tourist season’ so the crowds were a little daunting. Being reclusive and authorly, I don’t mix well with big groups. Instincts tell me to hiss and walk away. Nevertheless, I had a wonderful vacation.
And before you ask, I’ll just say it: nope. I didn’t get any work on the Quartet done. But I did make a lot of notes for revisions.
