Author’s Log: Oh So Fluffy (#amwriting, #ROW80)
My Wii-Fit is passive aggressive.
Not clinically so, like Tony Soprano’s mother or anything. Just enough to be vaguely hurtful, like when your dear old Gran unexpectedly catches you in a Black Sabbath t-shirt. Every time I step on the Balance Board, it goes “Oh!”, like it isn’t quite prepared for the level of social rebellion I’m bringing to the table. “Mercy!” it’s saying, fanning its face. “That’s…well, okay then. We’ll just pretend that didn’t happen, shall we?”
Also, I gained a pound in the week I’ve been working out. So I’m thinking (hoping) that’s muscle mass, not added fluff. But I’m feeling better, and that’s something.
The sleep rehabilitation isn’t going so hot, however. I’m still up to midnight most nights, which isn’t terrible by my standards, but I still need to get to bed earlier. So I can get up earlier. But I had one day this week where I had a mild case of acid reflux (luckily nothing more severe), but it was enough discomfort that it kept me up until around 2:00am. That hasn’t happened in awhile, so I definitely need to be more careful.
Writing is going better. I created a Save The Cat outline template for both novels and novellas, including the word counts I need to hit. Now my outline looks more like an assignment or task list that I can mark off as I complete each section. Because marking things off a list is compelling as well as gratifying. I love lists!
DRAGON’S HEART is coming along much better than it started, which is saying something. I’m following my Act I outline, and ticking off each section as I hit the word counts and content laid out. The new outlining system I started works out well, since I don’t have to wonder where to begin…I just get started like I would with any other task, get my words out of the way, and mark it off. Then I move on to the next thing on my list, which is usually either Revisions or Post-Production. Tick, tick, tick go the tasks.
Speaking of which–Goals!
1. Draft DRAGON’S HEART–Act I: This initial draft is starting out messy, I won’t lie. I’m teasing out the world-building, playing with ideas. But this can all be cleaned up in revisions, when I’ve got the thing sitting in front of me in its entirely. Diagramming a story is like diagramming a sentence–it’s gotta be there before you can pull it apart into its component bits.
I have to keep reminding myself that every story is different, so trying to pound one book into the shape of the last one is an effort in futility. But once it’s done I can hone it into the shape it was meant to be in to begin with. Such is the way of craftsmanship.
2. Revise Blood & Steam #1: Two weeks from release, and it’s JUST NOW getting into shape. Carved out a lot of fun but unnecessary stuff, re-stitched the story to flow better. It’s still looking a Frankenstein-y, but it’s much better that it was. I should just make my deadline, though I’m resending the new version off to the Hammer just to be sure. Because CRIMINEY.
On June 26 I apply the lightening rods and flee from the torch-bearing hordes. I will probably fall over in the process, but I will give it my most valiant of attempts.
3. Rebrand Waking Muse: I’m in the process I’ve rewriting ALL my cover copy in hopes of making my books extra-glommy to potential readers. I’m curious to see if there’ll be an uptick in downloads for the paid stuff as well as the free. Like many writers, I hate writing synopses that boil my books down to a few paragraphs. I’m a wordy word-monkey (shock, I know), and writing synopses and/or sales copy is a special talent and takes a lot of practice.
Your turn–how’d your week go?
