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Brigid ✩
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Oct 02, 2016 05:27PM
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Yes, Brigid! I wasn't exactly the sharpest crayon in the box last night!I'm waiting for it to post on kindle, then I'll send it over.
Speaking of...do you know how to convert from word to mobi w/o using the Amazon interface?
I have calibre to convert mobi to ePub but couldn't find word to mobi on it.
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Brigid *Flying Kick-a-pow!* wrote: "Thanks Elora, I got the .mobi file! Just opened it on my Kindle and it works perfectly. :) Sorry it was a pain to convert it ... Hmm, I've definitely converted word documents to .mobi files using c..."Oh good! Thanks for letting me know. I don't know what it was this time.....last time I had no problem converting it. They've changed the formatting a bit, but still, it shouldn't have been that hard.
I tried converting PDF to mobi and it was terrible. All the formatting was gone.
I'm going to level with you guys. I'm right around the 75% point for this book I'm writing. That's, by far, the closest I've come to finishing a first draft of a novel, and while it excites me, it also has me waaaaay more terrified than it should haha.
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Ashley *Hufflepuff Kitten* wrote: "*high fives Tommy*"*High fives back* :)
Brigid *Flying Kick-a-pow!* wrote: "Congrats Tommy, that's so awesome! :D Why is it terrifying?? Because you feel a lot of pressure to finish it now?"Yes, but that's not entirely it. Since I hold this small group in higher regard than you may think(I see us all as a big support group) I'll share something about myself that very few people know, as I hide it super well: I'm super shy and I judge myself on an insanely unfair scale.
Because I do put myself out there at times, and have published a few pieces and have been able to do things like school plays, basketball and play/sing in bands, people assume I am outgoing and have super high self-esteem/confidence. This cannot be further from the truth haha. I am super shy and have little to no confidence.
I know I have some degree of writing skill. My submission/publication ratio is at 100%(actually higher, as I was approved for some comic scripts that never got drawn :/ ). But I always find a way to drown that kind of stuff out with doubt. Like, yeah, you published stuff, but just in the very smallest of markets.
A novel feels different to me. Simply reaching "the end" of a novel feels astronomical to me versus publishing a short story. Not to say I see it as a fact, or that I don't respect short story publications. This is just a "for me" thing.
I think a big part of it is, if I never finish a novel, I'll always be able to say I never wrote a crap novel haha. It's a somewhat rationalized irrational fear, if that makes sense. If I never finish it, it can never be bad haha.
No worries though. The one thing I fear more than finishing it and possibly realizing it isn't very good is continuing to call myself a writer and never finishing a book haha.
So I will finish it. I will agonize over editing it. Then, I'll pass it on to some fine folks(hopefully some of you) and gather thoughts, notes and criticisms, maybe cry a little, and make it as good as it can be. And if that's not as good as I hope, well, hopefully I will have learned something for the next story and finishing novels will feel less and less terrifying :)
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I TOTALLY know how you feel. I'm also incredibly shy and struggle so much with self-confidence. And hey, I've never published anything if that makes you feel better. :P But I imagine that even if I ever had, I would still be constantly putting myself down. I just ... have a tendency to do that, lol.
Finishing a novel is really daunting, but it sounds like you have the right attitude!! And knowing you, you're very ambitious and you seem to get things done, so I'm confident you can do it. :D And yes I'd be happy to beta when you need it!
I'm sure you all've been there, but I have a story idea nagging at the back of my head. I can't even put it into words or thoughts right now, but the feeling is there!
Ahhhh so fun. And annoying, at times.Elora, I promise I haven't forgotten about Redemption! We finally wrapped up the show I was working on so I should have more time now. Sorry it's taken me ages!
Ashley *Hufflepuff Kitten* wrote: "Ahhhh so fun. And annoying, at times.Elora, I promise I haven't forgotten about Redemption! We finally wrapped up the show I was working on so I should have more time now. Sorry it's taken me ages!"
No worries!! How was the final show? :)
omg why did I not respond to this earlier? Show was great! Doc came to see and really liked it, which was awesome -- he doesn't usually come to shows unless we can watch it together, so I was impressed :)...and considering how well the Indians are doing in baseball rn, plus the fact that I just finished reading Shoeless Joe AND rewatching Field of Dreams... now is probably a good time to mention I've got a second project in the works: I want to adapt Shoeless Joe/Field of Dreams as a stage play :D
That's fantastic Ashley! Keep us posted :)
Ashley *Hufflepuff Kitten* wrote: "omg why did I not respond to this earlier? Show was great! Doc came to see and really liked it, which was awesome -- he doesn't usually come to shows unless we can watch it together, so I was impre...""Joltin' Joe DiMaggio" has been running through my head all morning!
Bahahaha that's awesome. Any time I hear Joe DiMaggio I think of the Simon & Garfunkel Mrs Robinson song lolbtw I've gotten started on Redemption this morning! Was up til 12:30 working on the first Field of Dreams scene... Doc's gonna be so sick of the movie LOL but the monologues are some of the best.
Ashley *Hufflepuff Kitten* wrote: "Bahahaha that's awesome. Any time I hear Joe DiMaggio I think of the Simon & Garfunkel Mrs Robinson song lolbtw I've gotten started on Redemption this morning! Was up til 12:30 working on the fir..."
Ooooh, that's a good song too! I listened to it all the time growing up, and then was shocked when I was old enough to learn what it was all about! Although, that's how I feel about most songs/shows/movies I watched as a kid!
Oh, I'm so excited! I can't wait to see what you think of Redemption. PLEASE be honest (no hard feelings, whatsoever)!
That's so exciting about FOD. As soon as you said something about it, my first thought was that it would make a fantastic stage play. The pacing, the feel--perfect!
And tonight!!!!!! The Hamilton special on PBS is airing. I don't have TV, but I read an article that it will be on facebook (Great Performances facebook page)!!!!! *squeal* *happy dance*
ohhhh that does air tonight, doesn't it?? I'll have to see about catching it tomorrow night, maybe on Hulu or something -- we're seeing a Robin Hood show tonight.
Ashley *Hufflepuff Kitten* wrote: "ohhhh that does air tonight, doesn't it?? I'll have to see about catching it tomorrow night, maybe on Hulu or something -- we're seeing a Robin Hood show tonight."Oh how fun!!! Curious....how many shows do you watch a month?? (not including the ones you take part in.)
Theatre shows? if I'm not in them, probably one a month or so. October's an outlier, I've got 3 total scheduled or already seen xD
Ashley *Hufflepuff Kitten* wrote: "Theatre shows? if I'm not in them, probably one a month or so. October's an outlier, I've got 3 total scheduled or already seen xD"Yes, theater. That's so cool! I've only been to three shows my entire life (yes, i'm totally lame :) ), but I'm really hoping to get tickets for Hamilton when it comes next year! :)
I try to see one professional show a year, if I get more than that I call it a bonus :) but the majority I see are friends' shows, so amateur/semi-professional stuff. I'm definitely saving for the Hamilton tour too!
So I ended up with a lot more on my plate than expected and didn't quite finish my first draft. So, I've decided that unless I end up finishing it by this upcoming weekend, I'm not even going to attempt NaNo.We'll see. Either way, shuffling forward with this current beast.
Tommy wrote: "So I ended up with a lot more on my plate than expected and didn't quite finish my first draft. So, I've decided that unless I end up finishing it by this upcoming weekend, I'm not even going to at..."Sorry to hear that, Tommy.
I'm not attempting this year...I've got way too many things on my plate. :(
Ooohhh this group is a great idea! I'm a new member to this group, but hope to still be able to freely vent my writing frustrations upon you all! *evil laugh* :)
I'm out for NaNo as well, need to focus on the 2 projects I've got going (even though a tiny part of my soul is trying to urge me to rewrite a NaNo project from a few years ago -- that can wait)
Jennifer Lynn wrote: "Ooohhh this group is a great idea! I'm a new member to this group, but hope to still be able to freely vent my writing frustrations upon you all! *evil laugh* :)"Welcome to the group. :)
You guys want to do our own mini-NaNo??We all have projects that are in progress....we could set a goal to finish or at least make some huge progress.....
Brigid, yours could be art related if you're still on that kick. :)
ELORA -- I like that idea, myself. Short stories and poems are all I am managing these days...
My goal is to finish! Cranked out 600 words last night with the help of a NaNo-style word-crawl prompt (based on Hamilton :D) and realized my character hasn't eaten anything, begging the question: does she need to eat or no? LOL.
Ashley *Hufflepuff Kitten* wrote: "My goal is to finish! Cranked out 600 words last night with the help of a NaNo-style word-crawl prompt (based on Hamilton :D) and realized my character hasn't eaten anything, begging the question: ..."Yay! So glad you were able to write some last night. I saw that prompt on twitter. It's quite clever!
Honestly, I think it's personal preference. I've read plenty of good books that had no eating whatsoever, but it can enhance the world building.
That being said, if it's forced into the story, then it will show.
I think I'm gonna skip the eating.40k+ total as of today!
Currently on the 3rd page of a semi-autobiographical short story about growing up Anglophone (English) in Francophone (French Speaking) Quebec...
ASHLEY-- I have read MANY book where the characters do not eat...heck, after the sorting/feasts in the first 4 books, eating doesn't even figure into Harry Potter...unless you count Nagini, the snake, that is!
True dat! But those feasts are FABULOUS lol
I'm ignoring all the library books on my shelf and am going to write today! *raises fist at all the good literature out there* :)
I need to do the same, I haven't written in a week.
Ashley *Hufflepuff Kitten* wrote: "I need to do the same, I haven't written in a week."How'd it go? I was a re-writing phenom. :) It felt SO good to get back to it!
Writer's block is killing me right now. I'm pulling the plug on the ending that I really don't like. But I still don't know what to do! ARGH.
Doing alright over here, didn't get as much done as I'd hoped but it just wasn't coming today. I just got home from auditions for my next show (6-11pm) and I'll try to get in some writing before more auditions tomorrow night. Blargh. But! Reading excellent books gives me such inspiration <3
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I ... did not do so well at NaNo this year. I only got to about 16k I think and that's the first time I've lost in 8 or 9 years I think? So I'm kinda bummed. But at least it got me back in the habit of writing again, so I'm trying to keep it up.
Brigid *Flying Kick-a-pow!* wrote: "How's the writing going, guys? :DI ... did not do so well at NaNo this year. I only got to about 16k I think and that's the first time I've lost in 8 or 9 years I think? So I'm kinda bummed. But ..."
Well, I think you are the only one who even attempted NaNo this year. 16k isn't bad at all. My goal was to finish the rewrite of my WIP in November, but that didn't happen. Things were out of my control for the most part (I had a lot of extended family that was sick and needed help), so I don't feel too badly. But I don't know that I could ever sign up for NaNo.
Glad you're writing again. How's your art?
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Me too! Honestly I've only been writing fanfiction, alkdjfjfj. But hey, at least it's something. And it's the only thing I've really felt compelled to write in months, so ... :P Art is good! I've been trying to go back and forth between traditional and digital art. I'm trying to get more comfortable drawing with pens/markers since I usually just stick to pencil––but I tried Inktober this year and it got me more motivated to work with ink more! For digital art I've mostly been using a tablet and my laptop, but I also got an iPad recently and I've been experimenting drawing on that too, which is fun.
Hey guys. Sorry of the lack of presence. Been super busy and in order to have any writing time I've had to sacrifice other things and, sadly, internet time falls under that umbrella.Writing has been rough, and lately I've found myself doing more poetry/music. Buckling down and making myself get some book stuff done daily though, even if just a little bit.
I opted out of NaNo this year and was hoping to get my mermaids draft finished -- still no dice with finishing, although I did get more done. The day after my last post our house got broken into and so it's been a lot of RL stuff going on in the last month, leaving me with next to no muse for writing OR reading. Between the burglary, getting a security system, getting engaged and doing preliminary wedding prep, rehearsals starting, then housing a stray cat for a week... I've just gotten back to a few books in the last couple days but at this point I'm feeling very pessimistic until we get into January. I do have the next 2 weeks off from rehearsal so I might try to write more in that time; maybe the time I've been away from it will amp me up to get it finished once and for all.
I finally finished the major edit on my WIP. There's been something bugging me about it, and after letting it sit for a few weeks, I FINALLY figured out what it was.One of my main characters is just a dud.
So I'm reworking the story. The good news is that the book in general doesn't need that much work. Also good news (I think), it now will be turned into a duology or trilogy.
The bad news: I have a LOT of work ahead of me.
BUT I'm really excited about it!!
Are you going to tell the story from a different POV? Duology/trilogy sounds like fun!
Ashley *Hufflepuff Kitten* wrote: "Are you going to tell the story from a different POV? Duology/trilogy sounds like fun!"It's about a rebel and a girl, both working to get to a city. I've been doing the swapping POVs, but the girl was a complete dud (which is just something that cannot stand with me).
So now she's being re-written and because of that, I'm continuing the story. :)
In other news from me -- I'm dropping the #weirdfamily idea for the moment. Not completely, but I feel like it would work better as a spin-off of something else that just popped into my head recently. I think I've mentioned this before, but it still bothers me a bit so I'm gonna say it again. I follow a lot of writers on Twitter and one of their big things is the #ownvoices argument; that is, if you're not POC, you shouldn't write it because chances are you'll do it wrong and bad representation is worse than no representation. I wholeheartedly agree with this and see where it's coming from, but I also hold onto the fact that a) Rick Riordan's Kane Chronicles feature a black British family as the MCs, and if he can do it then I can too, and b) research goes a longggg way. There are a lot of writers who just spit things out and don't research, which can be really harmful.
So my brain said "Okay, I'll take a step back from a culture that's not my own and look at what I've got first." I'm Irish, Italian, German, a whole slew of things. So I'm tossing around an idea to do with Irish mythology and druids and dryads and the like, and maybe the #weirdfamily people will show up in it at some point and then I'll work on that one later.
I've also found myself wondering lately why I've never run across an epic fantasy/grimdark book or series by a woman. There's Abercrombie, Scott Lynch, Brian Staveley, GRRM, Glen Cook... and this isn't YA stuff. Why do the guys get to have all the fun? So I want to do something like that too. Tamora Pierce was a huge force behind one of my NaNo attempts from a few years ago, and I'm thinking about rewriting and finishing that original idea and then trying my hand at the grimdark stuff.
tldr: Putting some ideas on the back burner and slowly developing new ones as I try to crank out the end of the mermaid story. I'm still worried about my word count because most novels are way past the 50K level and 50K is actually quite short, but at this point I just want the thing done.
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Books mentioned in this topic
The Lies of Locke Lamora (other topics)Daughter of Smoke & Bone (other topics)
Daughter of Smoke & Bone (other topics)
