Fancy That

Check this guys' blog out! He says some good stuff about writing.

In other news: I wrote a short short today called Locket for this contest. The short has to be exactly 78 words. Not one word more or less. I normal don't do shorts, but I'm quite happy with this one! Here it is.

Claudia pinched the locket between her thumb and forefinger. She wished she had noticed the ticking earlier. Wished she had peeled back the tiny picture and seen the countdown.

Fifteen seconds left in the game.

Her life or thousands? A whole stadium. Claudia’s husband and baby waited at home. No clue about her secret sport. Tonight was date night.

Claudia yanked the locket bomb from its chain and consumed betrayal in one, hard swallow.

Let me know what you think! Thanks, my loyal and noble readers! (Ohhh, now you have to say something nice because I said something nice about you. haha. Kidding. I always welcome constructive criticism.)

   

Fuzzy Brain

Today, as soon as I sat at my computer to write, I whined. Like a five year old. It was annoying, even to myself. My boyfriend told me to quit whining and just do it, but...but...

I mean, I'm going to. Right now. Right after I procrastinate by writing this.

I like writing, really, I do. Revising, though, is not as much fun. It definitely has its moments, like when something changes and it's so much better. But most of the time, I don't look forward to it.

Holly Lisle sends emails out every week, and this weeks made me feel like a normal writer (whatever that is) because she talked about how hard revisions are--much harder than writing the first draft, and especially if it's your first time. Which it is. A light flashed on above my head, like "Ahh! This is what I should be feeling! This is what writers from many places and times are/have feeling/felt!"

This is her website, full of so many writer goodies. Sign up for her email if you write, too. She's hilarious and gets me through so many bouts of whining over my keyboard. Check her out. She has a place in my acknowledgments one day, most certainly.

Ok, I truly am going to work on the revision now... 

Time Will Tell

So far in revision three, I've come to the exciting realization that I know my characters better! Better than when I first dreamed them up and put them in the story, and better than when I tore then apart and put them back together again for the second revision.

I'm finding that I have to change the way I introduce them because I now know how they work, think, talk, carry themselves. I know what makes them tick. What they hide and what they tell. They have depth like real people!

I thought I knew all this before, but it wasn't until I spent months with them in revision 2 that I truly got to know them. I like my characters much better now, and they make the story even more exciting to tell.

Name Changes

I didn't want to, but I understand the hang-up, and it had to be done. So, I did it. I changed two character names.


Nadine "Dino" is now....(Wait for it! It's not as cool, but I think we can all get used to it, and it will make Adira's name that much more unique in the story.)...Lucy.

And Landry is now named...Jason.

What? Why??

A lot of people who I'd let read some of the story said the names were hard for them to get past. They kept getting Adira and Dino mixed up because of the similar "d" sound. And so many people in one group wouldn't all have such unique names. Unless this were The Hobbit. It's not, though, so...

A couple people did tell me they liked the names (so did I!). Thank you if you were one of them. Names are one of my favorite parts about creating a story. BUT if the names are such a hang-up to so many people, then they can't stay. I don't want to give any readers a reason to put the book down because the story  is so much more important than a couple names.

I'm happy to say, though, that Adira is still Adira. That name's a freakin' gem to this story.

Finished! ...And Starting!

This afternoon, August 13, 2011, I finished the second revision of Picture Perfect with 76,221 words, 332 pages!

If you know me at all, I do not run. Right after I finished it, I saw my parents leaving the driveway on a walk. I couldn't possibly wait to tell them\, so I threw on some clothes and actually ran after them. that's how excited I was.

It feels so wonderful! Thank you, God! Thank you. Thank you for giving me this book idea and for blessing me with so many people who support me in this.

I mean, it's not complete yet. I have more revision and editing to go through. Then I need some beta readers. Then more editing and revising. My goal is to have it ready to send out by the time I turn 22. So I have to work diligently.

Ahhh! I'm so pumped!

Two thumbs up because I'm so pumped!

 

Endings...Suck.

I was supposed to be done with the second revision of Picture Perfect yesterday, but I was busy one day, emotional the next, busy again, busy, busy...

Actually, I'm just afraid of endings. I totally could have fit it into my week. So. Deep breath.

I'm going to suck it up and barrel through the end. If it's cheesy or unrealistic, or if the whole town is hit with a  supernatural plague that didn't exist in the whole story, it_doesn't_matter. I can fix it, throw it against a wall to test whether or not it's done enough to stick, and chew on it to see how it tastes.

To get there, though, I just have to do it. Ending's are freakin' scary, but not as scary as my wonderful supporters who I hope support me enough to at least remind me I won't ever be a writer unless I write endings.

And now, my favorite (actually, the only one I like) quote about endings:

Endings are hard. Any chapped-a** monkey with a keyboard can poop out a beginning. But endings are impossible. You try to tie up every loose end, but you never can. The fans are always going to b%@#&. There's always going to be holes, and since it's the ending, it's all supposed add up to something. I'm telling you--they're a raging pain in the a**.
~Chuck Shirley, Supernatural (Eric Kripke's goodbye speech)

A Million and Two

You know  what helps give me drive to finish this book and work really really hard on it so one day I can find an agent and get published and hopefully touch someone's life with Adira's story?

The fact that I have people who believe in me.

And for every scoffer and naysayer, there's somone who does believe in me.

To my loved one's who do, a million and two thank yous.

Also, a long time ago I promised a picture of my writing board! Here it is.

Those little stars on the side? That's my progress meter! Each star has five lines that represent a thousand words, which, if you're at least nine years of age, you know means each star is worth five thousand. I started this meter at 30,000 words, and my goal is 80,000. I have seven thousand words to go before this revision is DONE. Yes. Done. This calls for celebration.