A-NaNo'ing I'll go...

Hi all! Sorry for not posting yesterday. Had to entertain someone with whom my business works.

Anyway, I have a tiny announcement to make.

I decided to give NaNo another try. But this year I'll probably shut up about it on my blog.

Although I realized that I don't draft fast and probably never write 50k words in one month, I know that I'll be able to kick start my drafting again after a year-long dry-spell.

Only thing is, I don't know what I'm going to write. I have the rewrite to last year's NaNo figured out and I have a completely new story.

Both are awesome.

I guess I'll decide on November 1.

Anyone else doing NaNo this year? I'm iceangel, if you want to buddy up.

How do you pick the projects you'll write for NaNo?

DINYB Blogfest: Jodi McIsaac

Today I'm taking part in the Did I Notice Your Book Blogfest. Basically, I pick a book that caught my eye and blog about it. Then I see if the author actually finds the post.




Without contacting her directly. So, bloggy friends, this is where you come in. Please spread the word that I'm looking for her and maybe awesomeness will happen and she'll stop by.

This is the book I picked:

Through the Door by Jodi McIsaac. The title caught my eye first, but I adore the cover (although I think the title could be more prominent). Here's what the story is about:

Celtic mythology and the modern world collide in Through the Door, the first book in the new urban fantasy series The Thin Veil.

Cedar McLeod lives an ordinary but lonely life, raising her six-year-old daughter Eden on her own while trying to balance the demands of her career and the expectations of her mother. Everything seems normal until the day Eden opens her bedroom door and finds herself half a world away – and then goes missing. Suddenly, Cedar realizes her daughter is anything but normal.

In a desperate search for answers, Cedar tries to track down Eden’s father, who mysteriously disappeared from her life before Eden was born. What she discovers is far beyond anything she could have imagined. As she joins unlikely allies in the hunt for her daughter, Cedar finds herself torn between two worlds: the one she thought she knew, and one where ancient myths are real, the stakes are impossibly high, and only the deepest love will survive.

Sounds great, doesn't it? Definitely a book for my TBR list.

Would it have caught your eye? Will you help me spread the word? And Ms. McIsaac, are you here yet?

A little bit of housekeeping

So... I decided to change my blogs' looks.

It took me 12 darn hours to manage, because I had to change some html codes. Well... more specifically, I changed them, saved them and checked, but the blogs didn't change.

Yeah. Annoying as hell, because as far as I could discover, there was nothing to do but repeat the process again and again until it worked.

But yeah. I think it's worth it, don't you?

For one thing, the comments should be more visible.

OOOH! Speaking of comments. I've received more than a few messages with regards to the comments. Apparently some people just can't seem to comment on my blog. NO idea why. I do notice, though, that more than a few of them use wordpress.

So here's my question: Who would (for whatever reason) prefer if I cross-posted to my wordpress blog? The posts' content will be available. But maybe it would be more convenient for you? If it is, please send me a mail and let me know: mishagericke(AT)gmail(DOT)com.

On an unrelated note, I removed the lists of blogs I follow. For some reason, they were grossly out-of-date and for some reason they refused to accept wordpress blogs. I will gradually build them back up, though, in another format.

That's me for today.

What do you think about the new look? Any niggles you'd prefer me to fix while I'm at it? Think it's a good idea for me to cross-post?

Starting Out as a Film Critic

Thank you Misha for having me over here today.

You might know I write movie reviews. It took patience to acquire the love for film criticism. If you aren’t passionate about writing, your journey will feel like a chore.

I began blogging six months ago and it has changed tremendously how much time I spend writing. I comment on blogs most of the time and forget about writing. Social media is an expert at doing this to writers: more time on the internet and less time writing.

It took half of my life to realize writing is what I want for a career. Yes, I’ve always loved writing but never did I take the plunge on it right away. I was too scared to begin with because the writing business is competitive.

The less I write, I’m more perceptible to losing the ambition. If I simply don’t write, my dedication will decline. I’ll realize I’m writing less often when I should be writing my heart out. I don’t want this happen but it’s always in the ballgame with the blogosphere in my distraction.

It’s difficult to discover inspiration as an aspiring writer. You run out of original ideas and then what, visit the store and shop for some ideas? This isn’t the case for writers. You must climb up a steep mountain for several years only to find nothing at all.

If I don’t have ideas, I can’t write anything. It’s hard to come up with something right away. It takes staring off in space for hours until you find a piece of gold. Some people may question you, “What are you staring at?” Then you have to explain your story, “I’m an aspiring writer. I have to come up with ideas for my novel and blog.” People are very understanding especially when they can relate to you.

This is what I love about the blogosphere: you meet writers who understand what you’re going through. I don’t want to lose these friends that I’ve made and they amaze me every day.

I fear what every writer fears: losing the enthusiasm for writing and running out of ideas. You’re not alone, guys. We are all in the same boat, taking different writing journeys.

Bio

Livia Peterson is an aspiring film critic. She’s been writing film reviews since 2010 and has enjoyed every minute of it. She currently resides in Wisconsin with her family. You can check out her blog here.




Thanks so much for this guest post, Livia. I know exactly what you mean. 

Before I go, a little admin: I still have two more Guest Post Friday's available for the rest of the year: 2 and 9 November. The theme is Keeping Track. If you want to book one, please e-mail me at mishagericke(AT)gmail.com.

Have a great weekend all!

What's your biggest scare or writing fear? Want to write a guest post about it. ;-)
 

How to lose 4000 words in eight days - the good way.

I needed a bit of a break from thinking about writing, so I took a bit of a break, but I just thought I'd share how my editing went.

Well... My writing was tighter than I thought, but I still cut over 4000 words out of it.

I only took out maybe four tiny scenes.

Would you like to know my secret?

Yes?

Well...






I read most of the book out loud. Yeah I know, tedious as hell, but one thing it does do is keep me focused on flow. When I read out loud, I immediately notice when the flow's off. Or when the sentences are boring.

Another thing I got a lot was over-writing. If I said the sky is blue once, I don't have to say it again two seconds later if it isn't important to the story. So the best way I said it stays. The other doesn't.

Sentences running too long when they sound better shortened got split. When you split a sentence, you tend to lose words. "Ands", "buts", "ases", "becauses" etc. become unnecessary. He did something as another thing happened could possibly become Something happened. He did something. Depending on the sentence's complexity, I lost at least a word.

Cutting to necessities, I changed phrases like: The exterior of the house to The house's exterior. Two words gone because I changed the sentence. Another favorite: was "verb"-ing. The "was" goes the minute I simply change sentence's tense.

Switching sentences to cut passive tense can lose three or four words for you.

Finally, I have one special word: that. I can't believe how it infested my writing. I probably found five (yes. FIVE) sentences with three (yes. THREE) "thats" in them. *shudder*

Probably an anticlimactic answer to those of you who are new to editing. Still, one or two words per sentence might not sound like a lot, but when you're dealing with thousands of sentences, those little bits at a time add up.

I probably cut many more words than 4000, but I had to put some in here and there to focus the characters' motivations a bit more and so on.

What do you cut when you want to pare down words?

A ramble about my life, for a change.

... I had something to write for this post, but after doing some major shifts in my life, I just... Don't... know what to say.

Well... for one thing I'm back. Finished my edits on Monday. Yes, damned fast, but then this was a read through to catch flow issues, so speed might have been a good thing.

Took yesterday to query again, so now I'm back on needles and pins, waiting to hear back from agents.

Basically I've quit something that made a rather significant impact on my life for two years. It feels strange. I'm liberated. I suddenly have five free hours a week. I hadn't had so much time since before I got my degree.

Still... I established a sort of relationship with the people I'd worked with. So now I feel a little bad. It's not one of those: "HA! see how you deal without me!" moments.

It's more of a regret that I couldn't do more. I started out so optimistic and excited. Now I have nothing left. I'd put in way too much and nothing changed for the better.

Maybe it's wrong with me, but there are three things I hate above all in this world: 1) Hypocrisy 2) Complacency and 3) Stupidity.

By stupid, I'm referring to people refusing to learn. For two years, we've been dealing with a two consecutive leaders going with one thing, despite us (who actually see the effects) complaining repeatedly that what they were doing weren't working.

Furthermore, just going along and getting by isn't enough. It doesn't even approach RIGHT. And since they didn't listen, it just continued.

#1 is aimed at me though. I hate hypocrisy in other people, so I make a point of rooting it out in myself as far as I can. And when I have a blog about how to be happy and how happy I am, being unhappy to the point of crying yesterday just isn't an option for me.

Those aren't necessarily the reasons why I quit, but they're the reasons why I'm damn glad I did.

What about you? Have you made any big changes in your life after realizing some things made you unhappy?

Interview Day: Brooke R. Busse

Hi all! Welcome to another interview. Today I'm posting the chat I had with Brook a couple of months ago. 

First things first. Tell us a bit more about yourself?

Okay, start with a hard one right off the bat. Hmm... Well, I'm still in high school. I love all things nerdy. You can tell that just from looking at my YouTube subscriptions. I love that amazing feeling you get when a story idea falls into your head. Lucky for me, I have that feeling a lot. I'm very anal retentive. Um, sometimes I make random noises when I'm sitting at the computer. My best friend has gotten where she doesn't even react anymore. And I'm currently obsessed with "The Walking Dead." See, this is why this is a hard question. First I can't think of anything and then the things I think of are all totally unrelated. Glad my writing isn't like that! 

Hahaha so what do you write? 

I write a lot of things. My current WIP focus is an upper YA/possibly NA light sci fi. At least, I think. I'm working on planning a dystopian that revolves around marriage for my next project. Other works are supernatural or fantasy. However, I like to try my hand at contemporary occasionally, though none of my completed longer works are solely in that genre. I also enjoy writing short stories and poetry. So basically, I write what my ideas tell me to.

How many works have you completed?

It depends on what you mean by "completed." I've finished four rough drafts. I have yet to actually finish revising and editing a novel.

Is there a reason why you haven't started revising?

It's not that I haven't started, I'm revising the aforementioned WIP right now. I'm just never finished doing it. I've been writing seriously for about three years. Almost an entire one of those years was spent rewriting a different project. My first drafts come quickly. The rest, not so much. It's mostly because I'm pretty scared I have no idea what I'm doing.

Ah I see. So do you love all your project equally, or do you have a pet project that you can't let go?

I'm all about equality. ;) My love for my projects is very intense and usually the most obvious for the project I'm currently working on or thinking about. However, I can get that intense love for any of my projects at about the same magnitude.

It's almost the same with me, although I find that my love for the Doorways series far outstrips the others. How do you go about writing? Do you have a routine or do you write when your mood strikes?

I wish I had a routine. The only issue with that is routines tend to add stress to my life. I feel like I have to conform to those expectations no matter what. I'm still working on having a routine and being flexible at the same time. 

I know what you mean. I also have a sort of routine, but it's flexible. Can you tell us a bit about your WiPs?

Another hard one. As I've already mentioned, my current focus WIP is an upper YA/NA light sci-fi. The MC has a genetic mutation that allows her body to send out vibrations at a specific wavelength. This wavelength gives her the ability to control thoughts. She is what is called a Controller, or Trol for short. She tries to break into a government facility in order to save child Trols that have been taken for research. The current WIP that I am outlining is a dystopian based around marriage. I'm still working out the kinks. For more details on these and other projects you can check out the Projects page on my blog.

Sounds like a great story. What's your favorite part of the process and why?

Thanks, Misha. ^^ My favorite part of the process would be anything that inspires new ideas for the story. This most often occurs during outlining, but it can happen during the actual writing as well.

When I was a plotter, I used to outline on sticky notes. What do you use? How do you approach outlining?

I use a sheet of paper or a legal pad to write out the major plot points in the order I think they should go in. I collect tidbits of worldbuilding and character names and relationships. No farther than that. It takes the excitement and thrill of discovery out of the writing.

I know what you mean. The thrill of discovery is so important to keeping my interest in a a story I'm writing. Last question: Where can people find you on the internet?

Of course I have my blog.  




Thanks so much for this great interview, Brooke! I loved to learn more about your writing and method. All the best with your writing and revisions. 

Before I go though, just want to remind you all that I have a Friday open for a guest post on October 19th. Theme is scares, which is something every writer faces. Want to help me out? Please e-mail me at mishagericke(AT)gmail(DOT)com. 

Then I want to ask: Who has any good revision tips?

Insecure Writer's Support Group: In the Query Trenches

Just putting in a quick post to let you know how I'm doing.

Well... I found a major issue with the query for Doorways, so now I have a new and infinitely shinier version.

Has the character's voice and everything.

BUT, the tally on the previous query letter is as follows.

Queries sent: 5
Rejections: 3

Of which: 1 was a form letter which I assume came from the intern, 1 was a form letter which I assume came from the agent and 1 (received today) was a personalized letter.

Didn't get crit on any, but from the last reply: "With regret, though, I'm afraid the material didn't draw me in as much as I had hoped."

It basically tells me two things, although somewhat conflicting. 1) That my story and query letter was okay. 2) That they can be tightened up.

Which is great to know, because as it happens, I decided to go through my story one more time. Already I've found LOTS of places where I could say things better. Also, I find a lot of things where I said almost the identical thing a few sentences before that. So those are going.

So I'm far from giving up. But right now I'm trying to cut out wordage, because I think it's the reason for the first two form rejections. Not sure why, but call it a hunch.

But yeah. That's me for today. Who else is querying? Editing?

Siiiiiigh...

So... I'm reading through Query Shark's queries, trying to see if I'm doing anything wrong with my query.

Can't see anything, but there's one thing that's niggling....

It's been bothering me for a while, but I think Doorways needs another go-over. Just to make sure all the unnecessary stuff is gone.

That's what I'll be doing now, so I'll see you on Wednesday! (There's an interview tomorrow, so I won't be doing any serious writing.)

Have you ever thought you were done, only to realize you're not?