#ROW80 Check-in Sept.4th

It’s been awhile. Hubby and I went camping last weekend, so I skipped Sunday’s check-in. I had a hell of a time sleeping while there because my knee hurt pretty badly. It’s better now, so I’m assuming I must have been lying wrong. But still…2 days no sleep sucked. (And it rained). But it was a nice trip overall.

So here’s the rundown:

Short stories – Wrote and submitted my October short to TDP; finally finished revising my longish 18k short story for the antho today. Still need to do another pass + editing. It’s due Sept. 10. I should make it.

Ever Touched – Up to 101k. Making slow progress. I really need to hit it hard this month so I can finish it and have 2 months to revise.

Covenant – Nada

Water – Mostly last week, twice this week.

Exercise – Nothing deliberate, but walked a lot at the campground. My goal for this weekend is MORE HOUSEWALKING.

Secret project – Nothing.

Author interviews – Sent in #2 last week.

Reviews – Have slowed down a bit. Need to finish the ones without a deadline (3).

Office organization – We’re picking up the filing cabinet today!

Chocolate consumption – Chocolate marshmallow cookies (heavenly!), chocolate caramel thingies, WW brownies, WW chocolate pastries, WW sundaes, ultimate chocolate ice cream sandwiches…hubby and I are getting ice cream today so I think I’ll have some form of chocolate there, too. Went a little nuts….

Photo Notes: Digital Infrared Post Processed Pics

It’s taken me awhile to get the pictures transferred to my computer and post-processed. Post processing does not just involve converting to black and white as I once thought. There are a few steps. And, of course, this is my first time, and I imagine I ill get better at it as I go.

These were all post-processed in Adobe Photoshop. I am pretty geeked at how they turned out — they really do resemble black and white infrared pictures.

More to come soon. I have another batch to work on.

These are from our camping trip to Pontiac Lake campground this summer using a converted-to-infrared DSLR. I posted a few of the originals here.

Stay tuned! There is more coming!

#ROW80 Check-in 9/20/15

We are almost done! I can’t believe how fast this round has gone by!

I am still copyediting. I am over halfway done, which is great. The book is amazing! Burning Bright by KD Sarge, due out from Turtleduck Press in November. /shameless plug

Today I wrote 580 words of Fireborn, and I’m almost at 17k. (I needed to slip in writing somewhere, just to stay in the mode and not go insane!)

Hubby and I are going camping this coming weekend, our last trip of the season. It should be fun. It’s a place new to both of us, and that’s always interesting. I plan on taking more pictures and more digital infrared pictures. I still need to post process the ones from our last trip! Time flies!

Still getting lots of ideas for Before the Stars Fall, but I am resisting starting it for the time being. I don’t think I have enough room in my head! Or the schedule! I’m supposed to be done with Fireborn by early next year, and that’s still the plan if all goes well.

Chocolate consumption: Chocolate fudge cake yesterday and today from my sister’s birthday party. Sooooooo good! WW Sundaes and WW caramel thingies too for snacks.

RSW Progress Report 8/17/15

I’m home!

And…trying desperately to get back into my normal routine.

How I did on last week’s goals:

I did okay. No actual writing, unfortunately, between camp prep and then at camp; I just didn’t feel up to it. I did manage a few things, though, which more or less made up for it. I also got hit with a paranormal romance idea that’s…very intriguing to my muse because it started off as fanfic…but I am not really a fanfic writer, and this has promise as an original work, one I may want to self-pub, so…yeah. Still working out details. Of course, I can’t really add it to my WIPs because I will go crazy, but I’m definitely making notes so I can tuck it away for later.

It may become book #1 of a series, one I’ve been planning for awhile…the worldbuilding intersects nicely and it may be doable…

Yeah. Anyhoo.

Here’s the actual rundown:

~Finish editing job and email the short story back to the writer (due 8/7) – DONE! I’m working on the final look edit as I type this.
~Start packing for vacation (!!) DONE! No kidding, Erin.
~500 words on Fireborn/rewritten portion min NOT DONE! But, I got the first half of it edited/revised and the second half I re-outlined. Stuck on one part, but am noodling.
~500 words min on Covenant NOT DONE.
~Review of Pas by SM Reine (!!!) DONE. Great book, great series.
On vacation:
~Take pictures on vacation, regular and infrared DONE and DONE! Once I get the infrared pics post-processed, I’ll put them up.
~Work on any project, any amount of words or outlining or whatever (usually I wait to see how I feel about being insanely productive or taking a break or doing just a bit. Every trip is different!) DONE with Fireborn and the new project.

This week’s goals:

~Finish edit job
~Finish rough draft of Changeling 3
~Read and review short story for TDP member
~SOMETHING RELATED TO WRITING OR ACTUAL WRITING, no word count goals, just something!

I’ve been feeling very out of sorts since coming home, and I want to ease into the swing and not pressure myself too much. I’ve been having vertigo attacks and that’s been scary, so…yeah. Just progress on something works.

A favorite line from my story OR a word or phrase that sums up what I wrote/revised: Freaking muse! I love her, but she’s crazy when she’s got a new story idea! She was sending me whole scenes and conversations! I dreamed about it! I am consumed by it.

The biggest challenge I faced this week (ie finding time to write, getting sick, having writer’s block, etc): Not succumbing to the urge to start a new project, even though it would have been easy. And fun. 🙂 (That’s how Covenant started).

Something I love about my WIP: What the hell, let’s talk about the new one. it started its life as Tell Me Your Secrets, but then morphed into a psychic thing, and thus, I changed the title to When the Stars Fall. The idea for the title came from a phase uttered by a character on one of the shows I watch, and it just stuck. It involves ley lines, soulmates, time travel, and clairvoyance believed to be mental illness. Pretty twisted, but should be fun. 🙂

How did you do on your goals?

#ROW80 Check-in 8/16/15

I’m home! Well, I’ve been home since Thursday, but have been busy getting unpacked and into the swing again.

It’s been tough. Vacations are absolutely awesome, but it’s so rough for me getting into the normal routine again. Tomorrow is my first day back to work and that’s bound to be a killer, and I’ve been feeling meh about my WIPs.

Also, I have been having vertigo attacks all week. At first I thought it was my body going wonky over not being home (it’s totally weird but true) but I continued having them when I got home, and more frequently. It’s scary because I never know when I’ll get one, and I worry about falling, so I’ve been living in a state of limbo and it’s exhausting. I’m not sure if it’s the new medication or not. It’s not listed as a side effect, but my research has turned up a few people who have experienced it as a side effect. Also, I’ve been on the new med for over a month, so the crazy beginning period is basically over so…I don’t know. I’ll be seeing the neuro again in September, and I will be bringing it up for discussion.

So here is the (pathetic) rundown of projects:

Fireborn – Revised first half while on vacation and re-outlined the second. Haven’t started any type-in or rewriting as of yet.
Covenant – Nothing done since last check-in. 😦
Changeling 3 – Rough draft partially written before vacation. My goal this weekend (today, actually, since the weekend’s almost over) is to finish up the rough draft.
Survivor – Nothing, but have been thinking about it.

I also was hit with a new idea for a paranormal romance while camping, and let’s just say I am fending it off as I type this.

Also, I have another round of editing happening on my freelance project soon. So that is happening.

I am hoping to get back moving with everything once I feel a bit better.

Chocolate consumption report: A fair amount while on vacation, including s’mores made with fudge stripe cookies instead of graham crackers. They were SO GOOD!

RSW Progress Report 8/3/15

This will be a quickie as I need to get back to a freelance editing job I just took on that’s due Friday. 🙂

How I did on last week’s goals:

~Begin reworking Fireborn’s second half/1,000 words min NOT DONE. I am working toward it, though!
~1,000 words min on Covenant DONE! 1,551 new words written
~Make ruling on Survivor’s first scene MORE OR LESS DONE. I think I know what I’m doing.
~Finish Camp Nano (10k, both projects combined) DONE. MADE MY GOAL.
~I also finally dropped off my camera to a local camera shop. Owner thinks he can fix it. Fingers crossed!
~I set up my Etsy shop. I couldn’t use any of my ideas for names, not even marginally, but apparently youcan change the name at some point. Good enough.

This week’s and next week’s goals:

~Finish editing job and email the short story back to the writer (due 8/7)
~Start packing for vacation (!!)
~500 words on Fireborn/rewritten portion min
~500 words min on Covenant
~Review of Pas by SM Reine (!!!)
On vacation:
~Take pictures on vacation, regular and infrared
~Work on any project, any amount of words or outlining or whatever (usually I wait to see how I feel about being insanely productive or taking a break or doing just a bit. Every trip is different!)

A favorite line from my story OR a word or phrase that sums up what I wrote/revised: MADE THE FINISH LINE. Camp Nano. I’ve done it every year since it started, and I’ve never made my goal due to various factors. Doing Nano not in November and in summer instead is a bit different and in my case, requires some juggling as I take my vacations in the summer primarily. I set my goal for 10k on both Fireborn and Covenant combined and I made it! Very happy!

The biggest challenge I faced this week (ie finding time to write, getting sick, having writer’s block, etc): Getting that last 3k or so in for Camp. It was so minute, but seemed like such a huge thing because things had slowed way down for me and I was still adjusting to the meds, and well…it was tough. But I made it. 🙂

Something I love about my WIP: Well, both WIPs are really interesting and I’ve been pantsing them both. Fireborn needs to be changed a bit, which is normal for me, but it seems like it won’t be very difficult. It’s a novella, which helps! Sometimes I get a bit off track and need to bring it back to how I envisioned it. I am still in love with both stories.

**Just a note: I will NOT be doing a progress report next Monday 8/10 due to being on vacation* and being without internet. I will be back on schedule the following Monday 8/17. As you can see, I’ve got goals for both weeks.

Have a great 2 weeks and I’ll see you on the flip side.

*Camping, naturally!

RSW Progress Report 7/20/15

It’s that time again! Ready, Set, Write! Progress incoming.

How’d I do?

How I did on last week’s goals

The road in front of our campsite. Raw image, no post-processing has been done.

~1,500 words minimum on Fireborn (Camp Nano) NOPE. 444 words.
~1,500 words minimum on Covenant (Camp Nano) NOPE. 0 words.
~Work on Survivor outline (midpoint, doorway of no return, and clue/discovery/setback)DONE! And got most of the rough outline done.
~Start book #3 for review NOPE. Still working on book #2…very close to being done.
~Photography stuff: take pics at camp (this weekend), play with new camera if it arrives this week DONE and DONE! Took several lovely infrared pictures. They need post-processing, but they look the way they are supposed to look. (Funny thing. Apparently this model does not have the option to shoot in B&W like my other one. Oops. So part of post-processing will be converting to B&W.)

Our campsite. Raw picture, not post-processed yet.

This week’s goals

~500 words minimum on Fireborn/rework current scene
~500 words minimum on Covenant
~Finish book #2 for review
~Start Survivor Rewrite…again.

A favorite line from my story OR a word or phrase that sums up what I wrote/revised Not. Enough. Time. (Okay, three words!) I had some issues finding the time — sounds crazy, but it’s true. Hubby and I went camping this past weekend, so a lot of my time went into packing and prep and seeing the in-laws. I had bad eye pain on Tuesday that made me want to stab my eyeballs so that wasn’t helping matters. While camping I thought about writing, but because I got sick from the heat (yes, that is possible), all I did was lay in the camper in a haze. Seriously. I did nothing. Oh, I did nap a few times.

The biggest challenge I faced this week (ie finding time to write, getting sick, having writer’s block, etc): See above. It just wasn’t happening for me last week.

Something I love about my WIP: Talking more about Survivor (sorry!), I love the dynamic between the different characters. I have several POV characters and their lives intersect in interesting ways. In my new outline, I was able to bring that more to the surface and increase tension and conflict. Yet the original bones are still very much there. I *may* need to split the book into two (or three — I have a sort of sequel planned) and that part is about 50k so far. Might work better, but we will see.

How did you do?

 

#ROW80 Check-in 6/7/15 – getting back into the swing of things

I’m back from vacation (camping FTW) and I’m getting back into the swing of writing again. I did write a bit while on vacation, on a totally different book because my muse wanted to. This idea actually hit me a few years ago about ghost marriage (a Chinese custom where a person is married to a deceased person for various reasons, usually to give the deceased a lineage)  and Egyptian mythology, but never could figure out the details. So I set it aside. While on vacation I was reading a book called The Ghost Bride about ghost marriage — and suddenly it hit me, the details and everything. So I started writing it and it’s going well so far. It’s called Covenant and it will be a trilogy.

As for my other projects, a bit fat zero. Fireborn is still rattling around in my head. I’d intended on brainstorming and/or outlining Ever Touched while on vacation, too, but that never happened. I have been pondering it though.

On Survivor, my intention is to start working on it on Sundays again. Today I’m devoting to Covenant, since the urge is there, but after this, it’ going to be Survivor.

I’ve found that after a book release I need time to rest my body and mind. I’ve never really been able to jump into another project right away, which is both good and bad. I feel like I lost a few months there, and that sucks, but I needed the break. I have the tendency to work myself into the ground, and I have to remind myself that I’m not a machine. But now the muse is waking up a bit, and I’m starting to get the urge again.

That’s really about it. Vacation was absolutely wonderful, and of course too short. I’m back to work tomorrow and I am dreading it. Can’t I just be on vacation forever?

On the chocolate front..um, lots. We had a birthday party a few weeks ago and the birthday boy wanted a Sanders Bumpy Cake. We had butter pecan ice cream and brownie ice cream…and leftovers for a few days. 😉 I’ve been eating mini Twix bars, WW caramel chocolate and wafers, and today I’ll get to have chocolate donuts. Oh, and s’mores while camping, because that’s required (and a white chocolate kit kat. Yummy!) I think that’s about it. Chocolate makes everything better.

#ROW80 Check-in 5/20/15 – Stories and computers and camping oh my!

I haven’t been around much, mainly because my 2-year-old computer’s monitor died and could not be saved. Alas, poor computer, you have now joined the 6 others that came before you. RIP.

Yeah. So I decided to buy another one, because I need a computer, and the one I had before the one that died is 7 years old and a mess. I stopped using it after 2 days of fighting with it. Not my idea of a great time. I basically got the same type of puter I had except with a bigger hard drive for HALF the price. SCORE. It finally came on Friday (after being sent to the wrong post office) and naturally, because this is MY life, I couldn’t touch it b/c hubby and I were leaving for a camping trip.

(Also? About 98% of my info was backed up in various locations…except my GT book cover. I have the JPG but not the original Photoshop file. I have an online backup service which backs up everything continuously, but the zip file I downloaded is not working so I’m a bit worried. Everything else is fine, though).

So. Camping was nice. We were only about an hour away from home. Had a bit of an issue pulling out one of the beds in the pop-up — it kept getting stuck! But hubby took care of that, and all was well. I did a TON of reading and even wrote! Handwrote no less! (That’s another story). Since I had almost no internet service, I had to get creative. I’d hoped to at least keep up on my email, but no go.

So I finished the rough draft of Changeling: The Faerie Dance, which needs to be typed up and revised. Due June 1st, first day of my vacation AND the first week-long camping trip we have planned (second is in August). I also worked on an older project that wasn’t gelling for like, over a year (no kidding!) and somehow it finally came together and I wrote about 1k. It’s called Covenant, and it combines the Chinese custom of ghost marriage with Egyptian mythology. I love it, but could never quite figure it out until last weekend. So that’s a thing. 🙂

As for everything else, nada. Still in a funk due to my eye, and still feel too frazzled. I had to put off a bunch of promo commitments due to the computer dying and I’m still trying to get caught up. That’s about it.

I miss daily writing. I hope to start again soon.

#ROW80 Check-in 5/3/15

Yep, this one has flown from the nest.

I’m back! Grave Touched has been released and I’m finally able to take a breather. I’m happy with the way it turned out — I had a few snafus with the paperback cover — but all is well now. Very excited!

If you’re interested in a copy or an excerpt, check it out here.

So what am I up to now? Well, I’m trying to solicit reviews and guest blog posts. Anyone interested? Let me know! I’m always willing to return the favor.

The big priority now is finishing Fireborn and writing the next installment in my Changeling serial on Turtleduck Press. That’s due June 1st. I’m pretty sure I know what’s happening next. It’s just a matter of getting in down on paper (or screen). Also I’d like to continue my Survivor Sundays. Today’s been a bit crazy so I’ll probably start it next week.

Ever Touched is also calling my name, so that’s happening.

Hubby and I will be going on our first camping trip in two weeks. Very exciting.

Soooo let’s declare some goals (from now to the end of this round):

~Survivor Sundays
~ Finish Fireborn OR add 5k (depends on the muse)
~Freewrite on Ever Touched (need to get a handle on a few things)
~Write Changeling: The Faerie Dance

How about you? How are you doing with your goals?