#ROW80 Check-in August 21st

I almost typed “July 21st.” What the heck. Apparently, my brain is back in July somewhere! And August is almost over! Yikes!

First things first. My knee is almost 100% better. I’m still getting twinges, like when the hubby and I went shopping at Menard’s today, but overall it is almost perfect. I’m not wrapping it, icing it, or taking any pain pills anymore. I’ve been sleeping through the night. I call this a big win! Obviously, I still need to be careful, and I won’t be using the exercise bike anymore. So I’ve decided to do walking/housewalking instead!

Here’s the rundown:

Ever Touched – Hit 100k a few days ago. 😉 Wrote just under 1000 words since the last check-in. Been working on the short story, but have also been trying to sneak in my quota of 400 words as much as I can. According to Pacemaker, I’m almost halfway to my goal!

Office organization – Not an official Round 3 goal, but I’m putting it here anyway. Hubby and I are getting a second file cabinet b/c my old one is stuffed to the gills and I literally have files lying around that need a home (this is even after paring them down). W had to special order it. I also got two big storage tubs so I can put all the stuff that’s just everywhere on my floor into them so it looks better. We may need a third. I need to go through one final pile and see if I can get rid of anything there.

Pirouette/Death Dancer – This was recently rejected by the publisher I submitted to back in January. It was a bit of a long shot, so I’m okay with it. However, after some tweaks, it might be a good indie project maybe. I’m not sure I want to pursue traditional publishing for it now. Haven’t completely decided, but it’s something I’ve been thinking about.

Covenant – Nope. Too tired.

Exercise – Started housewalking yesterday! I combined it with my Pomodoro breaks, so I walked for 5 minutes 3x. I’m hoping to make this a daily thing.

Short story – Which is now called Enslaved. Making good progress on the revision. I’m over 1/3 done.

Secret project – Nothing.

Author interviews – Finishing #2 today

Reviews – I’m reading a boxed set that I started quite awhile ago but never finished.

Water – Every day!

I’m planning on reading over my first finished novel ever, The Sacrifice, which got twisted a bit and turned into Fey Touched. But I did not use the core story, and have had plans to do something with it in the future. So I put the original file on my Kindle Fire and when I have some free time, I’ll read it over so I can make notes on the plot. I’m thinking it might be a good standalone and if I got the plot down, I could probably write it pretty quickly (she says hopefully). Of course, this is for when I have less projects competing for my attention.

Chocolate consumption: WW sundaes, ultimate chocolate ice cream sandwiches, pastry crisps, mini brownies, and these chocolate-covered marshmallow cookies from Aldi we bought on Friday. OMG they are sooooooo good! Also my usual chocolate-caramel thingies.

 

TWO DAYS. .. and a giveaway

Fey Touched releases in TWO DAYS.  I’m excited, I’m scared, I’m ecstatic, and I’m terrified all at once.  I’ve lived this book for 9 months and now it’s time to release it into the wild.  No matter what happens, I love and believe in this book with all my heart.

Seeing the first proof was an amazing feeling.  Here it was: my book in actual book form with its beautiful cover.  My words in there.  It was tangible.  It was more than words on a computer monitor.  This thing was mine.  Unbelievable!

Soon, I’ll be starting (or rather, restarting) the sequel, Grave Touched.  I also have ideas for a third and fourth book, and who knows after that?  Maybe more.

I also have an idea that I’ve been tossing around.  It has a loooong past.  It’s actually part of Fey Touched’s first draft (at least officially), The Sacrifice, which I wrote in 2003 for NaNoWriMo.  I separated it into two books, and a small part of it into another, which became Fey Touched.  With some tweaking, it’s turning out to be an interesting idea.  It’s called Surrender.  It’s about a demon (who feeds on pain)  who must possess a woman’s body to survive in our world and the woman having to either surrender to her or find a way to drive her out.  Among other things.  I’m leaning toward horror this time around.

Yeah, so that’s what’s going on.

I’m on vacation from work this week.  So far, it’s been nice.  Naturally, I’ve been working on release stuff, but not being at the office is nice.  Less stress and all that jazz.

I want to give away a Kindle edition of Fey Touched today.  Comment to this post to enter.  I’m going to ask a question, and you’ll guess the answer.  The first person to guess correctly — or near to it, if no one guesses the correct answer — will win a Kindle edition.

Here’s the question:

I started the first draft of Fey Touched late last year, in the fall.  What day did I start it?

And, for a bonus chance, answer this: What type of paranormal creature was in The Sacrifice that I switched to Fey for Fey Touched?  (Hint: the answer is somewhere on this blog, or possibly online somewhere.  Or just take a wild guess!).

So, potentially 2 Kindle editions up for grabs.  Ready, set, GO!

Getting back on track, finally.

Had a few days I lost to a personal issue that made concentrating difficult, and writing just wasn’t in the cards.  Happily, things worked out okay and I’m getting back into the swing.  I rewrote the current scene, changing where it needed to be changed and weaving in some new stuff.  I need to backtrack and rewrite the previous scene.  Currently, it’s in two pieces and needs to be combined.  In a coherent manner.  Why am I doing this?  Well, the scene didn’t feel right, the emotions all fuzzy, and it was just wrong.  I usually just know when this happens.  Something feels off.  And I can’t move on if it’s like this.  Only reason why I went to the next scene was to bring up my wordcount for MayNoWriMo.  Normally, I’d fix it and move on, but I was 2 days behind.  I’m still hoping to get my 12k.

Soooooooo that needs doing.  But yay, I’m on the last 25k of the book.  109k rewritten/revised.  I have high hopes of finishing it this month, leaving June free to take off.  Possibly.  I don’t know yet, because momentum is important. 

This little mini-break felt all wrong.  It was 2 days, but it felt like 2 months.  I don’t like stopping when I’m going strong.  But trust me when I say that I wasn’t in a very good headspace.  So, recognizing that, I backed off.  Sometimes you need to, despite what your pain in the ass Inner Slave Driver might say.

But I’m only 1 day behind now, so we’re getting there.

On the Surrender front, I’ve got the major stuff figured out.  The part that’s killing me is the main characters’ names. Because the names of the characters are being used for Darkweaver (if you recall, the plot was split) and they work for that book better, I need to come up with new names.  And with names, it has to at least feel somewhat right.  Maybe not perfect, because a few names I’ve used I came up with on the fly, and they ended up working (whereas normally I’d give it some thought first) but they have to feel okay.  Original name was Wynd.  Well, Wynd was a vampire and now she’s Fae, so she needs a different name.  Although Wynd could work because of the whole nature thing, but I need Wynd for Darkweaver.  Decisions, decisions.  I’ve been looking at Irish names.  There are some beautiful names.  Siobhan is one of them, but the pronounciation is killing me (I pronounce it See-oh-ben and the correct pronunciation is Shee-vaughn.  Does not work for me).  Alas, I can’t do anything without the name.  With the male lead, same story.  Only one that’s staying the same is Ashe, the other main character.  And that I considered for a long time.  Thought about switching them: making my Fae Ashe and the other MC something else, but Ashe is Ashe.  She’s always been Ashe from day 1.  So it stays.

So that’s been bothering me a bit.  Luckily, this one is in perc’ing stage, so there’s no rush.

WTF?

My muse just came up with a really neat, kick-ass way to make Surrender better (and a bit better for today’s market as I wrote the first draft 7 years ago).  And I love it.  And I want to write it.  And now I have yet another book to rewrite.

Someone, stop my muse, please.  This is getting out of hand.

Dreams.

I dreampt that my book was published (Pirouette) but that some of it was deleted and then put back in at my request.  Also, my name was a bit strange.  It sounded royal to me, which is odd, as I am not royalty (although a family rumor says we are descended from royalty).  I thought it was interesting.  I’ve only dreampt about being published a few times.  I can count them on one hand.  In the dream, I was really, really excited and I was telling everyone who’d listen.  Particularly my father-in-law, who’s into writing and reading. 

Is this a prophetic dream?  Dreams of mine have come true, and I can’t discount it.  It was just weird though, with the deleted stuff and my name being different.  Not sure what it all could mean, if anything.

I’m still plugging away at Pirouette the Third, resolving to keep writing and not worry about it.  It’s getting a bit long again (126k) but I plan on doing some cutting to get it down to at least 120k, maybe less.  I don’t know.  And I seem to be pantsing it.

Flamebound’s revision is coming along as well, if a bit slower.  I’d still like to get it dome before I revise Pirouette the Third so I have a good idea of the technique.  So far, I really like it.  It will be interesting to use for Pirouette the Third.

I’ve also had stirrings of something new.  Well, new as in different, and actually older works.  One in particular is The Sacrifice, which I’ve renamed Surrender.  It’s completed at 50k, and  I wonder what the HTRYN revision could do for it.  Just something to think about.

Also participating in April Fools with a goal of 5k.  Don’t want to pressure myself.  It’s doable, and if I can, I’ll write more.  We shall see.

A tale of 3 stories.

I’ve just waged war with my muse on 3 (count them, 3!) stories.

But let me start at the beginning.

Chapter 2 of Pirouette the Third nearly killed me.  I couldn’t seem to want to write.  I was scared that I was going to fuck it up.  Even though this is draft 3, of possibly many more, and that I  wanted to make good progress on it before Nanowrimo.  So…..I’d decided to take a week break off of it to clear my head.  That week ends Tuesday.

So that’s story #1.  I’m still getting ideas and I’m still thinking about it, but I’m trying not to bludgeon myself to death over it.  It’s a draft.  Just like the first two.  I’m still learning.  And I’m committed to making this the best it can be and start querying agents with it.  So….whatever needs to happen to make that possible, I’m all for it.

One week.

Then, I get hit, yet again, with the idea for the novella I Wake Up Alone.  Yeah, I’d filed it away under To Be Done Sometime in the Next Decade, made its folder, jotted down a few notes, and called it good.

Then the idea of time travel hit me, and as these things often do, it melded into something far more interesting.  And quite possibly more tragic.  Then I realized that I couldn’t do another Time Traveler’s Wife.  But before that lovely epiphany, I was knee-deep in a war with my muse.  She wants me to write this damn thing, like right NOW, before Nano, and submit it.  Okaaaaaaaay.  Never mind that it’s just half-formed in my head and hello, it’s too similar to Time Traveler’s Wife.  I decided a few nights ago to stop obcessing and come up with something more unique, or a unique form of time travel, or something.

So far, we’re doing okay on that front.  I think about it, but I’m not obcessing.  And I really like the time travel element. 

Story #3: Soulfire.  More nebulousness in my head.  Knew the basics, but not the plot.  Did some navel-gazing and brainstorming and have arrived at a rough outline.  Today, whilst in the shower, Liana started talking to me in the form of journal entries.  So I raced to the puter to type up the notes.  My next thing is to write out some of these journal entries in her voice.  It’s pre-work, so it works for Nano.  And with what I got today, I CAN’T wait to write this book.

But for about a week, I was cycling between these 3, trying to figure out what would get me the most bang for my buck, so to speak, and what to put on the back burner, and what the hell to do with Pirouette the Third.  I’ll tell you, it’s these times that make being a writer tough.  Decisions, so many decisions!  And this is just new stuff.  None of the old stuff that’s been patiently waiting like Darkweaver, Surrender, or What Lies Beneath.  All totally shiny in their own ways, but languishing.  Hopefully next year I can work on at least one of them.

So that’s the deal.  I came in with 3 stories and landed up with 1.  Well, 2 if you count Pirouette the Third.  And my eye is firmly set on publication, so I’m still heading in that direction.  Fun stuff.

…and an update.

Didn’t wanna mix these two, so here’s my second post.   The worldbuilding is coming along swimmingly.  Sometimes it feels like I’m swimming upstream, but it’s happening.  I’m still changing things around.  Finally settled on a mark of the Goddess Morrighan (the celtic goddess of war and fury) which, I shit you not, I actually drew myself.  Being that my drawing skills are practically nil, I’m proud of that.  It’s basically a scythe (Grim Reaper style, except reduced to one continuous line with no detail) intersected by half a moon.  Because Alisia has death magic, and it’s governed by the moon….it seemed logical.

Now I’m working on the villian’s magic.  I’ve changed his magic so many times, it’s ridiculous.  Nothing seemed right, you know?  So I keep trying to hit upon that special thing that gives me chills.  Today it’s souls.  Tomorrow, it might be different.  I like the soul thing though so I will be exploring that further.

This weekend there’s an edit marathon at Forward Motion, so I’ll be doing some editing.  Yay.

And lastly, an old project reared its head today. I was idly going through my Palm doc files, and ran across my first Nano ever, and my first finished novel, The Sacrifice.  My, that draft sucked, but I took part of it and made it Darkweaver.  And the rest is now what is known as Surrender.  It was in the writing queue before Pirouette took over, but it sorta fell by the wayside.  Sacrifice has undergone many changes, including my first attempt at dark fantasy, Eternal Dance.  Brilliant, I think.  😉  Anyhoo, I am now officially itching to work on that project again.  Who knows when though!  I’m “booked” till the end of the year.  But it will go in the plotbunny file, and maybe I can resurrect it in time.  Some cool worldbuilding elements came to me so I will probably poke at it from time to time.  But….it must stay on the side.  Waaaaaay off.  Cuz you know, I got three others that are patiently waiting for their turn in the spotlight……