Getting Things Done

I got back my full MS from both crit partners and now I can start the tedious task of going through them both and editing. Yeay! . . .

Editing is not my favorite thing to do. Some people really enjoy it and others don't. I used to be in the severely HATE it column of people as far as editing goes, but actually I really like this book. I'm not trying to say it's good, or bragging because -- it could be complete rubbish for all I know and my friends/crit girls are just being nice. Either way, I really enjoy this story and the characters. And I really enjoy making it shine. Though there are bunches of notes, suggestions, and errors (I'm sorry!) I need to fix, as well as elaborations to make, I'm going to make the best of it!

And, besides, this is the home stretch. My query is done, my synopsis is . . .on paper(ugh), and the edits will make it that much closer. So I have no room to bitch. No one made me want to be a writer. Tis part of what we do, and I'm damn determined to enjoy ever single phase of it, which really isn't that hard. I love this gig.

But, I am going to stop picking months as my query deadline, because it's just not helping me get things done like it should. It's just making me frustrated when I realize I can't do all that in the space of time I'm allowing myself. So as of right now, I have NO query month set to start and don't intend to. Just going to work on bettering the book and be happy with that.

Where are you guys with your writing?

Also, Kim Harrisons most recent book is coming out Tuesday! Hoping my preordered copy will get here then...hope hope hope...I'm in love with the Hollows series. 

Finally, butt-ton's of seasons of Supernatural are on Netflix. Whoot!

Happy Monday!

Stranger Thor Fatty Weekend

This weekend was nice. Too fast, as usual, but nice! On my way home from work Thursday I stopped at Hardees to try it out (I haven't always been a huge fan, and haven't eaten it in years).

Thursday was also the first day in uniform for the office that I work in. Apparently, if you show up in scrubs you get free small fries and drinks! (Small being a normal persons medium, btw) Hazzah! It was pretty good for fast food too! (having half free didn't hurt either)

Saturday night was steak grilled out on the bbq and a fresh tomato. MMMMMMMMMMM MMMM. Also, had a super fun crit meeting with the gals. Love those gals. I haven't laughed that much in a while. Even if my villain turned into a fountain and a deflating inflatable arm flailing tube man at one point in the conversation ;)

Sunday mom and I couldn't decide which movie to see, Thor or the new Pirates. So we picked both! Thor was way better than I expected, but I really would have paid 6.50 just to see sexy Chris Hemsworth mud wrestle in the rain any day so it was a total, unexpected win. Also pretty randomly funny.

Pirates of the Caribbean was a surprise too. I expected very little and was given a lot! Johnny Depp rocked my world AGAIN. So, all in a all a movie going success!! (don't waste money on 3D for Pirates, though. We had to upgrade because of Thor letting out late and missed the opening to the non-3D one, and it was a waste of 6 bucks. Not cool enough to warrant the $) 

Oh man...I hope I have dreams of Johnny Depp mud wrestling Chris Hemsworth in the rain...Prize for the winner? Muah! Prize for the loser? Oh that's right. Me again! Bring it dream land.

Lastly, I have been in a funk lately with my MS. I need to finish up some work on it, and have put off finishing my synopsis as long as my bratty attitude can. So this week I am knucklin' down and just doing that shiz. No excuses!

What's new with you guys? See anything/do anything fun this weekend?

Get Naked.

I got an awesome award 5x in 1 week! How flipping kick-ass is that?!

Thank you Quinn, Jessica Hill, Lisa Galek, Jennie Bailey and Lettuce Head !!!
 

 

Five very awesome, very friendly, very entertaining blogger/writers whose places I NEED to haunt every day, they are so great. Don't know em? You need to. Them's good people.

I would like to pass this on to:

Matthew Rush @ The Quintessentially Questionable Query Experiment
Kristal Shaff: Fantasy Author
Samantha Vérant @ Life, Love, and Living in France
Alexia Chamberlynn

The rules say I have to share 10 things about myself. Aren't you guys sick of me talking about me yet?

1.I got up to do some work and forgot my first fact I was going to share with you.

2.When I graduated high school my friends and I went to the grocery store, picked out a cake and had the nice bakery woman write "Get Naked" on it. To her credit, she didn't bat an eye. Which was sort of disappointing to a group of giggly girls

3.In my younger days I used to be able to hop a fence one handed without having to stop running.

4.I grew up in a small town . ("the hell" you say.) It was and is a retirement town. Very beautiful but very...old.

5.No matter where I move, I seriously always work out an escape plan for zombie attacks. Judge me not. Always better to be prepared than caught off guard and get eaten.

6.Cold feet are the worst thing about winter.

7.No matter how hard I try, I kill all household plants. I'm terrible with greenery.

8.I always wanted to learn to play an instrument. I have a harp I have had for many years and can't play more than a part of the super mario theme on it. This fact makes me terribly sad.

9.I am terrified, paranoid, and stressed out when it comes to boogies and being in public.

10.My eyes are terribibble. So bad. Awful, no good, and rotten. Can't see anything without my contacts.

11. (This makes up for the forgotten fact) I value manners above most other personality traits in people.


Second Award is from Samantha @ Life, Love, and Living in France! I loved this award when I first saw it. It's ridiculously adorbs.

I want to pass this one on to
Lisa Galek @ Read. Write. Repeat. 
Jennie Bailey @ Garden Full of Lily (this is just too appropriate for her too!)
Abby Minard @ Abover Water
Sara B. Larson 

THIRD AWARD(That's right. You love it...why..? ..what is wrong with you people??) is from an incredible new blogger, Alexia Chamberlynn! She is some good bloggin' stuff wrapped up in a...umm this got weird. But she is totally amazingly awesome!!

Melissa @ Through the Looking Glass
Lydia Kang @ The Word is My Oyster
Lettuce Head
Jessica Hill
Salarsenッ 

So there you have it, all. Some of my favorite haunts, writers, and internetty people, all right there for you. You guys all rock my world every day. Lurv!

I had the very awesome pleasure of meeting my crit partner Abby Minard for the first time in person. We communicate all the time through emails and I knew early on that I liked her. She's funny and sympathetic, kind and a good ear. Think she's pretty in pictures? Prettier in person. Makes me sick...

But she really is a fun person to meet! It was like I had already met her before. You know? Not nearly as awkward as meeting people for the first time can be which can be terrifying.

Dudes, I am always lost and running late so if we ever meet in person, lets "plan on" one time and then you guys show up 30 min. later cause it is really embarrassing for me...

I'm super excited to announce that I have INTO in my possession again! Okay...I never didn't have it but I have the copy Abby worked on for me in my hands! Couldn't be any more excited to dig in again.

When I started out writing I hated critiques. I hated that people thought they could tell me how to make my story better because, what the crap did they know?! I took it too personal. I was too attached and too cocky. My first adventure into the critique group world I was awakened pretty harshly to the fact that I knew nothing. And I have been grateful of that ever since. It was hard. I didn't take it well at the time but it did make me realize what I was writing was crap. Big bunch of blabby crap and I needed to work hard to not be crap.

That isn't to say I'm still not crappy writer but I have worked to improve over the past year and I am confident, if nothing else, I have improved.  And now, when I see a page full of marks and notes my world isn't destroyed. I don't tense up and immediately get defensive.

All those notes and marks are there to make it better. Make the story stronger. Make my writing flow more easily. And make my world more clear to see.

So, as you can tell, I can't wait to make my love, my story, my book better.

And thanks to amazing people like Abby, I have the ability to. It isn't always easy to admit you have room to improve. But you always do. So get over yourself and make sure you get some amazing people to have your back and show you how to do it.  


HERE is an amazing article about JK Rowling and writing advice.

HERE is a crazy amazing/sad post about human's, beauty, and missing out on a great experience in life by Laini Taylor.


And to finish out my obsessive Harry Potter fanatical posts until next year:

Movie Trailers - Movies Blog

Dancing, Reading, and a bit of Writing

I learned this weekend that it is impossible to sneak up on my husband with 5 cats in the house. They, curious as to why I'm standing in the dark guest bathroom waiting to pounce, blow my cover every time. And as I'm trying to be inconspicuous(and they are cats) cannot explain to them my need for stealth.

Who doesn't like giving your most loved person a good scare? Don't judge me.

As far as writing goes, I have printed out a good portion of my novel for my editing. Edited the first 5 pages of that aaaaand...nothing more.

This weekend has been dominated by rereading The Hunger Games(in prep for Mockingjay on Tuesday), working as a favor to one of my bosses on Saturday, and today grilling and watching Law and Order reruns. Busy? You bet your butt not.

I have thought of working on and off, but this website: QueryTracker.netBlog makes me feel a lot better about being a bum this weekend.

Monday I will get back to work and bust them out.

Got a bit of great news this past week. My very lovely, very funny, (very much missed since I moved to a new state 4 years ago) friend, Whisper, has agreed to help me with my novel content. I have my author, and so good at editing she should make it a career, friend going over all the grammar, punctuation, and structural things for me. What I have been lacking was content editor.

Mrs. Whisper reads YA a bit and will be able to help me decide whats appropriate, whats missing, etc etc. And I couldn't be more thrilled. She has already done chapter 1 for me with amazing results so I hope, pray, and might even do a little Whisper-dance to keep her on my reading staff.

Speaking of dancing, I can't help but want to Snoopy Dance every time I think about Mockingjay coming out on Tuesday! Who's with me? So Excited! Feels like I have been waiting so long for it. Oh wait, cause I have!

I'm going to have to work hard Monday on my own book because, come Tuesday, I'm going to be so absorbed in Katniss Everdeen and her serious woes. I doubt I'll notice if someone tried to cut off my own toe.

If you haven't read The Hunger Games and Catching Fire, do yourself a favor and get them. I haven't been caught up in a series like this since Harry Potter came out. And my Harry Potter tattoo should tell you something about that one.

If you haven't been able to tell as of yet, I am a nerd. I thank you. ^_^

I'm making my mom watch True Blood this week. I, reluctantly, let her borrow my first season b/c I, nor her friend, have been able to properly describe the sexiness of Eric Northman. Can you put that in words? I would like to see someone try.

I say reluctantly because it took me a while to get over the whole nudity factor when debating on giving my mom the dvds. I'm an adult, yes, but she is still my mother. My love for the show, Northman, and the story won over mother-modesty.

Fun fact: Eric Northman was Meekus(from zoolander). Love it.

Hoping everyone has a great week.

First Draft Finished Blues

So, yesterday i said i might get a few thousand words done. This was considering i had much more of my 3rd book to finish. That afternoon i was hit with a curve ball when i finish the first draft suddenly.

I donno if its the same for every writer, if im a freak, or if its just something that happens. For me its happened twice. My book ends when i hadnt planned it to. im actually only 39,000 words into this one and that, to me, is just not enough. but there in lie the joys of first drafts.

while my book ended in a few short paragraphs where i hadnt planned it to, the whole book will undergo many many more drafts at my hands where i can add in all the detail and fill in holes and fix problems already pointed out to me by my lovely first reader.

here i am, finally have time to get started 4 hours later than i planned, and i sit down, start writing, get girl out of house and into vehicle and then. im done. and im sitting here going, "but...but...its only this long..." in all honesty i had no idea where i was going at the moment with it. im one of those dive in with little knowledge writers.

but the cool thing about writing fiction is that the characters tend to take you where theyre going without your planning. when you design a person in your book you design every bit of them. in your mind you know what they would and wouldnt do. you know what they would and wouldnt wear and you know what they would or wouldnt say. so even if you have your whole book lain(laid?) out ahead of time, how you want it to go, your characters could come in and flamboozle(its a word) the whole thing!

its crime! and a joy. mostly joy. ^_^ i love love love when i have someone i have made up out of thin air take on such a personality that they take over the story themselves. its like...magic.

so all this just to document a writing freak(or common...i donno) occurrence. characters finishing the book before the writer planned it.

now as for the blues: its a heart fluttering pleasure to finish your book for the first time (if you dont understand the "first time" part...you will) and i encourage you to enjoy that feeling as long as you can. its followed by a feeling of yuck.

because once youre done, you must go through it again and edit. some people LOVE editing. not this gal. but thats just because its hard for me to separate myself from the story and work on technical things. and once you have done it a second time you must do it again.

so thats where i am. im enjoying being done with my third book (though it will require a sequel) but i also know that i have to go through it all again and rework reword reorganize add subtract and bring more life to the first draft. and the longer i shelve it the longer it will take to be complete. This, my friends, is the First Draft Finished Blues.

the best news, my book being edited by a dear friend is getting along there. its a little over half done and im excited to have it finished and read it in my critique group in a few months. yeay!

what is your favorite tense to write/read in?