Writing Wednesday
So, having finished Rain I have been feeling free and happy and joyous and light. Unfortunately I have been feeling *so* free, happy, joyous and light I haven’t motivated myself properly to do much else.
I have reviewed/edited the start of Dan’s novel, so that’s something I achieved. My next thing to get done is review my short stories, as per last week’s list. I will get to that right after I’ve rested my eyes for a minute or two.
Linky:
What a rejection letter means and What a form letter rejection means. Brilliant blog.
Gail Carson Levine talks about dialogue. I think I have to add her to my list of famous authors on the side there. I love her work and her blog is interesting too. Might have a go at one of those writing prompts too…
Do you want a free book? I am downloading it now 
Meg Cabot linked me to a different episode, but I freaking love Smart Girls at the Party. This one is about a writer, and may have Job from Arrested Development dancing right at the end. So good.
Rain: the finishing.
So, I put off writing for like, three days, because I was scared to finish writing Rain.
Let’s examine that sentence for a moment. I was keen to finish Rain so that she’d leave me alone and I could do other stuff, remember? I knew that I *could* finish Rain, I didn’t have a block about what had to happen or any fear that the flow wouldn’t be there for me to hop into….but I was scared.
I guess when it came down to the crunch I just didn’t want it to be over! I had a conversation with Lee about it over brunch, although I had to explain that I didn’t want him to ‘fix’ things, I just wanted to talk about the emotions. He had to accept that it was completely irrational, but there it was. I think this conversation helped me a lot.
I listened to a thematically linked song from Spring Awakening Those you’ve known, which is about ghosts comforting the living. I turned off the internet and I sat and wrote. I wrote a very sad scene, and some reconcilatory ones and what I hope is an empowering and exciting ending that leads easily to a sequel.
So yay, hooray, woop woop and huzzah. I have written another novel!
Wednesday Writing update
Big week, writing Rain wise. I’ve topped 64k words, worked my characters through the climactic battle with the evil fairground owner, various demons and an unscheduled trip to another dimension and come out the other side to deal with the aftermath. And I don’t use the word ‘work’ up there lightly, these scenes have been complex and confusing. I kind of dread the rewrite where I get to check if it makes any sense at all.
On the other hand, the flow has been there once I’ve got over my initial fears and made myself write, so there’s that.
Plus, I definitely have the end of the book in sight now, and that’s a refreshing feeling. I quite want a.) a break from writing and b.) the chance to write other stuff. Once Rain is first drafted then I can have a mental holiday.
Oh, and I’m finally up to date with tagging all my old blog entries, so if you want to read the writing process for any of my novels, just click the link in the tag cloud to the right: Kiki, wtwtch or Rain, respectively. Fun times.
Writing linky for this week:
Ask a Literary Agent tackles a question about word counts. Basically don’t make it harder on yourself by writing a book which is shorter or longer than industry standard. (There’s lots of good looking stuff on that blog, but I’ve only skimmed the first page.)
The dompost has a writing competition, the theme is ‘my best lesson,’ to tie in with with the New Zealand Council for Educational Research. It closes Sunday, but it’s only 500 words. Must figure out what my best lesson is…
I’m a little too frightened to read Confessions of a mid-list author, but you might want to.
OMG how I love this quote from J.D. Salinger. So so much.
Checklist, where my writing is at
Novel number 1 – Kiki
(a children’s book about magic and another world.)
Malingering. I am determined to give the first three chapters another rewrite and then try submitting those to a publisher or two. If they say no I’ll chalk it up to first novel syndrome and backburn it for good. Feeling distanced from this project, almost disgusted with it.
Novel number 2 – What’s the Worst That Could Happen?
(Superhero chick-lit)
In the query letter stage. I’m trying it on American lit agents…Feeling hopeful, have confidence in the manuscript, although if I get one more rejection I will rewrite the first chapter, want to make it more awesome.
Novel number 3 – Amy/book club/not sure of the title
(Kid’s book with huge series potential.)
First draft written up longhand, waiting to be typed up and redrafted. I will do this once Rain is finished to get some mental distance. I have sufficient distance from this project now that I don’t really feel anything for it. Best time to redraft it!
Novel number 4 - Rain
(Young adult supernatural romance)
Currently demanding all my writing attention and writing itself. Rain is pushy, I get panicky if I don’t write ‘enough’ (which is two thousand words in a day now) and I’m looking forward to getting it finished. I want to write some other stuff! I’m also ridiculously pleased at how easy this first draft has been. I feel like one of those wanky Romantic poets describing themselves as a harp that the wind of inspiration blows through. I just sit down and write and I don’t have to think about it. Perfection.
Short Stories: Infection
Accepted for publication by Enamel magazine! All sorts of win.
Pestilence
I need to make a decision or two about this story and rewrite with those decisions made. Once that’s done, I’ll be able to start on the submission cycle with it again. I have a couple of likely possibilities lined up. Must find The Point of this story and make it punchy.
Famine
Needs another edit I think. I might stretch the time line out a bit, make things a little more dangerous for my protagonist, make sure the story has the impact I mean it to. Once that’s done I can start shopping it around.
To do:
Moar short stories!
– I wanna try another erotic story for Filament, there’s a few online magazines that are looking for spec fic, I should try some children’s short stories so I can shop those around.
Type up the Amy/book club book
Wednesday Writing
So, short entry today because I have a driving need to bask in the sunshine which is coming into my lounge.
First, a huge celebration because my little spooky story Infection has been accepted for publication. It will be in Wellington lit mag Enamel when it next comes out – March 2010. Awesome awesome awesome. I was *that close* to giving up on it and just sticking it up here on my blog. Now I don’t have to!
In other news I churned out two thousand words of the work in progress today, moving them through the start of the climactic battle and shuffling some stuff up. Good times. Good times. This (and the other writing sessions I’ve had through the week) bring my word count up to 58,018, so yay!
Woops, forgot a couple of linkys….
Matt’s short story ‘Murray the Sex Machine’ is up here. Go read it and comment. I haven’t commented, but I have read it, and it’s awesome.
The final part of The Event is up and the site has had a redesign to look more swanky. Go check it out…
Point of Fashion: One Fine Day
Current Obsession: Wheeee good things happen.
Query this
I’m a little obsessed with querying American agents at the moment. It’s a terrifying thing to be doing, but I feel it’s necessary so I’m doing it regardless. I can’t have my Rich and Happy life as a published author without getting published.
As you know, I sent my first one out on Tuesday. I got a rejection on Thursday, which was a little sad but to be honest, I wasn’t that sad about it.
I was entirely tempted to re-write the first chapter, because it could be more punchy and attention grabby, but I am reasonable, and I listen to the voice of reason (Steve) and I’m shopping it around a bit more before I do that. So, I read a whole bunch more advice online, found a list of other agents to try and just now I’ve send it off again. This time to someone who says they are particularly interested in in sophisticated women’s fiction, so I’m hoping it’s a good match. I send these things out with a lot of hope attached, because I know the universe wants to help me out here…
My pitch for the book is ever-changing, but the one I settled on today is, I hope, pretty good. Let’s take a wee look at it…
Shelley is a single woman with a 9-5 desk job and a superhero. Her power to see the worst possible outcome of her actions can be useful in a fight but it makes dating difficult. When Shelley and the other day-shift superheroes are called to a hostage situation, they get their big break. But how can Shelley cope with being thrust into the limelight when she can’t cook dinner without having visions of disaster? And how can she balance solving the sudden crime spree of the Recently Dead gang with dating the city’s most eligible bachelor?
You’d read that book, right? You’d pick it up at the library and take it home?
Some more awesome query letter linky because if I’m feeling the angst I’m sure there are others out there who are as well…
Query letter checklist from the wonderfully upfront and honest Janet Reid. Check out all her advicey links down the side-bar too, especially the Rules For Writers, really valuable stuff there.
Oh and the awesomely titled How Publishing Really Works has a list of agents and their blogs, which is what led me to the above…
Tuesday writing
I sent a query off to an American literary agent, including the first chapter of What’s the Worst That Could Happen? It’s kind of awesome, but for the last two weeks I’ve been whining and agonising about how hard it is to find an American lit agent and all of a sudden ways to find them pop up all over. Not the least the incredibly helpful link Debs sent me back here to lit resources and Cynthia Leitich Smith’s site. I’m pinning all this on the universe helping me become Rich and Happy, because I am determined to be published. Now, if you can just send good luck vibes, excellent timing and extreme readibility along with my query, it would be much appreciated.
Rain-wise I have had a slow week, I just got past 52k (or 100 pages). I was pretty busy over the weekend and the time that I did have I used for other stuff, like looking at book agents. Also book I’m reading is pretty good I’ve got all afternoon tomorrow though and I shall get some serious work done then.
Linky:
Query letter advice. I can never get enough of this. I am terrified by query letters and I get heart palpitations when I send them, convinced that I’ve done everything wrong OMG.
Don’t read Shiver and a rather good account of how awful enfeebled teenage heroines are. (Mental review of my character Rain: stubborn, quick to anger, dealing poorly with grief, tells her boyfriend off, determined to kick ass. I think I’m OK.)
Inky Elbows is sharing her list of inspiring articles she knows she will read again.
Manuscript length opinions/guidelines. Good, valid arguments for keeping on the low end of the word count scale.
Wednesday Writing
Celebration time! I just got past the 50,000 word count mark on my current novel. Woooo! I am about to reward myself with a bath, but first a little update on my writing since it’s Wednesday.
Over the weekend I tried out the extreme portability of my new lappy and took it on the train up the coast. I managed to write about a thousand words each way, which was a very profitable use of my time. I felt very bourgeois when I did it too, which I think is another plus.
Story wise I am heading into the big battle, the beginning of the end of the book. I’ve had screaming matches between characters, spell casting, spell casting going wrong, a reconciliation and sexual harassment. Soon it will all be on. And by on I mean, pronounced like Awn. Should be pretty darn good. Feeling psyched about it.
I am feeling a lot less psyched about finding an American agent. I am actually feeling overwhelmed by the wealth of information online. I may subscribe to a writer’s market kind of website in the end. It looks like a promising way to go. In the mean time I have been spending all my money on books so I might wait a bit.
(I also got Goth goggles to steampunk up my Kapcon LARP costume, they came today and look wicked awesome. I am chuffed.)
I feel like I should also be writing short stories, and reworking the first three chapters of Kiki and shopping WtWTCH? around more, but Rain is giving me no headspace for other stuff. Bolshy girl that she is she is demanding all my time and making thinking about other stuff hard. I’m both dreading and looking forward to finishing her story off.
The upside to my agent search of frustration is there is lots of good writing linky this week:
Cory Doctorow writes about sex in teen novels. Someone recently expressed surprise that I had a sex scene in my teen novel, I wanted to say something like this, but I didn’t manage it.
11 productivity tips that creative types already know.
Good solid advice from someone who knows.
This article about picking agents is full of sensible advice.
Funny: Instructions on how to write a bad novel. (Long but good.) You should really check out the whole poewar site actually, it’s full of awesome.
Roller derby, Julie + Julia, spoonflower
On the weekend I went to my first bout of the roller derby. It was insanely cool, the crowd was packed with geeks, the costumes were adorable, the game exciting and exhilarating. Plus there was beer! I went with a bunch of friends from work, since Goldie Scorn of Brutal Pageant is the sister of one of them, and I brought Steve too. We ran into a few more people we knew and it was awesome.
I can’t really describe it accurately, except to say that along with Pro-wrestling, this is my favourite spectator sport now. Except of course, that the girls in roller derby aren’t pulling their punches, they’re really bashing each other. Why don’tyou go and check out these awesome Videos care of Simeon?
(am slightly tempted to get fit, rolling and try out for the roller derby.)
Last night I saw Julie and Julia which is the movie of the book of the blog. As you might expect, the storytelling got rather meta. That aside it was a very good movie, the leads did wonderfully and the food was enticing. Flashing between Julia Child in France learning to cook and Julie Powell in 2002 cooking every recipe in Julia Child’s book the movie didn’t pull any punches with the emotional lives of either character. It was refreshing, somehow, to see a movie in which a modern woman doesn’t have everything sorted out and sits down and cries for no good reason.
Yesterday was also a birthday present day. I received the threadless tees I bought with cash from Will and Paula, and the custom printed spoonflower fabric courtesy of Svend and Star. The fabric is so pretty, really vibrant colours and I’m really happy with the designs I chose. Check it:
I’m not sure if you can see it, but the fabric on the right is little cameo portraits of the characters from Little Red Riding Hood. Cutes!
Can’t wait to get sewing and make some pretties with the fabrics.
But first, having spent over an hour trawling the internets for American literary agent informations, I must go and write some of Rain’s story. Turning the internet off in 3, 2, 1…
