I don't what it is, but lately I cannot stand staring at a computer screen for so long. The day job requires doing so for a very long time. And I've been relying on pen and paper to help ease away writer's block. Now, as I'm chugging along at The Resurrected Thief, my eyes itch and I get antsy from it.
I currently have almost 150 pages to sift through, with plenty of edits and new scenes to add. I don't have any set deadline, so it's not like I have to worry about time constraints. While there is always the anticipation a big publisher might open their doors, I do not want to rush it. I want this book to be perfect.
I just don't want to stare at a computer any more.
Thursday, June 25, 2015
Wednesday, June 24, 2015
WIP Wednesday!
Since I am digging back into The Resurrected Thief, you will be seeing quite a bit of that in the upcoming weeks. As a taste, here are the opening three lines.
The sound of a single crash poured through the empty halls of the British Museum. The night guard’s skin prickled as the echo reverberated in his ears. A brief application of friction eased away the small bumps sprouting on the back of his neck, but could not banish the cold lingering beneath his skin.
The sound of a single crash poured through the empty halls of the British Museum. The night guard’s skin prickled as the echo reverberated in his ears. A brief application of friction eased away the small bumps sprouting on the back of his neck, but could not banish the cold lingering beneath his skin.
Monday, June 22, 2015
Back to the grindstone
While I've talked about it a few times before, I am officially back to finishing Resurrected Thief. My short stories have all been sent off. Only two open submissions remain, but I have two months to decide if I even have a good idea for a story. In the meantime, I want to finally get back to my book.
There is quite a bit of work to be done. The short stories have led to more backstory, and some changes need to be reflected in the novel. Plus, there are new scenes and scenes I just don't like any more. Hopefully, this novel will finish smoothly and the Muse will be encouraging.
Right now, she is napping. Hence the lack of ideas for those two open calls for shorts. Let's all hope she wakes up soon. But I must be back to work!
There is quite a bit of work to be done. The short stories have led to more backstory, and some changes need to be reflected in the novel. Plus, there are new scenes and scenes I just don't like any more. Hopefully, this novel will finish smoothly and the Muse will be encouraging.
Right now, she is napping. Hence the lack of ideas for those two open calls for shorts. Let's all hope she wakes up soon. But I must be back to work!
Friday, June 19, 2015
Snip, Snip, Snip
Another day, another completed submission! I'm surprised I finished this one nearly a month ahead of the deadline, but great things happen when the Muse lets me write 1,500+ words a day!
The only hiccup was that my streak of getting under the word cap for the shorts has ended. My final story was almost 9,000 and this submission had a cut off of 7,500. EEK. The past three days have been trimming and rewriting. I'm still happy with it, but kept the longer draft just in case. Can't hurt to be prepared for a rejection and moving forward.
I'm nearly done with my docket of short stories for the time being. And by that I mean, I have one more I'm thinking of writing and two more to edit and ship out. I really do what to get back to fixing up the novels. Someone should make the Muse and the Internet aware of my thoughts. No?
In other news, edits for "The Knocking Below" have been sent in. That should be out any day now! I plan on doing something really special when that finally happens. I've also started sending follow up emails to publishers when I don't hear back on submissions. I was passive and waited for months before, but I think it's time to be proactive.
Here is hoping more good news comes along.
The only hiccup was that my streak of getting under the word cap for the shorts has ended. My final story was almost 9,000 and this submission had a cut off of 7,500. EEK. The past three days have been trimming and rewriting. I'm still happy with it, but kept the longer draft just in case. Can't hurt to be prepared for a rejection and moving forward.
I'm nearly done with my docket of short stories for the time being. And by that I mean, I have one more I'm thinking of writing and two more to edit and ship out. I really do what to get back to fixing up the novels. Someone should make the Muse and the Internet aware of my thoughts. No?
In other news, edits for "The Knocking Below" have been sent in. That should be out any day now! I plan on doing something really special when that finally happens. I've also started sending follow up emails to publishers when I don't hear back on submissions. I was passive and waited for months before, but I think it's time to be proactive.
Here is hoping more good news comes along.
Wednesday, June 10, 2015
WIP Wednesday!
Here is another snippet from "The Moss People".
"What are they chattering about?" Bryan cringed, but refused to back away from the horde of glittering lights.
"You angered them by disrespecting their queen," Esther answered him with a lowered voice and head.
"The only queen I bow to is Queen Vicky," he huffed, causing Esther to snicker.
"What are they chattering about?" Bryan cringed, but refused to back away from the horde of glittering lights.
"You angered them by disrespecting their queen," Esther answered him with a lowered voice and head.
"The only queen I bow to is Queen Vicky," he huffed, causing Esther to snicker.
Tuesday, June 9, 2015
Staying on Track
For once, my thoughts are not geared towards meeting deadlines or reorganizing a writing schedule. I am actually doing quite well there. But I have seem to come into a habit that may or may not be good. It may or may not also slow me down.
As of late, I have been just writing out whatever scene pops into my mind. While the entire story is outlined, the Muse doesn't want to follow it. She wants to write whatever is more exciting at the time. I've been following her moods, and it's leading to some great numbers at the end of the day. However, that leaves some gaps in the story marked by some asterisks.
I know many other authors that do this as well, so it's not really revolutionary. It's only causing hiccups for me because staring at those asterisks seems to chase away the Muse. In order to combat it, I've been looking to a blank sheet of paper instead. With my lovely pen, I can fill in the breaks between scenes. It's a great deal better than staring until my head hurts, but it just causes that slight delay in having to write out the scene on paper and then again on the computer. Since I type fairly quickly, this has not been an issue yet. Plus, I'm ahead of schedule.
At this point, I'd do just about anything to keep writing and avoid the dreadful writer's block.
As of late, I have been just writing out whatever scene pops into my mind. While the entire story is outlined, the Muse doesn't want to follow it. She wants to write whatever is more exciting at the time. I've been following her moods, and it's leading to some great numbers at the end of the day. However, that leaves some gaps in the story marked by some asterisks.
I know many other authors that do this as well, so it's not really revolutionary. It's only causing hiccups for me because staring at those asterisks seems to chase away the Muse. In order to combat it, I've been looking to a blank sheet of paper instead. With my lovely pen, I can fill in the breaks between scenes. It's a great deal better than staring until my head hurts, but it just causes that slight delay in having to write out the scene on paper and then again on the computer. Since I type fairly quickly, this has not been an issue yet. Plus, I'm ahead of schedule.
At this point, I'd do just about anything to keep writing and avoid the dreadful writer's block.
Wednesday, June 3, 2015
WIP Wednesday!
Today's snippet comes from a piece I just started working on this afternoon. Tentatively titled "The Moss People"
“Be careful with those! That is invaluable equipment,” her employer, Mister James Hawke, barked at the young man unloading his trunks from the train. He proceeded to wave a sleek black cane in the air, which caused the porter to cringe. Biting down on the corner of her lip, Esther stepped away from her two small bags.
“Be careful with those! That is invaluable equipment,” her employer, Mister James Hawke, barked at the young man unloading his trunks from the train. He proceeded to wave a sleek black cane in the air, which caused the porter to cringe. Biting down on the corner of her lip, Esther stepped away from her two small bags.
Monday, June 1, 2015
Unplugged
As of late, my brain has been quite frazzled. Between the stresses of real life and the numerous deadlines I keep giving myself, I've been getting a bit mentally bogged down. To try and detox, I've started taking a few days (usually the weekend) to just unplug from everything.
I keep off the laptop as much as possible, with only the occasional checking of Facebook and email. Depending on the mood, I might play some video games but not a lot lately. Instead, I've been on the couch reading. I've had a growing list of books I've been dying to read, and didn't have the time with so much going on. Not any more!
It's actually quite a relief to step out of my world and step into someone else's. I don't have to worry about finding the next twist or ironing out plot holes. Instead, I'm swept away in a different sort of adventure. Most of the time, it actually gives me better ideas. I step away from the book with a refreshed mind and the ability to see how my own story needs to work out.
My last reads were "The Bullet Catcher's Daughter" by Rod Duncan and "The Constantine Affliction" by T. Aaron Payton. I highly recommend both of them. In a way, they were the perfect reads for my current shot story. I often play with Esther's struggles as a woman investigating crimes, and this story is meant to highlight even more. In these two books, the women combat this struggle by dressing up as men. Now, this never occurred to me before for Esther. I still don't want her to, even though she will later take up the scandalous practice of wearing trousers. I can't say more without spoilers, but let's just say Esther finds the whole idea of wearing a disguise exhausting.
On the other hand, Scarlet thinks it is incredibly wonderful to take on disguises. In "Our Fathers" she follows Colby to a seedy club dressed as a man. I'm certain she will do it again, as well as many other disguises.
I think I might come back with a more detailed review on my excitement about those two books. But for now, the Must has been awoken and needs to get working!
I keep off the laptop as much as possible, with only the occasional checking of Facebook and email. Depending on the mood, I might play some video games but not a lot lately. Instead, I've been on the couch reading. I've had a growing list of books I've been dying to read, and didn't have the time with so much going on. Not any more!
It's actually quite a relief to step out of my world and step into someone else's. I don't have to worry about finding the next twist or ironing out plot holes. Instead, I'm swept away in a different sort of adventure. Most of the time, it actually gives me better ideas. I step away from the book with a refreshed mind and the ability to see how my own story needs to work out.
My last reads were "The Bullet Catcher's Daughter" by Rod Duncan and "The Constantine Affliction" by T. Aaron Payton. I highly recommend both of them. In a way, they were the perfect reads for my current shot story. I often play with Esther's struggles as a woman investigating crimes, and this story is meant to highlight even more. In these two books, the women combat this struggle by dressing up as men. Now, this never occurred to me before for Esther. I still don't want her to, even though she will later take up the scandalous practice of wearing trousers. I can't say more without spoilers, but let's just say Esther finds the whole idea of wearing a disguise exhausting.
On the other hand, Scarlet thinks it is incredibly wonderful to take on disguises. In "Our Fathers" she follows Colby to a seedy club dressed as a man. I'm certain she will do it again, as well as many other disguises.
I think I might come back with a more detailed review on my excitement about those two books. But for now, the Must has been awoken and needs to get working!
Wednesday, May 27, 2015
WIP Wednesday!
I'm going to be trying out a fun little new feature that I do hope you will all like. Every Wednesday, I am going to post the three most recently written lines of my current work in progress. Or, a random line I really like if the most recent one is too spoilery. Hopefully this will provide you some exciting tastes and give me a kick to keep on working.
Today's snippet comes from "The Refusal". Title will be changed once it is finished.
"My colleagues with the police have mocked me for having a reluctance to carry a gun citing the weakness of our sex ," Esther sighed before tightening her grip on the pistol. She looked away from the weapon to stare into the vila's eyes without blinking. "Today seems a good day to prove them wrong," she continued, her voice stiffening.
(C) 2015
Today's snippet comes from "The Refusal". Title will be changed once it is finished.
"My colleagues with the police have mocked me for having a reluctance to carry a gun citing the weakness of our sex ," Esther sighed before tightening her grip on the pistol. She looked away from the weapon to stare into the vila's eyes without blinking. "Today seems a good day to prove them wrong," she continued, her voice stiffening.
(C) 2015
Thursday, May 7, 2015
Resources for Submissions
As I scour for new markets to submit my writing, I thought this would be a lovely time to share some of my favorite online haunts. These sites are great for finding all sorts of publications and keeping track of your work. Hope you other writers find it helpful!
Duotrope: This database holds information for over 5,000 different markets. While it does cost $5 a month, it lets you run searches based off genre, pay rate, length, and other factors. It also has a calendar with deadlines for upcoming submissions. The big draw is the statistics for each publisher. Users log their submissions and it calculates all sorts of useful facts, like acceptance rate, average response time, similar markets. Plus, it's also good to keep track of your own writing.
The Grinder: After Duotrope starting charging, this site opened up to offer the same services for free. It's still in Beta, and doesn't offer all the features of Duotrope (like the calendar). However, it still tracks all the same statistics. And who doesn't like free!
Coffin Tree Hill: A blog that updates almost daily with new places open for submissions. It's primarily for fantasy/sci fi publications, which makes me happy. I am a subscriber, so I get lovely emails with details on any new posting.
Ralan: Another site with listing for fantasy and science fiction. It's organized by pay rate, and updated very regularly. They also have a section with links for useful advice.
It's also useful to check the sites of your favorite publishers. While not everyone is open to unagented submissions, once in a while there are open door periods. And if anyone has any useful links, please share! I'm always looking for new markets.
Duotrope: This database holds information for over 5,000 different markets. While it does cost $5 a month, it lets you run searches based off genre, pay rate, length, and other factors. It also has a calendar with deadlines for upcoming submissions. The big draw is the statistics for each publisher. Users log their submissions and it calculates all sorts of useful facts, like acceptance rate, average response time, similar markets. Plus, it's also good to keep track of your own writing.
The Grinder: After Duotrope starting charging, this site opened up to offer the same services for free. It's still in Beta, and doesn't offer all the features of Duotrope (like the calendar). However, it still tracks all the same statistics. And who doesn't like free!
Coffin Tree Hill: A blog that updates almost daily with new places open for submissions. It's primarily for fantasy/sci fi publications, which makes me happy. I am a subscriber, so I get lovely emails with details on any new posting.
Ralan: Another site with listing for fantasy and science fiction. It's organized by pay rate, and updated very regularly. They also have a section with links for useful advice.
It's also useful to check the sites of your favorite publishers. While not everyone is open to unagented submissions, once in a while there are open door periods. And if anyone has any useful links, please share! I'm always looking for new markets.
Thursday, April 30, 2015
Message in Bottle
It takes only five seconds of watching the news to see how messy this world is. I know I've talked a lot about how writing serves as an escape for that. Now, I'm starting to wonder if my writing should do more. I don't want to beat people over the head with moral lessons, but there are certain opportunities we authors have. For me, this became relevant in the two short stories I'm currently working on.
The first is the tale of how James Hawke lost his arm and Esther pushed herself into a position of power. Obviously being a Victorian era woman, Esther would not normally have such freedoms. Many of the other characters dismiss her for this alone. When she first meets Bryan in "The Knocking Below", he assumes she is a client and that the E. Doyle on his father's note must be a man. Some of the earlier stories show Esther on her own in Europe but her gender causes struggles there as well. This is actually one of the main reasons why she stopped freelancing and applied for the position with the Hawkes. As the assistant to a more liberal hunter, she finds herself having to explain her presence less. On the other hand, that means many people over look her in favor of speaking with either James or Bryan. In this story, she has no one to stand up for her. While Constable Riley Cooper is her friend, he can do little to help. So here, Esther has to prove to everyone in London she is fully capable of doing the job. And of course she is!
Originally, I had Esther completely on her own solving this case. Riley's role has slightly grown, but he doesn't really do any of the heaving lifting. As much as I love him, this isn't his story. It's Esther struggling with finding a way to keep the future she wants in a world where she's told her future has already been determined.
A lot of my inspiration for her comes from the Agent Carter series that was on ABC several months ago. While Peggy is a superior agent, she is stuck taking lunch orders and filing paperwork. This isn't a struggle that only select women are confined to in select time periods. It's all over the world and it's happening right now. I can only hope that my writing has similar effects to the ones Agent Carter had. Also, I hope Agent Carter gets renewed for season two. The world needs more stories of incredible women.
Tuesday, April 28, 2015
My Lovely Editors
While I sit and wait for the publisher's edits of The Knocking Below, my mind wanders towards my personal editing team. I know I've touched on how I edit my own work, but I can't forget my Betas.
For anonymity, let's call them A, B, and C. Only one of those is not their initial, but it's a mystery! Also, I wanted this to look uniform...All three of these Betas are close friends, whose opinions I highly trust and value. I know they won't be too hard with my fragile ego, but they are also honest. So first, I want to thank them for all their help over the years. You guys are the best!
Then how exactly does one find a Beta reader? Years ago, I signed up for authonomy.com to gather interest and opinions on my work. I've had a lot of great experiences there, but it wasn't as personal as I would have liked. Still, I highly recommend it to other authors. The next step was the obvious post on Facebook asking for help. A, B, and C all chimed in and I happily swamped them with my writing.
It's always good to find someone who will be honest with you, but you also want to find a Beta who will actually be interested in the story. If someone hates science fiction, you don't want to bog them down with aliens and lasers. Being my friends, I already knew we had similar tastes. While only one of them is a writer, they all have experience in creative work, along with an interest in history. For me, it also helps to have the opinions from people looking at the story instead of nitpicking all the grammar. Am I not detailed enough on the setting? Does the dialog make sense? Is it exciting enough? These three always help answer those questions.
So for anyone out there looking to get published, make sure you have a great team of Betas. They are invaluable. I really lucked out with mine.
For anonymity, let's call them A, B, and C. Only one of those is not their initial, but it's a mystery! Also, I wanted this to look uniform...All three of these Betas are close friends, whose opinions I highly trust and value. I know they won't be too hard with my fragile ego, but they are also honest. So first, I want to thank them for all their help over the years. You guys are the best!
Then how exactly does one find a Beta reader? Years ago, I signed up for authonomy.com to gather interest and opinions on my work. I've had a lot of great experiences there, but it wasn't as personal as I would have liked. Still, I highly recommend it to other authors. The next step was the obvious post on Facebook asking for help. A, B, and C all chimed in and I happily swamped them with my writing.
It's always good to find someone who will be honest with you, but you also want to find a Beta who will actually be interested in the story. If someone hates science fiction, you don't want to bog them down with aliens and lasers. Being my friends, I already knew we had similar tastes. While only one of them is a writer, they all have experience in creative work, along with an interest in history. For me, it also helps to have the opinions from people looking at the story instead of nitpicking all the grammar. Am I not detailed enough on the setting? Does the dialog make sense? Is it exciting enough? These three always help answer those questions.
So for anyone out there looking to get published, make sure you have a great team of Betas. They are invaluable. I really lucked out with mine.
Friday, April 24, 2015
I Stand Alone
When working on several different stories within the same fictional universe, and quite often not in chronological order, it helps to have each one stand on its own. It has been a bit of a struggle for me to keep that in mind when writing new stories because not everyone knows all the little details floating in my head. Vague mysteries are great, but they shouldn't take away from the entire story.
First, I have no idea the order things are actually going to be published in. It rarely is enjoyable to read something where you don't understand what is happening. There is no guarantee my readers will read each and every little scrap I put out there. As much as I would love for it to happen, who knows. Also, you don't know the order they will read the shorts!
The best comparison for what I'm going though in my head is Star Wars. You have the two-soon to be three-trilogies, video games, comic books, and the novels. Ignoring how Disney is rewriting the canon, there are quite a lot of stories going on. As much as I love Star Wars, I haven't read every single piece of the Expanded Universe. I think I've touched about a fourth, and that's being generous. Yet that doesn't detract from my experiences while watching the movies. I can't tell you Han Solo's entire genealogy, but I still love him.
I really can't think of any author who doesn't try to keep to this model, but I seem to keep forgetting in my first draft. The words come out and it all makes sense in my head. When I read it over, I realize half of what's going on is not mentioned at all. My current project is actually about a character who doesn't appear until the second volume of the Gaslight Hunters. It is one of those instances where I could not wait to write about her and this one particular location, even though the first book isn't 100% finished. The Muse sweetly suggested writing about her anyway, writing about her first day in London.
So why not! It won't take away from any of the other novels or shorts. It also gives me an opportunity to build the alternate reality away from the eyes of Esther and Bryan. This particular character is also one of the bridges between the Hunters and the currently unnamed series in Russia ten years earlier. I hope everyone is as excited about this as I am.
First, I have no idea the order things are actually going to be published in. It rarely is enjoyable to read something where you don't understand what is happening. There is no guarantee my readers will read each and every little scrap I put out there. As much as I would love for it to happen, who knows. Also, you don't know the order they will read the shorts!
The best comparison for what I'm going though in my head is Star Wars. You have the two-soon to be three-trilogies, video games, comic books, and the novels. Ignoring how Disney is rewriting the canon, there are quite a lot of stories going on. As much as I love Star Wars, I haven't read every single piece of the Expanded Universe. I think I've touched about a fourth, and that's being generous. Yet that doesn't detract from my experiences while watching the movies. I can't tell you Han Solo's entire genealogy, but I still love him.
I really can't think of any author who doesn't try to keep to this model, but I seem to keep forgetting in my first draft. The words come out and it all makes sense in my head. When I read it over, I realize half of what's going on is not mentioned at all. My current project is actually about a character who doesn't appear until the second volume of the Gaslight Hunters. It is one of those instances where I could not wait to write about her and this one particular location, even though the first book isn't 100% finished. The Muse sweetly suggested writing about her anyway, writing about her first day in London.
So why not! It won't take away from any of the other novels or shorts. It also gives me an opportunity to build the alternate reality away from the eyes of Esther and Bryan. This particular character is also one of the bridges between the Hunters and the currently unnamed series in Russia ten years earlier. I hope everyone is as excited about this as I am.
Monday, April 20, 2015
We have a title!
Oh happy day! Such a happy day! After ages of halfhearted notes with nonsense titles, there is finally a proper series name for The Hunters.
The Gaslight Hunters! And any shorts will be referred to as Gaslight Tales.
This was an idea I had earlier, but wasn't quite sure. Over the weekend, it rolled around in my head some more and I loved it. Originally, I wanted Gaslit Hunters, but everyone I spoke to said it didn't roll off the tongue quite as well. The second idea was Gaslight Inquests, but it sounded to similar to another book. Plus, they refer to themselves as "hunters" so I thought it was more appropriate.
Hopefully you are all just as excited as I am! Plus, more good news is on the horizon!
The Gaslight Hunters! And any shorts will be referred to as Gaslight Tales.
This was an idea I had earlier, but wasn't quite sure. Over the weekend, it rolled around in my head some more and I loved it. Originally, I wanted Gaslit Hunters, but everyone I spoke to said it didn't roll off the tongue quite as well. The second idea was Gaslight Inquests, but it sounded to similar to another book. Plus, they refer to themselves as "hunters" so I thought it was more appropriate.
Hopefully you are all just as excited as I am! Plus, more good news is on the horizon!
Friday, April 17, 2015
What exactly is "Marketability"? And how can I get it?
While I'm not writing for the money (does anyone?), it clearly pays a huge part in the actual procedure of publishing. The story has to be something that people will invest their time and money in. It has to be an easy sell for publishers and agents. Having a good market makes that easier for everyone. But how on earth do I figure out my own market?
I know my genre and I know the audience. Is that enough? Though, if the rejection letters are to be believed, I might not have those two figured out quite right. Not being what they are looking for raises these questions a lot. Either I change to be what they want, or find someone else. Right now, I'm looking for someone who wants the stories I have to tell. I just keep slipping on the nitty gritty.
First, I am starting to get uneasy about where I should start. Do I focus all energies on the shorts or the novels, instead of splititng them like I am. If I focus on the shorts, I'm building up the world and the characters before unveiling the major plot. If I focus on the novels, I focus on the plot and all it's secret. The shorts then fill in the history.
While I'm trying to read more about the inner workings of publishings, I don't feel like I'm getting these answers. I've asked other authors and professors, and have received different responses from each one. I just want to be certian I'm going about things the right way, and not wasting time and efforts. There isn't a magic key to getting published, aside from working constantly at it. I guess that's what I'll just have to keep working on.
My market will appear one of these days. Or I can just make my own.
I know my genre and I know the audience. Is that enough? Though, if the rejection letters are to be believed, I might not have those two figured out quite right. Not being what they are looking for raises these questions a lot. Either I change to be what they want, or find someone else. Right now, I'm looking for someone who wants the stories I have to tell. I just keep slipping on the nitty gritty.
First, I am starting to get uneasy about where I should start. Do I focus all energies on the shorts or the novels, instead of splititng them like I am. If I focus on the shorts, I'm building up the world and the characters before unveiling the major plot. If I focus on the novels, I focus on the plot and all it's secret. The shorts then fill in the history.
While I'm trying to read more about the inner workings of publishings, I don't feel like I'm getting these answers. I've asked other authors and professors, and have received different responses from each one. I just want to be certian I'm going about things the right way, and not wasting time and efforts. There isn't a magic key to getting published, aside from working constantly at it. I guess that's what I'll just have to keep working on.
My market will appear one of these days. Or I can just make my own.
Monday, April 13, 2015
Never Enough Time
Writing does indeed require vast amounts of time. Time plotting and thinking. Time actually writing, and then rewriting. Then time editing! But our characters are just as pressed for time as we are.
Especially when writing historical fiction, one must be wary of time. Even in alternate universes, certain events happen in a certain order. I can't change the dates of the Ripper killings just because I want Esther to be in summer dresses. My desk is currently filled with calendars and lists of dates, with question marks filling in various blank spaces.
Because of the international escapades of the Hunters, I seem to fumble with their time a lot more than with Scarlet. She only leaves England once, where Bryan, Esther, and Thomas leave nearly every month. Plus, the Hunter universe has several other casts whose whereabouts I have to keep track of. Scarlet and her opponents are much more orderly in their crimes. By no means, does that make them any less exciting!
Mysteries tend to need a much shorter time frame than other adventures in my experience. In modern detective shows, you see the pressing need to solve it under 48 hours. In historical, I find many cases are solved in a week or two. Fast paced scenes make for more exciting reads though. Look at Agatha Christie and Arthur Conan Doyle. Her novels are shorter than most, and he wrote mainly short stories. On the other hand, Wilkie Collins did write much longer novels.
In the end, it's the story itself that matters. Not the page or word count. But that story has to happen in a reasonable amount of time, just right on the edge of thrilling and logical. I'm still working on finding that balance myself. Only time will tell if I get it right.
Tuesday, March 31, 2015
The Odd Method of Rewrites
As a follow up to the last post, I'm starting to think my method of rewriting a scene is a bit tedious.
Step 1) identify problem scene.
Step 2) outline how things should happen
Step 3) take the problem scene and paste it into a new Word Doc.
Step 4) write out the new scene either on paper or in a different blank Word Doc.
Step 5) tweak scene just before and after new scene to improve flow.
I used to just edit and rewrite in the original draft. It was faster but the new scene felt jumbled and repetitive. It takes me physically longer to go this way, but it has yet to fail. In a separate page I can look at it as a whole instead of each line I'm on. I used to just rush to meet deadlines but I'm stopping that. The story has to matter first. If I miss a deadline, I'll just send it elsewhere.
Plus, nothing inspires me more than a blank page.
Monday, March 23, 2015
To Keep or Not to Keep?
I am sure I have rattled on plenty of times about my issues with word limits. It means a lot of trimming of the original idea, but every writing advice I've received states "kill your darlings". I don't like it. My novels and stories would never end if I had the choice. But that often drags down the pace and looses a lot of the exciting tension that keeps readers going.
Today's example is a nearly finished short story due by the end of the week. The cap is 4,000, which I just hit. However, there is just one scene left to write. Bryan keeps going back and forth, dancing between arguing with a side character and plunging his blade through a monster's heart. To keep it short, I may have to cut the entire scene I wrote this weekend in half. But what would make a better story? That is the important question.
In my mind, the back and forth was supposed to dig into Bryan's conflict with his desires to follow after his father. This story takes place right before he leaves England, so in the front of his mind he is ready to part with hunting all together. I wanted Bryan to see it would not be so simple for him to walk away, when he knows what he wants deep deep deep deep deep deep down. It was also supposed to introduce more of the Fae Activists. But it does slow down the action. Who really stands around and chats while monsters destroy a drawing room?
Time for rewrites!
Today's example is a nearly finished short story due by the end of the week. The cap is 4,000, which I just hit. However, there is just one scene left to write. Bryan keeps going back and forth, dancing between arguing with a side character and plunging his blade through a monster's heart. To keep it short, I may have to cut the entire scene I wrote this weekend in half. But what would make a better story? That is the important question.
In my mind, the back and forth was supposed to dig into Bryan's conflict with his desires to follow after his father. This story takes place right before he leaves England, so in the front of his mind he is ready to part with hunting all together. I wanted Bryan to see it would not be so simple for him to walk away, when he knows what he wants deep deep deep deep deep deep down. It was also supposed to introduce more of the Fae Activists. But it does slow down the action. Who really stands around and chats while monsters destroy a drawing room?
Time for rewrites!
Friday, March 13, 2015
An Experiment in Serialization
I have decided to try a little experiment here. One of my writing exercises has been this odd little crossover between my two Victorian series. When I can't write anything else or need to just stretch my mind, I dabble with what would happen if the worlds collide. It has been helpful, but I doubted it would amount to much. Then it occurred to me to just try and put it out there.
If you click on the "Grey Jewel" tab above, you can see this story unfold. It isn't very much now, but I update it every now and again. Chronologically, it takes place sometime after the first book of each series. While neither have been published, it seemed somewhat odd to share it with the world. Then I thought, why not? It can't hurt.
You don't really need to know the details of the books to read this. Any substantial knowledge has already been mentioned in my rants here. Consider it an AU fanfic...of my own writing.
I hope you enjoy!
Monday, March 9, 2015
Business or Pleasure?
Today, at my regular day job, one of my co-workers asked me about my writing. She commented that she sees I always have some notebook open with scribbles next to me--not that I'm avoiding doing my day job, it's just that I get ideas at any moment and need something to write with. She then asked if I just did it for fun. Seeing as I just read a thought provoking blog post by Kameron Hurley, I thought I might answer that in a little more detail.
I told her that writing was my passion, and I did dream of becoming a professional and published author one day. But of course it is fun! It's the most fun thing I do all day. Like I told her and many others, I'm full of these stories that just need to come out. I literally get twitchy if I have gone a while with writing something.
With an inbox of rejections looking back at me, I've been wondering lately if that big dream would ever come about. I'm starting to come to better terms with leaving all the worrying aside and having some faith and hope. How can I get published if I'm worrying and not writing? Writing has to be fun, or it only results in an awful pile of garbled words. No one wants to read that. I certainly don't.
I recently had to put a short story on hold because it stopped being fun. I knew I had to finish it by the deadline, but I had no idea how to fill in the plot holes. I stared at the blank screen for hours, all while other ideas tempted the back of my mind. When I tried to force out anything, it became a chore and the story suffered. By working on the "fun" ideas, I was able to recharge and actually think of a better idea for the story on hold. While it means finishing it in the distant future, I feel better about not forcing out something I didn't like. In that time, I finished two other new stories.
But I have to think of the business side too, which also played into the reason for putting that story on hold. The semi-original plan is to have prequel short stories being out before or right after Resurrected Thief comes out. Now waiting on answers and not knowing when anything will get accepted does often cause issues with that plan, but it hasn't changed my motivation. I have to brand or establish my Victorian fantasy to publishers and the world. Unfortunately, stories about dragons and elves sent thousands and thousands of years earlier, doesn't exactly help. Nor does the fact it doesn't all make sense without a glimpse at my master plan.
Like I said before, I don't want to pigeon hole myself. At the same time, I want to show that this alternate world of mind is world worth investing in. I'm not quite in any of the established genres yet, but I have to show that isn't a bad thing after all. But I have to do it while having fun, or there really isn't much of a point to it.
I told her that writing was my passion, and I did dream of becoming a professional and published author one day. But of course it is fun! It's the most fun thing I do all day. Like I told her and many others, I'm full of these stories that just need to come out. I literally get twitchy if I have gone a while with writing something.
With an inbox of rejections looking back at me, I've been wondering lately if that big dream would ever come about. I'm starting to come to better terms with leaving all the worrying aside and having some faith and hope. How can I get published if I'm worrying and not writing? Writing has to be fun, or it only results in an awful pile of garbled words. No one wants to read that. I certainly don't.
I recently had to put a short story on hold because it stopped being fun. I knew I had to finish it by the deadline, but I had no idea how to fill in the plot holes. I stared at the blank screen for hours, all while other ideas tempted the back of my mind. When I tried to force out anything, it became a chore and the story suffered. By working on the "fun" ideas, I was able to recharge and actually think of a better idea for the story on hold. While it means finishing it in the distant future, I feel better about not forcing out something I didn't like. In that time, I finished two other new stories.
But I have to think of the business side too, which also played into the reason for putting that story on hold. The semi-original plan is to have prequel short stories being out before or right after Resurrected Thief comes out. Now waiting on answers and not knowing when anything will get accepted does often cause issues with that plan, but it hasn't changed my motivation. I have to brand or establish my Victorian fantasy to publishers and the world. Unfortunately, stories about dragons and elves sent thousands and thousands of years earlier, doesn't exactly help. Nor does the fact it doesn't all make sense without a glimpse at my master plan.
Like I said before, I don't want to pigeon hole myself. At the same time, I want to show that this alternate world of mind is world worth investing in. I'm not quite in any of the established genres yet, but I have to show that isn't a bad thing after all. But I have to do it while having fun, or there really isn't much of a point to it.
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