WIP Wed. - Dear Teen Me, Updates, and Questions

 

Okay, I haven't done one of these in a while, but there are a lot of different things going on, so I figured a WIP Wednesday was in order. :)

 

First things first, yesterday was my turn on the Dear Teen Me blog. If you're not familiar with it, it's an awesome site put together by authors E. Kristin Anderson and Miranda Kenneally where authors write letters to their teenage selves. I would describe it, but I think they do a better job on the website, so here's the description:

 

Teenagers of the world, Dear Teen Me is for you.
For everyone who wishes they were on the football team. For everyone who would rather be in the glee club than ever run another lap. For the teens who dream of being far, far away from the small town or big city where they go to school. The prom queens, the theater kids, the band geeks, the bad boys, the good girls, the loners, the stoners, the class presidents, the juvenile delinquents, the jocks and the nerds.
The teens who have good days and bad days and sometimes really really really bad days.
This is for you.


Pretty awesome idea, right? So yesterday was my letter. If you'd like to a) go chuckle at my truly horrid picture from 8th grade, complete with flannel shirt and b) confirm that in fact that I've always been a dork, I encourage you to click  here and do so. And if you're feeling generous, I'd love for you to leave a comment as well. :) Then of course, go through and read the archives because there are truly some amazing letters on the site.

 

Alright, now for some updates:

Exposure Therapy's title change -- No news yet. I've offered my suggestions and my editor will take a look at those. I hope to hear something soon. And I'll be sure to let everyone know as soon as I have it because I am SO EXCITED to hear what it's going to be. :)

Berkley Book 2 Draft -- I hit a rough two months where I've struggled with which direction to go. Over the last two weeks, I've work backwards, changed some plot elements, and started threading the suspense portion in. The word count is now climbing again. Phew. I'm now at the halfway point in the draft.

Wanderlust -- If you're a new follower, you may not know about this one, but this is a category-length romance I wrote before Exposure Therapy. Good news--it's still alive. :) Can't go into details but I'll be tackling some revisions after I finish drafting my current book and may have a shot to get this one on the shelves one day too! *fingers crossed*

Questions...


Alright, in addition to the updates, I thought this would be a good post to open up for questions. I've been getting emails from some of you asking me things about blogging, writing, balancing writing with motherhood, etc. I love getting those emails, but I thought today it would be fun if anyone wants to throw out questions here on the blog. That way everyone can see the questions and answers. :)  I will either answer the questions in the comments or if we get enough, I'll do a separate post with the questions and answers.

So ask away, I'm an open book (mostly). :) And also, let me know how your WIP is going? Am I the only one who's been beating her head against the keyboard lately?

WIP Wednesday and Seeking Betas

 

So I'm almost there...I can see it in the distance...the end.  I'm at 71,700 words as of this morning.  I'm thinking I'll probably get to around 80k before I type "the end".  I also have a chapter earlier in the book I left hanging that I need to finish, so I'm not sure where that will leave the word count.

 

I know there is a lot of work still to be done.  Beyond editing, I have a number of threads that I added later in the book (yes, pantsing my way along) that I have to go setup in the earlier chapters.  But I'm seriously excited about wrapping up the final chapters.  I've mentioned before that I struggle with endings, so once I have that on paper, I feel much better.  Editing and revising are much more comfortable for me (meaning I'm not a manic ball of anxiety like I am when I'm drafting), so I look forward to entering that stage.

Now, all this means that soon I will need beta readers.  Yes, I have a critique group.  They rock.  However, only one of the members is an erotic romance reader, so the rest don't feel qualified to crit this WIP.  (Plus, I understand that this genre is niche and not for everyone.)  So, I'm putting the call out.

I know most of you don't read this genre, but if anyone out there is an erotic romance reader (or writer) and you'd be willing to beta read for me, please email me (button in top right sidebar).  I'm looking for global feedback vs. line edit type crits.  Obviously, I'd be willing to crit your work back if you're a writer.  If you're interested, we could start with a few chapters to see if we fit as betas.  (Fair warning:  Before you volunteer, know that this book is not a spicy romance, it's erotic romance.  If you haven't read Harlequin Spice/Ellora's Cave/Berkley Heat type books, then this may not be the right fit.)

Alright, so how is your WIP coming?  Do you usually know where your word count is going to land?

**Today's Theme Song**
"This Is a Call" - Foo Fighters
(player in sidebar, take a listen)


 

WIP Wednesday: I Hate Endings

 


So I've hit 60k on the WIP--woot!  BUT that also means I'm staring down the climax and ending, the final act--which just sends me burying my head in the sand.

 

Can I make a confession?  Writing endings is the bane of my existence.  I always struggle with getting my head around those final few chapters.

I know where I want things to end up--in romance, that's pretty obvious--happily ever after.  I know who my bad guy/gal is in my suspense subplot.  Know what needs to be revealed.  But how I get all that out and make it climactic and satisfying (and not melodramatic or predictable or contrived or clichéd) is proving to be challenging,

So here I sit, with the end in sight but out of reach.  Totally stuck.  Bleh.  I need this thing done.  I live in a state of unrest during the rough draft phase.  I'm ready for the next step, which I find much more comfortable--revising and rewriting.

Now back to staring into space, trying to put all the necessary puzzle pieces together to craft my final few chapters.

So how about you?  Where are you at with your WIP?  Which part of the novel do your struggle with writing the most (beginning, middle, end)?  Do you enjoy drafting or revising more?

 

**Today's Theme Song**
"It Ends Tonight" - All-American Rejects
(player in sidebar, take a listen)


 

WIP Wednesday and Blogfest Reminder

 


I've been a woman possessed this week.  Since last Wednesday, I've added 12k words to my WIP.  Hollah!  I wish I could tie up my muse and force him (yes, he's male, I write romance, people) to stick around until I finish this thing--but he doesn't respond well to threats.  So I will exploit him while he's here and get everything I can out of this streak.

 

I'm also happy to report that during this streak I've been able to just write without that b*tch of an internal editor (yes, she's a chick) holding me back.  I know that I'll have to go back and revise and tighten up motivations, inject better words for the place-holding adverbs and weak verbs, and deal with how best to arrange the chapters in this dual timeline story, but the story  is On. The. Page.  Which is most important for me right now.  I'm still not sure how long this one will end up being, but I'm thinking another 20-30k will get me to where I want to go.

 Then I can enter my favorite part of the process--revising.  (Yes, I know, I'm insane to enjoy that part.  But once I have a rough draft, my anxiety level decreases and my mind can relax and see the story more clearly.)

Alright, now a friendly reminder: next Tuesday is the Let's Talk Blogfest!  We have seventy people signed up, so if you want to be part of the cool kids, go here and sign up.  It's going to be a lot of fun and get can all kinds of new people to your blog (and there's even a prize involved).  For those of you who have signed up--thanks--and I hope you've got your excerpt ready.  I look forward to reading everyone's contributions.  :)

So, how's your WIP going?  What's the gender of your muse or internal editor?  Do you find you write in big bursts then hit a wall and have to wait for the next streak to hit or are you more methodical?

 

**Today's Theme Song**
"Don't Go Away" - Buckcherry
(player in sidebar, take a listen)


 

WIP Wednesday: Submissions, Crit Groups, and Nashville

 



I received an update on my submission to Harlequin this week, so I thought this would be a perfect time for a WIP Wednesday.  I haven't done one in a long while and there are a number of things that could stand for a little update love.  So here we go...


My Wanderlust Submission


I queried Harlequin Blaze eight months ago.  Three months later they requested my full and told me to expect a 3-5 month wait on turnaround.  I will hit the five month mark in a about a week.  So, when I won the Great Expectations contest (and got a recommendation from the Harlequin editor who judged the contest), I sent a follow-up letter (Harlequin does everything by snail mail) and settled in to wait again.


This week I received the terrifying soul-sucking bane of my existence self-addressed stamped envelope.  My husband handed it to me with that look - like he was preparing his I-love-you-and-you're-awesome-no-matter-what-some-editor-says speech.  So, I tore open the letter and--thank the heavens--it was only an update.  *phew*  The editor congratulated me on the contest win and assured me that I'm on top of her to be read pile.  So, I need all  of you to send positive thoughts in Canada's direction (where their offices are) that the read goes well.


My Critique Group


After feeling like a literary agent for a week, reading through all the contest entries, we have chosen not one but two new members for our group!  The amount of talented people who applied to the contest was awesome, so it was not an easy decision.  But I am excited to welcome Suzanne and Katrina to our little group!


The Beta Club


I'm on the fence about whether or not I should continue the Tues/Thur Beta Club feature here on the blog.  Comments have been dropping off and yesterday the number of comments was downright dismal.  And that was not due to the entry--which was a delight to read.  I know putting yourself up for public critique is difficult enough, but it's even harder when you put yourself out there and then you get no comments.  So I don't want to put authors through that if they are not getting a decent payoff from it.  And I don't want this to just be about me giving someone a critique.  The variety of opinions is what makes the feature so helpful to authors.  So if everyone is tiring of the feature, that's fine.  We'll move on.  If not, then let me know that too.  (Either way, if you have already submitted to the Beta Club, you will get a crit from me.  If I do decide to discontinue the feature, I will just send the crit to you privately.)


My Current WIPs


I'm 41k into my erotic romance.  I still think I'm a little nuts to do this dual timeline thing, but I feel like it's what the story needs, so I'm striding on in my insanity.  I'm not sure how long this one is going to be, but at 40k, I figure I'm at least halfway through.  So yay for that.


My contemporary romance WIP is at 18k and I'm starting it with my crit group.  I'm hoping to get the other WIP fully drafted before diving headlong back into this one.  As I discussed on Monday, drafting two at once is a major challenge for my one-track mind.


RWA Nationals


As many of you know, I recently signed up to attend RWA Nationals in Nashville, which I was very excited about.  Unfortunately, the city of Nashville have suffered a devastating flood--which has also ruined the Gaylord Opryland hotel, where our conference was going to be held.  So, right now, things are up in the air.  RWA is looking to move it somewhere else if they can.  But they book these things ten years in advance and it's a big convention, so not an easy task.  Hopefully they don't cancel it altogether.  But more importantly, I hope you will all keep the people of Nashville in your thoughts.  Having grown up in New Orleans, I know how horrible flooding can be, so I hope the city can get on its feet soon.  And speaking of New Orleans, please send positive thoughts to the Gulf Coast as well with that terrible oil spill.


Alright, I think that's all the updates!  Sorry for the mishmash, but I wanted to make sure I hit all these topics.  


So, how is your WIP going?  Do you have any submissions out there that you're waiting on?  What's your feeling about the Beta Club--nix it or keep going?

**Today's Theme Song**
"Everything" - Buckcherry
(player in sidebar, take a listen)

 

Writer's Insomnia

 


I apologize if this blog post isn't totally coherent.  I have developed a case of writer's insomnia.  You know the disease where you're dead tired, but as soon as the lights go out, your mind goes into overdrive?  Daytime side effects include spending more time listening to the voices in your head than you do talking to your family, putting the milk carton in the pantry and the cereal in the refrigerator, and watching entire tv shows but not remembering anything that you saw.

 

This tends to happen when I have a new WIP.  My brains decides to store away all plot problems, scene ideas, or conflict issues into a file that it only drags out at night.  So instead of drifting off to the land of Nod, I end up running dialogue and story threads in my head until three in the morning.  Then, just when I think I'm going to fall asleep, an idea hits me that I fear will be lost by daylight, so I grab my notebook and jot down incoherent notes--waking myself up all over again.

*yawn*  I enjoy the creative process, but if I don't get some sleep my WIP is going to sound like a first grade reader:  Jack is nice. Jane loves Jack. He feeds her cake.


I'm not sure what the cure is beyond continuing to write so that everything gets on the page and out of my head, so it may be a while before I get a good night's sleep.  But I'm open to remedies if anyone has any.

So how about you?  Do you ever suffer from this affliction?  What do you do to get some sleep?  And how long can milk sit in the pantry before it goes bad?

 
 

 
*Today's Theme Song**
"Brain Stew" - Green Day
(player in sidebar--go ahead, take a listen)


 

Back To the Future: Stories with Dual Timelines

 

 


Lately, in an attempt to stretch my pantser self, I have been trying to outline my new WIP before writing it.  I made it to chapter six before getting itchy and starting to write a bit, but that's okay, right?  Right?  Alright, so I cheated a bit, but it's progress at least.  :)

 

So anyway, part of this process involved fleshing out the characters' backstories.  Backstory is one of my favorite things to come up with.  It may be because of my psychology background, but digging deep into what makes a character who he/she is fascinates me.  So I'm used to having a pretty extensive backstory and accept that only about 10% will make it into the actual story.

However, this time, the backstory started to take on a life of its own.  My story is going to have a major suspense/mystery thread, and I found that the crime that happened in the past ties to the crime that happens in the present.  My romance thread also has story in both times because my hero and heroine had a relationship ten years before and now are thrown back together in the present.  SO, I started to get this urge to write a story with a dual time line.

This means I would have "two nows" as author Charlotte Rains describes it.  I would have chapters take place in the year 2000 and then chapters that happen in the present.  All would be told in real time--meaning, the past chapters would not have that hindsight perspective coloring it.

I've read a few books that use this structure, including Deeper by Megan Hart, which I reviewed a while back, and I've enjoyed the style.  However, I have to say I'm a bit intimidated by it.  I'd basically have to have two complete stories that eventually weave together.

Each storyline has a distinct narrative arc, with its own conflicts, disasters, and troubles for the characters, and its own forward movement and mounting action.--Charlotte Rains

That seems like a lot to keep a handle on, especially when this is my virgin attempt at suspense.  But what good is being a pantser if you don't take a risk every now and again?  And I kinda love the idea of writing my character as an 18-year-old and then as a 28-year-old because I can play with the voice a bit.  So, as of right now, I'm going to give it a shot and see how it goes.

 

But I wanted to ask you guys.  What do you think of books with dual timelines/story lines?  Have you read any that used this structure?  Is it distracting?  Should I just suck it up and try to figure out how to slip in this vital backstory in flashbacks? Let me know your thoughts.

 
 
 
 
 

*Today's Theme Song**
"Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)" - Green Day
(player in sidebar--go ahead, take a listen)


 

WIP Wednesday: It's Been a While

 

 



Today: Updates on my WIP, writer websites, and fighting vile spammers.

 

 

WIP


Okay, so you know when these WIP Wednesdays start mysteriously disappearing over here that I'm struggling with a draft.  I have two story starts with the same characters.  One has about 18k words, the other 6k.  I like them both and hate them both, if you know what I mean.  In the first I'm having trouble nailing down believable motivation for my heroine.  I know her backstory, I know where I want the story to go, but I have to come up with the thing that gives her enough motivation to make the decision that starts the plot.  I've agonized over this piece of the puzzle but I haven't landed on the "fix" for it yet.

 

The second story start, I like, but I think the story would need to go down a steamier path than the first book to make the most sense.  I have no issue writing an erotic romance, but this book is supposed to be the second in the series and Wanderlust is a sexy/sensual romance, but not erotic.  Here's the difference from Passionate Ink, in case you're wondering what the difference is:
 

Erotic Romance: stories written about the development of a romantic relationship through sexual interaction. The sex is an inherent part of the story, character growth, and relationship development, and couldn’t be removed without damaging the storyline. Happily Ever After is a REQUIREMENT to be an erotic romance.
Sexy Romance: stories written about the development of a romantic relationship that just happen to have more explicit sex. The sex could easily be removed or “toned down” without damaging the storyline. Happily Ever After is a REQUIREMENT as this is basically a standard romance with hotter sex.

 

So there is my quandary.  And this has paralyzed my writing, which is driving me nuts.  I'm wondering if I should just work on some completely new idea and come back to these--although I hate doing that.  So, I dunno.  Maybe I'll throw out both to my crit group and see which start grabs them more.

 

Websites


Alright, moving on to websites.   Last week I asked your opinions on pre-published authors getting websites. Most seemed to agree that waiting until you have an agent or book deal is your preference.  I still haven't decided what I want to do.  But I did (based on commenters advice) reserve my domain.  So now, if you type in www.ronigriffin.com, it redirects you here to Fiction Groupie.  (For those of you interested, you can do this at godaddy.com.  It only costs like eleven bucks to reserve your domain for a year.  So not bad.  And that doesn't mean you have to have your website with them, all you're buying is the use of the name.  You can point that name to whatever site you like.)

 

 

Vile Spammers


Lastly, spammers.  I know we all get them.  It's unavoidable.  Some of us use the dreaded verification word as a defense (although that doesn't totally fix it) and some of us require comment approval to help with it.  I'm not a fan of either--the first because it slows things down, the second because when the comment has to be approved first, you can't see if your comment came up right and it hampers the commenting conversation.

 

So, what I've done is set up that comments require approval only if the post the person is commenting on was posted more than two days ago.  (You can do this in your blogger settings.)  This has helped tremendously because most spammers (sneaky bastards) go and comment on old posts so they can slide in without you noticing.  Changing the setting prevents that because those comments then need your approval before posting.  Just thought I'd share since it's helped a lot with my spam issues.

Okay, that's it.  I know it was a bit of a random day, but every blogger needs those once in a while, right?

How's your WIP going?  What do you do to deal with spam?  And for those of you who didn't see last week's post on websites, what's your opinion of having an official website before you have a book deal?

 
 
 

**Today's Theme Song**
"Unwritten" - Natasha Bedingfield
(player in sidebar--go ahead, take a listen)


 

WIP, Award, and Q & A

 

I actually have progress to report! Okay, well 800 words isn't so wonderful, BUT it's the first pages and those seem to be the hardest for me. And now that I'm reading Hooked, my self-inflicted first line/page/chapter pressure has increased exponentially. (Great book so far, btw. I'll do a post on it soon.)
So I'll count this as progress and post the new WIP in my sidebar even though it's not that many words and probably 300 need to be cut because I had a character show up and try to trump my hero--not good. How does that happen? I just intended him to strode into the scene to add a bit of information, and all of sudden he's exchanging witty banter with my MC. Down boy, you're not supposed to be the hero.
On a different note, I wanted to thank Stephanie at Steph in the City for the Honest Scrap award. I know most of you follow her, but if you're not, you're missing out. She has the uncanny ability of coming up with a topic every day that I can't help but comment on. Thanks again, Steph!
I'm passing this on to five people who I feel are great at being open and honest in their posts.
1. Stacey @ Stacey's Respite
2. Donna @ Donna Hole
5. Tina Lynn @ Sweet Niblets
And speaking of honesty, instead of listing ten honest things about myself, I'm going to steal an idea that a few bloggers around town (Stephanie, Stacey, and Sierra) have been doing. The inquisition! Okay, well not that harsh, just q&a.
I don't share a ton of personal information on here, so now's your chance to ask any questions you may have for me. Nothing is off limits. Although if you ask me my weight or something, your comment may be "accidentally" skipped. ;) So ask away. I'll answer them in a future post.
So what do you want to know?

**Today's Theme Song**
"Welcome to My Life" - Simple Plan
(player in sidebar, go ahead and take a listen)

 

WIP Wednesday & Choosing a New Baby

 


First off, I want to say thank you to all you guys and gals that follow my blog and regularly comment. I've passed the 75 followers mark and am so grateful to all of you. Your comments and your blogs are such a wealth of information and insight, I can't believe I waited so long to join the blogging world. You guys rock!
Now for WIP Wednesday. I can't say that I have too much to report. Since I was on vacation much of last week, I only managed to revise two chapters in my WIP. The good news is I'm almost through the first round of edits. It's gone way quicker than I expected, so I'm happy about that. It helps that the book is category length, so it's 30k less words to slog through than my first manuscript.
So now that I'm getting close to round one edits being over, I'm itching to start another project. I feel restless when I'm not writing. I have a few ideas knocking around in the bat cave, but I haven't decided which baby to choose yet. 
The most developed idea is for a YA (non-supernatural) romance. I also wrote Shadow Falls with intent for a sequel, so I could start that. Although, I have this superstitious thing about starting a sequel to a book that isn't agented yet.
Also, I had so much fun writing the adult romance I just finished, that I'm wondering if I should do another one of those. I have a suspense storyline in my idea notebook that I could turn into an adult romantic suspense. Hmm. Decisions. Decisions.
How do you decide which project is the perfect one to start next? Do you stick to writing the same genre or switch around? Do you start sequels before the first book has gotten picked up? How's your WIP going?
**Today's Theme Song**
"Perfect One" - Lit
(player in sidebar--go ahead, take a listen, everyone needs a love song in their day)

 

WIP Wednesday & Thoughts on Beta-Reading

 

So I'm cruising along the editing train. I've made it to the halfway point in first round revisions with my romance. Woo-hoo. :) I will have a lot more to do once my critique group goes through it, but progress is progress. I did not meet my goal of writing a query letter for book two. I started, got frustrated, then put it away. *sigh* Why are these letters so darn tough? I'll keep it on my goals for next week.
For those of you not in a critique group or a beta-reading exchange, I highly recommend it. Even a few weeks in, I find my critical eye strengthening. Things I would have glazed over and not noticed before are not popping out to me as I read through my manuscript. In addition, I've learned a few new rules that I wasn't aware of (more of that in another post.) It also means I'm getting tougher as a beta-reader/critiquer for others. So those of you who I'm beta reading/critiquing for, don't take it personally if more comments are popping up on your chapters than before. It's not you, it's me. :)
I've also found that each beta-reader has their own pet peeves that they consistently point out. I think I'm obsessed with flow. The comment I find myself making most often is "awkward, reword". I hate making this comment because it sounds vague. There isn't one thing I can point out that's wrong, the sentence just makes me stumble when I read it. It's a rhythm thing. My rule is I make note of it if I falter on the sentences in both read-throughs. Hopefully, I'm not pissing off my buddies with this incessant comment, lol.
*Note: I'll be heading to Louisiana tomorrow to visit family for a long weekend, so I won't be around the next two days. I'm going to try to figure out auto-post, but you probably won't see me commenting on your own blogs for the rest of the week.*
So how is your WIP going? Do you have beta-readers or critique group? What pet peeve do you always point out when critiquing?
**Today's Theme Song**
"Cry" - Kelly Clarkson
(player in sidebar--go ahead, take a listen)
**This song doesn't match the post, but I saw Kelly in concert this past weekend and loved this song. Thought I would share.**

 

WIP Wednesday & Award

 

It's that time of the week again. I feel like kind of a slacker because I'm now in revising mode vs. writing mode so I don't have a word count to report. However, I have done a first round revision on five chapters of my romance so that I could submit them to my crit buddies. So I feel pretty good about that.
I also have been doing a lot of critiquing for others which has been a nice break from staring at my own words incessantly. :) Critiquing is hard work and being critiqued can be painful, but I think both sides of it are invaluable learning experiences. Hopefully, we will all come out the other side stronger writers.
This week I think I'm going to attempt to draft a query letter for the romance. The novel is, by no means, ready to be sent into the world, but I want to have that letter done and waiting once I'm through with revisions. Last time I waited until the end and my brain was so fried that the query letter seemed beyond overwhelming to write. I'm hoping *crossing fingers* that this second query letter will be easier. The story is WAY more straightforward than my YA. No supernatural, no mythology, no world building. So we'll see. I have a feeling I'll still end up half-bald with hair-pulling.
So now for an award. Lazy Writer and Anna C. Morrison have passed along the Splish Splash award to me. This award is for a dazzling blog. I'm so excited to find out that my little site dazzles. I'm like a vampire, oh wait, that's sparkles, never mind. :)
Thanks ladies! Both of their sites received the award as well, so if you haven't checked them out, I highly recommend it.
And now to pass it on. I'm picked five people that I read regularly but that I haven't passed along an award to yet.
2. T. Anne at White Platonic Dreams
4. Mandi at Smexy Books
5. Weronika at Weronika Janczuk
So how's your WIP going? (Feel free to leave a link in the comments section for your WIP Wed. update.) Is anyone else going through the critiquing stage right now? What are you critters catching that you totally missed?
**Today's Theme Song**
"Misery Business" - Paramore
(player in sidebar--go ahead, take a listen)
Okay, so only the title works and not the lyrics when referring to querying, but it's a good song anyway. :)

 

Work In Progress Wednesday #4

 

*wipes sweat off forehead* Hallelujah. I just fixed my internet. After spending my entire evening on the phone with Time Warner (fun times), I went to bed and still had no internet. This morning, nothing had changed. So I've spent the last two hours playing with buttons and functions I shouldn't touch and lo and behold--internet! I have no idea what I did to fix it (something about DNS servers and IP addresses, who knows), but I'm not complaining.
Okay, so now for good 'ol WIP Wednesday. The one benefit of having no internet yesterday was that I was able to finish the rough draft of Wanderlust. Woo-hoo! It's a thousand words shy of where I wanted to be, but I'm a layerer. When I revise, I add words vs. cut, so I don't doubt that it will get to where it needs to be during revision. Therefore, I'm going to focus on the fact that I was able to type THE END. :)
As for the other manuscript, it is now with two agents. I sent out my newly revised query letter a week or so ago and received a request for a partial! :) So that means one agency has a full, the other a partial. I'm sure it will be a decent wait to hear back from either of them, but I'll let everyone know when I have more info.
This week has also been a good week for contests for me. I won a three chapter critique from Once Upon a Crime, so I'm excited about that. I'll let ya'll know how it goes. And I also was selected for a spot in a romance critique group, Rumored Romantics, over at Lynnette Labelle's site Chatterbox Chitchat. I'm really happy about becoming a member because I have been wanting to join a critique group for a while. Hopefully, all these things will help me grow as a writer.
So I think that's it for now. I'll be spending my day doing some beta reading and critiquing since I was sans computer yesterday.
How's your WIP going? Feel free to leave a link for your WIP post in the comments.

 

Work In Progress Wednesday #3

 

I'm a week behind on this update, so this is actually going to be my progress over the last two weeks.
First, I would like to give a shout out (do people still say that or am I a complete dork? lol) to Lynnette at Chatterbox Chit Chat for giving me the Kreativ blogger award. Since I just posted on that award a few days ago, I will spare you seven more things about me. I'm not that interesting. But I wanted to thank Lynette and also recommend her site to those of you who haven't checked it out yet. She has some great information over there.
Also, I am so excited to see that I have hit 50 followers. Thanks you guys! I feel so lucky to have met so many great people since I've started blogging. Who knew this could be so fun?
Alright, now for the nitty gritty.
I was cruising along on my current WIP the week before last. I added 4k words and am now within a chapter and epilogue of finishing the first draft. I probably would have finished if not for the surprise request from that agent on my previous novel. I immediately put down my current project to dive back into that one and make the necessary edits (based on a previous agent's feedback).
So last week, I did nothing but revise that novel. I didn't blog, I barely slept, my toddler watched way too much Barney, my husband cooked dinner for the first time in probably a year. I stayed up until 2am each night. It was ugly. I went line by line. I murdered prologues, cut entire chapters, and executed adverbs and dialogue tags without mercy. I also rewrote three entire chapters, reworked the mythology, and completely changed the ending. By the end of the week, I had written 6500 new words. The process was hellacious but I am much happier with the new version, so hopefully the agent likes it too.
So that's it for me. How's your WIP going?

 

Work In Progress Wednesday #1

 

 

 

So I've noticed that a number of my bloggy friends participate in WIP Wednesday, where they report on their writing status. I enjoy reading others updates, so I thought I may give it a shot as well. This week has not been productive in word count. I've managed to get 2000 words done, which is less than I had hoped. However, I had been stuck at one point in the book for a while, and was not sure how I wanted to proceed for the final five chapters. (This is the plight of my pantser plan instead of the well organized plotter way. I know where my characters need to get to, but not sure how I want them to get there.) But luckily, yesterday, I had a breakthrough and finally know what I want to do with them. Woo-hoo! So, I'm going to count this week as a success.

Here is an excerpt from my very rough draft:

(redacted)--oops you missed it! Only posted temporarily.

That's it for now. How's your WIP going?