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: Facing Down the Query


So I've been productive this past week after a few weeks of banging my head against the wall.  I finished the chapter that was giving me fits.  Then, I realized because of how that chapter worked out, I needed ANOTHER chapter.  It was starting to feel like the neverending draft.  But anyway, I banged out both, added a scene I needed somewhere else and ended up adding 4k words to the manuscript.

That means I can finally say that this sucker is D-O-N-E done at 88k.  Now I'll just be editing and revising as I work through it with my betas.  And I'm facing down the super fun task of writing the query letter and synopsis.  I'm hoping to have a query letter at least drafted before I leave for RWA Nationals next week, so that when I come home (with my head chock full of information and the agents I want to query), I'll have something to work with.

On the flipside, I'm hoping that I don't come home after going to all those workshops and want to change everything about the book, lol.  Sometimes too much information can be dangerous.  :)  But we'll see.

So, hopefully I'll be entering the query wars soon.  It's been a while, so I'm looking forward to it.  I just want to make sure everything is ready to go before I hit send.  I've learned the hard way that you need to have everything all set before querying.  My first novel, I received a full request one week after querying and they wanted a synopsis.  So I don't ever want to be rushing like that again.

How is your WIP going?  Have you ever gone to a workshop that made you want to change everything about your story?  Is anyone else going to RWA Nationals next week?


**Today's Theme Song**
"The Letter" - The Boxtops
(player in sidebar, take a listen)

WIP Wednesday and Openings

 

I know last week I told you guys that I wrote "The End" on my WIP.  That is true.  However, what I failed to mention was there was one chapter in the middle that I hadn't finished.  I thought I knew where I wanted to go with it, but then when I tried to write it, it didn't work how I wanted it to.  So I've literally been writing, rewriting, scrapping, and starting over for about two weeks now.  It's driving me crazy.  I WILL get this book done by the time I go to RWA Nationals at the end up the month.  I will.  You hear that muse--wherever your sorry butt has flitted off to?  You put down that martini and get back here.


Alright, now the other thing I'm a bit stressed about it my beginning.  Some betas have said that it could to the first meet (hero and heroine) faster--which happens about five pages in.  Others say that the few pages of seeing my MC on a bad date and getting to know her a bit before the big moment works because then they're invested of knowing what her life is like before the point of change.  Then yesterday, during beta club, a commenter (Amelia) mentioned that she's sick of the must open with immediate action structure because you don't have time to care about the characters before the big action.


I've also referenced an article in the past by Jane at Writer's Digest about the Biggest Bad Advice About Story Openings.  Here's what she had to say:

The action ought to have context—and be as grounded as possible in a character that we're already starting to love.

 
 
 
 

Michael Hauge also said something similar when I went to his Screenplay workshop.  He said in movies, there is a setup.  The first few minutes of the movie usually let us see the characters in their every day lives before the big turning point/inciting incident.  I never really paid attention to this, but now I can't stop noticing it, lol.  I watched Hot Tub Time Machine with the hubs this weekend and the first five or so minutes of the movie is seeing each of the characters living their lives.  If we just started with them jumping into the time machine--we wouldn't be invested.

I personally loathe an opening where someone is running through the woods from some unknown force or they are in the middle of a car crash or someone has a gun to the MC's head for this very reason.  I don't know the character yet, so I don't care if they die.  Harsh, but true.

So how do we decide if a setup works for our book?  And how fast should the setup be? *shrug*  I'm trying to figure that out.  My plan right now is to trim some of the dialogue on my MC's bad date, but still have it there.  Maybe get her and the hero to meet by page three or four.  But we'll see how it goes.  First, I need to get that troublesome chapter out of the way.

So what's your opinion?  Does your book have a "setup" or glimpse into the MC's every day life before the big change?  How do you feel about books that jump right into it without that?  What are some of your favorite openings in books or movies?

**Today's Theme Song**
"Who Are You?" - The Who
(player in sidebar, take a listen)


 

WIP Wednesday: Typing THE END

 


So I'm doing a happy dance because this weekend, I was finally able to type THE END on my current WIP!  Woo-hoo!  I know that there is editing to be done, scenes to add, threads to plant, and holes to fill, but there's nothing like reaching the end of a rough draft.

 

As I've mentioned before, I live in a harried state when I'm drafting.  My mind is buried in the book, I'm frantic when I hit a wall because I think--is this going to be the one that I can't finish?  It's and exciting and creative time, but also pretty stressful for me.  This is why I wish I was a plotter--the unknown scares the bejeebers out of me, but alas, no matter how hard I try, my brain doesn't work that way.

And I have the unused scene file to prove it.  This book landed at right under 84k (I anticipate it will grow as I revise because there are some scenes I know I need to add), but my cut file--17,000 words.  Ugh.  More than fifty pages of stuff I can't use because they were scenes that led me in the wrong direction or weren't working.  It is what it is.  Apparently, this is my process.

Anyway, I'm now jumping into revisions.  My awesome beta readers are going over the first three chapters now and the feedback I've gotten back so far has been really positive.  So perhaps I haven't totally screwed myself doing the dual timeline structure.  *breathes sigh of relief*  Although, I'm diligently ignoring the fact that I'm going to have to write a synopsis for something with two timelines, two story trajectories, separate character arcs (for the same characters but at different times).  *grabs paper bag, breathes in and out*

What were we talking about again?  Right.  Unicorns and butterflies and rainbows.  Nice, happy positive things.

So, how's your WIP going?  What do you do to celebrate when you write THE END?  Am I the only one who gets panicked every time I hit a wall, convinced that it's going to be THE wall that kills the story?

**Today's Theme Song**
"Maybe It's Just Me" - Butch Walker
(player in sidebar, take a listen)


 

WIP Wednesday & Death of the Beta Club

 


I'm still working on the final chapter (chapters?) of my book.  *sigh*  This last love scene is giving me fits.  Don't ever let it be said that sex is easy to write--especially when so much emotion needs to be conveyed in a scene as well.  I need this one to be romantic and sweet and now-we-realize-we-were-always-meant-for-each-other.  BUT I also need it to be smoking hot for my not-so-conservative couple.

 

So, I will continue to work on it and I hope next week I'll be able to report to you guys that I wrote "the end".

Now, one other quick note.  Comments on the Beta Club have continued to drop off.  I'm starting to stress for the authors who volunteer because they are putting themselves out there and then only getting my feedback, which was not the point.  (Thank you, btw, to those of you who have commented.  I really appreciate it.)  So I'm going to close submissions and only continue the feature until I get through the queue of people who have already submitted.

I'm not sure if you guys just don't have time or interest in reading the excerpts and crit (which is fine) or if people are reading it and just reluctant to comment because a) I've covered the things they thought of or b) don't feel comfortable giving feedback to someone.  Either way, it seems the feature has run its course.  Thanks to the authors who have bravely submitted over the last few months. I've enjoyed reading your work. :)

So, how is your WIP going?  Are you struggling with anything in particular like me?

**Today's Theme Song**
"Lips of an Angel" - Hinder
(player in sidebar, take a listen)


 

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

 

 

The kiddo is in daycare for a half day, hubs is at work, and the house is quiet--it's one of those very rare moments where I am blissfully alone and able to focus on writing.  So, this will be a short post.


I am 57k words into my WIP, and I can see the glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel.  I'm not sure how many more words this one will need since I'm still pantsing, but I'm thinking somewhere between 10-15k.  I know how it ends, but I still have lots of rocks to throw at my characters before they get there.  


Then, of course, once I finish this first draft, there will be lots of beefing up to be done since I typically underwrite in my drafts.  But regardless, there's nothing better than the feeling I get when I type "the end", so I'm looking forward to that.


Also, another quick progress note, I'm STILL going through blogfest entries from last week, so bear with me if I haven't made it to yours yet.  :)


Now, tell me about your WIP.  How's your writing going?  Do you have an idea of how many words something is going to be when you start or do you just write it and see where it lands?

**Today's Theme Song**
"Turn the Page" - Metallica
(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)

 

WIP Wednesday: Sequels, Plotting, and Save The Cat!

 

 

For the past few months I have been attempting to write the second in the Wanderlust series.  I've blogged a bit about it.  I wrote a few chapters of one version, hit a wall, wasn't liking where my characters were going, so I started fresh with a different plot line.  Then I got stuck again.  Grr.  


This is a bit of a new issue for me.  For my first two books, I had moments where I had to stop and rework something  or cut a chapter, but for the most part, I continued to move forward without much issue.  Now I've found myself with a version of writer's block. 


Many writers say that there is no such thing as writer's block--that it's just another label for fear.  Perhaps, that's true.  I definitely have a fear of writing the second story in the series before the first has sold--even though it would be a connected series where each story could stand alone, not sequels per se.  I think this fear is what is smothering the creative part of my brain.  Then, after reading Nathan Bransford's post on sequelitis yesterday, my fear is even further confirmed. 


So about two weeks ago, I put that project on the side and returned to Exposure Therapy.  With this one, however, I decided I was going to tie up my inner pantser and toss her in a closet.  This story has a suspense/mystery element, which requires more intricate planning.  So, I am attempting to *gasp* plot beforehand.  


It's been painful.  My version of plotting so far has consisted of writing about ten notebook pages of bullet points that say--perhaps this happens, then maybe he does this because of this, etc.  I wouldn't so much call it plotting at this point, it's more brainstorming.  But I think I almost have all the pieces I need to get started on a more structured outline.  But what does that look like?


Blogs to the rescue!  I was going through my Google Reader and came across this great post over at The Guide to Literary Agents Blog about the screenwriting book Save the Cat  by Blake Snyder.

Save The Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You'll Ever Need

I thought the information was great, so I googled the book to see if I could find anything else out there on it.  Lo and behold, I found Ciara Stewart's post on Story Structure from Save the Cat! and I think it's just what I needed to help me start my outlining.  She posted Blake Snyder's 15 beat structure for stories using a Nora Robert's book Born In Fire as an example.  Here's the graphic she posted.  (I'm sorry some of it is cut off, nothing I did fixed it.  If you save the image on your computer, you'll get the whole thing.)

 
(image copied from Ciara Stewart's blog)

I thought this was a terrific summary.  It's originally based on screenwriting, but I think the trends in books these days are very much like movies--quick hook, jump into the action, etc.  So, I'm going to attempt to use this to make a rough plot of my book before I type any of the story.  We'll see how it goes.  Hopefully, it will move along quickly, because I'm ready to write!

*Alright, on a completely different note, thanks to everyone who participated in The Beta Club yesterday.  Your input was awesome.  Remember, there will be another submission tomorrow!  For those of you that participated, how did you find the experience?  Was having my own crit posted helpful or would the comments from others be enough?  Did anyone have trouble opening the scribd document?*

Okay, and for today's questions:  Do you plot?  If so, what structure do you use?  How do you feel about writing sequels before book one has sold?


 
 

**Today's Theme Song**

"Move Along" - The All-American Rejects
(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)


 

Committing Murder: One Verb At A Time

 


First I want to give a big thanks to those of you who volunteered last week to read my first fifty pages. The feedback I've gotten back so far has be uber helpful. Which means I haven't spent any time on my new WIP, I've thrown myself back into fine tuning Wanderlust.
In addition to tweaking those first fifty pages, I've been going line by line murdering weak verbs and practicing step 11 of the layering I talked about yesterday, trying to find the exact right way to say what I'm trying to say. It's a tedious process, but I've almost made it halfway through the manuscript and I am feeling good about the changes. It's amazing to me how one word change can make a sentence sound so much better. Examples from yesterday's revisions:
 
Before: Sweat, cold and clammy, covered her back.

After: Sweat, cold and clammy, glazed her back.


Before: He pinned her with his gaze.

After: He speared her with his gaze.
 

Simple changes to a simple sentences, but there is something about finding that exact word I was looking for that gives me a little thrill. I just have to be careful that I'm finding a better word, not just a different word. I don't want the thing to read like a thesaurus.

Also, instead of using a thesaurus all the time, btw, I've started writing down verbs or turns of phrase that strike me as I come across them in my pleasure reading. Then after I'm done with writing a rough draft, I can Find/Search words I know I overuse like looked and walked and go to my list I've created to stimulate some ideas.

How is it that we writers have this ginormous vocabulary, but when writing the rough draft, all the damn words disappear and we suddenly have the word bank of a second grader?

Progress this week: Even though I didn't add word count to the new WIP. I did add 500 to the old one and have gone through almost a hundred pages of editing.

Plan for the coming week: Get through the whole manuscript and possibly plump up my ending. I had a few betas tell me that the story wrapped up a little quickly and they wanted to see more (at least that means they weren't like--*groan* thank God this is over.) I have room in my word count to do that, so I'm going to play around with it a bit.

Okay, and finally, a few AWARDS...

Natalie over at The Sound of Rain gifted me with the Heartfelt Award. Thanks so much!


Julie Dao over at Silver Lining passed along the Lovely Blog Award, which was, well, lovely of her. :)


And Gavin over at Insanity's Musings, sent the From Me To You award over. Thanks, you're too kind!


If you're not following these three people, you are so not hanging with the cool kids--go follow!

I am not energetic enough today to come up with specific blogs I'd like to pass these along to. My son climbed/fell out of his crib last week, so we've moved him to a toddler bed, which he thinks gives him free reign to wake up every hour crying and running around his room like a headless chicken in footie pajamas. So I'm existing on fumes today. Here he is on Halloween (as a rockstar). This is the "who me?" look he gives me when I go in his room and fuss him for getting up yet again.
*Pic removed
 

So for these awards, my favorite bloggers are those of you who take the time to comment on my posts and brighten my day. Therefore, if you comment today, feel free to select one of these awards for your own blog. I ♥ you all!

So what do you find yourself slaughtering when revising? Am I the only one whose vocabulary regresses to kindergarten quality while writing a rough draft?


**Today's Theme Song**
"Getting Away With Murder"-- Papa Roach
(player in sidebar, take a listen)

 

WIP Wednesday, Internal Editors, and Cool Awards

 

If I were doing NaNo, I'd be kicked off the team by now. However, I have made some progress on Exposure Therapy. I'm sitting at 2300 words and am almost finished with chapter one. As you've noticed, I've been doing post on beginnings--which of course have been completely self-serving since I'm at a beginning. But this research has also brought out my inner editors in full force. I'm now convinced it's not just one, but a pack of mean girls.
So I'm hoping this week that I can bribe them to go to the mall or something because I need to write without their "help".
Alright, now for some fun stuff. Awards!
First, Dawn over at Plotting and Scheming gifted me with the lovely Best Blog Award. If you're not following Dawn, you're missing out-go follow.
Now for the rules:
1. To accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award and his/her blog link.
2. Pass the award to other bloggers that you have recently discovered and think are great! Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

I'm going to stick with the rules and select people I've recently discovered.

1. Melane at Chasing the Dream
2. Natalie at Natalie Bahm
4. Tamika at The Write Worship
And then Ash. Elizabeth at From Ramblings to Interviews created a brand new award called the Helpful Blogger Award, which she has passed along to me. I really like the idea behind this one because I think that the support and help I've found from fellow bloggers is one of the best things about being online. Go check out her site!
The Helpful Blogger Award Rules
Include the award logo in your blog or post.
Link to post where you received the award.
Nominate seven blogs that you feel are helpful to others.
Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.
Let them know they've received the award by commenting on their blog.
Share one thing that no one knows about you & quote a sentence from your favorite book.
Alright, in spirit of the award, I'm selecting people that no matter what their post, I always learn something.

1. Susan at A Walk in My Shoes--I know most of you follow her already, but she's always has a helpful tidbit (and she's a great beta reader to me as well)

2. Jennifer at Me, My Muse and I

3. Sierra at Sierra Godfrey

4. T. Anne at White Platonic Dreams

5. Julie Dao at Silver Lining

6. Jody at Jody Hedlund


Okay, now for something no one knows about me. Hmm... I'm so afraid of bugs that, say, if a caterpillar were on my shirt, I would have no hesitation to yank off the shirt and run screaming even if I was in someone's front yard in full view of the street. Not that this ever happened (cough) but just as a hypothetical example.
A favorite quote from a book. That's hard. It's usually something that makes me laugh rather than something that's exceptionally profound. I'll have to think on this one, in the meantime, you can check out my goodreads quotes in the sidebar.
Alright, that's all for today. How's everyone else's WIP going? What are your internal editors like?
**Today's Theme Song**
"What You Give" - Tesla
(player in sidebar, go ahead and 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)

 

Characters in the Belfry and (Not so)WIP Wednesday

 

 

I don't have much to report for WIP Wednesday since I wrapped up the synopsis and such last week. However, now I have a different problem. I haven't started the next WIP yet, and it's driving me bonkers. There are so many ideas and characters whirling around my head, but none have come together enough for me to latch on to it. Each time, I'm like "oh, that's a good one!", I try to think it out further and then hit mental block on how to make it a fully realized story. Grr.
I want to make sure that whatever I start is "high concept" (more on this term tomorrow). Something that with a one sentence log line, people say--ooh, I want to read that. And as of yet, that concept hasn't come to me.
And the bad thing about not having a true work in progress is that I feel totally restless and without focus. My husband keeps asking me why I'm so quiet lately. It's because I can't stop turning over ideas and characters in my head. Any moment of the day I can snatch to think through them, I do. This includes at night before I fall asleep, which means I'm tossing and turning until at least midnight lately. *sigh* I'm super fun to be around right now, let me tell you. ;)
On a good note, I am one follower away from 100 followers! Thanks you guys! Who is going to cheer me up and be number one hundred? *hint hint to any new readers out there*
So am I the only one who gets so frazzled and grumpy when not actively working on a manuscript? How do you decide which idea is "the one"? How is your WIP going?
**Today's Theme Song**
"Funhouse" - Pink
(player in sidebar--go ahead, take a listen)

 

WIP Wednesday, an Award, and the Elaine

 


I did it. Yes, I did. In the last two weeks I've finished both my query letter and my synopsis. Halle-freaking-lujah. I think those two things are more difficult than writing the book itself. Hopefully, I did a good job on both so that the publishers just fall over themselves trying to get to me. *snort* Okay, so I'd be happy with them requesting pages, but I'm trying to think positive. I'm really happy with my story right now so I guess that's all I can do. The rest is in the hands of the decision makers.
This will be a new experience this time because I'll be submitting directly to publishers. With the first book, I'm querying agents. But with a category length romance, I've heard it's better to just go direct. I haven't run across many agent sites that say they handle category romance, so I'm thinking this must be the case.
Alright, so in honor of completing the synopsis, I'll provide another dance this time. The query got me to do the Carlton, the synopsis gets the Elaine.
Patti over at Book Addict has awarded me with the Heartfelt Award! Thanks, chica! Since I will be nominating both men and women, I decided to break the rules a bit and added an alternative image. I'm sure the dudes out there don't want a teacup hamster in their space, lol. So feel free to adopt the traditional image for this award or the alternative one.
Do you reach for a cup of cocoa or tea when you're relaxing, seeking comfort, sharing a plate of cookies with family and friends? You know the feeling you get when you drink a yummy cup of cocoa, tea, or a hot toddy? That is what the Heartfelt Award is all about, feeling warm inside. Rules:Put the logo on your blog/post. Nominate up to to 9 blogs which make you feel comfy or warm inside. Be sure to link your nominees within your post. Let them know that they have been nominated by commenting on their blog. Remember to link to the person from whom you received your award.

My Nominees are new blogs I've discovered recently and enjoy:

Catherine Kariaxi at Work in Progress
Jeannie Campbell at Where Romance Meets Therapy
Amber Tidd Murphy at Musings of Amber Murphy
Sierra Godfrey at Sierra Godfrey

Alright, that's not nine, but seven is pretty good. Go check these out, you'll be glad you did.

So how is everyone's WIP going? Also, has anyone else heard what I heard about going directly to publishers for category romance? And which part of the process do you dread the most: revising/editing, writing query and synopsis, or something else?

**Today's Theme Song**
"I Want You to Want Me" - Cheap Trick
(player in sidebar--this is dedicated to those agents and publishers out there.)

 

WIP Wednesday & The Carlton

 

Is it Wednesday already? This week is flying by. I've been keeping so busy that the days have gone by quickly. I spent the week in edits. I rewrote half a chapter that wasn't fitting with my character and feel good about the changes. This leaves me two chapters away from finishing the first edit of my romance. Woo-hoo!
After that, I will wait on the rest of the critiques from my crit buddies. The feedback I've received so far has been super encouraging, so I'm taking a big sigh of relief that others are liking my story. I never know until I put it out there if people are going to enjoy it and "get" my sense of humor or be like--what is up with this chick? Does she think she's funny? And then there are the love scenes. I'm not sure I'd be able to survive an in person critique group. I blush just uploading the steamy files to the online group, lol.
Also, on the progress front, I have tackled the dreaded query letter. After quivering in fear for two weeks, I decided to face it head on this weekend. After many days of writing, rewriting, and leaning on my crit group for advice, I think I'm just about there. A few words tweaked here and there and I think I'm good to go. *breaks into the Carlton*
 Okay, I feel better.
By the way, I highly recommend having others look at your query letter before you send it out. My final version is so much better than the version I started with on my own. If you don't have crit buddies/beta readers, at least post it on the public query slushpile to get some outside opinions.
Now, I'll have to move on to my next favorite part of the process--the (dun, dun , dun) synopsis. Hopefully by next WIP Wednesday, I'll have finished that as well.
So how is your WIP looking? Do you let others crit your query letter? Any synopsis advice for me? And is anyone else blushing at submitting love scenes to their beta readers?
**Today's Theme Song**
"With A Little Help From My Friends" - Joe Cocker
(player in sidebar--go ahead, take a listen)

 

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.**