Editing Bound

Well, Nano is over for another year, and I once more find myself sitting in December wondering how I'm going to edit all of the words I wrote during November.  The answer, of course, is one book at a time.  I just wish I was faster at the editing process than I currently am.

Anyway, as I'm sure all of you noticed, my blog got a little bit of an update this week.  I (sadly) took down the donation link to nano (though if you would like to donate, just visit www.nanowrimo.org and you can definitely make the donationt here).  It will be back next year, though I won't be travelling to San Francisco in 2013.

You might also notice that I've added a 'goals' section.  This is very important, because I have a lot of goals for next year, and I'm hoping that tracking them here will make me focus on them a bit more.  Now, I didn't want to discriminate, so any and all goals I have will be making it into that section.  You'll see that getting Pandora submission worthy is first on the list.  What isn't there is getting it to Beta's by the 24th.  I decided not to add that, because technically the list is for 2013 goals, and that's still 2012.

I've actually started to continue reading through Pandora to get it edited (almost done.  On chapter 35 of 40) and I'm finding that there are actually some chapters that I enjoy reading!  This is shocking because I'm definitely my biggest critic.  I will sit there and rip my stuff to shreds, and then I hate putting it back together again.  I think this is why I don't enjoy editing as much as some of my friends do.  Anyway, the point is, I didn't find myself cringing during every chapter, and I think that means that maybe I'm ready to start raking in the rejection letters! (Let's face it, we're talking about a werewolf book.  While I think it's great, most places are going to tell me that it's a hard sell...)

Of course, I'm still waiting to hear back for the short story I submitted.  I'm not frantically checking every email, because I almost want it to take longer.  Every day I don't hear back is another day that I haven't been rejected, so I'm looking at it as a good thing that it's been over a month since the submission!

I'm slowly reorganizing myself to truly become serious about writing.  I always thought that last year I was ready for it, but I didn't even begin to be serious enough to truly make it as a writer.  I'm not quitting my day job just yet, but I'm going to crack down.  I'm going to follow through on my goals, and I'm going to be published.  Maybe not this year, but soon.  I have so many stories that I want to share with the world!

P.S. I have decided that, for now at least, the Sunday and Wednesday schedule is good for the blog, so I'm going to stick to that!

Life After Nano (Day 28)

Today I read a blog post talking about NaNoWriMo (it was during a word war when I was supposed to be writing, but don't judge me!  I got my words for the day done early,  I swear!)

Anyway, in this blog post (which I'm sure wasn't actually intended as negative toward Nano) they basically said that nano isn't the end all of writing.  That at the end of the day it doesn't matter.  That getting the first draft of any book done isn't the biggest step.

Of course, I know that nano isn't the last step you need to get published.  You can't finish a book and hand it over, expecting them to give you money for it.  An author once visited my school and told us about the writing process.  He glossed over a lot of it, of course, as he was talking to ten year olds, but the basic thing that I came away with was LOTS of drafts.  So, I've always been aware that this isn't an easy thing to do.

The thing is, though, that I don't necessarily agree with everything that he said.  No, the first draft isn't the end of writing.  You can't finish writing the first draft and assume that you're done.  And if you're doing something like nano (which can create some real crap writing, when you hit a part that you can't figure out and know you need to get the words, so you just write down whatever you need) then you really need to go back and look over your work.  Not just for the spelling mistakes, but for everything.  Plot holes, faulty character development, the stupid ball, and even bad choices.

But without that first draft, without getting something down on paper, there isn't anything there to edit, to double check, to get beta readers for, and finally to submit.

For me, that first draft came with Nano.

Yes, I know that 50k words doesn't generally a complete novel make.  I knew that the first time I wrote nano.  Of course, that year I did end up doing 50k novels, but just because the goal of nano is 50k doesn't mean that you have to stop there.  You can keep going!  Keep writing.

For me, Nano has blossomed into a novel nearly ready for submissions, and multiple novels awaiting my attention.  A critique group who occasionally dabbles in writing exercises, and something to work toward (in case you're wondering, I'm hoping the Nano will one day ask me to do a pep talk for them.  Step #1: Get Published!)

So, yes, there are so many more steps after finishing the first draft (especially if the 50k doesn't finish off your story) but Nano doesn't promise you something ready to submit.  That's not the point.  The point of nano is to make you pick up the pen (or, generally more common, put your fingers to the keys) and get writing.  Get started on putting down that novel that's been running rampant in your brain for years.  Make those characters talk and prove to yourself that you can do it.

Then, come December, remember that Nano just starts the process for you.  YOU have to be responsible for the rest of it.  It's up to you to keep writing.  To fearfully look back over that first draft, certain that you won't be able to keep anything.  To find those diamonds surrounded by the crap that you can really build a novel from.  To rewrite as much of it may need to be rewritten, and to finally show the world that, yes, you are a writer!

So hold those heads up high.  Shout to the world that Nano helped you accomplish something you never thought you world!  And don't ever let the world tell you that what you've done so far isn't an accomplishment, because it is!  Then, keep going.  Don't give up!  One day, those words will be polished enough for you to show another person.

Happy Writing.

What do you plan to do once Nano is done?  Have you ever managed to go back and edit a nano novel?

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Daily Word Count: 15,296

Total Word Count: 270,391

Forbidden Submissions (Day 12)

Well, we're not quite half way through the month, and already my mind is wandering away from the first drafts I'm currently working on and focusing squarely on something I really shouldn't even be thinking about during NaNoWriMo: Submissions.

I'll admit, this topic isn't quite as forbidden as editing is during November, but I'm probably still going to get people telling me to focus on the writing. December is for everything else. To those people I would say: Have you ever had to sit at work with no access to your current novel knowing that you could be doing something productive? That's what happened to me.

It's a holiday today, so a lot of people seem to be assuming that we're closed (we are a registry, so I can see how they came to that conclusion, but lo and behold, we are open.) This means that there has been a lot of chatting, and wasting time going on. Which, for me, tends to mean I have a Word document open on my computer and I'm typing away.

The current project (other than Aliens Stole My Socks, which I should have finished last night, but I didn't. I'll do it tonight, I promise!) is a short story for a submissions call I found out about nearly a month ago.

I've had an idea for it floating around in my head since I saw the call, and I've been looking for a way to find time to write it. Today that time presented itself on a silver platter. (Okay, okay. There was no silver platter. Sue me, I'm a writer).

Anyway, I opened the word document, and started typing.

Now, this story is a little on the darker side, and I'm feeling a little awkward writing it at work, but at the same time, I know that if I don't write it here, I'm never going to get it done. At least not this month. While the submission deadline isn't until February or March, it also said, basically, first come first serve, so I'm trying to get it in as soon as possible.

I'm not very far in to it, but I think the dark feeling is coming across. I'm hoping, anyway. But writing it also made me think of my other submission that I sent out in October. I haven't heard back from them, which I'm taking as a good sign. I'm desperately hoping that it's in the 'We Must Have This' pile, even if that means I won't hear back until March. That story deserves to be published, and I would love for my first choice to accept it.

Anyway, now I'm thinking about submissions instead of my novel. It could become a problem. But there's a write in tonight, which should get me focused back on NaNo. At least I'm hoping it does.

For now, though, it's back to work on the short story and serving any customers that wander through our door. Maybe I'll get this first draft done today!

Do you ever get distracted by non-nano projects? Should I use the word count from the short story toward my nano count?

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Daily Word Count: 9,490

Total Word Count: 110,337

Goodbye, Stolen Magick (Day 7)

So, today I finished the first of the four novels I will be writing this month. (Okay, so right now as I'm writing this post, it's not finished. It's still hovering around 66k, and it's should be ending at about 70k, but by the time this is posted it will be done. Promise!

Anyway, as I was saying, Stolen Magick will be done by the end of the day, and I will be moving on to the second book in my pile.

But before I move on, I can't help but take a minute to talk about the book that I'm finishing.

As you all know (or, at least those that read my blog yesterday) this book didn't go as smoothly as I was hoping. Characters, plot lines and love interests inserted themselves in to what I already had planned out, and I found myself doing the one thing I hate doing while writing first drafts: Figuring out where the plot was going.

While I still followed the basic plot that I had figured out before I even started the book, there was so much added to it, I'm not sure it's recognizable as the book it started out as.

Looking back over the past week, though, I'm glad that those characters, plots and love interests showed up. This book is so much better than it started out, and as an added bonus, there isn't nearly as much word padding because of how much I added in.

Somehow, though, I still ended up with about 10k less words. Still not sure how I managed that, but I live with it. 70K is decent for a YA, though I'm going to look at it during editing and see if I can't add a few more words (or maybe even plot points) in there to get that word count up a bit more.

Stolen Magick was a great book for me to start with, and while I'm looking forward to writing the other three books that are still waiting for my attention, I can't help but be a little bit sad to be finishing this novel.

All good books must end somewhere, though. And I'm assuming that goes for not so great books too, so I have to say good bye to Stolen Magick.

Next up: Aliens Stole My Socks!

How is your nano going? Have you ever finished a project and been a little sad to see it go?

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Daily Word Count: 4,786

Total Word Count; 70,878

Wait, That Wasn't Supposed To Happen (Day 6)

As I'm sure all of you are aware by now, I'm a planner. Not just a casual planner, either. I plan my books longer than I write them. (For those of you thinking that's not saying much, I do spend about a month on planning, so that's something, right?)

Anyway, because I spend so much time planning, I never expect my books to hold too many surprises. I know that I'll get some, I just don't expect them to be too big, or noteworthy. And I'm okay with that, honestly. I almost prefer not having the surprises. It makes the writing easier, because I'm not sitting there wondering why this character is acting that way, or whether that other character is important or not.

So, I started to write the first book I have planned out for NaNo this year. (Stolen Magick is a YA set in a school that teaches young Arcanists how to control their magick, which presents more as abilities than typical magic scenarios. This school also accepts humans, and the two groups, which aware of each other, and even mingling in occasional classes, are kept mostly separate. Phaedra joins the school after her mother dies. Originally she is though human, but eventually she discovers she has magick too, and soon chaos reins)

It was going pretty good. The chapters weren't ending up as long as I thought they were going to be, and I'll admit, I was a little worried about reaching the 80k I needed this book to be, but the story itself was going exactly the way I had planned. Maybe that's why it happened.

The first thing to go wrong was a chapter being added. I'd realized that there was more that I hadn't shown that could be important. First one chapter, then two and now I'm sitting at eight chapters added.

The next thing was a character forced herself in to the book. She started out as just a girl walking past Phaedra making a comment. When she appeared in another scene and named herself, though, I knew I was in trouble.

Once she was added, another character showed up, this one much more unique and surprising.

The enemy of my character (not the antagonist, they just didn't get along) turned out to be so much nicer than I originally thought. I added too many layers and now she's friends with Phaedra!

Two more subplots somehow wound themselves in there around the two characters that showed up, both subplots will be extending multiple books.

And, finally, there was a love interest that I hadn't originally planned on. Between Phaedra and one of the characters I had originally planned on. Which would have been fine, except that I knew he was dying about half way through the book, and every time they were cute it made me that much more sad when I had to kill him.

Before you say it, I know, these surprises are making the book better, but it's just so frustrating to have to change the basic plot of my book that I worked so hard on to accommodate everything. I'm finding myself constantly thinking of new things that would be happening because of it, and my easy, no hassle book is suddenly inserting itself in to my life.

I suppose I'll just have to go along with it and hope that my other books don't do the same thing. Hopefully I'll have a much better book in the end. Can't wait to see how it turns out!

Do you ever find yourself with surprises in your novel? Are you a planner, or a pantser?

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Daily Word Count: 11,079

Total Word Count: 66,092

Celebration!! (Day 5)

Yesterday I hit my 50k for the month.

Yep, I just came right out and said it. For one thing, I've already had people wondering why I wasn't shouting it to the rafters yesterday (which is because I write my blog posts in advance, so I didn't know if I was going to hit it or not. So rather than taking the time to write a brand new blog pot, I decided to just save it for today). For another thing, today is the write in, which means that all of my excitement will most likely kick in today.

You see, here in Calgary we have a tradition. Technically it was stolen from the night of writing dangerously, but we're awesome enough that it's ours now. When you hit 50k, you get to ring a bell!

Ours isn't quite as awesome as OLL's, but it is a cowbell, which is it's own kind of awesome.

Anyway, when you hit your 50k, the next time you go to a write in, you ring that bell for all it's worth, and you get people clapping and cheering for you. It's great!

Generally I'm the first one to ring the bell. I'm not being all self involved, I really am. I just happen to write quickly. 50K is never my goal for nano, but because it is the milestone that every nanoer goes for, I like to celebrate it.

This year I finished earlier, even than last year, when I finished on the 5^th. I was pretty happy to cross that line, and I definitely shared the excitement with the my fellow wrimotaurs who were in chat with me, but it never feels like I've hit that mark until I get to ring the bell.

I can't wait. It's just one of those nano traditions that it just wouldn't feel like nano without it. Too bad I'm too impatient to wait for the 50k until the 18^th, or I could have rung the bell at the night of writing dangerously.

What do you do to celebrate crossing that finish line?

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Daily Word Count: 4,870

Total Word Count: 55,013

The Cup Runneth Over (Day 4)

I tend to get a lot of ideas for books. Okay, more like for series of books. I've never managed to write a stand alone book before, and I doubt I'll ever figure out how to do it. The truth is that my ideas tend to be too big for a single book. And I don't mean a little too big. I mean these grand plans that if I tried to shove in to a single book would end up so long that it could be called an epic fantasy. Except it wouldn't be a fantasy.

Anyway, lets just say that my brain doesn't allow me to think in single book terms, and I've learned to deal with it.

The point of this blog, though, isn't about how big of a book I write, but rather how many ideas I have.

See, I bought a notebook last year that I dubbed my 'Shiny New Idea Book' and I started writing all of the ideas I have for novels in it. There are some that are really old, but most are brand new ideas that I've thought of since last November. Today, I counted them.

Fifty. I have fifty ideas for, not just books, but series. And two of those have been from the last few days since nano started! I don't even want to tell you how many came from just before nano as I was planning.

I swear, I come up with more other ideas about books to write while I'm doing nano than any other time of the year. I spend months editing and don't come up with a single thing, but start planning or writing, and suddenly my brain is tossing out story ideas like I have all the time in the world to sit down and write them. Like my brain wants me to just keep writing first drafts all the time and never move on from it.

Of course, I'm not going to do that. First of all, first drafts don't get published. Especially not mine. They're pretty bad. Pandora had almost three quarters of it rewritten in it's first pass of editing, and I know there are parts that I'll want to fix again, because they're still not sitting quite right with me. And I don't even want to talk about all of the typos and spelling mistakes that I manage to get in my first drafts (I'm sure you've seen some of them, I don't tend to edit my blog posts, sorry).

This nano I've also had to put up with the fact that my brain is now tossing out ideas for books that I've written in the past and want to come back to at some point, but have been shelved for now. (Literally...I got a book shelf). I figured out that one of the first novels I've ever written was all wrong. The main character was too young, she should have been married, and her husband should have been the one getting blackmailed, not her father.

Because I have so much time to go and fix it now.

I'm not complaining, I promise. I know so many writers that honestly don't know what to write. They don't have any ideas. The thing is, at this point in my life, I'm not sure that I”ll ever have enough time to write all of the ideas I have.

Maybe I should look at adopting them out.

Do you have lots of ideas piling up waiting for your attention? How many books have you shelved that you want to get back to?

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Daily Word Count: 15,309

Total Word Count: 50,143

The Interference (Day 3)

Today is the third day of nano and the first official write in of the season! (I never count the kick off...not sure why. Could have something to do with the utter lack of sleep)

I should be excited. Hell, I should be ecstatic! There should be some jumping off of the walls going on, huge grins, and barely contained energy that has the rest of the world looking at me like I've just been let out of the loony bin.

Somehow, though, the day has fallen flat.

Why? Well, the answer to that is simple. You see, I'm working. My day job (For those of you counting, yes I am planning doing 320,000 words while working a full time job, but rest assured, I have taken the last two weeks of November off. Both for the trip to San Francisco and to take some of the pressure off...last year, though, there was no vacation...just saying.)

I work at a registry. That means that I spend my day doing things like handing out licenses, renewing registrations and listening to people bitch to me about the speeding ticket they got for doing ONLY 115 on deerfoot. It's not exactly the most inspiring of atmospheres. In fact, it's the opposite of inspiring.

To make matters worse, I got to stare at the clock and see that everyone was already at the write in while I was ordering people birth certificates and trying to explain why you can't just switch over your Indian License to an Alberta one, because there are rules and laws and policies in place that prevent me from doing it.

All in all, I'm losing a little of the nano spirit as I sit at my desk listening to the issues everyone is having today. All I want to do is be at home (or better yet, the library) writing away. Working to hit my 11k that is my goal for the day.

Unfortunately, the day job is something that I need to do in order to survive. As I'm not yet published, my writing doesn't support me, and I need to pay the bills somehow.

So, in order to help ourselves feel just a little better, my friend and I have decided to throw our own little write in (it's just going to be the two of us). Neither of us could attend today's event due to work, so we'll head down to our usual Denny's and write up a storm all by ourselves.

Here's hoping I can hit my goal!!

Have you attended any of your regions events this year?

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Daily Word Count: 7,151

Total Word Count: 34,834

The Shut Down (Day 2)

Normally I'm pretty good at getting my stuff done. Stop laughing, I am! Okay, so I can procrastinate with the best of them. I think I even procrastinated on procrastinating once, but that's besides the point. The point is that I normally get my stuff done, if not on the day it needs to be done, then pretty close. Especially if it's a precursor for something else. Like, say, the planning for nano.

This year is my third year doing nano. The first year, I was terrified out of my wits that I wasn't going to write my 50k. The second year I was more prepared, so I upped my goal (then had someone challenge me and I upped it again). This year, though I did up my goal, it was by so little that my brain barely registered it as a challenge.

So, rather than frantically planning and getting things done the couple of weeks before nano, my brain did what I'm assuming it thought was logical. It shut down.

I'm not even kidding on this one. Two weeks before the start of nano, and suddenly I couldn't concentrate. I couldn't even decide what my characters looked like. I found myself watching far too many tv shows, unwilling to even look at the pages I needed to fill before the beginning of nano. The boxes for my move sat unfilled, and the editing I swore I would have done before November sat remembered, but ignored in my bag.

I shut down.

Of course, the sudden descent of unproductivity made for a rather unorganized move, and more than a few headaches on my part.

Add to that the fact that I had to cram all of my planning in to the last two days before nano started, and had to put off the editing until December (which sucks, because I wanted to have it submission ready for January) and going in to November, I wasn't feeling like the robot I normally am.

Despite that, though, I'm determined to get my 320k this year. That might be a little rough, as the first book I've started is coming in under the goal (which might actually be a miracle for me) but I'll make up those words somewhere.

I have an office, I have a calender, and I have all the support of the wrimos here in Calgary. I have everything I need to accomplish my goal. Now I just have to fight off the lazy unproductive part of my brain, and keep writing!

What do you do to get yourself ready for Nano?

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Daily Word Count: 11,488

Total Word Count: 27,683

All The Words!! (Day 1)

So today I woke up late (I was out at the midnight kick off until about two in the morning)  and I had, of course, a goal for the day.  I wanted to hit 15,000 words by the end of the day to start out NaNoWriMo right.  I have a plan to make it to 320,000 words this month (despite all the different things I have planned.)

Now, this may sound like a lot.  Trust me, it does to me too.  In fact after the kickoff here in Calgary, I may have had a small panic attack where I might have wondered if I was going to be able to finish.

So, now it's the end of the day and I have my first word count.  Today I managed to write 16,195 words.  Which is more than my goal for the day, and I'm super excited.

Now I'm thinking that I can actually do this.  Yes, yes, I know, I've done it before.  Last year I wrote 300,000 words and now I'm only adding on an additional 20,000 words, so why was i worried?

Maybe it was because of all the other plans I have for the month.  Maybe it was because I had only written 4k words (even if it was only the first night, in fact the first few hours).  Or maybe it's just because I do have random moments of doubt no matter how long I've been doing things like this.

The why doesn't really matter.  What matters is that I'm going to do it.  I'm going to get my word count.  I just have to buckle down and do it.  And not get distracted by all the shows I'm dying to watch.

Anyway, it's a short post today, cause I have to get this up in the next couple of minutes, but I do have to say, no matter what your goal this year, you can do it!!

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Daily Word Count: 16,195

Total Word count: 16,195

Is It Time Yet?

It's All Nano's Eve...I mean...Halloween, and you know what that means!  Yep...I've been sitting around with my twitter open jealously staring at all the people who get to do sprints because my time zone hasn't rolled over in to November yet.

I've always liked Halloween.  As a kid it had a lot more to do with the candy I got to collect from the people in our neighbourhood (I distinctly remember having to dump it all out when we got home so my mom could go through it and throw out anything open, and possibly take some of her favourites too.)

Now, of course, Halloween has a whole new meaning for me.

My year has suddenly shifted.  I no longer think of December as the end of the year, instead, October 31st ends out my year, and the first of November starts it over again.

What I'm basically saying, is that it's New Years in a couple of hours, and I'm so excited!

This November is jam packed with things happening.  I've got nano (of course) which my goal is to write 320k words this year.  completely possible, by the way.  I wrote 300k last year.  I'm also goind down to San Francisco in the middle of the month for the ever amazing Night of Writing Dangerously!

For those of you who don't know, The Night of Writing Dangerously is a function hosted by OLL (Office of Letters and Light) to raise money for Nano.  To go you have to raise at least $250, then pay for your own flight there, your own hotel room, and your own flight home. (I've already raised what I need, but I wanted to help out Nano more.  If you'll direct your attention to the column on your right, you'll notice a section dedicated to donations.  I would LOVE it if anyone is willing to donate.  Even $5 helps.)  Basically 250 Wrimos get together and have one huge write in.  The night is completed with a complementary candy bar and all sorts of other goodies.  I can't freaking wait.

Finally (for now, you never know what other craziness I'm willing to pack in to the month) I've got the Epic Month of Blog Posts. (Also to your right you'll see a list of bloggers who have agreed to participate this year.)  The idea behind this is that you have to write a blog post a day (each blog post much contain at least 50 words).  there's no where to keep track, but it's fun.  We did it last year, and this year we thought we'd ask others to join in the insanity.

So now that I know all of this is coming, you'd think I'd be dreading it.  So much to do, so little time!  Really, there's only 24 hours in a day and I have to sleep at some point (at least, that's what other people keep trying to tell me.  I just smile and nod)..

Somehow, though, it's excitement that has me staring at the clock counting down the hours until we can start writing.  (I swear, the last half hour has gone slower than all day at work...)  What makes it worse is watching the nanosprints on twitter.  See, for some of the world it is November 1st, and they've already started.  It makes me want to pick up my pen (okay, okay, put my fingers on the keyboard) and get writing!

Sadly there's another four hours before we can have that first word war.  I will wait with bated breath (or rather, impatiently tapping my foot) until I can start writing the words I've been planning since July.

Expect my first Epic Month Of Blog Posts entry tomorrow!  I've got to go glare at people across the world now.

Just a little Critique

This week is the last time our critique group is meeting before nano.  As a rule we don't keep up with the critiques during nano because there's really not enough time for all of us to complete our nano goals and try to keep up with critique group.

I have mixed feelings about this.  While I have a bit of a break -- not having to worry about getting the critiques done, or even what I'm going to submit -- at the same time, those critique groups helped my writing more than anything I've ever done.  I've learned about my own writing more from hearing what other people have to say about it than while writing any of the multiple novels that I've managed to complete the first draft of.

That being said, sometimes I feel like I'm a little stuck.  I'm going through a routine of writing in November (or during camp nano) submitting to critique group, and possibly getting to a second draft, but I never seem to get any further than that.

I want, more than anything, to be a published author.  I want my name to be printed on the cover of a book.  I want to be able to walk in to Chapters and find my books alongside my favourite authors.  I want a complete stranger to read my books because someone recommended it to them.

So how can I do that when I can't even get to a third draft?

In order to get published, I have to submit my manuscript to someone.  As I want an agent, it would be to the agents I would love to have as my own.  Before I can submit, I have to actually like my manuscript. Which is probably only going to happen after I get feedback from my betas.  In order to get feedback, I have to send out my manuscript to my betas.  And to send it out, I really have to get it to the third draft.

Of course, I had a goal.  I wanted to finish my third draft of Pandora by the end of this month.  I managed to finish the second draft at the very beginning of the month, and I thought that I might actually get done this third draft in order to send it out.

I haven't.  I'm not even done going through it to see what changes I still need to make.  I'm about halfway through reading it and I don't foresee myself actually making it through the entire manuscript before November gets underway.  I'm not even entirely sure I'm going to be able to finish the list of changes before then.

It's a disappointment.  I want to have it ready for submissions by January, but it is what it is.  I can accept that I didn't get as much done as I wanted.  I think I took on too much this month anyway, so I'll get by.

What I won't be able to forgive myself for is if I don't get this manuscript done and sent in to an agent.  This is probably the best book I've written to date, and I just can't wait to see what other people think of it.

My critique group is filled with amazing writers that have given me great insight in to my work.  And if I never go any further with it, what am I saying about them?  About the time they've invested in to my novel?  I can't do that to them any more than I could do that to myself.

So while I may not finish my editing quite as quickly as I had hoped, I'm going to finish the third draft, I'm going to get it out to betas, and I'm going to find an agent for it.  No matter how long it takes.

Are you a part of a critique group?  Have they helped you as much as mine has?

Starting Nano

Tonight was the third annual Calgary Wrimotaur NaNoWriMo Newcomers Night here in Calgary.  That means that all of those nanoers who are just starting out on the nano adventure, or those that have been doing nano for a while but have never been to a meet were invited out for an evening of meet and greets, tips and tricks and basic info for nano.

Which got me thinking about what I wanted to post on my blog tonight.  I talk about nano a lot.  I've shared my stories, but I"m thinking that maybe it's time that I broke it down for my readers.

NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) is a program that is run during the month of November.  The goal of nano is to write 50k words in a month (or 1667 words a day for 30 days).  Ultimately the idea is to have a finished novel at the end of the month, but let's face it, most of the time 50k doesn't create a full novel.

The basic idea of nano is to stop thinking about writing a novel and actually write one.  How many times do you say 'I would love to write a novel' then complete the thought with 'but I doubt I could ever finish it'?  That's not something you'll be saying after doing NaNoWriMo.  Because, by the end of the month you'll have 50k words that you've written (they may not be great, but they're words), and you'll have written a novel.

Now, you may be sitting there gaping at the screen thinking '50k words, is she freaking nuts?  She wants me to write that in a month?  ONE MONTH?!?'  But, let me assure you, you can do it!  I know because I've done it, and I've thought that very thing myself.  My first nano I was extremely nervous because I didn't know how I was going to write that many words while still working a full time job.  I know because pretty much every single person who has ever done nano has had that thought as they were anxiously awaiting the arrival of November.

You can do it!

If you need to, break down that huge number in to the 1667 words you need in a day.  That can seem a lot more doable than 50k in a month (even if they are, essentially the same number).  If you know that you're not going to be able to write one day, make sure you get extra words ahead of time.  And never, NEVER, stop at exactly 50k, because I can assure you that the nano counter will inevitably take away words at the end of the month because it decided that you're program doesn't count words correctly.

You can do it!

If you get stuck, there's a community out there that is eager to keep you going.  Every region has a chat, and if they're anything like ours, someone is always there willing to word war, or encourage you, or even give you a plot idea to get you going again.  Even better are the in person events, because you get to see all of those people around you struggling with the same goal as you, each of them sleep deprived and ready to murder their characters (which really only makes it more fun...)

You can do it!

Because you want to.  Because those words are bouncing around in your head just waiting to be put down on paper.  There are characters that are screaming for their voices to be heard, and you can't just let them keep screaming.

Remind yourself every single day that you can do it.  That this isn't an unattainable goal.  That no matter how far behind you get, you can always catch up, even if it does take some encouragement.

If you need that extra shove, you know where to find me (here, where I'll be posting a blog a day, or on twitter).  I'm more than willing to be the one to ramp up your excitement once more and put you back on the front lines of nano.

Are you planning on doing nano this year?

My Covers

As always, I've found myself falling behind on all of my current projects.  (Actually, I'm caught up with my planning, but just barely.  I'm surprised that I've managed to make it this far).  Unfortunately that means that the amount of time I have for blogging has been reduced to nothing.  So rather than droning on and on today (which, you all know, I'm perfectly capable of doing) I thought I would share with you the covers a friend of mine has made for my novels.

She's gotten three done, and says she has an idea for the fourth, and I can't wait to see what she come up with.  She's amazingly talented.

S.E. makes amazing covers (as I'm sure you'll all agree).  I love her work, and I'm extremely grateful that she decided to make these covers for me.  While I work on a novel, I enjoy having these covers plastered everywhere (just in case anyone was wondering what I was currently working, of course).

Are you participating in nano and want her to make a cover for you?  Visit her thread and request one. She is taking orders until the 28th of October.  I would suggest you get in while you can.

Do you like to  make covers for your novels?

A Flash of Fiction

So...I'm one of those people that just can't wait until nano, but rather than droning on and on all month about how it's not November yet, and why that sucks so much, I thought I would give myself a tiny taste of nano in a bit of micro fiction.

This was written in about ten minutes sitting at my kitchen table, so please forgive any mistakes you made.  It's not a character that's in any of my books, but for some reason lately I've been really feeling the need to write some creepy stories, so there you have it.  Enjoy:



The way she laughed.  That was what he loved the most about her.  She tossed her head back, her red hair flowing down her back like a river of blood, and the peals filling the area with their joyous strains.

One day he was going to make her laugh like that.

Dana.  Could there be a more perfect name for her?  The feel of it tripped off his lips every time he dared to say it.  It would fit so perfectly next to his.  They were meant to be together.  If only she would see it.  If only she would see him.

The feel of the brick pressed in to his hand as he leaned around the corner to get a better look at her.  She was standing alone in the alley now.  He had waited, shivering in the wind that had cut through the hood of his black sweater that he had pulled over his head.  He hadn't minded, though.  This was what he waited for every night.

She lifted the cigarette to her lips, and he felt a whole other kind of shiver run through him.  His tongue came out to wet his suddenly dry lips.  This was it.  This was the night he was going to talk to her.

With a shaky breath he stepped around the corner.  He would make her acknowledge him.  How perfect they would be together.  He would show her that they were meant to be.

She was right in front of him, now.  Only a few more steps.  Maybe she would look up and see him.  Maybe she would smile that perfect smile.  Maybe she already knew...

"Dana, what the hell are you doing out here?"

He froze, his eyes darting toward the metal door that had swung open to reveal the blonde.  Dana's best friend.  He hated her.  His hand slipped in to his pocket and wrapped around the hunter's knife his father had given him.

"I was just smoking, calm down."  Dana dropped her cigarette and ground the burning end in to the ground before moving back inside, the door slamming shut behind her.

He stood where he was for a moment more before loosening his grip on the knife and turning to walk back the way he had come.  Tomorrow.  That was when he would make her his.



Let me know what you think of my flash fiction!  Have you written any flash fiction to get you ready for nano?

Eeek...Nano!

So, it's officially October, which means that nano is just around the corner, and I find myself freaking out just a little bit.  And by a little bit, I mean a lot.  My brain is ready to explode with the amount that I need to do before November first.  I kind of want to cry.

I broke down all of my goals for you last time, so I'm not going to repeat them all, but suffice it to say, it's a lot.  More than I think I can actually finish, but I'm going to give it everything I have.

Anyway, that's not really what I wanted to talk to you about.  As you might be able to guess from the title of this post, I want to talk about NaNoWriMo. (You might want to get used to it...during the nano season I really don't shut up about it...I'm warning you now.)

With nano comes all these new challenges.  First of all, as I'm a crazy robot, I never stick with the challenge nano sets out for us.  That's right, fifty thousand words in a month just isn't crazy enough for me, so I always up my goal.  This year it's going to be four books, so I thought that today I would tell you about those books and where I am with them.

Up first is the YA urban fantasy Stolen Magick

Stolen Magick is set in a school that teaches for humans and Arcanists (though the humans certainly don't know about the Arcanists.)  For those of you wondering, Arcanists are basically witches combined with superheroes.  Each one has a specific ability (these are often the same as others in their 'power category'.  The main character,  Phaedra, starts at Arcan Academy a few months in to the school year, and soon makes friends with a group of humans.  But when a particularly nasty Arcanist by the name of Terri decides to mess with her head and instead accidentally unlocks powers that not even Phaedra knew about, her life becomes just a little more complicated.

Then we have the middle grade Aliens Stole My Socks

This mid grade is based around Tommy Thompson, a ten year old whose father died when he was six and now has a two year old sister and a step father that he hates.  His mother doesn't know what to do with him anymore when he catches an alien stealing socks out of the dryer.  He tries to chase the alien out of the house, but he ends up taking his sister, and Tommy is left to rescue her when none of the adults believe his story.  Along with his precocious friend, Felicia, he manages to make his way on board the mother ship.  The Aliens won't know what hit them.

The third book is an adult dystopian named Betraying Eden

Set in a the future when the air was poisoned during a massive war that wiped out most of earth's population, people now live in large domed cities that clean the air.  Rent is collected every month for the privilege of staying inside the safe zone, and if it isn't paid, residents are 'evicted' with nothing more than a single can of clean air.  Mordecai is the heir to the throne of Eden, though he spends most of his time on Snake's Ridge trying to help the people that can't always afford their rent.  When he gets himself, along with his two friends, Charlie and Jonah, evicted from Eden, Mordecai discovers just how harsh the real world is.

Finally I have the adult urban fantasy Birth

Unfortunately this one isn't as planned out as the others.  I do know that it's set in a world where Phoenix's exist.  Except they're not exactly what legend makes them out to be.  They walk the earth as humans and have the ability to manipulate fire.  Mag, a human, fell in love with a Phoenix, only to have him go through the burning.  Now she's raising him, and their daughter Aliera.  Other than that, I'm not sure exactly where it's going.

Those are my novels for NaNoWriMo this year.  I'm excited for them all, and can't wait to get started on them (especially now that I've written this post...I'd forgotten how much I was looking forward to some of them).  I can't wait for November to get here (though, I really can.  Really, November, you don't have to come quite as quick as October did...I don't mind). It's going to be Epic!

What are you writing for Nano?  Do you have everything ready to go yet?

A Brief Overture

So...I may have missed my post on Wednesday.  Honestly, I don't even have a good excuse for why.  I was home (having had some plans cancelled) and all I did all night was watch shows.  I didn't even write.  So why couldn't I get words down to post on my blog?

I think it may have been lack of inspiration.  It's been months since I've missed a post, and as much as I love posting twice a week, lets face it, sometimes it's hard to come up with things to write about that I haven't already said a million and a half times.

But here I am posting today (though I actually don't have a firm topic for this post...you may have noticed already).  I'm getting back on track.

In that spirit, I thought I would tell you all just what my goals (and plans) are for the next month.

October is probably going to be just as busy as August was, except that critique group is still meeting, which means that I have to have two submissions for the course of the month.  The first is going to be a short story that I wrote and submitted to an online magazine.  The magazine in question has yet to get back to me, and has told all submitters that if they wish to send their stories out to other publishers, they understand.  I have decided that it's just been too long for them to have not gotten back to me and will be withdrawing my submission and shopping it in other markets.  As I view this story as one of the best things I've ever written, I'm hoping that it will get published.

For the second submission, I have no idea what I'm going to send in.  Originally I was planning on writing another short story to submit, but now that I'm looking over my month, I'm thinking that idea is going to be just about as smart as thinking I could do Camp Nano in August.  In other words: that's a dumb idea...so I'm still working on that.  If my month goes the way I expect it to go, I doubt it's going to happen.

We will be moving at the end of the month (lame...I hate moving).  This wasn't exactly our choice, and we will be moving further away from my work, which means my drive is about to double (and take me on roads I don't particularly enjoy driving on.) But I'm grateful that we have a home and we're not scrambling to find somewhere to live.  Unfortunately not only does that take a day for the actual move, but then there's the packing and the unpacking involved.  Coupled with the weekend getaway to my grandmother's house and all the other random little plans I make on a week to week basis, I'm worried about getting any of my work done, never mind anything else.

Pandora, my novel that I'm trying to edit, isn't going as well as I had hoped.  I have four chapters left to edit, and it's the last day that I was supposed to be working on the second draft.  I have already done two chapters today, though, and I have a friend working with me online.  I'm hopeful that I'll get it done tonight (and by hopeful I mean that I'm going to be frantically editing for most of the night before falling in to bed exhausted.) but I don't know if I actually will.  Wish me luck!

I have been plucking away at the planning for my fourth and final novel for nano.  So far my lineup is: Stolen Magick, Aliens Stole My Socks, Betraying Eden and Birth.  Birth is the one I'm currently working on.  I have some brainstorming done, but I'm actually ahead of schedule on that one.  I wasn't even supposed to start the planning until tomorrow, so I'm not too worried.  But I need to make sure I don't get behind in those goals.

This month is going to be hectic, but I'm hoping that I still manage to get everything done.  Now I just need to go finish the second draft of Pandora.

What are your goals for the month of October?  Are you going to join us in our blog post a day challenge in November?

Happy 100th Blog Post

This blog post is - wait for it - The HUNDREDTH blog post I've written since I started this blog last year!

Just like with my writing this blog has been a journey for me.

It started when I read a blog post written by a friend.  I couldn't imagine the concept of writing my thoughts and sharing them with the world.  Maybe I just thought that no one would ever want to read what I'm thinking about.  My thoughts are random and not in the slightest bit interesting.

And yet...all I could think about was how much I wanted to write one.  Just one.  Maybe just do a guest blog somewhere.

He told me that I should start my own blog, and I finally did.  I gave in and started this very blog, using the nickname that had been given to me by my fellow nanoers.

That first week I think I wrote three blog posts.  None of them, I'm sure, made much sense, but I just loved the freedom of being able to write whatever I wanted.  To just tell the world what I was thinking, and not have to worry too much about what they would say about it.

After that, I pretty much forgot I had a blog.  Okay, I didn't actually forget, but I definitely ignored it.  I stopped writing blog posts, and I was sure it was just going to die a quick painless death.  No one was too invested, so it didn't really matter.

It was nano that saved my blog.  Strange, considering that's probably when most people fall behind on their posts.  Another friend challenged me to write a blog post a day.  We didn't have a word count minimum, and it didn't have to be about anything, so long as it was a post (our rules were rather lax, as it was our first year).

I decided I might as well.  It would be fun, right?

It was freaking hard.  I mean, there were days that I was sure I wasn't going to get a post up (and a couple that I actually didn't).  There were even days when all I did was post my current word count for nano, because I really didn't have the brain power to think up something to write about.  In the end, though, I had only missed two days, and suddenly my blog had actual posts on it.  Regular posts.

In December I decided that I wanted to make sure I was posting with some kind of regularity so that I never again fell into the pit of not posting for months on end, and started with a once a week schedule.  It didn't take me long to realize that once a week wasn't enough for me, and I pushed it up to twice a week.

I don't always remember to do my posts.  Take this one, for instance.  I was actually supposed to write it yesterday, but as sometimes happens, I ended up being too busy and not being able to find the time.  There were weeks when I just completely forgot about the post.  I'm getting better, though.  It's been a couple of months since I've let that happen.

Every post I make seems to bring with it new challenges.  New people reading.  New accomplishments, and I'm so glad now that I gave in and started a blog, even if it never gets huge.  I've been able to share my experiences with people, and that was all I ever wanted to do.

I can't wait to see where I am, and where the blog is when I hit the 200th post.

For the record, we will be doing the Blog Post a Day challenge in November.  We'd love to get all kinds of different bloggers joining us.  No sign up, but I would love to get a link if you decide to do it.

It's Baaaack!

On this the last Sunday of the month, I feel the need to mention, however obvious it might be, that camp nano will be returning to the world in only a few short days.

I, of course, have already figured out what I'm going to write.  I actually have it plotted and ready to go.  Not because I'm amazing, just because I need to know it's ready before I even start writing.  I have to have that plot, or I start to freak out.  Trust me, I know this.  How?  Because I'm (literally) in the middle of a pantsing novel that does nothing but stress me out when I so much as think about it.

So with my mind firmly on the novel I'm about to start writing (with the occasional distraction of the novel that I'm currently editing) I thought I would make today's post a little shorter than normal and give you all an update on what's going on with me and my projects.

I've never been one to have only a single project that I focus on.  I get bored and need to move on to something different, so I currently have a few different things on the go.

Pandora a novel about a werewolf who also happens to be an assassin (I love it so far, even if I did just realize that I need to rewrite half of it) is in the middle of heavy editing.  I was supposed to be editing The Commons this month, but unfortunately feedback has been delayed, and I haven't been able to work on it.  I ended up pulling out Jayne's story, and now I actually can't wait to see how it turns out.

I've finished planning out the novel Stolen Magick, a YA about a school that teaches Arcanists (humans with the ability to wield magick) how to control their powers.  I'm very excited for this one, because I can't wait to see where the series goes.  Unfortunately, it will have to wait until November, as I won't be writing it until then.

I have 3 more novels I'll be planning for November as well.  None of them are named, but I have started brainstorming for a mid grade about a 10 year old who catches an alien stealing socks out of the dryer.  Stay tuned for more.  This one should be fun.

Three short stories have been written this month.  One has been submitted, and I'm waiting for a response.  One is going to be looked over one last time before I try to find somewhere that I want to submit it, and the last is going to be a kick off point for one of the novels for November.

The Techs, the second book in The Commons series is completely planned and ready for me to dive in August first.  (I've been eagerly awaiting writing this book, and can't wait to start.  The goal is to have it done by the 20th.)

I got some feedback from a beta reader today on The Commons and have come to the realization that I need to go over it many times more and fix many problem spots, but I can't wait to get started.  Unfortunately, it's now going to have to wait until I get through Pandora.

Okay.  I think that's all the updates I have for now (Yeah, I know, it's a lot.  I'm a little crazy...)  I'm excited for every single one of these projects, and I can't wait to see where they go.  I hope that your camp nano is amazing!

***I'm currently collecting donations for OLL (Office of Letters and Light) who hosts NaNoWriMo every year.  My goal is $500 and I've already hit 60% of that.  I need your help to complete my goal, however.  Help me raise money for the organization that single-handedly helped me to figure out jthat I'm a writer.***

San Francisco Here I Come!

Every year OLL (Office of Letters and Light who hosts NaNoWriMo, and various other events) hosts The Night of Writing Dangerously.  It's a great night when 250(ish) wrimos get together at a Noire Themed dinner and, basically, write.

To put it simply, it's a ginormous write in with a noire theme and candy.  Lots and lots of candy.

In my opinion it's probably the goal of every wrimo out there to attend this gala at least once, and I'm going to be doing that very thing this year.

November 18th will see me in San Francisco, possibly dressed in a Noire Themed outfit and sitting at a table with wrimos from all around the world that have accomplished the same goal as me.

See, to go to this event, we wrimos have to raise $200 for OLL.  It's a fundraising event, so that just gets us in the door.  Then we have to buy our plane tickets and pay for a hotel, not to mention all the touristy stuff we're going to end up doing while we're there.

Me, being the overachiever that I am, have set an even higher goal for myself.  OLL is a fantastic organization that has brought the world more novels than you can shake a fist at.  Even if most of those novels never see the light of day, it's a great program, showing people that they have it within themselves to write that novel they've always been thinking about doing.

Without nano, I don't know where I would be in my life right now.  I would never have met my boyfriend.  I wouldn't have already written ten novels (no, none of them are published, but every novel I write brings me closer to that one that's going to be put on the bookshelves, I know it).  I wouldn't have the friends that I currently have.  I would be wasting my life away still not knowing what I wanted to do.

It's because of nano that I started this blog.

I want to show that appreciation by raising $500 for them.  Of course, I require your help for that.  I've already donated $300, but I'm hoping that I can fundraise the rest of the amount.  Love will be shown for anyone who donates, probably in the form of a blog post.

If you want to help, I've posted a link to my fundraising page in the sidebar to the left.  I want to thank anyone who helps in advance.  This a great organization who deserves every penny that's donated to them.  Their work with youth alone makes them amazing.

I encourage anyone who hasn't heard of nano to visit their site.  If you've been thinking about writing a novel, why don't you sign up and join us in our adventure in November?