I was going to title this The Downside of NaNoWriMo, but on further reflection, I realized that the problem wasn't NaNo, it's the way I reacted to it.
I finished NaNo with just over 50k words; about half what I think Background Check will need. Then, I went back to editing Freedom Does Matter and discovered it was hard to work on the characters' situations, having spent a month wrangling with their future selves. I knew where they were going and how the next months would play out for them... it was hard to focus on the present of the earlier story.
But this is my issue, not my characters', not my story's. Discipline, I think. I need to work on the current state of the novel, and leave the future for when I finish the present.
Has anyone else found this to be true, working on two stories with the same main characters at once? Comments welcome!
Friday, November 30, 2012
Sunday, November 25, 2012
NaNo is done for this year!
I've not forgotten those of you who read my musings, but between everything else that had to be done by now and trying to get NaNoWriMo done successfully, I put all my energy there.
However, I finished NaNo today: three different word counts, depending on the software, but they were all over 50K: Scrivener reported 51051, OpenOffice thought 51211 and NaNo came in at 51005 with a certificate.
However, Background Check's not done. I think now it will run close to 85 or 90K words, so it's over halfway. Then of course, comes rewriting, editing, rewriting,... You get the picture. The big difference between Background Check and Freedom Does Matter, which I worked on last NaNo, is that I have completed over half the ms, instead of taking six months to do it. The end should come easier, once I finish up editing Freedom, and getting it up for sale.
Of course, there are other things, too. Covers. Critting for Critters.org. Editing for my beta readers. Ordinary things around the house, like digging out from the snow, which may be a more frequent occurrence this year. If we believe the weatherman. Writing more frequently for this blog. Spending time on twitter. Trying to guess what else might help.
Thanks for following. Comments welcome!
However, I finished NaNo today: three different word counts, depending on the software, but they were all over 50K: Scrivener reported 51051, OpenOffice thought 51211 and NaNo came in at 51005 with a certificate.
However, Background Check's not done. I think now it will run close to 85 or 90K words, so it's over halfway. Then of course, comes rewriting, editing, rewriting,... You get the picture. The big difference between Background Check and Freedom Does Matter, which I worked on last NaNo, is that I have completed over half the ms, instead of taking six months to do it. The end should come easier, once I finish up editing Freedom, and getting it up for sale.
Of course, there are other things, too. Covers. Critting for Critters.org. Editing for my beta readers. Ordinary things around the house, like digging out from the snow, which may be a more frequent occurrence this year. If we believe the weatherman. Writing more frequently for this blog. Spending time on twitter. Trying to guess what else might help.
Thanks for following. Comments welcome!
Friday, November 2, 2012
Give: This one's not for me
Update: I thought I'd mention that since I'm asking you to consider donating, I have also made a donation. I hope that those affected are able to recover, and quickly get their lives back.
I'm taking a little time off from NaNoWriMo to plug the Red Cross and their continuing efforts on the behalf of the victims of Sandy. Just like they did for Katrina's victims, or the Joplin tornado's, and on and on.
They never stop.
If you have given, thanks, though my thoughts don't mean a lot. If you haven't and you can afford to, visit The Red Cross site and send them some funds. They'll be able to apply them where the need is.
Thanks for reading. Thanks more for giving.
I'm taking a little time off from NaNoWriMo to plug the Red Cross and their continuing efforts on the behalf of the victims of Sandy. Just like they did for Katrina's victims, or the Joplin tornado's, and on and on.
They never stop.
If you have given, thanks, though my thoughts don't mean a lot. If you haven't and you can afford to, visit The Red Cross site and send them some funds. They'll be able to apply them where the need is.
Thanks for reading. Thanks more for giving.
Saturday, October 27, 2012
More opportunity to voice your opinion.
A couple days ago I asked about covers. Today, it's about the description for Freedom Does Matter.
A year and a half after Mercenaries: A Love Story, Beckie Sverdupe has been working with her fiancé Ian Jamse while attending college. While enjoying her summer vacation, she gets a message: while negotiating an Egyptian land dispute, Ian’s been shot!
Beckie conquers her fear for Ian by stepping into his position at the negotiations. The first day, she successfully fights off the same assassin, and captures her. Beckie discovers that small victory will swirl her into a maelstrom of revenge, intolerance and hate—chaos which she must calm before she can react to the threads unveiled. Fraught with natural disasters and horror in Egypt, beatings and acts of war in London and heartache and intolerance at home, Beckie’s quest to complete the negotiations and expose the assassin reveals, not only personal demons which she must subdue, but a credible threat to the fragile Middle Eastern peace which must be defused. Freedom takes on a new meaning for Beckie, who’s never faced the loss of it so starkly.
Freedom Does Matter is an older YA or NA action adventure, and is recommended for readers 15+ due to language and adult situations.
As always, comments are welcome, especially if they give me an idea about improving the description.
Thanks!
A year and a half after Mercenaries: A Love Story, Beckie Sverdupe has been working with her fiancé Ian Jamse while attending college. While enjoying her summer vacation, she gets a message: while negotiating an Egyptian land dispute, Ian’s been shot!
Beckie conquers her fear for Ian by stepping into his position at the negotiations. The first day, she successfully fights off the same assassin, and captures her. Beckie discovers that small victory will swirl her into a maelstrom of revenge, intolerance and hate—chaos which she must calm before she can react to the threads unveiled. Fraught with natural disasters and horror in Egypt, beatings and acts of war in London and heartache and intolerance at home, Beckie’s quest to complete the negotiations and expose the assassin reveals, not only personal demons which she must subdue, but a credible threat to the fragile Middle Eastern peace which must be defused. Freedom takes on a new meaning for Beckie, who’s never faced the loss of it so starkly.
Freedom Does Matter is an older YA or NA action adventure, and is recommended for readers 15+ due to language and adult situations.
As always, comments are welcome, especially if they give me an idea about improving the description.
Thanks!
Thursday, October 25, 2012
A Little Help
The muse didn't completely disappear; I have enough of an outline to start and perhaps finish NaNoWriMo writing Background Check, the third of the Mercenaries stories. Waiting for Halloween to be over.
I can start that because the second book is out for critting at Critters.org. It's been through my two beta readers. Thanks so much to them for their willingness to be abused, and point out when it happens. I made many of the changes they suggested; now we wait for additional suggestions.
I made a slight change to the title of the second book. It is now Freedom Does Matter.
If you've gotten to here, maybe you're wondering what help I'm looking for. This is pretty easy. Below, there are five thumbnails of possible covers for Freedom Does Matter. They should come out about the same as the one Amazon uses, so, do any attract interest? Do you like any of them? Is there one that seems better than the others? Let your opinions flow. Below the thumbnails is one full size image. Opinions welcome on it as well. The two with no text beyond the title would have that added.
Have at it!
The not quite full size image of the third one:
Thanks for any opinions you are willing to share. I'll be back in a day or so asking about the blurb.
I can start that because the second book is out for critting at Critters.org. It's been through my two beta readers. Thanks so much to them for their willingness to be abused, and point out when it happens. I made many of the changes they suggested; now we wait for additional suggestions.
I made a slight change to the title of the second book. It is now Freedom Does Matter.
If you've gotten to here, maybe you're wondering what help I'm looking for. This is pretty easy. Below, there are five thumbnails of possible covers for Freedom Does Matter. They should come out about the same as the one Amazon uses, so, do any attract interest? Do you like any of them? Is there one that seems better than the others? Let your opinions flow. Below the thumbnails is one full size image. Opinions welcome on it as well. The two with no text beyond the title would have that added.
The not quite full size image of the third one:
Thanks for any opinions you are willing to share. I'll be back in a day or so asking about the blurb.
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
I Miss Her
The Muse.
I've gone through the two beta readers' comments on Freedom No Matter, and made a long ton of changes based on their suggestions. I also gave them more work (that I hope they'll be able to fit into their schedules) asking if changes fit, and what did you mean by... and well, of course you're right, that was just [fill in your own inappropriate adjective].
I want to point out once again how much help these people give. In addition to taking the time just to read the work, they also mark errors, make suggestions, and tell me where they think the plot went astray. It's a lot of work, and I can't say how much I appreciate it. I'm sure every person writing is just as beholden to her or his beta readers; I just hope everyone remembers to say thanks, loud and clear! Even better: do an equally good job when asked to return the favor.
My readers have pointed out significant problems with my work. That's good. What's not so good is that it now falls to me to figure out how to correct them. In a day or two, I'll begin hitting Delete until I've found the focus that I slipped by earlier.
I mentioned in an earlier post that I was waiting for my reader to finish before thinking I understood at least some of the issues at work (Focus, focus, focus!). The verdict is in: the second half is better than the first. The inflection point, Chapter 17, corresponds to my beginning to use a new tool. I hasten to add that the tool isn't as important as the provider wants us to think, but for me, it made it a lot easier to do what I haven't really ever done before: create an outline of the story before writing it.
I can hear the heads butting the desks and tables now. Of course the focus will be better when you know what you're writing. And on and on. Or perhaps the cry is: pantsers will rise again. Maybe.
The tool that made it easier for me to adapt is Aeon Timeline. I found that being able to outline in a chronological context made that part of the job both easier and more useful. I think, with my limited experience, it works better for more complicated story lines, or rather, it has more utility for those scenarios. It also links with Scrivener, back and forth, although I haven't figured our how to use that feature to its fullest. It's a Mac only tool right now; read the developer's blog about progress on the Windows platform.
Check out their websites, linked above. Trial versions are available if you think either of them might help you, too.
As for the Muse, she's been flitting in and out. We're working on the timeline for Background Check so I'll have a little structure when NaNoWriMo comes along. She also got me to start a short story completely unrelated to anything, but snuck out before saying how she thinks it should end. Working on that one, too.
I've gone through the two beta readers' comments on Freedom No Matter, and made a long ton of changes based on their suggestions. I also gave them more work (that I hope they'll be able to fit into their schedules) asking if changes fit, and what did you mean by... and well, of course you're right, that was just [fill in your own inappropriate adjective].
I want to point out once again how much help these people give. In addition to taking the time just to read the work, they also mark errors, make suggestions, and tell me where they think the plot went astray. It's a lot of work, and I can't say how much I appreciate it. I'm sure every person writing is just as beholden to her or his beta readers; I just hope everyone remembers to say thanks, loud and clear! Even better: do an equally good job when asked to return the favor.
My readers have pointed out significant problems with my work. That's good. What's not so good is that it now falls to me to figure out how to correct them. In a day or two, I'll begin hitting Delete until I've found the focus that I slipped by earlier.
I mentioned in an earlier post that I was waiting for my reader to finish before thinking I understood at least some of the issues at work (Focus, focus, focus!). The verdict is in: the second half is better than the first. The inflection point, Chapter 17, corresponds to my beginning to use a new tool. I hasten to add that the tool isn't as important as the provider wants us to think, but for me, it made it a lot easier to do what I haven't really ever done before: create an outline of the story before writing it.
I can hear the heads butting the desks and tables now. Of course the focus will be better when you know what you're writing. And on and on. Or perhaps the cry is: pantsers will rise again. Maybe.
The tool that made it easier for me to adapt is Aeon Timeline. I found that being able to outline in a chronological context made that part of the job both easier and more useful. I think, with my limited experience, it works better for more complicated story lines, or rather, it has more utility for those scenarios. It also links with Scrivener, back and forth, although I haven't figured our how to use that feature to its fullest. It's a Mac only tool right now; read the developer's blog about progress on the Windows platform.
Check out their websites, linked above. Trial versions are available if you think either of them might help you, too.
As for the Muse, she's been flitting in and out. We're working on the timeline for Background Check so I'll have a little structure when NaNoWriMo comes along. She also got me to start a short story completely unrelated to anything, but snuck out before saying how she thinks it should end. Working on that one, too.
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Off She Goes: The Muse is Helping Others
Temporarily. She'll be back in November, anyway, and maybe earlier. We've been working on setting up the next story in the Mercenaries universe, now I've got the ugly first draft (and second, and in a few places third and fourth drafts) of Freedom No More complete.
It came out 110Kwords, and knowing someone besides me needs to see it to tell me what I've done wrong, I've sent it off to my beta readers. The feedback has already been swift and through!
It's to be expected. Still, I wish I wasn't putting at least the first one through so much pain. We have been discussing it, and I think I've finally realized what he means by "find your story!" Focus. Make sure I'm telling the story instead of wandering about in the weeds.
Easier said than done ( I love the weeds), but the second half (which he has yet to get to) may point to the root cause. I'll wait to see if the second half (after I changed horses in mid stream, in a manner of speaking) has the same level of problem as the part he's completed so far.
My other reader has been awesome busy, and just got started; I can't wait to see how that goes!
Do you plan to do NaNoWriMo? I think the muse and I will try to get the first half of that next book through the keyboard. Tentative working title: Background Check.
More later.
It came out 110Kwords, and knowing someone besides me needs to see it to tell me what I've done wrong, I've sent it off to my beta readers. The feedback has already been swift and through!
It's to be expected. Still, I wish I wasn't putting at least the first one through so much pain. We have been discussing it, and I think I've finally realized what he means by "find your story!" Focus. Make sure I'm telling the story instead of wandering about in the weeds.
Easier said than done ( I love the weeds), but the second half (which he has yet to get to) may point to the root cause. I'll wait to see if the second half (after I changed horses in mid stream, in a manner of speaking) has the same level of problem as the part he's completed so far.
My other reader has been awesome busy, and just got started; I can't wait to see how that goes!
Do you plan to do NaNoWriMo? I think the muse and I will try to get the first half of that next book through the keyboard. Tentative working title: Background Check.
More later.
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