5 posts tagged “work & writing”

These latter chapters of A.C. are proving to be difficult because I'm having to make huge cuts and rewrites, so they're going slow.  I've already cut it down by a chapter, and may end up cutting it down by another.  Right now, I have 3 chapters left.  If I lose another will depend on how much the chapter I'm working on now gets cut.  The sad thing is the chapter has a good ending point, and I'm not so sure how well it will work out if I end up needing to split the next chapter between this one and the last chapter.  We'll have to see.

Based on average chapter counts, the novel should end up somewhere between 130-133k.  I am very aware that this might be too high a count for a first time novelist, but I have a couple of chances for cuts before I start submitting.  Once this last round is done, I need to make some corrections and make sure that the world building is consistent.  Then I'll run through the novel again, hopefully fairly quickly, to align it with the changes I have in mind and to make sure any fixes in the world building make it to the novel.  Once that's done, it will go out to beta readers, and I'm sure more than one will tell me what I can lose without killing the story.

I've been thinking about the query letter and the synopsis, and, honestly, they scare the crap out of me.  One thing this novel isn't is simple.  And bringing 600 pages of novel (double spaced, folks) down to 3 is a daunting task.  And the query?  Let's not go there yet.

The good news is it's almost done.  Never imagined getting there with how much hair pulling I've done over it.  And if it never gets published, it did do the one thing I really needed me to do: it taught me A LOT.  I know how I need to write now, I've learned a lot about process in general and mine in specific, I've even learned quite a bit about the critiquing process and how to respond to it.  But most importantly, I've learned that 1) I can write well and 2) I can finish a novel.  Both of these are important since they help with what started off as a near non-existent confidence.  This novel may have been a pain in the butt, but it also employs a lot of advanced techniques, and whether I managed to do them well or not, I did finish.  That alone if a huge boost.  The years have also given me time to work on my confidence level myself.  Still have a ways to go, but I'm 100 times better than I was, and that's probably a bigger accomplishment than the book.

I currently have two other novels in progress: Phoenix Rising is almost to the rough draft stage and Blood Charms is in the early plot building stages.  Both need some world building done, though Phoenix needs less than Charms because it's in the same world as A.C.  Right now I'm just working on writing them at their particular stages.  A.C. is work enough and I don't want to have two novels in a work place at the same time.  I'll wait until A.C. is out to betas then transition to world building for Phoenix.  I'm holding off on "work" for Charms because it's so much fun to write right now, and I want to keep the fun.  I think this is one of the reasons I work multiple projects: so I have something at the fun stage while working on others.  Of course, another reason is the ADHD.  The books allow me to control my distraction and help me keep going forward by giving me enough variety so I don't get bored.

Other than the books, I've been revising a short a week and have started subbing again.  Word counts slacked off for a couple of weeks because of illness and schedule changes, but look to be on the rise again.  Most importantly, I've been very happy with where I am.  Leaving my editing job has not only helped me get to where my first novel is almost done, but has made me a much happier person in general.

I've made a major change in my life recently: I left my editing position to focus on my writing for the next few years.  My son requires me to be home for at least the next 4, and the editing position was eating up all my time, so resigning and spending the time I'm required to be home on my writing instead made sense, especially since the money being earned really wasn't enough to do anything with and won't be enough to do anything with for a long time.  I spent the latter half of the week before last clearing out of the company and sending them all my files.  Last week was my first week as "only" a writer (and a mother).

It has gone very well, actually.  I was having a great deal of trouble finding to revise A.C. when working for the press, and in the last week and a half I've sorted out chapter 32.  Hopefully I'll work through the remaining 5 chapters more quickly now, get the fixes I need to make for the next round sorted out, v6 done up, and it out to beta readers by summer.  The plan is to get it on the query-go-round before winter.  I've already been threatened within an inch of my life if I don't even try.  *g*  I do have a few agents I want to query and one small press I think I would love to get into despite it being a small press.  Have to admit, a lot of it comes from the name of the press, but they've treated another author I know very well.

In addition to that, I've started a new novel project.  I'm pretty much doing it for fun—it's in a genre that I love to read but am unfamiliar writing, so it will be interesting how it goes.  So far, the ideas I'm working with and the outline are being pretty well received by my writing group.  I love this particular phase of writing, when the ideas are fresh and exciting and all you want to do is work on that one thing.  But B.C. isn't my first priority and shouldn't be my first priority.  It's just nice to have a non-Alden novel in the works.

So, the change has gone well so far.  I'm actually getting through my writing goals rather than having the same goals over and over for weeks at a time.  I've also managed to make some time for personal improvement, like exercise.  And I'm enjoying being able to work on my writing without the nagging sense that others are waiting on something from me like edits or some other response.  I know at some point there will be less energy and excitement, but I'm hoping to have my routine pretty much down enough by then that it will carry me through.

Okay, been avoiding my short story long enough, time to get to it.

I'm trying to get back on track here, but it's proving to be slower going than I imagined.  I still have the cough from being sick, though I suspect that, for the first time in almost 4 years, some of the issue is my asthma flaring.up.  It's weird having to deal with that again after so long without it.  There's also a little congestion left and the two are waking me up intermittently through the night.  The lack of uninterrupted sleep isn't helping any, either.

One of the biggest things I'm having trouble with is working on my own stuff during the week.  The only thing I can think of as being a hindrance is that I do editing all day.  So, when ti comes time to work on my own writing, I'm about writing-ed out.  I've already processed a couple of thousand words.  A couple thousand more, even if it's my own, just overwhelms the brain.  I'll have to work on that, obviously, in the meantime, it looks like it was a very good idea to make Friday a part of my writing weekend.  Even though I'm not getting much done during the week, I do seem to be fairly productive on weekends (over 7k this past Saturday and Sunday alone).  I just know I could get more done if I would just take advantage of my evenings.

Motivation.  It's such a fickle thing.

I'm not sure how much I'll be able to work on this little problem in the near future, however.  Because of being sick, I'm behind in my editing work, so I've had to drop the hour I reserve at the end of my work day (before my son gets home) for my own writing—I need to use that time to get a little more done on the manuscripts in my care.  I'm also stepping in for the Acquisitions Editor who needed some personal time, and had to adjust my daily schedule as a result.  So, right now, work is very busy, which makes me even less inclined to work on my own writing in the evenings.

I'm about 25k behind on my word count goal and 4 chapters behind with A.C.  I still have world building I really need to get done for A.C. (and my other Alden novels in general), and I've picked up Novel Plot Building as an in progress project again.  I really need to find a way to get past this block I have on doing my own writing in the evenings.  I'm participating in a writing challenge to hit my problem areas, but that won't do any good if I don't find a way to get past my own blocks.

It's sad.  I rarely suffer writers block, but I do have large amounts of motivation block.  All these ideas and projects, and I just can't seem to push myself to get them done.

Have to find a way.

As has been most this past year, it's been a busy few months, but some major changes are going to allow me to change my focus in the future.  It's all good, but requires me to come up with a routine for my day that works.  I'm very excited about it all though.  :)

The best news right now is that I'm no longer subbing.  A lot of reasons went into it, including a boss change for my husband, which also means a schedule change.  The new boss expects people to be in to work at 7 A.M.  and they generally don't leave until 3 or 3:30 p.m.  Our son's bus picks him up at 9 and drops him off at 4, and my husband's new schedule prevents him from being home for the boy at either time.  At the same time, the latest I can be in a classroom as a sub is about 8:30.  My husband's job makes more money, so I resigned my subbing position.  And happily so.  The one thing subbing showed me is that I'm not nearly as suited to being a teacher as I once was.  If I had started when I was younger, it might be different now; but a lot has changed about me since my days in college, and my patience with snarky kids appears to be one of the changes.

This does not mean I'm not working, though.  I've resigned my editor position with one small press to accept the Senior Editing position for Lilley Press, a new, Canadian, small press.  I read slush (guidelines, guys, guidelines!  Yeesh!), hire editors, assign accepted manuscripts to editors, and do some editing myself.  Our first publications should come out in ebook format early in 2008.  First hard copies, depending on how well the ebooks do, should come out in 2009.  That's the hope anyway.  I'm very excited about it, but the slush alone is going to keep me very busy.

I'm about 8 chapters behind in my A.C. revisions, but they are getting done and reactions from people who have seen the new v5 have been good.  A new Alden novel, Phoenix Rising, is in the notes draft stage.  I need to work on world building for both as well.  As usual, my shorts are getting the least attention, but I'm okay with that.  Some of my newer stuff is on the dark end of things--rather pessimistic in their view of humanity.  It's an interesting change in my writing, but one i hope isn't permanent.  ;)

As for other projects, Alden.nu is still a mess, but on my list to tackle early in the year.  Most of my other web related work is on target.  The house things I've been trying to tackle will take time since they need some financial investment and we don't have enough for that right now.  I am working on healthier living--a journey you can read in my new journal  It's About Time.  I'm mostly working on the routine and adding exercise into my day.  I'm not really working on food changes, but I am watching my food and will eventually make changes that are healthier.  Become unhealthy is easy; turning it around is a step-by-step thing that takes time.

The plan is to write in Journeys at least once a week now.  My old writing journal is unlikely to become active again since to pull it together means re-posting 100s of entries.  I'll probably leave what's done as it is, but I can't easily create new entries for it.  It was probably about time, though.  My LJ has become home to most of my word count and other writer related posts, and Journeys is home to writing and whatever is left.  Sometimes, you just have to accept the changes and move on.

I started subbing again (got to make the rent somehow!), but only part time--meaning only 2 or 3 days a week.  So far I haven't had to turn anyone down for have my 2 (preferred) or 3 (if one of my fave teachers begs really hard) booked, but I'm sure that will change once the weather finally goes from sweltering to "Is it cold enough to snow yet?  No?  Could have fooled me!"  This should start sometime in November, maybe earlier.  I'm also going to try to limit the number of schools this year.  I may have to make the rent, but I also need to keep what's left of my sanity.

This means I'm now trying to compress 2 full time jobs into 5 days.  Not fun, but better than it was.  Even the editing thing doesn't take up all the time needed for a long term position.  My family actually gets to see me in the evenings.  But it's still a busy time, and my own work is suffering a little because of it.

And I'm suffering a big case of avoidance on at least 2 things since they both need scenes added.  I know.  Bad, bad, bad author.  I'm working on it.  Sorta.

Also coming up this week: Dragon*Con.  Yes, I plan to be there, as broke as we are.  Mostly on the Writing Track, but there's a little Goth and a little Anime, among others, thrown in for good measure.  this will also be the hub's first time at the Con, so I need to spend time with him keeping him from getting lost, spending money, you know...the usual things.

Now add on top of all this that my oldest is here with the grandbaby, and, yea, things are just a  bit on the busy side.  I am thinking about what I need to be doing, but it's usually too hot and humid (as the hottest part of the day tends to hit in the early evening then stay for awhile) to dig up any motivation for it.  Hopefully it'll start cooling soon and the writing won;t be so hard to get to even after working during the day.