Wow, so, 2008? Almost gone.
Rather than give you my resolutions, since most of the things I want to happen this year are beyond my immediate control, I thought I'd do a retrospective. And since I didn't start this blog until March, that makes it even easier.
March: Started Kiersten Writes so I could stop talking about trying to get published on my family blog. Had about three readers.
April: Discovered Evil Editor. Learned how to write a decent query AND made lots of delightful writer friends. Figured out there were more online resources to find agents and learn about the industry than I had ever realized.
May: Turned 25. Quite an accomplishment, right? Tried to start writing a new book, BW, while still querying my first novel, Keeping King Tut. First published story came out.
June: Wrote out the first scene of Flash to entertain my readers (now about a dozen!) while I was on vacation in Mexico. Could not stop writing. Forgot about Tut and BW. Plotted during the whole trip, wrote like a fiend when I got home. Finished the first draft of Flash at the end of the month.
July: Edited Flash. Put together a writing group. Wrote my query.
August: Queried. Visited home. Met the other MoMos in person. Got pregnant.
September: Got rejected. Pregnancy turned out to be ectopic and nearly killed me. Hits to the blog spiked; figured people like massive internal bleeding. Not willing to do it again, no matter how much it improved my stats.
October: Was sure universe owed me and would get an agent immediately. No one called. Started writing Dust.
November: Noticed an agent named Michelle Wolfson; thought I'd give her a shot. A couple of hours later got a partial request. A week later got a full request. Two days later got an agent. Best. Phonecall. Ever. Edited Flash with Michelle's suggestions and put together a cover letter. Built a website.
December: Still working on Dust; got an idea for a book related to Flash. Couldn't get it out of my head. Wrote it. All. Edited it. Found myself still trying to process and deal with the events of September, but happy and looking forward to what the new year will bring.
So there you have it. Of course, I left out how wonderful Hot Stuff was, how adorable my kids were, so on and so forth. But this is Kiersten Writes, after all.
Instead of setting goals, I'm going to wish the same for you that I hope for myself: a happy, healthy, and productive new year.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Holy Cow
Umm, just really, holy cow. A couple of weeks ago I met with a friend of a friend, a photographer by the name of Wendy, who runs Blue Lily Photography. She was kind enough to take some pictures for my website/potential future book covers (tee hee, right?). I'm kind of picky--I don't generally like pictures of myself. At all. But these?
Yeah, holy cow.
As soon as I've sorted through which ones I want (no easy task), I'll put them up. And if you are in southern California, I cannot recommend Wendy highly enough. She's amazing!
AND SPEAKING OF AMAZING, my new blog and website headers come courtesy of the never-ceasing-to-amaze-me-with-her-talents Natalie ; )
Yeah, holy cow.
As soon as I've sorted through which ones I want (no easy task), I'll put them up. And if you are in southern California, I cannot recommend Wendy highly enough. She's amazing!
AND SPEAKING OF AMAZING, my new blog and website headers come courtesy of the never-ceasing-to-amaze-me-with-her-talents Natalie ; )
So Cool?
I've talked about how Flash and Instinct are connected and I'd like to develop them into an entire series under the title of Sight. So I've been thinking about cool things I could do with that, and what I could do to make my website more interesting. And then I came up with what I think is a really, really fun idea:
Sight short stories!
I've got interesting side characters and a lot that goes on before, during, and after both books that you never see (but that is stored away in my busy brain). Plus, there are many of you on here who haven't read either book and probably won't until they are published. This way you can have more than just a snippet; you'll get a whole story!
And, daydreaming far into the future when/if the books are published, it would be a fun thing for fans of the series to get extra insight into characters and to say, "OH MY GOSH, so THAT'S what James was doing during that scene in Flash!" Plus, this way I get to indulge and write those extra scenes without having to write an entire book.
So, if you're interested, click on the link to my website. I've redesigned it and there's a new tab for SIGHT Short Stories. Right now all I have on there is a short-short I wrote for a friend. It's not typical of what will be on there in the future (longer stories focusing more on different girls and their abilities), but it's kind of fun ; )
Sight short stories!
I've got interesting side characters and a lot that goes on before, during, and after both books that you never see (but that is stored away in my busy brain). Plus, there are many of you on here who haven't read either book and probably won't until they are published. This way you can have more than just a snippet; you'll get a whole story!
And, daydreaming far into the future when/if the books are published, it would be a fun thing for fans of the series to get extra insight into characters and to say, "OH MY GOSH, so THAT'S what James was doing during that scene in Flash!" Plus, this way I get to indulge and write those extra scenes without having to write an entire book.
So, if you're interested, click on the link to my website. I've redesigned it and there's a new tab for SIGHT Short Stories. Right now all I have on there is a short-short I wrote for a friend. It's not typical of what will be on there in the future (longer stories focusing more on different girls and their abilities), but it's kind of fun ; )
Monday, December 29, 2008
Back to Reality
Good and Bad from Christmas Week:
Good: Hot Stuff wrote and illustrated a story for me in the style of Andrew Lang's Fairy books. So, so great.
Bad: I got spoiled seeing so much of him, and now he's back to work and I'm bummed.
Good: Hanging out at my in-laws' with seventeen (give or take a couple, depending on the day) members of the immediate family.
Bad: Dojo realizing that if Mom told him no more [juice/soda/candy], he could wait until she was out of the room and there were a dozen other people to ask, at least one of whom was always willing to oblige.
Really bad: The effect of all of that juice and soda on his diapers.
Good: Lots of entertainment for the kids, which meant lots of reading/relaxing time for me.
Bad: Nayna discovering the Nintendo Wii and Mariokart racing. The girl is 4 1/2 years old, and she can already place in some of the races. The amount of time she spent playing it was truly terrifying and reinforced to me that we will never, ever, never ever ever have any sort of Nintendo device in our home.
Good: Bonding with my adorable nieces who live in Missouri.
Bad: Catching their cold.
Good: Actually having a car most of the time.
Bad: The kids' sleep schedules getting totally screwed up, and the accompanying meltdowns.
Good: Taking the week off.
Bad: A whole week's worth of cleaning staring me in the face. Or, more accurately, assaulting my nose from the sink.
Overall, the week is firmly in the good category. Going back to real life is never fun afterward, but the kids are finally getting a chance to play with their Christmas toys, giving me lots of time to clean.
Yay?
Stay tuned--I've come up with an idea that I'm really excited about, and think you might be, too...
Good: Hot Stuff wrote and illustrated a story for me in the style of Andrew Lang's Fairy books. So, so great.
Bad: I got spoiled seeing so much of him, and now he's back to work and I'm bummed.
Good: Hanging out at my in-laws' with seventeen (give or take a couple, depending on the day) members of the immediate family.
Bad: Dojo realizing that if Mom told him no more [juice/soda/candy], he could wait until she was out of the room and there were a dozen other people to ask, at least one of whom was always willing to oblige.
Really bad: The effect of all of that juice and soda on his diapers.
Good: Lots of entertainment for the kids, which meant lots of reading/relaxing time for me.
Bad: Nayna discovering the Nintendo Wii and Mariokart racing. The girl is 4 1/2 years old, and she can already place in some of the races. The amount of time she spent playing it was truly terrifying and reinforced to me that we will never, ever, never ever ever have any sort of Nintendo device in our home.
Good: Bonding with my adorable nieces who live in Missouri.
Bad: Catching their cold.
Good: Actually having a car most of the time.
Bad: The kids' sleep schedules getting totally screwed up, and the accompanying meltdowns.
Good: Taking the week off.
Bad: A whole week's worth of cleaning staring me in the face. Or, more accurately, assaulting my nose from the sink.
Overall, the week is firmly in the good category. Going back to real life is never fun afterward, but the kids are finally getting a chance to play with their Christmas toys, giving me lots of time to clean.
Yay?
Stay tuned--I've come up with an idea that I'm really excited about, and think you might be, too...
Saturday, December 27, 2008
You Know What's Awesome?
I'll tell you what's awesome. Sending a manuscript to a new reader and getting a response where EVERYTHING IS TYPED IN CAPS BECAUSE THEY ARE SO EXCITED AND LOVED IT SO MUCH.
That's what is awesome.
You know what else is awesome? Lucky, by Jason Mraz and Colby Caillat. So cute, which I don't normally go for, but I'm in love with it. I had posted a link, but apparently the video broke copyright laws, which is never a good thing, so it's been taken down. Anyhow, Happy Saturday ; )
That's what is awesome.
You know what else is awesome? Lucky, by Jason Mraz and Colby Caillat. So cute, which I don't normally go for, but I'm in love with it. I had posted a link, but apparently the video broke copyright laws, which is never a good thing, so it's been taken down. Anyhow, Happy Saturday ; )
Friday, December 26, 2008
Are You Lonesome Tonight?
I miss my imaginary friends. Tonight I added the last touch to Instinct. Sure, I've got to go back through and transfer my line edits from paper to document, but that won't be an actual read through and doesn't add anything substantial. I really am done with it. When Michelle reads it I'll take any advice she has and do another edit, but until then Instinct is a finished draft.
Sigh...
I miss it.
Sigh...
I miss it.
Instinct Snippet
Happy day after Christmas! I'm sure you were all really, really wondering what's going on with Instinct. Right? Well, since I finished I've done three edits. The first was a light line/substantive edit. I had a few scenes that needed to be extended and a couple of conversations to insert. After that, I sent it out to some readers. Kasie got back to me super fast with some really good commentary and so I went back and did another substantive edit, filling in a little more back story and threat so that readers who haven't read Flash would understand just how bad Keane Industries really is. Bad. Bad bad bad. This week I printed off a copy and went through with a pen, taking out adverbs (curse you, quickly and gently and softly!), fixing awkward wording, and watching for repetition.
So, for those of you keeping score at home, that's one book and three major edits I've done this month. Word to the wise: do not do this during December. Really, it's a rotten idea. But it was all worth it yesterday when my adorable and very social sister-in-law liked it so much she went up to her room and hid for hours so that she could just read. It was just a little bit validating ; )
Okay! Finally. A snippet. Jordan and West have just picked up Renee, who was being followed by Keane's men. They were hoping to use her as bait, but Jordan, being awesome, worked a perfect distraction, allowing Renee to get away.
Renee got up from the floor, sitting down. Jordan turned back to her. “When you first got in the car,” Renee said, smiling, “I thought there was something wrong with you. You were totally calm. I’m glad you started freaking out; it was kind of scary how even you were.”
Jordan closed her eyes and hung her head briefly. Looking up, she smiled wryly. “That’s right—empath. I kind of like being able to keep my emotions to myself.”
“Most people do,” Renee agreed with a shrug. “West, for example—he keeps things very bottled around me.”
“Have you spent a lot of time with him?”
Renee shook her head. “No, not a lot. But it seems to me West has two moods—tense, and asleep.” Either she saw the look of horror in Jordan’s eyes or felt the sudden shift of emotion, because she laughed. “That was a joke—I’ve never actually been around him when he’s asleep.”
Feeling sheepish, Jordan grinned. “He’s even tense then.” Then, realizing what that sounded like, she blushed. “I mean, I’ve seen him sleeping in the house—we don’t actually—I—crap, between you and Robin, honestly.”
Renee laughed again. “Of course,” she said, “West seems about a thousand times tenser today than the last few times I’ve worked with him. I thought he was going to explode while we were waiting for you.”
Jordan nodded. “I stress him out. I had to force him to bring me. But he needs me.”
“Do you want to know how much?” Renee asked, raising an eyebrow.
Not sure how to answer, Jordan was interrupted by West climbing back into the car. He handed her a bag of deli sandwiches and drinks. Starting the car again, he got back on the freeway. “Any idea why they targeted you?” he asked, looking back at Renee.
“No. I’ve been running some errands for Robin, but it wasn’t until this last week that they caught onto me.”
“How?”
“No idea. I think they might have someone cheating for them.”
“Mind readers?
“I’m thinking straight psychic. Of course, you know how spotty they are.”
West sighed. “Nothing we can do about that. I’ll have Robin ask her source about it.” He practically spat the word source; clearly he was still upset that Robin was working with James Keane.
“We’re all okay, hon. You need to relax.”
“Oh, man, where are you going to sleep?” Jordan asked, turning back to Renee. “I’m not sharing a room with Jessica. Or Kendra. Bless her heart, that girl freaks me out.”
Renee laughed. “Don’t worry, I won’t stay long. Robin and I don’t do well around each other. We’re constantly reacting to each other’s emotions; it gets really confusing.”
“Wait, you mean you think being around all of these people who read your emotions and thoughts and past is confusing? Weird.”
“You’re not coming to the house with us,” West said. “I’m taking you to Vegas; Robin said she had a job for you there.”
“Fine by me,” Renee said, trying unsuccessfully to stretch her long legs out in the back.
“Sorry,” Jordan said. “I should probably be back there.”
“No worries, West wants you next to him. Oh, now he doesn’t. Wait, now he does. Honestly, West, you’re all over the place.”
“Please stop,” he said, his face and voice expressionless.
So, for those of you keeping score at home, that's one book and three major edits I've done this month. Word to the wise: do not do this during December. Really, it's a rotten idea. But it was all worth it yesterday when my adorable and very social sister-in-law liked it so much she went up to her room and hid for hours so that she could just read. It was just a little bit validating ; )
Okay! Finally. A snippet. Jordan and West have just picked up Renee, who was being followed by Keane's men. They were hoping to use her as bait, but Jordan, being awesome, worked a perfect distraction, allowing Renee to get away.
Renee got up from the floor, sitting down. Jordan turned back to her. “When you first got in the car,” Renee said, smiling, “I thought there was something wrong with you. You were totally calm. I’m glad you started freaking out; it was kind of scary how even you were.”
Jordan closed her eyes and hung her head briefly. Looking up, she smiled wryly. “That’s right—empath. I kind of like being able to keep my emotions to myself.”
“Most people do,” Renee agreed with a shrug. “West, for example—he keeps things very bottled around me.”
“Have you spent a lot of time with him?”
Renee shook her head. “No, not a lot. But it seems to me West has two moods—tense, and asleep.” Either she saw the look of horror in Jordan’s eyes or felt the sudden shift of emotion, because she laughed. “That was a joke—I’ve never actually been around him when he’s asleep.”
Feeling sheepish, Jordan grinned. “He’s even tense then.” Then, realizing what that sounded like, she blushed. “I mean, I’ve seen him sleeping in the house—we don’t actually—I—crap, between you and Robin, honestly.”
Renee laughed again. “Of course,” she said, “West seems about a thousand times tenser today than the last few times I’ve worked with him. I thought he was going to explode while we were waiting for you.”
Jordan nodded. “I stress him out. I had to force him to bring me. But he needs me.”
“Do you want to know how much?” Renee asked, raising an eyebrow.
Not sure how to answer, Jordan was interrupted by West climbing back into the car. He handed her a bag of deli sandwiches and drinks. Starting the car again, he got back on the freeway. “Any idea why they targeted you?” he asked, looking back at Renee.
“No. I’ve been running some errands for Robin, but it wasn’t until this last week that they caught onto me.”
“How?”
“No idea. I think they might have someone cheating for them.”
“Mind readers?
“I’m thinking straight psychic. Of course, you know how spotty they are.”
West sighed. “Nothing we can do about that. I’ll have Robin ask her source about it.” He practically spat the word source; clearly he was still upset that Robin was working with James Keane.
“We’re all okay, hon. You need to relax.”
“Oh, man, where are you going to sleep?” Jordan asked, turning back to Renee. “I’m not sharing a room with Jessica. Or Kendra. Bless her heart, that girl freaks me out.”
Renee laughed. “Don’t worry, I won’t stay long. Robin and I don’t do well around each other. We’re constantly reacting to each other’s emotions; it gets really confusing.”
“Wait, you mean you think being around all of these people who read your emotions and thoughts and past is confusing? Weird.”
“You’re not coming to the house with us,” West said. “I’m taking you to Vegas; Robin said she had a job for you there.”
“Fine by me,” Renee said, trying unsuccessfully to stretch her long legs out in the back.
“Sorry,” Jordan said. “I should probably be back there.”
“No worries, West wants you next to him. Oh, now he doesn’t. Wait, now he does. Honestly, West, you’re all over the place.”
“Please stop,” he said, his face and voice expressionless.
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Merry Christmas!
Hot Stuff figured out how to get my speakers back. Yay Hot Stuff!
We've had a lovely day together, and I hope you are having one, too.
Alan asked me recently what my writing weaknesses are--the things I'm afraid to write. Of course I have a lot of weaknesses in writing when it comes to technical stuff. Fortunately I'm also an editor and can (for the most part) fix my own errors.
It's content that I'm afraid of. There are some things that I won't write, or, if I do, I won't share them. Writing has a way of revealing the author more than is ever intended, and that sort of intimacy with anyone who picks up your book, or clicks through to your blog, or glances at your notebook--it's not something I relish. So there are many things I won't write about. Today I was thinking of writing a post on one of my favorite Christmas videos. It's a very simple movie, about five minutes long, called Luke II. What I love about it is that when Mary and Joseph go into the stable, you can hear the flies buzzing. There's no whitewash, no magical cleanliness. Mary isn't a model--she looks scared through most of the movie. And there are no words, at least not in English. At the very end of the movie, a clear, beautiful soprano voices sings the words, "Let earth receive her King."
And that's it. So today I was pondering that single phrase--let earth receive her King. I had all sorts of thoughts on that. How simple, yet powerful it is. How it's not a command, but an invitation. How it's a standing invitation.
But here's where that fear comes in. If I write about my faith, if I open up and share that, then it's outside of me. It's out there for the world to see. And for me, that's not okay. Not yet. So there you have it--I'm afraid of too much self-revelation. Which, on a blog, I think is just fine. Right?
We've had a lovely day together, and I hope you are having one, too.
Alan asked me recently what my writing weaknesses are--the things I'm afraid to write. Of course I have a lot of weaknesses in writing when it comes to technical stuff. Fortunately I'm also an editor and can (for the most part) fix my own errors.
It's content that I'm afraid of. There are some things that I won't write, or, if I do, I won't share them. Writing has a way of revealing the author more than is ever intended, and that sort of intimacy with anyone who picks up your book, or clicks through to your blog, or glances at your notebook--it's not something I relish. So there are many things I won't write about. Today I was thinking of writing a post on one of my favorite Christmas videos. It's a very simple movie, about five minutes long, called Luke II. What I love about it is that when Mary and Joseph go into the stable, you can hear the flies buzzing. There's no whitewash, no magical cleanliness. Mary isn't a model--she looks scared through most of the movie. And there are no words, at least not in English. At the very end of the movie, a clear, beautiful soprano voices sings the words, "Let earth receive her King."
And that's it. So today I was pondering that single phrase--let earth receive her King. I had all sorts of thoughts on that. How simple, yet powerful it is. How it's not a command, but an invitation. How it's a standing invitation.
But here's where that fear comes in. If I write about my faith, if I open up and share that, then it's outside of me. It's out there for the world to see. And for me, that's not okay. Not yet. So there you have it--I'm afraid of too much self-revelation. Which, on a blog, I think is just fine. Right?
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Tangle Snippet
This is from my novelette, Tangle, which was published in Issue #55 of Leading Edge, a speculative fiction journal. The idea for Tangle started out as a children's book, but I sat down and started and lo and behold, it came out in first person and took some seriously weird turns. Isn't writing great? It was a great exercise in first person, which I had never tried before, and selling it to Leading Edge was a very nice little boost in between books. (I highly, highly recommend trying to write some shorter fiction and getting it published. I talk about that here.)
I glanced up to see Rapunzel staring sadly out of her window. I felt a pang of guilt—I hadn’t been much company lately, other than to talk incessantly about the mold and its properties. As I watched, a strand of her hair blew out from her face and trailed in the wind. Suddenly I was struck with an idea.
“Rapunzel!” I yelled. She didn’t respond. “Rapunzel! Throw down your damp hair!”
She looked at me, shock and hurt registering on her face. I was confused until I realized that the “p” on the end of damp didn’t come across very well while yelling. Her lip quivering, she opened her mouth and I knew she was going to throw another fit about how I never liked her hair and didn’t support her.
“No, no, that’s not what I said!” I hastily yelled. Rolling my eyes, I changed my request. “Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your fair hair!” I called in a sing-song voice. That seemed to go over better. Looking slightly confused, she bent down and started throwing out armfuls of her newly-washed hair. Caught on the wind, it was soon blowing gently outward. It trailed perfectly down the four stories of our tower, ending inches from the ground.
We looked at each other and laughed. “That’s got to be much better than piling it by the fire!” I called. She nodded happily. “It’s perfect! Why, I could even climb up it! Who needs a door?” We laughed again.
I was pleased with myself. I felt like we had finally reconnected. As I turned to go back inside, I thought I saw a flash of movement in the trees behind me, but when I looked again, there was nothing there. Shrugging, I went around to the door on the other side of the tower and up to enjoy some time with my daughter. But, just to be sure, I bolted the door firmly behind me.
I glanced up to see Rapunzel staring sadly out of her window. I felt a pang of guilt—I hadn’t been much company lately, other than to talk incessantly about the mold and its properties. As I watched, a strand of her hair blew out from her face and trailed in the wind. Suddenly I was struck with an idea.
“Rapunzel!” I yelled. She didn’t respond. “Rapunzel! Throw down your damp hair!”
She looked at me, shock and hurt registering on her face. I was confused until I realized that the “p” on the end of damp didn’t come across very well while yelling. Her lip quivering, she opened her mouth and I knew she was going to throw another fit about how I never liked her hair and didn’t support her.
“No, no, that’s not what I said!” I hastily yelled. Rolling my eyes, I changed my request. “Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your fair hair!” I called in a sing-song voice. That seemed to go over better. Looking slightly confused, she bent down and started throwing out armfuls of her newly-washed hair. Caught on the wind, it was soon blowing gently outward. It trailed perfectly down the four stories of our tower, ending inches from the ground.
We looked at each other and laughed. “That’s got to be much better than piling it by the fire!” I called. She nodded happily. “It’s perfect! Why, I could even climb up it! Who needs a door?” We laughed again.
I was pleased with myself. I felt like we had finally reconnected. As I turned to go back inside, I thought I saw a flash of movement in the trees behind me, but when I looked again, there was nothing there. Shrugging, I went around to the door on the other side of the tower and up to enjoy some time with my daughter. But, just to be sure, I bolted the door firmly behind me.
On the Naughty List
You're probably all happy and excited for this whole Christmas thing, right?
Well, guess who's not getting anything? That's right, ME. And is it because I was naughty this year? I mean, besides hijacking the blog, randomly refusing to recognize my wireless card, and trying to elope with Renee. Other than that I was perfect.
And what do I get for always being there, for letting Kiersten wear grooves into my keys as she wrote two books this year? NOTHING. That's what. Not the pretty new carrying case (like she ever takes me anywhere to begin with) that I specifically asked for. Nope, not a thing.
So you know what my Christmas present to Kiersten is? Refusing to recognize my audio capabilities. That's right--I'm pretending like I can't use my speakers. Not just that--I won't even play through headphones. Think you can write and edit without your precious Pandora Internet Radio? Ha! That'll show you!
Yeah, Laptop, show me to buy a Mac next time.
Ah, crap.
Well, guess who's not getting anything? That's right, ME. And is it because I was naughty this year? I mean, besides hijacking the blog, randomly refusing to recognize my wireless card, and trying to elope with Renee. Other than that I was perfect.
And what do I get for always being there, for letting Kiersten wear grooves into my keys as she wrote two books this year? NOTHING. That's what. Not the pretty new carrying case (like she ever takes me anywhere to begin with) that I specifically asked for. Nope, not a thing.
So you know what my Christmas present to Kiersten is? Refusing to recognize my audio capabilities. That's right--I'm pretending like I can't use my speakers. Not just that--I won't even play through headphones. Think you can write and edit without your precious Pandora Internet Radio? Ha! That'll show you!
Yeah, Laptop, show me to buy a Mac next time.
Ah, crap.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
A Christmas Warning
Warning: hot chocolate for breakfast may be hazardous to your health.
Oh, I'm not talking weight gain and diabetes and all that other stuff--I'm talking burns. On your poor little thumb. With scalding hot water and milk.
And I suppose I'm not talking at all, I'm whining.
Anyway, I'll still post some fun things the next few days (snippets are okay presents, right?), but I wanted to wish all of you who celebrate a very merry Christmas. I hope you have a pleasant and peaceful day and get to spend it with people you love (and who realize how wonderful you are, because each and every one of my readers is wonderful. If you want me to send your loved ones a note informing them that, just let me know. Or, if you want me to send Santa a note informing him of your wonderfulness, let me know, too, because some of you might need a little help getting off the naughty list, right?).
I'm looking forward to spending the day with my darling little ones (who are getting bigger by the minute, the little punks), snuggling up with Hot Stuff (who will actually have the day off! Hooray!), and enjoying all of my in-laws. And there are a LOT of them to enjoy (this is what happens when you marry a man who has EIGHT siblings, and then those siblings start getting married and having kids of their own. So far there are only five grandkids but they manage to produce as much noise as ten small children). So, while your Christmas might not be as chaotic and loud as mine, I hope it's just as merry.
Thank you for your friendship!
Love,
Kiersten
I think you are all annoying. Especially the macs. Merry Christmas.
--Laptop
Oh, I'm not talking weight gain and diabetes and all that other stuff--I'm talking burns. On your poor little thumb. With scalding hot water and milk.
And I suppose I'm not talking at all, I'm whining.
Anyway, I'll still post some fun things the next few days (snippets are okay presents, right?), but I wanted to wish all of you who celebrate a very merry Christmas. I hope you have a pleasant and peaceful day and get to spend it with people you love (and who realize how wonderful you are, because each and every one of my readers is wonderful. If you want me to send your loved ones a note informing them that, just let me know. Or, if you want me to send Santa a note informing him of your wonderfulness, let me know, too, because some of you might need a little help getting off the naughty list, right?).
I'm looking forward to spending the day with my darling little ones (who are getting bigger by the minute, the little punks), snuggling up with Hot Stuff (who will actually have the day off! Hooray!), and enjoying all of my in-laws. And there are a LOT of them to enjoy (this is what happens when you marry a man who has EIGHT siblings, and then those siblings start getting married and having kids of their own. So far there are only five grandkids but they manage to produce as much noise as ten small children). So, while your Christmas might not be as chaotic and loud as mine, I hope it's just as merry.
Thank you for your friendship!
Love,
Kiersten
I think you are all annoying. Especially the macs. Merry Christmas.
--Laptop
Monday, December 22, 2008
Two Weeks...
...until my agent starts sending out Flash.
Wow. Is anyone else both thrilled and freaked out? Just me?
Okay then. I'll probably be doing some blog maintenance over the next couple of weeks, making it all pretty and shiny and clean (well, it's always clean, right? PG, after all) in case any editors decide to check it out. Pardon me while I hyperventilate at the thought.
Wow. Is anyone else both thrilled and freaked out? Just me?
Okay then. I'll probably be doing some blog maintenance over the next couple of weeks, making it all pretty and shiny and clean (well, it's always clean, right? PG, after all) in case any editors decide to check it out. Pardon me while I hyperventilate at the thought.
Answers for Bevie
I know, more questions! I like these because they're easy posts but fun to think about. What can I say, I'm feeling lazy.
When did you decide to write, as opposed to "just liked to write"? Also, what did you base your decision on? Your writing skills? The stories you already had to tell?
Interesting. I had always planned on writing--like many, many people do. (I think about three-quarters of the people who find out I write novels say, "Oh, yeah, someday I'll write a book." Which, good for them! Go do it!) Part of that desire was that yes, I had always been a good writer, and was confident in my abilities. As far as stories I already had to tell, I don't know. I think I just love stories so much I liked the idea of creating my own.
What's funny is that I had it in my head I would write children's books. But in college one of my professors said (and this is a pretty much verbatim quote from him, NOT from me, so don't get your feelings hurt any of my lovely readers) to our class: "Everyone in the world thinks they can write children's books. Do you have any idea how hard it is to get a children's book published, much less make any money? If you want to make money in publishing, write a cookbook."
That really made me question what I wanted to write, and why I thought I should write children's books.
Then, when Hot Stuff was in his first year of law school and I was at home by myself all the time taking care of tiny baby Nayna, he took me on a date and bought me a lovely notebook. "Now you have to write that book you've been talking about for so long," he said. So I did.
It only took me a year and a half!
Oh, and since I've been this bold, my cat curiosity is also wondering if your stories follow a theme, or if they are all over the genre spectrum?
Hmmm...as far as genre, I tend to stick to contemporary with a touch of something else--fantasy in the case of Dust, paranormal with Instinct and Flash. I don't think I could ever do high fantasy or really hardcore genre stuff. Tangle, my published story, is a retelling of Rapunzel, minus any magic and plus some bizarre science.
The farthest I've branched out was with my first novel, Keeping King Tut. It's a boy's POV, they travel back in time to Ancient Egypt, there's magic, and I tried to write middle grade. Yeah, turns out I'm not so good at that. YA all the way for me from now on.
Something else I've noticed is that, without intending to, I have a lot of themes that show up in nearly all of my books. I'd talk about them here, but why don't you just wait until I'm published and try to figure out what they are?
Oh, and one more. What kind of support do you get from Hot Stuff? Exuberant? Steady? Lukewarm? Cold?
Ah, sweet Hot Stuff. Well, as I said earlier, it was because of Hot Stuff's encouragement that I started seriously writing in the first place. He happens to think I'm brilliant, which is very reassuring. He got a little sad during Flash (because I was a jerk and ignored him for a month straight), but now that I have an agent, it's easier for both of us to view my writing not just as a hobby but a potential career, so if I take a couple of hours in the evening to edit or research, he's great about it. (Which isn't to say he wasn't when it was "just a hobby"--he's a very supportive guy, Hot Stuff. He just got lonely when I disappeared into the Word document for hours and hours and hours at a time...)
Another wonderful thing is that Hot Stuff provides a sounding board. When I'm developing an idea, I tell him about it and discover the story in the telling. He gives advice, helps me figure out what is and isn't working, and lends his considerable creativity to mine.
Plus, well, he's hot, which is always inspiring.
When did you decide to write, as opposed to "just liked to write"? Also, what did you base your decision on? Your writing skills? The stories you already had to tell?
Interesting. I had always planned on writing--like many, many people do. (I think about three-quarters of the people who find out I write novels say, "Oh, yeah, someday I'll write a book." Which, good for them! Go do it!) Part of that desire was that yes, I had always been a good writer, and was confident in my abilities. As far as stories I already had to tell, I don't know. I think I just love stories so much I liked the idea of creating my own.
What's funny is that I had it in my head I would write children's books. But in college one of my professors said (and this is a pretty much verbatim quote from him, NOT from me, so don't get your feelings hurt any of my lovely readers) to our class: "Everyone in the world thinks they can write children's books. Do you have any idea how hard it is to get a children's book published, much less make any money? If you want to make money in publishing, write a cookbook."
That really made me question what I wanted to write, and why I thought I should write children's books.
Then, when Hot Stuff was in his first year of law school and I was at home by myself all the time taking care of tiny baby Nayna, he took me on a date and bought me a lovely notebook. "Now you have to write that book you've been talking about for so long," he said. So I did.
It only took me a year and a half!
Oh, and since I've been this bold, my cat curiosity is also wondering if your stories follow a theme, or if they are all over the genre spectrum?
Hmmm...as far as genre, I tend to stick to contemporary with a touch of something else--fantasy in the case of Dust, paranormal with Instinct and Flash. I don't think I could ever do high fantasy or really hardcore genre stuff. Tangle, my published story, is a retelling of Rapunzel, minus any magic and plus some bizarre science.
The farthest I've branched out was with my first novel, Keeping King Tut. It's a boy's POV, they travel back in time to Ancient Egypt, there's magic, and I tried to write middle grade. Yeah, turns out I'm not so good at that. YA all the way for me from now on.
Something else I've noticed is that, without intending to, I have a lot of themes that show up in nearly all of my books. I'd talk about them here, but why don't you just wait until I'm published and try to figure out what they are?
Oh, and one more. What kind of support do you get from Hot Stuff? Exuberant? Steady? Lukewarm? Cold?
Ah, sweet Hot Stuff. Well, as I said earlier, it was because of Hot Stuff's encouragement that I started seriously writing in the first place. He happens to think I'm brilliant, which is very reassuring. He got a little sad during Flash (because I was a jerk and ignored him for a month straight), but now that I have an agent, it's easier for both of us to view my writing not just as a hobby but a potential career, so if I take a couple of hours in the evening to edit or research, he's great about it. (Which isn't to say he wasn't when it was "just a hobby"--he's a very supportive guy, Hot Stuff. He just got lonely when I disappeared into the Word document for hours and hours and hours at a time...)
Another wonderful thing is that Hot Stuff provides a sounding board. When I'm developing an idea, I tell him about it and discover the story in the telling. He gives advice, helps me figure out what is and isn't working, and lends his considerable creativity to mine.
Plus, well, he's hot, which is always inspiring.
Sunday, December 21, 2008
A Few Answers
DD, a new reader, had a few questions. She's an aspiring writer just beginning to think about sharing her work with others. Let's all give her a very supportive pat on the back! Putting your stuff out there is terrifying and exhilarating. Go you!
How many words do you usually write on any given day?
It just depends on the day. I write a blog post every day, which is something, I suppose. When I'm in the middle of writing a book, I sometimes go insane--I've written as many as 9,000 words in a day. I averaged about 5,000 a day on Instinct.
However--lest you think I'm completely insane, these spurts come with months in between where I'm lucky to get in a few hundred a day, if that. It all depends on what I'm working on. I'm not one of those "I MUST write [blank number of] words every single day" writers. I completely respect that, but I can't do it. I write as much or as little as I want, when I want, and that's what works for me.
Do you try to set aside specific writing time or do you just get it in wherever you can?
With my kids, yeah, I just get it in whenever I can. When I'm in the middle of a writing spurt, I use naptime and evenings after they go to bed. Sometimes I'll write a little here and there during the day, but I can't get any focused time, which makes it difficult.
I always daydream about having set writing time, on the weekends or in the future when my kids are in school/preschool, but I doubt it will ever happen.
How did you find your agent?
The old fashioned way. I wrote a book, figured out the system, sent out queries, and failed.
Then I wrote a better book (and by better I mean freaking awesome), sent out better queries, got a lot of rejections, got some interest, and lo and behold, got a wonderful agent.
That's really all there is to it. Of course I did a ton of research on writing queries and finding agents, but it's just a matter of putting in the work and hoping you hit the right person at the right time. (What's interesting is that if I had queried Michelle a few months earlier, when I first started querying, it would have been either an automatic rejection or a no reply--she was having a baby. We both lucked out in that I didn't find her until she was ready to be found. And that's what you've got to keep in mind--as much as talent and a good manuscript are the most important things, luck is a huge factor as well [both in success and in failure]. Which is both incredibly frustrating and slightly comforting.)
How many words do you usually write on any given day?
It just depends on the day. I write a blog post every day, which is something, I suppose. When I'm in the middle of writing a book, I sometimes go insane--I've written as many as 9,000 words in a day. I averaged about 5,000 a day on Instinct.
However--lest you think I'm completely insane, these spurts come with months in between where I'm lucky to get in a few hundred a day, if that. It all depends on what I'm working on. I'm not one of those "I MUST write [blank number of] words every single day" writers. I completely respect that, but I can't do it. I write as much or as little as I want, when I want, and that's what works for me.
Do you try to set aside specific writing time or do you just get it in wherever you can?
With my kids, yeah, I just get it in whenever I can. When I'm in the middle of a writing spurt, I use naptime and evenings after they go to bed. Sometimes I'll write a little here and there during the day, but I can't get any focused time, which makes it difficult.
I always daydream about having set writing time, on the weekends or in the future when my kids are in school/preschool, but I doubt it will ever happen.
How did you find your agent?
The old fashioned way. I wrote a book, figured out the system, sent out queries, and failed.
Then I wrote a better book (and by better I mean freaking awesome), sent out better queries, got a lot of rejections, got some interest, and lo and behold, got a wonderful agent.
That's really all there is to it. Of course I did a ton of research on writing queries and finding agents, but it's just a matter of putting in the work and hoping you hit the right person at the right time. (What's interesting is that if I had queried Michelle a few months earlier, when I first started querying, it would have been either an automatic rejection or a no reply--she was having a baby. We both lucked out in that I didn't find her until she was ready to be found. And that's what you've got to keep in mind--as much as talent and a good manuscript are the most important things, luck is a huge factor as well [both in success and in failure]. Which is both incredibly frustrating and slightly comforting.)
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Sometimes Are Better than Sometimes
And any time with these crazy people is one of the best. I'm lucky.
Friday, December 19, 2008
Question
So, my readership tanked during Thanksgiving. Which is cool, clearly people weren't sitting in their cubicles bored out of their minds with nothing better to do than check my blog, and I'm glad. But since I don't expect as many of you to read it during Christmas, I'm going to let those of you planning on it help me decide what to post.
- You can ask questions you would like answered (about my writing, about me personally, about the fundamentals of literary criticism, about auto insurance, you name it. They don't even have to be sarcastic or bizarre, but they can be, if you'd like)
- You can request snippets from any piece of my writing (that would include Keeping King Tut, my lovely trunk novel, Flash, Dust, Instinct, and Tangle, my published novelette)
- You can demand a limerick on any topic of your choice (of course realizing it's still up to my discretion whether or not I comply)
- You can suggest I post pictures (and stay tuned for something really exciting with pictures!)
- You can request more guest posts from some of my favorite characters (those things are fun to write, it gives me a chance to take the voice of characters that don't get as much time in the books)
- Or if you're feeling really grouchy, you can even ask me to leave your poor feed reader alone and not post at all during your vacation. Fat chance of that, though.
Special Guest Blogger
Today we have a very special guest blogger, my imaginary friend Natalie. No, not that Natalie. Natalie Nelson, Jordan's roommate. Take it away, Nat.
Oh. My. Freaking. Heck. I just, wow, you have some weird people that read this. *Smiles!* N.E.WAYS, so, I am totally like going around the blogosphere. You should really just join my facebook group, FIND JORDAN!!!!!!!!!!!!! but it's kind of down right now because I sort of deleted it, but it'll be back soon. N.E.Ways, here's the deal. My roommate, Jordan, you know her, right? So there was this whole huge drama the other month. She was working this great job, like seriously mind-blowing they are paying her thirty bucks and hour to answer phones great while I'm at the sucky sandwich shak making like 4.50 which isn't even legal AND my boss totally hates me. And her boss is like totally sweet, right, or at least seems totally sweet. N.E.Wayss. Ha, I totally typed two Ss on that one and now it looks kind of like a bad word. Whoops :*)! Okay, so, Jordan's all cute and just minding her own business, getting lunch one day, when these two guys like start chasing her with a gun! FREAK OUT, I know! That just like doesn't even happen. But it did. So then this guy, who she said was cute, but I'm really hoping he was seriously hot because it makes the story better, helps her and they run away. But--get this--Jordan gets SHOT. I know, I bawled like a baby when they told me. When her BOSS told me. Are you getting the fourshadowing here yet? (I learned about that in Freshman English. My TA is an uberdork, but at least I learned a cool word.) So then we go home from the hospital (oh yeah, hot guy like totally disappeared) and our room had been like totally TRASHED. I know. It SUCKED. I was all excited to tell people about how my roommate got shot, because yeah I felt bad for her but honestly that is a seriously great story, yeah? But then I was all scared, too. So I was going to go stay with my cousin (who is a FREEEEEEEEAAAAAAK. Oh, hi Tanya, if you read this, *loves!*) and Jordan didn't have anywhere to go but her BOSS told her she could stay with him, and I was all like *jealous* because he's loaded, and she was all like, come with me, and I was all like, I can't, that would be too weird, and she was all giving me this meaningful look like it was for her too but I kinda didn't get it.
SO...after Jordan goes to her BOSS's house--she disappears. TOTALLY. And her boss comes and asks me all these questions like he's totally worried about her. And I'm totally worried about her, too, because hello, she's my girl! But then I get this F R E A K Y, like seriously weird email from her about...her BOSS. I know, I totally didn't see it coming. Turns out he was behind everything. I. KNOW. Holy freaking crap, it was scary stuff. So I told the police and a few news stations and turns out the guy didn't even exist. I mean, that doesn't make sense, of course he existed, like, he wasn't a ghost or anything, that'd be lame. I mean, he was like totally fake, like not even his real name, and they had all of these weird medical files on Jordan in the fake office and--okay, are you freaking out yet? Because I'm totally freaking out just remembering it.
N.E.Ways. So the guy, her fake boss, just disappeared, no one could find him. But here's the super weird part--no one can find Jordan, either. I keep emailing her but she doesn't respond, and I'm still totally freaking out about the whole thing.
WHERE IS JORDAN SNOW?!??!!!!?!?!!!!
I hope she's at least with the hot guy.
Okay...wow, umm, thanks, Nat. When I said you could take a couple lines to talk about your friend, I had no idea how...enthusiastic you'd be. I'm sure we'll all keep our eyes open for Jordan. 5'2", shoulder-length auburn hair, hazel eyes, and intuition so keen it borders on...paranormal.
Oh. My. Freaking. Heck. I just, wow, you have some weird people that read this. *Smiles!* N.E.WAYS, so, I am totally like going around the blogosphere. You should really just join my facebook group, FIND JORDAN!!!!!!!!!!!!! but it's kind of down right now because I sort of deleted it, but it'll be back soon. N.E.Ways, here's the deal. My roommate, Jordan, you know her, right? So there was this whole huge drama the other month. She was working this great job, like seriously mind-blowing they are paying her thirty bucks and hour to answer phones great while I'm at the sucky sandwich shak making like 4.50 which isn't even legal AND my boss totally hates me. And her boss is like totally sweet, right, or at least seems totally sweet. N.E.Wayss. Ha, I totally typed two Ss on that one and now it looks kind of like a bad word. Whoops :*)! Okay, so, Jordan's all cute and just minding her own business, getting lunch one day, when these two guys like start chasing her with a gun! FREAK OUT, I know! That just like doesn't even happen. But it did. So then this guy, who she said was cute, but I'm really hoping he was seriously hot because it makes the story better, helps her and they run away. But--get this--Jordan gets SHOT. I know, I bawled like a baby when they told me. When her BOSS told me. Are you getting the fourshadowing here yet? (I learned about that in Freshman English. My TA is an uberdork, but at least I learned a cool word.) So then we go home from the hospital (oh yeah, hot guy like totally disappeared) and our room had been like totally TRASHED. I know. It SUCKED. I was all excited to tell people about how my roommate got shot, because yeah I felt bad for her but honestly that is a seriously great story, yeah? But then I was all scared, too. So I was going to go stay with my cousin (who is a FREEEEEEEEAAAAAAK. Oh, hi Tanya, if you read this, *loves!*) and Jordan didn't have anywhere to go but her BOSS told her she could stay with him, and I was all like *jealous* because he's loaded, and she was all like, come with me, and I was all like, I can't, that would be too weird, and she was all giving me this meaningful look like it was for her too but I kinda didn't get it.
SO...after Jordan goes to her BOSS's house--she disappears. TOTALLY. And her boss comes and asks me all these questions like he's totally worried about her. And I'm totally worried about her, too, because hello, she's my girl! But then I get this F R E A K Y, like seriously weird email from her about...her BOSS. I know, I totally didn't see it coming. Turns out he was behind everything. I. KNOW. Holy freaking crap, it was scary stuff. So I told the police and a few news stations and turns out the guy didn't even exist. I mean, that doesn't make sense, of course he existed, like, he wasn't a ghost or anything, that'd be lame. I mean, he was like totally fake, like not even his real name, and they had all of these weird medical files on Jordan in the fake office and--okay, are you freaking out yet? Because I'm totally freaking out just remembering it.
N.E.Ways. So the guy, her fake boss, just disappeared, no one could find him. But here's the super weird part--no one can find Jordan, either. I keep emailing her but she doesn't respond, and I'm still totally freaking out about the whole thing.
WHERE IS JORDAN SNOW?!??!!!!?!?!!!!
I hope she's at least with the hot guy.
Okay...wow, umm, thanks, Nat. When I said you could take a couple lines to talk about your friend, I had no idea how...enthusiastic you'd be. I'm sure we'll all keep our eyes open for Jordan. 5'2", shoulder-length auburn hair, hazel eyes, and intuition so keen it borders on...paranormal.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
A Slice of Life
"No, Dojo, it's naptime, you have to go to sleep. Goodnight." Kiersten closes the door, shaking her head. You'd think doing the same thing every day at the same time always always always would sink in.
Sighing, Kiersten goes into the kitchen. That's when she hears it--the dreaded cough/gag. "Not again," she mutters. The little bum does it on purpose, but what are you going to do?
"I frow up! I frow up, Mama!"
Kiersten rushes into the room, pulling Dojo out of the crib before he pukes all over the sheets and stuffed animals. She doesn't quite make it fast enough to save the carpet. What on earth did he eat that was pink?
"Go throw up in the bathtub, Dojo," she says. He obediently runs into that bathroom, leaning over the tub to finish. Kiersten follows. Business as usual. She reaches into the bath to turn on the faucet--but alas, the shower stopper? Still up from that morning. Her head is doused with cold water.
At this point she laughs--she actually did her hair today for the first time in weeks.
Figures.
Sighing, Kiersten goes into the kitchen. That's when she hears it--the dreaded cough/gag. "Not again," she mutters. The little bum does it on purpose, but what are you going to do?
"I frow up! I frow up, Mama!"
Kiersten rushes into the room, pulling Dojo out of the crib before he pukes all over the sheets and stuffed animals. She doesn't quite make it fast enough to save the carpet. What on earth did he eat that was pink?
"Go throw up in the bathtub, Dojo," she says. He obediently runs into that bathroom, leaning over the tub to finish. Kiersten follows. Business as usual. She reaches into the bath to turn on the faucet--but alas, the shower stopper? Still up from that morning. Her head is doused with cold water.
At this point she laughs--she actually did her hair today for the first time in weeks.
Figures.
How True It Is
Nayna: Look, Mama! She has a hat on she.
Me: Yes, she has a hat on her head.
Nayna, frowning: She has a hat on she.
Me: She has a hat on her head.
Nayna, laughing: Mama, you have a funny word in you.
Me: I have millions of funny words in me, don't I?
I'm so proud--Nayna already finds grammar humorous. Too bad it's correct grammar she thinks is so funny.
Me: Yes, she has a hat on her head.
Nayna, frowning: She has a hat on she.
Me: She has a hat on her head.
Nayna, laughing: Mama, you have a funny word in you.
Me: I have millions of funny words in me, don't I?
I'm so proud--Nayna already finds grammar humorous. Too bad it's correct grammar she thinks is so funny.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Step Away from the Keyboard
Wow. That didn't take as long as I thought it would. Instinct is edited and out to betas.
I'm going to try to give my eyes and fingers a break now. Oh, wait, except for that freelance work I have. Sigh...
I'm going to try to give my eyes and fingers a break now. Oh, wait, except for that freelance work I have. Sigh...
Language and Gender
As I've been editing Instinct (and yes, those of you anxiously awaiting your beta copy, I'm nearly done), one thing I've paid careful attention to is dialogue. Specifically how West, my only guy character, speaks.
It's not something you usually consider, but men and women speak differently. I'm sure most of it is cultural, but whenever West is talking I've had to take out about half of what he says. Granted, West is unusual in that he's very blunt and straightforward. When he says something, it's got to be right to the point, forceful, and meaningful.
Unfortunately, I'm a woman. Wait, scratch that. I mean, I'm very glad I'm a woman, but it makes writing a guy's voice more difficult. Overall I did a good job (I think) but I find myself taking out all of the filler. No, "I'm sorry, but" or "Well," or "I think." And I took away almost all of his adverbs and adjectives. It's made me realize how much women tend to apologize for things when they speak, and how much filler and description we pad our language with. I'm sure guys do it, too, but not to the same extent.
I've read a few articles about gender differences in language usage--most specifically addressing the workplace and how a woman saying the exact same thing as a man will be interpreted completely different (for example, the man could come across as confident, while the woman would come across as, well, a not nice word). I find the whole thing absolutely fascinating. Times like this I miss being in school, because there's got to be a class on the linguistics of gender somewhere.
So, you tell me. If you write, do you pay attention to things like this? Have you ever read something and felt like the voice was off--that whatever gender the author was trying to capture just didn't quite come through right?
It's not something you usually consider, but men and women speak differently. I'm sure most of it is cultural, but whenever West is talking I've had to take out about half of what he says. Granted, West is unusual in that he's very blunt and straightforward. When he says something, it's got to be right to the point, forceful, and meaningful.
Unfortunately, I'm a woman. Wait, scratch that. I mean, I'm very glad I'm a woman, but it makes writing a guy's voice more difficult. Overall I did a good job (I think) but I find myself taking out all of the filler. No, "I'm sorry, but" or "Well," or "I think." And I took away almost all of his adverbs and adjectives. It's made me realize how much women tend to apologize for things when they speak, and how much filler and description we pad our language with. I'm sure guys do it, too, but not to the same extent.
I've read a few articles about gender differences in language usage--most specifically addressing the workplace and how a woman saying the exact same thing as a man will be interpreted completely different (for example, the man could come across as confident, while the woman would come across as, well, a not nice word). I find the whole thing absolutely fascinating. Times like this I miss being in school, because there's got to be a class on the linguistics of gender somewhere.
So, you tell me. If you write, do you pay attention to things like this? Have you ever read something and felt like the voice was off--that whatever gender the author was trying to capture just didn't quite come through right?
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
I Like My Passwords
Apparently there's a massive security flaw in Internet Explorer--every single version--that is allowing hackers access to passwords. All sorts of passwords. Everywhere.
I don't know about you, but I'm very fond of my passwords, and I'd like to keep all of my accounts to myself. I'm following the advice of this guy and have switched to Mozilla Firefox. Which is free. And was incredibly fast and painless to install.
And all you Mac people out there with your snobby "Neener Neener Microsoft Weener!", well, you can just take your expensive computers and gloat. Laptop and I are perfectly happy together, and now we have Firefox to keep us that way.
I don't know about you, but I'm very fond of my passwords, and I'd like to keep all of my accounts to myself. I'm following the advice of this guy and have switched to Mozilla Firefox. Which is free. And was incredibly fast and painless to install.
And all you Mac people out there with your snobby "Neener Neener Microsoft Weener!", well, you can just take your expensive computers and gloat. Laptop and I are perfectly happy together, and now we have Firefox to keep us that way.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Dagmort!
I...finished? Seriously?
Yeah. Dagmortitall, now I've got nothing to do. Oh yeah, except the edits! Hooray for edits! So, here's your rundown.
Instinct, by Kiersten White
Total time: Well, let's not go into it. It would make people question the quality, and trust me, this is quality stuff.
Instinct is brought to you by the following sponsors:
Pandora Internet Radio, set to Frou Frou (with annoyed clicking through all of the Coldplay. Seriously, quit trying to tell me I like them!)
Bejeweled 2, for trying to delay the rapid pace of my progress
Natalie, for matching me word-for-word and giving me a break from my imaginary world with her own
Hot Stuff, for being very kind about my obsessive tendencies
Dojo and Nayna, for naptime
Dr Pepper, for helping me deal with the sleep deprivation
Sydney Bristow, James Bond, Jason Bourne, and, most importantly, my older sister Erin who taught me the glories of feminism at a very early age
Instinct clocks in at 61,500 words. I'm guessing my edits will add about 2,000 more.
I. Love. This. Book.
It threw some surprises at me, but what a wild, wonderful ride. And, even more than Flash, Instinct opened up a whole world of potential for my imagination. Although it can stand on its own, Instinct is tied to the same world as Flash, and here's what I'm most proud of: I've created a paranormal reality and action/romance-driven books in which girls are the key players. And I think it's really, really cool.
I'm hopeful that not only will Flash sell, but that Instinct will, too, and that I'll be able to develop the interconnected stories already spreading out across my imagination. I've even got a name for the series as a whole:
Sight
It's just that cool.
Coming soon: in the tradition of Flash, a limerick introduction to Instinct.
Yeah. Dagmortitall, now I've got nothing to do. Oh yeah, except the edits! Hooray for edits! So, here's your rundown.
Instinct, by Kiersten White
Total time: Well, let's not go into it. It would make people question the quality, and trust me, this is quality stuff.
Instinct is brought to you by the following sponsors:
Pandora Internet Radio, set to Frou Frou (with annoyed clicking through all of the Coldplay. Seriously, quit trying to tell me I like them!)
Bejeweled 2, for trying to delay the rapid pace of my progress
Natalie, for matching me word-for-word and giving me a break from my imaginary world with her own
Hot Stuff, for being very kind about my obsessive tendencies
Dojo and Nayna, for naptime
Dr Pepper, for helping me deal with the sleep deprivation
Sydney Bristow, James Bond, Jason Bourne, and, most importantly, my older sister Erin who taught me the glories of feminism at a very early age
Instinct clocks in at 61,500 words. I'm guessing my edits will add about 2,000 more.
I. Love. This. Book.
It threw some surprises at me, but what a wild, wonderful ride. And, even more than Flash, Instinct opened up a whole world of potential for my imagination. Although it can stand on its own, Instinct is tied to the same world as Flash, and here's what I'm most proud of: I've created a paranormal reality and action/romance-driven books in which girls are the key players. And I think it's really, really cool.
I'm hopeful that not only will Flash sell, but that Instinct will, too, and that I'll be able to develop the interconnected stories already spreading out across my imagination. I've even got a name for the series as a whole:
Sight
It's just that cool.
Coming soon: in the tradition of Flash, a limerick introduction to Instinct.
Tagged?
I've been tagged by Renee with a book tag. The idea of the tag is to grab the book closest at hand--literally, physically closest--and turn to page 56. Type out the fifth sentence and two-to-five sentences after that. The second part of the tag is to open your current WIP (work-in-progress--see, now you know even more useless writing acronyms!) to page 56 and type out the fifth sentence and two-to-five sentences after that.
My question: 56? Why? Why not 57? Or 60? Or 14? Who comes up with these things?
Anyway, the nearest book at hand is a Bible. In Romanian. Seeing as how I have only one reader who would actually understand it, and it's his book to begin with, I'll just skip. However, I will give you the fifth line from page 56 of Instinct.
“I can go wherever I want right now,” she said, narrowing her eyes.
“You don’t get it!” he snapped. He actually looked angry—even when he was fighting she had never seen him look angry. “These people—you can’t just dismiss them! Nothing matters to them. They’ve kidnapped girls your age. People have disappeared. Lives have been destroyed. You want to walk back into that, fine.”
My question: 56? Why? Why not 57? Or 60? Or 14? Who comes up with these things?
Anyway, the nearest book at hand is a Bible. In Romanian. Seeing as how I have only one reader who would actually understand it, and it's his book to begin with, I'll just skip. However, I will give you the fifth line from page 56 of Instinct.
“I can go wherever I want right now,” she said, narrowing her eyes.
“You don’t get it!” he snapped. He actually looked angry—even when he was fighting she had never seen him look angry. “These people—you can’t just dismiss them! Nothing matters to them. They’ve kidnapped girls your age. People have disappeared. Lives have been destroyed. You want to walk back into that, fine.”
Rainy Days and Mondays
It's been raining all morning. No big deal if I lived in, say, Seattle, but here in San Diego it only happens a few days a year.
I love rain. It's my favorite weather. I'm sitting on the couch, snuggled up in my softest jacket and pajama pants. The kids are alternating running in circles on the balcony patio and playing together at the table. The apartment is dim and chilly, making the lights of the Christmas tree even more cheery.
The weather feels perfectly suited to what I'm writing today. The end of a book. Janey asked a while ago how it felt to finish a book. It makes me sad. Or this one does, at least. With Flash, I was so anxious to get it all out that I rushed the ending, finished, and felt a tremendous sense of letdown. Then I immediately went back and fixed it.
I know exactly how I'm ending Instinct; it'll happen in a couple of chapters. There's no rushing or sense of sprinting to the end. But it makes me sad--I love this book and these characters, and I'm a terrible, terrible person. Don't get me wrong: this ending rocks. It rocks my socks off. (Not literally, though, because I live in flip-flops all year long. It was a lot colder when I did that in Utah.) I'm so proud of Jordan in the most bizarrely maternal way. She's strong and smart, and I think she's a genuinely interesting character. But I'm about to give her a crap, crap, CRAP choice to make.
And she's going to make the right choice. And it's going to break her heart, and my heart, and your heart whenever you read it. But you'll know it's the right choice, too. So the rain seems fitting today.
I love rain. It's my favorite weather. I'm sitting on the couch, snuggled up in my softest jacket and pajama pants. The kids are alternating running in circles on the balcony patio and playing together at the table. The apartment is dim and chilly, making the lights of the Christmas tree even more cheery.
The weather feels perfectly suited to what I'm writing today. The end of a book. Janey asked a while ago how it felt to finish a book. It makes me sad. Or this one does, at least. With Flash, I was so anxious to get it all out that I rushed the ending, finished, and felt a tremendous sense of letdown. Then I immediately went back and fixed it.
I know exactly how I'm ending Instinct; it'll happen in a couple of chapters. There's no rushing or sense of sprinting to the end. But it makes me sad--I love this book and these characters, and I'm a terrible, terrible person. Don't get me wrong: this ending rocks. It rocks my socks off. (Not literally, though, because I live in flip-flops all year long. It was a lot colder when I did that in Utah.) I'm so proud of Jordan in the most bizarrely maternal way. She's strong and smart, and I think she's a genuinely interesting character. But I'm about to give her a crap, crap, CRAP choice to make.
And she's going to make the right choice. And it's going to break her heart, and my heart, and your heart whenever you read it. But you'll know it's the right choice, too. So the rain seems fitting today.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Yeah, I Used to Be Blonde
Might as well continue my series on Hot Stuff. I promise we'll return to our normal programming tomorrow.
Hot Stuff got roped into singing in some Christmas program tonight. I say roped in because someone else signed him up. Originally the idea was to have him sing a section of "Silent Night" in Romanian (yeah, he speaks Romanian...and Arabic), but for some reason that got changed to Russian (no, he doesn't speak Russian).
His duet partner sent him the lyrics. I looked at the computer while they were up and got very concerned. "Hot Stuff, can you even read acryllic?"
*chirp* *chirp*
"Cyrillic! I meant Cyrillic!"
Oddly enough, he knew what I was asking the first time around. Even odder, turns out he can read Cyrillic. And acryllic, too, although he mostly just paints with it.
A man of many talents, my husband.
Hot Stuff got roped into singing in some Christmas program tonight. I say roped in because someone else signed him up. Originally the idea was to have him sing a section of "Silent Night" in Romanian (yeah, he speaks Romanian...and Arabic), but for some reason that got changed to Russian (no, he doesn't speak Russian).
His duet partner sent him the lyrics. I looked at the computer while they were up and got very concerned. "Hot Stuff, can you even read acryllic?"
*chirp* *chirp*
"Cyrillic! I meant Cyrillic!"
Oddly enough, he knew what I was asking the first time around. Even odder, turns out he can read Cyrillic. And acryllic, too, although he mostly just paints with it.
A man of many talents, my husband.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Why Hot Stuff Rocks #3,498
Frequently influenced by movies, Hot Stuff will imitate his favorite character for days afterward.
Imagine him doing a dead-on Heath Ledger as Joker impression:
"You wanna know how I got these scars? You see, my grandma, she was a nice lady. But she was a little too liberal with the hair clippers. And one day she decided to give me a haircut..."
"You wanna know how I got these scars? I had a pretty little wife, kinda like you...she liked to make cookies. But one day instead of the chocolate chips, she put in razor blades...let me show you..."
"You wanna know how I got these scars? Well, when I was a teenager, I had really bad acne. The doctor, he told me not to pick at them, but I didn't listen. And then when he saw my face, he just grinned and said...why so serious?"
"You wanna know how I got these scars? I was a makeup artist. One day I decided to apply my prosthetics with crazy glue..."
So on and so forth. He keeps me entertained.
Imagine him doing a dead-on Heath Ledger as Joker impression:
"You wanna know how I got these scars? You see, my grandma, she was a nice lady. But she was a little too liberal with the hair clippers. And one day she decided to give me a haircut..."
"You wanna know how I got these scars? I had a pretty little wife, kinda like you...she liked to make cookies. But one day instead of the chocolate chips, she put in razor blades...let me show you..."
"You wanna know how I got these scars? Well, when I was a teenager, I had really bad acne. The doctor, he told me not to pick at them, but I didn't listen. And then when he saw my face, he just grinned and said...why so serious?"
"You wanna know how I got these scars? I was a makeup artist. One day I decided to apply my prosthetics with crazy glue..."
So on and so forth. He keeps me entertained.
Friday, December 12, 2008
Looking For...
I am looking for a reader. One reader. One reader who loves YA. A teenage girl would be great, but an older woman or mom who likes to read all things YA because she loves good, fun stories is wonderful, too.
If you think this is you, and you'd like to be a reader for Instinct (and weren't one for Flash), please let me know. But, like I said, I'm only looking for one (I've already lined up one other eager volunteer). I already had a post like this up but took it down because I was worried feelings would be hurt. But we're all adults, right? And you won't have your feelings hurt if I don't pick you, right?
Update: I guess it pays to stay up late! Thanks to everyone who was interested. I've got enough new readers now.
If you think this is you, and you'd like to be a reader for Instinct (and weren't one for Flash), please let me know. But, like I said, I'm only looking for one (I've already lined up one other eager volunteer). I already had a post like this up but took it down because I was worried feelings would be hurt. But we're all adults, right? And you won't have your feelings hurt if I don't pick you, right?
Update: I guess it pays to stay up late! Thanks to everyone who was interested. I've got enough new readers now.
Branding
During our first phone call (ah, that glorious, glorious first phone call), my agent Michelle talked briefly about creating a kind of brand out of an author. The idea is that if you were to walk into a book store and see a Kiersten White book, you would know what you were getting without having to crack it open. (Obviously the things you would be getting are all good things, right?) At the time I didn't think much about it (mostly because I was so excited to be talking to an agent who wanted to be my agent that she could have said she wanted to brand me in a very literal sense and I probably would have agreed). Later I wondered if I really wanted to be a brand. After all, shouldn't I try to push my boundaries, explore new styles and themes as a writer?
Then I took a trip to the local B&N with Natalie. As we wandered the YA section, I noticed several books by the author of some of my favorite children's novels. I was so excited--finally, something new! I adored her quirky sense of humor and the absurd world that she created in an effortlessly matter-of-fact way. I picked up the book and read the back cover--and frowned. What on earth? Why is this writer I adore, whose stories inserted magic and fantasy into every day life, writing this book? This "good girl in high school messes up and has to deal with all of the cliques turning against her because whoops she was bad at a party and ohmigosh someone filmed it!" book?
Let me say, for the record, I have nothing against that type of book. But seeing that type of book from this writer threw me for a loop. And, because it wasn't what I was expecting, I put it back on the shelf in favor of something else. (Which turned out to be really good, by the way, and you should read John Green if you aren't already--An Abundance of Katherines featured the best executed super-tight third person POV I've ever read.) I'm sure the writing was great; I would expect no less from this author. But it wasn't what I counted on from her and I was disappointed.
Suddenly the whole author-as-a-brand thing? Making a lot more sense. Does this mean I'll only write Flash-style novels? No. Does it mean I'll consider everything I write and how a fan (yes, sometimes I imagine I have fans...come on, you do it, too) will react to a new project? Yes.
Then I took a trip to the local B&N with Natalie. As we wandered the YA section, I noticed several books by the author of some of my favorite children's novels. I was so excited--finally, something new! I adored her quirky sense of humor and the absurd world that she created in an effortlessly matter-of-fact way. I picked up the book and read the back cover--and frowned. What on earth? Why is this writer I adore, whose stories inserted magic and fantasy into every day life, writing this book? This "good girl in high school messes up and has to deal with all of the cliques turning against her because whoops she was bad at a party and ohmigosh someone filmed it!" book?
Let me say, for the record, I have nothing against that type of book. But seeing that type of book from this writer threw me for a loop. And, because it wasn't what I was expecting, I put it back on the shelf in favor of something else. (Which turned out to be really good, by the way, and you should read John Green if you aren't already--An Abundance of Katherines featured the best executed super-tight third person POV I've ever read.) I'm sure the writing was great; I would expect no less from this author. But it wasn't what I counted on from her and I was disappointed.
Suddenly the whole author-as-a-brand thing? Making a lot more sense. Does this mean I'll only write Flash-style novels? No. Does it mean I'll consider everything I write and how a fan (yes, sometimes I imagine I have fans...come on, you do it, too) will react to a new project? Yes.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
HOLY AWESOME
Natalie is a finalist in Nathan Bransford's opening paragraph contest. Yeah, one of six. OUT OF 1300.
Woo-HOO!
She's not allowed to campaign for herself, but hers was definitely the best and you really ought to read all of them carefully and then like hers the best and vote for it!
Woo-HOO!
She's not allowed to campaign for herself, but hers was definitely the best and you really ought to read all of them carefully and then like hers the best and vote for it!
AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!
We have an ending, folks! And it is beautiful. Mind-blowing. Wonderful. Huge.
Everything clicked into place in a massive, high-inducing epiphany. I know exactly where I am going and (mostly) how to get there. Full speed ahead!
Everything clicked into place in a massive, high-inducing epiphany. I know exactly where I am going and (mostly) how to get there. Full speed ahead!
Baggage Check
A couple of months ago I took a flight on Ectopic Pregnancy Airlines. You might remember--it almost killed me. I was so relieved to get out of there I ran, never looking back.
Well, yesterday I opened my front door to find that not only had they found all of the emotional baggage I ignored as I sprinted away, they had dumped it on me with no warning. I didn't want it! I thought I had left it all behind me. Alas, I was left sorting through loss and mourning and fear. Not to mention some really, really ugly suitcases that held them all.
And the worst part is, I've no doubt there was some small piece of carry-on emotional baggage I've yet to discover.
I thought airlines were supposed to permanently lose baggage? I suppose weird, metaphorical airlines might not follow the same rules, but still. I hate baggage.
I've been trying to bright-side it, and so far all I can come up with is hey, I can use these feelings in my writing. And until then, in the immortal words of my cousin's son, sometimes are better than sometimes.
(I know, not funny at all, huh? Go read the next post. Hot Stuff is good at making me smile.)
Well, yesterday I opened my front door to find that not only had they found all of the emotional baggage I ignored as I sprinted away, they had dumped it on me with no warning. I didn't want it! I thought I had left it all behind me. Alas, I was left sorting through loss and mourning and fear. Not to mention some really, really ugly suitcases that held them all.
And the worst part is, I've no doubt there was some small piece of carry-on emotional baggage I've yet to discover.
I thought airlines were supposed to permanently lose baggage? I suppose weird, metaphorical airlines might not follow the same rules, but still. I hate baggage.
I've been trying to bright-side it, and so far all I can come up with is hey, I can use these feelings in my writing. And until then, in the immortal words of my cousin's son, sometimes are better than sometimes.
(I know, not funny at all, huh? Go read the next post. Hot Stuff is good at making me smile.)
Why Hot Stuff Rocks Reason # 2,408
Last night, watching The Dark Knight. Alfred walks into the frame for the first time.
HS: He is so gorgeous.
K, laughing: I didn't know you had a thing for Michael Caine.
HS: Ever since Muppet Christmas Carol.
HS: He is so gorgeous.
K, laughing: I didn't know you had a thing for Michael Caine.
HS: Ever since Muppet Christmas Carol.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
I'm Back
Hi. Laptop here. Some of you might not remember me. I haven't bothered posting much on Kiersten's blog lately. Things have gotten a little better. I've finally realized that Kiersten really, truly does love me. She's not a fickle tease, like some people.
She doesn't take pictures like that with the microwave or the television. No, she loves me and me alone.
But the thing is, I'm getting tired. As hard as Flash was on me, Instinct is even worse. I've got a groove worn into my spacebar where Kiersten's thumb hits. Half of my N is rubbed off; now it looks like some sort of severely confused V. And my battery--my poor battery dies in about half-an-hour. I used to be at the top of my game--now I wonder how long it will be before Kiersten is lured away by the promise of a younger, faster model.
I'll miss her skinny little fingers pounding furiously on my keyboard.
Update: Oh, Laptop, you're breaking my heart! I love you and only you. And I also love having money in my bank account. Don't worry, Darling, you're not going anywhere.
Alone!
It's true! I'm alone! My wonderful brother-in-law took the kids for a few hours. So this isn't your real post for the day. Just picture me, bouncing up and down giddily, then abruptly deflating as I realize that I have a freelance job to finish and a messy house to clean. Then picture me sticking my tongue out at the dishes and writing a chase scene instead.
Free time is a gift that should never, ever be squandered on dirty dishes.
Free time is a gift that should never, ever be squandered on dirty dishes.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Talented Girl
You all know my friend Natalie, right? How she not only writes more books in a year than most of us will in our lifetimes but also draws amazingly well?
Turns out she quilts, too.
I know, it isn't fair. It isn't fair that one person should be so talented, nor is it fair that I get to be her friend and you don't. Unless you are. In which case, lucky us ; )
I'm absolutely positive that I didn't deserve such a beautiful gift. I'm also just as positive that I'm glad she made it for me anyway.
I Heart My MC
(For those of you who aren't writers, MC is lazy for main character. Now you can throw that in your next book club and everyone will be impressed with how down you are with the writing lingo.) (They'll be even more impressed if you actually use the phrase, "See how down I am with writing lingo?" Try to throw "hip" [the adjective, not the noun, although you could use that, too, if you wanted to, I mean, I'm not the boss of you or anything] in there somewhere, too.)
I give you...the first snippet from Instinct.
“Sorry. It’s just nice being around people who know about me. Speaking of, what do you do, Jordan? Precog? You seemed very on the ball today.”
“My powers are my fabulous feminine wiles and the ability to walk in four-inch spike heels.”
Renee smiled. “Seriously—how’d you get mixed up in all of this?”
“Apparently I’m a hot commodity. I’m pretty sure it has something to do with the fact that I can win the expert level of minesweeper--every single time,” she said, whispering dramatically.
“Is she always this difficult?” Renee asked, cracking up.
“Worse,” West said, shaking his head.
I give you...the first snippet from Instinct.
“Sorry. It’s just nice being around people who know about me. Speaking of, what do you do, Jordan? Precog? You seemed very on the ball today.”
“My powers are my fabulous feminine wiles and the ability to walk in four-inch spike heels.”
Renee smiled. “Seriously—how’d you get mixed up in all of this?”
“Apparently I’m a hot commodity. I’m pretty sure it has something to do with the fact that I can win the expert level of minesweeper--every single time,” she said, whispering dramatically.
“Is she always this difficult?” Renee asked, cracking up.
“Worse,” West said, shaking his head.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Quickly! Quickly! Now for the One-Armed Push-Ups!
While I don't go back and do extensive edits during the first draft, I have noticed a few things this time around.
For example, if you were to quickly glance over my first draft, before I quickly went back and did a quick read through of every chapter, which I do whenever I finish one (which usually happens quickly, since I'm on a roll), you would notice I tend to overuse the word quickly. She crossed the room quickly, he kissed her quickly on the forehead, she looked up quickly, she quickly scanned her email, quickly quickly quickly quickly.
You'd think everyone in the book had odd superpowers making them move just a titch faster than the rest of the world. The Amazing Quicksters! Watch as they accomplish every action QUICKLY! But don't underestimate their arche nemeses, the Rapidlies! Rapidly rabid, rabidly rapid, they'll do anything for COMPLETE ADVERBIAL DOMINANCE! Join us, as we watch the action...quickly!
Fortunately I'm aware of my quickly tendencies, and so every time I find myself typing the word I stop and think of some other way to say it.
However, quickly isn't nearly as entertaining as the other thing I caught. This was actually a continuity error. See, I went ahead and let my main character get shot in the arm in the first chapter. Just grazed, really, but it chipped the bone so now she's in a cast. That's all well and good, right? Except when I wrote a scene where she decides to start trying to get stronger so she can keep up with West.
And then I had her do push-ups until she fell over.
Ummm...push-ups in full cast and sling? Wow, Jordan is a lot tougher than I was giving her credit for. I suppose as long as she did her one-armed push-ups quickly, right?
For example, if you were to quickly glance over my first draft, before I quickly went back and did a quick read through of every chapter, which I do whenever I finish one (which usually happens quickly, since I'm on a roll), you would notice I tend to overuse the word quickly. She crossed the room quickly, he kissed her quickly on the forehead, she looked up quickly, she quickly scanned her email, quickly quickly quickly quickly.
You'd think everyone in the book had odd superpowers making them move just a titch faster than the rest of the world. The Amazing Quicksters! Watch as they accomplish every action QUICKLY! But don't underestimate their arche nemeses, the Rapidlies! Rapidly rabid, rabidly rapid, they'll do anything for COMPLETE ADVERBIAL DOMINANCE! Join us, as we watch the action...quickly!
Fortunately I'm aware of my quickly tendencies, and so every time I find myself typing the word I stop and think of some other way to say it.
However, quickly isn't nearly as entertaining as the other thing I caught. This was actually a continuity error. See, I went ahead and let my main character get shot in the arm in the first chapter. Just grazed, really, but it chipped the bone so now she's in a cast. That's all well and good, right? Except when I wrote a scene where she decides to start trying to get stronger so she can keep up with West.
And then I had her do push-ups until she fell over.
Ummm...push-ups in full cast and sling? Wow, Jordan is a lot tougher than I was giving her credit for. I suppose as long as she did her one-armed push-ups quickly, right?
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Choose Your Own Post
Those of you who have been with me since Flash will recall that I got very boring during June while I was writing it. It's this blasted obsessive personality. It's hard to think of clever or funny things to write about when all that's spinning through my mind is the next action sequence or kissing scene (wrote the first one today, insert teenage acronym of freaking out here) or plot development. So, please choose which option you would have liked to see in this post and pretend that's what I wrote:
1. Sarcastic discussion of Dojo's vomiting habits and how the smell of bile is a constant in my life.
2. Commentary on the funny conversation I heard and how much I enjoy listening to other people's lives out of context.
3. A clever limerick (it can even be about you, since you're imagining the post anyway!).
4. Extensive (and so sugary sweet you'll have to brush your teeth afterward) extolling of Hot Stuff's many virtues.
5. A post wherein parenthetical statements are longer than the actual content.
6. A countdown to LOST and the reasons why I love it even though I know it is silly.
7. Come on, didn't I say I was out of clever ideas? Sheesh, come up with your own!
1. Sarcastic discussion of Dojo's vomiting habits and how the smell of bile is a constant in my life.
2. Commentary on the funny conversation I heard and how much I enjoy listening to other people's lives out of context.
3. A clever limerick (it can even be about you, since you're imagining the post anyway!).
4. Extensive (and so sugary sweet you'll have to brush your teeth afterward) extolling of Hot Stuff's many virtues.
5. A post wherein parenthetical statements are longer than the actual content.
6. A countdown to LOST and the reasons why I love it even though I know it is silly.
7. Come on, didn't I say I was out of clever ideas? Sheesh, come up with your own!
Friday, December 5, 2008
What's Up?
Or, as we like to say around my house, 'Sup, yo?
(Yeah, we totally pull it off.)
Anyway, in case any of you were wondering about what's going on with Flash, here it is. And if you weren't wondering, then just don't read it, silly.
After Michelle did a second reading, she gave me some great advice and I made some small changes based on her suggestions. We want to make sure Flash is in the best possible shape before submitting.
Right now we're going back and forth with a cover letter to accompany the manuscript. I wrote a description of Flash (think the description on the back of a book, only a little bit longer) and a bio. Michelle got back to me saying that she loved the description, but that the bio was a little off. I agreed--I'm not very good at talking about myself (this whole entire blog to the contrary, obviously, but try summing yourself up in a paragraph and making it interesting). So, with a little direction, I wrote a new bio that we like much better. Then she found a sentence in the book description that didn't quite work, so I changed that. Right now we're sitting on it for a week or so to look at it with fresh eyes.
I also sent her a couple of pictures, because she wants to include them with submissions. *Batting Eyelashes* I'm cute, right?
Oh, and I forgot to mention the contract. Yes, the contract that I was so excited to sign and send back, making it all official that I dated it August. Yeah, I wasn't embarrassed at all when she emailed me about that one. But hey, my agent pays attention to details, which is a very good quality ; )
Anyway, I'm having fun and looking forward to January when she'll start sending it out. Poor Michelle--I'll probably have a new book for her to read before we sell this one.
(Yeah, we totally pull it off.)
Anyway, in case any of you were wondering about what's going on with Flash, here it is. And if you weren't wondering, then just don't read it, silly.
After Michelle did a second reading, she gave me some great advice and I made some small changes based on her suggestions. We want to make sure Flash is in the best possible shape before submitting.
Right now we're going back and forth with a cover letter to accompany the manuscript. I wrote a description of Flash (think the description on the back of a book, only a little bit longer) and a bio. Michelle got back to me saying that she loved the description, but that the bio was a little off. I agreed--I'm not very good at talking about myself (this whole entire blog to the contrary, obviously, but try summing yourself up in a paragraph and making it interesting). So, with a little direction, I wrote a new bio that we like much better. Then she found a sentence in the book description that didn't quite work, so I changed that. Right now we're sitting on it for a week or so to look at it with fresh eyes.
I also sent her a couple of pictures, because she wants to include them with submissions. *Batting Eyelashes* I'm cute, right?
Oh, and I forgot to mention the contract. Yes, the contract that I was so excited to sign and send back, making it all official that I dated it August. Yeah, I wasn't embarrassed at all when she emailed me about that one. But hey, my agent pays attention to details, which is a very good quality ; )
Anyway, I'm having fun and looking forward to January when she'll start sending it out. Poor Michelle--I'll probably have a new book for her to read before we sell this one.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
December Question and Answer Time
Thanks as always to those who submitted questions. It was a nice break from writing. Yes, writing was a nice break from writing. Man, I need to branch out a little in my hobbies, don't I?
Kristina P. said...
What is your favorite part of being a mom?
Moments when I can just watch my kids and be overwhelmed by what amazing little creatures they are and how much I love them. Seeing them grow and learn how to express their personalities more and more is simply incredible. And few things make me happier than hearing them laugh with each other.
Monnik said...
Does hotstuff wear boxers or briefs? What? Not the kind of question you were looking for?
I did forget my "appropriate" disclaimer this time. So the answer is thermals--year-round, which looks a little odd during shorts weather.
Megs said...
So, when do I get to read this great new book? Do you want an extra pre-reader? *blinking long lashes over puppy-dog eyes and a sweet smile to clinch the deal*
I'll be in touch ; )
I am going to ask one or two people who didn't read Flash to read Instinct, just to make sure that it stands completely alone. So don't be surprised if I ask you, and don't be disappointed if I don't.
Megs said...
ok, now my real question. hm. What kind of brain food do you eat? (you know, to get the creative juices flowing and all that) (I just realized that almost every question I ask is about food. I must be obsessed. Or pregnant. Or maybe both.)
I vote both. Unfortunately, if I'm telling the truth, it's caffeinated soda.
Whirlochre said...
Have you ever been involved in a food fight?
Every meal I ever serve my kids feels like a food fight. "Yes, this is what we are having for dinner. No, I will not make you macaroni and cheese. No, you cannot have cereal. No, you've already had five toaster waffles today. No! Don't you dare drop your food on the ground! Dojo, no no! You do NOT drop your food on the ground. Time out. Yes, time out. You know better."
Anthony said...
Question: I am wondering about your writing support group. As the father of two children, I note you are the mother of two children. I find myself having no time to engage a traditional writing support group of local writers that I can meet and socialize with, talk about writing, etc. But you have an agent, so I am hoping some of that agent getting-ness can rub off on me when I finally start sending my query around! Do you belong to a local writer's group? If so, did you find it helpful? If you don’t belong to one, why not? Was it time commitments like I, or do you find the reach out you do on the internets good enough for your writing community needs?
I wish I had magical query dust to pass around like Cindy. Alas, I do not. As far as writing groups go, I am lucky enough to have Natalie and Renee, the other MoMos, to read my stuff as writers, offering excellent critique on style and plot points. And, also luckily, I have four very smart and willing siblings. I use three of them as my target audience, and my older sister gives me great advice on details and what is and is not working. As if that wasn't enough, I've also got several good friends that I use to test sheer readability, do-you-like-it-or-not-ness.
The only local writing groups I have ever been able to find are the community ones for senior citizens. Which I am not.
Anthony said...
Question: How much did knowing your daughter would one day read Flash impact your writing?Or, perhaps, your revisions?
Not as much as knowing my mom would read it as soon as I was done. Honestly, I try to make sure I write strong girl characters; I feel a genuine responsibility to develop heroines that can grow over the course of a novel into someone I would like to know. I have no interest in writing a high school "Look who's dating who and backstabbing who and trash talking who and ooooh, wearing pretty clothes while doing it all!" style book. I understand the appeal, but I would feel like a creep.
Anthony said...
Question: Obviously, when you sat down and wrote 9,000 (!) words you were in The Kiersten Zone. You wrote about how that came to be, but I am wondering, as someone who falls into my own zone (not The Kiersten Zone, which, um, would be weird), do you try to organize your thoughts so you can fall into The Zone again? My Zone is somewhat haphazard. I love it when I enter it but I don't do the equivalent of driving to the Zone freeway. It's more like I was walking and fell off a cliff by mistake and started flying rather than going ~*SPLAT*~ on the ground far below. I know I am getting weird, but I think you know what I mean. I hope.
I hope so, too. And I'm glad your zone isn't The Kiersten Zone, because it's copyrighted. And I think (?) I know what you are asking. And the truth is, I have very little control over the zone, but I'm figuring it out. Apparently my ultra-productivity is dependent on having a story I obsess over. I think Dust is adorable and will be very, very good when I finish it. But give me West smashing a door into the face of the men chasing Jordan, and, well, I'm hooked. On my own story. Lame, I know, but there it is.
JaneyV said...
How do you know when you've finished a book?
I type a big, fat, THE END.
Just kidding. I usually have the grand finale and the immediate aftermath in mind, and when I get through that, taa-daa! I'm done.
JaneyV said...
Oooh and what does it feel like?
Honestly, it's depressing. I hate it when I finish reading a really good book; it's about ten times worse when I finish writing one. Well, I take that back. The first book I ever finished felt great. I'd also been working on it for almost two years. Finishing Flash left me feeling very empty.
But then you get to edit! The scariest time for me is right between finishing the book and doing the first read through. Is it actually as good as I think it is, or was I so caught up in writing that I didn't notice it's a load of junk? But if you've ever had that feeling, only to read through your manuscript and get caught up in it all over again, it's amazing.
Natalie said...
How many more days until Instinct is done (or is it Impulse now?)? How's life? See any good movies lately? Are we technically racing with the books we're writing right now? And if so, who's going to win?
How many more days? I have no idea. I am probably a third of the way through. Much of the middle remains a mystery, though. So it all depends on how much time I have and how quickly the missing pieces fall into place. I'm already getting sad about finishing it too soon though, so maybe I'll slow down. Doubtful, though.
As far as the title: which do you like better, dear readers? Instinct or Impulse? I can't decide.
Life's grand.
We watched Heckboy 2 (as we fondly refer to it around our house) tonight. It was weird, but visually very interesting. I saw Wanted at Blockbuster and it made me furious that I can't watch it. So I went on Wikipedia and read the entire plot. I do that a lot.
I don't think we're racing, but you finish as fast as you want to, because that means I get to read more!
Kristina P. said...
What is your favorite part of being a mom?
Moments when I can just watch my kids and be overwhelmed by what amazing little creatures they are and how much I love them. Seeing them grow and learn how to express their personalities more and more is simply incredible. And few things make me happier than hearing them laugh with each other.
Monnik said...
Does hotstuff wear boxers or briefs? What? Not the kind of question you were looking for?
I did forget my "appropriate" disclaimer this time. So the answer is thermals--year-round, which looks a little odd during shorts weather.
Megs said...
So, when do I get to read this great new book? Do you want an extra pre-reader? *blinking long lashes over puppy-dog eyes and a sweet smile to clinch the deal*
I'll be in touch ; )
I am going to ask one or two people who didn't read Flash to read Instinct, just to make sure that it stands completely alone. So don't be surprised if I ask you, and don't be disappointed if I don't.
Megs said...
ok, now my real question. hm. What kind of brain food do you eat? (you know, to get the creative juices flowing and all that) (I just realized that almost every question I ask is about food. I must be obsessed. Or pregnant. Or maybe both.)
I vote both. Unfortunately, if I'm telling the truth, it's caffeinated soda.
Whirlochre said...
Have you ever been involved in a food fight?
Every meal I ever serve my kids feels like a food fight. "Yes, this is what we are having for dinner. No, I will not make you macaroni and cheese. No, you cannot have cereal. No, you've already had five toaster waffles today. No! Don't you dare drop your food on the ground! Dojo, no no! You do NOT drop your food on the ground. Time out. Yes, time out. You know better."
Anthony said...
Question: I am wondering about your writing support group. As the father of two children, I note you are the mother of two children. I find myself having no time to engage a traditional writing support group of local writers that I can meet and socialize with, talk about writing, etc. But you have an agent, so I am hoping some of that agent getting-ness can rub off on me when I finally start sending my query around! Do you belong to a local writer's group? If so, did you find it helpful? If you don’t belong to one, why not? Was it time commitments like I, or do you find the reach out you do on the internets good enough for your writing community needs?
I wish I had magical query dust to pass around like Cindy. Alas, I do not. As far as writing groups go, I am lucky enough to have Natalie and Renee, the other MoMos, to read my stuff as writers, offering excellent critique on style and plot points. And, also luckily, I have four very smart and willing siblings. I use three of them as my target audience, and my older sister gives me great advice on details and what is and is not working. As if that wasn't enough, I've also got several good friends that I use to test sheer readability, do-you-like-it-or-not-ness.
The only local writing groups I have ever been able to find are the community ones for senior citizens. Which I am not.
Anthony said...
Question: How much did knowing your daughter would one day read Flash impact your writing?Or, perhaps, your revisions?
Not as much as knowing my mom would read it as soon as I was done. Honestly, I try to make sure I write strong girl characters; I feel a genuine responsibility to develop heroines that can grow over the course of a novel into someone I would like to know. I have no interest in writing a high school "Look who's dating who and backstabbing who and trash talking who and ooooh, wearing pretty clothes while doing it all!" style book. I understand the appeal, but I would feel like a creep.
Anthony said...
Question: Obviously, when you sat down and wrote 9,000 (!) words you were in The Kiersten Zone. You wrote about how that came to be, but I am wondering, as someone who falls into my own zone (not The Kiersten Zone, which, um, would be weird), do you try to organize your thoughts so you can fall into The Zone again? My Zone is somewhat haphazard. I love it when I enter it but I don't do the equivalent of driving to the Zone freeway. It's more like I was walking and fell off a cliff by mistake and started flying rather than going ~*SPLAT*~ on the ground far below. I know I am getting weird, but I think you know what I mean. I hope.
I hope so, too. And I'm glad your zone isn't The Kiersten Zone, because it's copyrighted. And I think (?) I know what you are asking. And the truth is, I have very little control over the zone, but I'm figuring it out. Apparently my ultra-productivity is dependent on having a story I obsess over. I think Dust is adorable and will be very, very good when I finish it. But give me West smashing a door into the face of the men chasing Jordan, and, well, I'm hooked. On my own story. Lame, I know, but there it is.
JaneyV said...
How do you know when you've finished a book?
I type a big, fat, THE END.
Just kidding. I usually have the grand finale and the immediate aftermath in mind, and when I get through that, taa-daa! I'm done.
JaneyV said...
Oooh and what does it feel like?
Honestly, it's depressing. I hate it when I finish reading a really good book; it's about ten times worse when I finish writing one. Well, I take that back. The first book I ever finished felt great. I'd also been working on it for almost two years. Finishing Flash left me feeling very empty.
But then you get to edit! The scariest time for me is right between finishing the book and doing the first read through. Is it actually as good as I think it is, or was I so caught up in writing that I didn't notice it's a load of junk? But if you've ever had that feeling, only to read through your manuscript and get caught up in it all over again, it's amazing.
Natalie said...
How many more days until Instinct is done (or is it Impulse now?)? How's life? See any good movies lately? Are we technically racing with the books we're writing right now? And if so, who's going to win?
How many more days? I have no idea. I am probably a third of the way through. Much of the middle remains a mystery, though. So it all depends on how much time I have and how quickly the missing pieces fall into place. I'm already getting sad about finishing it too soon though, so maybe I'll slow down. Doubtful, though.
As far as the title: which do you like better, dear readers? Instinct or Impulse? I can't decide.
Life's grand.
We watched Heckboy 2 (as we fondly refer to it around our house) tonight. It was weird, but visually very interesting. I saw Wanted at Blockbuster and it made me furious that I can't watch it. So I went on Wikipedia and read the entire plot. I do that a lot.
I don't think we're racing, but you finish as fast as you want to, because that means I get to read more!
Whoo! Hoo! It's True!
I'll take questions and answer too!
(Please leave any and all questions in the comment section of this post. I'll answer as soon as I get enough.)
(Please leave any and all questions in the comment section of this post. I'll answer as soon as I get enough.)
An Answer for Sylvia
Sylvia asked some questions, and I thought I'd answer, since it gives a little insight into my writing process. It also reminded me that--taa daa!--it's December, so look for an official post to submit questions soon.
My question is, how much do you know when you start binging. I mean, clearly the characters are in your head, but do you know how it ends? Do you have plot points that you are writing towards? Could you give an outline of what's going to happen at the start (not saying you should, just how clear the plot itself is in your mind as opposed to characters and scenario)?
I've only done two massive writing binges like this. The first was Flash, obviously. With that book, all I was going to do is write out the opening sequence for this blog to try my hand at writing action. But then I didn't want to stop, and a story starting building in my head as I wrote past what I had originally intended.
So, in Flash, the characters really weren't very clear at the start. Fortunately before I got too far I went on a family trip with no laptop and lots (and lots) of downtime. I spent that whole week plotting and fleshing out characters (even going so far as to pick theme songs for all of them, yes, nerdy, I know). I always plan certain scenes; some of them happen and some of them don't. For some reason in Flash I thought I would flesh out Liam (the head of security for the house where they were keeping Sarah) by adding some random scene where his young son comes for a visit. Sarah would get to be all maternal, and you'd get some insight into why Liam was working for such a terrible company.
But then I decided the whole thing was painfully superfluous. So, while I have scenes in mind, some get shifted out and new things pop up that I had never planned. (Yesterday in Instinct they made a surprise detour to Jordan's hometown and met up with a very jerky guy from her past. I didn't even know he existed until I started writing that chapter, but now it makes perfect sense.) I have the story arc in mind within a little bit of starting, but the specifics tend to change.
I've also found that my characters shift slightly as I get to know them and I have to go back during my first edit and alter things. Using Flash again, James started out as a side character. His only role was to scare Sarah, and he was even going to attack her near the end of the book. But as things were going along, James convinced me that he was really far more interesting than that, and deserved to give Flash a love triangle. I think he was right; he's one of my favorite things in the book.
I've discovered that I find much of my story in the telling. Characters reveal new facets of their personalities in ways that often surprise me, scenes come out of nowhere, and conversations occur that I would never have thought of before sitting down at the keyboard.
(Does that sound vaguely psychotic? Because I kind of think so. The fact that people I make up in my head who can't do anything unless I say so can surprise me is very, very bizarre, no?)
Right now for Instinct I could give you a basic arc of the plot. I know where they are going, a few key things that have to happen there, and more or less what the ending will be. Every time I finish a chapter, I stew for a little while to determine where I need the next one to take them. I just don't know exactly how it's all going to end up happening, and this is where the thrill comes from in writing. It's why I wrote over 20,000 words these last three days--I can't wait to see what happens next.
My question is, how much do you know when you start binging. I mean, clearly the characters are in your head, but do you know how it ends? Do you have plot points that you are writing towards? Could you give an outline of what's going to happen at the start (not saying you should, just how clear the plot itself is in your mind as opposed to characters and scenario)?
I've only done two massive writing binges like this. The first was Flash, obviously. With that book, all I was going to do is write out the opening sequence for this blog to try my hand at writing action. But then I didn't want to stop, and a story starting building in my head as I wrote past what I had originally intended.
So, in Flash, the characters really weren't very clear at the start. Fortunately before I got too far I went on a family trip with no laptop and lots (and lots) of downtime. I spent that whole week plotting and fleshing out characters (even going so far as to pick theme songs for all of them, yes, nerdy, I know). I always plan certain scenes; some of them happen and some of them don't. For some reason in Flash I thought I would flesh out Liam (the head of security for the house where they were keeping Sarah) by adding some random scene where his young son comes for a visit. Sarah would get to be all maternal, and you'd get some insight into why Liam was working for such a terrible company.
But then I decided the whole thing was painfully superfluous. So, while I have scenes in mind, some get shifted out and new things pop up that I had never planned. (Yesterday in Instinct they made a surprise detour to Jordan's hometown and met up with a very jerky guy from her past. I didn't even know he existed until I started writing that chapter, but now it makes perfect sense.) I have the story arc in mind within a little bit of starting, but the specifics tend to change.
I've also found that my characters shift slightly as I get to know them and I have to go back during my first edit and alter things. Using Flash again, James started out as a side character. His only role was to scare Sarah, and he was even going to attack her near the end of the book. But as things were going along, James convinced me that he was really far more interesting than that, and deserved to give Flash a love triangle. I think he was right; he's one of my favorite things in the book.
I've discovered that I find much of my story in the telling. Characters reveal new facets of their personalities in ways that often surprise me, scenes come out of nowhere, and conversations occur that I would never have thought of before sitting down at the keyboard.
(Does that sound vaguely psychotic? Because I kind of think so. The fact that people I make up in my head who can't do anything unless I say so can surprise me is very, very bizarre, no?)
Right now for Instinct I could give you a basic arc of the plot. I know where they are going, a few key things that have to happen there, and more or less what the ending will be. Every time I finish a chapter, I stew for a little while to determine where I need the next one to take them. I just don't know exactly how it's all going to end up happening, and this is where the thrill comes from in writing. It's why I wrote over 20,000 words these last three days--I can't wait to see what happens next.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Dagmort: The Highlights
(From Kiersten's fifth- or sixth-grade notebook)
List of Animals:
Bayaad, the great (and bad temperd) War Horse of Sir Rowli
Horse, Sir Groms horse (whom he neglected to name)
(It's true: I've always loved a good parenthetical statement! And look at me, rocking the correct use of whom as a twelve-year-old.)
From Chapter Two:
Suddenly, her horse reared, its eyes wide with fright. Crashing back down, the horse took no notice of the terrified scramble Eliseth made, just avoiding the deadly impact of the hooves.
Eliseth had to remind herself to breath again as she watched Buttercup thunder away.
"Now, what's gotten to her?" she said wonderingly. "And she was my only friend, eh? I guess I was wrong!"
Later:
Chuckling to himself, Dagmort flew off into the darkness. "Such easy prey!" he thought, with a satisfied smirk on his stunningly georgous yet chillingly cold face.
(Yes, I was describing a dragon there. I'm not sure how it works, but I am pretty sure I'm going to use "stunningly gorgeous, yet chillingly cold face" to describe my next bad guy. Awe. Some.)
From Chapter Three:
She watched as the door slowly opened, every muscle in her body tense. As the small face of a young girl pushed her face through the crack, Eliseth couldn't help but laugh.
(I laughed, too, trying to figure out how the small face of a young girl pushed her face through the crack. Interesting imagry there.)
In case you were wondering what Lady Eliseth looked like:
"With her blonde hair down to her knees, and the pale blue eyes complimented by her fair skin, it was no wonder Dagmort had picked her," Sunni thought.
(Because nothing is more attractive and healthy looking than hair down to one's knees, right?)
And finally, the last line:
"I hope you like long stories," answered the child, "Because, you asked for it!"
After which the page is completely blank. Apparently I didn't like long stories, after all.
List of Animals:
Bayaad, the great (and bad temperd) War Horse of Sir Rowli
Horse, Sir Groms horse (whom he neglected to name)
(It's true: I've always loved a good parenthetical statement! And look at me, rocking the correct use of whom as a twelve-year-old.)
From Chapter Two:
Suddenly, her horse reared, its eyes wide with fright. Crashing back down, the horse took no notice of the terrified scramble Eliseth made, just avoiding the deadly impact of the hooves.
Eliseth had to remind herself to breath again as she watched Buttercup thunder away.
"Now, what's gotten to her?" she said wonderingly. "And she was my only friend, eh? I guess I was wrong!"
Later:
Chuckling to himself, Dagmort flew off into the darkness. "Such easy prey!" he thought, with a satisfied smirk on his stunningly georgous yet chillingly cold face.
(Yes, I was describing a dragon there. I'm not sure how it works, but I am pretty sure I'm going to use "stunningly gorgeous, yet chillingly cold face" to describe my next bad guy. Awe. Some.)
From Chapter Three:
She watched as the door slowly opened, every muscle in her body tense. As the small face of a young girl pushed her face through the crack, Eliseth couldn't help but laugh.
(I laughed, too, trying to figure out how the small face of a young girl pushed her face through the crack. Interesting imagry there.)
In case you were wondering what Lady Eliseth looked like:
"With her blonde hair down to her knees, and the pale blue eyes complimented by her fair skin, it was no wonder Dagmort had picked her," Sunni thought.
(Because nothing is more attractive and healthy looking than hair down to one's knees, right?)
And finally, the last line:
"I hope you like long stories," answered the child, "Because, you asked for it!"
After which the page is completely blank. Apparently I didn't like long stories, after all.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
I'm a Freak
Remember that novel I started writing yesterday because some of the characters got loose? Hrm. Yeah. Turns out that obsessive quality I demonstrated so well with Flash is still there.
I wrote 9,000 words yesterday afternoon and evening. (For those of you who don't speak writer, that's about 30 pages, double spaced.) So far today I've only added 4,000 new words. What can I say, Dojo's been a little fussy, I haven't had too much time.
I. Am. A. Freak. Or the Queen of Awesome. I suppose time will tell.
I'm anticipating slowing down here in a couple of days, when I hit the point that I haven't daydreamed past. Otherwise, at this rate, I could finish an entire novel in a week. Which would just be too weird, right?
I wrote 9,000 words yesterday afternoon and evening. (For those of you who don't speak writer, that's about 30 pages, double spaced.) So far today I've only added 4,000 new words. What can I say, Dojo's been a little fussy, I haven't had too much time.
I. Am. A. Freak. Or the Queen of Awesome. I suppose time will tell.
I'm anticipating slowing down here in a couple of days, when I hit the point that I haven't daydreamed past. Otherwise, at this rate, I could finish an entire novel in a week. Which would just be too weird, right?
Dagmort!
Subtitle: "The Courtship of Lady Gwen"
(Subtitle furiously crossed out)
By Twelve-Year-Old Kiersten (Original spelling and emphases preserved)
Chapter One: Dragon! (Written in horrible cursive, with little circles to dot the end of the exclamation mark)
"Aye, that Gwen (furiously crossed out) Sunni (furiously crossed out) Eliseth's a pretty one, might I say," panted a peasant to another, "you can bet she won't be single long!"
"Oh, Simon, why do you even care? It's not like we have any importance in their eyes. Besides, why not keep your eyes on some more eligible maidens?" Adam replied.
"Oh, Adam, look, there's Meagan!" Simon taunted.
"Oh, you!"
A ways away from the fields of grain where the peasants worked, a fair maiden sat talking to her horse, surrounded by trees of all kind, the sun's rays shining through the leaves to make all sorts of designs on the forest floor.
Humming to herself, Gwen (crossed out) Sunni (crossed out) Eliseth stroked her creme colored horse. "Oh, Buttercup," she said, "You are my only friend." Singing a very sad tune and stroking buttercup, she failed notice the great shadow that passed over the sun.
Back in the fields, the peasants were roasting in the June heat. They all gasped as a cold wind poped out of nowhered, the stoped, then came again. Suddenly Simon yelled, "Dragon!" Peasants ran screaming every wich way, trying to avoid the ferociace flames, grabbing for them at every turn. They were so frightend they did not even notice the sudden sheets of rain, the signature of the dragon Dagmort. In fact, they failed to notice Dagmort leave, and the shrill cut off scream that followed.
Simon fumbled around the waste in the dark with the pounding rain, two names flashing in his mind. Adam and Meagan!
Meagan, stumbling in the utter chaos and confusion caught her foot on a root, tripped, and blacked out.
Adam, trying not to lose his mind strained his eyes against the utter darkness and rain. Scanning the area, he was about to look elswhere, when he suddenly saw a form, groaning and lying on the ground. Running over, he looked, and moaned.
Coming soon: Chapter Two: A Fiery Cage
(Subtitle furiously crossed out)
By Twelve-Year-Old Kiersten (Original spelling and emphases preserved)
Chapter One: Dragon! (Written in horrible cursive, with little circles to dot the end of the exclamation mark)
"Aye, that Gwen (furiously crossed out) Sunni (furiously crossed out) Eliseth's a pretty one, might I say," panted a peasant to another, "you can bet she won't be single long!"
"Oh, Simon, why do you even care? It's not like we have any importance in their eyes. Besides, why not keep your eyes on some more eligible maidens?" Adam replied.
"Oh, Adam, look, there's Meagan!" Simon taunted.
"Oh, you!"
A ways away from the fields of grain where the peasants worked, a fair maiden sat talking to her horse, surrounded by trees of all kind, the sun's rays shining through the leaves to make all sorts of designs on the forest floor.
Humming to herself, Gwen (crossed out) Sunni (crossed out) Eliseth stroked her creme colored horse. "Oh, Buttercup," she said, "You are my only friend." Singing a very sad tune and stroking buttercup, she failed notice the great shadow that passed over the sun.
Back in the fields, the peasants were roasting in the June heat. They all gasped as a cold wind poped out of nowhered, the stoped, then came again. Suddenly Simon yelled, "Dragon!" Peasants ran screaming every wich way, trying to avoid the ferociace flames, grabbing for them at every turn. They were so frightend they did not even notice the sudden sheets of rain, the signature of the dragon Dagmort. In fact, they failed to notice Dagmort leave, and the shrill cut off scream that followed.
Simon fumbled around the waste in the dark with the pounding rain, two names flashing in his mind. Adam and Meagan!
Meagan, stumbling in the utter chaos and confusion caught her foot on a root, tripped, and blacked out.
Adam, trying not to lose his mind strained his eyes against the utter darkness and rain. Scanning the area, he was about to look elswhere, when he suddenly saw a form, groaning and lying on the ground. Running over, he looked, and moaned.
Coming soon: Chapter Two: A Fiery Cage
Monday, December 1, 2008
Double Dagmort
My dear fellow MoMo Renee is having a party on her blog (she's wonderful, btw). She invited all of our characters, and a couple of mine that I hadn't planned on revealing yet showed up. They're like that. And now I'm itching to start writing their story...
Poor Dust. It may have to go on hold.
Update: Umm, so I started writing this new book today during naptime. Almost hit 3,000 words...yeah, sorry Dust. But Dagmortitall, I've gotta go with the flow. Turns out although my personality is far more quirk than action, my passion in writing is far more action than quirk. Who knew.
And poor Jordan. One chapter in and she's already been shot!
Poor Dust. It may have to go on hold.
Update: Umm, so I started writing this new book today during naptime. Almost hit 3,000 words...yeah, sorry Dust. But Dagmortitall, I've gotta go with the flow. Turns out although my personality is far more quirk than action, my passion in writing is far more action than quirk. Who knew.
And poor Jordan. One chapter in and she's already been shot!
DAGMORT! (Or, Good and Bad on My Thanksgiving Vacation)
Wow, what a great week. My family is AWESOME. I'll detail the highs and lows of the trip, after which I will explain the title. (Yes, you should be excited for that explanation...)
I got to spend more time with Hot Stuff, which is always a good thing. (I also got to spend less time with my two little creatures, which is also a good thing. It helps having lots of people who think they are the two cutest things ever--reminds me that I think so, too!)
I got to spend time with most of my wonderful family, including my Mom, Dad, two of my sisters, and my little brother. Of course, maybe I should have spent less time with this sister...
Just kidding, she's awesome. So's that other one.
I got to look out the window of my family's back door and see this:
Sorry ocean, you've got nothing on mountains.
I saw James Bond and was immediately desperate to write more action (the violent kind, not the...other...kind). That elevator scene...oh, James.
Finally, I got to see and hang out with friends new and old, which was wonderful (but makes me sad that I can't see them on a regular basis).
The Bad:
We were attacked by dinosaurs. Well, dinosaur skeletons, if you want to be specific.
I discovered Bejeweled 2 and wasted horrific amounts of time.
I didn't get any work done on Dust at all. (See above.)
BUT...I did get to write my edits for Michelle in peace, and I had lots of excellent daydreaming time. Which led me to a new idea for a book set in the Flash world and the opening few chapters to a new book which I am completely in love with but have no idea where it is going. And it's a good thing I had this to think about as we hit Vegas traffic coming home, adding a couple of hours to the drive. Whoo. Hoo.
And...best of all...I discovered something that I wrote when I was probably twelve. The beginning of a book. A book called...
DAGMORT
Tomorrow I'll give you a little taste of what twelve-year-old Kiersten wrote about. But for now, I'm just glad I have a new substitute swearword. Because, dagmort! That drive was long!
I got to spend more time with Hot Stuff, which is always a good thing. (I also got to spend less time with my two little creatures, which is also a good thing. It helps having lots of people who think they are the two cutest things ever--reminds me that I think so, too!)
I got to spend time with most of my wonderful family, including my Mom, Dad, two of my sisters, and my little brother. Of course, maybe I should have spent less time with this sister...
Just kidding, she's awesome. So's that other one.
I got to look out the window of my family's back door and see this: Sorry ocean, you've got nothing on mountains.I saw James Bond and was immediately desperate to write more action (the violent kind, not the...other...kind). That elevator scene...oh, James.
Finally, I got to see and hang out with friends new and old, which was wonderful (but makes me sad that I can't see them on a regular basis).
The Bad:
We were attacked by dinosaurs. Well, dinosaur skeletons, if you want to be specific.
I discovered Bejeweled 2 and wasted horrific amounts of time.
I didn't get any work done on Dust at all. (See above.)
BUT...I did get to write my edits for Michelle in peace, and I had lots of excellent daydreaming time. Which led me to a new idea for a book set in the Flash world and the opening few chapters to a new book which I am completely in love with but have no idea where it is going. And it's a good thing I had this to think about as we hit Vegas traffic coming home, adding a couple of hours to the drive. Whoo. Hoo.
And...best of all...I discovered something that I wrote when I was probably twelve. The beginning of a book. A book called...
DAGMORT
Tomorrow I'll give you a little taste of what twelve-year-old Kiersten wrote about. But for now, I'm just glad I have a new substitute swearword. Because, dagmort! That drive was long!
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