Real Life Crazy Times, Progress and Writing Amnesia--Oh My!

7/28/13

So much has been happening since last I wrote. What was it, the end of April? Well, May started off normally, however... It's not really a big secret that I'm from Oklahoma so I'll just say May ended in chaos for those that have been following the news or are familiar with the term "Tornado Alley." Thankfully, I wasn't directly affected by the destruction but it hit pretty close and many friends and family weren't so lucky. Then I found out I will get to move back to my old house. Huzzah! You guys don't even know how happy that makes me, well maybe you do if you have had the pleasure of reading my rants on LJ. :p The bad news in all of that is that the tenants who were renting my house completely trashed it. Like, thoroughly turned my sweet home into a crackhouse--broken windows and all. Also, they wouldn't leave. They stayed the whole month of June (without paying rent) and a week of July. We've spent the remaining month trying to clean up their filth and get rid of the flea infestation they caused. It sucked, but the house looks so much better than it did.

Through this all I have been editing, cutting, pasting and rewriting. Also, I have been reading quite a bit. Most of what I've read has helped in the way of what I won't be doing with my own style. :) I'm really excited about the new bits and baubs that are added in now. Monista is so delightfully rounded. Killius has more to do, and I think that will make an even greater impact on readers once that thing happens. I've also been having fun editing out all the superfluous details and imagery. We really don't need to know every single facial expression. Once or twice is fine, but we don't need to be reminded of the color of this character's eyes, do we? That's the fan fic writer in me wanting to overdo it. People who write fan fic yet also are familiar with original works will know what I mean.

I keep experiencing what I like to call "writing amnesia." This is when one looks back over certain things they've written and finds something they added once while editing and think, "Wow, did I write that?" So far, it's mostly been in a good way. I'll go back and see new dialogue I put in for Lu'Bella and the flow of the scene is just so much better, or the completely new scene makes everything more interesting.

I have received over time a few lj messages saying they were recommended AIF through the Slash Pile community and what my plans are for the story. Sorry you missed it the first time, but I am planning on releasing the story again. Just a better version of it. The only other thing I can say is, check here or my lj once in a while to see what I'm doing if you're still interested in my works.

Foreshadowing

4/8/13

What I wouldn't give for a writing circle right now! I know someone out there reads this, and you still can be all quiet lurker on me ;) but just so you know I flicked the "anonymous" switch on commenting, so please feel free to come by. Onto what I need to know...

For those that have read "An Indigo Feather" and now "Calling of Blood"--or also for those who are good at hypotheticals: how allowable is foreshadowing? I have this new, awesome, conversation happening between Spooky and Dane. I mean, there's a lot of Spooky peeking into the wonderful and terrifying place that is Dane's mind and his reasoning for some of the monstrous things he does. Let's just say that Spooky asks a question that those that have read will know hits frighteningly close to home later in the story. My question is, should this moment exist at all? Is the risk of foreshadowing, though I swear I tried not to bash readers over the head, worth it?

I may post the exchange and see what readers think? Is that cool? If I hear static I'll just keep it to myself. No worries. I'll eventually work something out, it'd just go along swifter and smoother if I had a practice group.

What to do...

2/7/13

I almost wrote myself into a corner. Still contemplating if I just cut some of the last pages written or not. Or forget about some of the things I was going to add to keep from having to insert entirely new chapters. I can do either one,  but not sure if I'm actually adding for the sake of the story, or falling into the ego of the story--"Of course this needs to be added! Everything I'm putting in is necessary!"--bullshit.

I don't know... Something's just not gelling. I would have liked to write on it a lot more than I have but this is tripping me up. I'll probably have to write some more in-depth outlines, compare them and then see what works better. Poo. That's never as fun as just writing the chapter and being done with it.

Oh well. The first step to getting any of it done is just starting it. So, with that in mind:

Out.

Exile is Not as Fun as People Might Think

1/18/13

Whoa, it's been a bit. By the way, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

I'm lame.

On the plus side, I can get onto LJ with my netbook so there have been a few more journal updates somewhere. And that's about as good as it got for me recently. When was my last update? Beginning of November? Well, at the end of November my chair broke. The remaining days of November, the ENTIRE month of December (which includes my birthday and my sister finally came home and I saw her face-to-face for the first time in over a year) and to now I have been inside my house. Couldn't go out, have a loner chair that doesn't fit me and basically been a shut-in exile this whole time. Well, at least I have a loner chair, otherwise I would be in bed these weeks.

Thanks, Jupiter.

Didn't get as much writing done as I would have wanted. I dedicated all of my energy to COB just so I would have something to show for these crap couple of weeks.

Oh, oh! I did see something that tickled me into giggles. One of the places I am going to query has a new genre they're interested in. They call it New Adult and, I am not kidding, the criteria fits to the T my story "A Night Like This." I don't know if readers are familiar with that one, but it is my first attempt at not only straight-up romance, but M/M that I ever put to word. It's melodramatic and ridiculous. Meh, what can I say? It was written as a gift. It made me laugh because, really, people actually want that? *giggles* I guess it's not really surprising, what with "50 Shades..." taking the literary world by storm.

My life has been dullsville lately so that's about it. I think Monday--FINALLY--I get my chair back. I'll get to leave my house, stimulate my brain and come home with an urge to write. I'm feeling really good about the changes I've made. I completely rewrote a few chapters, adding things that should have been addressed and giving Spooky and Dane more interaction and conflict and I'm making Killius and Garenet more rounder and less cookie-cutter. That's important due to events that happen in the sequels. Yep, quite happy about what's going on.

That's it for now. See you on the flip-side!

Just Say, "Yo!"

11/2/12

I'm not doing NaNoWriMo. What I will be doing is something I like to call, "I Am Going to Work on Every Damn Story I Have Unfinished!!!!11" Catchy huh? This is a grab-bag of a whole bunch of pieces, containing COB all the way to the nearly-finished-but-I-gave-up Whore Academy. It won't, however, include any tidbit that belongs to the realm of fan fiction. So I have the remainder of this month to get so many things worked along further or even finished. It's awesome and I'm having fun.

Oh! I am going to try and post a few bits and baubs that are basically short stories and drabbly companion pieces. That Tovin story I asked readers about? I have a solid idea now and am going to finally see about putting it to word. The latest from Lyre Westreach? Almost in the bag.

Out

All the Leaves are Brown--All the Leaves are Broooooooown!

11/1/12

Whoa, Tylonal PM don't joke around. I'm gonna make this quick before I start drooling all over my keyboard.

It's official. Calling of Blood, aka An Indigo Feather, reached 100,000 words.

I am so excited and happy about that, you don't even know. Granted, I am still editing, so I will be cutting, but I am adding as well so it's gonna be still over 100k by the time it's Ready For Real.

Gah. Yeah. I am happy.

Oops...

10/31/12

So, I haven't updated this since, what, August? My bad, guys, my bad. I have not been idle though. I've been trying to keep busy and write. Sometimes I'm ultra successful, and other times I play Sims... I really should try and keep up with journaling, It does help me get in the mood. I'm just so used to thinking this thing is only for the Serious Biz.

Oh, speaking of, I figured out why LJ won't work. I Googled it even. Apparently, Hughes Net is known for not being able to handle Live Journal. It is one of a few sites, if not the only one, that this provider simply cannot access. It basically locks you out of your profile. Seriously.

Yeah, so there's that.

Oh, also, HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is one of my favorite, if not most favorite, times of the year. Hope everyone has a safe and happy time tonight. OMG, there's even a full moon!

Writing is coming along well, but I think I'll wait until tomorrow or so to go into all that. This post was mainly to serve as a check-in. Know that something awesome has occurred with COB and I will tell you guys soon. No, it's not getting published. I'm still hacking away and fleshing it out as we speak, but it's still a pretty awesome it of news (well, it is to me.)

Out.