Yesterday in the shower, it was plain as day that my high fantasy WIP has to be YA.  The main character is, after all, 17, so what was I thinking?  This has some benefits:

• YA is 75,000 words, unlike the typical 110K or so for standard fantasy.  I’ve been just over 60K the whole length of this process, so I can maybe actually write a novel in a salable size.
• This makes a great way for me to approach the mother-daughter tension in the book which I’ve been struggling with, since it seemed to come out of nowhere.  Positioning as YA makes me consider a different audience, and breaking up with mom is right in there with teen angst.

There are some bad sides:

• As you know, I know nothing about fantasy. Turns out I know FAR LESS about YA.  sigh…

The next novel I’m writing may not be an historical romance, or I may go for broke and do 2 at the same time.  For now, I’m wiped out and need to get to my 5 minutes of editing…

As some readers here might know, I wrapped up round two of editing my novel in April.  I actually just started Round 3 this week, which is going better than expected.  (Wish I’d started it sooner!)

Round 2 was around January 1, 2009. It took longer than expected, but much of the editing was actually rewriting and reworking things.  (Which means that Round 3 should be interesting!)

What you  may not know is that before writing this, I purchased a copy of Holly Lisle’s How To Write Page-Turning Scenes.  Holly Lisle is a writer who’s made a living at it for 20 years…a put-food-on-the-table type of living.  Sure we all dream of getting that Stephanie Meyer phone call, but most of us won’t.  Once you come to accept that, you begin to rethink this whole “writing fiction” business.  But once you get past that, it’s time to check out Holly’s rock steady advice.

Because I’m a just-do-it writer, I had no notion of scenes (or chapters) while writing a novel.  I’ve taken lots of workshops over the  years, online and off, and I can remember a single teacher discussing either of those elements.  I’d never even considered scenes in a novel, which is odd because back when I wanted to be a filmmaker I took screen writing, which is all scene writiing.

Enter How To Write Page-Turning Scenes.  Holly breaks down exactly what a scene is and why it’s a useful to think in terms of scenes when writing or revising your novel.  She gives some clear cut exercises that really break down how to determine if a scene forwards your story or not, how to know which scenes to add, delete, or revise, and what to watch out for along the way.  She gives clear cut examples of the different kinds of conflict and how and when to use them.

Strictly speaking,  How To Write Page-Turning Scenes is really a book that gives you tools for step-by-step scene creation if you haven’t written a word, but only have an idea. However, I found this extremely useful to help me get organized with my first round of revisions.  I didn’t do a strict scene-by-scene revision because I had too much story still to create, but this gem of a guide did give me tools I needed to get revising.  I highly recommend this book for novices, first-time revisionists, and anyone who need to better structure their scenes.

Not sure how THAT happened, but last night I really got into editing my book.  It was awesome that after this weekend, I came to the sweet spot in the plot.  This too after realizing that it needs A LOT more work, world building and thickening of characters.

In fact, I’m not really sure how I have to do the next rewrite, just know I have to, and that’s OK.

Hit 1000 followers on Twitter today, how many read fantasy or at least my kind?  It’s a first novel, but I do have to give it my all.  It’s almost to the point where the NEXT novel is not pulling me off it anymore.

I also really want to go the Greater Lehigh Valley Writer’s Conference next month, since it will feature a fantasy author workshopping the genre and worldbuilding, PERFECT.  The job I did this weekend should pay for most of it, but this is also BIG PAYCUT MONTH so I need a little… um…manna from heaven, shall we say? Wish me luck.

Ok, it seems every week I’m learning something as I edit my novel and read or watch more SF/F.  Here’s what I learned this week:

1. We saw Babylon A.D., which struggled to be a good movie (ultimately, hubby and I didn’t think it made it, but this is not Film Critique 1010).  As I watched, I realized it was an old plot, I even recalled what movie it mimicked (though I’ve forgotten).  Basically, hardened man rescues young girl and through many trials encountered on a journey, discovers love. (OK I can see a whole buncha guys throwing their BluRays at the screen, but really, that is how it breaks down for a woman).  I realized as I’m watchin Babylon that my plot is similar.  The romantic interest is not a bad guy, but it IS  a journey story- a classic tale where a physical journey develops your protagonist.  It always was meant to be such, but I forgot along the way.  A bit.  It’ll be stronger.  It also needs more action - on their journey, it would be better if they met with foul play (they don’t at this point).

2. Starbucks is a writer’s heaven.  This is another thing I’ve forgotten.  I’ve been finding alone time to edit late at night (with deep exhaustion and zero motivation).  Saturday late morning, I went to Starbucks, which plays the PERFECT soundtrack for me, and sat with my over-sized coffee.  I got more done in an hour, plus I wrote a poem.  Hm, could it be the lack of children underfoot?  (They don’t sleep well, so even at night privacy is rare).

3. I learned that there is a writer’s conference in Allentown, which is a stone’s throw from my house.  In fact there is a pretty promising looking fantasy author teaching there on, of all things, my nemesis, world building.  If Chris gets his job, he agreed I could attend, so let’s all pull for that!

That’s it, and really, that’s enough.  Ok back to work.

Ok, the bad news is the editing is NOT going as planned.  The good news is, that’s ok.

A series of events happened yesterday that rearranged my thinking.  In the afternoon, I was listening to an archived episode of “I Should Be Writing“.   The experts, who were doing a round table on new media and publishing your novel, were suggesting that if you want to podcast a novel, it could take you about 3 years to get it going. Hm.  I thought about my work in progress and wasn’t sure if I wanted to dedicate the time to it.  One of the authors, both of whom were successful authors and podcasters, said it took 5 revisions to get it right.

I thought about this in more depth, and realized that I am starting to care about this book more, and that I want it to be just right.  I ALSO want to start on  my next novel, so I’ll have to assess all that and figure it in.  In fact, I think I’m going to outline a plan for 2009 - perhaps in my next post - about my fiction writing career.

Meanwhile, hubby and I watched “Lost” last night.  I enjoy this show a lot and the direction it took, as I’m obsessed with fiction about time travel.  Good fiction, apparently, begets more good fiction.  I’ve read some books over the last few weeks that did nothing for me and inspired me even less. But that ONE episode last night had in lying awake in bed last night, writing…

Wait for it….

really…

Religious mythology for my WIP.  WOW!  I haven’t been this creative at night in a long, long, long time.  I began with a creation story and worked my way out, even coming up with names that you would call the Goddess (ie, Light).

AWESOME.

Finally, another decision was made.  This year, I’ll work on my immortal novel idea as well, but I will spend the rest of the year reading fiction about mind manipulators (this novel), immortals (next novel), and time travel, because I intend to write my 3rd novel tackling my favorite subject, AND I’ve already got a number of books under my belt.

And finally, I’d like to submit my current novel to Viable Paradise, but can’t really do that without my husband’s ok.  I’ll have to think and pray about it.  Cool.

life as a writer right now is good…

Wow, it’s a newsflash!

Last nightI was writing through Holly Lisle’s culture building course, and got to the halfway point. I was excited because I already have a little work done on government & religion, so the rest of it should more or less be cake. I don’t think I’m going to use too many advanced techniques, but perhaps a few.

I get to the next section and the next assignment basically says go to wikipedia geography, and start researching cultures.

Ok, I’m sorry, but I FELL OUT OF MY CHAIR. That could takes MONTHS!! The promo on the site said “5 hours” and it’s been weeks. AUGH!

I emailed my support friend and of course, just the act of THAT calmed me down. I proceeded to the next section AND wikipedia, but then I went back to my world building notes. Instead of looking up random cultures, why not look up the several classes I created that defined the world?

And so I learned the great Lesson One of creative endeavors (and childrearing): baby steps, mama, BABY STEPS

I actually managed to do a leetle research on one, and learned Lesson Two: wikipedia can be downright LIGHT on info. (Also it’s just a consortium of info donated by regular people, and NOT always accurate, but good enough for my purposes.)

Later in bed while pondering all this, I realized Lesson Three: there are many roads to worldbuilding. When you’re a novice novelist, the first guide you read always feels like gospel truth. But there are LOTS of worldbuilding guides and sources, same is true for ALL aspects of writing. If this one is not so great for me, that’s fine, for now it’s getting the job done.

Finally my friend emailed me back about that “5 hour testimonial”:

“The reason it’s taken you weeks to do something the ad said would take five hours is because you’re doing a much more complete job than most people would have. IT WILL SHOW IN YOUR MANUSCRIPT. Trust me, this is not work lost. Not ever. Your manuscript will have a depth and texture others won’t”

She’s right, I will. And on a scale of 1-10 I care about this book about an 8 but that doesn’t mean I don’t want it to be the best it can be, or that I want to stop, because this has been a FANTASTIC learning & discovery voyage on how to write a novel.

I also realized later on that my half-hazard education (sorta resembles Sarah Palin’s without the athletics) has allowed me to take take courses in MOST major subjects you can think of, and I have an affinity for History, Military, Discovery and any other channels that shows historical events and people.

So I shake my fists at wikipedia, ha! You won’t bring me down, in fact, you’ve just taught me how to be a better researcher, and that makes me

One Step Closer To My Dream

lesson, learned…

you’re a web designer but really an aspiring novelist and you type “templates” instead of “temples”.  (Oops, did it again).  May the goddess of Bralle forgive me (yes that’s the religion I’m creating, buzz off, lol…)

Ok, I asked my women designer’s list, since I know they are a bunch of readers, to recommend some stories, as I keep hearing “read your genre”. So here is a list of what has been recommended to fit my particular (read as “finicky”) tastes:

• Guy Gavriel Kay? Particularly the Fionavar Tapestries (thanks Joni)
• Recluce series by L. E. Modesitt Jr. (hats off to Tina, who did homework on this for me)
• Sherrilyn Kenyon Dark Hunter novels and Breed series by Lora Leigh-more SF’y (shout out to Faye)
• David Eddings esp The Belgariad (5 books), The Mallorean (also 5 books), Belgarath the Sorcerer, and Polgara the Sorceress; Anne McCaffrey (without dragons); Mercedes Lackey’s Valdemar; Andre Norton. And Terry Pratchett; Timothy Zahn; Roxann Dawson’s Tenebra Trilogy (from my extremely well-read pal, Margie)
• Janny Wurts and Raymond Feist; CS Friedman on ley lines (Thanks Shelly, knew you’d contribute)
• Sherwood Smith; Lois McMaster Bujold’s The Curse of Chalion and Paladin of Souls; Carol Berg’s Flesh & Spirit and Breath & Bone; Robin Hobb (thanks Debbie)
• George R. R. artin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series (Thank you Sara!)
• Black, Red, and White books by Ted Dekker. (cool rec by Karey)

And of course, Marion Zimmer Bradley (RIP), Ursula LeGuin and why didn’t anyone mention Octavia Butler? I believe she has a book on mind control?

FWIW, someone recommended “A Thousand Words for Stranger”, not really my cup of tea, although I did really enjoy the parts about the Mihr…made me think differently about my novel. I also like the whole “woman with no memory on the run” and the love story, but I just cringe at non-humanoid aliens, unless they are visiting aliens (like in Butler, or “The Sparrow”). Too much Star Trek as a child I guess (the James T. Kirk/Spock variety, but I am a sucker for the Picard/Data series too…)

Cool word, pandemonium, isn’t it? (Better make sure I haven’t spelled it wrong!)

What’s new? Lots. Life is in deep, deep crisis. They say that God only gives you want you can handle…I’m not so sure anymore. But writing is keeping me SANE.

Tried to work tonight but couldn’t…that is, web work, my bread & butter, critical now. All I want to do is writing…all I want to do while I’m working my job is write.

I’ve made some interesting commitments:

1) 15 minutes a day, at least on week days, of writing CRAFT. That is, not worldbuilding or exercises or editing, just actual writing, but when I can combine with world-building, awesome!

2) Listening to I should be writing podcasts, from #1, daily. Two to four per day, depends how long they are and what I’m doing. Mur Lafferty rocks!

3) Screw it, I’m going for it with my fantasy book. I’ve invested so much into it, I can’t let it go. To that end, I’m working on Holly Lisle’s worldbuilding book. Was hoping to take her course, but with our current income handicaps, no way…at least not yet! I’ve decided this because the genre is so well-established and is full of REALLY awesome people. Also, local writing group has many serious authors, some published in this genre, very helpful group too.

4) This does not mean I won’t pursue my dream of writing historical or literary fiction. Or both, or a combination. Turns out I’m really interested in wars, particularly from the POV of families. I really want to write something that involves the Iraqi war, and something about Americans too. Not sure where this is going, but oh well… Thus I need to do other writing.

5) the funniest thing I’ve seen all week:
http://matociquala.livejournal.com/1453086.html

SIGH, I miss my cats…I lost THREE of them, and only once was I remotely responsible. phooey…

I’m going to log off now, because as Mur Lafterty says every week, I should be writing (and you too!)

…via ISBW.  Check it out, it’s awesome, Neil is awesome, and a new book is coming soon (September):

ISBW Special #37: AISFP #57 - Neil Gaiman

Adventures in SciFi Publishing

Neil Gaiman