So today I finished my first pass over my first draft of my novel and have begun the arduous task of making the changes on the computer. At least it is going faster than re-reading and making notes.
One thing that I have learned: editing sucks.
Well the initial pass through and making comments on paper is fine, but going line by line looking from the page to the computer screen is a pain in the neck..literally.
But I am determined to finish the changes tonight.
I also realized that the scene I started writing the other day needs to be at the end of this novel instead of at the beginning of the second novel. So I just have to finish off that and then I am not looking back at my first novel until at least December. Yay!
Next up: completely outlining my second novel in preparation of NaNoWriMo.
So Dad, Mom, it looks like you both have a new novel to read between now and December ;)
(And yes, my parents often read my writing before I give it to anyone else. They actually give me good feedback and honest critiques. They are very supportive, but neither shirk from being brutally truthful in how something sounds.)
Monday, September 23, 2013
Friday, September 20, 2013
About a Horse...
So I have to admit, I haven't been the best horse-y mom...
Between being tired from work, writing/editing my first novel, prepping for the second/third/fourth, and I'm pretty sure I'm fighting a nasty sinus infection...I have been slightly neglecting Electra.
I know I shouldn't, and it's not like shes not being cared for, but I haven't been out to see her like I should and usually do.
Tonight, totally spontaneously, I grabbed flip flops (I know, perfect barn attire) and keys and drove the 4 minutes to the barn. What greeted me was a very muddy pony who was happy to see me.
On another impulse I brushed her off quick, and wrapping her lead into makeshift reins, I climbed on board bareback, no lunging, no bridle and bit, just her, a lead rope and halter and me (barefoot at this point while aboard).
There is something completely soothing about riding at night, all by yourself with nothing between you and your horse. At some point I noticed that I had stopped giving her cues with the lead rope and that she was taking them from my seat only. It was like we melded together and just went cruising around the area.
I don't know what it is, but there is something about that horse that just soothes and calms me to my very core.
Oh and I hadn't ridden bareback in at least 2 years...nor had I worked with her in a week. It was pretty awesome to have her behave perfectly, and it seemed that she enjoyed the little ride too.
*This photo is not from tonight, but was taken out on a ride within the past month*
Between being tired from work, writing/editing my first novel, prepping for the second/third/fourth, and I'm pretty sure I'm fighting a nasty sinus infection...I have been slightly neglecting Electra.
I know I shouldn't, and it's not like shes not being cared for, but I haven't been out to see her like I should and usually do.
Tonight, totally spontaneously, I grabbed flip flops (I know, perfect barn attire) and keys and drove the 4 minutes to the barn. What greeted me was a very muddy pony who was happy to see me.
On another impulse I brushed her off quick, and wrapping her lead into makeshift reins, I climbed on board bareback, no lunging, no bridle and bit, just her, a lead rope and halter and me (barefoot at this point while aboard).
There is something completely soothing about riding at night, all by yourself with nothing between you and your horse. At some point I noticed that I had stopped giving her cues with the lead rope and that she was taking them from my seat only. It was like we melded together and just went cruising around the area.
I don't know what it is, but there is something about that horse that just soothes and calms me to my very core.
*This photo is not from tonight, but was taken out on a ride within the past month*
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
So I know I'm not perfect...
So before doing more prep for NaNoWriMo in October I decided to re-read a series I read a few years back. (I was cleaning and found all three so decided to read them again.)
The books are the Dragonmaster series by Chris Bunch. Now, before I had read these I had never even heard of Bunch, but I've done my google-ing tonight before writing this...
I have to say that I am disappointed in these books. I know that I am, as a writer, definitely not perfect. But for someone who has as many books published as Bunch has, I am shocked at the low quality of this writing.
He is inconsistently using quotation marks, apostrophes, italics. And those are just the grammar things I'M noticing...and I usually over look or don't notice grammar unless it's really bad. He also refers to his character Hal Kailas both by "Hal" and then by "Kailas", often on the same page, but even more often in the same paragraph! Talk about confusing and losing your readers! He also introduces characters that you never see again, or don't see again for chapters, in too descriptive a manner. If the rouge bandit is only in chapter x-for example-the reader doesn't need to know that his front left tooth is broken, he reeks like ale, has a drawl, twitches in the bright sun, his pants are dirty, his saber is dull, and that he has a large extended family from some random, admittedly in the text, little known town. Too much for a character that lasts all of 2 pages!
Oh and be prepared for the narrative to just suddenly jump. Chapter one starts with Hal Kailas as a young boy, maybe 12 or 13 then in the next chapter he seems to have aged by 2 or 3 years! It just continues like that, and he gives the reader no warning as to how far the narrative will jump.
And don't even get me started on the typical uneducated dialogue, or how unoriginal his theme of "boy coming of age in a time of war" is. Yes, it is a relatively good theme offering up times of trial for his character, but there seems to be nothing behind this main theme. There are no extra layers that would make this story so much more satisfying to the reader. And the dragons are just beasts. Just dumb beasts that are cast aside in the exact same manner all of the other animals in the story are.
I'm sorry, I guess I'm just not a fan of that treatment.
Yes, it is a far cry from the usual "dragon" portrayal. But the storyline just falls flat, I have no affection towards Hal Kailas-the one exception is in the first chapter when he saves a young dragon kit-and am not invested in the character or the outcome of the war.
It is interesting to me that he is such an acclaimed or well-known writer...I just hope that this series is not indicative of his writing style...
The books are the Dragonmaster series by Chris Bunch. Now, before I had read these I had never even heard of Bunch, but I've done my google-ing tonight before writing this...
I have to say that I am disappointed in these books. I know that I am, as a writer, definitely not perfect. But for someone who has as many books published as Bunch has, I am shocked at the low quality of this writing.
He is inconsistently using quotation marks, apostrophes, italics. And those are just the grammar things I'M noticing...and I usually over look or don't notice grammar unless it's really bad. He also refers to his character Hal Kailas both by "Hal" and then by "Kailas", often on the same page, but even more often in the same paragraph! Talk about confusing and losing your readers! He also introduces characters that you never see again, or don't see again for chapters, in too descriptive a manner. If the rouge bandit is only in chapter x-for example-the reader doesn't need to know that his front left tooth is broken, he reeks like ale, has a drawl, twitches in the bright sun, his pants are dirty, his saber is dull, and that he has a large extended family from some random, admittedly in the text, little known town. Too much for a character that lasts all of 2 pages!
Oh and be prepared for the narrative to just suddenly jump. Chapter one starts with Hal Kailas as a young boy, maybe 12 or 13 then in the next chapter he seems to have aged by 2 or 3 years! It just continues like that, and he gives the reader no warning as to how far the narrative will jump.
And don't even get me started on the typical uneducated dialogue, or how unoriginal his theme of "boy coming of age in a time of war" is. Yes, it is a relatively good theme offering up times of trial for his character, but there seems to be nothing behind this main theme. There are no extra layers that would make this story so much more satisfying to the reader. And the dragons are just beasts. Just dumb beasts that are cast aside in the exact same manner all of the other animals in the story are.
I'm sorry, I guess I'm just not a fan of that treatment.
Yes, it is a far cry from the usual "dragon" portrayal. But the storyline just falls flat, I have no affection towards Hal Kailas-the one exception is in the first chapter when he saves a young dragon kit-and am not invested in the character or the outcome of the war.
It is interesting to me that he is such an acclaimed or well-known writer...I just hope that this series is not indicative of his writing style...
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
Well this is ba....Well okay maybe it's not so ba...Nope there's a nother mistake..D*%N$#
Me and editing...here we go.
Apparently somewhere along in my schooling years, I managed to miss some seemingly basic grammar rules. I was first made aware of this in my semester of college by a professor who was rude all the way around. HOW DID I GET TO MY LAST SEMESTER OF COLLEGE AND NOT KNOW THESE THINGS!!!
But she was a two-faced harpy straight out of literary hell...I digress..
So while re-reading my first draft of my first novel I have had a trusty English rule book by my side. It has helped...a lot.
But the one thing I have realized that I hate...Apostrophes and when to use them...there seems to be like 3 or 4 different rules and ways of adding or subtracting them from writing. And everywhere I've read advice it says, "Follow the guidelines for the house that you are publishing under"
Well, I don't have a publishing house to write under yet, so how am I edit satisfactorily?
I think I'm just gonna wing it, and follow my gut...it hasn't led me wrong yet..?
Apparently somewhere along in my schooling years, I managed to miss some seemingly basic grammar rules. I was first made aware of this in my semester of college by a professor who was rude all the way around. HOW DID I GET TO MY LAST SEMESTER OF COLLEGE AND NOT KNOW THESE THINGS!!!
But she was a two-faced harpy straight out of literary hell...I digress..
So while re-reading my first draft of my first novel I have had a trusty English rule book by my side. It has helped...a lot.
But the one thing I have realized that I hate...Apostrophes and when to use them...there seems to be like 3 or 4 different rules and ways of adding or subtracting them from writing. And everywhere I've read advice it says, "Follow the guidelines for the house that you are publishing under"
Well, I don't have a publishing house to write under yet, so how am I edit satisfactorily?
I think I'm just gonna wing it, and follow my gut...it hasn't led me wrong yet..?
Saturday, September 14, 2013
Aftermath...
So I finally finished my first novel...it only took me almost 7 years! But it's done!
I started this project back in a high school creative writing class. The first one of it's kind if I remember correctly. Our assignment was only a 5 to 10 page short story and what I came up with was over 20 pages long and not a complete story.
My mind ran crazy with the ideas of dragons and an adventure including a young girl and her mother. I started writing it in first person POV. And after more chapters than I care to think about, dropped the whole enterprise. I'm not sure what happened. I think it had something to do with my first horse passing away and loss of innocence about the world...
Anyways, I picked up the project again last year when the professor of my capstone had us writing 2500 words a week. After re-reading the story I had written years ago, I decided to re-write in third person POV.
In just a few weeks I had finished changing what I had written, and started on new stuff.
I feel that the timing was right for this story to be told again. My skills in writing, plot building, world creating, and characterization had advanced enough to make the story even better.
And boy did it grow!
My first draft is over 71,000 words, and I just printed it off today to begin the task of carefully reading and editing for cohesiveness and to add in a few scenes I skipped over writing initially...woops.
Ahh the smell of ink and paper as my printer pumps out all 135 pages....and yes, Dad, I put two pages of text on one side of printed paper then double side printed them....and yes, I will buy more ink ;)
I started this project back in a high school creative writing class. The first one of it's kind if I remember correctly. Our assignment was only a 5 to 10 page short story and what I came up with was over 20 pages long and not a complete story.
My mind ran crazy with the ideas of dragons and an adventure including a young girl and her mother. I started writing it in first person POV. And after more chapters than I care to think about, dropped the whole enterprise. I'm not sure what happened. I think it had something to do with my first horse passing away and loss of innocence about the world...
Anyways, I picked up the project again last year when the professor of my capstone had us writing 2500 words a week. After re-reading the story I had written years ago, I decided to re-write in third person POV.
In just a few weeks I had finished changing what I had written, and started on new stuff.
I feel that the timing was right for this story to be told again. My skills in writing, plot building, world creating, and characterization had advanced enough to make the story even better.
And boy did it grow!
My first draft is over 71,000 words, and I just printed it off today to begin the task of carefully reading and editing for cohesiveness and to add in a few scenes I skipped over writing initially...woops.
Ahh the smell of ink and paper as my printer pumps out all 135 pages....and yes, Dad, I put two pages of text on one side of printed paper then double side printed them....and yes, I will buy more ink ;)
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