Vixenwriter

First of all - last night I watched Resident Evil: Apocalypse and the season opener of Nip/Tuck - Oded in spec ops gear and Julian, oh my Dr. Troy - so sullen, so selfish…

Okay, now to writing - I’m nearly 16K into Standoff and happy with where I’m heading. The heroine, Grace, is a doctor but she’s not mouthy and tough on the exterior like Nina or Tracy. So I have to rein in my dialog impulses and nix the snarky on the outside. She’s strong of course, she’s Cade’s mate and she’s taken a huge risk to come to him. He realizes that but she’s got some stuff to deal with. She’s a scientist so her happy place is in a lab or with data and not necessarily with a lot of other people. It’s always a challenge to write every character and make them unique, make them as real as you can without essentially copying your base character again and again.

Sometimes beginning a new book can be daunting, sometimes it’s the middle or the end that make me insane. The last two projects I worked on were hard to start but once I hit a certain point, once I know my characters and where they need to journey to, things begin to ease in my head.

I don’t necessarily mean it becomes easy to write that journey, but what I mean is I know the map and feel confident about the waypoints if not the scenic markers of the route.

I remember thinking that at some point, it would get easier after I did it a few times. In some ways, it does. I know more now about how to heighten tension with a few sentences here and there. I know how to edit better, I know things that make me a better writer in a technical sense. But at the same time, the knowing means I feel more pressure to use all those tools to the best of my ability to write a book.

Each day I learn and grow. Each day I fail and succeed. Hopefully, the success will outweigh the failure. But in the end, it’s what I do, how I do it and that I continue forward.

Went to the Emerald City conference this past weekend and it was lovely until the conference crud set in, sending me home early. I was thrilled to hang out with my agent, friend and all around rock star Laura Bradford for a few days. We hung out and chatted about books until well after midnight both nights. Had several fangirl moments (SUSAN ANDERSEN, people!) Christina Dodd gave an amazing speech and made me laugh. Julia Quinn was at my table on Saturday for lunch (JULIA QUINN!!). Had a lovely dinner with friends on Saturday night, the booksigning was fun although the person who was supposed to sit next to me didn’t show so I was sort of isolated in a back corner, LOL, but people came by to say hello including my husband who brought the kids to show them what momma did at work.

I got some pages done on Saturday morning, which is lovely. I need to get back to work today because yesterday I left the con early, came home, slept, woke up, and slept more.

Hope you all had a good weekend!

Zooms in - so busy it’s not funny! Cripes!

How’s Sven for everyone? I’m meeting my daily goals and more thank goodness! I need to keep on keepin on though. I have a conference this weekend so I won’t get as much work done as I usually do. On the other hand, I’ll see loads of people I really like, including my very favorite agent in the whole wide world, Laura Bradford so wheee!

I’m from Southern California, as is my husband so we’ve got many friends and family in harm’s way right now. I’m sort of glued to the news and trying not to get too worried but it certainly helps me keep things in perspective. Everyone is okay so far, thank goodness and I’m just hoping the weather cools and the Santa Ana’s calm down so the firefighters can do their job (safely too!) and people can get back home. All the devastation is just terrible to see. But Laura tells me people are really pulling together right now and helping each other. It’s a shame it takes something like this to bring folks together but I’m glad to see it happening now when folks need each other so much.

Anyway, I have to flit off again! Have a good hump day!

Oh! And just because he makes me think of Cade Warden (who will soon be nekkid with his ladyfriend)

Last night we took the kids to the pumpkin patch and had a lovely time. The weather warmed up and cleared although it was a muddy pit down in the field itself. Heaven for my sons. Of course we get everything weighed and see the “cash or check only” sign. Thank goodness the van had some cash and change in it or we’d have had to take a pumpkin back. Lawd, I can’t believe we didn’t even check beforehand. We do this every year, you’d think we’d know by now.

And then I wrangled them to eat, clean up and get in bed. Not easy when they’re all Halloween pumped.

I got 2142 written on Standoff last night. Cade is just about to meet our heroine. I’d originally called her Kate but I realize Cade and Kate is very close and sort of odd. Also I just wrote another heroine named Kate so I’m going to have to re-think her name. Still, it was a good writing session.

I also did some second round, quick edits on To Do List. I love finishing up a project! Although line edits are next so I’m not quite finished.

Anyway, more to do! I’ve got excerpts up at my messageboard! Don’t forget to enter the Raven Halloween Scavenger Hunt if you haven’t yet! Great prizes and tons of fun. YOu have until month’s end!!

So, week one of Sven - 24.5K! WHEEEE!

I’d written an opening scene but it just wasn’t working for me, or it was fine but I want more than fine. So I changed that and it totally freed everything so yay! Sometimes, writing is like a puzzle, you have to put the edge pieces together but when they all look like sky, it takes a bit of cocking your head and patience as you work through it.

Somehow, it’s become very cold. Like we skipped fall and it’s winter or something. When I picked the kids up at school Friday my hands were so cold they stung. Bleh. Sideways rain, high winds and cold. But I do love this time of year. I’ve pulled out the crock pot and used it several times, I get to wear scarves and all manner of sweaters and get all snuggly at night with my dude.

Got my cover for To Do List, hopefully I can put it up soon!

Oh and I finished Blood Fever and wow. I know some people are put out because this series isn’t a romance but it’s excellent dark fantasy and I’m really thrilled with where Moning took Mac in this book. I liked Dark Fever but this one is more taut, better plotted and definitely dark (a few spots made me a bit queasy but in the best possible way). Vivi Anna’s new Nocturne came last week so it’s in my TBR pile now but they said Lisa Renee Jones’ was delayed! I pouted over that because I love her writing.

I need to get my basket for the Emerald City RWA con finished, send out some contest wins and get some planning and promotion done for my November 3rd booksigning at the Waldenbooks at the Southcenter Mall (6-8 pm). I’ll be there with my fellow Samhain author Stacia Wolf. Stop in, say hello, we’ll have chocolate and books and well, it’s us, what more do you need?

As in, I am on fiyuh!

Boys and girls I just wrote 9,470 words today. No, I’m not joking. It’s a recordbook day and I’m really freaking thrilled. The power went off several times so thank god for my flash drive and the windstorm which pretty much kept me inside with a mug of chai as my daughter colored and played with Barbies just a few feet away while I wrote like a fiend.

Oh Sven, how I love you and your challenge. And how I know I’ll be happy for this day the next time I grind out 75 words in four hours and hate my keyboard with the heat of ten thousand suns.

I’m a normally a 2-3K a day writer but wow, the words just melted from my brain today like buttah. It’s because I love Skye so much - yes this is Skye’s story from my Cherchez series. Which I need to put aside on Saturday because I found out today Standoff has moved up to March 4 from April 1. This is very good news, I’m very happy but yikes, I gotta get moving!! Good thing I love Cade Warden as much as I love Skyler Andrews, huh?

Wheee! I finished the polish of my short novel partial, dirty/bad/wrong last night along with the newly revised synopsis and mailed them both to my agent this morning. Megan and I emailed, critted and IM’d back and forth last night until what was quite late for her, working on our intertwined scenes.

It’s interesting to see how a project sort of takes on a mind of its own. The story for me is about dichotomy, about my character and her internal divisions of self. When it came time to write the partial so my agent could pitch, I was like, “meh.” I love the idea, I wanted to write it, but not right when I needed to. So every word was like a job. And then I realized the issue was I didn’t have enough meat and I couldn’t very well have 50K of sex or even 50K of internal discussion or worse, some contrived black moment. So I brainstormed and the story settled into the place it needed to be and I finished it in just a day and a half. By the time I finished last night with the little adjustments after some crit, I was so thrilled with it. I love it and I’m glad I kept at it. I love Megan’s story too and I think combined, they’re just fabulous together. Funny how that works!

Sven progress yesterday - 3125 = and 10,938 words for the first three days! In real terms those words represent a completed partial, a revised synopsis and the start of a new novel. (the partial already had been started).

A very good start to Sven!!

I’ve been guesting in a few places! First over at Amy Smith’splace - there’s a prize so head on over!

And today I’m at RR@H Novel Thoughts and Book Talk talking about secondary characters - also with a contest!

Total for Tuesday night - 4557, a very productive evening indeed. I finished up my partial of dirty/bad/wrong, re-worked the synopsis and got started on Clan of All Nations.

How’s everyone doing? I know sometimes getting started on a new project or a challenge can be daunting and the pressure comes when you start overthinking and it freezes you up. Just try and relax and remember the Sven challenge is really about yourself and only yourself and your words.

Night before last I realized as I shut my laptop down, I didn’t have enough for the wordcount the short novel I was working on demanded. I brainstormed with my husband, who is always a great source of inspiration but it wasn’t quite enough so I woke up disgruntled and still searching for the thing that would give me the depth and layers I needed.

So I booted up the desktop and turned on IM and sent a note to my buddy Megan - I’m stuck and I don’t have enough meat for the story. She popped on about half an hour later and after I told her I couldn’t very wel have 50K words of fucking (well I could but it wouldn’t work for this story) we worked back and forth (our stories are interconnected) until I finally hit on what I needed, the hook, the layers that would bring the story’s heart to light.

By that time, a story I’d been struggling for a few hundred words here and there (but with a clear idea of what I needed which made it even more painful) loosened up and I got over 2700 words yesterday.

So while we can’t compare ourselves to others and find ourselves wanting when we talk about wordcount or book deals, we can reach out to others who know what we’re going through. Brainstorming and plotting sessions with a friend is something I’ve found to be a really big help and I highly encourage it!

This year, we’ve added five new sponsors to the challenge. Those of us running Sven’s gym are Alison Kent, Jo Leigh, HelenKay Dimon, Larissa Ione, Stephanie Tyler, Shiloh Walker, Lauren Dane, Diana Peterfreund, Jaci Burton, and Portia Da Costa. Expect to see us popping up on various sweating challengers’ blogs over the next 70 (93) days.

In addition there are nearly 300 sweaters and many of us know other authors who are willing to lend an ear and their creativity to help you out of a block or a tough spot. We’ve all been there so there’s no shame in reaching out. BTW, Megan is made of sparkly awesome for helping me.

2715 words. Not bad for having to do some re-plotting earlier today! For now, I’m to bed. Yes, an hour earlier than usual but it’s very cold and I’m very tired and since I got good words down, I’m going to treat myself with sleep.