So, I started revisions on Witches on Sunday, using HTRYN. I haven’t touched this story in years, and, in fact, have actually forgotten large chunks of it, so reading it has been an experience. In the first lesson of HTRYN, you’re looking for places the characters, story, or world went wrong (or places they went right). I remember the first time I used it to revise a story: I had red ink all over the pages, with notations of things. This time…the first few chapters have a few scattered marks, but the rest of the 20 chapters I’ve read so far have nothing. Nothing.
This concerns me. Oh, the story isn’t perfect, not by any means. But it’s written in a far different voice and POV than I use now, and that is what bothers me. It feels off, but not wrong. I’ve found a few “wrong” things: like a couple of details that don’t mesh well with the worldbuilding, but the story/plot itself seems to be sound. So…
I still have a lot more reading (and lessons) to get through, but as it stands now, the main thing seems to be that I’m going to have to fix the voice. I’m not as worried about that as I probably should be, because I would fix that a chapter at a time, which isn’t an overwhelming idea.
I have zero experience with this result from revisions. Anyone have any thoughts?
(I do not own this image. Image belongs to Bantam.)
Janet Evanovich is the best-selling author of the Stephanie Plum series, as well as several other series, including the Lizzy and Diesel series. Her newest book is Wicked Charms, the third book in the Lizzy and Diesel series. It hits shelves today.
Lizzy Tucker just wants to enjoy her nice, normal life: make cupcakes at the bakery, hang out with Glo, and make sure Cat has everything he needs. What Lizzy gets is something else entirely. A behind-the-scenes tour of the pirate museum leads to the discovery that the fake dead pirate in a cage on display at the museum isn’t really a fake at all, but the remains of “Peg Leg” Dazzle, a notorious pirate, and one with a link to one of the missing SALIGIA stones that Lizzy has the ability to sense. Soon Lizzy and her mysterious partner, Diesel, are on the trail of the missing stone.
But Lizzy and Diesel aren’t the only ones looking for the stone. Billionaire Martin Ammon is also after the stone, and for reasons far creepier: he believes he is the god Mammon, and needs the stone to complete his transformation. With the help of Glo, Broom, Carl, and Glo’s Buccaneer American boyfriend, Lizzy sets out to find the stone before the billionaire can. And Wulf, Diesel’s enigmatic cousin is after it as well. Lizzy will have to come up with some magic of her own if she wants to win this race.
Wicked Charms delivers what Evanovich’s readers have come to expect: laughs, oddball situations, quirky supporting characters, and a dash or two of romance. The developing emotions between Lizzy and Diesel grow even hotter in this installment, with a bit of competition from Wulf thrown in for good measure. The supporting characters truly make this novel sing, and the Buccaneer American is one of Evanovich’s best creations.
(I do not own this image. Image property of AUS Impulse.)
Carla Caruso is a writer from Australia who writes romance with a touch of humor. Her current novel, Pretty Famous, is the third book in the Astonvale series, which stars Celeste Pretty, a professional organizer with a knack for finding trouble.
Celeste Pretty’s life has changed for the better. Her fledgling business is off to a good start. Her father has found happiness with a new relationship. And Celeste and contractor Lenny are getting married! Things are good, except for Celeste’s new job: prestigious Astonvale College is celebrating 100 years, and they need Celeste to make sure the festivities happen as planned. And they’d like Imogen Karmel to assist her.
Between planning her own engagement party and making the sure the school celebration shines, Celeste doesn’t have time for theatrics, but she finds herself drawn into the 60-year-old murder mystery of a screen star anyway. Between her sleuthing and Imogen’s determination to find the missing prince—who doesn’t want to be a princess?—it will take a miracle to get the project completed on time.
Pretty Famous continues the quirky adventures of Celeste Pretty, with Imogen in a co-starring role that gives the reader glimpses at the depth she hides so well. Lenny is back as well, and the romance that started in A Pretty Mess comes full circle for the couple. With Celeste’s way of landing in precarious situations, the reader will laugh their way through the newest book in the Astonvale series.
I finally started writing again! Granted, it was probably less than 300 words this morning, but it’s a start! Before I could write a single word, I had to re-read the entire (That makes it sound like so much) 67-page draft to get a feel for the characters again. That’s the problem with forgetting you even started a story and then trying to start it again: you forget you ever knew the characters, much less the plot you had planned (assuming I had one planned.). SO I read the draft, then wrote a few hundred words. Not much, I know, but a start, and I know exactly what happens next, which is why I stopped where I did: so I can actually start during my next session. I’m really happy to be writing again.
Today I will also start working through HTRYN with the draft of Witches. Wow. You know, I thought I was going to be working on a 300,000-word monstrosity, but it turns out, once I opened a document I hadn’t looked at in I-don’t-even’know-how-many-years, that this, the third version of the story, is only 188,000 words. Still way too long, but a definite improvement over my first thought. Whew. Instead, after using a 10-point Times New Roman font, as well as single spacing it, the printed MS is only 269 pages. That I now have to read through as if I’ve never heard of these people before (And, let’s face it, after a break of years, that’s pretty accurate. I hope we’re old friends again soon.).
(I do not own this image. Image belongs to Skyscape.)
Lori M. Lee is an author from Wisconsin, via Laos and Thailand. She writes young adult fiction, in the fantasy genre. Her newest novel is The Infinite, the second book in the Gates of Thread and Stone series.
Kai is no longer trapped in the Labyrinth, the poverty-riddled warren of the city she grew up in. Now she’s discovered that being trapped is always a horrible place to be, no matter how big the “cage” is. Her current cage is Ninurta, the city she has called home for her entire life. But being home doesn’t mean things are still the same.
Avan is an Infinite now, and he no longer remembers their previous life, or their love. A rebel group is threatening the fledgling new government, and Kai is afraid her brother Reev is part of it. To make matters worse, a threat from outside the city walls arises, putting the city in even more danger. Now, with her ability to manipulate the threads of time vanished, Kai is powerless to stop the disaster looming over her life, her loved ones, and her very world.
The Infinite picks up where The Gates of Thread and Stone left off, with Kai in a bigger mess than before. Ninurta itself comes to vibrant life on the page, as do Kai’s forays outside the city walls. Avan is no longer the boy she loved from the first book, his character is now shaped by forces far beyond himself, and the reader will be anxious to see if he ever remembers Kai and the live they had.
(I do not own this image. Image belongs to Skyscape and Lori M. Lee.)
Lori M. Lee is an author from Wisconsin, via Laos and Thailand. She writes young adult fiction, in the fantasy genre. Her first published novel is The Gates of Thread and Stone, the first book in the Gates of Thread and Stone series.
Seventeen-year-old Kai lives in the Labyrinth, a warren of poverty, secrets, and desperation on the edge of the city. Keeping your mouth shut is the only way to survive there. It’s just Kai and Reev, her older adopted brother, against the world, and Kai is fine with that. They’re poor, but they have each other.
Then one day, Reev disappears, and Kai has to choose between keeping her mouth shut and trying to save Reev. No contest. Soon Kai finds herself swept up in the revolution that has been brewing for centuries, as the secrets of her past—and her origins—threaten to overtake her. With the help of Avan, the shopkeeper’s son with the forbidding reputation, Kai must fight: to save Reev, to find out who she is, for her very survival.
The Gates of Thread and Stone is a compelling tale of magic and adventure, set in a world both forbidding and harsh and filled with mysteries. The world is not as it seems, and neither is Kai. Her journey of discovery—initially a rescue mission—leads her to place she’s never dreamed of, and reveals things she never considered. The riveting tale will mesmerize readers from the first page.
(I do not own this image, but the words are TRUE.)
Have you ever taken a break from writing?
I have. To be honest, the “break” I just finished up was more of a three-year hiatus than anything. There were a lot of reasons for it–depression, a major health issue, school–but that doesn’t make me feel any better about taking it.
The thing is, I miss writing. An ex of mine used to tell me I needed to write if I started getting too grumpy, and that’s probably true. (Kind of explains my moodiness lately, as well.) Blog-writing helps stave off the attitude somewhat, but getting eyeball-deep in fiction will almost for-sure “cure” the problem.
(I do not own this image.)
I’m eager to leap back into the thick of things, to pull a blanket of words over my head and just snuggle into them. Except, of course, I have no idea where I was going with the Siren story….
Not to mention, I want to revise Witches, and I haven’t touched it in years.
So, I think a bit of planning is in order, first. Wait. Pre-work. I meant pre-work. I already have a plan: do all the things! NO. No. I need an idea of where the story is going, first, before I dive in and start writing. Otherwise, I’ll end up with another 300,000-word monstrosity to revise.
Okay, new plan: HTRYN for Witches, brainstorm a general outline for the Siren story and work through HTTS for it. Okay. I have a plan.
Pamela Dumond “discovered” Erin Brokovich’s story and brought it to the big screen. She has written several novels, including young adult, new adult, romance, and self-help. Her new book, Part-Time Princess, is the first book in the Ladies-in-Waiting series.
Lucy Trabbicio has a life. It’s not a fantastic one, but she gets by, as a cocktail waitress at a biker bar. Money is tight, so when a mysterious job opportunity comes her way, she’s intrigued. Turns out the job is to impersonate Lady Elizabeth Billingsley as she travels to the tiny country of Fredonia, to keep Prince Cristoph Timmel interested while Lady Elizabeth takes care of some personal business in the U.S.
Lucy is skeptical, but the paycheck is more than she can turn down, so she agrees, enduring the ensuing whirlwind of makeovers, beauty treatments, and lessons. A princess has to walk, talk, dress, and eat a certain way, after all. Before she knows it, Lucy is off to the Alps and her new identity.
On the flight, she meets bad-boy Nick, who seems to have a very personal history with Lady Elizabeth. Lucy is drawn to Nick, but she’s not who he thinks she is. And Nick isn’t Prince Cristoph, so he isn’t part of the job. Soon, Lucy is swept up in the romance and drama of the royal lifestyle. But parties aren’t enough to satisfy her, and she finds herself drawn to Nick, despite “her” engagement to Cristoph. Lucy is desperate to keep up the façade, even when someone tries to kill her, and Lady Elizabeth promises she’ll be back before the wedding.
But what if she isn’t? Will Lucy continue in her role as someone else, or will she admit who she really is, and risk losing her newfound friends and family?
Part-Time Princess is lighthearted and funny, with breathless romance and mystery, too. The breezy style makes the pages fly by, and Lucy’s antics will have the reader laughing and hoping through every chapter.
So…School is out. Vacation is over. Real life has started again. That means it’s time to get back to writing. Yay! In that direction, I went through the “Writing” folder on my computer on Sunday.
And found 67 pages of a story I don’t even remember writing, for NaNo 3 years ago. I read probably 15 pages before I believed that I actually wrote it. It’s a YA about the Sirens and Spartans, but set in the here-and-now. It was kind of like having an out-of-body experience, reading through something I have no memory of writing. (The writing took place about 6 months pre-stroke, and I stopped when my depression got really bad).
Yesterday, I found the story notebook for my newly rediscovered story. That’s the good news. The bad news…in it is one piece of paper with 40 words on it. Mainly character names. No plot ideas, no outline, nothing else. Also some printed out research on sirens and the like. It appears that I will be basically starting from scratch, because, let’s face it, I’m totally sucked into the 67 pages of MS I have. I was seriously like “Did I write this? It’s really good!” Guess what just got bumped to the top of my to-write list?
That’s not strictly true. I want to get going on The Fall again, too. I’ve only got a few chapters written, and I need to change some stuff that my Muse gave me over the past few months when I wasn’t supposed to be writing (my Muse is, apparently, a rebel). An outline would, perhaps, be helpful. Or, heck, even a basic idea of where the story was going. At this point, I’m flailing around in the fog, only able to see two steps in front of me.
I also discovered a tiny bit of another story, along with its notebook and partial outline, as well as a good bit of notes for a third story. I think 4 WIPs is a bit excessive, even for me. My Muse either fainted from excitement, or went on strike, I’m not sure which.
Let’s not forget my to-be-revised list, which grows ever longer. Sigh…Think I’m gonna start with Witches, though. Cutting down that 300,000 word behemoth is going to be…tricky, but the characters are talking to me. Or, possibly, I’m hearing voices….Yeah, it could be either one.
Writing question of the day: does anyone else juggle multiple stories at the same time? Some tips would be helpful. And very much appreciated.
The week before last, I hiked the Grand Canyon with my best friend. The original plan was to do the Rim to Rim hike (start on the South Rim, hike down, across, and up the North Rim). That’s not what happened. Instead, I got dehydrated pretty bad on the way down—despite drinking 80 oz. of water (with electrolytes) and snacking on salty foods—so we ended up at the ranger’s station so I could get checked out, since I didn’t have the “normal” signs of dehydration. Then, we stayed overnight at the bottom of the canyon, at Phantom Ranch, and hiked out the next day.
Longest two days of my life.
But I did learn some things on the hike.
“Grand Canyon miles” are not the same as “regular” miles. Not at all. I’m sure the altitude was affecting me more than I could tell at the time, but it took us something like 2 hours to go 1 ½ miles on the way up. Seriously? Yes, I know we were hiking up the freaking Grand Canyon, but both of our trackers said we’d been something like 5 miles, not the measly 1 ½ miles the posted signs claimed.
The most beautiful part of the hike, the bottom half of Bright Angel.
Hiking the Grand Canyon is not a good way to get over acrophobia. I am terrified of heights. Hiking down the Kaibab trail, which is basically 7 miles of stairs down the face of a cliff, is not a therapeutic way of dealing with this fear. My BFF kept saying things like “Oh, how beautiful. Look!” My response was something along the lines of “Nope. Take pictures. I’ll look when we get back.”…while staying as close to the wall of the canyon as possible, eyes glued to the two foot of ground immediately in front of my feet. My mental reply was more like “Absolutely not! I’m clinging to the side of a cliff and you want me to appreciate scenery?! The only scenery I’d appreciate right now is the flat ground at the top of this canyon. I DON’T CARE!”
Side note: I’m still afraid of heights.
Just above the first stop on the way down Kaibab.
Heed the warning signs. There are signs posted everywhere, at the top of the canyon, on the way down, everywhere, warning people not to hike to the canyon floor and back. They are correct. You shouldn’t do it.
I don’t care how beautiful it is—and it was absolutely breathtaking—nothing is worth the complete misery that was this hike. 7 ½ hours down 7 miles of uneven “stairs” on the side of a sheer cliff, 9 miles up a more-gradual ascent up through a ravine (We took an “easier” trail up. Ha. Where “easier” means “still virtually impossible and insane. But not quite on the very edge of the freaking cliff.). There were times I considered jumping off the cliff, just so it would be over. True story.
Beautiful, yes. Repeatable? No.
This hike is what hell is like. Hiking up, or down (which is worse) interminable switchbacks on the side of a cliff, with no water, while demons run along behind you, stabbing you with a pitchfork at every step. That is what this hike felt like.
Bottom line: I’m glad I got to see the Grand Canyon. I’d have been even more glad to see it strictly from the rim. If you’re ever tempted to hike it, don’t. It’s not worth it. No matter how pretty it is.
I think this was on the way up, but I really can’t remember.
Tomorrow Is Another Day 