Writing and the “White Death”

Well I managed to get a little over 2K written for Lady of the Snow, although I think I may have to reconsider how to do that chapter since it’s long and boring. I’d leave it and come back to it late only I’m up for critique in a little more than a week, so I need to try and make it, well, less crappy.

On a semi-related front, I actually won a contest for once (a contest that I could actually use the prize for this time ) Sandy Shin had a sketch giveaway drawing on her blog and I won! I had a hard time deciding what character to give her but ultimately I decided on Yuki-onna/Miyuki. I’ll post it when she’s done

If my MC were real, she’d be loving the weather we’re having here with all the ridiculous snow we’ve been getting. I guess it’s to be expected since I live in Ohio and we’ve been fairly lucky–up until this point anyway–with not having too much snow this winter. And then two snowstorms come within a few days of each other. The bright blue winter sky today is mocking us, for tomorrow it will be dropping “white death.” Six more inches on top of the nine inches on the ground already. I see more ibuprofen and heating pads for my poor muscles in the next few days…

Write Your Rear* Off Day

*Changed over from another term

Moonrat is hosting Write Your Rear*Off Day this coming weekend. It’s an 8-hour write-a-thon on which ever weekend day you choose (Friday, Saturday, Sunday and even carrying over to Monday). Each participant chooses which day is best for them and you can post a little marker on this interactive map that’s been made for this. Moonrat would also like a progress report at the end of the day, whether you spent it researching, character developing, etc., either by email or in a comment on the blog. Don’t forget to put your blog link too–Moonrat will be posting the participants on Tuesday next week.

I’m taking part because I need a kick in the rear to get me writing. I’d like to get in 3000 words that day–whether that’s for Lady of the Snow or my other WiP, The Scarlet Daughter (the one I had before LotS, whose name has recently changed for the fourth time And yes, the title is a play on The Scarlet Letter). Or maybe a combination of words done on both. We’ll see.

And the waters became still…

I started working on my former WiP today. I’ve been unable to write much for Lady of the Snow recently; getting 500 words out is a challenge on a daily basis. But I just wrote 500 in less than twenty minutes for my other WiP. If anything, it’ll help me get the juices flowing again for Lady of the Snow, a project I desperately want to work on. Perhaps because I’m so desperate to work on it, it’s getting in the way of the story.

I’ve got such a lack of focus. It’s sad really

If you’re stumbling on a project, do you divert your attention elsewhere? Does it help?

Friday Dance

In honor of it being Friday:

It may be old school but I love this song

First Person vs Third Person

I don’t really have much to post about today; I think my mind has gone into hibernation mode or something recently.

Anyway, I was wondering: which POV do you prefer to write in? First person or third person? I like third person myself. For some reason that’s what comes easiest to me. That’s probably why I’m really struggling with writing my current WiP since I’ve switched over to first person for it. I’ve tried it in third and it does work in some ways…but I think it’ll be stronger in first. That is, if I can learn how to write in first person.

I’m sure over time I’ll get the hang of it. For now, it’s a painful process trying to find that voice that doesn’t sound forced.

How do you learn to write in different viewpoints? Is it just practice, talent or a little bit of both?

New Blog!

No, I won’t be abandoning this one–don’t worry!

I was recently inspired to start a new blog tracking my writing progress. Whether that’s words written for my current WiP or a new one or even just working on an idea or outline, the goal is to keep me writing at least a few hundred words a day.

I got this idea from my other writing friend Corra McFeydon over at From the desk of a writer. She’s doing something similar: blogging each day to let others know about her word progress, whether that’s a novel, short story, poem, etc.

So, here’s my new blog, detailing my writing accomplishments every day–or every few days.

The Writing Saga

I’ll write a brief summary of what I wrote, the challenges I encountered and the amount of words written that day. It’s also a way to hold me publicly accountable…so if I post “zero” words for my update, you all can get on my case for it.  I’m going to try and update this every other day or so for the indefinite future  in order to get me in the habit of writing on a regular basis. I’ll set it up as follows:

Words Written
Time Spent
Difficulties
Goal for Today

That’s pretty much it! I’ve a separate link over on the right side.  I hope you’ll follow me and perhaps even be encouraged to start one of your own.

Thank You!

I just wanted to say thank you to you, fellow writers and readers, for the encouraging comments left on my last post. One of the reasons I love being a writer is for the wonderful community that I’m part of–and incredibly thankful for

As you all know, writing a novel often involves many hours of frustration. Sometimes it’s hard to maintain the focus during one of those valleys where you’re asking yourself why on earth you wanted to be a writer to begin with, what’s the point, etc. That’s why I’m so grateful for the community of writers–you all help keep me going during those moments when I just want to throw my hands up and walk away.

So, again, thank you

New Directions

You may have noticed my word count widget changed. It says “second draft” although technically it’s my second time through the story.

The story essentially went in a completely different direction than what I wrote during NaNo, complete with new supernatural creatures and a different setup. The first draft hardly had any cohesion as the story veered in all sorts of directions from chapter to chapter as I changed my mind. It was too convoluted for me to actually go back and edit since most of the stuff was irrelevant to the new direction. I didn’t scrap it entirely; there’s parts I’ll probably use in this new “first draft” “(for all purposes, my second draft), but I have to start nearly from the beginning, with a fresh look and scope for the book.

It slightly pains me to see that I have to do this, but sometimes that’s what happens. Stories evolve and take different roads from what you initially planned. It’s never easy but it’s necessary.

Such is life.

2010 Debut Author Challenge: Magic Under Glass

So let me say that it’s been awhile since I’ve had a hard time putting a book down. Magic Under Glass was certainly one of those books; I stayed up until 1 AM last night finishing it.

Anyway, the book was as amazing as I’d hoped it’d be. Dolamore creates such a vibrant world and her descriptions paint such a picture that it seems like Lorinar was as real to me as any place on earth. The story hardly had a slow moment; each chapter ended at such a point that I couldn’t wait to read the next one…and the next and the next and so forth.

The main character, Nimira, has to be one of my favorite female heroines that I’ve read in awhile. She’s strong and brave, yet graceful and determined. I love how she’s not the standard “spitfire” heroine; her strength comes from within and she’s not the type to quickly speak whatever comes to mind; she carefully considers what to say–and who to say it to–instead of making the same mistakes as so many heroines her age by letting her emotions get out of control. I have to say I’m not sure I’d have been able to act as she did, with such bravery and calmness–especially when people would make less than kind comments about her ethnicity. Yet she wisely kept quiet, even if her emotions were raging within.

I loved how Dolamore portrayed all the characters in this book–from the mysterious and conflicted Hollin Parry, to the automaton Erris (whom I love almost as strongly as Nim), to the quiet and meek Linza and the dark and sinister Smollings. Each character was so three dimensional, it was like reading about events and people that actually existed.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves fantasy and romance. It’s a quick read once you get started, trust me And I’m really hoping that there will be a sequal to this fantastic world.

Definitely 5/5 stars.

What’s On My Reading List

My reading pile grows larger and larger every day. Just check out my “To Read” shelf on Goodreads–there’s dozens of books on there.

Many of the ones I want to read are part of the 2010 Debut Author Challenge and most haven’t been officially released yet. Also, my local libraries are having budget issues so it’s hard to find the ones that are released.

Anyway, here’s a few of the books that are at the top of my reading list. Two of these are on hold for me at the library and I’m anxious to make a trip to pick them up.

The first one is debut author Jaclyn Dolamore’s Magic Under Glass. The premise of this one intrigues me, as it’s a Steampunk-type setting. It’s a tale of love and a race against time to break a curse. It’s waiting for me at the library right now and I’m anxious to start reading it.

The next one that’s on my reading list is called Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman. I only just recently heard about this one from Lisa and Laura, but it sounds amazing. It’s about a young girl overcoming a childhood with a crazy mother; it’s set in Savannah for most of the book ( a city I’m dying to visit and may actually get the chance to see in June). It has glowing reviews all around, and it looks like an interesting read. I also found out the author is coming to my local book store on the 27th of this month, so I really want to read this before then.

The next one is a historical (my favorite genre of all!) called The Heretic Queen by Michelle Moran. I read her latest book, Cleopatra’s Daughter, and really enjoyed it and I’ve heard this one is equally as good, if not better. Set in ancient Egypt, it follows Nefertari, the niece of the famous Nefertiti. Moran has a great way of setting you right in the middle of the time period and her painstaking research is evident in what I’ve read from her. At the same time, she’s careful not to overwhelm the reader with too many details. I also love the author’s blog, History Buff, where she posts links to intriguing archological stories.

Finally, I just discovered this one today, called Alice I Have Been by Melanie Benjamin. Isn’t the cover gorgeous? That’s what caught my eye at first, as well as the title. It’s about Alice Liddell, the little girl that inspired Alice in Wonderland. It follows her from childhood through adulthood and old age. It too has glowing reviews. This one is on reserve at the library for me, but there’s a waiting list for it, so it’ll probably be a few months before I get to read this one.

So there you have it: a glimpse at my reading list. Do you have an ever-growing to-be read pile like I do? What books are you looking forward to reading?