Taryn's Writerly Ramblings- #revisions & #rewrites & #edits, Oh My!

Things around here have been uber busy as of late. I've been deep in revisions and rewrites on LOVE BY DESIGN since earlier this month. Between revisions and rewrites I was working on, I was also doing edits based on the suggestions and feedback of a fellow KY author who was beta/editing for me.

I finished up this past Monday, just after my weekend away for my Kentucky Independent Writers meeting on the 22nd. I came back refueled and focused and whipped the last three chapters' rewrite out in no time. Tuesday I sent out to the one author who betaread the entire manuscript pre-rewrite, but who I'd shared my rewrite notes with. While she read, she kept that in mind.

Then it was off to 3 betas and an editor I had lined up. Last night I mailed it off to 2 more betas, so it's out to 5 betas + the editor.

My fellow author, sent back the 3 rewritten chapters with only minor "pickies" as she called them, a few things of which were just flubs on my part, where I pounded the story out so fast that I missed a typo or two here and there, or a added/missing word and a few other suggestions. She said that the added conflict upped the expectation at the end of the story, so I'm pleased with that feedback, for sure.

This has me thinking too about how soon I'll have a RELEASE DATE to share, and that's just making me crazy excited! I'm hoping it will be sooner rather than later. We're getting so close, I can taste it. Yippee! And that means that soon, I'll be putting out a call to bloggers who might like to interview me or have me guest on their blogs, so keep an eye peeled for a blog about that or if you sign up for my NEWSLETTER (link listed below), you can find out about it that way as well.

All while doing this, I've also been having car troubles again. Last month after I went to my first writers meeting, my check engine light came on. A diagnostic check said the thermostat was going out, but after mechanic and husband checked and didn't seem to find a problem, we basically just "reset" it and it went off without any more trouble.

This time my brakes have been squeaking and I thought maybe it was just cold weather, but then it pulled a "squealing" on me- Sounded like a big fat pig crawled up under my hood. And it wasn't the squeaking brakes, but a sound it emitted while I was accelerating, when my foot was no where near the brake pedal. It only happened on Sunday while I was in my hometown before I headed back and only for a short time. Called my husband to ask him what he thought it might be but considering he was here and I was there and he couldn't look at it or listen to it, he didn't know. Said it could be the rotors, or maybe the fan belt. When I took it over to my parents to have my dad ride with me to see if he could figure out what it was doing, it quit and has behaved ever since. Not really sure what the deal is....

But, poor Jasper is in the shop now and won't get him back till Tuesday or Wednesday right now. He's had a time of it since I got my license...maybe I'm running too hard? Or maybe it's just the wear and tear of having almost 100k miles under his belt. I know he'll need an oil change before I travel very far again, but for right now, the mechanic is going to change the fan belt, the spark plugs and lines, and some other things they seemed knowledgeable about that I don't.

I'm also re-immersing myself in Triberr (and hopefully going to find time to start posting blogs myself more consistently), joining groups on FB like Kentuckiana Authors and Kentucky Romance Writers (not the RWA Chapter I once belonged to, as it disbanded a while back.) Been doing the "social media" thing, bouncing around here and there, trying to cover some bases and make connections.

I got a new cell phone and have been having a time with the learning curve of going from my dinosaur Motorola Cadbury that I could only call and text on, to an Android phone and though I like it, I'm still a bit perturbed and displeased with some of the specs of the one I got. Why? Because the internal memory is not large enough to handle the workload of the calling plan it goes with. That just doesn't make sense to me. Don't offer a phone with a tiny internal storage if it's meant to handle a LOT of data, like the Google Play store and all the apps that are out there, especially if none of the ones pre-built in can be saved to the SD card and any tiny update to anything causes "Low Storage Space" notifications CONSTANTLY! And it tries to update all those apps as soon as I turn on my data. That's just stupid (or a genius marketing ploy to screw over the customer.)

The phone and plan should complement each other and be compatible...this DOES NOT. I can't update apps and I have a lot of "low storage space" issues to contend with if I try to, which sucks big toes, but it was the "only" phone they sell with the specific "unlimited talk, text & data" plan I went with. It'll do for now though, I suppose, as long as I don't hassle with it too much or slam it against the wall... (Yes, I was tempted within the first DAY of having it...but I'm restraining myself... Lord am I restraining myself!!!!)

I did sign up for Instagram though and found I can use it without it causing a lot of headache- it saved to my SD card! Whoo Hoo! So, you are more than welcome to come follow me there, where I'll just post random pictures of whatever suits my fancy or tickles my funny bone. Or inspires me, etc. I kinda like it.

Also been updating my website, and my FB Page - I have a few new tabs on my page. Besides Photos and Likes, I have my Twitter, Goodreads, and my Newsletter Sign-Up tied to it (If you haven't signed up I urge you to so you can stay in the know- I haven't sent out my first yet, but will soon!), and I JUST added a "My Books" Tab and the "Authorgraph" Tab and a "Pinterest" Tab, so you can easily access those things through there. I was going to do the Instagram one but it just doesn't work for some reason and I found a FAQ on their site that said it couldn't be connected to a FB Page currently through an Android, so that may be why.

I'm looking into added a Tab linked to my Website or maybe a few other of my Social Media connections, but that requires doing a FB Developers thing- I'm not sure or confident enough yet to try that, being I'm no computer whiz or graphic/web designer who's knowledgeable about HTML codes and things of that nature. I see that it implies it's simple to do, but still makes my stomach churn with anxiety that I might screw up my entire FB Page if I attempt it, so for now I'm leaving well enough alone.

It leaves me wondering, what other things readers like to find on Authors' FB Pages, so I'll leave you with a few questions today- feel free to leave me some ideas that might make my FB Page more interesting, that might draw attention and help my page gain more "Likes" and more visibility.

Do you keep up with what's going on via "Pages" you like? Are there Tabs or links or widgets that readers find helpful or that make them follow an author more closely? What are things that make you deeply invested in an author's Page enough to visit it regularly?

It's crossed my mind to look into finding a way to "Tab" link my blog there as well. Or Google+.

Let me know what you think. Would love the input!

Getting Back in the Groove...No Thanks to Mercury

Mercury is in Retrograde (February 23rd-March 17) and my household is surely feeling the effects of it. Little things going wrong, hubby had a sty in his eye last weekend, around the time Merc went Retro, or shortly thereafter. He treated it himself here at home with warm wash cloths and rubbing alcohol, but since then, he's started noticing symptoms of having another staph infection in his nose. He had one a couple years ago and the doctor warned him that once he'd had it, he would always be susceptible if his immune system was vulnerable. Well, with the eye issue and a cold and working some overtime, I guess he's gotten a bit rundown, so it's off to the doctor for him today—to get this cleared up and get him to feeling better.

I’m still working on edits to my manuscript for LOVE BY DESIGN, which seems to be taking longer than I had hoped and I’m not too thrilled about doing “revisions” during a retrograde, but I figure I was already working on them beforehand, so I should be okay.

I’m sort of feeling trapped outside myself though and wondering how I’m going to get this done and whether the minor changes I’m making aren’t actually major changes I should have left alone. Thank you again, Merc, for making me rethink & reassess what I’ve set out to do. You’re such a buddy…a super duper true pal!

I guess really I just need to purge the bad feelings from my mind onto the screen here…perhaps if I relinquish the hold it has on me, this niggling that I don’t know what I’m doing anymore, then I can let it go and come back to the manuscript with fresh eyes. I know I feel like I’m just chopping the story to bits and making it worse, but I know that’s not something that only plagues me.

I’m sure many writers feel that way when they’re “in process”- taking useful critique and trying to weave it into the story, hoping to build up the tension, tighten the sentences, tighten the story and plot line and polish it until it shines.

It’s hard to do when the story is complete and it’s not always as easy to go back in and squeeze in a puzzle piece into the jigsaw that wasn’t there before, but might need to be.

Makes me feel like my puzzle has bunched up on the tabletop though and will NOT lay flat to safe my life or the life of the story. Rework is an emotional thing for an author and there’s a lot of moments where you think—

“Yes, this is working great!”

OR

“Wait, this feels wrong!”

Of course, that leads me to wonder if sometimes it’s better to trust your own gut and stick with what you already knew, to the truth of how your story played out to begin with, rather than trying to make changes that might be unnecessary in the long run. I guess I’ll get it figured out. It’s just a matter of time and hopefully a few more swipes through the manuscript and perhaps after a few more eyes have seen it, maybe they can help me figure out if I reworked it enough, too much or if all I’ve done was for naught.

Maybe Mercury in Retro is trying to tell me something. I guess I shall have to wait and see.

WIPlash Wednesdays-Question from Marlo

WIPlash....it's what I get when I work with on my current novel(s)-

Unlike the real word "whiplash"- I'm putting a new spin on it.

WIP= Work In Progress Lash- the flexible part of a "WIP"

Wednesdays are also flexible. They're not quite so stressful as Monday, but not nearly as exciting or as looked forward to as Friday and the weekend. It's a nice little in-between to take inventory of where you've been and where you're heading.

WIPlash Wednesdays will be that place for me in my writing. It will be a day to take inventory of what I've done on my current manuscript, whether it be writing, editing, or whatnot. It will also be a nice place to just answer questions from friends and family about my life "as a writer." Questions that other writers also get from family and friends or curious strangers and their readers. Eventually I'll probably pool all the questions and my answers into a FAQs section on my website, but for now, I'll just be flexible and go with the flow.

Hopefully soon though, I'll be adding word count to my meter again(I added 3,046 new words to my WIP just the other night), working through various manuscripts, and talking again about the thrill and excitement of creating, of actually getting words on paper (or on screen, as the case may be.) I have more stories to tell and many miles to go before I sleep.

Today's WIPlash will include a question from one of my friends on FB. Of course, as my fellow writers can attest, these questions remain the same, but the answers are usually as personal and as individual as the writer who answers it and those answers vary tremendously among all of us in the writing industry.

Here's my take on one question. I think I'm going to get long winded on this question, so bare with me. Other questions will follow on other WIPlash Wednesdays in the coming weeks.

From Marlo- I've always wondered how writers come up with their characters.

My characters come to me in a variety of ways.

Catherine, from Castaway Hearts, came to me via, of all things, a Myspace background in 2006, which I'll touch more on when I post my blog in a few weeks that introduces her. (not sure who this image actually belongs to, but this is where Catherine really started to come to life in my mind)
See, though the story came to me via this "black & blue" image, Catherine Barrett had actually existed on paper since I was a teenager. I wrote what I considered the introductory couple of pages—just one sheet, front and back, but I never got any farther than her stepping up the planks of her grandfather's ship. I knew the story was historical, I knew she was going to sail away to a new world she was not accustomed to, but I hadn't yet dreamed what that story would possibly be. The image above helped bring Catherine from my past to the present. It haunted me as I'd lay down to go to sleep at night. This girl was so forlorn, so heartbroken and I knew the ghostly ship meant something, but what?

But what of all the other characters? Some were born when I gave them names, and their personalities bloomed from there. Literally. Others, names just came to me and I just already knew what kind of person they were and still others, a name has come to me, but they are playing coy and keeping their secrets about themselves a mystery for now.

In my Love By series, the four sisters originally started out as individual book ideas, single titles. There wasn't going to be a series, but their names all seemed "flowery" and this formed a synapse in my brain that said they HAVE to go together, those characters are SISTERS!

Some authors name characters and give them characteristics based on their names, the origins of the names, based on the cultural and ethnic backgrounds of their characters but I go on gut instinct a lot in choosing names. The wrong name can make or break the character, or do little more than create a block when it comes to writing them as they should be. The right name that suits a character feels like it fits them like a second skin, blends with who they are and makes writing and reading them a pleasure.

Tune in next Wednesday for more and questions from Mary Ellen & Katie!

Feel free to leave me more questions in the comments here at anytime.
I'll be happy to answer them.

Happy Hump Day! I can see the weekend from here!

Rage Against the Dying of the Light

Do not go gentle into that good night,

Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
~Dylan Thomas

Fall is still having it out with Summer, vying for whose turn it is to shine. We've had some mornings where it's freezing when I put my children on the bus, but by afternoon, they've shed jackets for temperatures in the 70s and 80s and come running into the house squawking about how "hot" it is.

I crank up the heaters when I roll out of bed and by midday, I'm sweating bullets and turning them all down, if not off. By next morning, I'm cold all over again and adding socks to my wardrobe, even if I'm planning to be in the house all day.

There's a blanket of golden orange and russet on my lawn. The trees stand proud in their state of undress and until Wednesday, these roses (pictured above) were weathering the temperature spikes with the stubbornness of a mule- determined to show off their pretty dressings just one more time before Fall and Winter put them to sleep for months. Not even the frost deterred them or killed their will to survive. Nope...

Dressed in satiny soft petals, they shivered on those freezing mornings, raging against the dying of the light, indeed! I finally decided if they were that determined, I would rescue them. Safe in a vase, nestled together, their skirts are blossoming and they will finish their dance, at least for this story.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It's been a while, I know. Since the last blog post I've been busy. I received my first round of edits, and there were quite a few things to work on. The great thing about writing- I'm constantly learning about myself as a writer, about my strengths and weaknesses and learning how to build and mold them to my advantage. It takes perseverance and determination in this business, much like my roses striving to bloom amidst bitterly cold temperatures. I'm dressed in MY strong will and thick skin, baring my soul in the written word rather than the freezing cold, but just the same, I'll do so with stubborn determination to get my dance in. Others must examine and pick the bones, help remove what doesn't work and sometimes you have to build new foundations and add support beams to help smooth it into a work of art that can stand on its own. So far, so good. I have a wonderful editor who is helping make it the best it can be.

So, I spent my time taking care of that through the end of October and got it back to my editor. I still keep thinking about NaNo, but instead of worrying about it, I'm giving myself permission to be okay with the fact that I'm not participating this year so I can concentrate on more important things. Yesterday I decided that in the "between time" of edits, I'm going to pull the unfinished WIP forward and work on it to get it closer to being done.

Then, perhaps I'll give myself a month, my own personal NaNo, sometime after the beginning of 2012 to write the 4th and final in that series. I'm not sure what the next project will be after that, though I know I'll have a lot of work ahead of me when it is time to start promoting Castaway Hearts next spring.

Looks like it's going to be busy from here on in, as this tends to be the busiest part of the year anyway, what with decorating and cooking and family gatherings for the holidays. I can't wait. I have so much to look forward to, I've got the tingles.

Happy Friday!
Write On!

Got my NaNo shirt last Thursday. It's COMFY! Soft cotton and comfortable. I'll enjoy writing in it along with wearing the shirt I got last year.

I actually have been working on revisions on last year's Nanovel this past weekend. I've gone from around 80k to almost 83k. That was just from adding some of the scenes I felt were necessary from the main female character's POV.

She was lacking- a flat character who I wasn't sure held up her end of the bargain on being the woman a reader would WANT and HOPE the main male character would end up. So I'm giving her depth and even found a friend for her that I didn't know existed. When I originally wrote the story, I had written it strictly from the male M/C's POV, but after having reviewed it a bit, thought back on how things play out and had time to think about it long and hard because I knew something was missing, it hit me one day that she wasn't nearly as deserving of the role I gave her in his life unless I wrote more of her side too.

I've also discovered just how LONG my chapters ended up being. There were only 13 chapters when I finished. Several chapters ran very long, without scene breaks where they should be, so that's been part of my revision plans...breaking them up where they need to be broken down. Changing my sentences to flow more smoothly, adding here, extracting there. I feel like a surgeon. LOL

So now I'm off to work on that some more- Operation: Polish This Novel!

Have a great Monday!

Jumping Hurdles & Rambling Thoughts

I made some good strides yesterday with my revisions. Can I say that I'm proud of myself? LOL

I got more than halfway through my novel and corrected some mistakes and took a better look at some of the historic elements and corrected some of them as well. I even upped my word count just a smidge when I found a spot here and there that I felt needed a little more explanation or definition. A couple of weeks break from my novel seems to be helping me with revisions. Cleared my head a bit to help me see things clearer.

When I found a good stopping point last night before I headed off to bed, my vision was blurry and I felt a minor headache coming on from eye strain, but I felt more accomplished than I had in almost 2 weeks.

I feel refreshed and pleased with this turn of events.

I also got my books yesterday that I ordered to read up on information about history on Norfolk, Virginia. My characters live near there, not necessarily right IN Norfolk, but close enough and finding information on it has been a difficult task. Most books are about the general info in regard to population and such, and doesn't really give you an indepth look at how people dressed or things like that, especially when trying to find stuff that is for a specific year (late 1780's).

As I've said before, I'm not great at research and I'm not really all that fond of it, but I am finding a developing interest in the time period and the history of Virginia's coast. So I guess in a way I have started educating myself, without realizing I was doing so. I may develop a new hobby or interest in the process, who knows!

This year has been full of surprises for me, that's for sure. I would never have guessed I'd have spent so much time working on this novel or researching for it.

I would like to get this one done though, so I can move on to the next one. I'm not sure which one I'm going to work on though yet. I have a lot, but not sure which one will feel closest to my heart next. Right now this one is filling my heart so much to get it polished and done that I haven't really thought much about the others for a while. Plus, I still need to go back through my other two and do revisions and polishing on them as well. And I may just do that, rather than setting myself another WIP goal just yet.

I am also looking forward to National Novel Writing Month in November too. 30 days to write 50,000 words. I plan to participate in that again. I really enjoyed the fast pace and the looming deadline to get a novel pumped out.

Which makes me wonder if I will enjoy having deadlines in the future...LOL

Before last year's NaNo, I was absolutely certain that it would take me YEARS to write a novel, based on my singular experience with my first novel, that took me ten years of blood, sweat, and tears to finish. I had to literally DRAG the words out through most of it and some of the scenes were hard to write. I did a lot of deleting and rewrites over the years. There was a lot of emotion packed into it and some was a little too close for comfort.

But I never imagined I could write a novel in a month. That was Greek to me, a foreign idea I wasn't sure I could comprehend. But after my participation in NaNo last year, and having finished a 80K word novel in less than 30 crazy days, it gave me a different perspective of myself as a writer. I enjoyed the personal challenge and it gave me hope that I can actually complete something when I put my mind to it and in short order at that.

I'm stronger and more determined than I have ever given myself credit for. In my youth I didn't always follow through with my plans to do things, no matter how much I wanted to do them.

In my early 20's I did a novel writing workshop through the mail. I didn't finish it. Why? you might ask. Because I took the instructor's critques to heart and wore them like a badge of failure. I was young and stubborn and aggravated.

I thought her critques were a huge neon flag blowing in the breeze, showing every one of my faults and all my shining ignorance, for all the world to see. I took it mentally and emotionally hard and it didn't help matters that the man I was engaged to at the time basically told me he didn't support my dream of becoming a published writer (or believe it would ever happen) and he couldn't love me unless I had a "real" job.

Needless to say, he and I broke up and I quit my workshop and never looked back. I believed that I didn't deserve to be a writer or even dream about it. But it kept coming back to haunt me. Novel ideas would pop into my head at odd sporatic times and I would sigh and think how great it would be if I could be a writer, but still doubted I had any business thinking about it because I just wasn't good enough, no matter how that writing desire burned my insides up.

I've grown a lot in the past decade though and I've jumped a lot of hurdles emotionally and mentally to get me to the here and now. It took me this long to realize that if I want my dream to come true, if I start believing in me, and surround myself with good supportive friends and family, I can accomplish it.

That former self-doubting belief system I had relied on for so long is history. I can't live my life that way. My writing flame is stronger than that and has been burning inside me for far too long for me to let it snuff out without so much as a second thought. It won't let me. It's the driving force that keeps me thinking, desiring, wanting and needing to write.

It's an eternal flame that can't be put out. It's my heart and soul.