Good evening from the Cottage of Blog where dinner this evening was cream of chicken soup and chapter 25. (Legacy of Danger, of course) I believe I wrote about 30 pages in the past two/three days. A lot of that was cut and pasting, then deleting and rewriting. Word count? Hard to say. I'll need to figure out a better word counter than the ms word. that only calculates numbers of words on the page, not the number of words you've actually written. Anyone have any ideas?
Writing goals. I might have a different way of approaching goals. My goal for the summer was to have revised "Arms of the Enemy" and finished rewriting "Legacy of Danger." Except for one minor detail in "Arms" I've reached that goal. I'm close with Legacy. But who knows. When I get my crit partner involved I might have yet another revision. (oh the pain, the suffering)
I'd also decided to start a new one and check out two old ones, but I won't go into detail. Even if it is summer and I'm supposively "off" still, there is only a certain amount one human writer can do. I got so frantic with the idea of finishing those two goals so I could run off and find an agent that I blocked myself completely. Fortunately, if you've been following, I'm over the block.
I worked 10 hours this weekend and a good 5 today. But that isn't how I gage my goals. It's by production. I wrote two and a half chapters this weekend on Legacy. Now when I say wrote--as some of you know, I'd already written this three or four times before. I mean completely re-written it. It's no longer the same. Very difficult to cull out those paragraphs I loved and still worked from seven years ago.
I do belong to the RWA. And, no, I'm not going into politics. I'm discussing writing period. One of the two chapters I belong to has an incentive that has proved very productive to its members. Once a month we have a "writing sprint weekend." You commit a certain amount of productivity, a chapter, scene, certain amount of pages, or you commit time. I always commit time. It's safer.
That I know (most of the time) I can achieve. But there's an incentive too. For each sprint goal met, two dollars is taken off the annual dues. Not bad huh?
So, my commitment for tomorrow is to finish chapter 25 where Elena and Marina (Elena heroine, Marina hero's sister--both Brancusis now) are ordered to a monastery by two overly protective FBI agents. Seems like the black moment and climax wasn't exactly the ultimate climax. There was one more villian lurking in the wings. So, chapter 25 will have more suspense, more danger, a satisfying reward for the ghost and a not so satisfying reward for the villain. Sounds like fun, huh? Can you say sweaty palms, palpitating heart and a brain that says "I can't do that?" Sure you can, honey.
A listmania: I have an Amazon.com account. It is the best place to be for buying books. I've bought books listed at B&N and Borders, yes even Walgreens and my grocery store and other Independents, then have kicked myself when I checked out the Amazon price. And if you purchase books over $25.00, shipping is free. My Dwight Swain just arrived today, and of course I had to throw in Joanna Wayne's latest "Gentleman's Club." I'm firmly entrenched in its plot. Way to go Joanna. Another keeper.
So here are my favorites I can think of today:
I'll start with anything and everything I've ever read by Joanna Wayne. Why? I love stories about New Orleans, about things bordering on gothic, bordering on paranormal, but definitely contain some really fesity intelligent heroines and a smart, classy hero who's not afraid to let a woman be smart. And her bad guys are really nasty. Her settings are eerie (think graveyards, strip clubs, dens of prostitution, warehouses, bayou swamps (anyone for alligator stew?) One charming book "Another woman's baby" about a young woman who becomes a surrogate mother for a couple only to have the couple die in an automobile accident. One reason Joanna Wayne could be a favorite is that I took a workshop with her on writing suspense two years ago. She still keeps in touch. A classy lady. One who doesn't hesitate to give advice to up and comers.
This year I've discovered Nora Roberts. this summer I've read The Calhouns (about 5 sisters, each one with a different novel) and "The Three Fates" What I discovered about Nora, besides the fact I'd like to go live with her heroines, is that I don't mind head hopping--not the way she does it. Crystal clear who's thinking what. And I'm glad for it.
On the trip to NY I brough along the audio tape of Lillian Jackson Braun's delightful "The Cat Who Went Bananas" Her mysteries revolve around an eccentric journalistic millionair Quill, who has a static trait of a mustache that itches whenever trouble brews. And the cats Koko and Yum Yum who solve mysteries. In the cat who went bananas, Koko managed to drag a banana peel to a spot where the murderer would slip on it coming down a ramp. He managed to drop several books onto the floor where a vital clue was posted in the title or theme of the book. Think Hamlet--a man who marries his brother's widow shortly after killing said brother.
I finally delved into an historical. Eloise James "Much Ado About You" what a find.
About sisters who's dowry's are racehorses. They had the gentry lined up. I laughed my head off.
On a darker note, I read Kay Jamieson's "Touched by Fire" and "An Unquiet Mind." Both subjects are nonfiction about the illness of manic depression. It's given me some ideas for a subject for a future novel.
I love the Susan Conent Holly Winter mysteries. I really got into them last spring. Holly Winters writes columns for a dog magazine, shows malamutes and solves mysteries. she also has a vet boyfriend who had an ongoing subplot threading througout all her books. I read the books just to find out what's happening with her and Steve, her veterinarian.
Seabiscuit. One of my all time favorite books and movies. I'm a horse nut, what can I say? (Two of my novels have horses running all over the place)
Rebecca York: Her Eclipse series. Her "Spellbound" delves into the paranormal. (Harlequin INtrigue) Her hero was dark and luscious. (Oh please take me home with you.)
I subscribe to Harlequin Intrigue. So, yeah I read a lot of them.
I've always loved Sandford and Patterson. I lump them together because they both focus on really neat detectives. Lucas Davenport and Alex Cross. They both have ladies who become their wives during the course of their series and they both deal with serial killers. But Sandford has changed a little with his newest series about four women who solve mysteries: a newsreporter, a lawyer, a detective and a foresnic specialist. And he writes so well from the woman's point of view.
Off of the fiction for a minute and on to craft books: I read them like they are in a candy dish. Some of my favorites: The latest find is Alicia Rasley's "The Story Within Guidebook" She deals here mainly with plot. My bible has been Chris Vogler's A Writer's Journey and I can't help myself, I see his stages of the journey and character archetypes in everything I read. As I do in "Heros and Heroines" by Tami Cowden and company. The chief, the nurturer, the waif--how do they fit with the lost soul, the warrior or the bad boy? I also use Pam McCutceon's book (have been for several years) "Writing the Fiction Synopsis" I don't think I could have gotten Harlequin to request a full ms on "Arms of the Enemy" without her guidelines.
"First Draft in 30 Days" was recommended to me by our very own Natalie Brunelle. I followed Karen Wiesner's book and learned some organized ways to drafting your novel
through brainstorming, doing a preliminary outline, researching, and outlining.
I have Evan Marshall's workbook. Much is excellent. I love his character sketch sheets. (unfortunately, i've lost the book.)
So that really is enough for tonight from The Cottage of Blog. I know there are a lot more favorite books, but those are the ones that come to mind. And whenever anyone asks me "what's your favorite book" I usually say "the one that I'm reading."
Tomorrow I'll discuss number of words in Legacy and its potential market.
Happy reading, writing and revising.
Pat
