Oct
25

Stormy Brain

Posted in blog, craft, headache, writing | Leave a comment
Didn’t post earlier today because I had a migraine for a large chunk of it. Makes it hard to be enthusiastic about looking at the screen for sure. (I’ve take some Excedrin and it’s helped the pain part, but I’m *awfully* jumpy right now, so I’m not sure how helpful it will be for the rest of the night.) I did manage to do some actual brainstorming today – on paper. I’m at a bit of a crossroads with this third book, and I know it because my latest chapter is pretty much everyone just standing around and jabbering at each other. Always a sign for me that things are a little muddled plot-wise. Characters are often like actors. Sometimes they need very little guidance. Just point them in the right direction and they’ll ad-lib themselves into greatness. Others? Not so much. You could compare being a writer like being a… Read more
Dec
15

Mental Stuttering

Posted in craft, editing, word counts, wordle | 9 Comments
I sent the draft for the sequel to Brush of Darkness to my new editor today. It’s amazing what a relief it is to finally know that it is DONE. Of course, I also sorta want to throw up. How’s that for shit? As happy as I am on the one hand, there’s still that pitter-patter of doubt that continues to run in my mind. What if she hates it? What if it sucks? What if she wants me to rewrite 80% of the thing? What if, what if, what if. And “done” is an operative word here. The story is finished, but it’s not quite there yet as far as polishing goes. I’ve spent the last few weeks trying to tweak the story in places so that it makes sense – the one caveat to being a panster is that I occasionally stutter-start into part of a plot that… Read more
Oct
3

Frontloading the Words

Posted in craft, updates, writing | 2 Comments
I’m not even sure if frontloading is a real word, at least in the sense that I’m using it. I’ve noticed over the last few weeks that often times I’ll stop writing before I’ve run out of words. ** Which might sound a little strange, until I realized I’m doing it so I’ve got an easy start the next day. If I’ve already got something to work with, it makes the rest of it that much easier. Or that’s the theory, anyway. Sometimes I just put down that bit of a scene and then twiddle my thumbs for a while as I figure out where to go next. Panster issues, for certain. I’ve mentioned before I do my best brainstorming in the shower. On some days (if I’m home alone), and I’m stuck, it’s not uncommon for me to take three or more, although one is usually more than enough.… Read more
Jun
23

The Devil is in the Details

Posted in cover art, craft, editing | 4 Comments
I got my cover art last week. Or at least the sketch. I can’t post it here yet, since it’s not technically for public consumption. (But soon!) And I’ll admit there were a few things I didn’t like, most of which have been remedied at the point, thanks to the art department at Pocket. (And thanks to Danielle for going to bat for me.) Some of them were nit-picky, and some were rather obvious – i.e. wrong eye color for the heroine, etc. And truthfully I think it’s probably hard for most writers to see someone else’s portrayal of their “vision.”  However, with the changes made, I’m feeling much better about it, even if it’s not quite what I expected. Part of my issue is that I’m very much used to the painted covers seen on most fantasy tomes – the ones that depict a scene from the book. But… Read more
Mar
21

Worldbuilding & Procrastination

Posted in craft, revisions, writing | 3 Comments
I’m procrastinating on my revisions tonight, although given this is the first amount of time I’ve felt almost human in the last 48 hours, I’m willing to give myself a bit of a pass. And really, there’s only so much of lying around in one’s own filth that I can take, so eventually I managed to haul my sorry carcass into the shower and that helped. (And honestly, I slept until noon yesterday, got up for an hour to find something to eat and then went back to bed. NyQuil is my friend. Mr Myn was good enough to take the day off from work and escaped somewhere with the children for most of the afternoon, and for that I am utterly grateful.) Sadly, my head seems to be waking up quite nicely, although I’m still feeling pretty weak overall. You wouldn’t think something as simple as snot would be… Read more