WiP Wednesday

It's been a while since I wrote a WiP Wednesday post. Well, it's been a long time since I've blogged very consistently, and my apologies for that. My Halloween resolution shall be to improve this.

Anyway, the day job has been killing me recently. We've just closed out our fiscal year, so yeah. There has not been nearly enough writerly time of late. Now into a new year, I get to hit the road some. As you read this, I'm sitting in a conference room in San Jose facilitating a discussion about some stuff and working out how to do some things and figuring out what the important bits of it all is.

I doubt that's what you really wanted to read about though. On the writerly side, I'm swimming in a rewrite of my new contemporary YA affectionately known to Husband as "The Carnival Book." I got to about 65K in it and then something just slammed into me and I was lost, completely uncertain what direction I was to go and there was NO new words coming because of this wall. But since then I've had some time to reflect and I know I need to rewrite this. Wish me luck.

The only thing that doesn't help my ADD is the fact that during this reflection time, I've ended up with thoughts leading to new project ideas in addition to some pivotal points around other wips I've got lying on the back burner.

So yeah, rewriting and oodles of noodley ideas. What have you guys got going? I know I cannot be alone in having tons of new ideas hit when you have zero time to work on them!

WiP... er, Working Wednesday

We interrupt this attempted work-in-progress Wednesday to let you know . . . It's uber-busy at the day job this week - we've got about 20 people in from out of town for a 3-day meeting, so forgive me if I'm a little slow commenting on your blogs! I am totally going to try to catch up over the weekend!

For now anyway, I've been doing tons of reading (I have another Recent Reads posting coming up!) and just finished up another round of revisions on one of my projects. It's currently percolating and winding its way through some readers right now. *Fingers crossed* for some awesome feedback.

Also, I'm still working on my first attempt at a ya paranormal, though another 1 has struck me, in addition to the 2 contemporaries I've already been working on. So, I've got a full plate on all sides. It's like an all-you-can-write buffet, except, you know, there aren't enough hours in the day.

What have you guys been up to lately? Reading? Writing? Arithmetic?

I'll check back in later!

WiP Wednesday: Fuzzy Around the Edges

I'm in New Jersey right now and I'm writing this blog post before I go to bed after a REALLY late night (it's 1:21 AM as I speak--er, type). Anywho, forgive me if there are bits of this that may not make sense. My post thoughts came to me as I was sitting in the hotel bar shouting drink orders to the bartender while I monitored the tab that was getting charged to the boss's credit card.

Like a lot of people out there, I do enjoy a drink here or there, socializing with friends, with dinner or what not. But my favorite thing to do when I'm out at a bar (or a party where peeps are drinking) is to watch the people. Based on the number of drinks consumed, you can tell when someone has had a little too much. This would be the point (I speak from experience) where the world gets a little fuzzy around the edges.

That is the current state of my wip. I actually wrote the end of it already. And I'm really happy with it. I have a beginning I like too. And parts of a middle. It's all the inbetween bits that are making the big picture look fuzzy to me. I'm not yet sure how to smooth things out, flatten the edges, and tie them all up to make sense.

What do you do when you're wip gets a little fuzzy around the edges? Any tips you wanna share?

WiP Wednesday: Nano and Coffee?

It's been a few weeks since I've done a WiP Wednesday post, not that I haven't been working on anything, but, life, it sorta gets in the way sometimes!

I suppose the big news is NaNoWriMo. As many of you know, I've signed up this year to participate. So far, I'm a little behind, but I'm not too worried yet. I've been doing more writing in the past few days than I have for the last couple of months, so that in and of itself is an improvement. Plus, seeing all my Nano Buddies online and their progress, it's definitely motivating me to want to keep up.

If you're participating, and you haven't yet, buddy me! (windyaphayrath)

On to other news, I came to the realization yesterday that since I gave up coffee - about six months ago - I've been going to bed much earlier. Now I think this was really good when the husband was home and we finally went to sleep around the same time. (He's now working a graveyard shift, so that's a moot point.) But going to bed so early has made me realize, I am losing countless - COUNTLESS, I tell you - hours of writing time.

So because I can totally be swayed by peer pressure in this situation (and because I still oh-so-much enjoy the thought of basking in that first of the morning rich cup of sweet, sweet vanilla French Roast), I'm reaching out to you my fellow blog-o-spherians to help me decide if I should stick to my guns and stay off the stuff, there by eliminating about 3-5 hours of writing time each night, or if I should just succumb to the enticing aroma and have a big ol' cup a joe and hopefully regaining some much needed wordage hours. What say you?

In the meantime, here's a cup of tea to all of you doing #Nanowrimo, #Nononano, #Nanorevismo or, you know, just hanging out reading a good book or watching reality TV or whatever! Hope you're all doing well!

WiP Wednesday: That's Gr-r-reat!

So here's the deal: a few weeks back, I got together with a couple other writer buddies and we formed an online crit group. Sweet, right? Yes. It is, actually. My crit buddies ROCK!

Anyway, thanks to the feedback I've received and much ongoing editing in my current wip, I've been able to add more depth and clarity to characters and definition to situations. I'm one of those writers where in my head, I see all this stuff happening, so sometimes I forget to write it down. If someone asks me about what happened in a particular scene, I can give very specific details, but I realized I wasn't including all of this when I needed to.

So while I have felt a bit like I have made no progress writing at all, I've actually written over 4,000 new words! I think that deserves a "GR-R-REAT" and some Frosted Flakes.

I'm still working through more revisions and I'll have the ms out to some betas to take a look at for me later this month, so hopefully that will let me leave it alone for a while.

With that in mind, I'm looking forward to NaNoWriMo and have slowly been trying to find a good strategy to outline the novel I have in my head. I am really trying to take what I learned from Brandon Sanderson a couple weeks ago to heart.

So now that I'm sending that off, I'm going to focus on outlining. I keep bringing this up, but it's because I don't do it! I don't know how! I don't know where to begin!

But I think as much time as I have been taking to think this novel through and consider all my options and try something new is going to be a great opportunity to expand my skills and see what I really can accomplish. Plus, it is doing a pretty good job of keeping me motivated and looking forward to November for reasons other than fabulous turkey dinners.

What new things are you considering trying to keep yourself going? How's it going?

WiP Wednesday: Field Trip!

I don't think I've done a decent WiP Wednesday update for a while. It could be due to my not having written anything new in weeks so I didn't actually have anything to update you on. But now I've decided to turn a new leaf.

Instead of sitting around, waiting for the words to come to me, as I've been doing, I'm going to go out and look for them! Can't be that hard, right? I mean, seriously . . . I don't have to drive around in the middle of the night with no lights on. I can search during the day (well, daylight hours after I'm done being a responsible adult anyway). I can even have my lights on during the day!

So in honor of my newest work in progress (and thanks to my uber-awesome oldest friend Joanna - of Joanna Taylor Photography - go check her out), here are some pics I snapped while we were out "scouting" locations for my book. If this isn't inspiring, I don't know what is.

WiP Wednesday: . . . And Cupcakes For All

The Husband has asked politely if I would start today's post with a big fat: GO UTES!! (even if the game isn't until Saturday)
So there you go. Moving on.

I've been in a rut lately. Stuck in the mud. Or quick sand. Or drying concrete or something. I haven't written anything in weeks. Weeks I tell you!

For all these many days I've loitered about the house. Mostly I spent time with the family, which has been really good, and then after they all went to sleep, I read this and that (I probably wouldn't have finished TTW if I was writing), worked on my crits, did laundry, pretended I knew how to cook and just generally putted about.

I have to say holy huge THANKS! to the gang on Rallystorm Throwdown and my Twitter Critter buddies for all the words of encouragement, sympathy, and just because you guys let me whine without making me feel lame! You guys ROCK! You kept me just this side of drowning myself in Jalapeno Kettle Chips--a recent new MUST.

So after all this many days of dinking around, I had to go to live crit group. The last meeting was 6 weeks ago and we've gone through a "management change" so I did have a chance to submit something back then. It was a good meeting and I got some insightful feedback.

On the drive home, as I was jamming to my Fallen CD because I <3 Evanescence and can't listen to it when the kids are in the car. (Phephe calls it my scary songs, yeah, I guess I can see that.) And then IT struck me.

I pondered IT some more overnight. When I woke up still thinking about IT I knew I was on to something. So I dropped a quick note to one of my BFFs with a 1-liner thought on the whole thing and got the most AWESOME positive response from her. She's even going to help me with research and everything!

So YAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYY! Adorable Hello Kitty Cupcakes for ALL!

WiP Wednesday: #Wordathon

This last week I participated in 6 days of #wordathon, the Twitter updated version headed up by @jimsissy. For more deets check out her out at the Fire Drill.

Well, last week's Wednesday 6:00 AM to Friday 6:00 PM session I focused on editing. Then in the Friday 6:00 PM to Sunday 6:00 PM session I focused on new words.

Weekday #wordathon: Pages edited = 217
Weekend #wordathon: New words = 3,467

Yay me!

And since then what have I been doing ... Let's see... I watched High School Musical and High School Musical 2 (and yeah, I'll admit it, I enjoyed it!).

Went to IKEA and picked up some awesome cork potholders.

Picked up some school shoes for Phephe at Shoe Carnival ($10 off!)

Spent way too much time online.

Oh, yeah, and have been having some difficulty finding new words. Maybe I'll just go read a book instead....

WiP Wednesday: Listening to Yourself

The new thing I have finally been convinced into trying is the read aloud editing method. So literally, listening to yourself read your book. The first few pages, it felt weird. I kept going and now, 75 pages in, I'm amazed at the transformation. Thank you, Track Changes, for showing me how much progress I've made!

Reading my manuscript out loud has given me a whole new perspective on my project and though I'm in the final editing stages (75 pages in, I've only dropped about 500 words), what I have done just feels CLEANER!

I think that's the real "WiP Wednesday" update, but the whole listening to yourself thing has gotten to me on another level.

Some of the feedback I've received on these and other projects in the back has been fabulous and insightful and really helped me improve my writing and storytelling. It's always great to hear someone tell you they love your story, it is very motivating to keep writing. The funny thing about telling someone a story sometimes is the "it was really good, but . . ."

By this I mean, when someone suggests plot changes.

I've tried really hard in my critiques to understand the motivations of the writer & their characters. In essence, this is their story and I'm just along for the ride.

I understand giving suggestions about maybe moving a paragraph to a bit earlier in the chapter, or even flipping a couple chapters around is one thing, but that's not what I'm talking about.

How do you handle critiques when someone gives you suggestions that would cause you to change cause-and-effect situations and possibly all of your characters' motivations? Doesn't this change it from being your story to being theirs?

Would love to hear your thoughts!

WiP Wednesday: Laptop-less

This past weekend I accidentally left my laptop at the office. I didn't have a chance to go get it and I have to say, I felt like I was missing a limb. Ever sympathetic, my husband pretty much did this:

We do have a family PC at home, but the word to emphasize there is FAMILY, so I am NOT allowed to monopolize it, no matter how much I'd like to. Most of my writing is done at home, swapping between my laptop and desktop via flash drive, making it so at any given time I have my work saved in 3 different places. (More on backing up your work at the QueryTracker blog.)

In defense of my dear husband, though he may not completely understand the "writing thing" as he calls it, he has provided me with a whole slew of awesome notebooks to pack around with me.

They are big enough to last a while, small enough to fit in my handbag - more on this later this week - and are inspiring to look at in and of themselves. So as I've been finagling my way through my latest wip and have been inspired by a couple more thoughts, I've found that I'd be lost without my notebook. They have been great for ideas and have even helped me keep my random Post-It Note jotting in order.

So this weekend, all my thoughts were recorded in one of these beautiful books, awesome in their own right. And thanks to their awesomeness (and size allowing for them to be ever-present) I did a whole lot of jotting, thoughts ideas, more outlining of my overall story arc. Yep, sometimes, getting out of the techie-ness of writing proves to be a very good thing.

These little notebooks are also abfab when you are stuck in a very snug coach seat for a 4 1/2 hour flight and need something to work on! Any tech-less must haves that you tote around?

WiP Wednesday: New Projects

Back from vacation and sooooo trying to get back into the hang of things. I think most of my brain is still on a vacation to recover from my vacation.

I haven't posted a WiP Wednesday for a few weeks now because, well, I was feeling a bit WiP-ped by the current "big" project. I was in a rut. Didn't know where I was going with it. So many unanswered questions, wasn't really certain what was going to happen. And the voices, well they were being pretty mum about the whole thing, so it wasn't really helping me out any.

But then, during our vacation, I dug out some wordage from who knows where (probably a precursor to a Rest Area stop near Cedar City *wink wink*) and I'm back in the game. And on top of that, my Gemini-can't-focus-on-just-one-thing-at-a-time brain has come up with another 2 project ideas to work on! As many of you know, I do have a bit of A-D-D so I struggle severely if I have only 1 set of voices in my head.

Yeah, I know. I'm totally crazy, but the first step is admitting it, right?

On the flip side of new writings, current stuff . . . 1 is out for final review (I hope) with betas right now and other is with my live crit groups . Hoping I can get some things back and perhaps have some queries off before the end of the summer? Will keep ya posted!

P.S. I feel I need to make a confession regarding my addiction. I did fall off the wagon, but only for a moment. I had a little bit of a Starbucks Vanilla Frappucino, but it made me feel like throwing up. I couldn't even finish it. So I think I may have kicked the coffee habit. Now to find another vice to keep me awake after sleepless nights writing . . . suggestions welcome!

WiP Wednesday: Stewing

The last week or so, I've mostly just been letting projects stew. I think I finally have my query letter ready for a certain project. I finished the first draft of another. And I'm still trying to layout the new one - I keep asking myself questions I can't answer about characters and stories and backgrounds.

So, yeah. Stewing.

Not wanting to waste my wanton efforts of productivity and knowing that I do need to go back to do revisions and edits this is what I've done in the interim as the brain has been playing the stewage game with words. . . We'll call it "editing my yard" yeah?:

Once upon a time, this was a HUGE hydrangea bush. Alas, it is hydrangea-ing no more. And we (my dh and I) are both unbelievably ecstatic about that! Now we're just waiting for the death of it (unfortunately by way of salt and horribly toxic chemicals-we could find no other way!)

Here are some of the casualties, both of the hydrangea bush as well as trimmings from 3 trees in our backyard. I was ruthless. Still working on that same ruthlessness on the wordage side . . .

Up next? Well, if it stops raining and doesn't rain again *crossing fingers* the ground might dry up enough we can mow the lawn. Freak Utah weather, I'm not holding my breath.

So really, this is probably the one that is the MOST like all the revisions I have to get done. It's there. It needs to be done. But (insert random weather related excuse here) is keeping me from it. *sigh*

What about you? How are your wips coming along??

P.S. Still looking for Recent Reads recommendations if anyone has any. I mostly prefer to read fiction of the YA variety and any sub-genre in there, but I'm totally open to suggestions from any genre!

WiP Wednesday: Research

That's right, I said it. But what does it mean? Well, I did a little research here too ;-)

Wikipedia has 3 different definitions based on what type of research you're trying to do, but the relevant one here, I think, is the basic one, the first one wiki gives: "human activity based on intellectual application in the investigation of matter . . . purpose . . . is discovering, interpreting . . ."

It's a bit lengthy of a definition, but there it is in a nutshell, sort of. As much as you can despise research, to make anything more real, you have to learn more about it. Even if you live it and go through certain experiences within it, sometimes an objective perspective is really important to help you see things in a way that will help convey your story.

Like so many out there, I'm not a fan of research. It makes me think of assignments in high school and college. Delving into the dusty shelves of the library because heaven forbid any of the research I needed to do at that time was actually available online.

I knew my newly "finished" (using the term loosely here) project needed something. That's probably why I couldn't close the file and let it sit for a few days. So off to research I go.

All the topics I need to learn more about I find really interesting, so I anticipate this may turn into more books to add to my list of Recent Reads . . . speaking of which I need to post one of those . . . Will do soon! Anyway, some of the topics are folklore and legends, others are more around human psychology and I'm all about finding out how people tick.

Anyone else out there riding the research train? How's it going?

WiP Wednesday: Seriously, How Many Words?

I haven't exactly had the kind of time I thought I would to work on the wip, but it turned out to be no matter. The time I did have was enough. And the first draft of my wip (4 Letter Word) is done! Yes, that's right. The End. Complete. Done. Finished.

Now comes the hard parts: layers and revisions.

My first draft estimate was around 70,000 words. I was off by a bit there. I'm closer to 62,000. This could be because I'm a bit wordy: I think I talk way too much, so therefore, my characters do too. In case you need a refresher, here's some info dating back to when I started writing (again):

It's Complicated: 135,000 - yes, that's right . . . it gets better

The Lucky One: 156,000 - hahahaha, I laugh at myself when I think about this now, and you're welcome to laugh at me too!

Just Maybe: 85,000 - much more reasonable

4 Letter Word: 61,608 - yeah, I know, right?

All four of these projects are YA contemporary fiction. That's right. Remember? I said I tend to be a bit wordy sometimes. But it's okay. As I kept writing, I figured out that the first 2 (IC and TLO) are actually just backstories to JM and 4LW.

I'm very proud of myself, though, to have been able to come in at such a low word count (for me anyway) and still feel like I've told the story. Again, it is just the first draft, so chances are the word count will shift some, but I don't foresee anything drastic. Unless I decide we need to have gremlins thrown into the mix or something ;)

Now, here's one of my favorite quotes.

"Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end" Thank you, Semisonic. It's a line from their song Closing Time.

So with the end of 4LW (sort of), comes a new beginning: my first ever attempt into the Fantasy/Paranormal world. YA, of course, because for whatever reason I can't quite leave teenagerdom behind. Thanks to Michelle McLean for sharing the knowledge of Fantasy, Urban Fantasy & Paranormal genre definitions. It helped me figure out what I was writing, genre-wise anyway.

Grace is the working title of this project and yes, I did start it before now. It's one of those things that has been toying around in my head, throwing out ideas every now and then, making every note I've jotted for a few weeks now only about this world, these characters and their story, but not quite giving me enough to go beyond what I already had down. But I've also made it a point not to completely focus on this while I still had 4LW to finish. Yes, I know, I have writer's A-D-D sometimes. If someone has a cure, I'd love to try it out.

So current status for this week:

Just Maybe - Curing while I work on a query letter

4 Letter Word - 1st Draft complete! Setting aside for a few days to clear my head before I dig back into it

Grace - 9,000 words, basic outline complete

What about you? What have you guys been up to this week?

WiP Wednesday: Beans & Brews and Lotsa Words

Well, it was my birthday yesterday and after much deliberation, I opted to take the day off from "real work" (you know, the one that pays the bills and such). Thanks to my dear husband (S) who took on the day's kid duty.

I had a chance to spend some time at the bookstore and pick out a couple new reads. And then I spent the rest of the day at the Beans & Brews, a local coffee shop, near my house working on my latest wip. It is amazing how productive a few hours out of the house can be.

B & B is mellow, open, has phenomenal coffee and free wi-fi. What's not to like?

My recent primary focus has been on 4 Letter Word, while I let Just Maybe cure for a bit.

As of last week I was right around 46,000 words on my first draft of 4LW. I haven't had a whole lot of opportunity to work on it, as one of the kiddies has been sick and we've had some family obligations arise, but after yesterday I am now at just over 56,000 words! Uh, 6,000 of those are from yesterday! Yes, I was just as amazed.

All it took was a some coffee. Okay, lot's of coffee, but with 6,000 new words in the span of 5 hours, I think I deserved it! So thanks, B & B!

I feel like it is getting really close. I have said in the past, I don't write in chronological order, but I've also absorbed a lot of the "layering" I've learned from other writers. My goal for this is still running somewhere between 70-75,000 words, at least for the first draft, but significant progress has been made. I guess I just need to take a few more days off, hide out at the coffee shop, and I'll be all done! If only it were that easy ;D

Now onward and upward! Happy Wednesday everyone!

WiP Wednesday and a BIG FAT Thank You

A few weeks back (I believe we're at 7 now) ElanaJ over at Mindless Musings threw down the gauntlet, challenging writers to accomplish their goals in regards to ongoing projects. These goals ranged anywhere from writing 500 new words per day to revising a chapter a week. At first it was simply a 30 day challenge, but the community that's been built from that throw down has been amazing.

So today, instead of just focusing on my wips today, I wanted to throw something else out there:

A BIG FAT

For your encouragement and your kudos. For you kind words and continued motivation. And simply for letting me know I'm not alone in my frustrations or inspirations. Simply put, Thank You!

Now that I've had my emotional moment out of the way, let's get on to a WiP Wednesday update.

Just Maybe:

Finishing final revisions now and hope to begin querying soon. Maybe. You know, after I've coached myself mentally to prepare for the worst and accept that rejection is part of life. I know, think positive, but I'm too pragmatic for that.

4LW:

With much support and encouragement I'm currently just over 45,000 words. I'm thinking this ms should be closer to 60,000, so I'm almost there. That is about a 20K word gain in the last 7 weeks.

Grace:

This is the newest/latest project that was resurrected from the vast beyond of my "Things I've Started But Couldn't Figure Out Where They're Going So They Are Going To Live Here For A While Until They Find Some Direction" folder. I had a very exciting revelation on this towards the end of my day at work yesterday that culminated in a stack of post-it notes that have since turned into a psuedo-outline. I don't normally work from an outline until I'm about 40-60K words in depending on how long the project may end up being, but this one just came at me. Initial inspiration? A certain scene in the movie 30 Days of Night. Mind you, movie is not exactly Oscar-worthy material, but it does have Josh Hartnett and he is cute. But from this specific scene, I've been trying to figure out what to do with it, it just wouldn't leave my head. As of yesterday afternoon, I now know what to do with it. And I'm super excited!

So again, thank you for listening, er, reading my rants and updates. I appreciate each and every one of you!

P.S. I hope I haven't sounded too cheesy-peasy, but with my new inspiration, I just thought I'd reach out to some of those who have helped me get to this awesome new place in my writing. You all rock!

Mirror, Mirror Part 2 - Seriously this time

I've been thinking about this a lot lately: what do characters look like.

A brief Twitter conversation during the MTV Movie Awards on Sunday night helped put some more depth around this. I know, I know, you're going, seriously? A Twitter conversation? But please, just follow me here.

For those of you who may have been living under a rock for the last 8 months or so, Twilight was big. The movie. Well, the books too, but we're not talking about those right now. So here's how the conversation went down:

My Tweet:
Is it just me or is Robert Pattinson not nearly as articulate as we'd all like him to be? Either that or he's REALLY good @ being awkward...

ElanaJ:
@windyaphayrath I concur. Eloquent, he is not.

AmandaBonilla:
@windyaphayrath RP is not articulate at all! Maybe it's a chemically induced stupor ;)

Me:
@ElanaJ appreciate the support on that. Now must duck and cover from Team Edward, as they hunt down all those w/negative R.Patt thoughts.

ElanaJ:
@windyaphayrath I'm on Team Edward. Just not Team Pattinson. Team book. Not Team movie. Yanno?

AmandaBonilla:
@ElanaJ Team book all the way!

Me:
@ElanaJ I'm glad you can separate Edward from Rob, cuz a lot of peeps out there can't and those are the scary ones.

And yes, those are the scary ones, but I digress.

The point of this post: how do you see your characters, and I don't mean their personality.
How many of us, while reading Twilight, saw Rob Pattinson-yanno, Cedric Diggory from Harry Potter? Probably not many of us.
With that, how to convey what you see in your head to your readers?

Okay, so this may be part 2 of the post, but I'm no where closer to an answer than I was in part 1 or part 1.5.

Just throwing out my thoughts, I guess. Feedback welcome. Encouraged. Begged for.

Have a great Tuesday!

Mirror Mirror, Part, er, 1.5

Here we are on a lovely lovely Friday and here are the answers to the character descrips I put up on Wednesday.

#1 - I had never been one to covet, but I looked up at her now and suddenly wished I was pretty too. Everyone always told me I looked just like my mother. We had the same straight, dark hair, on my mother it was a compliment to her olive complexion; it made my never-tanned skin look nearly transluscent. My dark eyes only emphasized just how pale I was. (pg. 13) == Complicated by me

#2 - I look into the medicine cabinet mirror and . . . turn from one side to the other, attempting to evaluate my . . . face objectively . . . My nose is now small and delicate, almost perfect . . . sculpted cheeks of Pocahontas . . . my lips, they look . . . fuller or plumper or something. (pg. 70-71) == The Pretty One by Cheryl Klam (1 of 2)

#3 - I should be tan, sporty, blond--a volleyball player, or a cheerleader, perhaps--all the things that go with living in the valley of the sun. Instead, I was ivory-skinned, without even the excuse of blue eyes or red hair, despite the constant sunshine. I was always slender, but soft somehow, obviously not an athlete; . . . I looked at my face in the mirror as I brushed through my tangled damp hair. (pg. 10) == Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

#4 - She gives her straight dirty-blond hair a lesson with a wet comb . . . (pg. 68) == Wake by Lisa McMann

#5 - . . . (think bushy-eyebrowed president of some country you've never heard of). But although my heritage may explain m y stature, thick dark hair, and olive complexion, it's not responsible for my oversized hooked nose, my nonexistent cheekbones, my oversized chin, and last, but definitely not least, my buck teeth. (pg. 3) == The Pretty One by Cheryl Klam (2 of 2)

#6 - . . . all I've done with my short black hair is run my fingers through it. I know I look "undone," but I don't care. (pg. 50) == 4 Letter Word by yours truly ;)

#7 - . . . sun is behind me, melting my sheet of dyed black hair to my scalp. I knew my whole going-Goth decision was going to turn around and bite me . . . (pg. 2) == Grace by - yes, me again

#8 - Out the corner of my eye I could see the ends of my straight, black hair. Flat, lifeless. I glanced back at my cousin and wished I was tall, graceful and had that stop-traffic kind of beauty. Instead, I'm just like every other Asian girl out there: long black hair, brown eyes, and completely ordinary. (pg. 2) == Just Maybe by, well, yeah, me last one though

#9 - . . . so vain about my long blond hair I wouldn't dream of scraping it back into a ponytail and hiding beneath a big hooded sweatshirt. (pg. 3) == Evermore by Alyson Noel

#10 - . . . I felt her hand move down the back of my head, smoothing my red hair, which we did have in common, alther hers was now streaked with an early gray. We also shared our pale skin--the redhead curse or gift . . . as well as our tall, wiry frames. (pg. 11) == Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen

I've truly decided that in all this, so long as I know what my characters look like, that's all that matters. At least in draft 1. We'll work through the rest of it later.

Okay, I know that's sort of a crappy way to close out the week, I'm just running a little low on the inspiration and thought provoking antics as we had a daycare crisis this morning and I've been working this very very very short post for the last 7 hours. That's what you get with a 12 month old who doesn't want to sleep an almost 4 year old who thinks she's a big kid: 2 very excitable assistants and not a whole lotta work done.

I'll have more next week!

Have a great weekend everyone!

WiP Wednesday: Mirror Mirror on the Wall

Referencing my post regarding pictures that make me think of my characters and the stories of their lives, I thought I'd toss this one in there too.

As a writer, when characters show up in my head, I know what they look like. I know how tall they are, the color of their hair, eyes, skin. I know how they walk, the way their faces squinch up when they feel certain emotions, the curve of their lips, the arch of their eyebrows.

So how and when do you convey these things to the reader?

Agent blogs abound advise against the typical "she looked in the mirror" or "he caught his reflection in the darkened window" scenarios. They are common and predictable.

My struggle right now is finding the best way to describe what the main character/narrator looks like, because most descriptions in books are around who they are looking at and interacting with. (Twilight and the beautiful Edward, anyone?)

Any partialities to getting the whole description over with in a few sentences, clumped into a paragraph, or do you weave the characteristics through the story? I've tried both techniques and always struggle a bit with, the is it enough, is it too much issues. Something I'm currently going through with 2 of my 3 wips right now.

Below I have a few examples from various published works as well as a few of my own. I've also included page numbers so you know how far into the story you are before you, as the reader, "knows" what a character looks like.

Take a look and see if you can figure out which ones I've written and which ones are published works. I'll put up the answers on Friday with some more thoughts on this whole, figuring out what characters look like, thing.

Unfortunately no prize for this game, well, except that overwhelming sense of accomplishment when you guess correctly! ;)

#1 - I had never been one to covet, but I looked up at her now and suddenly wished I was pretty too. Everyone always told me I looked just like my mother. We had the same straight, dark hair, on my mother it was a compliment to her olive complexion; it made my never-tanned skin look nearly transluscent. My dark eyes only emphasized just how pale I was. (pg. 13)

#2 - I look into the medicine cabinet mirror and . . . turn from one side to the other, attempting to evaluate my . . . face objectively . . . My nose is now small and delicate, almost perfect . . . sculpted cheeks of Pocahontas . . . my lips, they look . . . fuller or plumper or something. (pg. 70-71)

#3 - I should be tan, sporty, blond--a volleyball player, or a cheerleader, perhaps--all the things that go with living in the valley of the sun.
Instead, I was ivory-skinned, without even the excuse of blue eyes or red hair, despite the constant sunshine. I was always slender, but soft somehow, obviously not an athlete; . . . I looked at my face in the mirror as I brushed through my tangled damp hair. (pg. 10)

#4 - She gives her straight dirty-blond hair a lesson with a wet comb . . . (pg. 68)

#5 - . . . (think bushy-eyebrowed president of some country you've never heard of). But although my heritage may explain m y stature, thick dark hair, and olive complexion, it's not responsible for my oversized hooked nose, my nonexistent cheekbones, my oversized chin, and last, but definitely not least, my buck teeth. (pg. 3)

#6 - . . . all I've done with my short black hair is run my fingers through it. I know I look "undone," but I don't care. (pg. 50)

#7 - . . . sun is behind me, melting my sheet of dyed black hair to my scalp. I knew my whole going-Goth decision was going to turn around and bite me . . . (pg. 2)

#8 - Out the corner of my eye I could see the ends of my straight, black hair. Flat, lifeless. I glanced back at my cousin and wished I was tall, graceful and had that stop-traffic kind of beauty. Instead, I'm just like every other Asian girl out there: long black hair, brown eyes, and completely ordinary. (pg. 2)

#9 - . . . so vain about my long blond hair I wouldn't dream of scraping it back into a ponytail and hiding beneath a big hooded sweatshirt. (pg. 3)

#10 - . . . I felt her hand move down the back of my head, smoothing my red hair, which we did have in common, alther hers was now streaked with an early gray. We also shared our pale skin--the redhead curse or gift . . . as well as our tall, wiry frames. (pg. 11)

Meanwhile, I need to go hide all the mirrors in my stories so my characters don't describe themselves from their reflections.

Happy Wednesday!

WiP Wednesday: So Many Stories, So Little Time

First things first: Today is my last FULL work day of the week! Huzzah! Tomorrow is a half day and then we're getting our family pictures done. And Friday I'm off because it's the baby's (E) 1st birthday and we're having a family day. Okay, gloating over my last work day done. Moving on...

I've been trying to focus, I really have. With my current wip I'm just over the halfway point, I think. Right about 36K words and I'm looking at hitting around 70K with it.

Herein lies the problem, and I've mentioned it before: I have writer's ADD. Seriously. As I've said, I've been working diligently on 4LW for several weeks now, thanks to the Writer's Throwdown Challenge and my willing myself to concentrate on just the one project. That's where the problem is.

Working on one project at a time is simply NOT in my nature. I'm through and through a Gemini and because of that, I am a multi-tasker by heart. I can't help it. Where is all this random rambling going, you ask? Well...

I started a new project. Well, not started, exactly, it's been there for a while, sitting around for the last year with just over 5K words in it and I had a thought the other day that didn't fit into 4LW and I wrote it all down and realized yesterday where it goes. So now, again, I have 3 projects running at various stages.

JM: (YA Contemp Fic) Finishing up revisions then will set aside to cure

4LW: (YA Contemp Fic) About 51% complete at 36,103 words

and the new-old one Grace totally a working title and actually doesn't mean anything so don't read anything into it...

Grace: (YA ... something. Not sure yet where this is going.) I have no idea how complete it is, but currently it has 8,366 words

My goal is to finish revisions of JM by the end of the month. I've had some great feedback and am currently working that through the ms. I also am really trying to focus on 4LW. I'd like to have a completed first draft by July, then the real fun starts. (I'm totally an editor at heart.) And Grace, well that will just have to figure out what it wants me to do with it. I have some thoughts, but nothing solid and I hope it doesn't end up back in my unfinished projects folder.

On a different note, we had a family trip to the bookstore last night and one of the books P got actually kinda makes me think of myself. The Very Busy Spider ... Very busy indeed. The other one she picked out was Panda Bear, Panda Bear What Do You See?.

Me? I picked up a couple new books too, you'll have to stay tuned to my Recent Reads to find out what I picked up.

Okay, Happy Busy Wednesday!