Obstinacy, Lunacy, Prologuecy?

Consider a clear, still mountain pool. Beautiful, isnt it? A disturbance - maybe a passing automobile - causes a rock to slide down the mountain side, hit a ledge and bounce into the water. Immediately, there are easily discernible ripples from the point of impact. Now visualize that the pool has several waterfalls at one end. Each splashes down into the pool, creating its own area of turbulence. This time, a much larger rock slides down the mountain and bounces into the pool. If it lands too far away from the falls, there may be no impact on the patterns they cause. If it lands too close, any effect it has may be totally obscured by the already agitated water. In order to see any disturbance caused by the rock, it would have to be sufficiently large and land far enough away from the waterfalls that the resulting undulations ripple out to meet and temporarily confuse the existing ones. The splash caused by the rock crests and eventually disappears; leaving the pool in it's original - or a new - state. If one is too close to the rock however, all that can be seen is the disruption - without any knowledge of the waterfalls as a contributing source. One last thing I'll ask - imagine the pool and it's waterfalls as the world of my characters as revealed in the prologue, and the rock as the inciting incident. 

I know, I know - you're right. Prologues are typically the kiss of death. But still, I have to keep it. Not from bull-headed obtinacy (lunacy?), but because I really believe it fits the story; showing readers that the characters are already pursuing various goals and intrigues in the ten months leading up to the ten days during which the story takes place. Interesting that the story started off to be only seven days. But while I was setting up for revision, it became clear that there weren't enough hours in each day for all the events - even though I'd left out events for Sunday afternoon.

But back to the prologue - outlining the story and blocking out its scenes have given me a solid indication of what the pacing is supposed to be. The already complex world of the characters is thrown off-kilter by the inciting incident of the action plot; which happens in the first sentence of the first chapter. The characters all scramble to regain control of their world and maintain their previous pursuits. There's precious little time for scene setting and exposition. It's important that readers already have enough backstory in which to visualize the snippets that can be supported during the acceleration to the climaxes of both plots.

For the attorneys among us, I do have precedent. The romantic suspense genre is one which accepts prologues as an intrinsic part of the novel. Anti-prologue purists may say that I should just call it the first chapter. It's hard to explain - especially when I'm the only one to have read it yet - but the prologue reads like, well, a prologue; not a first chapter.

Though it's not at all about Eve, writing this novel has been a fasten your seatbelts kind of a ride. Who said an author's life is dull?

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#ROW80 update, 05/29/2011:

• Goal 1: Now rewriting chapter 5. Chapter 4 took two weeks because it was basically just glossed over - no depth.
• Goal 2: After all the distractions of school end activities, back to my three hours per day average.
• Goal 3 - Haven't missed a post!

Now it's time to bid you adieu. It's not the end of the round,  just the end of my participation. Kait Nolan has put together a great group and I was happy to be a part of it for a while. I've found rewriting claims so much of my time and energy, that I need to cut everything else back except my blog. I've met good online friends whose blogs I now follow, so I'll be keeping up with you. Have a wonderful summer!

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I'm A Versatile Blogger! Um...What's That?

I've preempted my regularly scheduled post for some news: Woo hoo - I'm a Versatile Blogger! Need proof? Here's my award:

Versatile Blogger Award

 This recognition of my versatility as a blogger was awarded to me by Anne Stormont, who has also been a guest author at my blog. Please - give her blog a visit.

Can't figure out where the award started, but it seems to be the blog version of a meme (the other one - not the French endearment for grandmother) and it has gone viral! Just by Googling 'Versatile Blogger Award', I've found several more interesting blogs to follow. The best part of the award is that I get to share some of my favorite blogs. I choose to accept the award - and now that I have, I must obey (heralding trumpets here):

The Versatile Blogger Award Rules…

• Thank the person who awarded you and link back to them in your post. [Check]
• Share 7 Random facts about yourself. [Check - see below]
• Pass the award on to 6  blogs that you would like to share. [Check - see below]
• Contact each blogger you want to pass the award on to and let them know you’ve done so. Also, if you choose to accept it, let the giver of your award know. [Check - on Twitter. Thanks, Anne!]

Now that the officialness is done, I'm sharing some of the randomness that is me:

1. First of all, I'm blind as a bat. So terribly nearsighted that when I wear heels, I can't see the ground. Sort of fun though - like dancing on clouds. Unless of course I fall, which I have - more times than I care to count. Almost fell off a stage once, but that's another story. I also love the way lights look without my glasses - like big, glowing, fuzzy balls. I have a feeling that for all the SNL aficionados, that last statement is far funnier than I intended. Oh well...
2. I'm terribly frustrated that my workload over the past several years has restricted me from pursuing my study of movement. I love movement. Dancing, yoga, anything that challenges my ability to put my body in the position I want it to be in. I used to be able to sit cross-legged on the ground and rise into a standing position using only my feet. Sigh... I'm trying to make time for myself to return to being a student of movement. Who knows - I may even start studying some of the martial arts - with my glasses on. 
3. Reading is one of the major joys in my life. I will forego sleep to read. Wreaks havoc on the daily routine though. Now that I've found writing, I haven't read as much fiction as I would like. Lately, it's mostly been books and blogs that help me to improve my story craft; blogs that I like to follow, and my own short stories and manuscripts. I'll be reading mainly the manuscript of my first book until I've completed its rewrite. I've found that one difference for me between writing and rewriting is that when I was writing, I cold take time off and read other fiction. Now that I'm rewriting, other fiction confuses me about my own voice.
4. Puzzles are fundamental to my life. Not the usual ones - but anything where I start off with lots of individual items and have to make a whole. Cooking for instance - starting off with raw ingredients and finishing up with something edible. Yum. Baking is my favorite and my favorite things to bake are quiche, pound cake and German chocolate cake. Since I've found Ettore's Chocolate Truffle Cake, I'm seriously thinking of planning a heist of the recipe. Anybody with me? Sewing fits into this category, although I haven't done it for ages. I've a project started, but who knows when it'll get done. Technology also fits here. My daughter and I plan to build a computer this summer. That'll probably get done before the sewing project. Simply a matter of incentives and priorities. Hard to be incentivized to sew when we can get get two great dresses for the cost of the material for one. Darn that Macy's & its rewards! My most favorite puzzle by far is writing. Yes, it is a puzzle - for me anyway. I get to start off with lots of little things (words) and make a whole (story). The fascinating thing about writing is that there are several ways to get a story right, but an infinite number of ways to get it wrong. I think I'm addicted to the 'Ah, ha!' moment. With writing. I don't think there will ever be a last 'Ah ha!'.
5. I love music. All kinds. Bands, soloists, orchestras, groups - whether they play or sing jazz, classical, rock, soul, pop, country or blues. I love the way it feels in my ears. I can't write with music though. I'm too busy listening to it.
6. Though there have been a few television shows over the years that I really loved, I'm generally not that into TV. That's why it was so easy to give up the evening hours for writing. I found that I can still be in the room and talk with my family while I write, which is really my goal anyway - family time. That brings me to the last thing...
7. Conversation. I love the give and take of a good conversation; a real exchange of ideas and thoughts that gets down to the fundamentals of whatever subject is being discussed. Throw in a few goblets of wine, light fingers of cognac, liqueur glasses of Drambuie, or a single Vodka Martini and I'm in heaven. Any more than one Vodka Martini and I'm out for the night.

I'd like to pass the award along to these six authors. I truly enjoy their work. Each has a distinctive, unique voice and I'm sure you'll like them as much as I do:

Kathryn Magendie - Wonderful author who shares herself with us at Writing From My Mountain.

James Whitaker - His unique style of blending poetry and prose at JTW bold. yet balanced. is always a delight.

William H. Johnson - At Life Through the Prism: an author's journal, he shares his thoughts on a variety of topics and invites discussion for delving deeper.

Diana Lee - Visit her at Diana's Words for a lyrical experience that satisfies all the senses.

Joseph Hesch - A poet whose strength of expression stimulates the imagination. He truly does have A Thing for Words.
 

Lynn MacDonald - Her take on her daily interactions with family and friends, shared at All Fooked Up, is poignant and humorous.

Y'all have fun with the award!

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Row80 Update, 5/22/2011:

• Goal 1: Three hours per day. Met it only twice this week. Life interrupted with end of school year activities. Loads of fun, now back to work.
• Goal 2: For some reason, wrote scene with antagonist having an internal conversation in first person. Only scene like it so far. I think it's well written, but it stands out as different from the rest of story. Spent this whole week trying to unravel it and convert it to third person. Still not done...

Please visit other ROW80 participants!
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Blindsided

It's impossible to know everything about a person. But we've been friends for the past few years and I thought I knew her fairly well. We'd spent so much time together; evenings, weekends, and those very rare days off. Very accomplished in her career, she was the one whose opinion was respected by her peers above all others; the one with the coolest head in a crisis. I admired her tenacity, technical prowess and unique ability to charm even the most obstinate of egotists into analytically - rather than emotionally - addressing the issues. She was the total package. But every now and then, a fissure would appear in her facade; but would be gone so quickly, it was easy to think I imagined it.

On infrequent occassions it appeared that she responded to a situation a little too harshly; other times, I thought I heard her gnash her teeth before yet another run-in with politically motivated colleagues. Maybe she just needed a vacation. After all, she'd been at it for five straight years without even a hint of a break. Then I began to pay closer attention - asked myself the hard questions. Isn't that what one does when a friend seems to be perilously close to the brink? I spent days trying to put the pieces together, but nothing added up. In spite of my misgivings, I finally had to ask.

Putting pen to paper, I allowed her to guide my hand. I was stunned by the words that flowed. My heroine suffered from a wounded heart. She had been trying to 'show' me, but I persisted in seeing what I wanted to see. She's the super-heroine; she has problems to solve, people to save, technology to master. Her life was full of external drama and I steadfastly refused to see that she also had a personal problem that threatened to drain her stamina. Obviously, I was the most obstinate egotist of all.

More of her backstory streamed from the pen. I fully expected her heart to heal in time for her to don the big red 'S' and wage war on the villians of the tale. But it didn't. It was still broken when she discovered each crisis. It was still broken when she fought her way through them. The broken heart explained why her natural determination was tinged with punishing agressiveness at times. Though she shared herself openly with her friends; her injury caused her to be aloof toward men; and to summarily back them off if they ventured too close. When she least expected it, her condition surfaced the transient vulnerabilities that she expended much of her energy to suppress. It isn't that the broken heart is now the focus of the story; it's more like a condition that has to heal while she stands up to the antagonists and fights for her future. With a refreshed point of view, I'm silkscreening in the new aspect; and sharing her more richly faceted story.

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Row80 Update, 5/8/2011:

My ROW80 session two update is a post this week .

• Goal 1: Three hours per day. Met it five of the seven days this week.
• Goal 2: Discovering that my 1st draft was horribly uneven in terms of writing quality. In Chapter 3, reached a stretch that required editing, but not much rewriting. Update is complete now through the first scene of Chapter 4.  So 28 down, 184 to go...

Happy Mother's Day to all who are Moms!
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Where the ?@!*@?#! Is It?

--------------First, a note: -------------------------
I've been honored to be able to share posts from Guest Authors during the past three weeks. I'd like to continue to share voices of published and aspiring writers, poets, and screenwriters that I'm meeting along my journey. Their posts are always available in the GuestAuthors section of my blog, and for your further enjoyment, their blogs are listed to the left under Reader's Choice. Please give them a visit. This week, one of mine...
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Finally! I'm revising the story that is becoming Sparks. To prepare, I took all the steps I knew to take - got a wonderfully thorough editorial critique; was brutally honest with myself about my weaknesses and how to correct them; even painstakingly created a rich set of artifacts from which to work. It took me sixteen months to get to this point. Ready at last, and balanced on the point of no return, I executed my most perfect swan dive on the way in. Exhilarating....

Outline, scene notes - check and check. Prologue...first sentence. Whoa...this is deeper than I thought. What the ?@!*@?#!

After fighting my way back up to the surface and gasping deeply for air, I recovered enough to take another look. The revelation? I had mistaken editing for rewriting...and many of the scenes in Sparks require rewriting. To get the most out of the rewrite, I must assess each scene for the holy quaternary (goal, obstacle, action, resolution) and story advancement. Just as importantly, I must sharpen the focus of each scene - many times assembling a completely different cast of words. As for the new scenes; they must be of the same construction as the rewritten ones. No first draft wording or sentence structure allowed.

Needless to say, I have a bone to pick with somebody. You know who you are. Somehow Dear Blogger, I missed your post explaining the difference between first draft wording (and sentence structure) and that of the rewrite. For experienced writers, there may not be much difference - rewriting may truly be editing. In my case however, your post could have saved me many strands of hair and a fair few headaches. At least my editor will be spared the same fate. Honestly Dear Blogger, you've got to publicize your work. There is such a thing as Twitter, you know. When I do find you, I have a few choice (rewritten) words.

With Dear Blogger missing in action, what was I to do? Panic was an option, but not a fruitful one. So I studied up on rewriting. Then I dove in again. Now I find myself carefully considering - not just each sentence - but each word. Y'all know the drill - does it set scene, reveal character, contribute to the overall mood of the story, et al? Who cares whether I use 'propensity' or 'inclination' or 'disposition'? I do. Very much so. The page is my canvas and I find that I'm extremely particular about the colors and brush strokes I'm using to paint.

I bow to all of you published writers, beloved by your readers; especially those who wrote (and write) with pen and paper - or typewriter. No wonder so many of us tend to be half-bent. I've stopped counting the number of revisions I make of a sentence - and I've just gotten started with the rewrite. The first day, I spent hours trying to describe a fireworks display. When I was done, I had carefully chosen six words. That's all. Hours of work for six words. This is madness! This is insanity! This is the most fun I've ever had in my life.

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Row80 Update, 4/17/2011:

My first ROW80 session two update post. Last week's was a tweet. My goal is to make progress on rewriting, but I didn't specify how much - other than three scenes per week. Good thing. As you can see from the tweet, I put myself in a pickle this week:

• Goal 1: Three hours per day. Met it this week - and then some because:
• Goal 2: Last week I did five scenes; this week I did one from my outline, and added a new one. Since it introduced a new theme and character, I then had to 'silkscreen' it into the outline and scene notes. So, eleven scenes down, two hundred and one to go. I know, I know - how could I introduce a new character? It's true, I confess - the story made me do it.

Enough from me. How y'all doing?
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O! The Big D

Not my Big Distraction - that's an entirely different story. It's my Big Decision. The one I've ignored for as long as I could. It's time to answer the question. Am I writing a series - or not?

The fictional Skye Pointe community and its residents star in my current story and several more that I will write. With some tweaking, I can make at least four stories - including the one that I am now rewriting - into a series. My scene notes for the current story indicate where to drop in the clues and hooks for the later ones. To make this story fit into the series, I'll have to combine a few characters and remove a couple of the subplots. Doing so simplifies the story; and also reduces the number of  conflicts that it has. That's why I've hesitated. Fitting the story into the series will dilute it.

On the other hand, readers' fondness for the series format is widely reported. It's true for me as well. I like getting attached to characters and traveling with them through multiple adventures. However, I don't limit myself to reading series. Many of my favorite books are singles. Should I go for the story as it was meant to be written or adjust for the potential of dedicated series readers? I have to commit - one way or the other. Otherwise the words I write will lack conviction.

Too conflicted to choose, I even considered a drastic solution - why not write it both ways and let someone else decide? No problem! Two versions of a 400+ page manuscript. Make twice the work for myself and dump the problem on someone else's lap. All because I insist on being a coward. Crazy.

Just as I'd decided I should grow a backbone, my old friend Serendipity dropped in for a visit - in the form of a tweet from Cathryn Wellner. You know her as @StoryRoute on Twitter. Her tweet referred to a post by Nina Amir (@NinaAmir on Twitter); in which she shared an experience from the San Francisco Writer's Conference. She had attended the lunchtime keynote presentation by David Morrell, author of First Blood (Rambo). Among other things, Nina wrote that David had said, "Write the book you must write."

After five months of agonizing indecision, could the choice possibly be that easy? Indeed it was. Conflict resolved. I'm secure in knowing that I must write the Skye Pointe stories as they were originally conceived. It's a mistake to make a series of them simply because of what I perceive the market forces to be. I have to trust that there are enough readers who will like them for the stories that they are - connected, yet each standing on its own.

Believe it or not, I do have a series in mind, but I won't get to it until after I've finished the Skye Pointe stories. Flash forward to my future - I won't be trying to figure out how to unravel the series because market research says that readers prefer singles. Lesson learned.

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#ROW80 update, 03/20/2011:

• Goal 1: Completed the elevator pitch and short synopsis; now one third done with long synopsis. Look how far off I am from my original goals! I've only managed to finish the revision outline and scene notes. Now I'm revisiting my other artifacts to make sure I have a cohesive set when I start rewriting.
• Goal 2: Did my usual amount of writing this week though I average about two hours per day, I'll keep my goal at three so that I'm still working toward that.
• Goal 3 - Haven't missed a post!

There's a few more days left, but this is my last update for round one. See you in round two!

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Dauntless Dancing

It's finally happening. I'm at the end of preparing for rewrite. I celebrated early, dancing around until I was dizzy(er). After all, this past Mardi was Gras. Inevitably, Mercredi des Cendres rolled in; bringing clarity and sobriety. I was forced to remember that though I was at an end, it merely heralded the real beginning.

To get a feel for the size of the rewrite task, I broke out my two manuscripts - the one with the copious editor's critique notes and the commented one that I intend to revise into. I swear I heard them 'thud' as I pulled them up on the screen. Each at four hundred and two pages, more than one hundred fifteen thousand words; the behemoths seemed primed to squash me.

Even so, I chose to be undaunted. I briefly revisited my two guides (referred to in this post). Then I scrolled back to the beginning sections of my artifacts doc; and attempted to reacclimate myself to the story. WTF? More dancing - I had unexpectedly placed myself at the beginning of my path into the rewrite. Here's the plan:

1. First things first - breathe! ...And recharge my creativity. Take time to revel in gratitude and appreciation for having come so far. This time last year, I didn't even know that what I'd spent a year writing was merely a first draft. The year's growth alone is much to be thankful for.
2. Finish the storyboard. Only three scenes to go.
3. Close the manuscripts and leave them until after I've thoroughly reviewed my guides. Give myself time for a refresher on storycraft.
4. Ease into the rewrite by starting with my elevator pitch, short synopsis and long synopsis. For me, this seems to be a perfect spot to address them. Not only am I checking off items I will need, working on them at this point helps me ease into rewriting the story. I might even try a query letter! Yeah, I know - bass akwards. A query letter without a finished manuscript. But - I can tweak it while I'm rewriting.
5. Review the character and plot descriptions to refresh my memory; and update them as necessary to bring them into agreement with the outline and storyboard.
6.  Rewrite! Woo hoo! I should be well into the first chapters by the time the second session of Row80 starts.

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#ROW80 update, 03/13/2011:

• Goal 1: Completed the outline and story board addressing the issues from the editorial critique of my original manuscript. Yay! On the down side, it took two months longer that I thought it would. For the rest of this session my goal is now easing myself into rewriting.
• Goal 2: Did far less than 3 hours writing per day this week. I could blame it on big distractions, but I won't. I just didn't get it done.
• Goal 3 - Haven't missed a post!

How are things wrapping up for you?

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Time... For A Showdown

Hello...hello...hellooo... Where are you...are you...yooou... Echoes resounded from the void in my timeline. I'd been so focused on tightly winding the action that I'd overlooked the leap from Sunday morning to Monday morning. Sunday afternoon and evening didn't exist.

Once I'd stumbled across the hole, I saw that it should have been painfully obvious. Having that much time missing - out of a story that takes place in less than a week - was similar to viewing a vividly rendered canvas where the artist had left a large blank spot.

I carved a few hours out of my real world last Friday and Saturday for marathon 'fix-it' sessions. I had to unwind the action and create the rest of my fictional world's Sunday. At first, I was at a loss. The protagonists worked together like components of a well oiled engine; propelling it purposefully toward the climax and resolution of the action plot.

Hmmm... Resolution... Hmmm... That means conflict...

Understanding dawned. There was time for at least one more disruption before the climax. Time to prevent the protagonists from being quite so chummy.

Determined to avoid creating a flareup that didn't fit the story line, I combed through the outline, storyboard and existing manuscript; looking for something that I hadn't fully developed. Then I saw it. The hero and heroine had had their romantic differences, but her analytical acumen had never gone head to head with his strategical shrewdness. Exploiting such an encounter made for a game changing showdown - and on the eve of battle.

Perfect! Okay I admit it... I'd planned the confrontation all along.

Not! But it had better read that way.

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#ROW80 update, 03/06/2011:

• Goal 1: Completed the storyboard for 194 of 211 scenes. The end is in sight. Trying to figure out how to transistion from setting up for revision to actually writing.
• Goal 2: About 2 hours a day this week instead of 3. Starting to get pieces of story in my brain and am taking the time to write them down.
• Goal 3 - Haven't missed a post!

Hope things are going well for you!

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Rockin' The Board! Story or Planchette?

November 16, 2010. The day I began the revision outline for the novel that is becoming Sparks. By the very next week I knew that while an outline is a must, it doesn't give me the level of detail that I need. So I added a storyboard to my revision artifacts, and was still confident that I would complete them all and be set up for revision by the end of the year. But December 31, 2010 flew by...

Of course it did - I hadn't considered the holidays. Surely I would be done by the end of January. Missed that date too...

Now the end of February is here - and because I removed one chapter, but added three - there are still four chapters of outlining and storyboarding to go.

No tantrum this time; no acting out; not even a small rant. I've embraced the reality that experienced writers already live in. It takes time to deliver a story so sumptuous that it tempts ravenous readers to try to devour it in one sitting. Such a story is not to be confused with one so shallow, that readers flip through it in a sitting; nibbling only at the 'good' parts. My particular novel has to aim to be of the sumptuous variety; and has to pay off with cognac and dark chocolate truffle cake for dessert. Otherwise it will be merely a confusing collage of disconnected passages - a failure of mine, not of the story.

You'll know from other posts that I'm a first timer, and I've complicated things for myself by having multiple plot lines (each with multiple subplots), multiple POVs, a prologue and a rather large cast of characters. But that's the story as told to me by the main characters, so I'm honor bound to write it. The only open question is whether I will write it well.

When I've completed the outline and storyboard, I'll have the skeleton of the revised story as well as writing (or editing) prompts for each of the over two hundred scenes. Since I've also marked up the original manuscript with storyboard scene numbers and rewrite goals, I easily see how different the revised version of the story is going to be. For complicated novels, storyboards rock!

Even so, the closer I get to completing the storyboard, the longer it is taking. I'm being careful to insure that the main plots and their subplots are fully resolved and that the story ends with the characters exactly where readers want them to be. How do I know where that is? I don't. The best I can do is make an informed guess - based on my knowledge of the story - and hope I get it right. Or...does a Ouija board work for fictional people?

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#ROW80 update, 02/27/2011:

• Goal 1: I can't believe it - I finished the revision outline for the last four chapters! It was a marathon Friday/Saturday night. But...I still need to storyboard them. That may take a couple of weeks.
• Goal 2: I've accepted that 3 hours on Tuesday is not going to happen and that Thursday will also be a short day. I make up for it on the other days. This week, I still averaged about 3 hours per night because of Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.
• Goal 3 - Haven't missed a post!

We're just under a month away from the end of this session. Best of luck to all!

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Foils & Finesse @ Forty

More bloody red ink, spewing endlessly while I cut, chop, whack. This time I'm attacking the characters.

After all the gore, about forty fictional people have survived. They are the community of the heroine and hero; the other protagonists, the antagonists, and folks that don't have a clue about what's going on - but are nevertheless affected. Though all of the characters are important, only about fifteen have major roles.

Traditional romantic suspense stories generally have only the hero, heroine, heroine's protector, an antagonist or two, and maybe one or two additional characters as foils or confidants. For this story of corporate intrigue, traditional numbers and roles are too confining. The heroine is an analyst who works with a team of other analysts. The hero, some protagonists and the main antagonist are executives with partners and staff. The hero and heroine share their leisure time with friends. When the heroine discovers that 'the sky is falling', she doesn't drop everything and run off to isolate herself with the hero. They both work to maintain normalcy in their world while trying to figure out how much of the sky is actually falling and how to prevent being flattened when it does.

Though challenging to keep them, I need all the remaining characters. They help expose different attributes of the heroine and hero by drawing their thoughts out onto the page where they can be seen. Not by switching through forty points of view (though that is a thought...), but by revealing character traits through dialogue. The heroine communicates differently with one of her posse than with a corporate teammate. The hero doesn't interact the same with corporate associates as with his crew. Having the community of characters simplifies the task of juxtaposing the heroine's and hero's personal and professional lives. They also provide information about - and various reactions to - the disrupting consequences of the heroine's discoveries.

The community of characters is organic to the novel. Each one has his or her own personality and reason to exist. My goal is to show them as real people; not as nebulous clouds of loosely defined characteristics, dropped into the flow just long enough to focus attention on a particular personality aspect.

How is it going? Good question. I have no answer yet. What I do know is that I must get it exactly right. The tone and delivery of the dialogue have to be sincere. Especially with the hero's interactions. It can't sound as though 'this female author thinks this is the way men talk'; a failure that would rip the heart right out of the story. Luckily, I have a way to avert that disaster. No chopping, cutting or whacking this time. Going for a weapon with more finesse. En Garde!

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#ROW80 update, 02/20/2011:

• Goal 1: Five more chapters to create revision artifacts for. The closer I get to the end, the more intricate the work and the slower I go. It's maddening! But still, there's been progress...
• Goal 2: Very close to my 3 hours per day goal. Tuesdays tend to be the hardest day. Only managing an hour there. Yesterday rocked!
• Goal 3 -Still posting!

Hope ya'll are doing well!

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Red Ink Blues

Now that I've eliminated my intrusive voice, coaxed the plots and subplots to play nicely together, gotten control of pacing, and overcome my hesitance with love scenes, it's time to complete the set of revision artifacts (outline and scene notes) for moving the plots toward their climaxes. I was very excited about getting to this point - until I saw that I have to say goodbye. Bid farewell to the pieces of story that don't belong.

It barely matters how much I love them. It matters less that they're witty conversations, scenes of poignant character bonding, or beautifully detailed descriptions. These snippets aren't like the long stretch of exposition I got rid of earlier. Putting that on the chopping block was easy. These are little islands of artfulness that I had thought would make interesting reading. I am reluctant to pick up the red pen and eliminate them. But no matter how long I procrastinate, whine, or otherwise behave badly; they have to be cut. Maybe I'll get a chance to use them in other stories, but they have to come out of this one.

Having learned that timing is everything, I now easily see that these showy bits of fluff are mucking it up. They're too costly - slowing down and confusing the story; sabotaging my ability to sustain tension and suspense. Packed into the next forty eight hours of the escalating action plot are several loud arguments, at least two fights and a murder. I really love the sweeping panoramic description of Skye Pointe, but no time for it. Gone. Then there's the scene showcasing the research I'd done on six-man yachting. I am extremely proud of it, but the action has to keep moving. It's out. Ditto for the beautifully detailed description of the hero's family estate. Doesn't really fit in the middle of a fight. Axed. Next up is the trip to the museum. Wait a minute... That's important to the story line. Have to keep that one!

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#ROW80 update, 02/13/2011:

• Goal 1: From Chapter 14, both plots begin the spiral up to their climaxes. I had to make some adjustments to focus them. In spite of the scene cutting I did, I ended up with an additional chapter. So even though I finished Chapter 14, there are still 6 more to go! Crazy that I cut scenes and end up with more...
• Goal 2: There were only 3 days that I was able to spend 3 hours. I only managed an hour here and there the other 4 days. I need to do better this week.
• Goal 3 -Still posting!

Hope everyone is having a better time of it.
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Sparks, Zazzle and Taking the Leap

Update, 2/23/2011:
You'll see that I have cancelled the Kickstarter "Launching Sparks" project. Though there is only one public backer, I've gotten the support that I need. My experience is atypical and I can't draw any inference from it to help future authors. I can, however, point you to this article by Monica O'Brien.
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This post started off as a note at the end of my weekly post. The note kept getting longer, demanding a post of it's own. It has to do with the new bling on my right sidebar.

It's a personality trait of mine that I take a leap and then look around to see where I've landed. Most of the time I end up okay; but there have been landings that have been inordinately painful. Hopefully, this isn't one of them. Here's the story:

Earlier this year, I saw a tweet from Jeanne Bowerman regarding support for the  "A Year Without Rent" project by  Lucas McNelly. I checked it out on Kickstarter, which I hadn't before known about. I thought it was a great project and became a supporter. I also recognized that Kickstarter is a great way to support arts projects. I enjoy getting the periodic emails from the project and keeping up with what they are doing. A thought started to form in the back of my mind...

Meanwhile I continued working on my novel, immersed in developing my revision outline and other artifacts. This past weekend, I reached the point of 'knowing'. I know, without doubt, that I am publishing this book. That realization hit; then the idea bloomed. I played around with it... Sat on the fence... Hopped off the fence a few times - on one side and the other... Then I decided to take the big leap. I've created a Kickstarter project for my novel.

There are only a few book projects on Kickstarter. Of those that I saw, the authors with non-fiction projects were all successful. Those with fiction projects - not so much. The projects seemed to be inviting support during the concept stage, without very much to offer in return.

Why do I think my project will work? The truth is - I'm finding out just as you are. In my case though, I've already funded the first critique of my finished manuscript; I'm fully committed to the book's commercial success. What remains are editorial review of the finished outline, two to three rounds of manuscript revision/editorial critique; copy editing and publishing services. I've called it "Launching Sparks", in honor of the new title of the book. Even if my project is unsuccessful, another author may find the key that sparks participation. I will be a data point in their research just as current Kickstarter authors are data points in mine.

Our reality is that editorial departments of publishing houses no longer nurture the development of authors. Agents are so inundated by would-be novelists that they pass on everything except the best of the most polished stories. Gems in the rough typically don't get found and polished. Editorial and some publishing costs are now being absorbed by authors that travel the route of traditional publishing. Even a few seasoned Indie authors who were gracious enough to correspond with me indicate that they are taking on more editorial and publishing costs now than in years prior to Y2K. Worst of all, even though there still seems to be a steady demand for the written word, we're losing bookstores. Many independents have closed their doors and one of the largest chains is teetering on the edge of bankruptcy. Could it be that it's not all about ebooks? Could it be that there just aren't enough books making it through the gauntlet to bookshelves and ereaders?

Though currently unorthodox for an author, maybe Kickstarter and similar support sites are a part of our future; a path for some authors (debut and seasoned) to showcase and build buzz about their book as it's being completed. Check out "Launching Sparks" and leave a comment here or there. I'm interested in your thoughts - and I invite your participation.

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#ROW80 update, 02/06/2011:

• Goal 1: You can see from this post that I got myself involved in a different sort of a project. In spite of that, I finished the revision artifacts (outline, scenes, and manuscript markup) for Chapter 13. Now only six more to go!
• Goal 2: I spent far more than 3 hours a day this week on the novel; but only about 9 total hours on the revision. Back in the groove now.
• Goal 3 -Still posting!

How's everybody doing?

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Not That Into It and the Battle Beyond

My biggest nemesis - the love scene. I interrupted my progress this week, working myself into a snit about it. The way my story is written, the scenes have to be hot and passionate; expressing the love between two strong, independent people. The problem? I'm not that into sex.

Let me clarify - I'm not that into writing sex scenes. I'm referring to the ones having all the body parts exposed and labeled; with intimate details of the act. Other authors are into it, and do it very well. Knowing that I'm not one of them, I didn't know what the hell I was going to do. I re-read scenes in the existing manuscript where the characters move from the action climax, through the romantic buildup to the romantic climax.

Awk-ward. Now what? I'm doomed!

A twitter conversation with a writer friend helped the light bulb go off in my head. Thank you, Kathryn Magendie! She's katmagendie on twitter. With her help, I was able to figure out my  new rule. It's very simple: If I'm too embarrassed to read it aloud, then I need to rewrite it. Period. I have to find the balance that works for me and my style of writing. I'm sure it can be better, but here is the first attempt using my new rule...

Battle weary survivors; their eyes meet, their hearts touch. Each finding solace in the other's embrace. Comfort gives way to desire, a more intimate heat starts to rise. She reverberates with his heartbeat; her every breath filled with his scent. She raises her head from his chest, her lips searching for the first taste of him. Wrapped tightly around her, aroused by the sensation of skin touching skin; he lowers his head and presses his lips to hers. The heat rages. Burning, intensifying, fueling their caresses. They yield one to the other, their bodies erupting in waves of unbearably exquisite rhythms. Gradually their breathing slows, their movements quiet. Sated, they drift, cradled in each others arms.

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#ROW80 update, 01/30/2011:

• Goal 1: My progress on the outline ground to a halt this week. I questioned my ability to write scenes with sexual tension and more intimate encounters. I took this week to figure out how to write the scenes I need to write, resulting in this post. Needless to say, I'm not going to finish the outline in January as I had planned, but I'm not unsatisfied with my progress.
• Goal 2: Held to my goal of three hours per day for the first three days of the week. The next three days I wrote very little, but got back on track last night. I found that I'm able to outline the love scenes far more easily now. I understand my style.
• Goal 3 -Still posting!

Hope your week was better!
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Hairpins and Curves

Flying down the freeway one cool June morning, we laughed and talked, enjoying each other's company. It was my first trip through the mountains to his favorite beach. He decided to take the scenic route and turned off onto a beautifully picturesque two lane road. It was charming - until we reached the mountains.

Far too comfortable driving the familiar road, he continually took one hand off the wheel, waving it high above the windshield to point out one landmark after another. We raced through each hairpin turn; the engine thrumming louder and softer as he accelerated and decelerated. The tires squealed when he banked into each turn and I swear I heard pebbles and other pieces of the roadside tumble over the side of the mountain when he floored the gas pedal on the way out. I was petrified. Mile after mile, it looked as though the nose of the car purposely sought out the edge, and felt as though it's rear tires found air.

Meanwhile he chatted excitedly, fiercely relishing each challenge the road presented him. To this day, I remember not a single word he said. Terror was not just an emotion, it was my entire state of being. Speaking was impossible; my mouth didn't remember how to open. Even my thoughts were inarticulate. I couldn't pull enough of myself together to scream. I tried to keep my eyes closed behind my sunglasses, but the sounds without the visuals seemed much louder and the jarring momentum was far more scary.

Then we started downhill.

When the short straightaways faced west - and my eyes were afraid to close - I saw the ocean in the distance, about a thousand feet below us. The downhill curves were - unbelievably - even tighter and closer together. The only thing left to me was to give myself over to the One. I was that sure I was going to die.

Reaching the gentle down slope to level ground was joltingly unexpected. One last nearly vertical tight hairpin and we were out. It took several minutes for my mind to process that the mountains were behind us. I felt myself beginning to thaw, and was soon able to unlock my knees and gradually remove my foot from the imaginary brake I'd been pressing. During the next few miles, I convinced myself to loosen my grip on the door handle and unclench my other hand. The fingernail impressions in my palm were so deep, I'd almost drawn blood.

Though it was obvious that I had found the drive disturbing, I never let him know how panicked I was (until now). I spent our time at the beach in a daze, dreading the drive back. It turned out to be a little easier than the trip out because we were on the inside lane. I did fear that oncoming cars, tightly hugging the curves, would swerve into us; or that we might take a turn too sharply and crash into the mountainside. Those worries were nothing compared to the terror I felt on the way out. Odd that I preferred smashing into a cliff over tumbling down the side of one.

If that drive had been a book, would you have stayed or bailed after the first few turns?

I love to read the books where I fully experience the development and epiphanies of the main character. In my own book, I flew by my main character's major epiphany far too fast. Receding in the rear view mirror, it disappeared into the turn I'd just accelerated out of almost as soon as it occurred. I raced on, banking rapidly into the next crisis. In that stretch of the story, I sped past many of the developmental changes that my heroine experienced; in too much of hurry to flesh out the action. When she acted on her new-found knowledge, there was little evidence showing from whence it had come.

Of course, the fly-bys are being fixed. I've added to the revision outline, expanding the story to show her epiphanies and other experiences. By the time I had adjusted the full outline to accommodate the changes, I'd added a new chapter. I may have to adjust my ROW80 goals to show that the outline is taking a little longer than planned. But that's okay, because the ultimate goal is to deliver my best possible story.

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#ROW80 update, 01/23/2011:

• Goal 1: Revising chapter thirteen now heading to fourteen. May not make the end of the month, but feels like I'm making significant progress.
• Goal 2: Was averaging about three hours per day until Friday and Saturday. Will make sure I have time today so that I can head into Monday on a positive note.
• Goal 3 -Still posting!

Hope you are doing well!

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Eye of the Beholder

It was one of the nights that I spend with other parents who have also accompanied their children to ballet classes. Sometimes there's conversation, sometimes we've brought something to work on, sometimes both. For me, it's always both - I try never to ignore a nice chunk of writing time.

A new gentleman struck up a conversation. He's a musician and was 'scoring a play'. "A trivial thing," he said. "Favor for a friend."

I said that I was a writer and that I was working on the revision of my first novel. Surprisingly, he was interested in the process of composition as it applies to writing. I talked about flow, pacing, rhythm; and he saw it as very similar to melody, tempo and rhythm in music. I added that the concepts are generally applied to plot, but the best of us apply them to scenes or even sentence structure within scenes.

At one point, he looked over my shoulder at my scene notes and exclaimed, "Ah - but you're playing a duet!"

Of course, I had no clue what he meant. "Excuse me?"

"Your notations here - main plot, secondary plot - it is a duet, is it not?"

I was astounded. Of course he was right. Each of my scene notes includes which plots and subplots the scene addresses. He saw immediately what has been nagging at me since the beginning of my outlining process. I knew that flow, pacing, and rhythm were not the complete picture for this story. And here, in this chance conversation, the last piece of the puzzle was nearly in sight. I had to know. More accurately, I was dying to know. How could I make the two plot lines play well together? So I admitted my ignorance and listened to his explanation of how duets are written.

Among other things (that went way over my head), he talked about varying the dynamics of the two parts so that within the framework set by the melody, tempo and rhythm; each part is written as softer (piano, mezzo-piano, pianissimo or pianissimo possibile) or louder (forte, mezzo-forte, fortissimo or fortissimo possibile) depending upon which part is in the lead, which is in the background and what mood is being set at each point in the composition. I was fascinated.

Then with great enthusiasm, he said. "You can compose for a trio of plots - a quartet even!" Apparently my expression gave me away because he patted my hand and said, "But please understand - for a first novel, a duet is quite brave."

Brave? I didn't have the heart to tell him that I hadn't known any better.

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#ROW80 update, 01/16/2011:

• Goal 1: Well I'd like to say that I've completed revision artifacts (outline, scenes and map) through chapter thirteen - but I can't. One chapter got eliminated last week - but one got added this week, so I'm on chapter twelve. Still nine more chapters to go. Reading it critically, I could see that I had compressed the story. There wasn't enough there so I added it.
• Goal 2: Averaged about three hours per day this week so doing better there. I had to really, because of the extra chapter.
• Goal 3 -Still posting!

Two weeks down...
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A Tale of Two Scenes...and Chocolate

Zipping merrily along through my revision outline; making great progress. In the zone, every thought had a home. And then...I rounded a blind curve and had to skid to a brain locking stop. Hit an obstacle. Makes me crazy when that happens. Actually, the obstacle was an event. I had shown it from the heroine's point of view; trying to keep the alpha male hero inconspicuously in the background. Bad idea. Like making ganache and expecting everyone to ignore the smell of chocolate. My attention kept getting drawn to him even though I hadn't written him in. Where the hell was he? Obviously, the story begged for scenes from his point of view.

Piece of cake...

First, I enlarged the experience of the event by adding two scenes for him - one at the beginning of the event and one during. Good, but there was no closure.

Hmmm...not as easy as I thought.

Then I added a scene for him at the end of the event. Better, but not quite there - no transition for him to the next step in their story.

Fine!! Looks like I'm really going to have to work to fix this.

So I added the transition scene and read through that portion of the revision outline using "...and then". Naturally, there were gaps.

Sigh...

I had to revise every scene associated with the event to adjust for the new scenes. Adding a mere two scenes had turned into adding four and adapting four more.

Finally - nailed it!! Now where's that ganache?

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#ROW80 update, 01/09/2011:

• Goal 1: Completed revision artifacts (outline, scenes and map) through chapter eleven. One chapter was eliminated by being absorbed into the previous and following chapters. Only nine more chapters to go! Still looks like I can complete the outline by the end of this month.
• Goal 2: Averaged about two hours per day this week. I sidetracked myself with a potential new project - but NO EXCUSES! Have to hit my average next week.
• Goal 3 - Posted this week, so no problems there.

Hope everyone is doing well!

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Zero, One...And Counting

Yes - I know it's customary to count down to the new year, and no - I'm not counting the wrong way. I'm saying goodbye to 2010, - or as I've come to think of it - my year zero; and saying hello to my year one. It will be my ferst furst first full year of being known as a writter writer.

In year zero: I started this blog. Looking back through my posts, I see that there are a variety of shared thoughts - from short stories, to essays, to my musings on writing, to the journey through the revision of my first novel. In the beginning, I thought I had nothing to say. I got beyond that though, and I've found lots to write about (including randomness). Posting has been a blast (even the sad ones). I hope you enjoy reading them.

In year zero: I joined Twitter - as an author. Big step for me; stepping out of the ranks of AA (Authors Anonymous) and openly declaring myself. How lucky it was that CathrynLouis was available! I took it as a good omen that not one of the millions of Twitter users had chosen that user name. On Twitter, I've met many communities of authors - the #amwriting, #litchat, #writechat, #scriptchat, #fridayflash, #fridayreads, #IndieBC, #ROW80 folks and more; I've learned from those in the businesses of writing, publishing and social media; and had a darn good time! I love dropping into the Twitter conversation several times throughout the day. Something is always going on. It's a never ending Happy Hour. All I have to do now is find those vodka martinis...

In year zero: I created pages on Facebook and Goodreads. Posting more consistently on Facebook and becoming more involved on Goodreads are goals for year one. I have lots to share with Facebook folks and my Goodreads shelf is packed with books I haven't yet reviewed and a fair few that I haven't read.

In year zero: I joined communities such as Zoetrope and RedRoom. Being on Zoetrope really helped me tighten up my stories; being on RedRoom introduced me to many other authors and experts. I haven't visited them as much since I have been revising. I want to spend more time on those sites, so that's another of my goals for year one.

In year zero: I self-published my debut novel as an ebook. Once I understood that it was something that lots of people might like to read, I unpublished it; and am now taking it through a purposefully scripted revision process. Though I missed my goal of having the revision outline completed by the end of this year, I'm fairly well along and have created a process and document that work perfectly for this book and all the next ones. When this first novel is ready, I may again self-publish it, or opt for traditional publication channels. That's a decision for year one. Year zero taught me the novel is good enough to give it my best effort - so I am.

Have you looked back over the year and itemized what you have accomplished? I think you may be surprised. I certainly was. That's why I'm inspired to do even more next year; and I hope you are too. What a difference a year makes.

Goodbye 2010, and Happy 2011!

It's here! ROW80 is here! Round 1 Goals - CathrynLouis

I'm tackling a thorough revision of my debut novel, and have been developing the revision outline since mid-November. It's a scene-by-scene revision of a 400 page manuscript - and it's my first. So naturally, completing the outline is taking longer than I planned. ROW80 is the perfect challenge to keep me mindful of the finish line. So here goes...

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Goal 1: Complete the revision outline by January 31, and be halfway through my first pass manuscript revision by March 24 (end of ROW80). I'm defining 'first pass' as completed scenes (with all scene elements); no placeholders.

Goal 2: To meet Goal 1, I will dedicate at least three hours per day to the project.

Goal 3: Continue my weekly revison posts, which will also be labeled ROW80, so it will be easy to see my progress.
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Join ROW80 with your own goals. Come on...it'll be fun!

Sign up below, or head on over to the host blog and click the signup link there! At the very least, keep up with us using the #ROW80 hashtag on Twitter, or visit our blogs and leave a comment of encouragement now and then. It would really be appreciated!