Category: MPII

  • Well, How About That?

    Sometime in the middle of 2002, I got an acceptance from Josepha Sherman at Walker Books for a YA titled Rule, Covenant, and Promise, a very dark high fantasy young adult series. I was thrilled about the pending sale, because I love YA and had always wanted to write some. (YA is Young Adult, for…

  • Mad Snoopy Dancing Ensues

    Got the massively revised proposal for the MPII series, with all new series overview, 50% rewritten first three chapters of Book I, 100% new story outline, and heavily revised mini-outlines for books II, III, and IV out the door to my agent. I’m so excited I can’t see straight. After a week of painful slogging…

  • And Still Revising MPII

    The series overview is done. The three mini-outlines (for books two, three, and four) are done. The first seventy pages (three chapters) of book one are done. I’ve tossed the 30-page extended outline for the first book, and am now doing a line-per-scene of the candy-bar scenes I want in the finished book. From that,…

  • And the Slashing Goes On

    I ended up throwing out not just the first scene, but the entire concept of the first scene. Tossed all the new stuff I’d written over the last few days. Gone, all gone, just gone. No more Maddie, Piper, and Jean doing work chat. No job angst — that’ll be there, but not as the…

  • Writing

    Cutting cutting cutting, editing editing editing, and tons of rewriting. Haven’t come up for air in days, and may be a few more days before I do. Still working on the MPII proposal. This has turned in to a total overhaul. The podcast, the weblog, and everything else that isn’t work or homeschooling is shoved…

  • Soundtrack for MPII

    This proposal needed music; rather I needed to find my way through some of the complexities to the core. Music is good for that. This is the music that I’ll listen to while writing the books, the songtrack for the first story at least, and maybe the other three. Assuming the project sells. Always have…

  • Writing for Myself

    Today I’ve been working on the MPII proposal, writing for myself. I’ve scrapped most of the opener that I posted a few days ago, including the line about the salted butter, and have gone for something shorter and tighter that pulls me into the central conflict more quickly. I’m searching for resonance with my characters,…

  • Good Writing Day

    Threw out about 2000 old words, wrote about two thousand new words, and finished 8121 total words of revision for the day, though I have been working on it nonstop since I got up this morning. I love what I’m getting, and I’m excited about the way the changes are working. And just for fun,…

  • Plugging on the Proposal

    I hit my deadline yesterday. Robin (my agent) and I spent some time on the phone Monday and yesterday (the reason for my mad push was to have things in line for that second conversation.). We worked out what we needed to, and now I have a week to put this proposal together for presentation.…