Category Archives: YA

Starting SILVER DOOR Type-In
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I’ve been working for hours already, actually, and realized I hadn’t publicly cheered the fact that I finished write-in at about four AM today. I got a few hours of sleep, then got up and got going.

Write-in was a massacre, but the surviving words are better, stronger, and occasionally funnier. I Darwined the damned book. Now, though, I estimate that I’m going to have to toss about 10,000 existing words. And that I’m going to be typing in about 20,000 brand-new words. And make heavy fixes on about 60% of the rest of the manuscript. And I have to do it between now and o’-dark-hundred on the morning of March 15th, which is my drop-dead date for getting it to Lisa and Robin.

The book is better, better, better. I fixed every one of the issues I found, and came up with new stuff that I love. This is the last step before another human being gets to actually read what I’ve done. This step I usually love. Let’s see how it goes.

You can follow the type-in progress on the SILVER DOOR TypeIn graph in the sidebar to your right. I’ll update as I finish each chapters. At the moment, there are 24. Not sure how many there will be after I’ve pulled everything apart and put it back together again.

Wish me luck.

By the way, I haven’t beta’d a novel in a long time, but I think I’m going to beta this one. As I get closer to finishing the book, I’ll post some sort of contest here, and send five winners a copy of the revised first draft for comments and questions.

New Way to Tame the Beast
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This revision continues to be a complete beast. I’m not quite ready to do type-in yet, and when I am ready, there’s going to be a lot to type in.

But this book has been brutal because it had not just wrong scenes in it (those are easy to fix—you throw them out and start over), but right scenes in the wrong places and with the wrong characters.

My previous method of revising wasn’t working, which was causing me much stress and angst. Did some deep breathing to clear my head and calm myself, and came up with a much better way of doing a One-Pass Revision specifically for scrambled books.

Progress is moving along sweetly now, but won’t if I don’t get back to work. ;D

Huge Breakthroughs
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I’m still slogging the revision, but I’ve had a couple of huge breakthroughs.
 

  • I moved some of the cliffhanger-nailbiter stuff I had right at the end into the middle.
     
  • I’ve changed my monster—oh, I love my monster—making him scarier than before, and a lot more unnerving. He now suffers from multiple personalities, some of whom give him evil advice.
     
  • The mystery boy has gone through the character wringer, and now the cat likes him.
     
  • The damned cat still will not tell his name to anyone. Including me. So he remains “the cat.” I forgive him his paranoia. He’s had a hard life. I’m about to make it harder. I wouldn’t tell me my name, either.
     

 
I love what’s happening with the story, and I’m so grateful for the extra couple of weeks I was given to pursue these course corrections. Sorry to be so scarce. Will continue to be scarce until this thing is done. I have eleven more days.

Bought Time
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I’ve asked for an received another two weeks to do the revisions. While I could have had the book at its existing length in on time (March 1st), I’ve discovered that there are two areas where I want to be able to add significant length–my best guess is about 20,000 additional words. Those two areas are The Cryptic Monster, and The Mysterious Boy. Yes, vague hints and teases again. But no spoilers, because spoilers suck.

And sent along my favorite visual scene to see if it would be usable as cover art. If not I’ll dig through the manuscript and find another, but I have my fingers crossed.

A Buddy’s Bookstore, and The Ruby Key
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A friend of mine from way back, Robbie Jordan (a.k.a. The Dread Pirate Robbie, when we were role-playing) is starting up a brick-and-mortar indie bookstore in Eden, North Carolina, and because he’s a pretty savvy fellow, as well as a damn fine DM, and one of the first members of our writers’ group, which eventually became Schrodinger’s Petshop, he’s taken it online first.

Let him know what you’re looking for from an indie bookstore. He’s already got a live writers’ group planned for the store, and is looking into the possibility of an online one, as well.

The store is Books And…, and it’s just getting started.

And speaking of books. And bookstores.

No, bookstores aren’t supposed to sell advance reader copies. Says so right on the top. But since a copy of The Ruby Key is out there, and the seller is a bookstore ignoring what it’s supposed to do, I figured maybe you guys would like a shot at the copy. Better it should go to friends, since nobody at that particular store read it.

The Ruby Key on eBay.

Upcoming Writing Project Poll Update
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The polls are still open, but strong trends have emerged early, and our frontrunners….

Aagh. I can’t do it. I’m already so sick of polls and frontrunners I can’t see straight.

Thank you for voting on my upcoming for-writers projects, and thank you very much for your comments and e-mails. Both surveys are still open, and these results could change dramatically, but right now, this is where we stand. I have to say I would never have guessed your choices in a million years.

Which is why I asked. I’ve discovered that I’m a lousy mindreader. :D

Small Courses

Votes So Far
How to Write Page-Turning Scenes 79
How to Start Your Novel 49
How to Write Stories That Break Their Hearts 47
How to Finish Your Novel 30
How to Polish and Submit Your Novel 29
How to Pitch to Pro Markets 20

Big Courses

Votes So Far
How to Think Sideways 85
Create A World Clinic 62
Novel-Writing Secrets 46
Crit of the Month Club 34
Character Clinic Upgrade 13
How to Write in a New Genre 13

 

 

Oh, yes. Today I’m editing THE SILVER DOOR. Expect me to be a wee bit scarce until that’s done.

DoneDoneDoneDone!
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First draft of THE SILVER DOOR is done! Done!

I love the ending, which came out totally different (and much better) than I’d planned. Donedonedonedone.

I am dancing.

Well, I was. Now I’m typing. When I finish typing, I’m going to dance some more.

YIIIIPPPPPEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!

Exquisite Morning
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work-buddies

Went outside just minutes ago (to dump trash—how mundane). The air was crisp and cool and smelled sweet with the hint of damp earth and green things growing; the dawnlight on the horizon barely pinked. Roosters crowed, frogs cheeped, and one mockingbird sang with real vigor. In the cloudless sky, Venus and Mars (I think) sat low on my southeastern horizon. Breathing in was sheer pleasure.

Made moreso by the fact that I’m going to finish the book today.

Off to work, with my window open and the roosters still crowing my serenade.