Ruminations on being REJECTORED!

Funny thing is (ok, not really that funny) I come home at the end of the day and The Boy has also gotten a rejection letter. Sigh... good thing he picked up some wine on the way home!

So here are my thoughts on being REJECTORED!:

I wasn't expecting the email today - that was a two week turnaround with the agent being out of town on vacay for a week. And so when I checked my blackberry I was confused. See, I have a history of sorts with this agent. And I don't mean a real history like she's read my stuff. But earlier this year I was casting about trying to figure out what to write and not really gaining any traction. At the new year The Boy and I had instituted our 10 year plan (to live off writing in 10 years) and I wasn't doing much to move my own portion of the plan along.

Then I win a silly contest on this agent's blog which results in an automatic partial read. But I had no partial. And so I sat down and started writing DB&D. I wrote this story because I loved it and I knew from the beginning that it was different. And I really feel like I owe that little push that I needed to the agent. I had a timeline for submitting it to the Agent (we'll give her a capital A now) that I was happy with. But then Agent had an online pitch slam and I couldn't resist. I'd written a big big chunk of rough draft but it was still very very episodic and rough. But out of the many many pitches she got, mine was chosen and I was super excited. And then I had to work my ass off to get the partial edited. This is the most I've ever edited anything and I was damn proud. But I took a looooong time getting it to her because I hadn't finished the book and just didn't know what to do.

See, the downside of working on the partial is that I stalled in actually writing the rest of the book. During the meantime I came up with some really good plot arcs, but all of the sudden there was just so much pressure to FINISH THE BOOK NOW NOW NOW. It was no longer fun. Instead it was just always hanging over my head.

Now, pause here for a moment. I know that when there are book contracts and deadlines that this becomes routine. But see, that's the difference between now and then. Now writing is about writing, enjoying the book. Trying to get sold, sure. But I've come to the realization that once you sell there's so much more to worry about then just the writing. So why not enjoy just the writing while you can?

Anyways, so I felt relief to not have to bust my butt to send off the full. But then I realized that she hadn't even asked for the full. Here was my book - THE ONE - and she didn't even ask for the full. Or comment one way or another.

Ok, now, don't worry. I'm not into rejectomancy (the art of discerning rejections as The Boy calls it) and seriously this is only the first of what will be many. That's the way of the writing life. I'm not going to give up, I'm not going to think that I'm a bad writer or that I can't make it or any of that stuff. The rejection simply means that my project wasn't right for that agent. And honestly, that's not really a surprise.

But here's the thing... I can't be the only writer out there who - just in that moment before sleep - imagines how this submission will be the one to change the world. That this partial will have them all going "WOW!" and that this one will cause the auction, will get the contract, will hit the lists, and will allow you to quit the job and live in luxury. Hey, we're talking about the edge of sleep here where anything can happen. Getting that rejection just puts an end to that particular dream. I'm not saying I'm not going to keep thinking those things because, let's be honest, it's fun to day dream about that stuff.

I've always said that a big part of breaking up with someone is the loss of what could have been. The loss of the daydreams. That's what a rejection is. Doesn't mean you won't date again or find someone much much better. It just means that for a moment you have to learn how to put aside that old dream and look to the newer and better one.

So this Agent didn't ask for more. But I still owe her a huge debt because she got me writing and that is what all of this is about. Now I feel free to finish DB&D on my own time and submit it when it's ready so that I can throw myself behind it full force. I'm even thinking of NOT entering it in the Golden Heart because I'm tired of the constant pressure to GET IT DONE NOW. Don't worry, I plan on getting it done because I think it is great. But I want to - and need to - enjoy it.

REJECTORED!

My partial was rejected today via email... in the car... on the way to lunch. Sometimes having a blackberry can be a bitch :) At least I was there with The Boy.

It's been a while since I've been rejected and I have lots of thoughts. But I only stopped home to grab something and decided to do a little blog update before heading back to work (I have a strict personal rule of no blogging or looking at my blog at work - I live in fear).

So later today I'll sit down and share my thoughts. Sigh...

Snake breath

After a long morning of torturing snakes, there's nothing like a lie down and a stretch in front of the fire to replenish the spirit.

He's such a cute little hunter. And yes, we are those people who take pictures of their pets all the time. And yes, you, as my blog reader, will be subjected to those pictures.

But I tell you what, isn't this how we all feel on a lazy weekend afternoon?

My Saturday Morning...

My Saturday morning went a bit like this:
The Boy: "Honey, where's the camera?"
Me: "In the dining room, why?"
The Boy: "No reason, I can't find it in there."
Me: "Try the kitchen, why?"
The Boy: "Nothing, don't worry."
I hear the basement door open.
Me: "What is it?"
The Boy: "..."
Since our basement has been leaking I fear he is taking a picture of that and I go to investigate. Instead I see him taking a picture of my cat (there's a cat door down to the basement).
Me: "What's he got?"
The Boy: "You don't want to know."
Me: "No really, what's he got?"
The Boy: "Trust me, you don't want to know."
Me: "I wanna see."
The Boy:

Word count as enemy

I've said it before: word count challenges can be a dangerous thing. Because when you're aiming for 10k and you're only at 8k, you'll throw anything down just to up the meter.

Anyone else have this situation? Does anyone sacrifice word count for quality? Do you think the good advice that "you can't fix a blank page" enters into it?

Just thinking as I pound away...

Thursday Thirteen #1

Thirteen Things I've Done to Procrastinate During Nano

1. Cleaned up gmail account;
2. Cleaned up house;
3. Cleaned up office (noticing a trend here?);
4. Slept;
5. Kissed The Boy (he encourages that kind of procrastination);
6. Took down Halloween decorations ("But," you all say, "you should have done that anyways." You clearly don't realize that it was Christmas until almost February in our place last year...);
7. Exercised;
8. Tried to find a picture that would work for my NaNo profile (found the picture, can't make it small enough);
9. Looked at other people's NaNo profiles;
10. Started updating my blog again;
11. 5 words: big bottle of red wine (originally I had that as 4 words and then was like, "hmmm, that doesn't look right... d'oh!);
12. Started another novel that is wholly unrelated. (BTW, do you think I can just roll the new word count into the old and say "This is where the muse took me!" I mean, I was in the middle of writing one and haven't stopped writing... just stopped writing on that old idea. Hmmm... maybe I can just make the new idea like a dream in the old idea's world. Yeah, that might work. Because then I'd be up to like 16k words! Right on track. Come on, does anyone have my back on this??);
13. Blog hopping, blog hopping, blog hoppin.

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let us talk goals...

You know, I keep hearing that if you write your goals down you have a better chance of reaching them. I think this is only the case if you don't care about letting yourself down. Now, throwing those goals out into the world for everyone to know about and hold you to, that's another matter entirely.

So this is a post dedicated to where I am and where I think I might be going...

Where I am:

1. The partial to DB&D was reveived by the agent on October 30. She generally has a two-week turn around on partials but she's on vacay this week which might set her behind which means I just have to put it out of my mind.
2. I'm up to 40k words revised on DB&D (so if she requests the full I have some serious writing to do). But in total I have 50k written and about 15k left to write and then MASSIVE overhaul and edits to make it "finished." As a side note, I'm excited about the prospect of DB&D being finished because then I can try to sell it like crazy without the fear of someone asking for the full when the full doesn't exist.
3. Driving home from vacation a while back, The Boy and I came up with a great idea for a YA series that I've been really excited about. I gave myself permission to NaNo it, but something isn't clicking. I'm up to 8k on it but... well... that's a whole other post (I promise!)
4. So on the way home from work last week a first line came to me that I loved. I loved it so much that I stopped in the middle of my office building and emailed it to myself (oh, for once the blackberry comes in handy!). I read the line to The Boy who also liked it. But it is a story that is SO SO SO unlike DB&D or the other series I came up with. It's much more like the type of voice that I use for my personal essays - all about the flow of the language. It's also set in a world that The Boy came up with for one of his pitches. Like I said, I wasn't feeling the NaNo project because I couldn't get the voice (so similar to DB&D) and so I was like "screw it, I'll try this new new idea because it is so different." So far this week I've written almost 8k on it. Every evening I sit down and write about 2k and then during the course of the night and the next day the next 2k comes to me... this book is slowing unfolding itself for me and I'm really enjoying it!! Of course, since it's The Boy's world I have to run everything by him..

So there you have it, where I am now. Onto the goals portion of our blog entry:

1. Golden Heart deadline approaches. I must enter. Which means I must know the word count for DB&D before entering. I will figure this out and enter by the end of next week.
2. Entry for Golden Heart due in December. This means having book actually finished! And synopsis! Which means knowing how it ends! Thankfull at my law firm there is something I like to call "the black hole of the fiscal year." It's three days at the end of our fiscal year when billable hours do not count - they don't go to last year's totals or to next year's. And so I'm taking those days off. And the Monday before because, well, I've hit my hours for this year already. Woot. All of that adds up to lots of time to finish writing DB&D. Besides, all that really matters is the partial (done) the synopsis (not done) and that you hit your word count (not done).
3. Keep working on new new project. I figure that as long as the story is unfolding for me I should get it down. I'm terrified that if I skip a few days or try to set it aside that I'll lose it. Plus, I'm aiming for this one to be around 50k. I'm just now realizing how amazingly short that is. I mean, that's like just over 100 pages! And I'm 23 pages in!
   
4. Um, keep writing, I guess. I've hit this great stride where I'm writing a lot. I mean, every day after work and then on the weekends. I haven't even watched my shows piling up on TiVi!!!
5. Oh, cripes, I also have to remember to keep in touch with critique partners.
   

Ok, I think I can do it! Any readers out there, feel free to hound me on these things!! I will give updates!

Election day coverage... (or how I got lost in a church trying to vote)

Hello loyal reader (ahem, The Boy),

While I've been planning for a while to talk about NaNo (we're 7 days in already!), instead I feel compelled to discuss voting. I promise to be non-partisan :)

As many of you know, recently The Boy and I bought a house and days before that I finally (officially) changed my addy to NC (in a 20 minute drive by of the DMV - a miracle, I tell you!). Weeks later, while we were drowning in boxes, my voter registration card arrived in the mail and I set it in a very special place. So special that I couldn't find it last night.

I'd planned on voting on my way to work this morning but (a) I didn't know where to go to vote and (b) I had a very very important meeting at work on Tuesday morning that is a standing meeting that is always cancelled but this Monday I'd been careful to email the PIC (partner in charge) to find out if the meeting was on for a change and he assured me it would be (and the sweetie he is, he reminded me that polls open at 6:30 so I shouldn't have any trouble making it to work on time but he'd understand if I was a few minutes late...). Sigh...

So I postponed voting till later in the day. Natch, the meeting was cancelled (while I was walking in to work).

On the way home from work and on my way to the polling place I bought a large bottle of wine to keep me and The Boy company while we watch voting results.

Anyways, so it's been raining here all day. And that means that when I left work it was PITCH BLACK DARK. I was supposed to be voting at the Avondale Presbyterian Church. It's 2 blocks from my home but still was hard to find in the dark. I pulled into the parking lot and ran through the drizzle following the signs to go vote. I end up in a very large courtyard with no signs.

I see red balloons and I think, "this must be the place!" I go towards it but then see orage baloons closer. So I go over there but they're only orange paper lanterns. D'oh! So I go back to the red balloons. Oops, they're paper lanterns too. I see a woman walk out of a door near the lanterns. I ask, "do you know where voting is?" She looks at me. She says, "this is a church." I said, "I know, the voting is here." She says, "are you sure?" I say, "yes, Avondale church, voting." She says, "I don't know."

I traipse through the rain to another woman. Ask about voting, she points up a dimly lit path and I follow it through the doors into a multi-purpose room. I tell the people in charge that it's hard to find where to vote and they scurry to make it right (although when I leave it is still dark and there are no signs). I sign in (whew, the don't ask for ID cause then I'd have to put the beat down) and then I stand under a portrait of some reverand while I wait to vote in one of three electronic voting machines.

The good news is that our voting machines were very very easy to use (if you can use an ATM you could use these) and also they kept paper trails (thank goodness!). I wait about 15 min, spend a few minutes voting and then am out of there with my "I Voted!" sticker. But still, I felt like I was in an alternate universe when I was wandering around a church-yard trying to vote.

But it makes me wonder, why is it so difficult to vote? Any why was I voting in a church? For being the cornerstone to democracy, I can think of so much more than can be done to make it easier. For example, before I left to vote I looked online for my ballot so I could look up some candidates. I couldn't find it. And in my state we're voting for judges (which I don't agree with) and I'm an attorney so I feel compelled to make really good decision on judges but I didn't know some of the races so I couldn't make informed decisions and so I couldn't vote...sigh...

Now to drink my wine (ok, I admit, I've been drinking it already :)

I am teh roxxor!

I got this quiz from Maureen's blog and I took it with great amounts of trepidation. I don't really know why I should be shocked by the results, but I am nonetheless :) Woot!

You paid attention during 100% of high school!

85-100% You must be an autodidact, because American high schools don't get scores that high! Good show, old chap!

Do you deserve your high school diploma?
Create a Quiz

The postman always rings twice...

...or not at all. So Saturday was one of those blissful days of sitting on the couch in front of the fire, pounding away on my NaNo project, The Boy next to me, working on a short story. For the first time, I decided to open the front door (we have a wooden front door and then a glass door too) so that we could let some light in and enjoy the beautiful fall day (by the way, the cats LOVED it, all day one would lounge in front of the fire while the other kept watch on the critters in the front yard). We live near the entrance to a park so people are always walking by.

Anyway, after a while I decided to snuggle up with The Boy, give him a few kisses. He said "the door is open," and I said, "don't worry." Kiss kiss kiss, kiss kiss kiss. He said again, "remember that the door is open" and I said "don't worry, no one on the street can really see us." Kiss kiss ---

And then I heard the cat scrabble, claws on the hardwoods as he tore away from the front door. And then I heard a thwap.

You see, we have a mail slot in our wooden door - that's how our mail is delivered. Usually the mail doesn't get here until late late afternoon. Yesterday the mail-man was early. I hope we made his day :)

Eeeevil..

Oddly, not having posted on your blog in months and months and months wasn't one of the questions in the following quiz. Go figure.

You Are 44% Evil

You are evil, but you haven't yet mastered the dark side. Fear not though - you are on your way to world domination.

How Evil Are You?

note to self:

note to self: no using round-up to kill that pesky vine real quick while intoxicated.

Really a rule that we should all live by.

I am so lame...

Sigh... so sorry about my absense. I wish I had a good excuse but no. Sure I've been working, sure I've been reading tons. Writing? Not enough. Plotting? Eh, maybe enough.

See, I've figured something out about my plot, something new that I can't believe I'd missed before. But this leaves me in a conundrum. Right now I have two partial requests from agents (one from before and another from the conference). These are both top top agents that I would LOVE to be associated with. So I don't want to screw up.

I had my partial all ready to go and then Diana P. sent back her thoughts (huge thanks to her for critiquing my partial when she had so much on her plate!!) and they were dead on. I mean things that only an outsider would really pick up on. Then another writer critiqued my work and came up with the same conclusions. All pointing to the same issue: I've started in the wrong place.

Of course, I'd already chopped off chapter 1 once, and intuitively I knew that these two women's critiques were dead on. So here we went again: more chopping. Now I've rearranged the first three chapters, cut some, added some and am close to being done. Big yea! But...

Now I'm afraid of sending the partial off without finishing up the whole thing. I was so close to having it finished before but then went back and read through and... well... I had to ask "who cares?" I was missing some umph, some drive. For the last few weeks I've been pondering, wondering, worrying, stressing, not writing.

And finally, just last week I got the idea. I had to roll it around a bit, taste the idea and now I know exactly how it fits in.

But it does mean some big rewrites. Like, there's a whole new plot line that has to be added and it's a major driving plot line.

So what are y'all's thoughts? Do I send the partial off, with the chance that there might be a full request with no full to send? Or do I wait, write the full, and then send the partial off?

The one thing I know for sure: I've been very disappointed with out easy it has been to turn my back on everything. Blogging, writing... everything. Sigh...

You go Diana P. and Secret Society Girl!!

Go buy it. Seriously, do it.

You may ask why I'm pushing Diana's book on my blog. Well, there are lots of reasons, many of which echo those of Marley Gibson (she was a guest blogger on TKA blog and wrote a very touching piece - the comments are worth checking out too).

Before I get into all of that, though, first let's chat about the book:

The exploits of Ivy League secret societies have provided healthy fodder for writers. Peterfreund is the latest to go inside the exclusive clubs, albeit with a romantic twist to her plot. Amy Haskel is a junior at prestigious Eli University, the unassuming editor of the literary magazine, and a self-described commitment-phone. When she's "tapped" by the most elite and mysterious society on campus, Rose & Grave, life takes a turn for the bizarre. Soon she's swilling champagne with the sons of senators and CEOs, and keeping secrets from her roommate and her not-quite boyfriend. This is the first in a planned Secrety Society Girl series, and Peterfreund leaves some loose ends to entice readers to pick up her next installment. The story is frivolous but fun to read--full of quirky characters and situations. It's bound to appeal to readers looking for entertaining escape and college humor. (from Booklist).

It's getting great reviews about what a fun book it is to read which is the best thing I think anyone can say about a book!

Now a bit more about the author and why I care about a book I haven't even read. It's a long story so get comfy. Back in the year 2000 I was totally tapped into the romance writing world. I was a member of tons of groups and had gabs of time to write to my heart's content. I even started a little website design company for authors (and helped start a little group that later became Cata-Romance.com). Then I took a few years off, went to law school, etc.

At the beginning of this year I re-committed myself to my goal of becoming a romance writer (it's a 10 year goal) and my first step was to get tapped back into the romance writing community. I'd never been one for blogs, but after reading a few helpful emails by Diana on some loops, I stumpled on her blog. I quickly devoured the archives, finding someone else who approached so many things about "the writing gig" the way I did. Her rants were all things I've bitched about in the past. Her dedication to learning craft, to learning the market, to truly understanding the industry was right on par with my approach. Finally, her dedication was inspiring and kept me writing.

I loved reading the archives, knowing that in the end she wrote a kick ass book and got a mongo fab deal. It was neat to see when she got the idea for Secret Society Girl, ran with it, and to know how it turned out. It was fascinating to follow the ups and downs as they happened, and it totally encouraged me. Here was someone who worked really hard at writing, who learned from her mistakes, who bucked tradition and made it.

I know I sound like a scary stalker but I'm not (I'm not!!). It's just been so much fun to watch someone who worked so hard make it - fun to watch the excitement as the book launches and the reviews come out. And I'm constantly impressed that even with deadlines looming and parties and promotions to plan and execute she's still out there on the loops and boards helping newbies out, answering our questions, giving advice (and ranting - those are always fun).

Alls I'm saying is, I feel like I owe a lot to "meeting" Diana (I won't go into all of that here - even I recognize too much sap) and so I thank her heartily for it!!

Now, go buy the book :)

So much sh*t... so little time...

Okay, I just moved a year ago. And at that time I gave away like 10+ boxes to goodwill not to mention the dozens of bags of trash I threw away. So how is it that I have so much crap to pack? Everywhere I look - crap. Stuff that all needs to make it from Point A to Point B before Friday.

The salt and pepper shaker, the RWA magazines, the VCR and xBox 360 controllers. Eye drops, cotton balls, sheets, christmas lights, books, books, and more books. I even came across my old rejection letters from my first book (3 of the 6 requested partials and then fulls - go me!).

And in all of this madness I have to remember what I need for Nationals and not pack it. I've already lost my old RWA Conference badge (with original PRO pin). I remember putting it in a safe place during the last move but where that save place is now is a mystery. I found an ID badge from high school but my PRO pin? Forgetaboutit.

As for the big move, we're still wondering what the cats will think. Right now they're a little freaked out. My cat - Sam - is loving the boxes but won't let us out of his sight. The Boy's cat... well, she's as neurotic as ever (and smelly).

Wish us luck on the Big Move. Right now I'm looking at having to pack the nail clippers, guitar pick, and collection of pens sitting on my coffee table. What an odd collection of items!

Archival pats on the back...

I'm a big fan of reading other blog archives. In fact, this is something that has really kept me excited about my current WIP. There is nothing more fun than knowing that someone has sold / has an agent/ is succesful/ has finished a new WIP/ whatever than going back and reading through their struggles.

Seriously, it's like reading a fairy tale. You know there's a happily-ever-after and you get to go back and read their thoughts real time. You read about the fears, the ups and downs, the struggle and success.

In fact, that's one of the reasons I keep this blog even though I'm not widely read :) I hope that someday someone out there will be starting out, will wonder what it's like to be at the beginning and will read my story and be inspired. I know that's how I've felt reading other people's history.

In that vein, today I was reading Shannon McKelden's archives and something stood out: she asked how many pats on the back a writer needed to believe in their own work. Great question!

All I know is that I've received a lot today. My other sister wrote to say she LOVED my partial and wants more as soon as I write it. Another internet writer friend told me that she liked it - this is someone who is not obligated to be nice to me! Then someone else whose opinion I admire tons told me it was cool and funny! My writing - cool and funny! Who knew?!

Like I said before, I know that the passion should come from within, the knowledge* that you can write, can succeed* has to come from yourself.

But that doesn't mean it's not awesome to hear someone else say what you like you tell yourself. Thanks everyone!


* As I've said before... I can't spell worth a shirt. Live with it.

She likes it!

You ever have those days when the writing bug is wriggling around in your tummy and all you want to do is work on something, anything? That burning need to write, to be writing, to have written?

It's been a while since I felt that excitement, that tingling. In fact, while I was polishing my partial I was starting to wonder if I wanted it enough. I kept reading about people who've taken 3 foster kids into their already hectic house, but who still write. People who write 20 pages on a daily basis. People who are writing or editing like mad mad mad. People who wouldn't let pesky things like having to move, repair a house, critique others, sleep and work get in the way.

But today I got that feeling, that wonderful life-is-great-I-can-do-this feeling. I think what brought it back was a phone call from my sister at 11pm last night. She'd just finished reading my partial and she loved it. Loved it, loved it, loved it. She's who I think of as my reader - she's my target. And she knows what she's talking about and would tell it to me straight if it sucked. I'm sure my whole family was afraid to read my partial (I know I would have been if the roles were reversed). What would happen if it sucked? If they had to tell me so?

Questions that will hopefully go unanswered :) I know you're supposed to find that spark within, that you shouldn't rely on what other people say or think or whatever. But sometimes a little validation can go a loooong way.

Now to finish writing the book :)

And thanks to all those blogs out there that share that same feeling of the writing bug. When I'm trapped at work in the morning and can't write it's nice to live vicariously!

The maiden voyage

Yes, folks, today was the first (of many) pilgramage to the Depot - the Home Depot. I have to credit The Boy for keeping our costs down. This morning we drove by the house and he went room by room (and outside) to make a list of everything we needed. Once in the mecca, I mean store, he wouldn't let me detour from said list. Little things that I thought we NEEDED he said could wait until our next trip. Other things that I thought would work to fix problems he answered with a firm, "let's check it out at home first before buying it."

I think he saved us over $100 in impulse buys (we had a bet on how much the bill would be, I lowballed and won). We walked out of there with paint, painting supplies, caulk (some chick tried to pick up The Boy in the caulk aisle while I was waiting for the paint to mix), broom, Round-up, smoke detector (could you believe there were none in the house?!), other assorted odds and ends, and each of us got a book. His is of the general How to Fix Everything variety and mine was Gardening 1-2-3.

As you can see, we're new at this and need all the help we can get.

So we leave the store, hungry, stop by a new (and now fave) restaurant that had excellent BBQ and beer and went home and slept for 4 hours.

So much for using all the tools we just got... I guess that's what Sunday is for, eh?

So much so much...

Oh I have great blog thoughts, so many good blog thoughts. I should save them up, let them out day by day. But they're all timely. So here's my plan: I'll do the list thing. Then I'll elaborate later. Savvy?

1. We bought a house! Remember back when? It's ours now... all ours. The wobbly sink, the shallow tub. And I love love love it all! We drank champagne on the porch the first night and walked around the park. Can't wait for the maiden voyage to Home Depot this weekend...
   
2. Who else didn't want to come home from vacation? I miss the sun and ocean and boozie treats...sigh.
   
3. One good thing about coming home... our apartment overlooks our downtown and we had THE PERFECT view of the fireworks. I mean, people lined up for hours to get a view like ours. We kicked it on the porch, drinking wine, holding hands. It was a nice way to say good-bye to our apartment (ok, technically we have a month left...).
4. Today I sent my partial to a few wonderfully generous beta readers. As I told them, I have no problem at all sending my work to agents and editors (I've done it before) but I'm terrified of sending it out to fellow readers. I know, they can only make my work better but -eep!- still scary! I'm sure I'll be jittery until I hear back from them. But I'm so so lucky I had great people agree to read for me (Bren - I can't find your email on your blog to send it to you!).
5. The best part about #4 above is that I finally finished up that pesky partial. Well, the polished draft to send out to others. I have a new respect for everyone out there polishing their little hearts out. Not only did my day job take over my nights but it seemed that there was something ALWAYS something getting in the way. I tried to find the blog post I read today about how you gotta find time to write. The End.
6. Speaking of tripping over things out there in the ether... anyone else noticing all the conspiracies that have been popping up recently?
7. Somehow, somewhere, I have become a Star Trek, Next Generation junkie. Damn you TiVo!!

SOLD!!!!

Not me, The Boy. But close enough! I've mentioned before that The Boy is a writer in his own right. You can find some of his stuff here. He's very modest about his talent but let me tell you, he is amazing. His first finsished story, The Deserts of Vast Eternity, made me cry when I read it. And it was about the fifth time I'd read the thing. I can't wait until that story becomes well known so that y'all will know what I'm talking about. It is such a beautiful tale. The story he sold, Halloween Night was one he shot out one day on a lark - isn't it amazing how these things work out?

Anyway, rather than use my own words to describe his sale, here it is in his own words from his site:

GOOOOAAAAALLLL!!!!!

Today I made my first ever fiction sale, a totally non-Gtame related short-story entitled "Halloween Night," to Shimmer Magazine. If you haven't heard of Shimmer, check it out, it's really a great magazine full of awesome new speculative fiction: www.shimmerzine.com. More details as the story gets closer to publication.

I can't wait to see him in print! Wohoo for dreams coming true!!!

(p.s. that picture that he used is one of our two cats... the one that doesn't help me write...)

TIME, Time, time...

Curses, even as I type this I just remembered one more thing I have to do tonight: pack. Which means I should have done laundry. Eh, that will have to wait until later.

It seems that my whole week has been like this, like a total whirlwind. I finally get the best news (an agent wants my partial wohoo!) and all of the sudden the rest of my life crowds in. One of the partners I work for wants every case in the 9th Circuit on quashing subpoenas briefed by Monday (I learn about this 3pm Friday) which means working all weekend and even getting into work at 4am on Monday (trying to swipe all the proper swipe cards spots and get to the doors while they're momentarily unlocked at that hour is like a brutal video game).

So Monday when I drag my butt home at 6pm I can't see straight, Tuesday is a mandatory firm event, Weds I finally have a night to focus on the partial when I find out at 4pm that my step-brother is coming to stay. That caused a panicked and early exodus from work to come home and clean clean clean. Thursday was another firm event and Friday is a business trip. But the truly mind-numming part was a trip to THE DMV.

But that is a story for another day... today's story is that I've yet to finish polishing up that partial. And the agent just posted about how she's all caught up and ready for some new reads. Ack! Tomorrow is a business trip, I anticipate another working weekend but I'm going to try my best avoidance tactics. This will be the weekend I finish the partial (and see my sister and nephews I haven't seen for months).

Life. I guess this is really what it's all about. Really, now that I blog about it, I have nothing to complain about. In fact, life is pretty damn good. Thanks to the fury of the weekend I'm ahead on my hours for the month which means I can enjoy the rest of June. And an agent wants to read my work. And I get to see my sister and her kids whom I adore! Huh, how's that for a change of perspective?

And did I mention that The Boy sold?

Big big day tomorrow!!

So tomorrow (Friday) is the pitch slam. This is where I get to send out my pitch to Agent Kristin Nelson who is top o' my list of favorite agents.

How did all of this come about? Well, Dorothy started a yahoo group and invited agents to answer questions. Last week it was Jenny Bent and she graciously agreed to review one sentence pitches. Her critiques were short, honest, and to the point. Exactly what everyone needed. Unfortunately, I missed it all.

This week, the guest agent is Kristin. All week a group of us has been honing our pitches to the requisite one sentence. Today we get word that 2-3 sentences is ok. Yipes! As The Boy said...

"now you should take the run ons and break them into two sentences, the way God, Strunk & White intended."

and he's right, a lot of us just took out the periods and went hog wild with the run ons.

So far my project has only been between me, The Boy and The Family. It's scary to let the idea into the world for comment. So far it seems to be good (and I love that other people love it). Now it's time to hear what Kristin has to say...

fingers crossed...

(and unfortunately I leave town soon after the pitch slam so any readers out there will have to wait until Sunday to find out what she says - think of it as my version of suspense!)

So bad...

Yes, yes, I've been a terrible blogger. If it makes anyone feel any better, I've been an even more terrible writer. I've turned into such a slacker! Ugh.

Well, the good news is that I'm hoping to crank some work out tomorrow. And when I say work, I mean work on the WIP. See, that's the thing about my job being all about the billable hour: when there's no client to bill there's nothing to do. Sure I have some things here and there to work on, but nothing that can sustain me for 8+ billable hours per day for the next week until phase II of my big case kicks back up. Grargh!!!

So, this week agent Kristin Nelson has been a visitor to one of my chat groups. On Friday the group is doing a pitch slam which essentially means posting a one sentence pitch of our work. No one is quite sure if Kristin is reading in order to request material or critique, but since she's one of my favorite agents it doesn't matter to me; to me this is a big deal and great opportunity.

I've been working on my pitch and am just about ready to let the WIP out of the closet (inside joke with the storyline...). Maybe I'll post it here tomorrow and see if anyone has anything interesting to say about it.

But, as The Boy says, I must beware putting carts before chickens. First... there comes the writing. Must write, must write, must write.

Well, that was unexpected...

So last night I wrote another scene to the current WIP (which I love, btw). And after reading the recent addition to The Boy (who gets to hear it all), he and I were discussing the Plot (yes, with a capital P). You see, for a while I haven't known how it all will end. And you may have noticed by the progression of the sidebar that it's about time for me to figure that out.

Anyways, so as The Boy and I were driving to get dinner he said, "I know you might now want to hear this but..." and he went on to tell me that perhaps THE main love interest (out of 3) should end up with someone other than the protagonist. This was something I'd already considered and was actually glad to hear someone else confirm my thoughts (fears?).

As I was pondering how this would affect the book all of the sudden everything clicked into place. The Plot, the climax, the resolution. It was all clear.

Of course, it's gonna take a ton of editing and whatnot. But it's nice to know how it all ends :)

So, loyal readers, how do y'all handle plotting, plot twists, and figuring out how it all ends?

Guacamole

Best recipe ever:

1. 3 ripe avocados
2. 1 large red onion
3. 2 ripe tomatoes
4. 1 jalepeno pepper - no seeds and chopped almost to death
   
5. cilantro
6. salt to taste
7. secret ingredient: Rose's Lime Juice
   

The key is to mix it all with your hands - it's the personal touch that makes it good. You might ask how Rose's Lime Juice came to be the secret ingredient - good story. The Boy and I were making Guacamole to go with our margaritas one summer afternoon after studying for the bar when we realized we were out of pure lime juice. No way were we going back to the store and no way were we not having our Guacamole. But it just wasn't right without the lime. So we added Rose's figuring, why not? It was the closest to lime juice we had on hand. And let me just say that the touch of sweetness is just what the chef ordered.

Enjoy!

Nosey Neighbor

I'm fascinated by one of our neighbors in our apartment building. First, a bit about where we live... for a brief while it looked like The Boy and I would be on our way to practice law in NYC. So we were already prepared for the high rents, etc. So when we found out we weren't going to NYC (thank goodness!) we realized that we had a big chunk of rent money already set aside. Never wanting to leave anything to waste (or spend wisely...) we decided to go for it and live it up for a year in our new city. This meant renting a penthouse apartment (honest - it really wasn't that much more expensive than our more reasonably priced back-up plan) that over looked the city and came with trash and maid service (see, another way we justified the cost).

So a lot of our neighbors are pretty tony. There's this particular couple across the hall that moved in a few months ago and The Boy has been lucky enough to walk by their place when the door was open. The place is apparently so put together that The Boy thought it was one of the "show" apartments set up by the management (let me just tell you that no one would make that mistake if they saw our apartment...).

And then a while back as I was doing walking lunges down the hallway I just happened to notice the letterhead of a competitive law firm pressed up against their garbage bag (see, this is where the trash service makes it so much easier to be nosey). So when I passed by again I took a closer look (really, I just wanted to see if my neighbors worked at a rival firm).

The first few words regarded the prenup they had on file. So our neighbors are a client of a rival firm and they recently inquired about or filed a prenup. I guess this is the best place to interject and let y'all know that these neighbors produce an inordinate amount of trash. And I mean, an ungodly amount. Where we might have 1 or 2 bags per week they have 8 by the end of the weekend and at least 1 every day after. I come home from work and the hall outside their apartment is lined with JCrew, Nordstrom, Tiffany, etc bags. It's to the point that it's a running joke between The Boy and I.

So seeing this prenup really got us wondering. But that's not the point of this story. So the other day I'm dragging myself home from work after a 12 hour day. Let me just say I was tired, headachey, pissed - all the worst I could feel. And as I walked past the neighbor's apartment I heard a man sobbing as he said, "But you promised me you wouldn't do this..."

At first I thought it was a joke - histrionics over the phone. But then I heard the guy again saying, "you promised you would help me and I can't believe you're doing this to me!"

It was real, he was seriously upset and yelling, clearly sobbing. I can't remember what the woman said, but it was something in rebuke. It was an all out fight and a part of me flashed back to the prenup, wondering if that would ever come back into play.

And I stood there listening, wondering what the hell was going on and totally fascinated by this glimpse into another life. But it sounded like their voices were close to the door and wary of being caught I slipped into my apartment to gush to The Boy. Thinking he'd admonish me for my nosiness I was suprised when he told me to get back out there and find out more. Normally I would have but I'd already gotten enough of a glimpse into their inner life.

Instead I walked over to The Boy and told him how much I loved him.

More tidbits...

1. Chinese food can cure any bad day.
2. so can a cool gin and tonic (no matter how flat the tonic).
3. I open my wallet this morning to give someone my driver's license number and realize...oops... license is expired (and has been since my birthday in January).
4. this is in addition to the fact that my car's tag has been expired for months.
5. in my state you have to retake the written test just to get a license.
6. oh, and it's up to them if they also want you to take the road test... say... if your license has been expired for a while.
7. rather than write I spent the evening studying for the written test.
8. No, that's a lie, I spent it watching Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.
9. I am waaay behind in my writing.
10. I miss the beach... oooh, I miss the beach.
11. Is it Friday yet?
    
12. No, the week can't end until I have a new license and tag.
13. sigh... better get studying...
14. Just because it feels weird to finish at 13... not that it's unlucky or anything...

Tidbits...

(A) I wasn't the only one thinking about word counts.

(B) I'm out through Tues - Yeah (even better I'm at the beach!)!

(C) I love Love LOVE my WIP

(D) Anyone want to read said WIP when done and critique? Please? Pretty please? (in all seriousness...I'd love the help!)

(E) Adult beverages I love as well...

(F) I can't say how much I appreciate all the other bloggers out there... I learn so much through y'all so here's a hearty THANKS!!

(G) Have I mentioned lately how cool The Story Game is? It even has nifty reviews now! Check it out!

(H) Thank you to The Boy for negotiating our rental contract and doing such a fab job. Long story, but it's enough to say that The Boy did an awesome job!!

(I) Can't wait to move into new house!!

Word count

Today's topic is word count. Oh, and what a rich topic it is!

Now, as many of you know the first thing people think of when they hear word count (or at least what we authors think) is how exactly do you measure it? I cannot count the number of times I have read message boards arguing over this topic: to use the Word word count or to multiply every 25-lined Courrier 12ed, 1 inch margain page by 250? And to a beginner this is not an insignificant topic as the two different methods can have drastically different outcomes.

For example, according to word my current WIP is 44,064 words. If I use proper formatting count then I have closer to 50k. When you're working category (which I'm not) those 5k words can make a big difference, at least to the new writer (and perhaps to the editors as well, I don't know since I'm not that versed in category).

Anyways, one of the things I used to love to do with my second MS was to reformat at the end of the day to see just how many words I'd written manuscript style because it always seemed like a bigger accomplishment. Ah, good times.

Another topic that seems to always come up in word count discussion is the various "requirements" of different houses. I must admit that I'm always surprised by people who write a book and send it off to ST publishers only to be told that 50k words isn't within ST range. Now, if you're totally new to writing I can see this mistake, but some people are members of big groups of writers and this knowlege is easy to get ahold of. Maybe I'm just the type of person that NEEDS to know what I'm getting myself into and so word count was the first thing I looked at when I started writing. After all, a girl's gotta know what to aim for.

But I digress... the real reason I wanted to bring this topic up is because of my desire and drive to always be moving my word count bar higher and higher (see sidebar to the right for word counter). This means that it has become physically painful for me to cut words that I KNOW need to be cut. Because to do so seems to lessen my progress even though I know in the end it is only for the best.

Is anyone else out there like that? This weekend I finally cut some scenes that needed to be axed and it was so sad to have rewritten two whole scenes but to barely see my wordcounter move (though it has moved by 5% since then which can only mean that I've kicked some personal ass writing).

Since I'm only working on the rough draft right now I've given myself permission to leave the dregs in there if it makes me happy. I'm not worried about not having enough words. I always start out a project afraid that I'll never have enough to write and then I find myself almost (or more than) half way through and think "crikees! I've barely just gotten started!"

That's how I feel now. Turns out I didn't need to kill anyone off just to get the word count. Who knew?

See, e.g., title of this blog...

So, have I mentioned that I tend to procrastinate? Yeah, well, that might be why my blog has been short of content recently. And I'd like to tell you that I'll write a nice meaty entry tonight, but I'm a bit far into my wine for much writing... it's The Boy's birthday and we've had a bit of celebrating.

So what do all of you do when you procrastinate?

For me it depends on what I'm delaying doing. In school when I had a paper to write I'd clean. My room never looked so good as when I had a deadline looming. Well, as it turns out, I've taken that habit into my working life. This past week I had a memo due and I'd done all the research. All that was left was the sitting down and the writing. I even knew what I was going to write!

So what did I do? Cleaned my office. It was about time too. I had stacks on top of stacks of paper. See, there's this client who sends a copy of every filing to the partner I work with and then faxes a copy to me in our main office (who faxes it on and then sends the original fax interoffice). This means that in this one case where we're one of like 6 defendants I get three of everything filed: discovery, letters, etc.

It piles up pretty quickly. And for a while I felt like I had to keep everything. Until I realized that - hey who knew! - we keep files of all of this stuff. And it's organized too! So rather than me digging through my desk looking for that one discovery request, it's far more efficient to trudge over the file room and pull it. So easy, so wonderful. I love the woman in charge of marking everything for filing and the woman who files it all.

Anyway, so while I was in the middle of cleaning my desk I recognized the behavior for what it was: procrastination. Didn't stop me from finishing cleaning. After all, like I said my office was a mess and with the summer associates starting I figured I should put on a good face. Oh, and I got that memo written, no problem (and having a clean desk really helped!)

With my writing I procrastinate differently (oh, I wish it were the same procrastinatory behavior because then I'd have a spotless abode!). I tend to try to organize and plot. Organizing means pulling out notecards and then trying to determine if I want to color code them or not (rarely do I end up using the notecards because I can't come up with a good color scheme). Plotting means lounging in bed or on the couch thinking up scenes and sometimes getting up to write them and sometimes falling asleep.

More of the latter.

That's what I did this weekend: orgainze and plot (in both senses of the word). It was brutal. It hurt. And I'll write more on it later. But until then, what do you do to procrastinate?

To be read...

I think I may have mentioned this, but much to The Boy's chagrin, the one thing I promised myself when I graduated from law school and started earning money was that I could turn back on one-click shopping from Amazon. That way, I can sit at my desk at work and just click click click for books. Why even bother with the "are you sure you want to buy this?" Yes! Yes I love books, I love to own them and hold them!

And so recently I received many packages from Amazon filled with yummy books I've been dying waiting for. Ally Carter, Scott Westerfeld, Suzanne Brockmann! Oh how I love all of you!

But no. I'm writing now. And with the home buying I'm not writing as much as I had been. I've stalled a bit (though I think I've cleared up much of what was stalling me). But I need to spend my lounge time either plotting, writing, or organizing thoughts for the book. Not that I have a deadline, but I'd like it done and polished before RWA nationals in July. Plus, I have Agent Kristin already lined up to read the partial.

It makes me sad to see those books just sitting there, stacked haphazardly by the bed. Especially since I've waited so long for some of them. Sniff sniff. There's a naughty part of me that says "oh, just read one... just a little a night." But I know, one taste of Specials and I'm a goner! One peek into I'd Tell you I Love You But Then I'd Have to Kill You and I'm done until the end.

Oh the curse of it all!

The Story Game

For a few days there's been a new link up on my sidebar for The Story Game. For those of you who haven't clicked over yet, I thought I'd tell you more about that site, maybe perhaps convince you to follow that link.

The Story Game is something that The Boy and His Brother came up with during the fall of '05 (in fact the first pitch was written during The Boy and I's bar trip to Curacao - boy should I post some pics from that trip!) Anywhoo, back to the topic at hand... their site gives a short spiel on how it all got started but basically they decided that they wanted to do more writing and that it would work best if they had some sort of deadline. You know, the pressure to write. They also decided that they'd try writing on one topic per week (called The Pitch) and that they'd limit the writing to around 2 pages.

And almost without fail they have followed through on their promise to each other. It really is truly amazing to watch. There were some glitches to be worked out in the beginning (early on we were all on a trip together and the deadline was looming and neither had written their story and they were about this close to just extending the deadline but they didn't and that's caused them to push through every week since). Not only do they write the pages, but then they call each other and spend hours on the phone talking about not just about writing, but about life.

I have to say, I think the whole thing is amazing. Not just that these two brothers continue to write, continue to pitch and to amaze each other, but that they have the type of relationship where this matters, where sometimes a pitch isn't just about the writing.

I'm not gonna lie - it makes me love The Boy even more.

But I digress... the reason I point this out is because they are great writers. Their stories range from the humurous to the haunting (in more than one way) to the to very succint. There's folklore, sci-fi, and just plain silly. And they post every week.

There are many reasons I think you should bookmark their page. Not only is it great writing, but it's also a lot of fun (and not high maintenance). The page is there for when you need a brief diversion, a reminder of writing for the love of the craft. Plus, if all else fails they post the new pitch for the week on Sunday (the same time they post their writing on the pitch from the week before) and it makes a great writing exercise. Go ahead, write something. I know they don't have comment availability but if you feel the need to share I'll post it on my blog. At the very least it shows you just how many ways there are to approach the same topic (some of you may be familiar with Diana's Great Blog Voice Experiment).

So give it a shot and enjoy The Story Game! The stories are snack size and we all need a little snack every now and again!

Picture Day!

Recently someone posted a question on one of my writers loops about where we all write. There's also this really cool website that has pics of well-known authors' writing rooms (really worth the look! Oh, and here's another one!).

So I thought I would post mine. I tend to have a friend while I write. That's my cat Sam - he's a very big help! See how he's sending good vibes into my notebook? You can see The Boy's leg back there as well...

Whose voice is it anyway?

Recently I posted a little about writing what you know and I promised more on this topic. As I mentioned in that post, my current WIP is based on some of my own life experiences. And I must admit, there are times that I feel as if this has stymied my creativity. These experiences are so ingrained in me that it's hard to twist them, to change and manipulate them.

Let me back up a bit. Actually, this book is based on two separate experiences - essentially two different jobs that I held that are quite contradictory (and the juxtaposition is part of the book). One of them I have no problem parodying at all. We'll call that Job A. In fact, I have such a terrible memory that I can barely remember the facts of that time and so am forced to make it all up. But the other experience or job is one that's hard to play off of - Job B. I find myself constantly referring to a journal I kept during that time and having a hard time veering from anything that didn't happen in my experience. I'm certainly less creative with those aspects of the story.

Tonight I wrote a scene that deals with Job B and in the end the writing felt a bit flat. It wasn't that it was BAD writing, it was just, sorta, there. It got the point across but not the voice. Suddenly I realized that this was the case with almost all of my Job B scenes. They're all written more like reporting rather than a character experiencing them.

I mentioned this to The Boy and together we realized that when I picture those scenes in my head I don't see them from my protagonist's point of view, but from my own. And since this WIP is written in first person it gets very easy to confuse the two. I've been writing Job B scenes in my own voice! Not good.

It's amazing how stubborn we can be about breaking apart an old memory and recrafting it for our own nefarious purposes. These memories are almost sacrosanct to me and it's been hard for me to scavenger them. But them's the brakes - if scavengering is what I gotta do then that's what I gotta do.

After struggling with a few of these scenes I have to admit that it was nice to have that "duh" moment. Now that I've realized this mix-up in voice it is so clear to me that this is what's been going on. I can't believe I missed it before! And here I thought that it was just hard for me to channel this protag's voice. That's not it at all! When I'm writing fiction it's actually quite easy to get the voice that I want. It's only when I impose my world on my characters that I lose it. What a relief this revelation is - this hopefully means that I can edit the consistency of voice back in!

The Boy says I should think of all of those scenes and then imagine how my protag will aproach them. I agree. At the same time I think I also have to reimagine those scenes differently - not feel the need to be quite so true to real life. This isn't a memoir, it's fiction.

How do you deal including your own experiences in your work? Do you feel your own voice trying to come through at all? Am I the only one who gets the two worlds and voices confused? And is it really a bad thing if you do?

"based on my experience..."

There's the age old advice to write what you know. I'm sure all of y'all are familiar with that. Many people have commented on that advice - some accepting it, some rejecting it. Along those lines I've also been told that when writing a query letter it can be helpful to put down (somewhere towards the end) any special experience you bring to the table that's apropos of your writing. This can be writing credits or it can be as simple as having some sort of specialty in the subject of your writing. For example, if I were writing a legal thriller I might put in my query letter that I'm an attorney, etc. You get the point.

That's why I was somewhat surprised to read the following on The Knight Agency website under their submissions guidelines:

The suggested one-page length leaves no room for the digressions that bedevil many of the query letters we see. If it's not directly relevant to the project under discussion, leave it out. Mentioning that a work of fiction is "based on a true story" or "based on my experience" actually hurts, rather than helps, one's case: all fiction is based in fact to some degree, and by emphasizing one's experience as a key element, one inadvertently suggests an inability to produce other works of fiction.

Now, for those of you who don't know, Deidre Knight is a very respected agent who appears to be very very good at what she does (and she's a romance author herself!). For me, that's enough that when she gives advice, I sit up and listen (but that doesn't mean that I follow it blindly - that's never a good idea no matter who is giving the advice!).

Based on what I said at the beginning of this entry about how it's generally advisory to point out that you have some experience in what you're writing about (if you have it, it's not like you can't write about something you have no experience in) I found Deidre Knight's advice intriguing. There are plenty of people who have posited that some writers - especially young ones - have one good book in them based on experience and then the well runs dry. I can easily see how that's true (more on that to be posted later). And it seems to me that this is what Deidre Knight is getting at with this advice.

But the first time I read it I got chills and thought, "uh-oh" because my WIP - while not based on a true story at all - is very firmly rooted in experiences I have had, in worlds I've lived in. To me this was one of the strengths of my proposal, that I HAVE lived that life and that I kinda know what I'm talking about. Would I be shooting myself in the foot by mentioning that? I'm not really looking for specific advice here (especially because I know I'll end up mentioning the experiences) but I find it a generally interesting question.

In the end I think that the thing about advice is that sometimes you heed it and sometimes you don't. Sometimes you get conflicting advice and you choose to go with your gut. I'm one of those who reallly advocates not getting too terribly bent out of shape about query letters (I'm not sure spending 3 months drafting them is the best idea...but some do advocate it). Of course I say this now before I've had to draft one for my current WIP.

I guess that's the thing about advice. As a writer I crave it, I like to know the path of others and what they have learned. But it can get tricky because every path is different and I think that there are writers who spend so much time trying to take the contradictory advice of others that they've stopped thinking for themselves. Boy, isn't that a topic for another day!

I'm curious, anyone else have thoughts on writerly advice? Do you really think that we young folk have fewer stories and is it really a bad idea to write based on life experiences (and to mention those experiences in your query letter)?

My first tag (and I feel so cool)

I got this tag from Bren and, as the title of this entry implies, it's my first tag ever. Here goes...

Six minutes to yourself - how would you spend them: sponging up the sun and daydreaming.

Six bucks to spend right now - how would you spend it: as much margarita as possible.

Six items you’d leave behind if your house were on fire:

1. my law school books (those suckers are frickin' heavy!)
   
2. those boxes in my storage bin that I don't even know what's in them
   
3. my fat clothes (hell, all my clothes and I'll throw in the shoes for free!)
   
4. my old file of rejection letters (I hear they make great tinder)
   
5. my journals (I love them dearly but there's a time to let go I guess and what better way to go?)
   
6. my CD collection (is this cheating since all the songs are ripped onto my laptop?)
   

Six items you’d grab if your house were on fire:

1. my cat (and I'd grab The Boy's cat too cause I'm nice like that and she's kinda cute even if she smells a little)
   
2. my two stuffed bears (sounds lame but the fact that one is named Drunk Bear should mitigate any lameness)
   
3. a charcoal nude that I drew in college
   
4. my grandmother's jewelry (and heck, I'd take mine too since it's all in the same place...)
   
5. my cell phone (I feel like I have to pause and be practical here... someone has to call 911)
   
6. my laptops (both old and new) with all my writing on it
   

Six words you love: (ok, is this supposed to be a phrase or individual words? I'm going to go with individual cause that's easier for me right now...)

1. Natch (my new fave word right now. I'm sure it will get old soon)
2. Whatev (such a ridiculous word I can't help but laughing when using it)
3. luscious
4. machiavellian
5. sated (ooh, there is a good story behind that one that I'll have to remember to share later)
6. me :)
   

Six things you want to accomplish before you leave the earthly plane:

1. become a full-time writer and be able to live comfortably off of that writing
   
2. litigate and win a case for someone who really needs it
   
3. travel to New Zealand and Australia (and we'll throw in some pacific islands while we're there)
   
4. become a mother (we're working our way up... we started with cats (don't ask how the first step with plants and the second with fish went...sufice it to say the cats are doing quite well, thank you))
   
5. learn how to be less critical, less bitchy, less whiney and much much more appreciative, laid-back and happy.
   
6. spend a week on a private island with The Boy

Um, I'd pass this along but er... no one really knows me yet and I'd end up passing it right back to Bren or Rachel and that could just create a vicious loop...

A little more about my writing...

Rachel asked what I write* which is an excellent question, especially since this is a blog at least partially about my writing (it's supposed to all be about writing but I like to rant at times).

I just wish I had a quick and easy answer. Soon I'll write a few more detailed posts about my process to date because I think that every writer has a backstory that really influences where he or she is now.

But, that backstory aside, I've been finding it difficult to classify my current WIP. My first completed (and submitted many times) manuscript was very clearly a romance. More specifically it was a very dark Western historical (what was I thinking!?). No way was I branding myself with that. Then I realized that I liked to read contemporary light hearted stories and decided to write that (plus I really stunk at the historical aspect - the details of it all such as at what point in time "hang on a second" became a phrase because when were we conscious of the second as a division of time?) So, I wrote a romantic comedy (at least I hope it was comedic).

Then when writing the synopsis (back cover blurb style) for that manuscript I realized that I'd killed off a guy in the first few pages that should have lived (it being a death made it too dark). Yet the whole story revolved around his death... what to do... what to do... apparently law school was what to do so off I went.

In between writing those two mss, taking a haitus from writing to apply to and attend law school, and now the market changed. Yes, it's partially that there are so many more sub-genres but it's also that there's just more openness. New styles are being allowed, it doesn't seem like there are quite so many rules. With the rise of chick lit there can be a happily ever after that doesn't involve a man or a proposal but involves figuring out who you are (as they say: not Mr. Right but Mr. Right Now).

Having been away during this change I feel it very keenly. Maybe all this was out there before and I just missed it, but I either way it IS there now and it's very freeing. But with that freedom comes a difficulty in classification.

I'm a big believer in knowing where your book will fit into the market because at some point someone is going to care about that. For my first two I knew exactly how to describe them: a sensual 100k Western Historical single title or a sensual 100k single title romantic comedy. And anyone reading those descriptions knows what those books are (if you know the market). I used these descriptions to tee off my query letters, to tell agents and editors EXACTLY what they were looking at.

My current WIP? Not so easy... it's in first person (much more acceptable these days). It has a chick lit voice but I'm not sure it's actually chick lit (at least not the traditional single girl in the big city way). The protag just finished her Junior year at college, she's gone into a world she's not familiar with but has to figure out (and in so doing figure out who she is and how she fits into that world) but I'm not sure it's a coming of age story because, well, she's come of age. It's not really a traditional romance because there are a few love interests and none of them are central to the plot - the main thrust of the story is not her relationship with a member of the opposite sex.

With a protag that age I think I could go Young Adult but I don't know where that division lies... and I think the final word count will be closer to the 80k range than the 100k range.

For once I don't have that easy one line description and it has me slightly worried. I think you can really shoot yourself in the foot for not targeting somewhat but I know - just know - that my book fits SOMEWHERE, it's just hard to figure that out (and it's not that type of thing where it tries to be all things at once like a romantic sci fi cozy horror mystery written in verse - not that something like that wouldn't be entertaining).

While I've found this one to be easier to write in many ways, figuring out the story arcs had been a bit harder. So much that I know about writing and plotting is traditional to the romance world and that's changing. It's not all about having the heroine's external conflict be in opposition to the hero's internal conflict, etc (not that there are rules, that's just a for example).

So when you ask what I'm working on right now that seems to be an easy question with a very complicated answer (as you can see). Right now I'm just going to try to get it written because I'm enjoying the writing. I think I could be happy having this book be just for me (and friends/family) which is a big shift in the way I've always approached writing... but that's a topic for another day :)

*Ok, technically she didn't ask what I wrote but if I wrote chick lit... I took artistic license and ran with it...

Roof, part tres...

World, welcome to our new house*...




* Ok, right now we just have a contract and who knows what will happen between now and closing but I still have high hopes and fingers crossed this will all be ours on July 7 (oh, the debt!)