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Posts Tagged ‘Young Adult’

Golden Oldie

Posted in writing, tagged , , , , , , , on July 24, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Well, I’ve started a little of my weird Oz story, but it’s not really flowing yet. So, I jumped in the way-back machine (fifty totally meaningless points if you get that reference) and pulled up my first novel (not counting the thing I did in college, of course). It’s THE SHAMAN’S CURSE.

Now, I’ve taken a couple of whacks at rewriting this before. I pulled out part of the story arc and wrote it as a middle grade novel I called MAGIC’S FOOL. I liked that pretty well, but I was persuaded that the age of the protagonist (thirteen in that version) would be a problem. I’m no longer sure that’s true, though. I’ve read other recently-published books that start with thirteen-year-old protagonists.

I tried again with a young adult version which started with the protagonist at fifteen, just like the original. I never got very far with that one.

Then I just got tired of trying to shoehorn the story (which I still love) into either of those categories. I like the original plot line better. Not that it can’t benefit from a few revisions and some tightening. Still, overall it’s the writing in that first version that’s the problem, not the plot.

So, that’s what I’m doing right now. I’m trying a rewrite of THE SHAMAN’S CURSE. It’s an interesting experience for a discovery writer to have essentially a 100,000-word outline to work from.

Reminder: You can read the first four chapters of BLOOD IS THICKER free on wattpad. I really have to get down to some serious planning for the launch. I might have to slip the release date back a little if I don’t make some definite plans by the end of this month. I can do that at this point, but it’ll get harder later.

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Lucky Sevens

Posted in writing, tagged , , , , , , , , on July 21, 2013| 2 Comments »

Both @Sheena Dabel Boekweg and @Melanie Sweat Crouse have tagged me in this meme on Facebook.

Unfortunately, I’m not actually doing Facebook right now, other than to share these posts. (It’s not just that Facebook can be a huge time-suck. My computer and Facebook aren’t getting along well at the moment. Probably something to do with my older operating system (Windows XP) or my layers of anti-virus/malware software. But I haven’t had a chance to sort it out, so I mainly just go onto Facebook long enough to share these posts.)

The rules:

The rules… Go to page 7, 70, or 170 of a current work in progress or a recently published work and choose either the first complete paragraph or 7 lines of dialogue to share. Paste it to FB and tag 7 other authors to do the same.

All right then. From page 7 of MAGIC AND POWER:

“So? Did you ask her?” Cergio asked as he and Savyon led their horses into the palace stables.

Savyon scowled. “No. You let the others get through too soon. I didn’t have time.”

“How much time does it take? It’s a simple yes-or-no question, isn’t it?”

Savyon’s posture stiffened. “You can’t just blurt out a question like that without a little . . . preparation.”

Cergio shrugged. “No, you mean you can’t. I mean, if you’d’ve been doing this right, the proposal shouldn’t come as a complete surprise to her.”

Savyon’s ears turned pink.

Cergio choked back a laugh. “Oh, no. You’ve still been going on as if you’re just childhood friends, haven’t you? Have you even tried to kiss her?”

For good measure, from page 70 of BLOOD IS THICKER (which is available before formal release on October 21 at Smashwords):

“Be more careful, Cristel,” Rolf said, shaking his head. “You and Vallie. Neither of you know when to quit.”

Vallie smirked. “Oh, and you do. How many days did you spend pouring strength into me in the hospital to keep me alive?”

Rolf rustled his wings. “That was different.” Under Vallie’s level stare he added more softly, “Sort of.”

Cristel turned toward the bronze egg. “Did it work?”

The egg was unmistakably brighter. Rolf put his hand on it, sensing something Cristel couldn’t see.

“Yes, it seems to have,” Rolf said. “But don’t hold on so long next time. Just a little bit at a time.”

Cristel nodded. “I understand.”

“See that you do. After all, we won’t be here to stop you. And you can’t stand up for our eggs if you can’t stand up.”

Since I’m not actually on Facebook as I type this, if you’re a writer and you feel so inclined, consider yourself tagged.

Also, the first four chapters of BLOOD IS THICKER are now available free on wattpad.

 

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At Loose Ends

Posted in writing, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on July 17, 2013| 2 Comments »

Well, not really. There’s plenty for me to be working on. But . . . but I’ve finished most of the revisions I was planning to carry me into next month.

  • BLOOD IS THICKER is done and already available on Smashwords. (By the way, my other published stories are on sale on Smashwords through the end of the month. Some are even free. Check them out here and remember to use the coupon code listed right below the price.) You can also read the first three chapters of BLOOD IS THICKER free on wattpad.
  • MAGE STORM is basically done, although I’m still waiting for feedback from a couple of beta readers. I still need to work on the query and pitches some more. The synopsis could probably stand a bit of polish, too.
  • And, surprisingly, I feel like the third draft of MAGIC AND POWER is probably just about the final draft–at least until I can get it in front of a few beta readers. After the last pass, there’s just one more thing I think I need to take a look at. I suspect my characters do a lot of taking deep breaths and breathing out. Using a physical response to show emotion is good, but I probably need to introduce a little more variety there.

So, it looks like I may be starting that weird Oz story about a month sooner than I’d planned. I’m going to have to spend a little time getting myself into the right frame of mind. This one will be in first person and my character has (I hope) a distinct voice. But I don’t like taking more than a few days without doing some actual writing. Gotta keep those writing muscles in shape.

Of course, I also need to continue preparing to officially launch BLOOD IS THICKER (October 20). And continue trying to promote FIRE AND EARTH, mostly by trying to line up reviewers.

Maybe I’m not at such loose ends, after all.

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Ahead of Schedule

Posted in writing, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on July 3, 2013| 1 Comment »

First, my books and stories are part of Smashwords’s Summer/Winter Sale this month. All of my shorter stories: “Heart of Oak“, “The Music Box“, and “Becoming Lioness” are free. BLOOD WILL TELL is 75% off, just in time for the launch of the sequel, BLOOD IS THICKER this fall. FIRE AND EARTH is 50% off. If you ever wanted to read one of my stories, here’s your opportunity. If you want to make an author happy, don’t forget to leave a review where it will count, like Amazon or Goodreads.

I’m currently working through the second draft of MAGIC AND POWER–and I’m way ahead of schedule. I expected to get through about chapter 9 this week. I’m now working on chapter 23 (of 26). I might even finish the second draft this week. Now, the second draft is a long way from a finished draft, especially for a modified discovery writer, like me. But it’s really good progress and I’m pleased.

Then I need to do some additional work on the query and pitches for MAGE STORM. My goal for MAGE STORM is still to have it ready for WriteOnCon. I’m still waiting for some of the critiques on that one, though, so I’ll probably switch back to trying to finish and polish up BLOOD IS THICKER. A finished manuscript would allow me to start taking steps to line up reviews and maybe a blog tour in advance of the launch, for a change. I need to create, at a minimum, an e-book version that I can distribute to reviewers. It would also allow me to set a publication date about three months out. Both good things.

Sometime after that, I’ll be ready to start on my next new project–my weird Oz story. For some reason, August and September do tend to be my most productive period for first drafts. I have no idea why, but I’ll just go with it.

BLOOD IS THICKER is being serialized on wattpad, but since it’s not complete, I’m only updating once a week. You can read the first chapter here.

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What I’ve Learned (So Far)

Posted in writing, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on June 30, 2013| 4 Comments »

Well, not surprisingly, I’ve done things backwards, again. Typical.

What I’ve learned so far from my experience with FIRE AND EARTH:

Fire And Earth Cover (Provisional)

I need to start planning and taking action much earlier. I planned a month in advance with FIRE AND EARTH. Most of that went into formatting and cover art, though, so I hadn’t done a lot of preparation for a launch. With BLOOD IS THICKER, I’m going to start a minimum of three months in advance.

So, I won’t know the date until I have a finished, polished manuscript in hand. Then I’ll pick a date at least three months out from that. I’ll need to go ahead and do the formatting, for Smashwords at a minimum, and then start approaching potential reviewers in the hope that some of the reviews will be up at about the launch date (or even a little earlier).

I also need to do more in the way of a blog tour, cover art reveal, etc. Introvert me has resisted this, but I’m going to have to push myself out of my comfort zone. Well, what else is new? I knew that’d be part of learning this promotion thing, didn’t I? And that was part of the point. Beyond wanting to get my stories out there, I want to start learning the other side of this business that I’ll need no matter what path my writing takes from here.

I still have to figure out how to do my two-for-one offer of BLOOD WILL TELL and BLOOD IS THICKER together. I have a couple of ideas, but nothing’s final yet. I want it to be everywhere, not just one bookseller. And I want it to be wider than just my writing communities. For that, I may have to create an omnibus edition which can temporarily be priced the same as either book separately.

Meanwhile, I have started serializing BLOOD IS THICKER over on wattpad. If you want to see how the story starts (or continues, since this is the sequel to BLOOD WILL TELL), you can check it out for free over there.

 

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Looking Ahead

Posted in writing, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on June 23, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Well, we’re about half-way through the year and I guess it’s time to look ahead to my plans for the rest of the year.

I’ve got a number of revisions under way.

  1. MAGIC AND POWER: I’ve just started the second draft. It’ll take at least one or two more drafts and some beta readers before I decide what I’ll ultimately do with it. It’ll need a new title, at the least. This is the story that grew from a planned novelette into 75,000 words.
  2. BLOOD IS THICKER: This is the sequel to BLOOD WILL TELL. I’ve just completed a revision on this. I’m finally happy with the story. (Did I mention lately that sequels are hard?) It needs at least one more pass. I plan to start serializing it on wattpad as soon as BLOOD WILL TELL is complete there. (Next Sunday, in fact.) And I need to start planning a launch for this for sometime this fall. Note: This time I do actually intend to plan about three months ahead. Guess I’d better get started.
  3. MAGE STORM: I’m just beginning to get feedback from my beta readers on the newly revised version. I’m excited about this one. It’s my middle grade fantasy and I want it to be ready to pitch at WriteOnCon in August. That means I need to rework the query and synopsis, too.

Hopefully about the time I finish these revisions, I’ll be ready to start writing my “weird Oz” story. I’m getting excited about that one, too. It’s likely to be the first novel-length work I’ll attempt in first person. At a minimum, that’ll be an interesting adventure.

Meanwhile, at least until MAGE STORM is ready, I’ll continue querying THE BARD’S GIFT.

Eh, when I put it all down like that, it’s no wonder the house is a mess.

The next-to-last chapter of BLOOD WILL TELL is up now on wattpad. Final chapter to come on Wednesday.

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Series Can Just Go On Too Long

Posted in writing, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on June 19, 2013| 1 Comment »

 This is the last in my series of blog posts about the problems with series. Don’t get me wrong. I love a good series–up to a point. But some series just keep going on . . . and on . . . and on. And at some point, they go on too long. This post is about endurance–the reader’s–and knowing when to stop.

I’m quite sure that the endurance level varies widely by reader. My own experience suggests that mine is somewhere between five and nine books in a series, depending on several factors. After that, I just don’t really care enough about the characters or the story to continue. This probably helps to explain my strong preference for either series that are already complete–and I can tell how many books are involved–or for series in which each book represents its own story, allowing me to stop at any point that I get tired of it.

HARRY POTTER certainly held my interest for all seven books. Though, even then, I confess that I enjoyed the earlier ones more, I think. WHEEL OF TIME lost me somewhere around book nine. It is certainly possible for a series that doesn’t give any intermediate resolutions to go on far too long for me. I can only think of one “series” where I read more than nine books–and that one was more a collection of series within the same world but with different collections of characters and problems. Even then, I reached a point where the stories just couldn’t hold my interest anymore.

I understand the temptation. You’ve spent hours, days, maybe months, building up this world. More, readers seem to like it. Why wouldn’t you want to keep writing stories about it? But, I think wisdom is to be found in knowing when to say enough and go build some other world.

 The final chapter of FIRE AND EARTH (actually the epilogue) is now up on wattpad, along with a new chapter of BLOOD WILL TELL.

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The Big Problem with Sequels–Reintroducing

Posted in writing, tagged , , , , , , , , , on June 16, 2013| 2 Comments »

For a writer, there’s very little more difficult than starting a sequel. You have all these characters, settings, and issues that have already been introduced to the reader–probably over the course of a couple of hundred pages. Now you have to reintroduce them at the start of the sequel, with at least enough information for the reader not to get lost.

It’s risky to assume that your reader already knows these things because they’ve read the first book. Ultimately, you can put Book 2 on the cover in pulsing red letters and someone will still pick up the sequel first. You have no control over that. And you don’t want that reader to be so lost that they put your book down and decide that they don’t want to read anything else by you. So you want to supply enough information for that reader to be able to grasp who everyone is and what’s going on. But how?

Probably the easiest thing is to write a short synopsis of the first book, providing the necessary information. Unfortunately, most readers will just skip that, anyway. The next option is to try to introduce the information as it’s needed, but without making it seem like an info dump. Easier said than done.

In BLOOD IS THICKER, at least I only have to start with two of the characters and add the others as the story goes on. I got lucky. That’s the natural starting place of that story. The start of the sequel to MAGE STORM won’t be too bad, I think, though there will probably be more than two characters. In THE IGNORED PROPHECY, sequel to THE SHAMAN’S CURSE (assuming I ever get back to rewriting those), well, there are a dozen or so characters all in the same place. I’ll have to find some way of introducing each of them, and the setting, while trying to get the story started. Yikes.

It’s a delicate balancing act–enough information without slowing things down to a standstill and boring the reader before the story even gets off the ground. I have to say, I haven’t seen an example I can hold up as the absolute gold standard. At least, not yet. Have you?

Also, new chapters of FIRE AND EARTH and BLOOD WILL TELL are available on wattpad. (Only one more chapter to go in FIRE AND EARTH.)

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The Problem of the Middle Book

Posted in writing, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on June 12, 2013| 3 Comments »

Did you ever notice that the middle book (or movie) in a series is usually the least exciting? It just feels like there’s something missing. I have a theory about that.

This applies to all lengths of series in which there’s some overall conflict tying the whole series together, but, for the sake of brevity, let’s use the trilogy.

In the first book, we, as readers, meet the characters for the first time. We “see” the setting for the first time. Hopefully (so that we’ll want to continue the series) we fall in love. If it’s a fantasy, we also learn about the magic system, about any strange and wonderful creatures that inhabit this world. It’s all new and sparkling and full of wonder.

In the third book, we have the big bang, the ultimate confrontation between the hero and the villain. The villain gets his come-uppance. The hero emerges victorious. We get the resolution, the satisfaction, of finding out how the story ends.

The poor middle book doesn’t have either one of these. Hopefully, it’s at least a decent story in its own right, but not always. I’ve read series in which the middle book doesn’t even come out to a story, in the sense of having a smaller problem recognized in the beginning and resolved at the end. It’s just a bridge between the first and third books. I have to really love the characters to want to come back for more in those cases.

This is something I’m really struggling with right now with BLOOD IS THICKER, which is the middle book of my CHIMERIA trilogy. The three books are each meant to stand alone, but they also build on each other and there is something of an overarching problem. BLOOD IS THICKER suffers from middle-book syndrome. And I’m not quite sure how to fix it. Yet.

Now, I want to mention one series that spectacularly beat the middle-book blues–J. K. Rowling’s HARRY POTTER series. And I think I know why. She parcels out that sense of wonder all through the books, especially the early ones. In SORCERER’S STONE we learn about the wizarding world, Diagon Alley, Hogwarts, Quidditch, baby dragons, unicorns, and centaurs. But in CHAMBER OF SECRETS we get the flying car, the whomping willow, giant spiders, a “talking” diary, a phoenix, and the basilisk. In PRISONER OF AZKABAN we get dementors, hippogriffs, werewolves, time-turners, the Marauders’ Map, and the patronus charm. Do I even have to go into GOBLET OF FIRE?

Now, if I could just figure out how to apply that to BLOOD IS THICKER. I think I have a better chance with the sequels to MAGE STORM.

Also, new chapters of FIRE AND EARTH and BLOOD WILL TELL are available on wattpad.

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Revisiting Old Stories

Posted in writing, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on June 2, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Well, having closed (for now) the first draft of MAGIC AND POWER, and not being quite ready yet to start in on my “Weird Oz” story, I’m currently going back through some of my older stories.

MAGE STORM, after a rework, is ready to go out to critiquers. I’d really like to get this one off the ground because I have ideas for at least three sequels. I want to go play in this sandbox again.

Meanwhile, I’m working my way through the manuscript of BLOOD IS THICKER, which is the sequel to BLOOD WILL TELL, reminding myself what I like about this story and what things still need work before it’ll be ready to e-publish. My original target for this one was a little over six months ago, but it just hasn’t been ready. I’d like to make it by this autumn.

It’s fun to have a reason to go back through these stories and remember what I love about them and the characters. Especially the characters. My frustrated half-werewolf, now married to a dragon. My well-meaning dragon who just can’t quite overcome his protective instincts. My cluelessly naive unicorn-girl. And that’s just in BLOOD IS THICKER. This story was meant just to have fun with.

Wednesday will by my review of A CHANGE OF PLANS by my awesome Pied Pipers critique partner, Donna K. Weaver. Isn’t that cover gorgeous?

Meanwhile, new chapters of FIRE AND EARTH and BLOOD WILL TELL are up on wattpad.

 

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