Woman Troubles, Robots, and Chapter 2!

Good morning, good afternoon, or good night (whichever it may be). How are things?

I love writing about Mac. Who is Mac, you ask? Well, Mac is the robot in Clockwork Charlie. He is her sidekick, her friend, and the only family she has left (not going in much further than that at this point I'm afraid). It really does take me back to the sci-fi and fantasy stuff I read as a kid, C.S. Lewis and L. Frank Baum... The hero always had a loyal sidekick, someone they could trust, no matter what. There's a big part of me that misses that, misses the simplicity in it. Anyhow, it's lots of fun for me, even in a more adult setting like C.C.

Writing from the perspective of a woman... Needless to say, it is very different. I've written women main characters in my short stories before, but this is already a very different venture for me. One big thing I've already come across, is trying to write about a woman's body; without seeming lecherous. I think I'm staying on the right side of the line, but only time will tell, right? ;)

I'm very proud to say that I have been able to hit my 500 word goal every day, excluding the weekend. If I am able to write on the weekends, I'll use either my Saturday or Sunday to get a 2,000 word day in.

The count thus far, is at a healthy 4,125 words. YAY! (that is not sarcasm, just in case you were wondering) I have just climbed into Chapter 2, and I'm very happy with my pace.

Mmmm, the coffee is delicious today, but my cup is empty. Time to get away from this glowy box and get a refill.

I think that's it for today,
Thanks for reading,
buh bye then

Hey, I won!

So, I've been moving very slowly in my editing. Very slowly. I'm pretty much a lame slacker who needs a task master to keep me on mark. I'll get back to it, as a matter of fact, I plan on getting through a bunch of it today. I just need to not play on the interwebz too much... hmmm, this could be more difficult than expected.

I have been getting some awesomely helpful reviews/crits from the folks that have been kind enough to trudge through my first draft. I don't know if any of you will ever read this blog, but you pretty much rock infinite. I'm still working with my crit partners on a chapter-by-chapter, close up review (which is very important and helpful) but I also have a few whole story reviews trickling in. These are both very encouraging, and very painful. I can see that I will be slaughtering my "little darlings" once I start my revision. (If you don't understand the reference, read more of my earlier blogs ;))

I'm ok with that, though. It's all part of the craft, part of becoming a better writer, and that's what this is all about. I want to have this book (and others to be named in the future) published, and therefore, must learn to whittle away the excess, trim the fat, hone the skill... etc.

It's all actually very exciting to me, and I can't wait to start writing this story again.

On another note, I won something! That's right, me. Ken. This guy! I've been reading several blogs recently (look at my blogroll to see which ones) and I entered my name in a contest at WAG THE FOX (click that title to check it out) pretty much on a lark. Then the unthinkable happened; I won the contest! wOOT!

Because I've been such a slacker, I didn't even know about it until I finally checked the email I have linked to this blog (yesterday). There are a handful of sweet books being sent out to me, and I can't wait to start reading. A huge thanks to WAG THE FOX (in case you missed it the first time) for holding such a rad contest in the first place!

Now, I need to brew more coffee. That means I need to get away from this computer for a moment. So I'm going.

Thanks for reading,
buh bye, then

French Toast and Brains

Hey there!

...I know, I've been a slacker. I'm sorry. I'm back now, though :)

Actually, I haven't been slacking... that much. I've been reading for others and responding to crits. I now have around ten crit partners, not to mention the folks who agreed to read for me from Critters.org. It's pretty amazing, and scary, and strange to know that there are strangers from all over the globe (literally) reading my book. Wow.

I've received some crits from early chapters already, (mostly positive, and with great ideas to help me along) but I haven't finished my first edit yet, so no revisions. I want to get as much input back as I can before I start that process anyhow. It'll be long and painful, but I'd also like to write this story as few times as is necessary.

I had french toast for breakfast. It was good. I made it. Also, I had (am still having) lots of coffee :)

What? You don't have coffee? Go get some! I will wait...

See, much better, yes?

Hey! If you know about any great books about zombies, tell me.

ummm, that's it for now,
buh bye then

Crit partners, puppies, and coffee (of course)

I didn't get much work done over the extended weekend. Nope, I spent time with loved ones, just playing around and watching Star Wars :) I feel it was just as productive as any other weekend!

I found my first crit partner the other day (yay!). She seems to be a very awesome lady, who happens to be an English teacher... in Japan! (how freakin awesome is that?!) For anyone who may not know, a crit partner is someone who will read through your work, and critique it (now the "crit" thing seems pretty clever, huh!) (No, it's not some random Dungeons and Dragons reference) (Though, I could see why you'd think that) (wow, I'm using to many of these).

Anyhow, she already sent me a very informative review of my first chapter. She pointed out some things I hadn't noticed, as well as confirmed a few things I was already thinking. I'm excited, though I think the process might be a bit rough (like tearing off a band-aid).

Grrr... You may have already heard about or seen the video of the girl throwing puppies into a river. It literally made me sick to my stomach, which never happens. Anyhow, two days after I heard this story, I heard another one. An old lady had found the puppies (well five out of six puppies) and was nursing them back to health. How amazing is that?!?!? My heart swelled and choirs sang and monkeys threw poo in celebration...

It seems that it may have all been for nothing. Many people are now saying that the puppies the old woman was holding in her photos, do not closely enough resemble the puppies that had been in the original video. The rumor is; the girl that had thrown the puppies cried out for help when she started receiving threats, and a neighbor jumped in to help, making the video.

Grrr... ok... breathe in... remember that this blog is supposed to be about writing, not evil people.

I know it was a tangent, but I've been thinking about it a lot, so I decided to share. Now to brew more coffee (I love the french press!) and get back to editing.

Thanks for reading, buh bye now-