So, I did it. I made the schedule I talked about here, and have (of course) already deviated from it. ;) However, it has definitely helped me to become more aware of the time I have available during the week, and how I can best use it. I'm sticking with the experiment - I am getting up earlier on days off from the Day Job, which is good for getting in a solid hour of catching up on blogs & email before I start on the writing/revisions.

Also, I was talking with my friend (and brilliant author!) triciasullivan via email the other day, and as usual she had much wisdom to share. Here's some of what she had to say (quoted with her permission - although she laughed at me for thinking she's wise *g*):

The physical act of making a timetable will help to pull your intentions together and let your brain know this is serious, you really mean it. And it's fun.

Yes! It was fun! I'll have to post a picture of my super-colour-coded timetable. LOL!

Fail? No. Try and think about it this way. Writing is hard. There are a lot of obstacles and distractions. The timetable and the intention behind it are not a magic bullet. But if you DON'T take an active role and responsibility for carving out the time, it ISN'T going to happen by itself. So this is a huge positive step, and you're not looking for perfection. You're looking to use the timetable as a tool to help you do more than you would have done without it. If you find it's giving you more aggravation than results, you can take another approach. Don't shackle yourself, just get on your own side.

Isn't that perfect? Don't let her tell you she doesn't know what she's talking about! I'm very lucky to know her.

So yes, I am struggling with the process, but I am also aware that I've made a commitment to trying harder at fitting in my writing around all the other things in life. Or should that be the other way round? I'm fitting the other things around my writing! Any tool that helps me to take this work more seriously - to give it the importance it deserves - is worth trying. And whatever doesn't work can be thrown out and I can try a new approach. Nobody is judging me apart from me.

One thing I've discovered - or maybe just confirmed - is that I don't find it easy to work in complete isolation. However... neither can I write with music playing. And yet, I can work pretty well in cafes. Ah, the contradictions of being a writer. However, most cafe-music is more like... muzak, so I don't find it particularly distracting. And I like the hustle and bustle of the cafe environment; there's stuff going on, but none of it directly involves me. Maybe that's why I worked well when I wrote THE IRON WITCH. Most of the first draft was written at my mum's, sitting at the dining table. She would be doing things around me and in the next room, but I quite liked it. I had company - I didn't feel completely alone - and yet I could still concentrate.

Most of BEAUTIFUL GHOSTS was written in a cafe, and that flowed quickly.

What I'm finding with revisions is that my mind wanders off far more easily than when I'm writing a first draft. I really procrastinate and resist the process. That's why I am allowing myself to keep Twitter open while I write. I was discussing this with a friend the other night - Twitter feels a bit like having that 'cafe buzz' in the background; people are chattering but it doesn't have to impact on what I'm doing. However, if someone sends me an @ repy or mentions me, I can jump in and say something then get straight back to my work. For me, this seems to be working. So far... ;)

I didn't post yesterday because I was super-busy at the Day Job.

In fact, being busy has been something of a... theme, lately. I've felt a little overwhelmed with all the various projects I have going on. Thankfully, a good friend took pity on me - having watched me run around like a headless chicken for the past couple of weeks - and helped me break down all the things I need to do. We looked at the different jobs/tasks/commitments I have, and then how many days/hours I have to achieve those things.

Here are the different 'things' that went onto the list:

- Day Job (currently 4 days per week)
- Editorial revisions for TIW (contract)
- Agent revisions for BG
- Rewrite of DOL
- Write 12,000 word Moth story for YA anthology (contract)
- Write TWQ (sequel to TIW - contract)
- Update friend's website (paid)
- Necessary online commitments: Deadline Dames admin and posts & guest blogs to write for other sites.
- Sekrit Project preparation (paid work - not fiction writing)
- Keep up with email and my LJ.

We then worked out a sort of 'timetable' for an average week, blocking out periods of time that I can dedicate to writing/non-day job work. We also put in regular breaks, and even allowed for 'social time' with friends (though that's going to be limited for the next couple of months).

I'm going to create that timetable on my laptop with lots of colour-coding (*g*), and then I'm going to print it out and stick to it. Even though it was scary to see it all laid out that way, it really did help to talk it through and write things down. Having a plan might actually be good for me... Normally, I'm not a big planner, but I think I'm going to have to change my ways. At least in terms of time management. Just because I have a Day Job doesn't mean my writing is something to be squeezed in now-and-then when the muse strikes. This is also a Job (with a Captial J!) and I need to start treating it as such.

Um... wish me luck? ;)

I've been thinking about the whole 'being a writer' thing. Partly because I just think about this stuff anyway, but mostly because I've been getting more and more emails and messages from people who want to write - maybe they even are writing - but they don't feel able to call themselves 'writers'. Almost as if there is a special club for Writers-with-a-capital-W... Writers.

Some people say: if you're not at a certain stage in the publication journey/process, or you don't have the right contacts, or if you don't meet conditions X, Y, Z, then you're not a 'real' writer.

I think this is wrong.

If you write, you are a writer.

If you are only just starting out, you are allowed to be a writer. You are entitled to try.

Even if you are just thinking about writing, that is totally okay. Having dreams is good and healthy. Of course if you want to (one day) be published, it would be good to start writing at some point in your life - but don't let anyone tell you that your dreams aren't valid or are worth less than someone else's.

Do you need someone to give you 'permission' to write? Who? Who - other than you - can give you permission to write? Only one person can make your dreams come true. You are in charge of whether or not you put pen-to-paper or fingers-to-keyboard. You certainly don't need me to tell you that it's okay for you to write, or that it's okay for you to want to write. Just so you know (in case there is any doubt) it's totally okay! ;)

Were you waiting for November 1st, for NaNoWriMo, but didn't join up after all? Or maybe you did join, but you've only written 457 words and we're already almost halfway through the month...

So what? Start anyway.

Start now.

You are a writer - so write.

This makes me laugh so much... It's probably funny whatever, but if you're a writer it's even better. *g*

Lots of muttering today...

First of all, thanks to the fabulous lilifae I am reading Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink and am seriously loving it. On the one hand, I am grateful to Liz for lending it to me, but on the other I suppose I should tell her off because I can't put it down and it's stopping me from getting on! ;) Brilliant so far. Love the gothic atomosphere and the beautiful writing.

Talking of Liz, I spent Saturday night at her house and had a great time. Not only have I fallen in love with her little dog (so cute!!), we talked books, she gave me the pick of her overflowing shelves, we watched some episodes of Supernatural and some of The Silence of the Lambs - which is still one of my favourite films of all time. I slept on the couch and her hubby made incredible coffee the next morning, while Liz baked fresh cheese scones. O.o *dies of happiness* I'm trying to figure out some way of getting them to let me move in with them, but there probably isn't really room... What with all the books. Heh.

---

I'm coming down with a cold, though it's one of those stupid ones that takes ages to do anything. My throat is sore and itchy, my body aches and I'm tired, but nothing else is happening yet. I wish it would just hurry up and be a 'real' cold so it can be over with more quickly. In the meantime, I am consoling myself by drinking lots of green tea and eating too many liquorice toffees.

---

I have the go-ahead from Agent M to start working on the sequel to THE IRON WITCH. I'm only going to write a little of THE WOOD QUEEN, just to get back into the voice and tone, but I should be getting my editorial notes on TIW soon so I can't race too far ahead with the sequel. But I am very excited to return to Dona's world. Of course, I'm also excited to write more about the half-fey Xan who is pretty damn hot, if I do say so myself. *g*

---

I am - yet again! - considering turning DAUGHTER OF LIES into an adult book. I love the worldbuilding, but I think some aspects of the story really would work better as an adult Urban Fantasy. I change my mind on this pretty much daily. :) I couldn't stop thinking about it last night, though, as I lay awake in bed feeling sorry for myself re. the sore throat. This has been something of a habit lately, switching off the light and then letting story and character ideas play through my mind before I sleep. I worry that I won't remember what I came up with the next morning, but so far I've always recalled the most important details...

...is my latest post over at the Deadline Dames. Check it out and keep me company, would you? *smiles in a non-needy way*

So, as if life wasn't crazy enough - what with looking for places I might be able to afford to move to (ugh), Day Job, potential addition to Day Job work, short story to write (squee!), and all the work I'll have for Flux soon (double squee!!), I am now thinking of doing a sort-of NaNo for my side project.**

This would be more like NaNo: The 30K Edition, or more simply 'YaNo' that I did in 2007 with sora_blue and reneesweet. We just made up our own version of the official NaNoWriMo, where we pledged to write 30k within the month of November. Other than the difference in total word count, our version also allowed us to write those 30,000 words on any project, whether multiple projects or projects that were already in progress.

All of us hit or exceeded the target of 30k, and it was pretty cool to work together and check in regularly with each other. *hint hint* Are you listening, Renee and Chandra? ;)

--
In other news, I have a brand new Author Crush on none other than the lovely Nalini Singh. Not only did she write one of my favourite books of 2009:



but she is also an awesome person who arranged a relaxed coffee meetup for London-based readers/fans today. Of course, lilifae and I couldn't turn down this opportunity to stalk meet such a legend of paranormal romance. It was also great to meet some familiar faces from the blogging/tweeting world, and Nalini signed books, posed for photos and - yes - even cuddled one lucky fan's baby. LOL! Then a few of us kidnapped Nalini and her sister and whisked them off to Forbidden Planet to sign her stock.

Good times! :)


                        Has, Ying* & Kaz                                                    Nalini & Kaz (BFFs)

*Has & Ying make up two-fifths of the Book Pushers.

**This doesn't change my goals for jonowrimo which I purposely set at a modest level.

Cross-posted from jonowrimo
(Just so I can laugh at myself later on when I change all of these! *g*)

I wanted to post my goals to the community, as I still haven't stated them anywhere. When I commented on Jo's announcement post to say that I was joining for my second jonowrimo, I said I had to think about goals due to Certain Circumstances.

Well, those Circumstances came to pass and my debut novel sold (yay!) along with a sequel which I have yet to write (aaaaaaah!!). I have no idea how long it will take for things to be finalised and for me to receive revisions on the first book, The Iron Witch (the icon for this post is my TIW icon ♥), or feedback on my synopsis for Book 2 (TWQ). So my goals are going to have to be flexible! For now they are:

1) Read through the entire ms of TIW; I haven't read it for almost a year. Make notes for things I'd like to change now that I'm a better writer, then I can see if any of my thoughts match up to my editorial notes (when I get them).

2) Read through my 4-page synopsis for the sequel, TWQ. See what I still like about it, or if there's a different direction I could go in.

2a) Resist the temptation to start writing the sequel before I get feedback on Book 1. ;)

3) Write (up to 12K) short story due for inclusion in a YA paranormal anthology. Deadline is officially Feb 2010, but who knows what will happen by then? I might as well make a start while I have the time, keeping in mind that I may have to put it aside when I have concrete work to do on the novels.

Phew! Thanks for letting me share. I want to keep myself accountable and this is a good way to do it. Good luck to everyone on their own goals!

Don't you love that feeling, all those ideas and characters and conflicts and words and... worlds jostling for space in your mind?

I am at the stage where I can't keep them at bay any longer. Last night after work I went to a cafe and began making notes for the middle-grade idea that's been playing in my subconscious for several months. I'll have to check back to see how long it's actually been, but it's an idea I came up with quite a while ago. I thought it was a YA book back then, but now that I know my three main characters will be 14 that probably makes it an upper-MG. All these categories get confusing, but I also know it's important to be aware of how your book might fit into the market (and where it would go on the shelves! *g*) if you want to make writing your career.

So this MG idea will be a fantasy (of course!) with lots of mythology set in the contemporary world. I've mentioned the super-sekrit acronym for the title before: TGS, and I still think it's a good enough working title.

Of course, I also want to think about turning DAUGHTER OF LIES into an adult urban fantasy. And there's the London Book, which has possibly become a YA science fiction idea now...

I honestly wish I could write all of these at once, but I'm a one-book-at-a-time girl when it comes to writing. ;)

I am so freaking (as Moth would say) happy right now! I just finished the second draft of BEAUTIFUL GHOSTS. Well, it was sort of a second & third draft rolled into one. I say this because I had to shift the entire book from 3rd- to 1st-person POV, which was a huge undertaking and worthy of a draft all on its own. And that was before I could make the significant structural changes that I knew this manuscript needed all along.

I want to give it one final read-through, but I wrote "The End" at the bottom of this draft and I feel a lot better about it now. :)

For those interested in stats...

First draft:

Started: May 5th
Finished: June 22nd
Time taken: 7 weeks (fast, for me!)
Words: 62K (give or take)

Let the MS sit for 2 weeks, though that wasn't really long enough which is why I struggled to get into revisions for so long.

Second/Third draft:

Started: July 7th
Finished: August 18th (I'm telling you, it feels like a WHOLE LOT LONGER!!)
Time taken: 6 weeks
Words: 60K (pretty much)

So in total, to get to this point has taken about 4 months. And the revisions took almost as long as the first draft, which makes me wonder if fast-drafting is the way forward for me. It's certainly something to think about, although I am willing to consider that this book needed to be written fast; that initial rush of inspiration was certainly there and I just sort of let it lead me.

There will be at least another round of revisions as a result of feedback when I get it, but still... The whole thing was actually pretty quick, even though it felt like it was taking forever. Especially these last few weeks. *sigh* I added a LOT of new material during rewrites, too, so I'm really surprised I've ended up with 2,000 words less in this version. I know I also cut a lot of text, but I must've cut more than I thought!

I will no doubt fiddle with it a bit more in the evenings this week, after the Day Job, but then I will let it go. For now. ;)

I've just started reading The Fire In Fiction by Donald Maass, and already I have something to think about. He says:

I feel that novelists fall into two broad categories: those whose desire is to be published, and those whose passion is to spin stories. I think of these as status seekers and storytellers.

He goes into a little more detail about these terms, with examples from his experience as an agent and workshop leader, but I think the meaning is implicit.

Maass also says:

You would think that at long last finding an agent who says yes, it's time to show your novel to publishers would relax the status seeker's anxiety for validation, but that isn't true. Generally speaking, authors are never more work than during the submissions process. It is normal to want updates on how submissions are going, but with status seekers the process can get nutty.

I read that and immediately felt myself contract - my stomach tightened and I felt quite annoyed. I am on submission with my agent and, in these tough times, things are going slowly. It's true, I ask for updates and guidance on future projects, but does this make me a 'status seeker'? Surely not! I'm not hard work as a client. Nope. Not me... ;)

And then I thought about it and decided to heed the advice of my horoscope this morning: Don't take things so personally.

Maybe I do ask for regular updates, and I'm certainly not ashamed to admit to a deep desire to see my work published... Am I a 'status seeker' because of that? Isn't it normal for writers to seek validation? Of course it would be wonderful if we could all find that validation within ourselves, but we are only human.

But I also know that - at heart - no matter what happens on the publishing side of things I am (I hope) a born storyteller. It's something I have to do in order to be happy, and I wonder why it took me so long to figure that out. Isn't it always the case, that the most obvious solution to our problems is the very last one we turn to? :) Even while I'm working on revisions for one project I'm already thinking of more ways to improve another, while also planning a completely new book. My imagination is spinning stories too fast for me to write down.

I think I will always tell stories - published or not - because this is what I have to do. I'm glad Mr. Maass got me thinking about this last night; it's good to remember why we write.

...because I posted here:



Click the picture to check out my post on 'Outlines, or: The Horror! The Horror!' at the Deadline Dames.


Comments disabled on this entry, please comment over there. :)

At least, things I've learned in the past few weeks. ;)

I completed the first draft of BEAUTIFUL GHOSTS 2 weeks ago. That draft took me an unprecedented 7 weeks. I pushed myself harder than I ever have before, and those 62,000 words didn't come easy - but they did come fast. I think I only managed to write that quickly because I forced myself to get out of my own way and stop editing as I went along (which is what I normally do).

But now I'm paying the price because, two weeks later, I'm nowhere near finished revisions. I don't know if I didn't leave the manuscript to 'sit' for long enough (maybe? I left it a week before even looking at it); or whether I burnt myself out by writing the second half of it so fast; or even if I'm just procrastinating because I want to work on a New!Shiny! project. Whatever is wrong I need to sort it out quickly because this book could be really good, only it's not going to revise itself.

So maybe I've learned that writing quite that fast doesn't work for me? Or maybe I just need to get more distance between drafts? I don't know...

On another, though sort of related note, I have a question:

If you're a writer - published or unpublished (or somewhere in between) - how many CPs or beta readers do you have & who are they? You don't have to name names, I just mean: are they fellow writers? Family members? Family members who write? Friends? Readers who would never even dream of picking up a pen or hitting the keyboard to create a manuscript of their own? Do you find it useful to only get the opinions of one or two readers, or do you have a large number of people giving you feedback on your early work?

Inquiring minds want to know. Thanks! :)

ETA: Just to clarify, the reason I'm asking isn't because I don't have CPs, etc., but because I have LOTS and I wonder if I might find so many different opinions confusing. (Which isn't a reflection on the quality of feedback I get at the moment at all.) Consider this another one of my Very Unscientific Polls...

Amazing, I know... But I am totally going to join Holly Lisle as she asks: Want to write a book with me? Do I want to write a book alongside Holly Lisle as she writes hers? Of course! Thanks to Marjorie Liu for the link.

Check out Holly's post, but basically this is not a challenge or something where you might be chastised in any way for not meeting targets. This is Holly offering herself as the 'rabbit' that you can keep pace with as you write your next/current project. She is aiming to write 250-500 words a day, 5 days a week. I know I was writing a lot more words than that when I was racing through the second half of BEAUTIFUL GHOSTS, but this new project is going to be slower. I can feel it in my bones. ;)

So the London book is looking like an adult book. I am wary of this, but I have to finish one adult ms just to see if I can. (The Norse project is still sitting with a couple of chapters done, and I don't know when I'll write that.) I still don't have a title for the Shiny!New! project, but sora_blue has declared it to be: Kaz's Awesome London Book: Now with 20% More Robots!* Which makes me smile. I'm going to start on Sunday, and just try to keep to a page or two a day, while also finshing up the revisions on BG.


*Please note, there are NO robots in this book. Chandra is a bit mad, but don't tell her I said that...

The Day Job is taking up a lot of time. In fact, so much time (and energy) that I was very tired this weekend and just wanted a break. I didn't start my revisions on BEAUTIFUL GHOSTS as planned.

But! I did start researching and planning my next project. I've decided that while I'm waiting, waiting, waiting to hear news from the distant Land of Publishing, I can at least keep writing. So as well as digging into the revisions on Moth's book as soon as I can, I already know what I'll be working on next. I've done some research and my main character is starting to tell me interesting things.

I think, though, that this book will take longer to write. The first draft may need a more gradual process - I can feel it, somehow. It's going to be the first London novel I attempt, and it's exciting making lists of all the places I have to check out in the name of research. Research trips = the fun part of being a writer! :)

Agent M said that she'd "love to see a London book" from me (huzzah!), so now I just need to find the perfect LJ icon for it. And a title...

I'm almost done with the first (pretty raw) draft of BEAUTIFUL GHOSTS. Of course, now that I've almost finished it in 3rd-person, past tense, I am thinking of switching to 1st-person, present tense during revisions. Heh. I always do this...

Just wondering if anyone has thoughts on 1st-person, present tense POV? And especially any recommendations in the YA field - any subgenre of YA is fine. Doesn't have to be paranormal.

Cheers!

After my major 7k writing day, I sort of crashed on the word count for the next few days. Mostly, I hadn't expected to write much anyway because of the Day Job - I wrote a couple of pages each day, except Thursday when I went out with lilifae after work - but I was struggling. Last night, despite feeling under the weather, I had one of those breakthroughs you only dream of as a writer.

I would call it an epiphany but I think I overuse that word, and you can only have one or two epiphanies in your life. ;)

I was kinda stuck, wondering how I still had so much story to tell. But then it hit me: I had already written the two chapters that should precede the finale/climax. Only I'd written them far too early. And I'd recently written two chapters that were more quiet - though necessary - but really belonged back where those earlier, faster-paced chapters were.

I simply swapped them over. It's like a miracle, because they fit perfectly - apart from fixing the transitions, which I'll do during revisions - and now I think I only have two chapters to write and I'm finished! I'm hoping to do that on Monday as I'm working overtime at the Day Job next week, so that's the last day I'll be able to spend a whole day writing for a while. Today was a family day (my brother likes it when I call them that, and he reads my blog - *waves to bruv*) and tomorrow I'm out with Liz and Ana for more birthday stuff.

So, yeah... Monday is the Big Day and I really want to get this first draft finished. Wish me luck!

How exciting for you all... ;)

Just a quick post as I'm busy with errands & RL stuff today. Then I'm off to Sarah Rees Brennan's book launch in London. Huzzah! (Scroll down to the end of Liz's review at the link for details of the event.)

Progress on BEAUTIFUL GHOSTS was brilliant yesterday, I wrote over 4k to add to the other bits and pieces I'd managed to sneak it, so here's where we stand:

36023 / 60000 words. 60% done!

I'm also discovering yet another new writing process for this book. I am actually WRITING SCENES OUT OF ORDER. Please excuse the overuse of caps, but really... this is a major change for me. I never, EVER write scenes out of order. Hmm... Whatever next? Maybe I will write an entire first draft by hand. Or perhaps write the ending first... Heh. Okay, let's not go toooo crazy. *g* But yeah, this is interesting for me - it just shows that shaking up the way you approach a particular project can really help you to make fast progress.

So, thanks to a helpful fellow novel_in_90 writer, I now know how to find the word count function on my AlphaSmart. (Still waiting for delivery of a new cable to upload the content to my laptop - trust me, I'm biting my nails over the possibility of losing what I've done so far!)

Wow... I've written more than I thought. A lot more. I was hoping to be up to about 20k by today, but here's where things stand after a good writing session this morning:

BEAUTIFUL GHOSTS

26544 / 60000 words. 44% done!

Almost halfway through this first draft, and I can now see how I might really get it finished by the end of the month. But maybe I'll switch back to my laptop until the AlphaSmart cable gets here... ;)

...was something I didn't really expect with this project. I've already driven people mad going on about my AlphaSmart and how it's helping me to curtail my internet addiction and focus on the actual writing for set periods of time.

But the unexpected benefit has been how much it's changed my writing process. I was chatting with my fellow Dames last week and they encouraged me to take more risks and maybe even... *gasp!* try not to edit-as-I-write. At least, not quite as much as I usually do. So far, however, I hadn't managed to do that...

Until now! Thanks to the AlphaSmart and the fact that you can only see 4 lines of text at a time, I don't have any choice in the matter. I have to keep moving forward, even if I end up writing something that makes me say: "Oh, now I have to go back several pages and fix that character name." Because I can't do that with the AlphaSmart. Sure, I could do it, if I really wanted to scroll up line-by-line and try to find that section. But it's awkward, and the more I resist the temptation the less of a temptation it becomes.

This morning I wrote for almost two hours without stopping, going back, fixing something, or generally second-guessing myself. It was pretty awesome. Tomorrow, I am going to download everything I've written in the last couple of days and see where I'm at. I'm hoping to be pleasantly surprised by my word count... (I'll let you know! *g*) Although I am preparing myself for the fact that it'll need more work during revisions because I've pushed forward a lot harder than usual.