Friday Celebrations

Oh Friday, how I love thee.  Participating in the Celebrate Small Thing Blog Hop really gives me a better perspective.  Maybe you can relate to the simple truth that sometimes it's easy to focus on negativity or forget how much we have to be thankful for.  I get caught in that trap more often than I should.

Anyway, before I turn today's post into a rant, let me share what I am celebrating today:

1. Revisions are going well.  I wish I was done, but I believe I will get there.
2. One of my best friends and I have gotten back into a walking routine.  Exercise is always a plus!
3. I am settling into a new routine.  Adjusting to my new job took some time (doesn't it always?), but I am feeling much better.  I work weekends, catch up on household chores on Monday, and write the rest of the week.  It's a good schedule.

So what are you celebrating today?

Thank you, honest critique partners.

Mondays have become my catch-up days.  Mostly I catch up on sleep, but I try to be productive with other things too.  I began a new job last month, and I'm currently working weekend nights, 12 hour shifts.  This means I'm about worthless on weekends! But I accomplish so much during the week, the new job is worth it.

Anyway, I thought I'd share with you all a response I received from a good writing friend of mine.  He read SHARDS OF GLASS and gave me some good and not so good news.  Isn't that the way it goes sometimes? Hey, truth hurts, but we need to hear it.  And I'm glad he gave me an honest critique. 

So here's the good news.  The emotional element is strong.  Evoking a reader's emotions can be difficult, but that connection is what bonds the reader with the character.  Mission accomplished!

Here's the bad news.  My ending doesn't work. 

Now here's the thing.  Critiques should be reviewed and thoughtfully considered.  However, the writer is the one to make the final decision.  Therefore, I could totally ignore the critique because I love my ending.  I absolutely love it; it makes my romantic heart melt.  But since I respect my writing friend, and since I recently had another critique say the same thing, I've given it a lot of thought.  And I'm afraid they are right.  The ending is almost too good to be true.

Thankfully, there is a silver lining that makes this more bearable.  I can revise the ending to make it more realistic, and the final outcome (for the characters) will eventually be the same.  That outcome just won't be shown in SHARDS. 

So that's my news for today.  Now please excuse me while I catch up on other things....

Celebrate Good Times, Come On!

It's a Friday celebration! I hope everyone has had a wonderful week.  Today I am celebrating more revisions to SHARDS OF GLASS.  I've made some pretty big changes, and I'm totally flying by the seat of my pants, which is fine since I don't usually do a lot of planning.  I'm also celebrating the fact that I've accomplished any writing at all considering I've been sick.  I finally caught that nasty little bug that's been going around, though I don't think I've had it as bad as some. 

So what have you accomplished this week? Share below! And check out what everyone else has done this week. :)

Celebrate the Small Things ~ Blog Hop

Well, folks, it's Friday.  That means it's time to celebrate the small things.  This is a blog hop that I'm excited to take part in.  The goal is to celebrate achievements and to spread the cheer among other participants.  Signing up is still possible.  Click on the above link for details.

So what would I like to celebrate today? The rewriting of a scene, a kissing scene to be exact.  In SHARDS OF GLASS, my MCs Emily and Nicky share a kiss that was, well, more tell than show.  For a first kiss, it was rather dull.  But with a bit of tweaking, it left me breathless just writing it.  *sighs*  I love writing those types of scenes, the ones that make me feel whatever my MC feels. 

So that's my achievement.  If you've signed up for the blog hop, I look forward to coming your way to celebrate with you.  If you haven't signed up but want to share something you've achieved this week, feel free to do so below in the comments section.

*high-five*

What MY Writing Has Taught Me

Today I thought I'd share a fun little post about what I have learned from my writing this year.  Take a peek at the list below.  Then share your own learning experiences if you'd like.  Here goes:

1. The writing method I use today will be different a year from now.  It may even be different tomorrow.

2. It's okay if my story becomes something other than what I planned.

3. I need a cheat sheet at my desk for using lay vs lie.

4. Cutting words can lower the word count but can also make room for the right words to be added.

5. Revision is not a shameful word.

6. Character emotions are better shown with a balance of physical actions and internal sensations.

7. Every character has a part to play or shouldn't have a part at all.

8. Spending eight hours editing thirty pages is okay if that's what it takes to get it right.

9. Writing few words in many hours is also okay if that's what it takes to get it right.

10. My knowledge will grow beyond this list, as it should.

Hope you enjoyed.  Please share your own learning experiences below. :)

Sometimes We Writers Have To Change It Up

I'm happy to report I am finally getting back into a writing groove.  And it feels great! Now that I've had some time away, I have been re-evaluating.  I began querying SHARDS OF GLASS at the beginning of this year, and all I've received so far is standard rejections.  I'm of the opinion that taking a new look at the query letter or the manuscript itself never hurts, especially when no agents have shown enough interest to even offer a bit of advice.

So being of that opinion, I took a fresh look.  More than ten months have passed, so I'd say that is a sufficient break away.  The query itself isn't a problem, I don't think.  But there is one major setback.  The word count.  *sighing while wiping bitter tears*  The best fit for SHARDS is YA.  And 90K words is long.  There are exceptions of course.  But I really believe in this story and want to see it published.

I shared my struggle with this story about a year ago here.  Getting the word count down was a nightmare.  And part of my writing style is to let the story write itself.  This is where I have to change it up, hence the title of today's post. 

Last year, I tried to remove Part I in an effort to reduce the word count.  It didn't work.  The story, mainly the dynamics between the FMC and MMC, suffered.  So I put Part I back in.  However, in a more determined effort to get this story right, I have cut Part I off again.  And off it shall stay.  Making that decision wasn't easy.  I love that part of the story.  But taking it off cut my word count to the 67K range, which is much more acceptable for YA.  And now that I've come to terms with that move, the story doesn't seem to be suffering.  I'm anxious to get it in the hands of some betas though to make sure. 

I've done some more editing and revising; I had to with Part I gone.  And this evening I plan to finish editing and revising the final 40 pages.  Then I will be seeking betas.  I'll see how that goes before beginning another round of queries.  And while taking care of SHARDS, REKINDLE has been put on hold.  I'm anxious and ready to get back to it, though. 

So there's my current writing dilemma.  I'm curious about all of you.  What part of your preferred writing style/technique/etc have you had to change? Even if the change wasn't permanent, please share below. 

Accepting Constructive Criticism

My writing philosophy is this: anyone can write.  However, not everyone can write well and tell a good story while doing it.  Writing takes a lot of work.  And one of the things a writer must be is objective.  Let's be honest.  We love our stories and our characters.  However, we can't let our feelings overpower our objectivity.  This is especially true when it comes to critiques.

I recently blogged about the novel I am working on titled REKINDLE.  As I began writing, I felt the need to get the story set up properly.  Thinking I was off to a great start, I continued with the story.  But something felt off.  I couldn't put my finger on it, but I was not connecting with Kallie at all.  Joey's scenes were going great, though.  So each time I sat down to write, I would edit and add some more.  I'd do the same thing the next night.  And the next night.  With just over 8,000 words (four chapters), I stopped.  I couldn't go on.  I am not one of those writers who can "get the story down and edit later."  Yes, I edit when I've got my first draft done, but I can't keep writing when I know something is so terribly wrong.

So what did I do? I posted my first chapter at Absolute Write.  After receiving some awesome advice, I deleted the first couple pages.  I didn't even try to edit; I just took them out completely.  I did revise the new opening scene, and guess what? The story reads better.  It's not burdened by an unnecessary opening.  I can connect with Kallie much better.  And now I can continue.  With a few minor revisions to the remaining pages, I'll be on my way.

I could have reacted differently.  I could have insisted that the opening was necessary (I loved the first paragraph!) and tried to edit.  I could have pleaded my case and tried to figure out something else.  But I didn't.  Instead, I looked at the story objectively and acted accordingly.  And that is necessary for all writers to do.