This is going to cover a lot of stuff in one post, so there isn't just one name for it. There's several and I'm not sure which one really fits the best. So, three titles instead of just one but a shortish post.
First: apologies for not updating in a while. I really felt that I had nothing to say, which is why there were no posts. I'm going to try to make sure that doesn't happen in the future, but I can't promise anything. I'll try to give a heads up if I have nothing to say, but again, no promises. I wish I could promise my readers that I'm going to do everything on time but I can't. So I would rather apologize than make false promises.
Second: Mystery of the Dark is completely written. It comes out to right under 100,000 words. It is rough and it needs editing and that's happening in March. So prepare for a lot of "oh my God, what did I do?" and moaning about editing. I'm also thinking about signing up for EdMo - Editing Month - but we'll see.
Third: I'm going to try my best to go back to the Monday/Wednesday/Friday posting. It might just be a how things are going but I have another project that I am starting on March 1st. It's the secondary project of this month - Desiring an Umbrella - but I'm going to be writing it on my phone. It's a silly thing, but I like to try to see how writing works on different mediums. I've tried doing a handwritten novel, but that's extremely hard. It's a mix of sight issues and wrist issues, so that's that. So, we'll see if I can't get back to the schedule and work on filling this journal with different things again.
So, that's it for the moment. Hope everyone had a great February and I'll see you in March!
Friday, February 27, 2015
Wednesday, February 11, 2015
The Point of No Return
At the time of writing this post, I am at chapter 27 out of 30 of my novel. Including my current chapter, I have four more to write and then I can finally edit this bad boy. This is great, mostly because I really wanted to shop the novel around this year and get it published for release in late 2015 / early 2016. In order to do that, I have to edit it and get it out to readers who will tell me if it's a good story and so on. The hard deadline to be finished writing, because I completely missed the other deadline of having it completely done by January 31st, is this Saturday.
Yep, Saturday. By the end of the day. This might be moved to Sunday, if only due to family reasons that I will not get into here. That's only because it is not my news to share and I am not sure if they want those reasons spread. However, next week Monday, I will be hard core editing and then putting the editing marks into the word files. Also with a blank notebook because I'll need to write down if there are plot holes.
But this is the point of no return because, really, it is the end. The end of everything. And so on. It's really not. It's the end of the novel and I'm really afraid of it for no good reason. I think it's because it's something that's new. New is scary but it's also good. I have to remember the end of that last sentence. It is also good. Repeat that after me - It Is Also Good. Mantra time. Huuuuummmm.
So, there's that. Apologies for there being nothing on Monday but... it was Monday? And I didn't know what to really talk about? So, yeah, sorry for that.
Yep, Saturday. By the end of the day. This might be moved to Sunday, if only due to family reasons that I will not get into here. That's only because it is not my news to share and I am not sure if they want those reasons spread. However, next week Monday, I will be hard core editing and then putting the editing marks into the word files. Also with a blank notebook because I'll need to write down if there are plot holes.
But this is the point of no return because, really, it is the end. The end of everything. And so on. It's really not. It's the end of the novel and I'm really afraid of it for no good reason. I think it's because it's something that's new. New is scary but it's also good. I have to remember the end of that last sentence. It is also good. Repeat that after me - It Is Also Good. Mantra time. Huuuuummmm.
So, there's that. Apologies for there being nothing on Monday but... it was Monday? And I didn't know what to really talk about? So, yeah, sorry for that.
Friday, February 6, 2015
[TGIF] Weekend Plans
So, this weekend, plain and simple is to catch up. I've been dithering around in Mystery of the Dark and I know where I'm going next. So, really, finishing up that chapter, working on Desiring an Umbrella, and stop the side projects.
I'll report on Monday how it went. Until then, happy Friday and happy weekend everyone!
I'll report on Monday how it went. Until then, happy Friday and happy weekend everyone!
Wednesday, February 4, 2015
[Book Review] Women's Murder Club Books 1-4
In my defense, it was either this or talking about music and writing some more like I did on this week's vlog. It's not pretty but feel free to go ahead and watch it if you want to. So, a book review. Oh, but not just one book, four of them! It's a series and I gobble them up in a span of two to three days (James Patterson has a gift y'all), so why not talk about more than one? Makes sense to me, makes sense to you, and makes sense to the rest of the world. Or at least I hope it does by the end of you reading this post.
So the books are, in order, 1st to Die, 2nd Chance, 3rd Degree, and 4th of July. If you notice, they all have numbers in the title and all listed by the "number in title" part of the 2015 Reading Challege. He's up to book 13 in the series and I said that I was going to read all of them this year. I'm praying hard that he doesn't come out with a new book in the series this year. He could. James Patterson is known for being the Speedy Gonzales of the writing world. He has five active series and this year will see... Wikipedia says three books. I say someone hasn't updated the article considering last year he came out with seven books. For all I know he might be slowing down but I love the fact that he can do so much in writing all these different series. It is something that I aspire to be in my writing.
Back to the books themselves, they are an insanely fast read. I could read them faster, if I just sat and read, but I do have other things to do with my life. It's set in San Francisco, which is a place that I would like to visit but won't cry tears over if I don't, and there's one main character, Lindsey Boxer, and the three major characters - Cindy Thomas, Claire Washburn, and Jill Bernhardt (later Yuki Castellano) that orbit around Lindsey. This is shown in the first book, the introduction to the series, and then cemented into place in the second book. It's more commonplace by the third and fourth book, continuing on through the rest of the series. You get their personal issues, to feel more attached to the characters, rather than just the case that they're working on. For example, in the first book, Lindsey has a life threatening medical issue that is the entire secondary plot line of the book. In the second book, you get to see Cindy more in a relationship with someone who they thought was targeted by the killers they're looking for and so on. I think it's one of the hooks that work well with the series and I do hope that it continues on. I'll chime in later reviews if it doesn't.
So that's the nutshell of the books - there's a case and there's the personal lives of the club that revolve around the case. It's interesting because I know, in a later book, that something happens where Lindsey's personal life and professional life collide in a not good way and she misses a promotion. It'll be interesting to read due to, at this point, having her be nearly all about her job. She's got a boyfriend who is in the FBI, but other than that, it's really the job. I mean, she's got a dog, which was a nice touch instead of a cat, but her life is very one note at the beginning. It works because these are mystery/thriller and not straight up literature or chick lit. It's nice that there's a closeness and it blurs the line a small bit sometimes between mystery and chick lit but still stays mystery. It's not as bloody as, say, his Alex Cross series (Along Came a Spider is the first book of that series, also a movie) but it has enough to make it a mystery series.
So, I highly recommend them, especially if you're looking for a quick read. The chapters are small, the writing is tight and you want to know what happens next, and you'll enjoy yourself. None of them are creepy and yes, you might find them get formulaic, but they're worth it. My favorite type of brain candy as it's smart enough to keep me reading and yet candy enough to make me feel like I'm having a delicious literary treat.
So the books are, in order, 1st to Die, 2nd Chance, 3rd Degree, and 4th of July. If you notice, they all have numbers in the title and all listed by the "number in title" part of the 2015 Reading Challege. He's up to book 13 in the series and I said that I was going to read all of them this year. I'm praying hard that he doesn't come out with a new book in the series this year. He could. James Patterson is known for being the Speedy Gonzales of the writing world. He has five active series and this year will see... Wikipedia says three books. I say someone hasn't updated the article considering last year he came out with seven books. For all I know he might be slowing down but I love the fact that he can do so much in writing all these different series. It is something that I aspire to be in my writing.
Back to the books themselves, they are an insanely fast read. I could read them faster, if I just sat and read, but I do have other things to do with my life. It's set in San Francisco, which is a place that I would like to visit but won't cry tears over if I don't, and there's one main character, Lindsey Boxer, and the three major characters - Cindy Thomas, Claire Washburn, and Jill Bernhardt (later Yuki Castellano) that orbit around Lindsey. This is shown in the first book, the introduction to the series, and then cemented into place in the second book. It's more commonplace by the third and fourth book, continuing on through the rest of the series. You get their personal issues, to feel more attached to the characters, rather than just the case that they're working on. For example, in the first book, Lindsey has a life threatening medical issue that is the entire secondary plot line of the book. In the second book, you get to see Cindy more in a relationship with someone who they thought was targeted by the killers they're looking for and so on. I think it's one of the hooks that work well with the series and I do hope that it continues on. I'll chime in later reviews if it doesn't.
So that's the nutshell of the books - there's a case and there's the personal lives of the club that revolve around the case. It's interesting because I know, in a later book, that something happens where Lindsey's personal life and professional life collide in a not good way and she misses a promotion. It'll be interesting to read due to, at this point, having her be nearly all about her job. She's got a boyfriend who is in the FBI, but other than that, it's really the job. I mean, she's got a dog, which was a nice touch instead of a cat, but her life is very one note at the beginning. It works because these are mystery/thriller and not straight up literature or chick lit. It's nice that there's a closeness and it blurs the line a small bit sometimes between mystery and chick lit but still stays mystery. It's not as bloody as, say, his Alex Cross series (Along Came a Spider is the first book of that series, also a movie) but it has enough to make it a mystery series.
So, I highly recommend them, especially if you're looking for a quick read. The chapters are small, the writing is tight and you want to know what happens next, and you'll enjoy yourself. None of them are creepy and yes, you might find them get formulaic, but they're worth it. My favorite type of brain candy as it's smart enough to keep me reading and yet candy enough to make me feel like I'm having a delicious literary treat.
Tuesday, February 3, 2015
[WriYe Blogging Circle] Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road?
[Due to circumstances outside of the blogger's control - meaning that the computer went to shit via blue screens and other horrible computer type things - I was unable to post this yesterday. I apologize for missing a Monday, but we will be back to regular scheduling tomorrow. For now, please enjoy the WriYe Blogging Circle post on character motivation.]
So, this month's topic is about character motivation. Basically, we're talking about the whys of what your characters are doing. If you want to think about it in a very simple way, then I will tell it in a joke. Why did the chicken cross the road? The answer, to one of the most basic jokes in the universe, can either be "to get to the other side" or "to escape the aliens!" or whatever you want it to be. In doing so, you are giving the character, in this case the chicken, the motivation of going across that road because otherwise, why is the chicken crossing? Why not just stay on the side of the road that they're already on?
The same is true for characters. If there is no drive behind them, then why are they doing what they're doing? Take Hunger Games for example. Would Katniss have volunteered if it was anybody other than Prim? Nope. Would she have tried so hard to stay alive if she hadn't made the promise to Prim that she'd come home? Probably not. Same goes for Peeta. He would not have made the sacrifices for anybody but Katniss because he loves her. Love is a bit motivation and it's why you see a lot of it in novels. I'm not talking about romantic love either, but family love or love for your friends and so on.
My challenge to anyone who wants to comment is to take the most recent book that you've read and find the motivation for what the characters are doing. I'll be taking this challenge myself and my own comments will be in next Monday's post, possibly along with a book review. We'll see. First though, we have the questions from the blogging circle and we'll answer those quick.
What is the main motivation behind your characters?
We'll go with Mystery of the Dark for the moment and talk about them. Their main motivations differ so much, mostly because they're all different people, but also because they're at different stages of their lives. Like, while Kate's main motivation is to save people from vampires by killing all vampires, she's realizing that motivation might not be the best for her. She's going through a bit of a change in motivation and shoving her main to the back while she deals with all these little motivations. At the end of the first novel, she's going to have a different motivation to carry her through the rest of the series. What that's going to be... well, you'll have to read the book. I'm not giving away everything. Maybe her motivation will become survival at some point. Or maybe her motivation will change into something else.
Justinian, on the other hand, his main motivation is survival. He knows that the walls are closing in on him and he needs to do something. His motivation is simple because, right now, he feels he has everything else that he wants. He doesn't feel a need to change, even though someone (*cough*Kate*cough*) might want him to, and he might have a change within the series. Or he might not. Sometimes the most simple motivation is the best because, when it comes to survival, what will you do to make sure you live? Who would you step over or double cross just to make sure that, by the next day/night, you're still breathing and moving? Now, that's why he's interesting.
Where do you come up with that motivation?
It usually comes up in character creation. I usually have some inkling of the plot already, so I make the character to go around that plot. In my more fantasy type novels, the heroes get the job of saving the world because they don't want their world to die. That's just the base motivation that I give them. As the plot develops and I have a clearer vision of what I want the characters to do, the motivation changes as well. In another project I'm working on, Desiring an Umbrella, Amelia's motivation is finally becoming her own person and not what her parents think that she should be. I didn't have that motivation at first and didn't fully understand the why behind her until my plot outline was completely done. Then I noticed that "oh, she's getting away" and then it goes "from what?" and I see that she has conflicts with her parents. So, getting away from her parents to become her own person. Sometimes I get it right away and sometimes I don't.
Do you tend to use the same sort of motivation in every novel or do you tend to mix it up more?
I try to mix it up. I like to think that I am, but I might be dreaming. So, for now, I'm going to say that I mix it up. I know that Mystery of the Dark and Power of the Scions (YA epic/high fantasy novel) has the main female characters trying to understand their family backgrounds more, but I think that's more character background than motivation. Kate's motivation isn't to find her family. She knows who her mom is and she wants nothing to do with her vampire father since he wanted her mother to get an abortion. In Power of the Scions, the main female character's motivation is more of my base hero motivation with added in trying to figure out about who gave birth to her since she isn't pure dragon. So I guess it is different.
What if your favorite example of character motivation?
A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving has one of my favorite character motivations. That novel makes me cry every time I re-read it and I highly recommend it. It's narrated by a character called John and it goes through his life with his friendship with a boy named Owen Meany. Now, I'm not talking about John's motivation, because he's the narrator and he's not the favorite in the example. Poor John. Owen Meany's motivation, for everything he does, is that he is an instrument of God and he has this fate that he and he alone is supposed to fulfill. It is my favorite John Irving and one of the books that made me want to become an author. For that alone, you should read it.
Have a good Tuesday everyone!
So, this month's topic is about character motivation. Basically, we're talking about the whys of what your characters are doing. If you want to think about it in a very simple way, then I will tell it in a joke. Why did the chicken cross the road? The answer, to one of the most basic jokes in the universe, can either be "to get to the other side" or "to escape the aliens!" or whatever you want it to be. In doing so, you are giving the character, in this case the chicken, the motivation of going across that road because otherwise, why is the chicken crossing? Why not just stay on the side of the road that they're already on?
The same is true for characters. If there is no drive behind them, then why are they doing what they're doing? Take Hunger Games for example. Would Katniss have volunteered if it was anybody other than Prim? Nope. Would she have tried so hard to stay alive if she hadn't made the promise to Prim that she'd come home? Probably not. Same goes for Peeta. He would not have made the sacrifices for anybody but Katniss because he loves her. Love is a bit motivation and it's why you see a lot of it in novels. I'm not talking about romantic love either, but family love or love for your friends and so on.
My challenge to anyone who wants to comment is to take the most recent book that you've read and find the motivation for what the characters are doing. I'll be taking this challenge myself and my own comments will be in next Monday's post, possibly along with a book review. We'll see. First though, we have the questions from the blogging circle and we'll answer those quick.
What is the main motivation behind your characters?
We'll go with Mystery of the Dark for the moment and talk about them. Their main motivations differ so much, mostly because they're all different people, but also because they're at different stages of their lives. Like, while Kate's main motivation is to save people from vampires by killing all vampires, she's realizing that motivation might not be the best for her. She's going through a bit of a change in motivation and shoving her main to the back while she deals with all these little motivations. At the end of the first novel, she's going to have a different motivation to carry her through the rest of the series. What that's going to be... well, you'll have to read the book. I'm not giving away everything. Maybe her motivation will become survival at some point. Or maybe her motivation will change into something else.
Justinian, on the other hand, his main motivation is survival. He knows that the walls are closing in on him and he needs to do something. His motivation is simple because, right now, he feels he has everything else that he wants. He doesn't feel a need to change, even though someone (*cough*Kate*cough*) might want him to, and he might have a change within the series. Or he might not. Sometimes the most simple motivation is the best because, when it comes to survival, what will you do to make sure you live? Who would you step over or double cross just to make sure that, by the next day/night, you're still breathing and moving? Now, that's why he's interesting.
Where do you come up with that motivation?
It usually comes up in character creation. I usually have some inkling of the plot already, so I make the character to go around that plot. In my more fantasy type novels, the heroes get the job of saving the world because they don't want their world to die. That's just the base motivation that I give them. As the plot develops and I have a clearer vision of what I want the characters to do, the motivation changes as well. In another project I'm working on, Desiring an Umbrella, Amelia's motivation is finally becoming her own person and not what her parents think that she should be. I didn't have that motivation at first and didn't fully understand the why behind her until my plot outline was completely done. Then I noticed that "oh, she's getting away" and then it goes "from what?" and I see that she has conflicts with her parents. So, getting away from her parents to become her own person. Sometimes I get it right away and sometimes I don't.
Do you tend to use the same sort of motivation in every novel or do you tend to mix it up more?
I try to mix it up. I like to think that I am, but I might be dreaming. So, for now, I'm going to say that I mix it up. I know that Mystery of the Dark and Power of the Scions (YA epic/high fantasy novel) has the main female characters trying to understand their family backgrounds more, but I think that's more character background than motivation. Kate's motivation isn't to find her family. She knows who her mom is and she wants nothing to do with her vampire father since he wanted her mother to get an abortion. In Power of the Scions, the main female character's motivation is more of my base hero motivation with added in trying to figure out about who gave birth to her since she isn't pure dragon. So I guess it is different.
What if your favorite example of character motivation?
A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving has one of my favorite character motivations. That novel makes me cry every time I re-read it and I highly recommend it. It's narrated by a character called John and it goes through his life with his friendship with a boy named Owen Meany. Now, I'm not talking about John's motivation, because he's the narrator and he's not the favorite in the example. Poor John. Owen Meany's motivation, for everything he does, is that he is an instrument of God and he has this fate that he and he alone is supposed to fulfill. It is my favorite John Irving and one of the books that made me want to become an author. For that alone, you should read it.
Have a good Tuesday everyone!
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