Tag: Editing

The Work Week

*Check email* *Be Disappointed* *Check email again*

The funniest part about the above chain of events is that I’ve been repeating this roughly one hundred times a day without considering publishers probably aren’t even returning to work until this week.

Hilarious.

On the other hand, since submitting my story to HarperCollins I’ve been talking a lot more about my story… and carrying a bit more stress. My wonderful work colleagues asked me if everything was okay to which I told them of my submission. A few people understood, but more than a few asked me more questions about it.

What’s it about? How did you come up with that? How many words is it? When did you write it? How long did it take you? Why did you write it? When will they get back to you?

Not that I thought my coworkers were cold, unfeeling monsters, but I’d always just considered the fact that my work life and my personal life were very separate and that I don’t fit the mold that my company unofficially has. It felt good to have people getting excited and interested in my story and as I looked around, I felt a bit better about the team I work with.

Although I also spoke at length with a customer who was having trouble with her eReader about it as well, which was a weird feeling and also pretty exciting. The questions she was asking were actually very deep questions that made me think long and hard.

What sets your novel about magic apart from Harry Potter and other such stories? How does the magic work in your novel? Do you have enough female characters?

Admittedly, I don’t have as many leading ladies as I should, although Jefferson is near ambiguous enough to be either. To be honest, it wouldn’t kill me as a person to think of him either way, even if someone suggested I changed him to a female lead, I’d still love the story. Strange to think the protagonist could be either, but my antagonist must be a male. I have a very strongly defined image of him and could even write a novel about his journey before he met Jefferson. In fact, that’s not a bad idea.

The world of Jefferson’s story has seven novels in my head. Three directly including Jefferson, one prequel about Gabriel and three novels (much more mature) set hundreds of years after the events of Jefferson’s Trilogy explaining the division of the land and how magic has progressed over the course of time. I’ve already begun on the first one of that trilogy and the word count’s just over fifty thousand!

For today, my writing is turning to some background on Jefferson’s world and the characters within it. While I’m waiting for any news (hopefully) from HarperCollins, I’ll be fleshing out the depth of my story. As for you fellow writers out there, how goes your own writing? Did you make a New Year’s Writing Resolution? Let me know, maybe we can help each other!

 

How The Time Doth Fly

Wow… I planned on giving an update into my writings roughly uhh… nine days ago.

Well this is awkward.

Either way, my life has been starting to look up as me and the girlfriend began looking at display homes in the hunt for, “The One”. (See relevant blog post here) At work they hired a third key holder (possibly no more open to closes, that is until my boss is forced to take more holidays) so my holidays are coming up… oh man… In two weeks!

As not excited as my girlfriend is for my so called, Staycation, I am beyond pumped! I want to clean! I want to cook! I want to sleep! I want to game! I want to write! It will be good as an introvert to actually just stay home where all of the stuff I love is and recharge the old batteries. Life can be exhausting. Especially since my last staycation was when I moved to Australia four years ago, and that wasn’t relaxing… that was freaking out about being unemployed for three months when really I should have written a damn novel and taken advantage of the situation… Damn you past TJ! Damn you!

As for gaming, I played an hour of the new Batman game and realised one thing. If I were Batman, they would strip me of my license to drive and take away the Batmobile. That thing handles like a sleigh pulled by one legged emus. I have grown to loathe the bloody thing and they force me to use it. I’m Batman for crying out loud, let me find another way… I’m sure there has to be one! Although the new suit and subsequent takedowns are fantastic! All that being said though, now that Fallout 4 has been announced, everything else is simply filler until then.

Oh yeah, what was this post about again? Writhing? No… Whiting? No. Ah yes, writing. To be honest I haven’t done a lick of writing in the past few weeks.

However… I have managed some editing.

I think if I have my way, Jefferson and The Magician’s Curse along with the two novels to come would suit the big screen really well! Also these novels lay the groundwork and lore for the other trilogy where work has begun. Thus far, that novel has a lot more viewpoints and protagonists while also being larger in scope and would suit a TV show really well. Partly, I think this will affect some of my decisions for both series of novels, but first thing is first.

I have to finish editing Jefferson before all these dreams come close to reality!

I had planned on submitting a short story for a contest towards the end of last month, and between my partner’s birthday weekend and working I managed to get out a sub par story that didn’t even seem like it was written by me. I suppose you have to be in it to win it, but I didn’t feel as though I was putting my best foot forward. I’m still pretty bummed that I didn’t get something submitted, but I think I’ve learned I really need to work on my editing skills. Editing Jefferson has been one of the hardest challenges I’ve had to face and a lot of that has to do with being brutally honest with myself and cutting things if they don’t feel right. Sometimes that scene you love just isn’t going to work out. Sad days.

Best part about the editing though is it seems as though most of my writing made sense (except where you could tell I was mid-stride and falling asleep) and some of it is actually really good. It is building my confidence in a good way, almost to the point where I’m ready to pass it on! Sooooooon!

Lastly, I have been meaning to go to this writing group and check it out nearby. Sadly every time I think about what day it is, I always seem to be the day after the meeting! There’s another one next month, but I will most likely be working that day! I mean honestly, who has these events at 10:30 am?!

Anyway off to sleep and back to editing tomorrow! 50% mark cometh!

Some Developments!

This is about to be a quick and dirty post as I only have until the end of the month to write a short story less than two thousand words to submit to Platform For Prose. This will probably the first thing I will have ever written explicitly for a competition or submission, so I’m interested to see how it turns out. No pressure or anything, am I right?

Also after my post on Social Media, Renae (Visit her blog on horror stories, TV and movies here) was kind enough to rant and rave through her own thoughts on the topic. I thought I might not only give her a wonderful call out in thanks for her common sense way of looking at things but also mention how this may change my own views.

One of the most poignant things she wrote was that “Big, popular blogs are for non-fiction writers, humor writers, and people who already have a fan base.” This still sticks with me since I read her comment this morning considering I’ve had all day at work to think about it and it still makes so much sense. Focus on your writing and eventually your network will come along with it. Wise words despite their simplicity!

Although one thing she also wrote was “For the record, I don’t think giving away shorts or episodic fiction on blogs works.” At first I really agreed, but then it struck me. I don’t write for others, despite the exhilarating feeling of someone reading it or liking it. I write because I really enjoy it and I want to get better at it. Even from the start of Jefferson & The Magician’s Curse to the halfway point in Pandemonium (roughly one hundred and sixty thousand words) my writing has improved dramatically. In this sense, I use my blog as a diary of sorts as well as a workbook. I guess I always knew deep down this blog wouldn’t be the thing to get me published. But it satisfies that little itch that needs scratching as to how many people read my post. Sadly… it’s addictive.

Once again, I’d like to thank Renae for lending me her ear and adding her two cents. After all, from one comment she brought to light something I should have known (and not ignored) as well as something that reaffirms why I write. It’d be great to be a published author but not for the millions of dollars (not everyone is a JK Rowling). I would be happy to write anything for the same wage I’m on now. Even if that meant revisiting the same world over and over and over and… well, you get the idea! Happy writing out there ladies and gents, and thanks for stopping by!