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September 30, 2005

chapter seven

Ended a scene in 7. Will move on to the next, which is a salvage job, and would do it tonight, but i seem to be falling asleep. Ah ha ha. Cold medicine.

Serenity tomorrow night, garden beds this weekend. And what I predict will be the last mowing of the year. HUZZAH.

Posted by sdshaver at 01:27 AM | Comments (0)

September 29, 2005

smattering

Oh yeah. I'm back in 7. Ha ha ha. Forgot about that.

I'm also sick. Yaygome. But hey, if all goes well I'll hack through 7-10 this weekend and move back to 20, where I last left off on the major revisions. And having read the revised 20, I have to say I like it waymuchbetter.

Need to keep myself honest: I wrote a page more into 1. Have I mentioned how much I hate writing hooks? This has got to be the most nerve-wracking part of book writing. Bad hook means your first-tier editor will instantly put the piece down and shove your work into the slush heap. I hate writing hooks because what hooks me may not hook that weary-eyed reader of a thousand manuscripts.

In short, I have no idea if I'm doing the right thing, or if I'm just making the same mistake that one thousand other poor slobs are making.

Sleep wishes to take me up in his arms and put me to bed. And so I go....

Posted by sdshaver at 01:32 AM | Comments (0)

September 21, 2005

chapter somewhere, something

I think it was 7? Anyway, I started those edits I talked about, got halfway through, axed a bunch of intrigue that has no place in this story. It's a sign of its superfluousness that it doesn't have that big of an impact on the overall story. The whole thing is careening back in the direction of what the old, original outline wanted, and that's probably a good thing.

Hm. Must remember to have X ask Y if she really wants to do Z before I throw her to the lionesses.

Flight leaves in 1.5 hours. END!

Posted by sdshaver at 01:28 PM | Comments (0)

story ebb and flow

Realized on my drive home how to resolve a flow problem with the story. Somewhere in chapters 7-10 I'll be making adjustments, writing new material, but not until I get home.

All the little niggling things are going away as I work on revisions. I've heard them described as speedbumps by other writers, and that's a good analogy. I just wish I didn't keep getting interrupted by work/life, or I'd have a lot more work done.

Oh well. C'est la vie.

Posted by sdshaver at 03:12 AM | Comments (0)

September 20, 2005

sickness and jobs

No writing last night, on account of food poisoning. Ah yes. I spent most of my wonderful evening crouched by my toilet and hurling. The irony is not missed (and reminds me of Grant Morrison's rant about the things he wrote happening to his characters happening to him -- but we won't go there).

In other news: Larry Dixon is looking for a personal assistant. Here's a hint -- being an assistant to a working writer is both a) fun and b) challenging. Being an assistant to a working writer who is also a volunteer firefighter, lives with a woman who rescues birds of prey, and who are both awesome people in general? Even better.

If you, too, are awesome, you can't do better.

Probably no writing tonight. I'm lucky I'm getting out of the state at all tomorrow. I'll be back in a week or less. Ciao.

Posted by sdshaver at 08:03 PM | Comments (0)

September 19, 2005

proofs, design

The proofs have been sent off to the people at DAW. That's one thing done.

I didn't get any personal writing done this weekend, but I did edit, revise, and rewrite a little under 50 pages of text for the game's design bible.

As is the changeable nature of my workplace, today I am working on paper prototypes and Flash movies.

Altogether now: WHEE.

Posted by sdshaver at 02:43 PM | Comments (0)

September 17, 2005

one way of looking at it

It's Saturday. I should be at home, like, writing or putting off writing, but I'm at work....

...writing.

Well, at least I'm getting paid for it here.

Posted by sdshaver at 04:37 PM | Comments (0)

chapter 20

My character has a problem of spewing up lunch (or breakfast, as the case may be) at certain inopportune moments throughout the book.

The scenes play out pretty much like this:


Highly polished fanfic, indeed.

Posted by sdshaver at 02:49 AM | Comments (0)

after daylong consideration....

Checked the publisher's guidelines. 100-150k words. I'm going to go for the lower range -- 110k -- and write the story I want. Which is how it should be.

I don't seem to write tiny. I seem to write about characters who wander, meet other characters, find other plots, have parents with interesting backgrounds, and villains with way too much freetime.

Still wrestling with the anxiety that says my work is little more than highly polished fanfiction. Grumble.

Posted by sdshaver at 12:40 AM | Comments (0)

September 16, 2005

counting words

I'm axeing a character who took up too much space, which means that chapters 20-24 need to be revised so much I'm not going to bother with the old versions.

Current revision wordcount is 77k. I have approximately 23k words to spend. My average chapter length is 3750 words. I have six chapters to wrap the book.

Hm.

Time to do some plotting.

Posted by sdshaver at 01:40 AM | Comments (0)

September 15, 2005

18/19 and kushiel's avatar

Re-edited to adjust for new changes, much new material written, things are coming together nicely.

I also finished Kushiel's Avatar, but since reviews take forever to write, I probably won't do so with this one.

Suffice to say I was both frustrated and delighted by it, and found myself relating much more to 30-year-old Phèdre than 20-year-old Phèdre. Which is a little frightening.

Of the three, this one was my favorite. I appreciate the author's grasp of culture, wordage, and the ability to depict a character going from green wunderkind to mature woman. If I have the time and inclination next year, I'll probably pick up Kushiel's Scion when it's released.

I'm moving on to the last Dark Tower book next. I saw them and I knew them all. And yet / Dauntless the slug-horn to my lips I set, / And blew. 'Childe Roland to the Dark Tower came.' Ah yes. It's a year for closure.

Posted by sdshaver at 01:54 AM | Comments (0)

September 14, 2005

15/16/17

Solved! I drew chibi characters! It's utterly ridiculous, but it worked!

Solved!

Solved!

SOLVED!

Crazy lady. Going to bed now.

Posted by sdshaver at 01:55 AM | Comments (0)

up to 16

Stopping at 16. I need to replot aspects of 15 and 16, just not sure how I'm going to do it.

Tomorrow night will be resolving the chapter 15/16 quandry, and possibly tackling those copy edits.

Posted by sdshaver at 12:25 AM | Comments (0)

September 13, 2005

quickie

The Crossroads proofs have showed up. They're due back on the 19th. This is officially the snappiest anthology I have ever worked on. I've never seen a publisher push one out this fast, but seeing as the last one hit #2 on the Locus bestseller list, I can understand why.

I haven't read through the pages yet, but I did note that I'm still a twenty-something writer in the intro. Ha ha ha ha ha.

Diving into read-throughs tonight. I nearly finished 14 before I went to bed, but I still have a ways to go to catch up, and much cutting to do in five chapters or so. And it's an early night. Early, early.

Posted by sdshaver at 10:11 PM | Comments (0)

bad steph

Got up to chapter 13 in revisions. And I'm halfway through 14.

Ah, crap. This is just not good for my sleep schedule.

Angst. Angst. Angst.

Posted by sdshaver at 02:49 AM | Comments (0)

evolution of a character

The main character of my book has finally grown up. It's freakish, how things fall into place.

Eleven chapters edited to add this new dimension. Her love interest is next, and his change is vastly more painful.

Posted by sdshaver at 01:24 AM | Comments (0)

September 12, 2005

resolution

Last night I queried the invisible storyteller in my head for resolution to a sticky, tricky story bit that's been bugging me since I started revisions. I wasn't expecting a 24 hour turnaround, but I got it. I cite Grant Morrison as the vehicle for this epiphany, but then, I wouldn't have been looking for it if I hadn't bothered to ask for it.

It'll require a little poking about in the previous chapters, but it's mostly foreshadowing. Easypeasy.

Posted by sdshaver at 12:53 PM | Comments (0)

September 11, 2005

eleven edited

Zing, there goes Eleven. Pretty easy.

Twelve -- I think I know what to cut. Should gain me about three pages. Wheee freakin hee.

Gonna go upstairs and try to hash out how to shorten Act II, though. I spend too long in one of the cities, and I know it. Argh.

Posted by sdshaver at 11:59 PM | Comments (0)

9 and 10, and a passage from 11

Normally, I don't do this. So consider it a rare "treat" (assuming you like my writing; otherwise, why are you reading this?) and a glimpse into what I've been working on as overtime and extracurricular duties have allowed me.

Revised 9 and 10. Working on 11, which is where this comes from: a short passage from The Firebird's Wish under the cut.

[Our heroine, Ria, has awoken with a fantastically bad headache after a particularly unusual nightmare. And so this scene between her and her roommate occurs.]

And that, as they say, is that.

Posted by sdshaver at 11:31 PM | Comments (0)

chapter 8 (rewrite)

And eight is now re-edited and revisited. There are a couple things I may shuffle off to other chapters, if I can. A lot happens to the heroine in 6-9, which makes arranging the series of events delicate. Too much, and I'll overload the reader. Too little, and....

Oh, fuck it. I just can't pontifiate at 4:30 AM. Night!

Posted by sdshaver at 04:35 AM | Comments (0)

chapter 7 (rewritten)

(grumble) But I like Colin and Emele!

But this is not the "Colin and Emele Show".

Oh, all right.

Seven edited. Chunks tossed to the wiiind. Working on 8 before I go to bed.

It's way, way too late. Weekends used to be my sleep-in days. HA HA HA. Not anymore!

Posted by sdshaver at 03:46 AM | Comments (0)

September 09, 2005

6 & 7

Rip rip rip. Looks like 7 is going to be ripped up completely and replaced with something else. Similar occurence of events, but compacted. Some slight twists to characters that should make them less reliable, more interesting.

6 was a breeze, but took up most of the night.

I'll finish 7 tomorrow night, maybe even work on 8. Going to bed now to do some reading. G'night.

Posted by sdshaver at 12:46 AM | Comments (0)

September 08, 2005

4 & 5

4 & 5 look solid, and have checked out at under 4,000 words. Goody goody gumdrops!

Could do another, but I have to maintain my schedule. 1AM bedtime. 1AM bedtime. 1AM bedtime.

The major subplot that's being ripped out is coming up in three...two....

Okay, okay. Going to bed!

Posted by sdshaver at 01:04 AM | Comments (0)

September 06, 2005

early to bed...

No writing tonight. Didn't sleep well last night, so it's bed for me.

May get up early and wipe out chapter four.

Weekend is looking good.

Posted by sdshaver at 10:44 PM | Comments (0)

chapter three and guh

I calculated that I need to whittle the book down to twenty-three 3600-word chapters. MY GOD HAS FORSAKEN ME.

(It's currently sitting at 113,000 words and 32 chapters, FYI.)

So, what am I learning? How to pace an outline according to my writing style, and specifically to short it words because rewrites will swell the wordcount. Had I known that when I started, I would have shot for 70k words in the first draft (rather than 90k) and filled out the rest in revisions.

I'm learning! I'm learning! I'm thirty and I'm still fucking learning. How awesome is that?

Anyway, I'm ripping myself away from Four to go to bed. I appear to be back in a groove, ya'all. It came at the end of the three-day weekend, but -- whatevah. At least I got the lawn mowed and the trains running on time.

Posted by sdshaver at 01:14 AM | Comments (0)

September 05, 2005

chapter 2 (finally)

Finally rewrote 2 to my liking. 3-10 shouldn't be this hard; it's excising and patching, mostly.

Too much time and distance, though. And it's going to get worse as overtime kicks in again. I may need to re-outline if I ever hope to finish. ARGH.

Posted by sdshaver at 05:16 AM | Comments (0)

hm

Looks promising.

Wonder if I could pull off something from Ceoboraan's pre-history. Might be a good exercise anyway for the sake of knowing where the rest of the story is going.

Posted by sdshaver at 12:21 AM | Comments (0)

September 04, 2005

of storms and efforts

I have said it before: I am not one of these writers who feeds on tragedy and depression. While I do not need to be sparkly-happy-kitty-meow-meow-chan when I write, I do need to be in at least a semi-positive mindframe. I haven't been there the last few days.

So for one more time I'm linking to Larry's website, because he and Misty are doing way more than I can in this situation.

I try to keep this journal focused on writing -- there are other places for my chattering on politics and the world. This is a rare lapse. Please, if you haven't already and it's within your means, do your fellow man a favor and consider a donation.

Please.

Posted by sdshaver at 12:20 AM | Comments (0)

September 01, 2005

whoops - chapter 2

I'm gonna be late for work, but I was enjoying a dynamic. Rats.

Okay, so, this is the problem with early mornings: I have to break off to go to work, and I don't want to. :P Ah well. Gotta employ some of that famous moxy....

Posted by sdshaver at 11:02 AM | Comments (0)