On to the finish line

So, I was away for a while. I made some long-held dreams come true, and I gained confidence in getting out in the world on my own.

Here's some evidence of my travels:



Now I'm in the home stretch on my second draft, deep in the the third act. I'm very conscious of not ruining things as I rearrange, edit and polish the final pages. It's a struggle between not rushing through scenes, while keeping up the pace. I feel as though I can see the finish line... at least the 'send it out for beta readings' line. I can't wait to get this baby out into the world, whether that's traditionally (which I'll attempt first) or via self-publishing. It's also nerve-wracking as my heart and soul is in those words, but I'll save stressing about that for another day.

Here's a song inspiring me at the moment - what's inspiring you?
(unfortunate freeze-frame)

The Mystery of Artistic Magic

Image courtesy of nirots / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I'm deep in the thick of editing (when I get around to it!).

I love those moments when you’re reading over your work and you’re like, “Wow, this is good! Where did that come from?”

Those epic moments where inspiration, talent and some sort of artistic magic combine to make words, phrases and paragraphs that are music to our ears. Perhaps they may not impress anyone else, but they make us smile in a deep place. There's a sense of pride in that work. Most of the time I don’t remember the actual moment of creation. It’s almost like the muse had completely taken over and delivered the story, pure and simple, in the best possible form. The wonderful part is, the muse is just part of us. We create that gold. All the tools are within our minds and hearts; we just need to create the right vehicle of expression.

Then there are those moment when you’re like, “This sentence doesn't even make sense. What was I on when I wrote this?”

…Just in case you were tempted towards artistic arrogance. I don’t see that happening any time soon – the mediocre moments far outweigh the sublime. But the fact that the sublime art does exist – that is what makes it all worthwhile.

How'd It Get To Be May Already?

I thought it was high time for another post! I've been getting back into my second draft with gusto, now having a bit more time on my hands to do so. Revisions are both thrilling (as I fall in love with the work afresh) and scary (when I need to make big decisions, deletions or both).

I discovered a problem with my sub-plot, which demands I either kill off a character or make two family members unrelated. In a twisted way the killing-off would make for a better story, but I can't see where to fit it in with the other characters' arcs without disrupting the flow. Sigh. I've decided to put off the decision for a bit.

The other thing with the subplot is deciding whether to tie up all the loose ends in this book. In my mind I have books 2 and 3 of a trilogy mostly mapped out, which would mean not revealing all in this book. But I'm thinking I should probably pitch it as a standalone to start off with, to see if I get any nibbles. Decisions, decisions.

In the meantime, I thought I would share some things which have inspired me lately. First, this quote from C.S. Lewis. I found it on a writing blog, and the writer was using it to illustrate what we need to do with our manuscripts. For me at the moment though, it provides more encouragement as it was originally intended: for our lives in general.

“Imagine yourself a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, you can understand what he is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping up the leaks in the roof and so on. You knew that these jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently, he starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and seems not to make sense. What on earth is he up to?

The explanation is that he is building quite a different house from the one you thought. He is throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were going to be made into a decent little cottage, but he is building a palace."

Over the past couple of weeks I've discovered some musicians on YouTube who I now adore.

First, The Piano Guys. I looooove these guys. So clever, talented and funny. So hard to choose just one video; they're all so different!



Also, Lindsey Stirling...


 
And finally, 2Cellos. Enjoy :-)

Research vs Writing

Image courtesy of imagerymajestic / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

One of the main challenges in writing historical fiction is of course, the history. I love it, but by golly does it take some time to get it right.

I jumped back into my WIP last night (after a considerable absence) with excitement, ready to slice and dice that baby into shape. Looking forward to reading my words again. But I became hamstrung by some details I have to get sorted…. such as how to address the younger son of an earl, and what to call the different types of hired carriages. Then I spent the rest of my allotted writing time on this stuff (although I will admit I got distracted by some real-life business that also needed to be sorted) and I didn’t get any actual writing/revising done. Sigh.

(Also I’d like to whine about how frustrating it was to learn that the younger son won’t be addressed by the same name as his father. I wanted this man to share the name of the earldom and their estate, but it’s not to be. Double sigh.)

Being a detail-oriented person, now that I’m at a point where the story’s written, I can’t go on with revising until I fix this stuff. I’m sure my WIP will still have many glaring errors that I’ll be crucified for if it ever sees the light of day, but at some point I just need to be happy with fixing all the stuff I can see and then sending it out there.

Soon, I hope. Pity the research is only a small part of the revision process.

What sucks you in when you’re doing revisions?

Also, this is my 100th post! Yay.

Procrastination Station

Image courtesy of Matt Banks / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I finished the first draft of my WIP back at the end of June. I anticipated a week or two off to let it rest. During those weeks my personal life fell apart and things got off track. Over the past month or so I have wanted to get back to the story. But for some reason, I just couldn't make myself do it. I have been busy with other things in real life, but even once I had a little time, reading blogs or even critiquing others' work seemed more attractive... safer.

It's strange that the activity that gives me the most pleasure is also the one I can be the most reluctant to undertake. How could that be?

Perhaps it was just too daunting to consider all the work I will need to do. I know several structural decisions need to be made and carried out, and there is still a lot of historical research to be done. Then there's all the little details at a sentence and even a word level, with so much to remember as I move through each page. Maybe I worry that I will ruin the novel if I make bad decisions about plot or character. And maybe I'm just lazy and don't want to give my leisure time over to more work.

I eased myself into the process by reading through the spreadsheet I made detailing each scene, chapter and act (with word count, POV and plot for each). I was much relieved to find my excitement rising as I fell in love with the story all over again, even before reading the actual words of the novel itself.

Confidence bolstered, I began to edit chapter one. And that's when I remembered: I love to do this. Once I started, I lost all sense of time and my surroundings. I started to make bold decisions and to cut alternative phrases and re-write paragraphs based on developments I wrote later in the story and recent research. I also spent quite a while trying to decide between two similar words, and in researching some little details - but we must allow ourselves to obsess every now and then, right? At least I am back on the horse.

Have you ever found it hard to get back into a WIP? Why, and how did you get your groove back?

One Year On

Image: graur razvan ionut / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

It was my birthday on Friday, which of course reminded me of how my life was this time last year. It's been a year of changes in many ways, and one of the most important is with my writing. This time last year I hadn't written seriously in longer than I care to admit, and I hadn't been reading solidly either. We took a holiday to celebrate my birthday (it was a significant number) and I suppose it must have been a mental vacation as well. It was a relaxing, beautiful time (even though I was sick for most of it) and I did a lot of reading. When we got back something had shifted. I felt compelled to open that folder on my computer which had laid long dormant. Apart from the major project I'd been querying and a few related WIPs, I'd forgotten about all the other ideas I'd stored away for a later time. It was the time. I toyed with thousands of words on a few different ideas before one really stuck.

And now, one year later, I am putting the finishing touches on my book. Whether it gets published or not it's still my book (apart from in the most literal sense, how do we define what a 'book' is anyway?). I have learned so much, not only since the last time I went through this process, but during the last year as well. I've come a long way, and even if it just turns out to be part of my writer's education without bearing any outward fruit, it's been worth it.

So, what have I learned going through this final edit a.k.a my third draft/finished manuscript?

Chapter One is still evil
The darned thing is so important, yet so hard to get right, it takes me twenty times longer to edit than any other chapter. I knew once I'd finished the first draft that it needed the most work, but I wasn't prepared for how much. Which leads me on to...

Critique partners are really important
Even if they don't make it all the way through the book, their insights on the early pages are like gold. My flaws are my flaws, so the learnings I have gleaned from them seap through to un-critiqued chapters. Thanks guys!

Distance is essential
I've taken some time in between edits, during which I've learned more about the craft and let my critiques sink in. Now I'm less precious about my 'darlings' and more willing to sacrifice them. Objectivity, while not absolute yet, is freeing.

At some point, you have to cut the cord
I could tweak away for months longer, but I'm getting to the stage where I just have to start querying, to know if this book is actually going to fly or not. Making small changes to individual words are not going to make that much difference now. And I'm itching to get back into my next project.

I'm not going to blog in detail about the querying process I'm about to go through, because that will only make it that much harder when the rejections start to come in. I already have a long list of potential agents, which I've compiled one by one during this journey. I haven't gone to Agent Query or Publisher's Marketplace and trawled through the listings. Instead I have just bookmarked (and followed the blogs of) those agents who represent my genre and/or authors I like, and seem to be cool/smart/sweet/famous/emerging. I do have my 'dream agents' I suppose, but I know it's impossible to really know what it's like to work with someone until you actually do. It's not time for chicken-counting, it's time to take my MS out for a test run and see how it performs.

Diving Back In

It's time to do the final round of edits on my WIP. I've taken a break to work on the synopsis (which I'm pleased to report is now under two pages), so now it's time to shape the third and final draft. My to-do list:

1. Tackle the issues raised by my critique partners
2. Focus on "showing"
3. Cut or replace over-used words that are still plaguing the MS
4. Continue to eliminate any unnecessary words, paragraphs and scenes
5. Final grammar, spell-check and polish.

I know this time around I must be ruthless. I hope I can be.

At some point I'll send off a few test queries to gauge interest in the project. I still don't have a final version of my query but I'm getting there. I'm excited and nervous to see what the response will be. It's getting to a point where, after these next edits, I need to accept that this project is as good as I can make it, and it's time to work on the next one. Will this turn out to be just another manuscript in the drawer? Time will tell.