Yearly Archives: 2016

Discovery writing

Merry Christmas! Yes, even though I’m an eclectic witch, I still harken back to my Roman Catholic roots and say Merry Christmas.

Pisces is coming along slowly. Very slowly. I don’t seem to be in the mood for writing about sex. I’m writing story. So it’s probably not going to be great erotica, but it might be a pretty good–and historically accurate–story. For Cancer and Scorpio, I need to add a lot more sex into them to make them erotica.

The other thing is, my erotica is pretty vanilla. Very plain, without tying people up or safe words or any BDSM stuff. Boring, maybe. I suppose I need to do some research to make vanilla exciting. Guess I’ll be lurking on the literotica website to get an idea of stories there.

Grimaulkin’s second book’s first and last line came to me overnight last night. If I have both of those in mind, then I know where I’m starting, and where I’ll end up. It’s the in between that I don’t know anything about yet, and that’s what makes me an “intuitive” or discovery writer. I don’t usually know what I’m doing until I get to the story itself. I have noticed if I plan out the story, I get bored easily. It’s not that I don’t find the story easier–it’s a lot easier if I plan it out. But not planning it actually makes it more fun, makes we want to sit at the keyboard because I want to know what happens next.

However the problem with being a discovery writer is what I’m running into with Pisces. I have a vague idea of what’s going to happen in the story, but no idea how to get there. I need to provide certain scenes for the erotica portion of the story, but, again, that’s a constraint. Discovery writers hate constraints. This is also why I’m no good at being a romance author, either. Romances have a formula. I don’t follow maps to places that I’ve been to before. I only use maps to someplace I’ve never been to. I’ve read enough “romance” within the fantasy genre to know the score. I want to dispose of the map and just see where the writing takes me. I know it seems like I’m trusting in the muses, but (most of the time) they’ve never let me down before.

So I personally think that maybe, if you’re a plotter, try letting things go and let the Universe take you on a ride. What you end up with might be trash, but it’ll be an experiment in how your mind works.

So, until the new year, keep writing!

Rewrites in progress

I received Grimaulkin back from my beta reader, who gave me some good ideas that I’m going to try in the story. As usual, my ending was too short, in his opinion, that there should be something more. In addition part of the ending is not appropriate for YA, so I have to cut it or allude to it. That will be difficult, as I’m not used to alluding to something so drastic as what Grim goes through. It’s an important part of why he does what he does and how he becomes the man he is. But this is for a YA/College aged audience. I also have to tone him down a little. Being gay in 2000 is not like being gay now.

Brothers of the Zodiac: Water is coming along slowly, which is not good for erotica. I spent 3 hours in Excel on night trying to figure out how to create a visual timeline for the different “brothers”.

I’m starting War Mage from scratch this time. My beta reader gave me another idea for the story that makes me start it from the beginning, with new ideas for conflicts and, of course, to add more women. However, my heart’s not in War Mage. It’s like a piece of work that I have to get out, a piece of work that I’ve put aside for too long and no longer have the passion for. I don’t know anyone who served at FOB Blessing; I have to take the word of a memoirist who didn’t write down the details, and find pictures on YouTube and the internet. (Like how man airstrips does Jalalabad Airfield have? When did the Pizza Hut show up? Yes, they had a Pizza Hut there.)

And to let you know, Homecoming will be on sale from December 19-26 for .99 on the Kindle, Smashwords, Nook and Kobo. All the Paper Angel Press books are going to be for that price. What a great way to load up your device! Oh, and even better–get the ebook for .99 and then the audiobook for .99.

Continuing

Still working on Water. Grimaulkin is still with the beta reader, though I have some feedback that I need to work on (add more straight characters because the story takes place in 2000, and gay people are still firmly in the closet, build up the two secondary characters).

So there isn’t much to talk about this week. I’m having trouble with Pisces in Water, mostly because I don’t know many Pisces, and I need to do more research on surgeons and doctors during the Civil War. I know they weren’t looked kindly upon, seen as butchers and cold-hearted men, but Pisces types like to help people. I have plenty of astrology books so I can look Pisces up.

Tomorrow, my son is set loose upon the world. He takes the bus for the first time to get to his new job. I’m terrified and proud at the same time. He’s autistic, so I’m afraid he’ll eventually take the wrong bus sometime and end up in some place he doesn’t know and can’t describe to me, so I won’t know where he is to find him. He is going to have a handler for the first couple of times he goes on the bus, but after that, he’s alone. I’m proud that he’s going to finally go to work.

There’s a story in there.

The Passion is Gone

Saturday was my last appearance for the year, and there’s one thing I learned.

I need a better pitch.

My pitch leaves too much to the imagination. I need to tell the plot of my novel in one sentence.

But I noticed, too, that Homecoming is not my baby anymore. I ran out of passion for it at Comicon. I need to bring out something new. War Mage might fit the bill, but I’ve been sitting with that story for over a year, and it feels old. Grimaulkin is shiny and new (to me) and is what I want to press forward. I got some good pointers from some beta readers, though I need to rewrite it in spots. It’s fresh and new enough to me that the rewrites are still enjoyable. War Mage would be on its 8th rewrite. Personally, I think that’s way too much and far too long for a rewrite. War Mage has turned into work, not play.

I was asked to do some erotica, and I had started an erotica/romance series called Brothers of the Zodiac. I separated them into four novels, three signs each, instead of the initial separation of just 12 short stories. The first novel will be Water, with the signs Scorpio, Pisces, and Cancer. The Brothers are guardians from the goddess Ishtar, who takes warriors from the underworld and brings them back to life. They are supposed to help and support humanity in some way. The only way they can die is if they “find love in the eyes of another man.” Obviously gay erotica. I tried the write straight erotica, but I don’t have a good grasp on female characters.

Unfortunately, both Water stories (Cancer and Scorpio) I’ve done so far equal only 12,000 words. I have to pad the stories, making them at least 20K words a piece. Scorpio is the origin story. My plan is to have them all across the timeline of Western history, and, of course, their story will lead up to their deaths.

Hopefully I can work up the passion, the enthusiasm, for these stories.

Music or No Music?

My son asked me recently what I listen to when I write. It depends on the mood. And where I am.

If I’m alone, and downstairs in my writing cellar with my Mac, I don’t usually listen to anything. However, if my son is also in the cellar (where the only TV in the house is located), I overhear what he’s watching. If he stays downstairs too long, I end up going to my Windows computer. There, I have most of my music.

Typically, if I’m going to listen to music, I will either listen to the same song on a loop (the most recent one is “The Honeythief” by Hipsway) or a playlist (mostly consisting of AC/DC). Those things get me in the mood for writing, especially for action scenes. More easy listening–lavish description, internal monologues–I switch on to Sirius XM’s “The Bridge” channel. Most of the songs I have downloaded are not slow and easy listening.

Grimaulkin has been through an edit, and is going off to my beta reader this week. War Mage is going to wait until a new editor takes a peek at it.

I have nothing to write. I feel so empty, like there is something I must write, but I have no idea what.

I will be at Rhodes on the Pawtuxet on December 3 from 9-5 at the Rhode Island Author Expo.

NaNo – #amediting

I gave up on NaNo. I’ve instead turned my attention to Grimaulkin, with the intent of getting it ready to go by December 15. Hopefully then it’ll get read by February and be ready to launch in November.

In the meantime, it seems War Mage has taken a turn for the back burner. I am tempted to rewrite the entire thing from scratch. Well, I’ll keep the first chapter. I haven’t noticed that there is no plot. But I noticed that if I sit on something for a long enough time, that I can rewrite it from a different point of view and it’ll come out better. Grimaulkin, I had written from the first time he summoned a demon and did it chronologically. This time, I wrote it after he gets out of magic prison. Maybe I should write War Mage in medias res, after he’s been introduced to the dragons? Maybe he’s the first one exposed to the dragons? And StarForce comes in to try and take over?

I’ll brain storm more.

I’ve also noticed, the more I edit, the more stilted it sounds. I’ve been reading a few writing books, and most of them say to outline or plan out your story. I found it a lot more fun and enjoyable to just sit down and write. “Write hot” as one person in a writing book said.

I tried to read Chapter After Chapter, but found it to be one of those essay booklets like Bird by Bird or even Artist’s Way. Some “artist” in a beautiful, idyllic setting, writing about the craft. Oh, please. I tossed it. I also tossed “Plot Perfect” because I found out I’m not a plotter. Let it happen, write without guidance, and then, at the end, put it away. Go back to it with fresh eyes, now that you know the end, and cut everything that doesn’t have anything to do with that ending. Easy, right?

Meh.

Survived the Con

Yes, I survived. But not as I had hoped.

I hoped to sell a lot of items for the Press. Building Baby Brother and Best Intentions. Unfortunately, nothing sold except 4 copies of my book, Homecoming. I have a feeling if War Mage was available, then things would have been more brisk.

If I do this again, I need more books of my own to sell. Next year, I hope to have 3 books: Homecoming, War Mage, and Grimaulkin.

I gave up on NaNoWriMo this year. The story just isn’t in me. I’m itching to edit Grimaulkin instead. My plan is to get Grim in the publisher’s hands by February of next year, and hopefully have it ready to go by November again.

Maybe I’ll do the Con again. I’ll have to come up with the table fee, which is insane.So far what I’ve put out in table fees is way more than what I’ve made.

Military speculative fiction is a very tight niche. I might have written War Mage for a too-tight audience. Grimaulkin is more general. Mercedes Lackey did okay with her gay mage; I don’t see how I can’t do well with Grim

Comicon, WNRI

Heidy Ho, neighbor! (As my character, Grimaulkin says.)

I finished Grimaulkin. Very proud of myself. 62,000 words. I need to edit it next month and hopefully get it ready to go for next year around this time.

I’m trying NaNoWriMo anyway, though I don’t think I’ll succeed. I’m doing a Casey story, set in the time of Queen Anne. It’s based on the four Mohawk Kings (3 were actually Mohawk, and one was Mohican) who visited London in the early 1700’s. Casey is their interpreter, and a woman of the court falls in love with him. It’s sort of a romance which, as everyone knows, is not my bag. Right now, the beginning is slow because I’m establishing the time period. I suppose I have to switch to the female’s POV at some point, and I’m not looking forward to that.

On November 8, I’ll be on WNRI.com at 9:30 am for the Rhode Island Author’s Hour. I hope I get some softball questions. He’ll ask if I’ve been in the military, I’m sure. “No, but my husband was a big fan of the Army and I acquired a lot of my interest through osmosis.” We’ll see if I can remember that.

And last, but not least, I’m doing RI Comicon! I’m in booth 15G in the Dunkin Donuts Center (aka “the Dungeon”) under the name of Paper Angel Press.  There should be a lot of traffic for people who are going to see the celebrities. I’m diagonally across from the “Kids Con”, so will hopefully get parents who are into understanding the whole Building Baby Brother concept. I’m also going to be reading cards (if Comicon can have a medium with two sold-out shows, why can’t I read cards?) and really pedling the books. I have 30 copies of Homecoming, 5 each of Building Baby Brother and Best Intentions. I’m offering a bundle, at the convention only, of each one of the books, plus “Custer’s First Stand” and a card reading for $25. Yes, I’m giving up my royalties for that, but I’m trying to get the books sold.

No War Mage, it didn’t make it. I’m going to get a different editor for that book, I think.

I may not post next week due to being at Comicon. But I’ll live tweet every sale from there! My handle is @warwriter.

Waiting

Comicon is happening in two weeks. I have a booklet that I’m waiting for the publisher to send to me, which will have a short story (Custer’s First Stand) and the first chapter of War Mage. I hope that comes in before Comicon.

I have 20 more copies of Homecoming on its way for Comicon, and I’ve still got the five copies each of Building Baby Brother and Best Intentions to try and sell.

My cards say I’ll do well, but not blockbuster well; my expectation is to sell five copies. I hope I can do that.

Grimaulkin is still going. I had a mini-climax and expect to do about another 10-20K words after that. I hope to finish it in time for Comicon. Not that I have to, but NaNoWriMo starts on Tuesday, and I don’t want to put Grim aside for that. I don’t think I’ll be able to succeed with NaNo this year, but my own personal NaNo happened to succeed (as of last week, I was 50K words, and as of today it’s 53,000 words.). So I’ll order the NaNo winner t-shirt.

Still upset that I lost my novel notebook. I keep a notebook on the novels I write, with brainstorms and notes on things that I write. As a discovery writer, I need to refer back to things here and there and instead of going in the document, I have a notebook with notes of things I created on the fly. I had it two weeks ago, and when I went looking for it last week, I couldn’t find it. So I created a new one, but I really miss my old one. Oh, well.

Grimaulkin 1 – War Mage 0

Bad news first: War Mage is not going to be out in November. The editor sent the book back to me, half-read, saying that I had no plot. I have a theme, which is not the same as the plot. I thought I had a plot–I even outlined it. I’m going to try for a second opinion, because this book isn’t exactly this editor’s cup of tea.

So, for Rhode Island Comicon, we’re putting together a booklet, with a short story set in the same world as War Mage, and the first chapter of War Mage. It’s a chapbook, which will be available only at Comicon. Hopefully that will come in time for it. At least I’ll have something.

Grimaulkin is coming along, and the last day for me to do it is today if I want to succeed at my own personal NaNoWriMo. I have about 4000 words left to make it to 50K, and I’m aiming for 60K so I can have room to cut as necessary. I’ve found it’s easier to cut than it is to add. I’m pretty happy with how Grimaulkin is turning out (although the actual story doesn’t start until 20K words in). Once War Mage is done, published and in the can, I’ll submit Grimaulkin as a palate cleanser and hopefully have that one ready for November of next year. I don’t know if I’ll do Comicon again next year. Depends on this year’s results.