Category Archives: Grimaulkin

Writing Environment

Grim is at the editor’s. A few common errors were found in the sample that was sent to me, things that are common for pantsers, like description before the subject instead of after, and use of flat words instead of more specific words. Also the word “that”. I’m going to run a spell check through it and pull out as many “that”‘s as I can.

There’s going to be an author Meet & Greet at the Warwick Public Library April 22, and Grim won’t be ready by then. We hope to have it ready by June. I’ll launch it, do meet & greets, and book signings then, throughout the summer. Definitely not doing Comicon. The Association of RI Authors has a small clique of sci-fi (speculative fiction) authors that get together and do stuff. Because I am both old and anxious, I haven’t found a way to get into that clique. Besides, I have only one book. Maybe once I get a few books under my belt, I’ll get a little less anxious.

Grim 2 is up to 20K and I’ve already completed the main plot. Or have I? I suppose there’s room to maneuver something else in the main plot. Or change the main plot. Or I could do what I did with Grim, and introduce a whole new plot right in the middle. I feel like I’m dragging shit, putting stuff in there for the sake of putting stuff in there. Maybe when I’m done, I’ll be over 70K and have the luxury of pulling stuff out.

I’d probably be over 20K if I didn’t have to worry about my writing environment or timing. I used to write at work during lunch hour, but it always seemed like a warm-up, not actual “good stuff”. I write Champions stories during lunch, when my characters need to do something off camera.

I also have a writing computer where I’m writing this blog. It’s my iMac Mini named Hemingway, located feet away from the only TV in the house.. So what ends up happening a lot is that my son wants to watch TV at the same time I want to write. I can’t write 1) with a TV on in the background, 2) someone else in the room, 3) if it’s too darn cold. so I go elsewhere and let my muse stew. In the evening, by the time he’s done with TV, I’m involved in something else so I don’t write.

I sometimes write between 5-6, but once I get on my office/gaming computer, I’m doing gaming and not writing. Six to seven or eight is when I listen to the news via Sirius XM; 8-9 is when I game. I’m sometimes in bed by 8 or 9. If I wake up before the alarm, I will sometimes do some writing, but I mostly go into work early so I can leave early. That’s my weekdays. Weekends, I like to do my writing in the morning. After 4 hours or so, I peter out and can’t do anymore. Sometimes I’ll take a chores/gaming break, and then go back to writing at night.

Editing is different. Editing, I take as much time as I can and do that, because there’s a time constraint on that. I like to give myself two weeks to turn edits around, three if they’re really bad (i.e. War Mage). I’m thinking of pulling out my old “How to Revise” course that I paid $300 for back in the day and tackle War Mage with that. Of course, I have to find it…

Decisions, decisions

So, at present, Water and Grimaulkin are at the editor’s. Grimaulkin Tempted is up to 10K words already and I’m in need of another subplot. So far I have:

Main plot: Scott’s ex comes back.
Subplot A: Becky, his cousin, is being followed by a mysterious person.
Subplot B: Mike is being used as the downstairs mover.

I need a magical subplot C, something to get the Rosicrucians involved again. Or a subplot D, another Satanic murder (though that’s going to be be in the third book, I think). Another minor demon involved? Not sure. Also maybe something involving Rufus, the dog.

Earth is going to be the next erotica series, I think. I need to do more research on the Earth signs to find out good places to put them, and what powers they control.

Also, I was reminded of War Mage. In my excitement over Grim, I’ve let that go to the wayside. I didn’t care much for some of the editing, and so I put it aside. I tried to rewrite it from the beginning based on my beta reader’s suggestions, but it just didn’t want to work. Jake Logan is a gay writer. L.A. Jacob can write both gay and straight, but the military has to come from Jake. L.A. Jacob reins in the sex part, which is why the sex is alluded to in War Mage, not explicit. The Dark Prison, the third book, has no sex (yet). War Mage has to be complete by July for a September release.

Man, I have so many irons in the fire. And I’m going to buy a microphone to start doing podcasts! Maybe. But I am buying a mike. The podcast will be about writing and magic. I will probably have it “sponsored” by Paper Angel Press and Zarra Knightley Publishing. In other words, I’ll shill their books. Not sure about author interviews yet. I’m not one of the best interviewers –it’s been a very long time since I’ve done interviews. There’s one podcast I listen to where the guy asks the same questions of every guest, and I don’t want to do that. You can tell he doesn’t do much research on the guests he has.

So that seems like enough for this week.

Water–Finished!

I just finished Water and sent it off to the publisher: Zarra Knightley Publishing. 48K words in total.

Grimaulkin is in editing. Hopefully that’ll be done by the end of March so I can have it by June and run with it this summer and fall.

I’m now released and working on Grimaulkin Tempted, book two of Grimaulkin’s series. I’ll write it out the way it’ll come out, and then I’ll edit for a YA audience.

Not sure what’s happening with War Mage. I think it’ll be at an editor’s at some point. Depending on how those edits come out, I might just scrap the whole series. Grimaulkin is my real baby. So’s Casey Donovan, who I think will put in an appearance during Brothers as Virgo.

What a relief!

Scorpio

So I was struggling with Scorpio. No offense, but I’ve never had good luck with Scorpios, either as friends or in a relationship. The story I first wrote was the “origin” story. It wasn’t that great, and it was way too short.

I talked with a friend who suggested I take the story and put it as a prologue, and rewrite Scorpio. Scorpios are very much into taboo subjects: incest, kinks, etc. I could have fun with him. They’re also stalkers, possessive, and easily jealous. So I’m rewriting it as a contemporary story (well, Summer 1972), just after protests for LBGT rights started.

I think it’s coming out a lot better, but it’s still kind of short. I have 8K words in it (after three days of near constant writing) and have to come up with 12K more, or at least 7K to reach the same as the other novellas. We’ve also been discussing covers. It’s going to have four covers–one for each of the signs, and one for Water, which will combine all of the signs into one omnibus. The three covers I’ve seen are pretty awesome, and I’m really happy with our cover designer.

Grimaulkin is at the editor as we speak. It’s on track to get rewritten for March as necessary. Scorpio, however, I don’t think I’ll get done by March 1. I already told the publisher and he said we’ll work with it.

Also, I’ve been having trouble with Scrivener. I have the story on my iCloud drive, which I can access on two computers: my Mac that’s located in the cellar, and my Windows computer that is located upstairs in my office. However, when I change anything on the Windows computer, it doesn’t register when I open it on the Mac. Cancer, I had rewritten a bit, but none of the changes showed up on the Mac version. It looks like I have to do all my work on the Mac, save it on the iCloud and do the compile on the iCloud drive, then hopefully open the .doc on my Windows computer. I’m wondering if Scrivener is more complicated than it’s worth, especially when I have to convert it to a .doc in order to send it to the editor. And then when the editor sends it back, I have to try and find the parts she’s talking about in Scrivener to correct. I love Scrivener as a writing tool. But as an editing tool, not so much.

Work vs. Play

35K words. That’s all Water has. I need more sex, more story in Scorpio. That’s what I’ll work on this week.

I just finished Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert. This is the second book I read that believes that creativity is magic. (The first one, The Inspired Writer by Bryan Hutchinson I thought was better.) Big Magic sounds a lot like The Artist’s Way. Between the “woe is me because of the success of Eat Pray Love” are some nuggets of interesting thought. However, I don’t care much for her Trickster vs Martyr stereotypes of the typical artist. I believe that we are combinations of the two. I don’t want to be Bugs Bunny, but she makes it seem that it’s better for the artist to be that way. Mind you, I don’t like suffering for my art, either.

Water I have been suffering for. Grimaulkin is more fun. Grimaulkin’s voice has been with me for 10 years,  Water, for three months. I have to come up with three distinct voices at that.Water has a deadline. Grimaulkin, not so much. Water stresses me out. Grimaulkin 2 is the one I really want to write. I feel like I keep getting tugged away from the “work” of Water and pushed toward the “play” of Grimaulkin. I honestly thought Water would be fun. But maybe it’s the idea that I have a genre I have to fit myself into. I have rules I have to follow.

Maybe my muse is more of a trickster than I like to believe. I never believed in flogging the muse, because that scares her and makes her retreat into a corner, never to speak again.  But maybe I should work a little bit on Grimaulkin 2, because that’s where she wants to be, and leave Water for a couple of days to let her stew over it. I have a scene in mind, but that’s all it is, a scene, no story.

I have until the end of the month for Water, but my hope was to get it done while on my vacation/recovery from surgery. Tomorrow is another snow day, so I’ll be home working on…something.

 

Struggling vs worthlessness

Amazing how depressed you can feel if you can’t see.

I’m still stuck at home. You would think that I would write more. Nope. It seems the more time I have to write, the less I do write.

Water is up to 30K words, “Pisces” is 10K words. My goal is to have each sign be 20K words, but trying to get the erotica out is like pulling teeth. I’m not in the most pleasant of moods (even doing ERP online), I can’t seem to get into it. But I have a deadline of March 1.

I had a cover reveal on FB and twitter for Grimaulkin:

This is the first book in the series. Possibly three books in total.

I am going to write a short story with Grim for a giveaway or additional story. It’s mostly written, I just have to edit it a little.

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.

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.

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.