Revising, Remodeling, Renovation

March 10th, 2010

Last night I finally let the revisions of my newest book out of my hands. I’ve been holding on tightly, making notes, doing conflict charts, thinking about character motivations and story themes. This book was first drafted back in the fall of 2007, for Nanowrimo. It has been revised and overhauled three times since then (thanks to the endless patience of fellow writers who offered suggestions as I blindly felt my way toward the story I was trying to tell — a much more complex and complicated story than I had envisioned when I sat down with enthusiasm in November of 2007 to tell a story of a girl who got dumped in a storm ditch by a tornado).

Now that I’m finished, I feel very much as I did when we had our mud porch torn out — the first flutters of horror at the utter destruction…

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eventually giving way to awe at the new and stronger version taking shape…

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I’ve learned a lot about myself as a writer in shaping and reshaping this story to do exactly what I want it to do: my subconscious instincts are good story fodder, but I have to stop and pay attention to them. Instincts are like architect’s plans. The foundation needs to be strong, concrete, and solid.  After I’ve blathered out a draft, I need to go back and make all the conflict and motivation concrete and active (as I tell my students every day). I can get lost in research — and the corollary, I can lose my reader in research, so I need to make every researched item matter to the story and the reader.

I spent more time on the opening and ending of this book than on any other book I’ve ever written — changing the opening sentences very little and the opening chapters very much, and drastically altering the ending each time I revised. It took me until this last revision before I fully understood the conflict I was exploring — what can we when our innermost desire is irrelevant to those who want something bigger, grander, more heroic, from us? We can refuse, of course. But what if by refusing, we lose something personal and precious? Fittingly, this is a YA novel, as the territory of navigating the expectations of the world while listening to our inner compass begins with a vengeance in our teens.

Having just gone through the process as I carved out the true book from the mess of my subconscious blather — I have to say this process never ends.

On to the next book (already three chapters in, yay me). And maybe I’ll tackle renovating the kitchen, since the mud porch reno went so well. Maybe.

Oh, btw, for anyone who has a Mac: Scrivener. It was my first and best critique partner. It kept me sane when I restructured for the umpteenth time, and kept me focused on the scene when I looked to make the conflict concrete and active. It is the most awesome writing program ever.

Twitter Updates for 2010-03-08

March 8th, 2010
  • 52 degrees! Outside in the sun, enjoyed the day. #

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Twitter Updates for 2010-03-06

March 6th, 2010
  • Thank you. Very valuable thoughts. #dbw #
  • @MalleVallik And how does that conversation go with the writer? "Please, for all our sakes, step away from the Tweet!"? #dbw in reply to MalleVallik #
  • @KLRLiterary Building long term (business) relationship with reader *is* marketing. in reply to KLRLiterary #
  • Price can be manipulated over time — trying to talk someone into paying more would take a lot of (expensive) marketing #dbw #
  • I think lame in emarketing arena just means "at the start of the learning curve" I remember early author websites *shudder* #dbw #
  • Authors never liked long book tours either, but they did them when the publishers said it would push sales #dbw #
  • Authors just don't feel valued by publishers (because the rules have changed — education will fix that #dbw #
  • Not every author is a good marketer…three fingers pointing back at myself! #dbw #
  • @jennybullough Because they're all looking for romance, and HQ respects that and delivers. #dbw in reply to jennybullough #
  • @eBookNoir Yes Libraries important #dbw in reply to eBookNoir #
  • Simon & Schuster is trying to reach out to YA (has a growing Simon Youth page, presence on Facebook, etc.) #dbw #

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I Heart Rube Goldberg.

March 4th, 2010

Seriously. I am still trying to catch up, but I had to share this (and no, you are not allowed to ask how catching up has anything to do with watching this awesome video on YouTube. At the time I saw this (approx six seconds ago), there were already 2 and a half million viewers, so I’m not exactly on top of things.

However, you are allowed to wonder (as do I) if they managed to do this in one take. The paint splatters suggest not. But I still wonder.

I used to set up dominos in elaborate patterns in my basement. Never had a complete run through without at least one major fail. I am extremely jealous of Go. Not to mention they used it to make part of the music for their song. Special award goes to the glass clinking. Perfection.

A Moment of Levity From A Writer Who Gets The Rules

February 26th, 2010

I am not said writer. Said writer, Tim of This Machine Kills Purists wrote a rebuttal set of Top Ten Rules for Writers (the real “rules” posted most recently by the Guardian, but blogged and Twittered everywhere).

My favorite of them all is:

Never open a book with the weather. Use your fingers instead.

Brilliant. And true. And much less messy.

Still cleaning up after the Crud from Planet 9 (and waiting for the sneaky reattack that will come for dh and ds1).

Will resume regular blogging shortly — with a contest to giveaway an updated version of the anthology my Christopher Paolini essay “My Dragon, Myself” is in (see sidebar for Border’s Exclusive cover, next up is a more parchment-y medieval type cover image, as soon as I get caught up and beat back Crud from Planet 9 completely).

Ugh. Viral Crud From Planet 9 Attacks

February 22nd, 2010

You how some people are too superstitious to say good things aloud? That whole tempting fate, thing? Well, last week I was bragging to someone who shall remain nameless that I’ve been really healthy most of the winter. Naturally, by Thursday night, I was feeling not so hot. Spent the next three days sneezing, unable to breathe, pressing hot cups of tea against my forehead.

No Twitter. No blogging. Some writing (am going to check it out today to see if it is fevered brilliance or nonsense). Lots of Bejeweled (which means disinfecting my keyboard in the near future). Lots of mindless Olympics watching.

Today I feel like I will live (yes, when I am sick, I indulge the melodrama). I no longer need to keep a tissue in my hand at all times — just in the box right next to me. I can keep the sinus headache at bay with aspirin, and the cough is less wheezy.

I can’t help reflecting, though, that compared to the hardy protagonists in Westerfield’s Uglies and Collins’ Hunger Games series, I am a serious wimp.

Kelly

Twitter Updates for 2010-02-20

February 20th, 2010
  • One last pass to make all the conflict just a little bit worse. I'm such a softie. Need to channel Orwell. #amwriting #
  • Just listened to a great roundtable on enhanced ebook at #dbw Also realized my Tweeting needs work. Sigh. Back to writing. #
  • @booksquare I so think historical fiction would benefit. in reply to booksquare #
  • @KayCassidy I'm not too good at Twitter yet, Kay. Just saw this. You are an inspiration! Hope I brought you some contestants. in reply to KayCassidy #
  • More possibility for non-fiction enhancement, obviously. No one wants to tackle enhancing fiction. #dbw #
  • listening to enhanced e-book roundtable discussion #dbw #

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Twitter Updates for 2010-02-19

February 19th, 2010
  • Analysis of the core conflict of current manuscript complete. Tweaked structure. Will polish the improved ending, at last! #

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Twitter Updates for 2010-02-18

February 18th, 2010
  • Minority Report reality in our future? Cool. http://bit.ly/a2LzTh #
  • Added publisher Widget to my Blog Page. Now Contemplating #

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Randomness and Hollywood

February 17th, 2010

I am experimenting with adding things to my webpage. The publisher of my YA is offering a Widget that displays my books on the sidebar, with a click-through to whatever on-line vendor might please the reader. Cool beans (what does that mean? I live in New England and beans are not cool…whatever).

Something I did (or didn’t do) when I updated by Blogroll Widget has made my links vanish from the page (there’s still there, just not showing). Will try to figure that out while waiting for random universe fix.

Lastly — most importantly — I want you all to check out this blog, where Amecreatrice puts a cast together for the Salem Witch books. While it would take a time machine to accomplish this casting, I think she’s right on. Especially about Jane Fonda and Julie Andrews. Really.

This was posted back in May and I missed it. But it is too good not to pass on, even so. And you should check out her the other novel casting posts. Some people are so creative.