Anissa Off the Record

NaNoRevisMo

2009-11-08T08:45:00.003-07:00

So NaNoRevisMo is going strong...when I actually get to sit down for a chunk of time and immerse myself in the story. See, I'm still at the stage where I'm tweaking the heart of the story. Of course there are times when I can't resist doing a few line edits, but for the most part I'm focusing on getting the story flowing correctly. Pacing is a big issue for me right now.

I've come to the realization that different stages of revision require different amounts of brainpower. I can line edit in the middle of the living room while Thing 1 drives trucks across the wood floor and Thing 2 goes to town on the Wii. But when it comes to smoothing the story, to adding in missing details and clues, I need quiet. And I need a chunk of time. My brain just can't immerse itself in the story when one eye is constantly on alert for a sibling scuffle.

So I'm squeezing in the edits where I can. An hour here another hour there. It would be nice if I didn't need so much sleep! I can draft in the early morning hours because my sleepy mind just lets the story flow. This revision requires analysis, and an alert brain. So sleep, at least for me, is a must.

I have to admit there are times when I just want to throw the whole thing out and start something new. It's that seductive lure of a new story. But what a waste of two years that would be. And really, no story gets to the end without massive revisions. So really I'd just be delaying the inevitable. So I persevere. I'll get to "The End" one of these days, and so will all you. See you guys on the other side. :)

Write on!

Holli's Ramblings

2009-11-04T18:00:00.003-07:00

I'm all over the place these days. There never seems to be enough time. And yet I always take a portion of my day to click through the blogs I follow. I may not always comment, but I always read. One blog in particular really grounded me this afternoon.

If you have not ventured over to Holli's Ramblings, I suggest you do so today. Her post on African missionaries stopped me cold, made me think about my own life--what's important.

http://hollisramblings.blogspot.com/2009/11/modern-mission.html

So often we stress over trivial things, we get bogged down in stuff. We forget the suffering that goes on in the world, because it's not our world. Not today.

I may never see Africa, may never set foot on her parched piece of this Earth, but I think of her struggles when I read Holli's words. And I remember. And I hope.

Hello, 1950s!

2009-11-04T12:31:00.003-07:00

I am in love with this dress. A fellow blogger (PJ over at Seens from the back of my eyelids) had a post up today with some great Christmas present ideas from a place called etsy. Maybe I'm living in a bubble, but I'd never heard of it. Me, not knowing an online store? How can it be???

Headed right over, of course. And look what I found. 1950s Love.

You can get the full experience here:

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=33737811

But if you buy it, you have to send me a pic of you wearing it. Consider it my finders fee.

Sometimes I wonder if I was born into the wrong time...

No NaNo here.

2009-11-02T11:00:00.003-07:00

Every November the NaNo posts start popping up around the blogosphere and I find myself going through fits of hair-tearing jealousy. Of course, I could push my revision aside and start a new story. Oh, the joys of a new story! Ah...just thinking about it makes me flushed with happiness.

No. You hear me, brain? No, no, no!

It seems every November I'm revising. My timing must just be off. But, I can't give up on this story. I have to see it to the end. So I've decided that this November I'm going to take motivation from all the NaNo word count meters and bust my butt with revisions. If I could finish by the end of the month I'd be ecstatic. Ecstatic I say!

So, go go go all you Nanoers. I'm rooting for you, even if I can't officially join you. :)

Time flies and all that

2009-10-28T08:36:00.003-07:00

Three days until my company leaves. Then Halloween. November 1st my time will be my own again until Thanksgiving. I should do NaNo just to give myself that kick in the pants I always lack once I get the house back in order.

I always forget how much company wears me out. There's just another dimension there, the entertaining even when just hanging out. Last night I went to bed when the boys did. Today I'm feeling much more refreshed.

Writing suffers during visiting time. I try to sneak away and crank out some edits, but my head just isn't in it. So I read. Just finished Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick. If you haven't read it, and you write YA, go get it. Becca did a fabulous job building and maintaining tension throughout. I loved it!

Reading from Nora's POV in Hush, Hush got me to thinking about my MC, Cara. All along I've been feeling a little removed from her. She's closed off by nature, but as the writer, she just shouldn't be this closed off to me. I realized last night what the problem is. At times, I'm fully there, with her. But at other times, I'm not in her head. I'm only behind her eyes. And while you can tell a story that way, the depth just isn't there. I don't want to just see what she sees. I want to feel it, live the story with her. Add that to my editorial letter. :)

It's always good to recognize where your writing is lacking. It makes me feel like I'm growing as a writer. If you can't see the mistakes, you can't fix them. This I can fix. It's certainly not going to be easy, but it will be worthwhile. Which brings me back to reading.

I think as writers we (at least I do at times) push aside the reading to work on our own stories. And yes, absolutely that's important. But so is reading. Reading a good book is motivating on so many levels. It isn't just for entertainment. Reading teaches us what works, what doesn't, and everything in between. I forget that sometimes in the push to finish a round of revisions.

So in a way, my company helped me to recognize a flaw in the telling of my story. My character can be stronger, and now that I know the problem. November will be all about fixing it.

I'll get back to the revision post shortly, but wanted to share the revelation. Read, read, read, there's a reason we love it so much.

Company

2009-10-22T19:57:00.002-07:00

Company has descended on my household. Translation: part two of my revision post does not yet exist. After fixing dinner and cleaning up all the dishes (in the same night, imagine! Cause you know my chores are never neglected or anything. *snort*), I'm pooped. So look for the post tomorrow. Now it's bath time for Thing 1 and Thing 2. Then bed for all.

Nighty night.

How I Revise (in parts)

2009-10-20T21:47:00.007-07:00

I thought it might be interesting--and timely--to talk about the revision process. The point being, my process might be entirely different from yours, and if that's the case, we might all learn a few things. Here goes...

So you have a rough draft. Hooray! Totally not being sarcastic here. Do you know how many people start novels and never finish? That first draft puts you leaps and bounds above the masses. Give yourself a pat on the back. Done? Good. Now the real work begins.

I love writing first drafts. The creating, watching the story emerge, getting to know the characters, I love it all. Revision, not so much. But...and it's a big but, it's what you do after you finish that rough draft that makes the novel sing.

For me, the first thing I like to do is make a list of all the things I know will need to be changed in future drafts. Call it my editorial letter to myself. In this letter I include everything I can think of that will need to be accomplished in edits. Big, small, astronomical, it all goes in. My current letter is five pages long, but hey, I figure when the time comes, my real editorial letter won't feel so overwhelming. I'll have had a lot of practice by then.

Examples from my letter:

Bring the setting to life. The reader needs to feel it, needs to know what it's like to live on the Rez.

Make sure Cara's character arc is a reflection of her emotional journey. Don't lose sight of the inner journey once the s*&t hits the fan.

Beef up the ____ subplot, it disappears for too long.*

What is the ____'s motivation? Convey that.*

So with the first round of revisions, I like to tackle the big things. As hard as it is, I don't allow myself to fiddle with words, smooth sentences or otherwise polish. Big picture first. Why polish a chapter that could very well end up cut?

Okay, so you've got yourself a second draft. You've incorporated all the big things you had on your list. Character arcs are arcing, subplots are flowing, nobody disappears for half the book. Good. Do a little dance, it's time for a new draft.

By now, your words are stuck in your head like a certain Vanilla Ice song. You're too close to it. Here's my advice: Step away from the manuscript. Seriously. Step. Away. Couple weeks should do it. I'll be the first to admit this is tough. All that work you've completed makes you want to push on to the end. Don't. Trust me. A little distance will work wonders for the next phase. You're going to need all that freshness to catch the nasty little writing crutches that have slipped through your tired little brain.

Tune in tomorrow for part two.

*Names withheld to keep my CP in the dark. (mwa-ha-ha-ha)

First paragraphs

2009-10-15T12:04:00.002-07:00

I did it. For years I've enjoyed Nathan Bransford's blog and contests, but have never had the guts to enter. Until now.

I tucked my nerves away and did it. I'm one of over 2000. Poor man will have permanent blurred vision by the time he's finished reading them all.

So there you go. The contest is open until 4PM (Pacific time) today if there's anyone out there who hasn't yet entered. And if you're reading this, let me know if you enter. I'd love to check out your opening. I'm number 1601.

Yay.

Author bios

2009-10-13T19:54:00.003-07:00

I love author bios, especially when they're humorous. How fun is it to learn that ______ was ___________, or ___________ was _____________? Typically, I read these facts and chuckle. Of course, I also assume them to be true. Then again, I assume most things to be true, which has not always been the best thing for me. People, it seems, lie.

Anyway, lately I've been having thoughts about author bios. Not mine personally (ha! I try not to get ahead of myself), but as they relate to me. My life, it seems, has been fairly normal. And that appears to be a downfall. That's not to say I haven't had interesting experiences, haven't known unusual people. My ________ is full. Well, full enough for me. I just haven't ________, or ________. Odd jobs don't fill my resume. Nor crazy experiences my repertoire. Does this hurt my writing? Are such crazy histories necessary to write entertaining fiction?

Honestly, I don't think so. But the more I think about it, the more I realize all of us have crazy experiences. It's all about how we market them. I don't think about the time I got lost in Amsterdam at the age of 11 as a significant life event. But it is a good story, and maybe that's the point. The bio, like the novel, is meant to entertain. Because really, who cares that I spent years as a bean counter when they can know I once peed my pants at the World Series. (Did I seriously just type that?)

All things to consider. Yeah it's a long way down the road. But as you reflect on your own crazy life, maybe there's a seed there that will inspire you. It might not make it into your author bio, it might just make it into your novel. And what could be better than that?

Riding the beach towel

2009-10-09T15:55:00.004-07:00

Thing 1 and Thing 2 have discovered the joys of riding a beach towel through the house. We have laminate wood floors throughout, which makes the perfect surface for their towel surfing. Hours of entertainment, I'm telling you.

I've been watching the phenomenon from the couch, surrounded by the plethora of toys they have chosen to ignore in favor of a beach towel.

This is a lesson for me, as a mother and a writer.

1. My children do not need so many toys. (Now there's a revelation. *snort*)

2. I can fiddle with words, craft lyrical sentences and elaborate metaphors, but sometimes all the fancy stuff just gets in the way. Sometimes all the story needs is a simple truth, an uncomplicated sentence. Sometimes, I need to push all the rules aside and ride the beach towel.

And sometimes I need to step away from the computer and ride along with them.

I'm off!

I have a squirrel

2009-08-31T13:19:00.002-07:00

And I couldn't be more excited!

Yesterday, while hunkered down in my bedroom with the laptop (dodging Thing 1 and Thing 2, don't ya know), I spotted what I thought was a very large bird hanging out under the pomegranate tree. Never one to ignore a distraction, I jumped off the bed and peered through the glass.

Say what?! A squirrel?

Now, I know to many of you this would not be cause for celebration, or even pause. But I live in the desert. In a city in the desert. Squirrels just aren't part of the habitat unless they're little burrowing ground squirrels. And I don't see many of those except at the zoo.

Anyway, ole squirrely hung out for a while nibbing on a couple pomegranates that had cracked open from the heat. I've been watching for him today, but he's laying low. Can't give the fans too much too soon. But I have my camera ready. When he comes back, I'll post a pic.

Happy Monday,

Your squirrel-loving blogger.

Summer Recap

2009-08-26T16:58:00.003-07:00

So school started, which is my world mean the end of summer. Not the end of the heat, mind you. No,Thing 2 and I get the privilege--the joy!--of hoofing it to school twice a day to drop off and then pick up Thing 1. In 110 degree heat, I might add. But I shall not complain. The boy loves kindergarten. That's all I can ask for.

So to recap my summer, numerically...

Number of children taught to swim: 2 (Who knew I was raising fish)

Number of teeth lost: 2 (Thing 1, not me. Whew.)

Number of vacations taken: 1 (Oh, San Diego...why do you tease me so?)

Number of words written: Um... (No, seriously, I wrote. I just don't really keep track of individual counts. It's just one big file that grows and grows and grows)

But I'm back now. And I have a kindergartner. How did that happen? Where did the time go? We had a great summer together. I wrote when I could and did an awful lot of playing. And swimming. Did I mention the fish? Crazy!

I'm estimating I have 10K words left until this new version of Skin is finished. This draft, at least. I'd never tackled a rewrite before. Honestly, I don't think what I used to call revision really qualified to bear the word. Now I know. Boy do I know. There is still a lot of work to be done, a lot of tweaks to be made, but I'm up for it. I'm excited. The story is much improved. By the time I'm finished, it's going to sing.

But, it hasn't made me cry yet. There's still the climax to look forward to though. Otherwise, it's back to page one to ramp up the emotion even more.

And there you have it, my summer in a nutshell. Stay tuned tomorrow for the story of the lost tooth. Maybe I can make you laugh. :)

Write on, my friends.

On revising...

2009-05-16T08:36:00.002-07:00

I've been a bit mute lately with regard to the writing. I used to blather on about status and such, but suddenly it feels like I have nothing to say. All my writing-related energy is being poured into the revision. Well, trickled in, maybe--drip by drip.

Can I just say...Writing is hard. This is a revelation for me. I used to just sit down and pound out words. Whatever came to mind. The story would just flow from my fingers and when I ran out of time, I'd save and come back the next day. Now, not so much.

Rewriting is another animal completely. For every three scenes I write, at least one gets deleted. Sometimes all three. There are decisions to be made daily, hourly even. Where do I want to take the story? Am I telling the truth? I sometime feel myself holding back, afraid to offend. That has to stop. In real life I do my best not to offend. But in the writing, I have to remind myself that truth is key. I can't pull any punches.

I hope this somehow signifies growth. The choices representing my writing mind expanding to see alternatives to every action within the story. Otherwise, I might just lose my marbles. Either way, I will finish. The story deserves that.

Skin is already better than it was. I know this. I also know it can still be improved. And that's just the first 40K words that I've already rewritten. Here's hoping the last half of the story comes pounding out of me.

I want it to take my breath away. I want it to make me cry. And not out of frustration. I want to give this little story wings.

Now back to it.

Any Kindle users out there?

2009-05-11T15:56:00.004-07:00

I totally understand now. I remember reading about the Kindle and thinking, "Sounds pretty cool, but how can the screen look like paper?"

I understand.

Wow.

The boys in my life totally tricked me, planting fake clues and slip-ups. "Mama, would you like a red notebook for Mothers' Day?" Followed by, "Oops, it's a secret."

Little connivers. :)

So Kindle 2 now lives in a red leather case and I'm loving it. But let me tell you...dangerous. One click and POOF! new book. Scary dangerous. I'm half through The Graveyard Book as I type.

So yes, I'm a spoiled Mommy. Now I just need to get my own WIP on there so I'm completely portable. Yay!

Happy Belated Mother's Day to all the mamas in the house.

Sleep, glorious sleep

2009-04-27T20:03:00.003-07:00

I have to tell you--I think I'm turning back into a teenager. How such a thing is possible? I do not know. Maybe it's the fact that I am in the midst of an angst-inducing rewrite of the YA novel I've been dreaming about for years. Or maybe it's the fact that all new novels to enter my home are geared at an audience 18 and under. Either way, it seems the teenager in me has reared her head. Or...not so much reared, more like collapsed--right onto that fluffy down pillow. I can not (do you hear me?) CAN NOT seem to get enough sleep. Ever.

If I sleep 8 hours, I think to myself, "Self, today you will write when the wee child is napping." And self responds, "Oh yes, you are so right. Today we write."

Skip ahead 5-6 hours. The conversation goes more like this:

"Self?"
Snore
Yawn. "Um...self?"
Snore
"Oh, why not." snore

In an effort to fool ole self, I have tried the old 5Am rise and shine maneuver. Get up early, nap later. Used to work. I love to write in the AM. It is by far my most creative time. So the alarm blares and what do you know?

Twack! Old Self is not fooled. I smack that alarm clock into submission, only rising when the wee lad starts his morning hollering.

You see, sleep calls to me. It beacons. When I wake in the morning, my first thought is when I can sleep again. Sick, I know.

I think it's my house. I think my walls are stuffed with sleepy-time tea or something.

So excuse the yawns and the unintelligible comments that may show up on your blogs. You never know, I just might be sleep-blogging.

Nighty-night.

This gives me goosebumps

2009-04-15T10:52:00.004-07:00

Youtube has disabled embedding, but this is definitely worth the click.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxPZh4AnWyk

Absolutely stunning. I am so very inspired by her. Just the motivation I needed today.

Enjoy, and...

Dream big!

Rewriting, it's like writing. Right?

2009-04-02T06:59:00.002-07:00

Ha! I never imagined this rewrite would be so difficult. Don't get me wrong, I didn't expect it to be easy, but changing the story has turned out to be a giant puzzle. I'm still not sure I have all the pieces.

I started off quick, burning through 1K words a day, sometimes more. That lasted for 25 days. Exactly. Then I got stuck. The story wouldn't go on. So I stopped. Recollected. Rethought. And started over, again.

Now I'm back at 30K, and a part of me is afraid that this is just the point in the story where I'm destined to struggle. But I'm okay with struggling, as long as the story moves forward. Funny thing, I'm staring at the same scene as before. Maybe it's the problem.

This is a pivotal scene in one of the subplots. I think that's what's hanging me up. But I've learned not to push through unless I'm sure what's next. So it'll be a day or two of heavy thinking. The plot board might even be in order. ;)

So that's it in a nutshell. My writing thus far this year. Slow going, but ultimately worth it. (I hope.) I must say, I'm loving the new direction of the story.

Write on, friends!

Two months

2009-04-01T07:46:00.002-07:00

Two months of no posts. I'd have to say I have not managed to drag myself out of my blog malaise. I think about posting, then don't. I read all your feeds via bloglines, but forget to head over and comment. My brain is stuck inside my novel and I pretty much feel like I don't have anything else to say once I pull myself back into the real world.

I will try harder. But be forewarned. I may bore the life out of you.

Lost is Back

2009-01-22T14:17:00.002-07:00

DUDE! It's so good. I love it. I can't wait for next week, and the next, and the next.

Love. Ah.

As storytellers go, these dudes are awesome.

A little anatomy lesson

2009-01-14T20:34:00.002-07:00

I had to take the car into the shop today. Fun, fun. The little man came along. All went according to plan until it was time to leave.

Suddenly, sweet little child of mine felt the need to do a little sharing with the service advisor.

"Mama don't have penis."

Good Lord. How do you respond to that? Is there an appropriate comeback?

The poor man just stared. I shrugged, stuck a complimentary cookie in the offending mouth. Finally, words seemed necessary. I shrugged again. "I'm the only girl in the house."

I don't think the man said another word. Stunned into silence by a two-year-old. All I can hope is that he misunderstood the critical word. Coming from the mouth of my babe, it does tend to sound like peanuts.

Flirting with present tense

2009-01-04T10:25:00.001-07:00

The rewrite has hit a snag. False starts have sucked thousands of words from me. I’m not capturing enough of my main character. I want to feel her in the words, to know I’m doing her story justice and not just reciting events.

Each time I feel like I’m close, it stalls. I turn back to earlier drafts and wonder if I can replicate their power. But I don’t want to copy what has already been written. I want to write it fresh. Better. Ratchet up the intensity.

When I feel her voice coming through me it inevitably comes out in the present tense. Not surprising as I like to let myself go, as though she is speaking to me in my head.

Present tense. I've struggled with this in the past. Have put aside story ideas because they refused to emerge in anything but the present tense. Not that I have anything against the present. I've actually grown accustomed to it in my devouring of the young adult genre. But I’m not sure I can pull it off over an entire novel. And there is nothing worse than poorly executed present tense.

Ugh. I’m struggling here. I have a couple different starts that could work. They’re so similar anyone else would hardly notice the difference. But my new philosophy of making every word count is keeping me from choosing and moving on.

One is present. One is past. Which to choose?

Part of me thinks I should run with the present tense. Give it a go. It could add intensity and urgency to the story. It could raise the stakes. We’re talking a thriller after all. But I still hesitate. It’s outside my comfort zone.

Okay, I’m getting back to it. I’ll give past tense one more shot. If it can’t hold my interest, I’ll have a go at present.

Any thoughts? Advice? Forehead smacks? I’m all ears.

2009

2009-01-02T20:10:00.002-07:00

A new year. Holy crap! Sneaks up on me every December. I wish I could say that with the new year I was starting a new book, but alas it is not so. But don't feel too sorry for me. I am about to tackle a major rewrite of Skin. So in a way, it is a new book.

I've been thinking through the plot for the past month. No writing, just thinking. The past few days have been filled with note cards. Plot points here, plot points there. Heck, I have plot points everywhere! But it has been good. I'm excited. I'm streamlining the main plot and cutting out a couple of the subplots that didn't add enough to the story. The great thing about that is they were my least favorite parts to write. So now I get to put in a ton of new scenes about the story I really want to tell. (If I'd only known it in the beginning.)

Now this does mean a significant amount of research, but I think I'm up for it. It's a new year and all. And...I just took a trip to the area I'm writing about so the setting is fresh in my mind and on my camera. Hooray!

So that's what I'm looking forward to in the coming months. Now I just need to get back in the habit of rising before the sun to write in peace. Oh I'm going to miss that sleep. ;)

I'm not really one for resolutions, never have been. But I will venture one out there. I will post to the blog MUCH more frequently than last year. Yes, I know, I am a blog-slacker. My apologies to the two of you who faithfully check in on me. (waves) I'm glad to have you. So look forward to more to come. Some writing stuff, some random stuff, and some other things I have yet to discover.

Until then.

Ciao!

On swollen tongues and Christmas songs

2008-12-04T12:35:00.002-07:00

Sick again, hippity hop. Sick again, when will it stop?

Ha. Just felt like a rhyme.

So here's the deal. If a doctor asks you if you're allergic to a medication, which you have never taken, how are you supposed to respond. Um, I don't know. That's pretty much what I said. Thankfully, having been asked the question, I was a little more alert to my body when I did down the massive horse pill.

Um...huh, what's this feeling in my throat? Probably the cold. Drainage. You know, all the fun stuff of being sick.

So there I sat, feeling a little bit weird, just 30 minutes post pill. Up from the couch I hopped, into the bathroom I trotted. What do you know? I don't think a tongue is supposed to be that fat. Oops.

But really, how often do you look at your tongue? Me? Rarely. So I sat and studied mine until finally convinced the big fat lumpy sausage was not my normal tongue.

Calls to the pharmacist ensued. Benadryl was ingested. All is well.

Except my tongue is still freaking huge!

Let's hope that goes away lest I henceforth be known as the woman whose tongue was too big for her mouth.

In other news, years ago we received one of those singing stuffed things Hallmark sells each year. This one, a snowman and his puppy, sings Jingle Bells. The dog sings along, while wagging his tail. I hadn't thought much about it until this morning when the little man started to sing.

"Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way....woof woof woof, woof woof, woof woof, woof woof woof woof woof woof woof."

Time for Mama to break out the Christmas music. :)

Happy day, all!

Super speedy!

2008-11-20T16:03:00.003-07:00

I just had to share. Now, I'm the first to admit I'm not the most technical person when it comes to computers. I love them. I use them. I make them do my bidding. But when it comes to their insides and all that, yeah, not so savvy.

But...

I just upgraded my memory. All. By. Myself.

Ha!

Just call me super speedy! Yee-haw, watch me fly now...

Poor little baby laptop was totally stifled with by its piddly memory. Went from 1GB to 2.5GB. I thought I'd be going from 1 to 3, but had a surprise when I opened her up. Two 512s instead of the 1GB I anticipated. No worries. And yet, I'm wondering whether to order another 2GB and really see what she can do. Might fry the poor thing's brains. ;) Best not to push my luck. The whole static thing kind of freaked me out.

Anyway, that's it. Carry on.

Bit by the bug

2008-11-14T20:25:00.002-07:00

The Christmas bug, that is. My poor boys, I'm sure they're expecting Christmas to happen any day now.

I booked Polar Express tickets. The Grand Canyon Railroad does this whole Polar Express trip to the "North Pole" where Santa comes on board. I've always wanted to do it, but have been waiting for the little monster to have an interest. And, well, now he does. LOL! Non stop.

So then I got all into the idea of having a Polar Express train for under the tree. It will be arriving next week.

Then it seemed only fitting to start the Christmas shopping (online, of course). The poor UPS man's going to get a hernia. But I'm finished with my boys (and nieces and nephews, whew). Now I just have to hide these gifts better than I did the new basketball hoop which Thing 2 discovered last night. Oops. He sure is enjoying it though.

Oh, and I have to make sure no one changes their mind before the big day. Oh boy.