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Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Part 2 and TWoK Release

Officially into “Part 2” of CSH—the book is separated into five parts, Part 5 being an epilogue. So far things are coming pretty well. The two biggest changes so far are changing Flad and his fighting style (as previously mentioned) and making the Sollar more of a bad guy (which clears up the circus’s motivations.)

Party yesterday was pretty good. Hung out at Nathan’s over-sized apartment (lucky dog) and played Rockband for a couple of hours. Jordan came with me, if only so I wouldn’t fall asleep on the road on my way back to SLC.

I was number 184 in line to get my book, ha. Almost the end. But I got it, and it’s huge, and I haven’t actually started reading it yet. Will on my lunch break at work today. I made cookies for the before-party, which were only partially consumed (thanks to an abundance of snacks), so I passed some around the line until Joe took them up to Sanderson. Hope he liked them.

But, I didn’t get my book signed. It was already late after I got it, and the line to get signed was SO long. I know, I know, what’s the point of going if I’m not going to get it signed? But J and I had to get up early in the morning*, so we were lame and left. I’ll see Sanderson at LTUE at the latest, so I’ll get it signed. Eventually.

Meanwhile, I think he still has my plate. XD


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*Jordan only got 4.5 hours of sleep—I lucked out with six. And he doesn’t get home until nine tonight. Poor boy. ;_; I love him to pieces.

Monday, August 30, 2010

Quick Upddate, Plus TWoK!

Going to Provo tonight to hang out with old writing friends and attend Brandon Sanderson's release party for The Way of Kings.

I'm going to be really, really tired tomorrow. :O

Meanwhile, I'm nearing the end of chapter four revisions! This is good.


Excerpt of the day:

“Do you ever hear that?” Lottie whispered, breaking his thoughts.

Flad inched forward on the branch. “What?”

Lottie stayed still for a moment, listening. “I always hear a noise during the quakes. Like a humming.”

He grinned. “I’ll be sure to listen next time.”

Circus Soul Heiress, chapter three

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Revising le Final Battle

And making it more “epic.” That’s what readers told me I needed to do, though apparently the ending is fairly good. So I’m not a 100 percent failure.

Anyway, I’ve been working on revising my final battle, and atm it looks like I won’t be keeping a whole lot of what was originally there. I need to make it different from the other big battle, which occurs at roughly the half-way point.

Basically I’m adding more critters and destruction. Oh, and explanations. You know, so things make sense. Since it’s the end of the novel.

But because I’m ending the novel a bit differently, I can now advertise it as a stand-alone with sequel potential, which is basically the golden line for cover letters, so I hear. I have some ideas for a sequel, but it’s not something I’m worried about in any way. Assuming I ever get this book published, I won’t write a sequel unless a shiny editor tells me to.

Also might add lava. Just saying.

Excerpt of the day:

He’s fast, she thought, chasing down the perpetrator. Fast for someone so small.

The black-clad figure turned suddenly, and Pasha almost lost him in the darkness. He was heading north, deeper into the palace.

A new dose of adrenaline shot into her blood, and her spellsight flared green.
He’s not trying to escape, he wants the Sollar!
Circus Soul Heiress, chapter 1

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Esrov in Art

You may recall me mentioning a while ago that I won a contest on deviantart.com (an easy peasy one, too), so my friend said she’d do a free commission for me! I debated over the picture, but eventually settled on a portrait of Esrov, post-Roth.*

And…. She did it! And it looks great, of course.

Photobucket

You can see the bigger version here, or browse her deviantart page here.**


Excerpt of the day:
Thrip, he thought, skin growing hot. I should have known you’d be here.
Circus Soul Heiress, chapter 1


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*Roth is his homeland. AKA he’s not wearing Rothian clothing.
**Her commission prices are super affordable too, if any of you wants to get some art done. She recently published some art in Leading Edge Magazine, the magazine I used to work on at BYU!

Monday, August 23, 2010

Revising Flad's Character

Edits for CSH are underway and coming along nicely. My writing muse is up and running her hamster-wheel with renewed vigor.

I’m actually really excited about this. I’ve been recording things that need to change and incorporating them into my old outline. I’ve deleted scenes and added scenes. So far no deletions or additions of characters, minus major tweaking in faction #3.

Jordan (aka HUSBAND) and I drove to Springville through ghastly traffic last Friday and talked about CSH (Since we had a LOT of time to do so). He read it a little while ago. :D He’s not a writer and didn’t give me the kind of feedback I get from alpha-readers and the like, but he’s helpful. I bounced a lot of ideas off him.

One of the biggest things I need to concentrate on is Flad’s character. Making him more sympathetic. Having him come across on paper (or screen…) the way I see him in my head. So, for draft 3, I’ve changed Flad’s fighting style and put restraints on his temper. I’ve eliminated the conflicting personality traits and given him a lot of room to open up. I’m really excited to incorporate all this into the story. It will make it a million times better. Yeah, I have to rewrite every fight scene he’s in, which is a lot, but I’m excited for it.

Next time: Epic-izing the final battle!

Excerpt of the day, subject to change:

“Another man has disappeared,” Lialis replied, stepping aside to allow Pasha some space. He made a simple bow of the head as he did so.

Pasha clenched her teeth. “Who? A name?”

“Garron Kaller, with two Ls,” the sheriff answered, holding a small lantern to a thick roll of parchment in his hand.

The name made her pause mid-step. “Kaller? Corporal Kaller?

“Did you know him?” Lialis asked.

“Yes, I did,” Pasha said, an uneasy feeling sprouting in her chest. She’d never known any of the victims personally. “He’s an archer. . .was an archer. I trained him as a private.”

Circus Soul Heiress, Prologue

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Decisioned.

The decision has been made.

AKA I’ve been focusing on CSH revisions for the last 24 hours.

I think they’re coming along nicely. Lots of changes to make, including creating a new character sheet for a minor character I actually have to explain. When? I dunno. I have a lot of time and effort to pour into this. Rewriting/tweaking the outline right now. Lots of red comments.

And shhh… quiet. You’ll wake The Raimos. (AKA IT IS SLEEPING RIGHT NOW.)

Excerpt of the day, subject to change during revisions:

Flad snarled and leapt from the shadows, dashing down the left hall, feeling the light of the lanterns on his back. I have time, he thought. For that bastard, I have all the time in the world.*
Circus Soul Heiress, chapter 1


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*Disclaimer: Flad swears more than Esrov does. o.O;

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Down to a Specific Problem

All right, I found the problem whilst thinking about my writing as I fell asleep last night.

Namely when I began comparing it to CSH.

Short answer? Characters. The reason I’m not motivated to write TR anymore is because I’ve fallen out of sync with my characters. I’ve become apathetic to them. All of them. Major and minor. I still like Esrov all right, ish, but I just don’t care about them anymore.

I still like my plot, which is good. But I need to rediscover my characters. Maybe even rewrite them. But I don’t know how or what direction to take them in.

So, I’ve decided to make a dangerous move*. I’m setting TR aside to work on revisions for CSH**. So all you alpha readers who still haven’t gotten back to me, chop chop. I’m compiling comments this week.

On the brighter side, Nathan said he liked my first two chapters of unpolished TR. That’s a good sign.

Also, congrats to Joe who just completed another novel!


Excerpt of the day:
Esrov always knew he would die young. The ghost of Mount Isarai looming outside the shop’s two-pane window reminded him of that. His hands paused above the small watch on the table, stilling the slim tools between his fingers. He gazed to the legendary mountain half-concealed by empty snow clouds. It jutted upwards from the frost-bitten ground like a rusted dagger, chipped from overuse. Esrov knew Isarai was sacred, but the feelings of dread its presence enticed in him were anything but spiritual.
The Raimos, chapter 1


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*Dangerous because once a story is set aside, it becomes much harder to go back to…
**A story where I love every character I created, and my favorite character is the protagonist. This is a good thing.

Monday, August 16, 2010

Mid-Book Depression

I am so not finishing this novel on time.

I didn’t do word count this last week, because I got MARRIED and was in CA on my honeymoon until Friday. So I’m already behind. I was hoping the time away from the book would heighten my zeal to work on it, but, unfortunately, it hasn’t. I’m struggling to write anything, and, for the moment, I just don’t care.

How lame would it be if I didn’t finish? Very. Pathetically lame. So not finishing isn’t the answer. But how long can a rut last? I’m past the half-way mark! So why am I struggling?

I think a lot of people get mid-book depression. I’ve gotten it before. It’s almost a natural phase of completing a novel. But this one is lasting for a while, and I’m not 100% sure why. Maybe I need a big magic system. I’ve decided magic systems are win.

Right now, I just don’t feel good about this book. There are a few scenes I think would be fun to write, maybe. But when 500 words a day suddenly seems like way too much, you know you’ve got problems.

I can’t quit! But at the same time, I have nearly zero motivation to keep going. :(


Excerpt of the day:
Singe didn’t take special precautions for god-worshippers. He ploughed through them to the gates atop Soldier, letting them move themselves. They cried out as they were nearly trampled. Even Esrov—the all-caring boy who couldn’t face the reality of the world—didn’t flinch when they scattered.
The Raimos, chapter 26

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Antihero?

So after a conversation with Nathan, I realized something: Esrov is an antihero.

Did I do this on purpose? Well, yes, sort of, though I didn’t realize what I was doing until Nathan pointed it out to me yesterday. I had no idea I was writing for an antihero. No wonder this book is giving me so many problems. :O

Meanwhile I’m worried my character isn’t being proactive enough and that he’s too emotionally damaged. These are things I won’t know much about until I get the 411 from my alpha readers, and I won’t send TR to alpha readers for a long while.

On another note, I passed the 50% mark on this book, which is good. Except I have less than two months to finish it! My deadline is October 1. (When did I start this, again? I think it was three months ago.) So I’ve written half a book in three months. And I have to write another half in two.

….I can do it, I’m not too worried. I’ll just bring my laptop with me on my honeymoon!*

Random: Fighter by Christina Aguilera is such a good song. I want to base a character off of it. Except I have a problem of emasculating my female characters. Which is funny, if you think about it. I dunno. I find them more interesting than feminine characters….


[Crappy] Excerpt of the day:
“Your face has been engrained in my mind since you came to my study to save us from the bandits,” said Victor. “I knew our kindred lights would guide us to you.”
The Raimos, chapter 25




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*Is this a bad idea? Hold on, Darling! Let me just kill this guy and I’ll be right to bed!

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Sanderson Book Release

So Sanderson is having a book release party on the 31st at the BYU Bookstore. I’ll most likely be driving down, chilling with my old writing group, and then heading over at midnight (on a work night, gah) to get my preordered The Way of Kings and get it signed. Because I can.

Then said group will probably pester Sanderson about getting our finals back to us. We have a grade, yes, but we want our twenty-page submissions back with his comments on them. I asked him to be brutal in my cover letter, unless I’m remembering wrong. I’d like to know what he has to say.

But he’s busy, so three months after the end of the semester, no one has gotten their comments back. Can’t blame him, though I want them. Kind of bad. We’ll see what happens.

In the mean time, I worry that my characters are losing their individuality, my readers will think my protagonist is too whiny and angsty, and I’M GETTING MARRIED IN THREE DAYS.

Aren’t we cute?
Photobucket


Excerpt of the day:
“That’s what I want,” he said, looking back at Esrov. “So, will you give it to me?”
Esrov shook his head. “Never. I’m not fuel for your fire, Jinx. That’s a one-sided deal.”
“All my deals are one-sided,” snapped the Tagalian, face twisting into a scowl. “And I do not bargain with anyone, even the likes of you. Where are you Esrov? Still in Ashlee? Or did you come to Falifax to see me?”
Esrov said nothing.
Jinx stepped closer, the black pupils in his eyes shrinking from Esrov’s glow. “It’s settled, Esrov.
Friend. I’m coming for you next, and then me and my men will have the real prize.”
The Raimos, chapter 25