Status Update

…like the title says…

Writing Adventures

Science Fiction Novel (2^nd installment in my duology)

– 21,500 words 

– 7 chapters

– Commentary: After being stuck on this one area for the past two weeks, I was finally able to break through! I finished chapter 7 and am currently on chapter 8. Ah, the crazy world of writing….

Science Fiction Short Story (an AI piece)

– 952 words

– Commentary: I’m not very far into this one, I’ll admit, but I thought of the idea last Friday (3/8) and I’ve been working on it ever since. I’m excited to see how I can weave all my ideas into the plot-line and characters. I think my take on AIs are different than other versions, but I’ll definitely send it out to my writer friends for critique first.

Fantasy Novella Series (magic, swordplay, scribes and more!)

– 200 words

– Still on 1^st chapter

– Commentary: I was so psyched about my first main character that I started writing it before realizing I should probably put this one on hold so I can fully concentrate on my 2^nd novel. But I am 200 words into it!

Fanfiction Fluff Piece (Teen Titans)

– 10 words

– Commentary: I started this one today because I was tired of writing science fiction stuff (I love my sci-fi pieces but sometimes I need a break and, while I don’t want to write two of my ‘huge’ projects at once, a fluff piece is a good middle ground.) It’s going to be a romance between two of my favorite characters of TT – Raven and Starfire. Yes, it’s a lesbian piece. Yes, there will be feels. Yes, I am trying this out to hopefully get better at it before I have to write out a very specific scene in my sci-fi novel. (Bonus – I’ll probably have to watch Teen Titans in order to ‘get back into’ the characters again. Memories.)

 

Publishing Adventures

Submitted to: RAW – Beware, the Temptress Comes

Submitted to: Poety24 – Alaskan Adventure

Working on: Submission to Laser and Sword – the sci-fi AI short I mentioned above, unnamed as of now

Working on: Submission to F Magazine – The Damsel’s Knight

 

Editing Adventures

My freelance editing has taken an upswing as recently I got to edit some more of my client’s works. Currently I’m in the midst of two: 

– A collection of Alaskan Articles

– Various selections of a proposal

I’m going to put my ad up on craigslist with my website and facebook – I made a facebook page for my freelancing! – links to hopefully hook some more clients in. I’ll also be shooting a ‘How are you doing?’ email to my current clients that I haven’t heard from in awhile.

All in all, I’m pretty happy with this facet of my life and I hope you are as happy with yours as well.

Have a lovely weekend!
Warm regards,
Kellie

The End is Really Another Beginning

I did it!

I finally completed the goal that I’ve been striving for since I was thirteen. I wrote a novel. (Okay, so truthfully there were two parts to that goal – write a novel and then publish it – so I’ve completed only one aspect but the publishing part will come later. Carrying on…) A year and a half after the main character entered my mind, I finally got to pen ‘The End’ in italics in brackets centered on the page. Overkill? Perhaps. But I was happy to do such extravagant writing to prove my point.

However, after penning The End (and celebrating with a cutting edge facebook and twitter update) I realized that this is not the end at all. I still have a ton of work to do on this project.

Editing, of course.
Revising, of course.
Editing (again).
Revising (again).

Adding aspects I’ve neglected, taking out sections I disliked, clarifying ideas, rounding out characters. Musing about the next book in the series. Essentially I’m going to be re-writing this novel to be the best that it can possibly be. I’ve got a good foundation to work with, now it’s just tweaking the writing a bit.

Then after the novel is perfect – or I’m tired of looking at it, haha – there’s the query letters that have to be written and combed through, the manuscript samples to be sent out, the agents to query and publishers to scope. I’ve had multiple writers tell me that writing the story is the fun part and I’m really starting to believe it. This process, it’s going to take time and effort and even more time but I’m glad that the first step to making my dream come true is complete.

I’m looking forward to traversing the choppy waters that make up the publishing world. Now if in a few months I end up ranting about it, you have my permission to smack me and remind me of this posting.

Until then…
Warm regards,
Kellie

What to Do When You’ve Run into a Block

…stumble backwards and exclaim ‘ouch’ perhaps? I jest, of course, that’s not the same block I am referring to. Think, instead (if your pounding head will allow it), of writer’s block. My sage trilogy of advice on this common issue is as follows:

Write – I don’t care if it’s crap, I don’t care if you don’t want to or you’d rather play video games, write. It’s a way to get out of this block you’ve put yourself in. Because that’s the real issue here, you’ve put yourself into this block, you’ve mentally told yourself that there is nothing else to write about this particular subject but that’s not true. yes, you may be distracted, yes you may have run out of ideas for the present time but it’s not like you’ll never come up with new ones. Write something, anything, different than what you’ve been working on or similar to what you’ve been working on, it doesn’t really matter. Just write.

Read – read, read anything and everything. Articles, interviews, novels, novellas, poetry, even comics. Just sit down and read because in reading you glean inspiration and ideas on your own work.

Walk – yes, I said it walk. The simple action of walking will allow you to broaden your horizons, get your blood pumping, and some much needed exercise, as well as get you out of the house, room, hole or chair you’ve been tethered to for the past few hours, days, months or years whilst writing. I would suggest, if you could, for maximum benefit of this idea, that you walk outside. Rain, shine, snow or sleet – much like the mailmen – walk, just around the block or to the store or down some hidden trail you’ve always wanted to explore. It helps, trust me.
There you go, three lovely ideas that you can try if you ever experience writer’s block. Simple, easy, and healthy (quite unlike the other ideas I’ve encountered which include – drinking oneself into a stupor, banging ones head against the computer keyboard, and going out and committing a crime just so you can feel again). Try my ideas first, please, then go onto the others.

With that said, however, do you have sage advice that has worked for you? I look forward to a flurry of comments as my ideas cannot be the only ones. =)

Warm regards,
Kellie

P.s. – Just so you know, I’ve written this entire post with only one hand as my cat – Raven – has commandeered the other by lounging on it. I believe props are in order, yes? [If not, no worries, I’ll pat myself on the back for you. =)]

Writing Diagrams

Today I have decided to write about writing diagrams. Now, usually, I write these posts at least a few days in advance but, as this week has been a bit hectic, please forgive my spur-of-the-moment idiosyncrasies. There will be, however, pictures interesting to look at (if you like looking at picture examples is, in fact, interesting, of course) so I hope they make up for my (probably) crazy ramblings.

At a very young age I discovered the plot diagrams. I was searching the web for some interesting games to play and found this website – http://www.fictionpress.net. It was a marvelous discovery which allowed me to write and “publish” anything I wanted, create stories and spread my wings as a young writer. The users of the said website spoke very highly of a shape called the Plot Diagram (which I aptly named “The Hat Diagram” after I saw its basic shape) so I looked it up. Lo and behold this popped up:

It was pretty exciting for me because I’d never seen anything like it. So I used it, obsessively. Every story had to have an exposition, rising action, climax, falling action and resolution in exactly that order, regardless of what type of story it was. And, quite frankly, my writing became a tad bit boring because
of it. I had neglected to factor in the unique qualities of individual stories. Not every story has an exposition, sometimes the reader must be thrown into the action and the exposition comes later on, sometimes the reader sees the resolution first and then gets to piece together how it happened, and sometimes there is no climax at all, leaving the reader excited but forced to come up with their own twist. All in all, every story is different, heck, each genre is different. So the Hat Diagram, while useful, doesn’t help in every situation.

Back in my college years (only last year, mind you), I encountered another diagram. This one, or so the professor assured me, would be an important facet in writing short stories. I drew the diagram out and attempted to put it to good use. It was named the Inverted Check-Mark:

This diagram, said the professor, would help those rambling writers rein in their resolution which would, in turn, tighten up their short story. Yet, note how skewed this diagram is – the rising action takes up almost entirely the whole plot, hit the turning point, and poof as a writer and reader you’re pretty much done. It seemed odd to me at the time, but I gave my professor the benefit of the doubt and tried it. And again it helped for a while. But only a while. I, again, got stuck, a helpless turtle on its back unable to do anything except the same rocking motions back and forth, back and forth. I soon realized that short stories, like longer works, can start wherever the writer deems necessary, at the turning point, resolution, or even mid-rising action.

There are a dozen different devices aimed at helping writers develop their plots and, for the most part, I applaud them. They do help. If you ever get stuck, try one out and see what happens.

However, a caution to this tale of mine: In order to be unique one must break away from the usual and try something, well, unusual. Remember that. Don’t depend on diagrams. Don’t depend on anything except your ability to write and your creative muse.

(Except, of course, when your muse disappears, then write questionable stuff for a while until it returns… but that’ll be a different post.)

To sum it up: Diagrams are good. Don’t use them every time or you’ll end up like a turtle. Create something new.

I hope this helps someone out out there…

Warm regards,
Kellie

Updates and Crosscurrents

This week I’ve decided to give an utterly random project update…

1) The first half of my novel is done!
2) I’m officially onto the second half of my novel!
(yes, I realize this reiterates my first point but I’m excited so I’m throwing the usual writing guidelines into the wind)
3) My novella has a first sentence!
My novella has, thus far, only been a seedling in my mind. It hasn’t had the chance to develop and push it’s tendrils onto the page… until now!  (Cue scary, unintended, music here.)

And tell you all about the Crosscurrents event that I happened to attend…

It was awesome. Yes, awesome. Held at one of our museums in town, Crosscurrents is an event that only happens a few times a year. 49 Writers, the local creative writing organization, invites authors to come up to Alaska and speak about their books, how they made it big, and what inspired them to write. I have only attended this one time but quite a few people showed up considering it was a random Wednesday night.

Two authors stopped their hectic lives to chat with each other (and all of us) for an hour. They covered aspects like why they decided to write, how they got into writing, what degree they each received, how often they write, why they wrote their novels, and how to really get into the setting and world (among other things).

The back and forth was enlightening but the one aspect that really stuck with me is this… in response to a ‘how did you make it big?’ question the author of The Snow Child said roughly the following: “The stars aligned. Really though, nothing could have prepared me for it, I did nothing special to get it. I wanted to write this story and so I did.”

Do you know what that all boils down to, fellow readers and writers? You can write about vampires, you can write about werewolves, you can write about magicians with a lightning scar. You may cater to the current wave of fierce magical and fantastical elements in the literature trend today. You may get published. You may make it big. And you may not. When it all boils down to it? Write the story in your mind, get it down on paper, solidify the characters, know the plot, describe the setting, do your best to tell the story the best way you possibly can – write what you want to write. In the end, as long as the story is told, you did good. The piece of advice spoke to me, it’s what I’ve been writing about (and thinking about) these past few blogposts and I’m glad that others feel the same way.

I was wondering, though, have you been involved with a discussion such as this? If so (or if not, for that matter,) what is the best piece of advice you’ve gleaned about writing?

Warm regards,
Kellie

Postscript – By the way, I encourage everyone to attend the writing discussions in your own area, don’t say there isn’t any around – there’s always something somewhere. You just have to look for it. It’s a lovely experience, really.