Filling in the Gaps

Antelope Canyon

I've always been one of those writers who writes in a linear, if not chronological way. It's new for me to skip around, but this WIP has seriously kicked my butt in lots of ways. I've had to get creative, sneak up on it from different angles.

Here are some of the tricks I've been forced to use:

• POV shift to get into another character's head and find out what happens off stage 
• Switching the order of scenes (I'd never done this before)
• Writing a blurb about the climax so I'd know how to get there
• Brainstorming with CPs, parents, siblings
• Reading aloud what I've already got
• Inserting whole scenes in the middle
• Rewriting entire scenes, taking big events out and replacing them with more relevant stuff
• A whole lot of non-writing THINK time

It's been brutal, but it's been kind of fun, too. I've learned how to see flaws in my story arc, which is a big deal for me because story arc has historically been a weakness. After all the fiddling and tweaking, I'm at a point where it's become necessary to fill in the gaps. I've inserted a scene here, taken something out there, and the butterfly effect now demands a careful reread to make sure it all meshes. I should probably be dreading the huge task before me, but I'm actually kind of excited. See, I just spoke with my dad on the phone for well over an hour about scientific theory and how I can use it in my story. This reread is going to see the addition and replacement of some key words, hopefully making the story feel more real and attainable to the reader. I've also got some characterization to nail down. There are lots of good character milestones, but they need to be driven home and tied up. All this, and I haven't even written the ending. Once everything else feels like it flows naturally from one scene to another, I'm hoping the ending I outlined will feel more attainable to me. It's too nebulous right now. I know something about how it will end, but how will each event unfold? I'm getting closer to those answers with each page written. 

Even though this has been such a pain/joy to write, I know it's going to rock to finish it. The bigger they are, the harder they fall, and the better you feel when you've conquered them. 

What's your writing process? How do you fill in the gaps?

Reminder: write your New Year's Day post early and schedule it. I've got your topic right here. Be sure to sign up officially and follow others to see how they get things done.

Read Your Bookshelves in 2011? That's 420 Books!

Four hundred and twenty books! I counted. And listed all the titles on a Word document which is stapled and lying in front of me as I type this. If I follow through with my goal to read all the books in my collection (minus technical text books for hubz's degrees and the whole shelf of children's books), I'll have to read more than one book per day in 2011!

Hmm... might not be able to achieve this New Year's Resolution in one year.

BUT...

I think it's worth a try. Even if it takes a couple years to achieve this goal, how cool would it be to point at my massive library and say, "Yes, I've read every book!"

So cool.

Plus, imagine the wealth of writing styles and random information I'll be able to draw from when writing my own fiction!

Thus, my insane goal of 2011 (and 2012 and 2013 and maybe 2014) is to read my bookshelves.

Your turn to count. How many books would you have to read per week if you chose to read your bookshelves in 2011? (Hint: subtract the books you've read in the last year. You don't need to read those again so soon.)

My purpose with this goal is to

a) learn more about all the subjects and genres I've been drawn to throughout the years,

b) complete the gaps in my public school education, particularly in math, economics, and history,

c) dissuade myself from spending oodles and oodles of my husband's hard-earned cash on shiny new books (oh, I'll still buy a few, but probably not nearly as many as in 2010).

First up: TWENTY books on motherhood, childcare, and developmental psychology. Yeah, I've got three shelves to go before I get to the middle grade fiction shelf, but that will be a compelling carrot for this crazy horse.

How many books on your shelf have you read? How many do you actually want to read? Take inventory and let me know in the comments below.

Goals and Guilt

Image from this site
Inspiration from Kristal's Operation Awesome post

Do your New Year's Resolutions make you feel guilty at the end of the year? Do you look at that gym membership and curse the loss of monthly funds to a goal that fizzled out about June? What about your writing goals? Can you really control whether or not you find an agent or an acquiring editor who is nuts about your work?


Here's my take on it: Goals are good. Make goals. Write down your goals, but focus on the parts you can control. 


I am definitely a fan of resolutions. I still have a notebook page of joint and individual goals my husband and I made as newlyweds, in the guise of predictions for the next five years. Yesterday we celebrated our five year anniversary. Not only had most of our 'predictions' come to fruition, but some had even surpassed our expectations. 


I believe in writing down what you want to accomplish. But it doesn't stress me if I don't meet all my goals. It gives me something to work on for the coming year. Give yourself a mixture of easily attainable goals and pie-in-the-sky goals, and celebrate what you've done at the end of the year. For the rest of it, reassess and recommit if it's still something you even want.

Getting an agent and getting published... they WILL happen, one of these years. All I have to do is keep expecting it to happen, keep working toward it, and that goal, too, will one day bow to my perseverance. 


What are your New Year's Resolutions? Not sure where to start? Start with this.

Join the fun!

Here are a few of my 2011 hopes and dreams, in no particular order:


1. Keep re-imagining my current WIP until the plot is water-tight, the characters are four-dimensional, and the  concept is completely unique. Then, and only then, revise it. 


2. Keep up with my critique group revisions each week.


3. Comb through my first novels to see what I can learn from my mistakes, and hopefully be encouraged by how much I've grown since then.


4. Be more engaged on the blogosphere by reading and commenting.


5. Run another marathon in Fall 2011. (to go with this: get rid of writer's butt)


6. Read all the books on my bookshelf. Take notes.


7. Teach son to read independently. Continue math play with manipulatives. Do more science experiments a la Beakman's world. (home preschool) 


8. Pimp my favorite authors' books across the web. Find new authors to love.


9. Make sure my husband knows he is loved, and has the time he needs to complete his master's program.


10. Keep a paper journal, and up  the ante on my personal scripture study so it's a nightly routine. 


Yeah, that's a good start. :)


Mary Kole wrote an amazing post on Dealing with Rejection that is actually more about the stages of a writing career and how you can get to where you want to be. Simply brilliant. Check it out!

Christmas links, the You'd Better Not Pout edition

Squee! Three days to Christmas!!!

My second-born's first encounter with Santa.
He gets that bottom lip from his dad.

Here are a few must-see posts for your Wednesday enjoyment:

Top Ten Blogs for Writers is up, after much voting. Check it out.

Be Creative. Make Mistakes. Lindsay is on Operation Awesome today comparing writing to art and the process of making mistakes that sometimes turn out unexpectedly beautiful.

Christmas is like writing, another of Lindsay's famous writing metaphors, definitely worth a read.

Authoress Anon has a major announcement, if you haven't heard yet. It's so squee-worthy!

The Be Jolly By Golly Blogfest turned out phenomenal! If you missed it, there's lots of Christmas merriment to go around and plenty of sugarful recipes if you're looking for those! (link goes to my post, but you can see the master list if you click the Linky List in blue)

New Year's Revisions Blog Party is slowly gaining ground. Help us out by blogging, tweeting, or facebooking about it. The more, of course, the merrier. January seems to be the official blogfest month! Kick it off with this one and make your 2011 writing goals known.


Most of all, enjoy these excitement-filled days before Christmas. In no time at all, you'll be putting the decorations away and taking the tree down. Savor every moment. Merry Christmas!

Christmas Blogfest!!

Yep, I'm a sucker for fun, spirited, holiday-themed blogfests! I found this one (hosted by Melissa and Jen) on Jen Daiker's lovely blog.

The only problem is I'm supposed to be listing my... well, I'll just paste the rules for you:

1.Blog Post to be posted on December 20th (whatever time you desire)

2.Show pictures of your decorations, holiday lights & Christmas tree!

3.Share your favorite treat (Recipe included, chance for others to steal the yumminess!)

4.Share your favorite drink (Recipe included, chance for others to steal the alcohol – or non)

5.Last but not least… visit others!!! Take part in their holiday cheer!
(Linky list)

Guess what! No Christmas tree!! I know, the horror! But I can explain. We live in an apartment without a yard and I have two boys under 4 years old. This means that if I put anything breakable down low, it will be broken. As such, we've been putting off the Christmas tree ceremony. We were going to do it last night, but postponed it again till tonight. Anyway, enough of the craziness that is raising boys in a two-bedroom cubicle of an apartment. I'll show you what we have done for Christmas:

Decorations: 

Gingerbread HOUSE!

Isn't this the most adorable gingerbread house and tree you've ever seen? And hey, I think that tree counts as our Christmas tree, right? Right? For now. I love the look on the 3yo's face. Good thing he has that handy toothbrush!

Favorite Treat (plus recipe):

Chocolaty Goodness is a great gift for the families you carol to on Christmas Eve. 

I'm gonna have to go with Chocolaty Goodness, a recipe my dad made up that is straight up raw cocoa powder, butter, honey, and wheat, with a few spices thrown in for good measure. 

I can't in good conscience post the recipe without linking to his marvelous health blog. Check out Coach G at Garner Healthy Living. And now for the recipe!

Chocolaty Goodness

2 c. cocoa powder

1 c. coconut oil (or ½ c. butter)

1 c. honey

2 c. wheat flour

A pinch of Redman’s salt*

A pinch of cinnamon

A pinch of cayenne or chili powder

*Redman's Real Salt is just a special salt that still includes all the minerals. It can be hard to find, so don't worry about it if you're only going to make this recipe once.

Mix it all together and spread out in a pan or on a plate. Chill in refrigerator. Because of the butter or coconut oil, the mixture will harden, so if you want to cut it into squares, do it while it's still soft but not sticky.

Another note: if you're sensitive to whole wheat, take this in small doses, especially at first. I've been snacking on wheat berries since I was a kid (yay, food storage!) so it doesn't phase me. Chocolaty goodness is my guilty pleasure every Christmas.

Favorite Drink (plus recipe):


There's really no competition for this one: EGGNOG!!

Some people make their own, but we drink it so fast, buying it is really the only option. But here's a recipe from allrecipes.com.

And now I am off to visit others!

Don't forget to sign up for the New Year's Revisions Blog Party! Resolutions never looked so good (to agents).

A TOUCH MORTAL author Leah Clifford Q&A Today!

Death isn't what Eden expected. Where the hell is her release? Her quiet ending? Not that Eden remembers the details of her final hours, but one thing is for sure--becoming a Sider, trapped between life and death, was definitely not part of the plan...

For Eden, nothing seems to be coming easy. Somehow, word's gotten around that her power can kill her own kind. With desperate Siders already camping out on her doorstep, the last thing Eden needs is the rumor to spread. Especially since it's true...

When her ability pulls her into a feud between Fallen and Bound Angels, she'll have to figure out who to trust and get to the truth behind her death, even if the answers will alter heaven, hell and everything in-between.


Michelle's guest of honor on Operation Awesome today is the amazing Leah Clifford. A TOUCH MORTAL is the first in a three-book deal with GreenWillow/HarperCollins, and is slated to come out February 2011. 


Leah's opened up the blog to questions, and she'll be answering in the comments. Want to know how she got her agent? How many drafts of her query she sent out? How she felt when she learned about her three-book sale? If she snacks while she writes (whatever she eats, it's obviously working)? Here's an opportunity to pick the brain of a successful author. 


Her book is marked 'to-read' on goodreads by the likes of Elana Johnson (author of POSSESSION) and Kiersten White (PARANORMALCY author), other awesome, much-buzzed-about authors. 


Don't ask your questions here. Leah won't see them. 


Skip on over to the Q&A Post on Operation Awesome!


See you there. I'll be the one waving my hand around in the air like Hermione (but with questions instead of answers). ;)

Sick Babies and a Book about Mortality

It's Friday!

Aside from my little guys waking me up before 3am this morning with their shared stomach bug, it's a pretty good day so far. Few things are more tragic than sick babies. My consolation is that the weekend is almost here, and weekends make everything better, even stomach bugs. *crosses fingers till they pale* I hope. 


It's my day to post on Operation Awesome, and I'm musing about storytelling vs wordsmithing (it's gotta be a word--it's just gotta). Pop on over and tell me which camp you fall into.


Also, the OA blog circle is abuzz with excitement over Leah Clifford's new book, A TOUCH MORTAL. 

Michelle, Lindsay, and Amparo are all pimping it. The exciting news is that Leah will be on the OA blog doing a Q&A about her upcoming book, her writing, whatever you think to ask, this SUNDAY!

Coming February 22, 2011

See you there!


If you haven't yet, be sure to sign up on Mr. Linky for the New Year's Revisions Blog Party.