Job Searching, Writing, and Sometimes Revision

Page two of my own ELEVEN revision notes.
(Picture intentionally blurry!)

Hello everybody!

As you may or may not know, I recently moved to California. I came out here to follow my dreams and to become a big name! (Just kidding. I moved here because I needed to get out of Illinois and my sister lives here with my brother-in-law.)

I thought I was ready for the real world when I was still in school, but now that I'm in it, I'm pretty much falling apart. Okay, well, I wouldn't say that, but I am stressed! I've applied to so many jobs, I've lost count! Because of all the time I've been working on applying to jobs, my writing has taken a back seat. Now, that doesn't meant I've stopped writing! I am definitely still writing! It's just not as much as I'd like to be.

I recently beta-ed my second Nano book to a friend. When I got it back, I had SEVEN single-spaced pages of revision notes. That's not including all the comments actually made ON the manuscript. After reading through them, I agreed with almost all of the notes/suggests/please-change-this-now's. So that's what I've been working on. It's not going to be done as fast as I had originally hoped, but it's coming along.

What's nice, and interesting, about another person looking at your work is, it bring a whole new light to your story. I realized things about my characters I wasn't even aware of. I fixed melodramatic story elements, that originally, I thought were perfect.

For instance, the ending of my manuscript ended in a HUGE way. In fact, it was the original thing I thought up in my mind that my story was based around. (Let's say it involves a crash and public transportation.) It was melodramatic and over the top, but it was the first thing I had ever thought up for this story.

When my friend read it, the only note she put was "Are you serious?" and I knew, deep down, that it was no longer right for the story I was trying to tell. Yes, my entire story grew around this incident, but there was something I hadn't noticed. My story had outgrown it. My story was so much more than that incident now.

So I cut it.

And my story has never looked better.

World War Z and Changing Your Story

World War Z. I just saw the movie the other day with the boyfriend and let me tell you, it was great. I literally jumped out of my seat multiple times and I was scared! I'm pretty easily scared at scary movies though, but not what I expected from this. I will say that it was different than the book, but anyone that's read the book knows it can't really be the same because the book doesn't have a main character! But this isn't a movie review blog, so I'll move on.

After watching almost every single movie, I go onto IMDB and read the Trivia section for said movie. If you've never done this before, I recommend it. You can find out really cool things about the movie that you didn't know before. They often put who was originally cast for a role, if it has changed, and who else was considered for roles. It's fun to imagine someone else in the movie!

While looking up the World War Z trivia, one of them really stuck out to me. The original script called for a much more dark ending. However, the studio wanted a different end so the entire third act was rewritten to fit the new ending they wanted. Now this wasn't an early on decision either. This decision was made so late in the game (figure of speech, don't get confused!) that it caused the release date to get pushed back.

In my current work in progress I made the same decision a couple of weeks ago. I'm rewriting the entire last two or three chapters and changing the ending. I'm doing this because, while I'm planning a trilogy, I want to write it so that it can be sold stand alone. I have read lots of articles, and direct advice from agents, that a lot of them are weary about signing on a new writer to a trilogy when they don't know how the first will do. So I'm changing my ending.

This just goes to show how fluid writing really is. It also shows how much power, as writers, we really have. We have the power to shift a story and completely change it if we decide. Sometimes it's required, and sometime we just want to. We can kill, or save, characters. We are in control, and if you aren't happy with what's going on in your writing, you can change it. You can make it what you want it to be.

Minecraft and Living in Your Own World!

Hello all! As you can see above I do enjoy playing some Minecraft. In fact, I've been doing it quite a bit while reading at the same time. It's a skill I've learned that not many can posses ;). One thing that I find really fun about Minecraft is that I can create things that I'm writing in my story. Buildings, areas, etc. I read on absolutewrite that apparently a lot of people build their characters and what not on Sims, which I ALSO love, but I have yet to try that! It's really fun to be able to walk through a place that I've only made in my head. Seeing it also comes in handy when writing. It's just a really fun way to help my writing, and be a distraction when I need it! I think it'd be really awesome to do it in Second Life, but I don't have that either.

Anyway, I've been editing my WIP progress lately and it's turning out a lot better than I expected! I've added on about twelve pages and I'm not even half way through. The best part is that this is just my first read through so that I can change it from past to present. In case I didn't say specify in my my old post about past or present, I'm going with present. The story just reads so much better now that I've made the decision and I'm really happy with how it's turning out.

On a different note, I'm going to be applying to Grad school soon, EEK! I'm really nervous about this and my sister keeps telling me I need to work on my writing sample, which I know I do, but it's a really scary thought! I can't believe that it's coming so soon! My senior year of college is going to go by so fast I won't know what hit me. Before long, I'll know whether or not I'm in an MFA program and my entire life is going to change. I'm just a wee bit stressed here!

What's going on with your life out there? Inform me! Distract me! I like hearing from others! =]

Long time, no see!

Oh, hey!

I know it's been a long time since I've posted, but please, don't start sharpening the pitchforks and gathering the townsfolk! I have a legitimate reason! I recently moved into my apartment with my boyfriend! Moving is not easy, as I'm sure a lot of you know. It took a lot out of us and the reason why I have not been updating is because we are still without internet. I will be getting it on Wednesday though and I plan to go back to every Friday posting as before.

Because I have not had internet, or cable for that matter, I have managed to get quite a bit of reading done. I finished three books in four days! I mean, it wasn't like I was reading some super intellectual, heavy stuff, but reading is reading. And I managed to edit a chapter of my WIP in those four days so that was nice also. I am very excited about all the stuff I will be talking about coming up so make sure you check in on Friday, and possibly on Wednesday depending on what the Road Trip Wednesday is.

How have all of you out there been doing? Swell I hope!

Revision Hell

picture by photosteve101

Hey all!

I know it's technically Saturday because it's past midnight, but I'm doing it!

I have been busy the last few days trying to revise and work on my story. I've been going over some beta comments, which have been EXTREMELY helpful, and I've been going back through and changing it all from past to present! The story definitely flows better now that it is in present and I'm really excited to have it all done!

I've even come up with some new scenes to add in, something I told myself I didn't think I'd be able to do, and I'm very excited about them! Have to keep them under wraps for now though, because I'm not sure how they'll turn out, so who knows, I may not even keep them! Revising is a fun and scary time for my writing, but I'm trudging through it!

I'm really excited to just have a finished manuscript (and I say finished lightly as I know if it ever gets picked up it will be changed again). I mean I guess I have a finished one, but not a polished one! Okay, now I'm rambling.

In other words, I'm having one of my good friends recommission my cover, and yes I understand that if I get picked up they'll make their own cover, but it's just fun and exciting to have a cover! I know I have a past cover, and you can see it in THIS blog post, and I appreciate every minute that was put into making it, but I feel like it no longer fits my story, as I have changed it and somewhat matured it.

Another dilemma I've been facing lately is the name of my novel. I originally named it Divided We Fall, and I also feel it has outgrown this name. Now I'm faced with trying to think of something that will do it justice.

Anyone out there have suggestions on book title brainstorming?

Past or Present Revisions

Hello all! I know it's been a while since I have updated my blog and I have decided something. Now if I've promised this before, which I may have (I have a terrible memory), call me out on it! Because I'm not sure how often is too often to blog and how long is too long to wait, I'll be posting a new blog on Friday's afternoons. That way you know when to look for it and you'll know that I haven't given up on writing!

Now it's time for the real subject of this post. I've been reading a couple of different books lately that I've won off of goodreads and have been thinking about what I'm writing. My manuscript, as it stands, is written in past tense, however, upon thinking more in depth about it, I wonder if my story should be in past tense.

I know a lot of people don't like present tense because blah, blah, blah, etc. However, the story that my book is telling is a story that isn't one the main character would want to look back and retell, which is basically what past tense is, it's a retelling of the story. I also have some scenes in my book that I feel would be more dramatic, intimate, and sad in present tense.

I have gone on the absolutewrite forums and talked to some people who have helped me come up with the idea to rewrite some chapters in present and see how they turn out. As of right now I'm not sure how I feel about it. I know the chapter I rewrote, the first, is not my favorite chapter in the book, so that may also have something to do with how I feel about it.

Alas, I sit here and stare at my book and basically have... well... look like this...

picture owned by this guy

I feel guilty almost for just letting my story sit as it is right now so I'm trying to work on revising it, but with my brain laughing at me, screaming nonsense, it's hard to decide what I want to do with it. This is the future of my book and manuscript in my hands and I'm just juggling it right now!

Questions, comments, concerns? Please tell me your opinion.

End of a Road, Beginning of Another

Photo by amanky

Even though NaNo is over, and it was a tough road, we have to keep going. We writers need to find a new road to work on, or go back and fill in those over looked potholes!

I'd like to say I would like to apologize for this being late! But on the plus side, NaNo is over for all of you participating! You either achieved word count or not, there is no going back. All of you that tried are winners though, just remember that!

I got my word count, a day early, might I add! ;) Anyway, I promised that I would give an explanation about what my novel is about and an excerpt. So here it goes.

BY THE WAY! This is a rough draft, I have not yet even looked back over it. So if it is terrible, or has lots of punctuation and spelling mistakes, ignore those. This is just for a fun read!

Synopsis: Fiona wants nothing more than to live her life with her sister after her mother died and her father went missing. However, late one night a group of cloaked figures come and kidnap her from their remote cabin home. Fiona, wanting to hold on to the last shred of the family she has, goes on a journey across the wilderness that is left after the War that is plagued with vampires, harpies, mermaids, and things she's never even heard of. As Fiona goes searching for her sister, she starts to learn things about her father that she doesn't want to believe. Along the journey things around her start to happen that she can't explain. As her friends seem to start to turn against her, she has to decide who she will remain loyal with and who she has to leave behind.

Excerpt:

            I started to take a step forward, glass crunching under my foot. I stopped as a wolf rounded the corner. I quickly shrank against the wall. “It's a werewolf.” I started breathing heavily, thinking about my encounter with the werewolf I had run into in the forest. “These bullets won't do anything,” I said, starting to panic. Adler stepped out in front of me. “Adler don't!' I hissed, trying to reach out for him.

           He whistled, causing the werewolf to snap its head up to look at him. It growled and bent its front legs, ready to pounce. It jumped at him. I screamed and ran forward right as Adler put up his arm and a loud bang went off. The bullet hit the werewolf right between the eyes. The force of it blew it back a few feet. It immediately shifted back to a human. The boy looked like he could only be fifteen or sixteen.

           I ran over to Adler who was standing with his arm to his side. “How did you know it was a silver bullet?”

          Adler smirked. “Rhett told me.”

          Little tingles ran down my arms. I punched his arm as hard as I could but he didn't flinch. “You couldn't have told me?”

          He shrugged and gave me an innocent looking smile. “I was going to, but I figured, first one, I had to have a little fun with you.”

          I rolled my eyes. “Winnie, come on.” I nodded my head in the direction we had to go. We got to the broken window and I peered out. Some of the buildings were on fire. I didn't understand how at first until I saw some people running around, throwing bottles with flaming rags stuffed into them at buildings.

          “What the hell are they doing?” Adler asked as he looked over my shoulder.

          “They must be with the werewolves. Come on.” I turned the corner and started running in the other direction of the people with the fire.

          “Fi, what if they get Rhett's book store.” I stopped suddenly. I couldn't just leave Rhett to die. I closed my eyes, trying to decide what to do when I found myself turning around and running towards the people with the flaming bottles.

          “Hey! You!” I started screaming and waving my arms, trying to get their attention. They all looked at me once and smiled. They started running towards me and I stopped, feeling the two boys on either side of me. Mid run they jumped and shifted, turning into werewolves. “Adler get ready!” I screamed, holding the hand gun with two hands, aiming it at one of them. “Come on,” I whispered. I needed them to get close enough so I wouldn't miss. There were only three. Hopefully I could take down two, or Adler could.

___________________________________________________

So that was my excerpt. Let me know what you think about it. What I could change and what not. Any feedback is appreciated!!

I hope all of you writers out there keep up! (And keep up on reading my blog in the upcoming months!)

Revisions According to Skaggs

I have a professor who is my all time favorite professor of all time. Her name is Alberta Skaggs and she's an amazing mentor when it comes to my writing. She knows when to help me and when to let me fly freely. So today my post is going to be about revisions and just random thoughts on them.

So I sit here listening to Joe Tex and Sufjan Stevens, drinking peppermint tea staring at my short story that she has marked up and down with her quick scrawl of writing. When I first saw it I wasn't sure what to think. I mean there's a ton of writing on it! But we got to talking and she told me what is wrong, surprise surprise, it's not a short list of things. (It's actually one thing I tend to do over and over again.)

In the past I used to think the best part of writing was getting it out, and when I was really young, I assumed everything that came out of me was good enough to end up next to Hemingway and Steinbeck. I have since realized that, hell no I'm not as good as they are!

Now, I absolutely love revising my stories. (I would highly recommend, if you do not, to let someone read them and tell you what's wrong with them, it helps to have a second pair of eyes.) I sit down and I stare at my story, hoping it'll magically get better. Spoiler alert: it never does. I feel like a lot of writers are either in my mind set of when I was younger, everything's perfect I am awesome, or they get done writing and don't want to edit.

Here's my advice to you, from one unpublished writer to another, to be an author, you need revision.

But if you really work on that story, and you give it the time it deserves, it will get better.

Sorry I'm all over the place again today! If you have any questions, comments, concerns, feel free to blow up this page with your thoughts.