My goodness i have totally underestimated how long it would take me to edit Secrets and Lies! I am less than a quarter through the first draft with my edit and it has taken almost 5 months.
I have read through the whole document on my kindle - so i couldn't tweak as i went! - and highlighted areas that needed deleting, errors, rewording, layering etc.
The process of going back through and editing those notes has taken longer, i know from all the research i have done to set the story in 1144 in the Outer Hebrides.
I am really enjoying this process but it is taking so long! I really fear that my story will not be any where near finished for either sending to publishers or self publishing by year end....
Working 4 days a week and being a busy mum really does take a lot of time and i take my hat off to those published mums out there! this process is taking a long time as i'm only opening my document once or twice a week, but i find i am exhausted from stimulating toddlers all day and then doing mum and housewife stuff when i get home!
While my house is looking very untidy and housework is slipping i find it hard/guilty to sit down and edit.
Does anyone else have this dilemma?
How do you balance writing time with family/housework duties?
Friday, May 17, 2013
Monday, May 6, 2013
A helpful Blog
Do you sometimes sit for ages at the keyboard trying to describe the feel of sand under foot or the frown on your character's face? Description for me is sometimes so painful. I use my thesaurus (yes the one on the bookshelf!), but can rarely find exactly what i'm lookin for.
But i think i have found my answer.Scrolling through some of the sites i like (left side of blog) i found a link to a blog that helps with description.
The Bookshelf Muse Has a thesaurus for physical attributes; colours; character traits!!
Describing weather, like a breeze and how it sounds, smells, moves, feels etc.
Describing body parts, like a stomach - flacid, bouncy, rotund, taut...
All of these come with bits of information linked to a characters possible emotion.
Even though i only scrolled through it quickly, i can tell i will be revisiting this site often!
But i think i have found my answer.Scrolling through some of the sites i like (left side of blog) i found a link to a blog that helps with description.
The Bookshelf Muse Has a thesaurus for physical attributes; colours; character traits!!
Describing weather, like a breeze and how it sounds, smells, moves, feels etc.
Describing body parts, like a stomach - flacid, bouncy, rotund, taut...
All of these come with bits of information linked to a characters possible emotion.
Even though i only scrolled through it quickly, i can tell i will be revisiting this site often!
Friday, May 3, 2013
Writing Tip: Cutting extraneous words during editing
I know i will be up to this part of editing soon. (Well probably a month or two away)
Rachel Gardiner recommends that before submitting or publishing your manuscript it could be in your best interest to do another round of edits and cut 10 words per page.
How?
Look for -ly words. Are they necessary?
So too for -ing words
cut out passive voice - 'was', 'were' and 'that'
shorten description
shorten internal monologue or show thoughts and feelings through dialogue or action.
repetitive telling what the reader already knows.
And, carefully considering a big list of overused words:
about, actually, almost, like, appears, approximately, basically, close to, even, eventually, exactly, finally, just, just then, kind of, nearly, practically, really, seems, simply, somehow, somewhat, sort of, suddenly, truly, utterly, were.
I don't know what my overused words are - well, actually i think i use 'hoped' too much!
What are your best editing tips, or overused words?
Rachel Gardiner recommends that before submitting or publishing your manuscript it could be in your best interest to do another round of edits and cut 10 words per page.
How?
Look for -ly words. Are they necessary?
So too for -ing words
cut out passive voice - 'was', 'were' and 'that'
shorten description
shorten internal monologue or show thoughts and feelings through dialogue or action.
repetitive telling what the reader already knows.
And, carefully considering a big list of overused words:
about, actually, almost, like, appears, approximately, basically, close to, even, eventually, exactly, finally, just, just then, kind of, nearly, practically, really, seems, simply, somehow, somewhat, sort of, suddenly, truly, utterly, were.
I don't know what my overused words are - well, actually i think i use 'hoped' too much!
What are your best editing tips, or overused words?
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Men's Brains Women's Brains
Following a link from facebook i discovered this awesome youtube video about Men's brains and Women's brains and how differently they work.
Mark Gungor the motivational speaker and minister who runs the marriage course is funny and tells things like it is.
I found it so interesting and so very true! He does explain that in general what he talks about can be confined to men's brains and women's brains but he is sure that there are people who act and think in the reverse, so it is not a blanket that-is-how-you-are type thing.
The two very interesting things i got from this clip (1 hour!):
* Women have to ask their men more than once to do something for them. But women don't want to do this because they shouldn't have to! We want our men to do it without asking.
* Men are interested in 1 thing. And you know what that is ;) So the way to getting what we want from our men is to bargain with what they want!
I found this seminar really exciting from a writer's perspective too. If you struggle to really get into your hero's head, then this can give you some basic background information on how a man's brain works!
For instance, a man's brain is full of little boxes each filled with a different topic - car, money, job...etc. They don't touch! So when they talk about something, it is only about the contents in that one box. And that is how men can be so focussed and why they are so good at single-tasking. (My hubby disagrees with this one, he says he is a better multi-tasker than me, but then, he is wired differently to me and i juggle more things at once than he realises!)
Also they have a 'nothing' box. But i'll let you watch the clip to see what this is, and how funny and true this whole seminar rings! Go on watch it!
Mark Gungor the motivational speaker and minister who runs the marriage course is funny and tells things like it is.
I found it so interesting and so very true! He does explain that in general what he talks about can be confined to men's brains and women's brains but he is sure that there are people who act and think in the reverse, so it is not a blanket that-is-how-you-are type thing.
The two very interesting things i got from this clip (1 hour!):
* Women have to ask their men more than once to do something for them. But women don't want to do this because they shouldn't have to! We want our men to do it without asking.
* Men are interested in 1 thing. And you know what that is ;) So the way to getting what we want from our men is to bargain with what they want!
I found this seminar really exciting from a writer's perspective too. If you struggle to really get into your hero's head, then this can give you some basic background information on how a man's brain works!
For instance, a man's brain is full of little boxes each filled with a different topic - car, money, job...etc. They don't touch! So when they talk about something, it is only about the contents in that one box. And that is how men can be so focussed and why they are so good at single-tasking. (My hubby disagrees with this one, he says he is a better multi-tasker than me, but then, he is wired differently to me and i juggle more things at once than he realises!)
Also they have a 'nothing' box. But i'll let you watch the clip to see what this is, and how funny and true this whole seminar rings! Go on watch it!
Friday, April 19, 2013
Celebrating our successes
There is a theme going at one of banks here in NZ - celebrating success.
We kiwi's are apparently really good at celebrating other people's success, but not so much our own.
So, i just wanted to share some of my successes.
This year (and it's only in it's 4th month!) i have:
1. Become a provisionally registered Early Childhood Teacher
2. Graduated from Waikato University with my Diploma of Teaching
3. Started my first real job in seven years ('cos there are many people out there who think being an at-home mum is not a real job!)
4. Edited 4 chapters of the first story i ever wrote and had kind of given up on.
I wonder if i can somehow make this theme into a story??!
So, please share with me.
What are some of your successes?
We kiwi's are apparently really good at celebrating other people's success, but not so much our own.
So, i just wanted to share some of my successes.
This year (and it's only in it's 4th month!) i have:
1. Become a provisionally registered Early Childhood Teacher
2. Graduated from Waikato University with my Diploma of Teaching
3. Started my first real job in seven years ('cos there are many people out there who think being an at-home mum is not a real job!)
4. Edited 4 chapters of the first story i ever wrote and had kind of given up on.
I wonder if i can somehow make this theme into a story??!
So, please share with me.
What are some of your successes?
Monday, April 8, 2013
Research and Editing
Over the past few weeks i have been doing lots of research for my early medieval period story, Secrets and Lies.
As i am editing this draft and inserting bits of history and solid facts about the place and time, i am finding this story becoming so much richer!
This editing is made easier by the notes i took as i read through it on my kindle. I am moving through this quite fast - though not as fast as i would like (i am not a writer full-time!).
What have you found that has made your editing easier?
As i am editing this draft and inserting bits of history and solid facts about the place and time, i am finding this story becoming so much richer!
This editing is made easier by the notes i took as i read through it on my kindle. I am moving through this quite fast - though not as fast as i would like (i am not a writer full-time!).
What have you found that has made your editing easier?
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Scary Stuff: Copyright Infringement
*shudder*
I just read a legal document shared on Facebook about Kate Walker, author of many many Harlequin novels and 12 Point Guide to Writing Romance being a defendant in an infringement case.
To think that she was accused of copying someone else's work, to me, is ludicrous!
What i got from the legal mumbo-jumbo was basically the accuser's unpublished work had a similar theme or trope as that of Kate Walker's work.
I recently read a fantastic new author's work and thought "hey that sounds a bit like my idea" - our characters are by no means the same, their struggles aren't the same, but my small 10,000 word first draft is about best friends turned lovers which shared the same trope - that's it!
So, similar ideas do not mean copyright infringement - using exact phrases and words as someone else is.
Have a read of the legal document here
And to Kate Walker - thank goodness the case was dismissed!
I just read a legal document shared on Facebook about Kate Walker, author of many many Harlequin novels and 12 Point Guide to Writing Romance being a defendant in an infringement case.
To think that she was accused of copying someone else's work, to me, is ludicrous!
What i got from the legal mumbo-jumbo was basically the accuser's unpublished work had a similar theme or trope as that of Kate Walker's work.
I recently read a fantastic new author's work and thought "hey that sounds a bit like my idea" - our characters are by no means the same, their struggles aren't the same, but my small 10,000 word first draft is about best friends turned lovers which shared the same trope - that's it!
So, similar ideas do not mean copyright infringement - using exact phrases and words as someone else is.
Have a read of the legal document here
And to Kate Walker - thank goodness the case was dismissed!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)