Must Not Eat My Award!

One of my best friends in the world (and a fantastic fellow writer) was ever so thoughtful as to give me this Irresistibly Sweet Blog Award.  I think it’s because she knows I’m hopelessly addicted to sugar.  Though tempting, I will not eat my award.

Though it makes my mouth positively salivate, it’s not for eating…  Mmmm, tasty noms!  No, wait, not eating my award. I am in full, firm control of myself… Oh, who am I kidding?  *takes a bite of yummy award, then picks something out of her teeth*

Man, they hide the instructions on these things in some of the strangest places.  It’s like they expected me to do that or something.

• Share 7 random facts about yourself.
• Pass the Award on to 10 deserving blog buddies

Hmm, I think I can do that.  Things you don’t all know about me already, hmm.

1. I’m an only child (probably for the best) and I often think it was because my mother was afraid if she tried again, she’d get another one just like me, or worse, twins (runs in the family).
2. I read my first non-children’s-section book at the tender age of 11.  Nancy Drew and such had gotten boring, plus I could easily read two a day, so I needed a bigger challenge.  I never looked back.
3. I have the most fabulous, hand-knitted scarf ever made.  My friend SJ made it from black wool and cream and green hairy yarn (my technical term for the stuff) knitted together.  When she gave it to me, I said it looked like she had skinned a Fraggle.  It has been known ever since as my Fraggle Pelt.  Getting to wear it regularly is just about the only good thing to winter.
4. One of the VERY few TV shows that has ever held my attention for more than a few episodes is Fringe, because I like a TV show that makes me think, lets me think I know what’s going on, then throws a total mind-fuck at me 3 seasons later.  Seriously, keeps my creative juices flowing for some reason.
5. I don’t feel even slightly daunted by my next writing project.  I only feel torn in a million directions as to which one to work on next instead.  Life could be infinitely worse.  If they’d only stop all yelling at me at once…
6. In addition to the fabulous hot chocolate I’ve now shared the recipe for, I like to make Chocolate Wafer Cakes.  Imagine chocolate Oreo wafers, stuck together with real whipped cream in a log, then the whole log coated with more whipped cream.  Sometimes I like to shave chocolate onto it, but that seems a bit overboard to do it all the time. *giggles*
7. My winter coat is my favourite that I’ve ever owned.  When I saw it in the store at the end of last winter, very much on sale, it actually stopped me in my tracks.  It has white accents, but what stopped me is that it’s the most fabulous shade of fake-grape-purple.  It’s totally awesome.

That was actually rather fun, probably because I wrote most of it while still a little high from finishing the edit.  It explains a lot about that list, actually, now that I reread it.  Hmm.  Oh well.  Now, on to 10 bloggers I think are sweet enough to deserve cake… I mean an award.

1. LifeInTheFarceLane – So many wonderful things to say about my favourite Kiwi.  I know of no one else who can nearly make me snort my coffee in the morning.  It’s only through sheer will that it doesn’t happen every time, and that’s mostly because the coffee I get is far too good to waste on my computer screen’s unrefined palate.
2. Limebird Writers – Such nice, encouraging people full of great information on writing and blogging, among other things. They also have a nice forum for asking questions about writing and otherwise interacting with other writers.  Yes, I’m still lurking, when I’m not running through edits or otherwise working on writing.
3. Of A Writerly Sort – Definitely a very sweet fellow writer, who has infinitely more patience with others than I shall ever possess.
4. On Diversion –  Does some incredible craft work, as well as jewelry and writing.  I’ve been more than a little envious of some of the things she’s created.
5. Conversing With Novels – Amber always makes me laugh.  She also very sweetly makes me feel better about talking to my characters… mostly where other people can’t see, but sometimes I slip.
6. Peggy Isaacs – Peggy is a recent discovery for me, but I’m very glad I did.  The things she writes about, the thoughts and experiences she shares resonate for me quite a lot, both as a writer and as a person.
7. The Accidental Novelist – I love her observations and thoughts, as well as the writing exercises.  She’s always encouraging and thoughtful with her words, including instructions for loving your novel, like printing it out and giving it a real hug.
8. The Joys of Writing – As she’s a recovering social media addict, by her own admission, I sincerely hope that this award does not cause a relapse, but I couldn’t resist giving it to her, really.
9. The Beach Writer - I love the way this blogger writes, the use of language and the honesty of their thoughts.  That and I love beaches (true story).
10. Diatribes And Ovations – Another one that makes me laugh, partly because I’m apparently the same kind of curmudgeon, according to a recent post, because I think the same things about some of these so-called fashion trends.  Oh wait, I knew I was one of those already.

Wow.  Those lists get harder every time.  Thank you again, Em.  Now to find some cake I’m allowed to eat.

Where’s My Fancy Dress and Speech?

I didn’t know we had an awards season around here!

The amazing people over at Limebird Writers have so kindly given me a shiny Kreativ Blogger Award. Such a wonderful way to start the new year!

Now, these things usually come with rules or instructions…. *turns it over and frowns at the blank bottom*. Um… Oh, wait, there it is, it fell off and got stuck to my dress. Oops.

The rules:

1. Share 10 things you don’t know about me.
2. Pass the award onto 6 other bloggers.

Okay, hmm, 10 things you don’t know about me.

1. I’m not originally from Vancouver.  I’m a refugee from Toronto who thinks she properly should have been born out here on the west coast in the first place.  I love it out here.
2. I wrote my first fiction piece when I was 16, a short story for english class about Vampires that even my old-school English teacher loved.  I was hooked on writing, and wanted to be an author in the worst way.
3. My writing is generally fuelled by a strange combination of bizarre thoughts (that occasionally scare even me) and hot chocolate made from Fry’s Cocoa.  If anyone wants the recipe, just ask.  Trust me, it’s sure to make your brain zing.
4. I have two cats, one of whom likes to help me write by laying on my legs, pinning me in front of my netbook for hours at a time with his cute, warm furriness.  It actually works.
5. My current surge in writing was kickstarted early in 2011 with a post in a writer’s forum I’ve been on for years.  It was a repost of someone else’s blog, who’s name entirely escapes me so early in the day/year, about that guy you meet in the bar who says he’s a writer, talks about his ideas and then you find out he never actually writes ANYTHING.  I saw myself in danger of becoming that guy (well, girl in my case) and I sincerely don’t want to be.  It was quite the wake-up call.  Between that and a few other things that I have mentioned before, I decided it was time to stop talking and start doing.  Haven’t looked back since.
6. I write to a variety of music, some of which comes from movie soundtracks, some from video games, and some is old school hour and a half long trance.  I switch when whatever I was listening to stops working for me.  Once, I listened to the same song all day.  :o
7. I love rain and can’t stand snow (hence the moving to Vancouver) except on a ski slope.  I’ll go visit it there if I need some, really.  It’s been a fabulous winter here so far, a little wet snow yesterday that didn’t even accumulate because it got washed away by subsequent rain.
8. The author I would most like to be like is Carol Berg.  One day, I dream of being that good.  I’d like to think that I tell stories in a similar style, but I’d best leave that judgement to others, as I might just be day-dreaming there.  If you haven’t read her and you like fantasy, I heartily recommend her.  So looking forward to her new book in 2 days.
9. I know that I don’t post about my photography much at all, but that’s because I don’t like to shoot in winter and my writing is currently taking up all of my non-work time.  But I do love to go around with my DSLR camera and shoot plants, buildings, whatever strikes me as evocative or beautiful at the time.  One of these days I’m going to get around to putting prints of some of my best work up for sale, probably on Etsy or something like it, but that’s going to take courage, and all of mine is being used up at the moment by, you guessed it, my writing.
10. And last, but not least, before I committed so entirely back to my writing, I was an avid gamer.  Mostly RPG’s, particularly Japanese ones, but I lost most of two years to World of Warcraft.  Quitting WoW was part of what I sacrificed to be able to write more, but I don’t regret it.  I miss one or two of the friends I had made, but I don’t regret the sacrifice.  That said, I think some of these games have provided nuggets of inspiration, and I still sometimes take a break for an hour or so with the non-MMO ones.  I don’t think I can risk getting addicted to MMO’s again if I ever want to get this writing career off the ground.

Wow, that was harder than it looked.  Now for the other list that needs to go with this.  6 Bloggers I would like to award myself…  After some thought:

1. Of A Writerly Sort
2. LifeInTheFarceLane
3. It’s a Big Man’s World
4. Meredith Mansfield’s Blog
5. On Diversion
6. Klextin

So there’s my list of people who I admire Kreativly, who I think deserve some recognition.  I hope you enjoy their blogs as much as I do.

Lessons Learned: Letting the Brain Ease

I’m sure many of you are impatiently waiting for me to post something.  I did mean to yesterday, but after wrestling all evening with the book, I was worn out.  I’m worn out tonight too, for some of the same reasons, but not as badly, so here I am, typing away at something other than the book.

Don’t get me wrong, things are going well on draft 2 of Dark Mirror.  Monday was fantastic, despite being ill most of the day, got 5,424 words in.  But I might have overdone it a little with that much on a weekday.  Yesterday, I had a lot of trouble concentrating and it really was a struggle to get anything done.  The numbers don’t really reflect that, with me adding 3,317 words to the draft, but believe me, it was somewhat painful and I was exhausted and drained when I finally called it a night.  Tonight, the same, tired and feeling like I wanted to take a break from the moment I sat down with the netbook.  After an hour and a half and only getting about 400 words down, I decided to do something I’ve done for a long time, I listened to my body and brain.  I usually do that when it’s sending a clear, strong signal, which it has been doing since yesterday.

You see, the problem is that I had finished the whole God of War series (the three main games at least) and I had previously been using that as a way to give my brain a break between writing spurts through most of NaNo and all of the current writing binge (until a few days ago).  But when I finished it, I didn’t grab any of my other games to take it’s place.  Between that lack of non-writing and non-thinking-about-writing time and the higher bar I set for myself as pace this time, I was focusing entirely on writing, feeling I had to Always Be Writing if I was at home with my netbook.  Too much for my brain, which was on the verge of shorting out I think.  So I popped one of the GoW series back in and let myself go back to alternately bashing the keyboard and bashing pixels.  And it worked.  At this point, I’ve written 2,729 words, and I’ll probably go back and get myself to 3k, if I can keep my brain going that long.  Even if I don’t, that’s not bad for spending almost the first third of my evening struggling and getting nowhere.  So I’m going to let that be a lesson to me.  Take breaks, stop writing for a bit, let the brain think about something else or not think at all, or I’m going to run into problems.

All this writing brings me to a current total of 28,548 words, which actually puts me about 4.5 days ahead of schedule, and I haven’t even gotten to my vacation yet.  I’m glad I’ve learned this lesson before the vacation though, or I might have either driven myself nuts or derailed myself entirely, either being a bad thing.

I’ve also had a few nice little insights in the last few days, one of which made it onto the wall with the other two that were already there.  Again, it’s one that seems basic, until you add the little asterisk, that is.  Every character in the story needs a motive*, whether you talk about it or not and as the writer you need to be aware of what it is and how it shapes their reactions.  What, you ask, does that asterisk mean?  Simple, that “just because it’s convenient for the writer that things happen this way” doesn’t count as a motive.  It’s easy to sit there and let that be enough.  ”Yes, the supporting character tells them to go seek so-and-so because that’s where I need them to go.”  Doesn’t it sound crappy as a motive when you put it that bluntly?  I think so.  It’s making me examine why my characters are doing things as I do this rewrite, and it’s shaping some of the things that happen a little differently than I planned.  But again, it’s in the service of a better story, so I’m fine with that.  The others are story-specific, so I won’t be getting into them, but they were things I needed to figure out.

At this point, I am starting to worry about the final length of the draft.  I’m almost to 30k words and while having my two main protagonists together much earlier this time is good, there’s more story to tell in many ways, and if I’m not careful, this might end up being too long for traditional publication, which would be my preferred path.  I’m still planning on letting it be as long as it needs to in this draft, since it’s essentially take 2 of the first draft, despite the numbering, don’t worry.  But when you’re on entry 9 of 37 in your outline at almost 30k, you start to wonder how long this is going to be.  That said, some entries are longer than others, some more detailed than others.  My outlines seem to become more detailed with every entry I add, so maybe it won’t be so bad.  I’m about to introduce the remaining two major support characters, so things are getting ready to jump off in a big way I think, which is a good place to be so close to a 10-day period with no work.  As it is, I suspect that Friday will be a half-day at work.  It was last year, and I see no reason they won’t do it again this year.  I will be posting in my usual semi-regular pattern during that period, in case you were wondering.

Okay, enough for now on the blog.  I need some sleep at some point, or I really will be totally dysfunctional.  As it is, you have no idea how many starts it took me to remember how to spell dysfunctional.  :p