Tag!

Yes, after all this time I finally got tagged, and since it means I don’t have to think up an idea for a post, why not? The rules seem to be just to answer the questions and tag three more people, and that’s so easy it’s like not blogging at all.

Now everyone go see Kate Larkindale and give her a virtual hug.

The Questions

What are you working on right now?

Several things. An adult horror project (more than one, really), a YA apocalyptic that’s getting so close to being queryable I can almost taste it, and a YA paranormal/apocalyptic.

How does it differ from other works in its genre?

Well, the horror projects aren’t exactly a book (it’s…complicated). The first YA is about the beginning of total societal collapse through the eyes of a (formerly) sheltered teenager. The third one, which is still pretty fresh, is both paranormal and apocalyptic. I haven’t seen that much.

Why do you write what you do?

I write what I like and I like stories of fear and desperation where there might not be any way out. No, I’m not depressed.

How does your writing process work?

First draft is easy. I sit down, crank up some music, and write. Then comes editing, where I have to fill in the gaps, make notes of what works and what doesn’t, what needs more and what needs less, then I fix all the mistakes I’ve made. At that point it just might be ready to be critiqued by other people, and when I get it back, I start from the beginning of the revision line. Whee.

All right, so who am I tagging?

Melissa Maygrove

Crystal Collier

And MJ Fifield

Just so you guys know I’m thinking of you and if you like, you have a possible blog post mostly written. My gift to you.

WIP It Good

It’s time for the WIP It Goodblogfest hosted by DL Hammond and Elise Fallson, which means it’s a special Friday post.

Hi everyone from the bloghop! If you’re looking to swap beta reads/critiques and don’t detest first person present tense, I’m here.

WIP Title: COLLAPSE

Word Count (projected/actual so far): 90,000/90,000

Genre: YA Dystopian/apocalyptic

How long have you been working on it?: A little over a year.

Elevator Pitch (if you came across an agent in an elevator ride, what couple of lines would you use to summarize your book): The world is ending. Society is crumbling. Cassidy, however, isn’t going anywhere any time soon.

Brief Synopsis (250 words or less): World temperatures are sky-rocketing and society is on shaky last legs. Cassidy is witnessing it all firsthand. But she isn’t the type to let a little thing like the end of the world do her in. Of course, the life she once knew is gone, replaced with something vastly different from high school and a boring suburban life. Bullies used to be a problem for her. Now she’s slightly more worried about being gunned down by people she once called “neighbor”, and whether or not her brother will die from an asthma attack because they can’t get to a doctor. Her father says keeping the family safe at the expense of everyone else is the right thing to do and she believes him…except for the one niggle of doubt when she sees the people gasping their last breaths in triple digit temperatures. It may be a question of who breaks first, her or the heat.

Are you looking for a Critique Partner?: Yes!

Are you looking for a Beta Reader?: Also yes!

WIP It

Like the Devo song. They were on Futurama. That’s how I know them.

One of my 2012 goals was to join in more blogfests. As you may or may not recall, I did one, which was less than I did in 2012 and thus a total failure for me. Not that I’m broken up about it, but still. It’s pretty weaksauce on my part.

Anyway, I finally found one that made me get off my lazy butt and join! DL Hammons and Elise Fallson are hosting the WIP It Good Blogfest on May 31^st. On that day, everyone shares the following:

WIP Title:

Word Count (projected/actual so far):

Genre:

How long have you been working on it?:

Elevator Pitch (if you came across an agent in an elevator ride, what couple of lines would you use to summarize your book):

Brief Synopsis (250 words or less):

Are you looking for a Critique Partner?:

Are you looking for a Beta Reader?:

And we meet up in hopes of finding new CPs and Beta Readers, something I mentioned I was looking for.

This is perfect : ). I hope to see you there!

It's Campaign Time

Yay! Once again, Rach Harrie is hosting a Writer's Platform Building Campaign.

I'm so excited. I've met so many great people there since I signed up last year. Rules are simple: go over there and leave a comment, follow, tweet about it, etc. It's a bit shorter this time around, and only two challenges, but it still looks to be great. The sign up form is here. Hope to see you there!

The End of Summer

Back at the beginning of summer, I participated in Bess Weatherby’s Summer in the City Blogfest. I set my goals for the summer down in black and white. Or whatever colors my blog is. But it’s there. Anyway, in black is my original goal and in red is how I actually did.

Goals

1. Finish first draft current WIP. I'm at ~30K and expect to add another 30K--at least.

            Got this one down, plus another ten thousand words.

2. Do the first draft sweep. By that I mean go through the above WIP and flesh out areas I kind of skipped over.

            I did most of this, but there are still a few areas that need work. Luckily, that’s what rewrites are for.

3. Analyze the WIP with a scene by scene breakdown. This is usually when I cut stuff and really analyze the plot. Is it going the way I want it to? Are the characters actually developing and not just "reading lines"? I know most people do this before they write the book. But I'm a pantser!

            About halfway done. Unfortunately, this book took a lot longer to write than I expected. It’s not the book’s fault. Just bad timing in other areas of my life.

4. Grammar and word check! That's always a painful experience. I go through it line by line for overused words. 'Just' is the worst offender, but some, so and really tend to appear all too often.

             Started, but as I mentioned in another post [http://jefritz.blogspot.com/2011/08/back.html], I have a lot of words.

5. Read aloud. This usually takes the longest, but I should be able to get through it by the end of summer. I think.

Complete!

6. Send it out for critiques! I hope my friends will be patient with me...

            Since I haven’t finished three and four, I haven’t done this yet. Plus, I have to find more beta readers and critiquers.

7. Go back to my last WIP and rewrite! Add that storyline I always meant to. Then ship it out for more critiques/beta reading, which it sorely needs.

            Not yet. That one is going on the back burner until I do more on this one.

8. Try to visit and comment on blogs more. I don't like to comment unless I have something interesting to say. So I guess I'll have to think up more interesting things!

            This I did! There were a few days when I let it go, but I made an earnest effort to meet more people (hello Campaigners!) and I’m trying not to forget old friends.

In all, I only got about half of what I wanted to done. It was a tough summer and I’m satisfied that I did as much (well, almost as much ;) as I could. There are times when you have to go slow or you don’t go at all.

So, how was your summer? Did you write/edit?

Summer in the City

Well, guys, the Summer in the City blogfest is HERE!

From Bess Weatherby

The rules for this blogfest are easy. Just post what your WIP looks like and what your writing goals are for the summer! The idea is a good one. Having goals really helps me focus. So without further stalling for time...

Goals
1. Finish first draft current WIP. I'm at ~30K and expect to add another 30K--at least.
2. Do the first draft sweep. By that I mean go through the above WIP and flesh out areas I kind of skipped over.
3. Analyze the WIP with a scene by scene breakdown. This is usually when I cut stuff and really analyze the plot. Is it going the way I want it to? Are the characters actually developing and not just "reading lines"? I know most people do this before they write the book. But I'm a pantser!
4. Grammar and word check! That's always a painful experience. I go through it line by line for overused words. 'Just' is the worst offender, but some, so and really tend to appear all too often.
5. Read aloud. This usually takes the longest, but I should be able to get through it by the end of summer. I think.
6. Send it out for critiques! I hope my friends will be patient with me...
7. Go back to my last WIP and rewrite! Add that storyline I always meant to. Then ship it out for more critiques/beta reading, which it sorely needs.
8. Try to visit and comment on blogs more. I don't like to comment unless I have something interesting to say. So I guess I'll have to think up more interesting things!

So, what do you think? Are my goals reasonable? I'm alternating between "You'll never get it done" and "Is that all you're going to do?"

I'll be sure to visit the other participants! Thanks for dropping by!

And On The Seventh Day...

Sorry about the lack of “Websites for Writers” yesterday. I’m moving it to Monday from now on, which is a bigger day on the blog-o-sphere.

I can hear your collective sighs of relief through the internet.

Anyway, I am exhausted from the pitch-fest. Who knew one hundred and forty characters would be that hard? I’m not sure I got to everyone—sorry. The final count was close to a hundred entries. There were a lot of good ones, too, that I'm sure will make it to the finals before me. But I think I got a decent pitch out of it and that’s the real prize.

I’m kidding. It’s definitely the agent’s request.

Sparkles!

...aw, nuts...

I didn't get picked as a semi-finalist at Brenda Drake's blogfest. : (  I know I'm supposed to accept it and move on (there really were a lot of good entries that left mine in the dust) but I'm still bummed about it. It's from a MS I've been working really hard on and it's never easy to see something lose when you've put so much effort into it.

A lot of people said they liked my entry, which is nice, but I think I would've liked more criticism. If I ever want to improve it further, I need a crit partner or something. If only good ones weren't so hard to find! The last time I traded an MS for reads, I took the time to put in some critiques only to get nothing in return except anger that I didn't like the first scene.

Okay, that's enough bitching for today. I'm going to do a little more editing (still word hunting; so far I've removed 200+ was's, 100+ got's, and dozens of unnecessary had, has, and have's). Then I'll probably go crit partner hunting, so I'll need a tranquilizer gun and some duct tape...

Tune in tomorrow, when I'll be back to interesting content. Word nerdery's afoot!