Hiding the corpses

Saturday morning I finished editing the cyberfunk. It took me a week longer than I'd planned but November was also far busier than I'd anticipated. Those of you who have been following me for a while are probably thinking "you say that every year." Well yes, I do but this year was particularly harrowing. I had two days off all month. That's it. Two. I wasn't twiddling my thumbs at the day job either. I was working two or more jobs per day and then editing a few pages before I passed out from exhaustion. So to do all that and edit 50K to boot, that's a freaking win. There are no more excuses. I've murdered them all and buried the bodies in someone else's basement. (I can't bury them in my basement because I haven't got one. Besides hiding the evidence where I live would be really dumb.)

Normally I'd start a new book now but sadly that's not the case this time. I can't even go back to working on F&F yet. Why? I have to write six short stories by the end of February in preparation for Dean Wesley Smith and Kristine Kathryn Rusch's anthology workshop. I was able to secure a coveted spot so now that the great edit of 2013 is complete I can put everything else on hold so I can focus on putting my best work on the page for them. I will finish F&F. I swear I will. But this workshop is a fantastic opportunity and I'd be an idiot not to give it my all.

Seventeen chapters in six days

So, in the great tradition of NaNo, I have too much on my plate. My social schedule is crazy (as usual),  my work schedule is crazy (more than normal), and the result is that I'm behind on my chosen project for the month (as usual). So, as much as I'd love to share specifics and my sneaky, ninja enlightenment of the week, I'm going to bow out this week so I can catch up on the edit-o-rama. Despite my hectic schedule, it's imperative that I finish the edit this week. I'll explain why next week but for now, I'll simply wish you a happy Thanksgiving and/or Hanukkah, and depart.

A slight break with tradition

Normally for NaNoWriMo I try to finish whatever novel I happen to be in the middle of. That means that I should be preparing to race to the end of F&F. Well...I'm not. In fact, I haven't worked on it in about a month. Why? I decided that I needed to stop sitting on my manuscripts.

Typically after I've finished drafting and editing a novel I'll send it out to whatever venue I think is the best fit for it. While I wait for the inevitable rejection I work on another story, finish said story, read the expected rejection, and start the process all over again. In theory it's a sound system since it means I usually have one in the slush, one in process, and a lot more in the queue. The trouble with it is that because I have a new a wonderful story to send out, the earlier pieces never get sent to the next venue. In addition, when I take part in an online class or short term writing group I have to start a new story for that (personal choice) which also postpones the editing and sending of the other manuscripts.

I'm putting an end to that cycle by putting off F&F for a while so I can edit and submit all the things. As I said a few weeks ago I've already sent out one and I'm working on the first editing pass on the Cyberfunk. I'm eight chapters in and I know I have to fix a pacing problem later on by writing a new chapter so I figure that completing the full edit and getting it out to my beta readers by the end of NaNo is a worthy goal. It's certainly going to be a sizable, yet attainable goal. I will eventually get back to writing F&F. But I feel it's important to do this for my career. I can't make a sale by sitting on manuscripts.

Curse you technology!

I'm not a tech head by any definition. However, since the Cyberfunk is set in the near future I've done a lot of research into devices and technology that are in development so that I can speculate what the tenth or even fifteenth generation device will be able to do. Unfortunately setting it that close to the now means that commercials like this give me a panic attack.

Curse you Samsung! I shake my mighty fist of doom in your direction.

Okay, I do have to give them props for creating a long awaited device. Every nerd on the planet will want one because, as the advert shows, it's a freaking wrist communicator. My first thought when I was "this is frakking cool!" My second was I need to rethink some of my tech because it's not that advanced anymore. It's really hard to stay ten steps ahead of tech since new devices come out every few months and new discoveries change the potential of devices.

After looking at the specs I realized that I'm actually okay (ah ha! Behold the power of research!). My device is different and advanced enough that I can leave it as it is without anyone crying fowl. Huzzah! In some ways I regret choosing a near future setting but it's too late to turn back now. It just gives me more reason to find an interested agent and/or editor so it can be printed before someone really does create what I wrote.

Ring the bells and bang the drum!

Kim, you've just finished another manuscript. What are you going to do now?

Start the next project.

I wish I was going to Disneyland instead. That would be nice but a writer's work is never done. Especially since I'm taking part in an online summer class that requires me to write 50K. Oh, and the class starts next week. Yeah, I kinda screwed myself on that one. I usually take a week off between novels so I can, you know, clean the house. I think I've mentioned before that a lot of household tasks get pushed aside when I'm finishing a novel. It's not procrastination, I just want to finish the manuscript a lot more than I want to scrub the shower. That's why I spend the days after the novel completion celebration catching up on all those tasks. It restores my sanity (such as it is) before I begin worldbuilding the next. Because I finished the Cyberfunk a week later than I wanted to, I have to jump right into the new book.

So, what's the new project? It's a story that's been percolating in my brain for a couple years. The working title is Flame and Filch and it's about a thieving duo and the city guard tasked with stopping them. It sounds like a simple task but the thieving duo is comprised of a very distracting woman and a dragon.

As you can tell it's a fantasy. It's also one that won't be as challenging to write as the Cyberfunk. In fact, I didn't realize exactly how much I'd challenged myself until I started working on F&F. Because it's simpler, I'm hoping that I'll be able to get a buffer built in a couple week so I can devote some time to cleaning the house. I want to clean up a couple short stories as well. I need to start submitting stories again.

Hello deadline...goodbye deadline

Another self-imposed deadline has sailed by and I'm exhausted. I've been writing at full speed for over a month and the novel still isn't done. Clearly I'm not one of those people who can write a first draft in seven months. Granted, if I only had one job or was able to write full time, that would be different. However, with the demands on my time being such as they are, I do not have that ability. Lesson learned.

Lesson aside, I feel that I have thoroughly established that the "I don't have time to write" myth is invalid. If I can crank out 6-8K while working two jobs and attending book signings, than anyone else can to.

I'm close to the end. I've only got about another 13K to go and come hell or high water, it will be finished this week. I've got fun and merriment planned for Memorial Day in honor of the book being complete and I am very much in need of a fun day. I also want the intended reason for the merriment to be justified so I MUST FINISH.

And on that note, it's time to dive back into the manuscript.

A slight delay

Because I must finish the cyberfunk in the next week or else, I won't be writing a new post this week. However, through the magic of the internet, you'll still get a dose of Kim. I wrote another guest post for The Fictorian Era on the why I chose to become a writer. The post goes up tomorrow and I'm excited to see your reactions to it. You get more than a peek at how my mind works in this one. In fact, writing it made me laugh out loud more than once.

Changing positions

First up, I have some news. Remember a few weeks ago when I mentioned that I hate writing poetry? Well...I'm reconsidering my position on that.

Shortly after that post went up the oft' talked about Tracy talked me into entering Ken Scholes' The Named Lands Poetry Contest. I had originally decided no to do it because well, it's poetry and with my insane self-imposed deadline I really need to focus on finishing the Cyberfunk. However, knowing that Tracy wouldn't let me live it down if I didn't submit something, forced my hand. I wrote a quick collection of haiku and sent it off. (Don't look at me like that. It was just six poems and haiku only take a few minutes to compose.) Last Sunday the winner was announced.

Me.

Fraking A.

I've never entered a poetry contest before. Heck, my writing period hasn't won any accolades yet so to find out my first was for a medium I only do under duress kinda really weirded me out. Add to that Ken's comment that he and the judge were "blown away" by the best of my six and you can guess how much my mind was blown. I was in a state of disbelief for a couple days.

So, yeah. Because of this (and something Greg Manchess teased me about the night before my win) I'm reconsidering my long standing hatred of poetry writing. I don't know if I'll start entering more poetry contests because of this. We'll see. For now I'm just going to try to ease into a more positive position so I'll feel more comfortable dabbling with the form. Baby steps are important. Especially when I have an imminent novel deadline. Speaking of which, I need to get to work.

__________________________

I have another guest post on the Fictorian Era coming up on Tuesday, May 14th. You won't want to miss this one. I laughed so hard when I wrote it.

By the power of ink, I banish thee

"We interrupt your regularly scheduled writing session for a bit of personal drama."

This message has been running through my mind for the past two weeks. Usually when there’s drama that interrupts and/or postpones my WIP it’s something that has happened to someone else and because I care about that person, I feel obliged to help. I don’t mind helping out and I never resent them for it. It’s not their fault that a monkey was thrown into their plans. However, when the drama is mine and it’s caused by a personal demon, I take exception.

I’m not going to go into specifics since the persons involved have no idea that their words and actions raised an old demon – and I don’t want them to know. The issue is mine and since our paths rarely cross it’s unlikely that something like this will happen again. Besides, I thought I’d banished this particular demon a long time ago.

Fortunately, re-banishing this demon is a simple matter. It involves some cathartic writing. The first time I tried this method I had mixed feelings about it. The cathartic story succeeded in helping me work through the anger and angst that attracted the demon in the first place, but the story itself ended up in the trash because it was too emo to see the light of day.

That was several years ago. I’m a better writer than I was then and I’m hoping that when I’ve worked through this that the end result will be something respectable. I don’t care if it’s publishable. While that would be nice, that’s not what I’m aiming for in this regard. What I’m aiming for is a return to normalcy so I can resume work on the Cyberfunk. The strong emotions this drama has affected make it hard for me to concentrate on anything else. Even though I really should be working on the Cyberfunk today (I have two weeks to finish it) I need to take a short break from it so I can clear my head. If I don’t the negative emotions running around my skull will sour the story and that’s the last thing I want. By channeling it into a random short story that I don’t particularly care about, I can exorcise my psyche and move on.

As I said earlier, I am a better writer now, so I have a small hope that the cathartic story will be something worthy of submission. If it’s not, it will have served it’s purpose so it’s still a win in the end. 

The "Aargh!" Catalyst

A few weeks ago a friend and I were talking about a short story manuscript I asked him to look over. The draft was flawed, which I already knew, I just wasn’t sure why or how to fix it. After we worked out both problems the conversation turned to my writing in general because I was frustrated that this story gave me so much trouble. The idea behind the story was good – none of my alphas disputed that – the execution was where it failed and to be frank, I’m better than that.

He told me that the problem wasn’t that I couldn’t write the damn story; my daily writing regimen and the manuscript in his hands were proof enough of that. Instead, my problem was that I needed to write the right story, damn it.

Once again, he was right.

This particular short story was a tricky one to tackle but I didn’t want to let that stop me from writing it. I like a challenge and while it wasn’t beyond my abilities, it was at the edge of them. Because this type of story was in territory I hadn’t ventured in before my bag of tricks didn’t work. I was also trying to finish it on a severely truncated timetable so I wouldn’t fall behind on the Cyberfunk. As a result the short story started at the wrong point, I took too long getting to the action, and worst of all I didn’t work from an outline (gasp!). All of this added up to one deeply flawed draft and one frustrated writer.

Do I regret plowing through? Sort of.

If I took more time with it I would have a better first draft, but I wouldn’t have learned as much either. Perhaps I’m thick headed but for me writing seems to be one of those things where I have to make the mistake first in order to 1) understand why it’s a mistake, and 2) learn how to avoid and/or remedy it. The frustration of the moment drives home the lesson and makes it much easier to remember. Hmm…maybe it’s not so much thick headedness but the power of the “Aargh!” that makes the difference. If that is the case, I hope I never stop having “Aargh!” moments because I never want to become complacent in my abilities. There is always room for improvement, always another genre to try. It’s one of the reasons why I love this business. It’s never boring.

Henry Higgins was right.

Last week I saw a recently published book that sent me on a mini tirade at work. The book claimed that certain founding fathers were the inventors of the constitution. I'm not going to deny their importance. However, in my opinion, calling them inventors was ludicrous because the constitution was an amalgamation of ideals. It would be better to call them compilers than inventors. Since there are more than a few history buffs in the building, no one could see fault with my logic.

A few days later, a co-worker showed me a copy of Reflections on the Revolution in France by Edmund Burke, saying that it was another example of poor word choice since there was more than one revolution. She expected me to agree with her. To her surprise, I didn't. The difference this time was age. Since Reflections was written at the time of the revolution, Burke had the right to call it The Revolution in the same way that people referred to WWI as The Great War.

The exchange made me a little sad in that it was yet another reminder how clueless many people are about word history and context. Perhaps this is something that only writers, linguists and other word nerd types pay attention to but I still feel that it's something that we as a society should be more conscious of. This is after all, our heritage. Is linguistic context disappearing from our daily language like spelling and grammar? I hope not. It certainly doesn't look good. Especially since I can't send a message by droid to OED Wan Kenobi.

What makes me sad isn't just the lost knowledge, though that is a part of it, but how it limits what I can put on the page. If I wrote about finding a faggot in the woods, how many people know I was talking about a bundle of kindling? Likewise, if I wrote about an ancient Greek warrior who, after a battle, said that he would "rather smell Paul Bunyon's boots than face another assault like that", how many would realize why those words should never have left his lips?

In the Cyberfunk book I'm not only using British idioms in the appropriate character's dialogue, I'm also using European spelling and phrasing. It's been frustrating because I know that most people won't appreciate the word candy because they won't even see it there. So, if I'm so frustrated, why go to all the effort? Because someone will notice and clap their hands with glee. While the finer points of the English language are going the way of the dodo, they're not extinct yet. If the public loves the story, I'm ok with the word candy becoming Easter eggs for the word nerds. Because there are others out there who care about accuracy as I do, I can soldier on. Besides, someone has to prove the Henry Higgins' of the world wrong. Americans haven't completely forgotten how to speak.

The Next Big Thing

Welcome to The Next Big Thing, the blog chain letter questionnaire that gives writers the opportunity to talk about their work in progress. So, without further ado, here is The Next Big Thing.

What is the working title of your book?

The actual working title is Spider Web, though on FB and G+ I usually refer to it as the Cyberfunk book.

Where did the idea for the book come from?

It actually came from a really strange dream I had a couple years ago. The dream was an interesting combination of Dr. Phibes Rises Again, Phantom of the Opera, and Alias.

What genre does this fall under?

It's cyberpunk.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie version?

That's a tough one. I usually don't think of my characters as specific actors and I rarely model a character's appearance after one. There have been a few exceptions and this story just happens to have one. Cary-hiroyuki Tagawa would be ideal as the yakuza boss. That may be type casting, but he's really good at it. I'm not picky about who plays the other characters as long as they are or can pass as the right ethnicity. There are several Asian characters and their ethnicity is an important part of their identity. In the end I'd rather an unknown actor get the part than a celebrity that is a bad fit for the role. I know that isn't how Hollywood thinks, but it's how I feel.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of the book?

A retired hacker has to use their skills to rescue a friend that has been trapped inside a secret government project for six years.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

I'm not represented by an agency and I have no intention of self-publishing any of my work in the near future. When the manuscript is ready I'll send queries to a few agents and editors.

How long did it take for you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

I'm still writing it. It usually takes me a 12 - 18 months to finish a manuscript. I've completed about 25% of the first draft in the four months I've been working on it. I want to have the first draft done by the time I leave for WorldCon so it's ready to pitch.

What other books would you compare this story to in your genre?

Johnny Mnemonic by William Gibson. It's still a far cry from what Spider Web is, but it is the closest. I'd also compare it to the James Bond books by Ian Fleming since there is a lot of international intrigue.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?

The book and its characters inspired me. Once I get an idea for a story and the characters introduce themselves to me, I become a bit obsessed. I want to tell their story. I want to live every moment of their quest, experience their adventures, share their heartbreak. They become as real to me as a flesh and blood human being.

What else about your book might pique the interest of readers?

The protagonist is female. While that's not unheard of, it's not common. There are a lot of obstacles for her to overcome and a lot of factions that would love to stop her. She has multiple encounters with MI6 agents (if you're not familiar with British Intelligence, this is the same organization that James Bond works for) and the Yakuza.



Next Wednesday, Jo Ann Schneider is continuing the series. Be sure to check out her post on the 26th. I know I will.

All is fair in Love and NaNo.

First off, my Halloween costume was a huge success! No one recognized the uniform but I expected that. It's an oft overlooked show. Some of the finishing details on the great coat weren't completed in time but I'm ok with that. It's still pretty darn awesome.

As for my NaNo, so far so good. I've set a bit of a crazy goal this year. I want to write 10K on the WIP (which shall be henceforth known as the Cyberfunk book because cyberpunk-that-wants-to-be-a-thriller is far too long) and a complete first draft on a novelette (I estimate that it'll be around 13K) that's been brewing in my brain since July. The novelette is in part a sequel to the piece I submitted to Writers of the Future but it's also the completion of that same piece. I'm not going to go into detail as to why that is because I can't talk about it freely until the judging for that quarter has finished. What I will go into more detail on is my NaNo process.

I know I've talked before about setting goals and that I like to do my own thing when it comes to NaNo. What I haven't spoken about yet is how I break it down. On November 1st I write my starting word count at the top of my calendar so I know exactly what mark I have to hit. Then I break down how many words a week I need to complete in order to make my goal. Since I have two projects this year I've got two benchmarks to reach every week. I haven't set daily word count goals just because I know that with the holiday season starting, if I have a crazy day at work I won't have the energy to get much done. I also have a few fun things planned this month that'll cut into my writing time: a much needed makeover, black friday sales, and attending book signings for Brom and Jim Butcher. With the exception of work day fatigue, I can budget my time in advance in order to get it done.

That may make me look like an anal retentive control freak -- which I'm not -- but that's what I do. I like being (somewhat) organized and knowing where I stand in every aspect of my life. Why should my writing be any different?

Some of you have added me to your NaNo circles on G+ and for that I thank you. I love being a part of the writing community and hearing about everyone's struggles and successes. I need a steady stream of reminders that it's not just me that's having a hard time with ___________ on any given day. If you, dear reader, haven't added me on G+ or FB, feel free to post updates about your NaNo progress in the comments of this or any post for this month. I'd like to know how you're doing.