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The first draft of the short story is officially completed!  It still doesn’t have an official title…I’m still kicking a few things around.  My betas have read it and made suggestions and notes.  Now it’s time to let it sit for a while.  In a couple of weeks, I’ll look at it again with fresh eyes, make a few more tweaks, edits, and revisions, and then we’ll see.

The funny thing is, I was way over the word limit and I had to go about chopping things.  Now, this has never really happened to me before.  It was actually an interesting experience.  I had to really think about my word choices.  I had to cut out erroneous words.  I realized that, in this one, I overused the word little a lot.  If it didn’t need to be there, it got deleted.  I even cut out an entire scene that I loved.  But it wasn’t necessary to the narrative, just a fun bit of information.  So it had to go.  It was hard to do.  I agonized over it.  I highlighted and copied into another document so I didn’t lose the words.  And then I sat there for quite a while before I could make myself hit the delete button.  And even then, I had to have a little hand holding and for someone to say to me, “okay, yeah, cut it.” before I could do it.  More learning experiences for me as I try to get better as a writer.

It’s not quite where I want it yet, but it’ll get there.

In the meantime, it’s back to work on Beholden.  My current WIP.  It’s quite a world building experience.  Even though it’s contemporary, it’s also paranormal.  Magic exists, people.  And that always mucks up the works.  In the best possible way.  I’m loving the world and it’s a fun, if also frustrating, experience.  In trying to make it all make sense, I’m running into lots of problems.  The good thing about that is that the process of figuring out the problems is really helping the world building as a whole.  When a scene pops into my head, and there’s a bit of magic involved, i have to figure out the why of it.  And how that fits into the magic system as a whole.  I have so many notes, it’s sort of ridiculous.  But I’m loving it all the same.

No flash fic up today because last night I was finishing up the final first draft of the short story. I forgot to update my word count over there but it comes in just under the 12k limit. When I was done, I just didn’t have the mojo left to write the flash fic.

If you tune in tomorrow, though, there just might be a Saturday edition…:)

You know, I read a lot. I mean a lot! And it turns out, this is actually a really good thing for my writing. Because I’ve absorbed all the lessons that make for writing a good story and I don’t even realize it.

Reader: I like how your character showed growth from point a to point b!

Me: *blinks* Thanks! I’m glad you saw that.
*thinking* Did I write it that way on purpose?

It’s an interesting thing. The truth of it is, yes, sometimes it’s on purpose. But sometimes, I’m not thinking of it in terms like that. I’m just writing the story as I see it in my head. And character growth, well, that’s a natural progression in any story. Even if it’s only a little. Even if it’s only in one area of their lives. Growth happens as people experience new things, go through different situations, meet new people.

So yeah, sometimes I’m just writing a story. And all the little things I’ve absorbed from the copious amount of books that I’ve read over the years are helping me to shape it. I know what I like to see when I read a story. And my mind subconsciously puts that stuff in when crafting a tale.

I can justifiably say that reading is necessary to improving my craft. Each new story is another lesson in how to write. Certainly makes it easier to deal with the strain on my wallet 🙂

That moment when the ideas become words on the page?  Yeah, I love that moment.  Sometimes, it takes quite a bit of work to get there.  But when it all comes together, that’s a moment of happy satisfaction.

I don’t know if it’s any good at this point.  It doesn’t matter if it is or not.  Just getting it to all work together, for my imagination and ideas to actually work together on the page, to be coherent…that’s what I’m celebrating right now.

An ever increasing word count.  That fire in my blood that drives me to write to the exclusion of all else.  It’s been missing, it’s been a chore, but it’s back in full force and I’m loving that feeling.  For a little bit there, writing felt like something I had to do instead of something I wanted to do.

But I’ve had that moment where it’s all coming together.  So, now I can rejoice in the voices instead of dreading when they start talking.  It’s a really good feeling.

Did you see?  Everything at Dreamspinner is on sale.  Everything!  25% off!  That’s a good deal.  Until February 19th, this is your chance to pick up any titles you’ve been looking at but haven’t purchased yet.  Lots of good stuff going on there.  Go on and check it out!  I’m proud to be counted among the Dreamspinner authors–I’m in the company of some truly amazing storytellers.  Really, it’s worth a look if you haven’t already.

You know, I still think of myself as primarily a reader first.  And as such, I follow a lot of authors–their blogs, twitter, what have you.  I like to know when my favorite authors are releasing new things.  I like to see how they are coming along with their WIPs.  It’s not an easy thing, writing, and anyone who tells you it is hasn’t done it.  I’m sure that’s not really surprising, it take a lot of work, a lot of imagination.  There is a lot of frustration and heartbreak.  But there are also a lot of rewards.  When even one person tells me “hey, I liked your story” it means the world to me.  Knowing I was able to entertain someone for a few minutes, that they found the story satisfactory, warms my heart.  Thank you to everyone who has read something I’ve written.  And for those of you out there that take a minute to let an author know they you enjoyed their work, thank you from the bottom of my heart.  Even if it wasn’t me, I know that authors truly appreciate that.

But I’m going to be bluntly honest here: I also get jealous.  It’s not an emotion I’m proud of, but every once in a while, for a few brief seconds, that jealousy rears it’s ugly head.  As I follow those authors and I see their word counts climb, for a few awful seconds, I wonder why they are accomplishing things that I can’t.  And then I remember that, most often, their situations are different than mine.  Whether it’s that they have more time, or better plot lines, or even just a supportive person at home to push them forward, they have the time and opportunity to get more words on the page.  So after those few seconds of bitter jealousy pass, I’m extraordinarily happy for them.  That they are accomplishing the goals they set out and they are working towards releasing another title that I, and countless others, are going to enjoy reading.  And that is a very good thing.

And I’m reminded that I need to make time to get my words on the page.  I can’t just wait for the opportunity.  Yes, for me, the stars need to align a little bit for me to be able to grow my word count.  But there are things I need to do to nudge those stars along.  I haven’t been doing enough of that lately, but I’m in the process of changing that.  So, there in the side bar is the new word meter for my current WIP.  Because accountablity is one of the stars that I personally need to shove into alignment.

But while I’m doing that, I’m also taking advantage of the Dreamspinner sale! 😀

Ooooh!  Look!  It’s out!  On the shelves!  Release day!  Yay!

I’m honored to be in the company of some incredibly talented authors.  My story is just one of many.  But the whole thing is great.  I’m not going to lie,

I’m enjoying it immensely from a reader standpoint.  I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.  You can buy it here.  (Or in paperback here.)

There’s something about men in the medical profession…or pretending to be…that really turns my key.  Enjoy!

World building is a process.  Even if it’s a contemporary story, there are all the little things you need to keep consistent.  And when it’s contemporary laced with the supernatural?  Well, that’s a whole other kettle of fish.

I’m starting with the world this time around.  Normally, I sort of make it up as I go along, fit the pieces in as I plot out the story.  This time, I’m actually making the rules for my world ahead of time.  Laying down the law, as it were, the cold hard facts that can not be deviated from.  I’m hoping this will help me to establish the plot easier.  It’s new for me and I’m really enjoying the process so far.  When I come up with a “rule,” I’m having to really think about the why of it.  And that’s really helping to cement things in my brain.  I may not use everything in the story, but I’ll have the information available should I ever need it.

I’m also working on character sheets.  Physical appearances, strengths and weaknesses, personality quirks, the whole works.  This is something I used to do, years and years ago, but somehow, it fell out of practice.  I’m not sure why I stopped.  To have that quick reference is such a blessing.  It’s much easier than having to go back through a manuscript and check to see if I got a character’s eye color right, that’s for sure.  Again, everything might not make it on the page, you may never actually see a character’s tattoo, but I’ll know it’s there.

I’ve always been the kind of writer that works half way between plotting everything out and flying by the seat of her pants.  So this isn’t entirely foreign ground.   But it is a different way of doing things, at least for me.

I’ve learned a lot about myself as a writer these past few months.  And I’m always trying to improve and grow.  I’m hoping that this is one more step towards the growing.  I feel like it could really help to make me a better writer.

You ever read a book and your mouth drops open and you’re just shocked because you swear to all that is good and holy in this world that you had the exact same idea?  And within that book, there’s a scene or two or a conversation that was exactly like what you had pictured with your characters?

It’s happened to me.   Twice now.

One was so similar that the characters even said dialogue lines that I had already thought of.

I’m not going to lie.  At first, I was a little bit pissed.  There goes that brilliant idea I had!  Now I can’t write it.  It’s been done, and done in the way that I would have done it, so it has to go away. And, admittedly, I was kind of glad that I had read the books so I didn’t put in all that time and energy to write the book when it would be rejected as plagiarism.

But after the initial shock, I was sort of…pleased.  There is someone else’s brain out there that works just like mine!  It was kind of comforting to know that I’m not alone in this world…at least not in the slightly strange way my brain works.

So, as sad as I am to see the story idea having to get tossed, it was also kind of validating to know that my ideas are not complete crap.  🙂

The release of Dr. Feelgood is only two weeks away!  Huzzah!  You can check it out here.  On February 10th, the anthology goes live in both ebook and paperback formats.  An anthology of 14 short stories centered around those in the medical profession.

My contribution, Hero Worship, is about Alex Sullivan, a paramedic, and Matt Carter.  They are brought together by a bee and a scheming best friend.  In the end, they find love (of course!).

I will fully admit that the idea for this story was sparked when I saw the submission call.  It was in the back of my mind when one day, drinking my morning coffee, the opening scene flashed in my head.

Paramedics have always been a fascination for me.  I even contemplated being on at one time, when I discovered that I could actually stand up in an ambulance.  My sister has a friend who was a paramedic for a lot of years before he moved to the fire department and when I needed a little clarification on some things, he helped out.  Rest assured that my information is accurate…at least for my area.  I am aware that things differ within companies and areas.  After the draft was complete and tweaked with the help of my awesome beta, I sent it off.  A few weeks later, I was told it would be included in the anthology.

Hearing that news is never going to get old.

So this one was inspired by a submission cal.  But really, any little thing can inspire me.  Like someone showing up at the door when they aren’t supposed to and waking you up.  And that right there is what sparked my current WIP.

You ever get an idea that just will not leave you alone?  That doesn’t care that you’re supposed to be working on about five other things?  But it’s exciting and persistent…and actually scares you to death.

I mean, the world building alone is completely daunting.  There’s just no way I can do it justice.  Details aren’t my strongest suit sometimes so the thought of building this world terrifies me.

But it won’t leave me alone and I might just have to write it anyway.  Even if AU’s and urban fantasies don’t sell as well or get panned by reviewers.  Going with the premise that nothing I write is going to make every single person happy–because they all bring their own likes and perspectives to the table–then I might as well write the story that won’t leave me alone.

Maybe it’s exactly the change of pace I need to get back in the groove.