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Welcome to the Writing Life! (Read 41551 times)

Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Welcome to the Writing Life! Reply #825 - Apr 16^th, 2017 at 3:56am	Print Post
	Stopping for the night. I culled 137 words and tidied up some prose -- mostly cutting some repetition then rewriting the section so it still said what I wanted it to. NOT exactly easy. I'm past the two thirds mark and I hope to finish up next week. We're taking a short vacation so I may not have as much time to work as I'd like but.... VACATION!
	« Last Edit: Apr 16^th, 2017 at 11:26pm by Penthesilea »

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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Welcome to the Writing Life! Reply #826 - Apr 16^th, 2017 at 11:28pm	Print Post
	Dinner isn't done yet but the laundry is -- or at least as much as I'm going to do today! -- and I've started working on the edit.


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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Welcome to the Writing Life! Reply #827 - Apr 22^nd, 2017 at 3:00am	Print Post
	I've been working on the edit for the last couple of hours. I have two chapters to go on Book 2. I think the page count will hold at 345 but I'll be able to reduce the word count. By how much, I don't know. Once I'm done with Book 3, I'll move Book 1 to Scrivener and go over it again. Having it in Scrivener will give me more options when it comes to choosing an editor since more of them work with it than not.


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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Welcome to the Writing Life! Reply #828 - Apr 24^th, 2017 at 2:53am	Print Post
	Book 2 is finished. It took longer than I expected due to side/arm/shoulder/back/neck pain but it's done. I'll start on Book 3 tomorrow or Wednesday. Tuesday is Moonie's birthday and we might be busy -- and lest we forget, Tuesday is Agents of SHIELD night!


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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Welcome to the Writing Life! Reply #829 - Apr 26^th, 2017 at 1:40am	Print Post
	I've been making a quick pass through Book 3. It's over a hundred pages longer than the first two and I'm sure that I'll find some places to cut although probably not a hundred pages worth but we'll see. I won't get started tonight but tomorrow is likely. I don't want to lose momentum just because Skywise is on vacation.


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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Welcome to the Writing Life! Reply #830 - Jun 20^th, 2017 at 3:42am	Print Post
	Well, I haven't been working this last month or so. On April 28th, we found Mikey (known online as RB) in the front yard. We thought he was just tired but when he slept through an entire day and night we knew it wasn't that and took him to the vet who diagnosed a lung infection. That.... wasn't what it was and after a valiant but ultimately futile fight against FIP, we surrendered the little guy into Bast's keeping on the 30th of May. My heart hasn't been in the writing since he got sick but I know I need to get back to it... and I will. I'm just not sure when....


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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Welcome to the Writing Life! Reply #831 - Oct 8^th, 2017 at 3:46am	Print Post
	I went back to work tonight. The eclipse -- which Skywise had waited decades to see -- and the vacations are over. The grief.... is still there but manageable so I opened Book 3 and edited the second chapter, cutting 247 words. I will admit that reading/editing the part where "Jasmine" gets hers -- the first installment at least -- was satisfying. Not very "enlightened" of me but.... .... satisfying.


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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Welcome to the Writing Life! Reply #832 - Oct 25^th, 2018 at 11:01pm	Print Post
	The first three books are revised and ready to go. All I need is the money to hire a professional editor to go over them. sigh I'll find the money somehow/someday. That's the problem with writing something other than soft core porn, it has to be good and literate to get published rather than just raunchy. And being polished to an inch of its life doesn't hurt. So, I'm working on Book Four. The main problem I'm having it writing the antagonist. She's a deceitful, underhanded and spiteful backstabbing bitch who undermines Our Heroine at every opportunity. You would think that with the number of such "females" I've encountered the last decade or so I'd have plenty material. Unfortunately, most of the backstabbing never reached my ears so I guess I'm going to have to look for literary sources.....


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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Welcome to the Writing Life! Reply #833 - Dec 8^th, 2018 at 1:51am	Print Post
	Work is proceeding slowly on Book 4. Facebook keeps bugging me to write something on my author's page but "still plugging along" doesn't seem adequate. I'm still trying to get a handle on the antagonist while working on other sections which are coming along slowly. The "back half" of the book is coming along pretty well. It's the front half that's giving me trouble although skinning and burning alive a character that was particularly annoying during the "roleplaying" phase of the creation process was easy to write and extremely satisfying. I go back and read it every now and then -- just to touch it up, you understand...


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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Welcome to the Writing Life! Reply #834 - Dec 14^th, 2018 at 3:19am	Print Post
	I need about another 300 or so pages to get Book 4 the length that I want. Since I'm not an author that generates "new material" for the sake of doing it and then throws it out because none of it is worth saving, it's slow going. Still, I know what sections I have to fill in and I want to write them as close to their "final draft form" as I can and it will require a lot of thought. The problem may end up being staying under 300 pages..... I've been spending a lot of time researching and preparing for the full onset of the Eddy Solar Minimum which is currently underway and due to get progressively worse. The first real "shock" is expected in 2020 and I'm trying to get as prepared as I can in the time that's left. Knowing what is coming makes it hard to concentrate on a "make believe" world no matter how dear it is to me. We live below 40 degrees North, about an hour from any really big city and have a little bit of land suitable for growing food which is the only advantage we have. That and that I'm not expecting the world to get warmer or the climate to continue on as it has all my life. Too many people still believe that the climate will stay the same or gradually get warmer. It won't. Working on the writing will keep me sane and my girls will provide the will I'll need to keep preparing no matter how overwhelming it seems. [If you have NO idea what I'm talking about, Google "Eddy Solar Minimum" and go from there.]


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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Welcome to the Writing Life! Reply #835 - Jan 7^th, 2019 at 5:30am	Print Post
	I've worked a little on Book 4 the last couple of days. I've never written or read a "spy thriller" so I'm having to feel my way through it. More research will be needed if I can find anything that meets my needs. I also need to write a seriously bitchy female which is a bit of a problem since the bitchy females formerly in my life were bitchy behind my back being too cowardly to say anything to my face. There is also the problem of "why" the heroine doesn't bitchslap the antagonist the minute she opens her mouth. So, much thinking needs to be done but now that the Christmas Rush is over for the year, I can think about something other than keeping the chaos to a minimum!


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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Welcome to the Writing Life! Reply #836 - Feb 20^th, 2019 at 6:44pm	Print Post
	Last night -- at 3 am, no less when it was too late to do anything about it -- a "light" went on over my head. The problem with Book 4 wasn't what I thought it was but I think I know now what is. So! I'm going to copy Book 4 to another word document and start revising it while keeping the original tucked away in case I need it. If I'm right about what's causing the problem, things should start progressing...
	« Last Edit: Feb 20^th, 2019 at 6:45pm by Penthesilea »

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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Welcome to the Writing Life! Reply #837 - Feb 21^st, 2019 at 4:58am	Print Post
	The change seems to be working. There are still some things to work out/decide but I've written more on this particular project than I have in weeks. I had to cut about six pages but those scenes will be rewritten. Happily, after a certain point in the story, nothing will need to be taken out or extensively rewritten. I've had to change a line or two in Book 3 but that's minor stuff. I'll continue working on this version and see where it goes. Post # 41,041
	« Last Edit: Feb 22^nd, 2019 at 6:06pm by Penthesilea »

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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Welcome to the Writing Life! Reply #838 - Feb 22^nd, 2019 at 2:05am	Print Post
	I'm making headway. I've figured out how to work matters so I can keep some key elements of the plot that I've already written that move the story the way I want it to go. I've added some new material. I may or may not need to rewrite it. Time -- and the story -- will tell.


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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Welcome to the Writing Life! Reply #839 - Feb 23^rd, 2019 at 11:17pm	Print Post
	I'm currently going to the mat with the problem of how -- and where -- to introduce the female antagonist since the previous intro no longer works after her makeover. This will require a lot of thought.....


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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Welcome to the Writing Life! Reply #840 - Feb 27^th, 2019 at 4:56am	Print Post
	I'm still working on the previous problem and now I have a new one. How to foment a believable insurrection in which certain minor characters play a pivotal role while not being the instigators. (Valcaria does NOT do "regime change". Our Heroine has enough problems without that.....)


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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Welcome to the Writing Life! Reply #841 - Mar 3^rd, 2019 at 8:16pm	Print Post
	Parts of the "insurrection" plot are coming along. The intro of the female antagonist into the main plotline, not so much. I am currently circling the problem like a cautious cat poking it experimentally to see what happens. I'm beginning to think that certain aspects will have to be changed for the story to work. This is a time of much trial and error and as is usual for such things, it will be mostly error....


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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Welcome to the Writing Life! Reply #842 - Mar 4^th, 2019 at 5:56am	Print Post
	I'm beginning to think that the only way I'm going to get Book 4 to work is to scrap the original idea that DK gave me. Sorry Darklord. Maybe it would have worked if he'd been around to help me hammer it out but since I've been on my own, I just haven't been able to make it work -- might be a case of having to stretch "coincidence" too far... Anyway, if I scrap that and make a few changes that are dependent on that idea I should be able salvage most of what I've written. I especially want to keep the antagonist's death since it's quite brutal and while Our Hero has stated that he's capable of brutality, the reader has never really seen it. I'll take a run at it tomorrow and see how it goes.


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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Welcome to the Writing Life! Reply #843 - Mar 5^th, 2019 at 12:08am	Print Post
	I've been kicking around ideas today while doing other "non-writing/housewife" stuff and things are looking promising..... I tend to work things out in my head before committing them to paper. For me, it works better than throwing a mass of words at "a wall" and seeing what sticks.


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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Welcome to the Writing Life! Reply #844 - Mar 6^th, 2019 at 2:36am	Print Post
	Still working things out. Leg pain is making it difficult to concentrate but it also makes it difficult to do anything else so I'm going through what's already written and finding the places that need to be brought into line with the antagonist's revised origin. Not very glamorous but necessary. I spent some time studying this morning while in the waiting room at the dentist's office -- Skywise had an appointment. That wasn't glamorous either but since I work alone like my role models, I need to study.


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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Welcome to the Writing Life! Reply #845 - Mar 6^th, 2019 at 4:15am	Print Post
	I've added about a page tonight. It's not as smooth as I'd like but the main action is in place as well as some dialog. I've also provided a reason why the Hero's "medical condition" won't be mentioned -- even though it's common knowledge -- until it is required by the story. Having a powerful and well-trained sorceress as Our Heroine is very helpful!


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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Welcome to the Writing Life! Reply #846 - Mar 6^th, 2019 at 5:00am	Print Post
	Ended up with about a page and a half of new material. Not bad considering. I've quit for the night. I need to finish making dinner.


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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Welcome to the Writing Life! Reply #847 - Mar 6^th, 2019 at 11:32pm	Print Post
	Okay! Changing that one thing about the antagonist seems to have broken the writer's block. The story is moving again -- not at lightning speed but it's moving. I'm finding some holes in the plot that needed filling and I'm getting that done and all in all I'm pleased. I still have a long way to go -- I need to double the page count -- and there are still a lot of things to figure out. I'm not going to make any predictions about when this draft will be done -- real life, ya know -- but things look more hopeful than they did in January.


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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Welcome to the Writing Life! Reply #848 - Mar 8^th, 2019 at 1:31am	Print Post
	Found another section that will have to either be extensively rewritten or moved. I haven't decided which. Still doing a lot of "thinking about" and a certain amount of editing/rewriting of existing text.


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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Welcome to the Writing Life! Reply #849 - Mar 16^th, 2019 at 1:02am	Print Post
	I've done more rewriting/revising during the last week -- more of that than "totally new material" but getting the revising/rewriting done will make things go more smoothly in the long run. I keep reminding myself that I don't have to "prove" myself to anyone except me. That was a very bad mindset I was bullied/coerced into adopting. That is strong language but that's what it amounted to. The constant push to meet the expectations/goals of someone else was not good for me. I burned out. Badly. And I'm still recovering. So I'm going to write/study at my own pace and if that doesn't satisfy someone, well, they'll have the right to complain when they start paying my bills or sign me to a contract. And since I don't do "work for hire" writing, I'm not likely to sign a contract that requires me to "produce" on someone else's schedule!


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