WIP IT GOOD!

DL Hammons at Crusing Altitude 2.0 and I welcome you to WIP IT GOOD a bloghop intended to spotlight your [W]ork [I]n [P]rogress. 

I'm actually working on three projects that are in different stages of the writing process. The first one, is an epic fantasy that's still incubating. I want to keep this one all to myself for now. The second, is starting to crawl on all fours, but already has so much potential it makes me want to scream about it from the top of the blogosphere. But alas, this one is still top secret.  (; So that leaves me with my final project to share with you guys today. 

WIP Title: The Falling Witch

Word Count: current: 110,571: projected ~85-90,000. 

I know what you're thinking, that's a lot of words to slauter. Luckily for me, I know which ones to murder. Muwahahah.

Genre: N/A Paranormal/Romance

How long you've been working on manuscript: Too frickin long, which for me means 3.5 years.

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

Ok, so if I came across an agent in the elevator I'd say: 

"Represent me or I'll stab you in the eye with my click pen."   *clicks twice for effect.*   

How's that? You don't look convinced. Am I giving away too much? I've been told I have a tendancy towards melodrama. . . 

Fine. Then how about this (the super short version):

Twenty-three year old Edessa Scottwood would do anything to find her mother's killer, even if that means becoming a powerful witch and falling in love with the wrong vampire. 

Brief synopsis (250 words or less)

Ok, I suck at writing synopses so here's a brief blurb/description that I was still rewriting this morning! ugggg.....

Under the influence of an evil spell, twenty-three year old Edessa Scottwood had parts of her memory erased. Gone were questions about the mysterious Anchor Protein her mother was working on or the contact who tried to retrieve the protein after her mother was murdered. The spell had Edessa convinced suicide was her last option. She found herself at the edge of a cliff, and jumped. But instead of meeting death, someone or something saved her.  

In a secluded safe-house, Edessa’s estranged aunt reveals the truth about her lineage—Edessa is a witch like all the women in her family before her. With help from her aunt’s coven and a vampire named Ayden, Edessa will unlock her hidden powers and retrieve lost memories. She realizes the only way to get revenge for what happened to her mother is to uncover the importance of the Anchor protein and its connection to a warrior-like witch who is being hunted by a secretive group of vampires. Edessa will do whatever it takes to find the Anchor Protein before it gets into the wrong hands, even if that means traveling across the world with Ayden, a vampire with dark secrets of his own. Many lives depend on Edessa’s success—witches, vampires, and possibly the whole human race. 

Beta reader? Yes! This wip is currently going through a few more targeted rewrites but I'll be looking for one courageous Beta reader willing to suffer read through my ms sometime near the end of July.  

Thanks to everyone sharing with us today and for stopping by and showing support! DL and I are looking forward to reading all about your projects. 

Oh, and one more thing . . . because it's been a while since my last Friday crackmeupology, I decided to post this--

Have a great weekend everyone!

:D

Stepping Back to Move Forward

Three months ago, I shipped a printed copy of my manuscript to my editor. I was a little stressed about mailing it . . . okay, a lot stressed. But at the same time, so relieved. I had reached that place where I had done so many rewrites, revisions, changes, etc, that I couldn't see the story anymore. Is this chapter crap or should it stay? What about the beginning, is it better now or before? I couldn't say and was unable to make a decision or even have an opinion about my writing. I had grown sick of my story and it was time to take a break. 

A few days ago, I received a package. Inside was my manuscript with my editor's notes, comments, suggestions and most importantly, her encouragement. <3 I dove back in, page by page, and realized a good break was exactly what I needed. Five chapters into my edits, and I'm in love with my story all over again. I'm now embracing this rekindled excitement and I'm determined to get this wip finished and ready for querying before April. 

It will be done. 

***

How about you guys? Ever get to this point? What helped 'bring back that lovin' feeling?' (; 

To Rewrite or Not to Rewrite-That is My Question

Friday, I packaged up my second draft and shipped it off to my editor. Sounds exciting except now, I find myself fighting the urge to go in and change things again. This happened to me last year when I sent my first draft in for review. It wasn't gone a whole day before I was in there adding scenes and changing stuff... I couldn't help it, except I ended up making a royal mess out of things and when I got my revisions, it was a pain to sort through since much of it didn't match up to my current version.  So this time, I've opted for a hands off approach while I wait patiently for my edits. 


In the mean time I need to find something to occupy my mind and my fingers...so I've decided to dive into the sequel. I've been reluctant to start writing the second book since I'm not sure the first will ever get off the ground but, what the hell. 

Anyway, I was wondering how you guys handle the wait time when your wips are in the hands of a beta, cp or other. Any advice? 

IWSG : Struggling with Disappointment

My biggest insecurity at the moment is not measuring up to people's expectations. And by 'people' I mean folks like you. 

I'm over the fear of "What if people don't like my book?" Not liking something and being disappointed are two different things. What I'm worried about is disappointing and more importantly, disappointing you. I've met so many amazing people in the writing community, folks who I've grown to know and care about and  respect. However, I feel some of you may have certain preconceived ideas about my wip or my writing, and I'm afraid if you ever read my dribble someday, it'll turn into 387 pages of disappointment because I would have failed to fulfill your expectations. 

At the moment, I'm wrapping up my second draft and will be shipping it off to my editor. And even though she's read most of it, I'm still afraid she's going to be disappointed with the changes I've made and in the story itself. If the book ever does see the light of day, I really would be tempted to not say anything about it. Screw it if I never sell a single damn copy.  (0_o)凸

*****

Graphing Out Your Plot

Generating a plot graph is a great way to visualize your overall story. It's relatively quick and easy to do and can reveal problem areas in your story that feel flat or stagnant. You can later go back and decide if these areas could use a bit more action or emotion to avoid the "sagging in the middle" syndrome. 

For my graph, I decided to plot intensity over time, but I've seen graphs that use other labels like misery over time. Use what ever makes sense to you and your story. Before starting with my wip, I thought it'd be good practice to plot a story we all know and love, Cinderella. This is what I came up with:

:

It's pretty basic, but all the major plot points that matter to me are there. Remember, this is my interpretation and your graph of Cinderella (should you choose to do one) would look slightly different than mine. So what we see is a nice build of events (rising action) over the course of the story until we reach the climax in Act III followed by the dénouement (fancy word for outcome or settlement).  

Next, I tried the same technique on my wip. The monster  I've been working on for almost 3 years now. The one that's finally in the editing phase but that's still over 100K...  : /

Here is my result. 

My first reaction was, "Looks spiky." Act I seems pretty crazy yet by Act III, things seem to slow down with the exception of two huge spikes. But how does it compare with Cinderella?  Well, my dear Watson, lets find out:

Wow. 

Okay, let's analyze this real quick. 

The first thing I realized: I'm not writing no damn Cinderella story. (; 

Second, I may need to tone down some of my spikes (intense scenes) or at least spread them out a little better. Another thing I see is my need for more romantic elements, not just action points. The other huge difference is the dénouement.  I don't have one. But I already knew that. Is that okay? I don't know. The dénouement actually comes in book two. But as a first time author, this will probably make it harder to get published.  

So after thinking about this I naturally became pretty insecure about my writing and my story, again. On the one hand you have Cindy's blond hair and a perfect body plot with a nice crescendo we all know and love, and on the other hand, you have my wip. The one that looks like you'd get electrocuted if you try to read it. 





Have you ever done this kind of mapping? Has it helped? How do you visualize your story structure/plot? 

Prologues, Epilogues and Interim Chapters Oh, My!

When I started writing my ms a few years ago I didn't have a prologue. Life was good. Then, I became worried thinking I should put one in because the book I was reading at the time, told me I should. So, I wrote what I thought was a prologue, didn't like it and a few months later chucked it. And then I thought, what about a preface or epilogue? Could I, should I put one in? And then I came across something called interim chapters and was at a total loss. Figuring I needed to get a few things straight, I did some digging and this is what I came up with.



Prologues:

In short, a prologue is the introductory segment to your work in progress. The key here is that it's part of the story and can be useful for recounting backstory, usually something that occured earlier in time. The prologue in Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code, for instance, describes the last moments of Jacques Saunière's life (roughly three pages long in the French version).

But a prologue can also be used much like a teaser. It's especially useful if the beginning of your novel is slow to build up. A dramatic or suspenseful prologue can hook your reader right away and keep them willing to read on through a slow beginning. In Amy Plum's book Die For Me, the prologue is less than two paragraphs long and ends with the following: "Jeanne had said that meeting me had transformed Vincent. I have given him "new life." But was he expecting me to save is soul?

You can also have prologues that seem to have little to do with your story, but in fact, foretells a mood or gives your reader clues as to what they may expect in the book. In Paulo Coelho's, The Alchemist, the prologue retells a version of the legend of Narcissus, a man so in love with his own image that he spent most of his time staring at his reflection in the lake until the day he fell in and drowned. In this particular version, we find out it is the lake who misses Narcissus the most because it can no longer see its beauty in the reflection of Narcissus's eyes. And for some reason, it is this version of the legend that the alchemist prefers the most. The idea that vanity can become a selfless act and be used for good gives readers a taste for what is to come in the book. Humm, food for thought...

Now keep in mind, you may be able to convey information in your prologue through flashbacks. This is what I ended up doing with my ms, but it's up to you to decide what works best for your wip.


Preface

The preface on the other hand, is written in the author's voice as if he or she is talking directly to the reader. Commonly found in non-fiction books, it's a place where the author can discuss how the book was first conceived, or maybe this is a new edition and the author wishes to highlight certain events that have happened since the first edition. In the book, The Elements of Editing A Modern Guide for Editors and Journalists by Arthur Plotnik, the preface is a three page account of why and how the book came about, but also the importance of well-rounded editors, and properly trained journalism school graduates.

And just as a side note, a foreword is an introduction written by a different person which precedes the preface.


Epilogues

This one is easy. The epilogue is similar to the prologue, except it explains what happens to the characters after the story ends. What's cool here though is you can also use this as an opportunity to switch POV. One of the most famous epilogues is Shakespeare's, A Midsummer Night's Dream that is delivered directly to the audience:

"If we shadows have offended, 
    Think but this, and all is mended, 
    That you have but slumber'd here 
    While these visions did appear. 
    And this weak and idle theme, 
    No more yielding but a dream, 
    Gentles, do not reprehend: 
    if you pardon, we will mend: 
    And, as I am an honest Puck, 
    If we have unearned luck 
    Now to 'scape the serpent's tongue, 
    We will make amends ere long; 
    Else the Puck a liar call; 
    So, good night unto you all. 
    Give me your hands, if we be friends, 
    And Robin shall restore amends." (V, i. 440-455)


Interim Chapters

To be honest, I didn't even know what this was until I started reading about them. Interim chapters can be used when you have a lot of story to tell and need to share information with the reader that none of your POV characters know. Some writers have used interims to insert newspaper articles, diary entries, letters, FBI reports, photographs, phone conversations, etc. This information may not be closely connected to the main story but may still be useful in conveying important information. A word of caution, interim chapters have a tendency to break up the flow of your story which can be jarring to the reader. The key is to keep interim chapters short and make sure your story warrants this fragmentation.


(Source: Kress, Characters, Emotion & Viewpoint. 2005)


 So what about you guys? Have you incorporated any of these in your wips? Did you find it easy or difficult to write? Have any good/bad examples you've come across in other books?

What's in a name? Everything.

No you didn’t. Tell me this is just a dream, a nightmare. Tell me you did not just change my name! OMG. You did. Sonofa… I can’t believe you had the nerve. If you think I'm going to lift so much as a finger until the end of the book you are sorely mistaken. I’m just going to sit here and stare at my navel until you give me my name back.

This was the attitude I got from one of my characters a few months ago after having changed their name. I knew early on in the writing process it would need changing but I procrastinated. You know, there's a saying about procrastination, inappropriate as hell to mention here, but so true. Anyway, fast forward two and a half years and I suddenly realized changing the name was going to cause me some difficulties, but I did it. And for weeks after the change, I cringed every time I saw the new name written on paper or on screen.

 So why did I change it?  Believability.

 As writers we have to control the type and amount of information we give the reader when we first introduce our characters. Their names can and should (in my humble opinion), provide some information about them and can sometimes be used to convey backstory. The reader is going to make automatic assumptions about our characters and we can't stop that. However, we can control these assumptions to a certain extent. Obviously, ethnicity, religion, age, language even personality traits can be transmitted to the reader based on their given names. 

When I began writing my wip, one of my characters had a Middle Eastern background with a Middle Eastern name. But I quickly realized my lacunae of that region made me uncomfortable writing about it, even if it was briefly mentioned in the book. So I changed it, giving my character an English lineage instead. But having to change their name two years later was like having to change one of my children’s names.  I had grown accustomed to the old name. On top of that, I had trouble moving forward with the story because the new name was so distracting. I'd say it took about a month for me to get used to the name change. And I’m still not 100% satisfied with it, but I know the new name makes my character more believable. 

So I respectfully disagree with you, Will, a rose named sweatymammothbreath would not smell as sweet…at least not in my book.

Let me know if you've ever had to change one of your character's names. Did you find the switch difficult to make? If you had to change your MC name could you do it?  

M for Mantodea: Mantis

"Who am I to judge a warrior based on his size? I mean... look at me!"

—Mantis, Kung Fu Panda

Fun Facts:

1) The praying mantis belongs to the order Mantodea. Or as I prefer, the preying mantis.

2) They have an auditory organ on the thorax that detects a bats ecolocation allowing them to respond evasively and avoid capture. 

3) The preying mantis is exclusively predatory. It preys mostly on insects and any other species small enough to be successfully captured and devoured. This includes: small scorpions, lizards, frogs, birds, snakes, fish and even rodents.

4) Mating among mantids is complicated. And yes, I'm talking about sexual cannibalism, which is not that uncommon in nature. Being eaten by the female after/during copulation delivers vitamins and proteins to the future offspring and the male gets to pass on his genes*high 5*. However, in nature, this kind of cannibalistic mating in mantodea occurs less than 30% of the time. After a highly ritualized courtship display and dance, the majority of the males manage to simply bugger fly off.

Sexual cannibalism is more frequent under the stress of laboratory conditions where the males cannot escape, and/or if the female is hungry. But eating the head does cause the male to ejaculate faster (please don't ask me how they figured that out. :/ )
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The preying mantis is my second most favorite insect. So please, if you find one out and about, leave it alone. If it's in an unsafe place, you can pick it up and place it elsewhere without fear of getting your hands bitten off. I've handled them many times, even the hungry females, lol.

Below is a short description from my wip (~ 200 words, feel free to skip the wip.) The creature described was inspired by the preying mantis and cockroach. Please remember this is in rough draft form. It will go through many more edits in the not so distant future. Enjoy.

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            “Charlie, please put me down. I’m hot and uncomfortable and my arms are starting to hurt. I promise I’ll come back and visit you tomorrow.” My voice was slightly patronizing but I was sincere. Much to my surprise, I was lowered gently to the ground. The green tentacles unraveled themselves from my arms and torso as Riona pushed through the vegetation to reach me.

            “Well, that certainly didn’t go off as well as I planned. Are you alright?” 

            “I’m fine,” I reassured her, rubbing the soreness out of my elbows and sides. 

            “Charlie come down here and apologize,” Riona ordered, looking back up into the canopy.

            I turned around. From the top of one of the giant plants, an odd looking creature came scurrying down. It had the  legs of a praying mantis and a large, flattened, oval body. It was covered with large waxy green and black leaves that resembled the scales of a reptile.  Four lesser green vines came out of what looked like the top of its head, each vine was several feet long and moved independently like antennae of a cockroach. Its head consisted of several fused, broad shaped leaves without obvious eyes or mouth.  My body tensed as it drew near. When it reached arm's lenght, the leaves of its head shifted and folded like origami, taking on the form of a human's head. It suddenly resembled mine.

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Interesting how aliens depected on tv resemble the head of a mantis....coincidence? I think not!

Enjoy your weekend!

C is for Coleoptera

An order of insects commonly known as beetles.

Ok, I know my last two posts were a tad on the long side, so I’ll try to keep this one short…er.

1) Coleoptera, meaning caped crusader sheath-winged, is the largest order of insects and constitutes almost 25% of all known life-forms on the planet. Just sit and think about that for a minute before looking at the pretty picture.





2) About 40% of all known insect species are beetles, one of which being the scarab beetle (sometimes called the Dung beetle) *insert pooptastic joke here*.

3) The Egyptians believed scarab beetles were associated with the Egyptian god, Khepri. It was believed that Khepri renewed the sun each morning and pushed it across the sky, just like scarab beetles pushing balls of dung across the ground. The scarab beetle became a symbol for rebirth and good luck.

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I'm a bit flash fictioned out this evening (I know, I'm such an amateur). Actually, I just want to get to bed before midnight. Are we at Z yet? Anyway, I thought I'd copy and paste share with you part of my wip where I metion the above beetle. Warning, this is a first draft excerpt that still needs tweeking. If you have tweeking suggestions/comments please leave them below. (:

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“Sumatra,” he mouthed and his expression darkened. I reached for my pressure point but felt a cold breeze lick my ear instead. I spun away from the edge of the terrace to face the last of the group. She was floating in mid-air in front of me with a vixen smile. I took a step back, my heart pounding as I watched her gracefully sweep herself over the edge of the railing and onto the terrace. She was stunningly beautiful and paid me little notice. Her ebony black hair was pulled back into a long sleek pony tail. And around her slender neck, lay an intricate gold necklace from which hung a pendent in the shape of a scarab beetle. Her dark eyes rivaled the black of night and her skin, a faded chestnut color, made her appear more human than her pale faced counterparts. She wore a long gold and lavender layered chiffon dress that flowed around her perfect physique. She looked like an African queen, a queen whose attention was riveted on Ayden.

Plotter or Pantser: A Visual Representation of My WIP

For some things, I tend to be more visually oriented. So, I thought it would be interesting amusing to try to draw a visual representation of my wip, from the initial idea to an almost 400pg ms. I came up with these 4 steps:

Note: You are about to witness the extent of my artistic prowess. No laughing. (;

Step 1 : The idea.

This is how the idea of my wip presented itself one day in my brain. As you can see it’s a mess.

Step 2: Filling in the holes and transferring the jumbled mess onto paper.

 Each color represents pieces of the story on paper: plot, characters, scenes, dialogue, mood.... And as you can see, it's all over the place and I jump around a lot.

Step 3. Pulling out the storyline.

As more holes fill in, I’m able to start pulling out segments of a storyline. Yeah!

Step 4. Voilà

With all the holes finally filled in, the storyline takes shape, and I have the first draft of my ms. *insert happy face here*

 

As you can see, I'm a  pantser to a high degree. When I'm at step 2, I can be anywhere in the story and don't have a predetermined start off point (eg, the beginning). I’m pretty much dictated by my inspiration and the story drives me, not the other way around. Though I've tried being in the drivers seat by doing some plotting, I've even tried outlines, 5 foot long timeline sheets, step sheets, flash cards... but, I always end up throwing in the towel. They’re so time consuming for me and in my experience, get in the way of the muse.

What about you - plotter or pantser?