Blog corrupted

So here's a WoW rant, but not a particularly long one as I start work in five minutes. I hear through the grapevine (i.e. Boyfriend is still a reader, god knows why) that WoW Insider has decided to start posting cheats and exploits on their site. Now, all opinions about my treatment aside, I find it very strange that a blog trying as hard as they are to get into Blizzard's good graces would consider such a risky move as to start posting videos on how to exploit the game. For those of you not in the know on this subject, I refer to this post in which Allison posted a video on how to get yourself a cloud of pets in Shattrath by de-sinking with the server. Now granted this is a small exploit, but it is one nonetheless, and I have to wonder about how Blizzard would feel about WoW Insider giving their readers instructions on how to cheat the game. What's next, the rogue's guide to stealthing the chests in Mechanar? Or perhaps a lovely guide on how to run under the map in Warsong Gulch? Really, I guess the site has decided to side with the gold farming ads on their site after all.

The gaily drind

A lot has happened this week, and therefore I have been too busy to write it all down. I started work in an honest to goodness office on Monday, and between the commute and the job itself, I have only had a few hours after work to relax, eat dinner, and prepare for the next day. I think I am setting my routine now, so I expect to be a little better about blogging as time goes on.

It's a contract job; it's a customer service job; it's a video game industry job; it's a dream job. I didn't expect my experience at this huge company to be so very positive, but it is. I'll give you an example.

Yesterday I turned 30. Not much fan fare, it's not like we have much in the way of income in order to celebrate such a milestone. Yes, yes, Valentine's Baby and all that. For that you can blame (or thank) my mother. In any case, I let it slip to a coworker, and by the end of the day walked out the door with several hundred dollars in video games as a gift from the department. That's the kind of people I work with. So yes, I meant to blog about my week last night, but I didn't. I was too busy enjoying my presents. I LOVE Rock Band!

The book planning isn't on hold so much as waiting for me to find my stride. I am thinking I might have to work at lunch, which will be fine as far as I can tell. Boyfriend is currently reading through the first draft of SotO, bless him. He says he's actually enjoying it. I'm not exactly sure how honest that is, but I suppose I could just take him at his word, right? So the day is about to begin, and so I must conclude here.

Novelling seen from the outside

So yesterday Boyfriend and I had what I like to call a disconnect in communication. Not exactly a fight, but one of those conversations where I would say something and he would not understand my meaning, and vice versa. After some pain we worked through to reconnection, but in the process he said some interesting things. Essentially what it boils down to is this: I woke up yesterday burning to plot out Shift, build it from the ground up in the genre that the tale best lends itself to: horror fantasy (I'm sure such a thing exists out there, right?). In any case, I am struggling to build a suspenseful story arc (not something I've ever done before), and in the course of our discussing the plot of the novel, Boyfriend said something along the lines of "you just finished a novel on Monday, why don't you take a break? How about NaFebNoWriMo."

Not write? Sure, I am setting aside SotO before I go back to editing, but take a break from writing? "Yeah," he said, "I thought this was going to be a one month thing, but now there's no end in sight." No end in sight. An interesting turn of phrase, don't you think? Laden with all those juicy negative connotations.

That's when it hit me. This disconnect wasn't about male mind not being able to understand female mind (which is usually the case.) It was about non-novelling mind not being able to understand novelling mind. From Boyfriend's perspective, I had put tons of work into SotO, I was finally finished, and so would naturally reward myself with a break from work. It is so strange to think of writing as work, it took us another half an hour to get back on the same page in the conversation script. This novelling thing that he supports me in entirely: he doesn't understand it, because it's never supposed to end, that's the point.

I myself am still excited, burning to rewrite Shift now that so much of the world has been solidified with SotO, and Boyfriend is right. This novelling thing that many people do for one month a year and that's it (Roommate is an excellent example of this), I have been trying to do my whole life. It's what I want to do with my time, with my energies and talents. Up until Monday I didn't think I would ever be able to finish a novel, ever be able to say "yeah, I wrote a book. Not published, but the manuscript is up in my trunk," (Remind me to buy a trunk.) There are two unfinished novels bouncing around my computer that are next on my list to finish. And then there is the prequel yet to Shift, and the two sequels to SotO. No, there's no end it sight. And I love it.

An Unbedtime Story courtesy of Yours Truly

This morning I drove up to Foothill College and met the lovely and vibrant Ann Arbor for a segment on her KFJC 89.7  radio show Dancin' in the Fast Lane.  It was a great time, and I only wish I could do it every week.  What a great motivation for me to get my writing in shape!  I'm posting a recording of the hour or so I spent at KFJC mostly for Mom, who I know wanted to listen in but isn't in the area.  

I didn't biff as many times as I expected to, but there are definitely some places where I messed up entire sentences.  Who knew I wouldn't be able to do my own writing justice?  In any case, here is the radio interview and reading.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed doing it.  A note on the session:  As this is a radio show, my segment comes about 20 minutes in after some pretty groovy tunes (sing it Aretha!)





AR-on-KFJC.MP3 163 MB

Calling all critics

As the first draft is complete on SotO, it's time to send a shout out to all those with a keen eye and the patience to read through unorganized drivel.  It's not so bad really, there are at least three good scenes in the novel.  Are you brave enough to wade through the mire of vague passive writing and clichés and help me tune this baby up?  

First things first, I am more than willing to do a draft swap.  In fact, this is what I would prefer, as I can imagine other writers are eager for a fresh pair of eyes rolling around on their writing too.  If you are just such a writer with a draft of your own, then we have something to discuss.  

Secondly, those of you interested in simply reading the novel, this isn't the time.  I have only allowed one person to read the first chapter, and was saddened when I did not receive one lick of constructive criticism.  This is a work in progress people, emphasis on progress. There is no way I can get this novel polished enough to submit to agents and publishers if all I here is "it's really descriptive; is there any more?"

There will be a time when you can read this story just to find out what happens.  I'll let you know
when I considered it submission worthy, and maybe then we'll talk.

I used to do a limited version of a writing workshop with my students. Groups of three students would sit down with their short stories and poetry and each asked to read their work aloud.  As they read, the other students would write down on a post-it one thing they liked, and one thing that could be improved.  I'm going to ask that anyone 
reading the SotO draft look for things they love and things that didn't make sense.  Yes, spelling 
and grammar stink in this thing (I was doing my best not to edit myself along the way.) But those are small issues that can be fixed in time.  What concerns me more are the plot elements, the characters, the stuff that just doesn't make sense.  

Lastly, you have to be prepared to read a traditional high fantasy story (219 pages singled-spaced, so I expect it to be about double that once I format it for reading.)  No, it's not Tolkein (which is both a good and bad thing really,) but it is the standard world with elves and dragons and knights and princesses.   Well, not completely standard, but you understand. If an evil wizard makes your skin crawl, this isn't the draft you want to read.  If a world infused with magic turns your stomach, don't volunteer to help.  I would rather the people reading the draft actually enjoy reading the genre.  After all, those are the people that will be my audience.  They my people, as it were.

So, if this sounds like your cup of tea (no pun intended ASG) then drop me a line.  Just because I'm not touching the thing this month doesn't mean others can't :P

This blog is rated...

Mike of A Strangely Worded Letter was kind enough to pass along this blog rating to me.  It's an awesome thing, really, and one that I would like to pass along to EA Blevins, a fellow novelist and WoW lover.  I'm not sure Elizabeth reads this blog, but I read hers, and enjoy every entry.

This morning I got up early, well early for me.  It's all part of my new regime (no I'm not eating only grapefruit.  That stuff is expensive!)  No, I have to get my body into the proper rhythm because as of Monday February 11th I will be a working slob again.  It's an awesome thing, knowing that after 4 months I will be working in an office again.  Sure I was freelance writing, but as dream a gig as that was, I was the blogger they didn't want, and who really wants to stick around where people are against you?  In any case, that blight on my record is behind me, because I will now step back into my Customer Service and back into the working world.  What have I gotten myself into.

So I'm tired, as my body isn't adjusted to this schedule (granted I will have to get up even eariler tomorrow.)  My plan for today is to edit 30-40 minutes' worth of writing -- I'm not really sure how long the radio segment will go, and to start replanning Shift.  Boyfriend once told me that Stephen King suggests stepping way from a first draft for a month or two.  Well, seeing as how I've been working on this thing for so VERY long, I don't think I could stand two months.  But I will put SotO away until March.  Something about perspective, or some tripe like that.  Doesn't mean I'm not going to write.  I decided I can spend my waiting time on Shift, as that's a draft that needs a complete overhaul now that I have rebuilt the world in SotO.  The great trouble with that is, it's a manuscript I haven't even touched since 2006.  Well, I have been meaning to get back into reading novels *grin,*  I guess I might as well start with my own.

And the last word is...

"El."  The first draft of SotO is complete. 20k short of my goal, it sits on my word processor as 83, 141 words.  I feel a bit tingly, a bit strange.  This day has been 18 years in the making.  I honestly never expected to actually finish the story.  But the villain is defeated, the kingdom is saved, and the twist at the end has twisted itself entirely.  Suddenly I'm flooded with fear.  Fear, I guess, of the unknown.  All my worrying before was always answered by Boyfriend thus "Just finish it first, and then we'll worry about that."  I have finished it. So there.  I sat down this morning to see how far I got, and wrote ten hours straight for almost ten thousands words.  It's not nearly complete, and I have ideas already to shift (no pun intended) things around in editing.  But I can say I have written the story from beginning to end.  It's done. DONE!

Tomorrow I will edit 20 minute's worth of the first chapter for the KFJC reading on Wednesday morning.  I spent some time today building a soundbed playlist from the Burning Crusade soundtrack.  It seemed moody enough to work well with the text, although there are parts I wish wouldn't have any music behind them at all.

In a few hours I pick up Boyfriend from the airport.  It will be an interesting welcome home gift.  Shame I don't trust the business center printer enough to print me out a copy.  Somehow I don't think their overused cartridge will last for 219 single-spaced pages.