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Two feet forward & re-processing writing process
Timehop is a fabulous app. It’s really built on one hook: you want to see what you were up to in the past. So every morning, I open my app up and get windows into what I was doing one, two, three years ago. You get the drift. It’s often awash with cute pictures of my kids, plates of food, and lots of updates on writing. This morning marked a year to the date I finished Watcher of the Skies. After starting a new job and having a very tumultuous year with our son (we were in the process of getting his IEP, I believe) the accomplishment was huge. To date,…
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On Achieving Writing Distance
Ever since I read Stephen King’s On Writing twelve years ago, I’ve been acutely aware of my biggest fault as a writer: my inability to achieve distance from my own writing. King talks about finishing a manuscript and then putting it away for a few weeks, letting it mellow a bit, in order to return to it with fresh eyes. But fresh eyes, man. That’s the rub right there. I have written many novels. And I have edited them, too. But when it comes to actually being able to see beyond my work in progress, to be able to step away far enough that it no longer feels familiar… that’s been a…
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On “failing” NaNoWriMo 2014
So even though I haven’t been posting here as much as I ought, I did post a series of meanderings over at Writer’s Digest over the NaNoWriMo insanity. The last post I somehow missed, but it’s live right here. You can click through all the other bits I shared from that final post, but I wanted to share the post here because it’s important. So, read away, losers. — So here’s the thing. If you’re being technical, Jonathan and I didn’t win NaNoWriMo. Neither of us hit 50,000 words. But I’m not upset in the least. Why? Because NaNoWriMo isn’t just about “winning” really. Sure, you get a nice little badge…
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Introducing Two Brain Space
So, in what’s probably not a surprise, I’m going to be doing NaNoWriMo again this year. I’m in an even-year pattern, as it goes. But what is a surprise is that I’m doing it with Jonathan Wood, my good friend and fellow writer. It’s, in a word, spiderpunk. If you want to follow what we’re doing, head on over to the new blog.
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Winner of the Flashy Things and Other Updates
Leave it to me to spend a week overhauling my entire website, and then stop posting. It’s been a busy few months, and after February’s Pilgrim of the Sky marathon, I took a bit of a break (and I’d like to think deservedly so). But I haven’t been absent from writing entirely! I’ve been thinking a good deal about a book called Bone Dust, and wrote about it rather extensively over at GeekMom. Then there was a thing! A thing I won! With words! My lovely friend Jaym Gates roped me in to this flash fiction contest, and somehow I managed to edge out some pretty amazing writers and get crowned…
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Pilgrim of the Sky: Live – The Whole Playlist
In case you’ve missed my incessant trumpeting online, I’ve been reading my novel, Pilgrim of the Sky, since the beginning of February. We’re about halfway through, but it’s not too late if you haven’t had a chance to catch up. You see, there’s a handy playlist here. I’ll be providing audio only files in a little, but for now (if you don’t want to see my mug) you can always just hit play and minimize the window. And if you’re listening along and can’t wait for the next chapter, remember you can always get a copy here, over at Candlemark & Gleam (starting at $5.00!).
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Behold! The Book Trailer for Pilgrim of the Sky (and Audio Coming Soon!)
I’d wanted to do a book trailer for Pilgrim for quite some time, but when the book came out I was pregnant and a total mess. Personal life aside, it may be a few years after the fact but hey! It’s still my book. I’m still totally proud of it. And I have this live reading I’m doing, so it’s still good timing. I had a blast putting it together, and the fact that I was able to incorporate Brigid’s amazing artwork and my sister’s phenomenal music… even better. And don’t forget, you can catch the whole playlist, too. That’s five chapters! Keep an eye out for the audio files, too! For…
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How Pinterest and Process Saved My Novel (And Can Save Yours, Too)
Writing a book, as the old adage goes, isn’t the hard part. I mean, yeah, it’s hard. It’s a butt-ton of work. For me, writing books isn’t the hard part. It’s something I do, more or less, whether or not I want to. But while the writing part isn’t exactly a mystery to me, there have been some real challenges over the past few years that have challenged everything I thought about writing. First thing? In 2008/2009, I was learning to write novels. Like, write them and finish them. I wrote a lot between 08-10, until my hands gave out. Yup, literally my hands stopped allowing me to write, and…
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Pilgrim of the Sky — Live! Chapters 1-3 on YouTube
Just a quick note to say that chapters 1-3 of Pilgrim of the Sky are now up at my YouTube page. Expect the audio only files a little later this week. I’m having a blast doing the reading, and it’s been a great opportunity to revisit the book. Stay tuned for the whole story!
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Watch Pilgrim of the Sky Unfold Live and in Person in the Month of February!
Having just finished Watcher of the Skies, and considering that its predecessor (I won’t say prequel–because technically the second book is a prequel… and a follow up, but not a sequel…) is a little more than two years old, I thought I’d be a little daring. I was supposed to record an audiobook of Pilgrim of the Sky. But then I got pregnant. And recording an audiobook with a baby just doesn’t work. I felt awful, and have been thinking of ways to make it up ever since. Then it occurred to me. Why not do it LIVE? So. I am. I’ve recorded the first chapter as a bit of a teaser, and starting next…
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Being as Good as My Word: On Getting Distance from Writing
Writers. We’re a funny bunch. I fully believe that in order to cope with the general stress and chaos of having many worlds and stories and people in our heads, we impose odd deadlines and limitations on ourselves. We don’t always share these with the masses, and some of them are downright personal. But it helps us make sense of all the fractal patterns spinning around us on a daily basis. Because otherwise I’m pretty sure we’d never get anything done. I do this quite frequently. And after the nine months of writing drought that came during pregnancy, I wrote a little book called Rock Revival about a fictional rock band.…
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Watcher of the Skies: Drafted!
It’s been a while since I was able to make such an announcement–but lo! I have completed another novel. This time, it’s the follow-up (I won’t say sequel, because it’s part prequel/part standalone) to Pilgrim of the Sky. While it took much longer than anticipated, mostly due to the ungodly amount of research that was involved, I’m happy to report that I’m quite pleased with the product. It’s a more solid draft than I usually write (see: time to write) and plot-wise it’s a lot more dense. (Even Michael, who’s a surprisingly insightful and critical reader felt the same way.) How am I going to pitch this to you? It’s sort of……
