Monday, May 30, 2011
Customer Rating 
Sunday, May 29, 2011
"The Beast Call" Amazon Reviews
Excellent read. Can't wait for a sequel, May 26, 2011
This review is from: The Beast Call (The Beast Girl Series) (Kindle Edition)
This was a great quick read. I love it from beginning to end. I love reading about a strong young woman who conquers her fears and stands up for herself. I strongly recommend this book. I can't wait to see what happens next as Dray reigns as Queen.
Friday, May 27, 2011
Thursday, May 26, 2011
The Best Part of Writing: The End
The last chapter sprint. Quite literally.
700 new words written today, and a rewrite of the over 2k from yesterday.
All in a good day's work.
I'm very excited.
I don't think I'll finish tomorrow, though.
There's two scenes left to write, and one of them is a big action scene. Those take time.
One thing I DON'T want to do is add a bunch of superfluous detail and such to slow down the reader. If they are anything like me, they get so involved near the end they tend to skim.
Hence, why the last action sequence is going to be a little sparse. Not naked. Just enough. This takes time to think through.
Depending on how much I get done tomorrow, and given my schedule next week, I'm hoping to be finished with the last two scenes by Wednesday.
After that, it'll be time to send it off to my trusted troop of "reader friends" for notes and critiques.
Then to rewrite.
Then to copy edit.
Cover design.
Digitizing.
Then, launch.
Damn.
This is the part of writing I love the most.
The end.
Ha!
700 new words written today, and a rewrite of the over 2k from yesterday.
All in a good day's work.
I'm very excited.
I don't think I'll finish tomorrow, though.
There's two scenes left to write, and one of them is a big action scene. Those take time.
One thing I DON'T want to do is add a bunch of superfluous detail and such to slow down the reader. If they are anything like me, they get so involved near the end they tend to skim.
Hence, why the last action sequence is going to be a little sparse. Not naked. Just enough. This takes time to think through.
Depending on how much I get done tomorrow, and given my schedule next week, I'm hoping to be finished with the last two scenes by Wednesday.
After that, it'll be time to send it off to my trusted troop of "reader friends" for notes and critiques.
Then to rewrite.
Then to copy edit.
Cover design.
Digitizing.
Then, launch.
Damn.
This is the part of writing I love the most.
The end.
Ha!
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Roll With It
2,300 words written today. I was on a roll. I'm so close to finishing I can taste it. Literally, two to three scenes left.
Of course, I'll need to go back and "word-smith" it and proof read it, and make sure it works. But it's awfully exciting when the light at the end of the tunnel suddenly turns bright.
A week or two and I'll be done.
Tops.
This is me, balling my fists, raising them to my cheeks, pressing my eyes tightly closed and opening my mouth wide to shout in silent celebration **cheer**.
Of course, I'll need to go back and "word-smith" it and proof read it, and make sure it works. But it's awfully exciting when the light at the end of the tunnel suddenly turns bright.
A week or two and I'll be done.
Tops.
This is me, balling my fists, raising them to my cheeks, pressing my eyes tightly closed and opening my mouth wide to shout in silent celebration **cheer**.
Monday, May 23, 2011
Excerpt from YA Dystopic in Progress, "The Line"
I’m waiting in line in the meal room.
The new girl, who calls herself Peni, is behind me looking pale.
I want to comfort her, but have nothing to say that will.
We take our bowl of mushed oats and sit at our assigned seats; Peni next to me.
Despite her pallor, Peni eats the mush quickly, showing no affect of the grotesque smell from it like the rest of us girls, who wince and force a few spoonfuls down our throats.
I can’t help myself. I watch her.
Eventually, she looks up from her bowl and despite a little dab of mush on the corner of her mouth, she smiles at me.
A smile?
Here?
On the Line?
“Hi!” she says. “I’m Peni. What’s your name?”
“Naya.”
“Nice to meet you,” she says, and eats another heaping spoonful of mush.
I can’t help staring.
Nice to meet you?
Is she insane?
Doesn’t she know where she is?
She senses me watching and smiles at me again.
“You going to eat that?” she asks.
I look down at my mush. I’ve eaten maybe two bites.
“No.”
“May I have it?”
This girl is nuts. “Sure,” I say.
She reaches over and takes my bowl. I find myself grinning at her and I have no idea why.
“Why are you eating that?” I ask.
The question appears to confuse her. “What do you mean? I’m hungry.”
“So am I but, it’s…it’s gross.”
“It’s not so bad,” she says. “Besides, we need to keep our strength up.”
This stumps me. In my experience, the less energy you have, the better. There is no where to exercise. No free time. Nothing but appointments, cold showers and a sleep compartment. What good is energy when there is no where to put it?
“Why?” I ask.
Peni looks concerned. She places a hand on my shoulder and leans in closely so she can whisper. “Don’t tell anybody, but I’m not going to be here that long. My parents just put me in for a little while, so they could pay off their debt. I’d rather not be here, of course, but I know it’s only temporary. So, in the meantime, I want to be sure to stay healthy. You know, for when they come to get me.”
I realize she’s not nuts. She’s innocent. Truly. And naïve. And pure. And maybe more than a little in denial.
I feel sorry for her. Sorrier for her than for all the other girls who are on the Line and know they’re here until they die.
“What if they don’t come for you?” I ask. I can’t help it.
Peni isn’t phased. “They will.”
“What if they don’t?”
A momentary flash of worry crosses Peni’s face, but I see she pushes it away quickly, eating another spoonful of my mush and shaking away the tears that threaten to invade her eyes.
“Then someone else will,” she says.
“Who?”
Peni shrugs, trying to appear nonchalant. “Family. Friends. I don’t know. But I’m not here forever. I’m not.”
“If you say so,” I say.
“I do say so,” Peni says, a hint of anger in her voice. “I say so.”
“Okay,” I say, with more than an obvious amount of sarcasm.
Peni stands up from the table, looking a little indignant. “Life without hope isn’t worth living, Naya. Remember that.”
She walks away, squaring her shoulders and crossing the room to stand in the row of girls waiting to be escorted back to the Line.
Peni smiles and shakes the hand of the girl next to her, who looks like she’s on the verge of collapsing from shock.
I can’t help it.
I grin.
Maybe Peni can’t live without hope.
But, I don’t think I can live without hers.Wednesday, May 18, 2011
"Castle," Phlegm, and a Major Dump
1,600 words written today and I count myself lucky. I spent the better part of the morning wrapped in a blanket and hacking up chunks of phlegm, but somehow managed to sit at my computer and research various methods of interrogation, only to realize that my main character won't be able to use any of them, because she's a seventeen year old runaway and barely knows how to read, much less professionally interrogate someone. But, I didn't want the male lead to do it, since it ultimately needs to be the girl who saves herself, so I stared at the screen for I don't know how long trying to figure out how the girl would get the very aggravated and uncooperative dude to tell her what she wants.
I wrote several versions of the same scene before finding one I thought worked.
First try? Asking nicely. Nope. The uncooperative dude just told her to eff off.
Second try? Seduction. Nope. She's a recovering sex slave, and although in real life, it would probably be one of her most effective and familiar weapons, this particular character is repulsed by it and would soon rather die than be sexually aggressive (at least, at this point in her recovery), so count that try as a failure.
Third try? Physical force. Nope. Statistically speaking, physical torture is actually an ineffective tool for obtaining information. For obtaining confessions, it's not so bad. But, the girl isn't looking for a confession, she's looking for answers, and shooting out somebody's knee caps isn't an effective method of obtaining cooperation.
Fourth try? Giving a theory and having the subject affirm or deny this claim. This is the main method of obtaining confessions in one of my current favorite television shows, "Castle." In "Castle" the writer and detective spin a tale of why the suspect murdered the victim and then, faced with the truth, or faced with how wrong the detective and writer actually have it, the suspect corrects them or adds to their tale, thus confessing to the crime. Idiot. However, it was a way in which I could retain the suspect's dignity, which was very important to him, and also gave the heroine the majority of the exposition dump, which the reader might not mind so much.
Then, after the fourth try, and a part exposition dump, I was able to parlay that to the suspect suddenly having a modicum of respect for the girl, and then offers her some much needed "advice" -- which then parlays into the next section of the book.
Bingo.
I will go back at it tomorrow, and fine tune the scene. It's pretty rough, and contains mostly dialogue at this point, but at least it's down in pixels, and I can move ahead.
Move ahead with the story, that is. Because this congested head and aching body isn't moving from this blanket and from this couch just yet.
I think I just coughed up a lung.
I wrote several versions of the same scene before finding one I thought worked.
First try? Asking nicely. Nope. The uncooperative dude just told her to eff off.
Second try? Seduction. Nope. She's a recovering sex slave, and although in real life, it would probably be one of her most effective and familiar weapons, this particular character is repulsed by it and would soon rather die than be sexually aggressive (at least, at this point in her recovery), so count that try as a failure.
Third try? Physical force. Nope. Statistically speaking, physical torture is actually an ineffective tool for obtaining information. For obtaining confessions, it's not so bad. But, the girl isn't looking for a confession, she's looking for answers, and shooting out somebody's knee caps isn't an effective method of obtaining cooperation.
Fourth try? Giving a theory and having the subject affirm or deny this claim. This is the main method of obtaining confessions in one of my current favorite television shows, "Castle." In "Castle" the writer and detective spin a tale of why the suspect murdered the victim and then, faced with the truth, or faced with how wrong the detective and writer actually have it, the suspect corrects them or adds to their tale, thus confessing to the crime. Idiot. However, it was a way in which I could retain the suspect's dignity, which was very important to him, and also gave the heroine the majority of the exposition dump, which the reader might not mind so much.
Then, after the fourth try, and a part exposition dump, I was able to parlay that to the suspect suddenly having a modicum of respect for the girl, and then offers her some much needed "advice" -- which then parlays into the next section of the book.
Bingo.
I will go back at it tomorrow, and fine tune the scene. It's pretty rough, and contains mostly dialogue at this point, but at least it's down in pixels, and I can move ahead.
Move ahead with the story, that is. Because this congested head and aching body isn't moving from this blanket and from this couch just yet.
I think I just coughed up a lung.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Boogers and Writing
I have a head cold and it's slowing me down. Not nice, Universe. Not nice.
Here I've been stressing about finishing the first draft of "The Line" before the middle of June, and what happens? A head cold to slow me down even more. Though, it does explain why I was so utterly exhausted at the end of last week. I must have been fighting it off for a while.
Regardless, after a day of sniffling, drooling and mouth breathing on the couch yesterday (watched the BBC's "Bleak House" with Gillian Anderson - awesome! And also, "Young Victoria" which was good), I have attempted to sit at my computer today and tough my way through emails, and possibly a little writing, if my head would only stop throbbing for a minute or two.
God bless cold medicine. Truly.
Anyways, I've gotten a little bit written, worked through the conspiracy snafu I mentioned previously, and now plan on taking an excruciatingly hot shower and come back at my computer again for round two.
Wish me luck.
I'm on the home stretch, but much like the loooooong creepy hallway from the best scary movie EVER "Poltergeist" (all you young folks ought to check it out, truly, best scary movie EVER!) I feel as if the final first draft is all the way at the end, and the hallway only continues to stretch farther, and farther away.
Ugh.
Don't worry. I'm not giving up.
Now, where's my nose spray?
**sniff, sniff**
Here I've been stressing about finishing the first draft of "The Line" before the middle of June, and what happens? A head cold to slow me down even more. Though, it does explain why I was so utterly exhausted at the end of last week. I must have been fighting it off for a while.
Regardless, after a day of sniffling, drooling and mouth breathing on the couch yesterday (watched the BBC's "Bleak House" with Gillian Anderson - awesome! And also, "Young Victoria" which was good), I have attempted to sit at my computer today and tough my way through emails, and possibly a little writing, if my head would only stop throbbing for a minute or two.
God bless cold medicine. Truly.
Anyways, I've gotten a little bit written, worked through the conspiracy snafu I mentioned previously, and now plan on taking an excruciatingly hot shower and come back at my computer again for round two.
Wish me luck.
I'm on the home stretch, but much like the loooooong creepy hallway from the best scary movie EVER "Poltergeist" (all you young folks ought to check it out, truly, best scary movie EVER!) I feel as if the final first draft is all the way at the end, and the hallway only continues to stretch farther, and farther away.
Ugh.
Don't worry. I'm not giving up.
Now, where's my nose spray?
**sniff, sniff**
Friday, May 13, 2011
Slow Conclusions
Ugh. It's all I can say. Ugh.
I'm in the midst of explaining conspiracies in the last quarter of my YA dystopian, The Line, as I had blogged about earlier. It's slow. It's excruciating. It's hard.
Every word has to be carefully plotted. The pace has to be just right. It can't be dull, it can't be melodramatic. It's so tiring.
Ugh.
Plus, as I always do, I found yet ANOTHER hole in the conspiracy theory, one that will actually require me to back track into the novel and remove a piece of foreshadowing because it doesn't gel with the satisfying conclusion I've composed.
The male lead CAN'T hint about {insert conspiracy aspect here} (this is me, being vague on purpose because I don't want to ruin the ending for those of you who have been reading the excerpts on the blog), because if this character knows this fact WAY back there, he can't then be a part of the surprise reveal at the end HERE. Get it?
Ugh!
I'm so frustrated with how slow this is going!
Plus, I'm so tired I think I could fall asleep with my head on my laptop right at this very moment.
And heaven knows, I find it hard to think sharply when I'm well rested. When I'm tired, I might as well give up and play Angry Birds.
Now, there's a thought...
I'm in the midst of explaining conspiracies in the last quarter of my YA dystopian, The Line, as I had blogged about earlier. It's slow. It's excruciating. It's hard.
Every word has to be carefully plotted. The pace has to be just right. It can't be dull, it can't be melodramatic. It's so tiring.
Ugh.
Plus, as I always do, I found yet ANOTHER hole in the conspiracy theory, one that will actually require me to back track into the novel and remove a piece of foreshadowing because it doesn't gel with the satisfying conclusion I've composed.
The male lead CAN'T hint about {insert conspiracy aspect here} (this is me, being vague on purpose because I don't want to ruin the ending for those of you who have been reading the excerpts on the blog), because if this character knows this fact WAY back there, he can't then be a part of the surprise reveal at the end HERE. Get it?
Ugh!
I'm so frustrated with how slow this is going!
Plus, I'm so tired I think I could fall asleep with my head on my laptop right at this very moment.
And heaven knows, I find it hard to think sharply when I'm well rested. When I'm tired, I might as well give up and play Angry Birds.
Now, there's a thought...
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Press Release for "The Beast Call" & "The Amulet Chronicles"
Agoura Hills Author Launches Latest Young Adult Novel Via
Exclusive E-Book Launch
Award-winning writer joins the digital publishing boom with release of The Beast Call
AGOURA HILLS, CA, May 9, 2011 – Anne Tibbets, an award winning writer and Agoura Hills resident, released her latest novel, The Beast Call, on May 1 exclusively as an e-book.
The Beast Call, the tale of a young woman who can magically communicate with animals in a world where magic is feared, is available for purchase on Kindle, iPad, iPhone, Nook, NookColor, Sony eReader and Kobo for $2.99. Ultimately a story of self-discovery and female empowerment targeting girls 12-17, the novel is already climbing the charts on Amazon.com and a sequel is in the works.
“As an author, I am inspired by the young adult fantasy novels I read as a teenager, where not only did the characters learn something about themselves through the course of the story, as a reader, so did I,” said Tibbets. “If one reader can experience that feeling from one of my books, then I have accomplished my goal.”
Coinciding with the debut of The Beast Call, Tibbets’s previous novel, The Amulet Chronicles, co-authored by Erika Ely Lewis is being released as an e-book on Kindle, Nook and iBooks with new cover art. Originally published in 2007 on Amazon.com, The Amulet Chronicles is the story of a magical amulet that sends the wearer into the past.
Tibbets was recently recognized by the Society of Children’s Book Writers and illustrators for her next novel, The Line, a dystopian story about human trafficking, due for release in December, 2011.
If you would like more information or to schedule an interview with Anne Tibbets, please call Lori Anne Tibbets at (310) 560-9223 or email Lorianne@premierdigitalpublishing.com.
Monday, May 9, 2011
"The Beast Call" Amazon Reviews
Kapow!, May 9, 2011
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: The Beast Call (The Beast Girl Series) (Kindle Edition)
Wow! What action! What drama! What emotion and inner strength! Yes, I read this book yesterday...my very first action fantasy teen book...and did not know what to expect. It features a very cool action heroine with the ability to speak with animals, always a good skill to have in one's quiver of tricks when out in fantasyland. I would love to see more of this character in follow-up books, but also, wouldn't this make a great animated series? Congratulations on publishing a book that even I, with my history of limited literary diversity, can read and enjoy!
The Anti-J.J.
The great thing about including complex conspiracy theories into a novel is the endless possibilities. One of the greatest writers in creating complex and extremely confusing conspiracies in television, is writer/producer J.J. Abrams (Alias, Lost). His knack for it is addicting and quite stupendous, I'm a fan. What I'm not a fan of, however, is the ultimate let down I always feel when the conspiracy resolution occurs. You mean, the alternative universe is only a type of made up purgatory? They're all dead?! WTF!!
So, in using the same type of piece mail conspiracy system as J.J., I've created a very complicated conspiracy theory in "The Line," because a book about a girl recovering from sexual slavery is a bit too depressing for me (I wrote a book about childhood depression before and I was blue for three years!) and there needed to be a bit of cloak and dagger, mystery and really, the girl taking control over her life, and perhaps getting a little payback to the people who sold her to men. She's earned that at least.
BUT, then comes the part near the end of the book, where I am right now, where I have to sit down and write out which conspiracies I am going to give answers for, and which ones I'm not. Which conclusions will the reader be satisfied with, and which ones am I going to leave hanging (for Book 2 & 3?)? So, today, I'm attempting to be the anti-J.J. and find believable conclusions to these crazy conspiracy theories I've concocted, while also leaving a few loose (but acceptable) threads.
No fun.
No fun at all.
For me, building the mystery is the fun part. The part at the end of each cop show on TV where the murderer just decides to spill the beans because, "Oops. I made a boo boo and ya got me. Let me just spill my guts now," bothers the ever-living crap out of me because how much do you want to bet that 99% percent of what comes out of a "perps" mouth when caught is, "Lawyer"? The conclusion is NEVER satisfying to me, and that's a problem for "The Line."
Anyways, I'm ranting now. But, my point is, how do I explain it without it seeming like a giant exposition dump? How to I reveal it without just telling the reader what the answer is?
Oey.
Much to contemplate. I made some progress today, but I think I'd better take the rest of the day to stew, and come back at it again tomorrow.
And by the way, on an entirely different note. If you ever want to know who the killer is, in any of these network (or TNT cable) cop shows, all you have to do is see which guest star that week is most recognizable and THERE'S your killer. They want to be sure the monologue at the end is performed by a proven actor. Works like a charm.
So, in using the same type of piece mail conspiracy system as J.J., I've created a very complicated conspiracy theory in "The Line," because a book about a girl recovering from sexual slavery is a bit too depressing for me (I wrote a book about childhood depression before and I was blue for three years!) and there needed to be a bit of cloak and dagger, mystery and really, the girl taking control over her life, and perhaps getting a little payback to the people who sold her to men. She's earned that at least.
BUT, then comes the part near the end of the book, where I am right now, where I have to sit down and write out which conspiracies I am going to give answers for, and which ones I'm not. Which conclusions will the reader be satisfied with, and which ones am I going to leave hanging (for Book 2 & 3?)? So, today, I'm attempting to be the anti-J.J. and find believable conclusions to these crazy conspiracy theories I've concocted, while also leaving a few loose (but acceptable) threads.
No fun.
No fun at all.
For me, building the mystery is the fun part. The part at the end of each cop show on TV where the murderer just decides to spill the beans because, "Oops. I made a boo boo and ya got me. Let me just spill my guts now," bothers the ever-living crap out of me because how much do you want to bet that 99% percent of what comes out of a "perps" mouth when caught is, "Lawyer"? The conclusion is NEVER satisfying to me, and that's a problem for "The Line."
Anyways, I'm ranting now. But, my point is, how do I explain it without it seeming like a giant exposition dump? How to I reveal it without just telling the reader what the answer is?
Oey.
Much to contemplate. I made some progress today, but I think I'd better take the rest of the day to stew, and come back at it again tomorrow.
And by the way, on an entirely different note. If you ever want to know who the killer is, in any of these network (or TNT cable) cop shows, all you have to do is see which guest star that week is most recognizable and THERE'S your killer. They want to be sure the monologue at the end is performed by a proven actor. Works like a charm.
Saturday, May 7, 2011
"The Beast Call" Amazon Reviews
I love reviews like these!! Makes my heart sing.
Character driven and beautifully written, it pulls the reader effortlessly into a world of adventure, magic and beastly twists.
Loved it from beginning to end. Sequel?
Girl power at its best, May 6, 2011
By
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: The Beast Call (The Beast Girl Series) (Kindle Edition)
From the pain of coming of age to the drama of epic battles- this little novel has it all. Character driven and beautifully written, it pulls the reader effortlessly into a world of adventure, magic and beastly twists.
Loved it from beginning to end. Sequel?
Friday, May 6, 2011
Slow Adrenaline
It turns out adrenaline isn't exactly conducive to creative thinking. I wrote a little bit of "The Line" today, my next book, but I was very distracted given the release on Amazon of "The Beast Call" and "The Amulet Chronicles." Both books will hit Smashwords and Nook at any moment, with iBooks happening some time after that (their process is slower than the rest) and I found myself logging onto the various websites just to see if they were there. Not yet. Regardless, it's distracting, and reasonably so.
In addition to a little writing, I also went through the outline for "The Line" and worked a bit on filling in the cracks and crevices I leave in the initial outline writing process. I flush out the outline in chunks, write up to the end of the flushed part, then flush out some more. The good news is, I flushed it out until the end. So, I can see light at the end of the tunnel.
Full speed ahead.
Oh, and by the way, GO BUY MY BOOKS! :)
In addition to a little writing, I also went through the outline for "The Line" and worked a bit on filling in the cracks and crevices I leave in the initial outline writing process. I flush out the outline in chunks, write up to the end of the flushed part, then flush out some more. The good news is, I flushed it out until the end. So, I can see light at the end of the tunnel.
Full speed ahead.
Oh, and by the way, GO BUY MY BOOKS! :)
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Review My Book
Seeking any and all book lovers and reviewers, be them professional or amateur -- I am in need of reviews for "The Beast Call" and "The Amulet Chronicles."
If you are interested in writing a review, and you do not have a blog of your own, I will gladly post the review here, and on the Premier Digital Publishing blog as well.
Love books? Read a lot? Have opinions?
Then I. Need. You.
You can email me at annetibbetsauthor@gmail.com
Thanks!
If you are interested in writing a review, and you do not have a blog of your own, I will gladly post the review here, and on the Premier Digital Publishing blog as well.
Love books? Read a lot? Have opinions?
Then I. Need. You.
You can email me at annetibbetsauthor@gmail.com
Thanks!
LIVE on Kindle
Hello Kindle Users!
Now is the time to help an author you know!
"The Beast Call" by Anne Tibbets, Available Now on Kindle
...and...
The Amulet Chronicles, Book One, Now Available on Kindle!
Thanks for your support!
Now is the time to help an author you know!
"The Beast Call" by Anne Tibbets, Available Now on Kindle
...and...
The Amulet Chronicles, Book One, Now Available on Kindle!
Thanks for your support!
The Beast Call Links
AVAILABLE ON AMAZON.COM in PAPERBACK, AND ON ALL E-READER DEVICES
VIA PREMIER DIGITAL PUBLISHING
THE BEAST CALL
YA High Fantasy Novella
Seventeen year old Dray is no ordinary human. But possessing a magical capability to talk to animals in a land where magic is feared is dangerous. When Dray's adventure-hungry brother leaves the family farm to join a rebel militia, Dray follows him, but as Dray discovers her natural warrior capabilities, and word of her magical talents reaches the rebel General, Dray becomes an intricate part of the revolution, and the evil King Nuro would like nothing more than to see her destroyed.
THE BEAST CALL in Paperback
THE BEAST CALL on iBooks
THE BEAST CALL on Kindle
THE BEAST CALL on Kobo
THE BEAST CALL on Nook and NookColor
A Working Mom's Lament
Working from home is a new bag for me, and my kids are adjusting to my newly divided attention. I thought I was handling it pretty well, but they have expressed some displeasure at my distractedness. Is that a word?
Part of me doesn't want to sacrifice play time with them, after all, it won't be forever that they actually want me to sit and play Barbies with them, but at the same time, they are old enough now that they don't need me for everything. They can get their own drink of water. They can entertain themselves, for the most part.
Yesterday was a prime example. I spent the half day (Wednesday) while they were in school running errands with a girlfriend. It wasn't exactly necessary, but I killed two birds with one stone and hung out and had some girlfriend time while simultaneously picking up some items that the family needed. What that did, however, was left me to do some of my work after I had picked up the girls from school. I fed them, got them through their homework, then left them to their own devices while I did some work things, then I tried to write. I got interrupted, I rewrote, I got interrupted some more, rewrote some more, and eventually, I asked the girls to leave me be while I finished. Then, I cleaned the kitchen, cooked dinner, cleaned the kitchen again, then helped get the girls ready for bed.
I managed to do so without getting snappish with them, and considered the day a success. But still, the girls ended up lamenting my inability to "play" with them to my husband on their way to school the next morning. My husband was supportive, and called to inform me of their thoughts, and we discussed the best way to talk to them about it, but still, I feel bad now. I thought I'd handled it well, but they still feel cheated.
They want Mommy's undivided attention and I had pushed them away, selfishly writing another chapter of my book -- the end of the school year looms overhead and I am hoping to get the first draft done by then.
Career-wise, it was the right choice. But, was it the right choice for my children? Is not playing Barbies with them hurting their feelings? Or, am I being too sensitive? Are they?
There are many children who deal with this every day. The fact that I am present after school is a great benefit to working from home, but am I really sending them the right message by being "too busy to play?"
Is playing Barbies more important than my career? Maybe right now it is, but a part of me resents putting my career on hold longer still. I waited until the girls were in school full time to do a hard core career push, yet still, we are all sacrificing.
I'm torn.
I don't want them to feel unimportant. At the same time, I don't want them to believe they are the center of the universe either. I don't want to sacrifice my career for Barbies, but I suspect this is a much bigger issue.
Some advice from you working moms out there would be appreciated.
What are your thoughts?
Part of me doesn't want to sacrifice play time with them, after all, it won't be forever that they actually want me to sit and play Barbies with them, but at the same time, they are old enough now that they don't need me for everything. They can get their own drink of water. They can entertain themselves, for the most part.
Yesterday was a prime example. I spent the half day (Wednesday) while they were in school running errands with a girlfriend. It wasn't exactly necessary, but I killed two birds with one stone and hung out and had some girlfriend time while simultaneously picking up some items that the family needed. What that did, however, was left me to do some of my work after I had picked up the girls from school. I fed them, got them through their homework, then left them to their own devices while I did some work things, then I tried to write. I got interrupted, I rewrote, I got interrupted some more, rewrote some more, and eventually, I asked the girls to leave me be while I finished. Then, I cleaned the kitchen, cooked dinner, cleaned the kitchen again, then helped get the girls ready for bed.
I managed to do so without getting snappish with them, and considered the day a success. But still, the girls ended up lamenting my inability to "play" with them to my husband on their way to school the next morning. My husband was supportive, and called to inform me of their thoughts, and we discussed the best way to talk to them about it, but still, I feel bad now. I thought I'd handled it well, but they still feel cheated.
They want Mommy's undivided attention and I had pushed them away, selfishly writing another chapter of my book -- the end of the school year looms overhead and I am hoping to get the first draft done by then.
Career-wise, it was the right choice. But, was it the right choice for my children? Is not playing Barbies with them hurting their feelings? Or, am I being too sensitive? Are they?
There are many children who deal with this every day. The fact that I am present after school is a great benefit to working from home, but am I really sending them the right message by being "too busy to play?"
Is playing Barbies more important than my career? Maybe right now it is, but a part of me resents putting my career on hold longer still. I waited until the girls were in school full time to do a hard core career push, yet still, we are all sacrificing.
I'm torn.
I don't want them to feel unimportant. At the same time, I don't want them to believe they are the center of the universe either. I don't want to sacrifice my career for Barbies, but I suspect this is a much bigger issue.
Some advice from you working moms out there would be appreciated.
What are your thoughts?
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Mass Dump
I worked on "The Line" today, and based on some recommendations from a few young adult writers I'd heard at an SCBWI Writers Day seminar, I took a large portion of the exposition out of Chapter Two (luckily, I hadn't had it in Chapter One, which is a YA no-no), and I tacked it onto the end of the manuscript, not sure if or even when I was going to use it.
It was all very interesting information about the area where the story takes place. But, much like in "The Hunger Games" you didn't find out a lot about the Districts until Book 3, really. So, I figured, why am I explaining about my Quadrants if the reader doesn't need to know it just now?
To me, it was interesting. But, was it necessary? No. But some of it was relevant to the theme of the book, so a portion of it had to be saved. Hence, today, a large section of the exposition got re-worked into the story in the form of dialogue, rather than a mass dump of information at the beginning of Chapter Two, which was where I had had it originally. And, as a reward to the reader for sitting through this character's diatribe of political commentary, they are rewarded with a romantic pay-off.
#Winning!
I have no idea if it'll work, or if I plan on keeping it this way. For now, it'll have to do.
This is also why I am a little leery of taking credit for writing 2,800 words today -- which is my actual word count for today's work. Much of it was recycled. Meh. Either way works for me!
The manuscript stands at almost 50,000 words and I've just started the 4th Act. I'm thinking the book will be at over 60,000 by the time I'm done.
I hope I can get the first draft completed by mid-June. Today certainly helped.
Onward!
It was all very interesting information about the area where the story takes place. But, much like in "The Hunger Games" you didn't find out a lot about the Districts until Book 3, really. So, I figured, why am I explaining about my Quadrants if the reader doesn't need to know it just now?
To me, it was interesting. But, was it necessary? No. But some of it was relevant to the theme of the book, so a portion of it had to be saved. Hence, today, a large section of the exposition got re-worked into the story in the form of dialogue, rather than a mass dump of information at the beginning of Chapter Two, which was where I had had it originally. And, as a reward to the reader for sitting through this character's diatribe of political commentary, they are rewarded with a romantic pay-off.
#Winning!
I have no idea if it'll work, or if I plan on keeping it this way. For now, it'll have to do.
This is also why I am a little leery of taking credit for writing 2,800 words today -- which is my actual word count for today's work. Much of it was recycled. Meh. Either way works for me!
The manuscript stands at almost 50,000 words and I've just started the 4th Act. I'm thinking the book will be at over 60,000 by the time I'm done.
I hope I can get the first draft completed by mid-June. Today certainly helped.
Onward!
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Chipping Away
I am back to writing "The Line" and since it has been only a few months since I've last worked on it, it did not take me as long to reacquire the voice as it did when I started the sequel to "The Beast Call."
In fact, I am already on my way to finishing the first draft. I think I will need a few more weeks. But life has gotten busy again, and finding time to write has become even more difficult as of late, and I am once again thrust into a realm of perpetual creative frustration.
This is my lot in life, fighting life and managing time to write. I guess I should just accept that. And, in the grand scheme of life, if this is the constant battle I am forced to undertake, I choose not to complain too loudly. There are many who are far worse off than me.
Did you hear that Universe/God? I'm not complaining! So, don't smite me, or something.
I'm being tested. Again. Always. I get it. I'll take it and be thankful.
I'm going to chip away at this manuscript and do so with a smile. Well, maybe not a smile. A grin? Perhaps not a grin. A shrug?
Meh.
I'll just keep chipping.
In fact, I am already on my way to finishing the first draft. I think I will need a few more weeks. But life has gotten busy again, and finding time to write has become even more difficult as of late, and I am once again thrust into a realm of perpetual creative frustration.
This is my lot in life, fighting life and managing time to write. I guess I should just accept that. And, in the grand scheme of life, if this is the constant battle I am forced to undertake, I choose not to complain too loudly. There are many who are far worse off than me.
Did you hear that Universe/God? I'm not complaining! So, don't smite me, or something.
I'm being tested. Again. Always. I get it. I'll take it and be thankful.
I'm going to chip away at this manuscript and do so with a smile. Well, maybe not a smile. A grin? Perhaps not a grin. A shrug?
Meh.
I'll just keep chipping.
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