battling on...

that's what the writing feels like at the moment. A battle. Not so much Riley 6, because I have that plotted out, and know where I'm going with it, so it's just a matter of finding the right words. And I've loved the last couple of scenes--mainly because Quinn's back, and it's such fun writing that vampire. And I'm leading up a big turning point in Rhoan's and Liander's relationship (the shite is about to hit the fan big time) and I can't wait to get there.

No, the battle I've been having is with Destiny Kills--or, as I'm starting to call it, the story that never ends. That's what it feels like at the moment--it's just going on and on and on. Don't get me wrong--I love this story--but right now, I hate it, too. This is the third major rewrite its undergone, and I have absolutely no idea what I've written into the story and what I haven't. It's all just one big muddle in my mind. I'm sure the end result will be worth it, but for the moment I can't see the forest for the trees. Or the plot through the mess.

Of course, it doesn't help that Destiny is due ASAP, and Riley 6 has to be handed in by September. I'm currently working on both the books each day--doing 5 pages on Riley, and 20 on Destiny--and switching between the two different voices and styles gets a little confusing. But if I can keep up that pace until I leave for the RWAmerica conference, that'll mean the Destiny edits will be finished--and ready to be printed out and corrected--and Riley 6 would have hit the three-quarters of the way mark.

Keep your fingers crossed for me! I need all the help I can get at the moment :)

finally!

two hundred and fifty three pages into the book, and my werewolf has finally given in to her hormones and done the deed. Yep, after pages and pages of saying no, she's finally made love to someone. And I, for one, am glad. It just wasn't the same, writing about a celibate werewolf--but that's what the character demanded, so that's what she got.

Of course, this is also the book that begins to ring in the changes, not only for Riley, but for Rhoan, too. Riley has good reason for not following her hormones up until now, and while she appears to have made a decision, fate isn't about to let her love life get any easier. And that's about as much of a teaser as I can give :)

damn heroines....

I hate it when they just won't do what you want them to. I've been leading up to this nice big scene with Quinn, planning to them get them all hot and heavy...and what does Riley want to do? Talk. Talk! The woman has no sense. At least she did kiss him--and it was a really good kiss--but then she talked again. My sex-loving werewolf heroine has gone strange, I tell you.

Of course, you hear lots of people scoff at characters taking control of scenes, and yeah, in some sense they are right. Characters can't control scenes because the characters aren't flesh and blood, but creations from the writer's mind. But if the writer is doing his or her job properly, then the characters become real to both the writer and the reader. And the wise writer will learn to listen to the characters--forcing them to go in some pre-conceived direction that doesn't suit the scene or the character often means you end up with a rather crappy scene. So yeah, it's not the actual character forcing the direction--it's the muse. That part of the writer's brain where weirdness and good things come from.

So, Riley has now run off to chase a bad guy, and I have to figure out a different way to get them into bed. So much for plotting out the end half of this story.

I never knew...and congrats!

I never knew just how addicted I was to email. Or how much time it actually wasted. And now that I'm not getting much email, my world just doesn't seem...right. It's weird, but I feel like I did when I was weaning myself off full-strength tea (I drink so much tea when I'm writing that I really did have to switch to decaffeinated. I was simply getting too many headaches). I'm all twitchy and restless, and keep checking the inbox although I know there's not going to be anything there. Definitely a sign of addiction.

But the good news is, the muse is starting to get motivated. I wrote 9 pages yesterday, which wasn't a bad effort considering I spent all morning working on the RWAustralia website doing much-needed updates. I'm currently in the midst of writing Quinn's first scene in this book, and I have to say, I'm loving it. I missed that man, and it's nice to be writing him again. :)

And while I'm here, I just want to send a huge CONGRATS to Mel, who won RWAustralia's STALI competition with The Wolf Within. Yep, this is the story that has also finaled in RWAust's Emerald Comp and RWAmerica's Golden Heart. The lulus have been telling her for ages it's a great story, but it's nice to have outside confirmation. Now, we've just got to get one of the editors who judged it to buy it, so you can all read it too :)

decision time....

well, I got another round of edits back for Destiny yesterday, and it's another major rewrite. Which has forced me to make some hard decisions, simply because I just haven't got the time, between deadlines and edits, to do everything I need to do. So, as of tonight, I'm going no mail on all the lists I'm a member of, and I also won't be answering emails unless they contain specific questions. Sorry everyone, but I get hundreds of emails a day and, at the moment, I just can't afford the time needed to answer them all (and I don't like sending out generic, impersonal email replies). Of course, if you've sent me an email in the last month or so, you'll know that I've been rather lax in answering anyway--but again, this is just a result of not having enough time. So, again, I'm sorry everyone, but for the next four months, I just have to concentrate on getting the books done.

Of course, I'm still intending to blog, and I'll still be chatting weekly on the forum, so I'm not totally cutting myself off. I'll be around, just not as chatty as I normally am :)

the half way point...

has finally been reached! Yay me! :)

I rolled over the 50000 word mark yesterday, so I'm officially on the downward slide to the end. I'm currently hoping to get to the 75K mark by the time the RWAmerica conference rolls around. Originally, I'd been hoping to finish this by then, but the Destiny edits bought that to a screaming halt.

When I first started this story, I wrote a half-page outline about the duel plots as a guide. I don't always do this when I'm writing, but the last couple of stories have been complex, so I've needed something to check every now and again, just to ensure the muse and I know where we're going. Well, yesterday I did something I rarely do--I plotted out the remainder of the book to the end. It wasn't a detailed plot, just one line prompts more than anything, but I just felt the need to sort this story out. It felt like I was rambling on and on, and while I'm sure that's probably not the case, I still felt the need for direction. So, I now have a page of notes to follow and, hopefully, that'll stop the muse from feeling a little lost and rambly.

funny stuff....

saw this over on It's My Blog, and had to steal it:



In other news, I managed to get six pages done yesterday, and I'm hoping for about the same today. But in between the pages, I cruised the net--or rather, youtube--for previews of new shows. How many great paranormal-themed shows are there coming out soon? Love it! Here's some preview links to shows that caught my eye:

New Amsterdamn -- about New York City homicide detective John Amsterdam who is cursed with immortality

Pushing Daisies -- a blend of romance, crime procedural and high-concept fantasy in a forensic fairytale about a young man with a very special gift. From Bryan Fuller ("Heroes") and Barry Sonnenfeld ("Men in Black")

The Reaper --a 21 year old guy discovers his parents sold his soul to the devil and that he's now a reaper, collecting escaped souls for the devil.

Moonlight -- follows Mick St. John, an immortal vampire and private investigator and his struggle to exist with the curse of being undead. It also follows his internal torment as he falls in love with one he should not

Torchwood -- a BBC production that follows the adventures of a team of investigators as they use alien technology to solve crime; both alien and human. (this one starts here in Oz on July 18th--yay!)

and of course, I can't wait for the third season of supernatural--how good has that series gotten!

slow steps

I managed to write 5 pages Tuesday night, and another four tonight. I'm not exactly sure what happened yesterday--I fluffed around, looking at website designers, doing other stuff on my computer, and went shopping. Basically, writing time just didn't seem to appear. Not that the muse had any intention of ever looking for writing time yesterday.

But the plot in this continues to involve. The vampire bad guy has morphed into something a little different. He's sort of a vampire, but a different kind. Seems to be something of a theme in this, because I've also introduced vamps who feed off emotion. And we don't know yet whether she's good or bad--but I like her character, and might have her appear in future novels. Our bad guy vamp just attacked Riley, so I'm hoping a good fight scene will get the muse motivated a little more. Otherwise, this book is going to drag for a little while yet.

bludging....

that's basically what I've been doing for the last week. After completing major rewrites on both Embraced by Darkness and Destiny Kills, as well as all the lines edits etc for the other books, I think the muse and I were just burned out. The thought of turning around and writing yet another book so quickly was making my brain ache. So, I took a week off from writing and just did whatever I felt like doing. I played around designing a bookmark for Embraced, caught up on most of the Supernatural episodes I'd been taping but not watching, watched a few nice movies (2 weeks notice and Something New) and caught up on some overdue web updates for the RWAust website.

Of course, the bludging has now ended. Yesterday I dragged the muse back to the computer (she was kicking and screaming all the way, I tell you) and started reading what I've already written on Riley 6. I've spent so long in Destiny's head that I now can't remember the Riley stuff, so I needed a refresher. Once I finish that, I'll start writing it again. Hopefully by then, the muse will be a little more enthusiastic.