Merry Christmas to all my wonderful blog readers!
a conversation with Sir I.
September 10, 2010 2 Comments
Sir I: *after reading a book about the Titanic* It was ship that sank–and it hit an iceberg! And there were 2000 people and only 705 lived! All the women and children.
Me: Yep. That’s the rule of the sea. Women and children first.
Sir I: Why?
Me: Well, don’t you think children should be protected?
Sir I: Why do the women have to be with the children? Why not the men?
Me: *trying to explain the male protective instincts* Well, men like to protect their families…
Sir I: And men don’t mind being dead!
ten drafts, or one?
August 12, 2010 Leave a Comment
Talk about being on opposite sides of the spectrum!: Does rewriting make your story better or worse?
Me, I fall somewhere in the middle. My first drafts are me trying to tell the story to myself. They’re the place where I can spend pages describing a forest scene, leap without any thought for logic or consistency to the moon in the next paragraph, follow enticing rabbit trails into Land of the Next Story, return to This Story by way of a dream sequence, change the hero’s eye color five times and inadvertently kill of the heroine’s siblings from one scene to the next. To me, they’re the raw material that I then pare and cut, mold and shape. I need a couple of good goes at the ms before it’s beta-ready.
And I know a lot of writers work similarly.
But, goodness! Ten drafts? Fifteen drafts? I’d spork my eyes if I had to go through that many drafts–and this is before editorial input. That many revisions would suck the soul out of the story and the joy out of my writing. Nuh-uh. I’d rather give the story its chance in the world, trunk it if it didn’t sell, and go write the next one.
Every writer is different. There are writers who produce quality work in one or two drafts, and others who need ten or fifteen. My takeaway from reading these two posts pretty much back-to-back is: do what works for you. Find your own way. Tweak other writers’ methods to suit yourself. Own the process.
Few writing “rules” are set in stone.
mistborn giveaway winner
July 22, 2010 2 Comments
I shook the random number generator and the winner of a copy of Mistborn is…. Prue! Congratulations, Prue, and if you can email me your address via the contact form, I can have the book out to you soon.
Thanks, everyone, for playing! It’s been a lot of fun to give away the books I especially adore to other readers. We’ll do it again some other time. 
I’m also going on a blogging hiatus until August. I have a lot of Busy Life Stuff happening right now and both revising and blogging are going on (planned) hold. I have some ideas about doing a blog series on descriptive writing in August; I’ll use my time away to work on those.
I’ll be back soon.
monday giveaway
July 19, 2010 10 Comments
The book for this week’s giveaway is Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn, the first book of one of the best epic fantasy trilogies I’ve ever read. I love the world, the premise, the magic system, the characters, the action scenes…. but you don’t have to take just my word for how good it is. Leave a comment to enter the drawing by 8 pm EST on Thursday, the 22nd of July.
sunshine giveaway winner
July 17, 2010 2 Comments
So, I shook the random number generator and the winner of Sunshine is… dkoren! Congratulations.
I will mail out your copy on Monday.
Stay tuned for my next giveaway, also being announced on Monday. 
monday giveaway
July 12, 2010 12 Comments
Beauty was the first Robin McKinley book I ever read. It became an instant favorite; I must’ve read it cover to cover a dozen times (or more–back then books were harder to come by), pressed it upon my friends and jealously watched for its return. Since then, I’ve read a number of McKinley’s books and found her imagination rich and prose exquisite. I haven’t taken to all of her works (they’re hit-or-miss with me in terms of story line), but I love her style and voice. I always sample her books, and finding those that click with me is a heady experience.
So, this giveaway is a copy of my absolute favorite McKinley book–Sunshine. This combination of vampires, post-apocalypse and baked goods drew me in despite myself (not a fan of vampires here!) and filled the hours I spent reading it with wonder.
To win a copy, leave a comment before 8 pm (EST) Friday, July 16th. I’ll draw a name at random and email the lucky winner. This is open to everyone, even if you live outside the US.
writer back in the house
June 7, 2010 Leave a Comment
I’m baaaack from our weekend trip to Boston. We walked, went up and down escalators and stairs, and rode the train and took the T. Oh, and also did some sightseeing. The kids did really well, even though we kept them out and about for twelve hours on Saturday (whew!).
The kids’ artwork today consisted of subway maps and trains. Transportation made the biggest impression on them, hee.
So, how was your weekend?
slow blogging week
April 2, 2010 4 Comments
I meant to catch up on my blogging today, but I had two wisdom teeth removed this morning and the happy drugs they gave me then are wearing off. (Hmm, I’m not sure which is worse: blogging on happy drugs or blogging in pain?). All I’ve had to eat today is a milkshake and a bowl of ice cream, neither of which is satisfying in the least. What I really really want is a fried egg with a runny yolk, a slice or two of toasted homemade bread and something potato-y, like hash browns or home fries.
*sigh*
Edited to fix a typo. Home fires are very nice and cosy and all, but I do not wish to eat them.
I’ll be back
March 4, 2010 3 Comments
I’ve been feeling introverted lately, just wanting to hunker down and do my own thing. I haven’t been doing my usual cheery rounds of chat and forums and blogs and–oh my!–what is this thing called tel-e-phone? Nothing major has caused this withdrawal. I guess my brain just needed the time away. It’s been low-key here at home, too, but things are going to get crazy again next week so I’m glad I got the R&R I did.
I have a big book review post, and one continuing on the theme of titles. Also, a couple of smaller ones and probably a friday fun (though my brain insists it only wants to do a friday unfun, oy!).
I will be back.
