"Rich and velvety with a hint of iPad"

Also known as "adventures in find and replace." This actually happened a few months ago, but for some reason I was thinking about it tonight. I was working on revisions for Book #1 one night and came across this puzzling paragraph:

"The waiter approached the table and filled their glasses from a bottle of wine Kate must have ordered while he was outside. It was a Merlot, rich and velvety with a hint of iPad. Kate’s taste in wine appeared to be as classy and refined as the rest of her."

I started writing #1 five years ago, so to accomodate changing technology, I went in and did a find and replace to change a character's Blackberry to an iPad. The end result had my protagonists sharing a Merlot "with a hint of iPad." I still can't read that scene without laughing :)

Also, I just hit 10,000 words in Book #2! I'm currently ahead of the goal I've set for myself...let's see if I can keep it up.

Baby steps...

So, I started book #2 today, and I'm going to bed tonight with a word count of 1,210. That feels good!

I dabbled around, writing and rewriting #1 for five years (yes, five years) so setting a goal of 1,000 words a day to finish #2 in three months seemed a bit daunting. I can do this! Only ~89,000 to go...

Contest Results

I just remembered I promised to post the results from the Emily Contest when I got them. Out of a possible 75, I scored a 72, 69, and 64 from the three judges. I'm pleased with the results (especially the 72!), and the comments from the judges were mostly positive. They pointed out some clear areas for improvement, and I look forward to incorporating their advice into my next round of revisions.

Here's my favorite judge quote:
"I really love your voice! You have a wonderful writing style that is a pleasure to read. The story itself is fun and interesting, and I absolutely would buy this book."

So...that is a good way to end 2011. Let's see what 2012 brings!

2012 Resolutions

Looking back at 2011, I'm both pleased and frustrated with my accomplishments. I had NO idea revisions would take so long. I finished my first book (#1) back in May, and it's still nowhere near ready for submission. However, most of this is due to plot changes and rewrites to make it a true contemporary romance. It's been a huge learning process, and with any luck the next one will be much easier.

#1 not being finished is my frustration, but other than that I'm proud of my 2011 accomplishments. I've got a query and synopsis ready for feedback, and I've got my next book (#2) plotted and ready to start writing. Joining RWA was a huge benefit for me this year. I've gone to meetings and workshops with my local chapter that I've learned so much from, and formed a critique group with 3 local women, which has been fantastic.

So, 2012 goals. I'm going to be pretty strict with myself this year, because I have a lot to accomplish:

1. Write book #2 - I have it plotted, and plan to start writing on January 1st (or maybe a few days after if I'm still finishing up the new ending of #1). I'm setting a loose goal of 1,000 words a day for myself, to finish the first draft by the end of March (mid-April may be more realistic). I'm excited to try writing from an outline, and a true contemporary romance. I'm hopeful this book will help me find my true voice and style.
2. Finish a 4th round of revisions on #1. This next round of revisions should be enough to start querying! I'm going to say July 1st to have it it ready for submission.
3. Edit and polish #2. Yep, I want two finished, polished manuscripts by the year end! In fact, I'm going to say #2 decently polished by October 1st, so that I can enter it and #1 in a few year end contests.
4. Begin querying agents! This won't happen until the 2nd half of 2012.
5. Keep learning. I would like to take at least 2 online classes/workshops in 2012 to brush up on my skills and learn more. I'm already enrolled in a "PI" workshop in January that I'm looking forward to as the hero in #2 is a PI. Also finish reading the workshop packets I bought on Empowering Characters Emotions.
6. Plot Book #3. I have a general idea of my heroine and the "cute meet" but that's it.
7. Enter several contests, at least one each for #1 and #2.
8. Become more involved in my local RWA chapter. I go to the monthly meetings, but haven't really interacted outside my critique group. There are a lot of published authors in our group, even a RITA winner, and so much to learn if I become more involved.
9. Become RWA certified PRO.
10. Be a better blogger! I commit to at least 25 posts here in 2012.

Is that enough? :) I'm excited to get started! Now...I'm off to write...

Gulp! My first editor critique!

I've been participating in an online seminar this week called "So You Think You Can Write", which is run by Harlequin. You know, one of the biggest publishing houses in existance... Anyway, each day, they choose 3 entries from all of the assignments submitted to be critiqued by a Harlequin editor and posted on the website.

Eek! I nearly fainted when I saw my name on there this morning! This assignment was for a "gripping scene" from your novel. So, here you have it. If you have trouble with that link, try the direct link.

I'm off to do my happy dance! :)

Toughening Up

I entered my first writing contest today!  The Emily Contest through the West Houston RWA.  This is an exciting milestone for me, but I am terrified of the results.  I'm not expecting a miracle, I know I still have a long way to go.  I am looking forward to receiving feedback from the judges to help improve my writing.  And hey, if I'm feeling really brave, I will post the results on here when I get them!  Finalists are announced on December 15th.

Okay okay, I promise to post the results, even if I come in last!  haha.  I have to start toughening up my skin, because I know there will be many, many rejections ahead!

Anyway, I know I haven't kept up on this blog, but I did keep my goal earlier this year and finished the first draft of my book back in May.  Since then, I have been editing, and editing, and editing some more!  I was feeling really confident when I finished the draft, although each round of editing makes me realize how much more I have left to do.

I also joined RWA, and my local chapter, Heart of Carolina Romance Writers.  I attended my first HCRW meeting last week, and have two critique partners from the group.  Up next?  Back to editing, and also to start outlining my next book.

2011 will be the year

That I finish my first complete manuscript, edit it, and prepare it for submission.

I've been very busy since deciding to pursue this goal back in October. I've completed 3 Ed2Go classes - Romance Writing Secrets, Write Fiction Like a Pro, and A Writer's Guide to Descriptive Settings.

I've rewritten half of the novel I thought was about 95% finished before I started my classes. I plan to be finished with a complete first draft by the end of May.

I've joined 2 writer's groups with fellow students from my classes, where we have shared our work for feedback and exchanged all kinds of helpful information.

It's been so exciting to finally make this a priority in my life, and I can't wait for the next step on my journey!

Wow!

I am about two thirds through my first writing class, and I am blown away. I'll admit, I went in with pretty low expectations. I mean, how much could I really learn from an online class where we self-grade our own assignments? Well, I was wrong. The course information has been really, really interesting and helpful, and the online discussion area is great. We've all shared assignments and snippets of our work for our classmates' feedback, which was pretty scary since I'm not used to letting anyone read my writing. And our instructor, who is a successful romance writer, has been awesome about critiqueing our work and offering suggestions for improvement.

So...I've learned that I have a lot more work to do than I first thought! I'm now able to see why certain parts of my book don't work, and let me tell you, I'm probably going to end up rewriting the whole thing. Most importantly, I realized my current work actually borders on women's fiction and not true romance. There are actually pretty strict rules a novel has to follow to be categorized as romance. I can either rewrite to meet them, or keep as is and perhaps struggle to find a niche for my work. Decisions, decisions.

Anyway, I'm more determined than ever to give this my all and realize my dreams of becoming a published writer. Next up, I think I may try a few more of these Ed2Go classes - I have so much to learn. I need to become a member of RWA. And I need to step back and look at my book with fresh eyes to see where to go from here.

A little push...

I've been writing for as long as I can remember. My journals, and later on, computers have always been filled with snippets of stories and dialogue. These characters get into my head and won't rest until I've typed them out on paper. I love writing, and have always dreamed of publishing a novel.

So, I've decided to give myself a little push. Dreams are only that unless I put the effort in to make them a reality. I'm nearly finished writing my first romance novel, and already sketching out characters for a new book. I've just started an online class on "Romance Writing Secrets" and am determined to start putting in the time and effort needed to make this more than a late night hobby.

My current goal is to publish a novel by the time my son starts kindergarten in three years. When he starts school, it will be time for me to go back to work, and my dream is that writing can be that job. Think I can do it? I have no idea, but I've created this blog to follow my journey.