It can be fall now, please (Q2 2018 Round-Up)

Long-time readers may be aware of my dislike of the summer, and the Fourth of July in particular. This year is more difficult than most, between the state of the nation we're supposed to be celebrating and the fact that it's the 20th anniversary of Dad's passing. So, naturally, I've decided to distract myself with a round-up post.

Q2 2018 round-up:

Words written YTD: 7,712 on one project (Novel Wars)

Writer-ly things accomplished: What I thought was a light-hearted fantasy novel turned into a mystery, so I'm trying to roll with it; I didn't quite make the 100 Day Challenge, but I've picked up again with Camp NaNoWriMo for July.

New books read: Some reading for the Hugos, among others. Highlights: Space Opera by Cat Valente (so good go read now now now!), All Systems Red by Martha Wells (Hugo nominee for best novella, and I need more from this world).

Old books re-read: Continuing the Discworld re-read, slowly but surely.

I also started a new job at the beginning of April, which is leading to a fair amount of self-reflection, questioning my own abilities and skills, and wondering just how rare it is to have some kind of consistent data management in a small organization because seriously, people. They seem to like me there, though, so that's always a plus.

And now, back to the writing and avoiding the sounds of the fireworks going off in the neighborhood. Happy summer, all in the northern hemisphere (and happy winter to our neighbors in the south).

*taps mic* Is this thing still on? (Q1 2018 Round-Up)

I live! It's been a heck of a ride the last few months. Let me explain...

In sum: after being out of work since November, I started a new job at the beginning of April. I managed to avoid going completely off the deep end, but it was a near thing. New job is almost the polar opposite of the old job, but it's a nice change of pace. It's given me a chance to focus on writing again. I managed to win Camp Nano this April, and I'm doing pretty well with the 100 Day Project thus far. (My Instagram is primarily pictures of my writing and pictures of my cats, if you're interested.)

So! Q1 2018 round-up:

Words written YTD: 10,684 on two projects (Intermezzo (new project for Camp Nano) and Novel Wars)

Writer-ly things accomplished: Won Camp Nano for the first time in a couple of years, managed to write every day since the beginning of April; jumped back to an old project with fresh eyes

New books read: An assortment of non-fiction books and magazines, with a few graphic novels thrown in for fun.

Old books re-read: Continuing the Discworld re-read.

I haven't read nearly as many books as I normally have by this point in the year, but I'm hoping to change that. It's taken some time to get myself back in the habit of being active every day. More importantly, I'm feeling more like myself, finally.

Camp Nanowrimo Day 10

So far, doing pretty well! Also, I'm rather fond of this one, so have a bit of Steve and Human-Steve.

Steve was troubled, there was no other way to put it. Several of the humans had hidden themselves away in one of the smaller recreational rooms, and on occasion there were loud thumps and other sounds that indicated someone might be in danger. Any time someone would attempt to enter the room and see what the problem was, however, they were rebuffed.

Steve knew that Human-Steve was in the room, and had been for some time. It was not like Human-Steve to spend so much time around others, as he was what he called an “introvert” and preferred to spend time alone. Whatever was happening in that room must have been very important to the humans in order to draw Human-Steve’s attention.

Steve had walked by the door of the room again, trying to find the best way to enter without being noticed, when the door opened and Human-Steve stumbled toward the hallway. “Steve!” he shouted, reaching out in the human gesture called a hug. “Buddy, you gotta come see this!” Before Steve could move their tentacles out of Human-Steve’s reach, they had been grasped (gently) and pulled into the room.

Inside, the room was even louder than Steve had imagined. A large viewscreen took up one wall, and there were several moving symbols flying across it. In front of the viewscreen were two humans, each bouncing and moving their feet in some complicated method that Steve could not decipher. They looked up at Human-Steve, their confusion causing the hairs on their torso to curl.

“Dude! It’s DDR.” Human-Steve reached over to an open box and pulled out a can. “You know, I bet with all those tentacles, you’d kill at this.”

Before Steve needed to react to this frightening statement, the sound from the viewscreen ended, and one of the humans called to their roommate. “Your turn! Try to beat that score.”

“Hold my beer!” Human-Steve cried, which was greeted with many cheers. Steve had heard this phrase brought up in many conversations with humans, and wanted no part in watching their roommate attempt something either ridiculous or deadly. Or both. Steve fled in the ensuing chaos, hoping they would see their roommate again in one piece.

Steve and Human-Steve

Those of you reading this on Tumblr have probably already seen my initial drabbles on this topic, but I wanted to flesh things out a little more here. This year for Camp Nanowrimo (at least, the one in April), I'm planning on taking some of the various writing prompts related to the "humans are weird" trope.

The general idea is that, if alien cultures were to look on human beings, they would find us decidedly odd. Humans do weird things like try to pet nearly every animal that comes within reach, or collecting worthless objects, or laughing when we're scared or nervous. We talk to ourselves and make up songs and give inanimate objects names. The way we're built, we can do things like throw objects accurately and with force, or continue fighting or running even while injured, or break down and cry at the sight of that cursed Sarah McLachlan sad puppy commercial. From an outside perspective, we are just strange.

It's a bit of fun, and it definitely gives me something to think about. How would a species that never developed sight interact with a species that uses sight as one of its primary senses? How would a species of risk-averse creatures (think the Vulcans from Star Trek) handle a species whose first response to most challenges is something along the lines of "here, hold my beer"?

That's what I intend to find out.

November Round-Up

November is finished. I didn't make it on Nanowrimo, which isn't all that surprising. I do like the characters I created, so I think I'm going to continue the story and see what happens.

Words written YTD: 59,195 on two and a half projects (Paranormal Investigations novels, a prequel short story that didn't really go where I wanted it to, and Novel Wars (my Nano)) - a small bump in preparation for, well, tomorrow.

Writer-ly things accomplished: Most of what I created for Nano ended up being character development, which is always fun. It gives me ideas...*cackle*

New books read: Unmentionable: The Victorian Lady's Guide to Sex, Marriage, and Manners (this was so glorious, and similarly terrifying); Origins of the Specious (a book on word origins - fun, though a little dry); The Palace Job (billed as Leverage meets high fantasy, comes across more like the A-Team meets high fantasy; I enjoyed it a great deal)

Old books re-read: Storm Front and Fool Moon (Dresden 1-2); The Atrocity Archives and The Concrete Jungle (Laundry Files 1-1.5); Dealing With Dragons (one of my favorite books from childhood, and re-reading it has shown me so many things that I missed when I first read it)

Nanowrimo Day 28

Current word count: 15,917
Goal word count: 50,000
What's happening: The ~mysterious~ final contestant is revealed, and she and Maxine have...history. The judge also makes his first appearance, and smarms all over everything. Now onto the show!

You know, at this point, if I manage to make it somehow, it'll be pretty danged impressive. If, as is significantly more likely, I don't make it, I'm still pretty happy with what I've got, and I'll want to finish the story up. Next month, however, will be the beginning of Crochet All the Baby Blankets (No Seriously, All Of Them). It'll be a nice break, I think.

Nanowrimo Day 25

Current word count: 12,016
Goal word count: 50,000
What's happening: Literary Fiction Dude gets a little whiny about the fact that no one really knows (or cares) who he is, as opposed to the genre fiction folks. People have made their way through the makeup and wardrobe machines, and a ~mysterious~ final contestant is about to be revealed. Then maybe we can finally, I don't know, DO something?

I really wish I were able to write things out of order, because then I would skip things like all the introductions and go straight into people fighting each other with words and imaginary warriors. However, I don't enjoy outlining things down to the details, and I like discovering things as I write, which means I generally have to write them in order to learn what the devil happens next.

Happy Friday, all! If you decided to brave the Black Friday stores, I hope you all managed to get what you needed without causing or receiving injury. Meanwhile, I'll be over here, shopping online and avoiding people.

Nanowrimo Day 21

Current word count: 10,442
Goal word count: 50,000
What's happening: The altercation between the literary critic and the romance novelist is broken up, much to Maxine and Oscar's disappointment. Our next contestant, Genre Fiction Perky Goth, is introduced, and we discover that Maxine really hates being called Max. Also we just barely meet our fifth contestant, Literary Fiction Dude (who's not nearly as intimidating or boring as he seems).

I broke 10K, woo! We'll just have to see how things pan out, but everyone's interacting with each other (mostly) nicely, so I think the sandbox is going to be a lot of fun.

Nanowrimo Day 18

Current word count: 8,644
Goal word count: 50,000
What's happening: The second novelist (the first-ever fanfiction writer in the Wars) makes their appearance and confuses everyone, then is whisked away to wardrobe. The third novelist, a literary critic who's certain he can write better than all of the drivel he's seen win the show, is confronted by the first novelist, who is the reigning champion and best-selling romance novelist. Maxine and Oscar look for popcorn for this particular fireworks show.

I don't really know why I'm so optimistic about this. Even though I'm only writing a few hundred words a day, I'm still writing every day, and I like where things are going. I'm refusing to throw in the towel on this, but I don't think I'll be too upset if/when I don't win Nano this year. I guess it's nice to be optimistic about something right now, given the current climate of gloom and doom surrounding the country. Stay safe, my friends.

Nanowrimo Day 14

Current word count: 6,541
Goal word count: 50,000
What's happening: The introduction to the format is explained, and Oscar gets to meet the first of the novelists, and fanboys all over her. The second novelist is about to make their entrance, and nobody really knows what to do with them yet.

Behind or not, I've managed to write every day. Even with last week being scary and rough (in addition to the election, a couple of anniversaries also happened to be that week, so that was less than fun). I keep having parts of Sia's song "Alive" running through my head, and I think I'm going to put together a "Not Yet Dead, Dammit" playlist for when I need it. I've the feeling I may need it a lot in coming days (weeks, months...)

Nanowrimo Day 11

Current word count: 5,301
Goal word count: 50,000
What's happening: Finally, Maxine and Oscar get around to filming the introduction of Novel Wars, thus spelling out for the home audience (and readers) just what the devil is going on. Also, the director hates the producer, so that should be fun.

Still behind, naturally, but I'm feeling a little better about where I'm going. This week has been rough for a number of reasons, but I need to stay on target and keep going. After all, now is the time to...

Nanowrimo Day 7

Current word count: 3,752
Goal word count: 50,000
What's happening: Our main character (and host), Maxine, meets the newest member of the on-screen cast, a kid named Oscar. We see the new set, and are getting ready to film the introduction of the show and the contestants.

OK, so I'm behind, obviously. At the same time, I'm liking where things are going. My main character is a cross between Elle Woods and Megyn Kelly, with a bit of Effie Trinket for fun. The set is essentially a series of cells where the novelists will have to write to a specific challenge, and the warriors they create will fight in a separate stadium. That, I'm looking forward to.

Nanowrimo Day 4

Just a quick update that I'm not dead, and neither is my Nano. Currently I'm sitting at 1,347 words. According to the Nanowrimo website, I should be at 6,666 words for today. So, it's a bit of a slow start.

I'm enjoying what I'm writing, though, so that helps. It's called Novel Wars, and it's sort of a cross between the Hunger Games and Cutthroat Kitchen. Thank heavens for my writers' group at work, as they helped me bounce ideas for the contestants and the sabotages they'll have to deal with. (I keep being reminded of a quote from WorldCon this year, that writers "create fictional people and then torture them," and I can't help but giggle maniacally.)

Anywho, I'll be getting back to it shortly. I'm going to a write-in tomorrow, so with luck having several hours set aside to do nothing but write will help get the momentum going. After that, well, I'll probably be avoiding the internet entirely on November 8-9, because while I'm thrilled that this dumpster fire of an election is finally going to be over, I don't particularly relish the idea of watching the backlash, regardless of which way it goes. I may spend the 9th with my Kindle and my little writing machine, disconnected from the internet and cuddling the cats.

Happy Friday, all!

October Round-Up

Happy Halloween to those who celebrate, and happy last day before NaNoWriMo for those of us who are attempting it this year! Let's see how I did this month.

Words written YTD: 43,109 on two and a half projects (Paranormal Investigations novels, a prequel short story that didn't really go where I wanted it to, and my outline for Nano) - a small bump in preparation for, well, tomorrow.

Writer-ly things accomplished: First pass editing of Paranormal Investigations is done, yay! I'm getting out of that world for a bit, as I've been there for a really long time, and starting something new for Nano.

New books read: Once Broken Faith, Dreams and Slumbers, Rat-Catcher (more from the October Daye series, which means I'm pretty well caught up; Lightspeed Magazine January 2016 (...I may be a bit behind on my magazines); Feedback (Newsflesh book 4, otherwise known as "Why must you tear my heart out, Seanan/Mira? Why?")

Old books re-read: Jingo (one of my favorite Discworld books); Deadline and Blackout (Newsflesh books 2-3); Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (*sniffle*); Artemis Fowl (because I needed something light after all that darkness).

All in all, not a bad month. Onwards to November!

Editing complete! Ish.

The first pass on draft zero of Paranormal Investigations is complete! *throws confetti* I realized that I ended it at sort of a weird stopping place, which is something I'll fix in post, but for now, I'm looking ahead to outlining for Nanowrimo.

While originally I was planning to work on Act 2/Book 2 of Paranormal Investigations, I'm contemplating taking a break from that world and going somewhere else. I'm not sure where that somewhere else is yet, but I have the weekend and Monday to figure something out. Optimism! That's what I need here.

Either way, I made a milestone, and I'm proud of it. Next stop is to write more, and see what comes of it.

Happy Friday!

What you do when you're not doing anything

I swear the title makes sense. I'm talking about those times when you aren't actively writing or making something, or when you're not moving around much (like when you're riding the bus for example). Do you sit still? Do you have to have something to keep at least part of you occupied?

I've always been a fidgety person. Most of the reasons why I wear rings beyond my wedding set is so I have something to play with on each hand, particularly if I'm sitting in a meeting and listening to someone speak. I'm not entirely sure why, but my focus seems to be directly connected to my hands.

A couple of years ago, my office had to evacuate due to a threat to the building that the authorities felt was credible. (Spoiler: nothing happened in the end, thank heavens.) I've found that my anxiety is much more likely to rear its ugly head when I have just enough information to know that Something Is Wrong, but not enough information to make any sort of a plan. Naturally, this kind of evacuation put me squarely in that category.

Fortunately, when we were evacuated, we were told to grab all of our things and prepare to make "alternative work arrangements" as no one knew how long we would be away from our building. My bag included my project bag, with a scarf I was crocheting at the time. After milling about for around five minutes, getting closer and closer to a panic attack, I finally pulled out my crochet and got to work. The pattern was fairly simple, so it didn't require a lot of attention, but it forced me to calm my hands down enough to get the yarn moving. It gave me an outlet to get rid of some of the nerves that were flowing, and it helped me calm down. It also confused my manager and coworkers, but they've gotten used to me by now.

I like putting my characters in different situations and seeing how they react, as it helps me learn more about their basic personalities. Figuring out how my characters handle time in which they aren't or can't actively do something can be a defining characteristic, I believe. I don't know how nuts it would drive some of them, or if they would be relieved to take a moment to breathe. Only one way to find out!

Editing continued

I'm most of the way through my first-pass editing of draft zero, and I've definitely learned a few things about my writing style. For one thing, I have a devil of a time remembering the full names of my characters - several of my in-line notes involve "[CHECK VERONICA'S LAST NAME]" or "[INSERT JONATHAN'S LAST NAME]." It's kind of sad, but it makes me feel a little bit better about the fact that I have a hard time remember real people's names as well - it means that, even when I make the people up, I'm just no good with names.

I've got a better idea of what needs to be fleshed out in book 1, and where to go in book 2, which is super helpful. Once I finish this pass, I want to go back to my rough outline of book 2 and fill in some of the gaps that I know need to be filled, before going to book 1 and turning my notes into actual changes in the manuscript. This, of course, is provided that I can read my own handwriting - we'll have to see about that.

All in all, I feel good about the progress being made. I'm ready for November to get here (and more than ready for the election cycle to be done and over with, with as little bloodshed as possible, please). 2016 is finally making its way into the history books, and I say good riddance.

Character development - shields

Lately I've been thinking a lot about how we arm ourselves to face the world outside our comfort zones. Some of us have rituals that we use to get ourselves in the right mindset to go out and do what needs to be done, even if we don't actively identify them as such - shower, shave, brush teeth, comb hair, that sort of thing. For some folks, this morning ritual includes things like working out or yoga or some other form of getting the body in a good place as well as the mind.

I was always a "do it the night before" kind of kid, because I value sleep, and the best sleep is that first thing in the morning. However, I need to take a few steps to make sure I can handle whatever comes at me, as well - if I'm not wearing my rings or my watch, I find myself feeling off-kilter all day, and I don't quite feel like I'm as prepared as I could be.

I see it as a form of shield-making - the things we do to prepare before leaving the homes we create for ourselves. Even if it's just something as simple as grabbing their wallet and keys on the way out the door, it's something that makes a person feel as though they're ready for the day ahead, whatever it may hold. It's something worth looking for when figuring out who your characters are - if they had to leave for the day in a hurry, what would they be sure to grab? What would drive them crazy if they didn't have it? What shields do they put in place before they walk out the door?

Third Quarter Check-In

We are now in the dawning of the Age of Aquarius the fourth quarter of the year, so let's look back on Q3 and see what got accomplished (or didn't).

• Complete draft of book 2 of Paranormal Investigations
• Due:  March 31, 2016
• Q1 status:  I should really restate this as "fill in the gap between books 1 and 2 of Paranormal Investigations", and it's still in process.
• New due date: July 31, 2016
• Q2 status: This is the goal for this Camp Nano, so we'll see if we can actually finish filling the gap this month.
• Q3 status: Ish? I've reached a good stopping point and realized that enough changed in book 1 that book 2 basically needs to start over again. I'll call this one complete (as restated in Q1), with redrafting book 2 as the plan for Nanowrimo
• New goal: Complete draft 0 of book 2 of Paranormal Investigations
• New due date: December 31, 2016
• Complete draft of Church of Books
• Due:  September 30, 2016
• Q1 status: I haven't even touched this one in a while. I'll keep the date as is for now.
• Q2 status: Same as Q1
• Q3 status: Yeah, that didn't go according to plan. I've spent the year focusing on PII, so this one is off to the side. This will get moved to next year.
• Complete edit of Paranormal Investigations
• Due:  December 31, 2016
• Q1 status:  In process
• Q2 status:  In process
• Q3 status:  In process (so many notes on my draft 0 of book 1, many of which involve asking Past Stephanie just what the devil she was thinking)
• Complete draft of one of the works started for a Nano
• Due:  December 31, 2016
• Q1 status:  In process, as Paranormal Investigations started as a Nano
• Q2 status:  In process, looking better with each day of sitting and actually getting some words on the dang page
• Q3 status:  I'm going to call this complete, with PII book 1 as a complete draft 0. Go team me!
• Complete at least one Nano
• Due:  November 30, 2016
• Q1 status:  COMPLETE!
• Q2 status:  Trying for number 2!
• Q3 status:  Didn't make number 2; revving up for number 3
• Submit at least one story for publication
• Due:  December 31, 2016
• Q1 status:  I have ideas, ever so many ideas...keeping the date as is for now.
• Q2 status:  I may come back to the short story I was fiddling with post-Camp Nano, or I may try for something completely different. Who knows? Not me!
• Q3 status:  Uh, we'll see. I haven't even thought short fiction in a couple of months.

September Round-Up

I survived September, and so did you! 2016 is that much closer to dying in a fire (but please, Lord, not an actual fire, because seriously, we do not need that after this year)! Let's see how it went on the book and writing side.

Words written YTD: 42,846 on one and a half projects (Paranormal Investigations novels and a prequel short story that didn't really go where I wanted it to) - you'll notice this didn't increase, because of all the editing. New word count will begin in November at the latest.

Writer-ly things accomplished: Realized that, while my Draft Zero is not complete crap, there are certainly plenty of things to fix. My editing notes have started turning into questions, a la "When did THAT happen?" and "Really? You sure about that?". Sometimes they're directed at the characters, but they're mostly directed at Past Stephanie, who really didn't have a plan for this (clearly).


New books read: In Little Stars, The Fixed Stars, Never Shines the Sun, and Full of Briars (also known as a bunch of October Daye short fiction); Assassination Vacation (non-fiction about several presidents and their assassins; tended to ramble, but interesting nonetheless); From the Editorial Page of the Falchester Weekly Review (short story for the Memoirs of Lady Trent series, and an absolute delight).

Old books re-read: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (this is when I start slowing down, because Things Get Real); October Day 3-8 (I'm almost to the new book!); Hogfather (part of the epic Discworld re-read, and one of my all-time favorites).