Manuscript Marathon

My friend Laini Taylor blogged yesterday, saying she intends to finish the first draft of her manuscript by the end of March. It's a great idea and a great goal. An important goal. One I need to take on as my own. So, now that's it's out in the open, I must really work towards it, right? I've got a lot left to write to get this WIP completed, and so far, I haven't written a thing this month. (I did a Water Fast over the weekend which left me unable to do anything...More on that some other time.)

There are other things going on this month, too: First, my husband's Spring Break, when we will be driving down to Maryland to visit friends. Then I'll be taking the kids to Denver at the end of the month to visit my parents. (Flying solo with kids. What joy!) Somehow, I must work around or through these breaks to get the thing done.

Novel Wordles!

This is a wordle of ROHANA, my first novel. Isn't it beautiful? You can see which words I overused, but you can also see what's at the heart of the novel. Matioro is the primary antagonist and Rohana is the main character.

Here's one of my current YA Work-in-Progress:

And here's one from my MG WIP:

Can you tell I've had too much coffee and sugar this morning??

Wordle

Secret Middle-Grade Novel

Shhhh. Don't tell anyone else, but I've got a secret crush. And my YA jinn novel is not going to like it. I started a new book today, and it's going really well---already at 2200 words. It's a middle-grade novel, and it might be the biggest waste of time ever. Or not.

But it's oh so fun!

P.S. I wanted to add that my mom just read it and said it's hysterical. Phew! As we all know, our mothers are the best, unbiased critics out there.

Nerves of Jello

I just sent out my first portion of my work-in-progress to my agent and am now all shaky. What if she doesn't like it?

AGGHHHHHHHHHH.

Ok. Back to writing. Hey, you---get back to your projects, too. Shoo!

Other projects

I just finished my first 50 pages in my work-in-progress! Yay! 11,000 words. Phew. I have written it in first-person present-tense, third-person omniscient, and finally settled on my usual: first-person near-past-tense. I've twisted the plot around and around. I've threaded, unravelled, and re-threaded the words. And now I can say I'm on my way. I have a sense of who my characters are and where they are going.

To celebrate, I got a new sewing machine (THIS ONE!) and finally made Elizabeth a dress-and-backpack combo. She had picked out the pattern and fabric a month ago, and I finally did it. Apparently, I can sew! It wasn't me, it was my old, unworking sewing machine that was the problem before.

Taking pictures (or "catching Elizabeth on film") is nearly as difficult as sewing, by the way. (It also helps to have the camera on the right setting, apparently.) Here ya go:



And...

The T-Rex Biting at my Heels

The weekend is nearly over, and I haven't made it to fifty pages. That T-Rex is catching up to me...


HOWEVER, I'd like to add that I'm no Sit-n-Take-It Cavewoman. I am proud of what I've accomplished this weekend, and eventually, that T-Rex will lag behind, gasping in the dust, and find some other poor soul to chase after. I, on the other hand, will finish this book because I am one bad-ass cavewoman.


Me (in theory)

If I end up at only 25 pages, I'll be ok with that because if I hadn't set out to write 50, I might not have ended up with any at all. (And so far, this is turning out to be a darned good first draft.)

A title and a new MC

I have focused on nothing but my WIP the past few days and tonight, one character pulled the flying carpet out from under my feet. In fact, she decided that I wasn't going to write the book in close-third. Instead, it's all about her and how she has completely messed up. And she wants me to write it in first person. (I actually feel relieved.)

She also gave me a blessing: a working title. Something I never truly had before. (No, not gonna tell you.)

Because I'm re-starting (for the third time? fourth time?), I have to put myself into First Draft Bootcamp and get some words on the page. I've penned in a date on the calendar in which I will do nothing for a whole weekend but write the first draft (at least 50 pages of it) and nurse the baby (because, well, no one else can do it). Jim has graciously, albeit reluctantly, agreed to the plan.

This is still the re-telling of the Arabian Nights tale, but with my own little narrative twist.

And that's all I'm going to say about it. For now.

Wheeeeee!!!!!!!

Dancing + Music = Enforced Writing Mood

First, there was some dancing:



Then a little music video to get me in the right mood for writing:



The video is great because it's romantic, exciting, and has a beautiful horse in it. Just like my WIP. ;-)

Octavian Nothing is back on the shelf

I'm going to have to lay off the other books for a while. I was about to delve past page three in The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Vol. II, but I had to put it down. M.T. Anderson is a genius, and reading his book will only frustrate me and my new baby. (And by "baby," I mean my new tale, not my baby.)

You see, when I finished reading Vol I, I had just finished the first draft of Rohana and was depressed for a month. Not only had I just finished writing my very first book, but it was a rough draft and therefore pitiful, and Anderson's novel (a National Book Award winner and Printz Honor) was gleaming and perfect. Yes, the story itself did depress me a little since it made me more aware of this country's dark side during the Revolution, but that wasn't it. I was comparing my dribble to a masterpiece. Not fair, really.

I can't let that happen this time. I can't get distracted by my emotions or by other books. I just don't have the time, what with being a mom of two little kids and all. Besides, my new tale rocks and I don't want to be interrupted.

When I feel like taking a true break from the first draft, then I'll delve into something. But not now. And not another masterpiece.

So back to the library you go, Octavian. May you find your way to safety in Boston. I will rejoin you soon, I hope.

My Heroine, painted by Dulac!

Edmund Dulac, Princess Badoura and the Astrologer, 1913
Originally uploaded by Gatochy

I lurve my new story. *sigh* These are all illustrations of my heroine, done by Edmund Dulac in the early 20th c. Isn't she beautiful? Although my hero is Arabian, the princess in my story is from China, and lo and behold, someone has drawn her up for me.

I can't think of anything else except this book! It's such a wonderful feeling!