Firstly, I'm very lucky in that the majority of the edits are format changes. Changing UK spellings to US, for example, or altering punctuation. Quick and simple.
Secondly, it pays to turn in a clean manuscript the first time round. The first draft of AFTERLIFE was about 7k shorter than the finished version, was missing a plot thread or two, and had lots of logical errors. How glad am I that I fixed all that before submitting to Damnation Books? Extremely. Leaving aside the fact that the original draft probably wouldn't have been picked up in the first place, having dealt with all these big issues early means I'm only dealing with little issues now - rephrasing, polishing up sentence structure, etc.
Thirdly, you never know it all. I'm amazed at how many passive sentences Kim Richards (my superstar editor) has picked up in the manuscript. I'm amazed that I didn't notice them myself, as I'm very quick to jump on other people for passive constructions (as
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
laburton could tell you). It's brilliant how much difference tiny little adjustments to a sentence can make to a whole scene, how much stronger they can make your characters' voices.Fourthly, writing is not all wild parties and cocktails. I mean, don't get me wrong. I feel incredibly lucky to have made such massive leaps forward with my writing career this year. I'm in a place now I didn't think I'd ever get to this time last year, and I can (hopefully) only go forwards from here. But there is a lot of minutiae and nit-picking work that goes into producing a finished book, which I hadn't fully appreciated before. I knew on an intellectual level, but now I know first-hand, and I'm absolutely in awe of the work that goes on that we as readers never see.
Fifthly (sp? Is there such a word? See, you never know it all), you're never finished. As soon as the edits for AFTERLIFE are done, I'll be working on SILVER KISS. Yes, there's lots going on there that I'm not yet at liberty to discuss. I've got to put together a blurb and an author bio before anything else, and there will soon be edits, marketing, and promotions galore to deal with. That's before I even think about any forthcoming edits for MOTHS, writing the sequel to AFTERLIFE, not to mention writing the sequels to SILVER KISS. Seriously.
But I love it.
- Mood:
busy
- Mood:
hyper
So, once I'd finished the first draft (finally! After all the blood, sweat, and tears it bloody took), I emailed it, full of hope, to my now Ex-Agent. She was... lukewarm about it. Liked the writing, thought the plot was lacking. So I immediately began ripping the plot apart, throwing in some werewolf gang warfare and LSD-abuse for good measure. Then I grew incredibly disenchanted with my agent, my writing, and myself, decided I hated Wild and everything to do with it and never wanted to look at it again. So I wrote the first half of AFTERLIFE instead and pushed my junkie werewolves to one side.
And then I got my writers' group to look at it. They suggested I move the story to Liverpool and keep trying with it. So I started rewriting it again, got half way through, decided I hated it, everything to do with it and never wanted to look at it again, again. Then I finished writing AFTERLIFE, left my agent, decided my writing career was over anyway and seriously contemplated never writing anything ever again.
Then in 2009 some other stuff happened, like WOLF STRAP selling to QueeredFiction, and them contracting me for SILVER KISS and its sequels, and AFTERLIFE selling to Damnation Books, and suddenly I was feeling like, man! I'm not going to let Wild beat me! It may be the literary equivalent of a puddle of vomit that makes my headache just to think of it, but seriously! I'm going to damn well finish that book.
And then I didn't because some other stuff happened.
And then something else happened. Something I can't go into details about, but something with potential. Nothing I want to put too much hope in, but something that's sent me back to Wild like a ... I don't know, demented writing junkie masochist of some kind. Because I need to finish rewriting this book and making it as good as it can possibly be. This is always a problem for me - I never believe anything I do is good enough, but with Wild I want to try and do the story and characters justice. And I want to do it before next Monday.
I've got roughly 100 pages to go. Half the book is still set in America rather than Liverpool, and the first half of the plot has nothing to do with the second. One character is called Grady for 200 pages and Lennon for the next 100 or so. One character is a witch for the first twenty chapters and a werewolf for the next ten. It's a great, nasty sprawling mess. But I will tame it. Oh yes, I will tame it.
- Mood:
determined
elisa_rolle's livejournal.- Mood:
cheerful
Yesterday was a total write-off for me. I struggled through my usual bout of Sunday night insomnia, then had to get up stupidly early to open up at work, only to discover three other members of staff were already in and had opened up. I was unimpressed. The day was busy and stressful and I was wound up to breaking point by the time I got home.
So rather than do battle with SILVER KISS again, I ate pizza leftovers and watched old episodes of Catchphrase and The Cube (the gameshow, not the film. I HATE that film with a bitter, burning hatred. Actually I hate the gameshow too. Oooh, the contestant has to bounce a ball into a tube! It's a simple task, but now YOU'RE IN A PERSPEX BOX IT'S SUDDENLY MUCH HARDER! Idiots! And don't get me started on Catchphrase. None of the catchphrases were actually catchphrases, unless "ceaser salad" is a catchphrase rather than a meal. I don't know. At least that was from the 90s. The Cube has no excuse).
Anyway. I did that, had a relatively early night, and feel much better for it. Woke up this morning ready to get to work again, and buzzing with ideas for promo for AFTERLIFE. I'm anticipating that doing promo on my budget will be pretty tough, but I've got a couple of tricks up my sleeve to make a go of it. More on that as it develops, but if you like the sound of hot jazz, cold cocktails, and dead men, stay tuned...
PS - I (by which I mean Steve, my web designer) am making some changes over at my website. There's now a separate section for the Wolf City books, so you can stay up to date on covers, reviews, releases, etc. Should you so wish. Which you do. I hope.
- Mood: optimistic
I knew exactly what needed doing, but a lot of it was what I think of as transitional writing; ie, not much is happening, but you need it in the novel to get to the action. I need a stronger motivation at this stage of the novel for Ayla to make a particular choice. This choice sets up the climax of SILVER KISS and it has to be strong and believable. I don't think it was in the original draft, and I'm still not convinced it is now. I honestly feel like I've been trying to get blood from stone today, and I don't think I've done anywhere near as much as I could. But I need a break, because I'm starting to get pissed off with myself. So. I've added another 2k to SILVER KISS, bringing the current draft up to 70k, and I'm stopping for the day.
I'm going to play with Wild until
chaostheory gets home from work, and then I'm going to have an enormous pizza. And nobody is going to stop me!- Mood:
cranky
I get The Fear. I worry that the new writing jars with the old, that it's inelegant and sticks out like a sore thumb. I worry that the material I cut out in the first place was better than the new stuff. I worry that I'm making the story worse with the rewrites, not better. I worry that the end product will be a gargantuan mess that will take me years to wade through and set straight (in other words, I'm worried it will turn into Wild). And I worry so much that in the end I have to made a choice between stepping away from the laptop before I spontaneously combust with angst, or screaming "sod it!" and carrying on anyway like a British soldier at Rorke's Drift, only with werewolves instead of Zulus.
Last night I chose to step away. I had to remind myself that I've done this before. I've written fourteen novels now, and I've gone through this process with every single one (still am going through it with Wild and expect to be doing so for many years to come). I had to remind myself that I can do this, and do it well if I stop angsting long enough. Over the weekend I'll be digging in again and trying to ignore The Fear. And, failing that, fighting it off with Meatloaf and chocolate. Maybe wine. We'll see how bad it gets.
- Mood:
listless
Anyway. I need something more powerful, and I've got it. But I don't know if it will still be powerful just dropped into the existing scene. I think it needs it's own scene. And the more I try to figure out where chronologically that scene should be, the more frustrated I get that I didn't just write it in the first time around. So I'm quitting for the night and watching Almost Famous instead.
- Mood:
creative
Then I got bored and popped open Wild, which as loyal readers will know, is a great big bloody mess of a first draft. But I love it. I love it with the same deep and unholy love I usually reserve for Matt Berry, and I will make it good if it kills me. I've worked through the first two chapters, switched the location from America to England (Liverpool, to be exact), changed a few names, polished up some prose, and my God but I have fallen in love with this story all over again. Deep and unholy, I tell you. So in honour of that renewed love, here's a Saturday Snippet:
( Snikt! )
- Mood: pleased
- Music:No Poetic Device - AFI
Anyway, now I'm home and showered and ready to leap into SILVER KISS with gusto. I'll shortly be moving into the living room and putting on my Ayla/Shannon playlist to get myself in the mood. I really like having different music for different characters (it seems to be a common thing amongst writers); it's a good shortcut to getting me back into those characters' heads. So far, Ayla/Shannon's playlist looks thusly:
( Cut for awesome musicality )
This is a relatively short list compared to some I have (my Scarlett/Ash playlist is ridiculous). But it does the job. The other thing I really need to get into writing is a giant bag of M&Ms, but I'm resisting that and telling myself a nice cup of herbal tea will be just as good. Sigh. Where's Pip and her jelly babies when you need her?
Oh well. I'm determined to get a lot done today since I'm out to Salon Rouge tonight (I get to wear a mini top hat and a velvet dress and fishnets and paint my nails neon pink! OMG!) so enough of this nonsense! Time to work. *cracks knuckles*
- Mood: mellow
- Music:Short Fuse Burning - Less Than Jake
So:
1. Write up October's horoscopes for the Cambridge Explorer. That's something I don't really pimp round here that often. Are people interested in my adventures with Tarot cards and astrology, or is it best left unpimped?
2. Edit two more chapters of SILVER KISS. I've set myself a goal this week of two chapters a night, and so far have been doing three (apart from last night when the lure of the catfish proved too strong to resist).
3. Go over the first chapter of Night and Chaos for submission to my writers' group. I haven't touched it for almost a year, so I'm sure it's a horrendous mess, and I'd like it to be just a little bit less so before it gets
4. Spy on the fish.
- Mood: peaceful
chaostheory to come and have a look. By the time I'd dragged them away from Red Dwarf into my room, however, the catfish was gone. I mean, literally. Gone. He was nowhere in sight. And we're talking about a big old fish here; twice the size of my corydoras. Where the hell could he possibly have been hiding? I was baffled, and then everyone accused me of being crazy. So I scoured the tank with a torch until I found him. He was hiding in the fake log. The dastard! (That was toned-down language, just for you, Dad.)
(This isn't my catfish, btw. He's far too sneaky to be caught on camera).
Anyway, with that excitement over and done with, we returned to Red Dwarf and I started musing on SILVER KISS. I'm happy with how the second draft is going, but I'm having some issues with one secondary character. I don't know anything about him. I've got nothing on this guy. The other secondary characters, I know. I know their backstories and what makes them tick. For some reason, this one is as elusive to me as... say... an upsidedown catfish. I don't think it's a huge problem in the context of the novel - he doesn't have a big enough role, but it bugs the hell out of me that I can't get to grips with him.
- Mood: nerdy
But I did it anyway. Because dammit, I'm a Serious Writer, and I'm in charge of what happens in my novel, not a bunch of figments of my imagination.
So yes, I dove into my manuscript last night and freaking nuked that character out of existence. His name changed! His appearance changed! His dialogue changed! Everything changed! He is now a new man. A man called Lawrence, not Flo. How did I achieve this? I used Search and Replace, of course, simply zipped through and changed every example of "Flo" into "Lawrence."
Which of course now means that my characters are wearing Lawrenceaty dresses instead of floaty dresses, and they're walking across the Lawrenceor instead of the floor, and that water is Lawrencewing downhill and so forth.
And the edits continue...
In other news, I was off work sick yesterday with a serious bout of hayfever. Hayfever? In September? Anybody know what's blooming in September that might have triggered that? I mean, I was a wreck. Headache, throat closed up, dizzy spells, nausea... I just went home and slept all day because being awake was so uncomfortable. I've no idea what caused it. I'm still feeling a bit rough today, but not bad enough to stay off work, sadly.
- Mood: cranky
So I've got a couple of ideas in mind for my next writing project. I really want to go back to Night and Chaos, which started life last year as a novella, but now feels more like a novel. It's a dark urban fantasy - the darkest thing I've written, I think, and having re-read the 9k I wrote last year recently, I'm keen to dive back in.
And I'm halfway through a novella I'd quite like to submit to Harlequin's Nocturne Bites line once it's finished and polished up. I love short story writing, and I think it's a great exercise for any writer - if you learn to craft a short story properly, it will show in your novels. Your prose is tighter, and your pacing is better. You don't have time to arse around in short stories, so every word counts and you quickly learn to pick your words for maximum effect. You learn to eliminate the "telling, not showing" problem, and you get used to working to specific word counts and making best use of them. Seriously, I could go on about this subject all day if you let me. But anyway...
Really, the priority for me right now is SILVER KISS and it's sequels. I had a long chat with
chaostheorya couple of nights ago about the direction I want the sequels to go in, as well as the overarcing themes of the series (tentatively called Wolf City at this point). One of the themes that kept cropping up, both in Wolf Strap and SILVER KISS is the idea that fertility rates are low amongst werewolves. The obvious problem with this is that, say your wolves are only producing one child per couple, your population is halving with every generation, and you're on the fast-track to extinction. Not great.I talked this problem over with both my writers' group and
chaostheory, and brainstormed some scenarios that will tie in nicely to a plot strand of the second book (tentatively called Bad Dogs). It does mean I have to do some in-depth research on the causes of fertility problems, which I imagine will make my brain hurt. But I'm determined to do this idea justice, even if it requires learning science, and then trashing what I've learned and mixing it up with Eastern European werewolf folklore, a bit of stuff I'm just making the hell up, and maybe some cannibalism too.**I'm joking about the cannibalism.**
**Or am I?
( PS... ).
- Mood: energetic
So
chaostheory and I finally got round to going through my mass lot of BPAL imps last night. A few I gave to her because they ... sort of smelt like her? Like, the scents reminded me of her? It's not weird. The majority I've kept to try out, and a handful I know won't work for me, so I've set them aside. I might give them away as part of a prize package one fine day when I have a novel to promote ^_^ A novel called SILVER KISS, for example, or indeed one of the sequels to SILVER KISS (yeah, I'm still excited).Then
rjpayne came over and we indulged in some wine and a Matt Berry fest involving AD/BC and Snuff Box. Because you can never see enough TV with Matt Berry in. Or I can't anyway, and therefore people who come to my house can't either. There was much merriment to be had by all, and it was agreed we would make tasteful placards expressing our great affection for Mr Berry when we go to his gig in December. - Mood: chipper
Stop everything! Seriously, stop. Listen to me.
I'm beyond excited to announce that QueeredFiction have contracted me for two more Ayla/Shannon novels to follow up SILVER KISS!
You heard me right - that's three Ayla/Shannon novels altogether, to be published over 2010 and 2011. That ringing you hear in your ears is the fading echoes of my thrilled screams of joy :D
I honestly can't tell you how pleased and proud I am. I loved writing SILVER KISS and exploring the characters and world more, I love writing about werewolves, and I love that I've now got the chance to write even more.
All I need now is a series title. Suggestions on a postcard, please...
- Mood: bouncy
So I'm home from Widnes, where I had a fabulous time with the lovely Leanne and her many, many dogs ^_^ We had ten, count 'em, ten gorgeous puppies to keep entertained. I haven't told Holly yet that I've been staying with other dogs as she is prone to jealousy. I'm sure she'll forgive me in time. I have to say, I freaking love Leanne's dogs. They're all, without fail, beautiful, friendly, happy little darlings, and I miss them all already!
Aside from dog-herding various spaniels and chihuahuas, we also went to a hen night for one of Leanne's friends, which was awesome! I got to wear neon tights and hot pink mascara and drink loads of Apple Corkys and champagne and wine and some other stuff that I don't know what it was but it came in a fishbowl and have a really dignified time. And spend some time in a toilet with a stripper. Apparently Liverpool has unisex toilets now. I didn't know that. (I mean, not in the actual cubicle, we were just in the toilet room as a whole. Should probably clarify that in case my Dad reads this. (Also Dad, I didn't get that drunk. In comparison to some people, I mean.))
Anyway, he was a very nice stripper, and I have some lovely photos of him which I will post at some point, because ... you know, you have to. In summary: neon-themed hen night = much awesomeness.
I got back to Cambridge about 6.30 last night and then had to rush off to my writers' group as SILVER KISS was on the chopping block. I'm relieved to say that the feedback was great - incredibly helpful - and I'm planning to dive back into the novel for a second draft this weekend. And there might be some exciting SILVER KISS-related news around the corner if I'm lucky, so stay tuned for that!
I got back home again around 9.30 for a catch-up withchaostheory, who was on fish-watch while I was away, and discovered I have an upsidedown catfish in the tank that I thought was dead. So... huzzahs! Ooh, and my mass purchase of BPAL imps arrived, so now I have fifty - fifty! - sparkly new perfumes to try out over the coming weeks and months ^_^ If I run out of blog material, I might do a rundown of my favourites at some point.
So what have you all been up to?
- Mood: groggy
I mean, I have finished a novel. I've finished a lot. Thirteen, now, to be precise. But in the two days since I wrote THE END on SILVER KISS, I've already started to mentally map out all the things I need to revise, so I guess it's not really finished. So far my mental list is something like this:
( Cut for scintillating insights )
- Mood:
sleepy
Why yes, that is a bottle of rose wine with an elephant on it, and a bar of dark chocolate with chilli. If that doesn't get the book written, nothing will. Nothing, I tell you.
I'm planning a short break from writing once SILVER KISS is done. There's a nasty rumour circulating that I don't go out enough anymore, (which I attempted to dispel last night by going out and consuming a heroic amount of cheap wine with Becky), so I think I should probably make some time to spend with my friends before they all forget I exist. Once the short break is over, I've got about a million anthologies I want to submit to, so it'll be back the laptop and to hell with my loved ones. I love being a writer, I really do ^_^
I'm planning a short break from writing once SILVER KISS is done. There's a nasty rumour circulating that I don't go out enough anymore, (which I attempted to dispel last night by going out and consuming a heroic amount of cheap wine with Becky), so I think I should probably make some time to spend with my friends before they all forget I exist. Once the short break is over, I've got about a million anthologies I want to submit to, so it'll be back the laptop and to hell with my loved ones. I love being a writer, I really do ^_^
- Mood: determined
- Music:Howl - Florence and the Machine
