NaNo Revisions

If you follow my facebook, you know I finished my NaNoWriMo novel for 2014.

Well, today marks the start of the revisions!

I have to admit, it's intimidating.  I wrote some pretty awful crap.  There are huge gaps, unintentional changes in tense, and the driest romantic interest I've ever written.  On top of that, I wrote in zero sex.  How the hell can I call it a Castle Midnight piece with zero sex?  You guys have higher expectations of me, and I can't allow myself to disappoint you!

Did you participate in NaNo?  Dreading tackling the revision monster?  Let's talk about tips!

Top Five Tips for Tackling Revision Monsters

 1. Chop It Into Segments.

Let's face it, 50,000+ words is a lot of crap to edit.  You don't have to do it all at once!  If you take it a piece at a time, you can end each editing session/week/month with the knowledge that you accomplished something.

Here's how I chopped up my novel today:

• Hook
• Introduction
• (To Be Divided Later)
• Climax
• (To Be Divided Later)
• Ending
• Epilogue

This leaves me with five meaty chunks of story to start hacking at.  Sure, there are plenty of subplots and sections I haven't sectioned out, but so what?  If my hook's not good enough, then my climax's buildup won't matter.  If my epilogue and ending are crap, then nobody will be interested in sharing my story.

2.  Go Ahead and Make Time for Rewrites.

Some of your work will need to be rewritten.  However, just like doing NaNo, you may want to save these rewrites for another time.

On your initial read-through a section, when you find something demanding a total overhaul, jot it down on a list elsewhere for a future rewrite.  Set aside time for these rewriting sprints.  Alternatively, make a mental note to alternate your revision sessions between grammatical editing, rewrite sprints, and read-through's.  When you do your rewrite, focus on getting it done; save the editing for later.

Here are some examples of sections I know I need to rewrite:

• Introduction for every major character
• First paragraph of the novel
• The mass-battle
• Protagonist's childhood flashback

For each item on the list, I'll probably do three to five writing sprints.  These items are important to me, and I want to make sure they're done well.  Once the rewrites are complete, I'll wait a month or so, then read them again and pick the best one.  Sure, I'll keep editing the rest of the novel in between sprints, but it's important to let these writing sessions stand on their own.

3. Be Wary of Editing Help.

If you're considering swapping novels with someone for editing, be cautious.  There are folks out there who will take your manuscript and claim it as their own.  I recommend swapping introductions or just a chapter at first.  If possible, try to stick to non-internet contacts.

Don't get me wrong; having someone help you in the editing process can be a tremendous help.  If you ask five people to look at your first chapter, you're going to get five different versions of that chapter back, and each one will be valuable.  I just don't want to see all of your hard work go to waste.

4. Habitualize the Sprints; Don't Run a Marathon.

You will get much more done if you edit for fifteen minutes per day than if you try to edit everything in one weekend.  Unless you're well-trained, spending more than a couple of hours is going to drain you, and you'll wind up regretting a lot of the changes you make.

Do you normally keep a book or magazine in the restroom?  Replace it with a manuscript and a red pen.  Every weekend, update the changes on your computer.

Are you a facebook-surfer at red traffic lights?  Install google docs on your phone, and make edits while the pedestrians cross.  (Only at dead-stops, and only if it's legal where you are!)

Print a double-spaced copy and put it by your bed.  Each night, before you drift off, skim a page for major issues.  If you fall asleep before you finish the page, continue revising that section.

5. Keep Previous Versions.

You never know when the genius of your first vision will suddenly hit you.  Never, ever delete prior versions of your work.  I'm not saying you have to print out every version and take up a whole shelf, but please save yourself some grief and keep your earlier drafts.  I recommend a system, using a numerical date or lettering system: NaNo14_011615.doc, for example.  If you like saving the sections of your draft separately, just tack on something at the end.  The amount of space you'll take up will be negligible.  If seeing all the files bothers you, just make a folder for all previous revisions, and you can look them up anytime you want.

NaNoWriMo 2014

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Selling My First Book

This morning started pretty normally.  I drove to work, got coffee, and checked my email.  Hazily noting five new messages, I sorted and deleted them appropriately.  Something nagged at the back of my mind.  I checked the folder I've been sending all of my ebook information.  A new email had arrived today containing "requested" information.  Click.

"As per your request, we are writing to notify you of a sale."

My fatigue dissipated in about .3 seconds.  I have sold a book.  I can't believe it.  I really did it.

That 82 cents felt like more than my entire check for the last two weeks of clerical work.  I really wrote and sold a book.  Maybe it was a short story, and maybe it was erotica, but I wrote it, and now I have made money off of it. 

I don't think anything could have motivated me more than this one, beautiful event.  I sat down and wrote half of another story, created a cover for it, and wrote up the short blurbs of information required for posting.  Now I feel like I have an idea of what I'm doing correctly.  I have plans to adjust the cover of my first piece, which honestly just looks tacky in comparison to the second work.  The third work easily fits the cover theme, and I'm really just moving along so much more smoothly than I ever would have thought.

Is that 82 cents going to pay my power bill?  No, probably not.  And maybe this seems insignificant to you, either as an author of hundreds or thousands of sales, or as someone who's never been drawn to writing.  And that's ok.  But to me, this is a special, precious moment in time.  For the first time, I feel like a professional.  I can say I made something out of pretty much nothing.

If you are looking into writing, let me tell you that is a wonderful, rewarding thing.  My first work didn't sell, in the way I had it prepared.  So I tweaked things in the second piece, listened to and watched advice videos, and came up with something more attractive to the world.  Just keep going.  If I can do it, so can you.

So, You Want to be a Writer

Maybe you've always been an avid reader.  Maybe your story needs to reach the eyes of thousands.  Maybe you're just bored.

Whatever the reason, you've decided you want to be a writer.  First, congratulations!  You've committed to endeavoring a fantastic journey of discovery and fortune.  No one else will experience the same world you do, and only you can give that gift to others.

But how do you start?

1. Get out your keyboard, or pen and paper.
2. Put words on the page.
3. Save frequently.

That's all there is to it.  Don't stress about what you're writing, or what people will think.  That can all come later.  For now, just write.  Write about what you enjoy.  Stream of consciousness is fine, or dialogue, or blog posts.  Anything to loosen your wrist and get the creative juices going.

After spending some time getting words down, you'll start to ask yourself why.  Why are you doing this?  Why are you writing?  Write about that, too.  Journals are great practice.  Try to isolate your motivation and purpose.  For most writers, motivation lies in one of the following:

• Passion
• Money
• Relaxation

How and what you eventually write will vary, depending on which of these you choose to push you.  I'll briefly explain where to start from each of these three viewpoints.

Passion
Writing because you love it.  Writing to get your story out to the world.  Writing for the sake of writing itself.  The purest form of script, and the most flawed.  When passion motivates your writing, it's hard to adjust your story to be more accessible by the readers.  Passionate writers make beautiful things, but may be too stubborn to go anywhere with it.
The passionate writer should write what burns inside them, and subject it to the scorn of other passionate writers- these are the only people with enough fire to burn you back when you reject their criticism.  Join writing forums, and partner up with a small group of people.  Make an active effort to listen to what others tell you!

Money
Fame, fortune, and living happily ever after.  All writers want this to some extent, but for a chunk of the writing population, this can be a primary motivator.  Writers working to put bread on the table tend to be goal-oriented, use popular themes, and have the most to lose.  Do not take up the pen and forsake your job lightly- not everybody makes it in the writing world.
If you're writing for money, whatever you do, do not up and quit your job.  It may take years to earn enough income to cover your normal costs of living  Writing for money involves more time and research than other methods.  First, research what sells, and what's currently popular.  For example, I enjoy writing fantasy and science fiction, but there are hundreds of thousands of undiscovered fantasy writers in the world, and they really don't sell well.  Instead, I launched my writing career with fantasy erotica, which sells exceptionally well at a certain price point.  Do your research, and learn to sell.

Relaxation
Writing after work.  Writing before bed.  Writing because your doctor told you to write.  These works may never be complete, but you'll feel better just because you spent time on them.  Many writers fall into this category without realizing it.  You may never be rich or famous, but you will be happy.
If you're writing for pleasure and comfort, my advice is never to show the writing to anyone.  The moment you unveil your pages, you open yourself to criticism; with criticism come anxiety.  If you feel you must reach out to people, start a blog and disable comments.  Contact individual authors and friends and specify, very clearly, that you are looking for positive reinforcement.  Even if you think your work is the next big hit, keep it under wraps.  Having confidence in your work is good.  That means writing is having the desired therapeutic effect.  If you start introducing anxiety to the process, it will lose that effect, and you'll be forced to find a new relaxation outlet.  Just be careful.



Until next time, darlings,
Countess Maxine

Cookie Clicker

I hate this game.  I am entirely too addicted to it.  A coworker sent me a link months ago, and I play a little each day without hope of seeing an end.

Cookie Clicker

You click cookies.  And there are secret invading alien grandmothers.  The mechanics are simple enough for a toddler to grasp- CLICK COOKIE.  Click grandma.  Factories to bake cookies.  Make celebrities addicted to your cookies.  Hire little kittens with hardhats to work the cookie factories, and pay them with caramel milk.  It's too awesome for words.

I decided that if I ever get all of the achievements, I'll stop playing.

Three months in, and this simple, simple game is still going.

Introduction

Hello, World.

Everything working?  Great.  So here's a quick, quick summary of myself.

Profession: Jack of All Trades.  Officially, I'm currently working with video games, producing art, and performing as an assistant in a board game company.

Skills: Many.  Of note, I speak Japanese, cook, draw, code, leatherwork, and tailor.  You'll learn the rest as this journal goes on.

Personality: I vaguely like everyone, hate those who act with maliciousness, and love very few.  I like to think I'm a funny, intelligent little bitch, but many of my friends will argue over one or all of those points.  I get addicted to things and thoughts easily, and feel passionately about certain things for varying amounts of time.

Interests: Mostly geeky stuff.  I love learning new things.  I'm occasionally amused by cooking, art, the outdoors, sociology, psychology, and health.  My current video game obsessions are Elder Scrolls Online and League of Legends(referred by geekyalex, if you sign up, and don't mind giving me credit for introducing you).  I'm being ridiculously female and reading Laurell K Hamilton.

I'm a pretty happy person, but I get super stressed sometimes.  So, I figured I'd start a journal.  One day I'll probably write an autobiography.  I think I'm pretty cool, or at the very least, lead an entertaining life.  Whether the topic's eating your garden snails or making the perfect sonic screwdriver cocktail, I hope you'll be entertained, too.