Editing...

Hi all! I'm busy editing a story. I've spent two solid days reworking word usage and sentence structure to get rid of my over used words. I'm on page 30. That's right, 15 pages a day. Uggggg! I write first drafts MUCH faster, could be why I have to edit so much??

Anyway, there are some serious weak spots in my story. The hero, a highly trained professional, makes a mistake that a rookie wouldn't make. It hasn't set well with me since I wrote it and it really doesn't fit. I have to be more creative and come up with another scenario.

Another problem is the plot is a bit thin. My list of suspects is thin, only one or two and they become suspects rather out of the blue. I'm going to add a few more suspects including the heroine. I'm also going to have them more of a build up to being suspects. It's a great change that will make the story a bit longer and since it's on the shorter side, so longer is good as long as it improves the story.

I figured out what was wrong with it while I was at my MERWA meeting on Saturday. The guest speaker was fabulous. She has done many things in her life not the least of which is write nine books for Harlequin Intrigue. She was wonderful to listen to and made some really good points about writing suspense.

Thanks Joyce!

Here is her website.
Joyce Sullivan

So tomorrow...

I am going to my MERWA meeting. What's MERWA? The Maine chapter of the Romance Writers of America. I don't attend regularly, but it isn't because I don't want to. Always and I mean all the times I don't make it has been because of scheduling problems at the last minute on the home front. One of my other goals is to make it to every meeting. No excuses. I always learn a lot and it's nice to hang out with other writers who don't think you're nuts when you talk about the voices in your head. They inspire me to reach for my goals not matter what.

I need the inspiration.

I have not been writing much because real life gets in the way. I haven't felt like writing. If I try to make myself write when I don't feel like it, well let's just say, it's worse than crap. So, instead, I don't write. I get out of the habit and end up playing computer games instead. I have two MS that are done, well one has to be redone in a major way, just have to give it a final run through for grammar and word usage... I hate my habit words and do not particularly care for eradicating them, but editing is part of the process, so I will.

I have two that need rewrites but are also essentially done. This would be enough to keep any normal person busy, yet not me. You see my ADD brain skips from one to the other and then I make afghans (four friends are having babies and I have to get these done)and do plastic canvas (I have two wedding presents to make still) and I will get it done before summer is over.

Oh, did I mention that I'm going to be teaching Language Arts as well as math next year? Looks that way, so I'm reading some of the books there are classroom sets of to see what I can do with them. Ya, I really ought to start a blog about teaching, but maybe some other time. I have enough to do already! lol

Anyway, so I'm off to my meeting tomorrow and I'm really really looking forward to it. They are doing major construction on my main route, so it'll take me a lot longer to get there. I have a friend who lives four or five hours north of here. I'll have to ask her how she got to the meeting since I'm sure she uses the same way I normally do.

When I get up in the morning, I'm going to do at least one chapter of the finished MS (Titled Shaken for now.) I have to get rid of all the that's and walks and narrow the he's and she's down to only the absolute necessities. I'll have to vary my sentences, which is hard for me on rewrites since I see it the way the first draft falls. I have to think more about the words and less about the picture I'm trying to show. It's exhausting work, but it pays off in the end when the book is sold.

Okay, I'm off to bed. I have to get up early to start the rewrite.

Ugggg...

I told you I finished the story... I lied.

I use a website to see what words I use too freguently. Now it's handy even though it drives me nuts since I know I use some words too much, but there are words that sneak in anyway. Ugggg... The website won't do a whole novel at a time, but I can do a chapter at a time. It will list the 50 or 100 most frequently used words, again you tell the program how many. You copy and paste the chapter into the box and wait for the results. Copy and paste the results into a file, then do the next chapter until you have done the whole MS. You can set it to ignore small words like I, he, the, her, and so on. You can set it to report those words as well.

I alsways run my MS through, well the first few chapters anyway and I accumulate a list of words that need to be edited out of the MS before I send it off. I did the latest MS. That, walk, there, killer, then, should, could, would, well they always creep into my stories. I look for them, I eliminate all I see, yet there are still more! Uggg... lots and lots of editing to do yet again.

The first draft is the love affair. The second, third, and forth drafts are the real work. I wish I could remember who said that, but I can't at the moment.

Oh, here is the website.
Word Counter

I'm Done!!!!!

I've finished a new story! I've been working on it for a long time, here and there. It's a romantic suspense. I don't want to get into details here though since it's headed for a new publisher I've never worked with before and I don't want to jinx anything. I hope it's accepted, but if not, I hope they can give me a direction to go at it again with edits. Time will tell.

I am finishing up the last of the shifter books. I am working on the final edits and will have them ready to go to Wings by the end of the summer.

I have a goal. I want to be a full time writer within five years. Why am I putting it here? Well, those who write their goals down for people to see are far more likely to achieve their goals.

It feels good to be writing again, even though I don't like cover letters, summaries, or log lines!

I guess that's all for now!

Chat at Coffee Time...

I attended an online chat with some of my other MERWA members last night at Coffee Time Romance. The chat was wonderful! I had a ton of fun and met some really nice people. There were book giveaways and lots of laughter and my to be read pile increases by the day.

Congratulations to Lisa who chose Now and Forever as her prize!

Links:
Coffee Time Romance
Nina Pierce
Michelle Libby
Teagan Oliver
Susan Vaughan
Pam Champagne
Lina Gardiner
Jennifer Linforth
Lori Libby

Maine Romance Writers of America

What fun!

Hello all! I know I haven't blogged in a very long time, but I really want to get back to it more often.

I did my first book signing this past weekend. Five of the writers from the Maine chapter of the RWA, MERWA, drove up to Presque Isle this past weekend. One lives in the area and she joined us for the book signing.

The public library was celebrating their 100th anniversary. They invited us up to speak and sign books. There were about 30 people there on a rainy Saturday afternoon. They asked great questions too. Thank you, Sonja Plummer-Morgan, for the invite and I would love to do it again next year!

Mark & Emily Turner
Memorial Library

More later I promise!