Happy New Year
I hope everyone has great plans for the upcoming year.
Regretfully, it will be a struggle to get the book done by January. Although it's complete I've had some revelations about the rewriting. I don't plan to change plot but would like the words to flow better.
I got the idea from Justin Cronin's The Passage. I like his writing. I'm on Chapter 8 of the book and it drags a bit because it's laden with scene setup and lots of description but he makes the words flow. I'm finding the book a little perplexing right now but I admire the writing.
I'm also a bit tied down with family crisis. My father is in the hospital and I'm finding it very distracting. I have already travelled to Toronto once and might go again in the next few days. I will get this book finished and published over the next month or so. I'm setting a goal and I'll make it work. It's just going to be a struggle. I guess I'll have to start treating it like half-marathon training and reserve several nights a week to rewriting.
Anyway, I hope everyone has a great holidays. I plan to perk up when I can.
Friday, December 28, 2012
Monday, December 10, 2012
I've got to change the title of my book. Virus just doesn't do it for me.
It makes me think of a Michael Crichton book. My book is not about the science of the virus nor about it as a medical device. It's more about what it does, who released it and why.
The virus is just a device to get me where I want to be.
I have never liked Virus as a title and always leaned toward other more accurate phrases like Polluted Blood. That title brings to mind a medical Stephen King, which the story isn't either.
There is nothing medical in the book. In fact there isn't a doctor to be found.
Its' a story of survival, friendship, family. The series is to be called Remakables.
Need title ideas.....
It makes me think of a Michael Crichton book. My book is not about the science of the virus nor about it as a medical device. It's more about what it does, who released it and why.
The virus is just a device to get me where I want to be.
I have never liked Virus as a title and always leaned toward other more accurate phrases like Polluted Blood. That title brings to mind a medical Stephen King, which the story isn't either.
There is nothing medical in the book. In fact there isn't a doctor to be found.
Its' a story of survival, friendship, family. The series is to be called Remakables.
Need title ideas.....
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Book release delayed
Unfortunately, I haven't had the time or enough sleep to finish the edits yet. Soon. I've had a rough two weeks and took time off when I did have some free moments.
I gotta have a life, otherwise I'd be a zombie. I don't know how others do it. It's so time consuming to write the book, take care of my daughter, occasionally exercise, cook meals, periodically talk to my husband and go to work every day.
I have no life outside of those few tasks. Sometimes I think that's just not much of a life.
Except, every day I get book ideas. I get excited about the stories I want to write. It's a compulsion. I can't wait for others to read the stories and be entertained.
How sick is that?
My hope now is for the book to be done by the end of December. A mid-January release is now in the works.
I gotta have a life, otherwise I'd be a zombie. I don't know how others do it. It's so time consuming to write the book, take care of my daughter, occasionally exercise, cook meals, periodically talk to my husband and go to work every day.
I have no life outside of those few tasks. Sometimes I think that's just not much of a life.
Except, every day I get book ideas. I get excited about the stories I want to write. It's a compulsion. I can't wait for others to read the stories and be entertained.
How sick is that?
My hope now is for the book to be done by the end of December. A mid-January release is now in the works.
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Getting a Vampire Diaries surprise
I have been super sick for the past week requiring time off work, lots of time in bed, sipping tea and watching three seasons of the Vampire Diaries.
I was never tempted to watch the show. I read one of the L.J. Smith books and thought it was horrible. The Elena character was very unsympathetic and I did not follow the series.
I watched my first episode a week or two ago and was surprised at how good the show was. I chalk that up to Kevin Williamson's involvement. The book series gave them the idea and since I never read past the first book, I'm not sure how much the books have influenced the television show.
I figure it's probably like True Blood. The television writers draw the characters from the books but don't follow the book plots too closely.
Anyway, I was happily impressed. It's probably not a good idea to watch 60 episodes in a week because after a while the story lines blend into each other and it seems that every other minute Elena is being kidnapped and Jeremy and Alaric are getting killed and coming back to life.
I hate to say this but I'm glad Klaus is still alive. He's the love to hate character. You love the evil thrills he provides but don't like him because he's evil.
I also like him because his negatives allowed Damon to humanize and he's a much more enjoyable character as a good/bad guy rather than just bad.
I did not enjoy Stefan's return to being the Ripper. It was just too gory for me and made it hard for me to see him as the gentle, bunny-blood loving soul as he started out. As a plot device, separating Elena and Stefan for almost an entire season gave the writers the opportunity to explore the Elena/Damon connection.
It's funny how movies and television can grow from pretty bad books. Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse books aren't all bad but some of them are very poorly plotted and organized and have utterly silly stories that never made it to screen.
It's probably easier to come up with clever plot points with a team of writers. I did notice that Williamson and co-creator Julie Plec together wrote a slew of the scripts in season one. It was only in the later part of the season and into season two and three that other writers have appeared.
Then again, the stories in season two and three were more sophisticated and had more complex plots. At one point every episode ended on a cliff hanger (ala J.J. Abrams in Alias) and every attempt to isolate and kill Klaus was defeated.
This show has very good writing.
I was never tempted to watch the show. I read one of the L.J. Smith books and thought it was horrible. The Elena character was very unsympathetic and I did not follow the series.
I watched my first episode a week or two ago and was surprised at how good the show was. I chalk that up to Kevin Williamson's involvement. The book series gave them the idea and since I never read past the first book, I'm not sure how much the books have influenced the television show.
I figure it's probably like True Blood. The television writers draw the characters from the books but don't follow the book plots too closely.
Anyway, I was happily impressed. It's probably not a good idea to watch 60 episodes in a week because after a while the story lines blend into each other and it seems that every other minute Elena is being kidnapped and Jeremy and Alaric are getting killed and coming back to life.
I hate to say this but I'm glad Klaus is still alive. He's the love to hate character. You love the evil thrills he provides but don't like him because he's evil.
I also like him because his negatives allowed Damon to humanize and he's a much more enjoyable character as a good/bad guy rather than just bad.
I did not enjoy Stefan's return to being the Ripper. It was just too gory for me and made it hard for me to see him as the gentle, bunny-blood loving soul as he started out. As a plot device, separating Elena and Stefan for almost an entire season gave the writers the opportunity to explore the Elena/Damon connection.
It's funny how movies and television can grow from pretty bad books. Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse books aren't all bad but some of them are very poorly plotted and organized and have utterly silly stories that never made it to screen.
It's probably easier to come up with clever plot points with a team of writers. I did notice that Williamson and co-creator Julie Plec together wrote a slew of the scripts in season one. It was only in the later part of the season and into season two and three that other writers have appeared.
Then again, the stories in season two and three were more sophisticated and had more complex plots. At one point every episode ended on a cliff hanger (ala J.J. Abrams in Alias) and every attempt to isolate and kill Klaus was defeated.
This show has very good writing.
Sunday, November 4, 2012
Great news. I have about 10 pages left to edit. Then I have to make the changes and do some more rewriting.
I'm on track for a late November publishing if I can get this draft finished in the next week, which should be possible. I have to send it to my copy editor, make more changes and then it should be ready.
I'm not sure what kind of turnover I can get out of the copy editing. I'm hoping less than two weeks.
As I am nearing the end of editing, I have to say, I have surprised myself.
Remember, I wrote the bulk of the book a few years ago. I am surprised at some of the clever plot turns I have. I need to make note of some of the characters I've hinted that will play a future role in the second or third and last book. I introduced these people on the fly and must have had a future role intended for them that I have since forgotten.
Don't worry. I will be back on top of my game. It's just been hard carving out time for the book.
I am still trying to get in three to four hours of running a week. It's the only way to keep up my fitness level. I have my little girl and husband and frankly, I'm tired.
Some nights I just want to lie on the couch and flake out.
I'm on track for a late November publishing if I can get this draft finished in the next week, which should be possible. I have to send it to my copy editor, make more changes and then it should be ready.
I'm not sure what kind of turnover I can get out of the copy editing. I'm hoping less than two weeks.
As I am nearing the end of editing, I have to say, I have surprised myself.
Remember, I wrote the bulk of the book a few years ago. I am surprised at some of the clever plot turns I have. I need to make note of some of the characters I've hinted that will play a future role in the second or third and last book. I introduced these people on the fly and must have had a future role intended for them that I have since forgotten.
Don't worry. I will be back on top of my game. It's just been hard carving out time for the book.
I am still trying to get in three to four hours of running a week. It's the only way to keep up my fitness level. I have my little girl and husband and frankly, I'm tired.
Some nights I just want to lie on the couch and flake out.
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Detroit half marathon recap: sad reading
Yesterday I ran the Detroit Free Press half-marathon. This was my first race since running a marathon in 2007. Sheesh. It’s been 5.5 years and that’s just embarrassing.
It’s not that I stopped running. I ran when I was four-months pregnant in 2009. I laced up my running shoes when my daughter was four weeks old. I was in better shape during my year-long maternity than now because I went back to my long commute and work. Until June, it was a struggle. I had gained weight and found it hard to run once or even twice a week. I hit bottom and then I set a goal.
At some point early this summer, I decided to run the half-marathon. I figured I had four months to train, more than enough time. And it was. I used a training schedule out of my issue of Runner's World that only required three days a week of running until a month before the race when I had to run four days a week.
But for whatever reason, this half-marathon was harder than the full marathon I ran in 2007. It was harder than the other two half marathons I've run. It's possible I didn't have the same amount of base running that I did in previous years. I was sick and unable to run for two of my 12 weeks of training.
I also feel like I messed up on race day. I ate breakfast at 9 a.m. Although my run started at 11 a.m. I had planned to eat a bowl of oatmeal in the car on the way to Detroit but instead split a granola bar with my daughter. I needed that food. I’ve never had a problem running within an hour of eating and I should have stuck with my original plan.
I wish I had seen this guy. It might have made me feel better if I had. Anyway, the biggest mistakes I made yesterday were not eating enough before the race, not bringing enough gels( I had two but needed three to four considering how energy depleted I was), obsessing over my time to the point where I nearly drove myself crazy. I found myself disappointed in my race performance so much so that I wasn’t having a good time.
There were high points; I really appreciated the wonderful residents in Indian Village who gave out beer and jelly beans and serenaded us.
Still, it wasn’t until there were three miles to go and I was completely out of gas that I admitted to myself that I wasn’t going to finish in the desired time. I had previously run two half marathons in 2:25.
It was like a switch getting turned off. That critical voice telling me I’d failed was shut down and I gave myself permission to relax. My goal then was just to finish the race. That’s when I looked around and smiled at people; the cops holding back cars, the other suffering runners. I started to appreciate the breeze from the Detroit River and the view from the waterfront east of GM headquarters.
I shortened my steps and was able to keep running comfortably without stopping. I even ran up that last hill, the one that is 500 feet from the finish line. The one that the event organizers put in just to torture the runners.
When I rounded the corner toward the finish line I saw my husband and three-year-old daughter. I gave my husband a hug and he whispered in my year, "finish strong."
And I thought, what? Do I have anything left? And I did. The announcer called my name after he said the name of someone else, someone who finished the marathon in six hours and 20 minutes. My only thought was, poor woman. She had to suffer for six hours and I only did 2:45.
It’s not that I stopped running. I ran when I was four-months pregnant in 2009. I laced up my running shoes when my daughter was four weeks old. I was in better shape during my year-long maternity than now because I went back to my long commute and work. Until June, it was a struggle. I had gained weight and found it hard to run once or even twice a week. I hit bottom and then I set a goal.
At some point early this summer, I decided to run the half-marathon. I figured I had four months to train, more than enough time. And it was. I used a training schedule out of my issue of Runner's World that only required three days a week of running until a month before the race when I had to run four days a week.
But for whatever reason, this half-marathon was harder than the full marathon I ran in 2007. It was harder than the other two half marathons I've run. It's possible I didn't have the same amount of base running that I did in previous years. I was sick and unable to run for two of my 12 weeks of training.
I also feel like I messed up on race day. I ate breakfast at 9 a.m. Although my run started at 11 a.m. I had planned to eat a bowl of oatmeal in the car on the way to Detroit but instead split a granola bar with my daughter. I needed that food. I’ve never had a problem running within an hour of eating and I should have stuck with my original plan.
I wish I had seen this guy. It might have made me feel better if I had. Anyway, the biggest mistakes I made yesterday were not eating enough before the race, not bringing enough gels( I had two but needed three to four considering how energy depleted I was), obsessing over my time to the point where I nearly drove myself crazy. I found myself disappointed in my race performance so much so that I wasn’t having a good time.
There were high points; I really appreciated the wonderful residents in Indian Village who gave out beer and jelly beans and serenaded us.
Still, it wasn’t until there were three miles to go and I was completely out of gas that I admitted to myself that I wasn’t going to finish in the desired time. I had previously run two half marathons in 2:25.
It was like a switch getting turned off. That critical voice telling me I’d failed was shut down and I gave myself permission to relax. My goal then was just to finish the race. That’s when I looked around and smiled at people; the cops holding back cars, the other suffering runners. I started to appreciate the breeze from the Detroit River and the view from the waterfront east of GM headquarters.
I shortened my steps and was able to keep running comfortably without stopping. I even ran up that last hill, the one that is 500 feet from the finish line. The one that the event organizers put in just to torture the runners.
When I rounded the corner toward the finish line I saw my husband and three-year-old daughter. I gave my husband a hug and he whispered in my year, "finish strong."
And I thought, what? Do I have anything left? And I did. The announcer called my name after he said the name of someone else, someone who finished the marathon in six hours and 20 minutes. My only thought was, poor woman. She had to suffer for six hours and I only did 2:45.
Saturday, October 20, 2012
Jaded reader
I think I read too much.
Lately I've read so many books that I can't believe got published. The publishing industry is supposed to be in such turmoil and being even more selective about the titles it publishes. But it seems to have the time and space for drivel.
I've stopped reading several books that I can't bring myself to finish because they have lost my interest. I have not finished Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James, Spider Bones by Kathy Reichs, Necromancer by Michael Scott and The Broker by John Grisham. I listened to each on audiobook and stopped and started. I am especially disappointed in the Reichs book. I've read most of her books and been at least entertained. My issue might be with the audiobook, but every single character sounds the same in tone, language and attitude. The story isn't even very interesting which makes it easy to stop reading.
I'm in the midst of reading Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks and last week finished Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer. I read a lot of books via audiobooks because I commute two hours a day and I like to listen to books while I run. I have a large selection of podcasts I also follow but I do need a lot of audio reading material to fill my day.
I do listen to NPR but sometimes the content is repetitive and contains nothing new.
Back to books: Life As We Knew It was one of those empty books. It starts with an interesting yet improbable premise that an asteroid hits the moon and brings it very close to earth. The gravitational field is messed with throwing mother nature into a tizzy. There are tsunamis on all the U.S. coasts, earthquakes and volcanoes where none existed before. This would be an interesting story especially if the characters in the book had a bigger challenge than making dinner every night.
While the characters fight a lot, probably due to living in cramped living quarters, nothing much happens as they slowly run out of food. The brother chops a lot of wood, while the main character skates, swims and generally moans about a restricted life of no friends and a limited diet. I give this book five big yawns.
Safe Haven isn't as bad as the other books and I'm still reading it but holy predictable. Nobody has a personality that is unexpected. Everyone seems to be cardboard cutouts of typical people. I'm three-quarters done and sort of wanting to ditch it. I know the husband is going to find her and try and kill her and the boyfriend. How is this interesting when I already know what will happen?
Arrrr. My time is precious. I at least feel the stories I write, while not smooth or masterful, are not predictable. I prefer a creative story over super smooth writing any day.
Lately I've read so many books that I can't believe got published. The publishing industry is supposed to be in such turmoil and being even more selective about the titles it publishes. But it seems to have the time and space for drivel.
I've stopped reading several books that I can't bring myself to finish because they have lost my interest. I have not finished Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James, Spider Bones by Kathy Reichs, Necromancer by Michael Scott and The Broker by John Grisham. I listened to each on audiobook and stopped and started. I am especially disappointed in the Reichs book. I've read most of her books and been at least entertained. My issue might be with the audiobook, but every single character sounds the same in tone, language and attitude. The story isn't even very interesting which makes it easy to stop reading.
I'm in the midst of reading Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks and last week finished Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer. I read a lot of books via audiobooks because I commute two hours a day and I like to listen to books while I run. I have a large selection of podcasts I also follow but I do need a lot of audio reading material to fill my day.
I do listen to NPR but sometimes the content is repetitive and contains nothing new.
Back to books: Life As We Knew It was one of those empty books. It starts with an interesting yet improbable premise that an asteroid hits the moon and brings it very close to earth. The gravitational field is messed with throwing mother nature into a tizzy. There are tsunamis on all the U.S. coasts, earthquakes and volcanoes where none existed before. This would be an interesting story especially if the characters in the book had a bigger challenge than making dinner every night.
While the characters fight a lot, probably due to living in cramped living quarters, nothing much happens as they slowly run out of food. The brother chops a lot of wood, while the main character skates, swims and generally moans about a restricted life of no friends and a limited diet. I give this book five big yawns.
Safe Haven isn't as bad as the other books and I'm still reading it but holy predictable. Nobody has a personality that is unexpected. Everyone seems to be cardboard cutouts of typical people. I'm three-quarters done and sort of wanting to ditch it. I know the husband is going to find her and try and kill her and the boyfriend. How is this interesting when I already know what will happen?
Arrrr. My time is precious. I at least feel the stories I write, while not smooth or masterful, are not predictable. I prefer a creative story over super smooth writing any day.
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