Week in Review – 2013/09/02 – 2013/09/08

Posted on 2013/09/08 by Tonette dela Luna

WRITING:

WIPs and workshops for my YA Fantasy Aaralyn’s Song, my Spec Fic Thriller Imprint and possibly my Urban Fantasy short story Lady in the Lake. Redrafts, revisions, and critiques. Busy, busy. Along with the workshop assignments to get my brain chugging along, I haven’t had much time for brainstorming new story ideas. That’s okay. I’ve got a full plate.

READING:

Still behind on my reading Daniel Tammet’s Born on a Blue Day. I’d like to say it’s primarily to do with all the stuff mentioned above, however, the allergy-shot regimen I’m currently enduring is making the eyes less functional. Well, that’s not entirely true. The eyes are fine. It’s just all the skin around them, including the eyelids that like to seal up nice and tight as I build a tolerance to the allergen. Fortunately, I also have Tammet’s book in audio form. I should give that a whirl again.

NETWORKING:

I think the first FRIDAY FORAGE post went well. I’m already planning several ideas at the same time but need to narrow it down. I like the number five, but I might do three at a time if the posts get too long. The number of finds isn’t as important as what I want to share. We’ll see how it goes.

LEARNING:

First off, I’m glad to report that Bilbo is back safe and fully-strung. So happy to be playing the Uke again. Good thing, too. My calluses were starting to soften. Can’t have that!

Duolingo is great. I’m on Level 9 in Spanish and Level 4 in French. I tend to put in some time right before bed. Perhaps I’ll start having multilingual dreams or dreams with subtitles. 🙂 I think, if all goes well, I’ll start another language in October. Why not, right?

Don’t mean to bring up mundane topics such as the weather but it’s been wonky in my neck of the woods. It’s as though Summer’s fighting to stay but Autumn is taking a stand and giving her the ole heave-ho. Hope everyone’s doing well in their writerly worlds.

FRIDAY FORAGE – 2013/09/06

Posted on 2013/09/06 by Tonette dela Luna

5 GREAT WRITING SITES: A CORNUCOPIA OF RESOURCES

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Happy September, everyone. Today we officially kick off the FRIDAY FORAGE Series with five of my go-to writing sites for a plethora of information and inspiration. These are five of many but these sites and the people who run them are simply aces!

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1) Helping Writers Become Authors

I’m a huge fan of K.M. Weiland. Both her writing reference books and fiction are great reads. Her site has an excellent collection of articles and podcasts on the craft and business of writing. She’s active in social media, as well. I’ve enjoyed and participated in her Writing Question of the Day threads on Twitter. #WQOTD gets the community talking about things like POV, voice, protagonists strengths and weaknesses. It’s a nice way to see what other writers are up to in 140 characters or less.

Her latest reference book Structuring Your Novel: Essential Keys for Writing an Outstanding Story is an excellent follow-up and complementary offering to Outlining Your Novel: Map Your Way to Success. I was fortunate enough to receive an ARC for the book and a review is forthcoming–my first book review for FRIDAY FORAGE. I’m just slightly under the weather at the moment dealing with a new allergy-shot regimen that leaves my eyes looking flirtatious to the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man or more accurately, what’s left of the losing contender in an MMA match.

K.M. Weiland is a great teacher and listener. I love authors that forge relationships with their readers. It’s something I hope to do someday soon. Excellent site and info.

2) Jordan McCollum

Jordan McCollum is another author that gives back to the writing community and she does it in a big way. She has several blog series covering different aspects of writing and also gives away free writing guides. Now, we all love free goodies, right? But this is so much better because it’s chock full of useful nuggets of writing wisdom that we can put into practice straight away. Doesn’t that just scream Double Rainbow?

She’s also great on Twitter and connecting with other writers. She shares more than just her writing life (and her recently published first novel, I, Spy. Congrats again!). It’s nice to know that writers are people, too. <<Gasp!>> I find it inspiring when I learn what other writers struggle with and celebrate on a daily basis.

3) Moody Writing

What have I called info that’s entertaining? Yes. Infotainment. When you head over to Moody Writing, you’ll understand why it was a winner for 2012 Top Ten Blogs for Writers. This site was definitely in good company. In fact, I’ve visited all of those sites at one point or another.

I know I’m not the only person who will look up a topic such as, say, character motivation, and look up at least five different sources on the topic. That is, different opinions, approaches, perspectives on the staples of storytelling. Hands-down, Moody Writing is always on that list.

4) The Other Side of the Story

Janice Hardy provides the world with a comprehensive treasure trove of writing tips and articles that run the gamut of the writing process, from conception to publication. Everything is organized for easy reference. There’s an endless supply of info, you’ll be clicking for days.

Don’t be intimidated by the amount of information. It might seem daunting at first, but once you get your bearings, it’s like having a complete writer’s manual at your clickable fingertips.

5) Savvy Authors

It’s no secret that Savvy is my virtual home away from home. I’ve shared my love for this writing community since I first began this blog back at the end of March. Workshops? Check. Articles? Check. Blog posts? Check. Forums? Check. The support and camaraderie at Savvy Authors makes it a mainstay in my writing life. I can’t say enough good things about them.

I don’t think there’s been a week that I haven’t had an ongoing workshop since I dove in back in late November last year. I’m going to wear out an old saying but seriously, my writing? Leaps and bounds. Leaps and countless bounds of improvement. One thing I can say is the writing journey never ends and you’re constantly learning. There are great people here that will help nurture your craft and help you grow as a writer.

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There you have it. Just five of my favorite writing finds. It’s a nice way to start off what I hope to be a great blog series.

If you haven’t already, I hope you take a look at each site and maybe stay awhile. Then put all that awesome knowledge back into your WIPs. You’re writing will thank you for it.

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#ROW80 Mid-Week Check-In 2013/09/04

Posted on 2013/09/04 by Tonette dela Luna

WRITING:

The WIP work continues. Aside from my YA Fantasy Aaralyn’s Song, I have my Spec Fic Thriller Imprint to work on for my critique and revision workshops this month. Good stuff. Nice to revisit characters I haven’t thought about in some time. A happy reunion. 🙂

READING:

Meanwhile, I got caught up with all my workshops and writing that I’ve fallen behind in my reading. I’m still reading Daniel Tammet’s Born on a Blue Day. I’m also reading up on blogs and articles for my FRIDAY FORAGE series that starts this week. Squee.

NETWORKING:

September’s #wipmadness check-in started this past Monday on Kim Baccellia‘s blog.

We’re nearing the end of this round of #ROW80. Great progress throughout the community.

I’ve some more prep work to do for the official first FRIDAY FORAGE post. I think I’ve decided on a theme. It’s timely with NaNoWriMo just around the corner.

LEARNING:

So far, I’m on Level 9 in Spanish and Level 3 in French. Duolingo is quite enjoyable and makes learning the languages via other sources, including Udemy, fun fun fun. I think I might be multilingual by the New Year!

Egads! I’m already thinking about 2014. I gotta slow this train down.

September Writing/Reading Goals

Posted on 2013/09/01 by Tonette dela Luna

#ROW80 August Review & September Planning

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At the beginning of August, I had a string of goals listed. They can be found here. Today, I’m going to review the month’s goals and create new goals (or continuous ones) for September. Lots of stuff over the Summer. This Autumn will be a blast.

AUGUST WRITING:

1) WRITE YOUR NOVEL THIS SUMMER and AugNoWriMo were a success. I brought a new spin to the first 50 pages of my WIP, Aaralyn’s Song. I’m excited to see how the new version of my revamped revision–yep, you read that right–plays out as I continue with it this month.

2) I submitted my two short story pieces today. I planned on doing that last week, but August got away from me. The feedback helped me strengthen the narrative and tighten up the work overall. Pretty pleased with how they turned out.

3) I have a novella that I want to work on for a SavvyAuthors critique workshop as well as their upcoming Revision Hell. I was pleased with the piece a few years back and got good feedback on it, as well. It will be nice to revisit the work with fresh eyes and polish that baby up nice and shiny.

SEPTEMBER WRITING:

1) Continue with Aaralyn’s Song. The POV shifts are working, so far. When the draft is complete I’ll have it critiqued to see how beta readers like the POV shifts. I want to get it right and know that POV shifts can either work or really not. I trust in the writing community. We love helping each other become better writers.

2) My novella, Imprint, will undergo vigorous critique and revisions this month via workshops mentioned above. Looking forward to getting that one out into the world.

3) I’m always coming up with new story ideas. This month, I’ll continue to map out ideas while focusing on my top two projects.

READING:

Between June 23rd and August 23rd, I read 14 books. Given my schedule, that’s not a bad turn out. I’m continuing with my foray into non-fiction: anything about how the brain works along with writing reference. There are just too many books to read and not enough time. I’m strongly considering taking a speed reading course but wonder if it takes away from enjoying the stories themselves.

I have NetGalley ARCs and a few boatloads of books, digital and paper, to go through. The reading and love of reading continues.

NETWORKING:

Our September host for #wipmadness is Kim Baccelia. The #ROW80 check-ins will continue each Sunday and Wednesday. Looking forward more accountability. Between the check-ins and this blog, I’m staying focused and on on point. 🙂

My FRIDAY FORAGE Series kicks off this coming Friday, September 6th. Can’t wait to dive in.

LEARNING:

Udemy has brought me all sorts of great learning material from novel writing, time management, languages, fitness and music. I enjoy the lessons and keep an eye out for those massive sales. Some courses are in the triple digits. For those, I wait for the 75% or 90% sales. While I have to wait a bit longer, the classes are worth it and the discounts are great.

I’m chugging along, too, with Duolingo. I’m on Level 8 in Spanish and will start French this month. I’ll give it a week and if learning them at the same time isn’t too convoluted, I’ll give it a whirl. Anyone out there who’s doing Duolingo, hit me up! Languages and my buddy Bilbo are keeping the creative juices flowing. Love it.

I’ve definitely dialled back on the workshop enrolment. Heck, I’m still going through downloaded lessons of workshops long since over. There’s simply not enough time to learn everything at once. I get that. However, it’s also hard to wait a full year before a workshop you know will help your WIP comes again.

I’m hoping I can catch up some more this long weekend. When I’m back on track, I aim to stay on top of the new workshops. There’s so much great stuff out there. I’m grateful for such a great learning community both online and off.

I’m ready for September. Is September ready for me?

FRIDAY FORAGE – 2013/08/30

Posted on 2013/08/30 by Tonette dela Luna

The Dawn of the -BER Months

As August draws to a close, we step into the last quarter of 2013. Let’s think about that for a sec. While I marvelled at how some stores were stocking Halloween candy yesterday, my sister told me that Costco had Christmas decorations already on sale. Where has the time gone?

I played catch up this week on all things writerly. I have the rest of the month–less than 36 hours–to map out my September goals which include the official launch of my FRIDAY FORAGE series. I think I’ll call it the FF Five and have links for five creative items, blogs, articles, or websites. I don’t want to limit myself to writing finds. I’ve discovered how beneficial non-writing experiences has had on my writing life. Anything I find that inspires me I’ll share in hopes that it will inspire you, as well. Haven’t decided yet if I want to have themes. We’ll see how it goes.

Now that eight months have blurred by, how have you gotten on with your goals? I’ve reached goals, made new ones, had setbacks, defied odds, cried, wrote, panicked, laughed, and kept chugging along.

I’d like to stick to my goals–more on that in Sunday’s post–but I don’t want to completely shut out new ideas. And boy, they just keep coming. As the seasons change–the last couple of days felt quite Autumnal–I’ve found that my writing process changes, too.

Once upon a time, I used to interpret that change as indifference or impatience, resulting in shelved manuscripts. My writing experience this year, through this blog and networking with others in the writing community, has taught me to breathe through my writing. I let things develop organically now. When I put a WIP aside, it doesn’t mean I’ve given up. Often times, I’m more energized and excited to return to a project once I’ve had time away from it. Much like reconnecting with an old friend.

I’ve made several new friends this year. The characters and worlds I’ve created are dear to me. While I’ve accomplished many goals I set for myself in 2013, many others morphed into new goals or had to be reassessed. I don’t consider these changes as limitations, but rather an acceptance of what needs to be done at a certain point in time. In an ideal world, I’d just write all day without another thought, but as we all know, life gets in the way. I’m learning to balance things out more in order to appreciate my efforts in all areas of my life, writing or otherwise.

I’m tired, exhilarated, scared, excited, and optimistic of what’s been done and what’s to come. I hope that I continue to be inspired in the days ahead.

Adiós, August. September, I’m coming for ya.