Edits and Rewrites and World-building Oh my

I'm going over OTHERS and I have the second draft blues.
You know, when you look at your first draft and think, This needs soooo much work!  It's crap! Is it even worth it to comb through it?

I know it is worth it in the long run, but it's really difficult now. It's like cleaning out that closet you've been stuffing crap into for years. Everything has to come out and be reevaluated. Some stuff is okay where it was, some stuff you just need to throw out, and some stuff you don't want to look at because there's some emotional attachment and you just don't know what to do with it. Yep, that's where I am now.

OTHERS is a dystopian YA suspense novel. It's far enough in the future to warrant a reconfiguration of the world as we know it. That's where I'm at now: maps, vocabulary, clothing, technology, food, commerce,media, you name it, I have to rethink it.   Since the first draft is more or less a run through of what happens, this treatment will really shape the manuscript into something closer to my vision.   I guess that's the scary part, isn't it? What if it still sucks after the rewrite? But that's fear talking, and I don't want to listen.

So I'll make my maps, think of new terms for ordinary things like coffee, and imagine what a cool kid would look like hundreds of years from now.

I'm doing this!

Keep writing!

C

A Great Contest

This is the second year I've participated in the Clarity of Night short fiction contest started by author/blogger Jason Evans. It is a flash fiction contest that challenges authors to craft a piece of writing based on a photo. Last year I was blown away by the talented writing and this year is no different.  Many authors return each year to participate in this event. We read each others entries, comment on what we like, and show our support and appreciation of the craft.

In addition to the judging, all entrants vote for their favorites and readers' choice awards are given.

Thank you, Jason, for hosting an event that brings writers together to celebrate each other and the craft of writing!

This year's challenge is entitled ELEMENTAL. Here is the photo prompt

My entry is entitled SAMSARA.  It is entry #55.  Click here to check it out.

I'll keep you posted as the results come in.

Keep Writing!

C

SINK OR SWIM TIME

Getting ready to launch!  LURE: 1850 will go on sale sometime this summer through Smashwords.
For almost ten years I have actively pursued publishing my work. Now, finally, the dream is becoming reality.

For years, I imagined an editor combing through my final draft for nitpickers and awkward prose before my books' release, but that responsibility is now my own, with help from two awesome critique groups and a few outside readers to give the work a fresh eye. I always imagined an agent walking me through my first publication, but instead my critique groups, along with friends and family, will support me. I stay up to date with what's happening in publishing through reading  numerous blogs and industry websites and attending SCBWI events.

There is no safety net. It's all up to me. It's nerve wracking and I'd be a liar if I said I wasn't shaking in my boots, but LURE is ready. It won first place at an SCBWI event in 2009, it has received excellent feedback, it's been rewritten many times, and it's going though one more treatment before the big day. It's ready, and I'm ready. It's time to trust the work is good, release it, and move on to another rewrite of OTHERS.

Wish me luck!

This morning posed a question

I have the day off and was sitting on the patio sipping a cup of coffee when my eight-month-old kitten, Charlie, hunted down and snatched his first bird.
It was freakin' brutal!  The bird squalled and flapped in Charlie's mouth while my dog Henry ran over to "Help". Henry never made it to the fight, though. The bird managed to free itself and fly away with Charlie trailing close behind. There were poofs of downy feathers where the battle took place.  It was like a nature show in my own back yard! 

Speaking of brutal, I just found out that the introductory sommelier class and exam I am taking next weekend requires professional attire!  So I have to sit on my duff from 7:45 until 5:00pm in stuffy clothes. Sweet.
The truth is none of my "professional' clothes fit anymore. So I'm going to have to do a bit of shopping.
Seriously, I don't have the strength or desire to walk around all dressed up anymore.

Would an SCBWI or Invincilble Ink sweatshirt be considered "professional attire?"
It is for me, but I don't think the master sommeliers will buy it.


So I pose the question to you.

Which is more brutal?

a) watching a kitten pounce and attempt to kill a bird.
b) Sitting in professional clothes from 7:45 to 5:00pm for two days
c) I can't decide. The thought of both make me nauseous
d) Neither. I love the nature of the hunt and professional clothes
e) Other: ________________

Revise revise revise

Ahhh, revision. OTHERS is coming along. Some chapters I approach with confidence, some chapters I'm scared to look at for fear that it will be nothing more than a hunk of crap that I have to shred and rewrite completely. That's the down side of blazing through a draft at lightening speed, but having a draft to work with  in the first place is priceless!!!!

Took the dogs for a run before printing this week's chapter to take to critique. It's freaking cold!  Even with earphones and a hat on my ears froze. I could never live where it snows. I would cease to function.