Once Again…

NewBook I has had a partial read by Agent now, and I called to find out what his reaction was so far (about 1/3 through it.)   Still some concerns, things to work on, so I’m back in revision mode sort of,  hoping to also get back to work on NewBook II while it still has Read More…

Agent Response

Great relief of writer to find that yes, the whole package is back…my agent called Friday and we had a good long talk.  The book IS a book.  It is a reasonably good book.  It could use some work, but he enjoyed it, stayed up late to read it.  Also, all the things he talked Read More…

Sometimes the Brain Surprises…

I wrote about this the other day (and then forgot to post it until the day after I wrote it, DUH) over on Paksworld, but it’s a general enough “How WriterBrains Work” story that some of you may be interested, too. As mentioned, I’ve started Book II of the Horngard group, and am presently just Read More…

And the Beat Goes On

The final buffing and polishing (final is an indefinite word since there’s always One More Tyop to find) is now done.   So yesterday morning, bright and early, Book II poked its head up out of the debris left over from Book I and said “So let’s get started.”  And I said “I need to clean Read More…

Of Purple Paint & Short Stories

Yesterday and today were spent, in part, with cans of Krylon ™  spray paint in the color designated by TX Parks & Wildlife as “NO HUNTING PURPLE”.   The idea is that instead of posting “No Hunting” signs (where they inevitably get stolen, shot up, mysteriously blown away) , you simply paint the top of your Read More…

Done-de-done-done

NewBook is done.   Three rounds of revision, wrestled to the mat on space, time, person, place, etc. issues.  From here on out it’s nitpicking time because it’s DONE. 172,125 words, counting chapter titles, datelines (actually places, mostly), 31 chapters (may need some chapters numbered differently, that’s an editorial decision I’d take advice on.) It’s a Read More…

Stage Three Revision

Stage Three overlaps Stage Two, because–especially this time–there’s no reason to ignore 3rd level problems while reading aloud to someone from the computer screen (there is no print-out yet.)    So if I find an entire paragraph that’s now redundant (a Stage Two problem) I just delete it,  or a temporal-sequence problem,  I mark that section Read More…

Closer and Closer…

Progress is still coming and the book is still GROWING.  I didn’t ask it to grow past 150K, I swear.  But it swore back that I need another chapter of this, and two more chapters of that, and by the way I’d left an entire Very Important POV dangling. So.  Still growing.   New Stuff is Read More…

New Beginning In

NewBook’s new beginning has now been approved by two different first-readers (and many thanks to both of them!!!)  so Chapter 1 is now anchoring one end of the book and the Good Ending (which has no chapter number as yet because things are still fluid in the last third  and I need *uninterrupted* working sessions Read More…

Second Revision Draft

Second revision draft is now on chapter 22.   This book, thanks to the years of not writing and brain foggy stuff, may take more than one run through the “Construction Phase” to get things right, but every thing so far is willing to be nudged in the right direction.  My metaphors for the problems are Read More…