Don't you feel silly when...

This morning my hubby was sorting his pills into one of those Monday thru Friday pill boxes with the help of our four y/o. With tiny fingers she placed the last of the multivitamins into Sunday and then held out her hand for more.
"Sorry honey, I have to do these myself," he told her, carefully dropping his blood pressure meds across the slotted week.
"Ohhh." She sighed.
Her disappointed expression had me asking "why" on her behalf.
Apparently the vitamin D pills look identical to the blood pressure pills. It's easy to see why he didn't want any mistakes.

In a weird way, this brought to mind a time I was applying makeup. As usual I felt around my makeup bag for foundation, and then mascara. After which, I found my retractable blush brush (all with my eyes still on my reflection, tweaking my work--it takes a lot of effort these days), pulled off the lid, twisted it open and swiped it across my cheek. Only it wasn't my blush brush after all, it was my lipstick. I about died laughing. Serves me right for not paying closer attention. In my defense, though, you should know that the lipstick and brush are about the same size, housed in identical gold cases.









      See the cheeks? That was me, only it was one cheek-- streaked, like a die hard fan at a football game.                                                                    





                                                         (BTW, this is some random person-not me)


                                                                                 

Yikes! Mixing up heart meds, and makeup, isn't good. Mixing up anything isn't good. This couldn't be more true than with writing. (Good golly, I actually have a point)

I'm the worst at this. Forgetting to double check, to make sure I've chosen the 'write' word . Use the wrong word, and the sentence becomes incomprehensible, or worse yet, changes meaning altogether.

For example:

The writer poured over his rewrite.

You make my heart beet.

I don't have thyme to stay for dinner.

Weak examples, but I'm sure hope you get the idea. I've heard writers, agents, and editors discussing this at great length, driving home the importance of using the correct word.  All I have to say is: Hear, hear!

**I posted this without asking if anyone else has any other examples. What are your red flag words that trip you up and make you think twice?

Always the last to know

So here's a little update on Bound. Last I left it, I was getting ready to send it off to my readers. But then, surprise, surprise, I decided to edit it some more. And then revise. Rewrite. I think I came up for air at this point, but I can't be altogether sure on this. Back to editing.

Then I gave up and let it sit.

Again.

I swear I've revised that book at least thirty times.  And then I got something in the mail last week that knocked Bound on its ear.  A report card of sorts, sent by an agent who'd rated the first chapter of Bound.

I was given a lot to think about, things that I hadn't considered.  And then things I'd already caught and corrected and changed a billion times because, of course, I'd sent the MS in around 4 months ago and so my original writing has changed a hundred fold.

One thing the ever so kind agent pointed out is that I need to watch my backstory. Agreed! You won't hear any arguing there!  I even see it in Grace Ruined, uggg, gotta fix that and some other spelling & grammatical errors.  Anyway, I digress.

The point is, because of their feedback, I see some real issues that need work. The setting for example.
 I don't provide enough of a backdrop. My characters, where the heck are they? In my opinion, who the hell cares.

Honestly, don't you just hate books filled with tons of flowery scenes describing in great detail some lush green field with dandelions and fluttering birds, scampering wood mice making their way into a desolate crinkled tree stump. Yuck! Are you kidding me? As a reader I want to tell the author to stop wasting my time. Get on with the story already.  But there is a need for some kind of placement, to ground the characters, to offer a sense of balance. So I agree with them on this issue. What's really funny, is that I'd already changed the beginning scene, and now the reader knows exactly where my characters are. I make it known in the first chapter--without the extra unnecessary crap. And it only took me about 3 months to figure out what someone else knew at first glance.

Us writers are always the last to know. Can't see the forest for the trees and all that. Why is it so easy to edit other people but then glaze out when trying to recognize our own mistakes? Everyday I find myself mentally correcting not only other bloggers, but other professional writing sites, and editors and agents, alike. Everyone else's spelling or grammatical errors blink at me in vivid shades of crimson with the shrill sound of sirens going off in the background--while my blatant mistakes slip by undetected.

I think I may need another writer friend.  Someone who is willing to point out the obvious and I would do the same for them. Any takers out there?? :P

Whoops! There I go again, heading in another direction. Back to the report card. So I guess, other than those two problems, I need only do some small tweaking. Overall, I fall somewhere between "Shows promise" and "Very Strong Potential."

So it's back to the drawing board. Because for me, small tweaking is never actually "small". I'm rewriting Lillian (my protagonist), changing her completely. This means I'll probably be on here once a week instead of most days. But don't worry, I'm not going anywhere, just slowing down a little so I can get this MS kicked out once and for all.

And when I'm all done, I promise, you'll be the first to know!

Disconnect

I can hardly believe that Monday is already here again. As with most anything in my life these days, the time has flown by and it feels like only yesterday that my blogging endeavor began.  Perhaps that's because I enjoy it so much. Where else can I go to dump my thoughts, all for my own amusement, with absolutely no regard for spelling or punctuation?  I'd have to say the one aspect of blogging I find most pleasurable is how it allows me to write whatever the heck I want to write. And after spending both Saturday and Sunday stealing smidgeons of time to do revisions on a manuscript I'd set aside to rest, I've decided to address a subject that I find kinda ugly but inescapable nonetheless.

As I worked on corrections this weekend, I began to see a major flaw developing within the very premise of my book. Something really bad, and as a reader something quite unforgivable.

You see, as a reader, there are certain mistakes in other's writing that I let slide: spelling errors, grammatical uh-oh's, a clumsy sentence here or there.  However, when it comes to character development, I'm somewhat of a stickler. There's something about witnessing the progression of a character, watching them grow, unfurl their wings and eventually fly, that I find to be absolutely satisfying.  That's probably the reason I prefer to read a series in lieu of a stand alone novel, any day. Over the course of a series I can really get in there and grow to love the protagonist.  Personally, as a reader, this is what makes me come back for more, this is what makes me buy the next book, and the next.  But when that character, the one I'm invested in-- the one I know inside and out, does something out of character or makes a decision that makes no bloody sense, I find my interest waning.  Every single time.

I've found this within many bodies of work.  One example that comes to mind is the Evermore series by Alyson Noel.  First of all, I just want to say that this in no way is a knock on Ms. Noel's writing ability, style, or creativity.  I am not critiquing her with my writers hat on, I'm simply looking at this from my own personal point of view as a reader, and she just happens to be the one who came to mind. (BTW: I must warn that if you haven't read the Immortal series and plan to, this contains spoilers!)

From the very first line I was hooked. I found myself intrigued by the heroine, Ever, and by the enigmatic Damen.  I adored the idea of immortals and past lives, and as the story continued, I found myself swept up into it. I finished Evermore and without hesitation, I purchased the second book, Blue Moon, and then the third, Shadowland. But that's where it ended for me.

Ever, Noel's protagonist, made a decision that didn't jive. I didn't buy it.

Before I go any further I want to make it clear that although a certain character I'm about to discuss, annoyed me, that wasn't the actual reason for the disconnect. All along my reading career I've had the opportunity to meet many characters that have irked me, but that's just part of the fun.  Usually.

In this case, I find it hard to believe that Noel ever intended for the reader (me) to foster such a strong dislike for this character.

Haven, Ever's cupcake eating, selfish best friend.  She lacked even one redeemable quality.  I couldn't stand her.  With a best friend like that, who needs enemies?  I practically did a little jig when it looked like Noel was going to give her the axe. YES! YES! please put me out of my misery and kill the chick off.  Everyone would win:  Ever and Damen could actually touch each other again, a change that needed to take place anyway, since the idea was growing old (besides, it's nice to be able to hold hands with your boyfriend without the need for mittens or a strange layer of energy), Haven would move along, never to be heard from again (hallelujah), and Roman would have to reassess his strategy--he seems awfully resourceful to me, I'm sure he'd come up with something.

But best of all, if Ever had simply allowed Haven to die, her decision would have been viewed as noble. Ever would have remained in character while managing to save her best friend from the chance of going to that dark hell--you know-- the one guaranteed to any immortal who has the unfortunate incident of getting struck right in their sensitive chakra.

I just didn't get it.  Why? Why would Ever give Haven the elixir that would turn her immortal? It makes me question Ever, I thought she cared about Haven (although I'm at a loss to know why).  And here I was under the impression that Haven was the selfish one...

So here's the deal. One of two things might have changed this for me:  1)  If Haven had been remotely likable, maybe then I could have sympathized with Ever's choice, or 2) If Ever already had the tendency to make stupid decisions.  But she wasn't the stupid type--young and foolish, yes--stupid, no.

I'm sure I must  have some sort of weird glitch in my brain. That for most this wasn't an issue, and that those lucky readers went on to find the fourth book a treat.   But try as I might, I couldn't get past it.  Now the actual premise itself, the bones of the story, did nothing but irritate me.  I kept imagining how things could have gone.  How Ever and Damen's relationship would have deepened, but with Roman constantly in the way, their love affair remaining just out of reach, never fully fulfilled.  How Ever's decision to allow Haven to die startles Roman, upping the ante.  How this time it will be different--after all, Ever was never immortal in those past lives, things should be different.   This time she's changed and won't fall for the same crap.  Although, this is probably what happens by the fifth book.  But I'll never know.  Because I can't bring myself to read it.  Ugh.... so frustrating...

So this brings me back to my own writing and my own problem, and the fact that I better get off of here and onto repairing my mess.  If I don't fix it, no one will want to read it.  And aren't readers what this is all about anyway?   Tootles!

Songbird

As a writer I must admit that music plays some part in providing my inspiration. The tone, beat, and sometimes, but not always, the words, often help with the task of keeping within the vein of the scene. For example, when I write about sixteen year old Lillian, a heroine from my Lillian Riece series, I tend to select playful tunes. Her personality is that of someone youthful, someone in high-school, someone just beginning to live--neither woman, nor child. Eliza Doolittle's 'Rollerblades' is a perfect little ditty for Lillian.
In my opinion, music is a medium that transmits in all forms and kind. Even from the most unexpected sources, such as my muse. For those of you who haven't heard this about my spectacular husband, you might be interested to know that one of his alias's is Songbird.  Yes, that's right. On occasion he prefers to go by Songbird, but it could just as easily be Nightingale. Or at least that's what I've been told...many, many, times. According to him, he comes by it honestly, it's in his blood.
This story is actually worth repeating and to tell you the truth, I thought he was making it up until I actually cross googled the name Jenny Lind and Songbird this morning.  According to several sources, Johana Maria Lind (Jenny Lind for short), was a swedish operatic soprano who in 1850 took the eastern U.S. by storm. She was a hit not only here, but also in her home country where she was even featured on a 50 Swedish Kroner bill.

To think that all these years I've rolled my eyes and snickered behind my husband's back every time he's mentioned his natural born talent.  Here I was thinking he should stick to basketball and leave the singing to the professionals - or to anyone else who might be able to sing in key. But he's related to "The Swedish Nightingale", so there may just be something to his claims. ...hmmm....I wonder if by marrying him I might have picked up on some of that singing talent, too...