Whenever I get my manuscript back from my editor-friend, I go through the five stages of grief.
Step 1- Denial: This isn't so bad, my book is pretty good. I read it and re-read it multiple times already, what could possibly be wrong with it? Pshhh! This'll be a piece of cake!
Step 2- Anger: I hate this stupid thing! Why did I think I could write anyway? Did I really use that word so many times? I'm going to burn this book! At least it would keep me warm in the winter!
Step 3- Bargaining: Next time I will be better, I swear! I will keep that thesaurus within arms reach, I can change! Please don't be like this! That's what re-writes are for, right??
Step 4- Depression: *Sobbing uncontrollably* My book sucks! It's the worst string of words put to paper since the beginning of time! Next to this, '50 Shades of Grey' looks like Shakespeare! Why did I ever think I could do this! I actually thought people might want to rest their eye sockets on this piece of garbage?
Step 5- Acceptance: Well, maybe it's not worse than 50 Shades... Perhaps it's even readable. Now that it's polished, it may actually shine in parts! Someone out there may enjoy it. There is hope after all!!
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Monday, December 31, 2012
2012 was...
…a good year. It was the year I finished and published my
first book and wrote my second. It was the year I got my first good
review, and my first not-so-good review. I learned that, no matter how
hard you try, you can’t please everyone— and shouldn’t try to. 2012 was
the year I lost a brother, but gained a backbone. A little one at least…
It was a year where I almost got away with not being sick, until Mother
Nature was all like ‘Oh no you don’t!’ and struck with a vengeance.
2012 was the year I finally said goodbye to super skinny Casey, the end
of an era. 2012 was the year the world did not end, for better or worse,
depends on the day I had. The Walking Dead finally became good. Glee is
bearable again. The Hobbit, Avengers, Game of Thrones met and or
exceeded my expectations. Snow White and the Huntsman did not (Charlize
Theron as the evil queen was amazing though). 2012 was a year for
fashion and Pinterest, I like to think they have something to do with
one another. And even though nothing exciting happened, 2012 was still a
good year.
Happy New Years! And may 2013 be just as good or better!
Happy New Years! And may 2013 be just as good or better!
Sunday, November 4, 2012
Are we more critical of female protagonists?
Something has been nagging at me lately, a question on the edge of my mind
that I finally realized and admitted doing myself recently:
Are we more critical of female protagonists?
I like to think of myself as an equal opportunity person, and I more than anyone love a great kick ass woman. But I've been seeing a rather disturbing trend lately. Mostly in reviews. And especially in reviews written by women. I fully admit to doing the same thing myself, being overly judgmental of female characters of a book. By why is that? Why don't we seem to hold the same standards to our male characters as we do to our female?
If a woman is created too strong, then she is considered unrealistic, too feminine, then she is weak. I'm tired of seeing people bash female characters and then laud male characters even though they share the same qualities. A man kills, he is strong. A woman kills, she is a bitch.
Even more troubling, in my opinion, is the startling trend that if the main female character likes anything even remotely feminine then she is considered weak. If she cries, she is weak. If she has to be rescued by a man, even if she has no fighting skills and her opponent is twice her size, she is weak. And this is coming from other women. When did we start becoming so harsh on ourselves?
Are we more critical of female protagonists?
I like to think of myself as an equal opportunity person, and I more than anyone love a great kick ass woman. But I've been seeing a rather disturbing trend lately. Mostly in reviews. And especially in reviews written by women. I fully admit to doing the same thing myself, being overly judgmental of female characters of a book. By why is that? Why don't we seem to hold the same standards to our male characters as we do to our female?
If a woman is created too strong, then she is considered unrealistic, too feminine, then she is weak. I'm tired of seeing people bash female characters and then laud male characters even though they share the same qualities. A man kills, he is strong. A woman kills, she is a bitch.
Even more troubling, in my opinion, is the startling trend that if the main female character likes anything even remotely feminine then she is considered weak. If she cries, she is weak. If she has to be rescued by a man, even if she has no fighting skills and her opponent is twice her size, she is weak. And this is coming from other women. When did we start becoming so harsh on ourselves?
Monday, August 13, 2012
I hate...
...re-reading my work sometimes. No, make that most of the time. When I do I always cringe and call myself a talentless hack. If it wasn't on my computer I'd crumple it up and throw it at the wall. But my budget isn't set up for 'Extra laptops in case the last one was thrown, crushed, or set on fire'.
*Sigh*
I guess the only solution is to get better and re-write, re-write, re-write!
*Sigh*
I guess the only solution is to get better and re-write, re-write, re-write!
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Something I've been noticing lately...
I've been reading through several indies lately, books that is, and I noticed that something just didn't seem right. And for a while, I couldn't quite put my finger on what it was. But I think I may have just figured it out.
What seems to be missing from most of these books is: description.
Now, I'm not saying I'm the best writer in the world. In fact, I feel I am far from it most of the time. But when I read through some of these books, I sometimes have a hard time picturing just what something looks like, like the setting or the mood or an object. Plenty is given about how the characters look, sometimes. I'm not asking for things to be overly described. That would be a total snooze fest. Just give me enough to form an image in my head, and I'll do the rest. I'm creative. I can do that.
Maybe it's just me, but I like having rich descriptions. It makes the world and the story feel whole. More real. Like I'm watching a movie in my head.
Fantasy stories are the worst culprit, however. If you make something up, I believe you have to describe it. For example, if the author mentions something like, oh I don't know, 'Elf Fire', and leaves it at that, I really don't know what that is. Don't just tell me, show me.
I know what it's like, trying to toe the line between too much and too little description. But I think most writers are too scared to include hardly any in their stories, afraid that they broke some sort of rule. It's been hammered into our heads for awhile now, after all. 'No long descriptions or you will bore your reader!' Usually at the cost of the story. Good descriptions can be short and work with your story. Stephen King is the master of this, I think. Go read one of his books and you'll know exactly what he's trying to show you.
This is all just a rant of mine. Take from it what you will.
What seems to be missing from most of these books is: description.
Now, I'm not saying I'm the best writer in the world. In fact, I feel I am far from it most of the time. But when I read through some of these books, I sometimes have a hard time picturing just what something looks like, like the setting or the mood or an object. Plenty is given about how the characters look, sometimes. I'm not asking for things to be overly described. That would be a total snooze fest. Just give me enough to form an image in my head, and I'll do the rest. I'm creative. I can do that.
Maybe it's just me, but I like having rich descriptions. It makes the world and the story feel whole. More real. Like I'm watching a movie in my head.
Fantasy stories are the worst culprit, however. If you make something up, I believe you have to describe it. For example, if the author mentions something like, oh I don't know, 'Elf Fire', and leaves it at that, I really don't know what that is. Don't just tell me, show me.
I know what it's like, trying to toe the line between too much and too little description. But I think most writers are too scared to include hardly any in their stories, afraid that they broke some sort of rule. It's been hammered into our heads for awhile now, after all. 'No long descriptions or you will bore your reader!' Usually at the cost of the story. Good descriptions can be short and work with your story. Stephen King is the master of this, I think. Go read one of his books and you'll know exactly what he's trying to show you.
This is all just a rant of mine. Take from it what you will.
Saturday, August 4, 2012
The Fantasy Feminist
The Fantasy Feminist
An excellent article about all those pesky strong female character stereotypes. Just cause she is a warrior, doesn't automatically make her strong.
An excellent article about all those pesky strong female character stereotypes. Just cause she is a warrior, doesn't automatically make her strong.
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Monday, June 25, 2012
Work in Progress
A Picture of the cover design I did, first sketched with pencil, then copied and traced with black ink, then scanned into the computer. It was a long process, but I think it turned out quite well!
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