Writing – Page 19 – Writing Wrongs

Weekly writing check-in: done and done!

And yes, I drank a lot of coffee this week.

This week, I was not too optimistic. I completed the edit of The Trouble with Necromancers and the audio review for Coffee and Ghosts 1: Must Love Ghosts! I even managed a note or two for the second book in the series.

As far as progress goes for the week, I am pleased.

I can’t wait to share the audio of Coffee and Ghosts. The narrator is one of my all time favorites. I knew she’d do a fantastic job, but I’m completely blown away by her performance. She’s captured Katy’s voice completely, and even the minor characters shine.

That’s it for this week. (Except for prom–but that’s a whole different story. I may need to go back to writing YA one of these years. So. Much. Material.)

Weekly writing check-in: pour a cup a coffee …

I was too optimistic, but I came close. I have fewer than fifty pages left in this edit. I’m confident I can finish it off this week (well, 99.99% confident).

One additional thing I did this week was work on the notes for book two. I have seven pages of longhand notes along with an updated calendar (pro-tip: always write with a calendar), and a whole slew of new ideas.

Plus (and I’m so excited), the audio is in for Coffee and Ghosts 1: Must Love Ghosts! The narrator is fabulous and I can’t wait to share the end result.

So, this week, I’ll be pulling on the headphones and listening to nearly seven hours of Coffee and Ghosts. The last time I reviewed the text (for world building), I ended up with the overwhelming urge to drink cup after cup of coffee. I think I better stock up on a fresh supply along with some half and half.

Weekly writing check-in: springing slowly

Spring has sprung, and everyone is happy

What a difference a week makes. We went from blustery cold and snow to sunshine and April showers.

I am still inching my way through the edit. If I weren’t enjoying it so much (and I am, really I am), I’d be frustrated with how slowly it’s going.

I’m halfway through the manuscript. Well, almost.

It might be too optimistic to say I’ll finish it up this week.

But I can always hope.

Weekly writing check-in: snow and slow editing

As predicted I’m inching my way through the edits, and as predicted, we got a lot of snow. But it’s April and I’m pretty much over winter, so I didn’t take any pictures.

I’m up to page 50, but surprisingly, this isn’t a slog. Not only that, but I’ve (easily) cut five pages. I’m really enjoying going through the manuscript at this pace. That being said, I really hope this is the last major edit I need to do.

In exciting news this week, I listened to and approved the extended sample for the audiobook version of Coffee and Ghosts. The narrator is amazing, and I am So. Excited. Must Love Ghosts (Season One) is up first. I’m really looking forward to listening to the rest of the episodes.

Weekly writing check-in: of owls and edits

Editing owl thinks you should be editing.

I met my goal this week. The paper edits for The Trouble with Necromancers are done!

Not only that, but I’m up to page 8 on getting those edits back into the electronic version of the manuscript.

Slow and steady and all that.

And since I was in the editing zone, I also edited two pieces of flash fiction as well.

This week’s goal is to get as many edits as I can from the page and into the manuscript. This really will be a slow and steady endeavor (I’m trying not to call it a slog–need to stay optimistic).

Also, we have barred owls in the neighborhood, although this is not the most photogenic picture of them. They must be nesting close by because yesterday, the “who cooks for you” sounded like it was coming from the back porch.

I wonder how they are at editing.

Weekly writing check-in: spring break

Spring hasn’t exactly sprung here yet, but since the driveway is no longer an ice rink, I’ll take it.

I’m continuing the paper edit of The Trouble with Necromancers.

I’m really hoping to finish that this week. Just the paper part, mind you, not the part where I put all the updates into the actual manuscript. That’s its own challenge.

Otherwise, that’s about it. There’s not a lot that’s exciting about editing. Oh, look! I removed a comma. Oh, look! I put it back in.

Weekly writing check-in: round one, done

They look like they’re about to drop an album … or take a nap.

Somehow (and I’m not sure how), I made it through the first round of edits on The Trouble with Necromancers. I managed to cut ~6,500 words in the process as well.

Yesterday I printed the whole thing off, and I will do this next edit on paper. While I’m doing that, I will also revisit the series structure, because changing up the first book means all the others change as well (like so many falling dominos).

I also managed to get the second Coffee and Ghosts book into large print. This coming week I hope to finish up the third, and then I may just tackle hardcovers. I’ll let you know how that goes.

Weekly writing check-in: some really large print

Is it War and Peace or Coffee and Ghosts?

Another week where I make all the things. Well, two things.

I received proof copies for both The Complete Coffee and Ghosts and the large print version of Must Love Ghosts.

Just look at the size of The Complete Coffee and Ghosts! It’s like War and Peace, only with a lot less Napoleon and the burning of Moscow and more … coffee and ghosts.

I’m also pleased that I can create large print editions now as well, and one of my goals for this coming week is to get books two and three into the large print format.

This week, I also did some more revision work on The Trouble with Necromancers.

Not only that, but I tackled the taxes, and they’re (almost) ready to go to the accountant.

Not a bad week here in blustery, snowy, cold Minnesota.

Weekly writing check-in: Pulp Literature and some progress

I’m making some progress on the revision of The Trouble with Necromancers. So much so that I’m actually writing this ahead of time so I can get more hours in on Sunday morning. (Writing first, then the internet: a strategy that seems to work. Although really, this shouldn’t be a surprise.)

In this week’s fun thing, I was featured as part of Pulp Literature’s Year of Authors. They’re celebrating their five-year anniversary, and I’m thrilled that I’ve had two stories published with them during that time. To celebrate, they’re also running sales on their magazine and books. So head on over for some deals.

This week, I also finished up the formatting for the Coffee and Ghosts series bundle, which I’m calling The Complete Coffee and Ghosts. You know, for those who need all their ghosts (and coffee) in one place. The ebook is already up for pre-order and the paperback is making its way into various stores as well.

That’s it for this week. Have a lovely Sunday filled with reading and writing.

Weekly writing check-in: dork side wide

A snowy week filled with … pneumonia, for my daughter. She’s on the road to recovery, but it wasn’t a week where I got much writing work done. Sometimes, when you’re anxious or worried or there’s too much going on, you need to step away from the writing. And that’s okay.

I did do a variety of other things. For instance, Dating on the Dork Side is now wide!

Actually, it’s the same size it has always been. What I mean is it’s now available (nearly) everywhere online, not just Amazon. It’s already up on the big retailers such as Nook, Kobo, Google Play, and Apple. So, if you’ve been waiting to grab a copy for your Nook, now’s your chance.

In other cool news, Vellum can now format for large print. So I’m getting Coffee & Ghosts into large print. I’m also combining the three books into one set, for ebook and paperback, but not large print, since the three-book paperback weighs in at +800 pages! It’s a doorstopper.

In audio news, I signed the contract for Coffee & Ghosts. More on that when it’s officially official. Right now, I’m pulling together some notes for the narrator. I’m very excited about this.

That’s it for now. With a little luck, we’ll be able to return to our regularly scheduled writing and Girl Scout cookie selling next week.