Category: Writing

Editing brain

So, I did a Google search on editing brain (don’t you ever search on strange combinations of words just to see what comes up?). I found these gems:

Editing is a transparent art form.

And:

Editing is very mechanical and technical, but at the same time, it’s very artistic and emotional.

The writer was talking about film editing, but I think it applies to writing. Right now, I have serious editing brain. It would be nice if I could think of other things besides my book. I could get back to (okay, start) writing scintillating blog posts. I could cook dinner without burning it. (Okay, I didn’t really burn dinner. But. We all know it could happen.)

And I could think of a clever way to wrap up this entry.

Nope. Isn’t happening.

California dreaming

So, the excitement = building for San Francisco this summer. At the end of July I’ll head out there to the RWA National Conference with … wait for it … the kids in tow.

They’ll stay at my sister’s during the four days of the conference. I’ll be in the Marriott.

(Insert maniacal laughter here.)

Seriously, I’m pretty sure positive they’ll behave. I’ve already read them the riot act about it.

Never mind the Golden Gate Bridge, Chinatown, or even the Jelly Belly factory tour, Andrew nearly fainted when he found out my sister owns not only Guitar Hero, Dance, Dance Revolution, but Rock Band. Add in the nearby swimming pool, and we pretty much have instant vacation. Excited doesn’t begin to cover it.

I haven’t been to this conference since 2003. This time, I get to wear my “first sale” ribbon (Note to self: let RWA know you need first sale ribbon.). I don’t have to work myself into a panic over pitching to editors/agents. I can relax, go to parties (Chick Lit, Golden Network), and attend workshops, like these:

Building Buzz in YA (CAREER)– Tera Childs, Heather Davis, Simone Elkeles, Tina Ferraro, Marley Gibson, Stephanie Hale, and Dona Sarkar-Mishra

From Cinema to the CW: Using Pop Culture in Your YA Novel (RESEARCH)– Trish Milburn and Julie Linker (Trish is a Noodler.)

10 Things We Love About Writing YA Romance (CRAFT)– Shelley Adina, Carol Grace Culver, Kelly Parra, and Jennifer Jackson

Doddering Butlers, Pert Housemaids, and Faithful Retainers: Busting the Servant Myths (RESEARCH)– Janet Mullany (I haven’t written an historical … yet, but Janet is another Noodler and she’s hysterical.)

And then, after the conference, I’ll take a few days downtime at my sister’s. I’ll need a few days of downtime.

But! If anyone is headed out to San Fran, let me know. I’d love to see you.

Geek is the new black

You want one. You know you do. Okay, so I want one (and recently ordered one). Darcy and I were thinking this might make a pretty snazzy promo item for when The Geek Girl’s Guide to Cheerleading comes out next summer.

What do you think?

(And if you crave one and can’t wait for us to start giving them away, you can always get your own here.)

Snippets from our week

The batteries in the programmable thermostat finally gave out, after possibly a year of the message: Replace batteries soon! It’s the sort of thermostat you can pull off the wall, which I did only to hear a gasp behind me and Kyra saying: “Mommy! What have you done?”

Andrew made a terrific Pirate #4 in the sixth grade musical version of Treasure Island. They had four performances, two casts (the cast that doesn’t perform sings in the chorus), and a very busy week. Kyra has seen three of the four performances (the last one’s tonight). She keeps referring to Long John Silver as “Long Jeans.” When the chorus sings: “Eat, drink, and let’s be merry,” she sings her own version: “Eat, drink, and let’s get married.”

There’s a downside to tossing your manuscript in the air. When you’re done, you have to put it back in order again. Actually, it’s not that bad, but for continuity and sanity’s sake, I’m putting the pages in numeric order before I start keying in the changes. Would I do it again? Without question. It was a great exercise and a great way to edit.

I’ve published twenty books this week, some of them multiple times, some of the multiple times in the same day. I’m telling you, technical writer = nonstop fun.

I dream of Geek Girl’s Guide

So last night, I dreamed that The Geek Girl’s Guide to Cheerleading was out in the stores. The cover was blue. Will the cover really be blue? Time will tell.

Anyway, I was paging through a copy and discovered that some of the words in the story were not written by me and Darcy. Paragraphs and scenes slipped in at some point between the two of us turning the manuscript in and it being printed.

So, I was talking to Darcy (in that dream-like way, sometimes she was right next to me, sometimes on the phone, and sometimes we simply had that Borg connection) to see what she spotted that was different.

And that was about it. We weren’t really upset, more intrigued by these strange passages in our book.

Now, in the morning, all I can think is: Me? Anxious?

Not at all.

Much.

The obligatory Golden Heart score post

If you enter the Golden Heart, and have a blog, then you’re pretty much obligated to blog about your Golden Heart scores. Can I say that I’m a wee bit psyched that this will be my last Golden Heart post, ever? (The Golden Heart is for writers not published in novel-length fiction).

Your manuscript is read by five judges and they score you on a scale of 1 through 9, decimals allowed, with 9 being the highest, 5 average, and 1 illiterate. (Okay, I made that last part up. I’ve never met anyone who received a 1, but I do know someone who received four 9s and a 2. And yes, she made the finals that year.)

Below are the scores for Geek Girl’s Guide and Fine Art (MacKenna’s story).

The Geek Girls’ Guide to Cheerleading:
8.9
7.2
7.3
8
8.3
Average: 39.70, which put us in the top quarter (top quarter cutoff: 38.7)

Not bad, although really, what’s the difference between 8.9 and a 9.0? What was the one little thing we didn’t get right? Is it rude to ask that?

The Fine Art of Holding Your Breath:
7
8.3
9
9
6.8
Average: 40.10 (again, top quarter)

I’m really pleased with this set of scores. Both, actually. I’m guessing both manuscripts came close to making the finals.

And honestly, I’d mentally prepared myself for lower scores re: Fine Art. It’s edgier than Geek Girl’s Guide and has super secret double probation subject matter (nope, haven’t blogged about it, so you won’t find anything in the archives) that happens to be a hot button topic.

I expected a wider gap between the scores. Actually, I was expecting to dip beneath a 5. That I didn’t, along with those two 9s, has me extra pleased.

Now all I have to do is finish this draft.

I don’t talk about it that much

So, the other day, the Marvelous Miss B pulled out some paper, arranged herself on the floor, and pulled out a pen (one of my Uni-ball Vision Elites). Then, ankles crossed, she started writing. Here’s what she said about that:

“I’m writing this book for my agent. My agent looooves this book.”

Uh, I don’t talk about my agent (!!!) that much. I don’t. Honest.

But apparently, the life of a writer is pretty boring, because a moment later, she drew lines across the page, gathered up ten or so stuffed animals, and school was in session.

Why do I get the feeling that I’d just been schooled?

Only a writer would think this

So yesterday, thanks to rain and traffic, I ran out of audio book during my commute. I was, tragically, reduced to listening to drive-time radio. You know something’s out of whack when you voluntarily channel surf to Radio Disney because, you know, they might be playing something better.

And is it possible for a station to play a block of Tom Petty songs and NOT include Free Fallin’?

I didn’t think so. That song always makes me think of the movie Jerry McGuire (“You had me at hello.”), which makes me think of Tom Cruise. Then I think of Tom Cruise jumping all over Oprah’s couch like a maniac, like a crazy person, enthusiastically. 

But I digress. One station is sponsoring a “50K every workday” contest. So, did I hear this and think:

“Wow. 50,000 dollars. That’s a lot of money.”

No. I did not. Sad to say, the first thought that crossed my mind was:

“Wha–? They’re giving away 50,000 words?”

I’m not making this up. Besides, they could give away 50,000 words. After all, there are all those NaNoWriMo novels out there.