Life is getting in the way of my revisions. Like, for reals. Lately, by the time I sit down at night all I want to do is turn my brain OFF. Cranking up the lap top and being creative for an hour or two just hasn't been at the top of my list. And that, my friends, sucks big time. And it needs to change. I am truly excited to get it done, get it to my readers, and await their revisions and comments. So why the procrastination?
My theory is that I'm way more proud of this novel than my first one- and I was hella proud of that one. Just being able to say I FINISHED IT was amazing. I mean, I wrote a book. One of my lifelong goals was complete. Well, minus the whole getting-it-published thing. But with this one...this one I feel personally attached to. I've spend the past year and a half reading virtually nothing by YA novels and learning, learning, learning from them. I've absorbed so much from my favorite authors and want more than anything to be a part of their community. So this time, I'm afraid the rejections that will inevitably come pouring in will sting a lot more.
So, perhaps somewhat unconsciously, I'm putting off finishing it? Totally possible, I guess.
Anyway, I'm just under 100 pages into revisions, which means I'm halfway done. I'm hoping the second half goes a bit faster than the first, but I also know there's a lot to be cleaned up and added in that second half.
Sorry about the lack of blogging lately, too...I'm going to try to be better, I promise!
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Just a tease...
I once read somewhere that you shouldn't post snippets of your work on your blog. I don't really remember what the reasoning behind it was, to be honest, but it freaked me out and I immediately deleted any posts I had with snippets from In My Mind's Eye.
However, this is MY blog. And shouldn't I feel free to post what I want to post? I mean, I'm not really worried about one of my readers stealing my ideas- and hey, if a snippet actually inspires someone else to write, isn't that a GOOD thing??
So, that being said, I'm going to say screw the rules and post a little teaser from After the Dream (still tentatively titled, as I mentioned before- I have another title in my mind that I think actually works better). This is one of my favorite parts of the story, where Ella and Riley really start to work together to learn about Anna's ghost's mystery. This chapter is about a third of the way into the book, from Ella's perspective.
I would love to know your thoughts! Questions, comments, concerns- although of course I won't be giving away any major spoilers. ;o)
Riley led me through the woods, holding back branches and stomping down brush for me as maneuvered his way expertly through them. Leaves danced frantically on the ground, trying to escape the relentless pull of the wind. I could taste snow in the air and buttoned my jacket all the way to my neck, shivering slightly. My hair whipped painfully around my face and kept getting stuck to my lips and eyelashes.
“It’s not much farther,” he assured me.
When Riley had called me this morning asking if I would come over, saying he wanted to show me some things to better explain his dreams, there was no way I could resist, especially after I’d committed myself to helping him on Friday night at Shelley’s. So that is why, on a very chilly Sunday afternoon, I was tromping through the woods with him, a little nervous and extremely cold.
I stumbled into him when he stopped suddenly at a small clearing. He appeared to be having some difficulty breathing as he looked around slowly, raising his face up to the sky.
“Riley?” I whispered, not sure what was going on. Or why I was whispering.
He turned to face me, only a few inches away. “This is it,” he said simply.
I took a step back and tried to see around him. “Um, what?” I didn’t see anything out of the ordinary, besides the fact that the trees weren’t quite as dense in this particular area. A crow cawed loudly above us, disrupting the quiet. I jumped. I was completely on edge out here for some reason, buzzing with nervous energy.
Riley turned back around and focused on the ground a few feet in front of him. I followed his gaze and found a small, longish stone that looked out of place here, even though it was half-buried into the earth. I moved towards it and knelt down, scraping dirt and debris from it.
Anna Tomlinson
Beloved
I stared at it, willing the name to mean something to me. There were no dates on the headstone, no information other than “beloved”. I looked curiously up at Riley.
“Whose grave is this?” I asked. “Who’s Anna?”
Riley remained silent as he stared down at me, kneeling by the grave.
I stood up. “Okay, now you’re officially freaking me out again.” I crossed my arms over my chest, hugging myself.
Riley’s eyes were still on the grave. He shook his head as though shaking off a bad memory and finally looked up at me. “No. I mean, I’m sorry-“
“Just explain why you brought me into the middle of the woods to show me some random old grave, please?”
Riley seemed to be having a difficult time figuring out how to explain. It almost looked like he was about to lose consciousness; his eyelids kept fluttering as he struggled to form words.
“Anna…is…the girl…help…I have to help her,” he sputtered.
I glanced back down at the grave. “Um, I think you’re a little late to help her,” I said gently.
Riley plopped down on a fallen tree and held his head in his hands. “She’s the girl in my dreams. The one who’s trying to tell me something.”
However, this is MY blog. And shouldn't I feel free to post what I want to post? I mean, I'm not really worried about one of my readers stealing my ideas- and hey, if a snippet actually inspires someone else to write, isn't that a GOOD thing??
So, that being said, I'm going to say screw the rules and post a little teaser from After the Dream (still tentatively titled, as I mentioned before- I have another title in my mind that I think actually works better). This is one of my favorite parts of the story, where Ella and Riley really start to work together to learn about Anna's ghost's mystery. This chapter is about a third of the way into the book, from Ella's perspective.
I would love to know your thoughts! Questions, comments, concerns- although of course I won't be giving away any major spoilers. ;o)
* * * * * *
Riley led me through the woods, holding back branches and stomping down brush for me as maneuvered his way expertly through them. Leaves danced frantically on the ground, trying to escape the relentless pull of the wind. I could taste snow in the air and buttoned my jacket all the way to my neck, shivering slightly. My hair whipped painfully around my face and kept getting stuck to my lips and eyelashes.
“It’s not much farther,” he assured me.
When Riley had called me this morning asking if I would come over, saying he wanted to show me some things to better explain his dreams, there was no way I could resist, especially after I’d committed myself to helping him on Friday night at Shelley’s. So that is why, on a very chilly Sunday afternoon, I was tromping through the woods with him, a little nervous and extremely cold.
I stumbled into him when he stopped suddenly at a small clearing. He appeared to be having some difficulty breathing as he looked around slowly, raising his face up to the sky.
“Riley?” I whispered, not sure what was going on. Or why I was whispering.
He turned to face me, only a few inches away. “This is it,” he said simply.
I took a step back and tried to see around him. “Um, what?” I didn’t see anything out of the ordinary, besides the fact that the trees weren’t quite as dense in this particular area. A crow cawed loudly above us, disrupting the quiet. I jumped. I was completely on edge out here for some reason, buzzing with nervous energy.
Riley turned back around and focused on the ground a few feet in front of him. I followed his gaze and found a small, longish stone that looked out of place here, even though it was half-buried into the earth. I moved towards it and knelt down, scraping dirt and debris from it.
Anna Tomlinson
Beloved
I stared at it, willing the name to mean something to me. There were no dates on the headstone, no information other than “beloved”. I looked curiously up at Riley.
“Whose grave is this?” I asked. “Who’s Anna?”
Riley remained silent as he stared down at me, kneeling by the grave.
I stood up. “Okay, now you’re officially freaking me out again.” I crossed my arms over my chest, hugging myself.
Riley’s eyes were still on the grave. He shook his head as though shaking off a bad memory and finally looked up at me. “No. I mean, I’m sorry-“
“Just explain why you brought me into the middle of the woods to show me some random old grave, please?”
Riley seemed to be having a difficult time figuring out how to explain. It almost looked like he was about to lose consciousness; his eyelids kept fluttering as he struggled to form words.
“Anna…is…the girl…help…I have to help her,” he sputtered.
I glanced back down at the grave. “Um, I think you’re a little late to help her,” I said gently.
Riley plopped down on a fallen tree and held his head in his hands. “She’s the girl in my dreams. The one who’s trying to tell me something.”
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Running Envy
I'm not going to lie: I'm totally jealous of people who can easily run a few miles. If you're one of those people I see effortlessly jogging along down the street, barely sweating or breathing heavily, I sort of hate you.
I don't know why I decided to put myself through the torture of attempting to run again. While I've, ahem, "let myself go" a bit these past few months, I still consider myself in fairly decent physical shape. However, nothing makes me doubt that more than when I hit the treadmill or the neighborhood streets for my walking/running intervals. I keep up a brisk walking pace without an issue, but when the voice in my ears prompts "RUN NOW" (I'm using the Couch to 5K program as a guide for now, but I'm stuck on week 2), I want to pass out and die after roughly 30 seconds. Seriously, why?? What is it about running that kills me??
Granted, I'm only getting out there about twice a week at best right now, but still, after about a month of this I would've thought I'd be getting better at it. Not. So. Much. Maybe I should just stick to spinning or pilates. Sigh.
Anyway, in writing news, I did manage to pound out a few revisions this past weekend, so I'm on my way. Revisions are the worst though, truly. I never feel completely DONE. Like, there's always a way to go back and make it even better.
I also wanted to say thanks to those of you who take a few minutes to read my ramblings. It's always the best feeling in the world when someone tells me they've read something I wrote and enjoyed it. The BEST feeling. So, thanks!!
I don't know why I decided to put myself through the torture of attempting to run again. While I've, ahem, "let myself go" a bit these past few months, I still consider myself in fairly decent physical shape. However, nothing makes me doubt that more than when I hit the treadmill or the neighborhood streets for my walking/running intervals. I keep up a brisk walking pace without an issue, but when the voice in my ears prompts "RUN NOW" (I'm using the Couch to 5K program as a guide for now, but I'm stuck on week 2), I want to pass out and die after roughly 30 seconds. Seriously, why?? What is it about running that kills me??
Granted, I'm only getting out there about twice a week at best right now, but still, after about a month of this I would've thought I'd be getting better at it. Not. So. Much. Maybe I should just stick to spinning or pilates. Sigh.
Anyway, in writing news, I did manage to pound out a few revisions this past weekend, so I'm on my way. Revisions are the worst though, truly. I never feel completely DONE. Like, there's always a way to go back and make it even better.
I also wanted to say thanks to those of you who take a few minutes to read my ramblings. It's always the best feeling in the world when someone tells me they've read something I wrote and enjoyed it. The BEST feeling. So, thanks!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)