Absolute Write

Change is Good, Bad, and Ugly (But Mostly Good!)

May 2, 2014 by Tori 3 Comments

2014 has been crazy so far in ways both good and bad. We moved to a new place on December 28 and rang in the new year trying to get things set up to be functional enough to survive. The move was great for us though. We now have more room and a few acres, complete with a big front yard and a small bit of woods in the back. We also have an abundance of doors and a certain youngest child who likes to escape whenever he deems the weather nice enough to ride scooters on the back patio.
New Year’s Day was a sad in that my husband’s stepfather lost his battle with cancer. And after a few weeks, another relative of his was in a serious car accident. If the other driver hadn’t been paying attention, he likely would have died.
Now we are settling into a new routine. Kidlet 1 loves to ride the bus, so thanks to a flexible work schedule, I was able to shift things around so she can ride in the mornings. I think her sister looks forward to riding with her when she starts Kindergarten next year.

Then the news came that we are losing my mother as childcare at the end of this summer. I understand the reasons, but it doesn’t make the finding of a new care provider and the associated costs easier. I do look forward to my mother being able to the “grandparent things” which means it might be possible for my kidlets to stay the night on occasion, which would let the hubs and I have some time together. So it’s not the most awesome thing, but it’s not the most terrible.

I challenged myself to do the 2013-2014 Sekrit Solstice SFF Story Swap, affectionately dubbed the SSSFFSS, over at Absolute Write. I was given a prompt to write a story of indeterminate length. Then polish and give to a fellow writer. I’ve not done something like that, and I’ve not shared anything really before, so it was a new and boundary-pushing experience for me. I enjoyed it, and my giftee seemed to enjoy the story, so I was pleased with the overall experience. I’m challenging myself to write more this year, and I’ve opened up a whole new world with my short that makes me look forward to writing.

I’m trying something new where I dedicate a section to each post of something interesting in the writing arena, especially writer folks with an upcoming book or intriguing blog post. So, look no further, writer shout outs are below.

Several of my online writerly buddies have upcoming works:

Anna Zabo has new book coming out in August. Takeover looks mighty intriguing and the cover is gorgeous. You might remember I featured Anna and hosted a book giveaway when Close Quarter came out.

Tiffany Allee just had a book come out. Don’t Blackmail the Vampire is a delicious tale you can really sink your teeth into. (Don’t mind me, I’m just a dork.)

One of my favorite author teams has a THE mega book in the series coming out later this year. Ilona Andrews has the next Kate Daniels book coming out in July. Magic Breaks is the pivotal book in the series. Can’t wait! There is also a new series coming out in October, the first book titled Burn for Me. Also, the lovely duo has picked back up with the second book in their free serial, Sweep in Peace.

What new things do you have going on?

NaNo: Pantsing Your Novel

October 31, 2012 by Tori 1 Comment

If you belong to one of the major (or perhaps any) writing forums across the vast Interwebs, you will learn there is a common argument among writers on the best way write. Some will argue that one must have an outline, the more thorough, the better. Others will promptly argue that one simply cannot write with all the stuffy outlining. It restricts the story and makes it impossible to write. And you have the Outliner vs. Pantser war. I’d say one can find these debates about once a month over on the forums at Absolute Write.

However, there is only one true rule for writing: You do what works for you and ignore the rest. There are a plenty of guidelines and good practices, particularly when one is a novice and just learning about the craft. But at some point you must cast off the recommendations of others and decide where you stand yourself.

The year before last when I tried NaNo, I outlined and I struggled. I found myself bored with my own story and that’s no way to write. Last year, I had an idea and then I just pantsed my efforts. I found I enjoyed myself so much more. And let’s face it, at this point, I’m not trying for publication and fun is all I have, so if I’m going to spend my precious time on anything, it’s going to be something that I enjoy. Free time is almost nonexistent at this stage of my life and I’m going to treasure it.

For this year’s NaNo, I had an idea about sword-wielding elven warrior/bodyguard. She has a chip on her shoulder and she manages to catch a ship on fire. That’s it. Then, I decided I probably should have some sort of idea what this chick’s deal is, so I wrote the prequel/prologue doohickie that I posted the other day. I learned she’s angry about her father’s death and her brother is the king. Also, that as a culture, everyone takes a shadow walk to learn about their future.

And that’s pretty much all I have to go. No fancy outlines, no bullet points, no diagrams. I just sit down at the computer, read a few lines of where I left off, and start writing. Then I keep writing. I figure I can outline my story during the editing phase. Since I’m using Scrivener, I just make a new notecard for every scene, so that if ever I need to swap scenes around and remove them all together, I can do it easily.

And this is what seems to be working for me. So I’m going to keep doing. Now, to just finish a novel…

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In other news, my NaNo t-shirt arrived. This is the first year I’ve purchased one and I’m pretty excited to have it.

And I’m loving Adele’s new song, Skyfall. It has that epic, climatic feel to it. Of course, it’s for a movie, so there’s probably a good reason for that.

What’s new in your world? Everyone ready for NaNo? Not much time left. Tick, tock, tick, tock…

NaNoWriMo Progress

November 12, 2011 by Tori 3 Comments

So we are between a third and halfway through National Novel Writing Month. I am behind, which I expected. But I am now taking my week of vacation, so I hope to be able to catch up among other things.

I will admit I have been getting up a little early to squeeze in a few words most mornings, which if I did this regularly, I could probably write year round. It’s a habit I need to build because I love writing. It’s fun, relaxing and just a part of me.

This last week, my husband has been exceptionally helpful around the house, so that makes my life easier too. I’ve crossed the 3k mark on my NaNo novel, which was a random idea I did for one of the Sunday Flash Fiction Challenges from Absolute Write. Best place on the interwebs evah!

I am looking forward to doing this though, so I am going to keep trucking along.

My Love Affair with Social Media

June 24, 2011 by Tori Leave a Comment

It started so out so simple and innocent. I think it was a few of my writer friends from Absolute Write that introduced me to Twitter. Then I eventually joined Facebook. Now I can’t keep my hands off social media.

The biggest thing I love about it is that I can interact with so many different people. There are so many viewpoints and you can have a well rounded conversation with all sides of a topic being addressed. I know I can throw out something I’m having issues with and get a ton of good ideas in return.

And now that businesses are really stepping up their game, I get all the benefits there. From special offers and bonus coupons to well-targeted customer service, companies that manage to hit the mark in the social media market are going to be well ahead of the rest of the game.

All the methods of social media provide an easy way to keep in touch with family and friends I rarely see. Now, my personal preference is to keep close family and friends on Facebook and loads of other people on Twitter and in the writing forums I belong to. This is just how I segregate the really personal stuff from the not-so-personal stuff.

The various social places I hit up include:

Absolute Write Water Cooler – This is an internet forum and while forums aren’t a modern form of a social network, I would consider them one of the first. There are people from all walks of life here and everyone shares advice, information, and support unconditionally. It’s a labor of love for everyone involved and one of my favorite places on the internet.

Twitter – The primary reason that I got an iPhone was so that I could tweet any time, any place. Seriously. I love Twitter. Most of the people I connect with on Twitter are big into writing, social media or the weather. And speaking of weather, Twitter is my go-to spot if the power goes out and I need updates because our Tri-state area does a fantastic job of keeping up with real-time updates of what’s going with the weather.

Facebook – Mostly I connect with my family and friends that I know in real life on Facebook. I talk a lot about my children, sharing frustrations, joys, concerns, photos and video. It’s not the stuff I really want everyone to see, so it’s more private. I don’t friend people I don’t know.

Social media provides a means to connect people who might otherwise never meet up and I think that’s a very important thing. It’s really broadened my perspective to talk to people I would never have known of if it weren’t for the internet.

It’s why I love it so.