Showing posts with label Bad Boy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bad Boy. Show all posts

Wednesday, January 1, 2020

Hello New Year




Happy 2020!

I wanted to have a prolific post for the new year. Or even a lighthearted one full story of Roaring 20s references. 

But the sad fact of the matter is I’ve hardly slept since before Christmas, I feel like a half dead dog who’s been run over by a semi truck and run through a meat grinder (twice) and I just don’t have that poetic and witty post in me. 

I just read through last year’s first post and it could almost exactly be used for this year as well. 
We’ve got 15” of snow, we’ve had the usual Christmas gatherings. 

But some things are totally new. We’re in a new house and I’m loving it. Our new baby will be joining us in just a few weeks. Life is good. 

Yes, there’s been stress, but there had also been growth. It’s been a wild ride of a year. I’m excited to see what this new year brings. 

I’ve got a few goals, but I don’t know that I’d call them resolutions. I haven’t been writing this past month, and I want to get back to it. Blood and Dust is out on query again, and I’m hoping to revise Mad Hatter and Bad Boy in the meantime. If I’m really ambitious maybe I’ll even draft the Viking story, but we’ll see. 
I want to get some more things set up and decorated with the house, and I want to enjoy this new season of motherhood. 

I want to learn (again, because it never seems to stick) to be happy and content. To give the reins to God and not be so determined to fight my own battles. Or create them. 

So here’s to 2020. Let’s do it. 

Wednesday, May 22, 2019

A Writing Update


Hi guys!
Up until it started raining, we were enjoying some very nice (very hot) weather. The rain was good though. Get the crops coming up. So no complaints from me.
With the downpour came the ability to stay in the house and do some writing, so since I don't have a lot else to talk about, that's what I'm going to update you on today.
Blood and Dust
I believe I mentioned that Kara Swanson and I have been going over Blood and Dust with a fine tooth comb and tweaking it a bit. It's going very well, I think.
I'm keeping a lot of aspects of the western gunslinger type world, but we both agree that it basically reads just like a western with the title dystopia slapped over the top. So we're adding some ground work to really draw out the futuristic aspect, and I'll be changing the villain's motives quite a bit. Cole is getting a bit of a makeover too, though he's still my baby and I won't destroy him (I promise), and new characters are being added that I think you all will really love.
Kara is more of a plotter than I am, so things are going a bit slower as we really nail down some concepts about character motive and the climax, etc. Which is super cool, really, because I feel like she's stepping in and pointing out some of the stuff pantser me missed that will really help enhance the story and bring it into something very unique.
I can't wait for you guys to see it.
Bad Boy
Lately I've just been trying to think of a title for this one. To no avail, obviously. I thought about just calling it Brass Talan, but that's just not resonating with me.
I opened the doc up the other day, along with comments from my first two beta readers.
I have a third beta reader who really wants to read it and needed a bit more time to get school finished up, so I'm waiting before I do any major changes till I hear her thoughts. Which is perfectly fine. I've got enough to keep me busy for awhile.
One of my beta readers suggested some political aspects, and a few deeper twists with Brass that I think will be really fun to explore and try to bring to the surface.
After staring at the doc yesterday for half an hour though I decided my mind really isn't on that story, so there's no point staring at it. I think getting the comments from the last beta reader will be exactly the motivation I'll need to dive back into it fresh.
Mad Hatter
This one is still out to beta readers, but I had some awesome feedback from the first beta reader to finish up so I've been really contemplating that.
She really saw the magic I was trying to convey but missing, and gave me some great ideas on how to flesh out the skeleton I have written right now.
I've been doing a lot of character questionnaires and worksheets for this one, which is super unusual for me, but has been very helpful, since I struggled to connect with these characters.
It's really been fun to see where the characters share the same goals, and where they differ completely in their motivations. Oh, and backstory. Backstory, guys. Malec's gonna make me cry if it's the last thing he does. I love it.
Viking
Go Teen Writers is hosting their 100 for 100 challenge, and I absolutely love it because it's easy but helps me be consistent. But since I'm mostly plotting and editing on my other three projects I didn't have anything to write.
So I broke down and started Vikings. I don't know if it's silly of me to have so many projects open at once. I feel like they're all in different stages, so I'm not just jumping from new idea to new idea.
I guess it's my form of letting myself relax. Editing is work, and I kind of treat it like that. I'll sit down and I'll develop a concept or rewrite a chapter. Then working on drafting gets to be my fun, just for me, time.
So anyway, I started Vikings. It's only about 300 words long, as I'm only required to write 100 words a day, but I think it's going to be fun. I'm trying to figure out Ailith's voice, as she's somehow floundering between medieval tones and modern. I've never written for this type of setting, and haven't read a whole lot either, so I'm trying to figure out what this speech pattern looks like.
I've got a Pinterest board  for it that I'm absolutely in love with, and some songs on Spotify that really set the mood. I'm being super careful not to copy Adrienne Young with Sky in the Deep, although my plot and characters are totally different, so I think I'm safe except for the Viking aspect of it.
I've got the vaguest outline for this one. Normally I would take much longer to flesh the idea out in my head before writing it, but I wanted a 100 for 100 project, so here I am winging it. I do know some of the essentials, so I think there will be enough that I can at least muddle out 100 words a day until I can find some solid story footing.
We shall see.
So that's what I've been up to. A lot more plotting and planning than I'm used to, but I'm really enjoying exploring that aspect of writing. I don't think I'll ever be a true plotter, but it's definitely helpful when I'm feeling stuck on something.
 What about you? Are you a plotter or pantser? Has spring weather arrived where you live?

Friday, January 26, 2018

Bad Boy Snippets

 
Hello all!
 
I've had a pretty busy week, writing wise. The cows started calving, so Jarod has been getting up at 5:30 in the morning to go check them, so I've been getting up with him, and I've developed a pretty good schedule.
 
In the morning, I work on revising The Guns. I've made it to chapter four so far, and it's going good, I think. Things are definitely starting to fall together.
 
Henry usually wakes up about eight (except today. He slept till eleven. Wow), so I work on it till seven thirty, when I go do the outside chores. Once Henry wakes up I'll start my normal day and do laundry, dishes, etc. Whatever needs done housework wise, play with and read to him, and all that fun stuff.
 
He typically takes a nap at ten in the morning, so then I pull up my Bad Boy story, and work on it till its time to make dinner. (Sometimes I work on it while making dinner, depending on what manner of food stuffs might end up spilled on my laptop)
 
Jarod comes home and we eat, and then Henry wakes up and we continue doing whatever needs done around the house, and then around three he takes another nap, so I work on my 1868 story.
 
It's all coming along splendidly. The schedule makes me work on all of them equally, but I can jump to a different story for awhile if I start to get burnt out on one, or have to spend some time brainstorming a bit, I can do that while folding laundry.
 
And I'm loving these stories.
 
I thought I'd share some snippets with you, for the fun of it. They're all from Bad Boy, since I've posted Gun snippets before, and I haven't got far enough into the story to have really rewritten anything drastically enough to post more.
I like the premise of the 1868 story, but its the shortest one so far, and I'm still trying to figure out who my characters really are and whatnot, so there's nothing terribly exciting going on yet. Maybe later.
 
So, here you are.
 
Bad Boy Snippets:
 
Stopping in the shadow of an empty warehouse, Brass pulled the parchment from his pocket and allowed himself to read it.
                King Bursett calls recent string of fires, “work of a common criminal.” Orders Dukes to get control of their provinces.
                Below the headline it droned on about Princess Tamille traveling to meet with her betrothed Prince of Ellillion, and the dry winter Khassan had suffered, with speculation about how spring would go and what type of crops would come of it.
                Brass read the first line again and crumpled the paper in his fist, shoving it in his pocket and stalking out onto the packed street.
                A common criminal, was he? King Bursett would pay for those words. He would eat every one of them.
                                                                                                                                     
 
          The Gold Rudder was a tavern on the far north west corner of the Spills, almost to the edge of town. Behind it, was nothing but a splay of barren rocky ground and the cliffs that dropped to the Plannack Sea below. Tattered curtains hung in the open windows, blowing in the breeze. The door was on its hinges, but just barely, and he could see through the roof in one place. It was anything but golden.
                                                                                                                                    
He studied the guards as they moved around the camp, helping to set everything up. They wore swords, but beyond that they didn’t seem incredibly defensible. He wouldn’t call them lenient in their duties, but he’d only seen two of them actually stop and survey the area. They clearly weren’t expecting much trouble. Most of the time they would be right, but the king really should know better. He’d insulted Brass after all.
                                                                                                                                  
She jerked her hands away and tried to brush the leaves from her thin nightgown. “Cad.” She hissed, glaring at him.
She was brave, he’d give her that. Not her smartest feature. “That’s not very nice. I’m not insulting you.” He folded his arms.
“Nice!” She laughed. “You’ve kidnapped me in my nightgown, and just threatened to kill me. What do you call that?”
“I’d say generous.” He shrugged and gathered up the reigns again. “I could have actually killed you. Your father is solely to blame for this entire incident, so you can take it up with him if you ever get back. As for the nightgown,” he tipped his head, “it could have been worse. You could have been born into a family that couldn’t afford nightgowns. Or I could have kidnapped you while bathing. Then where would you be?”
                                                                                                                                  
“You’ll never get away with this you know.” Her voice went low. “My father will find you. I’m betrothed to Prince Rulan of Ellillian. You’ll hang for this.”
Brass jerked the horse to a halt and she nearly pitched forward off his neck. “One more rule. Keep your yammering to yourself, or I’ll gag you again.”
He dug his heels into the horse, not waiting for her response. “And, incidentally, there’s a long line of people who want to see me hanged. Your father and dearly beloved will have to get in line.”
He felt her body stiffen, but she refrained from talking, which was a relief. Now, if she could just do that all the way to Bannock Town.
                                                                                                                                
“Now, I’m going to untie your hands, and you’re going to change into these clothes. We’re more likely to encounter travelers from here on, and we don’t want to offend the locals with that vulgar display of skin.” He eyed her bare shoulders.
She jutted her chin out at him, anger smoldering in her dark eyes. “I am not changing in front of you.”
“Then by all means, change behind me.” He tucked the clothes under his arm and tugged her hands toward him, picking at the knots.
She sucked in a deep breath. “Do you want money? All you have to do is say so. My father will pay for my safe return. I have two kingdoms at my disposal.”
“I’ve got plenty of money.” He tugged her hands free and handed her the shirt. “Don’t think you can outrun me.”
She crossed her arms over her chest and he grinned, turning his back on her. He waited, listening to her ragged breathing. There was no sound of fabric brushing over her hair. He rolled his eyes. Foolish girl. She was actually going to try it.