My Apologies

Long time, no updates, and for that I apologize.  Things have been a little strange lately and writing was put on the back burner.  But now, I am getting back on track!

If memory serves, the last major update I had to offer you was that I had received my first proof copy of Shattered and was passing copies out to “beta readers.”  I put out five of these copies to trusted individuals, one of whom has finished it already.  I would like to take this moment to thank Emmy Yacapin for her quick reading and awesome feedback!  Her review was very positive and makes me even more excited to share it with the rest of the world.

Just a few tidbits:

  1. I have had a few individuals approach me about creating cover art for the official copies and so I will probably post some options for all of your thoughts when the time comes so keep an eye open!
  2. Rather than put Shattered out for purchase just yet, I am going to start checking out the literary agent side of things so I will probably go quiet on Shattered news for a while.
  3. I am nearing the end of my world/culture building on the “Untitled” novel and hope to do some preliminary plot-work this weekend.  I will probably wait until after finals week to start digging into the actual writing but I would like to pump out a full draft by the end of the year (at the very latest).  It should go pretty quick once I get going.

And that about wraps it up!  I hope you have all had a wonderful Spring and are starting to see the glimpses of Summer.  While all of you are out having fun in the sun these next few months I will be working on my fluorescent tan as I break back into power-writing!  As this “Untitled” book starts to develop I will get back into more regular updating.

Thanks again for bearing with me everyone, until next time…

- Rachel

Important Link Change! – Untitled New Series

I have now changed what was known as the “Evangeline Moira Series” to “Untitled New Series” to help clarify that this is being completely altered.  The plot has changed so that I will no longer prescribe myself to any preconceived notions I had about this story, giving it room to grow naturally.  Sorry for the confusion but I assure you it is for the best.

I haven’t said much about the series to begin with so it can be safely assumed that my broad previous updates still apply to the story but that all new information will be labeled with “Untitled New Series” until I figure out a name that truly fits.

There is a small blurb over at the page so see the new center for the series here.  Thank you for your patience and understanding!  I can’t wait to add more and give you a better idea of the story but for now I am going to focus on bringing it to life.

-Rachel

Completed Edit and First Edition Copies

Hello again everyone!  It has been a couple of weeks and there are exciting developments.

Completed Manuscript

First, the copy-edit is done!  Essentially this means that Shattered is now complete and ready to send out to literary agents.  Second, this means that it is also ready for “first edition” printing.  These first editions are going to be given to beta readers but otherwise kept in my own care and not available to the general public.

After beta reading I will be focusing on the business side of Shattered and dig into the new series, Evangeline Moira.  This brings me to another very important point…

Shattered First Edition (Modeling credit to Lauren Kelley)

After going back and working on world building a little more I am realizing that there is much more to Evangeline Moira than I previously thought.  In short, I will be completely revamping the story, taking all  of the rules and ideas I had about the story and turning them on their heads.  I will be starting over, with literally everything.

Shattered First Edition (Back Cover)

This is a very good thing as the new stuff is incredibly exciting.  At this stage it is mostly building up the culture, setting, and characters so updates will probably be sparse for a while.

And now it’s back to work.  Keep checking in with “Evangeline Moira” or what I am now calling “Untitled.”

-Rachel

What’s next?

The weekend is coming to a close and I am beginning to pull things together for Shattered’s final draft.  As I mentioned in my Twitter feed, I had to go back and work on the early chapters a little more, being unsatisfied with the original product.  I didn’t make it very far last night before I was nonsensical mess and so it will probably be a few days before it is where I want it to be.

That being said, my copy editor is on vacation anyway so the draft will be done just in time.  After that it will just be a matter of waiting for that edit to be done, during which time I will begin to dig into my two other projects: Deviated (Shattered’s sequel) and my sci-fi/dystopian series, Evangeline Moira.

I will also be posting a compilation of the quotes from Shattered in the near future so keep an eye out for that.  And now it is back to the grind, hope you all had a great weekend!

-Rachel

Happy Holidays and Shattered Updates!

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season!  I haven’t posted in a while and here’s why:  I have been absolutely swamped with writing since the beginning of November and have been so focused I didn’t actually realize how much time had passed until I was suddenly informed that it was Christmas Eve.

So, here is what has been happening since I last checked in:

By 11:59 pm on November 30th I had passed the 70,000 word mark and was finishing up the last couple chapters of Shattered.  Around December 3rd I passed 87,000 words and finished the end of the book, turning my sights to the first half.  At this point, I took a little break (something of sleep-deprivation induced coma you could say).

For the most part though, I have been working through the first half of the book, which should connect back at around Chapter Twelve which is where I began the second half rewrite back during NaNoWriMo.  Last night I finished Chapter Four and am about a third of the way through Chapter Five with five days to finish the book.  I am past 100,000 words now with about 20,000 to go.

So where does this leave Shattered?  The book’s final edit will be done by the new year and after that there will be a round of copy editing before I print my five free copies through CreateSpace (a gift from NaNoWriMo!) and let the beta-readers have a go.  Basically, by about mid-January I would guess, the book should be ready to query (read How to Publish a Book – An Essay for information on this process).  After that I will focus on the Evangeline Moira project as well as Shattered’s sequel, Deviated.

I don’t really intend to slow down after Shattered is complete, having a bit too much fun with it all if I’m being honest!

I will also continue to post the quotes (see Quotable) for Shattered until it is completed on the night of December 31st.  They will be short and can be found in my Twitter feed!  The end is near and I can’t wait!

Have a fantastic new year, I will see you in 2012!

-Rachel

To 50,000 and Beyond

Yesterday, I had the immense pleasure of passing the 50,000 word line for NaNoWriMo 2011 while working through Chapter Twenty Three.  Unfortunately, this does not mean the book is over just yet.  I estimate it will take me to 60,000 words (or just over) to finish up the end of the story and then I will use the month of December to go back and clean up the first half.

The Promise of Perseverance

On the bright side, I am halfway through Chapter Twenty Four right now at just under 55,000 words and things are starting to come together in a way that really feels right.  I can not explain the importance of that last bit.

Back on track:  I still expect to be done with it all by the end of December and feel extremely proud of this last month alone.  I was able to meet some great people through this experience (particularly those I just met at the Soirée of Furious Typing in Portland earlier tonight) and was greatly impressed by what others were able to accomplish this month.

50,000 words is hard.  50,000 good words is even harder.  Many hours of sleep have been sacrificed in the month of November and I think everyone involved with NaNoWriMo deserves a great round of applause.

Congratulations to all!  I will continue to update through my personal NaNoWriMo – Part Two (through the month of December) and will keep up the share of quotes from my writing as I go along.   Thank you again for bearing with me, it’s a long road and I realize I will probably certifiably crazy by the end of it.  Your support is incredible.

-Rachel

46,334 Words Later:

Just a quick NaNoWriMo/Editing update!  I have been live-tweeting this whole event but I just wanted to have another check-in before the month was out to give you all a heads up about coming plans and where Shattered is at right now.

Current Stats (as of Nov. 25th)

So at this very moment I am sitting on top of 46,334 brand new words written since the first of this month, all of which have been put on the page in a consecutive flow for Shattered’s rewritten second half.  With about five days left in the month I am just 3,666 words away from the finishing total of 50,000 words.  However, I am going to try to hit 60,000.

This is mostly because I will not be able to finish the second half of this book in 50,000 words and I am still wanting desperately to finish by the end of the month so that I can start the rewrite/finishing touches on the first half and call it a done deal by the end of the year.  If I push it I truly believe I can accomplish the goal – we will definitely know by the end of November!

And that leads me to “future plans.”  Which encompasses one thing at the moment: finish the book by 11:59 on December 31st.  As I mentioned in a previous post, I want to spend 2012 on my other projects (most notably the Evangeline Moira stories as well as Shattered’s sequel, Deviated) and be completely done with editing for a time.

On the editing note I would like to share a meme I have found quite fitting for the subject.  Credit for the drawing (and original meme) must go to Allie, the hilarious creator of the very entertaining blog, Hyperbole and a Half.

Every young writer begins the editing journey with a certain amount of enthusiasm – time to work out the kinks!  As shown here:

And then the honeymoon phase passes.  You realize that this is no simple task.  You spend days, nay months editing and rewriting, draft after draft.  And then you end up with this:

With that I bid you all a happy Thanksgiving and continue on the long editing path!

-Rachel

Quotable

This idea must be credited to my friend and talented writer, Joel Wilson.  A little while ago he suggested that a few of us fellow NaNo-ers should post our favorite quote from the day’s writing to share a piece of progress.  I have been slacking on the idea but think it would be great fun.  In part because this would force us to show we are actually doing something, but it would also give us the opportunity to share a little of what we love.  So, as often as I can remember I will be tweeting one quote from a piece of what I am writing that day.  I will keep it ambiguous (no spoilers, I promise!) but I hope it will give you a better feel for the story.

If any other NaNoWriMo contestants would like to partake, please go for it!  It is more fun than you would think and you might be surprised by the line you pick.  So, if you would like to see mine, you can follow me here.

-Rachel

Mid-Month Update

There are a few updates to report:

Current NaNoWriMo Stats

First, I would like to tell you all that NaNoWriMo is going very well.  It has been loads of fun so far and progress is picking up as we dig deeper into the 50,000 word quota.  I just finished Chapter Fifteen last night and am well into Chapter Sixteen already, essentially writing nonstop from about 11 pm  yesterday to 10 this morning.  It was quite a writing binge.

I am also happy to say that many of the other entrants are well ahead of schedule, already passing the 20,000 word mark!  This year has been really exciting to watch unfold and I would like to congratulate all of you who are sticking to it – this is not easy.  I am personally at just over 18,000 and proud of everything that has been put on paper in the last thirteen days.

Brandon Sanderson and I at his Seattle Signing

Second, I am incredibly pleased to announce that I had the immense privilege of meeting my favorite author and personal writing idol, Brandon Sanderson in Seattle this weekend for the signing of his new book, Alloy of Law.  I have been reading his work since he released his first novel, Elantris in 2006 and recommend him to everyone I know.  The man’s genius plotting and unique stories are enviable and meeting him was a wonderful experience.

Third, I am actually hoping to start delivering some of these updates via different media platforms and so:  I am currently considering using video updates for some of the information I would like to share as well as keeping a photo diary of certain things.  It’s up in the air for now but it could be interesting so we will see!

And finally, I am going to take this opportunity to give a huge shout out to my friend (and talented photographer/videographer) Anna Kramer as well as her sister, and fellow writer, Rachel Kramer who have stoically sat through hours of late night writing the last couple of weeks.  Not everyone will venture out past two in the morning so that you can tap away at some keys and ruin their sleep schedule.

Thank you all for the support and I will try to update with NaNoWriMo news again before the month is over!

-Rachel

NaNoWriMo!

November has begun and that means one very important thing:  NaNoWriMo has begun!  NaNoWriMo is the popular abbreviation of National Novel Writing Month, a month-long event that occurs every November, challenging aspiring authors everywhere to write 50,000 words in 30 days.  The goal of NaNoWriMo is to motivate those who have always wanted to finish a novel by giving them a challenging deadline.

It is a wonderful event that has struck the interest of individuals all across the globe, getting many started on the writing path they have been striving for.  The fantastic part of this experience is that it literally forces you to simply write.   Many writers struggle with first drafts as they feel need to write and edit at the same time, or they give themselves to much time to think (and then overthink).  NaNoWriMo fixes that by  giving you a daily quota of 1,667 words to fulfill – a more ambitious allotment than you might think.

It makes for one chaotic month but it is a welcome insanity.  Nothing will make you feel more accomplished than typing that final word and the stress is exhilarating.

I have taken up NaNoWriMo this year to help me reach my goal of rewriting the second half of Shattered and kick-start my final edit and with the help of a few writing buddies it has been going quite well!  After a few “late night writing sessions” – and plenty of coffee – Chapters Twelve and Thirteen have been completed as well as the bulk of Fourteen.

It is only day seven but writers are making great progress and having plenty of fun while they’re at it.  So, if you are interested, you should definitely register!  And if you do, don’t forget to add me as a writing buddy!  Finally, for those of you participating already and should need any help with motivation, there are writing groups that meet in your area and my small crew would be happy for your company.

Good luck to everyone involved and I urge any aspiring writers out there to take a look at the event for next year!  50,000 words in 30 days is certainly difficult but not impossible and definitely worth it.

-Rachel