[ruecole Posts: 475 Status: Offline MG Writer WWW]

No words today, but I did work out some backstory stuff that needed to be addressed before I could write any further.

Rue

[Marissa Doyle Posts: 3,731 Status: Offline Charles Bewitched: out now! WWW]

Not much here either...but a tiny bit. 

[Verla Kay Posts: 5,902 Status: Offline Invite Verla Kay to speak in your area WWW]

Today my editor sent me yet another round of text changes she wants made in my Civil War Drummer Boy book - the one I SOLD in 2001 that is finally going to be published in 2012. I don't want to make these changes and am fighting to keep the text the way it is. I will probably lose, but I'm hoping I'll be able to convince her that "my way" of telling the story is the "right" way.

[Joanna Posts: 174 Status: Offline WWW]

Today I somehow managed to write 1k on my WIP in-between finishing "Mockingjay." I really don't know how it happened. So far, Draft #2 is 9500 words longer than Draft #1; this is rather frightening, as I'm not even halfway through yet…

Sounds like everyone is making progress!! Verla, I hope you get to keep your text unchanged!

[thunderingelephants Posts: 1,309 Status: Offline]

Still reading these posts makes me sad and completely lazy.  However, I have an excuse for yesterday so today I WILL work on my w.i.p.  One beastie boy is beside me, the other in bed so in theory I could write, but I know I will leave it til this afternoon.
On a positive note, it's just been confirmed that I am attending the SCBWI Conference in September.
Check in with you later.
Truffles will hopefully be on offer later.

[Verla Kay Posts: 5,902 Status: Offline Invite Verla Kay to speak in your area WWW]

Which conference, thunderingelephants? The one in Spokane, WA? Or one of the other ones? Let us know!

[Raynbow]

I haven't been here in a long time, but my kids started school and my youngest is in preschool three times a week, so I've been getting a lot of writing time in. So happy to be back at it! 

[thunderingelephants Posts: 1,309 Status: Offline]

Which conference, thunderingelephants? The one in Spokane, WA? Or one of the other ones? Let us know!

Alas, no, Verla.
The one in Ireland.  It is only the second SCBWI here and it's being held on September 11th.
Don't know if anyone is interested, but here's a link.  Last year's one was excellent but there was a lot discussed that I had seen mentioned here, and unfortunately, not many people in Ireland know about Verla Kay.  I don't think most of the speakers did.  Doesn't matter though, this is my haven, as you've probably been annoyed about on many times.  I talk too much.
http://www.childrensbooksireland.ie/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=280&Itemid=191
Didn't work much today either.  About fifty words. John walked the feet off me yesterday.

[Marissa Doyle Posts: 3,731 Status: Offline Charles Bewitched: out now! WWW]

Hi Raynbow!  Good to see you here!

A page yesterday and one and a half so far today, but we're gearing up to take child #1 back to college this weekend so that may be it for a few days.  At least I'm not walking around with tears in my eyes the way I was last year when he left for freshman year.

Congrats on the conference, Fiona!

[Artemesia Posts: 4,527 Status: Offline WWW]

Good Golly, Marissa!! I've seen a picture of you and I'd not have guessed you have college aged kids!! Do you have a moldy painting hidden away in your attic? 

Verla, I hope you win out against your ed and she lets you keep your words. It sounds like you have strong reasons!

I didn't get any work done yesterday (couldn't put off the housework any longer, yuck!) but I did make it to the library and got some books to read that are in the same vein as the YA I'm outlining. Oh, and I browsed the PBs, and Fiona I saw a board book about a cat named Mog, made me think of you and your beastie! 

Hoping to make some progress today. 

[thunderingelephants Posts: 1,309 Status: Offline]

Awww...Artemesia.
Mog would be delighted.  He is featured in one of my stories under an alias, for very good reasons.  He's actually watch patrol at the moment, sitting up on the wndow ledge and miaowing at everything that passes.  Until I fill his bowl and he'll come thundering down from my bed.
But first, I have to feed the other beastie boy.  Oh the mundane duties of domestic life.  Little wonder I seek solace in a coffee shop.
I hope you will wish me luck with my truffle batch...I am really going to need it. More work tomorrow.

[ruecole Posts: 475 Status: Offline MG Writer WWW]

I'm up to 959 words now! Whee!

Rue

[Liz Straw Posts: 1,084 Status: Offline That was a yummy book!]

I tried to open my WIP and my fingers wouldn't let me.  I tried about three times and nothing happened.  No progress, maybe I bleed to many words the other day, even if it was for the good of the story.  (Oh, yeah I did keep the draft of that story... I need to put it away on a memory stick and forget about it for now... so I can save parts of it later.)

 

[kiperoo Posts: 97 Status: Offline Poetry Editor, YARN WWW]

Still chugging along over here. Over 12K words total now. I'm getting close to 25% done with my goal length for the manuscript, aaaah.

I think there is something to be said for the whole plotting business. I'm using that 9-step process that was posted somewhere on the board a while back. Does anyone else use that, or something like it?

I'm finding that it is so much easier (for me) to plow through something when I've already mapped out the basics of what's going to happen, and I'm feeling like I'm actually going to be able to finish this!!

[thunderingelephants Posts: 1,309 Status: Offline]

Oh, Liz,
I suppose if we here on the Boards chose to be nasty, we could get    and tell you to get to it.  But I think  is more appropriate.
I got that yesterday and felt like  .  Hope today is better.

[Verla Kay Posts: 5,902 Status: Offline Invite Verla Kay to speak in your area WWW]

Just got an email from my editor. She LIKED the last version of Civil War Drummer Boy text changes that I made. It was a compromise between what she wanted and what I wanted. Glad to know it works for both of us. So the new text revisions are off to the illustrator today, so he can revise his sketches to fit them. I changed text for his drawings, now it's his turn to change sketches to fit my text. Hooray!

We have 18 people converging on us today for a triple birthday dinner party - three of them will be joining us for the weekend for overnight accommodations.  We're celebrating our son's birthday (Aug 28th), my sis-in-law's birthday (Aug 13th), and our daughter's birthday (Sept 1st) - which is also the anniversary of this message board. It was created and went on line  September 1st in 2003 - SEVEN years ago!

Yesterday I made three birthday cakes, one decorated chocolate fudge from a mix, and two cakes from scratch - a lemon cake with lemon/orange glaze topping, and a carrot cake with cream cheese frosting, as well as a macaroni salad, a dip for chips, and chili-cheese appetizers. Today I'll be preparing the rest of the meal for everyone - 24 fried chicken breasts, mashed potatoes (freshly dug from our garden) and gravy, chinese chicken salad, and stuffed zucchini (also freshly picked from our garden), so I won't be working on much writing this weekend. I'll most likely be in the kitchen all day every day.

[kiperoo Posts: 97 Status: Offline Poetry Editor, YARN WWW]

Verla, that's GREAT news about your Civil War revisions!!! Congrats! 

[Artemesia Posts: 4,527 Status: Offline WWW]

hmmm, I wonder what one might need to do to get invited for dinner at Verla's...   That all sounds so amazing Verla!! And yay about your edits!! 

[thunderingelephants Posts: 1,309 Status: Offline]

That sounds great, Verla.
Couldn't get rid of John, so no work done.  BUT I thought about it which is work of sorts...isn't it?

[Verla Kay Posts: 5,902 Status: Offline Invite Verla Kay to speak in your area WWW]

hmmm, I wonder what one might need to do to get invited for dinner at Verla's...   That all sounds so amazing Verla!! And yay about your edits!! 

I had to laugh my head off when I read this message this morning, Artemesia. Because what my family does to me is this:

They simply call my daughter or my niece (who both live here in town, too) and tell them when they are coming to visit. Then my daughter or niece calls me and lets me know we're having overnight/weekend/week-long/whatever company on those dates. That's how this party started. That's how almost all of the parties that take place at our house get started.

So... when did you say you were coming? And how many of you will there be?

[Artemesia Posts: 4,527 Status: Offline WWW]

SQUEEEEE!!! Um, 5 more for dinner and we'll be bringing our bathing suits.   (I saw the hot tub in your house pics!! lol)

[Marissa Doyle Posts: 3,731 Status: Offline Charles Bewitched: out now! WWW]

Wrong side of the country, Verla.  Sigh...I hope you're not too busy to enjoy yourself!

No more work today though I got more done last night...and Artemisia is my new best friend. 

Road trip tomorrow--see you all next week!

[kiperoo Posts: 97 Status: Offline Poetry Editor, YARN WWW]

Have a great trip, Marissa! I just dropped off my college-aged daughter for her second year too, and it was soooo much easier than last year. No tears even!

See you back here when you're back!

[Joanna Posts: 174 Status: Offline WWW]

Mmmmmm I want to come for dinner too, Verla! Sounds delicious! And congrats on the edits!! So glad you reached the perfect compromise!

I just finished writing the scene I started on Wednesday—still going waaaaaay too slow, but making progress!! I'm determined to finish this chapter by the end of the week!

[MaryWitzl]

200 measly words today, but I read my critique partner's comments and incorporated most of them into the story.

Kiperoo, my daughter starts her second year at university in two weeks, and I'm betting it'll be easier. Especially when I don't have to hear her music blasting down the stairs every.single.day.

[Artemesia Posts: 4,527 Status: Offline WWW]

t...and Artemisia is my new best friend. 

sweeeet. 

[Marissa Doyle Posts: 3,731 Status: Offline Charles Bewitched: out now! WWW]

Have a great trip, Marissa! I just dropped off my college-aged daughter for her second year too, and it was soooo much easier than last year. No tears even!

Last year was sooooooooooooo hard.  Tears at the drop of a hat (like when making dinner for four instead of five).  It's definitely a lot easier this year, though I'll still miss the heck out of him (we've always been very close).

[Liz Straw Posts: 1,084 Status: Offline That was a yummy book!]

I worked on my WIP until I realized I was skimming my own writing not a good sign!

[AnneB Posts: 3,495 Status: Offline]

I managed 650 words.

[Juvpoetess]

No writing yesterday or today. I did learn more about writing, though.

Yesterday I went to the library and read three Jane Yolen PBs. I also checked out Harold's Idiots Guide...  And today, I did an exercise he suggests: typing out parts of books you want to study. I'm reading two very different books, one by Lloyd Alexander and the other by Diana Wynne Jones. It's very cool!

This evening, I got a message from a fellow member of our region's SCBWI chapter. I might have a local critique partner!

Keep up your writing, pals. 
Rebecca