I'm currently reworking THE TIES OF BLOOD, my alt-world Regency-era dark wizardy YA, a.k.a. my heart book. Adding the MC's "girlfriend's" POV wound up working much better than I'd expected, but something was still not-quite-right. Isi's first person sections were taking over the narrative, her voice so compelling it was detracting from the MC's storyline. Now, she's not in a number of key scenes, so having her narrate the whole thing wasn't ever going to work. So I decided to put the whole darn thing in first person, dual-narration.

I hadn't wanted A. in first person. For one, he's so very damaged it's just not a fun place to reside for however long it takes me to rework this opening yet again. {I'm always snappish & irritable when working on this part. Apparently I'm very method that way ;-)} For another thing, every other time I've written in his first-person voice, he sounds quite modern. But writing Isis in third didn't work, so I decided moving A. to first was what the story needed, & attempted reworking chapter one.

It was horrid. Dull & lifeless, making me throw my hands up in frustration. I knew how to fix the book, but it Would Not Cooperate. So I went back to my fifth ACCURSED revision (it was time to work on that anyway) & decided I'd try and plow ahead in the book some more before giving first person another go (yeah, that didn't happen, either).

Fast-forward to few weeks ago. I was in the kitchen-- I assume doing dishes, since I certainly wasn't cooking-- and a line popped into my head:

My father only ever cared for Marius.

And I knew I had found A's voice.

Now, I first "heard" him in first person, and then switched to third when I realized I couldn't sustain first person male POV for an entire novel (at the time-- I think I probably could now). I've gone back to first a few times for backstory or side-scenes or character interviews but never sustained it for long until now.

It's... odd. Being this close to him. Isis is a much more natural voice for me. I have to pay more attention in his voice. But it's so worth it to really see this story inside his head, however messed up it is at this particular point in the story.

And he's funny. I mean, I knew that, but it's different than being on the outside looking in.

Part of me wants to put all the POVs in third so I can switch as need be-- I'd love to give some scenes from Josephine or Mordecai or Connor-- but this feels right. Hard, as all good things are, but right.

Now if someone could tell him to talk a wee bit faster...

I'm currently working on three projects. Yeah. Three.

It was supposed to be only two-- writing the first draft of DARLINGTON and revising THE TIES OF BLOOD. Totally doable, right?

And then... My lovely brain decided to throw me a curve. See, back in February I got this idea for a new story. I think it was partly dream-inspired but I don't really remember the dream anymore, just waking up with an image in my mind & a couple characters. So as I do when these things happen, I wrote it down. I didn't get any more thoughts on it until June, when the MC's name changed. So I wrote it down, along with the other few notes I came up with at the same time.

Until Thanksgiving. And that was when my new MC, Nat, decided to give me all sorts of things. I was in the back of the minivan with my whole family, on the way home from my dad's cousin's house where we go every other year, and I had no paper (bad writer, no cookie!). But I did have my Reader. Which has a text notes section. So I sat there & tapped at the on-screen keyboard (poorly) for about a page worth of text.

I wrote about 1600 words when I got back that night and I knew I wasn't getting out of that story there. I also realized that, since I've been saying how I'm so-very-not a plotter, guess what? My brain threw a murder mystery at me.

I've always wanted to write a mystery. I'm totally a fantasy girl now, but growing up? Mystery all the way. My favorite Black Stallion book? The Black Stallion Mystery. My favorite Baby-Sitter's Club books were the mystery series. I inhaled Nancy Drew & The Nancy Drew Files. I graduated to Lilian Jackson Braun & Agatha Christie. I still watch mostly cop/detective shows on TV-- Castle & Bones specifically are my favorites, especially since both combine authors & crime-fighting. And now, I have a mystery on the brain! But...

How does one write a mystery???

Yes, ACCURSED is a mystery. But I freely admit that I had no idea it was when I started it, and that it morphs into one throughout the plot-- I had a lot of time to get to know the characters before I figured out whodunit. This new book, which I thought would be another exercise in setting like DARLINGTON (I'm calling it Alt-World Futuristic Historical), is turning into an exercise in plotting instead. Because I have to know who killed Inger to get anywhere past the first couple chapters.

My brain feels very 'splodey thinking about it. But also excited. I'm gleefully planning to read more Agatha Christie than I've read in the last few years, re-watch all my Castle DVDs, and my copy of Sue Grafton's "Writing Mysteries", which is already tabbed-up from revising ACCURSED, is about to get even more post-its.

Of course, I'm also still working on DARLINGTON (all I have is with my CP awaiting her cheer-leading) & THE TIES OF BLOOD, which now has a new first line in A's perspective, since I'm changing his voice to first person, too. I tried this before & it just Was Not Working, but with this new line I've found him again. Yay! But this does mean I'm actively writing three books again.

Honestly, I love this part. One of these projects will pull ahead & take precedence (I assume DARLINGTON, since it's closest to first-draft completion), but until then, it's so fun hopping in & out of these three totally different worlds & playing with so many wonderful characters that I love.

Anybody else playing with multi projects right now? Or writing a mystery?

Nine years ago this week, a number of things swirling through my life coalesced into one story. The story, if I'm being honest. The story I have to write, the story I have to finish. It's not done. I thought it was: I've finished four drafts of it. I've half-written three others. I'm working on my fifth revision.

I know a lot of people would have drawer/trunk/closet-ed it by now. That's what all the 'advice' is when something isn't working. And I've left it alone for months, sometimes more than a year, to work on other projects. I've finished other novels, started even more, in the time I've been working on this story. But it keeps resurfacing in my mind, demanding my attention-- with good reason.

A couple months ago Amelia asked me which of my stories was my favorite. I answered without hesitation: Arion. That's not the title anymore, but it's his story. It's also Isis's. And Mordecai's. Josephine's and Celestia's. And mine.

It's the story I have to write. Nine years later, I think I finally have the chops to do it. I knew I didn't back then, but I had to write it anyway. And I might still be wrong. It could take me another year, maybe even more, to get it right.

But I'm going to get it right.

Like I said last year, I've never been a big fan of the New Year holiday. But last year I took a look at what I'd done in 2009 and what I wanted to do in 2010 and read a few of Maggie Stiefvater's butt-kicking posts, and decided to make some resolutions.

Then I, er, kinda took that to the extreme and seriously ran myself into the ground (multiple times) in 2010. Now, I don't blame the resolutions for that, but I was conscious as I made my list for this year that something had to change.

So what did I do in 2010?

- I revised WINGS AND FANGS: BEWITCHED 1+ times.

- I started querying the above

- I completed three drafts of ACCURSED (formerly QUENTS)

- I critiqued two complete novels manuscripts and parts of many others (for multiple people)

- I started seriously drafting my Tavern Cinderella book (still need a good working title...)

- I started a new novel (currently DARLINGTON)

- I began Serious Revisions on THE TIES OF BLOOD (first Arion book; adding another POV)

- I worked out series plans for the Wings and Fangs (5) and Arion (3) books and started poking at the idea of a sequel or two for ACCURSED.

- And I'm sure I'm forgetting something.

The above got me to just over 453000 words.

Now. Don't get me wrong. I'm very proud of everything that I did. And I love writing and I'm really happiest when I'm writing. However-- I'm starting out my 2011 resolutions with something rather abstract, but necessary: Learn Balance.

I've got some ideas of how I'm going to do this, and while I feel I'm fairly open on this blog, I don't particularly want to go into details, since some if it is family/personal/financial stuff. So it's not really as abstract as it sounds, I promise :)

Where writing is concerned, though, here are my goals for 2011:

1) Finish drafting at least one novel (but two would be awesome).

2) Complete THE TIES OF BLOOD revision

3) Continue the agent hunt

4) Revise previous work as necessary

5) Finish critique in a timely fashion (sorry to Amie & Dawn that I didn't make this resolution sooner-- I swear, you're on the list!)

6) Write a second-in-series book, if only for practice/myself.

Also, I'm aiming to read 50 books next year. I read a pitiful 40 this year. 40! Argh. I'm so upset with myself, but I know it's in direct correlation to more writing output, so I'm going to aim for slightly more at 50 books.

And believe me, I realize that all of these goals make it look like I'm going to make 2011 into 2010-Part-II with the running-myself-ragged-ness, but last year I wasn't really conscious of this issue. Now, though, I'm determined to make time for me-things. Not only for writing, but for writing in my diary (which I'm also resolving to write in more often), for reading, for knitting, for chilling with my doggie, for helping plan my sister's wedding, for cooking dinner. I can still try to write every day, but I don't have to make some epic word count just to make it.

I'm pretty determined to make 2011 a year of awesome, but since I'd really love it if I could make it to 2012 to enjoy it, the awesome is going to come in balanced packages :)

My crit group has been helping me with a *coff* fifth-ish revision on THE TIES OF BLOOD. It's a story I knew was too big for me when I started it eight years ago, and I think I'm finally finding the best way to tell it. (Yeah, some books just take that long.) Anyway, the major change in this draft is that Isis now gets to narrate some of the book, not just third-close on Arion.

The problem with working with Isis is that now my tone is off. It's a historical YA fantasy, set in a Regency-era world, and while it has a Very Strong romantic element, it isn't entirely a romance-- but the beginning is very heavy on the romantic issues. And Isis's voice is very honest, so reading her in first and then Arion's parts in third creates a bit of a disconnect with Arion and the main thrust of the story. (Or so I'm told-- I'm a little too close to it to really know, but I totally see where Amelia & Janelle are coming from when they tell me this.)

Solution? Change Isis's parts to third-close as well. I've written a bit of WITH SOUL SO DEAD (#2) and the Epilogue to THE MIDST OF EVILS (#3), all of which have parts that are third-close on Isis. So I know I've done it before-- but for some reason, changing her current opening is just Not Working.

It's stilted. The same information coming across in third sounds whiny or doormat-ish, not aching and heartbroken. I still wind up with the problem where Arion sounds like an ass (which, OK, he kinda is at times). And I'm not sure if it's my issue, trying to keep the same 'format' for her prologue, or if it's going to be a problem later in the story as well-- but it feels like the latter. The reason I love this prologue is because it fixes a lot of issues I had with old drafts very efficiently, but if it doesn't work, I'm willing to scrap it and start over (and yes, Amelia & Janelle, I added that bit we discussed at the last meeting-- you'll get it next week).

To be fair, I've also tried writing Arion's parts in first. For some reason, whenever I write him in first, it feels Way Too Modern. I can barely get a few sentences without running screaming back to third. *headdesk*

Anyone else switched point-of-view like this? Did you question the decision or did you switch because it was obviously the best solution? I don't want to give up on it too soon, but usually when I make a big change like this I know it's for the best-- and this one I just don't know yet.

ARGH.

I woke up this morning with a line in my head. This happens quite a bit. But of course, it wasn't a line for Gen. Or Isis. Or even D.

Nope. This was a line from the unnamed guy in a project I've been poking at on and off for about a year. I got up, wrote the scenelet, and realized I haven't done a project round-up on here in a while. So, if you're interested, take a peek into my insanity.

Top O' the "Must Finish ASAP" list is Gen's story, ACCURSED. I'm more than halfway through the first pass revision, and things are progressing. Granted, it isn't progressing quite as fast as I'd like, but hey, things take time to simmer. Especially bigger changes. Trying to figure out how to make Gen's life even suckier at this moment in story-time is harder than you'd think!

Next up is the *coff* fifth draft of THE TIES OF BLOOD (formerly ARION). And by fifth I really do mean more like eighth, at least for the beginning. But I think I've finally got it. (All y'all out there saying "I told you so" for adding Isis's voice... yeah, yeah, I hear you!) I'm doing recursive editing on this one, so it's incredibly slow-going, but it's working out well. Moody atmosphere FTW!

Third in line is the Cinderella retelling, which is my attempt at writing something not-dark and fun. Plus, it's an exploration in plotting, since it came with a pre-determined structure. Still trying to figure out all the little twists & such, but I'm thinking if I do decide to NaNo I'll use this one (yeah, I realize it's in a week, but my NaNo-ing is "write 50k in-story" not... whatever NaNo actually is)

Those are the major projects. The Not-Major-At-The-Moment projects are as follows:

WINGS AND FANGS: TAKEN-- Still debating structure on this one, since Phillip gets to talk (a lot, whether he wants to or not) and David's off in David-land and D's... well, she's got some issues. Er, a lot of issues.

WITH SOUL SO DEAD-- This is the second Arion book, formerly MORDAGRIN. There's a lot that I need to happen here, and with Isis back in the mix for narration, I've got to find a way to keep the first draft word count under control. But as book 2 affects what I need to place in book 1, keeping both storylines in my head is a good thing. I promise.

HEXED-- This might become JINXED. Yes, this is a book 2 for Gen. I couldn't help myself. But book 1 still does not have a cliffhanger. Yay, me! And I'm only vaguely poking at this one. I need more excuses for Gen/Wynne kissing scenes. (Right, Jess?)

Angels/Immortals Book-- This one is the one that woke me up this morning. No, this is not about fallen angels. I'm super-excited about this, but it has to wait, because if the MCs haven't even told me their names yet, they're not that eager for their book to be written. When they're ready to tell me, then they can move up a list ;-)

Think that's enough to keep me busy? Eh, probably not... Plus I'm sure I'm forgetting something.

So, I've gotten myself into a bit of a mood lately-- just a general funk and melancholy and feeling of stuckness-- in writing, in life, in everything. This is a horrid mood for me, because then I wind up thinking that's the mood I'm in, which leads to me staying in that mood because I keep thinking about it... Anyway. It sucks.

Today I decided damnit, if I'm going to be in this mood anyway, I might as well work on THE TIES OF BLOOD, cause hell, the whole opening of that book is like ripping myself open and letting all the sad and moaning and pain spill out anyway, so might as well, right?

Can we say cathartic much?

Between Arion burying his feelings over two things now, not one, and Isis *fretting* and talking to Marius's portrait, I'm suddenly in a much better mood. Even if I am reasonably worried over a few IRL things, well, I'm not the emotionally abused son of the most feared wizard ever-- or in love with him.

So there's that.