D is for Dammy!

I feel obligated to make this one, because Damoclian, a friend from Absolute Write, started up a blog recently, and it's kinda sorta mostly my fault.

You see, Dammy likes to share what he's finished reading in our regular chatty space. And he is... enthusiastic. Obscenely so, with posts filled with exclamation points and emoticons everywhere when he likes it. And it works. His excitement sells us books, makes you curious to read short stories. Imagine if you asked a fangirl to review her favorite book. The result is an average positive review from Dammy. He knows what he likes and he likes what he reads. So I kinda sorta prodded him to start a blog.

And he did.

He's still getting going, mostly reviewing short stories we wrote for the Secret Solstice Sci-Fi Fantasy Story Swap, but he's got books lined up, in that he's already done a few, and many of us are planning on giving him our own once available. So give his blog a look and follow for upcoming reviews.

This has been your shameless plug for the week.

C is for Critique

Just so you know, I had the HARDEST time coming up with a post topic that wasn't "Cookie". That fuzzy blue monster has ruined me for the letter C.

After making an absurdly long list that mostly didn't appeal to me because I didn't feel like I had anything to talk about (or were just silly. Like Cake, because screw you, cookies.*)

I can, however, talk about critiques, because I've been wading into the pool for the past, what, two years now? Yeah, it was two years ago that I joined my critique group, and you know, I'm still learning how to do it. Not right, there isn't really a right way to critique, but best, in ways that gives useful feedback to the person receiving critiques. I've gotten decent at query critiquing, but not quite good enough to come out with a perfect draft of my own. Plus side, the critiques I've received have been positive, but I'm not quite there yet. 

For larger crit, though, one thing I've noticed is everyone seems to notice different things while critiquing. Some people are more naturally editors while others are proofreaders. Many of my companions are excellent at finding the big picture problems. They can see the whole garden and tell you where you screwed up the feng shui. I am not one of these people. I'll notice the one sentence that's confusing, the red tulip in the bed of yellows. When someone else points out the bigger issues, I can see them, but finding them myself? Not happening. It's why, right now, I'm depending on beta readers for Business of Being Dead. Because no matter how much I study other people's feng shui analysis, I feel like I'm still just standing here looking at the red tulip.

*I didn't mean it, cookies. I love you.

B is for Best Friends

Every story could stand to have a good Best Friend character. They're the spice to the main character's main course. Sure, spaghetti in tomato sauce can taste good with just pasta and tomato sauce, but add in some garlic and salt and BAM. That's what your character's best friend is; they're the BAM.

(Don't sue me, Emeril.)

Just imagine Luke Skywalker without Han Solo. Harry without Ron. Steve without Bucky. They're the balance to the MC. Where Luke is a whiny but obedient nephew who doesn't really take risks, Han's the world-weary traveler who lives by his own rules. Where Harry's the famous kid who has no idea what's going on, Ron's the "just another Weasley" who knows everything about the magic world. They contradict each other and help each other survive through those contradictions. And usually, in my own opinion, the best friends are more fun. The hero has to save the world, the day, or whatever it is that needs saving. The best friend, though, they're not required to be the one with the weight on their shoulders, and as a result, they tend to be more vibrant, quirky characters. They're the comedy relief, the voice of reason, and the hero's motivation in one package.

In The Business of Being Dead, I've got Shelley. Where the MC, Hannah, doesn't have any idea what's going on and tends towards being a mature almost-adult, Shelley's an experienced, knowledgeable, permanent kid-at-heart. Hannah doesn't have time for frivolities. I don't really even know what her hobbies were when she was alive. She didn't have time for them, and she doesn't discuss them. Shelley, though, was a thrill-seeker, habitual storyteller, and is obsessed with glitter. She was the adventurer where Hannah's the homebody. She's the squealing giggles in the quiet, the shine in the darkness, the weirder in the already-weird, and I get the feeling she's going to be a lot of people's favorite character.

So what about you, dear readers? Do you have a best friend for your MC, and if so, who are they and what do they bring to the table?

A is for April

Folks, I've gone mad. And this is not an April Fools anything. Bear with me here.

I decided not to do Camp NaNo this April simply because the month is so insanely busy.

But I decided I'm going to try the annual A to Z blogging challenge. Because I've gone mad. If I can keep up with it, there'll be a new post here every day of the month except for Sundays. So check back in, and if I'm not updating, shame me.

So what does April hold that's got me so busy? Well for one thing, I turn 30. And on a Sunday too, so I'll get my birthday off! But I've also got jury duty. Blegh. That'll be a new experience. I just hope if I have to go and am selected, I don't get held up for longer than a few days. While my day job does pay me for the days I'll be out, I have concert tickets for that next Saturday and if I get sequestered, I shall be severely put upon.

Along with that, there's also my "little sister" coming all the way from Florida to see me for my birthday and a geek-themed craft fair, and maybe even a comic book convention. We've also got one more week of home renovations at least, then a deep clean to take care of the copious amounts of dust our house holds, spring cleaning to do...

It's gonna be a busy month. And I'm going to do twenty-six blog posts.

I must be mad.

Story: The Henchman

A long time ago, I had an idea for a story about a boy in a world where the word "hero" had lost its meaning. Everyone was a hero for doing something as small as throwing away litter, so the boy became an evil overlord to remind everyone what being a hero really meant.

Years later, the world morphed into a superhero universe where anyone could get powers. The story morphed and grew, and so did the world. A second superhero story insinuated itself in the lore. Then a third. The one story became a multi-generational saga. And then I rewatched The Incredibles. Still one of the best superhero movies out there, and that's coming from a die-hard Marvel fan.

I'll bet you just thought of one of two lines when I mentioned The Incredibles:

1) "Honey, where's my supersuit?"
or
2) "NO CAPES!"

Aah, Edna Mode. One of the most colorful characters in the whole movie, and completely and totally human. The common human who the heroes depended on, like Alfred and Lucius Fox. And this got me thinking: In all the superhero worlds we know, the story's 99% of the time about the heroes or maybe, rarely, their girlfriends. There's never any focus on the regular people affected by a world full of superheroes, and it's such a shame, because these characters just make the world so much richer. You don't see the obsessive teen fangirl who'll go to any lengths to meet her favorite superhero. You don't see the crooks coping with their captures. And you never, ever see the henchmen.

God, I love henchmen. Have you ever seen Venture Brothers? I cannot tell you how much I love that we actually got a close-up look on the lives of two of them. I love that they were major characters who had an effect on the lives of their villains instead of just being faceless cannonfodder. There are people behind those masks, men and women with lives and motivations and families and friends.

So when I got the idea for a short story about a henchman who meets his dream woman during speed dating and then discovers she's his boss, I had to write it. And now I've posted it as my first online writing sample for you to read. You can find it here on Wattpad. Please take a look, and I hope you enjoy it.

Brief Update

So hello! I'm not dead!

Sorry for the absence and silence. It has been a very busy year for me thus far, and will continue to be. I'm actually about to run out the door to cross the state for a comedy show, but I've known for weeks that I've owed you all an update.

What's coming, then? First off, I'm trundling along on edits to Business of Being Dead. I'm about to hit the point where the old stuff and the newer collide, after which edits should be easier. Less mess to clean up. I've cut a character completely and a lot of the work has been scrubbing him out. It's sad to see him go, but he became unnecessary with a few technical changes I made. He'll have a place elsewhere, eventually.

Next, I'm planning on moving this blog to Wordpress! Also eventually. I just need to get around to tweaking the site. And designing it. And doing anything except create a wordpress account. I've been busy!

Anyway, that's about all the update for now. I've got to rush out the door. You all have a lovely weekend, and I'll be back more soon!

Past, Present, and Future: 2015-2016

2015.

It's all done. Over. Finis. A memory to fade and eventually feel like it was just yesterday.

Actually, it was five days ago. Gosh. Where has the week gone?

Probably the same place the heat went. I'll admit I spent all Christmas complaining about the lack of cold. It just didn't feel like Christmas without being miserably curled up under five blankets. But Christmas happened anyway and now, with the new year, comes the chill and I'm wondering why I ever missed it.

So, what's the verdict on 2015?

It was... a year. Three hundred sixty-five days. Some good, some bad, nothing particularly spectacular, event wise. I'm a year older, my house is still in need of repairs, and I'm still unpublished.

However.

However.

I wrote five new short stories in 2015, and...

I actually reached my goal. I finished three novels. The End, Finis, First Draft Complete. I barely squeaked in under the bar, finishing the third one on the 31st, but I did it. For the first time, my Novels In Progress pile has gotten shorter and I have a Second Draft pile started. Sadly, it's just as intimidating as the WIP pile.

2014/2015 Goals:

Goal 1: Finish the next step of all four short stories for the Aces collection by Dec 31st, 2014. Two to finish editing, two to finish writing and edit. Completed 12/31/14

Goal 2: Write and edit this year's Sekrit Solstice Science-Fiction Fantasy Story Swap (a holiday short story exchange) by Feb 14th, 2015. Completed 2/15/15
Goal 3: Plot and write the main story #1's shorts tie in to. Plotting by Feb 28th, written by May 31st. (Abject failure. I wrote half the story and dropped it because I realized it wasn't turning out perfect.)
Goal 4: Finally finish the edits on my one complete novel by June 30th. (Didn't even try after realizing it's not actually a complete novel in a trilogy but 1/3rd of a long book)
Goal 5: Replot and finish three of my five incomplete novels by Dec 31st, 2015. Color me astounded, I did it. Completed 12/31/15

Grand total: 3 goals out of 5 finished. Not amazing, but considering goal 5 was the big one, I'm content. The schedule more than half worked, which is why I made myself set ANOTHER set of goals for 2016. And this time, I'm going in armed with three complete novels, about a dozen short stories, and a Duotrope subscription.

2016 Writing Goals:
Goal 1: Write and edit this year's Sekrit Solstice Story Swap by 2/29/2016 (Yes, I'm doing this again. It's fun.)
Goal 2: Edit at least 1 of the completed novels to submission ready by 6/1/2016. (I'm anticipating The Business of Being Dead for this one. It's the most complete, longest, and cleanest currently.)
Goal 3: Edit the other two completed novels one draft by 8/1/2016. (No lazing around letting them sit in the Draft Box.)
Goal 4: Submit or self-publish at least 1 short story a month.
Goal 5: Submit Goal #2 to agents.

I've also set my Goodreads Reading Challenge to 50 books this year. On top of that, we've got contractors starting work on our house and I turn 30 in April. 2015 may have been a slow year of a lot of crawling towards goals, but here, at the beginning of 2016, I feel like I'm standing at the top of my hill, and there's so much I can finally see in front of me. A finished, fully-functional house, an acceptance letter, a LOT of rejection letters. Let's see what I can grab on my way down.

Happy New Year.