Paranormal Romance

Now the Fun Begins!

| Casey Wyatt

Happy Friday everyone.  Don’t forget to visit me at the Scribes today and say “hi” to our special guest – Frankie Robertson. She’s discussing her move to indie publishing and her new, traditionally published book – Veiled Mirror.

After a few weeks of waiting, I’ve received critique for The Undead Space Initiative. The overall reception has been positive. The book isn’t perfect (nothing ever is) and I have a bunch of questions, comments and “things that may need more explaining” to sift through.

To my beta readers and critique partners – thank you for taking time out of your busy schedules to read and comment on my book. The book will only be better because of you.

How should a writer deal with feedback? Gracefully is always a good place to start. Try not to stress about it or take it personally.

But, practically, you also can’t please everyone. Nor can you re-make the book is someone else’s image. Balance is necessary. Take what works for you and discard the rest. But don’t toss it completely away (more on this at the end of the post).

One of the hardest things I’ve had to learn is what should be changed or not changed based on critique. Monday’s Scribe – Jamie Pope- has done a great blog post on critique and I urge you to read it!

The two questions I always ask myself – Do I agree? Will the change make the book better?

Notice, I didn’t ask, “Do I like it?” It doesn’t matter if I like the feedback or not. It doesn’t matter whether I want to hear that I might need to change something.  If I agree, I suck it up, start evaluating, and make the changes.

Also, notice I said,  “If I agree.”

And I always try to apply the unused, technique-related feedback to my next novel. That way I can grow and improve as a writer.

Besides, I’m still the Author Goddess. And what I say goes.

Evil Plotting

| Casey Wyatt

Yay! Another Friday. Don’t forget to check out my post over at the Scribes – I’m late, I’m late…for what exactly? and meet the Naggy Bunny.

Another week has come and gone. And I’m sad to say, not much plotting has happened for Devil’s Advocate.

I spent most of the week helping my fellow writers. I’ve been honored to read their works in progress and provide my feedback. I’ve read some sci-fi, paranormal romance, middle grade adventure and contemporary. I have such talented friends!!

I’ve received feedback on The Undead Space Initiative. So far, no one has told me the story is bad. I’ve gotten mostly high marks, which is always nice. Still, I’m not resting on my laurels. There will be edits. I’m not sure what form they will take yet.

I’ve been mostly reflective this week. Thinking about my new characters. What do they want? How will they achieve their goals?What happens next (my favorite question to answer).  Not all that different from talking to my sons (what do you want to do with your life?).

Just thinking about the word “plotting” brings to mind a different word – scheming. When you think about it, as a writer, you really are contriving an entire story out of thin air – creating a whole new world that didn’t previously exist. Totally cool and frightening at the same time. And once the story is published, then that world is shared with your readers. They bring their own expectations and realities. Your world isn’t only in your head anymore.

It’s a big responsibility, which is why I spend more time on plotting, character creation, etc. than I do writing. I’ve learned the hard way that planning ahead works best for me. In a few weeks NaNo WriMo will begin and I plan to be prepared (like a good Boy Scout mother).

It’s hard to believe Fall is almost here. I’ll leave you with a photograph I took last October at Old Sturbridge Village in Massachusetts. If you live in the area and you’ve never been – plan a trip. Right now.

Here comes Autumn

All’s Quiet on the Writer Front

| Casey Wyatt

Happy Friday everyone. Please remember to visit the 7 Scribes today – I am the Author Goddess.

Here’s how I’ve been keeping busy while I wait for feedback on The Undead Space Intiative.

  • A few days ago I received some awesome news – I finished first place in another contest. While it’s excellent news to receive, winning contests hasn’t really brought any offers from the editor judges. But that’s okay. As I reported last week, I have actually submitted to more publishers and plan to continue to do so.
  • I have spent most of this week working on the synopsis for The Undead Space Initiative. And I use the term “working” loosely! For some reason, writing an entire novel is easier than a two page synopsis. I’m down to the basic information and now all I need to do is polish it up.
  • Completing the synopsis (and, drat, I need to do a query letter -groan!) frees my mind to work on Devil’s Advocate. I have the main characters but not a fully formed plot. The plot is stewing in the back of my mind this week.
  • And I am taking two classes with a third one starting next week.

None of the aforementioned activities includes my full time job, family (also a full time job) or time spent doing other things like reading, Scribes stuff, Twitter. etc.

And speaking of  the Scribes – we have been very busy booking guest bloggers including: Frankie Roberston, Sandra Orchard, Julia Rachel Barrett, Kinley Baker, Jennifer Fusco, and Kristan Higgins.

I hope to see you all next week. Until then – happy writing!

Do or Do Not. There is No Try.

| Casey Wyatt

Happy Friday. Please remember to visit me at the 7 Scribes for today’s topic – Story Overload.

My plan all along had been to wait until September 1 to submit. Except, this past weekend, we were hit with Hurricane Irene. The fear that we might not have power for a week was a great motivator.

Saturday night before I went to bed, I hit the send button and off they all went.

I’m happy to report that full manuscripts for Ascension and Mystic Ink have been requested by several editors. If any offers appear, I’ll be happy to share the good news.

So – the moral of the story – nothing ventured, nothing gained. Even if no sales result, at least I did it. And I will continue to send my books until someone buys one (either traditional or indie pubbed).

I Set The Book Free!

| Casey Wyatt

Happy Friday! Please don’t forget to check out my Friday post at the Scribes’ Blog – Can this Wreck be Saved?

Last week I reported my goal to complete my edits of The Undead Space Initiative by Sunday night. I’m happy to say goal accomplished! And, even better, the book is now in the hands of  my two, trusted Beta Readers.

Notice I said readers. Not writers. I always ask readers to review the early draft first.

Why?

Because the reader is who I’m ultimately writing the book for. They read the book as an experience with an eye towards story. Does the book entertain them? Do they keep turning pages? What questions didn’t I answer?

If they tell me a story isn’t working, it’s full stop and either back to the drawing board or the story is shelved. Luckily,  the only stories I’ve hidden away are my first attempts from years ago.

Once I get the green light, I then submit my story to my amazing critique partners. More to come on that, in a few weeks.

If you’re a writer, it’s crucial to share your work with first readers who can be honest and provide informative feedback.

If you’re a reader and the friend of a writer – be honest, brutally honest if need be. Our feelings won’t be hurt – promise!

I Did It My Way

| Casey Wyatt

Happy Friday everyone. Please remember to check out my Friday post over at the 7 Scribes. Today’s topic – Casting Call – If my book was turned into a movie.

Last week I was in a bit of a tizzy about the beginning of my WIP – The Undead Space Initiative. I’m happy to report that I have moved past it. I’m more that halfway through the editing process right now. And I’m so excited to share this book with my trusted first readers for their reaction.

I have set an aggressive goal: complete revisions by the end of this weekend!! Can I do it? Time will tell.

Tune in next week to find out!

The Revision Blues

| Casey Wyatt

Greetings and TGIF. Please remember to visit me at Seven Scribes for my Friday post. This week – book vs. the movie version.

So draft one of The Undead Space Initiative is done. Yay me!  Now on to the hard part. Draft clean up.

Right now, I’m still in the first chapter.

Why? (Especially after almost 12,000 words a week for a month. At that rate, I should be halfway done with revisions.)

Because I let myself get bogged down in doubt (the crappy monster is at it again). I thought I was writing more of an urban fantasy with strong romantic elements.

But then, I decided to play “what if”. What if I moved the meeting of the heroine and hero up to the beginning of Chapter One – so it’s more like a romance?

A little slicing and some dicing later and now I have two versions of chapter one. Eek!

After a few slaps to the head and a week later, I’ve realized what I’m doing. Avoiding revisions. I don’t need to obesses over the first chapter. I can deal with that later. Geesh.

So moral of the story – don’t play “what if” during rough draft clean up. Save that for later, when you’ve given the book to your first readers. Then torment yourself!

The Undead Space Initiative

| Casey Wyatt

Happy Friday! Don’t forget to visit me at the Scribes’ Site today for a discussion about good reads.

As promised last week, I finished the first draft of my book – The Undead Space Initiative. I’m in the process of reading it and will be cleaning it up over the next few weeks.

So what does the planet Mars and a stripper pole have to do with each other?

Read on to find out more:

Cherry Cordial, vampire stripper extraordinaire, spectacularly messes up her life with a single act of kindness. How could she have known when she rescued gorgeous rogue, Ian McDevitt, that she would be implicated in the Vampire Queen’s murder? Soon, she faces the wrath of the entire vampire community. To escape retribution, she joins a settlement program to colonize Mars. Her choices are grim: possibly die on the red planet or stay on Earth and face certain annihilation.

The Finish Line Approaches!

| Casey Wyatt

Hi everyone,

Please stop by the 7 Scribes Blog to read my post on – Breakin’ Da Rules.

Whew! I’m in the home stretch. Rough draft word count to date – 77,960. Vacation all week has done wonders for my writing. It’s amazing what I can accomplish when my sole focus is on the story. On Monday, I clocked in at 5,021 words (my neck still aches from that one!).

In preparation for the clean-up, I’ve created a list of gaps and other plot related concerns. I’ll address those first. And then, the Inner Critic will be allowed free reign to correct weak wording, typos and other mistakes.

A few hints to tide you over. Stripper pole and Mars. You’ll have to wait until next Friday to find out how.