Pitch Wars Prep and the Eternal Editing Flames

Hi folks! It has been a bit, so I figured I'd do a simple post to say I am currently lost in the editing stacks. I've edited Dissimulate and The Mundane List, which I have been shopping to agents for the time being, and I'm working to bring Ferals into a finished state before Pitch Wars starts on September 26th.

I am really excited to have the opportunity to enter this delightful story into Pitch Wars, but I am even more excited to start pitching it as soon as possible. It's my first attempt a YA Horror, and honestly, I love it.

I predict there will be more YA Horror and Suspense novels in the future, because editing has thus far gone very smoothly (for once in my life I am ... enjoying the editing process?) Okay, okay, you caught me, "enjoy" is too strong of a word, but I am not hating it, which is a huge step up in my book, because let's be honest: I have the attention span of a bee surrounded by pollen when it comes to editing. I want to go to all of the flowers, but like... really should be paying attention to this flower, but look at all of the other flowers that need my attention and how do I spent all of my time on just one flower?!

You get the picture.

Anyway! Pitch Wars has given me a (much needed) deadline, so now I will edit, polish, and sweat from my fingertips until the final words are done and ready for pitching.

Anyone else out there with me?

Powering Through

Being creative is hard work. It takes effort, commitment, time, dedication, and tenacity. I've seen artists become successful on a local level, but I also know how many years it took them to get there. Writing and editing are no different from other forms of art.

Writing for me comes naturally. My first drafts are messy, convoluted, and sometimes need a huge overhaul, because I do a little bit of outlining and a bunch of pantsing. I go into writing with vague ideas that end up getting fleshed out halfway through, which means I always have to go back. Rewrites are a big part of my writing process, and they are also more time consuming than writing.

There's something about re-reading the first words I've put down that makes me a bit disheartened. I think in my head, "This isn't good." I second guess myself and my art. It pushes me to the edge of wanting to give up, because the words didn't flow the way I wanted them to.

Rewriting is where I get stuck. It's the part of the process where I have to power through and just "do it." The only person holding me back is the inner editor inside me that dislikes (hate is too strong of a word) my first draft.

Drafts are not supposed to be this shiny, perfect thing that you can push out into the world. Drafts are for shaping and folding, mending into the story you want it to become. This part of the process should be fun (at least on some level). I have this novel in my hands that I created, and now I just have to make it better. I should look at this as enhancement, but I always struggle to get through.

All writers struggle with some part of the process, and despite the struggle, you should never give up.

Being creative takes time and dedication. You have to forgive yourself if it's not perfect, and then you have to work on making it better. I could throw this book aside and say, "Eh, I'll get to that later." But if I stop now, I'll lose momentum. I'll, essentially, give up.

What is your reason for powering through when you are struggling creatively?

Mine is the characters I create. I know they have a story worth sharing, which makes me want to finish what I've started. Even if the story is over, the characters never really leave me.

How I feel when I write a novel ...

Some people ask me: What is it like to be a writer? What does it feel like writing a novel?

Well, there's a lot of heart and soul that goes into writing a book. And sometimes, you lose yourself a little bit in the characters and the story and the drama.

So what does it feel like to write a novel? A little bit of everything. The proof is in the video.

Happy reading and writing!

On Wattpad: The End Diary

I'm super excited to tell you guys about The End Diary being available on Wattpad. I'm updating it regularly, and already have five parts up for you to read and enjoy. I've been busy working behind the scenes, but it's only fair that my readers get something from me sooner rather than waiting any longer.

Here's a little Q&A I put together regarding why you should check out The End Diary.

What is The End Diary?
The story is told from Megan P. Whitford's perspective (don't ask her what the "P" stands for, she'll never tell). It's a coming-of-age story where she realizes the truth matters more than life and death itself. Told in a memoir-style, The End Diary is her last chance to get the truth out about her and Carly Jacobs. It is a LGBT story, but focuses largely on Megan's outlook on life, which may not be a healthy one.

What should readers take away from The End Diary?
In today's society, people are so polarized with social issues and the way society should be run/viewed/etc. We have a lot of hate, and most of it comes from a line in the sand where we see life as us versus them. Megan sees her life in this way--her against the world.

I hope readers see how detrimental this outlook can be to... well, everyone. The End Diary also explores the idea of truth and perspective, as we all perceive the world differently. Her story has a lot of lessons in it, and this explanation only scratches the surface.

Why call this book "The End Diary"?
While Megan has feelings for Carly and there is a small (echoed: small) romance in The End Diary, that is not the core of the story. The core of the story is much deeper, drearier, and darker than a romance and first love. As Megan says in the very first chapter of The End Diary:

But I should preface this with a warning: this story probably doesn’t have a happy ending. If it does, on some level, I’ve failed. There shouldn’t be a knight in shining armor swinging in at the last second—or riding in? Is that a better visual? Whatever. He won’t ride in at the end of the story and say, “Hey, Megan, guess what? I’m saving you.” And boom, story’s over.

It is called The End Diary because there is supposed to be a sense of finality and foreboding right from the get-go. Megan's character is strong enough to pull you into her story and life despite her accidental spoilers and hints (she chastises herself as a writer). She's unhappy and frustrated, but she is ready to let the world know the truth in her manifesto.

Be sure to check out The End Diary on Wattpad!

Success: The New Approach Works!

As you guys know, I'm approaching my goals a different way this year. By creating a chore and create box, I've forced myself to have concrete deadlines for my goals every day. I have 24 hours finish two items: one is a chore, one is creative.

We're 22 days into January, and right on time, I finished all the chores in my chore box. Time to rinse and repeat, but since I'm trying to be more creative in all aspects of my life, I decided to do a quick photoshoot. The idea was to have a portrait with my head in the middle of an arch of things I've accomplished thus far.

Of course, Gerty had other plans. He said, "This looks like a good place to flop." Flop. Stretch. Roll. Lick paw. Look at the camera with a "What?" face.

I feel proud of myself for sticking to my plan and accomplishing a lot more than in previous months. I take one day at a time, and I do a little bit every day. This year has been a lesson in consistency, and so far, so good.

A photo posted by R. A. Desilets (@radesilets) on Jan 22, 2016 at 1:38pm PST

I'm 15% through editing The End Diary (read the first two chapters for free), I've started writing two new books (Ferals and Shrinking Violet (In a Blue Moon #.01)), and I've read four novels. I have a long way to go, but two of my books are in the last round of querying. This means, results of querying pending, I should have at least two more books out this year. The End Diary should be published this year as well. Lots to do, but I'm working every single day!

Editors are not Magical Unicorns

Editors are awesome. I have to say that, because I am one… But I also think they are actually awesome. Editors tend to know a lot more about language than the average bear. They are intelligent, thoughtful people who approach writing with a very analytical eye.

They are not, however, magical unicorns.

They do not have horns that they can wave over your manuscript and fix every stylistic issue. They also do not poop out rainbows that will take your boring descriptions and elevate them into beautifully lyrical sentences. That’s your job.

In other words: You should never give your editor an unedited first draft of your manuscript.

Some authors might argue against me (but, Rachel, that’s what they are there for!). I’m going to put up a pretty logical argument.

My first argument is: your editor is still not a magical unicorn.

My second argument is: your editor is not you. Your editor has their own style, their own way of approaching words and syntax. Your editor is a human who does not have telepathic powers. This means, if you give a completely unedited, unrevised draft to your editor, you will not achieve the same results.

When you revise your first draft, there’s probably a lot of things you will change. Awkward sentences, preferring one word over another, adding description, removing description. Perhaps “bloomed” wasn’t the right word lyrically, but “blossomed” is. Structurally “bloomed” still works--your editor will not change this, because it is a stylistic change.

By revising your own work first, you get to make the stylistic edits. Once those are in place, your editor can focus on making every sentence read perfectly. They won’t insert “blossomed” for you.

While editors are not magical unicorns, they are still pretty awesome. Every author should at least do a trade for editing if they can’t afford to hire someone. I know my book became exponentially better after my editor started picking through my piece.

Even if they are not magical unicorns, you can be your own magical unicorn. Wave your own horn, poop out your own rainbows, and realize that the stylistic fixes have to initially come from you.

Your editor is there to assist in making the rainbows glow brighter and file your horn into a sharper point, not to create the magic in the first place.

That’s on you.

Girl Nevermore and Other Projects Underway

Hello, bloggers! *waves* It has been awhile since I’ve updated, and… of course, I’ve gotten sucked back into my own little world again. Reality is a real thing, huh? But I miss being connected online, so here’s my attempt at giving a fun little update and getting back into the swing of things.

Recently, I’ve been juggling a lot. My fairytale retelling / apocalypse YA novel, In a Blue Moon, has 12,000 words written and completely edited. I’m working on it in a different process than before, doing each chapter as a draft then editing the chapter five times before moving onto the next chapter. It’s making for a very smooth read. Those 12,000 words? They are essentially finished, just need a final look over from my editor. Which means publishing this one will be a breeze.

However, with my YA Contemporary, Girl Nevermore, I am taking the usual approach, but revamped slightly. I’m drafting the whole thing out (26,000 words so far), and then I will edit each chapter five times before moving on to edit the next chapter. I’m trying to figure out which process I like better.

While In a Blue Moon is essentially “finished,” it also isn’t growing in word count very quickly, since I’m doing a lot of stops and starts. I think drafting then editing one part over and over will be the best way for me to continue. It should feel more like I’m writing the book once, editing the book “once,” and proofing the book once. We’ll see, but I’m hoping this is what I can trick myself into doing.

Both of these titles should be out in the next year. Drafting and editing have become a lot easier, since I’ve written so many books at this point, and since I’ve taken a few editing courses as a refresher (those helped).

On top of that, I’ve started an independent author collective with six other fantastic indie authors. I encourage you to check out our site, TheScriptors.com. I enjoy the books of every author on there, so they are worth checking out.

Tons of shenanigans in the making. Tons of things in the works. I’m excited that I’ve decided to walk the indie line, because it lets me write what I want when I want with nothing but my own self-imposed deadlines. While I’m still open to the idea of an agent / publisher sometime in the future, it’s not a high priority right now. I just want to write. Period.

I think that’s a good decision for now.

A Different Approach

If you're a writer, you've probably heard the phrase, "Just write; editing comes later."  It's very good advice, but I'm abandoning it for my latest endeavor.  Before you gasp, I will say that I do not recommend this for new writers.  New writers shouldn't second guess themselves every step of the way.  New writers should write and practice writing.  Editing can come later.

While I only have two works published, I'm not a new writer.  I'm working on my eighth novel.  None of my novels have been published, because I get hung up on the editing process.  I'm so excited about writing the story, and I write my book in less than two months.  Then I hit the wall.

My wall is editing.  It's so giant that I can't see a way to climb it, let alone figure out how to get to the other side. So I've decided that my wall needs a door.

I am abandoning the really good advice that got me to seven novels in the first place.  After writing a chapter, I'm going to edit it to make it the best chapter it can be. I'm crazy, right?

My new approach to writing:

• Outline the whole book. My outlines are super long.  They have some choppy dialogue, description as it comes to me, random notes, and whatever pops in my head.  I might have a 600 word outline for a 3,000 word chapter. My outlines, in essence, are the first draft of a story.  It's easy to add and subtract things in this state because the writing doesn't have finesse yet.  It's also allows me to developmentally review my book before I really start writing.
• Write a chapter.  I need to slow down while I write and take time to imagine each scene. I'm especially having trouble with this piece, since world building is a massive part of my story.  But the next step should also help with this.
• Edit the chapter.  This will happen two to four times.  
• First pass: Check the description and the character development. Are things unfolding the way they need to be?  Is the pacing for this chapter good?  
• Second pass: Grammar, sentence structure, tightening paragraphs.  Is there a better way to say something?  Are the emotions coming out okay?  
• Third pass: Another line editing pass.  
• Fourth pass: Proofreading / last minute fixes.
• Write the next chapter.

When I finish, my book should almost be done.  I'll do one last pass on the whole book before sending it off to my proofreaders.

Editing my own work has always been a headache and hangup for me.  I like to reward myself for editing, so I end up playing a tons of video games when I could be writing.

My new reward system will be: "Once you finish editing this chapter, you get to write the next one."

Writing, something I love, will get me through editing, something I struggle with. I should mention, while I struggle with my own editing, I love editing for my clients.

I'll be sure to blog with an update of how this is working for me!  So far, I really like this idea in theory... now to test it.

The Collapse (Hipstopia's sequel) Playlist and Updates!

I finished the first edit of The Collapse (The Uprising #2), the sequel to Hipstopia.  I am quite pleased with the results of the first edit.  I added 4,000 words, established more tension, filled out some characters who had previously been lacking.

Something that I've always wanted to do was create a playlist for a book.  I write to music.  Music creates a certain mood that I would have trouble emulating otherwise, and I think each list of songs speaks volumes about the characters.  They are such polar opposites in feel and style - much like the characters themselves.

Murphy
Hate Dept. "New Son Army"
Hate Dept. "Hard Times"
Pigface "Insect / Suspect"
Filter "The Inevitable Relapse" (Clayton Worbeck Mix)
UNKLE "Ghosts"
UNKLE featuring Gavin Clark "Blade in the Back"

Jason (Jay)
Miike Snow "Animal"
Slighter "Stood Still"
The Neighbourhood "Sweater Weather"
Broken Bells "October"
Bonobo "Cirrus"
The Naked And Famous "The Sun"
Passion Pit "Take a Walk"
Radical Face "Welcome Home"

Murphy's music is raw, powerful, and angry - just like him.  Jason's music is pensive and melodic with just a little bit of bounce.  I encourage you guys to check out some of these songs!  Go on, you might find your next favorite.

July Book Release Announcement

Hey guys!  I was interviewed over on Examiner - and I announced my upcoming project.  Which means, I am super crazy excited to finally announce my super top secret project here!

I'm well on my way to having my novelette fully edited by the end of this month, which means it will get into the hands of beta readers on time, which means the release date will officially be sometime in July!  I'll announce the date when we get closer.  But for now, the project!

Hipstopia - YA Dystopian
It's been three years since Murphy led the Hipster uprising. For three years, Jay has been by his side. All that's about to change. It starts with the beautifully intense Prisoner Forty-Seven... and a loaded gun.

Why on earth did I write something with such a silly concept?  I blame @courtney_s. My good friend Sarah pointed out a tweet by Courtney that said, "still waiting on a hipster dystopia YA because my god that would be chilling."  I replied with, "We don't do this because it's right or wrong. We don't do this for justice. We do this because it's fashionable."

I know, I know, it was a joke, and I probably should have let it die.  But I couldn't, I just couldn't.  All of a sudden I had this Murphy character floating around in my brain, then came Jay, and... well, I had to tell the story.

It will be a little over 100 pages.  It's a fun concept that came out of a silly tweet, but I took the writing seriously.  It ended up being satirical with a little political commentary.  It's definitely dystopian, and because it is so fast-paced, it might also appeal to people who love adventure stories.

As always, because my books cannot seem to live without it, it has just a little bit of romance.

I will reveal the cover in June - so stay tuned for that.  I'll announce the release date as soon as I have it finalized.  And I'll be running a giveaway once it's published for ebooks and (possibly) paperback copies of the book.  Exciting things!!

Oh yeah, and between now and then?  Try to stay fashionable ;)