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.

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.

Monthly Goal Update

I am happy to start this post with:

I finished writing No Sugar Coating!

I know I don't normally get this excited about my projects when I finish them, but deciding to self-publish a few of my titles makes me insanely happy.  I have a deadline (February 2014) and a goal to work towards.  It's tangible.  There's a light at the end of the tunnel!

It stands at 47,000 words.  I was aiming for 50,000, but usually more descriptive meat gets added during editing.  My first draft is always in gray scale, so-to-speak, and the second draft gets painted with color.

So!  With that announcement being done, I have several other goals to touch upon.

May is going to be a busy month, but I'm ready, and excited, for it.  I have a trip back to New Hampshire to visit the family (much needed, since I haven't met my youngest nephew yet) and then I have all these shenanigans that I've set out for myself.

Before leaving:  finish the first and second edit of my top secret novelette project.  Deliver a copy to my husband, one of my awesome critique partners, and my roommate.

After getting back:  Do another edit based on feedback of top secret novelette project.  Get it to my beta readers.  Edit The Unanswerable.  Create mock-cover for The Unanswerable.  Start the IndieGogo for The Unanswerable. 

I took a look at my finished projects, and I was shocked to see how many of them are lying around right now.  I have four sitting, not actively being worked on, and one temporarily abandoned (until I feel like rewriting it into a darker NA story).  That's five projects that are doing nothing.

I look at that and think, "What am I doing?!"  I keep starting new, shinier projects and leaving my old ones behind.  It's daunting, looking at that back list, and thinking of how many edits, changes, etc. I have in my future.  But knowing I have plenty of things to work on feels good.

For the rest of this year, with the exception of NaNo, I will be trying to finish what I started.

March on!

Okay, I know I'm a day early, but bring it, March!

I fought with February, goal wise.  We threw down, took the gloves off, and went three rounds.  In the end, this is what I accomplished:

• Edited 60k of Where We Collide (10k left)
• Plotted the entirety of No Sugar Coating
• Wrote 8k of No Sugar Coating

Things I missed:  Finish CPing (still working on it - so grateful that my CP is understanding!), writing all of Part One for No Sugar Coating, and of course, editing the entirety of Where We Collide.

I read seven books in February.  My husband and I joke that I'm now addicted to reading.  I think he's right.  I continue to go to the library and buy books when they are on sale.  I have 10 books on my desk that are all unread. Maybe I'm just a book hoarder...  Better than the other alternatives, I suppose!

March Goals:

• Finish editing Where We Collide - get it to CPs
• Finish CPing
• Write 20k of No Sugar Coating
• Consider editing RUHE - discuss with Betas/CPs if they think it might be better if I make it darker...  I still feel like it's not as strong as it could be

RUHE might be completely on hold until I finish other projects.  I want to accomplish tangible goals - and right now, RUHE is rather directionless. 

Just to update my word count, I've written 46,768 words this year!  Okay, okay, I included some rewrites, but hey, that's work/words towards my end goal.  So I have a right to brag about it just a little bit ;)

Feeling good about March, since the majority of the edits are done, I'm excited to start my new project in earnest.

February Goals and January Accomplishments

Some triumphs and some set-backs.

What I accomplished:  Major rewriting and replotting of Where We Collide to make it ten times better than it was before. Finished all but 10k of the edits (my goal was 30k edits, not 50k, so woohoo)! Finished Good Criminal Heart.  

What I missed:  Submitted The Unanswerable to ABNA, but due to illness didn't have time to edit it.  Whoops.

Just in case you didn't know:  This is day nine of Sickdom.  Nine!  And while it is "just a cold" and "not the flu" and all that - nine days has really thrown off my writing/editing game.  This just means I need to step it up for February!

Original February Goals:
These are what I originally wanted to accomplish in the new year. 

• Finish editing Where We Collide
• Get Where We Collide to my beta readers

New February Goals:
Similar to the original, but with new additions (and *sparkles*)!

• Edit Where We Collide again - this time to make it into first person, and therefore, even better than it is now.
• Finish CPing
• Get Where We Collide to CPs
• Plot the entirety of No Sugar Coating (my super secret YA Magical Realism project)
• Write Part One of No Sugar Coating

My March Goals will come at the end of February.  Hopefully I will get some more random exercises to be blog content.

But know this, my friends:  I am working!

In Edits

Don't forget to check out my giveaway!

Cara Michaels may want my head on a platter for not updating my #WIP500 lately, but honestly, I can't really do it.  No, not can't.  I won't.

Why?  Because I have three pieces that have not been edited as much as I like.  So I'm reworking, rewriting, and keeping track of the new word count (which, yes, I will use, because it is technically still a WIP500), but my word count is... tiny.  Minuscule.

This is why I hate editing.  I feel like I need to be working on The Unanswerable or Kingdom of Obession, not bumming around in the first chapters of Rioss and piddling over my word choices.  I feel like Rioss and Soul Therapy and Ruhe already took so much of my precious time, that I really want to move onto the next shiny new object.

But shame on me.  Because I know for a fact that I sometimes call "Marc" "March" because of the numerous typos throughout Rioss.  And I know that Jessica goes on way too many internal ramblings without enough action/responses in Soul Therapy.  And Ruhe just needs to be longer, the scenes need to have more tension in them.  So here's my wrist slap.  Stay with it, stick with it, and edit it. 

Editing just feels so much like work.  But something that makes it easier?  I got new vinyl from M83, including Saturdays = Youth and Before the Dawn Heals Us (consequently, these are the first vinyls I have ever owned).  Which, for people that don't know me - M83 is my favorite band to zone out to.  It makes doing things that I don't like much more pleasant.  Each week, I am going to attempt to complete at least three hours to editing. 

And last night, I spent an hour curled up on the couch with two cats on each side of me, sipping on wine, listening to M83, and pouring over words.  Wasn't a bad set up, but I still forgot to submit my new word count to Cara Michaels (shame on me).