Deb Salisbury: Mantua-Maker, Magic Seeker: October 2010

Sunday, October 31, 2010

Happy Halloween

Halloween is my favorite holiday. The nights are getting cool – a bigger deal in Texas than you chilly-weather folk can imagine. The occasional tree has changed colors, and my sweetgum is a gorgeous shade of burgundy. Kids drop by in costume, begging for candy. I adore costumes, even the store-bought kind.

Only five children wandered so far out into the boonies this year, a record for this house. When I lived in town I’d get hundreds of Trick or Treaters, but a few miles on a dirt road discourages most callers. But I was pleased to see my youngest grand-nieces and nephew, who arrived as a sorceress, a princess, a cute little devil in a red dress, and Mrs. and Baby Santa Claus.

I have a bit of news – I’m honored to have been invited to join the Sisterhood of the Traveling Blog. That means you’ll hear from me on the fourth Wednesday of each month. Thank you, Lydia, Laura, Danyelle, and the retiring Zoe – I hope you new endeavors go well.

Happy Halloween, everyone!

Sunday, October 24, 2010

NaNoWriMo

NaNoWriMo starts November 1, and I’ve decided to join in. The goal is to write 50,000 words in one month – about half a fantasy novel.

I have about half an outline at this point, and hope to have it finished by Halloween. The beginning is clear, but the ending is shaky. I’d rather have the final chapters settled before I start writing, but I know my current three possibilities have been done many times. I need to think up a twist.

Now my problem is my twists usually come from a detail that crops up during the writing. That makes it hard to plan an ending! Right now I’m keeping track of my lame endings (#1 was so lame it limped off a cliff) and I'm hunting for a better one. They say throw away your first ten ideas, so I have a ways to go. :-)

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Dealing with the Blues

I have begun that terrifying journey called querying. After a hundred versions – I could have written a novel in that many words – I have a query that embraces the heart of my story. It’s time to send Anchoring the Rain out into the world.

To distract myself from the sensation that my guts are slinking under the nearest carpet, I’ve started a new project, plotting a novel currently called Iron Core. I’m also working on deep revisions in Wizard’s Route. I’d written it as two books, but the story line became too weak. So I cut 80,000 words and combined several characters. Now I’m creating new transitions and hunting for scenes that no longer make sense or are out of order.

I must admit, I enjoy editing almost as much as writing, but I adore plotting.

Happy writing, y’all!