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!

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. :-)

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!

Current links for writers - October 4

Sorry - this will be my last post for a while. My internet connection is about to get spotty.

Constructing Your Story Goal at Advanced Fiction Writing

Dialogue: the bare essentials by Jordan McCollum

Internalization, Silence and Avoidance at TalkToYoUniverse - What don't your characters say aloud?

Antagonists in Contemporary Fiction at Kidlit.com

Crunches and Munches at The Alchemy of Writing - Do you read your work aloud?

Got Rhythm? at The Blood-Red Pencil

A Delectation of Supernatural Collective Nouns at Gabrielle Edits

Color Commentary: On the Colors of Horses by Judith Tarr at Book View Cafe

Defeating Your Inner Critic Part I - Track the Problem by Carolyn Kaufman at QueryTracker

Writing Nowadays–Counting Words by Steven Harper Piziks at Book View Cafe

Behind the Scenes... "The Call" at Rants & Ramblings

Waiting for My Book's Publication Date, Guest Post by Aggie Villanueva at AuthorCulture

CONTEST

Wisdom--Drivel--Whatever at Seekerville

Current links for writers - October 3

One of the very best books on writing ever at Janet Reid's

Writers on Writing: black teeth vs everlite candles, or research vs experience by Sherwood Smith at Book View Cafe

#181-FTW For the Win! at Query Shark

Book Ideas atPaperback Writer - and promotion ideas

Current links for writers - October 2

Three Traits of Compelling Characters by Kathleen Ernst at POE'S DEADLY DAUGHTERS

Tips For Writing Effective Dialogue at The Blood-Red Pencil

Quick Revision Checklist at Operation Awesome

Excuses…there aren’t any at Behler Blog - read all of the submission guidelines

A Little Something About You at Jennifer Represents...

Online Safety and Presence at Mystery Writing is Murder

Comic: Compulsive Editing Support Group by Debbie Ohi at Writer Unboxed

Current links for writers - October 1

The Problems With Sarcastic Voice at Kidlit.com

Busted!—Jordan Sonnenblick caught plot-flipping at The Blood-Red Pencil - a technique for writers

CONTESTS

Editing Prizes from CA Marshall for my Blogfest ...Check it out! at Brenda Drake Writes . . . - cool prizes!

Twi-Contest: All White For Twilight at Operation Awesome

Reality Doesn't Bite at Paperback Writer

Current links for writers - September 30

Dual Protagonists? at Fiction Workbench

T3 - Types of Grief, Part 3 at The Character Therapist - Distorted grief and Disenfranchised grief

Polite and long at edittorrent - a short post on polite language

Obsessive Compulsive Editing Disorder (And How to Fight It) by Jeanne Kisacky at Writer Unboxed

If you don’t research your stories, you’re an idiot at Behler Blog

Sept #2: Top 25 Reasons Your Submissions are Rejected at The Blood-Red Pencil - plus 8 of why she'd ask to see more

Method of wrapping carrier pigeons at How to be a Retronaut - WW I & II story detail

Panama Canal fossils reveal ancient collision of worlds at BBC.com - just too cool!

CONTESTS

Glorious celebrations demand free books! at The Magic District

Original Contest delayed.... ...so we'll run a new one in it's place! - at Coffey. Tea. And Literary.

“It’s All About the Characters” Barbara White Daille at Seekerville

Current links for writers - September 29

It's All About The Details by Jane Lebak at QueryTracker

Ambiguous Characters at Mystery Writing is Murder

Character arcs - how characters change at TalkToYoUniverse

The Rule of Two at The Laws of Making - what readers see as significant.

Don't Overuse Names in Dialogue at WordPlay

Talking to Agents and Editors at Conferences at Kidlit.com

Ten Ways to Get the Most from a Writers’ Conference at The Blood-Red Pencil

From Query Letter to Cover Copy by Elana Johnson

A BookEnds Rejection at BookEnds - what a typical (if kind) rejection looks like

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Book Sales and one way to help - at The Roving Editor

Soliciting Elves at AuthorCulture - a new(ish) press is taking submissions for SF/F

Save the Adverbs! at Book Dreaming - LOL!

CONTEST

The Rats are Back - Hilary Wagner and Nightshade City! at Market My Words

Current links for writers - September 28

Better off dead? at Dystel & Goderich Literary Management - Dead parents in YA

Lists for Inspiration and characterization - at Mystery Writing is Murder

Complex sentencing at edittorrent - Double-negative Construction

A Rose By Any Other Name is Still Too Flowery. And Purple. at The Other Side of the Story

Tip Tuesday #56 at Literary Rambles - handling critiques

NaNoWriMo at Paperback Writer

The Importance of a Polished Manuscript - A Guest Blog at Chip MacGregor

More on the series question at Getting Past the Gatekeeper

The boutique query at Behler Blog - Get it right the first time.