Saturday 31 October 2015

Words & Wonders (24)

Welcome to Words & Wonders, a weekly journal of writing updates, links I've found useful or interesting, and book recommendations. I hope W&W will prove to be useful to you writers out there as well as offering an insight into my writing progress for my readers. Don't forget to leave a comment with your own writing progress!

Super link-heavy post this week. For writers looking for Nano resources scroll down!!

In the Writing Cave, this week I have:

- Continued plotting PERSEYUA, which is now ready for writing!! Bring on Nov 1st!



- Written 6,243 words of the demon girl short story I mentioned last week (in the anthology called Ghastly.) Hoping I won't have to leave this unfinished for months while working on Perseyua but I only have TODAY to finish it. Gah!


In my life:

- It's technically my week off but I'm pushing to finish a short story as well as planning PERSEYUA and reading a handful of books. I literally don't know the meaning of the words 'time off.'

On the internet, this week I found useful:
A BUNCH of stuff. Seriously, can you tell I have time to lurk on the internet again or what? Also, I'm actively seeking them out since I like to stuff my brain with advice from knowledgable folks when beginning a new book!

- 7 Lessons I've Learned, by Erin Bowman

- This amazing webinar about prepping a novel.
(Good advice for planning, plotting, & character building from Kami Garcia, Ellen Hopkins, Jonathan Mayberry, & Danielle Paige. It's technically for Nanowrimo but applies to all starting a new draft!)
- Barriers to Love, by Colleen Houck
- Kami Garcia's planning pinterest board, which is FULL of links
- 10 things to do before editing a first draft
- How to nail your novel pacing
- This 30 day author challenge. 
(I HAVE TO FIND TIME FOR THIS!! Looks uh-mazing. Maybe in January, with the new year?)
- Balancing Setting and Plot by Susan Dennard
- Sarah J. Maas and Susan Dennard on world building + books recs with fab world building
- Filter words 
(something I never realised I used until I read this post and was like ... oh ... yeah...)

What have you written this week?
~Saruuh

Saturday 24 October 2015

Words & Wonders (23)

Welcome to Words & Wonders, a weekly journal of writing updates, links I've found useful or interesting, and book recommendations. I hope W&W will prove to be useful to you writers out there as well as offering an insight into my writing progress for my readers. Don't forget to leave a comment with your own writing progress!

In the Writing Cave, this week I have:

- Written 6,932 words of POWERS (TLM3) AND IT'S FINISHED!!!! 125K words later... I estimate another summer release for this.


- Begun hastily plotting my next project (Hades/Persephone WIP) for real, instead of the mess of notes and ideas I had as of Monday. Its working title is now Queen of The Halfworld but that's probably gonna change at least 3 times so I'll just call it PERSEYUA, the name of the main character. (Pronounced per.say.wa.)

- Returned to a gothic short story anthology I've been writing on and off for a year called Ghastly. I've been reading halloween-y books so they've had an effect on my writing mood. Currently writing a story about a demon girl who gets kidnapped and carted off to heaven because of a grudge between her father and an angel. The love interest is gender fluid!

In my life:

- I'm feeling pretty darn accomplished. Finished the first POWERS draft, working on the short story, and discovered my Etsy shop was featured in a Cosmopolitan web article last year about Harry Potter Christmas gifts (it's the Gryffindor bracelet!)

On the internet, this week I found useful:

- Been busy busy and haven't had much time on the internets,

A book I've loved lately:

This week I actually have TWO books I've loved, The Casquette Girls, which is atmospheric and romantic and a gothic delight; and Blood Magic, another tense, heartfelt gothic YA that I felt in my bones. Loved both of them and recommend them v much!!


What have you written this week?
~Saruuh

Saturday 17 October 2015

Words & Wonders (22)

Welcome to Words & Wonders, a weekly journal of writing updates, links I've found useful or interesting, and book recommendations. I hope W&W will prove to be useful to you writers out there as well as offering an insight into my writing progress for my readers. Don't forget to leave a comment with your own writing progress!

In the Writing Cave, this week I have:

- Written 13,802 words of POWERS (TLM3)!!!! So damn close to being finished.

- Begun hastily plotting my next project (Hades/Persephone WIP) for real, instead of the mess of notes and ideas I had as of Monday. Its working title is now Queen of The Halfworld but that's probably gonna change at least 3 times.


In my life:

- I'm mostly stressed this week. Help.

On the internet, this week I found useful:

- nothing? again? what?

What have you written this week?
~Saruuh

Saturday 10 October 2015

Words & Wonders (21)

Welcome to Words & Wonders, a weekly journal of writing updates, links I've found useful or interesting, and book recommendations. I hope W&W will prove to be useful to you writers out there as well as offering an insight into my writing progress for my readers. Don't forget to leave a comment with your own writing progress!

In the Writing Cave, this week I have:

- Written 18,823 words of POWERS (TLM3)!!!! That's a lot of words for me, and it's even better because I haven't got stressed or anxious and my health hasn't suffered for it like the last time I wrote this much :D

And since I fancied posting a quote, here's an unedited excerpt of POWERS:


Neither of us is exactly alright at the moment, and I don’t want to feel bad for indulging in something I want. I hold him close and I feel like I can protect him from anything—bear, Numen, horrifying pathway, whatever. Except I have no balance, zero hand-eye coordination, minimal skill with a weapon, and I tend to freeze or squeak or stare in terror when faced with something fearsome and intimidating. But I’d do it, without a doubt, for Ran.

Which is more terrifying than the idea of facing a bear.

“How is this making me feel better?” Ran asks, his fingers running through my hair. “Are you actually magic? Like, old school fairy tale magic?”

“Definitely. I’m your fairy godmother.”


“I knew it.”


In my life:

- Nothing to report, other than writing like mad.

- Oh, and I changed my Nanowrimo novel, which means I changed the novel I'm writing with a view to sending out on submission. (AND I think it'll be more difficult to sell than my other one would have been. BUT this is the book I love and want to write RN.)

On the internet, this week I found useful:

- Apparently nada. Huh. Weird.

What have you written this week?
~Saruuh

Saturday 3 October 2015

Words & Wonders (20)

Welcome to Words & Wonders, a weekly journal of writing updates, links I've found useful or interesting, and book recommendations. I hope W&W will prove to be useful to you writers out there as well as offering an insight into my writing progress for my readers. Don't forget to leave a comment with your own writing progress!

In the Writing Cave, this week I have:

- Written 8,262 words of POWERS (TLM3) I've finished Yasmin's POVs and now I'm onto the second.


In my life:

- I'm in a more do-y mood than write-y, which isn't great when I have a deadline at the end of the month!!!

On the internet, this week I found useful:

Genre Jumping - Yes You Can, by Mindy McGinnis

What have you written this week?
~Saruuh