Release of Nightrage Rising

As you can imagine, I did not catch up. The rest of the month ended up being so busy that my computer might as well have remained broken.

But, on a different note, a friend of mine is releasing his second book! It is a sequel to his first book, A Hero's Curse, which was excellent! The book is being released tomorrow, December 9th, and will be available on Amazon: http://amzn.to/2AsFwIa . Details on the story are below:

Nightrage Rising is a street-level fantasy-adventure novel with a healthy splash of Nancy Drewish mystery—mixed with a dollop of wit and snark. It is a fast paced, first-person, present-tense story of a girl discovering self-worth, courage and friendship in the face of an unstable kingdom, magical inequality, and a dangerous, seductive cult. If you grab a copy off the shelf and flip to the back cover, here’s what you’ll find:

“Essie Brightsday is blind. But that hasn’t kept her from curses, dragons, or rock basilisks in the past. Now her family lives in the bustling capital of Plen, a far cry from their small farm tucked against the Valley of Fire. Little does she know that a secretive cult is growing in the city, guaranteeing this adventure will be just as eventful as the last…”

While Nightrage Rising is the sequel to A Hero’s Curse, it was written to stand on its own. If you missed the first book, don’t worry, you can still jump in, right now.

Find out more about Hero's Curse and Nightrage Rising on P.S. Broaddus' website: http://www.psbroaddus.com/nightrage-rising/

An Overland Journey Timeline

One of my greatest frustrations in writing Picture of the Past is the lack of succinct information on the Overland Trail. Oh, there is information to be had in plenty - if you have the time and wherewithal to read dozen and dozens of thick books, or, on the other side, if you are content with a kindergartner's understanding of it. But a quick, down and dirty guide for the suffering writer? Nope.

Okay, then, how about a basic timeline of the progress the wagons made along the trail? You know, "In April they generally reached about here. This is what the land was like." Nope. Not a chance. So I have researched and  googled and examined maps and tried to construct my own timeline. Which has been surprisingly difficult and my best resources have ended up being diaries.

I am not saying it is accurate, but, I THINK it is somewhat accurate. Below are my very basic results - I don't need much - I just need to know about when they were to try and add a little realism. If you see a mistake in my conclusions or know of a better resource, I would very much welcome anything you have to offer.

March - April: Left jumping off point, usually Independence or St. Joseph's, Missouri.

May: generally crossing plains, traveling along the Platte river, crossing rivers, traveling through Kansas along the border of Nebraska. It was usually before Ft. Laramie along this section that emigrants died of cholera. May begin dealing with Indians.

June: Often reached Ft. Kearney in June. May pass Court House Rock, Scotts Bluff, and Ft. Laramie (crossing into Wyoming). In addition, would be in Indian territory, see antelope and buffalo, crossing bluffs, may have difficulty traveling through mud, sloughs, uneven ground,etc.

July: aimed to reach Independence Rock by the 4th in Wyoming. Shortly afterwards would reach the devil's gate and then the South Pass in the Rockies. Might have difficulties with water and grass. Increasing number of abandoned belongings as path is difficult. Would reach Ft. Bridger at some point.

August - September: May have hit Soda Springs in early August, and then Fort Hall (both in Idaho). This is where the California trail split off. California emigrants would head down into Nevada where they would travel along the Humboldt River and hit the forty mile desert. Courtesy of Wikipedia: West of the river's end in the Humboldt Sink, the trail forked, with one branch leading towards the Carson River and the other towards the Truckee River.^[2] Regardless of which route they took, the travelers would have to endure about 40 miles (64 km) of desert without usable water.^[1]

Once through the desert, they would have to cross the Sierra Nevada Mountain range. I believe they would reach this around the beginning of September. They would likely have difficult tasks, such as lowering wagons over cliffs as well. They would continue through Donner's Pass, then Emigrant Gap, to Sutter's Fort, generally arriving around end of September.

And that, as far as I can figure, is the approximate timeline of  "normal" trip across the country. And it's what I'm sticking to until I am told otherwise.

How to Survive National Novel Writing Month

There are so many (seriously, SO MANY) articles and posts and blogs and comments dedicated to this subject, that I'm not even going to try to compile "the best" ways to survive writing 50,000 words in a month. Besides, "the best" is always subjective. Every writer has things that work specifically for them. So this is dedicated to ways that I intend to (or have in the past) use to get a 3rd win in row.

• Remember that you are the only one reading what you are writing
• This is probably the most important thing for me. I have this habit of writing something and instantly wanting to rewrite it, or thinking it is too stupid, or inaccurate. Remember - YOU are writing, and YOU get to decide if anyone will ever read it (which they probably wouldn't until you edit it in January anyway). Don't get distracted thinking something is dumb. Just write what you want how you want and keep going. 
• Reward yourself
• When I really don't feel like writing, but need to get in my word count, I reward myself. For instance, say I really want to be reading this awesome new Clive Cussler book I just got. I force myself to write between 300 - 500 words (pick a number and stick to it), then I get to read a section in the book, and write the next 300-500 words, and so on until your word count is finished. It is a slow method, but I have found it pretty effective to ensure I get my words in. You can do the same with a TV show. Write, watch for 5 minutes (or a predetermined amount of time) and then watch again. It helps force you to keep writing no matter what because you want to get that word count in so you know what happens next in your book/movie.
• Write in timed spurts
• Sometimes I will set the timer for 5 minutes and force myself to keep writing during that five minutes even if I just end up describing an elaborate sunset because I can't think of anything else to write. This not only gets word counts in, but, because you are being forced to write without thinking because you are not allowed to stop while the timer is going, it has occasionally broken me out of areas I am stuck. I might go back and rewrite it later, but for now, as long as I am out of the stuck area or that sunset sure looks gorgeous, it still adds an aspect to your story that wasn't there before. 
• If you work, bring a computer or notebook to work with you.
• Do your work, but every now and then (perhaps once every half hour?), turn to your computer or notebook (notebook is more subtle) and write 1-2 sentences. Minimal effort, but you'll be surprised at how many words it can result in, thereby encouraging you when you sit down to your "real" writing session.
• Change up the scenery
• Try writing in different locations (unless that distracts you). I like occasionally finding a coffee shop and crashing in a corner to write. 
• Write with noise cancelling headphones
• I live in a tiny apartment and it is just me and my husband. There is no extra noise, especially if my husband knows I am writing, yet for some reason, when I put on my noise cancelling headphones (usually with my favorite writing music), I get lost in my world and am far less easily distracted from anything around me.
• Pretend you are telling someone the story
• When you are stuck - you simply don't know what to write next, and the whole writing with a timer thing just isn't doing anything for you, close your eyes and pretend you are telling this story that happened to you to someone else. What would naturally come next? Whether it seems like it is skipping a bunch of detail or going far too much into detail, write it down. What would you tell them next?
• Turn off your data
• If your data/internet is turned off and you aren't getting notifications of things happening in the world, there is nothing to distract  your eyes or ears. This, especially combined with the noise cancelling headphones, can be a killer combination for immersing yourself in your new world.

If you, like me, are crazy enough to try NaNo yet again, I hope these tips help! 

Ethrill Update

Ethrill could be going better. I've been having some issues getting back into the brain of my character. The first half of the book was quite rough, but somehow still seemed to connect. There was something about the character and the story that even drew me in, even though I was the one who wrote it. The second part - I just seemed to lose it and was just struggling through, trying to make it as magical as the first part.

Daniel and I spent the weekend away and ended up talking it over, because, believe it or not, I had let Daniel read through the first half. On the up side, he loved it and is now invested in the story and hearing his thoughts on why he connected was really helpful. He also recommended that I go through what I've written so far to try to reconnect with my character before I continue. So that's what I'm doing so far. I still intend to finish by the end of the month. Although finishing might mean me just realizing it needs a second book. I've decided anywhere between 95,000 and 100,000 words is enough to call it a finish, since I've heard books from novice writers shouldn't be longer than like 90,000, or thereabouts. I'm currently at about 77,000. That's possible, right?

Looking forward at NaNo - I've never done any type of outline before. I've just waited until November 1 and then started writing whatever book I decided to finally try. This time, though, I was thinking I should maybe prep a little. Not an outline, but I should probably at least make a list of short story ideas so I don't go totally blank after the first story or two.

Fall Writing Plans

I have a plan and a schedule! Granted, for anyone who knows me, that is nothing unusual. I always have plans and schedules, and tend to do much better than if I do not. This one is a very basic plan and schedule. Straight and to the point:

October: Finish writing Ethrill
November: Participate in and win NaNoWriMo
December: Edit Picture of the Past and have ready for review/reading by someone else by the end of the month

I also intend (intend being the key word here) to have something published by the end of the year. No, not a book. But a poem, short story - really, anything. Printed. I'm going to try, anyway. So my goal is to submit something somewhere once a week. Don't tell me it is too ambitious. I know it is ambitious - but better to have ambition than apathy, right? Last week (or was it the week before?) I submitted a poem to the poetry contest at Writer's Digest. I don't think it was good enough to win anything, but at least I submitted it, right?

For those of you who are wondering whether I know what I am going to write for NaNo - yes, I do! Well, more or less. I decided last year that this year I am going to write 50,000 words worth of short stories. So, I don't know what those short stories will encompass, but my goal is to finish a least a dozen. Why, you ask? Well, for the following reasons:

1. Because I think it is good to have something finished on hand in case anyone ever asks to see a sample of my writing.
2. It will be very good practice to create multiple stories.
3. I will feel accomplished.
4. I will have a collection from which to submit stories for publication.

If you think of any other reasons, please feel free to comment and let me know. I can always use encouragement.

Printer Euphoria

This is going to sound a little silly - but there is one thing I am super excited about right now. I HAVE A NEW PRINTER!

Okay, yes - nothing to get excited about. EXCEPT IT IS!

So, our printer right now prints slowly, doesn't print double sided unless you feed it manually, takes extremely expensive ink, and in general is not very useful for anything beyond the occasional menu/picture printing. The upside being, it also scans. But, as you may or may not know, I finished writing my first full-sized book this year. Close to 100,000 words. And, being a writer, I have to print it out in order to properly edit it. So, Daniel suggested I put it on a thumb drive and go to a FedEx or something to print it.

But I realized that, if I am going to be a writer, this may be a fairly common occurrence. The need to print tons of pages. So, I did a little research, found a printer that was recommended for writers, and decided to buy it! So, yes - I am excited. I have a printer officially for writing. It makes me feel one step closer to being a real writer.

Seriously - it is a laser printer, prints double-sided, has wireless printing (I can write something on the couch and print it at my desk!), prints super fast, and has high yield ink (2600 pages before needing replacement!). For those of you who are interested, I have a lovely picture of it below.

Okay - I'll stop ranting about a printer now and let you take a breath of relief.

So, this means that I no longer have any excuse to not edit Picture of the Past. I am still working on Ethrill too, but I have this desperate desire to have both books finished by the end of the year, and maybe even have PoP ready for someone to read. Am I being too ambitious? Perhaps. But better to be too ambitious than not enough, right?

Writer Fears

If you've read the description for this blog, you know that my intention was (and sort of still is) to use it to talk about research I'm doing for books I'm currently writing, as well as keep you sort of up to date on what I'm writing - just in case you are interested. Well, if you check this blog on any sort of regular basis (highly doubtful), you know I've been doing a smashing job! Or not.

It's time to admit it. Unless my posts affect me personally somehow and I am emotionally invested in it, it is hard to write them. I wanted to keep this blog away from more personal stuff because - well. A couple reasons.

1: I don't like talking about my writing, particularly when I know the people reading my talking. It is incredibly personal for me. When I talk about my writing, I feel like I am opening my heart and laying it out for people to stomp on. So I thought if I only talked about research, I could fulfill the requisite "must have online writing presence to get published" without showing people I know who I am.

2: I am linking to this blog on my social media, which means that friends and family might actually click on that someday and read this. I am fearful that if they find out about my true love - writing - and that even though I've loved it since I was 8 I still haven't had anything real published, they will think of me as a failure.

3.: Everyone thinks they are a writer. Anytime someone mentions that they have written/are writing/want to write a book, everyone else in hearing distance pipes up, eager to talk about how they, too, want to write a book and be a writer. And somehow, it gets frustrating for me to hear everyone around me talk about it as though they understand what it is to actually be a writer. Most people who "want to write a book" have no idea of the constant emotional turmoil people who are wired as writers suffer. Of the struggle through lack of inspiration, the simultaneous hatred and love of every sentence put down. The fear of doing it and inability not to. Of actually being a writer. Not just writing. And I want to explain it to them, but again, I don't. Because I'm afraid.

Overall - it is just fear. My closer friends know that fear - and especially fear of failure - is my old enemy. I like getting things right on the first try. And if I don't think I will, I am less likely to even try. Except when it comes to writing itself.

So, anyway. All this to say, I'm going to try (once again) to overcome my constant fear of failure and update this blog based not just on research, but my personal life in writing.  Because, published or not - open heart or not - it is who I am.  And I would write even if I knew I would never be published. So it's time for me to get over it.

Ethrill Excerpt

I started a post on lace tucks and then realized the internet held very little information about that subject or regency necklines in general - and least information that I felt was sufficient for a post. So I am holding off on that one. Then I thought about posting about regency era clothing, dances, rag curls, and a multitude of other things because I knew I should post something, but honestly? I don't feel like coming up with an intelligent post today. However, rather than making the nonexistent people who read this wait to read another post, I've decided to post an excerpt from the book I am currently writing. Enjoy!

“Quickly now.” The bartender turned from a happy-go-lucky, eager to get a coin, man to a nervous, fast-moving man, looking about the empty small room as though to ensure no one was lurking in a corner. He virtually pushed us toward the bar where he reached under the counter and pulled a lever. The shelving holding the various drink offerings immediately parted, showing a small room. We scurried through, well aware that if anyone chose that moment to enter, all would be lost. As though the realization alone were enough to make it happen, a voice screeched from behind us. 

“Stop! You are all traitors and will be punished  in the name of Damanius!”

 Whirling almost as one, we were simultaneously relieved and horrified to see  only Dave standing there, eyes blazing, her hand raised as though that alone could make us stop. 

“Grab her.” Hadwin did not even hesitate to give the order to the bartender, who just as quickly had his large hand wrapped around Dave’s mouth before she could utter another sound. Dave was unceremoniously dragged into the room with us. The bartender deposited her into Hadwin’s small but wiry arms and left us, closing the door to the hidden room as he went back to his duties. 

“What now?” I asked, as Hadwin kept a surprisingly strong grip on the woman, who at first had been too stunned at our audacity to do anything and was now struggling like cat in water. 

“She’ll have to come with us until we are out of Damanius’ reach.” His face showed the briefest traces of a grimace as Dave bit down , managing to capture some of the skin of his hand. He leaned down and whispered something into her ear, and the vicious bundle suddenly dropped into unconsciousness. With some relief, Hadwin dropped her to the floor, gently massaging his injured hand and not bothering to break her fall. 

“What did you do?” I asked, somewhat fearfully. 

“Don’t worry.” He looked a little disgusted at the concern in my voice. “She’s just asleep. See if you can find some ropes and material for a gag. We are going to have to make sure she doesn’t escape or yell for help. This may make things more difficult.” 

He looked at Ari, who had watched the proceedings with uncharacteristic silence. “Is everything ready?” 

“Yes, sir.” She answered respectfully. I raised my eyebrows in surprise at her tone of  solicitude. “We may proceed as soon as you see fit.”  

“Will it be an issue if we leave earlier than planned? Her presence complicates matters. We cannot wait long before she is missed, and that is assuming she did not have backup with her."

I looked around while this conversation was taking place and noted that the little room was stocked with a surprising amount of a variety of provisions. A lot of preserved food items, water, ale, blankets, and a multitude of other items one might need to survive. One crate held several pieces of rope. I silently handed Hadwin a goodish piece and a torn piece of material from a cloth that had been used to wrap some food items. He quickly shoved them into a sack near at hand. “Let’s go.” 

“Aren’t you going to tie her up?” 

“Not yet.” Hadwin did not bother to expound and I got the sense that it was not the best time to ask additional questions.  He nodded at Ari, who flew over to the wall and disappeared through a tiny crack  near the floor boards that I hadn’t even noticed. As soon as she disappeared, Hadwin leaned down and hoisted Dave up. “Help me with her. It needs to look like she is just drunk.” 

I quickly moved around and supported her other side. As if on cue, the bartender opened the door again, this time just enough for us to slip through, closing it immediately behind us, and pressed a packet into my hand. “Good luck.” He whispered and then turned back to the bar, busily preparing for the customers he did not yet have. 

Canp NaNoWriMo and Writing Generally

So, I have a confession. I haven't written anything in - two weeks. It's just been so busy! It's like something is going on every day/night! And by the time night rolls around, I am too tired, or the house needs to be cleaned, or . . . or . . . or . .  . yeah, I know, I know, all the normal excuses.

I will say one thing, though. I really miss it now when I don't write. I mean, when I was younger I did as well, and then at first in college, but it slowly wore off during the business and then I was just frankly scared to death to try to write after it had been too long. So, I consider it an improvement that after two weeks of virtually no writing, I do not feel fear when I think about it, but just a need to go do it.

I comfort myself, however, with the knowledge that in July . . . Camp NaNoWriMo is here! What is that you say? Well, you all know about NaNoWriMo, I have no doubt. Camp NaNoWriMo is essentially the same thing, but instead of HAVING to write 50,000 words, you get to choose how many you write, and, if you so wish, you can be part of a small "cabin" of writers who encourage one another. I am too shy to be part of a cabin, unless I can convince my friends Abby and Rissa to join as well, but I am looking forward to the incentive of having a site keep track of my words and whether I "win" or not. I need a push to keep working on my fantasy, Ethrill. I have been doing too much thinking and not enough writing lately.

So if you have been doing too much thinking and not enough writing you should totally try Camp NaNoWriMo too!

Finishing the Book

As you may or may not know, I recently finished my first full length novel - A Picture of the Past (PoP for short). I've finished short books before, but this one was actually full length. 99,000 words, in fact. I finished it - mmmm - probably a month or so ago, and haven't touched it since. It needs SO many edits, that I am kind of scared to pick it up again. So I'm working on a different book instead, while I glance at PoP out of the corner of my eye.

I just finished a couple articles in Writer's Digest about "Plotting vs. Pantsing" - you know, the writer who plots everything before they write vs the writer who just sits down and writes. I seem to fall somewhere in the middle. I seem to like sitting and just writing - and then doing a little mapping out if I get stuck, and going back AFTERWARDS to REALLY map things out. What really scared me about the articles, I think, was the comment in both articles that "Pansters" tend to start novels that really never go anywhere, and as much as I am not sure I liked the completed product of PoP, I love the idea enough that I desperately don't want it to be a dead end. But, even if I didn't completely like the completed product, if I still love the idea enough, that means there still has to be promise in it, right? So, here are a couple tips I pulled out of the article that have actually inspired me to go back and finally take another look at the book and see what I can make out of it:

The article suggested the following extremely useful points:

• If you are feeling stuck make a list of events in your story, leaving blanks as needed.
• Once you know how to get from your stopping point to the next fixed point, quit plotting and go back into pantsing.
• Don't try to list every single event and line of dialogue when making a list. 
• Imagine you're the protagonist and ask yourself what you would do next (I already do this a lot and it DOES help a lot).
• If you know where the plot needs to go, ask why your characters get to that point and keep repeating the question until you work backwards to where it all fell apart. 
• Retroactively plot the story. 
• Be open to reworking parts of your novel - if it isn't working, try "pantsing" the part to see if it goes in another direction.

One thing I appreciated and agreed with, was this sentence at the end of the second article:

"The trick is to get the story down, from beginning to end. Ultimately, the writers who get published are those who finish the first draft and then revise it. Get the words on the page and you're halfway there."