Wednesday, September 29, 2010 – Personality Changes

So I'm revising a particular character in ROCK ON and she's becoming someone entirely different! My editor suggested deepening her character and making her a little less insecure and as I began to re-vision who this person was, she started changing quite dramatically. It was quite amazing.

Of course, this means that lots of scenes will now have to change because she has changed, but that's okay. She's really got me intrigued and I think this will add a really great dimension to the book.

Monday, May 24, 2010 – Acceptances and New Book

So ROCK ON will be published by Little, Brown, the same folks who published CLICK HERE and ACCESS DENIED! I just found out on Thursday and I’m really excited. But it will be awhile before it comes out so hopefully it will be worth the wait for everyone.

In the meantime, I’ve made some progress on the untitled book. I think I have five chapters written. This is my week to get more done so hopefully I will.

Sunday, April 25, 2010 – Running and Writing

So my hubby and youngest ran in the Cherry Creek Sneak (5K) and it was great exercise and a gorgeous day. Our other two kids begged off to sleep in – ah, the teen years.

I did start my new book – as yet untitled – and have written two whole chapters. But I really like them and am excited about the direction it’s going. It’s funny because I looked back at the first page I’d written a couple of years ago and it wasn’t how I wanted to start the book anymore. So I stewed on the opening line for TWO DAYS. Then I told myself, “You can’t keep stalling. Just write something to get the book going. You can always change it later.” But what came out was quite surprising. The voice of the main character was not at all who I’d envisioned. I’m really excited to see where she takes me!

Monday, April 12, 2010 – The Switch is on

It’s official. I’ve switched books. The nudging one won out and I’m now doing my brainstorming using my little worksheet/guide. It’s too soon to say anything about it, but the one I talked about before that has two other companion books, I’ll write those next. This story just needs to be told. Now.

I hope to start actually writing this week since I think I’ve got most of the main plot points worked out. Yahoo!

Sunday, March 28, 2010 – Switching Books…maybe

So while I wait to hear about ROCK ON, I’ve been working on my Grand Experiment – using a worksheet/guideline sheet to help me figure out some of the main points of my next book before I start writing. Well, I did that for over a month, brainstorming and such, then I wrote the first chapter last week.

But another book I’ve had in mind keeps nudging me, like it wants to be first. So now I’m considering switching gears to write that book. I’ve started going through my worksheet/guideline sheet with this new book now and will see if it really is ready to be told right now. I have a feeling it is because I woke up at 4:30 this morning with scenes jumping through my mind.

I’m following the muse to see where it will take me and I’m kind of excited. The other book I started will still be there, ready and waiting.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010 – Finish Line Crossed!

Okay, so it’s sad that I didn’t even have a happy new year blab here. I’m just so totally lame.

BUT, I can report that I did, indeed, finish my book at the very end of October, got feedback from some folks, and spent two months revising (December was kind of a wash because of the holidays). So…just about a year after starting the book over, it went off to my agent who will be sending it to my publisher soon (or maybe she already has).

Just got back from the SCBWI NY Conference and had a blast! Lots of fun peeps, great presentations, and some time to hang out. Now I’m back and after I finish a few things and get through my presentations at CCIRA on Friday, I will be ready to start a new book.

Wednesday, November 11, 2009 – Veteran’s Day and Book Reports

Today I am very mindful of all the service men and women who continue to fight and who have fought in the past. It’s very humbling to think about the sacrifices people make to keep us and others safe.

As far as book reports, I’m reporting the completion of ROCK ON! Yes, I did, indeed, reach the finish line over a week ago and my agent gave me some excellent suggestions so I am going to tweak it a bit before it goes to the publisher. It’s a good feeling to have another book finished and I’m already doing some brainstorming on my next book. I’m hoping that if I do enough thinking about it and planning, it won’t be so hard when I actually sit down to start writing.

Let’s be grateful for everything we have.

Thursday, October 29, 2009 – Snow Days and Finish Lines

This is the second snow day for the kids – it just keeps coming down! It’s beautiful and fun to be home and cozy. I feel very grateful that our power is on, we have food to eat, and family around.

Yes, that Finish Line in the heading means I’ve reached it with my new book! Well, I’m INCHES away. I just printed out what I hope is the second-to-last version of it where I do what I call “top level” revising – a final read-through to make sure the scenes I changed or added in the last revision hold together and make sense, a double-check of the chronology, then a read-through with my checklist (sensory and setting details, strong action verbs, tightening, polishing and so on).

I’m calling it ROCK ON and am very excited about it. Let’s all cross our fingers that my agent and publisher love it. I can’t believe I’m this close – finally!

The best thing about it is that I’ve shown myself I can finish a book in less than a year. If I go back to the origins of the original book and I think I started playing around with it in the summer of 2007, then started writing it late 2007/ early 2008 and handed it over to my group in November 2008. So that was almost a year and a half. Then I started completely over in January 2009, which means it took me 10 months! True I had the basis for a character and I pulled in a few scenes from the first book, but it’s basically a brand new book and I wrote it in 10 months.

My new goal is to finish my next book in 6-8 months. Can I do it? I think I can if I plan it out in more detail before sitting down to write. I’ve already know the characters and the main story problem and I’m determined to write the ending before I begin to help guide me.

Thursday, August 13, 2009 – Still Writing the Book

Well, I haven’t the last chapter, but I’ve written the big climax scene. I wrote in on the RMC-SCBWI summer retreat and it’s smokin’. Now I’m writing all the scenes that lead up to the climax. And I have a decent idea of the final scene of the book, so that’s something. So all that is good. Let’s see, if I wait three months to add another entry to this thing, maybe I’ll be able to report that I actually finished. Naw. That would be pushing my luck. But I really want to be finished because I’m already thinking about my next book!

Oh, and if you didn’t see it on the scroll on the home page, FACT OF LIFE #31 tied for the win for the Colorado Authors’ League Top Hand Awards in YA fiction. It tied with Wick Downing’s THE TRIALS OF KATE HOPE, which is an awesome book about a 14-year-old who is a lawyer in the ‘70’s. He’s in my critique group so that made it extra cool.

And FOL31 also won the Colorado Book Award for Young Adult Fiction so “double prizes” as Sid from TOY STORY would say. It was really exciting and truly such an honor.

Happy final days of summer…

Monday, May 18, 2009 – Awards and Writing

It’s repeat time - I still haven’t written the last chapter for my new novel. BUT I do have a good excuse (is there such a thing as a good excuse?). My excuse is that I’m not sure which story line will become stronger – the brother story or the girlfriend story – so until I know that, I can’t write the last chapter.

Tomorrow night is the banquet for the Colorado Authors’ League Top Hand Awards in YA fiction. FACT OF LIFE #31 is a finalist so I’ll find out tomorrow if it’s a winner. I’m not holding my breath, though, since the book is up against two other amazing books by Wick Downing and Claudia Mills. So the plan is to go have fun and eat good food.

FACT OF LIFE #31 is also a finalist for the Colorado Book Award for YA Lit (CLICK HERE won for 2005). Again, the book is up against Wick’s book (again! Wick’s in my critique group and is an excellent author and a great guy) and a nonfiction book about writing by Victoria Hanley. That ceremony will be in Aspen this year, when it’s always been in downtown Denver. Should be interesting and I’ll report back here on who wins.

Monday, March 30 – Work-in-Progress Progress

Would you look at that…I actually am adding another post this month! It’s a miracle! Okay, let’s see what else I said I’d do in the March 8 entry. Hm. I have NOT written the last chapter or last scene of my current work-in-progress. Bad girl. Here are my lame excuses: I did presentations and taught classes, all of which needed new stuff in them so I was creating PowerPoint slides and such. I could go on with excuses but that’s just what they are – excuses. I’m not putting the book first and that is WRONG in a big way.

I also just got back from spring break with the fam – went to Florida. Did the un-Disney tour of Sea World and Universal in Orlando, then headed to the beach near West Palm. We had a blast, even though my oldest daughter got a bad cold and was down for one day. She bounced back once we got to the beach and the relaxation was good for her.

That’s my other excuse – I didn’t write on vacation. Well, I actually “wrote” in my head, trying to work out the climax while I was lounging by the pool, etc. So that counts, I think.

All right. So NEXT entry, I must be able to say I’ve written that last scene or chapter. Come on, Denise. You can do it!

Sunday, March 08, 2009 – New Book is Progressing

Okay, so I’ve already blown the 2009 resolution I made in my January entry. Bad Denise! But at least it wasn’t three or four months going by, which I know has happened in the past.

So, to continue the absolutely fascinating saga of the progress (or not) that I’m making on my new YA novel – you know the one that has a guy main character who plays the guitar? Well, I’m happy to say that I am now very sure where I am going, unlike where I was in January when I wrote the post below. I’ve made progress! Not just literal writing progress but also knowledge of the character and story progress. BUT, I have not written the last chapter or scene yet. I did a session on revision at the CLAS (Colorado Language Arts Society) Spring Conference with the amazing and talented Julie Anne Peters and we talked about writing the last chapter first. Julie is famous in our critique group for doing that and I remember saying to her years ago that I didn’t think I could write the last chapter first because it was liking having dessert before dinner – I wanted something to look forward to and if I wrote the last chapter or scene first, what did I have to look forward to?

But it really helped to focus when I did it for the follow-up to CLICK HERE so I need to get my act together and write it for this new book. Okay, I’m going to do that this week.

I am now putting a reminder in Outlook to write in this blab at least once more this month. I’d like to be able to say I’ve made tons of progress on the new book, including writing the last chapter.

Sunday, January 11, 2009 – Revision Means Rewrite, Babe

Happy New Year!

Once again, almost a month has gone by since I wrote here. Egads. I stink at this. Okay, so where am I with the new book? Well, I’ve pretty much started over, and am almost done writing a new first chapter. I’ve also jotted a few new scenes and have been writing lyrics to some of my character’s songs. That’s been hard but fun. I think I’ll use some stuff from the existing draft but there will be a lot of new material too.

I’m not moving as quickly as I’d like, mainly because I’m still unsure of where I’m going. I think I need to write the last chapter again or at least the last scene so I know what I’m working toward.

In our critique group I led a “release” thingie, using this cool paper called “flash paper.” It flares up really bright, then disappears without a trace of smoke or ash. So we all wrote things that were holding us back from really achieving our writing goals, said them aloud, and then send them off in a burst of flame. It felt good but I know it will still be a struggle to let go of my doubts and old habits of checking email and surfing the Net instead of writing.

My 2009 Resolution: To write in this blab at least once a month. There. I’ve made it public. Let’s see if I can do it now.