28 February 2012

Misc writing activities b/c Life stepped in.

I haven't posted much, Life decided to give me some other issues to address, which also means my writing time had to be reallocated to take care of those Life issues. But that doesn't mean that I've not kept up with writing related things, I'll share a couple of them with you.

  • I love Lynn Viehl's blog. From sub ops, humor, links to other creative venues, her blog is a place I visit everyday. Her latest post, about Polyvore's editor, has lead me to another place to build  characters. Just playing around this morning, this is what I created, I think she is another character that is parlaying with the Muse. We'll see if the Muse takes to her.
  • If you are looking for an agent, be sure to check out Writer's Digest. Chuck Sambuchino highlights new agents looking for clients. I keep Writer's Digest in my RSS reader so I can be alerted to these potential agents. The latest notice can be found here.
  • I'm a big fan of George R. R. Martin's book series "A Song of Ice and Fire." I've yet to watch the HBO series as we don't have this service, but I love the trailers. So great to see the characters conniving and suffering. The latest trailer for the 2nd season can be found here at GRRM's site.
  • Pinterest. Need I say more? While I spend entirely too much time browsing the various pins, I have found it to be a good source for potential story settings and characters. Here are the boards I've created to keep track of these photos: characters and settings. The idea to use Pinterest in this way came from Shiloh Walker, I follow all her boards.
  • Books Read: Velocity by Alan Jacobson, Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clark (audiobook), Metatropolis: Cascadia by various writers (audiobook), Her Royal Spyness - #1 -  by Ryhs Bowen (audiobook)
  • Books Started: Calculus Diaries by Jennifer Oullette, A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness (audiobook)
Just a smattering of what I've been doing between illnesses, road trips, dance competitions, and other things Life has thrown my way, interrupting my writing schedule.

So, now that all the kids are in their respective classrooms, the latte made, it's time to wrestle my writing time back from Life.

03 February 2012

Beta Readers, Here we go!

Yep. I've done it!

What you ask? Well, I've sent out the story I'm revising/editing to a Beta reader that has never read my stuff. Well, at least not since high school, we probably swapped essays during our high school English classes, but I'm not counting those. I've also asked someone who had expressed an interest in reading my work if she would be interested in helping out.

My Alpha readers will transform into Beta readers. (I'm not sure if that's the right terminology, but I like it, and I'm using it.) Alpha #1, my hubby, has already started this draft. Next, I'll compile my story for my Alpha #2 reader and send it off to her. She'd read the 1st draft and liked it, I wonder what she'll think about the changes I've made.

So here goes! Maybe, I'll actually get to the query phase.