Awesome Partner Skills is totally coming together. I imagine it will be the first personal project I complete this year, since I can sit at the computer, put my head down, and look up an hour later with 2000+ words added.
I like to think of this book as an adoptive big sibling who has gone through all of the toughest parts of being involved in an adult relationship. it’s a bit like Adulting, but with a lot more emphasis on the relationship aspect than the practicalities of things. it helps you consider all the factors, include the other person, and be honest with yourself about your needs. of course, I touch on a lot of very practical things–like how to make pizza at home, how to change the oil in a car, and how to give the best present–but it’s all in the context of being the best human being and partner you can be.
watch soon for promotional chapters and audience requests!
A 100 follower announcement!
Now that I have passed the 100 follower mark, I want to announce that at 250 followers, I will be publishing a book – a collection of short smut-tastic writings! It will be published in e-book form and available through Amazon and possibly other distributors. Some of the stories will be original and unreleased, while some will be expanded and revised tales from Fantasy Digest. Now is your time to weigh in on what stories you might like to see in the collection! Message me with your requests – I am always open for ideas! 🙂
When what’s left is much less than what’s come before
I spent about an hour in the car yesterday (and believe me, no complaints here, it’s in my shiny new Mercedes-Benz C230…okay stop me or I’ll start going on and on about her) with my laptop, trying to crank through one of the more emotional scenes in A God Grown Old. without giving anything away, it’s the darkness before the dawn scene; the two closest characters are realizing they may not live to see the next day and trying to grapple with that. despite not being in a particularly emotional mood, I broke down crying as I was speaking the dialogue aloud to myself. I was empathizing a little too much, I s’pose.
very rarely do I write things that make me cry. even more rarely do I write things that make me cry when I read them later. I haven’t tried going back to this scene yet. I’m kind of afraid to, because I’m at work right now, and I don’t need to be all teary, not when I’ve been in such a good mood all day. but I wonder: will others cry at it? am I just so connected to the characters because I know what’s going on in their heads, all that stuff that doesn’t make it to the page? it’s one of the most intriguing parts of being a writer for me – making my reader emotional. my poetry has reportedly squeezed out some tears in the past, but I don’t know about my prose. I know I’ve written many emotional sex scenes that have made me cry, but it’s usually because they’re personal and related to loss or goodbyes.
anyway. as to the title of this post – I am almost there. mere chapters away. three, I think, and then the epilogue. but these are the scenes that I’ve been working towards, and I’ve stuttered to a halt because, well, I’m afraid I won’t do them justice.
a silly fear? yes and no. yes because if I don’t write them at all, I’ve done them even less justice than if I put something on the page. no because I never will. ask any writer, even ones who write magnificently epic scenes over and over again. it never comes out quite right.
curse of the writer, I guess!
Win a character appearance in my novel!
today is the LAST DAY! reblog, like, and follow today!
—-
as I launch into the final phase of preparation for my novel – I’m about to write the final draft of the outline, eek!! – I want to start ramping up my promotion of my baby! A God Grown Old is going to be AWESOME… and this is your chance to be a part of it. a real part of it.
so yes, this is a giveaway for a guest appearance in my novel!
I’m still in planning mode, so I’m not giving away too much about the book itself, but here are a few tidbits that should give you a feel for what I’m going to be writing:
- it’s set in the Middle East and North Africa, around 200 AD.
- it’s a re-telling of a famous myth, but from an unusual point of view.
- the main character is a dragon, and the four primary secondary characters (shhhh, it makes sense) are two humans, an Egyptian wolf, and a karkadann.
your character could be just about any animal, creature, or human that would exist in this kind of story-world (remember, this is a myth, so traditional African mythical creatures are welcome as well). you can choose to include an OC you haven’t written into something, or you can have yourself wandering through the wilds of Libya. I am happy to take any name and set of characteristics so long as I can find a creative way to work him, her, or it in to the story.
want to enter? rules rules rules!
- you must be following me. I know, I know, but I don’t post more than two or three times a day max, so I won’t be flooding your dash. plus, if the book sounds like something you’d like to read, you may want to stay informed anyway!
- you may reblog twice and like once. each will be considered an entry, for up to three entries.
- you may follow me on Twitter (AGodGrownOld) for one entry.
- I will be choosing the winner randomly on Monday, April 23rd, and contacting them by the next day. so basically you have ten days from the start of the contest to get your entries in!
I think that’s everything! if you want some more details about A God Grown Old, I am happy to answer some specific questions via my ask, but I’m kind of keeping it under wraps to some extent until I’m a little further along.
thanks for reading, following, reblogging, or snorting with derision! 😉
– August
Win a character appearance in my novel!
as I launch into the final phase of preparation for my novel – I’m about to write the final draft of the outline, eek!! – I want to start ramping up my promotion of my baby! A God Grown Old is going to be AWESOME… and this is your chance to be a part of it. a real part of it.
so yes, this is a giveaway for a guest appearance in my novel!
I’m still in planning mode, so I’m not giving away too much about the book itself, but here are a few tidbits that should give you a feel for what I’m going to be writing:
- it’s set in the Middle East and North Africa, around 200 AD.
- it’s a re-telling of a famous myth, but from an unusual point of view.
- the main character is a dragon, and the four primary secondary characters (shhhh, it makes sense) are two humans, an Egyptian wolf, and a karkadann.
your character could be just about any animal, creature, or human that would exist in this kind of story-world (remember, this is a myth, so traditional African mythical creatures are welcome as well). you can choose to include an OC you haven’t written into something, or you can have yourself wandering through the wilds of Libya. I am happy to take any name and set of characteristics so long as I can find a creative way to work him, her, or it in to the story.
want to enter? rules rules rules!
- you must be following me. I know, I know, but I don’t post more than two or three times a day max, so I won’t be flooding your dash. plus, if the book sounds like something you’d like to read, you may want to stay informed anyway!
- you may reblog twice and like once. each will be considered an entry, for up to three entries.
- you may follow me on Twitter (AGodGrownOld) for one entry.
- I will be choosing the winner randomly on Monday, April 23rd, and contacting them by the next day. so basically you have ten days from the start of the contest to get your entries in!
I think that’s everything! if you want some more details about A God Grown Old, I am happy to answer some specific questions via my ask, but I’m kind of keeping it under wraps to some extent until I’m a little further along.
thanks for reading, following, reblogging, or snorting with derision! 😉
– August
Abandoning pants
…if you came here looking for my bare legs, sorry. I know, I know. I’m such a tease.
Pants! Actually, let’s be more accurate, here: pantsing! Not the really mean kind where you sneak up behind someone and remove their lower garb, but rather the kind where a writer sits down and goes “screw it, I’ve got a great idea and I’m writing it, and I’m writing it NOW.” Proceeding from that initial burst of idea, without semblance of order or planning, is pantsing. Seat-of-your-pantsing is the origin of the word. It used to be my modus operandi, but it’s gotten me into far more trouble than it’s worth. (See: zero polished novels.)
Not only that, but I need to try some different methods. I’ve been stuck in my general writing routine for almost twenty years now, and as much as I’d love to stick to my guns and “be true to me,” that’s just bullshit. I want to open myself up to new ways of doing things so I can find precisely what works for my creative process. And I’ve tried outlining before – it’s not horrid, it’s just a bit inconvenient.
To facilitate my learning, I’m reading what’s proving to be a pretty cool book so far: Outlining Your Novel by K.M. Weiland. It’s short but packed with helpful information, including ideas on how and when to outline. Instead of reading this all at once and being overwhelmed by all the things I forgot to do in the process, I’m going to follow along and actually complete the steps as I go, so that hopefully – fingers crossed, good thoughts out into the universe – by the time I’m done I’ll have AGGO outlined and ready to write.
That’s the plan, anyway.
(P.S. Excitement – searching for “A God Grown Old” pulls up my blog as result #6…already! Above that are references to the book from which I pulled the phrase, so… I’d say I’m good on that one.)
