In which I am a child again

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I will be turning 29 next week and while I may not be one to harp on age, there is a sense of “oh my goodness, I’m an adult now” that has marked the choices I’ve made this year. Sometimes, it’s a bit overwhelming to have to fend for myself, so I decided to do something completely indulgent and buy myself a present, one that serves no real function or purpose except to make me happy.

and then this happened

So why does an old lunchbox please me so much? It all started when I went off to school for the very first time, MoonDreamers lunchbox in hand and a thermos full of spaghetti inside. I remember having lots of spaghetti for lunch as a kid, until I ended up on the school lunch program after my mom started working again. I loved my lunchbox. I remember carrying it proudly to the cafeteria, swinging it as I walked in line with my fellow classmates. I didn’t always love what I found inside, but the cool factor of having a lunchbox with cartoons and glow-in-the-dark spots was worth it.

I must’ve loved the MoonDreamers too, though I always wonder just how much I really understood. You see, I only spoke Spanish until I started going to school and was thrown off the deep end into English. Somehow, I managed to make meaning while watching that show, and that lunchbox cinched it.

My mom gave my lunchbox away after I started receiving school lunches. I didn’t realize the loss until I was older and by then it was too late to get it back from my cousins (to whom most of my things went). This isn’t the box I had–mine was blue–but it makes me smile all the same.

Some writerly inspiration for your morning

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I’ve been writing a lot lately and, in doing so, I’ve started thinking about those writers who have been most influential in my developing my own idea of myself as a writer, and helping me discover what it means to recognize oneself as a writer in all its messy glory.

So here’s my shortlist of writers who make me want to be a better writer


Robin McKinley (writer of Beauty and dozens of other retellings and fantasies)

McKinley may be the writer who made me want to write. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve always identified with writing, but it wasn’t until I read Beauty that I really started to think about what it would mean to tell my own stories.

Patricia C. Wrede (writer of the Enchanted Forest Chronicles and more)

Not only has her writing influenced my idea of YA writing in general, her blog is one of the best sources I have found for information on writing and publishing.

Kristin Cashore (writer of Graceling, Fire, and Bitterblue)

There is something about Cashore’s perseverance (just look at her travails with Bitterblue) that always inspires me and makes me realize that as long as I keep at it, I can make something good happen.

Gail Carriger (writer of the Soulless and Finishing School series), Eloisa James (writer of dozens of Regency romances), and Diana Gabaldon (writer of the Outlander and Lord John series)

I’ve lumped these three together because each of these women manages to make it work as a writer and an academic, and that’s something that I always need to remember.

Holly Black

When I read Tithe, I found something I wanted to try for myself. Her writing is one of my greatest inspirations for writing urban fantasy.

Adventures in re-writing, part 4

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Writer’s Block struck this month. Between family medical dramas and too much writing at work, the idea of squeezing in time to write before or after work was a joke. Not only have I been dealing with too many life issues, professional writing tends to put me in a frame of mind that creeps into my creative writing and leads to some terribly dry prose. It was not a good place. But I’ve managed to break past it! Today, I had a major breakthrough in my writing (well, major for me) and finally got through one of the most important transitions in Cassiel–getting Cassiel out of London and on her adventure!

So how did I do it? I tried to find inspiration in other places. I turned to research. I became obsessed with train schedules and sweated the small stuff. I also made time to get away from the house and took my writing outside–to Starbucks, to the boy’s house, and to work. Sometimes, a change of scenery (both mental and physical) is all it takes. Sometimes, you need a bigger push. I’m hoping to steer clear of those times that require a greater push.

I’m still making good time and will try to continue to do so in order to meet my goal of 50K by June 20. With today’s sessions, I have just over 35K words. It was a good day :)

Cassiel, rewrite draft 1

About Cassiel

With her family and fortune gone, sixteen-year-old Cassiel Loriett is placed under the guardianship of the exacting Mrs. Maywoods, but there is more to her family’s fate than Cassiel knows and the only way to learn the truth is to solve the mystery herself. Willing to do whatever it takes to find out what really led to the loss of her father’s fortune and her mother’s unexpected death, Cassiel runs away with little more than her father’s journal a couple of clues, but first she has to stay away from Mrs. Maywoods and her brother, Mr. Stellworthy, who seems to take a strange interest in Cassiel’s position as the Maywoods’s erstwhile ward.

Finding herself on a quest, Cassiel ends up the unlikely resident of Walstone House–a derelict manor house run by Stephen Frye, and his cousins Christabella and Nathan Walstone, and owned by their reclusive grandfather, Pierce Walstone. Finding a friend and ally in Stephen, Cassiel sets on a journey that might mean losing it all, or finding herslf along the way.

A YA historical mystery set in late Victorian England.

A re-write in progress…

Follow my Cassiel writing updates here: http://things-she-said.org/tag/cassiel/

The Single Girl’s Guide to Moving Out and Moving In

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a highly biased, no-nonsense guide

Having moved out of my mother’s home in February, after 27 and a half years of semi-dependence (thank you, Recession), I now consider myself something of an expert on moving out (*sarcasm*), so here are some practical tips and tricks from one cheap girl to another on how to get out of your parents’ home and into your own place while retaining some dignity.

  • First, start saving the moment the idea of moving out pops into your mind. You will need monies! First month’s, last month’s, security. If you can’t scrounge together at least $3k (or whatever 3xs the average rent is in your area), don’t even think about it! Oh, and be prepared for extra expenses.
  • Listings are good, but word of mouth is better. Ask your friends, relatives, co-workers about places they might know about. Also, walk around. Some owners kick it old school and simply post signs outside places for rent. Especially, the village elders.
  • Make a list or spreadsheet, or if you’re an app-fiend, try Nestio to track the places you’re interested in. Save numbers, locations, and rent rates to compare.
  • See the place on your own! Check it out on a Saturday or later in the evening when tenants are actually around. Especially if you’re looking at apartments. There are places that sound great online but are not all that fab when you get a good look at them in action.
  • Ask questions! Do they allow pets? Are any utilities included in the rent? Who handles repairs? Can you paint the place? Etc.
  • Take pictures of the interior and exteriors. Not only will these help you decide what works for you, they can serve as backup if the owners try to blame something on you.
  • Measure your rooms before you buy furniture. Just do.
  • Moving trucks are pricey. If you don’t own much stuff, enlist the help of friends and family to move stuff. Extra points if they have an SUV, truck, or van.
  • If you bring nothing else when you first move in, bring bug spray. Trust me. There are even natural sprays for allergy-ridden girls like me. Arm yourself!
  • Also, bring some strong, clear tape. It can patch up all manner of sins on the fly.
decorating is the reward for all the madness that comes first...

decorating is the reward for all the madness that comes first…

can it be… a vlog!

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Still recording with my phone, but I promise I will get a proper camera one of these days… especially as I’m really getting into this whole vlogging thing :)

For now, here’s a quick update on Cassiel and my obsession with getting things right the first time around… even when getting things right means turning to twitter for help.

In which I learn things from GD Cowan on Vimeo.

some new goaIs

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When I wrapped up Camp NaNoWriMo, I told myself I would have 35k written by June 20th (that, coincidentally, is my birthday and it seems like as good a deadline as any). I’m going to one-up that. I want to reach 50k by then and have a finished draft by the end of July. After that, I’ll let Cassiel simmer and go back to working on the edits for my other manuscript. That’s the plan and I’m sticking to it!

Adventures in re-writing, part 3

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this writer is sooo tired


I’ve been a very bad noveler. I’ve not checked in as often as I told myself I would … but the words are coming along and that’s what counts, right? Right now, I just plodded through a morning writing session and managed a little over a thousand words. The story itself is moving at a faster pace than it did in the previous draft, but my writing itself has slowed down to  a snail’s pace. Them fingers are tired! Actually, I’m tired all over. Since the move, Didymus the Cat has become very demanding and has recently discovered the joys of waking me up between 3 and 4 am. And making me get up right when my alarm rings. I feel that I’m barely able to keep myself going on most days… and there’s work and workouts and life in general to contend with. I need a break sometimes and it seems I’ve been taking them more often than not. However, I am more than halfway to 50k, though I’m sure this will be a 60-70k novel. I’m trying to keep it within a reasonable word count for a historical YA, but a story is a story and sometimes it takes more to spin it than a measly 50,000 words.

Going historical was definitely the right thing to do. It’s allowed me to create a much more believable narrative (or so I tell myself), and the research gives me something to do when I’m too tired to right while still keeping me in a writing frame of mind. I do miss working on Anúna, however. These are two entirely different novels, so the one remains in the back of my mind even as I make progress with Cassiel. I told myself I would edit Anúna on the weekends, but that really hasn’t happened and I’m starting to think it will be best to continue writing and go back to editing while I let Cassiel sit (and marinade! go, terrible cooking metaphors!)

So that’s what’s happening in writing land. I need a nap. And I need to get to work. TTYL!

 

Cassiel, rewrite draft 1 (total word goal)

About Cassiel (an impromptu synopsis)

Her family dead and her life in shambles, sixteen-year-old Cassiel Loriett is placed in the care of Mrs. Maywoods, who loves to parade her around as the ideal charity case. But there’s more behind what happened to her family than Cassiel knows and the only way to find out is to solve the mystery herself. With the help of a few loyal sidekicks, of course.

A YA historical mystery set in late Victorian England.

A re-write in progress…

Follow my Cassiel writing updates here: http://things-she-said.org/tag/cassiel/

Camp NaNoWriMo – Endings and Beginnings

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I met my Camp NaNo word goal of 20k on Saturday night! Now, the real fun begins as I move forward with the rewrite and get back to editing Anúna. At the same time. This will prove maddening (but satisfying!). I miss my other story, but I’m also really excited about the direction Cassiel is taking. Ack! So many plots!

In the meantime, I’m going to try to enjoy my mini-break week in Orlando for the Florida Library Association conference, and make the best of my kitty cat and family-free time (I miss them already!). And I’m really going to try to stick to writing while away. Promise.

Holy colors, batman!

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Ran my first Color Run! I’ve been so eager to join one and now I have and I feel all energized and pumped! Yeah! And it was over some pretty rocky terrain too, so my legs feel all floaty. I got splashed with plenty of yellow and some red and pink, but it was the red that was the hardest to wash off… and let’s not speak of the clothes soaking in my tub. Pity the boy though, he had a red packet and decided to dump what was left of it on himself. He’s in for a long soak.

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