Tag Archives: writing process

Reading vs. Writing: Wait, I thought you guys were friends!

by Liana Posted on October 18, 2013

Yeah... not always. And this is the perfect summation and what to do about it, from Kristine Rusch:

Back when I was training myself to sit down and finish something, I learned the hard way that my greatest distraction was not other people or my computer or games or the phone or the television. My greatest distraction was other novels.

If I started reading a novel at lunch, I would finish at dinner. And then I’d deem it too late to write. So I had to make reading my carrot. I didn’t allow myself to read until I was done writing.

I’ve mentioned that a lot before, because the stupid compulsion remains. I cannot read fiction before I’m done writing my own fiction or I won’t get anything done.

But there was another component to my writing back then, one I dropped as the deadlines, publication dates, and payments took over. I wouldn’t let myself read anything if I hadn’t written that day.

In other words, reading was my reward. If I finished 3,000 words, I could read a book. If I didn’t, I couldn’t read until I did.

Carrot, meet stick. Stick, meet carrot. I had forgotten you guys.

- See more at: http://kriswrites.com/2013/10/16/the-business-rusch-carrots-and-sticks/#sthash.FuKcyUvN.dpuf

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Reading, Writing, and Upcoming Schedule – October 17

by Liana Posted on October 17, 2013
This entry is part 16 of 103 in the series Daily Scribble Reports

FRIENDLY REMINDER: If your comment vanishes into the spam moderation ether, please email me at info at lianamir dot com so I can fish it back out.

Reading & Proofreading

I had a proofreading job come in, which will cut hard into scribbling time, but add to weather the bank advance cut-off transition, so it's a worthy switch.

I'm also going to put off reading any fiction by anyone else until after I've scribbled each day. This is an experiment. It will take nerves of steel (which I'm not entirely sure I have). More on that tomorrow.

Writing & Fanfic

So I didn't get anywhere with Laurie today. Couldn't find her mental space and realized I needed to dive into canon to do that. Canon's not at work and my lunch break didn't go to writing per usual, so yeah. Moving it down on the to-do list. I consider this a Yuletide piece.

Speaking of which, Yuletide itself is looking amazing. I signed up as a pinch-hitter and browsed through a bunch of letters. I may do the book exchange and I'm definitely going to be writing treats. In the middle of this, I promise to lithiumlaughter that I will indeed get around to hammering my head hard enough on "Everything is Blood" to finish it.

I did start off this morning with a ficlet that could go as a continuation of an interesting crossover fanfic AU (thanks, thecatisacritic) or fit within the regular Kingdoms and Thorn universe. So there's that. I do think it needs more, a continuation and exploration. Don't I have enough ficlets needing that though!

I decided to start posting more on the blog again, which is silly since I'm trying to scribble more fiction, but alas! I tend to be happiest when creatively overextended. Since I've already started doing it, I might as well just admit it.

For NanoWrimo, I still haven't the foggiest idea which book I'll write, though I'm leaning toward something with momentum, which would mean Kingdoms and Thorn or Seven Days. I love Vardin, but I'm not sure I could build up the steam in time for November. And everyone loves Seven Days. Thanks again, lithiumlaughter, for you wonderful comments. I need to get answers to your questions back, come to think of it.

Back on the evening scribbling grind, and this Kingdoms and Thorn piece is coming together again. Not sure what did the trick, but I'm liking the interactions between Justus, Cole, and Larique. I'm also realizing this thing's going to turn into a "Dowse and Bleed" size fic before it's done. Ah, well. At least I'm getting somewhere, 367 words of somewhere wraps the scene. I've a feeling it won't be done today, thecatisacritic, but you prompted it and it's coming. Now I've just got to remember to work in Justus going undercover and noticing a threat no one else does.

I'd be able to write more too, but I have a question it's going to take some percolating to answer. What in the world does that report say? Sometimes readers think we're hiding information for suspense when really, we don't actually know the information yet. Ah, well. Off to percolate. Good night!

Count

  • Fiction: 841 words - Month to Date: 21,871 words
  • Blog: 630 words - Month to Date: 7,580 words

365 Challenge

We're at day 290/365 and written piece 226/365.

Most of these pieces haven't been linked on the challenge page because they're commentfic and I'm editing the mess out of them for publishing. I really do need to get a Kingdoms and Thorn collection pulled together. But first, I want to see in_the_blue's suggestions for expanding "Dowse and Bleed." Seriously. It would be my first novella (not counting MG novel, similar word count) ever.

  • 226/365 – Kingdoms and Thorn Ficlet: Price of Reconciliation – 474 words
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Writing Only, October 16

by Liana Posted on October 16, 2013
This entry is part 15 of 103 in the series Daily Scribble Reports

So it's time to start writing again. Going with the random prompt technique, as it seems to wrok so well for me. This time, we're going to write about the work Red Wolf does. It didn't take as long as I thought to pull out "Rearranging Assets," though it was far too clinical a piece for my tastes. :shrugs: I'll have to do better at storyizing the rest of them on this topic. For now, I skipped to a different prompt: the hug for Anna from her husband about her parents. That piece went well and quickly.

Then, I moved to the idea of Shift stopping by Justus' workplace. Behold, the sprawl! Nevertheless, in my first session before break was up, I got 875 words in one and a half scenes and I'm watching the team come together, which is exactly what I needed to see.

Coming back to this on my next break, let's see what we can do. :skimming work already done: Gets a handful of words done before break over.

Evening time now. Couldn't get settled down to work again, so calling it for the night at 938 words.

Count

  • Fiction: 1727 words - Month to Date: 21,030 words
  • Blog: 220 words - Month to Date: 6,950 words

365 Challenge

  • 224/365 – Kingdoms and Thorn Ficlet: Rearranging Assets – 387 words
  • 225/365 – Kingdoms and Thorn Ficlet: Would That It Were – 402 words
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Reading and Writing, October 15

by Liana Posted on October 15, 2013
This entry is part 14 of 103 in the series Daily Scribble Reports

I am highly tempted to do Lovemark the Seasons for NanoWrimo, but I'm still not sure. Anyway... To writing.

I should say, I've been trying to get my brain pointed toward writing and nothing's happening. Let's switch to the random technique. I was asked for hugs for Rett and Meld. Those ficlets went well. Now, what? Lightsculpt needs to meet his parents. Okaaay. Who are they anyhow? So that worked. And the next random prompt—not without you—fed right into it.

Since I was on a roll, I went ahead and read and commented on my to-read ficlets. So it ought to be back to writing. Since the random prompt technique is working, let's go with what ain't broke.

So I burned through a bunch of ficlets this evening. Let's call it a night.

Count

  • Fiction: 2674 words - Month to Date: 19,303 words
  • Blog: 218 words - Month to Date: 6,730 words

365 Challenge

On this day 288/365, I'm on written piece 223/365.

  • 216/365 – Kingdoms and Thorn Ficlet: Tell Me in the Morning – 616 words
  • 217/365 – Kingdoms and Thorn Ficlet: Soon – 293 words
  • 218/365 – Kingdoms and Thorn Ficlet: Worth Something – 428 words
  • 219/365 – Kingdoms and Thorn Ficlet: Working Up the Nerve – 160 words
  • 220/365 – Kingdoms and Thorn Ficlet: Something Other Than Smoke – 314 words
  • 221/365 – Kingdoms and Thorn Ficlet: The Leash – 310 words
  • 222/365 – Kingdoms and Thorn Ficlet: Moral Support – 331 words
  • 223/365 – Kingdoms and Thorn Ficlet: In the Business – 222 words
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Reading and Writing, October 14

by Liana Posted on October 14, 2013
This entry is part 13 of 103 in the series Daily Scribble Reports

Stage One: Assess

So today, I wrote a blog post before getting to other writing. A lot of stuff about fandom and original fiction has been hammering in my head lately and that gorgeous piece of early Yuletide goodness put me over. Of course, now I owe a Laurie fic back and that's mulling in the percolator. In the meantime, there's what to write for Nano to consider and how many ficlets I can plow through today running on a late start, to say nothing of the three I haven't read yet from thecatisacritic.

Submissions

Got a rejection letter late in the day. It was a good rejection letter and very helpful. I do have a strong tendency to write vignettes, and I'm not entirely sure I'll ever be cured of that, though curiously, this fic isn't actually a vignette. Nevertheless, the comments gave me some great ideas on where to go when I'm ready to flesh out Alliance more, as my first angles were fizzling badly (I'm apparently not that into school fic, I just thought I was), and it also made me realize something: I have come to expect rejection. I never actually want to see the response to a submission. That's a very odd thought.

Stage Two: Work

I tried to make some progress on "Everything is Blood" and I did make some, but I wasn't impressed and it's still not coming together for me, so I decided to hit Kingdoms and Thorn again instead. And there goes 184 190 198 words on Lovemark the Seasons. I was actually thinking ficlets, o muse o' mine. Please?

Oh, bother it. Sorry, thecatisacritic. I'm going to bury myself in Lovemark.

Stage Three: Count

  • Fiction: 1,187 words - Month to Date: 16,629 words
  • Blog: 822 words - Month to Date: 6,512 words

365 Challenge

Speaking of the challenge, what day am I on and how's the overall progress going? I'm on day 287/365 and written piece 215/365.

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A Fandom-Original Writer: Markers of Success

by Liana Posted on October 14, 2013

A while back, Kristine Rusch wrote about markers of success, which are entirely dependent on goals. Recently, I exchanged some dialogue on beta readers with Elle Casey and came to the realization that our goals were quite different. Her goal is to build a readership; mine is to build a fanbase. She didn't really understand the difference.

I have a pen name, my most successful one, where the goal is to sell books. The way to reach that goal is simple: write and publish more stories fitting the brand. It works. It pays my utilities bill when I get the payout.

Her goal is to draw in many new readers with each successive book. This means she'll probably have more reviews and sales overall than I do and each book probably should go through a new to her reader, as she suggests, to see how it'll go over with new-to-her readers.

My goal with Liana Mir comes straight out of fandom: I want fans. I want to write what I love and what fascinates me and know others feel the same way. That means I don't need many new readers with each release; I need to hold onto the ones I have, to make them feel something. It means that my ideal beta reader is both active in fandom and someone who becomes invested in my storyworld and can react like a fan, pointing out problems as they arise, such as the failure to sufficiently characterize Pieter. Important stuff, this. One of my favorite TV shows ever, Awake, had a relatively small viewership, but it had a devoted fanbase. I'm perfectly content with that sort of result. In fact, that's what I want. I want fans, who may or may not ever review and may be small in number but are high in engagement.

That said, my markers of success are:

  • Have readers who ask questions and want more.
  • Have fanwork created for my worlds.
  • See an in-depth review or piece of meta from someone I don't know.
  • Have readers I don't know who ask questions and want more.
  • Have fanwork created for my worlds by someone I don't know.

These are my personal goals and benchmarks. I've got number one with Kingdoms and Thorn and Faeology got interest and wanting more from strangers (though I've yet to deliver, having gotten sidetracked). Number two has happened for Vardin (fix-it fic) and I got that gift from my beta in Kingdoms and Thorn. The rest haven't happened yet, which is fine as I haven't actually gotten as much into the world yet. These stories are created for my fangirl side. I actually care about canon, so if it's not quite right, it doesn't get published.

I don't pretend everyone wants this, but it's what I want. To create something that rich and awesome that if it were authored by someone else, I would fangirl it.

What are your markers?

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Reading and Writing, October 13

by Liana Posted on October 13, 2013
This entry is part 12 of 103 in the series Daily Scribble Reports

Started off the day on a nice foot: I finished crossposting the last 52 chapters of Whispers from ff.net to AO3. Because someone asked me to. Always the best kind of fanfic work.

As part of prep for NaNo, I want to get Kingdoms and Thorn into Scrivener. I forgot I had created my own continuity template, but right now, I am supremely pleased. All that work, already done. :grins:

I'm mixing up scribbling, reading, recording an audio project, and other busywork all together. Getting some decent stuff. Okay, I've got other stuff to do, so done for the night.

On the reading front, I got an early Yuletide gift—a Rachelle ficlet from in_the_blue. I officially consider this my second piece of fanfic ever and it is awesome.

Count

  • Total Fiction: 1561 words - Month to Date: 15,442 words
  • Total Blog: 100 words - Month to Date: 5,690 words

365 Challenge

  • 210/365 - Kingdoms and Thorn Ficlet: That'll Work – 177 words
  • 211/365 - Kingdoms and Thorn Ficlet: We Can't Have That – 208 words
  • 212/365 – Kingdoms and Thorn Ficlet: Gratitude in an Off Note – 197 words
  • 213/365 – Kingdoms and Thorn Ficlet: Reality Check – 303 words
  • 214/365 – Kingdoms and Thorn Ficlet: Anywhere But Here – 349 words
  • 215/365 – Kingdoms and Thorn Ficlet: Wedding Gift – 327 words
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Reading and Writing, October 12

by Liana Posted on October 13, 2013
This entry is part 11 of 103 in the series Daily Scribble Reports

So I signed up for Nanowrimo, and ONLY because there's a 50% off Scrivener attached to winning. Am I pathetic or just greedy for Scrivener?

Ahem. Anyway...

So got Scrivener all set up on my machine, replied to a couple comments, noted I really ought to peek at the hundreds of spam notifications in my email, but decided not to. Thought I'd write more off the computer, but percolated instead. While I did get something written, it was short enough to lump it in with when I actually finished the piece.

Calling it a night.

Count

  • Total Fiction: 0 words - Month to Date: 13,881 words
  • Total Blog: 95 words - Month to Date: 5,590 words

 

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Reading and Writing, October 11

by Liana Posted on October 11, 2013
This entry is part 10 of 103 in the series Daily Scribble Reports

So this morning was one of those mornings where feeling weird and what-have-you, I skipped straight past anything I ought to do and went and read Beneath Ceaseless Skies on my morning work break. It's a double issue. Then I dug through my email and dug up Laurie's story instead of waiting until I was at home this weekend where I already have it saved.

When I feel weird, I read. That's me. When I hurt, I fanfic or write an angsty poem. Otherwise, I write. I wonder what that says about how often I feel weird.

So I finished Laurie's story. Awesomeness. Then I finished editing all 13,574 words of story from inferno goodness—which I only say because it's done. Unfinished stories are not good. They taunt and tease and bother me. This is the first novelette I've written ever. Now, of course, I want to typeset it and publish it, which requires getting a Rachelle-worthy cover which makes me need to buy a stock photo I don't have, which would imply the need for a Kickstarter-type campaign, but this is micro-funding on a micro, micro, micro scale, so…

Thinking.

Maybe I ought to write. Hm. Nope, first I read through the ficlets from thecatisacritic. I'm glad too. I'm still not all that settled down for writing.

Talking with the beta yesterday about maybe doing Nano, which would mean picking a story for it. I'm all over the map on what I'd want to do: Collateral Damage, the Seven Days book, or something in Vardin, or seriously, Lovemark the Seasons. So yeah, on the fence there.

I edited and finalized a story. I'll write more this weekend. Bad me, but it's Friday, so no after-work scribble-time was available anyway.

Count

  • Total Fiction: 0 words - Month to Date: 13,881 words
  • Total Blog: 291 words - Month to Date: 5,495 words

Finalized Pieces

  • "Dowse and Bleed," Kingdoms and Thorn, 13,574 words
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Reading and Writing, October 9–10

by Liana Posted on October 10, 2013
This entry is part 9 of 103 in the series Daily Scribble Reports

So yesterday was October 9, 2013 and I wrote 513 words of last-second fiction and 84 words of blog post. So let it be noted.

I tend to use leading conjunctions, did you know that? But, and, so...

Onto today...

So. I signed up for Yuletide, wrote my letter, linked it on the Yuletide Livejournal, and otherwise freaked out but ended up feeling serenely as though I achieved something. Ahem. Yeah.

I also did my daily reading of writing/industry blogs I find useful, including Dean Wesley Smith, Kristine Rusch, The Passive Voice, Juliette Wade, and others. Then, I tackled the ficlets in my LJ inbox from thecatisacritic. I still need to catch up reading on Laurie's story from in_the_blue and the rest of the Fire and Water books, but alas! That requires some ability to focus. Now, that I'm headache-free again and my leg isn't screaming this might be soon possible.

And then there's writing. I tried to use the lullaby lyrics I had in the prompt bin to write about Watcher and Shift, but I hated it. I tried a few other snippets, but the words aren't coming. I need a different angle.

Hm...

I got back my last set of beta notes on "Dowse and Bleed." Hurrah! Some edits, but they are good ones and all the typos she caught! Ack. Sometimes I wonder how in the world I can have that many words go missing... But anyway.

No scribbling today. Sorry, thecatisacritic. I'm just not really feeling up to that.

Count

  • Total Fiction: 0 words - Month to Date: 13,881 words
  • Total Blog: 1123 words - Month to Date: 5,204 words

365 Challenge

From yesterday...

  • 209/365 – Kindgoms and Thorn Ficlet: Family – 377 words
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