Monthly Archives: October 2013

A Day in the Life of the Scribbler, October 4

by Liana Posted on October 4, 2013
This entry is part 4 of 103 in the series Daily Scribble Reports

Stage One: Assess

Today, no reading other people's fiction until I've written my own. It's Friday, so it's a busy, hectic day.

Stage Two: Work

So the day ends late and the day starts early. En brief, I did do a little scribbling after computer out last night, but I also hated what I wrote, so let's count whatever it turns into today when I type it up, because it'll be different. That's for certain.

This morning, I returned to an old question out of a Writer's Digest interview from back in the day with the author of Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life—which I've always wanted to read. Should get right on that. (Side note: I've always wanted to write a fictional encyclopedia too.) When she would sit down at the beginning of the day, she would ask herself what did she feel compelled to write? Then she would write that.

This morning between prepping for the day before seven a.m., I scribbled down some stuff between Kilter, Shift, and their daughter and realized I'm going to have to nose around and see if it fits any of my prompts or if I can work one in when I turn it into typed-up goodness.

Right now, I want to write about those family relationships and the fascinating, awful conundrum that is Shift. She's the woman who says, truthfully mind, "I'm not good, just loyal." "Even the devils love their own." "I like to play. It's just that my toys are people, blood, lives." "I never lose one of my own." She's selfless and loving and let's face it, bloody and terrible. I don't know quite what to do with her. But she's the key to Justus because she owns him, she made him, and it was only after she got her daughter back after the Rebellion that she let him go.

Now, I just got to turn this stuff into something good. Opens WIP 12.doc. CTRL+End. Scribble… That took a while, but it worked when I just forced myself to start typing.

Next piece? We're going to do the random prompt thing again because that really helped me yesterday. They all need lots of hugs. I like this piece. I needed more with Sear too, so this is good. Why stop when it's working? Same prompt, different characters.

Next prompt: work. This Red Wolf/Whisper one is a bit of a worldbuilding piece and another I started before work this morning. Before 6 a.m. even.

And at last, I catch up on reading. Going to call it a day.

Stage Three: Count

  • Total Fiction: 1766 words - Month to Date: 5604 words
  • Total Blog: 415 words - Month to Date: 1383 words

365 Challenge

  • 193/365 – Kingdoms and Thorn Ficlet: You're My Heart – 509 words
  • 194/365 – Kingdoms and Thorn Ficlet: Bone-Weary Need – 349 words
  • 195/365 – Kingdoms and Thorn Ficlet: Needing a Break – 396 words
  • 196/365 – Kingdoms and Thorn Ficlet: The Answer to All Problems – 311 words
  • 197/365 – Kingdoms and Thorn Ficlet: Business as Usual – 201 words
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A Day in the Life of the Scribbler, October 3

by Liana Posted on October 3, 2013
This entry is part 3 of 103 in the series Daily Scribble Reports

Per usual, will update throughout the day...

Stage One: Assess

So I cleared out my LJ inbox of nonreaderly things on the first page and noted to self to read through the first page sometime today—AFTER writing.

Stage Two: Work

Picking a random prompt—Ilsa in the city—and writing for five minutes. So make that ten minutes. I finally used up the title that's been bothering my muse for two months now, and I like what I got.

Taking another random prompt—kisses as distraction—and running with it. I hope the prompter forgives me, but really, this is how Justus thinks. Now anyway. So that took less than eight minutes and netted me another scene of a Unit in action. I need more with Justus' unit as somebody :cough: :cough: thecatisacritic :cough: ordered some fics with them.

Same prompt, different characters: a couple because that's easier. Red Wolf/Whisper. Wow. That went quickly and yanked on a few threads I didn't expect to deal with.

And one more random prompt—not without you—with random couple chosen: Ilsa/Hasheni. Let's see what happens. About ten minutes and wow, is this stuff NOT fluff.

Okay, reading and reviewing those ficlets. That took a little while...

Grabbing random prompt and scribbling: Justus' family + Shift, Rachelle. Oh boy, don't I pick the easy ones. Ouch.

So more back and forth with thecatisacritic (what can I say? she's the one prompting) and added the new prompt comments to my ficlet post.

365 Challenge

Day 276. I'm at 192/365. Better... Ish.

Stage Three: Count

Written

  • Total Fiction: 2011 words - Month to Date: 3838 words
  • Total Blog: 249 words - Month to Date: 968 words

365 Challenge Pieces

  • 188/365 – Kingdoms and Thorn Ficlet: Linger – 310 words
  • 189/365: Kingdoms and Thorn Ficlet: The Unsuspecting Suspect – 221 words
  • 190/365 – Kingdoms and Thorn Ficlet: Taste of Regret – 460 words
  • 191/365 – Kingdoms and Thorn Ficlet: Catalyst – 362 words
  • 192/365 – Kingdoms and Thorn Ficlet: What the Emptiness Fills – 658 words

Read

Fiction:

  • Rose is Rose comic
  • Luann comic
  • thecatisacritic fic/lets

Publishing/Writing:

  • The Passive Voice blog
  • Dean Wesley Smith blog
  • Kris Writes blog
  • Juliette Wade worldbuilding blog
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A Day in the Life of the Scribbler, October 2

by Liana Posted on October 2, 2013
This entry is part 2 of 103 in the series Daily Scribble Reports

So last night, I quit writing because my sciatic nerve went crazy, but here I am again. Again, I'll update this post throughout the day.

Day 2 of my journal the reading/writing and let's start off with a quick stop by Melanie Edmond's Starwalker to read the latest update, "Watchful." Excellent, nail-biting, and feel-for-Starry stuff. I love this little serial.

But actually, I started as usual with checking my LiveJournal inbox, then read up on a handful of blogs: The Passive Voice, Dean Wesley Smith, The Daring Novelist, and since it's a Wednesday, the newest review at Strange Horizons. It's a Wednesday. P.C. Wrede will have updated. Got back from reading that. It was about plot development, something I've never concerned myself with so much as story development, but I'll let it mull and see if I can use any of it in my own process.

Now. To assess...

Stage One: Assess

Several pieces from thecatisacritic to read. I'll get there. Soon. I've got some prompts I want to dump off on her too as soon as I figure out who for which.

My wonderful beta has convinced me not to tear a new one for the story from inferno, so it's ficlets or "Collateral Damage," and I'm leaning a lot more heavily toward the latter, except I do need to sit down and work out chronology on all this mess, which sort of requires interrogating Pieter and Ashen and a few other set events that I haven't mucked around with yet. Gotta love continuity.

So. Ficlets. :eyes prompts: Let's see what we can come up with.

Stage Two: Work

Put off work until after chiropractor appointment as there went first work break, including reposting yesterday's entry sans my lovely comments. I'm currently ticked off at LiveJournal.

So I'm calling this day a wash. Sciatic nerve still a little crazy.

Stage Three: Count

For obvious reasons, we are not counting the words spent commenting.

  • Total Fiction: 0 words - Month to Date: 1827 words
  • Total Blog: 310 words - Month to Date: 719 words
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A Day in the Life of the Scribbler, October 1

by Liana Posted on October 1, 2013
This entry is part 1 of 103 in the series Daily Scribble Reports

So it’s October 1st and that means the start of a brand new month and I decided to take a page from Dean Wesley Smith’s book even though it’s crazy and that’s how it goes. Okay?

I want to track my reading and my writing because I’m a stealth reader and writer and have been for a long time. For example: last night, I reread most of Spots the Space Marine by M.C.A. Hogarth, out of order, in between running chkdsk scans on my computer, which is finally semi-resurrected by the way, but I still have to run a virus scan and backups tonight.

So, a day in the life of a reader/writer. You can skip these posts if you want, or you can keep up on my slog if it does not put you to sleep. I'll post sometime during the day and probably update as I go. Let's see if I can even keep this up.

Stage One: Assess

Went through my LJ inbox and have a bunch of ficlets from thecatisacritic to read. Which reminds me that I have a bunch of prompts for ficlets to write. Naturally, I am also torn between plowing ahead on "Collateral Damage," a major Rachelle-focused Kingdoms and Thorns fic and ripping out the back half of "Dowse and Bleed" to rewrite that from scratch. Again.

When in doubt, write ficlets.

Stage Two: Work

Wrote one ficlet, which didn't go at all where I expected. I thought of the second scene and started at the first scene and didn't like the second scene but posted the ficlet anyway. I know this is part of the big piece where Lena finds out about Wesley in the Seven Days storyworld.

Took a break and read and reviewed half of my ficlets to read by thecatisacritic, but stopped at half as my first work break was over.

Lunch break: it's time to start ficletting again. Checking out the prompts...

Scribbled one ficlet then stopped because I only had a couple minutes left and decided to finish reading the comments on DWS's excellent Book as Event post. Reading a couple more ficlets from thecatisacritic.

So wrote some more ficlets (I swear, I'm going to get that reading done), and boy, I'm wanting to dig in to something longer, but this is a start anyway, covering some of the rougher patches and crossroads in Kingdoms and Thorn. Rougher to me anyway. Posted them all at once.

Additional Comments on the 365 Challenge

The current day number is 274. I started it at 182 of the 365 Challenge (which means I'm only almost 100 pieces behind—do I ever catch up), and now that my muse has filled in a lot of holes in the Kingdoms and Thorn world, I'm feeling impatient with writing the necessary shorter work to meet the challenge, instead of the more ambitious work that will finish out a book.

Ah, well, the challenge is still on, so I keep writing the smaller pieces, knowing I'm going to slice and dice them and merge them into the longer work I'm still nibbling at.

Le Interlude: Computer Notes

And this is where I take time out from writing to finish resurrecting my home computer, virus scanning, and backing up my files. The huge awesome wonderful bit is that I'm editing this post at home. The bad bit is that I need to get off and let the scan run. :le sigh:

Stage Three: Count

For obvious reasons, we are not counting the words spent commenting.

  • Total Fiction: 1827 words
  • Total Blog: 409 words

365 Challenge Pieces

  • 183/365 – Seven Days Ficlet: The Apple Don't Fall Far: 447 words
  • 184/365 – Kingdoms and Thorn Ficlet: The Fox and the Wolf: 304 words
  • 185/365 – Kingdoms and Thorn Ficlet: A Gift Well-Chosen: 355 words
  • 186/365 – Kingdoms and Thorn Ficlet: Cracking the Ice: 285 words
  • 187/365 – Kingdoms and Thorn Ficlet: Remind You to Dance: 436 words
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