It's Alive!

Hey All!

*waves*

Uh yeah, so I've been quiet for a very long time. Real life, as we all know, can really get in the way of internet related things. Mine has pretty much taken over. I can hardly manage my ONE post a week over at ATWOP, but I'm TRYING. This week I'm on vacation so you've probably seen me around a bit more. In fact, I even sent out a tweet tonight! LOL. (Oh gawd, I'm awful at the whole Twitter thing. I'm trying, I really am, but I just don't get it yet.) If you're over there and we're not "friends", add me.. JenHendren. Maybe that would help force me to get the hang of things. :)

Anyway, I just wanted to say hello to my peeps. I'm at home this week working on BTPM. I'm just a couple of scenes away from a new SFD. A SSD, maybe? Gah, hope I don't need to do a third because that's just gross. (g) It's been a scary week of ups and downs, but I'm feeling good about the progress I've made. It's exciting to think I may soon be able to read it from beginning to end and have it match the vision I've been seeing for a while now. Making major changes to a completed manuscript, as a lot of you know, is so, so difficult. It's hard to let go of scenes that you love but which no longer fit into the new version. It's hard, as I'm finding out this week, to integrate an entirely new character into a story that seemed so set in your mind. It's just a crazy emotional journey and you begin to doubt yourself every step of the way. My self-confidence has run the entire spectrum this week.

Regardless, it's awesome to be working on something again. I know there's a long way to go -- trust me, this manuscript is going to need MUCH MORE than just a mere spit shine once I get the big picture items all tackled. The language needs major clean up, and there will definitely be issues with transitions and stuff. All the things I HATE working on. But I have to say it's exciting to be here. YAY.

1300 new words today and counting. Whoot!

Hope everyone is well. I know I've promised to blog more before, so I won't make that promise now. But I REALLY hope to. :)

Jen Comes Into This Century

Hey All!

*waves*

Well, I know I've been quiet. Busybusybusy. Nano turned out to be a really great experience, but I didn't even come close to that 50K. Oh well. I did my best and still produced about 16000 words for WALKING IN SHADOW. It gave me some great direction on just where I think the book will go, and for that I'm very pleased. It was great getting back in the trenches and digging for those words. They hurt, yes, but there's nothing like coming out the other end with some actual pages to show for all that frustration. Some of them are even good. :)

A couple of very big things on my horizon:

1. I've officially started to move all of my FAKING IT files into Scrivener. Yes, that means it is officially back on the front burner. YAY. It's proving a little difficult because my filing system is a complete mess, but along the way I'm looking at bits here and there, thinking about things I might like to change, etc. I feel like this is a really good thing--using Scrivener. It isn't so much that I want to use it for its plotting capabilities, etc... it's that it will help keep me organized. (I hope) Having all of my scenes, etc in one centralized place where I won't get various versions confused (again, I hope) will be one huge step in the right direction.

2. My sister has sent me a Kindle for Christmas. It's winging its way toward me as we speak; should be here on Tuesday. I have to admit I was a bit hesitant about the idea at first, but then I thought...OMG, I'll be able to download like a bazillion free classics that I want to reread or have never read, and dude...they're FREE. lol. I actually went on Amazon today, picking through the titles to see what I might want to peruse first. Dude. DUDE. There's a book called THE BOOK OF WERE-WOLVES. (Has anyone read it??) It's supposed to have some really interesting stories about various werewolf myths and what not. I am SO getting it. I can't believe I didn't know about it before, actually. But yeah, I want, I want, I want!!

Another great thing is that I'll be able to do beta reads, or readthroughs of my own MS's with it. OMG. I can't wait. My sister said I couldn't open it until Christmas day. Cough. Yeah, I won't. *big wink*

This year has been a HUGE year for me on the techy front. Last May I got a Droid, which introduced me to the exciting world of texting. I used to say I would NEVER be a texter... uh yeah, I was wrong. Granted, I still think it's _extremely_ rude...as in the _UMPTEENTH_ degree kind of rude, to be whip out your phone and text while in the middle of a conversation with someone (or dinner, or in a movie theatre), so I try to never do that. SO RUDE, YO. Also, what's up with the texting while driving?? Dangerous, people! At least wait for a light. LOLOL.

So yeah, I'm all kinds of tech.

I'm really hoping to keep up with this blog a lot better than I have. I know I keep saying that and disappearing for months at a time, but I DO have the best of intentions. :) I miss all of my long lost peeps!! If you see this, drop in and let me know how you're doing, okay?

Jen

Le Crud

I was estimating that I would need about another 15K to finish FI. After reading through everything tonight, I'm estimating that number to be more like 25K. SIGH. LOL. Oh well, I'm super excited by the way things are lining up in the story. Things are definitely coming together. If I'm unable to finish it before Monday, which let's face it...is a TALL order ...I'll hopefully be able to get the SFD completed by the end of the month. I can SO do this. Yes. A little behind what I had planned (again), but that's life.

I've decided on a new tactic. I'm going to work forward, filling in the gaps as I go. Tonight as I did my read through, I wrote pretty detailed notes as to what additions and changes need to be made. I think that will go a long way in speeding up the process. I just finished my read through and already managed to make some significant changes to the first couple of scenes in the queue. Luckily, most of the stuff is written for a while and only needs minor tweaks.

So yeah, I'm afraid the hair-pulling and caffeine guzzling will, at the very least, last through a week from Monday. Oh, but I'm salvaging some more bits from the original MS! That will knock down that total number a bit -- probably by a couple of thousand at least... so yeah, not great, but not horrible either. AND, I have a hand-written scene that I've misplaced. That will knock it down another 1-2K. When/if I find it!! LOL. So maybe it's actually more like 20K, and some of that is allocated to basic fluffing. So, okay, I'm alright. I'm gonna stop freaking out. LOL.

Coming Up For Air

In regards to FI, I'm to the point where I can no longer make sense of my random chunks. I can't see what the book needs at this point. Know what that means? Yup -- I have to print everything out and do a read through. This is GOOD...VERY good. It means I'm getting close to the end.

Now don't get me wrong -- there's plenty of work to be done. It's just that the gaps are closing and the bits that need to be written are fewer and fewer. I need to take some time to figure out what's left and to make sure I don't get off track with random additions.

I'm excited to do a read through even with the gaps I already know are there. YAY. It's a good thing I'm almost finished. BTPM is BARKING...and I mean hardcore, in my ear, yaps. :)

Much Needed Motivation

So, I've been slacking a bit (a lot) on my word count. I think it's a combination of being burnt out from all of the late nights and the imminent stress of school beginning. At any rate, it's time to give myself a big kick in the arse to keep going.

I fought long and hard about this... half of me saying it just wasn't fair, the other half saying it's what I deserve for being lazy. My hardass self won out. (g)

Until I finish the SFD of FI, there will be no reading THE SWEET FAR THING. None. Not a page. Not the acks, not the back cover blurb. *mutters to herself and kicks the ground*

It had to be done.

Forward!

I didn't get many words tonight, but I think I've at last cleared up the missing piece I've been stumbling against the past couple of weeks. I knew "generally" what was supposed to happen in the story, but couldn't come up with any solid ideas that would work. Then I came up with this completely nutty slant to the whole thing and kinda got creeped out that my mind went there. (g) But I figured out a way to inject some humor, despite the dark tone of the overall scene. I _think_ this is seriously the last piece of the story I was unclear about. Hmmm. I'm sure other issues will come up as I try to piece everything together later, but I'm feeling good about where I'm at.

I'm still shooting for a SFD by the end of January. I think I can make it. Heh.

So, I finished at about 1200 for the night. I'm exhausted, but happy I managed that much. I'm _determined_ to get started earlier tomorrow. Oh, and I think I have a new LOTD.

And It's A Wrap

Erm, sorta. LOL.

I've got a new ending...a new last line....it's all kinds o' new. (g) The previous chapter topped about 2100...this one about 1500. So yeah, guess I managed to cut a few words.

And the best part: I LURVE IT. :)

Now I have to set it aside so I can see if I still lurve it when I come back to it later. I'm not _positive_ about the last line...but the scene is written. The rest will work itself out eventually.

Up next: the pesky middle of the book... LOL. I do things so ass-backwards...but man, I love it. :)

For The Love Of Pete--Is Nothing Sacred??

Heh, that's a saying I gave my sister all kinds of smack about every time she used it over Thanksgiving. Here I am using it. (g)

But it's definitely called for right now. After much hemming and hawing this evening, with the help of Jenna (thanks, girl!), I think I've made a big decision about the ending of FI. *drum roll* The original final chapter is hitting the cutting room floor.

*Holds up her hands* Now now... I know some of you are gonna throw a fit over that one. Trust me, I had the same reaction. What I have is going to be SO much better, tho. I think. Erm, in theory. I have to write it still. But I have the beginning of the scene in question, and I know exactly what I need to add to get it whipped into shape. The little film playing out in my mind works really well. Now I just have to translate it to the page. (g) That's my goal for tonight.

But seriously, I don't know what it is, but ever since I let go of the senior dance, I have NO SHAME when it comes to hacking out SACRED bits of this MS. That last scene..you know the one...was near and dear. You remember why. (VBG) But yeah, gone...gone...gone... Unfortunately, that also means that Beth is only going to have a minor role in this book. But we'll see her again in book 2, so not a major issue. But seriously, with Hedrick and some of the other characters playing bigger roles, I really needed to streamline some... this is the first step.

It does affect a couple of other spots in the book, but fortunately I haven't written those particular scenes yet. All is well.

Wow...feel like I'm growing here. (wink)

A Good Night

I have no idea if I met my word count goal. LOL. I'm sure I ran a little short, though. I started adding on to a new scene and then ended up salvaging some stuff from the original MS. My word count was 5K by time I finished, but it does need to be cut down quite a bit. I basically wrote until I couldn't stay awake another minute and then just ended up cutting and pasting the salvaged bits straight into the scene. I fiddled for about a half minute and then called it good for the night. Hopefully I can straighten the whole thing out this afternoon and then move on to something new.

I figured I got close enough to finish up SPECIALS. Okay, maybe I gave myself a little leeway, it being a holiday and all. (g) Finished it a little bit ago -- LOVED it. I'll get to a review in the next day or so. (On to THE SWEET FAR THING!! *yay*)

I decided NOT to go out tonight. So I'll be typing away when the ball drops (theoretically). I'll probably ring in the New Year with a glass of wine, but I really want to stay sharp and focused on my book right now. So no late night parties for this girl. She's on a mission. (g) It'll be good cuz I'll have the house to myself...and I can calm the dogs when everyone shoots off their guns. LOL.

Ohh! And I'm headed over to B&N shortly. Want to see if the fabulous Joanna Bourne's book is out yet. THE SPYMASTER'S LADY is getting some STELLAR reviews and I can barely wait to have it in my greedy little paws. After all, I don't want to be the last person on the forum to have read it. LOL. I (she says sheepishly) don't usually venture over into the romance section, but I'm hoping to snag a few people so I can talk up the book. It's not often I can say, "I know her!" Well, I CAN actually say that quite a bit lately. The community of writers I belong to kicks some MAJOR ASS. I swear, it seems like every other day someone is making a big announcement about finding an agent or selling a manuscript. Very exciting group to interact with, and I hope I can make such big announcements soon. :)

Okay...I'm off.

Load Of Excuses

So, yeah...didn't make my word count goal last night. In fact, I didn't even open up my WIP pages to work on it. I think the consecutive nights of 5am writing sessions finally caught up with me. I lazed around all day, and when I was finally willing and able to write, a friend rang me up to come hang out. It's one of those dilemmas -- I haven't seen a lot of my friends for quite some time because of finals, etc. But man, I really need to finish this damned book. LOL. Of course, my thoughts didn't work nearly that fast and I agreed before really giving it enough consideration.

At any rate, I had a lovely evening -- laughing my ass off and getting caught up on all the gossip (and spreading my own, of course).

So, I've added half of last night's words to tonight's goal and the rest to tomorrow's. EEE. 3750 words. Just starting now--weekends are NOT good for me. Way too many distractions. But it may have turned out for the best in the end -- major breakthroughs the past couple of days and I'm super excited to get started. It's really the first time--in quite a while--that I can "see" the events that I need to write. And the things I'm seeing are in that oh-so-tough middle. (YAY) PLUS -- and this is a huge bonus that practically had me jumping up and down in the aisle at Tarjay -- I figured out a way to reconcile those two scenes I wrote a while back. I wrote them, loved them both IMMENSELY, and then realized they wouldn't work together. But NOW they will. (eee) I'm super relieved and so happy I can include both.

Another realization I've had is that this book is going to be quite a bit longer than my original MS. How long? Hmmm, not sure. I'm usually pretty good at estimating these things, but I hesitate to say out loud that I think it will land somewhere between 115-120K. I. Hope. (oops) I could be way off, but man... that's a scary number to look at. Not that I'm afraid to write that much, just that it will take me longer than I anticipated. BUT...as people keep telling me, it's important to get my first book right. So if it takes that many words to finish, that's what I'll have to write. Personally, I prefer 100K. :)

In other news, I finally decided to start SPECIALS. I wasn't feeling well earlier so decided I would read until my meds kicked in. I got started and next thing I knew, I had used up my pages!!! Waaaaaa. Now I HAVE to write in order to find out what happens next. And hey, I was a GOOD girl -- I stopped when I hit the magic number (well, I went to the end of that chapter). TOUGH. Don't believe me? Try it some time. LOL. This book is SOOOOO good so far. Can't wait to get back, which means I better get to work. (g)

Oh Yeah, Baby

I made it again. Yes, it's late...but I'm happy I pulled this one out. Tomorrow I _must_ start writing before midnight. (VBG)

I had hoped to finish the big scene tonight, but I got a bit burned out -- physically and emotionally. So, I skipped forward, still staying in the same general area of the book. Hopefully I can tie it all up tomorrow. There isn't much left to write. Then I'll likely have to cut some stuff to tighten it up. Oh well -- that is for another stage in this process. (g)

But the good news is that I just banked me another hundred pages. :)

Page Creds: 178 Actually Read: NADA -- got me some reading to do. (g)

Oh..and no line of the day again.. Try again tomorrow. Dang spoilers. lol

Did It!

Well, it's extremely late...I'm swaying in my chair, but dang it... I made my 2500 words. Got 2502, actually. (Big Cheesy Grin)

However, I will say that I deleted quite a few words throughout, so I definitely got more than that. But it's the running word count that I'm keeping track of. WHEW.. What a relief. Funny thing is that I probably couldn't hold up a book if I had the energy to read right now. Oh well, I guess that gives me that 78 page credit to build on. Tomorrow I'll find a new goal to shoot for. Same word count, of course. (g) Perhaps I'll ease into my day with a little reading -- you know, when I roll out of bed at noon. LOL.

The great thing is that I'm making extremely good progess on the BIG scene at the end. And I'm actually quite pleased with what I'm coming up with. Not only am I building on the original ideas I envisioned for this ending, but the process of writing is helping to spark new thoughts about other sections of the book. Stuff that is expanding upon my outline and making it stronger. I guess that says something about the kind of writer I am. LOL. That damn outline took me HOW long to nail down? Okay, two revisions...probably about 3-4 weeks spent working on it each time... add a few weeks to hear back from D.A. and I'd say it was close to three months when all was said and done. And not until today do I feel I can actually complete this book. Well, I always _thought_ I could...just never FELT I could when working on it with said outline and in that nasty chronological order. *shivers*

Anyway -- thanks to both Claire and Jenna for listening to me ramble and "testing" various snips out. LOL. You know I'm feeling better about things when I start sharing. (g) Calling it a night...catch ya on the morrow.

P.S. Wish I could post a Line of the Day, but major spoilers involved in this section. Maybe tomorrow. :)

I Did It!

Dang it, I won me a book today. (g) I completed my 2500 words -- a little more even, and did it before B&N closed for the evening. About thirty minutes before, to be exact. So I ran on over and picked up SPECIALS -- the third book in the UGLIES trilogy.

And though the scene needs work, it's not bad. LOL. It's definitely a good set of bones I can work on later. It will need some fleshing out in some parts, some tightening up in others... but man, I wrote today. Feels great. Long overdue and missed.

I won't talk about how long it took me. I'm like an old car in winter these days. Hopefully this will be a good warm-up so I can keep the pace. I'd _like_ to have a SFD before school begins. Not sure how many words that is...but it's a lot. LOL. We'll see how it goes. Right now any forward progress is gold in my eyes.

Anyway... I think I'm gonna post a line of the day. Just for S&G's. :)

Whew

Well, I've read through everything -- well, all of the new stuff. Man, I actually laughed out loud in a couple of spots. Crazy considering how many times I've read through this MS. I guess that's a good sign. (g) At any rate, I noticed something very interesting -- I actually liked the newer stuff better than the first 100 pages. Not that those pages are bad, but for some reason I get a greater sense of visuals and setting in the later stuff. It reads much smoother, even though it's a bit darker. So maybe I'll be okay after all. (g) I just need to make sure everything is even throughout, which means I may have to go back and fluff out the first 100. No biggie and definitely not something I'm going to worry about at this point.

Anyway, I'm feeling reaquainted with the book now... now on to those words...

And So Begins My Real Final

Unlike with school, I'm not giving myself the night off on writing. It's been too long since I've written anything, and I know myself too well. First, I'll say I need tonight off to recuperate...then that will turn in to, I deserve to take it easy and watch a movie or read a book tomorrow... and then it will be Christmas preparations calling my name and I'll need to do my shopping... then to visit with family...etc.

Nuh-uh! I'm cutting that crap off right now....stopping it before it starts. (g) As I type, I'm printing out everything I have of FI -- gonna do a read through and then with any luck, get some writing in tonight. I'm shooting for 500-1000 words before I allow myself to collapse. Nothing major, but something that will hopefully get me started in the right direction.

Hey, I allowed myself a good meal and an hour nap before pulling myself out of bed again. (g) I can do this... *she says through droopy eyes* LOL. Nah, I'll be fine. I can at least _read_ through everything tonight. I'm definitely going to pipe in some Christmas music. That's an absolute must. :)

ETA that my IM is officially back on again. (g)

Yo!

I'm still here -- counting down the days until this hellish season of finals is over...but here. (g)

True to form, I'm totally getting psyched up to write. LOL. I'm trying to hold back -- journaling about my thoughts for this or that scene, throwing out some questions on the forum... When I finish finals, a week from Monday, I hope to take off at a sprint. I have to say that the snippet thread on the forum went a LONG way with helping me along this road. The comments I received were so encouraging, and I've vowed to read through that thread every time I start in with the self-doubts. So thanks to everyone for that!

Anyway, I think I've figured out how to handle the last complaint D.A. had about my outline. WOOHOO. :) I'm actually really excited about it -- it's mostly regarding the ending. It will definitely have an impact on book 2, but I'm pleased about the ripples it will create. AND...*drum roll* it's nothing that major. LOL. Just a few minor tweaks to the chapter I have at the end already...and it will be good to go. Whoot! That's definitely the best part of it all. (g)

So yeah... I know I should be concentrating fully on finals, but let's be realistic here. (g)

ETA: I have the last line for book 2. (VBG)

Immediacy

Things in my life are pretty nuts right now. I've been rather stressed out and it's all having a negative effect on my motivation to keep going on my wip's. Unfortunately, it's a bit more than visiting family, but alas, too upsetting to really blog about at this time. At any rate, let's just say that Jen is stressin'.

New words haven't really been an option, so instead I decided to take a look at the final confrontation scene in BTPM. I haven't really looked at it in a while -- as I've been concentrating on the front end of the book. It was an eye-opening experience. LOL. I realized that the way it is now is very telling. There's no immediacy to it... it's all so...so...distant. Blah.

I would post snips of it for comment, but man, talk about spoiling the ending. LOL. At any rate, here's the thing....

I KNOW the rules of how to pump up the tension in a fight/scary scene. Short sentences...quick pace...blah blah blah. But, to be frank, I feel very few people really pull it off well. LOL. I find, 9 times out of 10, that they sound choppy to my inner ear. That said, my scene is falling in the majority. Le sigh. Because I take such issue with most of these kinds of scenes, I gotta wonder if it's just ME. LOL. Maybe my scene is fine as is...doubt it. (g)

So...my family arrives tomorrow. I have a huge project due on Tuesday...big Thanksgiving plans beginning on Wednesday, including my grandparents 60th anniversary party...and well, I don't forsee much time to work on anything new. My concentration will simply be too split with all this and much much more going on. So...my goal for the coming week is to tear this scene apart and rewrite it. The bones are there...they're good bones... but it needs more...oomph. My second goal is to tear apart the outline of FI and figure out what remaining scenes need to be written, and start tackling them one by one. Systematic as I can get. (g)

I'm way behind on my word count goal, but if I can get some things accomplished while my family is here, I'll be very happy. My first final is on the eighth, so progress in December is going to be slow until after my last--on the 17th, I think. Blah. I hate this time of year, but I'm hoping that my inspiration will kick up a notch with studying/finals looming. It always does. (g)

Shazam!

I met my word count goal AND finished THE TIME TRAVELER'S WIFE tonight. Woohoo. I'll do a review when I get an opportunity.

Getting back into FI is a little strange. I'm trying to capture the feel of it again. Right now the scenes I'm working on seem to have a more serious tone -- it's so weird. I'm dying to lob a one-liner somewhere, but I can't really work them in. Tomorrow I'll have to work on something lighter. (g) I need Maddy's snark to come out again.

At any rate, I got my words in! Whoot!

Getting Buried

No work on BTPM or FI since Monday. School SUCKS. On top of that, and definitely more enjoyable, I've agreed to beta-read for two forumites. Trust me, I love this, so not complaining but trying to figure a way to juggle it all. (g) I should finish up one tonight...a bit further behind schedule than planned, but what can ya do? Then the other may have to be in bits until I get that dang YA finished. LOL. I have a few beta-readers lined up for the new version...so I need to deliver now. YEEK. (g)

And if you've read it before and want to again, please let me know. I feel like I've taken such advantage of so many of you already. But if you WANT to read it. (VBG)

Tomorrow I'm walking in a petwalk for the local humane society. That'll be fun. Chloe always draws a crowd, so she'll be obnoxious and hard to live with for a few days. LOL. She practically struts after a public appearance. I can only imagine what Bailey will be like. (g) I'll have to remember to take my camera. Always a cool thing to see so many dogs in one place and for such a good cause. I've pretty much decided I need to adopt another dog when I move out. Chloe might be relieved to be away from Bailey at first, but I have a feeling she'll soon be lonely.

At any rate, I have to go earn my keep. Yup, it's cleaning day. *Donning her cap and feather duster*

Whoot!

I finished chapter 4 of BTPM. Hip Hip Huzzah! I printed out the first 50 pages (the first 4 chapters) for a read through. It wasn't too bad. (g) And since I'm tired, that's saying a lot. If you know anything about me, it's that I tend to be a bit harsh on myself late at night. No clue why, but there it is.

Anywho, there are a few continuity issues I'll need to address -- nothing major. I'm also unsure whether to leave that darn flashback. It's only about a page and a half now, but I'm wondering if I should just chuck it and summarize in the narration. I may depend on taking a poll of willing readers. (VBG)

I'm hoping these first four chapters are okay. My goal is to slowly raise the tension level for the big moment in chapter 5. I'm packing more and more into this book, but my greatest fear is that I'll put too much and bog down the pace. You never know. Gah, too tired to think about it tonight. I'll take a look when I'm fresh.

But, I must relish this moment -- the next few chapters will only need minor tweaks. I've passed a HUGE hump. *yay*

Oh, can I just say how happy I am -- only 6 days left of my class. (WOO-WOO!!)