Six Sentence Sunday - Episode Fifteen

As promised, we are now going inside Lilly Young's head, in a new scene that continues right after her visit to Lewis Hunter's butcher shop.  To read that scene in its entirety, click HERE.

I pulled in front of the hospital, to wait for Nick. Nobody asked me to move the Porsche, even though I had blatantly ignored the NO PARKING signs that decorated the entrance bay. When he appeared, moving swiftly towards the revolving doors, I felt momentarily plunged onto the runway of a fashion show.

Nicholas Blake made scrubs look elegant.

Even under the hospital's harsh lighting that reached out into the dusk, Nick was the picture of tall and handsome, but he wasn't dark. His face - his divine face - appeared starkly pale in the half light, almost ethereal.  
 

As always, be sure to visit the official website of Six Sentence Sunday to either sign up or follow the links to over one hundred "Sixes". 

Happy Father's day!

Six Sentence Sunday - Episode Fourteen

Good day all!

Yes, this is SSS Episode 14...Because even though there was no official SSS last week, I still posted. Scroll down to the previous post to read Episode 13.  If you would like to read the entire scene from RESET from the beginning, click HERE.  You'll have to scroll all the way down through the "older posts" to start at Episode One.

And of course, to find out how to participate in this awesome weekly blog hop, visit the new improved Six Sentence Sunday site!  After 9 a.m on Sunday, you can find the list of links to the hundred plus talented writers who have thrown in their Six this week!

Hopefully I'll figure out my new smartphone so I can read and comment on Sunday - otherwise, I will get to reading as many Sixes as I can on Monday - as I procrastinate for work.

And finally, here is the final bit of this scene!  Next week - I change POVs and questions may be answered...Or not!

"I'd better go," she said, still not going.
"Yes." Because I didn't trust myself to linger in her presence any longer, I snatched up my apron and pushed through the door, leaving it swinging to and fro, like an unasked question. 
When I heard the jingle of the bell as the door closed, I collapsed against the wall.
I would not ruin her life.  Again.

Cheers!

Six Sentence Sunday - Episode Thirteen...Kinda

Drat, wrote my post, then went to sign up and there is no SSS this week! So, this is an "Unofficial Six".  Anyone else do a "Six" this week?  Let me know by commenting and I'll be sure to visit! Remember, every Sunday (except this one), you can read other great snippets written by the talented writers who participate in Six Sentence Sunday by clicking HERE.

To read from the beginning of this scene in RESET, click HERE.

I watched her swallow uncomfortably. Then she smiled. It was tentative, but it still lit up the room.

“I'm Lillian Young.” She extended a hand over the counter. “But please call me Lilly. Lillian sounds like someone's grandmother.”

I looked at her hand, hovering in space, but made no move to take it. “I know who you are,” I said, and slid the wrapped packet towards her.

Happy Sunday all!

Six Sentence Sunday - Episode Twelve

YIKES!  Sorry all.  I am not sure my writerly dreams will come to fruition this year - at least this spring / summer.  Darn day job!  Busy, busy with whopping marketing reports for two clients...Well, you could say writing a marketing report is sort of similar to fiction writing!

I'm back with SSS.  However, I won't be able to comment until probably Monday and I can't wait to see what I missed!

Continuing in RESET - the Butcher Shop scene.  To read the whole scene since Episode One, click HERE.

She tried to cross her arms in front of her, but her parka was so bulky, she gave up, letting her hands slide into the pockets instead. “I find old memories fascinating,” she said.



“Do you.” I had meant it to sound like a question.


“Yes,” she said, still defensive. “Who doesn't?”


“I don't.”

And the mystery deepens...Thanks to all who continue to stop by, even when I can't be as dedicated a Blogger as I'd like. 
 
As always, don't miss reading tidbits from other talented writers' WIPs and finished works by visiting the Six Sentence Sunday Links page HERE.
 
Happy Sunday!

Six Sentence Sunday - Episode Eleven

From RESET (of course).  Continuing where we left off last week, still Lewis Hunter's POV. If you're interested in reading this scene from the very beginning, go HERE.

She pushed herself away from the counter, away from me.
"I just wondered because I've never seen any photos of this place in the archives,” she said.

“Archives?” I frowned.
“The Martinsburg Historical Society.”
Now my smile felt so ironic, I was sure she would notice. “A history buff, are you?”

The Martinsburg Historical Society HQs, right beside Belle Boyd House and across the street from the historic B&O Roundhouse.

As always, a big thank you to everyone who stops by to read and comment!  Go HERE for links to over 100 other Sixes.  Yes that's right - there are over 100 participants in SSS!  Wow!

Fun with Word Verifications #2

This WV came from the comment form from the first blog I visited this morning.  DNA Writers (Friday's post - about ideas and where they come from).  It hit home for me, as I have several "to finish" books on my to read shelf that I refuse to read until I've finished revising RESET.  One is Lauren Kate's Fallen series.  I read the back blurb and immediately shelved it.  NO, there is not a fallen angel in site in RESET, but the premise was a little close, and I don't need anything to demotivate me from finishing my damn revisions!

OK, the WV Norapiqu sounded South American, perhaps like an ancient Mayan word, so here goes....

"Oh my God," Karin's voice full of awe.  "Where did you get this?"  The stone tablet was ancient, covered in moss and worn nearly smooth, but she could still make out the familiar square glyphs.

"Norapiqu."  Jeff pronounced his translation like Nora pick you.  "I found it in the cave."

It was ninety-five degrees in the jungle, with one hundred percent humidity, yet Karin shuddered.  Goosebumps lifted the hairs along the back of her arms.  "Do me a favor," she said.  "Don't go back in there."

"Why?"  Jeff's question was innocent.  He had no idea what he had discovered, no idea what the word meant.  And why would he?  They didn't teach ancient Mayan curses in Archaeology 101.

Go have fun with your WV's today!

Six Sentence Sunday - Episode Ten

Continuing in RESET...
Lewis Hunter is desperately hoping that Lilly won't recognize him...

Disclaimer - this is sorta more than 6 sentences, but it was hard to break the thoughts and dialogue, so I left them together, and I would HATE to leave you all hanging LOL!

“Have you really been around since 1934?” she asked. 

My smile faltered.

Her next sentences tumbled out in a rush.  “The sign out front says…I mean, of course you haven't! Maybe a grandfather? Great-Uncle?” The words tripped over each other, left her cheeks flushed pink.

No questions! "My grandfather." I held my breath.

“Oh. That makes sense," she said, but continued to study me, her face a picture of perplexity.  She leaned in, as if for closer inspection, and I stepped back, fearing what I'd do if she crossed that line I'd drawn - the one that kept her safe.

Do yourself a favor and check out the other Six Sentences from talented writers near and far.  Click the logo to get the links!
 

Oh, and happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there! 

Next week:  Things might get answered...or they might not!

Six Sentence Sunday - Episode Nine

Continuing in RESET.

Last week, we left Lewis Hunter speculating who the third steak was for.

Outside the shop, a car's horn sounded and we both turned, instinctively orienting ourselves to the obnoxious sound.

As soon as I saw the Porsche parked in front of the shop, my eyes bugged. “Nice car.”

“It's not mine,” she clarified, too quickly. 

Boyfriend’s car. The brown paper tore a little under my hand.

“You're not Melvin Hunter, are you?” she blurted next.

I managed a smile. "No."

Her mouth thinned, lips pressed together in frustration.
 
As always, check out the other fabulous Sixes from a wealth of pubbed and non-pubbed authors alike - linked HERE.
 
If you want to read back to the beginning of this scene between Lilly Young and Lewis Hunter, click HERE.
 
Happy Reading!

Six Sentence Sunday - Episode Eight

Last week, we left Lewis wondering if perhaps Lilly does remember...Something...

I'm at a dog trial this weekend  (see the "Me" tab on this blog to find out what that's all about!) so won't be able to comment on all the other great authors' Six Sentences until Monday. 

You should head over to the Six Sentence Sunday site to see who's taking part this week.  Or why not participate yourself?  Sign up from Tuesday pm, post your six from any WIP or finished piece before 9 a.m. on the following Sunday and voila, you're part of the fun SSS family!

I turned away. “Should I wrap those filets for you?”

“Um. Sure.” 

“How many?” 

“Three.” 

Three. One of her parent’s friends? Or a boyfriend? I wrapped the steaks. My hands were clumsy, fingers sticking to the tape.

Happy reading!

Six Sentence Sunday - Episode Seven

Continuing from last week...

Lilly has just almost fainted (or something) as she scrutinizes Lewis Hunter in the butcher shop. He laughs when she tells him she's a vegetarian - a private joke? Remember, he likes his own meat almost raw...

She worried at her bottom lip, an endearing and surprisingly sexy tick. “That's not why I felt ill, though.”

Still staring at me with flinty eyes, she stood, her legs unfolding like snow-bent trees after a thaw; gracefully, slowly, as if she expected them to buckle again under some invisible weight that only I could see.

This was not good.

When she was being whisked away on the stretcher, she had met my eyes - called me her angel.

Had she been lucid?

Happy Sunday!

Visit the Six Sentence Sunday site to read more excerpts and to find out how you can participate!

Six Sentence Sunday - Episode Six

From RESET.

Continuing the awkward little scene in the butcher shop between Lewis Hunter - a half human who is trying to lay low and NOT be recognized - especially by Lilly Young.

When she looked up, her color was distinctly better and her gaze--somehow both mortified and accusing - took up where it had left off, searching my face for some hint.

I looked down, only then noticing that I still sported my red-stained apron. Darker, older blood that no amount of bleach could remove lay underneath the fresh stains. I looked like a grisly Edvard Munch painting, one entitled 'Penance'.

I removed it hastily, tossing it behind the counter.

"I'm a vegetarian,” said Lilly.

I laughed.

Read the Sixes from all the other participants by clicking HERE. Happy SUNday. Yes! It finally is sunny here. Feels like spring at last!

Six Sentence Sunday - Episode Five

Taking off (almost) from last week's snippet from RESET.

Half human Lewis Hunter is serving Lilly in the butcher shop where he works, trying to remain anonymous, hoping she doesn't remember him. She is scrutinizing him, trying to place him...

Possible Lewis Hunter? (I had Alex Pettyfer in my mind, but seems like he's going to be overly used LOL) Image source

“Are you okay?” It was something a concerned stranger might ask. “You don't look so good."

I was good at lying, after so much practice.

She pulled off her woolen hat. Her glorious chestnut hair spilled forward as she put her head between her knees.

"It’s okay,” she said, voice shaking. “It’ll pass in a minute.”

To be continued...

Please visit the other SSS participants HERE. Have a great Sunday!

Six Sentence Sunday - Episode Four

This is too much fun!

This snippet is also from RESET.

Last week, we left off with the enigmatic, half human Lewis Hunter experiencing a flashback when he goes to serve a customer in the butcher shop where he works.

“This would make great filets,” I said, pointing to an expensive piece of tenderloin.

She was looking at me - scrutinizing me, a crease deepening between her lovely blue-gray eyes.

I pulled my ball cap further down. She doesn’t know me. She cannot know me.

“Do I…?” Her hand gripped the counter.

Now hurry on over and check out the links to other entries. And next week, why don;t you give SSS a try? Sign up on Wednesday, post your Six before 9 a.m. (Eastern) and that's it! It's a great way to find new friends for Facebook, new writers to follow on Twitter and new blogs to read.

Happy reading!

CUT! Tightening the Story and Reducing Word Count

I'm so close to finishing my current rewrite of RESET. So close, in fact, that the ending is already written and all I need to do is tie up the last loose ends. (This sounds easy but in fact is not!)

The funny (or depressing) thing about each of these rewrites is that they all felt like a first draft. My characters continue to drop bombs that wreck my plot and I find myself adding or remove entire scenes to have things continually moving forward.

So, yeah.

I've cut a whole lot from that 110,000 word first draft from hell. I mean, seriously, what agent is going to go within a hundred miles of a newbie writer with a 110,000 word paranormal romance manuscript?

You really want to know? Read this post on the subject at Guide to Literary Agents and this one as well as this one at Book Ends, LLC.

This 4th rewrite of my own manuscript is going to top out at approx 85,000 words. I've now crossed off one reason it might be rejected when it comes time to query!

How did I cut 25,000 words? Well, as I said, when my characters dropped those bombs, my plot changed - became tighter. I cut a whole bunch of redundant scenes. I dropped a handful of characters who were unimportant. I dropped a few stages (locations) and merged other world-building stuff together to make the thing a whole lot easier to read.

But doesn't it suck to get rid of all that work?

Doesn't it hurt to know you wrote all those scenes and developed all those extra characters for nothing? No!

Because nothing was written 'for nothing'. In my long-winded first draft, I got to know lots about the world, the characters and the plot... Stuff that's now (I hope) hidden between the lines!

When I begin my read-through and revision of this particular draft, I'll also be looking for ways to tighten my writing, lose useless adjectives and all that editing stuff. Perhaps I'll cut an additional few thousand words. Who knows?

Do you have a really long first draft and now are stumped with how to revise it? Have a look at what Janice Hardy says on her blog (links below). And if you don't regularly read her posts, you should. It's like taking a really amazing online creative writing course... For free!

Happy chopping!

Janice Hardy's posts on word count: HERE, HERE and HERE.

Six Sentence Sunday - Episode Three

Bleh.

So I have not done very well this week on Twitter or Facebook or blogging. However I did get other stuff accomplished and I managed 1000 words every morning on my rewrite of RESET.

Celebrate the little wins, right?

I learned that my first 25 (again, RESET) ended up as Runner Up (4th out of the 5 finalists) in the NTRWA Great Expectations Contest. I could let myself be disappointed with not "placing", especially when I was hoping to be able to at least write "contest winner" in my Query Bio instead of nothing!

(I read on an agent blog - of course can't find the link now -that (agents) don't want to see "my manuscript was runner up in the such and such contest", they want to see "my manuscript won the such and such contest". Not sure how true that is?)

However, for my first stab at a novel, and with zero writing credentials and learning about craft as I bumble along, I'm pretty proud! The Great Expectations contest organizers informed me that there were a record number of entries in my category (Specialized), and that the competition was fierce.

But yeah. I'm so entering more contests!

Okay, on to Six Sentence Sunday! Don't forget to browse through all the other participants' entries. Go HERE for list. Who knows? Perhaps' you'll catch a glimpse of a future million dollar best seller!

Last week, Lewis Hunter (a half human, half... )was just about to serve an unknown customer in his butcher shop. Read back two weeks to see the beginning of Lewis' story.

A woman bundled in hat and scarf was leaning over the refrigerated display case. “What do you suggest?” she asked, turning.

And suddenly my haven was no longer safe.

A hundred images flipped through my mind like an insanely-paced slide show. Lilly lying beside me on the little pebbled beach by the river; Lilly laughing as she chased her dog, trying to pry a ball from his jaws; Lilly standing on tiptoe so she could reach my lips.

Lilly dying.

Happy reading and writing!

Six Sentence Sunday - Episode Two

Happy Daylight Savings Time.

Or not. It's hard losing that hour of sleep! Coffee, coffee, coffee...

This week's SSS installment - an official entry - is again from RESET. This excerpt (almost) follows last week's and we are still in Lewis Hunter's head.

Seeing Lilly thrashing in the throes of her vision, and then risking everything to sit - for those few precious moments - by her bed in the hospital… It had rattled me so much that I forgot my rules about catering to my human half.

“I am human.” It sounded good to say it out loud every so often.

But don’t forget what else you are.

I scowled, nearly cutting off my thumb when the front bell chimed.

Take some time and read through the other entries. You can find the list of links HERE after 9 am Eastern.

Happy reading!

Six Sentence Sunday!

I stumbled across this blog a couple of weeks ago. It's not really a contest, per say, but more a place to share and comment on little snippets of writing. And hey, we can all learn from each other. Though I am not sure how to participate officially, I thought I might participate unofficially, just for fun.


I am struggling to keep up with writing, social networking, our farm and animals and a new job, but I hope I'll get back into the groove again when I've got my new routine down. (Gah, someone please give me Twitter tips - I really, really suck at Twitter!) In the meantime, this will be an easy way to ensure at least a weekly blog post!

This week's Six Sentence Sunday "entry" is from RESET (currently undergoing huge rewrite #3). This one tells us something about Lewis Hunter, the hero (who in my head looks exactly like Alex Pettyfer *swoon*).


Melvin Hunter’s Butcher Shop, established 1934, was both haven and prison.

It was a haven for my anonymity; this was not a place a girl like Lilly took a second glance at a man. Even if she ever set foot inside the door, which was about as likely as me turning vegan, she would just see a guy in a green ball cap and a bloodstained apron.

It was a prison for the very same reason, and I was on self-directed lockdown. At least I had an unlimited supply of steak. Yesterday, I hadn’t even bothered cooking it at all.


Thanks for reading! Hey, why not give Six Sentence Sunday a try yourself? Comment and link your SSS below!

Daily Word Count Targets and Goals

Yep, it's Saturday, so this post is seriously tardy.

I think I have set an unrealistic goal for finishing RESET. I wanted to have Ginormous Rewrite #3 finished by the end of March. (Note I say rewrite as opposed to revision, of which there has been more than I can count on my own fingers.)

Now I have a good reason for pushing myself. I never had a brother in the Boy Scouts, but the motto Be Prepared seems like a good, general one for every writer.

Be Prepared.

Since my first 25 pages made the finals in the NTWRA Great Expectations contest, I feel it would be very imprudent to not have Rewrite #3 complete in the event that all the stars align, they discover life on Mars, and I actually get a request.

Yes, I could submit Rewrite #2 but lots has changed in my plot since I began asking the right questions!

However, I am about to enter the land of the employed again, much to my relief and chagrin. Yes, I'll get a paycheck again (kind of important) but it will leave less time for writing.

Rewrite #3 is currently at 62,000 words. I have a lot of scenes that won't require more than a "simple" POV change, but others that are sitting empty. I have written the new awesome ending, but have to answer a lot of my questions in the next 30,000 or so words.

Can I do it?

What goals do you have for yourself and what drives you to push yourself everyday?

My Name in the Big Bright Lights!

Er. Well.

I'm late posting to my blog this week. I have a good excuse! (Brag to follow, you can bail now)

I am a finalist in an honest to goodness writing contest!

I entered my Query and First 25 in the North Texas Romance Writers of America GREAT EXPECTATIONS contest with the hopes of getting some good feedback. Of course I was floored when I found out it made the final cut.

I had a week to revise both the pages and the query, and getting it all critted and fixed up. THANK YOU QUERY TRACKER FORUMS and my super awesome Beta Reader, Yannik!

Oh man, queries will be the death of me, really! (Someday, I may post the farce that was my first query!)

Anyway, my final entry is all polished and ready to go.

Whatever happens in the final judging, this contest is a really good one to get useful feedback. I got 2 pages of score sheets back from each judge (every entry was assigned 3 judges) and the comments really told me where both my strong and weak points are.

If you have a query-ready manuscript but are nervous of taking that first step in sending it out in the big bad world, enter a contest! It's fun and highly motivating!

A great, complete list of writing contests can be found at Stephie Smith's site.

Find Your Dream Crit Partner...Maybe?

If you're like me... A writer struggling somewhere between Rank Beginner (defined by me as a writer working on the first draft of their very first work) and published author (no matter how far along that road you are) you know how important it is to get fresh eyes to look at your writing. Let's face it, it ain't easy getting the story on paper to match that epic work of awesomeness that's in your head.

Here's where a crit partner can be your best friend... Or your worst enemy. Or a little bit of both. But regardless which side of that fence you sit on, you have to admit, critiques are NECESSARY.

But you need to find a partner you click with. Preferably someone who also writes (and reads) in your genre, and preferably someone who is a better writer than you are.

Throughout my rewrites of RESET, I've had various critters and Betas. But the one that showed me what a useful critique should look and feel like (to me) was a first page crit I won in a contest put on by the folks over at Bookshelf Muse (and they have several useful posts of crit groups on their blog too. Click here to read them).

Night and Day. So, I am on a mission to find a crit partner.

I'm thinking at this point that a sort of online dating service for finding partners would be useful. You know, like Critmatch.com or something. (Okay, that URL could go SO many ways, but you get the idea.)

And then, while browsing my favorite blogs, what do I find?

Over at the Between Fact and Fiction blog, YA author Nathalie Whipple is running a Crit Partner Classified. Go over and check it out. I've sent in my request via email (click on her picture to go to her blogger profile and find her email address). I didn't lie or try to make my manuscript sound tall dark and handsome when really, it's maybe only 5'9" and possibly slightly bald.

Who knows? Maybe I'll find my perfect match!