Falling for Fall

It's here. October. Fall. My favorite season. Leaves are turning, temperatures are changing, rains are falling.


Now you may disagree with me here, but keep in mind I live on the Northern California coast. Smack dab in the middle of the state. Our summers consist of the possibility of seventy degree weather, maybe for a week or two in September. Sure, we can take a trip north, south, or east for an hour and find temperatures at least ten degrees higher, but that's not possible every day.


Still curious about San Francisco summers? Yes, I could have taken this photo less than a month ago. This is the norm for us, people. And I'm not complaining, not one bit. It is beautiful.

However.

There is something different about fog versus rain clouds. Yes, they both look similar. But, for me, nothing beats the pat-pat-pat sound of rain on the windows, the vroom from my ancient heater kicking up to pump warm air (with Kitty A always in front of the living room vent) into the house. There is nothing more motivating for snuggling up with a great book, typing away at the keys on a shiny first draft, or hacking and slashing a manuscript you can almost no longer stand to look at.

And so far, fall has been good to me.

Now I'm curious about my loyal followers. Does fall really get you moving or slow you down? Why? If fall isn't your favorite season, what is?

When Decisions Feel Muddled

Okay. So. Uh...

Yeah, that's how I'm feeling today. Why, you ask? Because I'm ping-ponging between three different half-finished projects.

I'm in need of a focus.

So, I'm curious. What do you do to choose your next project? How do you know it's right? Is it a feeling? Or do you just dig your heels in and work on whatever you've vowed to work on, see it to completion?

I think I've picked a project I'm willing to stick with, but it's hard when there are so many ideas floating around in my head. A little insight would help me so much.

Friday Five

1. I hate April Fool's Day. I know nothing about how it started or when, but I am not a fan of being more gullible than usual. So, I vote to outlaw it. Maybe we can make it April Jokes Day instead? I like jokes. See, I'm not a huge grump...just a little one :)


2. I swore I wouldn't do this, (no, an April Fool's joke is not on its way) but I am currently reading a book that is not part of my A-Z Reading Challenge. I couldn't help myself. What was I so desperate to read that I just couldn't wait until I got through the entire alphabet? White Cat by Holly Black. I'm about 60% through it...and Wow. Just. Wow. Seriously. It took me a while to get into the book (it was good, but I wasn't connecting) until things really started going wrong for the MC. And so far, Holly Black is doing three things amazingly well. Writing, worldbuilding, and backstory. If you've read it, you know what I mean. If you haven't, why not? This one is definitely worth a go.



3. Working, working, working! Day job, exercise (which I'm actually starting to enjoy doing), and writerly stuff. I have been bu-sy! Woo. What have I been working on? Right now I'm trying to finish up a short story that I'm hoping to submit. After that I'm hoping to pick my my YA Dystopian again.


4. Yesterday a bus remodeled my car. And let me tell you, this calls for a sad face. So... :(


And 5. Happy April! I'm so glad March is over and my super-big-half-paid-off-mega-vacation is that much closer. 6 weeks and 1 day. *happy dance* And...I've already paid for the airfare. More info to come soon.

Getting to Know You

I'd like to take this moment to thank everyone who stopped by to critique my first 250 words of Shimmering Angels. I feel like every piece of input helped me polish it up a little more.

In Friday news, I am currently writing my fingers to the bone. For the first time in a long time I'm trying my hand at a short story and I'm really loving my MC's voice. She's driving me forward, hinting at her personality and her flaws, but right now I'm missing her goals. I could go with something easy, like she just wants to be normal, but I'm digging deeper. There's something inside her that she doesn't even know she wants yet.

Where am I going with this, you ask?

If you're a writer, you've probably heard this combination before: Goal, Motivation, Conflict. This threesome and I are no strangers.

Goals. To truly understand your characters you have to know what they want so desperately--and what they're willing to sacrifice for it. And to write a great book, you have to test these theories, strip away everything your characters hold dear, and flip their world on its ear.

Motivation. Understand why your character wants this, and show--not tell us about--it. Why does your thirty year old villain still suck his thumb when things don't go his way? Could it hint to a tramatic childhood event? Or could he simply enjoy making his rivals think this? Use this strange action to throw your hero off, or create empathy?


Conflict. Now that you know what your character wants and why they want it, twist the knife. Your hero and heroin have a strategic plan in place. Why let everything go smoothly when it's so much more fun to throw a wrench in the cogs? Add a little conflict. The villain knows your hero and heroin are coming and has his own trap ready. Or maybe hero plans to express his feelings to heroin, but heroin (thanks to her own goals and motivations) tells hero she's been lying to him and instead of just wanting villain dead, she needs to reclaim her husband's soul which is lost somewhere inside the villain's hideout.


Now we're getting somewhere. See what I mean about conflict adding more?


Now I'm off to create my own conflict.

A-Z Reading Challenge February Update

As you may (or may not) know I'm participating in an alphabet reading challenge hosted by Steph @ Thoughts of a Book Junkie. And I wanted to share my progress.

This is my first reading challenge, and even though I'm not a book blogger, I am a writer. And as a writer, I read. In fact, I've always loved to read. So this challenge seemed right for me. And so much fun!

A - Assassin Study by Maria V. Snyder
B - (Either: The Body Finder by Kimberly Dertling, Bad Taste in Boys by Carrie Harris, or Blood Feud by Alyxandra Harvey)
C - City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
D - (Either: Devoured by Amanda Marrone and The Dead Girl's Dance by Rachel Caine, or Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning)
E - The Eternal Ones by Kirsten Miller
F - Fire Study by Maria V. Snyder
G - Going All In by Jess Dee
H - Hearts at Stake by Alyxandra Harvey 
I - The Iron Witch by Karen Mahoney
J - Jonas (Beautiful Dead #1) by Eden Maguire
K - Kiss Me Deadly by Michele Hauf
L - Linger by Maggie Stiefvater
M - Magic Study by Maria V. Snyder
N - Nevermore by Kelly Creagh
O - Once Dead, Twice Shy by Kim Harrison
P - Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder
Q - Queen of Shadows by Dianne Sylvan
R - A Rush of Wings by Adrian Phoenix
S - Shift by Jeri Smith-Ready
T - This Side of the Grave by Jeaniene Frost
U - Unholy Ghosts by Stacia Kane
V - Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
W - Wither by Lauren DeStefano
X - XVI by Julia Karr
Y - (Still searching)
Z - (Still searching)

Read in February:
K - Kiss Me Deadly by Michele Hauf
H - Hearts at Stake by Alyxandra Harvey
I - The Iron Witch by Karen Mahoney
and
R - A Rush of Wings by Adrian Phoenix

9 down, 17 to go. My favorite this month? It was a tie between Hearts at Stake and A Rush of Wings. Can't wait to see what both series will offer in the future.

Currently Reading:
M - Magic Study
and
T - This Side of the Grave by Jeaniene Frost

So, my question for you guys is, what are you reading? Or what have you read recently that's blown you away?