Tag: Writing

Second Book in Trilogy

ByRachel November 3, 2009 0 Comments
Nano has begun, and so has my feverish dash through a first draft of FLYNN Book II. I find writing the second installment in a trilogy much different from writing the first. Authors usually have a clear idea of the story's beginning and end, but the middle--well--that gets kind of muddy. When written well, second installments can be the filling in the proverbial sandwich--every bit as good and...

Regrouping

ByRachel October 29, 2009 0 Comments
Following my October vacation to the Sirens conference, I've fallen behind with my usual life schedule. Sadly, all of my best habits (writing regularly, exercising, cooking healthy food, blogging) have gone by the wayside. With October nearly over and NaNoWriMo upon us, I realize it's time to get back in shape (figuratively and, okay, maybe literally too!). Some goals. Ahem. This blog now has a...

NaNoWriMo

ByRachel October 20, 2009 2 Comments
For the first time--ever--I'm going to participate in NaNoWriMo. I wanted to last year, but urgent revisions on my novel prevented me from starting any new rough drafts. You can't churn out revisions on a quick schedule the way you can with fresh material. However, before NaNo, I have a few housekeeping matters with my writing. The first being to send out the two short stories I've been meaning...

Trekking Through the Rockies

ByRachel October 5, 2009 9 Comments
I just finished up my long trek to Colorado for the inaugural year of the Sirens conference, and boy oh boy was it a week of adventure! It was an exercise in socializing, networking, intellectualizing...and survival. The altitude alone took some endurance. Crammed into the car with my husband and parents (our luggage practically spring-loaded the trunk), we made the ear-popping climb to Vail, CO,...

Dead Characters

ByRachel September 15, 2009 3 Comments
I'm reading a YA fantasy series (I won't say which one to avoid spoilers) and one of the two main characters died suddenly in the middle of the second book (it's a four-book series). It's a rather disorienting sensation. In the realm of fantasy and adventure, most main characters make it to the end, or at least until the final battle. I can't tell if it's upsetting or refreshing to have someone...