New Work

After being hounded by my legion of fans (okay two people), I agreed to prep and publish another of my books.  

This time, it felt right to let Amelia Rider out into the world. 

Amelia Rider

Young Amelia is taken abroad by her father to recover from her mother's death.

While in Italy, they meet a young man who accompanies them on some of their sightseeing adventures. Things are definitely looking up for a grieving Amelia.

While traversing the foreign shores, tragedy strikes and Amelia is thrust into a new world, filled with sorrow, struggle, and strength. Will Amelia survive the adventures that are thrown at her? If she does, will there be anything left of her to live again?

A modern adaptation of The Mysteries of Udolpho, sans the mysteries.

It is a three volume novel like Emberlin, but a little shorter.  I believe it is about 85,000 or so words in it's current form. 

In addition, I have set up a sale of Domino.

Starting on the 4th of September, Domino will be free for a few days.  FREE people.  I cannot make it any cheaper than that.

Happy Reading!

Emberlin News

Emberlin: A Heavenly Adventure is currently on sale!  

For the next three days the price is less than a buck!

Yay!

And she is getting some good reviews.  Check them out at Amazon or Goodreads.

Frankly I would have been completely satisfied with less but they are all fives now.  Read it and rate it!

And don't forget about .   Domino.

  

It is much shorter.  Feel free to read it and rate it as well so it doesn't get jealous of Emberlin.

Pull Out the Strait Jacket. It's Official. I've Lost My Mind.

I felt good about releasing Emberlin.

Good, in between panic attacks anyway.

But, then I started to feel guilty.  Who launches a three volume novel that is over 100,000 words at people they call friends and family?

Me.  Apparently.

So I decided to turn into a publishing monster and release one of my novellas.  It is only 18,000 words and has a handful of characters to keep track of.  Just in case someone doesn't want to spend the next four years reading one book.  You can try Domino instead of Emberlin.

Here is a brief synopsis:

Domino, a Novella

After exchanging love letters with the shy bartender, through her new friend, Amaryllis, Ashley follows her friend's advice and marries him.

James married the girl that his mother asked him to, for the sake of a legal issue.

Too bad they married each other, both under mistaken understandings. And, to make matters more complicated, the person who orchestrated the union, has mysteriously disappeared.

Will Ashley and James come together to unravel hurt feelings, confusion, and the legal wrangling that comes with divorce?

A special shout out to my readers for this project: Emily, Heidi, Chelsea, and Abe.

And an extra special shout out to Chelsea Romney who has always encouraged me (for good or bad - it's your call) in my writing.  She has read more versions and more manuscripts than anyone, even my husband.  

Even if these fail miserably and I never publish again, I am grateful to Chelsea and all my other readers for putting up with my quirky tendency to force ms's on them.  You are the best!  

I Just Jumped Off a Cliff...Without Any Safety Gear

For my birthday this year, I wanted to do something exhilarating and frightening all at once.

But I didn't want to cause any actual bodily harm.

Just do something that I would normally never do.  Something that would take me so far out of my normal comfort zone that I would remember the great 36 for a good long while.

I wasn't sure what to do.  Until my boys picked up some of my books off the dusty shelf, read them, and gave me feedback.  They told me that others should have the option to read some of my books.

Enter a complete meltdown.  It is one thing to share my books with a friend now and again, it is quite another to send my creation out into the cold, hard world.

And even more so, to send one of my favorites, but probably the least commercially viable of my stories, out into the great beyond.  I have long since known that Emberlin: A Heavenly Adventure is not a story for most people.  I take so many liberties with the afterlife that I probably tick off all people that believe in some sort of after existence.  And I paint such a detailed picture of an afterlife that I probably turn off everyone who thinks the idea of an afterlife is a joke.  Any reader would have to take the story as a fictional adventure and just roll with the world I created.

But, Emberlin was the loudest.  I would almost say shrieky, but I would hate to have her haunt me.  She demanded her literary wings.

The first draft was completed in January of 2009.  Since it is 2015, I suppose it is time to let her free.

And my two oldest boys were able to get through the story and enjoy it (although not the kissing scenes - sorry boys!) so I figured she might be readable to the genre she was created for in the first place, which is female young adult.

Emberlin is a completely fictional adventure that I had an immense amount of pleasure in creating.

Here is a brief synopsis.

In the words of Benjamin Franklin, "A man is not completely born until he is dead."

Emberlin Avery, bright, athletic and filled with all the potential of youth, looks upon her own empty body, a separation created by her recent, unfortunate, and untimely death and wonders, "Does anyone choose to die?"

Understanding that she is dead, but not understanding what death is, Emberlin leaves her body and ascends to Paradise Holding, a place where, even in death, adventures may be had, sorrows may come, and surprises may delight. Learning to live, even if one is dead, may be the hardest thing she will have to do in her life.

I am under no delusions that the story is perfect in any way.  I just hope that it is readable to any who are interested.  And if no one ever reads it...well...at least I can tell Emberlin that I did the best I could by her, in my own flawed way.

And in the meantime, I will be alternating between hyperventilation in a dark closet and patting myself on the back for doing something that scares the hell out of me.  Happy Birthday to me...

Check out Emberlin Here

Through the Eyes of a Book Agent

I was clearing up old stuff on the blog and I came across this old post about the agent's perspective.

I laughed out loud.  Writers are pretty odd, as a people.

Thought I would repost here in case anyone wants to see what agent's probably deal with in regard to writers and their creations.

Same Old, Same Old

I haven't blogged about my writing in a while but I still do quite a bit of it.

Here is how it works:

I get an idea.  The characters nag me until I write about them and their adventures.  I edit the story the best I can.  I send the story to readers to edit.  I fix what they suggest.  Then I put the book on a shelf to gather dust.

Over and over.  And over.

I have some characters that are getting pretty angry with me.  I try to tune them out but I hear snippets of, "This is not my destiny..."  or, "I have an allergy to dust..." or, "you promised me literary wings."  I am beginning to hear stirrings of a mutiny.

I have four sons and since my books (excepting the Halloween stories) are written for females, mostly the young adult genre, I long ago gave up the idea that any of my kids would read my creations (except the Halloween stories).

Until this last week.  One of them jumped in and read a 406 page book in eight hours.  And then he told me I am an idiot if I don't publish it.  He gave me an 8 out 10 score.  He said he would have given me a 9 out of 10 but there were too many kissing scenes.  He is an eleven year old male.  So, considering the fact that he is not even close to the target audience, I will take that as a compliment.  Then he read five more books off the dusty shelf.  Some novels, some novellas.  He says they should all be available to others to read.

My oldest son, who has a much more normal reading pace, is three-fourths of the way through the three volume novel that the eleven year old found.  He is enjoying it as well and has been reading it straight for nearly three days.

I am not sure what to make of this.  

But, alas it won't stop me from what I am drawn to do.  Create.  Explore.  Journey.

The Blind Prince

My second fairytale is complete.  It is nineteen single-space pages long and 8,403 words.  I enjoyed writing the story.  I hope my child, to whom it is dedicated enjoys reading it.

The Porcine Prince

A short story, fairytale for one of my sons is now complete.  5,877 words in 20 pages.  He loved it.  The only thing he requested changed was the heroine's name.  Done.    

Now the others want a fairytale for themselves.  Which is perfect as I am ready to start on the second. 

It feels great to be writing again.  

Abandoning My Post In Order to Create

Sure the children may have had chocolate chip cookies for dinner.  And watermelon for dessert.  But I wrote.  And that's really what matters.  Twelve pages, five full chapters, and nearly four thousand words. 

It feels so good to write.  

Definition of Insanity

On January 1, 2011, I wrote this little post about the definition of insanity. 

In 2012, I read 125 stories.  (not counting the hundreds of children's books I read every year to and with my children.)  In one year, I read 125 stories just for me.  

I think I've met the criteria. 

Unpublished

I haven't posted for a while.  That's life.

But, I haven't been idle.  Writing is part of who I am.  Like my red hair.  It may not be natural but it is right.

Over the summer, I worked through some story issues and edited some of my own work.  And I've read like crazy.  One hundred finished books in 2012 as of this blog.  

I also worked through an unpublished work by a fellow aspiring writer.  Sometimes, I've worked on a project and thought,

"This is a mess of epic proportions."
"This was interesting and has potential but is really far from the mark."
"This is decent and with a little more work, could be viable."
"This is well done and is publishable.  I want to see this on bookshelves."    

I am not sure where my own works fall, maybe all over the place as I have so many novels and short stories.  Some of them are epic messes and some are hopefully decent and readable.  Who knows.  But, what I do know is that this last project I worked through for the fellow writer fell in the last category.  Weeks later, I am still thinking about the characters and plot twists.  That is a good sign.  If she ever publishes I will be the first to congratulate her.

Sometimes I think it would be fun to work for a publishing company (or agency), reading through unproven works to see how viable they are.  I think it would be hard to read so many epic messes.  Exhausting, really.  Especially as I am someone who rarely gives up on a book, even when there is excellent evidence that abandonment would be the best course.  But, think of all the gems that are out there, waiting to be nurtured into viability.  I am an eternally hopeful person.  Maybe someday, this might be part of my life story.  In the meantime, I like working through the odd project that comes my way.  Every writer needs readers.  I can do that.

And in the meantime, I can work on my own creations.  Creating brings tremendous light to my life.  Maybe someday, I can create something worth the paper it is printed on.  Until then, creation for creation's sake will suffice.        

Praise

I've been working through some old projects lately, which has been wonderfully satisfying.

And I received a work-in-progress ms back from an extremely helpful reader.

It takes a brave person to wade through an unfinished (not even half finished) manuscript that is in the works and give an honest opinion.  This latest ms is completely unorthodox.  I did away with chapters entirely and I change point of view for every new scene.  Considering the radical nature of the storytelling, I sent it out early to see if it was edgy without being over the cliff.  This particular reader has helped with several of my manuscripts and is familiar with my work.  Because I am unpublished, but sharing my work, on my title page I mark it as an unpublished work with the year.

I opened the returned and edited ms to find her note on the title page.  She had circled the 'unpublished work' notation and wrote, "A real shame, if you ask me."

I blushed with pride.  That is high praise indeed.    

Editing

You never know what you are going to get when someone sends you a project to edit.  I've done several over the years.  Some are workable and some are drivel.  

(Some of my projects have been absolute drivel as well so there is no judgement. :))  

So it was with this project.  I had no idea what to expect.  It could have been total crap.  However, when I got into it, I found a completely unexpected surprise and this project was absolutely a pleasure to edit.  

Several drafts later, the finished project is out.  

It is a funny, insightful look at the world of dating and preparing for marriage.  

Congratulations Rocco!  This is a winner.

Seeing this in print makes me want to get back to some of my neglected children. 

Happiness is...

Happiness is opening an old project and finding it far more substantial than you remembered it.  20,000 words written and another 10,000 words of a highly detailed road map.  This day is looking better and better.

Quick Update to This Forlorn Place

I ended the year 2011 with 87 stories read, probably 80 of them enjoyed immensely and the other 7 shipped off to the latest book burning party. 

My first inclination would be donate a book to a worthy place.  But, I hate giving away a terrible story.  I feel like I am tricking some unsuspecting reader into giving it another go.  When really the story should be destroyed.

But, the 80 or so stories that were worth their ink and paper were a fantastic journey and I am glad that not only did I meet my goal to read 52 stories, but I far surpassed my goal by an additional 35 adventures.

In the last two months, I've continued reading, this time delving into apocalyptic non-fiction scenarios.  I love economic talk but I miss the frippery and frivolity of my regency stories.  Sarah Eden put out a new book called Friends and Foes and I cannot wait to finish what I am reading so I can dive back into the early nineteenth century.

I also just finished a soft editing project.  Seeing creative ideas come together on the page makes me want to dive back into writing again.  Who knows what this year will bring...but whatever comes will be interesting, I am sure.   

 

Improvement Achieved...In a Manner of Speaking

In the beginning of the year, I made a goal to read 52 stories in 2011. 

And before the eighth month was spent, I achieved that goal.  Last night, at the stroke of eleven, I finished the last words of the 52nd story.

No one was more surprised than me. 

Because of a domestic change, wherein my husband and I doubled the number of children in our home, I had to put my writing on the back burner.  Time and circumstance simply wouldn't allow for a word to be written all summer.  *Alright, that's not entirely true, but certainly, I have not written anything of consequence and have had to put all of my projects on hiatus.  Hard?  Yes.  Worth it?  Yes. 

How did I do it then?  How did I read so much?

Four reasons:

1) Before we doubled our children, I was aware that a change may be coming and so I stuck resolutely to a reading schedule early in the year.  I was worried that I would fall behind and not make my goal.  Silly me. 

Also, one of my son's teachers was almost perpetually late letting him out of class.  I had to be on time to pick him up, on the rare occasion when she let them out when the end of the school day came, but I also picked up a lot of reading time while waiting for him to be released on the more frequent occasions that she was up to twenty minutes behind schedule.  Twenty minutes, four times a week, adds up to a lot.  

2) Owing to the changes that the adoption has wrought, I have found myself with an unbelievable amount of reading time.  I have found it necessary to be in the same room as the children for most of the summer.  So while they play or read, I have sat quietly in the room, often reading myself, engaging when necessary, but allowing for autonomy when possible.  Also, I put them all in lots of activities, meaning that while they are doing gymnastics or swimming or horseback riding or baseball or whatever, I have primly sat on the sidelines with my nose stuck in a book.   

3)  On long car rides, my previous car sickness (when reading) magically disappeared.  Yay!  It's a Christmas miracle!  I managed to read and thoroughly enjoy several books on just one long car trip. 

4) I picked some easy reads - for me that is.  I read a lot of young adult books and regency era novels.  If I had to read a lot of biographies (which I think are always biased and so I question every line) or science fiction or who knows what else, I would not have achieved my goal this early.  Yes, there were a few duds in the mix but for the most part, I read a lot of rollicking good stories.  I plan to write about the best and worst at the end of the year, but let's just say that the Sarah Eden, Adam Gidwitz, E.D. Baker, Jacqueline Diamond, Donna Hatch, Catherine Gilbert Murdock, and Michelle Paige Holmes are at the top of the stack.  I would like to thank my friends Rena and Amazon for introducing me to so many fantastically fun adventures this year. 

And, if I were to extrapolate my current pace out to the rest of the year, I would be on course to read another 26 books, making a yearly total of 78 stories.  That just sounds crazy.  At this point, I have met my goal and I am proud of it.  Seeking Persephone (which I pre-ordered - yay!) is the only book that I know I will still read in this calendar year.

Besides, school starts up soon for all the kids and so I hope to be able to start carving out some personal writing time again.  Oh the dreams I can dream.   

Let's Dance Like We Used to...

Dancing Again

With Unfinished Business

Trying to Find the Light

Mumford and Sons

Unfinished Business

Week Seven

I added 2, 355 words in week seven for a total of 28,417 words .  And then the project went on hiatus.  Hopefully, I can pick it up again soon - as I was enjoying writing the story. 

Weeks Five and Six

Week Five:

I added nothing.  Sadly.

Week Six:  

I was able to to write for two days and I added 2,598 words, bringing the total to 26,062 words.

Untitled

I am a person who is meticulous, when I name something.  Not necessarily meticulous when I iron something or when I sew something, but I am absolutely exact when I name something.  

My characters have certain names, for certain reasons.  And, if for some reason, they don't develop in the right way because their name isn't allowing for the right character traits to emerge, I change the name.  Just ask Rebecca...er...Clara from my first novel.  (That's the novel that sits in the drawer and will probably never see the light of day.)  But, I've digressed.

Names mean something.  Titles mean something.  They provide a pivot mark around which the narrative moves.    

In the past, some of my titles have changed names, wearing one for a while until I decide I might like another in the process of creation.  Death and Life is the perfect name for one of my novels, but the title only came about after several changes, after I really narrowed my center pivot down to one point. 

But, even if it is temporary, there is always a title.  Until now.  I have never gone this long without a title.  It's been weeks - nay months nearly that I have been molding this story and there is no title.  The actual working manuscript is headed by the title, "Untitled".  It bothers me.  Tremendously.  But, I am not sure when I might be able to change that.  I've spent hours chewing on titles, trying one out and then another, quickly discarding them before they ever reach the page.

My fastidious naming nature has pinned me to a pause.  How does the story go on, when I cannot find the modern pivot point?  The true tragedy of this whole crisis is that this story already has a name.  But, it didn't come from me.  Emmeline, what is the one whispered word of your soul?    

Weeks Three and Four

In the past two weeks, I have added a mere 1,493 words to my story bringing the total to 23, 464.  I also printed the first 59 pages and did a brief edit to see if the format worked. 

It may seem like I have not made much progress of late.  One part of me is disappointed that I haven't moved very fast in the last few weeks. 

But, then I must remember that, I was on vacation, my husband had surgery, and my child had the flu.  Even though I haven't had much time to sit and write, the story is still alive, still wanting to be told.

And I intend to tell it. 

So the writing marches on, word by word, line by line.    

Week Two

I ended the second writing week two days ago.

Unfortunately, I was only able to write for three days.

I added 6,119 words.

My total project now stands at 21,971 words.

Week One

Yesterday was the official end of week one writing. I wrote 4,934 words. Not as many as I would have hoped. But, I was only able to write on two days so I feel like I made the most of the time that I had.

For this project, I have chosen a very flexible, free-flowing structure. I've done away with chapters and chosen a rather unusual replacement for scene breaks. Oh, and I am also writing every character in first person - well, when they are in charge of the scene anyway. I am loving this experiment.

Process

Three Days
21 Single-Space Pages
10, 918 Words
Four Volumes

The planning is done.

Let the writing begin.

I've Got a Feeling, An Old Sinking Feeling

New Music On Sidebar
Open Atlas
Hot Keyboard

One Conclusion

Duke Special
Creaky Boat Blues

Casting off from Santa Rosalia, stopping in Cabo San Lucas, heading to New York and unsure where I will eventually scuttle.

A little experiment, a little creation, a lot of time spent typing and dreaming.

The journey is the joy. Sinking might be the result.

I'm setting out on an adventure with my crewmates, Delamere, Dulfene, and the Edwardsens.

Anchors aweigh!

Fingers Stretched, Mind Renewed

The little yellow canary stopped singing, the melody falling off into silence.

I reached out and crushed the wooden bird in my hand, the pieces falling to my feet, dotting the floor with tiny yellow splinters. For what good is a warning system that fails to warn? Long before the brilliant tones stopped, I felt the noxious gas take affect, intoxicating my heart, telling me it was time to return.

Like a marathoner who is uncomfortable taking a necessary break after a grueling race, one which they have prepared and trained for over the course of months, I have been uncomfortable listening to the canary sing that all was right while I sat to the side.

I've recently been rereading Jane Eyre and a particular passage struck me. Mr. Rochester is examining Jane's sketches and watercolours.

"Were you happy when you painted these pictures?" asked Mr. Rochester presently.

"I was absorbed, sir - yes, and I was happy. To paint them, in short, was to enjoy one of the keenest pleasures I have ever known."

(Skipping down a few sentences Rochester asks...)

"Are you felt self-satisfied with the result of your ardent labours?"

"Far from it. I was tormented by the contrast between my idea and my handiwork; in each case I had imagined something which I was quite powerless to realize."

Does a painter who fails to paint a masterpiece stop painting? Does a marathoner who fails to come in first stop running?

Before you get a funny idea, I should mention that I did receive some feedback on the latest version and it was positive. I am still waiting for the last reader to weigh in - but, regardless of the outcome, I know my stories are not perfect. However, does that withdraw the pleasure I receive from writing them?

Let's return to the canary. I knew before it was time to return, that, in short, it was time to return to my favorite past time. I had stayed away fairly well. I only cheated twice or so. Alright maybe a few more times that that. What is this - the Spanish inquisition? I returned when I needed to (to fix little fixes or to add little additions) but not when I wanted to - certainly not to the degree that has become my life-blood of a 'keen pleasure'.

Yesterday I could no longer endure the silence of the canary. Yesterday, I admitted that, like the artist who must experiment and create in order to feel whole, I needed to allow myself back in the realm. A marathoner must take to the road again and I must write, even if what I can create does not entirely match what I set out to create.

Since I crushed the bird that was too late in warning me, well after the emotional ton of bricks had fallen on me, I will let a verse of Mr. Rochester's song to Jane end this post.

"I dangers dared, I hindrance scorned,
I omens did defy;
Whatever menaced, harassed, warned
I passed impetuous by."

Ineffective

My plan didn't work. I still ended up with a flat emotional feeling after finishing a new version of Amelia Rider, despite drawing it out and dipping into the story over a week.

Next plan? A good book. I pulled a favorite off the shelf and lost myself in that.

The second plan worked. The Kiss of a Stranger was juicy and fun enough that I was able to emotionally invest in something beyond Amelia Rider. Thank you Sarah M. Eden! Your books are great to have around.

Next time I will just skip to a great book. Seeking Persephone better be out in time for my next mourning period.

Withdrawal

You can learn a few things from drug addicts. I did.

After the intense mourning period, when I finished the first draft of Amelia Rider, I wrote about wanting to avoid that stage the next time around.

After the drastic edits I made to this new, second version, I had a feeling I might slip into withdrawal again. Sure enough, two days after printing a copy, I started to feel the old feelings come back. It seems I simply cannot live in one of my fictional worlds without getting hopelessly addicted.

So like a drug addict, instead of quitting cold turkey, I tried to even out the withdrawal process with small, regular doses to help me come down off the high. It was a good thing, as I read through my book this week, because I caught a whole bunch of ticky-tack errors that needed to be addressed. It was also good because it made this week a little easier than it might have been. I was too busy to deal with jitters, longing, and dreams.

I finished putting the new edits in tonight and I will print a fresh copy for one of my readers in the morning. It is quite possible that I may still end up in the fetal position tomorrow but at least I am trying something new this time around.



And if any of you out there are local and willing to read through it and give me feedback, I would love at least one more reader. You don't have to edit, just respond. Email me if you are willing to help a girl out.

Shades of Gray

Oh, Finley. Your shades of gray are endless.

You were an incredible pleasure to write.

New Version

It is done.

Amelia Rider 2.0

21 new pages of content, 6, 390 new words

295 total pages, 81, 738 total words

Anyone up for a read?

I need a couple content editors.

A content editor just reads and it and tells me if the story works. If it doesn't work they show me where so I can decided if the problems are fixable.

I'll buy you lunch.

Shoot me an email if you are interested.

Rewrites

Enjoying them tremendously. It feels good to be back in the saddle with Edward, Amelia, and Finley again. I wish life's pursuits were always this colorful and fulfilling.

I've rewritten the first chapter and I am now adjusting the following chapter to match. I plotted some of Finley's movements and will put them in the story as I move along.

I haven't had as much time to work on this as I would have liked but the time I have had to write has been pleasurable.

Off to more yanking and tweaking.

Half is Better Than Nothing

After working through some edits from my latest reader, I have decided to answer half of the question. I'm splitting the story and attempting the rewrites to the beginning and to Finley's and Edward's story lines.

In one of Q. Lindsey Barrett's classes ( I think it was structured revision) she suggested that after you get to a first draft you might want to start over and rewrite the whole thing again - from scratch. The air was sucked out of the room as every struggling writer gasped in horror. Or maybe that was just my response. After laboring for months or years, the idea is almost unthinkable.

I've spent the last several weeks turning the story over in my mind, trying to balance staying true to the original (which is paced very slow and methodical) and allowing Amelia Rider to stand on her own two feet.

Of all the readers who read the whole thing, none suggested that the storyline was hugely flawed. Once they got into it, they seemed to really get into it. So, at this point, it is probably good enough for my shelf, for me to reread occasionally, and to live with all my other stories that are meant for my enjoyment.

But, the challenge is striking. Is it possible to rewrite the beginning in action? Is it worthwhile to show what Finley is up to in Volume Three (something, as a writer, that I always knew where he was and what he was doing but now ponder showing)? Can I make Edward, as valiant, flawed, and virtuous as Valancourt, but propel him into the twenty-first century with a modern feel? I think I nailed two of the three but you would be surprised how hard it is to write a virtuous, twenty-first century male character. Virtuous men, that are desirable to a modern woman, seemed to have gone the way of the dinosaur.

And so, while I don't plan to rewrite the whole thing from beginning to end, I have begun to dismantle the story and to weave the new story lines into the fabric of the tale. I'm departing further from the original than I intended but I started this whole project on a mere whim last October anyway. Besides, what am I afraid of? Are there adaptation police that might arrest me?

In the end, I may end up with two versions of this story for the ol' bookshelf. Or I may try the rewrites and fail in the attempt. It is entirely possible that I might butcher any beauty out of the story and end up in tears at the end of the experiment. But, I have decided that trying and failing is more appealing to me than not trying at all.

I'm plunging in again and as usual I have some songs on my mind when it comes to certain characters. Since I will be attacking Finley the most, I have a little tribute for him.

(And if you are one of the few who has read the story, you know how cheeky he can be.)

Travis
U16 Girls



Bare Jr.
You Blew Me Off




Muse
Uno

Gulp.

The Great Question

In my last post, I talked about some agent interest. However, I also gave the fun facts about publishing (easier to be struck by lighting on a sunny day).

So, the great question that I have been fussing over that last week is what path will I attempt? Should I do the work necessary to change the beginning scene to one of action simply because it might sell better or will I stick with the slow, mournful air that I prefer?

I also have toyed with the idea of writing Finley's adventures post volume two. I've always known what he is up to during that time but I never wrote the scenes because I wanted some ambiguity and a bit of quiet desperation for Amelia. However, Finley is Finley and he is very busy being naughty and devoted. I wish he weren't so fun to write.

I heard back from my latest reader (I know you have probably lost count by now). She has read some of my other work and she always gives great constructive criticism. In addition to my thoughts on Fin, she told me she wanted more of Edward as well. I told her about some of the rewrites I planned and she said she would love to read it again. I rarely say on here what my readers specifically say - they can share it - but I rarely do - but I feel blessed to have such a willing reader who will read the same story more than once for me. It can be taxing and I really appreciate it.

However, I got sidetracked. Who do I think I am? Richard Walter? Ah, back to the point. Most young adult fiction (about 80%) is written in the first person. Ms. Editor asked me why I chose third as opposed to first - since third is less popular for young adult. I told her that I wanted to show some of the other characters (specifically Edward) away from Amelia. (Ms. Editor was the only one of my appointments who had read the original and so she knew what I meant.) Also, the original was written in third (and loosely at times - the way I did it).

Now there are some writers who write the protagonist in first and the antagonist in third. That is one option. I have toyed with the idea. The major rewriting doesn't scare me. Death and Life is in first person and there is something very freeing about writing inside the character's head. However, if I do attempt to write Finley's exploits into the third volume I still think third is the most flexible - some might say too flexible the way I employ it - but since Ms. Editor didn't mind it and there are a few plot points that hinge directly on the movement of perspective, even within a scene, I think I would maintain the fluid way I tell the story and keep it in third.

But, is it worth it? Is it worth it to add scenes and rewrite the beginning?

I think I may try it to see if I can do it. After all, I wrote this adaptation on a whim to begin with - just to see if I could do it.

But, the other question, the question about whether I will ever submit any pages to anyone again is still out there. The chances of succeeding are slim and I am not truly convinced that I would want to have to change my story in a way that would make it commercially viable. Changing a few scenes here or there is one thing but altering Amelia's journey to reflect one that would be punchy enough to sell is another.

This is the question. And, right now, the answer is unknown.

Writers' Conference 2011

I recently attended a conference for writers and I thought I would mark some of my thoughts from the weekend.

First, an overview. It took place over two and a half days and included keynote speakers, lectures, classes, and meetings (both formal and informal) with agents and editors.

Highlights:

Q. Lindsey Barrett -Writer

A middle-aged woman with wild red, dyed streaks in her hair, Q. Lindsey taught several writing classes over the weekend and did a fabulous job every single time. (I'll show you why I think she did a fabulous job in just a moment.)

She spoke at the rate of a hundred miles and hour and I had a devil of a time trying to keep up with all of the incredible writing tips she threw out. My hand didn't thank her but my head certainly did. Excellent!

Marc Resnick - Editor for a Publisher

He talked about the publishing process from the time a writer finds an agent to the time the book hits the shelves. It was a concise, ordered, clear explanation of the very long, sometimes tedious process.

This may not sound like it was tremendously interesting but it was and furthermore he was one of the few presenters that stuck to his topic. But we will get to more of that problem in the disappointment section.

Fun Fact from Marc (who does mostly non-fiction):

It takes about two years from the time you get the book in an agent's hands to the time it hits the shelves. That's if you ever even get your work sold.

Which brings me to the next fun fact. Agents only accept about 5% of what they are queried. And then Editors (publishing houses) only buy about 5% of projects that agents query them.

Conclusion: The odds are stacked against any writer at any given time. And yet we still end up with crap in the book marketplace. Amazing!

Disappointments:

Both Keynote Speakers were a disappointment.

However, the second one really grated on me. His name is Richard Walter and he is a screenwriter and faculty at UCLA. Why did he suck? His keynote address title was, "The Talent Myth: Why a Little Bit of Talent and a Lot of Discipline Will Take Writers Further Than the Other Way Around." Catchy right? However, he proceeded to tell a half dozen stories about how he just stumbled into opportunities at different Hollywood parties. He peppered these stories with political rhetoric that he kept apologizing for and then followed up with more political rhetoric. He didn't ever address the idea of 'a lot of discipline'. What a chump! He wasted my time. I managed to miss his lecture later that morning titled, "Training Hacks and Whores." I think I'll survive without that 'vital' information, thank you very much!

Most of the Lectures Given By Agents

They weren't 'Richard Walter bad' but they also weren't nearly as helpful as I had hoped they would be. Let me illustrate what they lacked.

Several of the agents would start out by saying, "You need a strong beginning."

Okay.

Here is why Q. Lindsey Barrett was such a superstar and maybe it is because she is a writer and not an agent. This is what Q. Linsdey said.

"Start with conflict. Here's the definition of conflict. Two dogs, one bone. Go."

Do you see the difference? The agents information was too generic to be really helpful.

Here's another example.

Agent - "Don't make your character look in the mirror and describe themselves. I see that everyday."

Okay. That's helpful.

Q. Lindsey - "To describe a character pretend that you have just moved to a new town and you have made a new best friend. This new best friend asks about your old best friend. How would you describe her?

'Tell me about your best friend' Technique

***She's a little wild and impetuous, enjoys a cluttered house, and has the sweetest soul of anyone you will meet.***

Use these details to describe your characters rather than tall, blue eyes, and brown hair.

Use the 'best friend gone wrong' details for villains."

While the agent's advice was technically helpful, it was very basic. Q. Lindsey's advice was practically helpful and had depth.

Last example:

Agent: "You have to write a page turner. Subtlety doesn't work."

Q. Lindsey Barrett: "When you are trying to figure out the details of a scene, the details that matter are the ones that show the emotion of the scene. Picture a bar, sawdust on the floor, happy honky tonk music on the jukebox. What is the emotion?

And be careful about crying. If your characters cry, your reader doesn't have to. How else can you convey that emotion?"

To top off all of this brilliant goodness, Q. Lindsey taught a class on Structured Revision. She went point for point and her advice is very helpful. She mapped out what exactly you are looking for in first revision, what you do in second revision, pulling out the highlighters and marking every different sense in the third revision etc, etc.

Feedback

Lastly, I should probably mention the appointments that I had one on one with the agents and editors. You could pitch a project, ask questions, etc. The Editor got an advanced reading of Amelia Rider. All three want to see more.

The first agent wants to see about fifty pages and a synopsis of Amelia Rider and a synopsis and a few chapters of Death and Life. I hadn't planned to pitch Death and Life because (sheepish blush) I haven't done the necessary editing work on it yet. However, she liked the pitch for Amelia Rider and she wanted to know about some of my other projects. She also said I pitched really well.

I met with the Editor next and I think I liked her the best, simply because she asked in depth questions and she had read the advanced reading and so knew what my writing style was like. This was more than a good pitch. This was, "Is it crap or not?" I was also able to ask her what she thought of my lassiez-faire style with regard to switching point of view (something that really bugged one of my readers - but the other readers that I asked said it was fun). Anyway, Ms. Editor said it didn't bother her. She thought I made it work and she wouldn't have me change it. She did want me to start the story in action, as opposed to the mourning scene with a slow beginning, and then she wanted me to flash back to the information. This has been an issue that I have struggled with. I wanted to show the protagonist in her natural setting before I obliterated it (and I do in the trip to Italy) - also for Amelia I wanted to show her mourning her mother. I start the story at a quiet, low point. However, in Death and Life, I start the first scene with my main character already dead, and she flashes back to tell us how she died so I know that value of starting a scene with a little oomph. I will address my thoughts on this conundrum further in the next post.

I met with another agent next after a long day and she also requested to see the project. She wants three chapters.

In short, I don't know if I will go to another writing conference again. But, if I ever get the chance to take another class from Q. Lindsey Barrett, you can bet I will be there.

Still Editing

I started a fresh edit today, working through the piece word by word. I have Italian in the story and at some point my grammar and spell check gave up and refused to work with the foreign phrases so I am literally having to spell check by hand, as it were.

It's not so bad, in that I am a decent speller, but by about page 80 my eyes started to cross. I'm cleaning up ellipses, dialogue tags, and adverbs, among other things. It's tedious work, but so necessary.

I'm now on page 96 and I wish I could forget the clean-up work I am doing and I could just read the story straight through. I hit the Finley passages a little while ago and I just want to move. He is such an intoxicating character - evil but incredibly addictive.

But, alas, I want a good clean copy of this story for the old bookshelf so I have to keep working through at a snail's pace.

Improvement

Every year, my goal is to read 52 books.

(not including the hundreds of children's books I read to my children every year)

Even though I didn't reach my goal, I did better than last year.

In 2009, I read 32 books.

In 2010, I read 40 books.

If I continue to increase by the same amount I will read 48 books in 2011 and 56 books in 2012. Although, if I were to go with these numbers, the growth would be exponential, meaning that in 2020, I would read 120 books.

That's insanity.

It's just not going to happen.

On the other hand, I am an amazonaholic. It's like putting a fully-stocked bar into an alcoholic's computer room. The access is easy and the draw is overwhelming. So, while it is possible that I would purchase or check out 120 books in 2020, I have no idea how I would find the time to read them all.

I think I will just stick with the 52 books goal.

Happy New Year Everyone!

I hope you all reach your goals this year, so long as it is not something crazy, like reading 120 books in a year.

I can't support that kind of insanity.

It Is Done

For the life of me, I have no idea what possessed me to sign up for the workshop part of the writing conference. I don't know what entices me to show my writing to anyone - ever. The Last Dance has never been read by anyone, but me, and there is some safety in knowing that. Of course, I should probably admit that I have never shown it to anyone because it is flawed, not greatly, just in general.

Although, I suppose, all of my other four novels are flawed as well and, yet, I have still shown those all to other people. Ugh... I should probably keep my writing to myself in the future.

Why all the angst?

Because today was the deadline to send in ten pages of my latest work. Along with ripping through my three synopses (that all serve a different purpose) yesterday, I also ripped apart those ten pages three different times in the course of the day...each time attacking the piece from a different angle. I targeted the cliches, altered the sentences where prepositions showed up at the end, reworked sections where I drop too much back story or where I detailed the everyday occurrences that ought not be detailed, etc, etc, etc.

In between editing, I purposefully did something else to stimulate my mind, to recharge it so I could tackle the work again. I watched a Finnish movie, read a chapter in an economics textbook, and listened to Duke Special on youtube.

And today, I printed copies and headed out into the rain, to go to one of my most hated places on earth - the post office. Once the postal worker received the strictly sized envelopes, I had my heart seize within me. I thought about climbing over the counter, stealing back my package, and running home to safety. But seeing as how the counter at the post office is as high as my chest and I had neglected to bring climbing ropes, I had to let it go. There is simply no going back now. It is done. What will be, will be.

The conference is in just a few weeks and I am very excited. I am going into this experience with the idea that I will be the least trained writer in the building. (Yes, I technically got my B.A. in a form of writing but broadcast writing and creative writing are completely different beasts.) I plan to go to learn and improve on the skills that I have cultivated in solitude over the last decade of practicing. And at the end of it, I might just take a long, peaceful, well-deserved nap.

My Day Today

Massaging

Editing

Ripping it to Shreds

Crying in a Dark Room

Adding a New Synopsis to the Stable of Synopses

Rewriting

Yanking Out Every Third Word

Reformatting

Polishing

Repeating the Cycle - From the Top

Synopsis Day

It was like ripping off a band-aid. I decided to just do it and get it over with so I could have something to work with. I threw some Laura Marling on youtube and pecked away at the task.

In the end it wasn't so bad. I wrote two synopsis' (or synopsi?) and a sample query. One synopsis is long (6 pages) and the other is short (1 page). Then I edited them, sent them to a reader who edited them for me again, then I went through them again and entered the changes into the computer draft.

Now, I have to sleep on it and see if the drafts look really frightening in the light of the new day tomorrow. With all of the rapid writing and editing, I've begun to lose my grasp on cliches, prepositions, and commas. Not that I had a particularly firm grasp to begin with....

By Wednesday morning, this part of the craziness will be all over. I have to submit the pages and call it good enough for now.

By Thursday, we will see if I have reverted to the fetal position or if I have gone into overdrive and finally attempted to tackle the long overdue editing for Kindley's Sorrows and Death and Life (formerly Heroine in Paradise).

I'm honestly not sure which path might show more sanity.

In a Whirl

Progress on Amelia Rider:

1. I am trying to work through my first ten pages for a workshop exercise. I've worked through a few problems and am now going on a cliche hunt. I plan to catch a few big ones.

2. Normally I would have left this manuscript alone for a while longer to let it (and me) sit. But I am trying to meet a deadline for a fast-approaching workshop and so I plunged back in a little sooner than I would have liked. It is always scary to reread something that isn't perfect (or near to it) and I am often appalled at some of my mistakes.

3. Three readers currently have some or all of my book and I always feel vulnerable when my writing is out to a reader. But feedback is really helpful for me so I have to push through the vulnerability and wade through the (often) constructive criticism.

4. I have to construct some query/synopsis sheets for my own information. I hate writing synopsis'. They are incredibly tricky. Let the record show that I would rather throw 75,000 words together in a narrative than write a single page synopsis.

5. Already putting red pen marks all over the first few paragraphs that I sent out to readers. Ugh! If I am finding this many errors and bumpy sentences then what are they finding?

Updates

First, I would like to say thank you to the people who offered to read my story for content. I really appreciate it!

Second, I spent the last week combing through the story again, ripping it to shreds. I do this every time I go through it. It has been said that a writer never really finishes a story, she just eventually abandons it. I'm obviously not ready to abandon this one, yet.

Third, I thought I would throw a little treat (in addition to the lunch I promised) to those who have read the story through for me. Below, in the post 'Amelia Rider in 23 Songs or Less', I gave a musical summary to the story.

***Note - Amelia Rider is a modern adaptation of The Mysteries of Udolpho, sans the mysteries***

I want to add another song (again this will only make sense to those who have read it) that describes Finley's thoughts from chapters 30 to 36. I simply cannot listen to the song White Blank Page by Mumford and Sons without hearing Finley's voice.

Take it away Mumford and Sons!

White Blank Page

Fourth, I signed up for my first, and perhaps only, writer's conference. I'm curious and excited.

Fifth, I am thinking about submitting a section of my story to an agent for feedback. (This is the curious side of my head speaking. The rest of me thinks this side is crazy, but I am letting the curious side have a little freedom today.)

However, I won't take that step lightly, so I wanted to ask for another favor. I need someone who can read the first ten pages and edit it for content, grammar, and punctuation. This is an elevated level of editing.

I tend to build my stories slowly so this can be a tricky section for me. I need someone who can give honest feedback. ('It's fine', especially if it isn't, isn't helpful.) And since it is just ten pages, I am open to help from someone local or someone distant. I'll just email a file. All my content readers get a free lunch for helping me and I will offer the same for this. I know I have some editor friends out there. Anyone up for the challenge?

Content Readers

Well...it has been six days since my last post and I conned...ahem...invited three content readers to read through Amelia Rider and give feedback.

All three read the same version over the last six days. As they all shared the same notebook, I've learned it is a very quick read.

Two have completely finished and the third read most of it in a day and took the last few chapters home with her. She is under strict orders to shred and burn them when she is done. (I never let copies of my babies out of my sight - except for grandparents. They are the only people that I will ever just give a flawed copy to for keeps. I know what you are thinking, some gift, right? Whatever. If they ask, I give.)

Anyway back to my content readers. They read, they gave feedback, and now I will comb through it again and will con...ahem...invite a few more readers to read through it and help me massage the story.

If you are local and interested in helping me, please let me know. I could really use more feedback. Thanks!

Mourning Period

Truthfully I had forgotten this period of the writing process that I am in right now. I am talking about the time just after I've read and edited a first draft and before I work through it again a few weeks or months later.

I spend a large section of my time working my way, word by word, to the end of my story. Once I get there I experience a short feeling a wild elation, where all my happiness bursts out and I see the beauty in the world all around me. But, after the mad rush of creativity - after the many weeks spent building a world and a variety of people to inhabit that place - there is a bit of a letdown at the end.

I am currently in mourning. It's sad to think that I won't write any more scenes for Amelia, that I won't encounter Finley and his arrogant charm again, or that I won't visit any more sites in Italy with Edward.

Don't worry I don't plan to throw on a black dress and veil but I thought I might journal this time period so that hopefully next time I finish a novel, I will remember this stage and I will be more prepared for it when I arrive at it.

Edited Draft

Over the last 8 days I have taken
Amelia Rider, the first unedited draft
to
Amelia Rider, the first edited draft.

This means that I finally got to read through my story for the first time and I edited it along the way.

My total word count now stands at 73,535 words.

I added a net total of 3,491 words and 6 extra pages.

My first take on reading through it:

Not bad, if I do say so myself.

Amelia Rider is a modern adaptation of The Mysteries of Udolpho, sans the mysteries. There are many reasons why I stripped the story of the mystery story lines but those reasons are not important here. Suffice to say that I did it and Amelia Rider took on a new life of her own, while running a parallel course to Emily St. Aubert of The Mysteries of Udolpho.

That being said, after I stripped the story of the mysteries I was left with a story that was happier and brighter than it ought to have been. The Mysteries of Udolpho (if you can get past the fainting and hysterics of the women) is inherently a dark and complicated tale and I wanted to keep that feel.

I also wanted to do right by Montoni's character, recast in my story as Victor. We are told that Montoni had always planned to keep Emily St. Aubert captive but his interaction with her was...confusing. I said before in another post that he was sort of asexual toward her and it made no sense. He had already gotten her to sign over her properties. He had already degraded her character and place in life at the castle. Why would he keep her around forever? To shine his shoes? I don't think so. If he had already broken so many boundaries of decency with her and he was planning to hold onto her forever then what was his motivation to show any further restraint? What did he get out the deal? Ann Radcliffe left this deliberately untouched...and she did write it in the late eighteenth century so I can't blame her for not spelling it out.

But, in my version, I wanted to address Montoni's desires and how he views the heroine. And because I decided to write the adaptation as more of a realistic view, showing the real dangers that the heroine is in rather than having her faint over her real and imagined fears, it allowed me to add a lot of darkness back into the story through her interaction with Victor and Finley, two deliciously evil characters that are both combinations of all the bad guys in the original story.

So the point of all this explanation is that this is a very dark story with adult topics. It has the most dark scenes by far of any story I've ever written. And even through editing I kept most of the original content, only softening a few phrases that I felt were a little too explicit for my hand to have typed. However, in short, I wouldn't let my teenage daughter read this.

So I guess it's a good thing I don't have one.

Next step is to print it out and see if anyone else can read through the story and form an opinion.

Maybe I will take a page from Victor and hold someone captive in my fortress until they have gotten through the draft and given me their opinion. What's that, you say? I'm not supposed to learn from the evil character in the story? Oh shoot. Alright, plan b. I will try to find a content reader the hard way.

First Draft - Amelia Rider

And Scene!

By my count the process so far has taken
43 days.

I wrote a total of
70, 044 words

in the space of
183 single space pages.

I just finished the first draft and will begin the editing process soon.

You may notice that I estimated the project would come in somewhere between 80,000 and 120,000 words. My 70,000 words is just shy of my lowest projection. Once I entered the third section I realized I had a Jane Eyre conundrum on my hands and I did some reordering of the outline.

Let me explain:

If you ever read Jane Eyre most likely you remember the red room, the school, and Mr. Rochester with ease. But then someone mentions St. John Rivers and most people complain and say, "I just wanted to get back to Mr. Rochester!"

Now, for my own part, I love the Rivers section of Jane Eyre. I think the whole section is necessary and pitch perfect.

I had planned the end of Amelia Rider to include a Rivers type section but once I had written it up to the start of that section I realized that I had a fine line to walk between pitch perfect and achingly dreary and so I combined several scenes together in order to not spend more time on her recovery that was required by the story. So instead of showing the whole process of her rebirth I show a few scenes and allude to others.

This change altered the number of chapters I had to write to reach my delicious conclusion so the total number of words came in less than what I had originally planned. Will it work? I have no idea. But I am anxious to read all the way through my story for the first time to see if it's any good.

I added about 15,000 words in just five days this week (two of which I did hardly any writing at all). This incredible progress would not have been possible without the unprecedented support of my husband as I went on my tremendous adventure with Amelia. He took the last two days off work to attend to our children so I could focus on my project. To top it off he brought me a bouquet of flowers tonight just because. I should add the fact that part Italians don't come off particularly well in this story (which is only partly Mrs. Radcliffe's fault) and I feel doubly blessed to be married to this part Italian man who lets me enjoy my hobby.

After all this support, I'm beginning to think he expects me to dedicate something to him.

So consider it done. When I've edited my story and am ready to put in on the shelf with the others, I will add a little dedication page to my loving and supportive husband.

It's been a great ride and I appreciate it!

Week Five Update

38 days
+ Countless Hours
+ Incredible Imagination (at least I think so)
+ A Very Understanding Husband
+ Great Source Material
+ the Brilliant Duke Special
+ The Internet =

55,665 Words
(or 144 single-space pages)

I'm roughly 2/3 of the way done and if you are looking at my musical summary on my blog I am almost to "Goodbye". I am just at the start of the twenty-ninth chapter and I am about to torture my heroine to within an inch of her life before I let her and Donovan escape.

I cannot wait.

End of Month Update

One Month: 41,541 words (107 single-space pages)

I started posting my word progress because I thought it would be interesting to keep track of how fast I wrote. This was spurred by the suggestion of Elizabeth, a fellow practicing writer, that I try nanowrimo. I scoffed at the idea of writing a whole novel in one month. I'm pretty sure I tossed out the word insane. However, nanowrimo considers 50,000 words to be an average novel length. So even though I will probably hit about 100,000 words for my adaptation, 41,000 words is not too far off of a normal project length. I may have to swallow my words on this one. Insane may equal doable. Nanowrimo is typically done in November so if anyone wants to test their own writing mettle now would be the time to start.

Today, I thought I would also talk about why I write. I never sat down and said, "I would like to be a writer." In fact, I avoided writing in general. But writing papers for school and creative writing for fun are completely different beasts. However, that lesson is not the point. Back to the point.

I write because I am compelled to write. What is the difference between desperately wanting to be a writer and being compelled to write, you ask?

Let me illustrate the point.

Imagine that you are sitting across from a small child and that small child has somehow gotten a giant ketchup blob on their nose. You could sit there all day hoping the ketchup blob will disappear on its own or take care of itself, if you will. But how often does that happen?

More often than not you would just grab a napkin and clear off the ketchup blob rather than waiting for the small child to notice, or worse, for that ketchup blob to end up somewhere other than the nose.

This errant ketchup blob describes my relationship with writing. It is far easier for me to submit to writing than to ignore the stories in my head. I don't sit around scrambling for something to write but rather I write to clear my head of all the chaos; characters running here and there, simple plot points twisting into full story lines. If I don't write then the chaos becomes too loud for me to sleep at night. And I really, really like sleep.

So, like the runner who must run or the eater who must try every goodie in sight, I write because I must. Enjoying the process is just a nice side effect.

I am compelled to write and I have very little say in the matter. I simply respond to the call by focusing the ideas and putting them down. However, don't think I am complaining. I am very grateful that I feel compelled to write for it is a wonderful way to indulge in a creative world.

Off to the next 50,000 words or so!

Weekly Update

Another week has passed since I posted my writing progress. I've added another ten thousand words this week and Amelia Rider now stands at 30, 645 words.

A few thoughts:

1) I woke up on October first and decided to write this story on a whim. I suppose I wanted to see if I could do it. And the only way to discover that would be to try. So I am attempting to write a modern adaptation of an (often) dated classic on a whim....I may die trying...

2) I have never, ever written this much story this fast. It took me about six years to complete my first novel and I learned a lot of writing rules the hard way. If I keep on pace (which I don't expect to) but if I did then the project from start to a basic first draft will take approximately 8-12 weeks.

3) Most of my stories are man v. self. This adaptation is man v. man and I am loving it! I've worked on Cristabelle and Finley this week and I love writing such selfish, vapid, twisted, confusing characters. Cristabelle is mostly one-note but Finley is nuanced and layered and simply a dream to write. Absolutely delightful.

4) Truth be told, I've only ever read the story I am adapting once and it was a while ago. So, after I write a section, I've read the original to see if I am hitting the right feel. I am happy to say that I feel like I am and there are many things to love about the original but I am really digging my adaptation as well. It is fresh enough to be a story on its own while paying homage to the twists that Ann Radcliffe originally invented. I mentioned this before but I am not attempting to recreate the story completely - I am trying to do more of a Emma to Clueless adaptation, even going so far as to name my own characters and paint them with a slightly different stroke.

5) Only time will tell I am can pull this off with something remotely readable but I am enjoying the journey of writing and I wouldn't exchange the experience for anything. Well...almost...