Writing

Reorientation + Author’s Commentary

Reorientation + Author’s Commentary

In a world almost but not quite like our own where bodies change on a monthly basis, a young woman feels conflicted about her sexuality.

Originally published as part of the anthology, "Irresistible, Kissable: A TG Mixed Tape"

Can you read my mind?

This week I've really been out of it, but I wanted to post the two stories I had ready. Knight and Dragon to BCTS and Spinning to StarDust. However, like I said I've been ill and actually messed up the title to my own story. LOL! I posted it as Dragon and Knight instead of Knight and Dragon. Even that wasn't the original title because someone else posted a St. George and the Dragon tale. The two stories are very different but I changed mine because I like all authors want to be remembered and unique. Then working on my Voodun story, I saw someone had posted one with that in the title too!

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Music Inspires the Savage Beast

I'm fairly certain I've blogged extensively in the past about how music tends to affect my muse in strange ways, but I just had probably the best example ever of this phenomenon while working on Boys Don't Cry today (Don't worry, I'm still working on Robin too :-) She'll be back soon).

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Writing Solos and Short Stories - My Thoughts and Ramblings

I can distinctly remember a time not so very long ago, when I had myself utterly convinced that I was absolutely incapable of writing short, one-shot stories. I guess, in a way, I was incapable at the time, but not for lack of ability.

In retrospect, I think it was more a combination of facts. One of those was that I was just so laser-focused on writing my novel/serial. In the past, writing has been my therapy. I wrote for the exclusive purpose of writing what I needed to write, what I needed to get out of my system.

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Side Project Based on a Gettysburg Ghost Story

There are several ghost stories surrounding both Gettysburg battlefield and Gettysburg college. Most notably, the girls' sorority house, Stevens Hall, has some bone-chilling stories like The Blue Boy.

The story that grabbed my attention years ago though, and has stuck with me all this time, was about a female ghost that supposedly is completely taken with modern fashion.

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Character Names - Whoops!

Sometimes a character's name is important. Sometimes it defines their personality. Sometimes you just want a convenient background character, with no intention of ever using them again, and then they start to grow on you, and you wish you'd put more thought into that character's name.

I now find myself such a situation with one of my characters. Well, two, technically. This was an absent-minded moment on my part.

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So, I'm Planning a Fictional Wedding...

... And I'm just wondering, how appropriate is something like a string quartet to play the reception? Robin's "Aunt" Jane is up to something, and I'm trying to figure out how to make it work believably. This is the best I could come up with so far. ^_^

I've already spent 3-4 hours the last couple of days researching the ins-and-outs of cheerleading (with a LOT to go :-P), so I've been putting off tackling this scene to the point my muse wishes to box my ears lest I start working on it ;-)

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Well something happened....

Well something certainly seems to have broke free at some point.

I took a story idea, made a few changes, and have written about 800 words tonight.

It's not a lot, and I don't know how far till it's gonna be ready, but this probably won't be a short story, although it might have short chapters.

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Do you ever just feel like screaming at your keyboard?

You know, things like "Stupid keyboard! MAKE WORDS!" ;-)

I've been ... Well, not exactly stuck per se, but having difficulty finding the right words for the next scene of my next chapter of Robin. I have the entire chapter in my head, and I can see each scene playing out, but somewhere between there and my fingers it's just not coming across as clearly as I'd like.

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Aria Blade Revisions - Quick Follow-up

Well, just a super-quick update on the Aria Blade front. I won't lie to you guys, there's a LOT that I still feel needs to be done to improve the story not even counting work on the final chapter of the initial saga, but I'm almost done with the first chapter's revisions.

It doesn't hurt that it really didn't need much work. I've touched up dialogue here and there, and unified narrative, adding and editing as I felt necessary. It's shaping up rather nicely.

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Dialogue: From Speech To Text

Sadly, I have nothing excessively profound to add from my own, limited experience in writing. Instead I wanted to pass along the following short list I stumbled across in my search to become a better writer.

I can say with confidence that I will be taking these to heart going forward, and in any revisions of past work that I may or may not be working on ;-)

http://fictionwriting.about.com/od/crafttechnique/tp/dialogu...
Personal thoughts on my own failings after the break. :-)

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NaNoWriMo: Any takers?

National Novel Writing Month
November 1st—30th: Thirty days and nights of literary abandon

National Novel Writing Month is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing. Participants begin writing November 1. The goal is to write a 175-page (50,000-word) novel by midnight, November 30.

Further details are available on the NaNoWriMo Website.

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Too 'sweet' for Halloween? *grin*

So I just finished the rough draft on a Halloween-themed story. Like Becoming Robin this is seated very much in the Sweet / Sentimental category. Unlike Robin this isn't a novel-going-on-serial :-P

It's an actual, real-live short story, from me, the Queen of babbling endlessly. Can you believe it? ^_^

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A Fascination With Dolls

I imagine it just comes with the territory to a certain degree, but for as long as I can remember I've not just loved, but been captivated and fascinated with dolls.

I never cared much for baby dolls, but 'little people' of all sorts, especially porcelain figurines and lifelike dolls, are some of my favorites.

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On the future of Becoming Robin

What an amazing journey this has been for me both as an author and, I feel, as a human being, not so much from writing my Robin stories but from my connection with the community here.

I've been thinking for awhile now about what it is I want to do with Robin's tale. I read somewhere recently (I STRONGLY suspect someone's signature right here at BCTS actually :-D) that the sign of a great story is when you dread writing the final chapter.

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I've given my Organizers a facelift

Just a quick note for anyone that's interested, I've finally sat down and done some uniformity tweaks to my Organizer pages.

I haven't decided if I'm going to do anything with my Author page yet, but Book One now has a proper title, and all three have a proper, brief synopsis attached.

Sorry it's taken me so long to get around to doing this. I really, honestly did not expect my Robin chapters to become so popular especially as the first serious writing I've done in years, not counting the odd fanfic here and there.

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Too Many Ideas! (Or Ow, My Brain Hurts!)

Too Many Ideas!
Or "Ow, My Brain Hurts!"

Two hours ago I tried to go to bed, but resulted in my just laying awake and thinking. I have so many plot threads going around in my head right now, and to add to that complexity, Aria Blade's sub-story just became a TG story in and of itself in the darker reaches of my warped imagination too.

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Becoming Robin Interlude - On The Horizon


Becoming Robin
 
~* Interlude - On The Horizon *~

 
I had originally written this as a comment to chapter six, Love is in the Air, but I kind of got on a roll and wrote more than I felt comfortable placing in my own story comments section, SO! I'm posting this here, and I'll probably child page it under Chapter Six for organization's sake. Thank you everyone, for your continued support. It really does mean a lot to me :-D

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On Becoming Robin, And Other Things

Hey everyone. Sorry I haven't posted a blog entry in awhile, but since returning from Hot Springs, there hasn't been anything drastically different enough to be blog-worthy. Basically it all ties into the second big trip I'll be taking this summer, which is why I'm posting this :-)

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Software for writing

I'm wondering if I can conduct some sort of straw poll here.

The question is:
Do you use any special computer programs to help you when writing?

I'm not talking about word processors!

It seems that there is a variety of 'other' software (besides word processors) which some authors use as part of their writing process. For example:

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Becoming Robin 15 & 16: a conundrum

As I sit staring at my screen, I wonder if I've taken too much, too fast with Robin's life.

The 'problem' is that Robin has lived in role all of a week to a week and a half, but she's taken to being Robin so absolutely naturally because of the loving support of her friends and family. She's been allowed to be who she always was inside, and she wants to take that a step further as quickly as possible.

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Rewriting - Thoughts?

Hey all,

I haven't posted a serious, personal blog in awhile for pouring all my energy into working on Becoming Robin

Spoiler warning: If you haven't read chapter 13 yet I'm going to be touching on plot elements ahead. Feel free to skip to "[The Main Point]" section if you just want the point of my posting this minus spoilers :-D

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Story Idea for Anyone That Wants It - Phases

I couldn't decide whether to post this under the Writing Forum or Writer's Challenge, since technically this isn't a writing challenge, but a story idea.

Something I said in a blog awhile ago has really stuck with me. I commented about how my feelings tend to travel in cycles, where there are times I feel just ridiculously over-feminine, and then there are times when it's the farthest thing from my mind.

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Petard Reference in Novel

I'm reading Elizabeth George's Inspector Lynley novels as I liked the TV series, and it's been long enough since I've seen the shows and my brain is small enough that I don't remember who done it. Anyway, one of the suspects said, "Hoist with my own petard" ("Payment in Blood" Ch 13) in response to being questioned about a previous lie that had been exposed.

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inspiration

So where does inspiration come from? Tonight it came from two pieces of classical music (one by Schá¶nberg, one by Ives), Klimt's 'Judith' and an assist from Oscar Wilde.

I'm 300 words in and it seems to be going swimmingly, though there's a better than fair chance that when I read it back in the morning it's just going to be pretentious b*****s.

Oh well :)

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The 3 Rs

Which are of course - reading, writing and relentless research (I never was much use at 'rithmetic).

I'd cracked on with my household chores all week to leave myself clear to write over the weekend. A story of my mother told me at Christmas gave me an idea for a neat short story plot set in wartime Wales, which I reckoned was going to be about 2000 words - so do-able over two days.

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Non-TG stuff!

Hello I was chatting tonight and a interesting idea come up. We have a wonderful group of talented authors here at BC and that got me to wondering what if any Non-TG materials they might have written. For that matter is there a convenient place where we can find these hidden treasures? I know some have their own homepages but what for those like me who are technically inept? Anyone?

Well maybe not a good idea, but just maybe...
hugs!
grover

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All Natural Serial - No Trans Fat

One of the joys of writing Blue Moon is finding uses for elements I introduced earlier just for color or bits of business. Do people writing novels do this, too, or is the tuxedo cat stealing cream in chapter four never to be seen again?

What if you needed a sudden noise in the middle of the night in chapter thirteen? Wouldn't it make sense for Mr. Underfoot to turn out to be the same cat? And then, near the climax when the villain needs to send a message, poor little kitty gets a curtain call?

Grisly example but does this happen in novel-writing?

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