Final draft of the book is due November 11. As I'm leaving tomorrow to go to PA to attend the SCBWI conference in Pittsburgh, I wanted to get it done today. Here's a day in the life of a work-for-hire writer.

Wake up, shower, dress, breakfast, turn on computer

Re-pot plant that somehow seemed to snap at stem when I watered it this morning. Weird.

Do some werk (as kathleenfoucart calls it)

Give thanks that there's no werk emergencies today, leaving me free to revise

Check email regarding ICFA

Give thanks that there's no emails to answer regarding ICFA today, leaving me free to revise

Check out Facebook (oooh, Farmville has limited edition space cows and crop circles!)

Realize that I can't revise while watching Hostel on Fear.net. Mute TV.

Read aloud about 20 pages, revising as I go and shredding each page as I finish

Email editor to ask if they want me to put page #s in where we previously put ??s (since we kept shuffling the order). Get answer yes, as we're mapped the book so carefully it's unlikely to change. Yay!

Look out window. Notice that our leaf-obsessed neighbor has now created a ten foot wide leaf-free zone between our properties. As it's fall in the mountains of Maryland, that will last, oh, about 5 minutes. Which is why he's been running the leaf blower all day without pause. Sigh.

Read aloud about 10 more pages

Have lunch (2 mini-boxes of Frosted Flakes left over from this weekend's party)

Check to see if the dog needs to go out. She's still passed out on the sofa.

Facebook. Why does Happy Aquarium make you go back about 5 times a day to keep your fishies healthy?

Play with new Scent Bug, mixing Baker's Spice and Peppermint oils. Yummy!

Realize that TV is now showing the Bernie Mac show, still muted. Switch to Batman on AMC, still muted (why this makes a difference to me I have no idea, but it does, ok??)

Email editor to ask if she really meant to remove those oh-so-clever captions I gave some of the artwork. Yes. Ah well.

Read aloud rest of book and revise

Check out Hack and Slash Christmas Show video sent by friend who just bought us tickets. Can't wait! And melissajoyadams will be joining us this year too!

Answer werk emails and other werk items. Werk werk werk.

Give thanks that there still is no ICFA communication required (today anyway)

Print out index page because I shredded it earlier today. Oops.

Curse at printer that printed out over 80 pages, illustrations included, yesterday without a hiccup but now thinks a 2 page index with no pictures is just too much to handle

Using index page when it finally prints, do a search on ??s and replace with appropriate page number

Save as a .doc file and email editor

Decide that it's time for Lego Star Wars and leftover Halloween candy to celebrate!

Wonder what I can sacrifice to the writing gods that will land me another contract like this because I LOVE THIS JOB!!!!!

I've finally organized the writer's retreat I've wanted to organize for years. It's at some cabins my cousins own and will be attended by some wonderful writers I know, including mja700, kathleenfoucart, and soniaamiller. We're heading there this weekend and I can't wait!

Because I'm deep into the final polish of the book, I was thinking I didn't want to get my work critiqued, although I was going to critique others. But then I realized that I was going to be spending almost 3 days with some wonderful writers and I wasn't going to get their input? What sense does THAT make?? So I sent the manuscript to them and hopefully I'll be able to integrate their comments by early next week, when we need to get art directions in.

In other news, I'm having a horrible time focusing today. There was a bit of drama that I won't go into here (maybe later in a locked post), I don't know if that threw me off or if it's all the things that need to be done before I leave. So what am I doing? I'm sewing my Halloween costume. This is the first complicated costume I've done in years but so far it's going all right, despite some confusion over pattern sizes. Apparently in Misses sizes I'm 16 (and that's tight!) and Misses is different than Women's. Wha? I normally run 12/14 depending on how things are cut.

I should be critiquing manuscripts, reading the latter half of my own work aloud to catch typos and play with style (did first half this weekend), packing, making lists. But brain can't get out of neutral. So sewing it is, maybe that will help me get brain in gear.

I'm currently working on the new book. Can't say a whole lot here, but I'm in need of testers for crafts, recipes, and games for 8-12 year olds. Please comment or email me if you or any kids you know would be interested. I'd need feedback by November 1. You don't have to do all the activities; you can specify if you prefer crafts, recipes, or games, or I can send you a variety and you pick. People who participate (trying at least 5 of the activities and giving me feedback) will get either a signed copy of "Bronze Dragon Codex" (available immediately) or this new book when it comes out (sometime next year). Thanks!!!

I've emailed the manuscript of the first draft along with reference pictures to my editor! Wow. I still can't say much publicly about this project, but I have had SO much fun working on it. I dare say this might be the most enjoyable writing I've ever done. It was just FUN, from start to finish. Granted, I still have the revisions for the final draft once the editor has a chance to go over this draft, but I don't foresee any problems. Now, I plan to rot my brain on tv and video games and old book favorites for the next 48 hours. Or more.

Maybe I'll actually get these done before the end of the year...

Today we have questions from Christina: Did you seek publication early in your career? If so, did you get any helpful advice? And what advice would you give us as young writers seeking possible publication?

I started submitting things to magazines in undergrad, but didn't get very far. My first story was published in 2002 in a very small fantasy magazine for children (they accepted a poem of mine as well, but ceased publication one issue before it was to appear!). A few basics I've picked up over the years:

Send nothing out until it's done.

Write every day (that's one school of thought). Write most days, but also give yourself time to recharge.

From Stephen King: Never a day without a line

From a friend of mine: stop writing in the middle of a sentence

Know your market very well and research the editor you're sending to. These days SO many of them have blogs and Twitter accounts it's easy to determine if your story is right for them.

Join a professional organization associated with your genre and attend meetings. I'm an active member in the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators.

Take lots of classes. I'm probably over-schooled, but I know that all the classes I took have made me a much stronger writer. You don't have to major in writing, but usually you're able to find classes even at a community college or a place like the Writer's Center which is in Maryland. Usually classes are taught by published authors, so it's a great chance to get that perspective. I've had a chance to study under some really good children's writers, such as Susan Campbell Bartoletti, Han Nolan, Hillary Homzie, and Alexandria LaFaye thanks to classes.

Join a critique group, not necessarily your friends (in fact, it's better if it's not your friends at the start, although they likely will become friends). Often the professional organizations have a critique group connection list. I found mine through SCBWI and it's been absolutely wonderful. We write a wide variety of genres, from edgy YA to picture books to poetry for children, but everyone knows their stuff and they've been one of my most valuable tools.

Don't get discouraged. A good way to realize that even the greats are human is to friend them on Facebook. When I saw Jane Yolen getting rejections, it makes me feel better.

I'm back home after a lovely family reunion in West Virginia. I came home last night so I could have all day to write (deadline looming!). Here's my writing checklist

1) Manuscript open
2) Writing Tracker spreadsheet open (when I need a brief break, I calculate my daily word count and record what page I'm up to)
3) Reference books organized by topic and within reach (would tell you what they were, but that might leak too much about current project)
4) Bad horror movie on TV ("Arachnophobia" at the moment)
5) Glass of water
6) Phone nearby but volume turned off
7) Braces/bandages nearby in case wrist starts bugging me
8) Wireless mouse charged

I'm hoping to get it written entirely, however roughly, by August 15. At that point, I shall turn off my writing brain and send out personalized CFPs for ICFA (take a day or two). Then I shall return and revise my little heart out.

But first, Farmtown! :)

I was SUPPOSED to be doing these every month but July just got away from me!

Today's question comes from Mac:
How does the process of transplanting yourself* change when writing science fiction and fantasy?

Surprisingly little for me and, I think, most writers. I love rambling around in the woods, so I tend to set fantasy worlds in forest areas similar to what I'm used to. So I'm more likely to write a fantasy where most of the action takes place in a forest rather than in a desert or arctic area. There's a scene in the book where Tatelyn is flying on Simle's back, and I used an event from my own life there. I was on a roller coaster once and my vision blacked out at one point. I went on it again (because I'm masochistic like that!) and it blacked out at the same spot, probably from the G-force at that point. I think if an author isn't transplanting themselves even just a little in their work, no matter what the genre, the work won't seem real.

*Mac encountered the term transplanting yourself in Hemingway’s A Moveable Feast. It is the process of being in one place and writing about another, but incorporating pieces of the place of your real existence into that of your fictional world. Thus, if it is raining in Pittsburgh, Mac’s story about a distant planet might include a rain storm.

Today's question comes from Jack: Where did you derive your inspiration? Are the "good dragons" or Tatelyn's response to them perhaps a symbol for your own frustrations?

This was one of the most thought-provoking questions I've been asked. For basic story inspiration, I found that flipping through the other Dragonlance books did a lot to get the wheels turning (not to mention having a deadline; I tend to respond very well to deadlines). For other work, I tend to like flipping through history books or fantasy art books. For example, last night I was reading something about Roanoke colony and how one of the native American's thought that the Englishmen were already dead. I need to delve into this further and find out what exactly was meant by that, context, perhaps legends surrounding that, but that fell into place in the existing story so well I gasped. That happens a lot to me, actually, especially when I'm working with historical fantasy.

As for the good dragon issue and Tatelyn's take on it, that comes DIRECTLY from my own frustrations. I have a low tolerance for people who adopt black and white viewpoints about issues, on either side of the spectrum. Tatelyn's response definitely comes from this. I don't like being didactic in my stories, but I did want to show characters learning that their hard and fast beliefs and convictions aren't always the right ones and you should consider all sides of the issue.

From Lizz: When writing a story, do you prefer to handwrite using pen and paper, or type on a keyboard at a computer? Why do you prefer to work this way?

TYPE, hands down, now and forever. My handwriting is truly atrocious, plus I can type much faster than I can write. One of the best inventions is cut and paste; I often find myself rearranging scenes. Also search and replace for when I decide to change a name. I'm also a firm believer in saving multiple drafts. Hard drive space is so cheap these days that you can keep a copy of every single draft you'll ever do. Just don't forget to back up!

I recommend developing a naming system if you're keeping multiple copies of your drafts. For example, I usually add a _00 to the end of every file name and use that number for revision versions. I also keep copies from things like changes from my critique group. I've recently started taking my computer to critique group, turning on "Track Changes" and just write all their comments as side comments. This has been a GREAT help. Those files I save as book_title_crit_notes_00 and then once I have a chance to go through and implement their changes, I save it under book_title_crit_changes_00. I also keep a running master copy of a manuscript, which is usually book_title_entire. Then if I've done things for a certain class, I add the class number or name to the file extension. My process could probably stand some streamlining, but I understand it, so it works for me.

One nice thing about new phones is many of them have programs that allow you to sync manuscripts in word to a word processing program on the computer. I have a fold-up keyboard that's just a little smaller than standard size that I use for some writing. I don't do this often, though, as I'm at my computer much of the time (sadly!), but it's a good solution if you're on the go and want to write when you have some free time. They come in handy other times, too; I would use mine in classes and meetings and just take notes as an entry in my day planner software.

I do handwrite in my personal journal. Other than that, I'm addicted to my computer (and Palm Pilot, if an idea strikes when I'm away from the computer).

Today's questions come from Chloe:

How do you come up with the names of the characters and locations in your novel?
See previous entry.

What inspired you to make the dragons evil instead of good?

When I was asked to come up with an idea for a dragon codex, my editor told me to read the other Dragonlance: The New Adventure books and look for a minor character that interested me. I found Tatelyn in a brief scene (written by jeffsampson) when an evil sorceress possessed the body of a dead copper dragon, who attacked Tatelyn's village and killed her brother. I thought that given Tatelyn's age, it would be easy for her to adopt the "all dragons are evil" stance. This coincided with the reappearance of dragons in Krynn; in the original books, dragons have not been seen for thousands of years and most people think they're a myth...until they start showing up. The first dragons to appear were evil, and when the good dragons showed up people had trouble trusting them, so I thought it was plausible that a movement against all dragons would exist.

Once I had Tatelyn's motives figured out, I thought it would be a good story if she met a good dragon who thought humans were evil. I made Simle a very young dragon because if she was too old and powerful, it would be too easy for her to just go on a killing spree; plus I figured that the good dragons were taught by their parents to some extent to be good and Simle's parents would eventually teach her to be a good dragon. Once I'd decided to make Simle very young, then I needed motivation for her to really despise humans. This was another time that knowing the backstory of Dragonlance helped. The draconians were the primary bad guys in most of the original books and they were created from good dragon eggs. I thought that if there was one very young dragon who survived this theft, and knew humans were to blame, it would make sense for her to grow to hate all humans, especially before she matured enough to understand that what one member of a species does isn't always representative of a species as a whole. Something I think all humans ought to learn....

Today's questions come from Christina. Open to other authors to answer as well!

How do you come up with character names and/or kingdom names?
Do you draw inspiration from people around you for characters?

I heard once that the best way to create fantasy names is just randomly hit keys on your keyboard. That does actually work on occasion. Some of my characters already had names by the time I started writing BDC. I was asked to take a minor character from Dragonlance: the New Adventures and build a story around him or her. Tatelyn first appeared in Dragonspell by jeffsampson. Something about her brother being attacked by a dragon that was supposed to be good (the body of a copper dragon was possessed by an evil sorceress) sparked an idea for me (thanks Jeff!). Other minor characters were ones I liked from the original Dragonlance books and I gave them cameos or at least had a brief mention of them (such as Elistan, Crysania, and Huma). Simle and most of the other main characters I was able to name. What was funny is I realized after I was well into the project that the name "Simle" probably came from my dog, "Salem." Also, if I knew a character was a certain race, like elf, I'd try to give their names a similar sound to other elves in the Dragonlance world.

Kingdom names I had a lot less flexibility with, as there are piles of maps of the Dragonlance world, so geography was almost as fixed as if I was writing historical fiction. I have a huge map of Krynn on my desk that my editor slwhitman sent me, as well as the Dragonlance atlas which I already owned and was told under no circumstances to let go because they're hard to find! Another time when being a long-time fan came in handy. The town of Forestedge was already invented (by jeffsampson I believe), and I thought Mountainhome had a nice, similar feel to it. I had to show where it was on a map at one point so my editor slwhitman could check to make sure there wasn't another village already there! I think all the other places I mention already existed in Krynn.

I probably do draw on people I know for characters, but I don't set out to do it. I usually realize it after the fact if I notice it at all. There's probably some of my husband in Elrit, as he's rather good at picking locks (random talent #43). My husband, incidentally, could not read the book without picturing Simle as a greyhound with wings for some reason. I also honored a request from my friend Jim, who, when he heard I was writing a book in the Dragonlance world, asked me to "kill a kobold for him" as we'd had one memorable Dungeons and Dragons game where his character got really beat up by kobolds.

I'm going to be blogging the questions I received from the Science Fiction class at Sewickley Academy and my answers over the next week or two. Feel free to add your own information and/or questions!

First up (these are in the order I received) is a question from Toby:
What influenced you in your choice to provide your own unique history and specifications of dragons as opposed to working with established characteristics?

I was bound by certain rules; I had to keep within the parameters of the "Practical Guide to Dragons" as well as basic guidelines from other books about Krynn such as "A Bestiary of Krynn." For example, I couldn't make a grown Bronze dragon killing lots of innocent people, and I couldn't make the Bronzes desert-dwellers. But as far as making Simle hate humans, I thought I could have enough wiggle room there because she was so young, and my editor agreed.

Some of the legends involving the dragons I used are canon in the Dragonlance world, but I added some details of my own. For example, the legend of Huma and the Silver dragon appeared in the first trilogy of Dragonlance books and has been mentioned in others, but I added the concept of Huma and the dragon exchanging a starjewel (which is also from the original books, although it is exchanged by different characters) which ends up being the cause of Tatelyn and Simle's connection. There's variations in history in many of the Dragonlance books but I believe that's been explained as "Bards having different versions of the story." I wanted to put my own take on it because I wanted parts of the story to be truly mine, even though it's in a shared world.

In a few hours, I'll be heading to Roanoke for graduation. Wow. I started this program in 2001, it's been part of my life for 8 years (almost exactly as long as my husband's been in my life as a love interest; our first date was the Wednesday before I went to Hollins the first summer). I've done two abroad trips. I've written two book-length theses, numerous papers, and many shorter works of fiction and even a poem or two. I found I love writing critical papers, but hate finding sources so a PhD is not for me, thus I'm content to be a dabbler in academic scholarship. I sung "Swing a Cat" while dressed in pirate garb and hurling a stuffed cat around my head while pitching little stuffed mice at an audience that included one of the foremost minds in children's literature scholarship. I ran the Francelia Butler conference one year (2003) and saw it evolve over 8 years into a full-blown media event that now raises money instead of needing funds. My husband proposed to me there on June 3, 2006 and he could not have picked a better location (and the fact that he knew that is just one of many reasons why I said "yes"). Through Hollins I found ICFA, at ICFA I found slwhitman, and through slwhitman I found publication of my first book, "Bronze Dragon Codex." I've made some absolutely amazing friends in both fellow students and professors, including kathleenfoucart, candice_ransom, citycountrygirl, darkeyedtravler, heidihumbug, jadedmetaphor, jessleeanderson, mja700, roseleaf, soniaamiller, and zameenah (if I forgot anyone, my apologies, please speak up in a comment!). There's been drama, tears, fights, and even some deaths, much to our sorrow. But it remains one of the most amazing experiences of my entire life and I am so very blessed to have had this opportunity. And anyone who knows me this isn't good-bye, not as long as I have a car and can drive to Roanoke to visit, not as long as there's amazing conferences like ICFA, ChLA, and Cotsen. :)

( Memory Lane of Classes )

It seems like I'm always trying to get back into writing rather than actually writing. The latest interruption was brought on by the combination of ICFA, being really sick for 2 weeks, and a trip to Pittsburgh for some work and family stuff. Now, after about a month, I'm back to working. I was thinking of revising "Tapestry Threads" from my crit group suggestions, but with the fresh air coming in the office window, I wanted to write something new. So I did a page of "The White Doe." Not a lot, but after my experience New Year's Day when I wrote 5 pages and seem to have sprained my writing muscle, I'd rather work up to it. It's been a while since I was just laying new words on the page, rather than rearranging and deleting and adding. I think I'm going to try to get back to doing a page a day on work days, more on weekends.

I do need to do QUITE a lot of research for WD. Anyone have any suggestions for books on the lost Roanoke colony?

Even though it's hoky, I like New Years Resolutions/Goals. It always seems like such a good time to reboot one's life patterns. So, here goes

1) Get back to writing every day. I'm getting a good kick in the butt this year, as one of my friends arranged NaNoWriMo 2.0 for the month of January. My goal there is to get a rough sequel to "Tapestry Threads" completed by the end of January. I'll need to do a lot of research later (it's set in the Roanoke colony), but for now I'll just work on the story itself.

2) Eat better and drink more water and find some sort of exercise I can live with.

3) Empty one box per day until they're all gone. I'm tired of living with boxes all around me.

4) Read more new books for pleasure. Lately I've just been reading review books or old favorites. There's some great ones out there, though, that I need to start picking up. "Need" by carriejonesis probably first on the list, given all the praise I've been seeing lately.

5) Schedule my work days, including writing time. I've usually kept writing for evening, but I might start splitting my writing time; half in the AM or early afternoon, other half at night.

6) Read everything I submit out loud before sending it out. I let a query letter go with an embarrassing number of typos that I did not catch, even with reading it over and over at different times during the day. I catch all sorts of things when I read out loud, so this is now my policy.

You know, I could come up with more, but I'm going to get cracking on resolution number 1. At least 5 pages of "The White Doe" today or bust!!!

I'm almost packed to head to the writing retreat. I'm very curious as to how this will go. It's so strange to be going to a writing-related event where the soul purpose is WRITING. No papers to present, no lessons to learn or teach. Just ...writing. Odd. But isn't that, in the end, what a writer does? Or supposed to do? This past year has been so insane I feel like I've lost my focus. I managed to finish my thesis; now I'm at the "now what?" stage. I have a few ideas, but one's really blocked and one I haven't started yet. Perhaps I'll go with the new one and just write. It's funny, though I feel like what I need nowadays is more world-building and plotting. But I think a weekend of writing will be good; there's always too much that needs to be done at home or for work these days.

This year I'm VERY excited about SCBWI Mid-Atlantic. Last year I wasn't able to go because of a little thing called a honeymoon. Even though I'll have to cut out early to attend anastasia1901's wedding (silly goose, putting her wedding date the same as SCBWI!), I'm very excited because:

1) I have a manuscript critique with an editor
2) This is the first conference I've attended as a published writer (whoohoo!)
3) I'll get to see some Hollins friends and one of the women in my critique group is going too and will probably see some online friends too (who else is going???)
4) I really missed it last year!

I'm putting together my checklist of things to bring:
-Manuscript for critique
-Business cards
-Postcards
-Press Kit
-1 Copy of BDC (no idea what for, but I'd hate to need it and not have it!
-Keyboard for Palm Pilot (if I can get the silly thing working)
-Notebook in case keyboard fails
-Ooo, must also get my Halloween clothes ready. I always wear something Halloweeny to the fall conferences (hey, if you were born October 31, you would have amassed quite a collection by your mid-thirties too!)

In other news, I also signed up for a writing retreat in December. I was the first one wait-listed (took me a while to decide to go), but someone dropped out one day after I got notice that I was wait-listed, so I get to go! Carol from critique group is going too and we're going to room together, should be fun!

I finally started working on my new story again too. Moving my work to my office rather than the sofa has done wonders for my work ethic (I always seem to forget this in the face of a comfy couch). I'm putting in rather full work days lately, then I write some in the evening before LEAVING THE COMPUTER to go watch TV, craft, and spend time with the hubby. Only a page or so a day this week, but at least I'm back to writing!

Today was the first day in a VERY long time that I used a week day to just do writing things. I took my crit group's suggestions on the second 50 pages of Tapestry Threads, revised, and sent it to my adviser. She sent me her revision notes on the first 50 pages but gave me the go ahead to send her the next 50. So while she's reading that, I'll revise from her suggestions. I also got back to writing a page (a page! not a sentence!) on my new project. I think it's now time to do an outline because I'm starting to ramble. I need the rambling to get a feel for my characters, but if I don't decide what they're supposed to do, they tend to just drone on and one and not do much. And who wants to read that?

I'm also having some problems deciding on my postcard. There's something funky with the cover dimensions so they don't fit right on a postcard, which means there's some dead space at the bottom. The designer put the release date below the book cover, but I'm not crazy about that because that kind of puts a shelf life on how long I can use the postcards. I don't want to use anything that says RD Henham because the name is on the book cover. I keep going back to my unofficial slogan of "Bronzes DO have more fun!" but that is misleading about the plot (Simle really doesn't have much fun in the story. Adventure, yes, fun, no). Hmmmm. I'm thrilled with the back of the postcard, which is more complicated; it's just the front that's giving me headaches!

There are more books in the library! Books, but no shelves. The hubby is fixing dinner now, hopefully after that we can cut shelves and I can really start organizing! I've emptied 6 boxes and transfered books from 4 shelves elsewhere from the house. Since I did a good day of writing today, I can now stay up late and organize and not feel guilty that I'm not writing.

Yes, listen, don't follow, although that's good advice too. Some of my best story ideas have come from dreams and I had a GREAT one hit me last night. It doesn't happen often, perhaps every 3-5 years or so, but this last one is a doozy. I'm brainstorming ideas right now, but I'm pretty happy with where it's going. This could be a pretty cool story or maybe even series, need to see how it shapes up.

In other news, my thesis revisions are almost done. I did finish addressing all my adviser's comments last night, but I probably should read through it once more before sending back. I'm tempted to give it to my critique group for Tuesday, but it's a pretty big section (60 pages; it was 50, but she wanted more of a few things, so there's now extra pages) and I want to get through the thesis quickly. Last thesis I started getting feedback from my crit group and it just started getting to be too many opinions to juggle. It is interesting, though, that my adviser had the EXACT SAME comments as crit group. Obviously those details needed addressing!

Best news is I no longer need a new title. I've woven (hee hee) the tapestry concept back into the story so "Tapestry Threads" is once more a relevant title. Just as well, all my other ideas stank.

I have a horrible time remembering things that have happened in my stories. One of the things I liked about writing BDC was I had reference books when I couldn't remember what color eyes bronze dragons have (kind of a vital detail, that!), where the monument to the Silver Dragon was, etc. Although, now that I'm thinking about a conversation I had with slwhitman, I sadly DID know where the monument to the Silver Dragon was located because I am a DL nut. So I remember other writers' details better than my own. Probably not good.

Anyway. This makes me feel better.
'Lost' Showrunners On Strike So Long Even They Can't Remember What's Going On With Their Series

I'm sure it will make my husband's rants about the show even more interesting, though.