2010

This post is going to be my personal goals for the new year. There will be a post soon that discusses writing how to books and my thoughts.

For me, writing goals are very important. Some people come up with new years resolutions: I do goals. Now it is true that sometimes I don't make my goals but all I have to do when I fail is adjust the goal. I work better with deadlines. I could do the usual daily word count goal but I never do well with that. However, I am liking the idea behind chapter goals.

These are the goals developed for a writing group on writing.com:

Yearly Goal: Rewrite ED and have one other novel first draft done at least

Six-Month Goal: Work on F, ED, BP and AAE

Three-Month goal: Work on F, ED, BP and AAE

Weekly Goal: write/rewrite one chapter at least

ED is a teen novel that only has a little over 23,000 words in the first draft. I started it in 2007 during nanowrimo but took many breaks.

F is a novel about an angel and a demon. It is my two main character project, following both as they fall in love.

BP is a more formal style novel that I'm struggling with because it deals with beings that are similar to vampires but I refuse to call them that. It is my only book right now with a female main character.

AAE is my attempt at a mystery. Follows a young, gay detective on his first high profile case.

Aside from this I have other goals like everyone else. Get a job, which has been my goal for the last year. Get into a nursing program. Move out of my mom's house (again) and on my own. Find someone who wants to be with me in hopes of settling down. And lose weight.

So many goals but I am optimistic for the new year. 2010 will be great, because I will make it be!

no kiss blogfest, 1-02-10

http://frankiediane.blogspot.com/2009/12/no-kiss-blogfest-is-coming.html

This sounds fun and so I'm gonna take part.

"We'll be posting scenes from our WIPs, favorite books, movies, and tv shows that show the almost kiss-- the rising, crushing, excruciating, longing, tension that comes from when two characters get oh-so-close to kissing that you can just feel it....and then...they don't!" - from frankiediane's blog.

Expect my almost kiss to be between two males, because I'm cool like that.

Go to the link and take part!

Too Perfect?

Had a review of the first 6 chapters of my 2008 nanowrimo novel on writing.com today. It was a surprise because books don't often get reviews and they read that far even though they aren't a fan of gay erotica. One comment caught my attention. The person said that the dialogue on it was too perfect and that people don't talk like that.

Granted, the first draft does have some problems. I mean, it is a first draft. Most the contractions were kept as separate words because of the goal. Trying to write 50,000 words in one month is tough and every word counts. However, all of those chapters have received a minor edit because they have been critiqued by a writing group. So, they are still too perfect?

I have had a comment on perfect language one other time on a different novel. For Blood Prophesy I am using a more formal language in the writing. One critic actually thought English wasn't my first language because it was too perfect.

It is an odd predicament. I can't imagine it is common that people would find the writing to be too perfect in rough drafts. Yet here I am, with too perfect dialogue and language in two different novels.