People are wrong. Authors don't write stories.

Characters hijack an author's mind and force the author to write with a sword to their neck. Or in my case, a paw of a cat (who won't be a cat in the rewrite but we're not going into that now).

Here I am, at my little laptop, ready to crack on with the rest of chapter 10, about Acelia, the bounty hunter (who has carpet in her ship). I've got it all planned out. She'll dock, have a few problems at the spaceport thanks to a previous client, then she'll get on to tracking down Sophie.

But no. One of the cats from Catopia (I kid you not, at least in this version) demands to magically appear on Acelia's ship. It wants to guide Acelia to the correct path.

My muse is bent over, tears streaming down her cheeks as this fluffy thing sits on my shoulder, claw out, going 'write! write!'. What's a writer to do? I'll do it, just to keep the cat-not-cat happy. Just keep quiet on the fact that I can change this chapter in next revision, ok? Who knows where this strange cat-not-cat will lead me...

(image taken by Anna Cervova, downloaded from http://www.publicdomainpictures.net/view-image.php?image=399 )

Edited 10 minutes later to add: Nope, now not a cat. Now a Light wants in on the game. *throws hands up in the air*. A Light!

Not a light bulb type of light. A Light: a human like being, who is clothed in one solid colour and glows the same colour. A Light who has the power to animate molecules. A Light.

This is mutiny, I tell you. True mutiny. Sometimes I wonder why I sit and roughly plan what's going to happen. It changes the moments my fingers hit the keyboard.

A Price Worth Paying Chapter 9...over 3 days

I started writing it yesterday. It was like a dripping tap. Drip, drip drip. It's not a filler chapter per se, its actually quite important. Words just aren't flowing out of me. Yesterday made around 560 word progress.

Today I've hit the 928 word mark. (not even 1k!) I've been pushiung myself to write, and was doing fairly well. Until I got a phone call from a friend which lasted best part of 45 minutes... Not a lot I can do now. It's time to wind down for bed.

I hope tomorrow I can finish this stubborn chapter. As a good friend said to me today, just work at it, I can fix it in the next revision. At that point I was seriously considering just putting down bullet points. My short sentences and lack of description feel like glorified bullet points.

I guess this is what being a writer is all about. Words flow = fantastic. Words are squeezed out, one by one = not so fantastic, but at least they are words and hopefully I can improve them on numerous rounds of edits when Muse is a little more forthcoming with ideas.

Writing update

Yes, I've been writing! Muse is working overtime, its just the getting her ideas onto paper which can be an effort.

Finished chapter one of Acquistioners. The ideas are there, but oh it was hard going. It's a bit slow, a bit short, but its a start. I'm doing okay for Twin of Darkness and Freya's character. The rest... grah. Drafty. Eager to get to the next chapter though :) It's having so many wips I like working on. Can't seem to settle on one at the moment...I don't mind, as long as I finish at least one rough draft within a month or two.

A book has arrived!

Magic Bites has arrived! I'm eager to read it...but I'm attempting to finish a pile of library books before I go on holiday next week. So it may just have to wait until I get back. 

My French books arrived - I'm very excited about reading them. Yay! It should keep me calm on the plane. 

Writing = definitely writing more each day now. Muse keeps coming up with more wips. :) It's fine! 

Anyone noticed the number of wips have grown?

Hoping people don't notice I've still got Hallie as my character of the week...

Things coming up on the blog: 

More book reviews

Possibly blurbs about my wips. I struggle writing short info about them, so it could be painful. 

No writing from 1st April until the 13th due to vacation. Yes, total vacation from writing, video gaming....but my Muse will be taking in the sights of America (Annapolis), so she'll be working hard. I don't often do this, taking time off for relaxing without writing, so I'm looking forward to it. 

Taking a break...or not!

#1! French books arrived! Yayness! I want to read them now...but they have to wait for holiday reading.

#2 = a well needed break. Life is hectic for me right now, with holiday preparations well under way. This has somehow taken up most of my free time, meaning that writing has been on hold. So, I'm unofficially having a break until I return from the states (April 13).

But...as usual, that plan is going to pot. At work the other day (I really had nothing else to do), I started a new wip Alien Exchange. It was supposed to be a middle grade book. It's ok, I guess. But then muse wants it to go back to YA. And, I had the idea change completely for yet another new wip. No, 2 wips. I want to cry!

Muse thinks its fun to create a brand new series. There are at least 2 books in it. The first, titled The Flower Girl, tells the finding and growth of the FMC's unique ability to do anything with flowers. I mean anything. Her trade mark weapon is flowers. Petals, stem pollen - any of them will do. If they are dried, well they can be more potent, but have some disadvantage. For now Muse is happier that there will be a book1, but wants to work on book 2.

Muse even has the first few paragraphs worked out in my head. 2nd book, Titled The White Lily, sees the FMC's abilities blossom (sorry, it had to be said). The problem is, somehow her ability is taken away (don't worry, not forever), or blocked, and she learns a new one. Not flower power, but plant power! (In this instance there is a difference). I'm debating sticking with trees, grasses ferns, or maybe heading over to fruit. I'm not kidding!

That is all I know so far. My muse refuses to divulge any more information at this time. So I'm letting her plot away, knowing something interesting will occur when the time is right. And to do that, I'm video gaming this weekend :)

My muse, Termion Finished!

Inspired by Michelle, here's a post on my muse.

She is snoring away, tucked under a home made quilt, after FINISHING 1ST DRAFT OF TERMION!

These days she is very hyperactive, a state encouraged by regular icecream, chocolate, fudge, toffee and anything sweet.

When in a mood, she'll sit on my shoulder, cross her arms, and refuse to cooperate unless I obey her wishes.

When in her editing mood, she'll sit on my shoulder, cross her arms, only to uncross them, point her hand at the laptop and screech YOU AREN'T WRITING THAT!

When in a happy I'll-let-you-have-my-ideas-freely mood, she'll sit on my shoulder, swing her legs, plant both hands on her knees and shout encouraging 'whoohoos' at me.

I love my muse.

As for Termion!

1st draft = 28 chapters = 57.4k!

Very very happy. Going to edit IE, write Gem Manipulator for light relief, then work on revision 1 of Termion.