Thunder and Roses Reaches 87k

Thunder and Roses is well past the length of any book I’ve written to date. Ditter Kellen and I have been working around the clock to get this monster done, and the light is RIGHT THERE! We are three chapters away from The End and both of us will be happy to see it done.

We love the characters, the world, the bad guys you love to hate, the snark…but Ditter and I have been hanging out with these guys nonstop since December. It’s definitely time to part ways with the characters for a while. LOL!

Time to tell you how I’ve done this past week:

Thunder and Roses is at 87k.

Raven’s Daughter hit 7.5k this week.

Silver Tongue Devils has been plotted. It reached 1k, but I won’t count it until I’m actually past the first chapter.

My favorite dialogue from this week’s unedited writing (courtesy of Jimmy Strickland, shifter you’d love to hate, and Tonya Rose, our snarky kickass heroine.):

“It’s time to end this.” [Strickland] licked his blade. “Tell me who you work for.”
“Myself. No one else.”
“Why did you break into Westmoreland’s office?”
“The lounge was out of creamer and I knew he hoarded the best shit.”
Strickland grinned and stalked closer, keeping her within sight of his one good eye. “Okay. Sure.” His free hand partially shifted to sharp claws. “I like this game.”

If you’d like to see how others are doing in the Round of Words in 80 days challenge, click on the link below.

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See you this weekend for

Writing Goals and ROW80

The content below is on the Personal Writing Challenge page of this site. As that page will change each quarter, it’s important to keep track of past accomplishments and failures. Yep. The word “failure” was used.

Only in failure can you find out what doesn’t work, you know.

It’s not the end of the world. So welcome to another Round of Words in 80 Days challenge! I’m a month and a half behind, so you’ll have to forgive the late intro. April was CampNaNoWriMo so I was hyperfocused on it.

In these next 45 days or so, I’ll be very busy. Word count updates will happen on Wednesdays and Sundays per the challenge rules. If you’re following along, I assume you have some interest in writing. Feel free to ask any questions.

…or leave a comment that my content in boring…if you don’t tell me, how will I know?

It’s May 2013. 2012 was a debilitating one for me as a writer, and I have a lot of time to make up for. I had a series I let fall to the wayside during my difficult transition from military to civilian life and my creativity shriveled to nothing. With two intercontinental moves in less than two years, gaining new family members (saying goodbye to a few as well), and moving to full-time writing status, I became overwhelmed.

I met Ditter Kellen and the amazing According to Ditter book group right when I thought I was making the worst decision of my life (full-time author). It took some time and effort, but I finally got back on the path. Now I’m here, with you, sharing my writing journey.

I’ll do each challenge by quarter so the easiest way to keep track is to become a part of A Round of Words in 80 Days. They have a wonderful motivating team of writers who encourage one another throughout the quarter. Once Upon a Time I was a Sponsor. Once I get back on track, I might do so again.

So here are the goals for the rest of this ROW80 event:

May

Thunder and Roses (complete and submit)

Raven’s Daughter *WT (complete and submit)

Silver Tongue Devils *WT (complete and submit)

June

Shift the Night (Complete and Publish)

RD2 (Complete and Submit)

Hunger 2 (Complete and Submit)

*WT: Working Title, a title that may change before submission

Enthusiasm is Catching

While I’m working on Thunder and Roses (the book. that. won’t. end), I’ve received email and messages from some of my closest writing friends. We talk shop a lot, and quite a few of them were at the end of their ropes. They were exhausted, wore to the bone, and wondering why they were still writing.

Been there. What about you guys?

Three of them went to the Romantic Times Convention this past week. All three hoped to find that spark they were missing.

They found it and more!

All three came back with incredible enthusiasm. They were tired, sure, but the love of the written word was back. Goals were set in place, momentum shifted, and another page turns in their careers.

Their joy and excitement triggered mine, and reminded me of why I started doing this in the first place. It’s why I dive into writing events like A Round of Words in 80 days, National Novel Writing Month (as well as CampNaNoWriMo in April and July), and Book in a Week.

For a list of timed artistic challenges, please check the recently updated Wiki page

There is nothing like having a group of people as motivated as you are when you tackle any project.

When you’re stuck in a rut, whether it’s the book-that-won’t-end, a series you can’t stay motivated to continue, or starting that new book, find people who are enthusiastic about this thing called writing. Let them energize you and remind you that these moments of doubt are temporary.

Then go out and write.

Keep Writing!

Dawn

CampNaNoWriMo April 2013 Day 27

It’s done. Done. Done. Done. Done. I validated at 5am or so this morning.

Day 27 and FINAL stats:

TR starting word count at the beginning of the month: 47,171

TR ending word count:  72,565

Total count for the month: 25,394 (25k to go)

FH starting word count at the beginning of the month: 0

FH ending word count: 18,215

Total count for the month: 18,215 (50k to go)

Silver Tongued Devils beginning: 0

Silver Tongued Devils end of the month: 9,633

Total count for the month: 9,633 (2k to go)

The Beast Within beginning: 0

The Beast Within end of the month: 2,500

Total count for the month: 2,500 (Story complete)

RD beginning: 0

RD end of the month: 3,689

Total count for the month: 3,689

 

Surprisingly enough, the word count validation software on the CampNaNoWriMo site was almost spot on. My numbers and theirs split off at some point.  Since the gap between what I have and what they validated makes no difference in my goal for the month…I’m not sweating it.

My largest productivity happened when my writing partner and I were waiting on Beta Readers to get back to us on TR’s first five chapters. It took a little over a week. In that time I couldn’t even look at the book out of panic (and/or a downward spiral of self criticism). TR is a novel unlike any I’ve tackled before so my nerves are on edge when feedback is pending.

In that week and a half or so I wrote FH’s first four chapters without an outline or anything but the sheer desperation to move back into familiar territory for a while. Silver Tongued Devils was a writing challenge by Ditter Kellen. I work on it during the weekend, and so far it’s coming along nicely.

The Beast Within is a submission to a Cleis Press Anthology call. We’ll see how it goes. I have a day or two of edits and then it’s off.

RD is something I work on in halting steps. It’s an Urban Fantasy an editor has requested after sneaking a peek at the first chapter. It’s due at the end of May and will become my weekend project once Silver Tongued Devils is complete.

It’s good to be writing again. I also like having the week days for the big novel and the weekends for novellas and shorts. It’s working out well.

 

So that’s it folks. NaNoWriMo in April is complete. I did a lot more than I though I had. Pleasant surprise since I was sure I hadn’t done well at all.

Hope you meet your goals and good luck with the rest of the CampNaNoWriMo session.

 

CampNaNoWriMo April 2013 Day 3

Keeping this one short and sweet. Looks like book won’t be done until Tuesday, but that’s okay.

Day 3 stats:

TR starting word count: 52880

TR ending word count:  53838

Total for the day was less than 1k. Not good, but I needed to break down the next several days and figure out a good game plan. NaNo total is 6.7k. I’ll be hitting the ground running first thing in the morning. G’night all!

(edited to add: Forgot to hit publish on this last night. Found out when I started the new post for day 4 LOL!)

CampNaNoWriMo April 2013 Day 2

Mentally and physically exhausted (had a mega workout today and my body isn’t happy).

I went through a morning, evening, and night session of writing today. The morning was a solid 500+ words with me and Ditter. My writing partner and I had some scene plot issues to work through and we worked a bit on our new series we’re starting next week. Today was still Thunder and Roses focused. We expect it to be done by Sunday.

The evening and night sessions brought today’s total to 2,265 words. That’s 5,709 for CampNaNoWriMo. Not bad.

I ran into some serious character motivation issues around 2pm. The scene is emotionally charged and I wasn’t in the right frame of mind. Info dump at the beginning had dragged the pacing so I spread the wealth over the course of the chapter and it flows far smoother.

Day 2 stats:

TR starting word count: 50601

TR ending word count: 52880

I’m a happy (if slow and steady) writer. Tomorrow’s agenda involves a long soak in the tub before I start work (my muscles will thank me) and setting up a chat room for my fellow WriMos to speedwrite in. Jumping around all over the place is killing me.

Signing off!

Dawn

Life, lemons, and NaNo

What is it about NaNoWriMo? November is already a busy month with Americans celebrating Thanksgiving, tons of prep for the holidays (Black Friday sales and Cyber Monday sales!!!), and then we throw in National Novel Writing Month. I love NaNo. Ignore the nay-sayers. Trust me fellow writers, the negative will always be there. Learn to ignore it now.  Who are they to tell you this can’t be done? Keep your chins up and keep writing. This is your personal marathon, and the negativity are just extra weight you need to leave behind.

My NaNoWriMo count is lower than expected this year, but I have some really good reasons.

1. I was contracted for a writing job that will take up the rest of this week
2. Witchvine Seduction released in print in the Halloween Heat Menage Anthology (YAY FIRST PRINT!!)
3. I’m submitting a story for EC this week with my fabulous writing partner, Ditter.
4. Ditter and I are finishing up Fox Fire this week.

As it stands, I’m working on Rising Tide when I have time…which isn’t much time, actually. I am diligently writing, however. My counts for the day are greater than 10k. Let’s just hope that will continue with my NaNo book once this week of crazy is over!

Today’s Stats:

Total Wordcount: 8245
Pages written today: 3
Time: 8:00 am – 9:00 am
Sessions: 1 @ 1 hour, no breaks

I plan to write more later tonight, but it will depend on this next round of writing I do.

Now back to my other projects.

*Image from Lynn Viehl’s photostream. It’s a banner she created in 2009.

15 Days to NaNoWriMo

Two weeks until NaNoWriMo’s launch. This year I’m writing an erotic romance entitled Rising Tide. So how do you get started with NaNoWriMo? Can you really write a novel in ONE month?

Yes.

Should you? If you’re wondering if you should…try it. If nothing else, it’ll give you a much better appreciation of the time it takes your favorite authors to pen another book.

How do you get started? That’s a great question. At the end of this post, I’ll have a list of links to awesome help sites for you. Until then…I’m just going to have to show you how I get started.

First up…Genre. What do you want to write? It’s got to be something interesting to you.

I challenge myself to something new in every NaNoWriMo. This year I want to write about an underwater civilization. It’ll be sexy (of course). I want it to take place now, but I want it to be dark. So let’s call it a Dark Fantasy Erotic Romance. You don’t have to be as specific, but I’ve been writing for a while so I get more particular about what I’m working on.

Rising Tide will be approximately 55k words (since 50k IS the minimum to win NaNo ) .

I have two main characters. The hero belongs to the underwater civilization and the woman is a human underwater photographer. Now I get to start building up my characters and designing my underwater civilization. I’ll need a bad guy and at least two supporting characters. Much to ponder.

 

Check out Lynn Viehl/S.L. Viehl’s blog for lots of help! She has great resources, character sheets, etc. Plus she’s giving away her ebook on how she writes for FREE.

National Novel Writing Month has a ton of resource guides and links in their FORUM.

What are you doing to prep for NaNo?

Write. Every. Day.

It’s a motto I can’t do without. Write. Every. Day. Less than twenty-seven days until National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) begins. Are you ready?

Is this your first NaNo? Rest easy. There are tons of people out there with resources to help you get started. The Nanowrimo.org page is a great place to start. Some of my favorite authors do mini workshops during NaNo to keep you moving.

For new NaNo’ers and Vets alike, I’ve put together a list of resources that come in serious handy during the madness of 50k in a month (click on the names below, and they’ll open to the other sites)

Lynn Viehl (aka S.L. Viehl, Jessica Hall) is participating this year. Every year she has great hints, tips, and motivational posts. As a NYTimes bestselling author, she could be doing so many other things…what a great lady.

The Writer’s CheatSheet via No White Space.org. Guys, this is the end all-be all of cheat sheets. The plot layout (hero’s journey, the 12 steps to intimacy *cough* romance *cough*), and the character development lists (phobias, developing a character, archetypes, goal, and motivation) are amazing. Please, check it out.

Try new Software: These are NaNoWriMo sponsors. Note: the link takes you to the sponsor page, not the individual links. I use Scrivener, and bought it last year after I won NaNo (50% discount!!!).

What about some of these NYTimes Bestselling authors? They gave fantastic NaNoWriMo pep talks. Piers Anthony (Xanth and many others), Kelley Armstrong (Otherworld series), Meg Cabot (Princess Diaries), Neil Gaiman (Coraline), etc.

Join me. Write. I know you can do it! I’ll be right there in the trenches with you. Trust me. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Dawn Montgomery

The beauty of Magic

I love playing with words and creating art with them. I took the entire WTF Dragon 1 manuscript and dumped into Wordle. It’s a word cloud creator. Body, Tasminia, Dash, Magic…The four words that sum up No Dragon, No Problem. Two people creating magic…with their bodies, their hearts, their minds. Princesses. Dragons. Dark magic and ancient spells.

Now that’s the good stuff!

There is nothing sexier than a man who knows how to make a woman shiver in delight with just a small touch.

Dash Ryan is an incredible dragon, trapped, alone and ready to break free of a 500 year spell. It takes a princess, however, to make it happen.

WTF Dragon: In the fairytale kingdom of Werthing Ton Fallorian (or WTF for short), fairytale folk have gone insane. With the imps of lust and wickedness on a rampage, no one is safe. Five Princesses, Five Dragons. A coincidence? I don’t think so.
The Motive: Princess Tasminia deSoto has had it with her stepmother’s horrid matchmaking. Tricking the princess into a surprise wedding with the narcissistic Baron Winterwood from a neighboring kingdom (of the same name) is the final straw. If only there was a dragon to be sacrificed to!

The Idea: Desperation forces her to enlist the aid of the notorious Dash Ryan, illusionist and con artist for hire. Surely the wildly entertaining (and sexy) rogue can come up with something believable. And if a princess can find a little sexual education on the side… well… that’s just a plus.

The Twist: Dash Ryan has a few secrets of his own. Secrets he’s more than willing to exploit for just a taste of the princess’s sexual awakening. But will one taste be enough?

- No Dragon, No Problem (WTF Dragon book 1) Available Now - 

And what about quests? We love them, don’t we? Secret magic, wilde magic. Water is the source of all life in the WTF kingdom. It, like all great things, needs protection. What happens, then, if the protector corrupts the source? All the magic in the kingdom would be swept into darkness. That can’t happen. Once Upon a Dragon, WTF Dragon book 2…available soon!

On a quest to save the world. With Sex… and Magic.

Five Princesses, Five Dragons
A coincidence? I don’t think so.

In the fairytale kingdom of Werthing Ton Fallorian (or WTF for short), fairytale folk have gone insane. With the imps of lust and wickedness on a rampage, no one is safe.

The Quest: Save the world. With Sex… and magic? Definitely.

The Complication: Sex is deadly. Magic is broken. And nothing is going right for the traveling duo.

Captured by an evil queen, chained to a sexy He-man of incredible proportions, and forced on a quest that no sane person would take, Princess Penelope must travel the treacherous swampland of Andvari. A terrible place of twisted magic where sex and murder are forbidden.

Shane Masters, on the other hand, believes every curse has its loophole, and every rule has a bend.

When their passion ignites, nothing can stop them. Not even death.

Keep at it!