Trying but failing

I find myself having to rewrite the first Eve book. Well, not the entire book, thank God for small mercies, but I’m rewriting the ending. That’s about 20k down the drain, but what’s a few thousand words here and there when it’s for the good of the entire book?

It’s the big fight scene between Eve and Harrison, and it’s going by ridiculously slow, and although I’ve been writing for about an hour, I’ve only got three pages down, which is just torturous for me. It could be worse, but I’m not even going to go down that alley of thought, trying to decide how much worse this could get.

I think the problem is music. When I write, I listen to music. I can’t write without music. Music, the words, the emotion is a catalyst to my mind and the stories flow from my fingers to the computer screen.

God, that was dramatic, but I’m a writer, and I’m entitled to the occasional dramatic moment.

I can’t seem to find the right sort of music for this last scene. I’ve tried listening to Revis, Rob Zombie, Nine Inch Nails, Seether, Atreyu…and nothing helps. Just about the only thing I haven’t tried is Cradle of Filth, and I don’t think I need to try CoF to know that it probably won’t work as well.

Gah! Dilemma, dilemma, dilemma.

I think I need to go and look up some new bands to headbang to.

On this island of solitude…

The time is 8:13 PM and we are at Yook Island.

I know I said that I wanted to go to a secluded island, but I didn’t mean so secluded that it didn’t even have a convenience store. We meant to stay here until Monday morning, but I think we’re going to leave tomorrow morning, Sunday morning, to be exact. It’s a good thing this place is a beachhouse with an extra nice landlady who doesn’t mind cooking food for my BF and I, otherwise I do believe we would have starved to death.

Okay, so I’m being a bit melodramatic, but there really is nothing on this island except for beachhouses and the, er, beach. There seems to be construction going on at the far end of the island so there’s this really noisy truck that goes by every ten minutes or so.

My BF says that I’ve hit the jackpot on crappy islands to visit.

All in all, this place wouldn’t be that bad if only it had a place where we can buy toilet paper and water. Unfortunately, we weren’t so lucky, so tomorrow morning, we’re going to try our luck at another island nearby. It’s a bigger island, so I can only assume that said island will have a convenience store, or at the very least, a place that will sell us toilet paper and water.

At least the beachhouse we’re staying at is a fairly nice one. Secluded, quiet, large open space, I’m hoping that I can get some writing done after dinner. Not a lot, maybe just an hour at the most since we’ll have to be up before 10 if we want to get off the island.

Well, I’ve started work on the second Eve Faulkner yesterday and I’m about ten pages into it. I’m thinking that, for this book, Eve’s got to contend with a book that is evil through and through. But beyond that, I have no idea. My writing process is usually pantsing the first three chapters to get a feel for where the book wants to go, and then for the rest of the book, I write up a chapter outline. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. Let’s call it a working process, yes?
  

Maybe a bit too ready

The night before the vacation and I am not ashamed to say that I have not done a speck of writing this entire day. I spent it downloading horror movies for the trip and packing a ridiculous amount of clothes that I probably won’t have time to wear.

Then I spent the remainder of my free time unpacking my duffel bag when I realized that I could not take more than three steps with it so full and bursting at the seams.

There is still a part of me that thinks I’ve overpacked, but you know, ’tis better than to have too much than too little.

I’m sure some clever man in every century has said something like this, only with more flowery language, making it look more impressive than what I have for you today.

Will check back in tomorrow when I am on a secluded island with a cocktail at my elbow and the sun at my back.

 

Waiting for Godot?

It’s 12:31 AM and my critique group’s ‘Fast Draft’ event has officially started 31 minutes ago.

It’s a thing where one writes a certain amount of pages a day, without worrying about punctuation, grammar, where one focuses wholly on the story.

20 pages a day.

What have I gotten myself into?

Madre Dios.

Is that right, by the way?

I’m supposed to be on vacation beginning this Saturday at a secluded island with just me, my laptop, some good books, and my BF at my every beck and call, LOL. I even went out and bought a two piece bathing suit, since the last time I’ve actually had a swim suit was when I was back in grade school.

I’ve got about 20 more pages of “Walking in Shadows that I’ve got to revise before I can officially say that I’ve finished the first draft. Or do I really mean second draft?

Bah.

Whatever the case, I’ve got to rewrite the last fight scene, the one where Harrison gets his ass handed back to him on a silver platter.

I’m so looking forward to it.

Meanwhile, I think I’m going to start on the second Eve book (The sequel to Walking in Shadows) even though I really shouldn’t do so until I can find an agent who’s willing to shop the first book around.

Ah well.

Urban fantasy is bound to come into fashion again, and if not, just the experience will be worth it.

Say what now?

I’m getting sick of all this Miley Cyrus crap that’s been floating around on the blogsphere.

Miss Cyrus aka Hannah Montana pleaded innocence via ignorance, saying, “I took part in a photo shoot that was supposed to be ‘artistic’ and now, seeing the photographs and reading the story, I feel so embarrassed.”

You’re f******* kidding me, right?

We’re not talking about a 7 year old who got gyped. We’re talking about a girl who’s been in the spotlight for the past couple years and should have known fully what she was getting into. I mean,this is Vanity Fair we’re talking about. I’m only sorry that Annie Leibovitz and Vanity Fair had to deal with such a hypocrite. Oh, I’m sure she loved the photo shoot.

Until people had to go and talk about how “risque” about it was.

Can you tell that I’m getting sick and tired about hearing about all this Hannah Montana crap? Yes, yes, I am.

Anyways, back to my corner of the world where thankfully she has not invaded yet.

I think I’ll enjoy the peace while it lasts.

 

Just Lose It

Argh.

I had the worst heartburn and couldn’t get to sleep until 4:30 this morning. I tried to go to bed at around 2 or so, but ended up tossing in turning in bed for about forty minutes until I decided, “Okay, screw this” and turned my laptop on.

Perhaps some good came of my pain in the night because now I’m just 60 something pages away from completing the second draft of “Walking in Shadows” and I couldn’t be happier. On second thought, I’d be happier if it was just finished. Gosh, where’s a magic lamp when you need one?

I’m getting closer and closer to the end, and it feels good.

Speaking of which, I finished reading LK Hamilton’s “A Lick of Frost”, and I’m torn. I love, love, LOVE the fact that she toned down the sex and finally decided to move along with the plot.

On the other hand, I’m not so happy that she had to do away with one of her main characters. My favorite one, actually.

But all in all, it was a great addition to the Merry Gentry series, and I’m looking forward to reading the next one, “Swallowing Darkness”. Har de har har. Since when did urban fantasies have to be all about sex, sex, sex?

In case you were wondering, I’m still trying to get into Stephanie Lauren’s book that I bought a few months back, the one about the Bastion Club. Goddamn, but it’s just ridiculously boring. Normally, I’d read just about anything, and my friends will attest to that. But this! This! I would sooner hang myself from the rafters than plow through this snooze-fest.

That’s my final say and I’m sticking with it.

Of course I will!

Today was a very slow day. I mean, so slow that I don’t think I’d have enough “o”s to show just how slow it was. Er, is, since it’s just a few minutes before 6 PM.

BF went out to a bar at 10, so I stayed up until he got out, which was sometime around 4, not that I minded, because I really did have to finish my website. So, we ended up going to bed at the ungodly hour of 5 or so. Woke up a little past 12, had an exceedingly late lunch and then I went back to sleep again. BF tried to get me to stay awake to finish “Walking in Shadows”, but I was adamant about taking a nap, and there really wasn’t anything he could do about that.

I mean,hell, it’s a Sunday! Sundays were made for sleeping in for. And sleeping the entire day through!

Well, it is now one minute before six, and I’m finally ready to get working. My internet connection is sketchy at best, so I won’t have any distractions from that side.

Still got the rest of the website to finish. Hm. Maybe I can get the site finished today.

Hey, I can dream, can’t I?

I told the witch doctor, “Dude, I’m tired!”

Oh hell, I am tired.

And this time, it’s with good reason!

I edited about 50 pages of “Walking in Shadows” and I’ve finally started working on my website www.fionnjameson.com after leaving it in shambles for the better part of a year. It’s up and functioning at the moment, although only the first three links are working right now.

For now, I just want to sleep.

And this time, I know that I’ve truly deserved this rest.

Man, this is going to feel good.

I’ve been a bad, bad girl

I’m so morose that I’m listening to the “Alvin and the Chipmunks” OST, you know, the recent one that came out a few months ago. It usually makes me laugh hysterically, but not this time, yikes.

I haven’t posted in a few days. Funny and odd, considering that I’m someone who used to post multiple times in one day. I’ve been trying to curb my blog posting, and it’s worked to some degree, but now, I’m faced with the problem that now I have nothing to say.

But this time, I really don’t have anything to say because I hadn’t done crap on AToS otherwise known as Walking in Shadows. It’s done. Well, fundamentally, it’s done.

Just not…revised.

Nor edited.

Nor rewritten.

So, figuratively speaking, I’ve got a block of wood sitting in front of me, and I’ve whittled it into a certain shape but at this point in time, it’s just something that could be something but you can’t tell what the heck it could be, because there’s too many angles and curves and things that shouldn’t be there.

So now I must either turn Walking in Shadows into the equivalent of a Bernini sculpture or into that hideous clay creation that I made back in first grade. I’m still trying to figure out if it’s a pencil holder or a coaster.

Hm.

Well, it’s been three full days since I’ve touched hair or hide of Walking in Shadows, and it’s calling my name, faint though the voice may be.

Guess I’ll be headed there next.

Ciao, folks.

Lies are coming back in style

My muse seems to have fun taunting me. It’s there one day and then gone the next. Damn you!

Not that I need my muse at this point in time. I’m too busy editing, revising, and rewriting, and let me tell you, it’s no joy ride in the park.

Although, I’m guilty of not spending too much time editing.

I’m actually planning a trip between BF and I to an island off the coast of Incheon, during the Children’s Day weekend which is from May 2nd to the 5th. Since he gets off work late on the 2nd, we’re leaving on the 3rd which in Saturday and we’ll be staying at Mystery Island (I say Mystery Island because BF doesn’t want to know where we’re going and to be honest, I don’t know yet either, LOL) from Saturday to Monday afternoon, sleeping over on Saturday and Sunday night.

I’m really looking forward to this much-needed vacation. I think the last time I had a full one vacation was about four years ago, and so I’m thinking that this vacation is three years overdue.

Originally, the plan was to go the weekend after that, during Cho-pa-il, which is the Buddha’s birthday, but I’m going to my godfather’s temple (he’s a Buddhist monk) on that Sunday, so I decided to move up the date. I’m still trying to see if Ashley can tag along with us, but well, you know what they say.

Two’s company and three’s a crowd.

…unless she brings someone else as well. Then it’s a party!

Although I think I’ll be nursing a glass of soda while everyone else gets drunk off their butts. Trust me, I learned my lesson and I refuse to drink more than half a bottle of beer. No more than that, and definitely no hard liquor. Hey! No laughing, darn it!

Well, it’s a few minutes after 11, so I’m going to hit the sack.

Got an early start tomorrow.