The Many Unexpected Twists of a Writer’s Life

Writing has been hard enough to get done lately with my last four classes getting close to finals, but I’ve made some progress. I’ve just received back some info from my critique partners so that I can adjust the first four chapters of everything on To Catch a Thief, so I’ll put off writing new stuff for The Vampire’s Saving Grace until I get that stuff caught up, and I’m going to try to enter another contest too.

As if having a busy life wasn’t enough to keep me from my writing, but it seems life in general does as well. Last Friday March 20, my boyfriend went riding at the Perris Race Track where they overwatered the clay so that when my boyfriend landed he may as well have landed on ice. The result?

A broken collar bone nearly sticking out of the skin.

A separated shoulder.

A possible broken rib.

And the need for surgery to repair the collar bone.

My boyfriend definitely comes before writing though and I have to say that I’m soooo not even bothered that it put a damper on my writing time because now he’s okay. His surgery was on Thursday and we were gone from 6 am to 1am and needless to say I was exhausted at work the next day. But I enjoy taking care of him because I love him and don’t want him to be hurt and as long as I worry about him nothing else will get done, so I take care of him because I need to.

Now though, I’m seriously behind on school work this week, so I’ve spent my entire weekend catching up on said homework to turn in tonight and got NO writing done. Oh well. It’s okay, there’s only three weeks of school left now with classes ending toward mid april and graduation in mid June. I’m so excited to just be done and get my BSBA in accounting.

On another note, I registered for the January 2010-May 2010 Becker CPA review course that will lead up to the CPA exam which I plan on taking in June and July of 2010. Then, I plan on studying under my boss who is an actively licensed cpa and obtaining my CA CPA License, all the while pursuing my dream of publishing. Gotta have goals. Once I finish with these last set of classes I plan to try to join one of my local RWA groups. I’m in the center of three of them lol.. I’m also attending Nicole North’s online Love Scene Workshop in April and I’m very excited to start it.

So that’s been my life in a nutshell for the past couple of weeks. Also, I’m going to try to start doing a book review 2-4 times a month on my blog. I’m an avid reader so I figured why not review the books I read and let everyone know how much I loved it! Stay tuned for more updates regarding this feature and for up to date information on me and my life follow me on twitter at http://www.twitter.com/agoddess4lyfe

 

Escape from Reality, Succumb to Temptation,

Kaycee

To Catch a Thief- Samuel Harding

It’s a crisp Summer day as I sit in the sun sipping at my Iced Chai Tea Latte. The breeze plays with tendrils of my hair and brushes across my skin like that of a lover. I never do grow tired of Southern California, I enjoy the sun too much.

I have reason to celebrate as I’ve managed to nail down the Private Investigator that’s been wrecking havoc with my imagination. Samual Harding. I’ve managed to finally convince him to sit down and talk to me, to let you, the readers, meet him.

Finally, I look over and see the red Corvette steer into a parking spot outside the coffee shop. I watch as he unfolds his incredible length from the car, and saunters over to me, ever the confident alpha male. His light green eyes are striking and in perfect contract to that unruly brown hair. He lounges in the chair across from me a smirk on his face.

Here we go…

“Sam, I’m so glad you could find the time to join me today.”

He crosses his legs and leans back a little. “It’s not a problem. Just had to rearrange a few things on my list.”

It amazes me how confident he is with himself. I should have known he would be of course, but seeing it here in person is a whole nother matter. I clear my throat. “How have you been? Work been keeping you busy?”

He rolls his eyes and lets out a laugh that comes from so deep within, i find myself leaning toward him intrigued by it.  “Oh that’s right, you’ve been working on that jewel heist. I forgot. How is coming along?”

“As good as can be expected. Could be better.”

Ah. I hit a nerve, I see that now. He’s seems rather frustrated with the case. His fingers begin to drum across his thighs and I can tell he’s rethinking this meeting. “That’s right. Presley isn’t helping as much as you had hoped.”

“The woman is stubborn. She doesn’t understand how dangerous this whole situation is.”

Interesting that he cares so much. “Have you tried to tell her?”

“She doesn’t listen.”

“You care for her.”

His eyes cloud over as he blocks the emotions from showing, but I notice how tight his jaw gets and I nod. It’s answer enough for me.

“It’s okay to care, Sam. It doesn’t mean it will end up like last time.”

“There aren’t any gurantees that it won’t. I won’t take the chance.”  I watch as he struggles to keep his anger and frustration under control. So many emotions play across his face it amazes me.

“Maybe you should. Maybe she’ll open to you then if you show that you care.”

“She doesn’t trust me or anyone. Only herself.”   He sighs and shakes his head.

“I’m sure there are reasons for that.”

“She should feel comfortable with me damn it. Can’t she see how I feel?”   He slams his fist on the table, and I jump a little.

“Perhaps she feels the same, but is afraid like you.”

“Well then she needs to stop.”   Poor Sam, I hadn’t realized how attached to her he’d become after such a short period. Perhaps I should have been more careful throwing him back into the field after his fiance died.

“Maybe you should listen to your own advice. You’re just as stubborn as she, I made you both that way so you’d have to overcome it and work together.”

“Thanks for that by the way.”  A ghost of a smile played across his lips and his eyes lost their shield briefly.

“Welcome. Didn’t I hear Presley’s house was broken into?”

His eyes grew dark, his fists clenched.

“I’ll kill whoever did that to her.”

“I’m sure justice will be served.”

“Will it?” He looked at me quizzingly.

I smile. “My lips are sealed, you’ll have to wait and find out for yourself. Just don’t be afraid to fall in love, if you have to be the one who shows her how it can be first then so be it.”

He stood up and stretched. “I should be going, got a case to solve.”

I nod. “Thank you for meeting with me, Sam.”

“Thanks for torturing my heart, Kaycee.” I laughed loud at that one.

“I’m sure you’ll mean that thank you eventually. Goodbye for now.”

He inclined his head, and I watched as he walked away, his hands shoved in his pockets.  The roar of his Corvette fades in the distance as he speeds away.

He’ll lock himself in his office as he always does when he needs to thinks. I want to tell him not to worry, that they’ll find the diamonds, that both Presely and her niece will be safe, but there are no guarantees, just as he said earlier. I want him to be able to understand that it’s okay to move on, that Presley won’t end up like his fiance. But I can’t, I may be the author, but it’s his story, and he needs to experience the journey and find happiness with Presley and Jasmine on his own.

 

 

 

 

Craft: Editing

Many of the writing groups I belong to are touching on the topic of editing this week so I thought I would too.

I don’t really have an editing process myself because, well…I HATE editing lol. I’d much rather write new stuff. BUT if I want to stand a chance of getting my book published then it’s a must. Luckily for me, I have seven wonderful Critique Partners who help me make my work the best it can be.

I used to have a problem with my internal editor to the point where I would spend all my time fixing the stuff I’d already written then writing new stuff and I’d find myself in a rut and not able to get past chapter one. Then, I was introduced to Nanowrimo and boy, if you want to learn to turn off your internal editor try finishing a 50000 word novel in just 30 days lol. 

I’d say nano both helped me and hurt me. It helped me to ignore my internal editor and get my work on the paper first, but it hurt me in that now I don’t want to edit the story I’ve already written because it’s soooo much to edit. So I’ve decided that I’m going to try to create my own method of doing things and I’ll let you all know if it works.

A lot of people write the entire first draft first and then go back and edit, other people start their writing day off by reviewing the last chapter they wrote and then flowing into the new writing. Some people send their finished chapter to their CP’s or Crit Groups and wait to get feedback on it before moving on. Some people write their entire first draft in long hand and then type out the entire thing. All of these are great, especially if they work for you, unfortunately for me, none of them work for ME. What I am going to try to do is combine a few of these techniques into my own technique which I fully intend to name after myself lol. 

What I’m going to try is write a chapter in long hand in a spiral bound notebook, then the next time I sit down to write I will transcribe what I wrote in long hand onto my macbook so I can edit as I go and get back into the flow of the story. Once I finish typing out the previous days work I’ll return to my spiral bound book and write another chapter in it, and once again type it out the next day.

I think by allowing myself to let me creative juices flow without interruption is good for my story, then I have to eventually put it on the computer or no one can read it so why not edit that as i go along, and then start the process over? 

So now I’m off to go start this and see if it works for me. I’ll let you all know how it pans out. Until next time, inquiring minds want to know what your editing method is?

You know you love me,

Kaycee

Random Rambles- the synopsis

This week I conquered that bitch of a synopsis and if you’ve been following me on twitter you’d know that. I conquered the one page synopsis and now am ready for anything.

That Bitch thought she could take me?

HA! 

I don’t think so. 

I’m not going to be conquered by something as dreaded as the synopsis. I’m not going to let it stop my writing career.

Well, whatever my writing is at the moment isn’t a career really.

But I hope it will be soon!

In writing that damned thing though it made me think….

If publishers and agents want us to quit so bad then why don’t they just say “Sorry we are no longer and never will again be accepting submission.”

I mean seriously, this thing really is a pain in the ass, but i guess it makes us stronger and i understand that they’re busy and want to know that a book is worth it by just reading a few pages of a summary, but really how can they tell that a books good enough just from a damn synopsis? 

Whatever…I’m game for it ONLY because i want to be published eventually and will do whatever it takes.

But it doesn’t mean I have to like it.

I mean, who could like writing a synopsis?

It’s called the dreaded synopsis for reason after all.

So i’ll dread it because I suppose that’s what i should do, and I’ll write it because I have to and that will be that.

Finals…Ughh…and Life I Suppose

I survived finals week Thank God, but I gotta say. I wasn’t sure I was going to. That Auditing final I had was brutal.

 

B-R-U-T-A-L Brutal.

 

I had to take three finals which all in all isn’t that bad except when one is an auditing final and one is an oral presentation.

 

I HATE oral presentations.

 

Either way though, I think I did good on all three of them and now tomorrow is the start of new classes, and the Boyfriend has gone for two days, so I’m just basking in the fact that I got A LOT of writing stuff done this weekend.

 

It’s about damn time too!

 

I should mention that after two and half years of busting my ass, I’m finally 8 weeks and 4 classes away from getting my BSBA in Accounting.

 

Yes, you read that right.

 

I will have obtained my bachelors degree in two and a half years, all the while working a full time job and trying to pursue a writing career.

 

Holy Moly Artichoke, I can’t wait to be done.

 

Next January I plan on taking a five month review course that leads up to the CPA Exam, at which time if I pass…*crosses fingers* I will work under my current boss as I normally have for another year (well I should mention I plan on working for him for longer than that) but as he’s an actively licenses CPA, training under him for a year will enable me to obtain my CA CPA License.

 

I’m so excited!

(Bursts into song…and I just can’t hide it! I’m about to lose control and I think I like it!)

 

You see I graduated with high honors in high school and was accepted to every college that I applied to, but by the time my senior year came around I was so burned out that I went a little crazy and then decided to take a break before going to college.

 

People thought, Kaycee, if you don’t go to college now, the chances of you going at all are slim to none.

 

Well I’d just like to show all those people this special finger I have in the middle of my hand! They obviously didn’t know me, I’m very determined, but I also knew that had I gone to college right after high school I probably wouldn’t have finished.

 

I needed that break.

 

So I decided to after being out of school for a year and half, sign up through Devry as a full time online student, took accelerated courses and now I will be graduating before most of the people that I went to school with. It’s nice feeling accomplished again.

 

I showed all of them. I’ve always been very determined to do something with my life and thanks to my family and the love of my life, (and myself of course) I did it.

 

It was hard, and it was worth it and I couldn’t be happier.

 

Sometimes you just need a break so that you don’t crash, I recognized that before others did and now I look at all my old friends who dropped out of college and stuff and think. Who was right?

 

It’s very important recognize what you need, and I recognized the need for a break. A much needed one at that.

Now, I’ll have more time to concentrate on my writing and I can start pursuing the journey of obtaining my CPA License. I don’t want to be a CPA, but it couldn’t hurt to have the license.

 

Hooray for Kaycee! I’m almost done with school!