Raven's View

Here I am finally, a day late for Sunday, and weeks since my last post. I'm done with editing my second novel, Return to Kirk's Landing, but just for now. I've made a number of changes, mostly high level, and fired it off to a beta reader for more feedback. Hopefully once it's back I can focus on voice, POV, dialogue, description, scene goals, etc. Still a lot to do but I just needed to stop for a bit.

In other news, I did find a couple of good series on Netflix. Scott and Bailey features two female British detectives, working in Manchester. With a female boss too. All strong characters, well portrayed, with good development. Dicte is Danish, with subtitles, and stars a female crime reporter who helps a local detective (male) solve crimes. Many involve children, thus linking to some of her own issues. Another favourite last year was Forbrydelson, as well as The Bridge. Plus there's Weeds, Saving Grace - I seem to like these types of crime series, with strong smart female protagonists. My last three novels have a female protagonist too: Agnes of Grimm, The Ghost in the Machine, and The Portal.  

When not editing, I also read a few books. I did my review for The Luminaries, which we found just so-so. I got Winter Garden from my library the day before my book club, so went in cold, with open ears. The group did like it, so I'll finish it.

I also got a cheque from the Public Lending Right Program of the Canada Council for the Arts. It's designed to compensate authors with books in libraries, for any sales they have missed out on.  They only found me in 2/7 major libraries, but sent $100, so it's worth signing up for and pushing libraries to order your book. That can be done either by you, or via friends making requests. 

Now that I have a break, I can brave the cold to do some shopping and chores, read some more, keep active in the Helping Our Northern Neighbours site, and learn to play War Games: Red Dragon. My son has a copy of it too. 

Oh - and I've signed up for a table at a new local literary festival - Prose in the Park. It's in Ottawa June 6th. I might be on a panel too.

I told some writer friends all about ROW80 and how great it is to keep you on track and even got some to sign up. Yet, after several years of me following it, this has to be my worst session. 

Here I am, after yet another break, a day late for Wednesday's check-in. I've two distractions/excuses - a wonky back and the Helping Our Northern Neighbours cause. Well, and a pile of boks and soem tempting TV series - but those are always there. My back is pretty well okay, but the cause - and time demands - is growing. I'm helping out as one of of our local chapters' FaceBook group admins, but also stay active on several associated groups. It's mostly welcoming new people, putting out fires, and adding suggestions, but it can take up most of the day. And often has.

I've started working offline, which helps. I changed my writing backup to a local external drive, and just unplug my router and set my timer. I know that it takes several minutes for the network to sync when plugged back in so that is a useful deterrent to just popping online to check something. In addition, my 'muse' is coming to town for a visit February 21, so that gives me a hard target now to get things cleaned up enough for another print out.  

I'm still at the structural level - moving walls, adding some windows, covering some over. Not yet at the stage of picking the baseboard colour in the living room. I wrote the first novel with a very sparse plan, so then had to do a lot of structural changes. For the second one, I had more of a plan, so it went together better. However, I want it to be better than the first one, and have learned a lot about writing since then, so I've set the bar even higher for myself. Unfortunately I'm seeing this novel as not a delight to nurture and expand but something to get over and done so that I can get an agent then get on to my other editing writing. I need a way to change that mindset.