Originally published at Joely Sue Burkhart. You can comment here or there.

I’ve actually begun the second draft. I’m letting myself “warm up,” so to speak, without a lot of pressure right away. I’m slowly working back toward a Dark & Early schedule. I don’t want to overwhelm myself. Although I’ve done tons of planning, something could still go wrong. I could still find a yawning plot hole ahead, or realize I don’t know this new character at all. So I’m cautiously feeling my way ahead.

The Maya had a phrase, “he entered the Road,” or “he entered the White Road,” to describe death. The White Road led through Xibalba, the Place of Fright, to the Great Ceiba, or World Tree, “Raised-Up Sky.” At the end of every day, the Sun Lord dies and becomes the Jaguar Night Sun. He must pass through Xibalba, battle the Lords of Death as he passes through the Milky Way (the White Road), until he reigns triumphant over the day once more.

I very much feel as though the White Road stretches beneath my feet. I’ve entered the Place of Fright. You’ve seen how many characters and story lines I need to weave in this story, and although I have a good start on Jaid’s story after finishing the first draft, there’s still a considerable amount of work to accomplish. I know the Lords of Death wait for me, plotting ways to trick me into staying in Xibalba forever instead of passing through successfully.

It’s not the World Tree I aim for, exactly. This journey takes me to Kukulkan’s pyramid on the other side. (See Well of Sky, my free read at Drollerie) It looks a lot like this.

And yes, all this story asks for is my heart.

Originally published at Joely Sue Burkhart. You can comment here or there.

Continuing last night’s Monster Tale:

I helped her revise her story last night and printed it off on 6 pages (including the title page) so she could illustrate it. When she’s done, I’ll scan some copies — they are hilarious. The cover has a picture of an ambulance, and the person on the stretcher has X for eyes because he died from the smell. *dies* Here’s her edited version.

It Wasn’t Me

A kid named John was sitting in the car and tooted. The whole family gagged, and he said,

Originally published at Joely Sue Burkhart. You can comment here or there.

It’s been awhile since I had a worthy tale, but this one is pretty darned good.

We decided to try a new place to eat tonight, one of our old time favorites from Eagan, MN (Old Chicago) that has recently opened. On the way, we had to cross James River, and shortly after passing it, the van was suddenly filled with a wretched odor that had both That Man and I gagging. Seriously, it smelled like the bog of eternal stench. Since we’d just crossed the river, we thought maybe that was the smell, but it just got worse and worse.

Of course, I soon suspected that one of the monsters was suffering from a gas problem. The two littlest would have claimed it proudly if they’d unleashed that torment on us, but they both denied the smell. That meant Princess Monster had done it. Oh, yes–I knew she’d lie about it because she was embarrassed. (Princesses try very hard not to have gas, you know.) Red-faced, she finally admitted she’d done it just as we entered Old Chicago.

So we’re sitting at the table, talking and laughing about how she’d denied it, she suddenly got a story idea. I’m not kidding. I thought I was the only one who sat at the table scribbling madly on a napkin! Tossing ideas back and forth with me, she finished her first draft. Spelling as she wrote it.

It Wasn’t Me

A kid named John (Me: of course, even in the story, she couldn’t claim it–blame it on Uncle John!!) was sitting in the car and tuted (Me: cracks up) in the car.

The whole family gaged. And he said It wasn’t me!

One day they were in the house and the whole city gaged. And he said It wasn’t me!

One other day he was at the White House and he tuted and here came the whole army and he said It wasn’t me!

One day he was at the Impier State Building and tuted. The whole universe gaged, even the alains. And he said It wasn’t me!

But the whole universe said It was him. Then he confessed.

Brainstorming her idea, we decided to add a scene with the President trying to escape the smell on Air Force One (after I explained what AF1 was) and also Ben Franklin’s face sliding off Mount Rushmore.

It’ll be a best seller, I’m sure.

P.S. I’m keeping the napkin.

P.S.S. Yes, she gets the fragment habit from me. I’m working on that. Mine, not hers.

Originally published at Joely Sue Burkhart. You can comment here or there.

With Revision Xibalba (RX) starting next week, I worked on finishing character details last week. I wrote up some nice backstory for all the main characters I wanted to consider. Although I didn’t finish the key backstory/event for Charlie and Sam, I did outline it all. I couldn’t get enthused about writing it carefully–as I would to share it publically–but I did want to capture the events. It does all come full circle, so it’s important that I know about it. I just didn’t feel like I needed to know it perfectly, although I reserve the right to come back and finish it later. I planned to give those snippets away eventually.

It’s time to clean my desk, figuratively and literally. If you have anything you want me to read, this is a good week. Once I’m head down, nose to the grindstone, it may take several weeks of snippets of reading time instead of a long dedicated time. I’m out of books, so I shouldn’t be tempted there, unless I buy new ones. (Always a possibility.) I have several TBR piles, but they’re all still packed in the garage.

I have a few short character notes I want to make, and I want to write up the synopsis. I want to treat this like a formal proposal and have query and synopsis in hand, although I’m not sending anything out yet. I want to get this next pass well started, and let the dust settle on the Letters queries/packages before starting a new round. One book in the query stage is hard enough to manage, let alone two. Likely, I won’t be in a position to query NSR until early 2009, but it would be sweet indeed if I wrapped up the revision and could send a few chapters to my brand new agent before Thanksgiving. One can dream, right????! Please don’t wake me up.

If I owe you a package, I’m going to try very, very hard to get it in the mail before RX.

This week is also significant in my writer’s journey, so I’ll be writing up a post celebrating my fifth birthday as a writer. My, the time does fly, even when it seems the slow slog will never end.

Originally published at Joely Sue Burkhart. You can comment here or there.

I stayed up until 2:00 a.m. last night to finish this book. I first heard of this series over at Dear Author and was highly intrigued. I’ve never read much contemporary romance. Name a famous contemporary “staple” and I’m about 85% sure I can say I haven’t read it.

I’m so glad I made the exception for this book.

I started it Friday night and read just the first chapter or so. I finished the rest yesterday. Around midnight I really thought I should go to bed, but I was so close to the big turning point… And if you’ve read this book, you know there’s a pretty significant development unfolding in the final quarter or so of the book. I bawled when Mel grieved for her husband, and although I expected the little twist I mentioned at the end, it was still well done.

Oh, there were a few things I wish had been done differently, but it was still a really good read. I wanted more of the killer instinct in Jack, not just the one glimpse of the Marine who had so many service records at the end. The characters are all solid, and the setting is wonderful. Sort of like a Jill Shalvis Sierra Nevada setting, only without her same brand of humor. I think what made this book so attractive is that setting. I could totally see Mel’s cute little cabin in the redwoods, the potted plants on the porch and the deer in her yard. Yet despite the beauty, Mel had very legitimate reasons for not wanting to stay.

I found I wanted to stay. I wanted to say I knew where Virgin River was so I could visit. And in the end, that is one of the greatest victories of all for an author, wouldn’t you say?

Originally published at Joely Sue Burkhart. You can comment here or there.

I was sitting in a meeting the other day, turned in my chair, and my lower back caught. I didn’t pull anything–it just feels like something’s stuck. I’ve been cripping around ever since.

Naturally, my heating pad has decided to croak. So I’ll be getting a new heating pad today.

However, most importantly, I need to recommit to exercise. I’ve gotten lax on my walking, and I know that’s why my back is out of whack, not to mention my weight loss goals. When I’m exercising regularly, my knees and back feel much better along with my overall sense of wellbeing.

With RX on the horizon, I must take care of this poor old body or I’ll end up in traction.