The Writing – Page 61 – Joely Sue Burkhart

Posted on March 4, 2009March 4, 2009 by Joely — 2 Comments

RX: 3/4/2009

So yesterday and today I got up semi-Dark & Early to continue working on Revision Xibalba. It’s still slow going. Taking a couple of weeks off certainly didn’t help. I reread the last chapter first, smoothing a few more things (can any writer read a “complete” chapter and be 100% happy with it?) and then edited the three sections I had finished but not connected to the main draft, which is now just under 70K.

Yesterday, I grabbed the next few sections in Jaid and Ruin’s POV from the first draft and began polishing. I think I did 2.5 pages yesterday, and finished the rest of the section this morning. Bad things, dude, very bad things. Hopefully I’ll build some momentum and grind through these last few horrible scenes quickly.

Tally:

14 13 revision sections
4 new sections to complete Tara and Quinn’s threads.

That’s it! I know I can do this by the end of March.

However, I did receive the first pass of edits on The Road to Shanhasson last night! Wheeeeeee! They’re pretty light, thanks to the terrific job Soleil, Ann, and Bethanie did of beta-reading. I’ll get those back to Deena by Monday. She didn’t even kill me for all the horrible things I did in that story. *wicked laugh* Although one comment totally made me laugh out loud about increasing the boys’ ages…

I also have to get the blurb and tagline stuff filled out on Dear Sir, I’m Yours (the story formerly known as Letters). That will be tougher. So that’s my first goal.

RX Snippet: This section takes place in a cave, so it’s absolutely dark. They’re in an underground pool of water.

“Which city is this?”

“Iximche.”

Surprise splintered through her, followed by a tsunami of dread that nearly dragged her back down to the depths of Lake Atitlan. This is where her father had made his greatest pre-Chi’Ch’ul discovery. This is where her mother died. “Why?”

A new voice echoed in the darkness. “Because he knew I’d come here.”

Ruin tensed and whipped his body around toward the speaker, pressing her back from the threat. Something slammed into him with the dull sound of flesh on flesh and ripped him away. Water splashed violently, but she couldn’t see what was happening. If she charged after them, she’d be killed, yet standing here, doing nothing…

She heard a wet, heavy thunk, and Ruin grunted. God, he must have been stabbed. Who was it? It didn’t sound like a demon.

“At last.”

Involuntarily, she backed away into the water. That voice did sound like a demon. Her teeth hurt and her muscles tensed so hard and fast that she shuddered. She couldn’t even call it a “voice” when it grated like metal on metal, screeching to the point of pain.

“Give me the White Dagger, lady.”

Until then, she didn’t even remember that she held it in her hand. The thing felt slick and foul on her palm as though it were coated in rotted, feculent scum. Gritting her teeth, she forced her fingers to grip it, not to sling it away. It pulsed with a heavy, steady throb like a living heart.

“Jaid, don’t you dare–“ Ruin’s ragged voice cut off on a strangled, bubbling sound. She didn’t need to see him to know that his throat had been slit.

Posted on March 2, 2009March 2, 2009 by Joely — 5 Comments

News Flash

We’ve really been working hard on a new title for “Letters to an English Professor.” We’ve been back and forth through all sorts of ideas and had tentatively settled on “Make Me.” It does have a signficant meaning in the story, but sounds rather childish and didn’t really convey the BDSM aspect of the story. It didn’t SING.

Angie suggested “Dear Sir,” which we’d sort of touched on with “Dear Conn” or “Dear Conn, With Love” like the famous “To Sir, With Love,” but “Conn” didn’t do much for the title. Google is my friend (as Rae would say) and I saw the formal “Yours Faithfully.”

So combining, we have approved the final title: “Dear Sir, I’m Yours.”

Rae doesn’t really call Conn “Sir”, but it definitely implies the right mood as well as conveying the theme of “Letters.”

Woo-hoo! Now to come up with a catchy tag line….

Posted on March 1, 2009 by Joely — 8 Comments

February Recap

I need a do-over.

Other than the terrific news from Samhain, Feb. was pretty much a bust. I didn’t finish Revision Xibalba — and I should have been able to do so. I can’t even blame it on a new project, because I only finished one section in the new sfr project. I was rather scattered. I spent days brainstorming a new title for Letters, tenatively “Make Me.” I spent days angsting about an agent. Then poof. I looked up and the month was gone.

So today, I cleaned my desk. I made a consise list of what I need to do in order to complete Revision Xibalba this month. I have some items to complete for Samhain this week, but otherwise, Revision Xibalba is my number one priority until I get editor revisions on either Road or Letters (MM).

My mood hasn’t been the greatest the past week or so. After I turned in my “year in review” status report this past week (performance appraisal time is just around the corner), my boss at the Evil Day Job said she thought I was going to quit. Not hardly, but reflective of how off my game I’ve been.

Oh, and I also broke my teapot. With tea in it, of course. And one paper towel left in the entire kitchen. Don’t even ask about the dumb thing I did to Bethanie!

So I’ll be shopping for a new teapot — and hoping for a better month!

Posted on February 25, 2009February 25, 2009 by Joely — 4 Comments

2/25/2009

When I planned to work on Tara’s scene last night, I’d forgotten that I had a two-hour eligibility afternoon meeting at the Evil Day Job. Talk about totally wiped. I had a tension headache, too, and just couldn’t face this difficult scene.

That Man had to be up at 5:15 for his EDJ today, so we both went to bed early and I planned to tackle the scene this morning. As I was brushing my teeth, the final plot piece finally slipped into place. I also had a vision for another diagram I need to prepare for work today before our 1 pm meeting to clean up all the stuff that came up yesterday. Some days, my brain is firing on all cylinders!

So I shout VICTORY this morning. The first draft of Tara’s scene is complete at 914 words. Not a lot by any means, but a significant victory just the same. I noted my complete lack of output since 2/14 in my spreadsheet which is totally unacceptable. Ugh. I could have been through Revision Xibalba this month if I hadn’t slacked off. Le sigh.

Ah, well, nothing I can do about it now but press my nose to the grindstone and concentrate on finishing as soon as possible.

Aside: My copy of Larissa Ione’s Desire Unchained arrived yesterday! I had it pre-ordered on Amazon forever, it seemed, and I was going to hunt down the UPS man if he didn’t deliver it yesterday. He was late (after dinner) but he did drop it off, along with my Caribou Coffee order. However, I don’t get to read it until I finish Revision Xibalba. *dies* That’s my reward. [I don’t get to start it, because once I do, I know I’ll read it straight through in one sitting like Pleasure Unbound!]

And so cool — my first “blurb” appears in the front!

Posted on February 24, 2009February 24, 2009 by Joely — 4 Comments

Where I Am

I’m going to work on the nagging (haha, not “nagging” according to Sal in the Shanhasson series) scene today in Revision Xibalba even if it kills me! If I must admit defeat by the time I go to bed, then tomorrow, I’m skipping this scene. I know what comes later — and it’s easy smoothing/edits not writing a brand new scene.

Kait, I don’t think I need your character therapist duties — yet. I know this character. The problem is I don’t know enough about the plot in this scene. I have a general sense, but I’ve already started it in the wrong place. This is a new sub-plot thread, and so some of this exploration is necessary for me — but doesn’t belong on page. For whatever reason, I have a mental block about it.

Since I don’t have much to report on the writing front, I’ll note a few other things.

I’m currently reading The Magicians and Mrs. Quent by Galen Beckett thanks to this post at Fantasy Debut. It was generally held knowledgeable among the people who know my secret writing projects that I was working on a similar story at one time or another (2007 Fast Draft which needs so much work it’s not even funny). Magicians is a lovely story, but very very slow paced. It’s an interesting mix of Regency mores and “new” culture of this world. I know there are seven old Houses that supposedly controlled or knew magic but that’s about it, and I’m thru the first five chapters.

I got out several packages last Friday AT LAST! There was great rejoicing heard all about the land as I now have packages winging their way toward WI, VA, TN and OH. I have one more “Christmas” present to mail to friends in WI, a birthday present (from last September — shame!!) to a friend in MN, and one of my Dad’s acquaintances wants a print out of Survive My Fire. After that, I might almost be caught up in post office duties.

I need to clean my desk. I need to clean out the fridge. I need to sit down and plan out some healthy meals and evaluate my schedule to make sure I’m exercising — I’ve been lax again.

By then, my writing mo-jo should be back in full swing. That’s the plan, at least, and I’m sticking to it.

Posted on February 18, 2009February 18, 2009 by Joely — 3 Comments

02/16/2009

I’m so far behind it’s not even funny.

I can’t really blame it on any single thing. I just lost my groove. I got out of “work mode” and I’m struggling to get back to that place that doesn’t mind getting up at 5 AM and has no interest in doing anything but writing.

Certainly not watching Phantom of the Opera AGAIN like I did last night, this time with the monsters. Then I watched it again after they went to bed, only I fast forwarded through everything to hit only the scenes I wanted to see. I had to quit listening to the sound track, because those songs are still pounding in my head this morning and I can’t seem to think of anything else.

So this is a rather sorry update. I will not be finishing 7Crows by the end of the month. I’ve finished one scene of 20+. It’s not going to happen. That’s fine. I’ll take my time and do it right the first time, AFTER I finish the Maya revision, which I haven’t touched for days.

My first order of business today (2/17/2009) is to finish the next new scene in Tara’s POV. I’ll report back tonight on how I did and where I stand in Revision Xibalba.

Posted on February 16, 2009 by Joely — 2 Comments

CC101 – Winners

Thank you to everyone who participated, both with your posts and your comments! I had a blast — I hope you did too.

Drawn from the posters, the winner is: Jenna Reynolds!

Drawn from the commenters (including blog owners’ comments), the winner is: Soleil!

Congrats to both of you! E-mail me with the details of what you’d like me send you!

Don’t be sad if you weren’t drawn — there’s another chance to win a gift certificate if you can help me come up with a title. Also stay tuned for more prizes. I plan to give away Larissa Ione’s three Demonica books in March!

Posted on February 16, 2009 by Joely — 4 Comments

Title Help!

We’re trying to come up with a new title for “Letters to An English Professor.” Something fun, sexy, slightly kinky, that screams romance with light BDSM. The story’s hero is an English Professor who loves Romantic Period poets, gives interesting pop quizzes with sizzling extra credit, and quotes poetry throughout. The heroine specializes in restorations, calls herself the “Fix-It Lady” and her company’s slogan is “Making Things Right.”

Some title possibilities we’ve considered:

Pop Quiz, A Poem to Bind Me, Poetry Lessons, Extra Credit, Poetic Submission, The Professor and the Fix-It Lady…

Well, you get the idea. None of them really stand up and shout PICK ME! PICK ME!

Do you have any ideas? If so, shout it out. If we end up using your title suggestion, I’ll give you a $5 gift certificate to Ravenous Romance. My friend Jenna writing as Anna Black has a brand new story out with them today.