Thursday, October 31, 2013

Am I Done Yet?

So this is the part of writing where I just want to lay down and cry. I've done the majority of my edits. There's red ink and purple ink and highlighter all over the printed pages. Now I'm in the middle of going through and adding those parts in. But I don't wanna! I've seen this story so many times it's almost gibberish at this point. And I'm just plain old tired of sitting hunched over my computer. I've tried changing up the scenery: writing in the library, at Barnes & Noble, or on the couch with random Buffy and WWE dvds playing. I think it's helped? Not sure. I still feel like a hunchback at the end of each evening. I want to take a day and just ignore the book. But one day might turn into two days and so on. So I keep on writing. There's a light at the end of the tunnel and it's my big goofy grin when my book is purchased by readers this spring.

I saw this quote posted by Advice to Writers on Twitter. There's a word for a writer who never gives up: published. - Joe Konrath.

Never give up? It's like Mr. Konrath is the John Cena of the literary world. I like it. I'll keep on truckin' but I'm definitely splurging for a back massage when this story is complete.



Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Amputation

I've finished the rough draft of my novel. I jokingly titled it The Sergeant and His Submissive, but I can't think of anything else so that's what I'm going with for now. Anyhoo, when I was done I looked at my word count. 141,016. And I still have more to add. Uh-oh, that's no bueno. That's a big book. Readers might have a hard time getting through it and staying interested. Which means I might have to do something I've never done before. Cut out parts of my story. It hurts. It really does. Probably more so in this case because I'm so attached to the original version. I can't lose Clay on his knees, finally understanding his submission. I won't part with any of Logan's jealousy. (Oh yeah, this is a love story about two guys. Don't like it? Imagine me making my I don't care face.) I'll just die if I have to take out any of the dialogue.

But sadly, I will have to make some of those cuts. I'll have to decide which parts aren't necessary. Then I'll have to take the cursor, highlight sections and hit delete. I'm pretty sure I'll hear my computer scream in pain as those words are killed off and sent into the abyss.  Or maybe it'll sound like this poor guy. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rfa_6pCJ4c

It's funny how we become so attached to words and scenes that parting with them makes us sad. Oh well. Maybe one day I'll release the extended edition.


Monday, October 21, 2013

Contest!

I'm doing a contest! I don't actually know what I'm doing or if I'm doing this correctly, but I don't care! This contest will be a win-win for me and two lucky entrants. Here's the deal. I suck at naming characters. Honestly, I find it the hardest thing to do when writing. So I'm asking you to submit names for two of the characters in my upcoming book. Here's a brief description of each character to help you choose a name.

Female Character X: She is a young African-American woman who works in Public Relations for the Houston Police Department. She's of average height with a slender yet curvy figure. She has thick curly hair that falls just below her shoulders. Picture Kerry Washington and that gorgeous head of hair she sported in Lakeview Terrace. Her role is to come on to one of our heroes - not realizing he's in a relationship.

Male Character X:  He's a young man who works as a graphic artist. He's the best friend of one of our heroes. He's straight but talks our hero through some of his relationship woes. I don't know what he looks like yet - so feel free to think of whatever name you like!

Here's the info:

How Do I Enter? Submit your names to me on Twitter, Christa Tomlinson @christa_writes. Or you can email them to me at Christa.Tomlinson@yahoo.com

How Many Times Can I Enter? As many times as you want! Just uh... please don't send me a list of dozens of names. One name per email or tweet.

Is There An Age Limit? Yes. Due to the nature of the prizes, you must be at least 18 years old to enter.

What Are The Contest Dates? The contest begins Monday October 21st and ends Friday October 25th at 12:01 cst.

How Will Winners Be Selected? I will read through all of the names. And the one that I like best for the girl character will win one of the prizes and the one I like best for the boy character will win the other prize. That's all there is to it.

What If More Than One Person Submits The Same Name? I will only accept the first entry for duplicate names. However, if you submit a name that someone else has already sent me, I will let you know so you can give me another entry. That's fair, yes?

So ... What Do I Win? You get TWO awesome prizes! First you get an electronic copy of my novella, Martini Seduction. You can read the description here. You'll also receive one of these two fancy schmancy Halloween themed martini sets. You see the connection? Halloween, martinis, Martini Seduction ... Prizes will be mailed October 26th so you can enjoy them on Halloween.











So hurry up and send in your entries! It's a pain in the ass referring to these people as X. Thanks for participating!

Christa