Here's a belated note about a guest post I did over at Routines for Writers.   I talk about utter failure, The Guilts, and why I ended up subleasing an office in a pole dancing studio.  Here's a preview:

I mean, let’s face it. We don’t sit down inspired and burning with words. (If you do, I don’t want to hear from you.) The worst part of writing is ( Read more... )

The writing part of my brain spent the weekend pacing the floor.

Here's the deal.   I was almost finished with my work in progress, Sorrow's Knot.  I had the ending outlined and quite a bit of it written (for a given value of "written.")   The finished-quality writing had just reached the point where the story takes a sharp turn and starts rushing ( Read more... )

Just finished chapter 14, complete with mini climax. After whinging and flailing for a few days (an important part of my revision process, whinging and flailing) I threw out the old version and redid it in a more straightforward, less dramatic way.

Here is my favourite new paragraph, my antagonist Linay answering a question from the hero, ( Read more... )

Inching my way through the climax of Plain Kate.  I've been avoiding it for some reason ... yr typical fear-of-finishing procrastination, I guess.  It's painful, though. I've done something like 100 words in three hours and am thinking of cutting the cat's hair again ( Read more... )

Had another pass at the troublesome first half of chapter fifteen. Added some pretty storks and a random sad bit to the functional part and so improved its emotional tone. Then I got to the back half of the chapter and made it fabulous. As I am a genius ( Read more... )

The odd thing about fixing my novel -- the problems are never where I think they are ( Read more... )

Scorecard: 1077 words today, making 48,639 words in total. About 600 new words and 400 drastically edited words. A lot for me.

Remember I said there were four major things that happen in this part of the book, and I had had to rethink the order of them? And then rethink the transitions? Well, I've got three of the four things written now, and ( Read more... )

Rebecca fixed me ( Read more... )

Spent two hours this afternoon tackling the troublesome section (both girls napped at once!  It's a miracle!)  and now feel like a genius.  I must try to remember that I occasionally do feel good about this book.  That's part of the reason for keeping this journal.

I like this bit:

The rusalka swept toward her -- like sleep itself, the thing swept: ( Read more... )

Oh, but in good writing news, check this review of my last book, The Mongoose Diaries, at Prairie Fire Review of Books.  PFRB is the big review fish in the small pond that is Canadian Literary Publishing, so this review is not only good but important.  As these things go.