Spring Break!

Okay, it's technically not spring break yet, and I have one more test to take at the end of the week, but the rest of my classes are wrapped up for the term, so I'm finally free!

I started the year off well... but recently I kind of dropped off the face of the Earth. It's pretty normal for me to oscillate between different activities, and at the time, what I needed most was to focus on school, get some fresh air, and spend some quality time with my family. Now that I'm back, I wanted to update all of you on what's been going on recently in writing and life in general.

So, as you've probably gathered, life has been interesting of late. I mean... not like it's ever uninteresting, but you know. I am all registered for my last term of the year, which will end about a month after I've graduated. I'm about to graduate, guys! My brain thinks it understands, but I'm not sure it really does. This is a pretty big milestone in my life. I'm hoping to sing at the ceremony. I'm also hoping I will survive singing at the ceremony. I expect to be a nervous wreck, in any case, but it will be a day to remember.

In the meantime, I've been pretty swamped by school, which makes it seem like time is going too fast, and I should be getting more done. I missed a deadline on a really good local scholarship, which I'm trying not to kick myself for, and my capstone project is going to be due next month. Yikes. My dad is helping me train a horse for that project, and I rode her last Sunday for the first time this year. Got the first bucks out of her and was proud that I managed to regain control after each of her four such episodes. I'm also getting ready for Prom, which is in just a few weeks, and shouldn't I have a dress lined up or something???

I'm looking into buying my first car. I have few months before I'll truly need one, which is good, because it'll take some hunting to find what I want at a good price.

And yeah, that's about it. Thank goodness, because it's plenty. And now on to the fun stuff!

Ah, writing. My favorite occupation. My most agonizing occupation. I've recently wondered if I shouldn't give up entirely, but I think I've just been in need of a break to recuperate and prepare to go at it some more.

I had planned to work on ACU (A Cyborg's Ultimatum) while away from When the Runner Meets the Fight (which I completed about a month ago). Unfortunately, my need for rest meant I only wrote 1,917 words on it. But I did do some more planning and development, so it's taking deeper root in my brain. Runner is still my main project, though, and it won't let me forget about it. I might have given it up long ago, but I can't seem to stop thinking about it.

That's both a blessing and a problem. A blessing, because it forces me to keep going, and someday I'll have it to thank when I hold the published book(s) in my hands. A problem, because it's way too easy for me to rewrite the whole story in my head when I'm away from the manuscript.

I entered break fully prepared for this weakness of mine. The precautions I took are as follows:

1) Have backup daydream topics, namely:

A) ACU plot and characters

B) White Stag plot and characters (White Stag is a superhero story that's still in the planning phase).

2) Restrict my thoughts on Runner to Book Two, so that I don't mess up the plot of Book One.

3) ..... (I could have sworn I took more precautions than that. Oh, well).

For the most part, it worked!!! I was able to invest more thoughts into both ACU and White Stag, so while they're still pretty messy, they're coming together. I also had a lot of ideas for Book 2 of the Son of Slavery Trilogy/Series. (I'm not set on a title yet, but I'll be referring to it as Fighter.) I fleshed out a couple of characters who will be introduced in Fighter, and both wound up tracing their roots to the backstory.

Which is where I kind of failed...

Backstory changes stuff. A lot of stuff. Even a subtle shift in motivations, or a single event, or that one character who was almost a friend to the friendless MC can change the whole premise of the story. Now, what I changed was not what I would call "a subtle shift" in anything. Instead, I kind of slipped and changed the majority of my MC's childhood experiences. Whoops!

And that's basically permanent now. When I was a brand-new writer, I didn't want to change anything of my beautiful (actually, stiff and boring) work. By the end of my first draft ever, my position on that changed, and I became incapable of keeping anything.

I throw stuff away all the time. Characters, names, plot lines, scenes, every word I've ever written... ever.

I mean, I keep a record on paper, of course. I don't delete my drafts, or anything crazy like that. I just make a mental shift, rewrite everything, and run with it. It's very difficult for me to detach myself from an idea once I've fully explored it.

So, don't expect the backstory to change. It has been married to Book 2 through plot entanglements, and Book 1 will just have to deal with the consequences. The only thing I can do now is damage control. I can't let myself rewrite Book 1 in my mind, or I'll never go back. I did, however, jot down a few ideas for how the backstory might affect Runner, and I'll keep them in the back of my mind while I figure out the state of my current draft.

Which brings me to the third precaution, which I totally did have all along but couldn't remember at first (told you). Without further ado:

3) Return to the draft as soon as necessary in order to stay grounded within the story as-is.

Since my thoughts have been slipping back and threatening to uproot everything I have created, it is time. Time to dive back into the fray, push through the undoubtedly cringe-worthy draft, and pray that I'm pleasantly surprised by how good it is. Here's the procedure I have planned, which I will begin either today or tomorrow, most likely:

Step #1: Reread draft while taking notes by hand. Possibly do on a chapter-by-chapter basis to get the full impression written down. Include notes of problem areas, questions and suggestions, but no major brainstorming yet.

Step #2: Take a scheduled break to handle the inevitable despair. Then get hopeful and too excited to sit still.

Step #3: Go over notes and make a list of the problems. Arrange in order of significance and draw out a plan of attack.

Step #4: Do whatever the plan of attack says to... while still living life, because that's important, too.

And yep! That's all for today. Sorry again for dropping off the edge of the Earth, but the scenery is too pretty there to not go back, so I'm sure I'll be apologizing for this again soon. In the meantime, I'd love to hear from you! Has March been as crazy for you as it has for me? Have you ever dropped off the edge of the Earth, and if so, what did you like most about your visit there? Are you excited for spring?

Don't be a stranger! And once again, thank you for reading my ramblings. It means the world to me.

The edge of the Earth.... I've totally been there.