Tag Archives: Editing

The gameplan

 

Spell Check, word cloud concept 9Laundry’s in the dryer which means it’s finally time to download VIPER, The Scoundrels MC book 1 to see what editing notes in the doc I have and what all needs to be done. I received them over the long weekend and since then haven’t had two seconds to do more than briefly glance at the editor sheet with her notes. For the most part it sounds pretty damn good. A few spots I need to fill in to make everything smoother, and a couple goofy things that obviously I wrote while half asleep. Ugh! Really need to stop doing that.

Once that’s off my plate the rest of the weekend is for writing. Which means more work done on book 3 of the Living Victorious series. Many readers have asked when this one is coming out. Unfortunately I’ve had a hell of a time getting back into the groove since Christmas. The extra long break and a shake up around work, nothing horrible mind you – just extra hours, extra work, and no extra help or bump in pay – mucked up my rhythm. Gotta get my groove back basically.

Last thing I need to do is load some more of my writer friends onto the blog for the coming weeks – been slacking there sadly. But I can do that during my breaks when I need a moment to clear the brain fog out.

Beyond that it will be lots of coffee, many snacks, and pounding the keys until my hands cramp and I need to find something else to do for a little while. I hope everyone has a great weekend and I’ll update soon. ~ Moira

A list of projects

Coffee_77856522_XSHappy Saturday everyone, it’s the weekend! Finally. I thought for a while there the week would never end, but thankfully it did. Now I need to knuckle down to work on a few projects of my own instead of the “day job”.

First up are the second round of edits on The Rhythm, Living Victorious 1. I got them back mid-week so I have to get them done so they can be turned in before my deadline. I opened the doc up a few minutes ago to take another browse through, and I don’t see it taking too many hours out of the day. A few tweaks, a couple of little fixes, some word adjustments, and then the final read through in the (sometimes vain) hope of ensuring I didn’t miss anything important. Or worse, I didn’t miss something spelled incorrectly for the sentence structure yet that still exists in the English language. It’s happened to all authors at one time. Something that should be “an” but is in there as “and”, the doc sees nothing wrong with it because it’s a word, but the mess it makes of the sentence and over all scene… Ugh!

Second item on my list o’ projects for the weekend is to get more words down into Living Victorious 2. I got a huge amount into it last weekend, and if I can manage the same this weekend I should be right about where I want to be for the finish. Perhaps a few other details, but not all that many. My one character, the leading lady in case you were curious, in book 2 has a huge decision to make. Something I’m currently working toward revealing. She’s been given a huge opportunity, but to accept it would mean putting the rest of her life, which she’s only recently regained, on hold. She’s unsure if she can take the risk by accepting the opportunity presented. It would mean a lot of strain, and distance while building a relationship she was sure would only remain in her dreams. The girl has choices to make, a lot of them, and very soon. We’ll have to see which way she goes I suppose.

Let’s see, other than that I have a few actual housekeeping projects to look after. ie: Cleaning – ick! But it must be done otherwise my squirrel syndrome kicks in, and I end up distracted from the truly important things in life – writing. YAY! LOL! So it will get done whenever I take a break. A little here, a little there, and before I know it the residence will be clean and there shall be no more distractions from the writing.

Well that’s it. I need to get a coffee refill, and then I will be buckling down on edits so I can get them back to my publisher for the final read through at their end. Have a fantastic day, a terrific weekend, and I will keep you up to date on what’s coming next. ~ Moira

Working on edits

Pen, Writing, Letter.

That’s right, I have edits for book 1 of my new 5 book series – The Rhythm, Living Victorious. My publisher sent them through last night, and after a quick peek to see who my editor was, and what she had to say I left them for this morning. Now I am armed with coffee, a bowl of cereal, and have it up on my screen ready to rock and roll once the caffeine starts to do it’s job.

For the most part it looks pretty good. A few filler words to get rid of, or change to something more productive to the sentence. There are also *snickers* some eyeballs doing things they shouldn’t be – oops! Definitely need to fix that since this isn’t a horror story where such things might slide. Let’s see, what else did she let me know about? Ah yes, some redundant words that can be scratched out – not that hard, and last were some overly repetitive words. I know the latter happens when I get tired. Even when I know I should stop for a while the muse is on a roll. As an author you keep writing when the muse is talking even if you can’t totally focus on the screen any more.

Depending on how far along I get on edits in the next hour I should have a vague idea of how long it will all take. Hoping to get the majority done today so that I can give it a good read through tomorrow with the changes to look for anything that needs work on the flow.

I also need to find my list of mistakes I noticed after I’d submitted so that I can ensure those too are fixed if she didn’t find them. Although this editor is scarily efficient (meep!) so I doubt she’ll have missed the things my eyes coasted over during the final read through prior to submission. Which I then later found while looking for teasers to share in my FB Group down the road. Yeah – that actually happens.

Well that would be it for today. Hope you are all having a great weekend, and staying cool out there. ~ Moira

Making the brain have to work

Happy Saturday all! Been a pretty good day so far minus a small incident with a tap that led to a much more thorough cleaning of my kitchen than was allotted for the day. But that’s fine, it would have had to happen eventually, and I got my shower out of the way all at the same time lol! Well, not quite.

The small British kitten sleeps

With coffee in hand today I’m working on finishing up my edits for Drakon’s Prize out of the Bad Alpha anthology. The majority I got through quickly, and easily with only one hiccup so far. Had to resort to sending off a note to the editor for some clarification since my brain couldn’t quite figure out what she meant. I hate bothering them but this one just couldn’t be resolved by my poor little brain. Once I have her answer back I will finish up, and shoot it back to EP for round two.

Once I’m done edits then I will be swinging over to work on book two of Living Victorious for a while. Though I think I may sneak in a nap. I did not sleep well last night. My neighbors and I will be having words of a rather harsh sort soon if they don’t get their acts together. I truly couldn’t care less that they work on different shifts than I do, usually I can sleep through anything – brass band in the bedroom, cop cars popping wheelies on the street, or whatever. One of the few things I can’t sleep through is annoying laughs. Whether it be the sort like Janice off of “Friends”, or someone that sounds like a braying donkey, there is a level of laugh that is abrasive in the way fingernails down a chalkboard is. They had such an individual over last evening braying away in the wee hours of the morning waking me up. Had I not been happily ensconced in my bed enjoy the rain dampened air coming through my window I likely would have wandered over to have a “talk” with them. Lucky I didn’t feel like unrolling from my blankie.

So a small nap is on the schedule before I have to figure out what I’m doing for dinner. I’m thinking of maybe a little East Indian. I’m in the mood for some good Tandoori chicken, and there’s a place not that far from me that serves some of the best. And now I’m hungry. Okay, so a snack, and then a nap. Better stop writing this post before I talk myself into something else! Have a great day, and a fantastic weekend ~ Moira

Windy Wednesday

Young Cute Man Taking Shower In BathroomHappy Hump Day everyone. As the title suggests, we had ourselves a very breezy day here in the city. But that’s not all I have to share – it was generally a very weird day. It likely has everything to do with the sleep that I didn’t get last night, but I had the damnedest time trying to remember what day it was. On top of that the weirdo count went through the roof at work. No, not just talking about my co-workers – we don’t count them since they are there every day – I mean the other weirdos. The ones that wander in off the street, or call with no clear reason as to why they are calling. It’s like they want to “chat” or some silly thing. I don’t have time for “chatting” during the day. I barely have time for what I have to get done during the day.

But it is over, thank goodness. Now I can spend my evening relaxing, watching some TV, and working on my second round of edits for Dangerous Reactions, C&M Security 6. I actually have the majority done but my editor found a couple other issues that I need to clean up. Nothing major thankfully, but they are making me think. Not a good plan for tonight so I may need to wait until the brain is functioning better. I’d really hate to write myself into an even worse corner my editor has to get me out of, lol!

What else is there to talk about? Oh, yes! Coming May 21, 2015 (that’s a Thursday if you were wondering) Evernight Publishing is having a Facebook Event – Summer’s Kick-Off Event to be exact. If you’re interested in joining feel free. There will be lots of authors, lots of prizes, and who knows what mayhem might ensue. You can join by clicking here – this will take you to the Facebook Event page, and click the “join” button.

Well that’s it for now. I may, or may not have more news later – but for now I must remain quiet. I know, I’m evil even mentioning it, but that is life. Until later everyone ~ Moira

Getting into the groove…

Variety of cups of coffee with smoke on wooden backgroundThank goodness it’s Saturday! Woohoo! I have coffee in hand, my WIP is loading up, and the muse is doing her stretches in preparation for the day. I figured I’d start with a little writing before I got into the more stressful task of doing my taxes. I know that’s one hell of an efficient way to kill the muses groove. So that will be later. Besides I probably should be fully awake before attempting it.

Next year I’m saying to hell with it and getting an accountant. Unless of course it’s to the eleventh hour, and I forgot about looking for one prior to deadline. Which is entirely possible. Despite what most people believe I do on occasion forget things, I am not infallible. It’s why I have lists that have lists.

Anyway, before I get into my writing for the day I thought I’d also announce on here that I have another story that has been accepted for an Anthology. I’m very happy, and thrilled. It will also be my very first published Paranormal story. It’s called Drakon’s Prize, and I must admit I’m extremely pleased with how it turned out. I rather like my bad ass Dragon Alpha character. Hopefully so too will everyone else – hint, hint. Look for a page to come in the next couple of months on my site as we get some more information about it from Evernight Publishing.

In other news I also have the first round of edits for Dangerous Reactions, C&M Security book 6. I haven’t gone through all the notes yet, but it doesn’t look too bad. I also have myself a new editor. I hope someone warned her about my comma addiction so she wasn’t shocked. Though I will freely admit I did go through this one before submitting it to really look at my comma problem and eliminate them where I could. I never get them all of course, this is why I have an editor after all, because what I think needs a comma doesn’t always actually need one apparently. I can only hope they get paid well for putting up with my issues. LOL!

All right, I do believe that is it for today. Looks like I need a refill already, this may be a two pot day after all so I am off to get more coffee, and then get down to business. Hope you all have a terrific weekend, and don’t forget to check back tomorrow for another #SexySnippet Sunday. ~ Moira

Officially on vacation!

Out of officeAt least from the day job. I plan on taking a couple of “me” days off from writing as well, but I have edits to get done and sent back prior to the New Year, so there will only be a little rest for the weary. The rest of my vacation time will likely be spent pounding on the keyboard to get more of my stories done up. Thankfully though I can do that from the comfort of my home, in my jammies since I have ZERO interest in getting dressed when it’s uncalled for, and with an unlimited supply of coffee at my fingertips. Ahhhhh, bliss :)

In other news (like you care) I did complete all my shopping with the exception of one item that I’ve spent three months attempting to find all to no avail. Mainly because I’m pretty sure it doesn’t exist except in a delusional mind. I’m just not sure if it’s the one who asked me to find it, or the original person who wanted said item. It’s a continual coin toss on that one. I shall spend most of tomorrow on the phone to determine if said item might, however remotely, exist in reality. Should it then I will venture forth into the insanity to procure it with no thought to my own well-being, or sanity. Both of which are sorely in question after spending four hours in a mall, yes…A MALL!, the Sunday before Christmas. I know – I have no clue what I was thinking doing that either.

On the editing front for C&M Security 5, Dangerous Pasts, I’ve had zero motivation since Saturday to do the blasted things. Can’t get into the right mindset for it. Part of that may have been the fact I knew I’d be going *shudder* to the mall for an extended period of time. My mind may have been preparing for the onslaught of insanity, noise, and idiocy that is to be found there. Whatever the reason I haven’t got a lot completed yet. I’ll likely open them up once more tomorrow while enjoying the fact I’m home, in my jammies, while my coworkers are making their way into the office. Might be what I need to get some more done on them. Or at least figure out where the bloody hell I left off.

Usually I’m good about that kind of thing. I leave myself a little note so I can go right to that spot, or at the very least bookmark my last point so I don’t have to slog through. This time though I must have thought I’d remember. Well, hate to disillusion those that know me, I don’t have that great of a memory because I’ve got no clue. *rolls eyes*

Well, that’s it from me for tonight. I have food on the way – as there’s none in the house currently. So enjoy your evening, and I hope you’ve gotten everything you needed to get done, done. ~ Moira

Holiday chaos

christmas treeEvery damn year I swear I’ll do all my shopping early. Every damn year I’m down to the line to get it done in time. This year is absolutely no different sadly. Maybe next year I’ll actually start early. HA! Yeah, I don’t believe it either. But it’s a truly nice thought.

I went out on the hunt for a few items today, and must brave the masses again tomorrow for even more things. It wasn’t too bad today, did what I needed to do, and even found a few extra bits to add to the gift bags for the family. Tomorrow will be a slightly grander experiment in patience. I hate crowds. I despise people who can’t seem to walk a straight line from point A to point B. And I truly hate the fact that when someone stops to talk to another person they must stand out in the flow of bodies so that everyone needs to squish around them. Really? How is that necessary?

But I know exactly what I’m going for. I will get there at an appropriately early hour so I can complete my shopping prior to the mad crush of people who leave their brains at home, yet bring the attitude. Yes, it should be a rip roaring fun day in the mall. Ugh!

In much happier news I have the edits for book 5 of the C&M Security series. Took a quick look through some of it, and there’s definitely more than a few things I need to tend to. Some are very quick fixes, others are much more complicated but I should be able to get through them before I depart for the familial gathering. At least that’s my hope. Given when it was sent to me I’ll be out of town when it needs to be sent back – not exactly the best of timing I fear on my publisher’s part, but these things happen so I will roll with it, and figure it out.

Book 6 of the series is progressing, though the characters appear to have run off for a time. My trip to the shops may have had something to do with that. Christmas madness isn’t conducive to a creative mind. A homicidal one perhaps, but definitely not anything of a creative nature LOL! I haven’t had any new inspiration on my paranormal story, or the other one that’s in bits and pieces in a Word doc. I’m hopeful that once the crazy time has passed my characters will come out of hiding again and I can get back to writing.

Well, that’s all I have to say today. So I hope you enjoy your evening, and the balance of your weekend. ~ Moira

Edits are completed

C&M Security book 3, Dangerous Lines, has been officially through round 2 of the editing process and is now back in the hands of my publisher. This also means that the excerpt is now up on the Dangerous Lines page for you to read.

It was a pretty quick run through, thanks to my amazing editor, Laurie Temple. The woman is great and I can’t ever thank her enough. I think she loves these characters nearly as much as I do. A good thing, and very helpful to the editing process. That and the fact she’s been my editor since day one – I got super lucky in having her assigned my books to be completely honest.

Now I can focus on writing book 5 of the series, something I’ve been a little lax on of late. Too much crap at the day job to get my mind relaxed enough to write. A sad, sad state of affairs really. But I have the rest of the weekend now, to write and plot my face off. Something I definitely need to do with these characters. It’s a different flow to book 5 than the previous ones, so I have to remain quite focused on the “end game” as they say. Since I started at the ending, I can’t have anything go awry during the “catch up” phase of the book/story line. Otherwise I’ll have to rewrite a bunch of things, all of which I really don’t want to do. So, focus is the name of the game.

SunnyPoppies

Oh, shiny! Ha! Just kidding. I think I’ll throw on a movie, settle into the zone, and get a few thousand words out on it by the time Monday rolls around. Although, the fact the weather is fantastic is definitely making it hard to stick to my guns on that one. It’s so sunny, and nice out there. Argh! What’s a writer to do? Focus. Gotta focus.

Well, I’m off to focus on the sunny weather…uh, my story and plot line. Have a great weekend ~ Moira

Productive Monday

I know, that seems to be a little contradictory for me to put in as a subject. In this case though, it’s true. The fact I had today off was likely the only reason it was as productive as it was.

AngelI received the first round of edit’s last evening from my publisher so I was working on those today. Happily I can announce that I even got through them all, and returned them to prep from round two. I have to shout out to my editor, Laurie Temple, again. The woman is awesome! Hell, the woman should be up for Sainthood for dealing with some of the weirdness I’ve cooked up. The fact that I have the same editor through the entire series is a huge plus. She’s read the previous books (obviously), dissected them, and helped me to bring the best I could to the readers. She knows these books pretty much as well as I do, which in the editing process is a big thing. She knows when to point out a good spot to mention some important point of a previous book, especially when I’ve mentioned a character from one of them.

That and she beats back my comma addiction to a reasonable number – though I did notice that the second half had fewer corrections than the first. A first for me, but I was writing book 3 when we were editing book one, so obviously some of what she’d told me at that time of editing book 1 sank in a bit, and carried into book 3. Not a lot – obviously, but some. So that’s a plus, maybe I’m actually starting to learn this stuff! LOL!

It’s actually a good thing, seeing some progress where she’s not having to smack my knuckles so much now. Hopefully I can keep up with that. I know the other thing I’m dedicatedly trying to work on is over using dialogue tags. ie: he said. she said. he told her. she whispered. That stuff. It’s a little harder to do during the writing process, so I don’t really worry about it. But before I submit I’m in there inspecting each and every single dialogue tag and making the hard call on whether it’s actually needed or not. Something else I noticed she didn’t need to do so much hacking on during the second half of book 3. Though I can honestly say I wasn’t actively watching for that so much until book 4. I might have naturally let up though, but I honestly don’t remember one way or the other.

I suppose it doesn’t matter. It appears on some level that I’m starting to “get” where she’s coming from on some of her points of note in the edits I get from her. Either way, it seems to be working. The fact she’s a perfect angel to work with is also a plus. I was truly nervous during the first book I did, my standalone, since I’d heard both good stories, and some horror stories about editors. Having several friends that are authors prior to this likely wasn’t a good thing for my poor nerves.

And now that I’ve rambled myself around…to where, I’m not entirely sure. LOL! Which would be my cue to go, and do up some dinner. Chicken’s been marinating all day, so that should be spectacular. Hope you all have a lovely evening, and a fantastic week ~ Moira