A Thousand Kisses for Bloodthirsty Muses

Due to a dispute with GoDaddy.com -- who may be the least responsible host I have ever dealt with -- HAFowler.com has been closed down. I am in the process of finding both a new domain (since GoDaddy sold this one to a squatter and I am not willing to pay hundreds of dollars to retrieve it), so please keep your eye on this journal for updates. Thanks for your patience, and I hope to have some new stories for you soon!

If a new site appears at HAFowler.com, unless you hear from me, IT IS NOT LEGITIMATE, NOR DOES IT REPRESENT ME OR MY WORK.

Some advice? Avoid working with godaddy.com, unless you want years of hard promotional work and $ to disappear without warning with no way to get it back! Not to mention absymal customer service and sexist advertising practices.

Again:

AVOID WORKING WITH GODADDY.COM!!!

Charity Auction
Jan 19-26th
www.romanticinks.com

Katy is a sixteen year old avid reader and aspiring author and illustrator who has won local awards for her artwork. Just before Christmas, Katy and her mother became homeless. They were evicted from their apartment and have been living in hotel rooms (when they've been lucky) or their car (when they've not been so lucky) since then. Katy has been blogging about life on the streets, and you can read all about how this incredibly sweet mother and daughter ended up in this situation here: http://destinationanywherebuthere.blogspot.com/ As Katy states on her blog, "Homelessness has many faces. And sometimes it happens to have a computer." Both Katy and her mother seem to have very positive outlooks, but it's clear they're in some real trouble.

That's where this auction comes in. All proceeds will go toward helping Katy and her mother get back on their feet. This is a pair that are actively looking for ways to improve their situation, and just need a little push to help them get there. So, please bid generously and know that you're doing a wonderful thing to help two wonderful people.

Check out the new front page at HAFowler.com! I think this may be my favorite layout yet. Please let me know what you think!

http://www.hafowler.com

I'm working on a new bookshelf now! I'll have this place looking professional in no time.

I mentioned on my Facebook recently that THE HUMAN CONDITION, my current work in progress, is close to going into the crapper. I've been stuck on chapter four for weeks now, and haven't been able to figure out what it was about the story that wasn't grabbing my attention. (Just for the record, if what you're writing bores you, chances are good it's going to completely lose your reader.)

Today I figured out what I think may be PART of the problem -- I've got too many major plotlines. It's not unusual to have three distinct storylines in a book this size (about 300 pages?): the romance aspect, the main plot (these are usually entwined in my stories) and a subplot that's related, but not necessarily directly. Going over the outline of this book and breaking out the various plots and subplots, I realized that there were TWO major plots, the romance, and a number of subplots. In other words -- TOO MUCH CRAP GOING ON FOR A BOOK THIS SIZE.

So, I'm completely dumping one entire plotline, and I have to say, that gives me some hope that this book can finally go somewhere. Not only that, but I can use the secondary storyline as a sequel. Publishers always like the possibility of a sequel. Or even better, a series. It will also give me more of an opportunity to develop the world in this first book, something else that's a little weak in the draft as it stands now.

So anyway, that's where I am today!

I suppose. *weak smile*

I tried to write by keyboard today, hoping to speed up my productivity... and technically, it worked, but again, I couldn't get into the story. Maybe it's just this story, but I need to do it longhand.

AND SO...

Once again, it was a low productivity day: 350 words.

( The Human Condition )

Not too bad today.

( THE HUMAN CONDITION )

You know, for many years, I've been devoted to writing my first draft longhand -- I feel closer to the story that way, somehow. But recently... I think maybe that's changing. Not the fact that writing it makes me feel more intimate with the story and characters, because that is still true. But, my productivity is easily cut in half, or worse. As I get older, my longhand is slower. My hands get stiff and cramp up more easily, and I can't seem to keep up with my brain the way I used to. During NaNo, I realized I really could fairly easily crank out two or three thousand words a day typing.

I'm wondering if I should give up longhand and try to type all of my writing from draft one. I don't know, I just... I need that closeness. Or at least, I think I do. Hm. Food for thought.

Now that NaNo is done, I don't want to lose this dedication and drive that I've developed in the past month. So I'm going to start keeping track of my productivity every day. I'll put it under a cut, so you guys won't get bored to death. *G*

( The Human Condition )

I haven't started setting daily goals yet, but I am hoping to finish the first draft of THC by the end of December so I can start editing THE SANG in January. Once I know that I can keep up a daily pace, I'll start setting either daily or weekly goals once again. It's a tough job, but I am COMPELLED to do it! ;)

FINALLY! All these years I swore I was going to do it, and I finally did. Even more importantly, I now have a shitty first draft of my novel THE SANG to work with. I've really been struggling over the past year, and just to have this means I CAN get back to it again. I can get my next novel done. I can do what I love, and get back to work.

Also... I think I'm going to keep going with this crazy speed method for my first drafts. It's an awesome way to get the story down!

We are coming down to the wire. This is when I work best, when I'm the most focused -- under a tight deadline! I took a couple of days off, so today I really jammed on it. My chapters are getting down to a page each! LOL.

Today's Count:

2,183 / 2,000 (109.1%)

Total Count:

44,977 / 50,000 (89.0%)

I AM GOING TO WIN THIS YEAR! It might not be until midnight on Sunday, but I'll do it! And on that note, I'm going back to work. *G*

Today's Count:

1,842 / 1,667 (110.5%)

Total Count:

42,794 / 50,000 (84.0%)

Today's Count:

2,008 / 2,000 (100.4%)

Total Count:

40,952 / 50,000 (81.0%)

I think I've got a pace down that'll get me through quick and easy, as long as I don't slack at all this week! Anyone want to take a bet on how likely that is? *G*

MUCH better today, although my health isn't really much better. I'm starting to feel that deadline bearing down! I am one of those writers who HAS to have a deadline to really put my nose to the grindstone.

Today's Count:

2,550 / 2,000 (127.5%)

Total Count:

38,944 / 50,000 (77.0%)

Holy bloodsucker, Batman! Only 12k left to go! That's like... 1000 words per chapter, since I have like, 11 chapters left in the story. Aiyee!

Very, very ill. I'm surprised I actually managed a page!

Today's (sad) Count:

270 / 1,667 (16.2%)

The Total Count (miraculously still on track!)

36,394 / 50,000 (72.0%)

The final week is going to require some real finesse, not only to reach the word count, but to finish the draft in 50,000 words. And try to treat this DEATHCOLD without muddling up my head. Haha.

It was not a good day.

Today's Count:

346 / 1,667 (20.8%)

Total Count:

36,124 / 50,000 (71.0%)

Today's Count:
This count is inflated a lot because I counted the words from the last three pages of the outline I finished today. Only about 5 or 6 hundred of these are actual story.

2,749 / 2,000 (137.5%)

Total Count:

35,778 / 50,000 (71.0%)

Almost done! The hardest part is coming up near the end, because I have to write an Alias style mission without doing anything Alias did. But between now and then are PRETTY MUCH ALL THE RAUNCHY SEX SCENES! YAY! Actually... they're not all raunchy. Some are sweet and squishy. *G*

I mean, this is the most regular posting I've done in years for this journal.

Today's Count:

1,827 / 1,667 (109.6%)

Total Count

33,029 / 50,000 (65.0%)

Man, I am never going to finish the story in 50k, even writing as sketchy as I have been the past couple of days! I guess there are worse complaints when it comes to Nano!

Today's Count:

2,184 / 2,000 (109.2%)

Total Count:

31,202 / 50,000 (62.0%)

I made three chapters fit into like, four pages. LOL I'm still technically behind story wise, but... I can fix it all in rewrites. As long as I reach THE END at 50,000 words! Man, I can't believe I'm almost there. What a ride! I can't wait until next year to do it again!

I'm still not halfway through yet. *sigh*

( The Counts )

Man, I am still so screwed as far as finishing this draft at around 50k goes. Even after chopping down today's chapter, I am STILL 4 1/2 chapters from the middle. I think I might have to make a few chapters like, a couple of paragraphs in order to get this damn thing done. The next scene is a HUGE action scene, with danger and intrigue and hot unrequited lust. You know i love that shit, how can I make it like, one page?

Feh. But i'm still hitting my goals for each day! Today i even hand wrote it first, then typed it out.

So here we are, cruising into week 3! Although... "cruising" might be overstating the case. I got my goal of 2000 words done today, but... it's taken me TWO DAYS to get out of this chapter, and I should technically be ahead five scenes from here, or halfway through! Yikes. Better put in some work tomorrow. And stop slowing down to write the details of scenes, just get the general stuff down.

Today's Count:

2,262 / 2,000 (113.1%)

Total Count:

27,013 / 50,000 (53.0%)

Well, the wordcount is over halfway done! But the story... isn't quite yet. *G*

I also made a faux cover, which I sometimes do. See if you recognize the actors in the manipulated photo. ;)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3011/3032864371_c88e62a5c7.jpg?v=0

I'm not feeling well, and i just wasn't up to doing the whole counting, cutting pasting thing yesterday. So here's the count for yesterday, today!

Today's Count:

1,623 / 1,667 (97.4%)

Total Count:

24,751 / 50,000 (49.0%)

Tomorrow I'll be halfway done! I guess I better get my story there also. LOL.

Tomorrow actually being today, just not in NaNo World