September's Revision Update!

 

Well, I know it's Thursday, but today I finished my latest Revision Project so I thought I'd pop in.

How are you?

The Covid situation around here still sucks. The numbers have been just below 1k daily this week and the vaccination numbers are going up, but I doubt I'll ever fully get over this pandemic. I intend to keep my distance, stay away from most public places and will avoid crowds forever. I've developed a serious case of people phobia and this virus scares the hell out of me. 😫

Anyway, I was actually preoccupied this week because I got stuck into the final read-thru of my latest WIP.

Here are the stats:

• Monday: 62/207pgs (74,247w)
• Tuesday: 135/206pgs (74,100w)
• Wednesday: 207/207pgs (74,035w)
• Thursday: 212pgs / 74,009w

Monsters is now DONE! Yay. 😃🎉

I'm VERY EXCITED about finishing this project because I put a lot of hard work into it to make the story better and stronger. I ended up cutting over 3k words, blending chapters, rewriting sections, sharpening scenes, and tightened everything until the finished product became the story I envisioned at the very beginning. Back in 2018.

Actually, I wrote the first draft of this novel back in September 2018. So it feels kinda awesome to have it finished exactly three years later. LOL.

Finishing this project also means I can update my 2021 Revision List again: 

1. April: Full edit of Wall of Dolls
2. May: Full revision of Destiny
3. June: Full revision of Victoria
4. August: Full revision of Possess
5. September: Full revision of Monsters

I'm happy about the progress I'm making with these first drafts. They all sat on my hard drive collecting dust for too long, so it's nice to actually complete and file them away as done. So cool.

I think that's about all the words I can manage tonight. Every second I put into this story was totally worth it, but my brain feels like mush now. I'm in desperate need of a mental break. 

Actually, we have a long weekend coming up and daylight savings begins, too. Happy about spending three days with hubby.

Have a great one!

PS. Have you seen Midnight Mass yet? If you haven't, you totally should because it's a fantastic show.

The Revision Continues...

Hey! How are you this week?

I hope everything is okay in your corner of the globe while we try to navigate this very strange, weird and often shitty world of ours. 😦

Just when it feels like we might be making a bit of progress with this never-ending Covid situation, it all turns to crap all over again. Ugh. Here in NSW, we've managed to dip below 1k daily cases only once in several weeks. It's so frustrating and distressing, but the state government only cares about our vaccination numbers now. If only they'd gotten their shit together at the beginning of the year... 

Also, the thing about being vaxxed—which we totally are and everyone definitely should be—is that as awesome as it is, we also need to keep social distancing, wear masks in crowded indoor situations and be more considerate. The thing I worry about is that people will get complacent when we reach the government's magical 70% fully vaxxed target.

Anyway, enough of that.

I spent this week working on the third draft of my current revision project, tentatively titled Monsters.🐍

Here's my revision progress for this week: 

• Monday: 27/210pgs (75,518w)
• Tuesday: 71/212pgs (76,055w)
• Wednesday: 140/213pgs (76,038w)
• Thursday: 179/207pgs (73,970w)
• Friday: 207pgs / 74,383w

As you can see, THE THIRD DRAFT IS DONE! Yay. Awesome. 😃🎉

Like the other Revision Projects I've tackled this year, I worked extra hard to strengthen the story, tighten the writing and delete the excess. And because of that, the word count went up and down all week. LOL.

The word/page count isn't important. I just wanted to sharpen the whole thing and make sure everything tied in together. And I'm really excited about how it turned out because the mythology stuff totally fits with the contemporary tale I've woven. 

For this novel, I once again took a good dose of Greek mythology and introduced some of the players into a modern setting. I also added a nice sprinkle of horror, relationship complications, and unstable familial ties. Doing this draft was a blast because after the changes I made last week, it was a LOT easier to fix this draft.

Well, that's about it for now. I really need a couple of days away from the story because I'm mentally drained. I'm going to enjoy the weekend with hubby because we're celebrating our 22nd Wedding Anniversary tomorrow. 💕

So, I'll tackle the final read-thru on Monday and relax for a few days.

Have a great weekend! 😁

September's Revision Begins...

Hey! How are you today? Can you believe we're halfway into this month already? Yikes. Time sure moves fast. 😕

Today, I'm not going to dwell on the Covid situation for long because we all know that between how infectious this Delta strain is, the useless government's lack of leadership, anti-vaxxers and selfish assholes, things aren't getting any better. Our numbers are constantly over 1k daily and this ridiculous never-ending mockdown just isn't working. Ugh.

Anyway, I took a three-week break after my latest revision WIP. So, it was finally time to get stuck into the next project on my 2021 Revision List. 📝

This time I'm tackling a YA horror novel I wrote back in September 2018 and is tentatively titled, Monsters. This is a story about a family going through a really bad time. It deals with dark family secrets, Greek mythology and monsters. It's a bit of a tragedy full of complicated relationships.

Here's how I went:

• Friday: 21/215pgs (77,834w)
• Monday: 65/215pgs (77,621w)
• Tuesday: 117/211pgs (76,544w)
• Wednesday: 173/206pgs (74,797w)
• Thursday: 202pgs / 73,600w

As you can see, I ended up cutting quite a bit. Phew. I'm not afraid to chop away chunks of words if it makes the story better and/or stronger.

Just like Possess, going back to this novel was a little strange because I didn't remember so much of what actually happens. Seriously, a few of the mystery threads had me stumped until everything was revealed. I like to have some distance after a first draft, but I reckon that a three-year break might be a bit too long. 😅

I mentioned this last time, and have to touch on it again because I think this will keep happening with my older WIPs. The second draft ends up being more of a reunion, a chance for me to catch up. LMAO. This is when I find myself fixing a lot of the odd sentences/phrasing and cutting anything that sounds wrong. I deleted over 4k words during this draft, including the Epilogue I don't think it needs. 

I'll probably end up adding words during the third draft because there are a several scenes and situations that definitely need a bit of tweaking. And of course, I've already started a Revision List.

These older stories are turning out to be hard work, but totally worth it. 😅

Well, it looks like I'll be taking a three-day break before tackling the third draft on Monday. I'm actually looking forward to getting stuck into this new version, and really want to sharpen/tighten everything even more.

Have a great day!

EXPOSED NERVES by Lucy A. Snyder

Exposed Nerves continues the explorations into dark poetry by Stoker Award winner and Shirley Jackson Award nominee Lucy A. Snyder, pairing the author’s sly wordplay and imagery with grim introspection. By turns challenging, wryly amusing and gut-wrenching, Snyder’s work plumbs bittersweet catharsis and maps a survivor’s path through dangerous worlds, both the real and the horrifically imagined.

Around this time last year, I read a short story collection by Lucy A. Snyder that I enjoyed immensely, so of course I was interested in checking out her poetry collection. I mean, look at that haunting and very visceral cover!

This dark book is broken up into four parts, and each section contains a variety of biting and important poems. Every single one of these burrowed deep into my mind until every word became so much more than a lovely connection of words, and the undercurrent of meaning exploded right after reading.

There's a lot of social commentary within the pages of this inspiring book. Some of these observations are subtle and concealed in clever ways displaying dual meanings. But others get straight to the point and are rather confronting in their convictions of truth, and had me nodding because many of these situations were so familiar.

Not just because she does such a great job at highlighting the many different degrees of horror girls and women go through every single day of their lives, but also because of the racism and inequality in our society. And the disbelief or disregard given to some because of the colour of their skin, sexual orientation, gender, or just for daring to be different and speak out about it.

I also found that the title, Exposed Nerves, is the perfect representation for this book because of how well Lucy A. Snyder captured the rawness of every situation. But don't fret, there are also some cunning, playful and lighter poems that will make you smile.

Well, this turned out to be quite a memorable collection.

I have to thank you Erin Sweet Al-Mehairi and Raw Dog Screaming Press for sending me a copy!

Exposed Nerves is available for pre-order from Raw Dog Screaming Press.

WHEN THE CICADAS STOP SINGING by Zachary Ashford

 

When the poison gas first leaked out of the ground, they thought the horror would be over in no time.

But they kept dying.

When the lizard-men followed, swarming the land and picking off the survivors, those who remained were scattered to the hills and the forests.

Most did not last long.

But Cora, who found refuge and made a home in the mountains, where she lives with the memory of her dead son, still fights.

Tenacious, she lives wild and protects that home from the lizards who seek to kill her. Until now. Man has also arrived and he’s not friendly.

 

The author of this novella sent me an ARC, so I was lucky enough to read this thrilling story before it's release. Thank you, Zachary! 🙂

The world is a ruined and desolate place after poisonous gas leaked out into the cities and destroyed everything. Then the lizard-men came and started killing the survivors. Cora left with her son to live in the wild mountains and forest, in hopes of finding a somewhat comfortable life. But things didn't turn out that way and when a mysterious couple invades her territory, she'll do whatever she can to protect her land...

Wow. This was one fantastic and brutal story. I read it in one sitting because I couldn't put it down.

From the very beginning, we're introduced to a very likeable and crafty woman who is weighed down by grief, but still has the strength to get on with her life. Well, it's a lonely existence, really. And she's fine with that because people are a problem she wants to keep her distance from.

Not only that, but she still has to deal with the lizard-men. Vile creatures that appeared after the world was ruined and hunt/kill humans. They're awful, but she has the skills to deal with them. What Cora isn't prepared for is the beefy man and skinny woman who are obviously keeping dark secrets. And the guy, Darren, is a real piece of work.

And by that, I mean he's a real piece of shit. I despised this arrogant asshole from the moment he appeared and he's one despicable, totally gross brute that puts Cora through hell. Sarah was interesting too, because she had her own way of dealing with the shitty world she lives in. 

When the Cicadas Stop Singing turned out to be a fast-paced blend of gritty post-apocalyptic madness, and has the intensity of a terrifying creature feature that doesn't stop until the very end. The heroine is tough, engaging and has a heartbreaking past. The villain is a totally disgusting, despicable brute who underestimates Cora and overestimates himself. This makes a combustible combination.

I enjoyed the hell out of this gripping, violent ride.