VOLUME ONE, ROUGH DRAFT: COMPLETE!!!

The rough draft of Volume 1 is officially finished! I finished at 59, 026 words. I plan on celebrating with preliminary editing and organization of my notes. Tonight. Not now. Now, I eat breakfast. With any luck, I will be able to taste it. Thank you, Mr. Sinusy-Cold-Thing, for helping me to finish my book. :)

I've already completed a first read-through of everything up through page 174-ish, so I'm a step ahead there. The initial read-through with minimal editing is crucial to fixing the overall flaws before I fine tune anything. (Thank you for the basics of logic, Stephen King: On Writing!)

The last chapter and a half are a jumble of sketchy present-tense notetaking and straight third-person POV prose (hence ROUGH draft), but I think it'll edit out okay once I'm not relying on the Dayquil to get me through it. I go with the Moe Conn theatre adage "Done is good" in this case. The things I wanted to happen, happened, in some ways more abbreviated than others. In other ways, I'll have to cut and cut and cut. But getting the story out, start to finish, is a big deal for many writers. I work well under pressure, I suppose. It just took a few 1-3 week deadlines to make me get moving: Halloween planning, Wedding planning, dress making, NaNoWriMo, a head cold, sore throat, bleary eyes, new contact lenses, laundry, dishes, company coming, and a half-dozen other things. And instead of doing all the things above, I procrastinated today and finished the novel. :D I mean, I prioritized the completion of the novel so I could focus on those other things. Yeah. That's what I meant.

So, when I'm sick and I wake up two hours before my alarm goes off, I finish novels. Good to know!

Sighing in relief now!

Cuddles,

Tamara

Editing Under Hormonal Influence: A Translation Guide

Since I can't type on my novel at work, even on breaks, I printed the whole thing (minus the unfinished ending) and took it with me, hoping I would find some break time moments to do editing. Well, I got into the teens last night, but at the cost of some formality. When I read my margin notes, I could see certain, ah, influences that skewed the use and wording of traditional editing terminology. Eventually, I had to take notes on my notes, so I would understand what I meant when I wasn't rampaging through the text. So here I provide a translation guide for myself and for all who get the crazies every now and then:

EDITING UNDER HORMONAL INFLUENCE: A TRANSLATION GUIDE

Show, Don't Tell = The mantra of the ages in prose. Not as prone to this one as I used to be. Which doesn't say much.

B.S. = Cut out this passage or word

Whiny turd = Tighten internal monologue or flashback, or Cut and reveal through dialogue and actions. Consider story relevance.

Emo brat = Character's emotions are over the top and unrealistic to experience or gender. Rein in closer to reality.

Philosophical B.S. (P.B.S.) = Preaching, or interjecting personal opinions, OR character has slipped into an unnecessary, wordy aside in an internal stage whisper that detracts from the action of the story. It's like he's in a flippin' spotlight and all the other characters have frozen in place. Listen to Hitchcock, for cryin' out loud! Life, with the boring parts taken out!

Meh! = Weak sentence structure or word choice, or both. Punctuation determines how bad it is.

Really?? = What idiot wrote this crap? Number of question marks indicate how bad it is. Also, "WTH?" and "Stupid junk".

Again?? = Repetitive overuse of a word or phrase, either in the whole book or just in a passage. Number of question marks indicates how bad it is.

Sucks = Maybe salvageable. Also: "rewrite" or "fix it".

Doesn't suck that bad = Tweak a bit, and leave it alone.

Trite = Trite.

There. A distinctively Tamara approach to harshness in editing. In addition to the occasional new paragraph symbol, word substitution and punctuation adjustment, this is what I use. In the overview hard copy phase, this is the general editing that I do. I don't do crazy rewriting of every line because I'm writing longhand on a hard copy. But it does help me to see where a reader would get snagged and flag the passage for work later. So it works perfectly for me! :)

Cuddles,

Tamara

God and Creatives: Procrastination Moment

I replied to a friend's question with the following and thought I'd share it here as well. It's a simple facet of a very complex gem, but it's part of what drives me to create! I believe that since God made us in His image, He also made us want to create things in the imperfect imitation of God.

"He's the best artist and storyteller! Authors mimic God imperfectly when they create worlds and characters, and artists, no matter how blessed with talent, fail to copy the beauty of the world He created! He paints a sunset more beautifully than anyone and smiles when we strive to make ours similar. I believe that with each talent God gives us, he expects us to use it to remind others of His power and glory. I'm proud to be a creative person, because not only did God give me the talent, He gave me the permission, ambition, and inspiration to use it to glorify Him!"

NOVEL: THE HOME STRETCH

At almost 52,000 words, my novel is in the final lap toward completion. I had stalled as of my last post, but gained momentum when I just sat down and started writing. So here I am, giving a quick update to say that I'm doin' the writing I avoided for so long.

I could probably crank out one of these books in a couple months if the silly call of the real world would allow such a pace. However, I'll settle for the stumbling blocks that became platforms to learning and growing as both a writer and a person.

I also settled for a loose mapping-out of the remaining events of the book for tonight's progress instead of my usual organic writing method that may not have tied up the loose ends as I would have liked. The result is a concise action-climax and resolution map that will ensure I don't forget the major events. I also managed (or realized) a few surprising tie-ins with the next novel and made more specific notes in my trusty Notes doc. It's like the story decided its course years ago, and I just had to get my butt in gear to record it, with an "I'll be darned" kinda reaction from me.

I just realized that most of the above was disjointed. As I've learned a lot about my brain's particulars regarding my creative process, I'd hate to do it a disservice by being unclear. Consider the following for clarification.

So here's my novel-writing process, in varied POV, for retrospect and fine-tuning, as a compulsive list:

1. Format Volume Word Doc and Create Notes Word Doc.

2. Find and combine all the scattered notes, post-its, napkins, electronic docs, and other stuff into one jumbled mess and sort to make a story. Perhaps write it down longhand in the notebook assigned to such tasks.

3. Compose loose story outline in Volume Word Doc, as, you guessed it, a LIST of events!

4. Type Part and Chapter Headings into Volume Word Doc, separating outline list into logical chunks. Make at least a short note on what will happen in each chapter, if outline isn't specific.

5. Type a few starter Character Names and short descriptions into Notes Doc under a heading by the same name. Also make categories for World Details and Customs, etc, to help keep things in line. All uncategorized notes get dumped at the end of the Notes Doc for sorting or use later.

6. Decide on a starting point. Don't dwell. "Decide" is the operative word. Your protagonist could be staring at a freakin' flower for 10 minutes before you realize he should be doing something. But at least you're writing! Worry about Hitchcock's axiom in the editing process. (...the one about a good story being life with the boring parts removed, I think.)

7. Start writing! Keep a notebook and your Notes Doc open. If you get an itch of an idea that won't happen for a hundred pages, make a note of it. If something from three books down the line occurs to you, type it in. The point here is that, short of true writer's block, you should write when you sit down to write. Just don't let new or different ideas stall you out, or you'll never finish. Redirect that nagging or fleeting idea to a note and get back to what you intended to do in the first place. Flesh out big action or complex scenes as mini-outlines. Save often.

8. Note new character names and relationships in your Notes doc, as well as any customs, mannerisms, world details or other crap you may need to recall later. Nothing grinds writing to a halt like filtering through a hundred pages of writing for a tiny detail that you NEEEEEED before you can finish a sentence. If you can't come up with a new character name on the spot, type a long blank ________ or brackets and a description [So-and-so's sister], and come back to it in the editing process. Save often.

9. Make notes of plot developments either at the bottom of your Volume Word Doc or in a category of your Notes Doc. I keep a lot of plot notes and ideas at the bottom of the actual novel doc because as I write about the event, I cut and paste it into the Notes Doc. It's like checking tasks off a checklist. Save often.

10. Write a book that you would want to read. Don't be afraid of your audience, because you're the only audience right now. Chances are if YOU'RE wondering what will happen next and can't put your own book down, someone else will feel the same way. I feel like such a dork when I think "Wonder what'll happen next?" only to realize that I...have to...write it first. And... save often!

Hmmm... Nice to know the writing style that works for me evolved into a 10-Step-Process where I do most of the steps simultaneously and with little stress. How did I ever finish that whopper of a first novel without it??? (It was 160K words and has since been dismantled for a major rewrite later.) Oh, wait! This process evolved from that drudgery. As I said, stepping stones from stumbling blocks, or something.

Cuddles,
Tamara

WEBSITE AND NOVEL

The website has all its links now, and most of them have lots of content. Others have a description that's waiting for content. I've posted order information for the ragdolls and commissions and plenty of paintings and traditional artwork that may or may not be for sale. Fun stuff. Check it out at www.tamarahensonstudios.com!

Next up, we're polishing the site, finishing pic uploads, and programming the cart feature for on-site orders through credit cards, debit cards or PayPal. Then we have to start an ad campaign to drum up some sales. I'm also thinking of setting a few base prices for artwork and setting up a prototypes section for Myth-Babies.

And I've stalled on the novel. I don't even have writer's block. Just haven't worked on it, even though I'm so close. I think it's a different anxiety and starting other new things. But I'm just a few hours away from finishing the draft. What gives? I may just lock myself in my bedroom and refuse food and restroom privileges until it's done. Hmmm... I said that as a joke, but it sounds like a plan! :D

Cuddles,

Tamara

WEBSITE!

Workin' on the website today. A link-less home page and zero active content currently are all you see. But behind the scenes, a whole lotta uploadin' and tweakin' going on!

Go see it at tamarahensonstudios.com!

SO CLOSE!!!

At 46,051 words, this novel is nearing a good YA length. In the writing, I've realized how close I am to finishing the actual story! I haven't been focusing on the word count as much as finishing the story. As a result, the writing is less frantic and maybe even higher quality. I had expected my wordiness to take me up to 60K or more-- a no-no for YA novels. (Ummm... then I think of JK Rowling and Stephenie Meyer and it worked for them...)

I've fought the urge to begin a full rewrite before I have the last few thousand words written. That's the thing that grinds progress to a halt. I did rewrite the eyesores called the two opening paragraphs, and Ryan says they're much better. And they don't read like Wuthering Heights. (Compliment, taken!)

But I have noticed some things about my writing and the editing process of this book versus the last:

1. The first draft is closer to what I want in a finished product, with an overall streamlined storyline that doesn't jump around as much as the last one. (The now-volume-two book has been gutted to more resemble the structure of the new book.)

2. In both books, the first-draft action scenes I write are better and take less editing than the rambling gushy stuff. Most of the latter gets cut out altogether or tightened up considerably. Considering I'm writing for boys, I guess this is good to point out.

3. It's not a heavyweight compared to the last one that WAS over 100K words. Not as daunting, much faster-paced, and I've actually got stuck reading through passages because the writing was actually engaging. 

4. Less pretentious, more straightforward writing. Not as many "darlings" to cut out later. "Writing well" is in a different league from "Writing accurately." I'll refer back to the crap novel I wrote in high school: good story, imagery and characters with potential, "accurate" writing, horrible to read. A++ grade. Flowery garbage compared to my preferences today.

5. My writing has improved, my voice is more obvious, and I don't make as many silly, time-consuming mistakes. Considering this is officially the third novel I've written (one in high school, the now-sequel to the current novel, and the current novel), I guess that should be a given. If anyone has any inkling of talent in a field they love, then they will improve with each effort. If they don't improve, they're in the wrong field. 

I'm really playing with the idea of pitching this as a novel with illustrations, but I don't know how that'll fly. At the very least, illustrations will help me to become more immersed in the world of my characters. So I'll play around with some sketches that I'll turn into finished illustrations. And also some cover art...

I expect to get the novel WRITING done very soon, since I'm writing every day instead of once a week or so. Moe says "Done is good." I agree.

Speaking of illustrations: The comic is only 10-pages-drawn and line inked, with two pages inkwashed. No lettering yet. I'm trying to get as much work as possible done before I go back to work in a couple weeks. I'll post some updates at that point.

Cuddles and hugs,

Tamara

WRITING!

One guess as to what I'm doing tonight... Yep. I'm actually writing. Not making dolls or inkwashing comics, but actual novelist things. So this is the plan all weekend. And when I've finished writing, I'll do more writing. And perhaps finish that issue of the comic I started... And dolls. But I can't sell squat until my website is up and running. If my website issue isn't solved in a week or two, Etsy, ahoy!

Real-world job, ahoy! Except I can't get anything with decent pay (even non-teaching jobs) until the end of August. Kinda sucks. So here I am, looking for restaurant work temporarily. Not in the same way that aspiring actors take a waitress or waitor job in the big city. But more in the same way that a poor girl who didn't get a teaching job still has to pay the bills, and has moved back to a small town where there isn't much work, and whose fiance isn't making enough dough to foot all the bills, but she still writes and draws in her spare time, hoping that all her query letters aren't rejections! Yeah. Kinda like that! :)

HERITAGE COLLECTION RAGDOLLS

I'd like to fall uphill for once. That's my plan. All my work toward getting the real-world job I wanted fell into unreceptive hands. No teaching job for me. But educational politics aside, I've still got that grain of faith and gallon of hope that say perhaps something much more lucrative and special is out there for me. So while I struggle with finances and trying to find a job that will pay the bills, I've devoted myself to the Big Three: Finishing Novels, Making Comic Books, and Dollmaking. Throw in a little intent-to-paint, planning a wedding, and settling into a new house, and I'm booked through the Fall. Oooh! And see my doll ad below:

Tama

I've got the new Heritage Collection series of ragdolls in production. There are 5 doll styles in the series: a brunette girl with green button eyes named Tama, a boy with light brown hair and dark green eyes named Bandon, a blonde with light blue eyes named Melly-Jane, a black-haired, brown eyed Ryan-O, and a dark blue eyed, redheaded Suzy-Sue. Tama, so far, wears a purple sundress with a green sash. Melly-Jane wears a pink princess-y dress. Suzy-Sue wears a yellow pleated skirt with a blue tank top. Bandon wears blue bibbed overalls. Ryan-O wears big shorts... with suspenders! :D

Bandon

Melly-Jane, no ribbons yet

Ryan-O

Suzy-Sue

They're all so cute! And since they're all prototypes, they have a lot more time and effort invested for a very high-quality product. If you're interested in purchasing a ragdoll that is here, or ordering a custom style, I'm pricing the prototypes inexpensively at $25.00 each plus shipping (unless I can hand deliver nearby). Please contact me directly with orders until my website's cart is functional. (hint, hint Ryan. Please don't let me make an Etsy store, cuz I'll have to raise my prices!)

DOLL DETAILS:

*Description: The Heritage Collection features ragdolls styled after myself and a few close friends. We're all from this country's heartland, and my ragdolls are designed after the traditional crafts of the country.

*Height: Between 17" and 18" not counting hair
*"Skin": Very soft cotton flannel
*Hair: Acrylic Yarn (sewn into-- as in Bandon doll-- or attached securely to head with thread.)
*Face: Hand-embroidered features, with button eyes
*Stuffing: Mostly acrylic fiberfill. Supplemented with fabric remnants in a couple dolls. (Fabric stuffing made a more traditional-feeling doll that was floppier!)
*Clothes: A variety of cotton and synthetic fabric blends, as well as additional buttons and ribbons.
*Overall Design: Ragdolls are lightly stuffed for cuddliness and floppiness. They are made as collectibles but built to withstand childplay. Bodices on clothing are lined and all skirt and pants hems are double-folded.

NOTE: Slight variations will occur with handmade dolls due to the process and availability of materials. Please ask about all-embroidered, small-child friendly eyes.

That's it for today. Save my website http://www.tamarahensonstudios.com/ to your favorites and keep checking! When it's shiny and functional, you'll get to see all the cool things we've been half-working on. Until then, email me at tamaravmhenson AT gmail DOT com with orders and questions.

Cuddles,

Tamara

LE MORTE DE DAY JOB

Numerous fringe benefits exist in the profession of teaching, at least under the current agrarian society, in that I can only work as long as the school year holds out. Unfortunately, as a non-tenured teacher, this means I'm unemployed at the time. Fortunately, while crossing my fingers and casting applications into the job market, I have dreaded "downtime." Since I'm a Creative, downtime doesn't exist. So, I've waited for this long to have a chance to frantically finish my several projects before I hit the blessed brick wall of new gainful employment.

Being broke has less stressful overtones than one would expect. My financial situation has presented me with the opportunity to tune out distractions and guiltlessly decline social invitations that cost money. All time belongs to me! Mwahahahaha! So I slept late the last two days... And tomorrow I have an honest-to-goodness alarm set, with actual intentions of getting up early and working.

And the compulsive lister in me won't shut up until I outline it:

ONE-WOMAN SELF-IMPOSED DOWNTIME SWEAT-SHOP

1. FINISH NOVEL DRAFT
2. REVISE/POLISH NOVEL DRAFT
3. SUBMIT COMPLETED NOVEL
4. PENCIL AT LEAST 1 CHAPTER OF COMIC BOOK
5. INK, SCAN, LETTER and COLOR COMIC BOOK
6. SUBMIT COMIC BOOK CHAPTER FOR PUBLICATION
7. CLOTHE 15 RAGDOLLS FOR SATURDAY EVENT

One of these I must get finished this week. After work and on weekends, I've made 15 dolls and all are nekkid, wearing nothing but embroidered smiles. Each needs un-nekkided and tagged by Friday night for a craft faire. We shall see!

I write best in the morning, draw best in the afternoon, and craft a'ight in the evening. At least that's what I'm going to tell myself, because that's the order of my focus, from the most mentally difficult writing to the easiest, more physically demanding crafting. Yep, this may be the best scheduling intention I've ever had. :-D

Love and cuddles to you all!

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