How to Increase Your Word Count (Stephen King Method)

NaNoWriMo Day 1: Writing Tips

Second and Third Drafts -- Simultaneous Revisions

My middle grade fantasy is still progressing. I am one third of the way through the second draft, and about one eighth of the way through the third draft.

How can I be working on the second and third draft at the same time? Simple. The second draft is all about me and the page, revising the novel chapter by chapter, making it the best i can all by my lonesome. The third draft happens orally. I have been reading it out loud to my eldest daughter. (I hope she doesn't mind being my first audio book beta-reader.)

Reading my work out loud to another person helps me understand what works and what doesn't. If Mackenzie laughs at the funny parts, I know I'm on the right track. If she gasps at the exciting parts, then i know I'm raising the stakes at the right moment. Even when she isn't verbally responsive, I'm still getting a good third draft done because just by me reading it out loud is incredibly helpful to me. It really helps with the sentence clarity and the over all flow.

Well, enough blogging! Back to the revision!

Boo at the Zoo - Halloween Children's Story #authortube

Monday Morning with the Dogs

Twixt & Twerp Update; The First Draft Is Complete!

Well, Monday morning I typed the words "THE END" into my first generation iPad.

The first draft of Twixt & Twerp is complete. Now, I'm forcing myself to take a break from it for just a few days. (Stephen King takes a few weeks, but I don't wanna wait that long!) Then, I'm jumping into the second draft. Hopefully that will tighten up the story and clearly define the characters, not to mention improve the descriptions.

When I get five chapters polished, I will send it off to my agent.

Keep your fingers crossed. I am thinking positive thoughts, believing that this little middle grade novel will find the right editor, and it will be love at first read. I have had such a marvelous time writing this book. It would be a shame if I'm the only one who gets to enjoy it.

Family Trip 2019 - Day One (Fun Was Had by All)

*sigh*

We are back from twenty days of traveling around the country. Not all of the country, just parts of the East Coast. We began our journey in a place many families go when on vacation: Orlando, Florida.

Our hotel room was way up high on the 25th floor. I was nervous every time I stepped onto the balcony, especially during the many sudden rainstorms.

Our first day in Florida was a celebration of capitalism, which set the tone for the rest of this priceless adventure (that cost us thousands of dollars). We explored Disney Springs, the Orlando version of Downtown Disney. Above, you'll see a dinosaur themed restaurant. Every fifteen minutes a meteor shower light show flashes across the ceiling, scaring the beejuzus out of these hapless animatronic reptiles.  

We patronized the Coca-Cola store and purchased an Around the World Sampler of various Coke products. Some were pretty good. I enjoyed a fizzy apple drink from South America. The worst by far was a cloudy white carbonated beverage from Italy, called "Beverly." DO NOT DRINK BEVERLY! We are pretty sure that it's actually Windex. 

I looked on YouTube and discovered that we are not the only ones who feel this way... 

 

It started pouring down rain throughout Disney Springs. (Sudden rainstorms would become a theme of this trip.) And just in between storm showers we discovered the VOID -- sounds creepy, but it's just a fun Virtual Reality place that let's you become a STORMTROOPER! So, we of course yelled at them to take out money and the four bradfords became the most incompetent storm troopers in the galaxy. 

We also bumped into a silhouette portrait artist. Back in our Disney annual pass holder days the girls had several done when they were much younger, so we decided to get a more up-to-date version. 

The final result was adorable -- but I don't know where Cheri packed it, so I'll have to post the image later.  In addition to occasional rainstorms, we also experienced occasional dessert cravings. They have every kind of snack here, including a specialty chocolate shop that roasts marshmallows.

And since this place is part of Disney, there were of course many places to buy Disney merchandise. My favorite establishment was the one with all the Disney art. 

It's nice to travel, especially when you can travel with the whole family. This sort of adventure doesn't happen very often for the four of us, and since the girls are now adults, it might not happen again *sobs into keyboard*