My Revise And Revive Novel

This month I am taking on a challenge put on by Keri over at Grey Matter Margarita. Not only that it is also WriYe's Resurrection April and it's CampNaNo!

Here's a little backstory:

In case you forgot or don't know, I lost everything in the Camp Fire. (See this post, in which I mention it briefly.) And when I say everything, I mean everything. Fortunately for me and my writing, most of it was either cloud-based or backed up in my email. In going through my old WIPs on the WriYe boards, I found a fic I REALLY wanted to work on. Problem: it was lost in the ashes. So I've been digging through my email and found that I actually submitted some of my writing for "verification" on the WriYe boards. Most of it I didn't encrypt so I just snagged it straight away. I've got a few "Phoenix Fics" I'm working on now and a few that I've completely redone and finished. See, I call them "Phoneix Fics" because they are truly rising from the ashes to become new again.

Anyway, I found this CSI/BSB fic idea in the WIPs list that I totally adored. Unfortunately, it was gone! So I started digging around in the boards and an old blog I used to keep to see if I had written on it at any time during my WriYe ventures. I found that I did in 2010. So I dug around in my verification files and found it! But it was encrypted! So I started the decryption process, hoping I had done simple letter-to-letter encryption and I had! The problem was that when I decrypted it, it was pretty difficult to read in places due to the find-replace feature. That and because I had obviously started this fic at some point, the whole beginning made ZERO sense. Remember, I got this from a verification file, so I only had the words I had written during that verification period in the file. So, yes, I was missing HUGE chunks. Another thing about this verification file that I found was that there was also an outline to this story I used in the verification as well. Granted it's only ten scenes, but it's a starting point. I think it will wind up being about two to three chapters worth.

So this is my Resurrection April fic and it happens to be the one I'm working on for CampNaNo. The reason I chose this as my revise and revive novel is that I'm going back and watching CSI again from the beginning and I know there is some major revision needed in the scenes I have written. But otherwise, I'm looking to write about 30,000 words this story, so that's 1,000 words a day for 30 days. I'm not sure I can do it, especially since for March I've only written like half of that and have been averaging about 100 words a day. But hopefully, with a "new" story, I'll be able to actually get some words in.

Here's my official description:

Phi Mulligan has a rare night off from the crime lab. She uses her time to go see her favorite group, the Backstreet Boys. While deciding to blow her forthcoming paycheck at the high stakes tables, Brian Littrell sits down next to her. After about an hour of playing, both their phones go off at the same time. Phi is called to the very hotel/casino she is standing in. Only then does she realize that Brian's wife Leighanne is the vic and they are there to find the killer. With Grissom and Greg's help, Phi sets off on an investigation that will challenge her beliefs in the band and her place at the Las Vegas Crime Lab. This takes place in 2005, between seasons 5 and 6 of CSI.

WriYe Blog Circle: Editing

Theme: Editing

It's March. That means in the writing circles I run, it's usually NaNoEdMo or Editing Month! For me, it usually doesn't mean anything. Except for this year, I guess.

Describe your editing process. What is your biggest challenge in editing?

My editing process doesn't usually exist. I don't edit. I don't ever really intend to publish, so what's the point? For the most part, I'm a pretty good speller and spell check does reasonably well. The biggest thing I have been doing lately is revising. I've either been digging up old ideas and either completely redoing them or pulling the "good stuff" out and filling in the rest.

But, there is one thing I have been doing just this past week. I found a story I really wanted to work on. It is a BSB/CSI crossover I did back oh something like eight or nine years ago. I found it in my email as a verification file. The only problem was that I had scrambled it. Thankfully it was a very simple letter-to-letter code to crack. I took things like the letter "e" and turned them into "x" and the letter "t" and turned them into "z" and such. There was only one problem with unscrambling it: sometimes there really was a letter x or z or whatever other letters I used that needed to be there. So it made things a little strange. On top of that, when I spell checked the whole thing, it missed some words. Thankfully where I stopped decoding and decided to call it a day, I am pretty much able to figure out what was being said. Also on the first page, I have like three huge holes of where I have partial scenes written. Like they were literally just pieces. So what I decided to do was print out all 14 pages and just go line by line. I'm about 2 pages in, so that's not bad for the first day! And I've still got some time to figure out the timeline, the outline and more. I've actually got to refigure who the killer is and the whole plot as I basically just have the first act figured out for ONE of the stories. Usually, these CSI things have two or three stories running through them.

So that is basically my editing/revision process. It usually doesn't exist, except when it has to. This BSB/CSI crossover I am hoping to use for CampNaNo in April.

WriYe Mid-Month Update

February Goals

Goals for February:

1. Write 10,000 words (16,500/10,000 words)
2. Read 2 books (1/2)
3. WriYe Blog Circle here

And the Challenges

1. New Moon Madness (155/900 words) FAIL!
2. 100 Word Consistency Challenge (19/28 days)
3. 300 Word Consistency Challenge (15/15 days)
4. Keeping Warm In February (FINISHED...WC: 9,490)
5. WriDay (2,513/2,500 words) WIN!
6. Full Moon Madness (1,024/1,000 words) WIN!
7. 5k Weekend (0,000/2,500 words)

Obviously, things are going well. I've got a ton of words and I've managed to win most challenges so far. The month has one more challenge in it, and hopefully, I can win that one as well.

Otherwise, I have to update my WIPs list for you too! Well, not really my WIPs. More like my FINISHED FICS!

Works in Progress

Untitled (NaNo 2018) -- Supernatural BSB FanFic LGBT Erotica

Starting WC: 51,595

Howie is the leader of a clan of Day Walkers, half-human, half-vampires who are tasked with enforcing vampire law in Las Vegas. His clan is composed of his adviser, Kevin; his tracker, Nick; his messenger, Alex; and Brian, his new pet. They've been together for twenty-five years and things are just now coming to light. Having taken Brian as his pet, Howie is beginning to realize just how broken he is. He also realizes that Brian needs to reclaim his power over his past. But there are demons in the way; demons that seem to be coming back to haunt them. As the lawbreakers, or Gentri, seem to be growing in numbers, the leader of the vampires, Carson, is growing impatient with his Day Walker clans. He orders more clans be brought in to help with the problem. One of the new clans, however, has ties to Brian that threatens to undo all the work Howie has done with him.

Finished Fics

Hush -- Realistic BSB FanFic

Final WC: 9,840

Having lost my voice before seeing the Backstreet Boys on tour, I just happen to run into Brian at Starbucks. He is on the first day of a week-long vocal rest and struggling with the realization of a postponement. We manage to help each other through our own personal struggles.

She's a Dream -- Realistic BSB FanFic

Final WC: 9,490

Brian did something completely insane after his divorce four years prior that wound up being a dream come true. He met a girl online who knew NOTHING about him. They've been married for three years and the pressure is on from all around for him to finally tell her who he really is as the group is getting ready to release a new album and possibly go on tour again. But how will she handle the fact that he's a celebrity when she can barely handle leaving the house?

WriYe Blog Circle: Romance

Theme: Romance

Is romance necessary in all fiction? Why or why not?

This is one of those questions that I find relatively easy to answer but difficult to defend. No, romance does not need to be in all fiction. Why not? Well, I'm not entirely sure on this, to be honest. I think it's probably because I come from a juvenile reading background. And then I also read a lot of YA. Unfortunately, a lot of YA is either romance or dystopian or both!

But no, you don't need to have romance in every story. I've written short stories that don't have romance in them. They turned out fine.

If you do have romance in your fiction, tell us about your favorite pairings. Why are they your favorite?

Well, I haven't looked back at a lot of my work from years gone by, but lately, I've been writing a lot of fanfiction. Honestly, my favorite pairing is with Brian Littrell and an original character. Yes, I live in a fantasy world. I enjoy it. Leave me alone! It's my favorite because, well, I either enjoy screwing with his "perfect" life or just having fun with his faults.

Oddly, I have done some slash pairings that surprise me. My NaNo novel for 2018 was a slash pairing of Howie and Brian. I totally wasn't expecting it, but it works for the story.

January and February Goals

January Goals

So this is the final update for January:

1. Write 10,000 words. (23,058/10,000 words)
2. Read 2 books. (1/2 books)
3. WriYe Blog Circle here

I also plan to participate in the following challenges:

1. WriDay (1,742/2,500 words) FAIL!
2. 100 Word Consistency (31/31 days) WIN!
3. New Moon Challenge (941/900 words) WIN!
4. Genre Stretch -- Dystopian (started)
5. Full Moon Madness (1,288/1,000 words) WIN!
6. 5k Weekend (2,516/2,500 words) WIN!

So that was January. It was pretty good. Here are my winner goodies:

February Goals

Now here are my goals for February:

1. Write 10,000 words (04,633/10,000 words)
2. Read 2 books (0/2)
3. WriYe Blog Circle

And the Challenges

1. New Moon Madness (155/900 words) FAIL!
2. 100 Word Consistency Challenge (06/28 days)
3. Keeping Warm In February (Started...WC: 1,565)

I'm sure there will be more challenges. So far things are going well for February. I'm 6 days in and I'm already almost halfway to my goal!

WriYe Goals Update

January Goals

Thought I would update this because I kinda met my word goal. This was supposed to be posted yesterday, but life kinda got in the way.

1. Write 10,000 words. (12,091/10,000 words)
2. Read 2 books. (1/2 books)
3. WriYe Blog Circle here

I also plan to participate in the following challenges:

1. WriDay (1,742/2,500 words) FAIL!
2. 100 Word Consistency (23/23 days)
3. New Moon Challenge (941/900 words) WIN!
4. Genre Stretch -- Dystopian (started)
5. Full Moon Madness (1,288/1,000 words) WIN!
6. 5k Weekend (0,000/2,500 words)

So yes, I did meet my monthly goal. I'm still trucking away on my NaNo novel. I can feel it is close to finishing. So I just want to keep going on it. I still need to outline it because there are a couple of plot holes or unresolved issues that need to be taken care of. I'm just finding myself having a difficult time writing right now. Not because of any one thing, but just because. So anyway, these are the goal updates as of yesterday because it should have been a WriYe Wednesday.

Mid-Month Goal Update

January Goals

Now that the month is half over, I figured I'd better update my goals so you can see how things are going:

1. Write 10,000 words. (8,844/10,000 words)
2. Read 2 books.
3. WriYe Blog Circle here

I also plan to participate in the following challenges:

1. WriDay (1,742/2,500 words) FAIL!
2. 100 Word Consistency (15/15 days)
3. New Moon Challenge (941/900 words) WIN!
4. Genre Stretch -- Dystopian (started)
5. Full Moon Madness (0,000/1,000 words)

So the word count is actually pretty good for where I should be in the month. I'm actually pretty pleased and will likely have more than 10,000 words by the end of the month. Consistency wise, I've been doing okay, but the word goal is kinda low. I may up it to the next level in February. I'm hoping to finish a short story for the Genre Stretch, but I'm not sure about it now. It kinda has no plot. I'm almost done with a book. I just need to sit down and finish it! Well, that's the update for now. Hopefully, next week will be just as fruitful as the last two weeks have been!

WriYe Blog Circle: Goals

I'm back to doing WriYe again this year. I don't know why. I think it's because I got back into writing in November with NaNoWriMo. (More on that later.) So I thought I would pick up the Blog Circle Prompt for January.

Theme: Goals

What is your WriYe Word Count Goal?

My goal is 120,000 words.

Why did you choose it?

I chose it because I figured I could do at least 10,000 words a month. Now, this isn't counting Camp NaNo in April and/or July or NaNoWriMo in November. I'm leaving those alone right now. I'm hoping that if I do write more in those months that it will serve as either a buffer or a catch up depending upon where my word count is at that point in the year.

What are your plans for the year?

Other than writing 120,000 words, I plan on reading 25 books. Anything beyond that, I really don't know. I'm just going where the wind takes me I guess.

What do you want to accomplish with your writing?

I think for me, it's just about getting back into it. I haven't really written in years. This was the first year I've taken NaNo seriously since about 2014 I think. And on top of that, I'm back into WriYe. I don't know if that's because I am craving interaction with other writers as I muddle my way through this novel of mine or what.

What are you most looking forward to in 2019?

Probably new beginnings. After the absolute disaster that was 2018, I don't think there's a whole lot left that can faze me.

So that's about it for this prompt. Can't wait for the next one!

Works in Progress

Works in Progress

These are the current works I have in progress as of right now. I'm sure there will be more as I dive into my online archives and see what I want to come back to. But as of now, this is what I have:

Untitled (NaNo 2018) -- Supernatural BSB FanFic LGBT Erotica

Starting WC: 51,595

Howie is the leader of a clan of Day Walkers, half-human, half-vampires who are tasked with enforcing vampire law in Las Vegas. His clan is composed of his adviser, Kevin; his tracker, Nick; his messenger, Alex; and Brian, his new pet. They've been together for twenty-five years and things are just now coming to light. Having taken Brian as his pet, Howie is beginning to realize just how broken he is. He also realizes that Brian needs to reclaim his power over his past. But there are demons in the way; demons that seem to be coming back to haunt them. As the lawbreakers, or Gentri, seem to be growing in numbers, the leader of the vampires, Carson, is growing impatient with his Day Walker clans. He orders more clans be brought in to help with the problem. One of the new clans, however, has ties to Brian that threatens to undo all the work Howie has done with him.

Video that inspired this fic.

Untitled -- Realistic BSB FanFic

Starting WC: 1,125

Just a short story about meeting a guy at work and him taking me to see BSB.

January Goals

January Goals

My overall word goal is 120,000 words. So here are my goals for the month of January.

1. Write 10,000 words.
2. Read 2 books.
3. WriYe Blog Circle

I also plan to participate in the following challenges:

1. WriDay (1,742/2,500 words) FAIL!
2. 100 Word Consistency (1/1 days)
3. New Moon Challenge (000/900 words)

More challenges to be added later.

Revision: The Necessary Evil

This being March, it's commonly known around the writing universe as "EdMo." It's the month when all those word-vomit NaNo Novels get edited into something resembling an actual, well-written piece of work. I don't usually participate in EdMo, because I don't usually edit. I saw usually and that isn't entirely the case. I do edit. I edit as I write. As for revising, well, I do that too, sometimes. So here's the prompt for this month:

Easy Question: Why is it necessary?
Okay, some people will say it's because you want to be published. Well, I don't want to be published! So why is it necessary? Because I write crap! Well, it isn't ALL crap, but it can sure feel like it sometimes! I know there are plot holes and inconsistencies and that's why I have to go back and fix them, otherwise they drive me insane!

Hard Question: Do you enjoy it?
It depends. Sometimes I do, especially after it's been a while and I go back and look at a story and go "WHAT WAS I THINKING?!?!?!?!?!" I also like it when I'm looking at something I haven't looked at in YEARS! Then it's an eye opening experience to me of where I was when I wrote that! My favorite feature though is the "strike through." I love being able to "keep" my word count but get rid of things!

My novel "selfie" in mid-revision:

I use different colors for each verification period, so sometimes a novel can look like a crayon factory exploded all over my novel. But as I said above, I love the "strike" feature!

What's my motivation?!?!?!

Okay, so this month's prompt is on motivation. I keep picturing my characters looking at me and saying "What's my motivation?!?!?!" You know, like actors ask directors all the time? So I guess I'll break it down my my projects this year because I honestly don't think about motivation unless someone asks me.

What is the main motivation behind your characters?
NaNo14: Sari's motivation is initially trying to save the people of her planet but she also wants to save her boyfriend from his captors.

NaNo13: Um, I guess the Fringe crew has a few motivations in this story as to finding out what is causing the holes between the universes so they can stop them, but they also want to get everyone back to their own universe.

Untitled (YA): Jessen's motivation is overthrowing the aliens who have taken over the planet. Thankfully she's got the Resistance on her side!

Hush: The MC's motivation is to let Brian know the truth and NOT hate her. (Essentially that's it in a nutshell....)

I'll Never Break Your Heart/Revamp: I think the MC's motivation in this is to actually have a relationship, but I'm not sure because I'm reworking it.

Where do you come up with that motivation?
Well, in the case of my original ideas, oddly enough they are both from dreams! So I guess you could say I dreamed them up! As for the BSB fanfic (Hush/INBYH), I would say it's typical fangirl, girl wants the celeb boy, thing. As for the Fringe one, it comes from the show, I guess.

Do you tend to use the same motivation in every novel, or do you mix it up more?
Um, it seems to be the same, depending upon the type of novel I'm writing. Fanfiction is the same and the originals both came from the same place!

What is your favorite example of character motivation?
Well, I kind of like the one I'm doing for my NaNo14 novel. I mean, yeah, she's kind of motivated by love and whatnot, but there is also an underlying motivation of saving the people on her planet. But otherwise, I feel like I suck at describing this!

Projects for 2015

These are the main projects I plan to work on this year. This is list is by no means the ONLY things I will work on this year, but these are the things I plan on working on. There might be other things that pop up, but I don't know what they are right now.

NaNo14 -- sci-fi (WC: 23,533)
Two planets have been at odds with one another for generations. Now, intelligence tells the leaders of Aldera that Donteria is going to attack. Needing more information, they send out a scout ship. Only the pilot returns. What was a scouting mission soon becomes a rescue mission.

NaNo13 -- Fringe fanfiction (WC: 14,541)
A fatal car accident has very different outcomes for two friends. In one universe, one friend dies. In the other universe, the other. But now, with the barrier so thin between the two parallel universes, Sydney Holt thinks she sees her dead friend, Dakota Hunter. Only to find out that Sydney is now trapped in another universe and can't get back to her own. The Fringe Team is called out to investigate. If they can't get Sydney back to the other universe, what will it mean for their own?

Untitled -- YA/Dystopian (WC: 8,245)
The aliens have landed and tried to take over Earth. Now that most of the human race has been exterminated, those who remain must fight off the alien invaders.

Hush -- Backstreet Boys fanfiction (WC: 14,222)
Losing my voice right before a Backstreet Boys concert is never fun, but surprising things happen because of it!

I'll Never Break Your Heart -- Backstreet Boys fanfiction (WC: 46,797)
After meeting Brian Littrell and getting into a whirlwind relationship with him, Becca Carlson finds herself the target of a stalker.

I have actually started rewriting I'll Never Break Your Heart as an original fiction. So I'm not sure if I'm going to finish the "epic" fanfiction or the original story.

January Goals

So my overall goal for 2015 is to write 75k in words! I'll post about projects in a bit, but here is my monthly goals. (I hope to do this on the first of the month in the future and not the middle!)

1. Write 6,355 words. (2,249/6,355)
2. Write at 750words every day. (3/31)
3. Read the Bible daily. (3/31)
4. Daily Devotional. (3/31)
5. WriYe Blog Circle. (here)
6. January 5k Weekend Goodies and new Banner. DONE

I also plan to participate in the following challenges:

1. Full Moon Madness (213/1,000) FAIL
2. 5k Weekend
3. 150 word consistency (3/7)

So everything that has either happened or is ongoing has something behind it. I've pretty much already failed at the 750words thing, but I'm curious as to how many days I can get now. Anyway, that's about it for this post!

Goal

**blows dust off blog**

Hello, old friend, how I have missed you. I so need to go through and update this thing! Along with the blogroll! Why? Well, it's a new year and that means a new Blog Circle! So I must do that. And I must update my books and TV shows.

Okay, so now that those have been stated, let me answer this month's question:

What is your one main goal for this year?

This isn't as easy as you would suspect for me. Writing wise, I have several goals. I would love to actually win NaNoWriMo again. I would love to maybe have something finished. Well, that's probably my main goal: finish stuff! I'm only really focusing on like 4 or 5 pieces this year. I'm really hoping I don't get bit by a bunch of plot bunnies either! I usually don't, but every so often...

Anyway, I'll be listing the 4 or 5 stories I plan on working on in another entry later. But as for right now, my whole goal this year is to FINISH! I know. I know. That's my goal EVERY YEAR. But I mean it this year! I WILL FINISH!

Hey, that would be a good mantra! And here I was thinking I wouldn't have one! I WILL FINISH!

You Use What?

Image stolen from The Farthest Star by Jono.

Okay, so I totally forgot to do May's blog entry. I really loved it and I just didn't have time to do it. So here goes!

What do you use to write? 

I used to used Word a whole lot. Like that was the ONLY thing I used. Then this year I switched to Google Drive. Why? Well, I found that I have to write on my tablet a whole lot more than my computer sometimes. (Joys of having kids. They kind of zap your creativity and you have to squeeze in times to write, like lying in bed.) Since I have an Android based tablet, I had Drive on it. Not to mention Drive is cloud-based so I don't have to worry about memory sticks or where I was in something. I can just open it and go!

What do you use to supplement your writing? Music? TV in the background? YouTube channels? 

Typically my noise is either the kids or silence. I find that silence is sometimes the best option because after listening to the kids all day, I need a little quiet time.

Do you shift between different software for different parts of writing: planning, writing, editing, etc.?

Sometimes I have planning docs in Drive that I shift between. I used to use OneNote. I guess I should see if they have it for my tablet. I really liked it for planning.

Bonus: Give us a screenshot of you mid-writing.

I know this is difficult to see but on the left hand side is my AOOA at the top and beneath that is the story. On the right hand side is two different chats. The top one is the WriYe Skype room and the bottom one is a sprint room I follow.

Of Genres and Things

I totally forgot to blog in April. I don't know why. I think I was just dealing with stuff. So here's April blog about genre.

What is your main genre? How has it evolved for you in the past few years and how do you think it will evolve further - both in your own writing style and in the publishing field overall? Is there any genre you think blends easily with your niche? Or maybe you write in one that hasn't really emerged yet.

The genre I find myself writing is in fanfiction. Actually, I haven't written that much fanfiction this year. I've got two main fanfictions in the works: a Fringe one and a Backstreet Boys one. Otherwise, I've been focusing mainly on Last WriYe'er Standing. (I'll save that for another post.) So as for fanfiction, it has evolved in the fact that what I'm writing has changed based on my life. I haven't written a lot of NEW BSB fanfiction mainly because there has been so much change in that fandom as in the way they present themselves. They're all married now. So gone are the days of writing that the main character would get involved with them. They've also started doing things like cruises and "reunion" tours. They've never really broken up, but they are getting together with other acts, like NKOTB and touring again. So as for me writing BSB fanfiction, it's kind of gone to finishing up stories that I thought were long dead. (That's the one I'm working on now.)

And writing in the Fringe universe, well, that's a new one. Sometimes I like to dabble in new fandoms. This is definitely a new fandom to dabble in. It was primarmily because of an idea I found on the NaNoWriMo boards and that's how I wound up writing in that fandom.

As for other genres I write, I primarily write realistic fiction. I've found I've gone more literary or even that New Adult genre when I write it. But I think that's just because I've found it easy. I really need to challenge myself more and write some sci-fi or something.

As for publishing, well, my fanfiction I definitely don't see being published. I'm okay with that. As for genre's that blend with my niche, well, I would say that for my BSB fanfiction, if I were to fictionalize them and not write about real people they would fall into the New Adult genre. The Fringe fanfic would fall into sci-fi. I've got a couple of other sci-fi stories in the works, but they haven't gone anywhere yet.

I don't know how much this post makes sense as my allergies are killing me today, even with medication!

Strike, Color, Correct, Repeat

March is commonly known as NaNoEdMo, or National Novel Editing Month, at least in my circles. It's that time of the year that after NaNoFiMo (National Novel Finishing Month in December) that enough time has elapsed that you can go back and look at the crap novel that you wrote in November for NaNoWriMo and edit it into something that people might actually read. So does it surprise me that this month we are talking about editing? No!

What is your favorite method of editing? Do you print it all out and paint it red? Do you use a computer program like Scrivener or Liquid Story Binder to arrange things? Or maybe you just trash the first draft and try it all over again?

I would print it out, but I would have NO paper and NO ink left over and that would be bad! I don't use computer programs. But I do tend to, on occasion, trash the whole thing and start over. But that doesn't happen that often. Instead, I tend to strike stuff that is being deleted. Why? Because unless it is the beginning of the year, I can't afford to lose those words for WriYe! Then, I start using colors. Ever verification period for WriYe is a different color. This way, if I'm in a document I've worked on before, the new stuff for each verification I write will be a different color. So it may end up looking like this:

Then at the beginning of the next year, I go in and actually delete the stricken words and change all the colors to black if I need to keep working on it. Sometimes even the colored words get struck. It just depends on how often I edit, or feel the need to edit.

What do you find the most in your editing? Are you a repeated-word-abuser? A comma-phile? Or maybe your grammar just ain't no good?

I tend to use the same word over and over and over and over and over again. And typically my dialogue sucks! But mostly I feel like this:

So that's the way I edit.

Last WriYe'er Standing

This challenge is like Survivor for WriYe! Every other week, there is a prompt posted. They can be pictures, words, or just about anything really. You have a week to write a short story (< 3,000 words) and submit it. Then the fun starts! Voting! Anyone can vote. So the more votes the stiffer the competition, I imagine. There's a week for voting. By the end of the week, those who have voted have picked their top 3 and last place story. Feedback is a MUST! Then, points are given for how many top 3 stories you got picked. Story with the most votes wins the week. Story with the least number of votes gets axed.

Well, this week, I couldn't get on to view the prompt until Monday as I was out of town and tablet + hotel Wi-Fi does not equal good Internet. Then life ate me until about, oh, Friday. I'd had a little time here and there to get started. Well, on the due date, I realized that there was NO WAY IN THE WORLD I was going to finish the story I had started. Not to mention, the story I had started was trying to be a novel in my mind and wasn't going to be under 3k. I never really reached 1k on it, but what I had set up was going to be L O N G! So I set it aside and wrote something else. This was kind of like an 11th hour story. It by far wasn't my best work, but I'm hoping I don't get kicked out the first week. I haven't read any of the other stories, as the thread was just posted a few hours ago, so I couldn't really say one way or the other. And no, I'm NOT telling you which one was mine! For me, I'm just glad I got it in. I was thinking I sent it to the wrong email or I got the email address slightly wrong. I kept checking my inbox for a "bounce" message that never came. And when I checked the thread my story was there!

So now I have to remember how in the world I did voting the last time I did this. I know I had a rating system and a way to do it that made it easier on me. I don't know. I'll have to see what I come up with when I sit down to vote. Anyway, I'm off to go take the kiddo to her dad, so maybe this afternoon I'll get some time to either write or vote. Writing would be good, as I still need about 1500 words for the 5k Weekend.

Relationships are...complicated.

How hard is it for you to create character relationships? 

It's so hard for me. I don't usually start out knowing who's going to end up together, if anyone. I'm not much of a romance writer, so romantic relationships are really hard for me. Now other relationships aren't as hard for me, but they do require work on my part.

Do you pre-plan them or do you end up letting them develop as the novel goes on? 

Sometimes I pre-plan them, but usually not. I just let the relationships develop as the story goes on. Sometimes I end up with surprise romances out of what I thought was a friendship. Sometimes I find relationships that are very different than what I had thought. When it comes to romance, the relationships I tend to pre-plan are those of the one-night-stand variety. I guess that's what my brain needs sometimes!

Have your characters betrayed you and paired up with someone you didn't expect? 

They haven't paired up with someone else, yet. But I wouldn't put it past them. Usually, like I said before, I get relationships I don't expect between characters I put together.

Give us the story of how your favorite written characters got together and what makes their relationships strongest.

Probably my favorite relationship so far is a bit of fanfiction Alternate Universe.

Here's a little back story on the AU: Take 5 Backstreet Boys, plop them in a sci-fi/Kindred-esqe type story. 4 of them are vampires, 1 of them is a werewolf. Now, the story line is this: the leaders of the supernatural world are upset because vampires being killed. This could out the whole supernatural society to humans! Enter 3 women, a vampire, a changeling and a human "Watcher" who is making sure everything stays under wraps from the other humans.

Okay, now with the back story set, here's my favorite relationship:

Werewolf and changeling were in an intimate relationship in college. Then one night, the changeling is kidnapped by the other changeling she was betrothed to. Werewolf kind of goes insane looking for her, but doesn't find her. He continues his search for the next number of years.

Now that the changeling has been assigned to this group, she must go back into the city where the werewolf lives. She changes her appearance so to not surprise him too much. Unfortunately, he knows it's her, he just can't prove it to himself. After a series of mishaps, fights and other strange episodes that almost makes it out like they hate each other, an encounter where the werewolf is injured sends the changeling to his side. They both brush off the bond as a fluke. Well, later, when the changeling is seriously injured, the werewolf is at her side and seriously protective. It's then that everyone else makes the connection that they are meant to be together. They eventually figure it out as well.

Oh, and a note about the guy she was betrothed to: he dropped her as "damaged" and was a real jerk about it!

I have no idea what makes this relationship so strong. Probably the idea that it goes over a long period of time and the fact that I know the two are bonded together but they don't know it.