Welcome to What's Up Wednesday, a weekly meme run by Erin L Funk and Jaime Morrow.
What I'm reading
I'm on a fantasy kick this week! I've been reading The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson. I picked it up for only £1.99 on Kindle as I loved the Mistborn trilogy, and so far it hasn't disappointed! I also read another Sanderson book, The Rithmatist. I love the original and unique magic systems!
I'm now reading Blood Magic by Tessa Gratton, which is a fantastic read. Next on my list is Third Daughter by Susan Kaye Quinn, for the blog tour next month. I've been looking forward to this one!
What I'm writing
I finished the first revision of Darkworld Book 3 and sent it to my publishers for approval! *eek* It wasn't as intense as the two mega-revisions I had to do for Book 2, so hopefully this'll work out well! I'm also waiting on some exciting Darkworld news which I'm hoping to announce soon. :)
Meanwhile, I'm working on my YA Urban Fantasy, and I've reached the point where, despite all the planning, the story tries to run away from me and the inner editor comes out to play so I have to beat it with a stick. But I'm enjoying using Scrivener's word-count goal features to keep track of targets. (Yes, I'm now a Scrivener convert! Though part of that is because updating to Word 2013 has successfully made it difficult to do basic things like opening files... O_O)
What else I've been up to
Despite the crazy weather's best efforts to thwart our plans, my boyfriend and I managed to escape to Swansea for Valentine's Day. :) Luckily we avoided the places hit by blackouts and floods, though we ended up going to the cinema three times in two days because of the hurricane-force winds at the beach. o_O But the Lego Movie was awesome. :D
Also, BOOK SHOPPING. I spent the last of my vouchers and have now got the other two books in the Chaos Walking trilogy by Patrick Ness.
Basically, escaping the crazy. The writing life is completely insane sometimes, and I think I need to get a better focus on the positive things rather than dwelling on what I can't control. Publishing's wildly unpredictable and readers' opinions are subjective, so all I can do is concentrate on the writing/revising/editing, and not whether people will like/buy it. I've had a lot of negativity thrown my way over the past few weeks, but I've also had some lovely emails from my publishers and some great beta feedback. So I'm focusing on that! :)
What inspires me right now
That tiny bit of sunshine in the midst of all the rain. :P Seriously, though, it's rained non-stop literally all year. But hey, things can only get better from here, right?
*skips off singing, "Everything is awesome" (that song is stuck in my head!)*
I love the Chaos Walking trilogy. One of my all time favourites. Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteI loved The Knife of Never Letting go, and I'm sure I'll enjoy the rest of the series! :)
DeleteOooh, Blood Magic has been in my TBR pile for... er.... years... *mortified face* I really, REALLY need to get round to reading it.
ReplyDeleteKeep on focusing on the positive! :) You're awesome, and everything is awesome.
It's been on my list for a while, I picked it up a few weeks ago. Thanks! :)
DeleteThis is why we need to find voices we trust, and that we know are interested in our growth as writers--whether that's a critique group, or beta readers--people who, in the midst of a fickle marketplace, will keep us grounded and focused. Otherwise we'll be tossed around by haters and lovers, and left an emotional mess. It sounds like your publisher and betas are doing you a great service. :)
ReplyDeleteThis is why I rarely upgrade software unless I absolutely have to. I'm still using Word 2003. It does what I need it to do. At work we use Office 2010, so I'm getting used to the new look, but when it comes to what I need a word processor to do, frankly, I could use OpenOffice just as effectively. Have you checked that out? It's just like MS Office, but it's free (http://www.openoffice.org).
Have a great writing week, Emma!
Couldn't agree more! :)
DeleteI've had open office recommended to me by a lot of people! I'll definitely look into it, but I rely on Track Changes for editing so I needed to upgrade Word as soon as possible!
"I need to get a better focus on the positive things rather than dwelling on what I can't control." <-- This is pretty much the theme of my year. Challenging, but I think a much healthier way to live. Best of luck working on your urban fantasy, Emma, and have a great week!
ReplyDeleteWhen I was a kid and it rained, my friends and I used to jokingly say "Skin is waterproof" and then go outside to play anyway. I think metiphorical skin is waterproof too. You will get through this rainstorm. Have a wonderful week!
ReplyDeleteI loved the Chaos Walking series! And The Lego Movie is awesome! :)
ReplyDeleteI still have Blood Magic on my list, but I fully intend to read it. Tessa Gratton is a fun chick. I've met her a couple times, and been really impressed by how personable she is.
ReplyDelete"I think I need to get a better focus on the positive things rather than dwelling on what I can't control" Yes. This is good advice!
I've been meaning to read something by Brandon Sanderson for the longest time because I've heard a lot of great stuff about him. One of these days...
ReplyDeleteBook three revisions done?! Awesome! Go buy yourself some chocolate, or a new pair of shoes, or both! I know Tessa Gratton is CPs with Maggie Stiefvater and since I love adore MS, I'm wondering if I'll also enjoy Tessa Gratton. Book shopping is the best! Nothing like the smell of a bookstore :)
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you're a Scrivener convert! I swear by it, although even after using it for over two years I still have to figure out some of the features. Three movies for Valentine's Day sounds very fun and relaxing. Best of luck on your writing projects this week!
ReplyDeleteIt's really sunny here today, it's lovely. I don't trust it, though; no doubt we'll be back to the gales and the rain soon enough.
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear about the negativity floating around in your life recently and the rain! If I could send you some sun, I would! We actually need the rain. California is under drought advisory right now. :P
ReplyDeleteThat said, I think we left the UK just before all the crazy weather hit because it was really quite nice when we were there!
All the books you're reading right now are in my TBR. I'm slowly getting back into reading after my long spell of not wanting to read. I think I really burnt myself out! Oh and the Lego movie! So fun! I think everyone gets that song stuck in their head after seeing it. It's impossible not to!
The Mistborn Trilogy and the Chaos Walking Trilogy are both among my favorites! Such fantastic world building in both those series. I've always wanted to pick up some more books by Brandon Sanderson. Ah, but that TBR list is so long! Have a great week.
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