Excuses Are Well-Planned Lies

Today is Cyber Monday! You know, that day when all of us smart people who did NOT get trampled on Friday go shopping...from our laptops. It is a great idea, and now you can be a part of it! There are a ton of indie-books on SALE right now, ready for Cyber Monday wonderfulness! Those Who Trespass is one of them, yours for 20% the regular price (with code). Not to mention a terrifically nerdy giveaway that you do not want to miss. Check it all out right here!

note the weekend/weekday difference

Also, it's December. Which means it's not November. And no, I did not win National Novel Writing Month this year. I was eleven thousand words short. :( My pride was injured, but there is nothing else wrong with me. I wanted to so dearly to prove it could be won while in college! And I still think that's true, if I'd given it just a little more attention over the course of the month and not left the poor thing dormant during the weekdays.

But I did learn something very important: I do too have time to write while in college. Maybe I'm not up to NaNo speed, but I'm definitely not incapable.

"Excuses are well-planned lies." -- Dani Johnson

I remember what I thought the first time I heard that quote. "Not true!" I said. "I know excuses are wrong and not worth it, but they are, at least, true!

"Aren't they?"

Turns out, they are false. They are false statements that you agree with in order to live a comfortable life right now and cheat yourself of the life you want later. I used to think they were true, denoting a fact I would have to hurdle. You know, like, "I don't have time, so I must work to make time." But even that isn't quite right. The truth is: "I do have time, I'm just spending it on other things." Ouch.

I have NaNo to thank that I finally realized how not true my excuse was. And my thanks is genuine. Now I can return to writing, knowing that it is possible. Knowing that I can accomplish it. Knowing that the time I thought I didn't have actually did exist and was simply spent on other things.

Bam.

I Have Time

Special things will be happening this week, by the way. Amazon *may* just be giving my book away for for a few days! for those of you stuck in the car as you go over the river and through the woods. {It's not free yet, but I've heard rumors that this promotion begins on Wednesday.} AND there might just be a Black Friday sale on the paperback! KEEP YOUR EARS OPEN.

And onto previously scheduled things.

Yeah, I've never been this behind on NaNoWriMo. I don't know if I should be proud or embarrassed that despite never reaching the goal, I am still trudging on. I'm counting on the fact that I have no tests this week and it's only a three-day week thanks to Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving, my friends!

My NaNo novel is a mosh pit of scenes. Scenes in present-tense, scenes in past. Scenes in first-person, scenes in third-person. Scenes written twice. It's not a coherent story. My most recent method is to write it in scenes starting at the end. None of it is anything I'm particularly proud of, but, on the upside, it's not a total failure like the great NaNo novel of 2011 {which I won, but not prettily}.

 The best thing about NaNo is that it has proved to me that I do have time to write. Among tests and homework and starting a new campus group and supporting an old campus group and joining a new campus group {yes, all three of those things have happened this month}, I do have time to put words down on paper. After all this time complaining that I didn't have time and it wasn't fair and why can't I write, blah, blah, blah...I have time.

I have time.

This is something I knew in my head, but I've experienced it this month. You always have time for your highest priorities. Problem is, sometimes your highest priorities don't match the things you would write down if someone asked you to do so.

Because here's the thing: your highest priorities are revealed, not by what you write down, but what you do. We think our highest priorities are things like writing and studying, but what they turn out to be are tv shows and Facebook. No joke.

The truth is, you can change your highest priorities. And something like National Novel Writing Month can help you do that. I know. I speak from experience. You do have time...but only for your highest priorities. Make sure they are what you want them to be.

And don't forget to keep an eye out this week for free e-books and sale paperbacks! :)

The Deep End

Just three more weeks of classes! Just four more weeks of school, and then I'm freeeeeeeee!

First off, did you catch J. Grace Pennington's superb guest post last week? You should go check it out now, it's much more interesting than this post, which is going to be a bit of a ramble.

I'm still NaNo-ing. If you can call it that. As of this moment, I'm nearly 11K words behind. Never in my life have I faced catch-up like this. Yesterday I considered quitting. I had good reason to do it; I'm behind, I have tests, I can't find Anne's voice no matter how hard I try {you don't want to know how many points of view are splattered across this manuscript}.

this is not the cover of the book I read,
but I like this cover the best

And then I read Code Name Verity, by Elizabeth Wein. Oh my goodness, if you have not read this book...go read it. Go. Now. Stop reading this blog post and order Code Name Verity or put it on reserve, for goodness' sake, READ IT. I've read a lot of books in my lifetime, and I can count on one hand the number of books/authors that have been/written a perfect book. Very rare, those perfect books are. Very, very rare.

And Code Name Verity is a perfect book. Flawless. Meticulously plotted. Gorgeous. Heart-wrenching. Beautiful. Just...perfect. Read it.

Anyway, among other unique things, the points-of-view and tenses in Code Name Verity jump around a lot. It flows with excellence, but the style of writing gave me some idea and inspiration.

So I jumped back into my NaNo novel with renewed purpose and vision.

On the upside, I think I can make 50,000 words happen this November. On the downside, it probably won't look like a manuscript. Or, if it does, it won't be a finished one. But that's okay. The goal was to get me back in the deep end of writing again, and, even if I'm treading water at an increasingly frantic pace...I'm back.

Wonderful Experiences

Well, I decided to do something crazy.

I'm doing NaNoWriMo, also known as National Novel Writing Month. {What is it? An attempt to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days.} I've done it before {twice}, but that wasn't while I was in college.

Reasons why:

• I had already been thinking that I needed to start writing again making time for it. {There's always time for something if you make time.}
• A young friend of mine emailed me for advice as she began her first NaNo foray.
• I had a story in mind that was shorter than most {most being 80K words}. A story I've actually been formulating for years. A story that was coming into its own.
• A school friend of mine was NaNo-ing, and I knew I was going to be jealous all month long.

And so I am NaNo-ing. I'm already a bit behind, but nothing that can't be fixed {especially after tomorrow's test}. I'm excited. Slowly, the passion that equals good writing is returning to me. {Especially after watching the film, Now You See Me. So brilliant of a script, that. So worth the watch. I am inspired.}

One of the curiously fun things about this is that I'm writing a new couple: Anne and Isaiah. I was surprised yesterday by a simple fact: they're not Jenn and Clayton. And it's awesome. I love Jenn. I love Clayton. But getting to slowly sink into another world {kind of}, with different characters that interact...differently...is a wonderful experience after spending what amounts to four years with Jenn and Clayton.

AND SPEAKING OF WONDERFUL EXPERIENCES: Aimee L. Salter {the critique partner brain behind my book and an amazing person all around} is releasing her book, BREAKABLE, today! I have read this book {twice} {and I will again when I hold the finished paperback in my hands}, and it is full of high stakes and mystery and romance and deep thoughts and absolute marvelousness {not to mention a stellar plot that twists and turns and leaves you guessing until the very end}. GO HERE NOW for all the awesome!

A Sequel

As you may remember, or may not remember, it doesn't really matter, I had quite the time of it after I finished TWT (Those Who Trespass).

It started in November, with what was probably the worst NaNo book ever written. Then came December, while I wrote my query. And while I agonized over the query, I tried to write a dystopian that I had long had in mind. {It's The Bachelor meets The Hunger Games. But it doesn't matter, because I couldn't make it work.} It wouldn't write. I outlined, I outlined, I outlined, trying to avoid the inevitable slew of rewrites that I always encounter after a first draft.

It didn't work. I finished my TWT query. I brushed up the TWT manuscript. I queried.

And I started writing scenes for another book. A sequel.

A sequel.

I never intended TWT to have a sequel. It still doesn't need one. I think it stands alone just fine. But sometime last year, I started getting ideas. I jotted them down and ignored them. FanFiction for my own work, I figured. Unimportant.

And then, when I finished TWT, I started writing more. The story just kept going. And since I was undergoing self-inflicted torture with the dystopian, I told myself I could write whatever I wanted, just as long as I was writing something. And what I wanted to write was...the sequel. It even has a title.

I've already written at least a dozen scenes. I'm enjoying it. Clayton and Jenn still have things to say to each other. They still have things to not say to each other. There is still conflict. There is still romance. There is still room in this story for more.

I never would have guessed it. I never wanted it, but here it is, and I like it.

And so commences the first real sequel I have ever written. {I've planned out series' before and have snippets of multiple books in series, but this is the first time I've finished a book and kept going.}

Have you ever written a sequel? Were you planning to do it, or did it sneak up on you?

Also, I finally got a rejection. It made me feel better, like I'm not living in the Twilight zone anymore.


Also, also, Patrick Ness is still brilliant. The more I consider the Chaos Walking trilogy, the more I'm assured of Ness' brilliance.

Things to Do with 5 Free Copies

Now that it's December, I'm going to divulge some of my motivation for doing NaNo this year. Not all of it. I had much of the normal motivation for doing NaNo. But there was also something else.

In October, I re-read 2010's NaNo novel, THE MISTRESS FACADE. I laughed. I cried. It moved me, Bob. I mean, it's no great work of art, but it was one of those moments where you're like, "Now, now I have written exactly what I want to read."

It was cliche. It was cheesy. It was predictable. It was goofy. It contained terrible grammar and some serious continuity problems. {She reveals twice to the guy that she's not an orphan as he originally supposed.} It would never be published in a million years, for many various reasons, including the fact that it may just be too embarrassing.

And since I never plan on publishing it, nor do I plan on renovating it to make it publishable {I've taken it as far as it can go, and it is good, but not publishable}, I had a plan. I was going to win NaNo this year, get my free bound copy from CreateSpace, and print last year's NaNo novel. That's legal. {I missed the expiration last year because I was positive my story was utter crap and needed revision. Turns out, it's not utter crap, though it would need revision if I had high hopes for it. Which I don't.} I just want it printed so I can read it whenever I want, mistakes and all, because I downright enjoy it.

Except this year, CreateSpace is giving away five bound copies of your book. What on earth would I do with five bound copies of a book too embarrassing to share? {Or maybe that's just enough copies, since I never plan on pursuing publication with this story.} Why can't I print five different books? I have that many sitting on my shelf that will probably never see the light of day. {The Kaotics, Kassia, The Mistress Facade, Stratagem, and this year's NaNo: A Girl of the People.}

So now I'm at a loss. Do I print five copies of last year's NaNo novel, which has no future but most definitely has my heart? Do I print five copies of my first official book, Stratagem, which was rejected by agents but not by my friends? Or do I print five copies of this NaNo's A Girl of the People, which embarrasses me on a whole different level of authorly embarrassment?

I Missed the Challenge

On Monday I mentioned what a lovely time I'd had with NaNo. And I did have a lovely time! I hope to do NaNo every November for the rest of my foreseeable writing future. :) But I got to thinking...a dangerous pastime, I know...

Spontaneously giving Jaana telepathy, or abruptly changing Sutter from villain to romantic, was a blast. It was fun. I was laughing in the face of the rules - oh, my poor inner editor - and loving every second it. I could do whatever I wanted, and no one could stop me. Marvelous.

But there was a part of me that missed the planning. I missed the challenge. There is little challenge when anything is possible, when your world is unbuilt, your characters unfleshed. {This does not include the lovely challenge of inserting whatever whenever...and quickly.} I missed figuring out who my characters were. I missed the rules of the world. Randomly giving people telepathy was definitely fun, but it was also very easy.

Do I like easy? Heck yes, I love easy. I'm in the midst of tortorous world-building and character-fleshing for my current dystopian WiP. I definitely have an appreciation for easy.

Because it's hard.

But watching what's come out of the difficulty is worth it. It's only creeping now, peeping its little head out. But it's there. I can see the results of my hard work. And I promise - the results of hard work beat the results of the easy work. Besides the fact that I have a better appreciation for my work, I've also been forced to be creative.
 
And creativity writes good books.
 
Will I do NaNo again? Absolutely. It's so much fun. But it's the rest of the year that makes me proud to be a writer.

This Baby Makes Six

I finished my NaNo novel yesterday. Early. It made me sad, really, to finish three days ahead. Where's the hurry? Where's the scurry? Just me, quietly finishing up yet another novel.

And this baby makes six.

How did it start? Illi Niqua {shameless word count gimmick} falls in love with Amri. That was how it started. It may be worth mentioning that this was not really a fantasy, and that nobody had any special powers to speak of...when it started

Then I discovered, or wrote into being, the following:

• Illi Niqua could hear nature, see people's emotions on their skin, and was bound to her people in a magical way.
• Amri, my romantic interest, was a jerk, had a fiance, and could make people believe he was trustworthy. He wasn't.
• Sutter, Amri's older brother and my original villain, was a really nice guy who could see emotions the way Illi Niqua did, make people believe his words, use telepathy, and was bound to Illi Niqua's people also.
• Jaana, Amri's fiance, was telepathic.

And all these things came into play as I speed-wrote my way through ten-minute increments and created a story I call A Girl of the People that I hope never to read again.

{Though, admittedly, that was what I said about last year's story...and a re-read a couple months ago proved that it wasn't half as bad as I had thought.}

Am I glad I did NaNo? Of course. I still enjoy throwing things into my story that whip it around and upside down. It only happens when I'm speed-writing and don't have time to let myself think about it. But it's fun. It's like splattering paint on a wall and seeing what pictures come out of it. Not something I would do if I wanted my painting in a gallery, but definitely fun. And that was my point all along.

How are you doing in your NaNo quest? Tomorrow's the day!

Well, That's NaNo

I wrote while sleeping Saturday night. I know I was asleep, because I would jolt awake every time my ten-minute timer went off. And I know I was writing, because my fingers were still tap-tap-tapping at the keys. And I know that I was actually typing words, because my eyes were open.

Well, that's NaNo.

But I'm becoming not a little illusioned with my NaNo novel. It's not like last year. Last year, the story just came together. Beginner's luck, I guess. Or maybe it was because it was intentionally humorous, and the humor of my speed-writing only made it better. I'm not sure. All I know is that when I looked at it this year - I enjoyed it.

But now my NaNo novel is progressing with words I hate, with backstory that pops in and out on every other page - and changes every time. It's frustrating, but I'm going to finish it. I am. Because I'm committed, and that's how I roll.

Funny thing is, I probably would have given up on it already if it weren't for the query I'm supposed to be writing. This is how much I don't want to write my query:

1.  NaNo novel: Like a Sunrise (I hate that title)
2. the Shiny New Idea
3. the Shiny Old Idea (tentatively the Next Big Thing on my to-write list)
4. the Query

Dear, oh dear, oh dear.

Any query-motivation is appreciated.

Developments

I finished my query yesterday.

I know, right! Total whoa-ness! And total-I-don't-know-ness. I feel like I've been putting together some sort of puzzle for the past month, a puzzle where all the pieces are words and plot points and characters that must be arranged and rearranged and re-rearranged into something worth reading.

For a month. A month. I've spent days on single sentences, made lists of dozens - no, maybe scores - of possible wording sequences and wonderings of whether or not this aspect of the story should be included.

And yesterday, I finished it. Of course, I'm sure I'll edit it. Hopefully not drastically, but one never knows. Ha. I've sent it off to the magnificent beta-reader, Shelley, and we'll see what she thinks.

But I'm getting closer...

NaNo update: 15907 words :)

And since I'm on break from my query, guess who's outlining a new story............ :) :) :) :) Epic dystopian world-building, here I come! :)

Any new developments on your writing? Do tell...

This Is NaNo

This morning, my NaNo MC climbed a tree while a blizzard was coming in. Then some bad men came below her tree. All going according to plan.

Until a fox appeared in the trap across the clearing. Seriously? Seriously? Where did the fox come from? Well, who needs the fox? I had full intention of letting the bad men kill the fox, until said fox started talking, and then talking about kits. {Kits being baby foxes, yes?} And his plaintive cries were making me sad.

"I can't do this," I thought. "I can't kill the fox."

But my MC is stuck in a tree as snowflakes blow in on the wind, scared to be found. But she's also scared for the fox, so she yells. And then she gets found.

Where did I leave her? In the tree, pretending to be dead as the cold seeps into her fingers. {Long story.} If it makes anyone feel any better, the romantic interest (RI) is just on the other side of the Creek. Too bad he can't cross because of certain territorial boundaries.

But hey - the Creek can talk. The Tree talks. {I mean, come on, the fox talked, why can't the tree?} And MC and RI are the only ones who can hear said voices.

This - this is NaNo. This is where I start writing with no idea where the story is going. This is where I send characters up into trees without knowing how they'll come down. This is where talking foxes throw me off my game, and this is where talking water saves lives. This is NaNoWriMo.

What about you? Is this your NaNo, or did you actually outline? :)

Pedal, Pedal, Pedal

Yesterday, I began a story that's been simmering in my head since April 2009. It had been on my mind lately, and I was like, "Why not do that one for NaNo?"

I have an answer to that question: It's not ready.

I wrote over 2000 words on it yesterday, for NaNo. My lovely little bar was blue. It was pretty. I was excelling. Today I, tried to continue my progress. I got about 600 words written.

It wasn't working. I was trying, and trying, but the story wasn't flowing. There was no voice. For me, voice catches, like a gear on a bicycle. Pedal, pedal, pedal, and wait for the gear to catch. Sometimes you can keep cycling, spinning the pedals, coasting to a stop, because the gear won't catch. Sometimes it catches right away.

But for this story, it wasn't catching. And a story with no voice is just...pointless. {I realize there are times when a story without voice should and can be pursued. But this wasn't one of those times.}

So I switched. Today I switched stories. I switched to something else, something I never expect to get published. Something not so heavy. Something romantic. Something cliche. Exactly what I wanted to be writing.

It's had. I'm now a day behind. Ouch. But I could not, I just could not fathom writing Story #1 for the next 30 days. It wasn't fair to the story, and it wasn't fair to me, because NaNo is my writing vacation!

What about you? Have your gears caught {if you're doing NaNo}?

Sorry Backspace Key

NaNoWriMo begins today.

I. Am. Stoked.

It's been since June that I've been able to free-write anything, been since last November that I've been able to free-write anything just for the heck of it, been since October 2009 that it wasn't a luxury. Last November whetted my appetite, a taste of what life can be when you write what you're thinking and nothing else. When you write the cliche because you can, when you shrug your shoulders at marketability. When the story is funny - but only to you. When the only person to impress is yourself, because you're the only one who will ever read it.

When the backspace key becomes a non-factor in your life.

When edit becomes a foreign word.

I tasted it last November. Since then, I've been a very good girl and have completed and edited two serious manuscripts. This is my reward.

Sorry Backspace Key...it's been nice knowing you.

Are you doing NaNo? Feel free to add me as a writing buddy - theprincessspy.

It's a Good Time To Be a Writer

My to-edit list is getting shorter.

It's been getting shorter for quite some time, but yesterday I realized that IT'S FINALLY ON ONE PAGE. One page, people! I mean, last week it was on TWELVE PAGES. And now I'm down to ONE! :)

It is my hope to finish - like, really finish - like finishfinishfinish - THIS WEEK! This week, people!

The November plan? Querying! {I actually know who I want to query first, exclusively. Call me crazy, but I finally feel confident about my choice.} and *drumroll please* NANOWRIMO!!!!!!! To write without worries!!! I'm STOKED! :)

These have been some encouraging months, what with Tahereh Mafi getting a book deal, Natalie Whipple getting a book deal, Shannon Messenger getting a book deal, and, most recently, writing-medical-advice-giver extraordinaire, Lydia Kang, getting a book deal! I'm so excited for these people! Tahereh's book is coming out in only a couple of weeks, too {which I can't wait to read}!

Anyway, it's a good time to be a writer. I'm stoked for my friends, I'm excited for my MS and its destiny, and I'm thrilled about letting my hair down with NANOWRIMO! :)

What about you? What about writing is making you happy??

Housekeeping, As It Were

Well, I honestly thought I'd be back to a regular posting schedule once NaNo was over. Guess I was wrong. :/ Sorry, to all those who have showed up to see nothing. Sorry if I haven't visited your blog. Sorry to my lovely (and very, very patient) beta reader, whose notes I have not yet finished.


Let's see...since I can't think of anything deep/intriguing/otherwise interesting, I'll give a quick writing update.

• Ivolet - should be editing. Am not editing. All my friends ask me what's up with it. I should be editing. And integrating my BR's (beta reader) marvelous notes. And writing my query letter. (Haha, I typed 'query later,' which is more or less what's happening.) MUST. PRESS. ON. MUST. NOT. GIVE. UP. PERSEVERANCE. EQUALS. PUBLICATION.
• Jenn Alistor (Aftertaste of Revenge) - should be on the back burner. Am writing and creating and filling plot holes like there is no tomorrow. The ending 'came' to me the other day (I never have endings for any of my stories), and I'm rather unfortunately obsessed with this story. Not that I'm writing a lot of words, but my brain is working overtime. I love how it's turning out. (Perhaps more on this later?)
• NaNoWriMo (The Mistress Facaade) - NOT. For all those (if any) who are wondering if I have future plans for this book - I don't. I wrote major, major crap (my ever-loyal, non-writer friends do not believe this, but I have no intention of giving them the MS to prove them wrong), and the muse has left me. I still like the story idea, but if I ever go back to it, I'll start from the beginning (though I may incorporate some things from the NaNo speed-writing version.)

Since my posting schedule is rather nonexistent, I'm going to try a Mon-Wed-Fri thing and see how it works out. In the past I've tried to hit 4 out of 7 days, but, of course, that's rather inconsistent.

The NaNo Thoughts #1: Write & Relax

You knew it was coming. What did I learn through NaNoWriMo? What are my thoughts? (I mean, it is a blog. It's where I put my thoughts.)

I wish I could put all the thoughts in order and post them every day in a method that both told the story of my NaNo experience as well as gave one point per post. I can't. I don't have that much time to plan that many posts. So, having to pick one, I'm going with a point per post.

Thought #1: I learned how to write and relax.

I have a fairly loud inner editor, and I love her to death. I appreciate her even more, now, since I've written an entire novel while ignoring her. She keeps elbowing me saying, "Look at that. It's crappy. See what you can't do without me!" And yes, I'm agreeing with her. I see what life is like without her.

However, without her, there's a certain element of freedom without her. I can write whatever I want. I can spend paragraphs introducing characters I'll never see again, describe dresses to my heart's content, create one-dimensional characters, have completely unbelievable changes of heart, and skip all sense of reality when spending nights in blizzards are involved. Oh yeah.

I mean, yeah, the novel (I'm not sure it's even that) sucks. I know that. I know why it sucks. I know how I could have made it better, but making it better wasn't the point. The point was doing what I love to do but don't get to do very often: just going. Just going where the story takes me and who cares about plotlines and grammar and adverbs and rules.

It. Was. Epic.

I got to write a story that no one will ever read, just for the fun of writing it. I don't even plan to read it, at least not for a long time, because that's not why I wrote it. I wrote it to write it. That's all. To just go and accept plot mangling when it comes. (That person wasn't in the room a minute ago. How'd they get there?)

So that's my first thought. Writing is fun. November was my month to have fun again, without caring about the rules. It's like...being a kid again, in a sense. Being a young writer again and remembering how that felt.

Writing is fun. Every once in a while, you've just got to write and relax.

VICTORY

*collapses from exhaustion and falls into a deep, deep pool of confetti*
Thank you everyone for your encouragement!

40K & 3 Days Left

NANOWRIMO

KILLED

MY

BLOG 

(and my Facebook, for the record)

I'll be back on December 1. :)

Until then...

NaNo Outlining

This is the extent of my NaNoWriMo outlining, made 20 days into November, 30K into the story, after deciding that it's time to move on to Act 2. ;)

I'm Doomed

• Ivolet's about to get queried and needs some fine-tuned writing that is getting closer and closer to the non-edited stage. Writing speed: slow and intense. Listening a lot to the inner editor as I prepare to condense the first three chapters into one so that the story stars "as close to the ending as possible."
• The Mistress Facade (my NaNoWriMo novel) is being written at the speed of light with no care in the world for repeated phrases and actions, poor grammar, or two-dimensional characters. First-person, (now) present-tense, the narrator is a bit shy and insecure. When I sit down to write this one, I'm on a timer to see how many words I can whiz out in 15 minutes.
• And then there's Aftertaste of Revenge (or something like that - title still in the works) that I began in October. I'm writing this one without hurry, but it tends to come pretty fast. The narrator is, believe it or not, pretty snarky, and I love her to death because we all know snark usually isn't my thing.

And so I have a problem. (What, you thought this was just a what-I'm-working-on update?) Because I'm working on all three of these at the same time. I'm switching back and forth, ostensibly to keep my mind on its toes. But it's more on its toes than it really needs to be. I'm switching from slow, deliberate writing on Ivolet, Superman-speed writing on Facade, and just letting the voice flow from my fingertips on Revenge.

It's messing up my head. I can't switch from third-person princesses to first-person chamber maids to first-person murderers just like that. I'm not that amazing. ;)

But I want to write them all. Now. Here. To linger on one is to ignore the others, and I have an addiction to them all. Technically, Ivolet's editing is the most important, because she's soon to be queried. But then NaNoWriMo only has twenty-ish more days for Facade! And what about Revenge...it's the story that keeps having brilliant little things pop into my mind without warning. It should be at the bottom, but I don't want to leave it...

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!
I'm doomed.

I guess we'll know at the end of November if I survive, eh?