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I think I’m almost there. I’m so close.

I’m almost ready for my first professional #edit.

Still probably a couple of weeks to go yet, but I’m getting much closer. My #critique group has been an immense help, and during my short time away from my #revision I’ve come up with a few tweaks that I think will make the story pop more.

The closer I become to each subsequent step in the #writing process, the more excited I get. I know that it often takes years, but I’m optimistic that I can get this book traditionally published some day. 🙂

What do you do when someone asks for #brutalhonesty in a #critique or in #editing? Do you browbeat them, or do you still sugarcoat?

I, for one, feel that sugarcoating doesn’t really serve any teaching/learning purpose. If I don’t tell you where you’re going wrong, how do you find the right way to go about it?

At the same time though, I feel like a total arse whenever I let it all out. I mean, the people asking for critiques are putting their writing out there, all weak and vulnerable, and here I come with my Review function in Word, clicking and typing away, picking apart the style and grammar and punctuation until there’s nothing left but bare bones. Just little red boxes all over the side of the screen.

Not that my writing is perfect. Far from it. That’s why I joined a critique group, and why I plan on paying my mother to edit it for me (www.booksbyliz.com, check her out). I know that I need to learn, and that I need to improve if I want to reach publication quality.

So back to brutal honesty. I had someone request brutality. And I was, well, I’d say moderately brutal. Not severely brutal–I could have been worse–but brutal enough to piss off the average person. I tried to suggest ways to improve, and tried to explain how certain things would be off-putting to a reader. It was a frustrating experience, to say the least. I don’t enjoy being brutal, but sometimes it’s necessary. This time, it was even requested. So why do I still feel bad?

I guess I’ll find out in the next couple of days if I was too brutal or not brutal enough. The critique is saved and sent, so there’s no turning back now. I may have taught someone something…or I may have made a new enemy.

I’m still working on those critiques. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. Normally I get them done the day they’re sent to me, and I still have two to go.

I guess I should have kept up my momentum while I was on vacation. It’s easier to get back to my day job because I have no choice; I have to get up, get dressed, clock in, and get to it. With the critiques and the #writing, which currently brings no income, I have no set schedule and no hard deadline. I try to make one for myself, but I am not my best boss. I can ask others to do things, but when I tell myself to I don’t listen.

Wait… I guess that makes me a bad self employee, not a bad self boss. I’m giving myself deadlines and stern internal lectures after all. I just don’t listen. I’d demote myself, but there’s only one position.

I’ve gotten a few new ideas for my #novel since taking my vacation break, but aside from doing some minor research I haven’t really done any new #writing or #revision on it.

It’s not that I don’t want to. I just don’t have the energy. I’m so wiped out from the break that I need, well, a break. I suppose if I had kept up with my critiques during my time off I wouldn’t be so tired, but I wanted to spend the time with family. Definitely worth it, but I feel guilty for getting backed up (even though I don’t really have a time limit beyond getting finished before the weekend).

Anywho, I think I can make my epilogue stronger by adding in an additional scene. I’m still working out the kinks of who to have come in and talk to the character, but I’ve worked out the genealogy of it (which, when working with supernatural beings, is tricky).

Critiques first, though. I try to put my responsibilities to other projects first. I have my draft written and most of my revision done. I can be patient with that. Besides, I need to save up for an editor. Unless, that is, I want to have my mom edit it, in which case I need to work up the nerve to have her read it. It is definitely not her normal genre lol I would still pay her though, so I still need to save up. Off to get the kitty out of the bathroom trash can now. He’s in a mood this morning.

One thing I haven’t mentioned yet about #PhoenixComicon is that my #rheumatoidarthritis didn’t flare up once. It was amazing!

For the past two years, I’ve missed at least one day of each convention due to a flare up. The pain just got to the point where I couldn’t handle walking around between the buildings all day. This year? Almost no pain. Sure, my feet got a little sore. But the unrelenting back pain? The achy knees? The debilitating fatigue? Nope, not there.

Sure, I was tired. My legs felt the burn from walking around for a few days. But I wasn’t in agony. I love that I’ve finally gotten put on the right regimen of medication that seems to be keeping my arthritis at bay. Don’t get me wrong; I still have bad days every once in a while. They’re much fewer and much, much farther between, though.

Tonight my back is a bit achy, which could be a little rebound pain, but with a good night’s sleep I’ll be fine. I’m sure that the way I’m reclining in bed with the laptop isn’t helping matters either lol

I’ve made progress in my #critiques, but am by no means finished. I also have revisions out the wazoo to do on my #novel, but those things will have to wait until I have time. Work beckons in the morning.

Now that Phoenix Comicon is over, it’s time to get back in the swing of things. I’ve got a few submissions to read, critique, and return, a submission of my own to send in, some revision/editing to work on, some critiques from another project to read, and some submissions from that project to read/critique/return as well.

Then tomorrow, back to full-time real-world work. I’m just a glutton for punishment.

It was very nice to have the time off though, even if it was a relatively busy weekend. I got to take my time and enjoy the con while still having free time to spend with family. I feel refreshed and ready to take on life as usual. I definitely needed this break from the norm.

Here are the pics I’ve taken at the con. They’re mostly just from day one and day two, because my husband and I had our nephews with us today and I didn’t want to ruin their fun by stopping cosplayers for photos when the day was about the boys.

And now for a nap! Whew!

I’ve poured over the programming guide. Looked at everything there is to do for the first couple of hours of con. I am ready to implement the plan…

The plan to not plan very much. Yeah, there are a couple of panels I still would like to see. Do I have to see them? Not really. And that’s just fine.

I’ve spent so much time recently living in stress that I’m relishing the knowledge that I basically only have to plan on what I’m going to wear.

Two more days of con talk, then back to my regularly scheduled nonsense 🙂

It is so nice to go to a Comicon and not really have much planned.

The past three years either my husband or both of us have been working for one of the gaming groups, so we have had to squeeze in panels and shopping and entertainment in between the scheduled stuff we were signed up for.

Just being able to go at our leisure has been great. This is how Con was meant to be experienced.

Tomorrow we’ll have monies to get goodies or do other stuff we might be interested in. Or not. It’s our Con.

It’s that time of year again! Time for Phoenix Comicon, the one convention a year that I make every effort to attend.

This will be my fourth year in a row attending, and my third year cosplaying. I’ll be wearing some form of cosplay each day of the con, though not all will be very sophisticated. I’m taking it easy this year.

My “big” cosplay will be Amy Farrah Fowler from The Big Bang Theory. My supportive husband is even cosplaying as Dr Sheldon Cooper (if you don’t know, watch the show!) the same day. He’s not big on cosplay, so it means a lot to me.

I’m also doing an original character, a “lazy” cosplay (basically a cosplay dress that I bought off the rack), and a reboot of a previous cosplay but with some changes. I just don’t have the energy to curl my hair & my wig from two years ago is ruined.

I’m hoping for a fun and relaxing long weekend. Viva Comicon!