Update Archive January-June 2008

June 2008

May 2008

05-29-08: As an explanation for my recent absence, I posted in both my site blog and Incandescent. I even posted a great picture, so go check it out! :D

05-12-08: Yesterday was my birthday and, as a rule, I don't work on my birthday, so the weekly update was moved to today instead! I did get to go see Speed Racer last night, and I highly recommend it. Colorful, fun, exciting, funny, and completely fantastic. Go see it! :D I'm also happy because the Wachowski brothers have yet to let me down. The Matrix Triology, V for Vendetta, and Speed Racer have all been utterly fabulous. I can't wait until their next project!

05-06-08: I meant to do this earlier, but I forgot. The pictures on the Calendar, FAQ, Other Books, and Quote Archive pages have been updated and so has the progress graph on the Guardian page.

05-05-08: I added a link to the website of a friend of mine, Melika Dannese Lux. Her book, City of Lights: The Trials and Triumphs of Ilyse Charpentier is out now and you should definitely head over to her site to check it out.

April 2008

04-27-08: Honestly, this week has kind of sucked. I was ridiculously sick for a while, and then I bruised or cracked or fractured my sacrum. And I have no idea how. I'm going to get it x-rayed tomorrow, so I'll let you know what I find out. So, in other words, I'm sorry I didn't update the quote for the week sooner, but I've been preoccupied.

Oh, and on a random note, Mario Kart for the Wii is awesome. Buy it. Play it. Love it. :D

04-20-08: I'd like to say that I haven sincerely discovered what this week's quote describes, but I'm afraid I haven't yet. I'm working on it, though.

In other completely unrelated news, have you seen the Amazon Kindle? I'm in lust! I want one. Head over to  my blog to discuss the amazingness that is this reader.

04-17-08: I was just directed to this amazing database of classic literature. All completely free. All completely online. These books are able to be offered free because their copyrights have expired, but that means instant access to some of the best books ever written (Jane Austen, anyone?). You can find it at www.online-literature.com.

There was something else I wanted to post an update about, but it slipped my mind and isn't coming back. If I remember, I'll let you know.

04-09-08: I updated Incandescent with an article about problems that can come up when writing a series of books. Check it out and leave me your questions or comments! I'm always glad to see them. :)

04-06-08: So, last night was fun. (Insert dripping sarcasm) To find out why, check out either of my blogs, the  site blog or Incandescent later today. Despite that, I am updating the pictures on the Books & Projects, the FAQ, and the Quote Archive main pages as well as on Calendar page. They're some of my favorite pictures from NYC that I haven't used yet. The progress graph on the Guardian page has been updated, and, last but not least, there's a new quote. :)

04-03-08: While browsing the forums at Critique Circle (if you're a writer and not involved in those forums, what are you waiting for?!), I came across a link to this article in the New York Times. It represents a major shift in the publishing world and could change the way books are printed and produced. Definitely something to keep an eye on. Oh, and I'll update the pictures on the FAQ, Contact, Other Books, and Calander pages on Sunday when I do my quote update. :)

March 2008

03-31-08: I'd wanted to do a blog on this, but I now feel as though I should wait to see how things pan out.  Without going into specifics, I will simply say that I submitted my book to various agents and have already  begun to see positive responses from them! When I have any final development one way or the other from one of them, I will do a full blog update. In the meantime, check out this blog: Nathan Bransford - Literary Agent. Nathan is hilarious and offers astoundingly practical and usable advice for aspiring writers looking for publication. He also does weekly updates on major events on the publishing world (and about The Hills, but we'll forgive him for that one ;) ), a great way to keep up on industry trends and happenings.  If you don't have time to read his entire blog (and he posts quite often, so I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't), check out his Essentials on the sidebar and possibly the Queries label (scroll down to the bottom of the sidebar). His tips are invaluable if you're searching for representation. And, honestly, who isn't?

03-30-08: Hola, faithful readers of my webpage! I apologize for not updating last week, but my hotel only had pay per hour internet and... umm... no.  >.<  But here I am now with a quote update (see above), an  Incandescent update (click link), and, coming later this afternoon, an update on my trip--including some  pictures--to be found here (clicky clicky!). Also, look for a second blog sometime this week on my continuing search for an agent! It's a learning process for me, and, hopefully, some of my trial and error posts will help some of you with your search.

03-20-08: Today I'm getting on a plane and heading to New York, New York! I'm very excited about this trip as it is the first true vacation I've had in over a year, and I get to spend a weekend with my mom whom I haven't seen since Christmas. When I get back, I'll write up a blog about anything interesting I saw or did on my trip and pictures updated next month will probably come from this trip. See you all next week! :D

03-17-08: Happy St Patrick's Day, everyone! May your year be as bright as Leprechaun gold! Play it safe  tonight and, if you happen to live in a college town, it's probably a good idea to stay off the roads...

03-12-08: I was floored when I saw an article about a 17-month-old little girl who could read. Check out my site blog for more. You'll probably be as shocked as I was.

03-09-08: I know that this week's quote is really long, but I couldn't resist! I think that whole question is  absolutely hilarious! :D

On another completely random note, did you know Smash Brothers Brawl was released today? If you didn't,  then you are neither a gamer nor are you dating one. ;) It's a fun game, though, so check it out if you've got a Wii. Which everyone should have because it's awesome. Says the girl who doesn't play video games, so that's saying something!

03-08-08: I can change the color scheme at the touch of a button, but I haven't ever taken advantage of that  ability. I decided to try it out to see if there was another color group I liked. This one isn't bad. I like blues...  Anyone have a strong opinion one way or the other?

03-07-08: This update has nothing to do with writing, my website, my books, or even me, but this video was  just too hilarious not to share. I hope you enjoy is as much as I did. :D

Chris recites the lyrics to T-Pain's Buy You a Drank

03-04-08: I have reorganized the site a little bit and made a couple of small updates.

First, you will see that Fallen and its sequel Guardian are now on the main menu. The Guardian page will  house all information about that book in the future, but, for now, it will be used to track my progress in the  writing process. Currently, my goal is 120,000 words and I am hovering just below 66,000. It's moving slower  than I'd hoped, but I'm moving along steadily. There is also a cover I made, but not one I like very much or that has any meaning whatsoever. It just follows a theme. ;)

Also, I have updated the pictures on the Books and Projects, FAQ, and Calendar main pages. They are shots taken at a Blue Man Group concert I attended last year. It was a fantastic show and I highly recommend them to ANYONE. The Quote Archive is now its own entity. Each year will have its own subheading in the Archive and this should make it easier to find quotes.

I think that's it for now. I'll probably have another update at the end of the week. :)

03-01-08: I've update both my site blog and my blogspot blog, Incandescent, this week. My site blog entry is an update concerning my search for an agent for those of you who have been keeping track of it.

February 2008

02-26-08: Two quick updates. First, I posted a new article on Incandescent called Inspiration: Mining the World for Ideas. Click here to check it out! Second, I just finished reading a Writer's Digest article that I found fascinating. It's an interview with fantasy/horror/mystery writer Laurell K. Hamilton where she explains some of the writing habits she has and her goals for the two series she is working on. Both of them are incredibly daunting in their magnitude. One already has SIXTEEN books in the series and the other currently has SIX! Read for yourself here about this prolific and dedicated author.

02-24-08: I was checking for updates on Holly Lisle.com and I stumbled across a page I hadn't seen before (and, given how many pages she has on her site, it's not so hard to believe). I followed one of the links and found an amazing software company. They sell a group of programs initially designed for gamers, but they're perfect for an author building their own world. You can create maps, floor plans, worlds, anything and everything you need to help you form a solid start for your story. I haven't bought any of them yet (I'm kind of broke right now), but I plan on doing it someday soon. Check them out and, if you purchase any, let me know if you're satisfied with them!

ProFantasy.com

02-17-08: For those of you keeping track of my agent search, a quick update: I haven't heard anything yet. But, no news also isn't bad news, so I hold out hope! Wish me luck! :)

02-06-08: I know I missed my Sunday update and I honestly have no excuse. I simply forgot. I will work very  hard to see that it doesn't happen again! :) I also found two articles on WritersDigest.com that I thought I would share. They're quite intriguing.

Artist-in-Residence Programs - Did you know that you could live in a national park for a few weeks free of rent? In hopes that artists will include their parks in their work, some national parks developed these artist-in-residence programs. Click the link to read the article.

Form a Novel Support Group - Have you noticed that most critique groups are geared for short work focus? This article gives tips and ideas for forming a critique group that works for novel length pieces.

January 2008

01-21-08: I've discovered a fantastic blog. JA Konrath, author of the Jack Daniels mystery novels. His tips and advice for authors at all levels of fame and professionalism. It's definitely worth a read! 

A Newbie's Guide to Publishing

01-20-08: In honor of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday, this week's quote is from him. I think that it demonstrates not only what he spent most of his life working for, but also the sense of humor that he held onto despite the evils he saw and was made to suffer. I think it is wonderful to still honor this man today.

01-19-08: I rediscovered a hilarious tirade about Pachelbel's Cannon in D Minor. The comedian, a guy named Rob Paravonian, is hilarious and the clip is definitely worth watching! Who knows? You might even learn something you never knew before, like how annoying a song everyone loves can actually be! ;)

Rob Paravonian - Pachelbel's Rant

Also, I have begun to create an archiving system for my site blog. Every six months I will create a new subpage for the blog. This will make it far easier to track down specific posts in the future when the announcements and the site itself expands. Click Sera's Blog in the sidebar to see how it works!

Edited to add: I have updated my blogspot blog, Incandescent. The newest article, titled Characters: Why Perfection is Annoying, details why you're shooting yourself in the foot by creating "perfect" people to populate your book. Check it out and leave me a comment to let me know what you think. :)

01-13-08: Ugh. I haven't been able to get on this site for far too long! I run this on a free server owned by  Microsoft and, over the past two weeks, they have been updating the programs that users utilize to make  changes to their website. This means that service has been sketchy while they shut down various sections  and, sometimes, I couldn't get on at all. They're still doing this work, but I am able to updat at least. Because of the unintended break, I'm going to post two quotes this week. I'm also going to post some links here and on the links page that you might find interesting. They're all web pages I've discovered over the past two weeks but haven't had the chance to share with you. So, here we go!

Scrivener - For those of you using Mac computers, look into this program. It's a replacement for Word developed by a writer for writers. It has some amazing options and uses that make me wish I had a Mac!

Interview with Maya Rock - Maya Rock is a junior agent with Writer's House, one of the biggest and best literary agencies in the country. Hear what she has to say about agents and getting one!

Overcoming Too Many Idea Syndrome - Don't laugh. People suffer from this! You might be one of them! ;)

The Quick Pitch - While this may not be of use to a lot of you (I know it wasn't for me), if there is even one person who stumbles across this and finds it useful, it was worth putting up.

Edited to add: I've also updated my blog with some information about a fifteen-year-old author named Nancy Yi Fan. Click on the Blog link in the sidebar to learn more.

01-01-07: I have updated my pictures! Check out the Books and Projects, FAQ, and Calendar pages to see pictures I have taken over the years of Florida State University. The three featured this month are some of my favorites; they're scenes that made me fall in love with the campus in the first place. Check them out! :D