Boot Camp – Final Report

So I’m back in England and am missing the following things (in that order)

• My bestest writing buddy
• The furballs (despite being used as a scratching post)
• Having someone to talk to about writing/book/furballs
• Un-interrupted writing
• Having someone say: “Go buy that book” instead of “Do you really need another book”
• Curling up in “my” chair with said book(s)
• Waking up each morning in the library
• Tea, waffles, sweet things…

So, boot camp didn’t quite work out, partly due to thesis and partly because both of us were just exhausted. Neither having had any time of work for ages had a huge impact. If I’m honest I don’t remember Sunday or Wednesday… the days just sort of happened. We got up, did something and went to bed. Don’t ask me what because I don’t know… I’m sure it was fun though. Come to think of it, what did we do Monday?

We did manage to do a few things, best ones were the plot bunnies and discussing them. On Friday we talked about agents, industry, things like that but we didn’t get round to writing exercises – which I confess I’m sad I missed out on.

We have agreed to do them online though, bit like Boot Camp homework. I’ll be posting them on the blog, so you can have a go as well.

Ideally what we should have done is have 2 weeks, first one to recover and the second to run the Boot Camp, maybe next time? I can dream…

So what’s going to be happening over the next few weeks?

Well more teasers, I’ll be talking about The Voice, booktopsies, and a few surprises.

Boot Camp ½ weekly report

Ok, well it didn’t quite work out the way we planned, sadly my bestest writing buddy still had Thesis stuff to do so while she worked on that I’ve been busy revising my WIP. It’s been going well, only I’m rewriting so much that I’ve added over 10k just for part one… I haven’t finished part one yet!

On the plus side, it’s given me plenty of time to read Matched by Allyson Condie. BWB* had the ARC sitting here waiting for me. I liked it, the writing is great. I confess that I’m not dying for my own copy or needing to know what happens next. I actually like it as a stand alone.

Aren't they pretty?

Yesterday we worked on plot bunnies, by the end of it I had 9 (maybe 10) new projects on top of my current WIP… it was interesting to see how wide our genre’s stretched. While on first glance you would pick my BWB as a fantasy author and me more Paranormal YA, we’ve got Urban Fantasy, Contemporary, Dystopian, Steampunk, Fairy Tales, Ghost Stories, you name it it’s pretty much in there. I can’t wait to start.

Of course the other main feature of this week has been book shopping. My budget went pretty much out of the window, at some point I just went s#d it… but if it’s cereal for breakfast, lunch & dinner the next two weeks I don’t mind.

Below is the whole list (I might as well confess in style) of books I bought, in store and online – because if I’m in another country the books I order online don’t count. It’s my logic and I’m sticking to it *lol* – The green books are bargain bucket**

The Bride’s Farewell – Meg Rosoff

Of Bees and Mist – Erick Setiwan

The Forbidden Game – L.J. Smith

Linger – Maggie Stiefvater

The Line – Teri Hall

Prism – Faye & Aliza Kellerman

The Gardner – S.A. Bodeen

Voices of Dragons – Carrie Vaughn

Maximum Ride [The Final Warning] – James Patterson

The Runaway – Angela McAllister

Magic Under Glass – Jaclyn Dolamore

Daggerspell – Katharine Kerr

The Spinning City – Kate Forsyth

Squire – Tamora Pierce (I have to get the first 2 now )

Jellicoe Road – Melina Marchetta

13 Little Blue Envelopes – Maureen Johnson

The Little White Horse – Elizabeth Goudge

Sonnets and Other Poems – William Shakespeare

Fever Crumb -Philip Reeve

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief – Rick Riordan

Mockingjay – Suzanne Collins

Forbidden – Tabitha Suzuma

Brightly Woven – Alexandra Bracken

Newes from the Dead -Mary Hooper

The Sky is Everywhere – Jandy Nelson

The Mysterious Benedict Society -Trenton Lee Stewart

Looking for JJ – Anne Cassidy

No and Me – Delphine de Vigan

The Adoration of Jenna Fox – Mary E Pearson

Stardust – Neil Gaiman (long overdue!)

Living Dead Girl – Elizabeth Scott

Flyaway – Lucy Christopher

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon – Grace Lin

and finally, Room – Emma Donoghue

I’m not buying any more books for at least 3 months… ok I’ll try not to buy any more books for at least 3 months.

The eagle eyed amongst you will have noticed that despite my earlier claim, Finding Sky by Joss Stirling is not on the list. I’ve decided to wait for the paperback release…

The problem I have now is how to fit them all into my already overflowing bookcases and which one to start with! Suggestions? (Don’t say Mockingjay, I still haven’t read Catching Fire… yeah I know.)

In the near future I plan on doing a blog on online bookshops under the title: Amazon MAJOR FAIL, it’s an ongoing issue that I feel the need to vent about, so tune in.

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* bestest writing buddy

** can I just say how much I ♥ bargain buckets

In 3s

There is this saying that be it good or bad, things tend to come in 3. That might be because people automatically try and group things in 3s, I know I do. This time, happily my 3s were all good.

1. I returned to work today* to find out I had won £100 in the company lottery pot. Hurray! It’s paying for my friend and my SYTYCD ticket in Vegas. I’ve been grinning at my desk for most of today.
2. I found an extra 10Euros in my holiday wallet which has gone straight into my book fund. Now that I now don’t have to save the money for my SYTYCD ticket I can add those funds as well. I am going to go absolutely book buying mad… 20? Hah, I think 30 should be my new minimum target.
3. I’m getting addicted to Twitter of late** and had #fangirl moment when Robin McKinley re-tweeted my comment about Sunshine. Which was that it’s something guaranteed to make me feel better, along with chocolate and Supernatural.

Finally, one of the many reasons I love dance

*I was off sick, which is not good but I’m better now.

**I resisted so long…

The countdown begins…

This time next week I’ll be checking boarding passes, packing that one extra book* and doing last minute revisions in time for boot camp. The closer it get’s the more excited I am about it. A whole week on writing, reading, and talking about writing and reading

My bestest writing buddy is on a mission to get her WIP finished in time for my arrival, that’s about 40k in one week but if anyone can do it she can**.

My mission is to get the revisions done for part one of my WIP, which I’ll be focusing on this weekend.

A visit to WriteOnCon, while much too brief (I was double booked so couldn’t spend a lot of time there), gave me some valuable input and meant there is another plot rethink. Not as major as previously but it will mean a few changes and a lot more research…

Apart from boot camp the other mission for my holiday is book shopping. I’ve been saving up for 2 months for the express purpose of getting lost for hours amongst shelves of wonderfulness.

The minimum purchase requirement is 20, which is think is a decent number (it should also keep me out of trouble for a month, maybe two) and the maximum is, well, however far I can stretch the budget.

Books I definitely want to get are: Newes from the Dead by Mary Hooper, The Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink, Magic under Glass by Jaclyn Dolamore, Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma, The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson and Finding Sky by Joss Stirling…. I’m thinking Linger by Maggie Stiefvater also.

Anyone for further suggestions?

*ok, maybe more like third or fourth

** I have told her she doesn’t have to finish it but she promised and like me she never backs down on a promise. Hence, we only make very few…

Cake ♥

Ok, no cake…  instead I celebrated the completion of my first draft with a bowl of cereal. (Did I mention I need to learn to party?)

But I’m still really happy that I got it done in time for boot camp. Even 3 weeks before the deadline. That means I can start revising now.

Just so you know due to birthdays and a few days away I might be a bit late in posting the teaser but I hope to have it ready by the weekend.

I’m going to boot camp…

…apparently, judging by my writing buddies latest blog. I thought I was going on holiday? What a foolish notion. *lol*

It’s all good though, I’m actually looking forward to it. It was her that started me off on my WIP the last time I visited, only it was writing exercises then. I still have them, see below -

“Tea?”

Sarah looked at the girl in disbelieve.

“Tea? You’ve hunted me for weeks, beaten the crap out of me and just dragged me out of my bedroom window and now you want me to have tea with you?!”

The girl just smiled and poured herself a cup, taking a seat opposite Sarah she winked and said:

“It’s never to late to start being civil.”

Sarah snorted.

“You know we aren’t that different, you and me.”

“Really?”

Sarah laced her question with sarcasm.

“Apart from the fact that I don’t chase innocent people into a deserted park or kidnap them.”

The girl sighed and opened the drawer in the cupboard behind her, taking out a brown folder she placed it in front of Sarah and opened it. There was her name, Sarah Owen, 17 years old, pisces… the notes carried on from there.

“What is this?”

“You. Shall I read?”

The girl pulled the folder towards her and lifted the first few pages.

Of course the story has changed a lot since then. It’s still evolving now, but that was the day that the name Sarah first appeared.

So boot camp eh? Well like Marieke said, I’m going to be crit-ing Ysolde while I’m there* and she’ll be helping me in my WIP. Which should have the first draft finished by then, I have 2 chapters and an epilogue left and another 3 weekends to do it in. No problem.

So since I couldn’t possibly fit everything into the comment section, here’s my reply m’dear:

This may or may not include vicious critiques, Yes chronic comma confusion, That would be you, I’m staying away from comma’s cocktails at the Hard Rock, Check veggie burgers at the same Hard Rock, Double check flirting with waiters,That was you not me. It didn’t get us served quicker though, you should practise more 1k1hr, oho… I’m worried youtube vids, That be me Doctor Who overload, Check, check, check, Torchwood too please cheesy films And some truly awful ones *wink* and tea. Yep, stocks are running low! Oh. And books. Possibly. Book buying may or may not occur. *g* Like the sun might possibly rise and set… right?

.

So before I go back to writing I just quickly wanted to share this – ♥

And yay for Jackson Pearce also loving SYTYCD, I knew YA author’s were the best.

*I so can’t wait to read it. It looks ace.