Fourth Time's A Charm?

So I started on a new work (even though I should really work on the second book in the trilogy). And I started it again. And a third time. I'm right now on incarnation number four and I hope this one is better. It's been difficult to begin this even though I know exactly where I want it to go, and it won't be a trilogy! Huzzah! It's a standalone and probably will be around 400 pages or so. That's a guesstimate, but it won't be nearly as long as my first real finished epic novel (about 650 pages and it has chapters missing). But yeah, this is just something I'm working on on the side, especially since I'm now unemployed and looking for employment with my nice shiny new Masters degree.

So what should I talk about today? Well, I am still looking for readers for Light (which I am considering changing the name of - I thought about "An Absence of Light", and I have a few ideas for the second, nothing good so far ("Mired By Darkness"? BLAH!), and then the third would be like "Felled By Gray" or "Gray Uncaged" or something). I'm a bad critic of my own work. However, I fancy myself a good reviewer of other people's work. Probably because Megan is mean with a G.

I'm going back to New York on Wednesday to finish cleaning out my apartment and taking my mom on yet another tour of the city, and then back to NC until I find a job. Or until I get published. That would be acceptable, too. Or until I marry a rich successful sugar daddy. Not as preferable, but acceptable.

With that, I leave you with a music suggestion that I've written to. Maybe it will inspire you.

Writer's Block

So today I received word that with my final grade posted (a B in research project) I have officially been granted my Master of Arts in Diplomacy and International Relations. Yay! But since I got back home Friday from my nice, looong drive from NJ to NC, I have written exactly zilch. Zip. Nada. Zero. Zed.

I had been starting on a new project (the souls one I mentioned) but I kind of want to go back and either edit some more on the first of the trilogy or work on book two of the trilogy or even work on my freebie novel (since I have several chapters missing and lots of editing to do on that). Even reading-wise, I've gotten like 10 pages further in Embassytown.

But yeah, I really need my initial reader comments to come in ASAP so I can start on edits (of the first 50 pages at least) so I can send off some letters to agents. I am aiming to find an agent by the end of the year. But I know some of you have the manuscript and I'm hoping you'll be able to give me comments. Nice, juicy comments that will help me get published, kk?

Okay, I smell like bug spray and grass so time for my shower. And if you want to read the first few chapters book, it's on Authonomy. Go read and review.

Still Editing...

So yeah, you read it right, I'm still editing. It didn't help that I didn't have internet for 19 hours, or the fact I still have something due for an internship I completed last week (it's something like an exit writeup, but the moment I get time to write it, the internet goes out and I lose access to the do's and don'ts for it). So I thought, well now is as good of a time as any to edit my novel. Instead, I edit like one page and start reading Embassytown by China Mieville, watched two movies (Due Date and Morning Glory), an episode of the West Wing, and two episodes of The IT Crowd. And now I am thinking about going back to bed for a few hours since my head is throbbing.

And now I'm awake and it's actually six hours later because I just sat around doing nothing and listening to Marry The Night for awhile. So I'm reading China Mieville's new book and so far it's good other than the confusingness that comes with any of his books. I'm 18% in on my Kindle and he has a tendency to introduce concepts and not explain what they are for a chapter or two. And 18% in and I still don't really know what the big bad is going to be except for what I read on the description of the book. Oh, and luckily I have a Kindle with a dictionary because even I have to look up words from time to time. That's just the nature of Mieville, though!

So editing... Yeah, that's not going well. I have an urge to start work on another project but instead I'm slogging away at editing and I'm still not getting much feedback (where are you guys?!). Since I wrote this four years ago, I like to think that I've at least matured a little with practice. I have another unfinished novel (well, three of them...) that I've been able to practice on, something with vampires and werewolves as they were en vogue back in 2009 when this was written. I also have something else that's rather sci-fi with vampires and demons. Can you see that I have a tendency to stick to one area and not leave it? I rather like demons. I just have a tendency to 1.) overuse them in my stories and 2.) make them the good guys more often than not.

I've been trying to fix dialogue still and note points in the plot that seem off. It's difficult critiquing yourself subjectively because I like how my novel is, crappy or not (well, I've been told it's not crappy and that's it is actually good). I'll keep at it, but I am going back to NC on Friday and, save for one or two trips up here to get the rest of my stuff, won't be back to my beloved NYC unless I get a job up here. I'm hoping that happens, or at least a job in Washington, but let's keep our fingers crossed!

By Popular Demand, A Link to a Sample of Light!

This is going to be a short post since I have a full day ahead of me of taking my dad around NYC, but someone on Twitter said I should really post a link to a sample of my work where people can read it, so for your consideration is my sample of Light, the first book in the trilogy. It's on Authonomy, which I've decided is a waste of time, and it's pretty much unedited, but you can get the idea of what it's all about! Enjoy!

READ THE FIRST TEN CHAPTERS OF LIGHT HERE!

Inspired by Weirdness

So I went on and on about this on Twitter, but Lee Pace looks like he could be my sibling more than my sibling looks like he could be my sibling. And people have told me this, too. It's weird. But it inspired me, so I am going to share with you a plot idea that I came up with based on this. Coming soon from Megan Ayscue! A what if plot!

What if... In a world much like ours, without enough souls to go around for every living person in a world growing faster and faster each day, souls have been split into two (or sometimes even three) as people are reincarnated back into the world. The soul might be split between two persons who share sometimes more than a passing resemblance on opposites sides of the world, never fated to meet or even know of the existence of the other. If these two halves were ever to meet, the consequences would be bad. Sometimes you might see this person in a photo and think you were seeing your twin, occasionally the two halves of a whole will somehow interact with minor problems, but if the two halves were to ever meet and become one whole, the ultimate no-no, the consequences could be deadly not only for them but the entire world.

I don't know yet what the details will be, if there is some ruling force like a Great Creator or Adjustment Bureau or something like that. It could be written for YA (not my ideal area but one I could pursue) or adults. I figured that most of the time the two halves would be the same sex, but clearly there could be opposites involved. And yes, I find it rather weird that people saying we looked alike could inspire this. And for those wanting to know, my own brother is blonde haired and has much lighter eyes than I do (more blue blue while mine are blue gray).

Any comments?

Megan... is Rather Strange

If you thought I was strange, you're right. Last night I might have squeed a little when I was able to meet Lee Pace aka one of my fave actors ever after seeing The Normal Heart - which by the way is AMAZING. Go see it if you're in New York or going to be in New York before it ends in July. Well worth it, and not expensive for great seats in the last row. And Lee was awesome afterwards. I got a picture (two since the first picture messed up - he was so nice) and an autograph and a few moments of awesomeness. And yes, this is actually picture one and picture two photoshopped together. I kind of messed up on the good picture of him. Whoops.

I should probably post about my book and how the editing is going - or the writing of book two in the trilogy - but I have other stuff to do, like write this paper that is due tomorrow and then an interview and then meet with my internship coordinator for a one on one resume workshop for my real life career prospects (I get my Masters degree in International Relations in two days after all). And I have to get my cap and gown today and pack up my books so they can be taken back to NC to be stored until I find a job. Then I have to take myself back to NC for storage until employment is gained, hopefully in DC or NYC (I don't want to give up Broadway just yet). Instead, I get to go to NC, go fishing and practice wakeboarding (I'm short but so clumsy and it makes things difficult), work on my writing, find an agent, and prove someone on ONTD wrong about my fake angels and demons, since they're not really angels and demons. And if I'm still at home come September and October, I'll go see a bunch of hockey.

Until later! xoxo Meggie

Editing...my other novel

So many of you (well, all two of you right now - kisses!) know that I have an older novel making the rounds for free reading - the unedited version that has more holes than Swiss cheese. As a present for one of my Twitter followers, and because I actually like rereading this one, I decided to fix it up, make it spiffy and redo the HORRIBLE first chapter, and make it a little more presentable. My goal is to eventually put this one on Kindle for FREE as a self promotional tool to get my name out there to publishers with my trilogy kept in my bag of tricks. Especially since the trilogy steals a number of elements from the old novel except in a different plot and universe.

I wrote this novel for NaNoWriMo 2007, so yeah, it's a little dusty. And after I kept writing to it after NaNo, it's now over 160,000 words while missing chapters. It's an epic to say the least. It originally ended after about 80,000 words and then I decided to keep going. But in editing, I've noticed just how far I have come as a writer. My writing even 3.5 years ago wasn't as good as it is now, which is why I don't foresee ever getting this one - no matter how much I love it - published outside of a freebie. Besides the horrible first chapter, I've redone dialogue, entered new scenes, planned out new elements, redone characters, and tried to work with what I have. So far I've skipped ahead to the 44% mark and I'm going at a progress of about 10 pages a day of fixing things, and it will need several more edits.

I HATE EDITING MY OWN WORK! I'll be frank and say it. I'd rather write, but at the same time, I'm my biggest fan of this work because I love the plot and the characters... I even love talking about it, but it's a pain in the ass to have to go back and change stuff. Then again, in editing I find my errors. Plot holes, lack of characterization, out of character reactions, baaaaad dialogue. It's just hard to edit your own work, and it's hard for someone like me who dropped her English major in exchange for the world of political science (note - I do not regret this in the least) and doesn't know that many people with expert editing skills and the time to take pity.

So, for now, I'll keep at it, but maybe soon I can find an editor, eh?