Finishing, Waiting, Moving On

Last week, if you were around, I wrote this post about making choices. In it, I said I had no job (still don't) and was going to use all of last week to write. My goal was to finish the book--and it was a realistic yet challenging goal. Accomplishing it would take discipline.

After cranking out a day of 3k, a day of 4k, a day of 2k, a day of 10k and spending Friday writing the last 5k---I finished my first draft!!!!  (I also completed the manuscript I was editing on that 2k day in one sitting. Brain death.) BUT I DID IT!!!!!!

HAPPY DANCING ALL AROUND!!! 

I've written books before, but Hotboyalicious (not real title) was so hard for me. It was mostly a mental thing. This was scary because it was a lighter, actiony, sassier story and I'm more dark and twisty. I started and restarted twice. I lost a lot of great scenes. My character's motivation changed (or was fixed rather) and the pacing had to be adjusted in each re-start. It was a frustrating book and for many, many months I just HATED it because it was so annoying. But I kept writing because I wanted to tell the story.

When I wrote that last line, I called Cindy and I cried a little. I've never cried before upon finishing (even after two years and seven drafts of my last book.) But it was SO MUCH of what I hoped it would be when I started and felt like I could never achieve. BUT I DID. :) 

Now the story is finished, and I spent the weekend reading through it, fleshing out some areas that needed it, fixed some errors, made some more connections in the beginning to things that happened at the end. My fantastic CPs (three of whom are my blogmates!), an author friend, a writer friend and Patricia's sister (who NEVER reads anything) all have Hotboyalicious. I can't wait for the feedback and to jump in for revisions. 

Since I'm waiting, I'm faced with the NOW WHAT? dilemma. Well, yesterday I caught up on most of the editing stuff I have to do with Spencer Hill. I'll be working on that throughout the week. And this morning, I plotted a new book.

YES. I *do* know this is crazy. AH! 

I'm really excited about the new story--which does not yet have a working title or secret title. Remember when I said Hotboyalicious was scary because it was so different? This is even scarier. A tense I've never written in and POV that I have never worked with, (Two POVs actually!), and topics I don't know much about! Needless to say, I have a lot of character development ahead and even more research...

But this is the joy of writing. You get to try new things and you get to grow. I think it's supposed to be scary!! And just know that you are not alone.

Realism in fiction

My favorite thing about writing fiction is that you can create and make-up new places, people, things, all kinds of crazy awesome stuff that's just waiting to come out of your imagination. It's amazing, isn't it? But even with all that, there's always realism built into fiction. Whether it's a description of something already known: like an animal, a place, an object, or if it's an action or reaction, or whatever it may be.

So my question is: How much research or real-life experience do you infuse into your stories?

I'm definitely one of those people that like research when it comes to writing. My last manuscript was about a siren and I remember spending hours in the library or online researching so many things about the ocean and sea-life. Most of it I didn't even use, but I'm still glad that I looked it up. It either helped spark an idea for something else in the book or was just pretty interesting to know anyway. I still have my notebook full of scribbled notes and sketches. I'll probably have notebooks for every manuscript I write.

My current WiP is about space and diseases and scary stuff. And while I certainly have never been to space or contracted a deadly disease, I still have life experiences that I can breathe into this story. In fact, one of the most terrifying of experiences in my life will be used. One of my characters will need CPR at one point in the story and I've recently (within this year) had to perform CPR. I don't relish the idea of rehashing this memory of mine. At all. I'm sure I'll cry while writing that scene even. But even knowing that, I'll still draw upon that memory to help create a realistic experience for anyone who reads my book. (Note: this is *not* me saying I'm glad to have done CPR just so I could use the experience and write about it in a book)


Okay so that last bit was a little depressing. Sorry guys. Your life experiences don't need to be quite so dramatic as that. I also have some much nicer research & experiences to use related to this WiP. Promise. But what I'm trying to get at is that researching and using your own experiences--I believe--can really add another layer to your story and animate it in a whole new way.

So what about you guys? Do any of you ever research things for your book? Ever put something you've personally experienced into your story?

Research is .... fun?

I've heard writers talk before about how much fun researching can be when writing. I have always politely disagreed. I'd much rather dig right into the writing. Research has never been something I've enjoyed much, which is probably why my story isn't based on anything I'd have to research to begin with.

However, now that I'm revising and my story is taking a definite shape, I am finding that research really CAN be fun. I know, I know. I'm surprised too. But really, I spent over three hours last night reading about chest and abdominal wounds and healing times. It was fascinating.

I got absolutely no writing done, but I understand how important it is to be accurate when talking about injuries and the last thing I want is to ruin my WIP because I was too lazy to do a little research. 

And can I just say, that if you ever stumble upon online forums that are mostly populated by medical professionals, be sure to set aside a few hours of your time, because you're sure to be pulled in. Reading what they know and about their experiences is almost as enjoyable as reading a book.

What about you: Do you enjoy doing research for your WIP?