On The Terror Of Outlining

Hey Blogger Buds,

Yay! This is my 200th post! Now on to it...

 As you may know, I'm a pantser. When I try to outline, I ADD so much I...hey, is that a butterfly?

*five minute later*

At one point over the weekend, I was in a situation where I had no internet access and a computer. What did I do?

I opened Wordpad. (Yes, Wordpad. I hate Wordpad. But the computer I had in my possession was lacking the awesomeness of Word.)

Busybusybusy

And I made a heading. And a bullet point (well, originally I numbered it, but that didn't work out).
I've been nearing the end of my WIP, Eberheardt, for a while. The end has been so close I can almost taste it. If I stretch, my fingers can brush against it.
Anyway, I opened Wordpad. I recalled what I'm up to in my writing. And I began to outline.

And it was scary. Very scary. I have the rest of my book mapped out. I know what's going to happen.
And the idea that my baby is reaching the end of her story is just terrifying. Sure, revisions are next, and rewrites, and then the word that starts with "q", ends with "ery", and has a "u" in between. (I've stopped saying it, because it's become a more real thing.) My book baby won't be finished for a long time.

But I feel like, with this outline, the end is a more real thing.

The thing is, when you write high fantasy, this actually happens sometimes.

It's really, really, scary.

I'm terrified.

Do I plan to quit?

Never.

Do I plan to take a break?

Of course not.

Do I plan to take a deep breath, eat a Twizzler, and write?

Absolutely.

I'm a writer, like this kitteh.

Cuz writer cat iz writer, writer cat can write storiez without opposable thumbs.

And when I finish Eberheardt?

I'll write some of the other ideas that have been running through my head, and dripping down on to the paper every now and then.


I'm a writer. And when the end brings the kitteh-pocalypse gets tough, the tough find an awesome ending.



Any words of encouragement on endings? How do you deal with finishing a project that you've worked on for a long time?


And, most importantly, when Basement Cat challenges Ceiling Cat and the Final Battle Comes, who will you be rooting for? Ceiling Cat, or the side that has cookies?

We have cookies, too!

Peace and lolcats,

Riv

PS: Sorry for the crazy lateness!

Bargains and Betrayals Mini-Review and the Reason I Didn't Post on Sunday

Hey Blogger Buds,
Sorry for the late post today. I'm going to start with a mini-review for Bargains and Betrayals, the third 13 to Life book by Shannon Delany. Add it on Goodreads.  I'm calling this a mini-review, because I didn't write it in order to put it up here. I wrote down my thoughts on Goodreads, and I'm sharing them for you here.

This review is spoilery from 13 to Life, the first book, and slightly spoilery (I did my best to be vague) from the second book, Secrets and Shadows.
It's a strange thing when you find a second book that is better than the first. But while 13 To Life was good, Secrets and Shadows was amazing. And I therefore had high expectations for Bargains and Betrayals. I was bored with Jessie throughout the beginning. She was sitting there, away from everyone else, doing stuff that, although it moved the plot forward, was dull.
For this reason, Shannon Delany decided to write from Alexi's point of view as well; so we can see what else is going on. It was interesting to see how Alexi thought, he's a tragic figure. He has a sense of humor though, and it was enjoyable.
What bothered me was Pietr. He changed a lot while Jessie was gone, and when they were reunited, he was just so...weird. I'd seen him through Alexi's eyes a bit, but I don't understand how he changed so much in such a short amount of time.
All this aside, the book was amazing and brilliant. I feel like Shannon Delany could easily have wrapped up the entire series with this book, and it both excites me and annoys me that there's a sequel. I'm going to read it, of course, because I love these books, but it would be fine if there were just a few changes, and the books ended here.

I give Bargains and Betrayals 5 stars.

Now that that's over, this is the reason I didn't post on Sunday:

You don't want to know how long it took me to get this shot.

And:

Or this one. This one was really hard to do. Notice my thumb holding a book up. (I  think it's my thumb...)

I was at the last Borders books left open in Manhattan. I was very excited. All YA titles were 80% off. My sister had to restrain me. (Trust me, there were at least three or four more books that I would have gladly taken, if I'd had a little less [more?] sense.) I've read one of these, and I can't wait to get to the rest!

Linkage leads to Borders, so you can buy your own, full-priced, copy. I got:

Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey (read, and LOVE the ending.)

A Need So Beautiful by Suzanne Young

Clarity by Kim Harrington

Wildefire by Karsten Knight

Across the Universe by Beth Revis

I got a sick deal. And I don't use the word "sick" so often unless I'm, well, sick. I spent $17. $17 is the price of Wildefire, A Need So Beautiful, and Clarity. These books are worth more than $75, plus tax.
Be jealous.
And go to any Borders still open in your area.
Trust me, it's worth the trip. I was actually insanely lucky that there were a handful of YA books left. (My sister told me, before we left "don't bother printing out a list of books you want. You'll probably just grab whatever's there." I didn't need to just grab. I had a slight selection.)
It's tragic about the Borders bankruptcy, and all the lost jobs, but can I ask you guys a question:
Do these books have gorgeous covers, or what?

What do you think of Borders closing down? Sad to lose the chain-store/indie? Happy to "finally get rid of that wannabe"?

Peace and sick deals,
Riv

Sorry I Just BLLuRTed It Out

Hey Blogger Buds,
I have a post from the Renaissance Faire for you guys, it's all typed up and everything. I just haven't put the pictures on my computer, and the post looks REALLY boring without the pictures.

So, you know Elana Johnson? Of course you do. This week is RAP week. And no, you do not rap. It's Random Acts of Publicity. Check it out.

I was debating what book I should publicize. Most of my favorites are insanely popular anyway. I decided on Gift of the Unmage. I read it a while ago, but it's a fantastic book. Just look at the title. "Gift of the Unmage" Doesn't it make you wonder? It's book one in the Worldweavers trilogy, followed by Spellspam and Cybermage.

Time to BLLuRT.
Blog. Link. Like. Review. Talk.

BLOG
You're reading it. Hi. Welcome.

LINK
Buy it from Amazon (*Note: buy something from Amazon through this link, and I make some money at no cost to you.)

LIKE
Alma Alexander's Facebook page.

REVIEW
Add Gift of the Unmage on Goodreads

TALK
In one line:
Gift of the Unmage is great for tweens and teens. It has absolutely genius world building, and fantastic characters.

I ADORE this trilogy, and highly recommend it!

Peace and unmages,
Riv Re

A Tale Of Two Cities Midway Mention

Hey Blogger Buds,
I know, I'm giving you two MMs in a row. Sorry to disappoint! I haven't been reading much lately, except for A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. So, in the spirit of giving you guys something, here's my MM.
Warning, I'm feeling snarky today.
First a reminder:
Midway Mention is a feature here on Riv Reads, in which I talk about a book I'm currently reading. Usually, I'm about halfway through the book. Feel free to use this feature. Please (1)credit me, (2) use it sparingly and (3) let me know somehow, so I can check it out!

Most of you've got the gist of A Tale Of Two Cities. French prince Charles denounces his title, moves to England, and--surprise!--falls in love with young Lucie. Also in love with the lovely girl is Sydney, the drunkard and Chuck's double. And while they're all living, happy and infatuated with each in England....France is bloodying her hands...and her very large knife on a stick. The peasants are revolting, and all the noble people are getting--how should I say this? They're getting....pwned.

MM:

As you all know A Tale of Two Cities is just a tad old. And the writing style? The same. I've never been a fan of classics, they were always hard for me to get through, and this book is no different. Sure, it has an original plot-line, billions of fans, and the fact that it survived 150 years has to mean something, but I'm not enjoying.

For one thing, the pacing is just weird and slow. This book could be shortened to, say, 75,000 words, which is about a 300 page YA book. I was reading a particularly descriptive paragraph and thinking, 'Who cares? What good is this doing? How is it helping me picture the scene better?'

Also, this book is about a lot of characters, many of whom are pretty much pointless. There's a dude, Jerry Cruncher, and his son, Jerry Cruncher (um, yeah. about that...). So far, Jerry has done very little except beat his wife up. (Jerry senior, that is. Junior is, like, 12.) The movie managed to do very well without Jerry squared, except for one "blink and you miss it" scene. I can't say I'm on the edge of my seat in anticipation, though.

On the plus side, this book is great if you have insomnia!

I give A Tale of Two Cities 0 stars so far.

I'm on page 170 out of 386 (of story. With the end pages, afterword etc. it's 397.)

Part 2 Chapter 15

If you're interested, add A Tale Of Two Cities on Goodreads.

(Last) Summer Reads Sunday (7)

Hey Blogger Buds,
You know, I'm pretty impressed with myself. I've never taken part in/created a meme and actually stuck to it at least a little bit. Since I'm starting school this week, I'm ending the meme for 2011, even though summer isn't officially over for another 20 days or so.
So, let's do this thing, shall we?

Last Week I Planned To Read

The Inheritance Almanac by Michael Macauley

Like Mandarin by Kirsten Hubbard

Kiss Me Deadly: 13 Tales of Paranormal Love edited by Trisha Telep

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens (I didn't put this on my list, but I think I meant to.)

Last Week I Read

Like Mandarin by Kirsten Hubbard

Right Now I'm Reading

The Inheritance Almanac by Michael Macauley

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

Kiss Me Deadly: 13 Tales of Paranormal Love edited by Trisha Telep

My Thoughts

1)Like Mandarin took me most of the week to read. I loved it. Check out the MM I wrote.

2)I spent most of the weekend trying to get through A Tale Of Two Cities, but it's really slow going. I need to finish it this week though, so pray for me. ;)

This Week I Plan To Read

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

Other Stuff I'm Planning This Week

• I figured since I'm, without a doubt, going to finish Tale of Two Cities, I might as well throw it out there. ;)
• I'm heading to the New York Renaissance Faire (yes,with an "e" at the end) tomorrow! It's in Tuxedo (yes, it's called Tuxedo), New York. And this wouldn't be a fantasy writer's blog if I didn't make a post of it! Stop by sometime this week for a post on it! (It's fantasy weekend at the faire this week, as well. :) Can't wait!)

Happy reading!

Tell me. What are you up to, book-wise? Have you ever  been to the Ren Faire, or an SCA event?

Peace and Summer's End,

Riv

***I posted this early since I'll be leaving early tomorrow. Sorry if I inconvenience anyone!

Books I'm Really Looking Forward To

Hey Blogger Buds,
I can't remember the last post I devoted to unreleased books. Here's a couple I'm going to keel up and die if they don't come out soon for me to get my hands on them. All links lead to Goodreads. Summaries are courtesy of Goodreads, as well.
I'm going in order of publication (if they have a date), not most-wanted. I'm going to post the book, author release date, summary, and my thoughts.

Carrier of the Mark by Leigh Fallon (October 4)
Their love was meant to be.
When Megan Rosenberg moves to Ireland, everything in her life seems to fall into place. After growing up in America, she's surprised to find herself feeling at home in her new school. She connects with a group of friends, and she is instantly drawn to darkly handsome Adam DeRís.
But Megan is about to discover that her feelings for Adam are tied to a fate that was sealed long ago—and that the passion and power that brought them together could be their ultimate destruction.
-I started reading this on Inkpop, and I can't wait to get my hands on it.

The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa (October 18)
To cold, emotionless faery prince Ash, love was a weakness for mortals and fools. His own love had died a horrible death, killing any gentler feelings the Winter prince might have had. Or so he thought.
Then Meghan Chase—a half human, half fey slip of a girl— smashed through his barricades, binding him to her irrevocably with his oath to be her knight. And when all of Faery nearly fell to the Iron fey, she severed their bond to save his life. Meghan is now the Iron Queen, ruler of a realm where no Winter or Summer fey can survive. (cont. on Goodreads)

-I think we need a nickname for Julie Kagawa. Like...J-Kag. So, J-Kag is awesome. I'm DYING for this. Slowly and painfully DYING.

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater (Octover 18)
It happens at the start of every November: the Scorpio Races. Riders attempt to keep hold of their water horses long enough to make it to the finish line. Some riders live. Others die.
At age nineteen, Sean Kendrick is the returning champion. He is a young man of few words, and if he has any fears, he keeps them buried deep, where no one else can see them.
Puck Connolly is different. She never meant to ride in the Scorpio Races. But fate hasn’t given her much of a chance. So she enters the competition — the first girl ever to do so. She is in no way prepared for what is going to happen.

-Do I really need to explain? Maggie!

Inheritance by Christopher Paolini (November 8)

Not so very long ago, Eragon Shadeslayer, Dragon Rider, was nothing more than a poor farm boy, and his dragon, Saphira, only a blue stone in the forest. Now the fate of an entire civilization rests on their shoulders.
Long months of training and battle have brought victories and hope, but they have also brought heartbreaking loss. And still, the real battle lies ahead: they must confront Galbatorix. When they do, they will have to be strong enough to defeat him. And if they cannot, no one can. There will be no second chances.  (cont. on Goodreads)

-It's the end of a saga that has spanned...how many years? I lost track. The final book is finally here! (It's a miracle.)

Enshadowed by Kelly Creagh (January 17)

While Varen remains a prisoner in the dream-world, Isobel is haunted by his memory. He appears to her in her dreams and soon, even in her waking life. But is she just imagining it? Isobel knows she must find a way back to Varen. She makes plans to go to Baltimore. There, she confronts the figure known throughout the world as the Poe Toaster—the same dark man who once appeared to Isobel in her dreams, calling himself “Reynolds.”
(cont. on Goodreads)

-I can summarize this in one word: NEED! Nevermore is one of my most favoritest books ever.

Wings of the Wicked by Courtney Allison Moulton (February 14)

Life as the Preliator is harder than Ellie ever imagined. Balancing real life with the responsibility of being Heaven’s warrior is a challenge for Ellie. Her relationship with Will has become all business, though they both long for each other. And now that the secret of who she really is has come out, so have Hell’s strongest reapers. Grown bold and more vicious, the demonic threaten her in the light of day and stalk her in the night.
She’s been warned.
(Cont. on Goodreads)

-I adore C.A.M. and all things Angelfire. 2012 can't come fast enough!

Bitterblue by Kristen Cashore

There isn't much info yet, but I seriously need more Bitterblue, as well as more Katsa, Po, and co.!

Source

What other bookish wonders are going to crop up?

What are YOU looking forward to?

Peace and release dates,

Riv

Current Music: Crazy by Simple Plan (I'm going crazy with desire for these books!)