Blogging Update!

Hello!

So I know I said that I would be back to my blogging schedule this week, but there has been a change of plans. Because I am busy with my writing and my book publicist business I'm going to be taking a longer break from blogging on this particular blog. Not sure when I'll return, but feel free to contact me with any questions at awritersway@gmail.com

To continue to get updates on my writing and random things follow me on Tumblr: 

http://awritersway.tumblr.com/

Check out BatStine & Swarley Book Reviews for all of your review needs! My friend Allison and I have teamed up and will be posting book reviews every Thursday starting April 4th!

http://batstineswarleybookreviews.blogspot.com/

If you're interested in my services as a book publicist check out my website here:

http://publicistchristinemarie.wordpress.com/

Thanks so much!

-Christine 

Taking a break from blogging!

Hi all! 

I just wanted to let you guys know that I'm going to be taking two weeks off from blogging to catch up on important publicist business and writing. 

I will return March 25th!

-Christine 

BatStine's PotPourri: Dragons!

I watched the Game of Thrones trailer for Season 3 the other night which made me think of my favorite character in the series Daenerys Targaryen. She was my favorite character in the books and she is my favorite character on the show. You don't get much cooler than her. I wish I had some dragons to call my own. Don't you?

Check out the Game of Thrones Season 3 trailer here: 

Who's your favorite Game of Thrones character? 

BatStine's PotPourri: King of the Nerds Winner!

I think that King of the Nerds is one of the most enjoyable shows that I've watched in a long time. So much of reality TV sucks, so I was super excited to tune into this one and loved every single episode. Towards the end I started to make my final judgement on who I wanted to win, and guess what? She won! Celeste was by far the best nerd to win. She was an inspiring person to watch throughout the entire season. She conquered a lot of her anxiety issues, which is something I can really admire. 

Although I was happy that Celeste won, I was super sad that the season was over. Luckily, they're making a second season! Hooray!! If you're going to fry your brain cells watching a reality TV show, you should watch one about nerds. 

Will you be watching the second season of King of the Nerds? 

BatStine's PotPourri: Angry Birds Star Wars

I never really took part in the "Angry Birds" craze until last weekend. My fiance and I just finished watching all of the Star Wars movies, and even though I had seen the series many times before this time was different. It's been at least five years since I sat down and watched them in the correct order, (4, 5, 6, 1, 2, 3.) and I just fell in love with them all over again! 

So when we finished watching Episode III I was super sad, and considered watching them again. Instead, I decided to download two games. The first one was Star Wars: Old Republic, and the second Star Wars Angry Birds. It may seem silly, but I quickly forgot about the Old Republic game and became addicted to Star Wars Angry Birds. It's just so cute! 

It's definitely a fun game that I would recommend to any Star Wars lover. 

What's your favorite Star Wars game? 

The Writing Room: Tackling Your Rewrites

I was searching for a way to put my feelings into words about working on my rewrite when I found this quote by Stephen King:

“When your story is ready for rewrite, cut it to the bone. Get rid of every ounce of excess fat. This is going to hurt; revising a story down to the bare essentials is always a little like murdering children, but it must be done.”-Stephen King 

Stephen King illustrates my feelings in a brutally honest way. Rewrites are a necessary evil that can sometimes feel incredibly painful. You think, "I worked so hard to finish the first draft...," but it's unrealistic to think that a story will be done after one draft. 

I'm currently in the midst of rewriting my second chapter, and so far it's been relatively painless. The first chapter was much harder because I was gripping onto it tightly. Probably too tightly. 

I've learned that there are good and bad things that come with rewrites. Even though it can be quite painful sometimes, I love the feeling I get when I realize that the new ideas that I'm interjecting are far greater than the ones that were in my first draft. 

Here are some tips for rewriting your first draft:

1. I always try to keep my new draft completely separate from my first. If I try to change things in the midst of all the old I get really caught up with holding onto things.  

2. Don't get too attached to your second draft either! Most likely, even though these ideas may feel refreshing, they will need to be tweaked and changed around too. 

3. Stay organized. I try and stay organized in every aspect of my life, but with rewrites I find it is really necessary. Organize your thoughts and the changes that you want to make. I do this a lot so I don't forget. Last night I got inspired while eating spaghetti with my fiance. Luckily enough I remembered to jot the idea down before I went to sleep. 

Now I'm going to take Stephen King's brutally honest quote and keep it in the back of my head for the rest of the day as I work on my rewrite. 

How do you handle your rewrites? 

The Writing Room: Changing Setting

Last week I decided it was time to cut the cord of attachment I had wrapped so tightly around the first draft of my WIP Saving Nine. It was time to start moving forward with a second draft. My main focus began with the first scene of my story. For those of you who don't know, my first scene started in a mental hospital. It wasn't until I started doing a ton of research that I realized I started the story here for the wrong reasons. My character didn't even spend that much time there anyway.

I sat back in my worn recliner and started to imagine what it would be like to start the story in a completely different place. Luckily enough, inspiration hit.

When working with a setting of any kind I think it requires a decent amount of research to get your head in the right place.

Here are some tips that I try and follow when developing a setting:

1. If at all possible, GO to your setting. This may be hard for some of us writer's with limited means that have stories that take place across the country, but if it's nearby I think it's best to take a drive.

2. The second best option is to scour the internet for pictures. I like to print out a few and put them on a cork board near my desk. That way when I start writing I can glance over and enrich the forming picture in my mind with small elements that I might have forgotten about.

3. Write down a list of words that describe what you're seeing in front of you, or in your mind. I've recently started to do this and it's really helpful when it comes to writing descriptive scenes.

So, I'm taking my tips and moving forward with my story. It really does feel refreshing!

How do you feel about changing setting?