Latest Update for "Call of the Siren"

Writing a novel, for me, is slow work.

And my latest novel has given me LOTS of trouble, until my muse finally sprang into action around the Christmas holidays.

This novel isalled Call of the Siren and it's the second book in the Limbo trilogy. (The first is The Phoenix, and you can find a copy of it here).

But I just compared this update with the previous one on January 11. And I'm truly amazed at the tremendous progress in such a short periods of time.

Everything in bold is ready to go, editing-wise

Everything in italics shows where work is still required.

But when the editing is done, I have a couple more passes over the text to make.

One is a granular pass to ensure the new characters are properly developed.

And then I need to make a "feng shui" pass over the entire book, which is a new type of editing for me. In fact, I might have invented this type of editing. Maybe it's worth its own post.

My goal is to have the book ready for formatting by early April.

Cover art is by Nancy Calkins, wife of Ed Calkins, Steward of Tara.

CALL OF THE SIREN

Sue Bass is haunted by dreams of her father, who died in a boating accident before she was born, alluring dreams of water and song. But then a soft-spoken outside man with an inside plan comes to town, and Sue's sleepwalking stops, only to resurface with greater magnetism when he leaves.

Two voices beckon. Which one will she heed?

Prologue:

PART ONE: WATER

Chapter 1: Lullaby

Chapter 2: Music or Madness

Chapter 3: Town Mouse

Chapter 4: Country Mouse, Monday Sept. 13, afternoon (spot places to fill in)

Chapter 5: Water, Butter, and Wine

Chapter 6: Little Girl Lost

Chapter 7: The Lure of Their Eyes

PART TWO: FIRE

Chapter 8: Flames and Frost

Chapter 9: Even The Sparrow 

Chapter 10: Bewitched By Her Sweetness

Chapter 11: House Calls, Saturday 

Chapter 12: Coin for the Passage

Chapter 13: Plaintive Cries 

Chapter 14: As Sharp as Spears

Chapter 15: The Meadow of Skeletons

PART THREE: AIR

Chapter 16: Gates of Horn and Ivory

Chapter 17 Ask, and It Shall be Given You

Chapter 18: Seek, and Ye Shall Find

Chapter 19: Knock, and it Shall Be Opened Unto You (1/3 edited, 2/3 drafted)

Chapter 20: The Stain No Storm Could Wash Away (1/3 edited, 2/3 drafted)

Chapter 21: A Stone and a Serpent 

Chapter 22: Treading Water 

Chapter 23: Last Dream of my Soul 

PART FOUR: EARTH

Chapter 24: On Solid Ground 

Chapter 25: Ideal – and Worthy of Envy  

Chapter 26: Sue’s Diner (edited)

Chapter 27: In Dark Depths Lurking (2/3 edited)

Chapter 28: The Abyss Beckons (drafted, a few graphs edited)

Chapter 29: : No Breath of Wind, No Ripple of Water (1/3 edited, 2/3 drafted)

Chapter 30: Ferry and Scythe

Epilogue 

Can Ya Help a Writer Out?

WriteOn Joliet is starting its ninth year supporting writers over eighteen in their writing journey. 

I don't know if the founder emeritus of this group had longevity in mind when she persuaded me into this venture with her, but I, for one, am amazed at our growth and the wonderful writers I've had the honor to meet along the way while we grow in our craft.

Now ever since the inception of WriteOn Joliet in February 2012, members have expressed a desire to attend the annual Printer's Row Lit Fest in Chicago.

The cost for a double, covered table for all of our books is expensive, and we, as a group, would like to cover all of the costs through sponsorships and fundraising.

So last year, I had an idea for a permanent fundraiser for our group, which we finally put together this month.

Yes, I'm selling a book.

The book is called Little Book of Revision: A Checklist for Fiction Writers and it's exactly as its says. 

Except for some definitions of terms, each page has one editing prompt. The rest is blank, so the writer can make notes about things to check and revise.

All proceeds (meaning everything except the actual cost of the physical book, taxes, and shipping) stay within WriteOn Joliet for WriteOn members.

If you write fiction or know someone who writes fiction, this book is perfect for you.

Below is a formal description. And below that is the link for ordering, along with a link for WriteOn Joliet, so you can learn more about the group, too.

Many writers are familiar with writing prompts, a few lines to spark their inspiration to get the words flowing. It’s hard to find revision prompts. Writers know they need to revise their stories. But sometimes writers need a few editing prompts to help them look critically and objectively at their work. 

That’s the reason for this workbook. 

Each page highlights one area of the story to check. The rest of the page is blank, so writers can jot some notes on trouble spots and possible ways to revise.

Buy Little Book of Revision: A Checklist for Fiction Writers here.

For more information about WriteOn Joliet, visit writeonjoliet.com.

Picky Things

Want to sound like an amatuer writer?

Do the following:

1) Use any dialogue tag except "said." An occasional "asked," "screamed," etc. is fine when its doubles as a verb. And please know where to place that tag (at the end of the sentence).

2) Overuse of "said." Try beats. And dialogue that's "so" your character, the reader doesn't need prompts to remind him who's speaking.

3) Use cliches and over-wrought phrases. Again occasionally, you can get away with it in dialogue, if it fits the person speaking. It's the "occasionally" that's key. And never, if you can manage it.

4) Dialogue that is not age or gender (don't start; you know what I mean) appropriate for your character.

5) Head-hopping. If you head-hop, you'd better have a darn good reason for it. Can't think of any.

6) Info dumping. And that includes a glut of back story.

7) Trying to sneak information into dialogue. "As you know, Bob..." Bob knows. Get on with it.

8) Passive verbs.

9) Inconsistences in facts, characters, etc.

10) A glaring amount of typos.


Of course, this checklist applies to me, too. Definitely scanning for these pesky weeds during self-editing and ripping them out when I find them.