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Joined: 12/21/2013
Posts: 24
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Hello All. <<waving to fellow NaNoWriMo winners Elea Gray & Imawake>> I too am a NaNoWriMo winner. My m/s was first draft of 50000 words. I learned from 2012 that I needed a strong structure to write a successful piece. I worked the structure for a month before Nano started and completed the first draft in 21 days. I am now doing a deep edit, making sure that all the threads are connected because even though I had structure, the characters took me some places I did not expect and since we can only go forward and not backwards during NaNo I have to weave it all together.
I write historical romance namely Regency or Victorian. I have completed a few manuscripts and even sent one off but was rejected. That was fine though because that rejection made me feel great and it also gave me my Pro Status in RWA. In January I plan to work on revising my Nano Heart of Stone and start on what I hope is the first book of a series (no title yet but series is All The Duke's Sons) that will take place in Victorian Edinburgh.
I will post my historical romance Heart of Stone here when I am ready. This is not like what I have written in the past. You know when you get a crazy idea floating around in your head? Well this story is about the adventures surrounding some statues, statues that are alive and include an owl, a pair of wolves, a lion and lioness and even a small dragon (I so fell in love with him and he wasn't even supposed to be in the story). Why did I write this story you might ask? Well while visiting an estate in Ireland I was petting and talking to a pair of lion statues. (This does not make me crazy just imaginative). Of course I asked myself, what would happen if the lion started to purr because it was alive? I was not sure where to go with that story and after several years and a month before NaNo the story came to me and that is why I wrote Heart of Stone rather than the first story of All the Duke's sons.
I am looking forward to helping out others and maybe getting some help of my own. Cheers to what the New Year is going to bring to all of us here.
Lezli Horn
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Welcome aboard!
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Joined: 10/15/2013
Posts: 62
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Hi Lezli, and happy New Year! Kudos to you for winning NaNo. I love the description of your book Heart of Stone and can't wait to read it. And I have had the same experience while writing of characters doing things I didn't expect, or other characters showing up unannounced. Very strange but it always happens. The editing part is the hardest in my opinion, but I love it even though it takes me longer than the actual book writing. I love watching my story tighten up and improve as I weed out the unnecessary junk and tie together loose ends. I am too lazy to write historical fiction because of all the research, but it's nice that others are willing to write it so I can enjoy it. I have been to Edinburgh and have a lot of Scottish blood in me, so your work will be especially fun for me. My wish for all of us on here is to get published in 2014! I have been doing the meditations from the book Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself by Dr. Joe Dispenza in preparation for manifesting exactly that. My NaNo project is looking good, so I'm crossing my fingers for it. Good luck to you, Lezli and welcome. 
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Joined: 12/22/2013
Posts: 8
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Happy New Year Lezli!
NaNo is gtreat, istn't it? I entered once, but had to unexpectedly relocate half-way through, and November always seems to be an extremely busy time of year for me, so well done!
On the point of editing, the idea/ concept is often the easy part, even writing the first draft. I end up white-boarding my plot and development out, just so I can see it in one space. This allows me to keep a visual as I write and do edits. A good tip I brought with me from my time as a stage actor back in London is to read my text out loud. Since you're 'crazy' enough to pet and talk to statues (lol) I'm sure you won't feel too self-conscious doing this! I find that when I read my text (not just dialogue) out loud, I can hear where it doesn't flow smoothly. Sometimes we can't always read what is missing, especially if like me you read fast.
Well, I hope some of this helps. Looking forward to reading some of your stuff and being of help if I can.
Anthony
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Joined: 12/21/2013
Posts: 24
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Hi Anthony,
I do the reading out loud when I have gone through several edits. The last time I did this I went down to the bottom of the yard with a blanket. There were a lot of notes when I was done. Things that seem to work fine in your head don't work out so well when you read them out loud. That is when you realize that no one in their right mind would say it like you have written it. Mind you, that is rather fun in itself but can be a bit frustrating. Trick is to laugh at it and move on.
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Joined: 2/9/2012
Posts: 427
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Howdy, Lezli! And welcome! My name is Nevena and I am the Book Country coordinator.
Congrats on winning NaNo--that's huge.
Since you write historicals, you really should connect to two Book Country veterans who do, too: Noelle Pierce and Tabetha Waite.
Do you have any questions about the site? Please holler if you do!
Nevena
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Joined: 6/7/2013
Posts: 1356
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Hi Lezli!
I think we've "met" on Twitter, but I've been meaning to connect here, too!
So many congrats on winning Nano!
How's everything going? I'll get in touch privately to check in with you and help as you continue to get oriented to the community!
Lucy
Book Country Community and Engagement Manager
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