December 2016 Spotlight: I Don’t Usually Write in this Genre …
I know it’s been several months (September, to be precise) since the last spotlight, but you remember what a spotlight is, right? Well, just to refresh your memory (or to inform you if you just started following me), it’s me shining a ‘spotlight’ on something I’m working on at the moment. Kinda like an author update, only a more in-depth peak. With a special name. And lots of pictures. And (I just determined this) a theme.
Can you guess what the theme is? If you can and you comment it first, you win a free ebook copy of The Lady of the Vineyard. I have PDF, MOBI, and EPUB, just so you know.
I am not kidding! I will need an email address, though (although you can email me so you don’t have to post it in the comments or anything), so yeah. That might narrow things down because I know some of you don’t want to give away your email addresses. Especially since you read this blog post … and realized how blood-thirsty I am …
That’s right. It’s pretty gruesome.
So if you’re sensitive, you may want to click off my blog now.
Do it.
It’s for your own good.
Your mind will stay innocent this way.
Sure, I’ll miss you. Sure, your support means a lot to me in these *sniffle* troubled times. But I care about your safety. So go. Just go.
Still here? Well, I’ll at least give you something beautiful to feast your eyes on before the *gulp* blood-bath.
*sighs* I just love Christmas. 🙂
Now.
Back to the bloodbath.
It’s pretty gruesome, guys. I can hardly look.
Red stains the pages.
Almost every word has some kind of slash in it.
Screams fill my ears … are they mine? Or are they my characters’? I can’t be sure.
The smell of ink blots out all other aromas.
The gaping plot holes try to engulf me, pulling me down into the den of no-structure.
My characters babble meaninglessly, my comparisons make no sense, yesterday’s today and today’s tomorrow …
And all because I stepped into the world of Ivy Introspective.
Okay, maybe I’m being a little dramatic. There were some happy moments. Like, one.
Yeah, he’s Miss Christina’s sweetheart, and he’s super sweet!
There was also a ‘you didn’t mess this up at least’ moment:
You see, when I revise every thought I have tends to spill out of my pen. Like the blood of the story I just butchered. So yeah. That happened.
Oh, and something even more gruesome. I found the one and only time I ever cussed in a novel. (You can read on; don’t worry!)
I literally starred it out! And it’s not even a bad word in America! *sigh* I watch too much British TV.
Now, for your viewing pleasure (well, displeasure), I’ll list a few of the plot holes/problems (at least my favorites) I’ve found in Ivy Introspective so far.
- Dates. I threw aside the months of the year during the first draft, apparently. One moment it’s the end of July; the next it’s the beginning of June. I described a beautiful flower garden and a grassy meadow in the middle of January. Apparently (by train) it takes a couple months to actually reach Scotland, then. Either that, or Scotland was going through a heat spell in the middle of a mini ice-age.
- Abandoned Ivy. After she goes to McCale House, there is no evidence that Ivy and her parents have any contact with each other. What happened?! (Pointed out to me by Angela)
- The incredible disappearing Captain Parker. Mr. Parker’s father, retired old sea-salt Captain Parker, appeared in this book. At the beginning. And then he doesn’t appear for the rest of the book. He is no longer … (I told you this was a scary post! YOU SHOULD HAVE LEFT WHILE YOU HAD A CHANCE!)
- It was Christmas Eve twice … in a row. I want Christmas to much as long as the next man, but … I think that’s stretching it.
And there were others, but I don’t want to give away spoilers or anything. I think that’s enough terror for now, anyway.
Before you go …
I had another “brilliant” idea. What do you think about me vlogging more regularly? Like, once or twice a month or whatever? It’s a lot of fun, and it is next to no work (which is good, because I’m always busy). I don’t know what I’d vlog about … just ramblings again, I suppose. Maybe extra important announcements. I’ll have to develop an idea, though, before I could put it into action.
And at some point, my BFF and I are gonna do an interview together. We have the questions, but we actually have to do it. Last time my camera quit working, so we didn’t get to do it. 🙁 Bay Ray’s the best because she’s not a writer in any way shape or form (not that she can’t write …) yet she somehow gets me and doesn’t care if I end up rambling a little.
~Kellyn Roth
p.s. yes, the theme is as obvious as it looks …
horror?
idk
im not good at guesses
historical fiction
That’s it. Horror, that is. XD I am so lame … but I couldn’t think of anything else.
hey… im so lame i couldn’t even guess horror after multiiple uses of words like “bloodbath,” and “horror”
Well, you technically did. And historical fiction. 😛
oh, yeah… technically… im so lame i couldn’t even write a post about how lame i am!
Yeah, you’re not really lame, though. I mean, eesh, you have a successful blog and you just started it and you’ve been writing … wow!
wow… thank you! but you’ve been writing a lot more then me… *arches eyebrow at published book page on your blog* see, this is why computers are cool. i can never arch my eyebrows in real life.
yea, time has flown by! i reach my 6 months anniversary 2 days before the new year. 2 posts in 2 very busy days… *shivers* but, i already know what I’m doing for my 6 mo. anniversary. i posted it in the Fiction Writer’s cabin on Nano… 😉
and your blog is very successful too! you always seem to know many authors through your review blog. *yeesh, that grammar though*
Well, I … I feel bad about saying this because it implies I’m better than you or something just because I’m older, but … I’m fifteen! You’re not fifteen yet! You’re twelve, and look what you’ve accomplished! Good grief! I was fourteen when I got mine, I think.
Yes, I saw that! I’m curious …
Yeah, I know the authors … they just don’t know me! 😉
Oh, and don’t suppose you want an ebook copy of TLOTV? 😛
Wow!! I can’t believe you think that about me!! Did you know you were one of the reasons I became a blogger is you? So my success is really a byproduct of you.
I’ve seen some comments on your blog… it’s really impressive!
Oh, yea!! I just need to make an email bc I only have personal. I’ll email when I do !
That’s really sweet of you to say. I always try to, you know, answer questions or just be there when people start up a new blog! Partially because I wish I could continually be starting up a new blog! It’s fun! 😀
I think they just see my reviews on Amazon and Goodreads and check out my blog because I reviewed their book, but thanks! I suppose they do kinda know me, then …
Okay, no problem! 🙂
It’s actually horror? Seeing from that comment and the fact that you said horror and blood and red pens.
Yes, it is. 🙂
Well, I want the first comment, but no else mentioned anything… so, do I win???
April never told me if she wants a copy of TLOTV or not … but yeah. If she doesn’t, sure, you win! 😛
Yay!!!
So, unfortunately (for you, I mean) April does want that copy! But maybe you’ll win something when the next spotlight comes around. 😉
🙁 Aww, okay. X( (APRIL MAKES ME MAD!) JK JK JK JK JK!
The word bloody! I was beta-reading and that came up and I was like….. but…. we…. we in America… xD Haha. 😉 CONGRATS ON HOW EDITING/REVISING IS GOING, KELLYN! 😀 You’re doing sooo good. Also, I love this book *screams*. But yesss it is so amazing even when you gotta tear it into itty bitty pieces. ;D
I first guessed the theme was IvIn!! And also Christmas, but hey. 😉 And I loveeee the Christmas pics! 😀 Soo nice.
Wow. I feel all these pics. Omword. xD ALL THE REDDDD.
AND I WOULD LOVE MORE VLOGS!!! 😀 *throws candy canes at you in approval* Looking forward to the interview, too. 🙂
I don’t know when the interview with come because I don’t see Bay all that often … but I sure hope it’s gonna be soon! I’m really excited for it. 🙂
I know! So much red. I have a weird brain, so I was looking at it and I thought, “Hmm … considering the pain I’m in, that could probably be my blood …” Hence, this post. 😉
I know! I kept returning to it and going, “Well … what if someone British reads it someday? I don’t want to, you know, offend them or anything …” But maybe I’m being a wee bit oversensitive. XD
I actually like being able to tear it to itty bitty pieces. I feel like I’m accomplishing something … but at the same time, I’m wondering why I wrote it that way to begin with! First drafts are crazy!
Haha! I use different colors so like… red= PAIN. RID OF IT. Pink: The magical glitter of second chances. Keep it but tweak it. Blue: this? this is stupid. But it can stay fine. Purple: Haha wow spelling sucks kiddo. ANYWAYYY. The saying ‘blood, sweat, and tears’is quite literal.
Lol! But if the plot is in Britain and stuff…. than yeah, it is a cuss word to them I guess but…. 😉
I know! It’s like yeah, it is hard, but you feel super capable and even though you’re being the ax-man (is that a thing? whatever) you still love it and it loves you. At least it feels good to see progress! 😀
I just use all red and hope my handwriting will get readable at some point. But color-coding is a great idea! I probably would be like –
Red: DIE!!! Pink: ooh, that’s pretty. WHAT AM I SAYING!?!?! KILL IT! KIIIIILLL ITTTT!!! Blue: You can’t read this because I cried on it … but it’s there! TRUST ME IT’S THERE!!! IT’S THERE HIDING, WAITING TO POUNCE!!! Purple: somewhere between red and blue. 😉 Okay, I was kidding there … pretty much … 😉
It’s a cuss word to my characters. Goodness knows I don’t want to offend them … 😛
LOL yep! Sometimes I’ll scribble a note and come back and just see ‘pvnnnahe’. Pretty sure I gotta work on nice handwriting or…. I’m ruined. 😉
Sounds like a game plan! =D Haha! And yeah right, offend them and they’ll come in your room late at night and throw stuff at you. My character Asher would probably play the Ghostbusters theme song loud while saying ‘Do not hurt my feelings! I am a good egg!’.
I spend quite a lot of my time trying to decipher my handwriting. That and trying to figure out what my abbreviations mean. NM = never mind, WOL = write out later, and OC = on computer (which basically means I typed it up). Of course, I’m constantly forgetting what these mean …
Haha yeah! It’s like you even have to write those down or else…. Goodness gracious.
Hehe, that was a fun post. Pretty soon (I hope?) (“soon” as in “a few months from now”), I’ll possibly be doing the same thing to Sleeping in Cyberspace.
‘Cept I realized when I attempted to edit Oracular again that it’s fun to use different colored pens for different uses. So…I’ll probably do my editing in purple or something, teehee.
Red just looks worse to me, I guess. I feel like most other colors would make it too fun, and y’all know editing couldn’t be fun. 😉
Hehe, that’s exactly why I do the rainbow colors. Red is terrifying, and editing is already enough of a “oh gosh, you suck how did you write this” nightmare, so I try to make it more bearable.
I suppose I just like to torture myself. 😉
Hahahaha, this was great.
I’m bad with dates too. Last year, during Nanowrimo, it started in October/November, dragged on sloowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwly, then BAM! It was December. Whoops, November again. Aaand July! Whee! August. DECEMBER. (I reread it and was like, WHA?)
Haha, books can be like that! Especially first drafts. I’ve made a habit of writing down how much time has taken place in my outlines now, but I still sometimes end up doing weird things …
IKR!