Amber Riley's Blog

Is everyone ready for 2016?! I am! It's going to start out with a bang when my brother gets married on January 2nd and will hopefully keep bringing good things. I'm not one to do resolutions but does anyone else have one they would like to share?

Christmas was great fun here... although we may have accidentally broken my grandmothers kitchen floor. Oops... But we got it fixed! So no worries. :) How was your *insert holiday of choice*?

For now, I'm plodding along with edits. (So, so slowly.) It's more like treading water at this point. I'm up to chapter six, but completely rewrote chapter three. This is what I get for fast drafting but I'm okay with it. After this round of edits, it's time to step away and work on something else while it marinates. (I have 2 options .. how will I decide?!)

*Collapse*

It's done. The first draft is complete! Such a sad little thing it is but I'm still overly excited about the concept so I consider it a huge win. :)

Now... Hello, edits. We meet again.

How do you guys feel about crafts?

How about baking?

Good?

Good! Because I love them both... and frankly, no one wants to hear about my writing process every post. (ZzZzZ)

So, I'm thinking - 'tis the season for crafts & baking. Holidays & parties that require baked goods (I'm looking at you Pot Luck get-togethers) and presents! I love getting homemade things and I love giving them. First up this year is a hand-embroidered wall hanging for my friends baby. I'm about 25% done so today I'll share something I did for myself.

I was going through some things for my grandmother and stumbled across this:




It was my grandfathers when he was a manager at Revere Copper. He used it for sign-in/out sheets but I had other plans for it. (*cough*edits*cough*)

Now, with the help of scrapbook paper, Mod Podge, and acrylic paint, I have this:


(Yeah, I know... The paper doesn't line up. It was a poor choice of pattern, especially since the edges fade, but I like it anyway.)

It's this easy:
Paint the clips.
Let it dry.
Cut the paper to size.
Mod Podge the back of the paper.
Smooth it down on the clipboard, making sure the edges are all down.
Let it dry.
Mod Podge over it.
Let it dry some more.

All for about $3. (I already had the Mod Podge.)

Now to finish the second half of this 1st draft so I can use it! :)

It's time for another WIP!

This post is actually late in coming. The first draft is already up to chapter 8. I'm going back to my first love with a YA Fantasy this time. The outlining was so. hard. this time. (Don't I look optimistic though?)




I had one entire plot for the idea written out in detail and then drafted up to chapter 5, but it felt wrong. I redid the first three chapters about 3 times before admitting defeat. That outline wasn't going to work but I still loved the idea so I had a chat with my writing partner. (She's amazeballs when it comes to talking out plots and things.)

We spent an hour talking it out. (An hour?! The time flew by but I owe her for that one. We ended up doing zero writing at our weekly writing trip to Panera that day. Oops.) When I got home, I spent most of the day starting from scratch. It turns out to tell the story I want to tell, I need multiple POVs. I've never done that before *gulp* but it's made me rather excited about the project. Getting into the mind of one of the two is both challenging and fun. (Ask me if I feel the same way when I start draft #2.) The other character is a challenge too but in a different way. Also fun. Easier though. ;)

Anyway - now I have this to work with:


I even spruced up my writing area with some new decor! (My camera is taking pictures in blue tones only lately so... that's interesting.)

It's time for another WIP!

This post is actually late in coming. The first draft is already up to chapter 8. I'm going back to my first love with a YA Fantasy this time. The outlining was so. hard. this time. (Don't I look optimistic though?)




I had one entire plot for the idea written out in detail and then drafted up to chapter 5, but it felt wrong. I redid the first three chapters about 3 times before admitting defeat. That outline wasn't going to work but I still loved the idea so I had a chat with my writing partner. (She's amazeballs when it comes to talking out plots and things.)

We spent an hour talking it out. (An hour?! The time flew by but I owe her for that one. We ended up doing zero writing at our weekly writing trip to Panera that day. Oops.) When I got home, I spent most of the day starting from scratch. It turns out to tell the story I want to tell, I need multiple POVs. I've never done that before *gulp* but it's made me rather excited about the project. Getting into the mind of one of the two is both challenging and fun. (Ask me if I feel the same way when I start draft #2.) The other character is a challenge too but in a different way. Also fun. Easier though. ;)

Anyway - now I have this to work with:


I even spruced up my writing area with some new decor! (My camera is taking pictures in blue tones only lately so... that's interesting.)

I was tagged by my fabulous writer friend and CP @vanessaepeay to participate in the 7/7/7 challenge.RULESGo to page 7 of your current WIPScroll down to line 7Share the next 7 sentences in a blog post.After the blog post tag 7 other writers to continue the challenge. 
From my YA Historical Retelling WHEN STARS ARE BRIGHT:


“I wouldn’t invite you if I thought there would be trouble,” he says, pulling my attention away from the house. “They’ll never see our side if we don’t make an effort to show it to them.”The way he’s leaning in, holding eye contact, I almost believe him. He does have a point. Maybe if they see us together, they’ll understand what we have is real, but his entire family is terrifying. They also take their parties very seriously. If anything happens, things will only get worse because whatever it is, it’ll be my fault.“I don’t have anything to wear,” I say.

Hey! My name is Amber and I write YA. My first love is fantasy but I enjoy reading all genres within YA. I'm entering a historical YA retelling this year. This is my first year entering #PitchWars and I'm wicked excited.



A few things about me:

1) I was read to every night as a child and then devoured books on my own. I was the girl in high school that gave her English teachers fun ideas for more book reports. (Which I'm sure totally endeared me to my peers...) Writing stemmed naturally from that and I've never been more passionate about anything else.


2) I'm a military spouse. (Go Navy!) We moved from Mississippi to Germany and are now in Maine. My goal before we move is to see a moose.

3) I'm a stay-at-home mom to two boys. They're 2 & 3 years old and the loves of my life... even if most days I feel like this:


4) I'm a native New Yorker.

No, no. Not that New York. This New York.

5) I was an actor at a revolutionary fort in my home town.

6) I'm a recovering crazy cat lady with only 2 rescues. (I blame---errr---thank my landlords for that. I also think Taylor Swift is the bomb.)

7) While I enjoy coffee, Red Bull mixed with Dr. Pepper is my preferred beverage.

8) I love winter. Mostly for the snowboarding, but also because it's beautiful... and I don't have to deal with bugs. I hate bugs as much as I love winter.


What you can expect from me as a mentee:

I love constructive criticism and always try to look at the advice objectively. Being so close to my manuscript, I know it needs help I can't see. I want to grow as a writer so will consider all advice seriously and objectively. I'm ready to roll up my sleeves and work hard. I always keep a sense of humor - without a good attitude, revisions would be a painful thing.




Thank you for stopping by!

"The time has come," the Walrus said, "To print off many things: Of shoes--and ships--and singing songs--Of canaries--and kidnappings.”
Goodbye, new ink cartridge! Hello, printed manuscript!
I suppose it's time to tell you which retelling I'm working on. (No, it's not Alice in Wonderland. I just love that quote.)

Ready?

How about now?

No?

Yes?

Okay... it's:

THUMBELINA!

This was my 2012 NaNoWriMo idea that got abandoned about a week in. I revamped my old idea with a new genre. I must say, I'm pretty excited about it now that I'm on my last round of edits. (Curse you, commas. Curse you and all your rules!)

Usually I do my 1st round of edits on paper and the rest on the document. This time, between writing it all on Scrivener and my new plot board, I got through all the heavy edits right on the computer. That was pretty exciting. Now to nit pick it to death!

I get asked a lot about how I keep myself motivated to finish a draft. So, I thought I'd turn it into a blog post. :)

My first go at writing a novel, I struggled to get the words out... until I bribed myself. For every 5,000 words I wrote, I bought myself a DVD. (Okay, so it was actually seasons of anime off ebay. Fruits Basket forever!)




 (My Honda may or may not be named Tohru. Don't judge. ;) )
 




After that book was finished, I realized something: I can do it. As horrible as the draft was, I finished it. Me. I wrote a book. I've never had to bribe myself again. Words on a page (err, screen) are reward enough. I've given myself the foundation of a book... the clay to mold into something readable. That's an invaluable gift.

Sometimes I think we tell ourselves we can't do something because we're afraid of failing at it. We don't want to put ourselves out there - sweat, blood, and tears - just to fail, but the only person hurt by holding back is yourself.

Each time you're stuck, ask yourself "what am I afraid of?" That people won't like it? Are you writing for them or for yourself? If you're writing for someone else, you'll likely never finish. Write for you. Tell the story in your heart. Don't let that doubtful piece of your brain stop you - feed it a cookie and send it back to the cave it crawled out of.

Happy writing!
I'm off to finish this new scene and then continue editing.

Hey, folks! I hope the weather is treating you well.

This week has been less than productive. My little one turned 2 - we went to NY to celebrate with family. My laptop cord was forgotten at my grandmothers & the battery died. I had yet to save revisions to my flash drive & this is the only computer I have with Scrivener so I was stuck waiting. And waiting. So much waiting.

Okay, actually, it was mailed overnight by my wonderful grandmother. But those 2 nights were torture. Do you know how many things can run through your mind in 6 hour drive without an another adult to talk to? Too much. Which leads me to this project:



When Stars Are Bright is still monopolizing my cork board, but I have a sequel outlined (& started), as well as an exciting new standalone. (Oh, the agony! 2 projects at a time is my limit for actual writing... Outlines on the other hand... the multiply like rabbits!) After this round of WSAB edits, it'll be time for a short break to give myself perspective. Then these beautiful blank sheets will have their own plot boards. Now I can flip through to whichever manuscript I'm working on.

(Also, I've realized that I don't know what to do with free time anymore. I did read a book I got for Mother's Day and it was awesome!)

Lastly, thanks to WriterPitch for the mug! Looove that it's orange inside. :)