I’ve been hard at work revising Warner book #3, Desire in His Eyes by Diane Perkins, which will be released in 2007. One of my revision tasks is to take a look at the words I use. For me, this means a couple of things:
1. Watch out for word repetition
2. Watch out for anachronisms

You have to love Microsoft Word (unless you are still a Word Perfect devotee, that is) because it make it so easy to search for repeated words. I discovered I was using the word “shrugged” all throughout the manuscript. My characters were shrugging all over the place. So I used Word’s “find” function and changed a bunch of them.

Another way words are repeated is on the same page or even in the same paragraph. I have a fist fight in the book and I used the word “thud” about three times in the same scene. My mind went blank about another word to substitute.

To the rescue came http://thesaurus.reference.com/

I used to have to pull out my thesaurus, look for my word in the back, then look in the various sections for the synonyms. In thesaurus.com I instantly have my synonyms!
For “thud,” I found “crash” “smack” “thump” and a really nice word, “thwack.”

That brings me to item number 2: anachronisms. Would my characters even use the word “thwack”? I try to use words that were in use in the Regency, even in my narrative.

Rescue #2 comes with http://www.etymonline.com/index.php

I love this website! No more risking a hernia lifting my Abridged Oxford Dictionary. No more eyestrain trying to read the small print. This is an online etymology dictionary, telling the earliest usage of a word and also how the word was used. Here is the entry for “thwack”: to hit hard with a stick,” 1530, of echoic origin. The noun is recorded from 1587.

So I could have used “thwack” but in the end I thought it sounded too “Batman” (the old TV show that used to use balloons saying “thwack” “bop” “wham”)

I also checked etymonline.com for was the phrase, “he was upstaged.” “Upstage” came into use in 1921, so I didn’t use it.

Another indispensible tool is http://dictionary.reference.com and the cool thing is you can flip back and forth from dictionary.com to thesaurus.com. I don’t trust my usage of words. In my very first manuscript, I used the word “discrete”, but what I really meant was “discreet.” That manuscript was read by lots of critique partners and contest judges and only one of them discovered my mistake. So for this blog, I double-checked the definitions of “anachronism” and “devotee.” It only took a minute.

What are your favorite online sites to assist with the writing process? Readers of our blog, this means you, too. I’ll bet nearly all of you use Word or Word Perfect for something. Or perhaps you have a favorite reference book. I’d love to know!

This week, the Hollywood Reporter reported that

“Peter Jackson is eyeing his next fantasy series. The filmmaker has dipped into his discretionary fund to option “Temeraire,” a historical fantasy series by first-time novelist Naomi Novik, as he puts the pieces together for his career post-“King Kong.”

The “Temeraire” saga reimagines the world of the Napoleonic Wars with the addition of an air force of dragons and valiant aviators. It centers on British naval Capt. Will Laurence, who captures a French ship, where he discovers an unhatched dragon egg in the hold — a gift from the Emperor of China intended for Napoleon. When the egg hatches, he is forced to give up his naval career to become captain of the dragon he names Temeraire.“

I just started the second installment, Throne Of Jade, and was immediately swept into the wonderful, magical world Novik created. Amanda has read all of the books, I think (there are three of them–Novik is working on a fourth), and in the past, Cara has posted about the mingling of genres. This is a fantastic example of that.

So hie thee to a bookstore, and discover the magical world of Laurence and Temeraire yourself!

Megan
www.meganframpton.com

This weekend I’m off at a writing retreat. Well, I hope there will be writing, or at least a little anyway. I have a new idea I’m dying to tackle (maybe I need to do Janet’s BIAW? Sans fruit, of course!). But a friend who makes her own wine is coming, with several new bottles. Plus there are hiking trails, a swimming pool, horses, and lots of people to get caught up with–you see the problem. 🙂

The place where the retreat is being held is a beautiful, “rustic” lodge on a lake, totally different from the noisy town where I live. Internet and cell phone access is complicated, and there are no shops or restaurants to distract. I’m really looking forward to the getaway–and I really have to start packing! So, I’m going to turn to Miss Austen for help on this post. Here are some of her thoughts on town vs. country:

“One day in the country is exactly like another” —Northanger Abbey

“…the influence of London is very much at war with all respectable attachments” —Mansfield Park

“They come from Birmingham, which is not a place to promise much, you know, Mr. Weston. One has not great hopes from Birmingham” —Emma

“…I have heard that there is a great deal of wine in Oxford” —Northanger Abbey

“I am quite convinced that, with very few exceptions, the sea-air always does good” —Persuasion

“She sighed for the air, the liberty, the quiet of the country” —Sense and Sensibility

“…to sit in the shade on a fine day, and look upon verdure, is the most perfect refreshment” —Mansfield Park

“What are men to rocks and mountains?” —Pride and Prejudice

And now I’m off! I’ll be back next week with a report on the proceedings. Where would YOUR ideal retreat be?

I hate Fridays. Absolutely despise them. Which makes no sense, since I am a stay-at-home mom. I have no days off, no weekend to look forward to, no downtime. By Friday, though, I am tired of packing lunches (for both son and husband), tired of errands (later today–laundry! In the rain! At the laundromat!), tired of trying to get enough sleep so I can pop out of bed at 7:10 and get everyone ready for their respective days.

So on the way home from the gym, I decided to treat myself. And not with food, because apparently I did that all summer, and my jeans are really, really tight. Hence the gym. I love shopping at Amazon, absolutely love not paying tax or shipping, but there is really nothing like going to a bookstore, choosing your book (or books, plural–I hate Fridays, remember?), and getting to take it home right away. Bliss.

I bought two books, but eyed at least a dozen more. My friend, and fellow writer, Myretta Robens recommended Jo Beverley‘s latest book, To Rescue A Rogue. So I bought it. Take that, Friday! I also bought Jenna Petersen‘s From London With Love. Jenna will be gracing us Riskies with an interview later on this fall. I’ve already pre-ordered Jenna’s next book, Desire Never Dies, from Amazon, but I didn’t want to wait until my order was complete to get this one from Amazon (you know, the free shipping conundrum–I want it NOW, but I also want to save money).

I bet most of the folks who visit here get that same new book thrill–so what’s the latest book you bought that lifted your spirits? How long do you take before actually reading it? And have you read either of those two books? What did you think of them?

And do you hate a particular day of the week?

Megan
www.meganframpton.com

I’m posting late and at home where, because of Blogger’s antipathy toward Macs, if I try to upload pics the browser crashes.

So today, it’s deathless prose only.

This week I’m engaged in a Book-in-a-Week(BIAW). Writing one, that is. It’s a ploy writers often use to jumpstart a project, the idea being that you get together with a bunch of people, publicly set goals, and post daily what your word count is. It can be very effective. Since I’m having to write a lot anyway because I’m on deadline, I proposed a BIAW to my local chapter, seeking misery in company. There was a terrific response–some of us are revising, some writing new material. We’re all raring to go.

Here is the true, unadulterated account so far of my efforts. My goal is 50 new pages by Sunday.

Day One: Monday. I arrived home from work, and find an imploded melon. This was a small, seedless watermelon–called, in the store, for some reason, a “personal watermelon.” A cute little green-striped thing, nothing like those large, impersonal corporate melons that give the fruit a bad name. Adorable. In fact, we liked it so much we couldn’t bear to cut into it and Mother Nature took over. Cleared up melon. Made dinner. Wrote five pages.

Day Two: Tuesday. Watched the only TV show I will go out of my way to watch, “House.” Four pages. A discussion started on our BIAW list about unpleasant vegetable matter in our respective refrigerators, following the story of the imploded melon. I’m planning a refrigerator clean out and I can guarantee I am the winner, Slattern Queen of the BIAW.

Day Three: Wednesday. Now this was a great evening. Ten pages. Went to bed very late, wired, and couldn’t sleep, and then when I did drop off, was awoken by my musical husband having a sneezing fit and humming in between nasal explosions.

Day Four: Thursday. The evening is relatively young but so far two pages are written. I decided to make stuffed squash for dinner. After putting on some rice to cook, I noticed that the house was full of smoke and the fire alarm went off. Burned rice. Started again. Meanwhile, the sausage I was going to use, even frozen, had a very peculiar odor. So I put it back in the freezer until I can safely get it into the trash (we’ve also run out of trash bags). I decided to use turkey bacon instead, which, while it is a nice idea, is not bacon. I won’t give the rest of the ingredients, because, believe me, it was disgusting and I should have just eaten the squash alone. I also spent quite a bit of time frolicking on eBay–yes, this is writing-related, buying promotional items.

So would I recommend BIAW? Yes, definitely. It’s a way of instilling good writing habits, you do get a lot done (generally) and it’s nice to be in touch with a bunch of other people in the same situation. I would, however, recommend that you get all melons out of the house first.

Janet