New VisDare, New Site!

Looking for the new VisDare challenge?

It's moved to my new website!

Click HERE for the new photo prompt. 

Don't forget to change your bookmarks!!

See ya at the new website!!

Anonymous Legacy is moving!!

Anonymous Legacy is getting a new home!

In fact, it's already moved.

With manuscript edits in hand and an increased need to show a more professional face, I have decided to start a new Wordpress account - with all of the VisDare challenges, plus more writerly blogging (such as the Love Your Editor series I've recently begun).

I also have had increasing issues with Blogger, including: loss of private content; losing all blog comments every time I change templates; notifications not going out via email to blog followers; and so on.

It's time to change that. Change your bookmarks to:

http://anonymouslegacy1.wordpress.com

DON'T FORGET to put the number "1" after the anonymouslegacy moniker. Very important!

VisDares will begin at the new website on January 22nd. I expect to see you all there!

yours truly,

Angela

Love Your Editor #1: Early Feedback

Sometimes writing can be scary. But we write anyway.

Otherwise, your imaginary friends can really make you question reality.

2013 was a wild and wooly year for me for many reasons, both personal and professional. In the end, the details are mine alone; but it is sufficient to say that it was definitely a year of growth and change.

One of those big “growing moments” as a writer came in mid-December, when I did something I’d never done before: I took a completed, self-edited manuscript and handed it off to an editor for scrutiny.

I knew she would agree with me on the errors and issues I knew about.

I knew she would spot errors and issues to which I was utterly blind.

I knew her scrutiny would make my tale stronger, more vibrant.

BUT…

I had no idea how to-the-marrow, precise, and brutally insightful her assessments would truly be.

Sometimes I highlight whole sections and delete them. And start over again.

Sometimes multiple times, until I get it right. 

Then I feel halfway decent about what I've done.

And then I need an editor.

At the time I'm writing this, I have not yet received the full edits back. But she has contacted me three times in the last couple weeks with questions. The first two times, they were questions with the intent of helping her better understand the overall vision and trajectory of my tale.

The third time, however, I got a few “Have you considered….?” questions. As in, “Have you considered making character X more ignorant of [plot point A] and [plot point B] so that she can be more relatable/realistic?”

Of course, making X more ignorant of A and B changes a lot of things about her as a character. A LOT.

But just listening to my editor’s concise, penetrating questions made me realize her ultimate goal is to make my story the most powerful, well-formed, impactful tale it can be.

Sometimes abominable amounts of coffee are needed to help me through a mad writing session. 

Can't wait to see what the editing marathons will be like. o__O

On a surface level, I already knew that I needed an editor. I’ve read the blog posts, seen the tweets, followed editors, agents, and other publishing gurus. I’ve talked to authors who’ve walked this path before. So from an academic standpoint, I already knew it would be immensely helpful. I wouldn’t have doled out my hard-earned cash (read: squeezing blood out of stones because I was immensely short on monies) to hire one.

To know a truth experientially, however, is another thing entirely.

Just the little bit of feedback I’ve received so far has been enough to show me that no matter how gorgeous I think my idea is, how in love with my characters, how passionate about the storyline, how self-critical I am about my own work – I cannot see all the flaws.

In fact, some narrative flaws were so oddly positioned that I saw them as strengths.

Some narrative strengths had lodged in my perspective so crookedly that I saw them as flaws.

Character X, for instance, is one I’ve struggled with immensely as I endeavored to write her in the most dynamic way. By the time I handed off my manuscript for editing, I was so frustrated that I was 100% positive she was a weak, flimsy character. I told the editor so.

“I need help with her,” I said.

“I’ll give her a look,” said the editor.

When she contacted me later with her questions, the editor’s verdict on X stunned me.

“She’s too superwoman,” she said. “Too complete. She needs to grow and change with the story. Have you considered….?”

Then came a couple broad suggestions. My editor needed to know if I was willing to compromise on some things, because my willingness would impact the specificity of her suggestions to both the character, and the overall work. Her initial suggestions, however, meant doing heavy renovations to X’s character: her awareness of self, her personality, her personal history, everything.

And of course, those suggestions impact how other characters respond to her, and how she responds to them. In short, those “few” edits will drastically impact the whole book.

And you know what? She’s entirely right.

X needs to change – and the rest of the cast with her, if necessary. Even if it means reconfiguring certain aspects of the plot.

And when all else fails - do it old school. At least when it comes to storyboarding. 

Sometimes writing it longhand is therapeutic too - mostly because the interwebz 

is not lurking behind your word document, mocking you.

Why am I sharing this with you? Because this is part of my journey as a writer, and I figure at least a few of my blog followers are in same or similar positions as yet-unpublished authors.

I also feel that, if I take time to articulate where I am in this process, it will help me become a stronger writer – both in my craft, and my ability to take constructive criticism.

What I would like to do over the next few months is post some “Love Your Editor” blog posts (as time permits, as I still have multiple jobs). I would like to share some of the feedback I’ve received, and how that impacts me as a writer and, of course, the story I hope to one day publish.

Today is the “Early Feedback” episode because (as I said) I don’t have the full edits back yet. But I should have them soon. And when I do, you’ll hear from me now and then about how I’m ingesting and responding to this very new (for me) stage of the writing journey.

I hope you’ll follow along. J

What about you? Where are you in your personal writing journey?

Have you had any experience with editors, good or bad?

Let me know in the comments below!

And as always – thanks for reading!

My 2013 Book List - and Beyond

Happy New Year!! I hope each and every one of you have a magnificent 2014 full of adventures and blessings.

Part of my yearly adventure is discovering which books ought to be grafted into my life, and then devouring them at my earliest opportunity. Thanks to Goodreads, I have kept better track of my reading habits these past two years.

My goal for 2012: 50 books.
Books read: 20.

My goal for 2013: 50 books.
Books read: 34.

My goal for 2014: 50 books.

Will I reach my goal this year? Who knows! But hopefully I will continue the trend of reading more each year than the last. Otherwise I'll have to live to be older than Methuselah in order to read all the books that I want to read.

Another great thing about Goodreads is that I've better tracked what genres of books I tend to gravitate toward. This shows me not only which genres I've neglected, but what series I've left unfinished, and which authors I ought to explore more.

Below is the full list of what I read last year, from beginning to end. If you'd like more information on any of these titles, you can view my fully hyperlinked Goodreads list here.

Also below? A preview of those books I intend to read in 2014.

ANGELA'S 2013 READING LIST

according to Goodreads

Historical Autobiography

The English Governess at the Siamese Court, by Anna Leonowens

A Voyage to Abyssinia, by Jeronimo Lobo

Umrao Jaan Ada, by Umrao Jaan

Two Years Before the Mast, by Richard Henry Dana

Our Nig: Sketches From the Life of a Free Black, by Harriet E. Wilson

Ancient and Medieval Literature

The Iliad, by Homer

The Odyssey, by Homer

The Aeneid, by Virgil

Agricola and Germania, by Tacitus

The Prose Edda, by Snorri Sturluson

The Lais of Marie de France, by Marie de France

Science Fiction

Gateway to Reality, by Becca J Campbell

Romulus Buckle and the City of the Founders, by Robert Preston

Around the World in 80 Days, by Jules Verne

Fantasy

Lirael, by Garth Nix

Cat’s Paw, by L. A. Taylor

His Own Good Sword, by Amanda McCrina

Gasher Creek, by J. Birch

The Girl Who Ruled Fairyland – For a Little While, by Catherynne M. Valente

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making, by Catherynne M. Valente

MG/YA Books

Farmer Boy, by Laura Ingalls Wilder

The Lightning Thief, by Rick Riordan

The Sea of Monsters, by Rick Riordan

The Titan’s Curse, by Rick Riordan

Instructions, by Neil Gaiman

Edgar Wilde and the Lost Grimoire, by Paul Ramey

Carry On, Mr Bowditch, by Jean Lee Latham

Victorian Literature

A Study in Scarlet, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

The Sign of Four, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Hound of the Baskervilles, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Lifestyle and Inspirational 

Wrecked, by Jeff Goins

The Science of Skinny, by Dee McCaffrey

Anthologies and Compilations

Dark Fairy Queen Writerly Bridal Shower (anthology)

The Viking Gods, by Lorenz Frolich

PROJECTED 2014 READING LIST

(By no means exhaustive!)

Goal of total books read: 50

Beowulf (Seamus Haney translation)
Confessions, by St Augustine
City of God, by St Augustine
Abhorsen, by Garth Nix
Battle of the Labyrinth, by Rick Riordan
The Last Olympian, by Rick Riordan
Romulus Buckle and the Engines of War, by Robert Preston
The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels, by Catherynne M Valente
The Boy with the Cuckoo-Clock Heart, by Mathias Malzieu
Lillian Alling: The Journey Home, by Susan Smith-Josephy
An Ottoman Traveler: Selections from the Book of Travels, by Evliya Celebi
Titus Groan, by Mervyn Peake
Horatio's Drive: America's First Road Trip, by Dayton Duncan and Ken Burns

How many books did you read in 2013?

How many do you plan to read in 2014?

Are you on Goodreads? 

Let me know in the comments below!!!

NYE VisDare: RESOLUTE(TION(S))

All right, VisDare family. Here's the scoop:

I have just finished moving two houses, an art studio, and a storage container.

I am still up to my eyeballs in edits, class reviews, and semester exam prep.

Plus, you know, life and stuff. And the holidays are coming up.

BUT GUESS WHAT.

The VisDare is NOT "going on hiatus." 

But it will be low key for the next few weeks ---- with a twist.

VisDare regulars may remember a challenge posted last January, where I COMPLETELY GOOFED UP on the link thingy. Somehow, I set the ending date for more than a year later: January 2014.

This means that the VisDare from last January is still live.

At the time of my blogging faux pas, my friend Jeff Hollar suggested that every VisDare regular should do an entry on this curious character every week until the link ran out. 

I thought - and still think - this is a fabulous idea: a rare time to take one VisDare and squeeze all the possibilities out of it - and have a grand time doing so.

SSOOOOOO……follow the link below.

Look at the photo.

Add a new entry.

Add multiple entries, if you like.

Add ons? Alternate versions?

All acceptable.

Then get your friends to add an entry.

Collaborate with others! Co-write something awesome.

Heck - you can even go over 150 words on this one. 

(I'm not counting. Not this time.)

The guy needs a STORY. I mean, a really REALLY good story.

He's been given over a year of "shelf life" so to speak, so we'll give him a legacy, ok?

 Or give him several.

That's the nature of fiction after all, right? One person, many lives, one grand adventure.

So here's the link to the Year-Long VisDare Challenge - live until January 16th!!

>>>> RESOLUTE(TION(S))<<<<

And the usual week-to-week VisDare challenge?

That returns on January 22nd.

(Pinky swear.)

Your devoted VisDare Cohort,

Angela

3VisD #4: SHE

Triple VisDare Rules:

Use whichever photo you like for your VisDare.

OR

Use TWO of the photos of your choosing as a combined prompt.

OR

Use ALL THREE of the photos as a combined prompt.

BONUS POINTS if you can use the prompt(s) in your current NaNoWriMo work-in-progress.

ENTRIES POSTED TO THIS SITE MUST BE 300 words - or less. <<< EXTENDED WORD COUNT JUST FOR THE NOVEMBER 3VisD!!!

Post entry to your blog and "link in" using the link tool below.

No blog? Post your 300 words in the comments below.

DON'T FORGET to read and comment on others' entries!!

And absolutely FEEL FREE to display the VisDare badge on your site if you participate!

All I ask is that you use it to link back to this site.

(Badge posted below.)

photo source

photo source

photo source

If you participate in the VisDare, feel free to add this little badge to your site! Link it back to the Anonymous Legacy home page (or directly to the VisDare challenge you chose to participate in), and claim your corner of the VisDare family!!!

3VisD #3: Bewitched / Enchanted

Triple VisDare Rules:

Use whichever photo you like for your VisDare.

OR

Use TWO of the photos of your choosing as a combined prompt.

OR

Use ALL THREE of the photos as a combined prompt.

BONUS POINTS if you can use the prompt(s) in your current NaNoWriMo work-in-progress.

ENTRIES POSTED TO THIS SITE MUST BE 300 words - or less. <<< EXTENDED WORD COUNT JUST FOR THE NOVEMBER 3VisD!!!

Post entry to your blog and "link in" using the link tool below.

No blog? Post your 300 words in the comments below.

DON'T FORGET to read and comment on others' entries!!

And absolutely FEEL FREE to display the VisDare badge on your site if you participate!

All I ask is that you use it to link back to this site.

(Badge posted below.)

photo source

photo source

photo source

If you participate in the VisDare, feel free to add this little badge to your site! Link it back to the Anonymous Legacy home page (or directly to the VisDare challenge you chose to participate in), and claim your corner of the VisDare family!!!

NaNo Triple VisDare 2: Eye of the Beholder

Triple VisDare Rules:

Use whichever photo you like for your VisDare.

OR

Use TWO of the photos of your choosing as a combined prompt.

OR

Use ALL THREE of the photos as a combined prompt.

BONUS POINTS if you can use the prompt(s) in your current NaNoWriMo work-in-progress.

ENTRIES POSTED TO THIS SITE MUST BE 300 words - or less. <<< EXTENDED WORD COUNT JUST FOR THE NOVEMBER 3VisD!!!

Post entry to your blog and "link in" using the link tool below.

(You are welcome to use these prompts as you wish, but if you link
to this site, I ask that you keep it PG for my junior high students, 
who like to frequent my site. With this in mind, please do not link entries 
that contain erotica or graphic violence.)

No blog? Post your 300 words in the comments below.

DON'T FORGET to read and comment on others' entries!!

And absolutely FEEL FREE to display the VisDare badge on your site if you participate!

All I ask is that you use it to link back to this site.

(Badge posted below.)

Photo Source: Media Cache

Photo Source: Manolis Tsantakis

Photo Source: Morbid Silence

If you participate in the VisDare, feel free to add this little badge to your site! Link it back to the Anonymous Legacy home page (or directly to the VisDare challenge you chose to participate in), and claim your corner of the VisDare family!!!

NaNo 3VisD 1: Defiance / Water Druids

WELCOME, WRIMOS! And VisDare regulars, and anyone else who has stopped by to see what the Triple VisDare is all about ----- welcome, welcome, welcome!!!

For the third year in a row, in honor of NaNoWriMo, I am doing a special series of Visual Dare challenges that happen ONLY during the month of November. This involves posting THREE semi-related photos for my writing friends to use in their caffeine/sugar/NaNo-fueled wordmongering. It's my hope that this special flash fiction series will challenge my friends to push their boundaries and write in directions they've never considered before.

The rules for this are ALMOST the same as any other VisDare, but with a few small - yet significant - twists.

Triple VisDare Rules:

Use whichever photo you like for your VisDare.

OR

Use TWO of the photos of your choosing as a combined prompt.

OR

Use ALL THREE of the photos as a combined prompt.

BONUS POINTS if you can use the prompt(s) in your current NaNoWriMo work-in-progress.

ENTRIES POSTED TO THIS SITE MUST BE 300 words - or less. <<< EXTENDED WORD COUNT JUST FOR THE NOVEMBER 3VisD!!!

Post entry to your blog and "link in" using the link tool below.

(You are welcome to use these prompts as you wish, but if you link
to this site, I ask that you keep it PG for my junior high students, 
who like to frequent my site. With this in mind, please do not link entries 
that contain erotica or graphic violence.)

No blog? Post your 300 words in the comments below.

DON'T FORGET to read and comment on others' entries!!

And absolutely FEEL FREE to display the VisDare badge on your site if you participate!

All I ask is that you use it to link back to this site.

(Badge posted below.)

Sound good?? Ready for some NaNoWriMo wordmongering in VisDare style?

THEN HERE YA GO. 3VisD #1!!!

Photo Source: Spyros Christopoulos

Photo Source: Lifetime Photography

Photo Source: Tumblr

If you participate in the VisDare, feel free to add this little badge to your site! Link it back to the Anonymous Legacy home page (or directly to the VisDare challenge you chose to participate in), and claim your corner of the VisDare family!!!

VisDare 44: Parallel

photo source

RULES:

150 words - or less.
Post entry to your blog and "link in" using the link tool below.

No blog? Post your 150 words in the comments below.

(Please - no erotica or graphic violence.)

DON'T FORGET to read and comment on others' entries!!

As always - thanks for participating!



If you participate in the VisDare, feel free to add this little badge to your site! Link it back to the Anonymous Legacy home page (or directly to the VisDare challenge you chose to participate in), and claim your corner of the VisDare family!!!

VisDare 43: Memory

photo source

RULES:

150 words - or less.
Post entry to your blog and "link in" using the link tool below.

No blog? Post your 150 words in the comments below.

(Please - no erotica or graphic violence.)

DON'T FORGET to read and comment on others' entries!!

As always - thanks for participating!

If you participate in the VisDare, feel free to add this little badge to your site! Link it back to the Anonymous Legacy home page (or directly to the VisDare challenge you chose to participate in), and claim your corner of the VisDare family!!!

VisDare 42: Outnumbered

photo source

RULES:

150 words - or less.
Post entry to your blog and "link in" using the link tool below.

No blog? Post your 150 words in the comments below.

(Please - no erotica or graphic violence.)

DON'T FORGET to read and comment on others' entries!!

As always - thanks for participating!







If you participate in the VisDare, feel free to add this little badge to your site! Link it back to the Anonymous Legacy home page (or directly to the VisDare challenge you chose to participate in), and claim your corner of the VisDare family!!!

VisDare 41: Transfixed

photo source

RULES:

150 words - or less.

Post entry to your blog and "link in" using the link tool below.

No blog? Post your 150 words in the comments below.

(Please - no erotica or graphic violence.)

DON'T FORGET to read and comment on others' entries!!

As always - thanks for participating!

If you participate in the VisDare, feel free to add this little badge to your site! Link it back to the Anonymous Legacy home page (or directly to the VisDare challenge you chose to participate in), and claim your corner of the VisDare family!!!