From the Attic

Friday

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle Ferries) — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 23:55:00 +0000

I’ve written sod all since NaNo finished. About a week or so ago I attempted to get back into editing The Corpse Butterfly but then fell into a book, and then another book and yet another. It probably has something to do with the fact that I read bugger all in November and quite frankly, just don't feel like writing at the moment. This will all change of course, as soon as the Christmas break starts...it WILL, I swear...I WILL get back into the editing with a vengeance. In the meantime, I read.

This photo is of a new addition to my collection. She’s from the 60’s and I have named her Zelda.

The Horror & The Rocky Road

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle Ferries) — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 22:46:00 +0000

I emailed some of my friends to see which of them would be brave enough to come and see Paranormal Activity with me—none of them are huge horror movie fans—so I was not surprised by the responses I received. They ranged from “No thanks, sorry”, to “Are you crazy?” to “Love you heaps, but no way on this earth will I go and see that”. In the end, one brave friend agreed to see it with me. I have to say I enjoyed it. I was curious as everyone keeps comparing it to Blair Witch, and I wasn’t overly impressed with that movie (except for the final scene) but this movie impressed me, and unnerved me just enough to make it a little difficult to sleep last night :)

And for KC, this is a picture of Rocky Road, which is what my Rocky Road usually looks like but alas, not this year. I put marshmallows, Turkish Delight and peanuts in mine (but you can put in whatever you want).

Christmas Preparations

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle Ferries) — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 22:49:00 +0000

Yesterday I did some Christmas baking. Some of you might be thinking—who the hell let her into the kitchen—however, I didn’t blow anything up and two of the three things I baked turned out. The third one nearly ended up in the backyard (such was my fury as I followed the directions with precision) but it tastes better than it looks so it gets to stay. For anyone interested I made White Christmas, Rum Balls and Rocky Road. Now the one that didn’t turn out overly well was the Rocky Road. It’s probably the easiest of the three to make—I don’t know where I went wrong, the jury’s still out on that one. Oh and I put up the Christmas tree too. Instead of listening to Christmas carols this year while I put said tree up I opted for Bob Dylan. Nothing like listening to Masters of War while you’re placing the star on the top of the tree.

On the writing front, I got back into the edits for The Corpse Butterfly. The other day one of my friends was telling me a story about an old friend of his when BANG, the details of his story gave me an idea how to fix the troubling part of my story that has been bothering me for about, oh, six months now. I love those light bulb moments. There was a bit of a happy dance involved (although I won’t go into the specifics of the dancing steps because I dance about as well as I sing).

Festive Fear Is Here

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle Ferries) — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 21:51:00 +0000

Well, it is tomorrow, but I’m blogging about it now because I won’t be online tomorrow.

Festive Fear is released by Tasmaniac Publications showcasing some of the leading horror writers working in Australia today - 14 disturbing tales that will make you wonder if Christmas really is something to look forward to. Limited to 150 numbered softcover copies with a release date of December 5th. Only $15.95 US (free shipping within the US & Aus).

Brett McBean

Marty Young

Martin Livings

Leigh Haig

Josephine Pennicott

Amanda J Spedding

B. Michael Radburn

Crisetta MacLeod

Stephen Studach

Felicity Dowker

Loretta Leslie

Mark Farrugia

Danielle Ferries

Steve Gerlach

Chuck McKenzie over at Horrorscope has posted a great review.

December

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle Ferries) — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 02:46:00 +0000

Ah, December, how I love thee because it brings Christmas and the holidays. It also brings my birthday—which I don’t fancy so much anymore—and it brings the heat—which I’ve never liked.

This month, aside from Christmas parties and shopping and planning for the holidays I also aim to write two short stories and continue with the edits on my manuscript of which has just undergone a name change (from Kiss Butterfly to The Corpse Butterfly). Now you might not think so, but this name change has given me a different perspective on the story and I’ve since been able to work out some of the holes in the plot because of it. Bizarre? Maybe. It's also made me happier about the story in general and less inclined to shove it aside to edit the NaNo story.

This month also sees the release of the Festive Fear Anthology of which I am hugely excited to be a part of (The Little Drummer Girl) and will blog about separately in a few days time (release date 5 December).

As for a November wrap up, well, there was NaNo, which I enjoyed taking part in and got down a story I’m actually quite happy with, and there was also an acceptance for my flash story Red Shoes with 52 Stitches. Overall, I’d have to say it was probably my most successful month this year and I proved to myself that if I actually apply myself and work my butt off I can actually get something done :)

I got a couple of rejections through as well and I think I’ll let them sit for a little while and look at them in the New Year, maybe give them an overhaul before I send them out again.

And that’s me done.

Stick A Fork In Me, I'm Done

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle Ferries) — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 22:28:00 +0000

Last night, bleary eyed and barely making sense I finished NaNo. It seems like these last few weeks have flown by, seems like yesterday NaNo was just beginning and it was all ahead. I enjoyed it so much though and thanks to my blogging friends for their messages of inspiration and good wishes and also to my blogging friends who I joined on this fun journey. I feel both relieved that I’m not propelled to keep up this crazy pace and sad that it’s all over. Most of all I’m just tired. I’m off for a kip.

Have a great weekend everyone, and Happy Thanksgiving to my American friends.

Day 26: 3,660 (Total: 63,354)

The Final Scene

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle Ferries) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 22:19:00 +0000

I was having dinner with my Mum last night and discussing the fact that I was still having trouble ending my NaNo book, which is kind of scary considering there's not much time left. I played around with some ideas and then got to thinking and most surprisingly the ending came to me in its complete form.

Of course Mum wasn’t too keen on having to work out the logistics of an electrocution scene with me, but she did pretty well, considering.

So I wrote like a demon last night and got a chunk of it down and I'll continue today.

Day 25: 3,297 (Total: 59,694)

The End Is Near

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle Ferries) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 02:27:00 +0000

Getting closer now. Am taking the phone off the hook, locking the door (but not closing the windows as it’s sodding hot here) and am going to try and knock this story over by the end of the week.

Day 24: 2,706 (Total: 56,397)

Red Shoes

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle Ferries) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 22:35:00 +0000

Much writing and thinking was done last night. I think I will put this story aside for a while when I’m finished with it, thanks to some good advice from BT and my fellow bloggers. I love the story and can’t stop thinking about it, but I’m half way through editing Kiss Butterfly and I do really want to finish it too.

But aside from that, I have exciting news to report - my flash story Red Shoes has been accepted by 52 Stitches. I’m absolutely stoked to be a part of this great publication alongside so many of my fellow bloggers and friends.

Day 23: 2,813 (Total: 53,691)

NaNo

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle Ferries) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 02:47:00 +0000

Last night I hit 50,000 words. It was a good feeling when I clocked off for the night – that satisfaction of a goal reached, an achievement. There is still a little way to go with the story, however, so I’m going to keep on going for a few more days and finish it off.

I wrote in patches over the weekend as I had a few things on and found myself frustrated that I couldn’t get back to it as much as I wanted. I don’t know what it is about this story, but I’m really enjoying getting it down, even more so than the others, which leads me to the question – when I finish NaNo should I go back to editing Kiss Butterfly or start editing this one? I know I should let this one sit for a little while, and maybe I’ll do that for a few weeks then start editing it over the Christmas break. In doing that though, I feel like I’m abandoning Kiss Butterfly, but I guess I can always come back to it later.

I've figured out the ending too. It came to me while I was driving on Saturday night, and when it did it just all fell into place. Hopefully it will spill onto paper as smoothly :)

Day 20: 1,817 (Total: 46,615)
Day 21: 1,592 (Total: 48,207)
Day 22: 2,671 (Total: 50,878)

Friday

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle Ferries) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 04:16:00 +0000

Had a really bad night's sleep last night, so my eyes are hanging out of my head and the words aren't coming out overly coherently, but I'm getting closer. The ending is near, and I just wish I could figure out what it is :)

Have a good weekend everyone and happy writing.

Day 19: 1,689 (Total: 44,798)

Visual Inspiration

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle Ferries) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 22:18:00 +0000

This one’s for Rebecca who queried the wallpaper on my laptop. It’s David Boreanaz and I’m using him for the inspiration for my male main character, Finn Montgomery.

Easy on the eyes, isn’t he :)

Day 18: 2,231 (Total: 43,109)

Weak Endings

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle Ferries) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 02:38:00 +0000

I’ve started thinking about how my NaNo story is going to end. I’ve realised that the original ending I had in mind when I first started writing the story is weak compared to what has happened in the course of the story. So I’ve taking to plotting while I drive home from work at night and I’m playing out different scenarios in my head for a much stronger and powerful ending that will have the necessary impact. I hope. I still don’t have it yet but I’m hoping it will come to me soon. Of course I still have a way to go with the story yet so there's a little bit of time.

Day 17: 2,466 (Total: 40,878)

TV Inspiration

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle Ferries) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 03:17:00 +0000

Thanks be to Criminal Minds. I was watching it last night after coming to a screaming halt with my NaNo story, and one of the murders gave me the most fantastic idea, not for an actual murder, but the reason behind the murder gave me an idea for what was going to happen with my character. And so a few more words were typed.

Day 16: 2,091 (Total: 38,412)

Distractions

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle Ferries) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 02:47:00 +0000

Many a distraction was had over the weekend although I'm happy with how the word count is coming along.

Saturday morning the D key jumped right off the keyboard again (see photo) which nearly drove me to distraction. This time I can’t get it back on (oh, yes, it’s happened before) and although the touch pad thingy still works you have to tap it hard, so you can imagine what a pain it is. I tried to fix it but alas I’m going to have to get someone who knows what they’re doing take a look at it and see if they can permanently reaffix it.

Another was more a possible disaster in that I “broke” my new flash drive that held the only copy of my NaNo manuscript. I know, I know, always back up to numerous places, but I was lucky enough to get the data off the flash drive and save it elsewhere.

I also made a dent in my Christmas shopping on Saturday and caught up with one of my closest friends for lunch. While out I happened to pass by a computer store and drooled over the latest laptops, while cursing my old clunker for having the audacity to pop a key.

Day 13: 1,345 (Total: 31,688)
Day 14: 2,040 (Total: 33,728)
Day 15: 2,593 (Total: 36,321)

Friday

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle Ferries) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 02:40:00 +0000

Not much to report today. Just writing.

Have a good weekend.

Day 12: 2,614 (Total: 30,343)

More Inspiration

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle Ferries) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 01:41:00 +0000

The word count is looking healthier today despite a stumbling block last night that had me wondering where the hell I was going with this story. I have to give a shout out to Aaron Polson and Cate Gardner for their inspirational posts each day that have given me numerous ideas and have helped when I’ve been stuck. So all you NaNo writers out there who may be stumbling blindly through your manuscript, head over to visit these guys and soak up the inspiration.

Day 11: 4,562 (Total: 27,729)

Areas of Inspiration

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle Ferries) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 02:23:00 +0000

Sometimes I write at the dining table and sometimes I sit at a different chair. It’s amazing what moving around the house can do for inspiration. I admit I don’t do well staring at four walls when I write, hence the corkboards in my writing room. Downstairs is good too because I have a bookshelf on one wall and just looking up and seeing the spines of all those books is inspiration enough. Of course I must remember not to turn on the TV - evil little distraction that it is.

Day 10: 1,363 (Total: 23,167)

Pondering Characters

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle Ferries) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 02:49:00 +0000

This morning over my breakfast I considered a different path my character might have taken had certain events in her childhood not shaped her path in life. It was interesting to ponder whether she’d have made the same decisions in relation to events occurring in the story or not, and I decided that on the whole, she probably would have because she’s a pretty steel minded character. That then answered another question I’d had about the direction of the story which set the ball rolling for the next sequence of events. Hopefully I’ll now be a bit more inspired tonight than I was last night.

Day 9: 1,246 (Total: 21,804)

Words & Rain

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle Ferries) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 03:23:00 +0000

The rain was welcome on the weekend, but we need more of it. I had a lovely time writing on Saturday morning while the rain teemed down the windows. In fact, Saturday and Sunday mornings were my best writing days yet for NaNo. Everything flowed freely and there were no interruptions. Today is not so good though, and tonight probably won’t be much better, but all in all I’m having a great time with it. I’ve listed the last three days progress below as of course I don’t have internet at home, so let’s see if I can keep up the pace. Yesterday's progress was marred, temporarily, when I was stung by a bee (between my toes). I stood on the little sucker, who had somehow managed to get inside. Sweet Jesus, nothing stings like a beesting between the toes. The little bugger still kept going after he'd stung me so I hopped after him and finished him off with some Mortein.

For some great reading, head over to read Jameson T Caine’s A Cause for Celebration and also, Faith by Aaron Polson over at Every Day Fiction. Worth the trip, folks.

Day 6: 2,198 (Total: 13,929)
Day 7: 3,093 (Total: 17,022)
Day 8: 3,536 (Total: 20,558)

A Triple Header

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle Ferries) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 03:12:00 +0000

Last night we had three storms in a row. I was upstairs, writing by lamplight when I heard the first rumblings of thunder in the distance. The wind began to pick up and as the first storm broke the lights flickered and rain battered the windows. I switched to a scene where my main character is battling her emotions and an enormous amount of guilt while a storm is raging outside. Suffice to say I got 3,000 words hammered out while also viewing a spectacular lightning show. And judging from the sky outside we might be in luck for another storm tonight.

Have a good weekend everyone.

Day 5: 3,162 (Total: 11,731)

Thursday

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle Ferries) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:57:00 +0000

The writing went well last night. Words flowed and I'm getting more and more excited about this story. Nothing much else to report other than it's stinking hot here at the moment and the weather forecasters are talking severe storms tonight, so I hope they don't disappoint.

For some reading, head over to Nossa Morte to read Aaron Polson’s darkly intense short story Tesoro’s Magic Bullet. It’s worth the trip.

Day 4: 2,301 (Total: 8,569)

Notes Where Art Thou?

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle Ferries) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 02:37:00 +0000

In reply to the comments that my desk is very neat, it appears that all is not what it seems. I made some notes the other day about the third scene and do you think I can find them. I’ve searched high and low and can’t find them. I have the basics in my head but you know how it is when you can’t get back exactly what you wrote...I need those notes, dammit. It just goes to show that I’m not as organised as one might think, and certainly not as organised as I might think.

Day 3: 1,720 (Total: 6,268)

The Engine Room

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle Ferries) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 22:19:00 +0000

I thought I'd post a picture of my writing room, although the last few days I've been writing in bed - in some respects more comfortable although not so easy on the back.

I got off to a good start on Sunday with minimal interruptions and a partially clear head - I had a killer of a headache that didn't want to let up - and some of the words I'm sprouting are so laughable I might as well be writing a comedy, but I know it's all part of the fun and I'm just going along for the ride.

Day 2: 1,481 (Total 4,548)

October & NaNo

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle Ferries) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 00:34:00 +0000

Seriously, I think October went a hell of a lot faster than September, if that’s at all possible.

I had a publication this month (Woo Hoo!) and two rejections. I submitted two other stories and am waiting on answers for them. I got plenty of editing done (not as much as planned, but still...).

November is of course for NaNo and I’ll be updating daily with my word count as an exercise in discipline.

And so it begins:

Day 1: 3,067