Tag: revising

revising, What´s Up Wednesday

What´s Up Wednesday? The October 9th edition

Elodie

What´s up Wednesday is the brainchild of Jaime and Erin. It´s a weekly meme geared toward readers and writers, allowing us to touch base with blog friends and let them know what’s up. Should you wish to join, make sure to leave a link to your What’s Up Wednesday post in the widget on Jaime´s blog.

What I´m reading

I beta read the first 50 pages of a creepy, awesome manuscript.https://twitter.com/commutinggirl/status/387263112665374720

And…I am super excited to dive into SKY JUMPERS by Peggy Eddleman. Peggy was one of the first bloggers I followed and interacted with and she´s as sweet as the cookies she puts on display.

And her book is AMAZING!  I

What I’m Writing

You know this revision I´ve been talking about? Yep, still on-going and still plowing and powering through. But the good news? I re-read some chapters yesterday and realized it wasn´t half-bad. So there´s that.

What else I´ve been up to

Last weekend, we were visiting family and that´s always fun. Plus look at the cake our cousin baked. YUMMY.
Black forest cake with Gioto candies.
Cake
Waking up extra early to jog at least once a week with The Chemical Engineer. 5.36am is when I came back home after 25 minutes of painful but rewarding exercise.
Jogging
Hubby and I have started watching BREAKING BAD. And WOW!!!
Breaking bad
And today I´m off to Geneva for work…

What inspires me right now

So many things. But in a nutshell, my writer friends: their good news, their dedication, their happy moments.

Christa´s book launch party

Did you pre-order FAULT LINE already? You can do so at IndieBound,Barnes & Noble, or Amazon.

This is from her Facebook author page – and this makes me SO happy!

Rebecca unveiling her cover

Jen unveiling her cover

Katy setting her Fall goals

if you want to cheer her on, see her post here.

I can’t wait to check all your posts and see what you’ve been up to 🙂

revising, What´s Up Wednesday

What´s Up Wednesday? Or how my revision is kicking my butt…

Elodie

What´s up Wednesday is the brainchild of Jaime and Erin. It´s a weekly meme geared toward readers and writers, allowing us to touch base with blog friends and let them know what’s up. Should you wish to join, make sure to leave a link to your What’s Up Wednesday post in the widget on Jaime´s blog.

What I´m reading

I just finished THE SOCIOPATH NEXT DOOR and found it utterly interesting. It also propped some evening discussion with the hubby which is always nice.
I’m reading ROSE UNDER FIRE. And wow. The controller in the train had to tap my shoulder to get my attention I was so into the story. It’s heartbreaking and powerful and emotional. There are passages I want to read with my eyes closed they are so painful and so raw.
There’s someone named Elodie in it and that distracted me for a second. It’s the first time I read a book with my name in it and I know it wasn’t a popular name  in those years.  In the 20s, it was about 40 babies per year which were named Elodie.
But anyways…the name Elodie apart, I cannot stop reading. Despite the horrors, there’s so much hope and friendship in the words Rose writes.

What I’m Writing

My revision is slowly but surely kicking my butt. It takes me forever to revise and I need to make more time for it…This revision involved so much re-writing as I deepened one story-line which is changing a lot.

As it’s been forever I’ve shared something, here’s a little snippet from what I revised this week (not much to choose from since I revised about 50% of a chapter).

“What do you want?” I ask Malik. My voice´s not breaking anymore, there´s a rage inside me I haven´t felt for a long time. I smile at Bo before stepping away from everyone, not even bothering to hold up my dress any longer. I step on it. People scatter away from me.

“What do you want?” I repeat. “Do you want a quote for an article? Here´s the fucking quote, I wish I never kissed you, I wish you and I stayed as far away from each other as possible.”

“You need to calm down.” He takes on that annoying tone, that all-knowing tone I sometimes find irresistible and other times make me want to claw his eyes out.

What else I´ve been up to

Last week I was in Latvia for a business trip. I stayed there from Tuesday to Friday. It was tiring and stressful but also very rewarding. And…I´ve got the best husband ever. Look at the lovely flowers he surprised me with on Friday.
2013-09-13_1379092841
Decorating our place. Even though we moved in in April, we still have some boxes so the work is not done.
Zoooommmmbiiies
Zoooommmmbiiies
Quite exciting to put my own photographs as decoration :-)
Quite exciting to put my own photographs as decoration 🙂
A lovely brunch with friends on Sunday.
Work. Work. Work.
Working out. I was supposed to jog today but it was raining too much (well my hubby still went but I chickened out). I will go this Friday 🙂 And I did work out yesterday.

What inspires me right now

I can’t wait to check all your posts and see what you’ve been up to 🙂

Ready Set Write, revising, What´s Up Wednesday

What´s Up Wednesday? The results of our giveaway edition…

Elodie

What´s up Wednesday is the brainchild of Jaime and Erin. It´s a weekly meme geared toward readers and writers, allowing us to touch base with blog friends and let them know what’s up. Should you wish to join, make sure to leave a link to your What’s Up Wednesday post in the widget on Jaime´s blog.

Results of our Ready. Set. WRITE! giveaway

(totally copied this from Jaime’s post so Jaime: THANK YOU!): To acknowledge your hard work during Ready. Set. WRITE!, we’ve selected FIVE winners for our 10-page “fresh eyes” giveaway:

1.  Carrie-Anne
2.  Prerna Pickett
3.  Robin Moran
4.  Liz Parker
5.  Dawn Allen

Winners, please email Katy (katy.upperman [at] live.com) with your double-spaced ten pages as an attachment by October 31st. Congratulations to our winners and THANK YOU to everyone who participated in Ready. Set. WRITE! with us this summer. ☼

What I´m reading
I just finished CHILDREN OF LIBERTY by Paullina Simons. I loved her The Bronze Horseman trilogy so I was looking forward to the sequel. While I’m not as enthusiastic (there are times where the pace is a bit problematic in my view, and then the characters weren’t as likable as what I thought they’d be), I’ll still pick up the next one 😉
But now I have the greatest problem of all times, what to read next? I am thinking either an e-ARC (I have ROSE UNDER FIRE waiting for me) or I boutght PREP SCHOOL CONFIDENTIAL. Tough and very different choices. I think I’m going to go for ROSE UNDER FIRE, so I can put a review before its publication.
What I’m Writing
I’m revising. I’m so scared of finishing this revision or not being able to pull through to what I want to achieve in those pages.
But…I’m still moving forward.
What else I´ve been up to
I worked out.
Yes, you read correctly. I’m working out again. It’s about time.

What inspires me right now

I’m going a bit on a decorating spree these days. Including some stuff for the Fall 🙂

But this quote is now hanging by our front door and every single time I look at it, I smile.

Enjoy the little things…

I can’t wait to check all your posts and see what you’ve been up to 🙂

Ready Set Write, revising, What´s Up Wednesday

What´s Up Wednesday? And a Ready. Set. Write. thank you!

Elodie

What´s up Wednesday is the brainchild of Jaime and Erin. It´s a weekly meme geared toward readers and writers, allowing us to touch base with blog friends and let them know what’s up. Should you wish to join, make sure to leave a link to your What’s Up Wednesday post in the widget on Jaime´s blog.

What I´m reading
I just finished reading THE CATASTROPHIC HISTORY OF YOU AND ME. I promised myself that I would start tackling this growing TBR on mine and I wasn´t disappointed. The voice was amazing and the story surprised me. Full review to come soon.
What I’m Writing
ready set write button

It´s the last week of Ready Set Write. Can you believe it? You guys have been awesome and so supportive. Thank YOU so much!

RSW Giveaway: We (Alison, Katy, Erin, Jaime and I) would like to thank you for participating and we want to celebrate your success by offering fresh pairs of eyes on your work. While we all agree that we’re no experts (i.e. agent, editor, freelance editor…), we know how helpful beta readers can be. So each one of us is offering feedback on the first ten pages of your story. Yes–that’s FIVE critique giveaways!  The same rules apply as our last giveaway: Open internationally to RSW participants only. It runs until Tuesday, September 3rd and the winners will be announced during What’s Up Wednesday the following day. Click below to enter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Weekly update: I revised a bit less than one chapter. But…I´m so so happy with the way this chapter worked out. Plus, I made the stakes a bit higher and I have one BIG chapter to revise next. it´s going to be a tough one but I think one that will make the reader even more connected to the story.
What else I´ve been up to
Hubby and I were in France last weekend…and had a great time (and a yummy one too :-))
Yum!
Yum!
My hubby got me a new Kindle. Yes, my husband is awesome!
2013-08-26_1377540812

What inspires me right now

Working out again!  No, really, it´s about time 🙂

My husband training for his first 10k. His dedication is very inspiring.

I can’t wait to check all your posts and see what you’ve been up to 🙂

Ready Set Write, revising, What´s Up Wednesday

What´s Up Wednesday? And a Ready. Set. Write surprise :)

Elodie

What´s up Wednesday is the brainchild of Jaime and Erin.  It´s a way to keep in touch in just four headings…Go check out Jaime’s blog to add your link if you’re participating…

Ready Set Write Surprise: We’re organizing something special for you next week! RSW ends in one week. I know, crazy. The summer passed by quite quickly and so many things happened in just a few months! We (Alison, Katy, Erin, Jaime and I) would like to thank you for participating and we want to celebrate your success by offering fresh pairs of eyes on your work. While we all agree that we’re no experts (i.e. agent, editor, freelance editor…), we know how helpful beta readers can be. So each one of us is offering feedback on the first ten pages of your story. Yes–that’s FIVE critique giveaways! All you have to do is pop in next Wednesday (August 28th) and enter via Rafflecopter. The giveaway will be open internationally but only to RSW participants 🙂

THANK YOU AGAIN SO MUCH!

And now let’s tune in to your regular programming…

What I´m reading
I’ve just started a new book (thanks to Netgalley) called POOR LITTLE DEAD GIRLS. I do find myself analyzing the plot and structure a tad more than usual. Like my writer brain is focusing on the details I might normally overlook because it’s in full revision mode. The start is a bit slow but I’m intrigued and am looking forward to find out more about the story.
What I’m Writing
ready set write button
I revised one chapter this week! Yay! I know it’s less than what I wanted to achieve BUT getting back to my manuscript felt great and I feel like this revision is taking my WiP to a better place.
What else I´ve been up to
Last week, the Chemical Engineer and I were in Tuscany. It was simply gorgeous (see pictures here).
Sunday I celebrated my birthday. My amazing hubby took me out for a great brunch..
Hmmm Kir Royal :)
Hmmm Kir Royal 🙂
Yesterday we celebrated our wedding anniversary…We’ve almost been together for 10 years (married for two) and this is the man I want to grow old with. The one who makes me laugh, think, smile, who challenges me and supports me. My best friend. My love.
Every single time I look at this picture, I smile!
Every single time I look at this picture, I smile! 
The Chemical Engineer brought me flowers on the eve of our Wedding Anniversary :)
The Chemical Engineer brought me flowers on the eve of our Wedding Anniversary 🙂

What inspires me right now

Getting back on track with my revising.

I can’t wait to check all your posts and see what you’ve been up to 🙂

Ready Set Write, revising, What´s Up Wednesday

What´s Up Wednesday? And a Ready. Set. Write. The slow progress edition.

Elodie

Basically another week passed that reminded me prioritization is important and that I love spending time with my husband 🙂 If you’re reading this, hubby, I love you!

What´s up Wednesday is the brainchild of Jaime and Erin.  It´s a way to keep in touch in just four headings…

What I´m reading
Well…I’m beta reading a WONDERFUL manuscript by Erin. Really, talent runs in this family because both Erin and Jaime are a delight to read. They have different styles but I get so engrossed in their story and their world…loving it.
I’m also reading another non-fiction book, still researching for my novel: THE SOCIOPATH NEXT DOOR by Martha Stout.
What I’m Writing
ready set write button
One step at a time.
Slowly but surely.
All those apply to my revision…and my goal to revise one chapter a week is getting me there. Thanks Ready. Set. Write! for kicking my butt to sit on the chair.
What else I´ve been up to
Re-learning how to prioritize and…looking forward to our vacations.

What inspires me right now

This. If you haven’t seen it yet, Christa’s work is inspiring and I know I want to help raise funds for this.

The rain.

No, really, the fact that the temperatures cooled down is pretty cool 🙂 That was the view from my office yesterday as the wind slammed against the buildings.

999720_10101986494381188_423967250_n

Beta reading.

The memories we’re creating.

I can’t wait to check all your posts and see what you’ve been up to 🙂

Ready Set Write, revising, What´s Up Wednesday

What´s Up Wednesday? And a Ready. Set. Write. The reminder edition.

Elodie

This week has been busy and not entirely easy…And it has been also a reminder to try to balance things a bit better. So this What´s up Wednesday which comes on a Thursday in my time zone is a bit on the light side. I´ll make sure to do the rounds and cheer you on 🙂

What´s up Wednesday is the brainchild of Jaime and Erin.  It´s a way to keep in touch in just four headings…

What I´m reading
A non-fiction book. Gasp. It´s a book that my hubby highly recommended and I love discussing with him the different points. And…I think it will help my revision a bit.
THE PSYCHOPATH TEST by Jon Ronson. This book is interesting and disturbing in a way and raises many questions.
What I’m Writing
ready set write button
Still plugging away at my revisions.
I cannot wait to send this manuscript for feedback.
I´ve done one chapter last week and I think that will be my goal for the rest of the summer. It will be slow but steady progress. Revise at least one chapter a week.
What else I´ve been up to
Refocusing a bit and spending time with my husband.

What inspires me right now

This post by Jessica Love. Because she describes perfectly how I feel sometimes…

And many more….

I can’t wait to check all your posts and see what you’ve been up to 🙂

Ready Set Write, revising, What´s Up Wednesday

What´s Up Wednesday? And Ready. Set. Write Winner Edition

Elodie

Hello!

*Waves* *Smiles* .  If you´re participating in Ready. Set. Write!, don´t hesitate to add the link to your What´s Up Wednesday post on Jaime´s blog here.  From there, you can also discover new blogs and encourage other writers! What´s up Wednesday is the brainchild of Jaime and Erin.  It´s a way to keep in touch in just four headings…

And before moving on to our usual program, here´s the winner of our Ready. Set. Write! giveaway:

 Raven Moore

Congrats!!!! We will send you an email shortly with more details….

What I´m reading
I´ve been diving into Romantic suspense novels (Adult ones *gasps*) – it´s helping me with my writing at the moment…
What I’m Writing
ready set write button
Okay 6 chapters might have been a *tad*  too much to revise. Just a tad. But I did revise 4 chapters!!! Which right now feels BIG. Plus these revisions are kind of a lot of rewriting since I changed something at the beginning that made me add a LOT. Since my first drafts are usually on the short side this is good…
And I got to write a kissing scene, are you ready? Please remember: it´s totally a draft!

Malik grabs my hand and pulls me toward the lockers. My back´s pressed against one and he puts his hands on both sides of my body. He´s so close that if I wanted to, I could simply lean forward and kiss him.

“You were saying?” I try to sound flirtatious but my tone´s husky and expecting.

“I used to think you were hot.”

“Huh?”

“And funny. And okay pretty smart.”

“In that order? Really? Smart comes last? I beat your ass so much during practices.”

His fingers stroke my jaw and I shut up. He smiles, his half-smile, that shows only one of his dimples and there´s a pressure in my chest, the good kind, the kind that makes me feel full despite everything.

“But you know what else? You´re simply wow!”

I giggle at this word. “Wow. Not gorgeous, beautiful inside out, amazing, strong…”

His hand gets lost in my hair and he pulls my face closer to him. We´re totally going to be sent to the principal´s office for PDA.

He whispers “Nope. You´re wow.” And his lips find mine. One of my hands rests on his chest while the other finds its way to his shoulder. He presses into me a bit more and the kiss deepens but oh too soon the bell rings.

My goal for next week? Revise two chapters.

What else I´ve been up to
Last week, I mentioned on my blog my idea of a “Writer´s Appreciation Pledge” and I´ve heard great feedback! I´ll try to come up with a button soon and maybe we can spread the word. I´ve sent two emails already and one of the writers replied. I can´t tell you how happy this made me! But this pledge isn´t about getting answers (even though it´s simply WOW when it happens), it´s to remind the writers whose works we loved so much that they´re appreciated and that their words mean something to us…
Public Service Announcement: 
Oh and in case you haven´t seen Jenny Han is running a giveaway right now Here you can enter a contest for a signed Burn for Burn paperback:  http://jennyhan.tumblr.com/post/55364939141/burn-for-burn-paperback-giveaway
 
And here you can pre-order a signed hard cover copy of Fire With Fire (the sequel out next month), WITH a 20% discount! http://www.mcnallyjackson.com/product/fire-fire-signed-jenny-and-siobhan

What inspires me right now

My reading.

The story I´m creating.

And these news…really these news make me SO happy and really inspire me to move forward with my dreams. And I already pre-ordered Push Girls! Congrats again Jessica!

Book Deal Jessica

It’s also on these book sites, where you can pre-order!

I can’t wait to check all your posts and see what you’ve been up to 🙂

Ready Set Write, revising, What´s Up Wednesday

What´s Up Wednesday? And Ready. Set. Write. The back on track edition!

Elodie

Pshhhh….did you hear about our Ready. Set. WRITE! Giveaway?  **The Writer’s Care Package Giveaway is open to Ready. Set. WRITE! participants only, but it’s open internationally!!!** It  will be open through 11:59pm EST on July 23rd when one winner will be selected to win a surprise package of writing-related goodies from all five of us. That means you’re getting packages from 5 different places, 3 different countries! ☺

The winner will be announced on our blogs in our What’s Up Wednesday posts on July 24th.

To access the Rafflecopter Giveaway just click here 

If you´re participating in Ready. Set. Write!, don´t hesitate to add the link to your What´s Up Wednesday post on Jaime´s blog here.  From there, you can also discover new blogs and encourage other writers! What´s up Wednesday is the brainchild of Jaime and Erin.  It´s a way to keep in touch in just four headings…

What I´m reading
Last week I mentioned I started THE SUMMER I TURNED PRETTY by Jenny Han and well…hmmm…I kind of fell in love with the book. Monday, I started and finished IT’S NOT SUMMER WITHOUT YOU and yesterday dove right into WE’LL ALWAYS HAVE SUMMER.
What I love about this trilogy? The perfect mix of family dynamics, heartbreak, hope, love, siblings, kisses, beach…While I was reading, the back of my throat burned, I held my breath and I fell all the emotions rushing through me. When this happens, I know I have found a story that will stay with me for a long time.
What I’m Writing
ready set write button
I did it! I revised one chapter! Actually I revised a bit more than one chapter but I’m so happy to get back into the swings of things. Sometimes this revising feels like deleting way too many words but at the same time I’m glad I upped the tension and I feel like the story is flowing much better that way.
My goal for next week?
  • Revise 6 chapters. Yes. You read correctly 😛 Hubby is going on business trip Saturday morning which means I can use the entire weekend to revise. And I will. Hold me to it!
What else I´ve been up to
My parents and my mother-in-law visited this weekend…which means we spent some time walking around, discovering new places or enjoying old ones and ate a lot of wonderful yummy food.
Sunset over the fields Alex and Rhine Food Hidden treasure

The last picture is a door behind a fortress from the 17th century…

What inspires me right now

The encouraging comments you posted on my blog last week when I felt bad about not writing. Thank you!

The time I got to spend with my family, reminding myself to slow down and to enjoy those moments.

Reading novels that remind me how I wish people could get lost in a story I create.

Sign up here for Ready Set Write!:

I can’t wait to check all your posts and see what you’ve been up to 🙂

Ready Set Write, revising, What´s Up Wednesday

What´s Up Wednesday? And Ready. Set. Write Giveaway edition!

Elodie

Hello!

*Waves* *Smiles* We have a giveaway going on and it’s quite amazing, just scroll down to access the Rafflecopter link.

 If you´re participating in Ready. Set. Write!, don´t hesitate to add the link to your What´s Up Wednesday post on Jaime´s blog here.  From there, you can also discover new blogs and encourage other writers! What´s up Wednesday is the brainchild of Jaime and Erin.  It´s a way to keep in touch in just four headings…

What I´m reading
I beta read an awesome manuscript. Yes for beta reading! And I’ve started THE SUMMER I TURNED PRETTY. I’m in dire need to Summer books…set at the beach 🙂
What I’m Writing
ready set write button
I have a confession to make. And it pains me to say it but I didn’t write anything.  Well I did but it was for work…I feel like the most-awful-host-of-any-writing-intensive ever. No, really. Ever.
Basically I was too caught up at work and my writing time became extra working time…I know excuses excuses 😦
This week, I will get back to it – I will revise at least one chapter.
What else I´ve been up to
This weekend I attended an amazing concert (thanks again hubby!). I danced and sang so loud I almost lost my voice. It was just a great moment and will stay in my mind as a wonderful memory to look back to.
The hubby before the concert started
The hubby before the concert started
Zaz
Zaz – love her!
The crowd as the evening started to settle...and people started to dance...
The crowd as the evening started to settle…and people started to dance…

What inspires me right now

Smiles.

People working toward their dreams.

Dreams.

And it’s GIVEAWAY TIME

We’re approaching the midpoint of Ready. Set. WRITE! which means it’s time for an awesome giveaway! **The Writer’s Care Package Giveaway is open to Ready. Set. WRITE! participants only, but it’s open internationally!!!**

 It starts today and will be open through 11:59pm EST on July 23rd when one winner will be selected to win a surprise package of writing-related goodies from all five of us. ☺

The winner will be announced on our blogs in our What’s Up Wednesday posts on July 24th.

To access the Rafflecopter Giveaway just click here 

Sign up here for Ready Set Write!:

I can’t wait to check all your posts and see what you’ve been up to 🙂