Monday, 21 September 2015

Where Has Imogen Been?

Photo credit: Taylor.McBride™ / Foter / CC BY-NC

I didn’t realise magician’s disappearing tricks were so effective. Two weeks I’ve been missing from the blogosphere. Two weeks! My poor blog is looking a little neglected at the moment. Sorry guys! (Did anyone miss me?) I didn’t intend on taking so much time off, but it was sadly unavoidable. And I come with excuses (I always have lots of excuses). Seeing as I left you in the lurch with no warning, I thought I’d better explain my conduct. So, what exactly was I up to while I was vanished?

Well, first there was a bit of this:


My brother got married, which was amazing. Also exhausting, as anyone who’s ever helped organise a wedding can attest. I was lucky enough to be able to help not just with the preparation, but also with the music during the actual wedding, which was an awesome experience. All round, the wedding was beautiful, and also the main reason for my disappearance. Plus my sister flew back from literally the other side of the country to be there, so that was exciting, and my other brother graduated from uni four days later. So there was that too. All important exciting family stuff.

Then there’s also been a little of this:

Photo credit: freddie boy / Foter / CC BY-SA

Editing. I’ve been trying to get some editing done on my fantasy novel, The Crystal Tree, before it gets to be time to prep for NaNo. So far the list of things to fix seems even bigger than last time, if that’s even possible. You turn your back on a manuscript for a couple of months and it thinks it can do whatever it likes. It’s a little discouraging at the moment. This will be the seventh draft of the book, and there’s still so much wrong with it. Frankly, it’s killing my motivation a little. But at the same time, there are some new ideas I’m looking forward to incorporating into the book in this next draft, so that’s a plus, right?

And there’s also been a little of this:

Photo credit: Abdulla Al Muhairi / Foter / CC BY

The plot bunnies are back in full force. I’ve been bitten with an awesome book idea that might work out as my NaNoWriMo project for this year, if I can ever get the complicated worldbuilding sorted out in time that is. I can’t really give many details just yet, seeing as it’s very, very new, but I can share the basic concept. Apologies, but even the concept’s a bit rough right now.

In a world where blood is currency, one girl must find another way to pay back her father’s blood debt before it claims her life.

I’m really looking forward to plotting this story more. Just working out the logistics of the world is fascinating. Bring on NaNoWriMo 2015!

And that’s pretty much everything I've been up to in the past two weeks. Between weddings and writing, I’m feeling a little bloggily deprived at the moment. So tell me, what have you guys been up to while I’ve been away? What awesome blog posts have I missed? Tell me all!

12 comments:

  1. I totally understand all that! Especially editing. *groans* I've made myself a strict deadline which involves editing 2k+ a day and it's taking up ALL of my blogging time. Ah, well. Someday things will loosen up a bit. :p

    Also, I have to point out that you HAVE been posting rather consistently on Young Writer's Treehouse, so I'm also not surprised that you haven't had as much time for your own blog. You're such a superwoman. ;)

    Katie Grace | A Writer's Faith

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    1. That is such an amazing job. I've had enough trouble convincing myself to finish reading through the book and making plot notes. Some days it's really hard to like editing, isn't it?

      Thanks! Though I certainly don't feel like a superwoman. But I really appreciate the encouragement Katie. And hopefully I can get back into a better, regular blogging schedule again instead of disappearing for ages without warning.

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  2. Oh wow, congratulations on the wedding - it sounds like so much fun, and I do hope your brother and his fiancee (along with your whole family, of course!) had a wonderful time. <3 I love the premise of the WIP you've been plotting - blood as currency is SUCH an interesting world to explore, as is the idea of a debt quite literally killing someone. I can't wait to hear more about this story, if you do decide to delve deeper into it for this year's NaNo. :)

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    1. I really hope to have a go at this idea in NaNo, though the sheer logistics of handling that much blood in payments is a bit daunting to work out at the moment. But I'm trying to research and plan in the odd moments in between editing, so hopefully I should have everything worked out in enough time to use this idea for NaNo. I'm so excited about it though. I'm glad you find it an interesting idea too!

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  3. Congratulations to your brother! Weddings are fun... well, I think so anyways; I got in trouble at a wedding I attended when I was younger because I spilled all of my coloring pencils into the aisle in the middle of the ceremony ^-^' Currently I'm prepping for NaNo-- I feel like I have to do another rewrite this year rather than a fresh new idea, though-- and trying to write for the Scholastics' Art and Writing competition, which is stressing me out. Hope you get back to editing your novel in full swing!

    xoxo Morning

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    1. I often wish I had coloured pencils at weddings. But they are indeed highly fun.

      Sometimes it's more practical to rewrite an idea, isn't it? I did that for the last Camp NaNoWriMo, and it was well worth it, though a bit strange not to be working on something new. But I'm sure whatever you do end up writing, it will be great. Good luck!

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  4. Wow lots of happenings! Congratulations to your brother! And I know how discouraging editing can be. *hugs* I wish you the best. You can get through it! And that story idea sounds really neat! :D

    storitorigrace.blogspot.com

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    1. I really needed those hugs at the moment actually. I just finished drawing up the list of things I need to change in edits, not even small things but important plot details, and the size of the list is so discouraging. Still, the only way to get through is to keep trucking on, right? Edits can't last forever!

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  5. Congrats on the wedding! It sounds like you've been busy, and so no one can blame you for putting your efforts into all these awesome things. Blood as currency seems like such an interesting idea! Although, I guess, I do have to wonder how that would all work out considering that the government wouldn't be able to put a limit on how much is produced, so in times of high birth rate you could potentially have super high inflation. Then again, depending on what you're using blood for, it obviously has an expiration before it becomes useless, so, I AM CURIOUS TO KNOW HOW THE ECONOMY WORKS. Keep working at it!

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    1. That's the hardest part, working out how the economy works, especially with different blood types and people with blood diseases, and the logistics of how much blood you can give in a day/over a period of time, and what on earth you do with it all. I'm thinking there's a specific reason why blood is so valuable, such as it can keep you from aging as an example, but I need to do a bunch more scientific research and come up with something that at least sounds plausible. But I do love the idea. I'll definitely have to update you when I get a working plan for the economy!

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  6. I know I'm late to this post, but happy to see you back! Weddings are so much fun:)

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    1. It's lovely to be back and blogging again. Thank you Sunny!

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