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The Editing Process

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When you edit your work, things change. Sometimes drastically and sometimes only slightly. It takes a lot to change what you’ve written and to go from creating to deleting, polishing and moving the words you love so much. It really is putting on two different hats in order to accomplish what you need to. My good friend Andrew just wrote a post about this here. So here’s a little peak into the transformation of my book. From very first to the current one these are my Prologues. What do you think? Do you like the newest one better than the oldest one? Are there any sentences I’ve taken out or changed that you liked better before the editing? Happy reading! 😀

Oh and btw? It’s T-minus 2 days until we Leap Into Chapter One!

Prologue #1

Prologue – Existence 
Water enveloped me. Holding my form in its cool grasp. It wasn’t right. The water was off; wrong and harsh. There was no salt, which invariably left its mark. My strength and speed weren’t what they once were. My appetite had flagged, and my thought processes had slowed.
As the years passed, these changes overwhelmed me. Such horrifying and tainted water was a prison. Contrived chemicals attacked relentlessly. Attempts to wash away the murderous substances, did nothing except to slightly delay the effects. 
 There had been no opportunities for release from this severe unforgiving confinement. Time did not laugh as it slowly watched me waste away. Soon all energy would leave, and no one would be able to stop the outcome. This was no life, it was simply an existence.  
Humans surrounded me. Shyness and uncertainty stilled my voice from seeking their help. What would they do? What could they do to help me? Escape must become a possibility soon. If not, death would come to claim me.
Fate would have me resign and accept the cards that had been dealt to me. Refused I to let this be the end. Death would be held at bay; there was no other option.
Prologue #2
Prologue – Existence 

Water envelops me. Holding my form in its cool grasp. It isn’t right. The water feels off, wrong and harsh. There is no salt, which inevitably leaves its mark. My strength and speed are not what they once were. My appetite has flagged, and my thoughts have slowed.
As the years passed, these changes overwhelm me. Such horrifying and tainted water is a prison. Toxic chemicals attack relentlessly. Attempts to wash away the poison, do nothing.
There is no opportunity for release, no escape from this severe, unforgiving confinement. Time does not laugh as it watches me waste away. My energy will soon be spent; and there is no one to give relief. This is not life – it is an existence.
Humans are all around me. Shyness and uncertainty still my voice. What would they do? What could they do to help me? Escape is essential. If it does not happen soon, death will come as surely as the moon controls the tides.
Fate wants me to resign, accept the way the stones have been cast. But refuse I to let this be the end. Death must be held at bay; there is no other option.
Prologue #3

Prologue – Wyn 
What have I done?
My family, my people, my world. Risked I them all. 
But she was dying. No one else saw. Had I to save her. But the repercussions. The repercussions. She had the secret. What would she do with it? 
Shyness and uncertainty still my voice. How to speak with her? Would she want to speak with me? Could she help me? 
My appetite had flagged, my thoughts had slowed. My strength and speed were faltering. Hated I the dulled colour of my scales.
This horrifying and tainted water was a prison. The lack of salt inevitably leaves its mark. The toxic chemicals attack, relentless. There had been no opportunity for release; escape from this severe, unforgiving confinement is impossible. They had trapped me well.
My energy will soon be spent, could she provide escape? Or would she expose me?
If don’t I escape, death will come as surely as the moon shapes the tides. But if were I exposed, death might be preferable.
Wouldn’t I accept that this was the way the stones had been cast. My choice might have risked my whole world, all of Lasera. But refuse I to let this be the end. Maybe she will help, maybe she will betray me to the humans. Regardless, death must be held at bay. There is no other option.
Prologue #4 (The one in the Sneak Peak right now)
Prologue – Wyn 
The screams are hard to hear underwater.
The blurred forms above the surface are moving all around her.
What have I done?
My family, my people, my world. Risked I them all. 
But she’d been drowning. No one else saw. Had I to save her. But the repercussions. My hands clench my hair. She has the secret. Will she tell? 
Uncertainty stills my voice. How to speak with her? Will she want to speak with me? Can she help me? 
My appetite flags with every passing week and my thoughts slow. A hand goes to my shrinking stomach. The once great strength and speed are faltering. Hate I the dulled colour of my scales. This horrifying and tainted water is a prison. The lack of salt inevitably leaves its mark. The poisonous chemicals attack, relentless. A slow death is torturous. There is no opportunity for release; escape from this severe, unforgiving confinement is impossible. They have trapped me well. They are killing me. 
The water swirls around me in the deepest corner of the pool. Her feet are pulled up through the water and she is gone.
My energy will soon be gone, can she provide escape? Or will she expose me?
If don’t I escape, death will come as surely as the moon shapes the tides. But if am I exposed, death might be preferable.
Flick I my tail back and forth. Will not I accept this is the way the stones have been cast. My choice may risk my whole world, all of Lasera. But refuse I to let this be the end. Maybe she will help, maybe she will betray me to the humans. Regardless, death must be held at bay. There is no other option.

p.s. the font sizes are being all weird sorry.

Sneak Peak

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So here’s a sneak peak: The Prologue.  Enjoy!

Oh and btw? It’s T-minus 3 days until we Leap Into Chapter One!

Prologue – Wyn 
The screams are hard to hear underwater.
The blurred forms above the surface are moving all around her.
What have I done?
My family, my people, my world. Risked I them all. 
But she’d been drowning. No one else saw. Had I to save her. But the repercussions. My hands clench my hair. She has the secret. Will she tell? 
Uncertainty stills my voice. How to speak with her? Will she want to speak with me? Can she help me? 
My appetite flags with every passing week and my thoughts slow. A hand goes to my shrinking stomach. The once great strength and speed are faltering. Hate I the dulled colour of my scales. This horrifying and tainted water is a prison. The lack of salt inevitably leaves its mark. The poisonous chemicals attack, relentless. A slow death is torturous. There is no opportunity for release; escape from this severe, unforgiving confinement is impossible. They have trapped me well. They are killing me. 
The water swirls around me in the deepest corner of the pool. Her feet are pulled up through the water and she is gone.
My energy will soon be gone, can she provide escape? Or will she expose me?
If don’t I escape, death will come as surely as the moon shapes the tides. But if am I exposed, death might be preferable.
Flick I my tail back and forth. Will not I accept this is the way the stones have been cast. My choice may risk my whole world, all of Lasera. But refuse I to let this be the end. Maybe she will help, maybe she will betray me to the humans. Regardless, death must be held at bay. There is no other option.

Copyright © 2012 Danielle Mathieson Pederson

Books 2 & 3

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So as a little teaser for Chapter One on Wednesday. Here’s the tentative titles for books 2 & 3:

Book 2

Mantera – A Human World

Book 3

Elnias – Wyn’s Province

Thanks for reading and following!

Oh and btw? It’s T-minus 4 days (again, apparently I can’t count) until we Leap Into Chapter One!

Childhood Poems and Sonnets On Anything

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So I’d like to up my web presence. And have a few ideas.

For every ten likes I get on my facebook page I will post a poem I wrote in my childhood (or an excerpt from one as some are pages long). I’m sure some of you other writers out there know that looking back on these can be both very eye opening and funny. Right now I’m at 20, so please like me on my page – let’s get it up to 30 and beyond. And thank you in advance. Danielle Mathieson Pederson on facebook.

I’d also like to increase the number of members on my websites. In that vein I’ve decided that for both of my blogs every time my member list hits a multiple of five I will write a sonnet. And not just any sonnet, I’ll write either a Petrarchan or a Shakespearian sonnet on any random topic a commenter gives me. It could get very funny and interesting! So please make sure to join this site or my other blog DanielleWAM or both. 😀

I think this could really be a lot of fun, so talk it up! 😀

Oh and btw? It’s T-minus 4 days until we Leap Into Chapter One!

UPDATE: I no longer have enough childhood poems to catch up with the number of likes I have on facebook! Crazy! So yes that’s a bit of a negative because I won’t be posting more poems, but yay for a ton of likes! So I’ll have to put my brain to work and find some other way to promote my author page on facebook. Thanks everyone! (btw I’ll probably be posting the full LOTR poem that I put up just the first stanza for. 😀 )

Writers Groups

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So as of right now I am a member of two different writers groups. One is here in Kamloops, and the other is in Calgary where I used to live and will be moving back to this summer or fall.
These groups are: (if you haven’t already checked them out in my handy dandy box this way>> )

IFWA – The Imaginative Fiction Writers Association – Calgary
&
IAG – Interior Authors Group – Kamloops

Why do I love them and think they’re the greatest thing since sliced bread? Because you get to meet other writers. You can bounce your ideas off someone else’s head. You hear amazing other stories. It’s that much easier to learn all about writing and publishing and the whozits and whatzits of the writing world. All of a sudden you don’t feel so isolated.

Sure blogs are a great thing, there’s lots of research and online friends and groups you can join. I love this and I love discovering new writers and awesome new blogs. But nothing can beat a straight up idea, hashing out, promotion or dishing on a new book session face to face with another writer.

The best part? Both of these group are extremely reasonable for their membership fees (especially when you consider the extreme amount of zeros in many other writer groups, conferences etc.)

IAG is designed for any writers from all walks of life and they meet once a month. It’s an amazing thing to discover this whole other group of people existed in a town you call home.

IFWA also meets once a month and it is for writers whose works have some sort of speculative element. This means there needs to be some sort of ghosts, zombies, vampires, unicorns, fairies, werewolves, aliens -you get the drift- in your writing. Things that don’t exist in real life but in the world of your writing they do.

Here’s hoping that all writers wherever you are find someone you can meet with face to face who loves writing just as much as you do. 😀

If not, know that there are lots of blogs just like mine, where all us writers stick together.

Cheers to all those groups that support such a wonderful art!

Oh and btw? It T-minus 5 days to Leap Into Chapter One!