Release The Stars Archives - Page 2 of 3

Writing ‘Release The Stars’ – Day 10

May 19, 2015 by Harper Bliss Leave a Comment

I’m so close to the end of Release The Stars now, I think I might be suffering from (wholly imaginary, I’m sure) Finishing Fear Syndrome. After a decent morning (where I did start later than usual, but the words flowed nicely), I only managed one more session after lunch. I just blocked. It’s a bit crazy because I’m almost at 53.000 words now and I know exactly what’s going to happen (lots of sex, basically) (just kidding), but I just couldn’t sit down any longer and write the scenes.

Before I started this crazy writing experiment, I would have been over the moon with a 4700 words day, and I’m certainly not displeased with the progress I made, but it just feels like the last few writing days have been much more tricky than the first.

That being said, my story did take me by surprise today. I’ve ventured off the plot I laid out in the beginning quite a bit (although the outcome will be the same, the route to The End is a bit different than I had first envisioned). Something came together in a way that I hadn’t expected and made me a little emotional. The main character is a writer and perhaps I put a bit more of myself in her than I wanted to. 😉

I would also like to clearly state that this is just first draft writing. The manuscript will need quite a bit of work before it’s ready to be edited (or even be sent to my Dearly Beloved Beta-Reader.) What I’m mainly trying to accomplish by writing so quickly is a sense of freedom and an easy way into ‘the zone’. Shut off the critical brain and just let the fingers on the keyboard do the work.

Anyway, my schedule doesn’t allow for a lot more goofing around and I WILL NEED TO FINISH TOMORROW (all caps as a reminder to myself.) 😉

No lunch break allowed tomorrow! 😉

Writing ‘Release The Stars’ – Day 9

May 16, 2015 by Harper Bliss Leave a Comment

Yesterday was one of those days when word count obsessions and staying ahead of schedule paid off massively, as I spent most of Friday on the sofa, producing 0 words.

It happens. I won’t say I didn’t experience any guilt for not even trying to write a single word, but that’s just how it is sometimes. It took a day off and I’m all caught up on The Voice and Top Chef, making the day anything but a complete waste of time! 😉

I made up for it this morning by writing 2000 words. The novel has reached critical mass now and I had to write a few crucial scenes (drama! drama! drama!) Obviously, the first draft of Release The Stars won’t be done by Tuesday evening, but I’d planned Wednesday as a writing day all along as well, so that’s the new goal I’m aiming for.

I guess the takeaway from this blog post would be: it doesn’t matter if you miss a day of planned writing and there’s no use in beating yourself up about it either. Just pick things up again the next day and carry on.

Have a great weekend!

Three sessions = always better than none…

Writing ‘Release The Stars’ – Day 8

May 13, 2015 by Harper Bliss Leave a Comment

Today was not as heroic as yesterday, but well within expectations. Everything is still on schedule and my manuscript has now reached 46.000 words. This is a short novel (the goal is 60.000 words) so I can already smell the finish line, which doesn’t help with my focus.

If, however, I have two good writing days on Friday and next Tuesday (tomorrow and next Monday I have to put on my publisher’s hat), I could have this first draft finished by Tuesday evening of next week. I know I’m getting way ahead of myself, but that is basically how I live my life so… 😉

Anyway, this book is now reaching its grand finale. I just let my wife read the last finished chapter and I asked what she thought and she said, “So dramatic, lah!” (The ‘lah’ is just a Hong Kong way of emphasizing.) 😉 Then I asked, “Did you feel your heart break a little?” Normally this is not a question you would want someone to reply “Yes” to, but in this case, I was very happy that she did. (I know I’m just teasing now, and it’s going to be quite a while before this book will be ready for release.)

Meanwhile, I’ve already started thinking about my next novel (and already booked an editor for it!) As research, I’m going to watch a bunch of Charlotte Rampling movies in the coming days. Because (and I know this sounds crazy) I am slated to start writing that one next week Friday (after taking a short break after finishing Release The Stars.) To me, this isn’t so crazy because, even though some days are hard and the words don’t come, there isn’t an activity on this planet I love more than writing. I just wrote 6000 words and I still can’t get enough (hence this blog post.)

I’m not sure yet if I will keep up the blog for the writing of this next novel (currently without title but dubbed ‘The Swimming Pool novel’.) It will all depend on how much attention I need at the time (so I probably will.) 😉

Anyway, enough of this. There’s a bottle of rosé cooling in the fridge and I believe it has my name on it… 😉

It’s true, I’m an unapologetic ultra-long lunch break taker…

Writing ‘Release The Stars’ – Day 7

May 12, 2015 by Harper Bliss Leave a Comment

The paperbacks of French Kissing: Season Two finally arrived today. (They were on a slow boat to HK, I think.)

Anyway… I broke my word count record again today! I’m calling it an 8k day, but officially I wrote 7883 words, bringing my manuscript to 40.000 words. I’m super happy with this, even though I’m veering more and more off plot.

When I say ‘veer off plot’ I actually mean I’ve been inserting many more ‘naughty scenes’ than initially planned. The same thing happened when I was writing Once In A Lifetime, which was supposed to be a really intense romance with only ‘a few’ kinky scenes… I think, in the end, my two main characters spend half of the novel in bed.

But my current WIP especially was not supposed to go this way. I almost wanted it to be a ‘sweet romance’, but no… my brain apparently doesn’t play that way. Oh well, I guess it’s something I’ll have to live with. (There are harder things to live with.) 😉

(Disclaimer: I’m not sure exactly how much sense I’m making at this point. An 8k day and 2 celebratory glasses of wine will do that to you…)

So, excellent day today. Back at it tomorrow!

I found the zoom function in Excel! (Also, the longer pauses between writing sessions were needed to re-think my plot…)

Writing ‘Release The Stars’ – Day 6

May 8, 2015 by Harper Bliss Leave a Comment

First things first. The lovely Clare Lydon interviewed me for the Lesbian Book Club podcast, and you can listen to our chat here >>

The radio show we recorded yesterday (it’s called The Sex Crystals) was really great fun. It ended up being more about lesbian sex than lesbian erotic literature (even though they made me read from one of my stories without telling me in advance!), so of course we talked about scissoring and such. 😉 I’ll post the link once it’s been aired (in about 2 to 3 weeks.)

Meanwhile, I’ve taken Release The Stars over the halfway mark. Although I ‘only’ wrote 5000 words today, of which the bulk made up a very long and emotional bedroom scene, which left me quite empty and reluctant to continue after. (It was awesome to write, though!)

During our lunch break, the wife and I went to have a second look at the new Ladylit office. As of June 1st, we’ll be moving into a new space on the island, thus reducing our commute with 1,5 hours (one way!) (Yes, life is swell.) I’m not entirely sure where I’ll find the time to move, what with still having 1,5 novels left to write in the 5 weeks before we leave for Belgium, but I’m sure we’ll make it work somehow (by ‘we’, I mean my wife, who is awesome and gorgeous) (and almost 40.) 😉

Also, yesterday I sent Once In A Lifetime to my editor (the multi-talented Cheyenne Blue), so that’s still on track. Yay! (I’m so excited about this book. It’s my new favorite.) 😉

I will be working this weekend (not too much, though), but my next writing day is only scheduled for Tuesday. See you then!

The segment where I wrote 1010 words in half an hour is where things REALLY heated up…

Writing ‘Release The Stars’ – Day 5

May 6, 2015 by Harper Bliss Leave a Comment

While I would say that my #1 piece of advice to every writer is: Stay Off The Internet, Damn It! I have to admit that today I didn’t follow my own advice. I cracked around 10 and checked my e-mails and Twitter (and Facebook…)

Fortunately, a small fix was enough to get me going again and, although I felt from the very first second I sat down that it wouldn’t be another epic 7000 words day, I did manage to write 6000 words.

Because of not going all out (and sleeping a little longer this morning) I don’t feel as wiped out as I did yesterday at this time. I do feel the need to stress that not all writing days are equal. It’s definitely not all exhilaration and mental fist pumping and patting myself on the back for my amazing word count. Some days, it can be like that, but those days are not typical.

Most writing days are actually like today, slogging along, fighting the urge to go on the internet, and spending my breaks wondering if what I’m writing is not complete drivel. Hey, I never said a writer’s life was glamorous! 😉

Speaking of breaks. If you watch my numbers image, you may notice a returning pattern of quite a long lunch break. That’s because I have to watch The Voice while my wife is not home because she hates the show (sometimes I do wonder why we are married?!) 😉 I’m almost caught up with the current season. (Team Xtina all the way!)

So, today was not a stellar day, just a good, solid one (and those are the days that build a book.) Tomorrow I’m not writing. I’ll be in the office all day, editing and cover-designing, and basically bossing my wife around (this is a joke!) Then, at 5, my wife and I are being interviewed for a Hong Kong radio station about lesbian erotica… Which means that wine o’clock will have to start at 4! 😉 (The interview is not live. I’ll post a link when it’s available.)

I’ll be back on Friday!

I was never very good at Maths, but I do love these numbers…

Writing ‘Release The Stars’ – Day 10

Writing ‘Release The Stars’ – Day 9

Writing ‘Release The Stars’ – Day 8

Writing ‘Release The Stars’ – Day 7

Writing ‘Release The Stars’ – Day 6

Writing ‘Release The Stars’ – Day 5

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