Category: Writing

Additional Excerpts Posted

~ M. L. Rio

If you’re ready to read a little more of If We Were Villains, now you can! At the top of this page, under the Villains tab, you’ll notice two new items (in addition to the Prologue) under the drop-down menu: Act I, Scene 1 and Act I, Scene 2. If you read all that and want to find out what happens next, don’t forget you can enter the Goodreads giveaway to win an ARC, or you can pre-order the book from the retailer of your choice, to be delivered to your doorstep or local bookstore on April 11th.

Thanks for reading.

–M

Masters, do not forget!

~ M. L. Rio

Two big things happening today!

First things first, it’s your last day to enter our Goodreads giveaway. And you really should, because I’ve seen these galleys in person now, and they’re pretty stunning.

galleys2

Of course, don’t be too disappointed if you don’t win, because you can still request a copy on NetGalley.

Secondly, we’ll be posting an early excerpt from the book, right here on this website, in exactly one hour. At high noon CST, click the IF WE WERE VILLAINS page and you should see a new nested page underneath; that’s where you’ll find our sneak peek.

Happy reading!

–M

IWWV Excerpt to Be Posted January 31

~ M. L. Rio

Bummed that you can’t enter the giveaway because you’re not in the U. S. or just really keen to read? On January 31 (that’s this coming Tuesday), at 12 noon CST, we’ll be sharing an excerpt from the book, which you’ll be able to read right here on this website! The best way to make sure you don’t miss it is to click that ‘follow’ button on the right-hand side, if you haven’t already.

Hope it’s everything you hoped for.

–M

Books Show Off 5 (Recap)

~ M. L. Rio

I can only speak for me, but I had a great time last night at Books Show Off 5, which was graciously hosted by the Waterstones on Tottenham Court Road. People spoke on an eclectic range of topics, including Tolkien, Harold and Maude, elegiac dog poetry, inappropriate Latin, and sculptures that look like they’re having sex with angels. Nothing I said was that nearly that interesting, but I did manage to talk about Star Trek, porn stars, and Ernest Hemingway all in under nine minutes. Obviously what I was really talking about was writing.

insta1
Photo by Steven Cross

Specifically, what I talked about were all the steps involved in getting a book published–and the fact that there are so many more than you think there are until you’ve actually done it. But this was a nice reminder that we’re getting much closer to the finish line with Villains. We still have to figure out cover art and what goes on the dust jacket and a lot of other stuff that falls under the category of “How do we market this thing?” But in T-minus six months, it should be facing out on a shelf in a bookstore somewhere near you. And that will be an exciting day indeed (for me at least).

M

First pass proof!

~ M. L. Rio

This fat stack of paper arrived from the folks at Flatiron Books today. Now’s when we go through the whole MS with a fine-tooth comb, looking for every last little fix and adjusting the formatting where needed. But this is pretty much what the inside of the hardcover will look like, and that’s exciting.

insta23

I’ll be hard at work on this for the next week or so. I’ve gone through Act I already this morning and it’s a bit like an out-of-body experience, because it’s been a while since I read through the whole text–long enough that I can almost pretend I didn’t write it, and read it as a reader.

Getting closer all the time.

Writer’s Toolbox

~ M. L. Rio

This week in a conversation with my fellow MA students about the upcoming hellmonth of term papers and preliminary dissertation work I realized that a lot of the apps and tools and Chrome extensions I use for writing, research, and productivity aren’t necessarily common knowledge. So here, for anyone who wants it, is a collection of writer tools.

Productivity

  • Momentum: Chrome extension that helps organize your daily goals
  • Strict Workflow: Chrome extension based on the Pomodoro Technique; blocks social media to keep you focused when working online
  • Pacemaker: highly customizable tool which helps you form a plan of attack for various drafts, projects, rewriters, etc.
  • f.lux: freeware which gradually adjusts the colors on your computer screen to make working after dark easier on the eyes
  • Coffitivity: app and website which provides ambient background noise to fake that coffee-shop feeling and keep you focused
  • WriteChain: app which reminds/motivates you to write every day

Outlining & Word Processing

  • iMindMap: mind-mapping software
  • Scrivener: word processor designed for writers (who also happen to be Mac users; seriously if you’re on a PC don’t bother)
  • Evernote: online workspace which can be synced to your laptop and smartphone 
  • Final Draft: script and screenwriting software that does the formatting for you
  • Celtx: the free version of Final Draft
  • LitLift: online outlinging tool and way to keep track of all your projects

Names & World-Building

  • AutoRealm: free mapmaking software; there’s a learning curve but it’s not rocket science
  • SketchUp: 3D modeling software that helps you create imaginary buildings and keep them consistent
  • Google Earth: great for working in real-world locations
  • Stellarium: lets you get a real-time look at the night sky in any location on Earth
  • Ambient Mixer: free tool for creating custom soundscapes; or you can listen to soundscapes other people have already made
  • City and Town Name Generator: a lot of great resources here for fantasy/RPG writes but this also provides examples of real-world place names based on geographic data
  • Ever-Changing Book of Names: freeware which creates random names, also based on geographic/linguistic data; geared toward fantasy but extra sets can be downloaded individually
  • Names by Decade: US census data of popular baby names by decade

Lit Agents & Query Letters

  • QueryShark: blog run by ruthless lit agent Janet Reid who will teach you how to write a query letter, and how not to
  • QueryTracker: online directory of lit agents and agencies
  • Writer’s Marketplace: the paper version of QueryTracker
  • #mswishlist: agents open to queries and what they’re looking for
  • MSWL: a more organized website which keeps track of the above hashtag

Other

  • Calibre: free software which lets you create your own ebooks; a great way to read later drafts and look for errors on the go
  • Mendeley: for organizing research/resources if you don’t want to pay for Scrivener
  • timeanddate.com: calendars for any book you might be writing that takes place in recent history; also provides solar/lunar info
  • Dropbox: document storage so you don’t literally lose your shit

This is a very short list and I will probably expand it as other tools and tricks I use on a regular basis occur to me. But in the meantime, I hope this is useful to other writers (and grad students) out there.

Green Eggs and Hamlet

~ M. L. Rio

(with my deepest apologies to Shakespeare and Dr. Seuss)

Can I kill my Uncle Claude?
Yes, I can, I can, by God!
I will kill my Uncle Claude!

Should I kill him in the house?
Should I kill him while he’s soused?
I could kill him here or there
I could kill him anywhere
Would I, could I, while he prays?
Kill him! Kill him! Wherefore stay?
I would not, could not, while he prays!

Not in the house, not when he’s soused,
Not with his sister, now his spouse!
Not while he prays, not while he feasts,
O, incestuous, adulterate beast!
I do not like my Uncle Claude,
I do not like that bloody bawd!

Say! In the dark? Here in the dark!
Would I, could I, in the dark?

Should I kill him in his bed?
Should I there strike off his head?
Kill him with his nightcap on?
Kill him when the churchyards yawn?
Should I kill him where he lies?
I will kill him, by and by!
I do not like my Uncle Claude,
I’ll kill him, i’ th’ name of God!

The play! The play! The play’s the thing!
The thing wherein I’ll catch the king!
No more ‘to be or not to be,’
I will kill him, you will see!

Kill him while he wears his crown
Kill him while his guard is down
Kill him with some poisoned wine
Kill him with this sword of mine
O, is the point envenomed, too?
I’m dead–Horatio, adieu!
But tell them, tell them, more or less,
Who it was that made this mess!

I did not like my Uncle Claude,
I killed him in the name of God!
Good friend report my cause aright–
A now, goodnight goodnight goodnight!

Production Draft!

~ M. L. Rio

proddraft.jpg

So, it’s been pretty quiet here for a while, and that’s because I’ve been hard at work on the last revisions for Villains. And with the help of copious amounts of coffee and five (count ’em, five) different editions of King Lear, I got my final final draft turned in to my editor today! Which means that we’re one step closer to the finish line. There’s still a lot to be done, but now that the text itself can be handed over to copy editors, we get to start talking about fun stuff like art and blurbs and rough front. More soon.