Historically, my first pass pages have all been . . . interesting. INCARNATE had HoHugging and similar hilarity. (Not to mention a missing paragraph and migrating dialogue tags!) ASUNDER had these weird symbols wherever apostrophes and quotes were italicized.

That doesn’t mean there won’t be changes, though. The pages sticking out to the left are all the pages I’m sending back to my editor, so she can put my changes in the master document that lives at HarperCollins.

First pass pages are printed to look like the book. They’re in the book layout, with the font and chapter headers and all of that. They’re what ARCs — Advance Reader Copies — are printed from. Changes in the first pass stage are supposed to be minor: fixing typos, word rep, HoHugging, spacing, or whatever. A chapter title changed in ASUNDER. My changes are typically very minor at this point, but I know other writers who’ve added scenes, changed endings, etc.

Still, there are quite a few minor things changing in IN3. The ARCs printed won’t reflect these changes. Only the final copy.

I love ARCs — I love getting them and reading them before other people (and the taunting that goes along with) — but I’m going to tell you a true story: I cringe whenever I see someone reading an ARC weeks/months/years after publication, because I know what kind of changes I make between ARCs and final copies. I can’t even guess what other authors do!

I’m really, really excited about IN3 ARCs going out into the world in a few months. And I’m dealing with the fact that advance readers will see that hideous word repetition on page whatever. But I’m really looking forward to final copies in January/February next year, because they will be clean and shiny. (And that sentence — no, don’t look at it! — will be better structured.)

But speaking of IN3 ARCs, have you entered my giveaway to win one of the very first ones?

The event itself was great. Cold, but great. (See any of the numerous photos of us huddling in spare tablecloths.) I love getting to visit with other enthusiastic readers and writers. The energy was high! (Definitely aided by the presence of cupcakes.)

You can read about the event on Cupcake Jen’s blog, and Liza’s, or check out the Frederick Book Festival hashtag on Twitter.

This post is not about the awesomeness of the weekend.

This post is about getting there, and getting home.

Imagine me, sitting in my driveway, fussing with the GPS device so I could get to Frederick.

Me: *types in F-R-E-*

GPS: FREDERICKSBURG, VA?

Me: No! Frederick in Maryland! *tries again*

GPS: FREDERICKSBURG, VA?

Me: GAH! No. Maryland! Oh, I see. It’s only searching in Virginia.

At last, I figured out how to program the GPS to take me out of the lovely state of Virginia, and into the wilds of Maryland. My mom was on the phone with me during this time. Giggling.

I knew which route I wanted to take — no interstates. There is a straight shot from my town up to Frederick, and I had printed instructions to help me get there. I’ve dealt with this GPS device before, and on every trip, it’s done at least one thing to try to get me lost. This time, I knew what to expect.

Or so I thought.

GPS: Exit right to interstate.

Me: No. *drives past exit*

GPS: $%%$&^*@! Recalculating. Turn left. Then turn left. Then exit to interstate.

Me: *ignores and continues on the One True Road To Maryland*

GPS: Recalculating. Drive one mile. Exit right to interstate.

Me: No! Just shut up! Why can’t we just stay on this road?

GPS: Exit right to interstate.

This went on some time, with my mom cackling in my ear, until finally the GPS gave up and allowed me to take the road I wanted. But then we reached the next hurdle: the hotel entrance.

This was one of those areas where you had to drive past the hotel and to the entrance, then turn into a driveway and through the parking lot. I’m not sure where my GPS wanted me to turn, but it was at least half a mile past the hotel. Fortunately, I figured it out and unplugged the GPS before it got sassy with me.

I had to go out again that first day, but this time, I got directions to the Barnes and Noble from one of the hotel desk ladies. It was a straight shot. I didn’t even need the GPS!

However, I wasn’t as confident on the way back. It was dark. And my agent sister Valerie was going to be following me. She trusted me to get her to the hotel in one piece. Cautiously, I turned on my GPS and asked it (nicely) to take me back to the hotel.

GPS: Turn right.

Me: *turns right*

GPS: Go .5 miles. Turn right.

Me: *wary* *but does it*

GPS: Turn right. Then turn right. Then turn right.

Me: Oh dear commas. I bet Valerie hates me now.

But finally, I reached a familiar road and made it back to that weird entrance into the hotel parking lot. My GPS’s next turn distance counter kept getting higher and higher, though, as if I were getting farther from my destination. Even though I was in the parking lot.

GPS: Drive five miles–

Me: NO!!!

The next day, Valerie and I drove to the fairgrounds for the book festival. I had paper directions and the GPS. I told it the address and we were off.

Part way there, the roads disappeared from the screen.

Leaving only the little car icon in a sea of white nothing.

Me: WHERE ARE THE ROADS?

Valerie: Just keep driving.

Me: THE ROADS ARE GONE.

Valerie: Drive!

Me: WE DON’T EXIST ANYMORE!

The roads eventually reappeared and we made it to the fairgrounds in one piece. No thanks to the GPS. (Later, Valerie helped me parallel park for the first time since I was sixteen.)

When it was time to leave Frederick and head back home, I fired up my GPS, knowing I was in for more trickery and interstate-pushing, but how bad could it be? I knew I had to take the interstate to get back to the One True Road to Virginia, and my paper directions told me which exits I’d want to take in order to go the way I wanted, once the GPS began its efforts to lead me astray. I said bye to Valerie and took to the streets.

Me: Isn’t this the road I should turn on?

GPS: Drive one mile.

Me: O . . . kay . . .

GPS: Turn left.

Me: *waits at endless stoplight*

GPS: Drive .4 miles, then turn left onto interstate.

Me: Didn’t I pass the interstate back there?

GPS: Don’t make me repeat myself.

Me: . . . .

GPS: Turn left onto interstate.

Me: There . . . is no left? *drives a little farther*

GPS: Recalculating. Turn left. Then turn left.

Me: *makes a U-turn*

GPS: Drive .2 miles, then turn right onto interstate

Me: Even though I’m driving the opposite way? There’s a turn?

GPS: Turn right onto interstate!

Me: That’s a parking lot. The interstate is waaay over there.

GPS: $#%&* Recalculating.

With some effort, I managed to make it back onto a street I knew, and then onto the appropriate interstate and got the exit that took me to the One True Road to Virginia. Of course, I spent the entire drive home fending off the GPS’s efforts to draw me onto the interstate, but . . . I made it. The GPS did not get me hopelessly lost, in spite of its best attempts to do just that. I knew I’d be fine if I did. I’d shoved two half-full bottles of water into my bag, as well as a granola bar and an apple, and I had almost a dozen cupcakes in the back seat. I was prepared for a long, cold winter summer of surviving in the mountains.

The title is THE SEA OF SOULS: ONLY ONE LOVE.

It’s soooo pretty! And it has a release date! ONLY ONE LOVE comes out April 17, 2014, from Goldmann/RandomHouse. I can’t wait to see them in person.

What was the most drastic thing you’ve done to meet a deadline?

Ohh, deadlines. I’m sure you’ve no doubt gotten some crazy answers to this question in the past, but mine is going to be pretty tame.

I actually love deadlines. They make me want to work harder and Get Stuff Done. I set deadlines for myself all the time to encourage myself to finish a manuscript or a revision. I don’t always make them — and if they’re just my deadlines, that’s okay.

But actual deadlines? Ones my agent and editor set for me? Those I definitely make.

I haven’t yet had to do anything insane, really. Just the normal, when it comes to rewriting/revising an entire book in two months: quit social life (as if I had one anyway), quit sleep (meh), quit eating (except for emergency chocolate), and quit housework (blah). Weekends really don’t exist for writers, so I didn’t have to give up those.

Copyedit deadlines are even worse. INCARNATE copyedits had a very short turnaround — just a few days to do them and mail them back. ASUNDER copyedits had a couple more days, which was great, except that I was super sick, so I kept falling asleep on the pile of papers.

IN3 copyedits were different. They came electronically, which I’d already decided not to like, but actually it was a good thing because I was leaving for tour when they arrived in my email. I was able to look over all the copyedits on my trip (who needs sleep on tour? Not me!) and then come home to insert the changes into the document I’d send back to my editor. Except I caught a plague on the flight home and was super sick again while finishing up my copyedits.

(All that said, I do love copyedits. I always learn something from my copyeditor, and it’s such a relief to get to the stage where the book is good at last, and just needs a final polish to shine.)

So, what is the most drastic thing I’ve done to meet a deadline? I guess . . . I punched my plague in the face and did my work anyway. Like a grown up. :/

Have a question you want answered on my blog? Feel free to email me. I try to get to everything . . . eventually. ;)

Here’s Proud Peacock, some BFL wool I chain plied, but haven’t measured and washed. But here it is on the bobbin!

And HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY to all the awesome moms out there! (Especially mine.)

How do you keep social media from taking away time from writing? I guess I’m asking how do you focus strictly on the writing without feeling like you are in a jail from the rest of the world? I get distracted easily because of Facebook and Twitter.

That’s a great question!

Social media has gotten deceptively faster to duck in and out of. I mean, what’s a tweet? Five seconds? A few minutes to skim up your timeline? A three-second reply to someone?

But those moments add up, and it’s easy to get lost in the conversation. There’s always something fun happening on Twitter, after all!

The other problem, especially for me, is that I can convince myself that it’ll be two seconds to do something on Facebook or Twitter or whatever — and that may be true, but even if I do manage to drag myself away from the fun before I’ve lost an hour of my life, I’ve shattered my focus. Whatever I was working on? Gone. I have no idea what that sentence was supposed to say. Or what I was making for dinner.

The key for me has been turning them off. And once I’m completely focused and engaged with my writing, I don’t feel like I’m in jail. I’m happy just working. And when I need a break, I take a few minutes to play on Twitter or look at pictures of my nephew on Facebook.

It’s also been important for me to remember that the world will not end if I miss something.* The latest drama, who won whatever award, or what one of my friends had for lunch: it’s okay to miss. Taking a break from social media every now and then reminds me that I survived *mumble* years before it, and I’ll keep on surviving even when I turn it off.

But for everyday, I do have a few tricks.

1. I keep a small follow list on things like Twitter and Tumblr. I made that decision when I joined the sites, because I could too easily see how I’d want to follow everyone and keep up with everything. Small lists means it doesn’t take very long to catch up.

2. With Twitter, I use Twitter for Mac and have all the notifications and things personalized so that I don’t get noises or alerts except for messages I actually need to read — eventually. (Remember how it’s not the end of the world if I miss something.)

Since I actually do try to respond to everyone who tweets me, catching up on Twitter can take longer, but for me, it’s worth it.

3. Facebook isn’t my most favorite social media site, so it’s less of a temptation for me. On it, I focus on saying “happy birthday” to the people on the birthday list, and I go through the first page or two of my newsfeed once or twice a day to like friends’ updates. Though if you’re bad about keeping Facebook open and refreshing all day, this might be for you . . .

4. I use a Google Chrome extension called StayFocused. It’s very customizable. The idea is to limit the time you spend on sites that are timesucks for you. You can give yourself X amount of time a day (with free days, if you want!), and once that time limit is over, the site is blocked.** On days when I feel scattered and will check everything over and over rather than write, I use the “nuclear” option: it blocks the entire internet for however long you set it for. (Just on Chrome. So your Twitter apps and stuff still work.)

5. I use Scrivener to write, and it has a fantastic full-screen mode. You can black out the rest of the screen and all you see is words. Or a blinking cursor.

Overall, not letting myself get distracted by the shinies of social media is about discipline. It’s about retraining myself to focus on one thing at a time. It doesn’t happen overnight, and some days it’s harder than others, but learning to not multitask helps a lot. Because on a scale of one to zombie apocalypse, how important is social media really? (Though on a scale of one to an apartment filled with playpen balls, social media can definitely be playpen balls.)

*Though when the zombie apocalypse happens and Twitter warns me about it — but I’m ignoring Twitter to write a book — I will probably regret those words.
**Obviously you can get around it by using another browser or your phone, but I’m too lazy to do that, personally.

Have a question you want answered on my blog? Feel free to email me. I try to get to everything . . . eventually. ;)