Monday, January 16, 2012

Progress!

Okay, I have three quick things I want to run past you.

1. If you haven't heard, Blogger finally implemented threaded comments last week. That means you can actually reply to comments now, without having to use a third-party like Disqus. (And the peasants rejoiced!)


Of course, there's a catch. For those of us who have (or, in my case, had) customized templates, it doesn't seem to work yet--which brings me to my second point.

2. I redesigned my blog (and its button)! 

...Okay, I'll admit, I was going to revamp it this month anyway. I wanted SYAW to match my website and personal blog, so I gave it a nice woodgrain. The ability to have threaded comments? That was just a bonus.

3. Last, but not least, I want to talk about progress. Last week, I caught up with crits and started writing the sequel to STRENGTH. Can I just say how much I flippin' love the early stages? You get to do all the fun, exploratory writing, without worrying (too much) about structure. It's been too long since I've gotten to hang out with my characters in their world. I'm on cloud nine. 

Unfortunately, as we approach February, that'll change. After I get my last couple of crits back on STRENGTH, I'll do another round of revisions, and then it'll be query time. (Why hello, harsh reality. I didn't see you lurking there.) So, what are you guys working on this month? Making any progress? :)

Oh, and are you going to take advantage of that new comment feature? So far, I love it.

Have a great week, guys!

61 comments:

Sophia Chang said...

I love blog updates! (as you know now lol)

Unknown said...

Carie, you are the awesome of all awesomesness.

Hehe, I thought you should be reminded, after all, you can thank me via comment now.

JeffO said...

I like the new look, Carrie; it's pretty spiffy.

Working on this month: still waiting for another crit on PARALLEL LIVES, and then I get to consolidate the crits and figure out what to do with them. Right now, I'm working on something new, something that came out of the back room this week, that I'm pretty excited about.

Lisa Regan said...

It looks great! Glad to hear you're working on the sequel. I am salivating as we speak. Well you know my progress is slow going. Baby steps, baby steps! Oh and I LOVE the exploratory beginning stage of writing. It is the best freaking part!!!

Anonymous said...

Good luck with "Strength!"
So that explains why I couldn't reply directly to a comment here last week? Keeping in mind that I am a techno-Tyrannosaurus, it'll probably be years before I figure out this new cool feature on Blogger.

Best~~

Patricia Marques said...

Ah, I haven't had a chance to play around with the new feature but I'm excited about it! There's more opportunity for interaction this way :D

Good luck with your writing, early stages can be like honeymoon phases I think, so best to enjoy them!

LAH said...

It took me so long to make my blog barely suitable for viewing, I am too scared to mess with the format! Though I would love to be able to reply directly... I need to just hire someone to design my blog but that whole idea makes me want to just crawl under something-- my covers, the couch, maybe a sturdy wooden table?

And I agree about the early stages of writing-- it's bliss! Like falling in love! I am about to do one more wave of revisions and then start querying... in the back of my mind I am already dreaming of the initial stages of my next project... But it's still a few months off.

Emily R. King said...

You used the "Q" word! How exciting! Here's hoping your last round of revisions go well.

Jenny S. Morris said...

I did the new comment feature, then Jessie had a hard time commenting, so I went back to pop-up. Maybe once everyone has it, I'll go back.

It's exciting to hear about your progress. YAY!

Unknown said...

I like the look of your blog and your website.

I had to fiddle with the code to make the threaded comments work but I do like the change.

Congrats on your progress.

cleemckenzie said...

I'm working on that threaded thing. Not working on any writing, so I'm not as happy as you are. Really glad you're enjoying that sequel.

Peggy Eddleman said...

Of course we both jumped up and down in excitement at the reply feature! :D I'm not 100% sure I'm ready to give up my pop-up, though...

And I love your website and your new blog look! You are really rocking it!

This month, I'm working on a sequel, too. I love writing in an already established world with already established characters! Bliss. Then sometime soon I'll head back to revisions on book one. So it looks like we're in the same stages!

Iain said...

I'd noticed this morning that you'd changed the format. It looks good.
On the subject of changes, I notice that you've also updated your website. You're becoming quite the professional writer with your slick online presence :o)
Also - I love that the Not Carrie Butler is wearing dark glasses.. Nice touch!

Anonymous said...

I love the look of your website . . . you are on your way for sure:) I sent queries out the first week of January & still holding my breath. Got 1 standard rejection the next day, never a good sign:(:(

Carrie Butler said...

I loved your blog update! So professional looking! :)

Carrie Butler said...

Jen, is it too soon to say 'I love you'? *grins* Thank you very much!

Carrie Butler said...

Thanks, Jeff! :)

Eek! That's never a fun step (for me, anyway). Consolidating crits takes a very discerning eye. As for the new WIP, that sounds fun! Good luck!

Carrie Butler said...

Thanks, Lisa! As of last night, I'm 6k into this bad boy. Though the POV switch is more of a challenge than I thought it would be, I'm loving it!

Heck yes! Baby steps are progress, and progress is wonderful. :D

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

Although my blog is based on a template, I've customized it a fair amount. Thus, I'm still waiting for the reply feature. I'm looking forward to it though.

I love your new look blog. Nice and clean.

Alleged Author said...

I love the early stages of writing as well. Yay for your new novel!

Carrie Butler said...

Thanks, Bryce! :)

Yep! Aww, you just have to tweak a few settings. Do you use the "Updated Blogger Interface"? If not, it might be easier if you do. (As seen here.)

Since you use a non-customized template, you'll only have to check a few things:

1) Open up your settings. (Like this.)

2) Make sure "Comment Location" is set to "Embedded". (Like this.)

3) Make sure "Allow Blog Feed" is set to "Full". (Like this.)

That's it! :)

Lydia Kang said...

Hooray for the new novel!

My blog is customized too so I don't yet have the reply function. Someday I'll figure it out!

Botanist said...

Love the new look, and good to hear all that progress. Keep it up!

Carrie Butler said...

Absolutely! With an interactive community like ours, the reply feature will come in handy!

Thank you! :)

Carrie Butler said...

I don't blame you. (Though, you could always go into your settings, like this, and export your blog before you try it.)

Yes! Best of luck with your revisions and your querying! You'll have to keep us posted. :)

Carrie Butler said...

Oh my gosh... I did! That's progress in and of itself! :D Thank you!

Carrie Butler said...

Aww, I hate to hear that. Hopefully they'll get all the kinks worked out soon.

Thank you! :)

Carrie Butler said...

Thank you! I'm glad you're liking the change, too. :)

Cassie Mae said...

Love the bloggy look :) And I'm trying to shut down editing brain so I can work on my fresh new idea, but so far all I can think about it polishing that ms I'm querying. Ack! I need miss editor to go on vacation and ask miss creator to stay for a while. :)

Carrie Butler said...

Aww, well, I hope you get to write something soon! (Speaking of your writing, I can't wait to start The Princess of Las Pulgas!)

Thank you! :)

Carrie Butler said...

Aww, you should give it a try! You can always go back to your pop-up.

Thank you! :)

Yes! That's the best part. You get to jump back into the world you spent so long poring over the first time, with minimal (re)introduction. Good luck with your sequel!

Carrie Butler said...

Thank you! :) Hah! I wish I were half as professional as my "slick online presence". You know what? When I was tossing little details in there, I just knew you'd be the one to notice. After you caught the newspaper thing on my website, I deemed you the most observant human being on the planet! *grins*

Carrie Butler said...

Thank you! :)

Aww, of course it's a good sign. That means there's one less obstacle between you and your dream agent. (Just don't expect me to spew out these rainbows when I'm ranting about my own rejections... *grins*)

Best of luck with your queries! I'd love to hear about your progress in the coming weeks, months, etc. :D

Carrie Butler said...

I hope they roll out a fix for customized templates soon, Lynda! I'm finding this reply button pretty darn handy today. :)

Thank you!

Carrie Butler said...

Aren't they the best? Thanks for stopping by! :)

Carrie Butler said...

Thanks for stopping by, Lydia! I hope they roll out a fix for the customized blogs soon. This reply button is a heck of a lot easier than the reply comments I usually do. :)

Carrie Butler said...

Thanks, Botanist! I hope all is well. :)

Carrie Butler said...

Thanks, Cassie! Oh man. Editing brain can be a major bummer, when it won't turn off. Have you tried a change of scenery? How about reading a book or two before you start working on your next project? That'll fog your brain enough for those old MS worries to fade into the background. :)

MISH said...

The threaded-comment-thingiemajigg sounds wonderful... but has flown right over my tech-challenged head LOL!
Love your blog design... it's ultra-cool! I SOOOO envy you tech-savvy people...
Congrats on the start of your sequel - you ROCK!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for your help on this I have now enabled full embedded comments on my blog. Hoorah! :O)

Nancy Thompson said...

Ugh, query time! It is a certain level of hell, to be sure. I'm just about ready to start querying AGAIN. Not thrilled about the process, but I have a thread of excitement running through me. We can hold hands and descend into Query Hell together!

I've been away from the blogosphere for a little over a week, but I did notice that reply feature. I'm kinda diggin' it. And I like the new look of your blog.

Golden Eagle said...

I like the new look of your blog! :)

I'm reading the first draft of a novel I'm set to rewrite. It's terrible--but it's nice to be back in the world and with the characters, at least.

Iain said...

I think this is as good time as any to confess. Not human, try Dynari. ;o)

Brooke R. Busse said...

Yes! Thanks to that link, I figured out why the reply feature wasn't being implemented on my blog and fixed it! One question: Does it automatically send the reply to the user's email if they have it activated?

Love this background and the new header.

Janet Johnson said...

I hadn't heard about Blogger's news. But I have a customized template, so I doubt is works.

And best of luck finishing those revisions! Aaack, I should be working on mine right now . . .

Lindsay N. Currie said...

GOOOOOD LUCK CARRIE!!!!! Love that you're starting a sequel - um, do I get to see it?

Melodie said...

Oh, your new blog is all fancied up! My computer has issues w/ blogger templates (meaning: won't upload properly) so I'm jealous. Did not know about the new comment feature - thanks for the heads up.
Good luck diving into the query pool, my friend. The water can be frigid but I know you're up for it.

Carrie Butler said...

I should've known! ;)

Jennifer Hillier said...

I only discovered threaded comments today! Actually, maybe it was about 2 hours ago. And yes, it's joyful. So much better than before.

Query time is coming soon for you! Good luck, my friend! I'll be cheering you on every step of the way.

Carrie Butler said...

You're very welcome! I'm glad to hear it! :)

Carrie Butler said...

Thank you so much, Mish! I appreciate that. :)

Carrie Butler said...

I'm all for holding hands and descending into Query Hell together! Now to pack some flame retardant attire. Hmm...

Thank you! :)

Carrie Butler said...

Thanks, Eagle!

Good luck with your rewriting! I'm sure it'll turn out stronger than ever. :)

Carrie Butler said...

You're welcome! Oo, I'm glad you were able to fix it! I don't subscribe to comment feeds, so I'm not sure if the reply triggers an email or not.

(Anyone who reads this is free to chime in, though!)

Thank you! :)

Carrie Butler said...

Aww, well, I certainly hope they come up with a fix for the customized templates soon. Thank you! Good luck on yours, too! (If only you had some kind of revision group to guilt you into working on them... *grins*)

Carrie Butler said...

Thanks, Lindsay!!

Of course you do! (If you want to, that is.) Would you prefer to see little bundles of chapters, or wait until the beast is finished? :)

Carrie Butler said...

That's a bummer. I hope you can get the new comment feature to work. It's really handy!

Thank you! :)

Carrie Butler said...

Aren't they wonderful? I'm so glad to finally have this feature!

Thank you! I appreciate that. :)
(By the way, once I finally start querying, I can work on that review-type-thing I mentioned a few weeks ago. Woohoo!)

Joylene Nowell Butler said...

I've bookmarked this post so I can refer back to it in February when I get home. Something tells me I shouldn't try to apply this now while I'm distracted by beautiful baby. But I'm excited about using the new reply, and the thought of changing my blog look once again isn't near as scary as it used to be. Thanks for keeping me up to date, Carrie. Kudos.

Carrie Butler said...

You're very welcome, Joylene! Have fun with the baby. (Take more pictures!) :)

Melissa said...
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