Category Archives: News

News about the site, me, or the world in general.

New Features, an Angry Taskmaster and the Novel

Posted on by Shanna Wynne

So.

I’ve got a new Taskmaster.

He’s finally started really kicking me in the butt about my writing. Mostly because I started the first real novel and now he’s excited.

Of course, I’m referring to my husband. The wonderful Marquis Wynne. Who punishes me harshly when I don’t get my pages done. When he sees that I wasted time blogging he’ll probably beat me with razor chains and fluffy bunnies.

(I stole the razor chains line from a friend on Zoetrope, Lucas Pederson. Thanks Lucas!)

He’s also pushing me to blog more often, and unload some of my back log (the stuff I’m concerned doesn’t really belong anywhere in the publishing world) onto the website. Since I haven’t posted any new stories for reading, he’s making me. It’s a good thing. I don’t post them in the hopes an editor will brush across the website and fall madly in love with my writing style. (Though if that happened, I’m not going to argue.) I post it for you, my lovely readers, of which at least 4 stop by every day. Which I think is amazing. I’m nobody and four different people stop by my website a day? Wow.

There’s going to be a new feature, as you’ve probably already noticed. It’s called “Free Fiction of the Month.” I’ll post a new story up on the main page and you can stop by and read, as well as comment. (Which you can’t do in the Free Library.) It’ll stay up until the end of the month, where I’ll retire it to the Free Library and post a new story. I will also do my darnedest to keep it fairly close to the top for the entire month.

**

As for the Novel front, it’s coming along pretty good. I’ve got a goal, the hubby is brow-beating me to keep it. I want to finish around page 400. I’m going to sit down for some time today or tomorrow to start an outline, something to keep me focused on the story.

My only real problem writing the novel is that I tend to ramble in my writing. I know that not everything in the first draft will be good. That doesn’t concern me. It’s when I write something I just KNOW I will end up editing out, and then I wonder, “Why bother writing this?” And I feel the urge to just go back and erase it all that I get into trouble. Where do I draw the line?

So I keep pushing forward. Through the tough scenes and the boring mud until I reach a fresh, back on track point. Mentally I make a note that this area will require serious editing.. .when I’m done.

**

Well, it’s Saturday night. That means it’s Saturday Night Horror Fest. We’ve got Feast and the straight-to-DVD Feast 2: Sloppy Seconds. As well as “The Midnight Meat Train.” There will be reviews tomorrow.

So keep on trucking, readers and writers. There will always be room for a little more horror in your life. Maybe in the next year I’ll be the author on the shelves providing it.

Warning! Danger, Will Robinson, danger!

Posted on by Shanna Wynne

Just letting any visitors know that if you stop by within the next few hours and the site looks something akin to a zombie’s face after three days brainless, it’s cause I’m playing around with some changes.

But don’t worry. It’ll be good as new (or back to old) tomorrow.

Thanks!

~Shanna

Edit:

Let me know what you think of the new header image. I have so much fun making them, I’d like to know what everyone thinks. (I showed it to the hubby when I finished and as he read it aloud, he laughed. I always know I’ve done something good when he laughs.

The Disappearing/Reappearing Veil

Posted on by Shanna Wynne

If you haven’t noticed yet, the website has changed. Rather radically, I think.

After much thinking, and staring at the index card I’ve taped to the wall with Kill Your Darlings written on it, I have decided that I needed to rid both myself and the web of the infamous intro page. Not that it wasn’t worthwhile, but it did take too much away from the site. Making my blogs–the thing the whole website is about anyway, right?–the front page is much simpler and gets to the heart of the matter.

Things will be much bloodier from now on.

That in mind, I must thank two people for it. First, my stepdad whose website has always been simple, yet entertaining. Visit it at www.stevegraham.org. And a fellow scribe, Lincoln Crisler whose recent blog on making the website simple made things, well, simple. Thanks, fellas.

I’m off to get some writing done. Hope everyone enjoys the simplicity that is (I hope) shannawynne.com.

About the Site

Posted on by Shanna Wynne

This is extremely frustrating. I’m having a problem with the top navigational links. For some reason, they’ve decided–literally overnight–to just up and do their own thing, creating their own separate rows with their own rules.

It’s driving me nuts that I can’t figure out how to fix it.

So hopefully it’ll either fix on its own, or I’ll figure out how. Until then.. well.. it doesn’t make the site too ugly. Continue reading →

Taking a trip down Memory . . . Highway

Posted on by Shanna Wynne

Tomorrow, my great readers, I leave for Texas to visit with some family and bury an uncle I haven’t seen or heard from in a decade.

And I’m driving.

That’s right. Nuts, ‘fraid of the car two blocks behind me – not to mention that car 30 feet in front of me who keeps swerving, just the littlest bit, over the yellow line – is driving for 8 hours on 4 lane blacktop highway tomorrow. Although, laughingly, my mother (the reason I am driving instead of someone more capable) has sworn that if I go too slow she will take over driving. Which is a good threat, because she knows I’d never let her. She’d be in agony by the time we got to Freeport, that dang-blasted neck injury of hers.

Which leads me to the next best part–we’re taking the kids!! Hooray for having a 4 and 3 year old with you on a long trip!! Continue reading →