So between assorted illnesses and drama at the Day Job and a recurring (or perhaps persistent) exhaustion, this wasn't my best writing week.
But I did answer an interview for the Literate Libran to go along with a review she's going to do of Safe Harbor. I'm not sure when that's going to go up, but I'll be sure to let you know when it does -- and you should definitely check it out, because she'll be holding a contest for some swag!
I did get an inspiration for a new story for Torquere's new "Weird Science" submission call and wrote a thousand words or so for it. It's not due until June, but the plot bunnies who nibble my toes are the ones who get picked up and petted. (And if it doesn't work for the anthology, I'm pretty sure it'll stand alone.)
But for those of you playing along at home, that's technically three active Works in Progress: Foxfur, The New Story Which Has Yet To Be Titled, and my Weird Science submission. I really need to pull it together and start actually... you know. Writing.
Alas, I don't see this week being much better. The Day Job is completely kicking my behind (what is up with them expecting me to do things???), the daughter's school is doing a bizarre and inexplicable week of half-days and days off that accompany the end of the semester, and I've got several different editing jobs waiting in the wings, two of which are on tight deadlines. Whee!
Showing posts with label status. Show all posts
Showing posts with label status. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Assumption
After last week's Flash Bang quickie story, I felt sufficiently
distanced from the original WIP to go back to it and do a read-through.
So I read through it Wednesday evening, found a few things to polish,
and then I sent it off to my two faithful beta readers.
Lynn shredded it. I mean, it was bleeding by the time I got it back. But most of her shredding was minor and easy to fix -- spots where I'd gotten a little too fond of a word and overused it; places where I started actions instead of just doing them (a bad habit of mine -- you should not say your character "began" or "started" anything unless they're about to have that action interrupted); places where I spent too much time describing where people were looking instead of what they were seeing (another bad habit of mine)... Like that. Cosmetic stuff and habit-breaking, the editor's equivalent of slapping my hands down before I can chew on my nails. Nothing big, like, "this character is completely unlikeable" (which was a risk, because the POV character is a bit of an ass, especially at the beginning) or "cute scene, but does this story have any plot at all?" or "this scene is completely unbelievable; need to reconsider the character's motivation and try again." (And the reason Lynn is my favorite beta reader is that I trust that she would tell me those things.) So it was a good shredding, it felt like putting a good polish on a solid story.
(My other beta reader, lacking Lynn's motivation of needing to work off some stress, was much less critical, though no less appreciated.)
So I spent some time Saturday cleaning and polishing, and then I tossed it over the fence to Torquere. Sunday morning, I got the standard "thank you for your submission" email that they send out just to verify that it was received, and then Sunday night I got an acceptance email. (Apparently, Sunday is when they read through new manuscripts. So my Saturday submission was well-timed.)
Yesterday morning I signed the e-contract, and I got the completed contract in my email last night, so now it's official! I don't have a publication date yet, but I'll be sure to tell you when I do. It's a contemporary novelette (about half the length of One Mind or Safe Harbor) called "Assumption of Desire" and features the doppelganger of a young man I met at the Roanoke Pride festival.
Now I need to figure out what to do next! The foremost candidates are "Foxfur," a 2/3-finished fantasy novella that needs a lot of polishing; "Next Thursday Night", a barely-started contemporary that's probably a short; and "State of Mind," a plotted but not-yet-started novella in the same world as Of One Mind. Which one would you be most interested in? Let me know in the comments -- and leave me some flash fiction prompts!
Lynn shredded it. I mean, it was bleeding by the time I got it back. But most of her shredding was minor and easy to fix -- spots where I'd gotten a little too fond of a word and overused it; places where I started actions instead of just doing them (a bad habit of mine -- you should not say your character "began" or "started" anything unless they're about to have that action interrupted); places where I spent too much time describing where people were looking instead of what they were seeing (another bad habit of mine)... Like that. Cosmetic stuff and habit-breaking, the editor's equivalent of slapping my hands down before I can chew on my nails. Nothing big, like, "this character is completely unlikeable" (which was a risk, because the POV character is a bit of an ass, especially at the beginning) or "cute scene, but does this story have any plot at all?" or "this scene is completely unbelievable; need to reconsider the character's motivation and try again." (And the reason Lynn is my favorite beta reader is that I trust that she would tell me those things.) So it was a good shredding, it felt like putting a good polish on a solid story.
(My other beta reader, lacking Lynn's motivation of needing to work off some stress, was much less critical, though no less appreciated.)
So I spent some time Saturday cleaning and polishing, and then I tossed it over the fence to Torquere. Sunday morning, I got the standard "thank you for your submission" email that they send out just to verify that it was received, and then Sunday night I got an acceptance email. (Apparently, Sunday is when they read through new manuscripts. So my Saturday submission was well-timed.)
Yesterday morning I signed the e-contract, and I got the completed contract in my email last night, so now it's official! I don't have a publication date yet, but I'll be sure to tell you when I do. It's a contemporary novelette (about half the length of One Mind or Safe Harbor) called "Assumption of Desire" and features the doppelganger of a young man I met at the Roanoke Pride festival.
Now I need to figure out what to do next! The foremost candidates are "Foxfur," a 2/3-finished fantasy novella that needs a lot of polishing; "Next Thursday Night", a barely-started contemporary that's probably a short; and "State of Mind," a plotted but not-yet-started novella in the same world as Of One Mind. Which one would you be most interested in? Let me know in the comments -- and leave me some flash fiction prompts!
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Writing Wednesday
Hey, it's Writing Update Wednesday!
Unfortunately, I don't have much to report, thanks to the depredations of the Day Job... I worked overtime (unpaid, natch) last Thursday and Friday, I worked over the weekend, and I worked until after midnight last night. And those brief, blessed moments when I haven't been working, I've been too braindead to even want to read, much less write.
But I put myself to sleep last night trying to plan out the next scene for my new story, and trying to think about how to de-exposition the other piece so it won't be so damned boring, so I promise I haven't given up! This horrible contract at the Day Job is done at the end of this week, and I swear to every god I've never heard of that I'm taking at least two days off next week, and that at least one of them will be spent in a cozy coffee shop doing the write thing.
In the meantime! If you want to give me some prompts (three or four words -- random or themed, your choice, and/or some character names you'd like me to use) then I'll post flash fics on Friday!
Unfortunately, I don't have much to report, thanks to the depredations of the Day Job... I worked overtime (unpaid, natch) last Thursday and Friday, I worked over the weekend, and I worked until after midnight last night. And those brief, blessed moments when I haven't been working, I've been too braindead to even want to read, much less write.
But I put myself to sleep last night trying to plan out the next scene for my new story, and trying to think about how to de-exposition the other piece so it won't be so damned boring, so I promise I haven't given up! This horrible contract at the Day Job is done at the end of this week, and I swear to every god I've never heard of that I'm taking at least two days off next week, and that at least one of them will be spent in a cozy coffee shop doing the write thing.
In the meantime! If you want to give me some prompts (three or four words -- random or themed, your choice, and/or some character names you'd like me to use) then I'll post flash fics on Friday!
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Projected
It's been a good long while since I've done any kind of real status update, hasn't it? Let's take a peek into the WIP (Works In Progress) folder and see what's going on...
Succubus, Inc. - This is a short short story -- only 3000 words (6 pages) -- that I wrote to spec for an anthology submission call and have already tossed over the fence. Unlike most of my other stuff, it's neither m/m nor a romance. Instead, it's m/f erotica and while I wouldn't call it straight-up horror, it leans closer to that than to romance, certainly. Quite the departure for me, I know! I'll let you know if the anthology I wrote it for accepts it, but that won't be until late fall.
Foxfur - In theory, this is my current main project, though it keeps getting sidelined by other things. This is a fantasy story, set in the same world as Safe Harbor, but deals with all-new characters and a completely different culture. I'm about 30,000 words in right now and closing in on the end -- I have about four major scenes left to write before I can call the rough draft done -- so it's probably a longish novella, wrapping up around 40,000. Though part of me wants to come up with a secondary plot to thread through it that will expand it to 70,000 or so and call it a shortish novel, but we'll see if I'm inspired once I finish what's currently in the works. It's equally likely that when I read through the rough draft, I'll edit out a solid 15% of it.
Next Thursday Night - Another departure from the usual for me, this is a contemporary story, probably a longish short or a novelette -- 10-15,000 words or so. I've got most of the plot elements worked out already, but haven't actually started writing it yet. I'm thinking of folding in another plot element that would let me submit it to Torquere's newest (as-yet unreleased) line, which is centered around an online dating service. Which has the advantage of killing two plot bunnies with one story.
A State of Mind - The next (and possibly the last) in the "One Mind" series, this one will deal with the effects of the Awakening on certain religious elements, and is about the conflicts between family, duty, honor, and personal happiness. I've got the plot pretty well mapped out in my head, but I haven't started writing it, mostly because I'm hoping to come up with a better ending than I've currently got.
Sleep Cycle (working title, will probably change) - This one is a sci-fi story borne out of a discussion thread from TQ's LiveJournal a while back -- the host for the day dared us to come up with the strangest pairings we could imagine... So, yeah. It's about a 1950's beat poet and a Han Dynasty court philosopher. It's probably a short story, just because anything longer would require that I spend several months in research. Heh. Anyway, the plot is still a little vague, but I started writing last night, just because the scene where they first meet popped vividly into my head.
There are bunches of other stories on the back burner, and I have a whole notebook full of plot bunnies and ideas, but these are the things that are currently stewing. Which ones most tickle your fancy?
Succubus, Inc. - This is a short short story -- only 3000 words (6 pages) -- that I wrote to spec for an anthology submission call and have already tossed over the fence. Unlike most of my other stuff, it's neither m/m nor a romance. Instead, it's m/f erotica and while I wouldn't call it straight-up horror, it leans closer to that than to romance, certainly. Quite the departure for me, I know! I'll let you know if the anthology I wrote it for accepts it, but that won't be until late fall.
Foxfur - In theory, this is my current main project, though it keeps getting sidelined by other things. This is a fantasy story, set in the same world as Safe Harbor, but deals with all-new characters and a completely different culture. I'm about 30,000 words in right now and closing in on the end -- I have about four major scenes left to write before I can call the rough draft done -- so it's probably a longish novella, wrapping up around 40,000. Though part of me wants to come up with a secondary plot to thread through it that will expand it to 70,000 or so and call it a shortish novel, but we'll see if I'm inspired once I finish what's currently in the works. It's equally likely that when I read through the rough draft, I'll edit out a solid 15% of it.
Next Thursday Night - Another departure from the usual for me, this is a contemporary story, probably a longish short or a novelette -- 10-15,000 words or so. I've got most of the plot elements worked out already, but haven't actually started writing it yet. I'm thinking of folding in another plot element that would let me submit it to Torquere's newest (as-yet unreleased) line, which is centered around an online dating service. Which has the advantage of killing two plot bunnies with one story.
A State of Mind - The next (and possibly the last) in the "One Mind" series, this one will deal with the effects of the Awakening on certain religious elements, and is about the conflicts between family, duty, honor, and personal happiness. I've got the plot pretty well mapped out in my head, but I haven't started writing it, mostly because I'm hoping to come up with a better ending than I've currently got.
Sleep Cycle (working title, will probably change) - This one is a sci-fi story borne out of a discussion thread from TQ's LiveJournal a while back -- the host for the day dared us to come up with the strangest pairings we could imagine... So, yeah. It's about a 1950's beat poet and a Han Dynasty court philosopher. It's probably a short story, just because anything longer would require that I spend several months in research. Heh. Anyway, the plot is still a little vague, but I started writing last night, just because the scene where they first meet popped vividly into my head.
There are bunches of other stories on the back burner, and I have a whole notebook full of plot bunnies and ideas, but these are the things that are currently stewing. Which ones most tickle your fancy?
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