I’m on a deadline, trying to write some novel chapters and revise them so I can use them as part of my workshop application. Time is running short on me (speaking of Merry Go Round Topic, “Deadlines”). It’s an interesting challenge. I’m loving the novel; the outline and worldbuilding complete enough to write, and the first chapter is mostly done. (One more scene to go). Based on its length, I’ll write one more long chapter and then revise them plus the outline.

This in the midst of family, travel, and health (not mine) issues. And SAD.

Rather than be upset, I’ve improvised. The first ten days of May, I pulled a story prompt and created characters and an outline. I have 10 SADs plus one other short story I’d been working on ready to be written. At this point, they’ll take me about 3 – 4 hours each, about 2 days of writing time. Once I’m done with the workshop application, I’ll be diving into these stories. They may not all be done in May. I’m a little dissapointed with that, but I’m very happy that I pulled the prompts and prepped the stories. If I hadn’t done that, I think looking at today’s date and knowing I haven’t even started a short story… I don’t want to go there, thinking about the level of that dissapointment.

So, novel chapter, revision, then stories. I’ll have them. I will. The characters are rising up out of my notebook to haunt me.

Writing Results (March + April)

• Short Story Revisions 2 (1 in March, 1 in April)
• Reading 2 (1 in March, 1 in April)
• Rejections 16 (10 in March, 6 in April)
• Submissions 18 (12 in March, 6 in April)
• Novel Research and Outlining (March + April)
• Short Story Workshop on FM (March – writing; April – hosting)

May Goals

• Short Story Writing – FM SAD Challenge (goal of 15 stories)
• Winter Warrior – write first 3 chapters
• Prep VP application
• Continue the short story workshop on FM

Did I mention I love short story writing? May is usually the month I get to be self indulgent in my writing and my family lets me get away with it. It’s probably why I haven’t done Nano comfortably. I already have May.  I’m also continuing the workshop. I have one more  post to put up for the members, and I want to follow them all through to completing one story.

I hope your May is going well.

Those of you following me for a while know how I excited I get over the May Story A Day challenge. I usually get 4 – 10 brand new short stories for the month. This time, because of the time issues, I’ve been pulling prompts every day and working on character and outlines. So far, I have 7 outlines ready to be written into short stories in a decent smattering of fantasy and science fiction.  I’m eager to type them up and get them posted on www.fmwriters.com.

I’m still working on my short story workshop. I’ve had six writers sign up for it, and so far at least 3 of them have completed short stories. We’ll keep going through the month of them and see what progress gets made.

Winter Warrior was put on hold for a few days; novel notes were too bulky (and precious) to travel with me. But I’m starting up with it tomorow morning. I need to hurry and get the next few chapters written so I can revise them before the workshop deadline. I need to also get my letter/application in shape. I’m also eager to get this novel written. It’s by far the most interesting one I’ve planned in a long time and I want to fit the pieces together and see what it looks like.

More updates to come. Hope you’re happy, reading or writing away…

Dawn

Except that I shouldn’t. The writing phase needs to start soon. I can’t worldbuild forever. I could, but that wouldn’t get the novel finished.

So this week I’m going to focus on the environmental details and get this book started. I just need to confirm how they live, the food chain, shelter, etc, all within an acceptable level of make-believe. That’s the fun of fantasy, but it still has to be grounded in a reality that makes sense for the book.

In addition to this, I’m trying to revise one short story for a contest deadline at the end of the month. I just started a new short story (2 days in, I think I might come close to finishing it tonight), and I’ve been making time to read.

In between all this, I’m putting the finishing touches on a short story workshop I’ve written and am going to teach on  FMwriters at the end of the month. It’s designed to help people who want to write a short story and for whatever reason (I have some theories), just can’t. I’ve had so much fun with my short stories, that it just kills me to hear someone say they can’t write one or they don’t know how. I’m constantly writing, editing, revising, studying, trying to write better. I’m happy to take a few days away from it to help other writers type “the end”.

Tick-tock, my friends, I’ve got to get to that story.

Happy Writings!

Dawn

What would it be like to be compared to a great writer? I’m not sure I’d ever believe the words if I heard them, nor have I even thought about this before the topic was raised.  That’s slightly off the mark. I’ve been told by two people that my writing reminds them of Robin Hobb (who I haven’t the privilege of reading yet, though my husband has enjoyed her stories) and Raymond Feist. I’ve read and enjoyed some of Mr. Feist’s work, and can see a connection between the character and world development.

Playing along, because that’s what writers do, I’ll have to go after my early influences. Mercedes Lackey introduced me to the fantasy genre with her Heralds of Valdemar series. Honorable heroes wielding magic riding fantastic horses. Her weaving of the different kinds of magic and how they affect so many people so vastly amazed me. It’s a concept I’ve taken in my own writing, treating magic almost like a character itself. In my current novel, I’ve gone one step further and actually made it a character. It doesn’t get any lines, but it simultaneously amazes and conflicts with anyone who has ever encountered it.

Jennifer Roberson has influenced me with two of her series. Tiger and Del, the Sword Dancer series has shown me how important a weapon is, magic or otherwise, and the weight it holds upon its wielder. Weapon choice matters. What it does to those who either have it or want it, matters. Her Cheysuli serious plays with animal bonds and transformation, two elements that fascinate me to no end. As children, we’ve pretended to be animals, to have animal abilities, and in her series, we get to experience it. As much as that magic can bring us wonderful experiences, it can hurt too, and there are dire consequences to denying it, to hiding it, or taking it too far.

Reflecting back on this post, it’s clear to me that despite my love for science fiction, the fantasy I’ve read has influenced me more. My short stories are varied in genre, but my novels are predominantly fantasy. I did write science fiction first, then started reading fantasy, and since then I’ve been lost to it. I do try reading new things — I’m finally reading Tanya Huff, some of the most delightful military science fiction I’ve encountered — but reading it doesn’t make me want to write it. I’m just enjoying the ride.

Has your taste in reading influenced your writing or art? Or have your creations influenced what you like to read? It’s a delicate balance isn’t it?

Happy Writing and Reading,

~ Dawn

Today’s post was inspired by Forward Motion’s Merry-Go-Round topic ‘Influences”.  If you want to get to know nearly twenty other writers and read about their ideas, then check out the Merry-Go-Round Blog Tour.   The next Merry Go Round writer is Bonnie. She’ll be posting her take on this same topic on the 5^th for your reading pleasure. 

I remember my dad helping me with projects, but my independent streak had me only asking for help where I truly needed it, and not always asking for help when I should have. It earned me a few B’s where my classmates got their parents’ help and their A’s. I can’t change the past, but I can teach my daughter.

What did I teach my daughter today? Science can be fun. Mommy can be fun. Getting help is good.

I’ll probably scale back on the next project and let her take the lead, but it made me think of something else, which prompted this post. Despite all I need to be doing, I took the extra time to be with her. To experience the fun of a science experiment. It wasn’t about the grades, and it wasn’t about simply completing a project. It was time together.

And that is why I work so hard.

I have the tools and skills to work this hard because I watched it my entire life. My moother a stay-at-home-mom with five kids; my dad frequently working two jobs to send the five of us to private school. Yet he always had time to play with us, watch TV with us (I always forgave him for falling asleep), and even if he didn’t always understand me, he spent time with me.

How you spend your time matters. It keeps you happy and healthy, it keeps the kids better grounded.

My daughter knows I work hard. She’s said it  herself and frequently offers to help me with simple housework. I take her up on it when it’s something we can do together. Not because I need her to do the task for me, but because it’s building our relationship stronger. I remember feeling bad my dad was so tired, but there wasn’t anything I can do. Perhaps I’m empowering my daughter by giving her something to do.

And on a lighter note… the daughter made a comment regarding my writing. She seemed to believe my day job was writing stories, and I had to explain to her that I work my day job helping a company, and that my writing is done while she’s sleeping or watching TV, that I do it because I love it. She took it in without comment. I’m not sure if she was disappointed or confused, or just digesting the information.

I hope she understands one day what it is to love something so much, love someone so much, that you participate in their lives and complete the activity to the point of exhaustion. To me, that’s evidence of love. I hope she never has to work as hard as I am, or if she does, that she does so willingly.

We each have our own path to walk. Mine might be working hard to achieve everything I want, but I’m enjoying my path and the hills and valleys it brings into my life. 

~ Dawn

I skipped out early on February in general, to prepare for our first family vacation. We’ve gone away for weekends before, driving up to Wisoncsin or visiting relatives, but this was The First Family Vacation. I don’t begrudge myself the writing time lost. Time with my family is precious. It’s because of them that I’m happy and confident and driven.

So what did I to in February?

• Winter Warrior – novel pre-work
• Short Stories Revised – 1, but this was a big step as it was a resubmission to an anthology that offered to look at it again if I chose to rewrite it.
• Rejections:  7
• Submissions: 5 (all resubmissions)
• Crits: 3
• Read:  Nothing complete, but 2 in progress, and of course, various short stories

March Goals

March is strategy month, so the focus will not be on short stories as I’d like, but it’s a choice I had to make. I’m starting a new novel, I’m writing a short story workshop to teach on FMWriters, I’m preparing a workshop application that I’d like to get in ASAP, and I’m dealing with complications from vacation and work that result in deplenished writing time. Nevertheless, it will not stop me.

• Winter Warrior – finish the outline and start the first three chapters
• Class: Holly Lisle’s How To Write A Series
• Short Story Drafts: 1 (partially written; just needs completion)
• Short Story Revisions:  2 (for a 4/15 contest deadline)
• Crits: 4
• Read: 1 – 2 (2 already in progress; would like to finish them both)
• Short Story Workshop – draft/revise

I’ve set myself up for a busy month and it’s already halfway through. If you’ve kept up with me before, you know I’m not afraid of a challenge. Good luck to you this March.

Happy Writing,

Dawn

A location is a conduit to channeling my writing energies. While I can write nearly anywhere and anytime, there are places that are in synch with my creative energies, and if I’m in a writing jam of any kind, I hit these places to get things moving.

First and foremost is the library. There are two I visit, one in a neighboring town, and one in my residential city. The one in the neighboring town has more natural light, and is closer to the street so there’s a good amount of white noise. Books are displayed on round shelves along the outer window wall of this circular building. It could very well be the circle that helps the energy flow so well. I’m comfortable there, safe. The second library is closer to my home, but it tends to be busier, I can’t always get the table and/or lighting that I prefer. I still manage though, those are just my preferences.

What is this location in competition with? My home office (usually private, and with music), my dining room (while my kids are playing), my job’s cafeteria (though I have to be mindful of the time on this one – this is a very good thinking spot and my lunch breaks aren’t unending).

What works for me is that I need sound or activity of some level that can fade into the background. TV and radio are usually distractions unless I have serious headphones available – the gaming kind with sound blocking technology.

I’m the second of five children, so I can look at this sociologically and point to the constant activity and sound levels existing around me as I grew up. Psychologically, I could say I need that level of activity to feel comfortable slipping into play-mode.  Either way, I’ve already planned that my “full time writing life” morning routine. It starts with dropping the kids off at school, hitting the gym, and then the library for new words. Home for lunch and whatever revisions I’m working on, maybe a little housework.

Wherever life takes me, I’ll always find a place to write. It’s a good feeling. What about you? Do you have a special place for your passions/hobbies?

Happy Writing

Dawn

Today’s post was inspired by Forward Motion’s Merry-Go-Round Mach topic ‘My Favorite Writing Place’. If you want to get to know nearly twenty other writers and read about their ideas, then check out the Merry-Go-Round Blog Tour.  

I’d planned on writing one novel and revising another, and that’ll stay the same, but the schedule is changing, as is the project. I wanted to revise Shadow of Blood starting in February, but for workshop specific reasons, I’d like to apply to the workshop of my dreams with my absolute best writing, not something I wrote five years ago.

So I’ve jumped back into worldbuilding a project I started many years ago. The title came to me before the story did, “Winter Warrior” with the image of a short, spunky little warrior from the arctic zones with a snow leapoard for a pal. I wrote a short story around the par, which didn’t fare well as a short story because it was really my muase showing me how much fun this gal would be to write, wouldn’t I rather put her in a novel? So I am. I’d built the basics of the world, including a pretty serious map, and several nations, basic government structures, geographical climates and a preliminary magic system.

Because of this effort and my love for this world, I ended up writing two other short stories in this world with different characters. (Short story characters, but events that are linked to the horrible things in this world’s history, past and recent).

The plan is to worldbuild, plot, and research for the next two weeks. I’m taking a few days off with my family to visit some warmer climes, then driving into chapter one.

A symphony of characters is now calling to me, with complications to Armina’s mission, and hints of betrayal. In my heart, this is my best story yet. Can’t wait to get it written and see if I’m right.

And this is why I consider goals “guidelines” rather than absolutes i am required to strictly adhere to.

Also, now you know that when I say “happy writing”, I mean it.

~ Dawn

I didn’t write this post until just now, just to prove that procrastination is not worth the letters it takes up. I’ve been thinking about it all day, knowing I need to get to it, knowing it isn’t going to write itself, yet I took the experiment to the max. I’m irritated and annoyed that I need to take time out of my children’s evening time on a Saturday night to do something I should and could have done days ago.

It was a good reminder of why I don’t procrastinate deadline stuff.

Sure, there are other things I procrastinate. I push off laundry so I can write. I push off starting that new revision so I can balance the checkbook. You could make it work for you if that was your intent, and it does help get the floors mopped on a more frequent basis, but it’s not the life I want to lead.

The most fun I ever had procrastinating was playing World of Warcraft for three months instead of starting a novel revision. This was five or six years ago–I’d probably hang myself now if I even thought about doing that. (Besides, I cancelled WoW permanently at least two years ago, been four since I’ve been on a raid).

Why did I do such a horrible thing? Because I wasn’t ready to work on something and blocked myself up completely. There was no joy in the writing because it was all pressure. Why didn’t I just work on something else? I didn’t have the tools and processes in place at that point to really know that I could. All I knew is that something wasn’t working, so I turned my back on it.

So before I ask you what was the most fun you’ve ever had procrastinating, I’d also like to remind you (and myself) that if something isn’t working, if you’re not thrilled to be working on it, don’t just turn away. Work on something else if you have to, but don’t ignore what’s bugging you about what you’re ignoring. Most of the time, there’s a better way that you (and I) just can’t see yet.

Now, I’m off to go watch Star Wars with my kid for the first time – hopefully they didn’t start the movie without me.

Happy Writing

~ Dawn

PS there’s nothing wrong with world of warcraft if you can control how much time you spend on it. that was not my strength and completely interfered with my writing. i admit completely to having an addictive personality, and know that if i can’t control it, i have to avoid it. the exception to this of course, is my writing.

Today’s post was inspired by Forward Motion’s Merry-Go-Round August topic ‘Procrastination’. If you want to get to know nearly twenty other writers and read about their ideas on Cross-Genre Fiction, then check out the Merry-Go-Round Blog Tour. 

The first month of the year starts with the most potential, but also happens to be the craziest due to weather, work, and everyone getting sick. This January was better than last January in regards to sickness, but still crazy. And I rocked it.

• Short Stories Written – 1 (with another in progress)
• Short Stories Revised – 3 (with another in progress)
• Short Stories Submitted – 1 new + 17 resubmissions
• Crits: 5
• Read: 2 (it was a Tami Hoag month)

Did I mention I received 15 rejections this month? Whirlwind! In addition, I did some minor work on the novel to prep for the revision, and I started my VP letter for the workshop application. I couldn’t seem to switch tracks to get to the picture books though. I might drop my count to 6 instead of 12 for the year. It’s off topic of my focus, so I’m not really worried about it just yet.

February Goals

For February, I’m expecting some insanity. Hiring/interviewing at work, training another person, learning some new tasks myself, and preparing my family for a vacation. I think my goals might be a little more hopeful than practical, but better to aim high and miss it for legitimate reasons than laziness. I’ll be revising the novel using Holly Lisle’s How To Revise Your Novel class. I’d started it before, but the novel I used was so badly messed up (formatting issues, I couldn’t even read the thing) that it broke any motivation I’d had. This project is better for learning a new method. The catch however, is that I’d like to use the first 8k of this novel to apply for VP. Which means, I might just give the first 3 chapters a rewrite first then worry about the official revision.

• Shadow of Blood: revision
• Short Story Drafts: 1
• Short Story Revisions: 2 + submit both (these two are close, so it shouldn’t be too hard)
• Crits: 4
• Read: 1 – 2

I honestly don’t know how long this revision is going to take. The first half of the novel needs rewriting due to the writing being five years old. The second half was rushed a bit, so I’m sure I need to add in a lot of background details and link information I missed in the first half. I’m planning for a 6 month revision. It used to take me a year to revise a novel when I went chapter to chapter and took my time. I’m motivated. This novel is getting revised and critiqued, and then I’m cleaning it up to submit it. Submission may not be in 2012, but it’s coming. I even have a sequel in mind.

Good luck to you and your projects for February, writing or otherwise. Dawn

It’s been pretty quiet here. I’ve been busy writing and revising, working on some good stuff, I hope. I’ve had a lot of rejections this month, I think all the editors made New Year’s resolutions to return all January subs before the end of the month…

One of those rejections was pretty interesting. It was some serious feedback from the Triangulation anthology with a comment that if I rewrote it, they’d look at it again (no promises, of purchase, of course). Based on their feedback, I’m giving the story a serious workout.  The story is short, under 2k, but this is probably one of the toughest revisions I’ve worked on yet. Still, I’m hopeful. Even if the Triangulation editors choose not to buy it, I’ve moved the story along in a good direction.

I’m working on a new story, too, based in a world I’ve written another short story (a WOTF honorable mention), and am planning to write a novel in as well. It’s a troubled world with lots of potential for manipulation and seeds of dark magic. Strange creatures too, some magical, some not. I’m enjoying it.

I’ve been reading, too.  The blog that caught my eye tonight was Patty Jansen’s, which answered my question about when I should start self publishing. I’ve held back and am watching many of my peers put their work up for sale. My writing is stronger than it ever has been, but I’d like to see it a little stronger before I put myself that far out there.

I’ve also been skimming through sections of the Breakout Novel by Donald Maas and have been asaulted with ideas to revise my novel Shadow of Blood. I’ve got two anthologies going as well, one being Triangulation: Last Contact. Tonight I read David Barr Kirtley’s “Family Tree” from Way of the Wizard. Damn good story, and with an ending I couldn’t predict. I don’t know why I can’t read an anthology straight through. I have six anthologies on my nightstand right now. I suppose I like variety. And a little bit of chaos.

Time to get back to it. (The writing, not the chaos. Oh wait, that’s rather the same isn’t it?)

Happy Writing.

~ Dawn

Do You Duotrope?  If you’re submitting your fiction and you aren’t aware of Duotrope or using it, it could be worth your time to read.

Happy Writing — and Submitting.

~ Dawn

I’ve heard that some writers envision their reader and target their story for that person. I haven’t been able to do that, which has been my struggle with the picture books. I’ve tried writing for my daughter, but if the idea doesn’t work, it isn’t going to work. Maybe I just don’t write that way. Honestly, I have enough ideas flowing past me, I can snatch them out of the air, until I start trying to be picky. So, I just hug my muse and start writing.

So who would enjoy my writing? That’s tough to say.

My blog and nonfiction writing are definitely aimed at writers, especially those beside me in the trenches.

My science fiction is less techie and more sociaological. I love creating a planet (or planets) and figuring out what causes conflicts, and what makes them worse.  I love challenging my character to grow, to find what’s inside them to overcome their obstacles.

My fantasy writing tends toward the same, though I revel in creating magic systems. Figuring out and putting together a network of magic that needs to run smoothly, that can make or break someone’s lives, that’s just too much fun.

But the characters in both genres are people that have someone to lose, or in some cases, nothing left to lose and it’s their very soul they’re trying to save from bitter meltdown. We’ve all been in dark places, haven’t we? (If you haven’t, I want to borrow your life for a little while, just til I get bored). My stories take those dark places and gives it meaning, assigns it value as a tool for growing and moving beyond.

My “ideal” reader in all honesty, is me. I write for me. I write to remind myself the dark is in the past, and that whatever darkness may come, I’ll face it down. I think that’s why I can’t write humor. I think that’s why the picture books are so challenging for me, despite the fun my daughter and I have creating stories together. It doesn’t mean I’m giving up on them. Maybe it means my focus just isn’t there right now. And by dark, I don’t necessarily mean horror, though I’d dabbled a bit with it. I mean dark literally as the opposite of light, happy, and airy.

As much as I enjoyed My Little Pony as a child, I’m probably not going to write anything that fluffy.  I’ll try though, as my daughter enjoys such things, but probably for her eyes only.

But for me, and for the rest of my readers, whomever you may be, here comes the dark. Here come battles of the heart and soul. You’ve been warned.

Happy Writing

Dawn

PS share with us in comments the kinds of books you enjoy reading. Is there anything that makes you squee in delight and buy the book without even reading the first page?

Today’s post was inspired by Forward Motion’s Merry-Go-Round January  topic ‘My Ideal Reader’. If you want to get to know nearly twenty other writers and read about their ideas, then check out the Merry-Go-Round Blog Tour.   The next Merry Go Round writer is Bonnie. She’ll be posting her take on this same topic on the 5^th for your reading pleasure.

It took me a year to write my first and second novels, living alone, and less than half that time for my third though I was married by that time, working a better job, living a better life.  Strangely, I have little memory of the experience of writing my third novel. I’m not sure why, but I wrote it in three months. When I wrote these, they were pretty much my only focus.

So when I started my fourth novel to participate in Zette’s novel class (I signed up for the revision side, as I was terrified of revision at that point), everything fell apart. I was already a mom and twenty thousand words into the novel, I became pregnant again. I dropped the novel and all the plotting and world building that went with it.  Sometime later, I picked it up again, but between trying to balance it with other projects and a minor injury that complicated my very busy life, I had to drop it again. (This was after I’d reread the entire thing, studied the notes, etc). Then Fall 2011 came and I was determined to Finish The Damned Novel because it was weighing me down. I didn’t want to write a new novel without finishing this one. It would mean breaking my promise to myself. I reread everything, including all the world building, felt like I had some new perspective on my characters, and then broke my hand.

Yes, my hand. A writer’s nightmare. You see, I typed about 90 words a minute. With an outline, I could type out story to the content of a chapter a day. Suddenly I couldn’t type. And the speech recognition software wasn’t up to par yet. I knew if I put the novel down one more time, it would break something inside me. Sounds dramatic, but it was. I felt the novel was cursed, that I was going to fail before my writing career ever reached anything Wiki-worthy.

I bought a notebook and a pen that flowed smoothly across the pages and I wrote by hand over lunch breaks, writing until my hand couldn’t hold the damn pen anymore. For weeks I did this, meanwhile, using the speech program in the evening to train it up for the transcription. It worked a little bit, but with all my fantasy names, it had a hard time getting it. I really should have been training it more than that, but I had other parts of my life (family, pets, job, house, etc) and I couldn’t spend all my time on the damned computer.

As soon as my doctor told me I could type again, (my pinky is still taped to my left finger at this point), I painstakingly transcribed by hand. It took nearly two full days (I took a day off of work, plus an additional two evenings) but I did it. It was all on the computer, with an outline worth of 15k to go. I was so close.

Typing tired my hands, so I did it in small spurts at first. I learned not to try and shift/control/tab/capslock with my left hand. The less twisting I did, the better. It occurred to me at this point to relearn Dvorak, but that would have complicated my day job typing (data entry in a docketing system – don’t want to screw up those codes or the attorneys would kill me).

I gave myself a deadline of New Year’s Eve. If I let the story linger with all these issues, I’d never finish it. So day after day, *every* single day in December, I worked on the novel. Finally, my typing is as good as it’s going to get with the injury, I put everything into it. I schedule two days off from work and spend the entire day both days typing the last bit of the story.

I finished it. The End. What a horribly frustrating ride.

The story changed from when I started it five years ago. My writing changed. So much needs to be fixed. But I’ll do it.

The point is: I kept my promise to myself. That I kept to my principles and finished despite all the issues has given me satisfaction. It’s given me a better understanding of what I can do despite everything going on around me (and inside my hand).

Never give up.

No matter how hard it gets, don’t stop.

Funny thing is, I think this is my strongest story yet. Yes, it needs a massive overhaul, but the last quarter of the book has some really good story telling in it. The heart of the story survived, improved even.

This is the story I’m going to revise using Holly Lisle’s How To Revise Your Novel. This is the story I’m going to apply with to my dream workshop.

I’m taking January to read and assess the damage, review character profiles, and draw some sketches based on scenes I need to visualize better. February will begin the revision. I’ll be doing this while also working on short stories. I have some deadlines first quarter so I can’t abandon those, but I think I’ll figure out the balance.

If I can finish this problematic of a novel, I can do anything. It may not be easy, but I’ll get there eventually.

Happy Writing to you!

~Dawn

• Main Goal: Intensity
• Novel Project: first draft (Shadow of Blood) done 12/30/11
• Short Story Writing: 16
• Picture Book Writing: 2
• Short Story Edits:  18
• Picture Book Revisions: 1
• New Submissions: 7
• Short Story Submissions: 69
• Crits: 20
• Book Reading: 25
• FM SAD Writing Challenge (May) – 3
• Rejections: 62
• In Submission: 12

 I’m delighted with my 2011 accomplishments. I balanced my very busy job, family life, and writing, including dealing with injury time when typing was not available to me with both hands. I achieved the intensity I desired. Even on days I didn’t write new words, I did something writing specific and productive.

The biggest thing is that I finished the novel, Shadow of Blood. It needs work, a reasonable assessment since I started it in 2005, dropped it for a pregnancy, dropped it for an injury, and then very nearly dropped it due to another injury. But I went to paper and pen for that segment and got it done. I did not want to stop and start it again. No way.

The next bit I’m happy about is the number of stories I pushed into submissions. I revised  better, so I needed fewer edit passes, and didn’t linger on stories. I even managed an honorable mention from the Writers of the Future contest, and have been shortlisted twice this year for publication. I’m seeing the results of my hard work.

I didn’t do much with my children’s stories. I need to read more chapter books before I really feel comfortable with those, but I’ll get there. I’m getting ideas and jotting them down.

I did a good job critiquing this year, but I’d like it to become more day to day in 2012. It’s helped me a lot, especially trying to analyze stories that felt stronger than mine.

Time to check out the new goals for 2012.

•  Main Goal: Quality
• Novel Draft: TBD
• Novel Revision: Shadow of Blood
• Short Story Drafts 15
• Novella Drafts/Conversions 3
• Short Story/Novella Edits: 26
• Novella Revision 6
• New Submissions: 12
• Short Story Submissions: 75
• Children’s Stories written: 12
• Children’s Stories revised: 12
• Crits: 52
• Book Reading: 24
• FM Writing Challenges
• VP 16 application due June
• W1S1 Monthly

The goal for this year is quality. I’m not rushing for quantity – I’m trying to get it right early on, using the skills I’ve been developing.

To that end, I’m going to write a new novel and revise the one I’ve just written.

Short stories are continuing with a goal of 15 short stories, 12 picture books, and 3 novellas. The novellas are already in short story form and need expansion/development into their full forms.  Revisions follow that, naturally.

I’ll be attending Chicon7, my first major speculative fiction convention. I’ll be applying to my dream workshop again, this time with the novel instead of short stories in the hopes of actually being accepted.

2012 is going to be huge for me. I can’t wait to see what I can accomplish.

Good luck to you in 2012, whatever your goals and dreams may be.

Then another character went and did something I hadn’t planned on. Instead of being weak and needing saving by the MC, she went and did something that’ll save the MC’s butt when he really needs it. She stood up for  herself, adding the finality to her story arc. It’s mostly in character for her considering what she’s been through, but it made me realize that despite this novel being too long in the writing (I stated it 5 years ago), it’s got hope. I’m not just writing because i need to cross the “The End” finish line. I’m writing it and I still love the story. It needs massive revi—no, it needs a rewrite. The outline needs a rewrite, mostly because the scenes I’m writing now are more in line with who the characters are. I need to change who they were to better fit into that, and I need to update the writing.

I may not be done before New Year’s Eve like I intended, but that’s okay. The story has life. That’s all that matters.

Happy Writing!

~ Dawn

Wishing you and yours a happy holiday.

T’is a good season for me. I sold an article, and am progressing on my novel. There are 10 chapters left, which may or may not be done by 12/31. I like challenging goals, so why not? Let’s go for it.

What are your plans for the holiday season?

Whatever they are, do it happy and safe. Good thoughts heading your way.

 Prior to Write 1 Sub 1

2010 – drafted 8, revised 24, submitted 6 new, 36 resubs

Prior years averaged 3 – 10 new stories, though the revisions and submissions were lacking.

 1^st attempt at Write 1 Sub 1

2011 – drafted 18, revised 18 (with 2 in process currently), submitted 7 new, 65 resubs [Consider, my last two months of 2011 were derailed by a broken hand. The writing was ok - I wrote three new stories (and novel chapters) by hand, but avoied the revisions because it's really hard to hunt+peck the keyboard while ensuring your prose is correct. Plus it's dizzying.]

 Interestingly, the 24 revisions in 2010 were for 10 different stories) whereas the 2011 count of 18 was for 12 different stories.  I’m also spending more time on each revision, and getting stories out earlier (versions 3 or 4 instead of 7 or 8). My revisions are definitely stronger.

As I like to compete with myself, I need to kick this up a notch for 2012. How shall I do this?

Write 1 Sub 1 again, first of all. I’m going to do the monthly version. I can write more than the single story a month, but need to work harder on getting new stories into submissions. I’m scheduling myself to write the new story right away in a new month (nothing like a challenge to write the story within 24 -48 hours). After that, the first story revision happens, and it goes up on OWW while I work on the 2^nd story revision, which goes up on OWW as well. By the end of the 3^rd week, I’ll have two short stories with feedback ready for a final revision. I can choose between them.

I’m hoping some months I can have more than one ready to go, but I’ll also be working on a novel while all this is going on, so I will have to choose carefully.  I also need to allow time for the stories that sneak up on me and write them quickly.

The good news is that I should be back to my normal typing speed by the second week in January.  I’ve also taken to writing stories by hand, then dictating them to text-to-speech software for faster transcription. It’s an interesting process which takes about the same time as typing up a first draft and a first revision. The quality is about the same, since as I dictate, I’m correcting story and grammar issues.

Write 1 Sub 1 has influenced how I handle my revisions and submissions, two of the most important aspects of getting published. I’m going to stick with it, and hopefully at the end of 2012 will be able to report some new writing/submission/publication records.

Happy Writing!

~ Dawn

 Absolute Write / Write 1 Sub 1 Blog Chain

Next Up: Opinionated Ant

Holidays are a critical check in your world-building if you’re looking to ensure your world is round and diverse.  I first look at real holidays and consider their sources, whether religious, cultural, or governmental. I also consider that each of these holidays has someone, whether culture or political group, has a reason to oppose it. It enriches the world-building beyond simply celebrating a holiday. There’s more to life than food and parties, though it’s a dreary existence without anything to celebrate.

If you want to know more about world building holidays for your fiction writing, check out these links:

Creating Fictional Holidays – by Robert A. Sloan

Holidays in Hell and Other Delights: A Workshop – by Holly Lisle

Lifeday – Writing Excuses

Happy Holidays, whichever ones you celebrate.

~ Dawn

Today’s post was inspired by Forward Motion’s Merry-Go-Round August topic ‘Holidays’. If you want to get to know nearly twenty other writers and read about their ideas on Cross-Genre Fiction, then check out the Merry-Go-Round Blog Tour.   The next Merry Go Round writer is Bonnie. She’ll be posting her take on this same topic on the 5^th for your reading pleasure.

DMB: So why is it you chose me instead of some other person to torture? Because you do know it is torture some days, right? Having you throw all those ideas my way and not having enough time to do anything decent with them?

 Muse: (glowy ball of light hovers above DM’s arm chair) Torture? I could stop, you know.

 DMB: (panics) You know I love you, sweetie.

 Muse: Okay, whatever.  Look at it my from perspective: you’re open to story ideas and concepts that are just plain weird and you’re not afraid to try writing them. What muse wouldn’t want a human pet to really play with her gifts?

 DMB: Pets?

 Muse: Just put it in a story, love.

 DMB: (writes it down)

 Muse: Write faster, I have another idea. A writer loses her muse and has to go out searching for her. In the dark. On Halloween. After a train derailment.

 DMB: Ooh, I wonder if the lost Muse caused the derailment. Looking for company, she zips toward the driver and he freaks out, resulting in the wreck.  (grins) I have another 6 months until it’s marketable. (consults notes) So you seem to prefer fantasy for novels, but swing between science fiction and fantasy for short stories. Any thoughts on why?

 Muse: That’s your fault. I just spark the idea, you develop it. See, fairy tales are told from a very young age, it’s the first and easiest place your mind slips to when I offer tidbits. You didn’t start on science fiction until high school. The love is there, but it’s different. Like how it must be to have two children and love them both equally but love them in different ways.

 DMB: You watch me parent? I thought you hid while the kids are around?

 Muse: Just because you don’t notice me doesn’t mean I’m not there. Here’s another thing. You’ve read more fantasy than science fiction. If you want to continue working together, I’ll need you to rectify that.

 DMB: I know, I still have so much reading to do. But I don’t like choosing between reading and spending time with you.

 Muse: And yet here you are. Here’s another idea. (whispers). Don’t share this one with your friends, it’ll win Writers of the Future next quarter.

 DMB: Next quarter? I need more time than that.

 Muse: Then what are you doing talking to me?

 DMB: How about one more question first. And that wasn’t the question. See, no question mark. (consults notes) Why can’t we verbalize like this all the time? It’s always images or dreams or even flashes of words in my mind that develops into the idea.

 Muse: Because then they’ll lock you up and what good are you in a strait jacket? You can’t type.

 DMB: So it’s all about you.

 Muse: You bet it is. Now finish this post, say goodbye to your friends and get back to work.

 DMB: Yes ma’am.

 There you have it. And, now you know who the boss of me is. (Sorry, hubs…)

 ~ Dawn

Today’s post was inspired by Forward Motion’s Merry-Go-Round August topic ‘Self Interviews’. If you want to get to know nearly twenty other writers and read about their ideas on Cross-Genre Fiction, then check out the Merry-Go-Round Blog Tour.   The next Merry Go Round writer is Bonnie. She’ll be posting her take on this same topic on the 5^th for your reading pleasure.

 October Results

• Short Story Writing: 1 in progress
• Short Story Revisions:  2
• Critiques: 6
• Reading: 4 (two WOTF anthologies, and two books on running)
• Rejections: 4
• New Submissions: 1 / Resubmissions: 4

November Goals

• Novel Writing: 1 scene daily
• Short Story Writing: 2
• Short Story Revisions:  2
• Crits: 8
• Read: 2

I’m getting back into the novel. There is about 40 – 50k left to write. I figure it’ll take me about 8 weeks, which is good, since my goal is to get it done before the end of the year. I’m serious about balancing novel work and short story work, so I’m really going to try this again. The short story revisions are later drafts, so they shouldn’t take up too much time, and I think I’m going to work on some flash fiction for my short stories. I haven’t written a decent one recently, and I need to sharpen those skills. The reading should be fairly easy – I’m going to start getting the CDs from the library again. I moved away from that during the nice weather since audio books are difficult to listen to with the windows rolled down. With winter coming, it’ll be easier to commit. 

Crazy nonwritng stuff: my first 5k is this Saturday. I’m closing up a major project at work in the next two weeks and organizing my group’s move to another building. In fact, one needs to be done so the other makes sense. My brother’s coming to town for a few weeks, so I need to be able to get my writing done in less time so I can hang out with him. Thanksgiving is my son’s 3^rd birthday. We’re also working on his potty training and tweaking a fix to one of his health issues. I promised my husband homemade apple pie. I’m having virus and other issues on my computer. Is that enough?

 Let’s go November! Whoohoo!

 Happy Reading and Writing!

~ Dawn

I’m revising my SF that’s scheduled to eventually go to WOTF. I had my good friend critique it for me, brainstormed with someone else, and now I’ve got a plan in place to fix it. I’m adding science, changing scenes, but keeping its heart. I’m just growing the world a bit.

I’ve also been brainstorming on my entries for the Parsec Short Story Contest. I have two stories that’ll suit it, both being the right length, but both are out to other contests at the moment. If they don’t win, they’ll go in for Parsec. I wrote two stories to the theme, but neither worked out well for the theme, though the stories came out quite satisfactory. I’m trying to write one more, and I’ve been working on the concept for a few weeks, as I’d really like the theme to work. I plotted it out this morning, even came up with some science to make it more realistic. It’s been fun! I’ll start writing it tomorrow.

The other black hole in my time is short story reading and critiquing. I’ve been devouring the WOTF anthologies, and I’ve been critting 2 – 3 stories a week on OWW. I’m about 16 crits away from receiving my first Bee. (It’s a little icon that indicates I’ve given 50 crits in the workshop; 2nd Bee is 150, 3rd Bee is 350). It’d be neat to reach the third.While it’s fun to work toward that, it isn’t the source of my motivation. I feel like my muse is hungry.

Hungry.  Like she’s trying to absorb something new, or puzzle out something we haven’t developed fully. It’s been a long time since I’ve had any serious revelations. I’m not exactly expecting a revelation after this passes, it’s more like, something inside me is growing. (Which coming from a SF writer, shouldn’t be taken too literally). Still, it’s a good feeling. I haven’t had any publication success lately, though I’m cheering on all my friends who are, so it’s nice to feel like I am accomplishing something.

Here’s to growth!

Happy Writing,
Dawn

It isn’t that Nano isn’t a great idea. It’s just like any idea: it works for some people, it doesn’t work for others. I can blast out words like any other writer, just not so many days in a row. I’d burn out. I’ve written 3 other novels before this one in varying lengths of time, the shortest being 3 months. The most I wrote in a week was 20k. But that was the finale of the book and it was pure adrenaline (and lack of chldren in my life at the time) that got me through it. Sure it was fun. Yes, I got my novel done. But I’ve always been one to do things on my own schedule.

My poor neglected novel in progress is 50k into an 80k story. I can do 30k in a month, but not if I’m working on the short stories. My goal is to get to the novel first. 2k a day is reasonable for a week or two. I’ll finish it, then move on to my short stories.

My strategy for novel writing, when it was my sole writing project, is to write on it for 5 days a week. I had a minimum word count per day, then a “power” day on which I would go nuts and push hard with the writing, aiming for a content goal (i.e. 3 chapters) then take my break over the next two days and read (something other than what I’ve written). I’ll try that again, I think.

For those of you considering NaNoWriMo, good luck and have fun. Don’t compare your progress to other people and do watch for signs of burnout. Remember it’s ok to take a breather.

I’ve been writing for many years, revising for about half those. The critiques –and subsequent improvement in my own writing — didn’t happen soon enough.

I took part in several critique groups on my favorite website (www.fmwriters.com), and picked up bits and pieces from writers of various levels of ability. I put those tidbits to use and start revising smarter. In addition, I read some books and started reading about how to fix all those things my critiquers mentioned seemed off/excessive use of/not even use of. Yes, there’s a lot they said. I mentioned some of the same for other writers as well, but most of it was either really obvious to me, or a repeat of what I was doing wrong myself.

I also joined OWW (www.onlinewritingworkshop.com) where, since I was now paying for the service and privilege of critiquing, I took it much more seriously. I started critiquing stories that were way above my level. I also had my writing
critiqued by people beyond my own ability. I learned more that first year than
I thought possible. I learned revising a story once wasn’t enough, and revising
it ten times was too much. Each revision had to count: no fly-by revisions
anymore.

Between the two sites, I’ve received 76 critiques on my work and given 122 critiques (including 2 novels) for other writers. I’ve learned to analyze a story for critical elements and how to see the shining light in poorly written story. I’ve seen in stories what I don’t want to repeat in mine, grammar issues as well as plotting/character issues. It wasn’t until I involved myself in the exchange of critiques that I gained the confidence to make my manuscripts bleed. I’m vicious on my own writing. I tear my stories apart, line by line.

It wasn’t until I revised like a maniac that I started submitting. As a result,
I’ve had one short story published, placed three times in the Writers of the
Future contest (once as a semi-finalist), and am currently short listed for
publication in one lovely zine (I’m still crossing my fingers on that one). The
point is: you need feedback.

All writers need feedback. Some find their first readers and harshest audience in
their spouse or best friend. Some find it in critique groups. The best thing
you can do, is find someone who a) will be brutally honest with you and that
you can take it from them, and b) knows what they are talking about.

I have writers I go to for full critiques. I have friends I go to for basic
reader reaction (I’ve referred to them as my First Readers). It’s amazing what
you think you know about your character or world, that these people will point
out. Whether it’s an area they have expertise in, or something they simply
couldn’t believe, it’s important.

My current revision method involves giving the first draft a decent revision then
I send it out to the first readers. One or two people usually get back within a
week or so and let me know what stood out. If I agree, I fix it, give it a
major polish, and submit it to one of my critique groups. After their feedback,
I revise what I agree with. If by chance it was a difficult revision or several
elements were rewritten, I’d send it back to someone for more feedback.
Otherwise, it’s a major polish and I submit the story.

I am grateful to anyone who has offered feedback, and here I offer you my
heartfelt thanks. I know some of you have felt bad reporting the issues, but
you shouldn’t. You’ve helped me grow as a writer. Even Stephen King and Dean
Koontz had their support. I need it, too. And if you’re a writer, so do you.

It’s why so many writers apply to workshops like Viable Paradise and Clarion and Odyssey and attend conventions. It’s why places like Muse Online exist (free!) and sites like FMWriters and Absolute Write are sponsored by appreciative writers.

If you’re a writer and don’t have a critique group or your 1^st Person,
I challenge you today to go find one. Learn, revise, and submit. And if you’re
not a writer but know one? Ask if they want feedback when they offer to share
their work with you. If they’re new to writing, a gentle hand may be in order,
but NEVER lie.

We need each other, for without the growth of writers, there wouldn’t be enough
stories to read.

Write happy, Read happy.

~ Dawn

Today’s post was inspired by Forward Motion’s Merry-Go-Round August topic ‘Revision’. If you want to get to know nearly twenty other writers and read about their ideas on Cross-Genre Fiction, then check out the Merry-Go-Round
Blog Tour.   The next Merry Go Round writer is Bonnie. She’ll be posting her take on this same topic on the 5^th for your reading pleasure.

September has been a busy month between work and home
life, but I produced. I have several items I’m currently in the middle, but are
promising. I’m looking forward to October, finishing the current projects and
moving onto new ones.  I made my WOTF submission early, so there wasn’t any end-of-the-month do-or-die chaos. The current story revision is requiring additional scenes, to the point it may not be a short story when I’m done. I’m riding the wave, anxiously looking for the beach I’ll land on, but enjoying the ride in the meantime. The story draft in progress is in the planning phase. It’s going to be a space opera with some rather interesting creatures in a heart wrenching situation. I’d started it for a themed contest, and though the theme appears in a clever manner, I need to cement it down better. These two projects are my main goals for October. I’m aiming for more than these, of course, but I’d really like to see these to completion. Here we go.

Results:

• Novel: on the back burner until November
• Short Story Drafts: 1 (+ 1 in progress)
• Short Story Revisions:4  (+ 1 in progress)
• Crits: 3 (+ 1 in progress)
• Reading: 1 (+ 2 in progress)
• Submissions: 1 for the 9/30 WOTF deadline (success!)
• Rejections: 8
• Submissions: 2 new +  8 resubs

Goals:

• Short Stories – write 2, revise 5 (1 submission)
• Crits – 8
• Read – 2
• Blogging

I just didn’t want to lose my writing time.

In order to give my workouts a serious consideration, I signed up for a 5k with a friend. Then I TOLD everyone I signed up. Now I have to run it. And now I have to train for it or I’m to look pretty flaky.

This past week, I worked out 6 of 7 days, lost 2 pounds and can fit back into the last pair of jeans I’d had to hide in my closet because I didn’t want to be caught dead in them.

Three days included running + weights. Other days included some variation of yoga, jumping rope, running stairs with laundry baskets (go ahead TRY to tell me that isn’t a workout).

I’m sleeping better, which means I’m not fighting my alarm in the morning. My mind is clearer and I’m writing better. I completed two short story projects this week. And that was with LESS writing time.

Losing writing time isn’t the issue. Using the time better is a direct result of taking better care of myself.

So how do you fit in your fitness time? Or don’t you? I’d like to hear.

~ Happy Writing

Dawn

My passion is my writing, and in that, I am seriously results-oriented. Tracking results creates an environment conducive to competition – and what a compelling motivation that is.  I’m just as competitive with myself as I am with other people, maybe not. Maybe it’s more. That’s why I record my goals every year and push the next year’s goals just a little further out than what I accomplished in the previous year. I strive to improve myself, and it’s a system that works for me in writing.

A light bulb or two flashed for me these past few days. If I approached everything in my life the way I approached my writing (and my parenting is the only thing that comes even close at the moment), then I could be more successful in the rest of my life.

For example, my work projects. The projects are getting done, but I’ve been accused of not keeping track of my work accomplishments. It’s true, I don’t. It’s done, and I move on. Why don’t I celebrate these accomplishments they way I do with my writing? I even have the proper format in our three times a year evaluation process. What the hell have I been thinking? I need to compete with myself at work! I’m making a chart of my accomplishments, keeping track of how long certain tasks and projects take, and looking for ways to cut my time on them, that is, do them faster without sacrificing the quality my work is known for.

Then there’s the fitness. I’ve been struggling to get in shape and lose some weight, and in my failure to do so, I’ve been gaining instead of losing. Depressed about it, I’ve been eating crap. It’s no wonder I’m sleeping worse than ever.  Yet my writing is in an amazing place. I need a results goal other than losing pounds. So my friend and I are signing up for a 5k in November. I don’t know that I can run the whole thing, but I’m sure as hell going to start my training program and give it my best shot. It’s 7 weeks away, and the training program I’m using is a 10 week program. Even if we (my running buddy and I) run half of it and walk the other half – it’s a start. And the next race, we can try running the entire thing. And the race after that, maybe we can try running it faster.

Will this work? It can’t be worse than what I’m doing now. I have to try it. (and in this, I feel very much like one of my characters, except that this had better work, and I’m heading for my happily ever after!)

I challenge you: look at your writing successes, or the success of whatever else your passion maybe be. Look at how you can apply it to the rest of your life. You don’t have to love the other things as much as your passion, but your passion can give you the tools to do those things better, and in doing them better, perhaps you’ll enjoy your time spent on these – or at least your successes.

For me, it’s competing with myself. I’m going to try and out-do myself this last quarter of the year in all aspects of my life. How about you?

So what’s the deal with cross-genre fiction? Isn’t enough that we have a dozen genres to write, read or watch on TV? Never. The moment we lose our desire to indulge in other people’s creations, or create our own, we lose what makes us human. So let’s indulge, shall we?

Have you ever read Robert Aspirin’s MythAdventures books? These books were one of the first fantasy books I ever read, and they were pretty damn funny then. Did I know they were cross-genre fictin? Nope, and didn’t care either.

My husband introduced me to Firefly, a science fiction western that only made it through the first season. Despite that, there seems to be a fairly large following for the show. And why not? The characters were fascinating, and the storyline engaging. My theory is that the timing was off on this one. At least the movie wrapped up the loose ends.

Wen Spencer’s Tinker and Wolf Who Rules has also been claimed as cross-genre (fantasy and romance), which is unquestionable. I can’t even describe the books without ruining it for you, save that anything can happen when a writer puts the worldbuilding and character creation together just right.

I’ve even written a few cross-genre pieces.  For I Have Sinned is a futuristic mystery that takes place on a space ship after Earth dies, and The Lonely Orchard  is a blend of fantasy and romance. Both are under revision and due to the tangled nature of genre will probably be rewritten into novellas.

What cross-genre comes down to is the combination of at two genres while following the expectations of those genres. Think about the fiction you’ve read or watched lately. Anything cross into other genres? Anything you wished crossed into other genres? If the answer to that last one is yes, then go write it your way. After all, that’s what fiction is all about.

Happy Writing

~ Dawn

 Today’s post was inspired by Forward Motion’s Merry-Go-Round August topic ‘Genre-Bending’. If you want to get to know nearly twenty other writers and read about their ideas on Cross-Genre Fiction, then check out the Merry-Go-Round Blog Tour.   The next Merry Go Round writer is Bonnie. She’ll be posting her take on this same topic on the 5^th for your reading pleasure.

I’ve noticed, however, that judge KD Wentworth likes my traditional fantasy much better than my contemporary fantasy. That doesn’t affect my choices for this quarter’s upcoming deadline – I’m choosing between two science fiction stories. Actually, they’ll both be going in–one for the 9/30 deadline, and the other the day after for the 1st quarter’s 12/31 deadline. It’ll be nice to get it in early, and leave my December free to focus on other projects. Like the Parsec contest . . .

A lot of writers I know from various online communities have also earned Honorable Mentions. (Congrats to you guys!!) It leaves me wondering who made the next level. Good luck to those of you still awaiting notification.

Keep writing!

~Dawn

August went pretty well. I sacrificed the novel for short story work, but that’s fine since I’m taking a week in September and devoting it entirely to the novel.  We’re doing a challenge on FMwriters called Labor of Love. It’s designed to push your wordcount for one week and write toward a goal of 10, 20, or 30k words. I’m aiming for 20, which would require me to write 2500 words daily. My outline is strong and I’m hitting the high tension zone, so I’m anticipating the words will come. I want to finish this novel!

 Aside from failing the novel this past month, I’m happy with my numbers, especially considering we took a few days for a family vacation and dealt with various minor-but-time-consuming medical issues. I made some aggressive goals for September, but I think I can do it. If nothing else, I have to try. 

 The crits, by the way, have to get done. I’ve received some very helpful critiques for my work on OWW, and these kind people are awaiting the return favor. So I’m going to try and hit those early on.

 August Results

• Novel:  1k written (some by hand)
• Short Story Drafts: 3 (1 was handwritten while on vacation)
• Short Story Revisions: 2 complete, 2 more in progress
• Crits: 4
• Reading: 1 (+ various short stories)
• Rejections:  4
• Submissions: 5 (resubs, including one that had been lost)

 September Goals

• Novel: 30k to completion; signed up for www.fmwriters.com Labor of Love challenge to max my wordage daily from 9/2 to 9/9. Should get 20k.
• Short Story Drafts: 2
• Short Story Revisions: 6 (2 in progress + 4 others)
• Crits: 8
• Reading: 2
• Submissions: 1 for the 9/30 WOTF deadline

Shadow of Blood – the novel – is continuing very slowly, but it’s still alive. I ended up writing a scene by hand which is good and bad at the same time. (Good because I showed that wave of inspiration who was boss, bad because now I have to decipher my handwriting).

Surrender – SF short story in revision. I need to add two more scenes, then apply edits. Just a few more days (I hope).

Come Back to Me – SF short story in trans-revision. I wrote the first draft by hand, and am currently transcribing it to the computer and revising as I go. I think it came out in great shape, but I have some items to fix and I’m not sure how. The story was inspired by David Cook’s Come Back To Me and the words are important to the story. I have to find a way to rephrase them and still fit the story. (But David sang them so perfectly…*sigh*)

Conduit – this one still wants to be written, I just haven’t given it the time of day (or night). I think I’m missing a critical element to the story, so I need to re-outline what exists and look for the missing puzzle piece.

Etherea In Her Veins – this is my WOTF semi finalist that I broke by revising too many times. I’ve had repeated feedback that this is a longer story that can fit into the confines of short-storyhood, and I’m trying to reoutline it into a novelette/novella.

Kishno’s Journey (working title) – my first published story “Treischan Strength” shows the will of an old treefolk to keep death at bay while he provides strength to his brothers and sisters. In the story, he sent his son Kishno on a mission to deliver their healthy people to a new  home. Instead, Kishno leads the people back to the tainted land, with help in tow. I never detailed what happened to him and the wandering treefolk, but I think it deserves some attention.

Writing Related Links:

• Do You Want to Be a Writer, or Do You Want to Write?
• Writing: Find The Time or Don’t
• World Science Fiction Convention: Chicon 2012 

Happy Writing,

~ Dawn

My novel-in-progress, Shadow of Blood, stemmed from a play on words. I’m a Stargate fan, and frequently in the show characters would refer to the Stargate as the “stone ring”. A play on words gave me “Circle of Stones”, which ignited an image of a young boy in a fantasy world standing on the outside of a circle of stones on the ground, and when he stepped into it, he travelled someplace. It was magic, I knew instantly, not technology, and the travel was forged with all four elements and blood. The story has morphed of course, the boy is now a two hundred year old slave in a desert city. The magic remains, and the circle of stones has evolved into a handful of marble sized stones that one tosses like dice to create the travel ring.

The short story I just finished, Ghost Story, started as a story telling session with my five year old daughter. Once a week, we have story time where instead of reading, we make up our own stories. This one I told her was about a girl who went to a haunted house and found a magic mirror who brought her things, but that weren’t quite right. The cake was stale. The ball wouldn’t bounce.  The flowers had green petals and blue leaves. (I suppose I could just write that story too?) I wanted to make the mirror scary, a device of horror. I ended up with a completely different story – a post apocalyptic ghost whisperer who with the help of a ghost has to confront a demon.  

Phrases catch my attention as well. I saw something at the museum one time, which sparked the title for my next novel, Blood of the Dragon Tree. Someone’s account name on my favorite writing community sparked the title for Rise of the Tiger Princess. That one took about six months to figure out. I wrote “Tiger Princess” on a post it note and left it on my monitor at the day job. Eventually, something triggered the story and I wrote it.

I have a pretty open imagination. I’ve never lacked for an idea to write, which is wonderful. If I don’t have time to start a new project based on an idea (I like to finish things, no matter how long they take), I’ll write it down, including a sketch if I have a visual on it, and put it in my “writing ideas” folder.

Happy Writing,

Dawn

  Today’s post was inspired by Forward Motion’s Merry-Go-Round August topic ‘Where I Got My Latest Idea’. If you want to get to know nearly twenty other writers and find out where their ideas come from, check out the Merry-Go-Round Blog Tour.   The next Merry Go Round writer is Bonnie. She’ll be posting her take on this same topic on the 5^th for your reading pleasure.

July was a better month than I’ve had a in while. We were busy, but most of it was happy-busy as opposed to stressful-busy. I’ve got the novel moving again, not just a random scene either. I wish I could have done more with the short stories, but that’s not regret or me bashing myself: I made choices. I really do wish I had more time than I do, but I’m working the home-work-life-writing balance. One of those choices I made was not to partake in all the Clarion challenges. I had projects in progress that were moving along and I didn’t want to break my momentum.

Details:

• Novel: up and running. Probably about 7k put in.
• Short Story Drafts: 1
• Short Story Revisions: 2
• Short Story Submissions: 1 new, + 7 resubmissions
• Rejections: 7
• Crits: 1
• Read: 5
• Clarion Write A Thon: flopped

August Goals

• Novel: continue with minimum goal of 400 words, 5x weekly
• Short Story Writing: 1 new draft
• Short Story Revising: 2 revisions (possibly 1 to submission ready)
• Crits: 21+ (OWW Marathon)
• Blogging: 4 (would like to start a cooking post once a month)
• Reading: 4 (2 audio, 2 paperbacks)

 The novel is progressing nicely. I’m trying to write on it every day (with weekends being the exception for writing in general). I might be able to finish it this month, which I’d be seriously pleased about. As for the short story writing, I’ve got Conduit (working title) half written, and I’d like to bring it to completion if I can. For the revisions, I’ve got one in the works (leaving it untitled publicly, since ideally the submission would be for Writers of the Future, as the deadline is 9/30 for this next quarter), as well as The Lonely Orchard, which is the story I had a revelation on the other morning. I had received a critique on it last year from a writer/editor and simply didn’t know what to do with. I needed time to sort it out. Sorting done. Onto the revisions.

My current novel in progress, Shadow of Blood, is going well. I’m writing daily on it now. Some days I just manage about 250 – 300 words, other days I break 1k. I wish I could say it was me, but really, I’m in the forward momentum phase of the book and all kinds of proverbial sh** is hitting the fan. It’s wonderfully fun to write. I even came to a part that really screws my MC over and I’m drooling over it, waiting for him to tell me how he’s going to get out of it. I haven’t written that part yet, so the writing hasn’t stopped.

I’ve got five short stories on the brain. The first is a ghost story I’m writing, just started it last week on inspiration, based on a story I made up with my daughter. I need to work out the part before the ending, to give the ending some oomph. I’m also still working on Conduit, a story I started in May. I’m trying to figure out the details of the story, which is why I haven’t pressed it harder. Some stories need more time to figure out.

My other three stories are revisions. One is a flash fiction I think is just about ready to go into submissions. I’m letting it sit for a few days before I reread and submit it. The other story is one I’d written back in December but just couldn’t get myself to revise for an anthology deadline. The ending rocks, the middle rocks. I just need to work out an appropirate beginning that ties in the ending without making the beginning seem like backstory… and the final revision is a quick check of a flash I’ve been submitting. Something about it bothering me, and I think I finally realized the ending has fallen flat.

Yes, I’m busy. And I’ve mostly given up my workouts for writing time. That I need to figure out too, but when the writing is coming easily, I don’t want to turn it off.

And a funny note. I’m a creature of habit, which I’m sure shocks you speechless. Well, there’s one particular table I prefer at my library. No, I don’t get bent out of shape if it isn’t available, I just like this spot. The air flow is nice, foot traffic isn’t distracting, and neither is the computer traffic. There’s a view of the grassy couryard which also lets in the sunshine. I dropped my pen today and as I was bending down to pick it up, I noticed the contents of the reference shelf behind me…..

I truly hate starting a book and having to put it down. I’ve learned to read fast, get the action moving, get through it, and see how my hero saved the day. I think I miss detail that way, and it might explain why I’m told my writing has plot down well enough but I’m lacking in detail. I’m rushing past it even in my reading. It stems from being an escapist reader. I read and I’m in my own world regardless of where I am physically: airport, train, bed, pool. I think this ability has also helped me in my writing and why I can dive in the way I do.

However. I’m going to try and slow down. And if I can’t, then I’ll browse back through the book once I’m done.  In the meantime…

Alibi Man by Tami Hoag – I enjoyed this as an audio book on the work commute. Elena Estes was a remarkable main character with flaws that make you want to smack her and hug her at the same time. Her journey forces her to relive the worst of her past in horrifying ways. The murder she has to solve and the manner in which she must do so made me want to scream at her, but she plodded on, problem after problem. Very enjoyable, and I’m definitely going to pick up another Hoag novel.

Iron Kissed by Patricia Briggs – The last I read of Ms. Briggs was early last year, and the novel was Moon Called. It reminded me how much I enjoy werewolf stories with the wolves being the good guys. Iron Kissed didn’t disappoint with another element to the magic of the Tri Cities and the mystery of a Walker, and beloved Mercedes Thompson gets herself into heaps of trouble all over again as she tries to save a friend from a murder rap.

Blood Bound by Patricia Briggs – Engaging read as Mercy faces a bigger monster than before, and is forced to work on her own to protect her loved ones. She’s pushed to do things a normal person would rather die than do, and she changes because of these events. The world changes around her, including her friends and loved ones. It ended the way I’d hoped, but not exactly predicted. The love story rears its head big time in this one, integrating into the action, rather than being a subplot.

Bone Crossed by Patricia Briggs – I prefer to read a series one book after the next so I don’t miss the foreshadowing from one story to the next. My latest read puts Mercy into her most precarious predicament yet. The plotting in this one is singing to me. I’d love to know how Ms. Briggs put this one together, if she knew the ending while she wrote out the story, or if she figured it out once she’d gotten it all down. Did she add the twist? Did it throw itself in? Definitely her best work yet, and if I weren’t so eager for the next one, I’d reread this one now. (Actually, I’ll wait until I’m done the series, then I can go back and go over the whole thing).

Next up: more Briggs if the library has the books. Happy Reading to you, and please do share if you’ve read any other werewolf stories. I feel one of my own coming on.

 ”Books On My Nightstand”

At first thought, this topic seems to call for a “what are you reading now?” segment, but in all honestly, what’s on my nightstand calls more to my frame of mind than my reading queue. It’s what I keep close to me, within arm’s reach. There are other places I keep books within arm’s reach: in the car, at my desk. But the nightstand is more representative of what I want to read and what I want to focus on in my writing. It’s more personal than the audio book in the car, than the anthologies on my desk down in the office. The nightstand exists in a room I don’t entertain in, a place that is visible only to me and those closest to me, and here are the books that are most precious to me. The ones that don’t leave the house. The ones that are within reach as I retire for the evening.

Surely you’re expecting novels. I won’t disappoint. I have two I’m currently reading, yes two, because reading multiple novels is a good way to sharpen the memory (and goodness knows I need that kind of help!) I used to leave one in the living room and one in the bedroom, but the two-year-old changed that habit for me. The novels are different authors, different genres. The characters are as different as night and day. George R.R. Martin’s A Clash of Kings which is slower, more intense reading, and Patricia Briggs’ Iron Kissed, which is quicker and easier to pick up in a flash.  I try to alternate which book I pick up, but really it goes by what mood strikes me (or the due date at the library).

When I learned how to write short stories, I learned how different each and every story is, and that to improve mine, I needed to read others. Now I just love them. I try to analyze what I’ve read, to see if there’s an element lacking from my own stories, so I tend to read them slowly, just one story a night and try to let it seep into my brain. I’m reading editors I want acceptances from and anthologies I’d love to be published in. The stack at the moment: JJ Adam’s Way of the Wizard, Warrior Wisewoman 3, Triangulation End of the Rainbow, and Destination Future.

My approach has some merit. I read a story in Destination Future written by K.D. Wentworth while I was working on a short story that just refused to come together. Serious refusal – it had been five years since I had come up with the idea. After reading KD’s story, I decided mine needed to be edgier, and I finally got it written. And when I say it worked? The proof was when I submitted it to the contest KD judges and was awarded an semi finalist standing.

The other books on my nightstand are a few how-to books that have been well read. I’ve owned them all since 1996 or so, and read them several times a year in sections. Writer’s Digest Handbook of Short Story Writing (I and II), and Damon Knight’s Creating Short Fiction. My favorite time to pick these up is when I’m revising a story that’s never been revised before. It can refocus my attention on a particular area in which the story is weak.

So yes, my nightstand reflects what my writing goals are, and the level of writing I want to achieve. If you’re a writer, does that stand for you, as well? If you’re a reader, what analysis can go into what you’re reading?

Today’s post was inspired by the topic What Books Are on Your Nightstand? the opening question in the inaugural cycle of the Merry-Go-Round Blog Tour. If you want to get to know nearly twenty other writers and find out what’s on their nightstand, check out the Merry-Go-Round Blog Tour.   The next Merry Go Round writer is Bonnie. She’ll be posting her take on this same topic on the 5^th for your reading pleasure.

Here’s the assignment, and it did help me sort through something I was dealing with on my MC.

1. Who is the character whose actions and decisions most drive your novel?  Kelyn
2. Describe your hero in five words or less.  Faith in self, protective, cunning.
3. What has to happen for your audience to know that the novel is over?  (We will call this the goal.) Kelyn needs to free not only himself, but his people.
4. Describe this goal in ten words or less. Kelyn must remove his people’s fear of their masters.
5. What is the one most profound or pervasive reason that your hero cannot accomplish the goal right away? (We will call this the primary obstacle.) Slavery is enforced through magic, their past is kept from them.
6. Describe the primary obstacle in ten words or less. Magic, which is unlawful, guards them closely.
7. What person most clearly drives, creates, or causes the primary obstacle? (We will call this person the antagonist.)  Torace the Whip, the Master Discipliner
8. Describe your antagonist in five words or less. Hostile, controlling, well-versed in magic
9. Look at the answer to question 2, and find three other sf&f novels whose hero could also be described in these exact or very similar words.* Stardoc (series), Game of Thrones, Moon Called, Golden Compass
10. Look at the answer to question 4, and find three other sf&f novels whose conflict could be described thus. (Kelyn must remove his people’s fear of their masters.) Stargate SG1 novels, Two Towers
11. Look at the answer to question 6, and find three other sf&f novels with the same basic primary obstacle. (Magic, which is unlawful, guards them closely.) Valdemar series, Deverry series, Jane Lindskold’s wolf books, Diplomacy of Wolves (Lisle), Golden Compass, Stargate
12. Look at the answer to question 8, and find three other sf&f novels whose antagonist meets this description. (Hostile, controlling, well-versed in magic) Shanara series, E. Haydon’s Symphony books, Great Book of Amber, Star Wars, Secret Texts (Holly Lisle)

13. Which novels appear more than once in your answers to questions 9-12?  List them here by name. Holly Lisle’s Secret Texts, Stargate SG1
14. List the ways in which your novel stands in stark contrast to each of the novels listed in question 13.

            Stargate: my novel is different in that the man who seeks to free the slaves is a slaved himself where the Stargate characters are from a world which had once been enslaved; their travels bring them to enslaved societies whom they wish to free from the tyranny of the Gou’uld.

            The Secret Texts series begins with a character who is well situated and runs into trouble by being who she is, unable to hide her magic. Kelyn is a slave who fights to break out of his confinement, but the part of him that is magic holds him back rather than forces him out. His enemy is one he knows, rather than Secret Text’s character is trying to discover.

Bottom line: I think I still need to read more, especially current material.

My life is officially chaotic. It shouldn’t be an excuse for not writing, but here I am. Personal life had some fun but busying things: my daughter turned 5, we threw her a party, family came in from out of town, I took my fitness much more seriously (and lost 2 lbs), I’m under the guidance of a mentor at work, we’ve had my son evaluated by several therapists in an attempt to get his speech on track, met multiple times with our case manager, made a plan for his therapy, and I’m still trying to write those thank you notes from the birthday party.  I didn’t accomplish as much as I’d hoped for my writing. I stopped waking early for my AM writing session. I started using lunches for working out. Afternoon writing sessions were lost to the Mom in me, wanting to pick up the kids at 4:30 instead of 6pm. I chose to focus on my family this month. It makes the writer in me antsy, but she’s greedy and will just have to wait for July.

June Results

• Novel Writing – two scenes (plus I reread the parts already written and updated my outline);
• Clarion Challenge #1 (based on my novel in progress)
• Crits - 3 (picking up the pace at OWW)
• Reading – 3 (audio books; also have 2 paperbacks in progress)
• Blogging – more regularly, with more writerly content
• Rejections – 4; Submissions 5

 July Goals:

• Resume daily writing!
• Novel: writing (10k) SoB – 500w daily
• Short Story Drafts x1 (Conduit)
• Short Story Revision x2 (Etherea/Surrender)
• Clarion challenges x4
• Read x2
• Crits x8
• New Submissions 1 (7/31 Warrior Wisewoman deadline)

Vacation 7/11-7/14 celebrating my 10^th wedding anniversary.

Also: VP declined my application, but a fellow FMer is on the waitlist. I’m crossing my fingers for her, and making my plan for next year’s application.

I need to be both Mom and Writer this month. Some of the issues we’re dealing with should settle down, the exercise is helping me sleep better, and I should be able to start using mornings again for writing. It’s summer, so I’ll probably still pick the kids up early a few days a week, but I’m going to try and squeeze mini sessions in before I get them. Twenty minutes is better than none. On with July.

The first challenge was the last thing I expected: a look into my novel. The initial questions were easily answered, as I’m halfway through the novel and understand my problem and characters. The last set of questions hit me where it hurts. Reading. The questions center on finding other novels in science fiction and fantasy that hit on the same issues and types of characters.

It would seem my reading is somewhat lacking. So I turn to you, my friends and readers, to see if you can give me any reading suggestions.

My novel, Shadow of Blood, is about a slave trying to free his people from one hundred plus years of slavery. These people are magical, yet do not know it. Their captors have kept this and their past from them. Magic is unlawful, yet there are a few in power who are aware of those cursed with magic and do their best to keep them quiet and well behaved, going so far as to kill the ones who (even unintentionally) become dangerous.

Have you read anything with the concept of magic being unlawful? Or a people who were wrongly enslaved? An antagonist more powerful than even the people he works for, secreting his magic until the time is right…

Any help would be appreciated. In the meantime, I have plans to hit the library tomorrow to search there.

Happy Writings!

That Voice.

You know the one. It whispers to you in the morning when you’re trying to wake up before the day starts to sneak in some writing time, telling you how tired you are, that you should just sleep in. It hits you in the evening when you want to write after dinner, once the kids are settled, telling you the words will be so awful and you’ll only get a hundred anyway. It nags at you when you’re reading a novel and compares your bumbling prose to that of the bestselling author who penned that novel. I know it too, and these were my demons.

It took me a long time to be able to work on a novel first draft and reading at the same time. It used to be that while I had a first draft in progress, I couldn’t read. It wasn’t the realization of how much reading time I had lost because of it, it was the realization that I can’t afford to do one or the other. I need both.

When I was twenty and started seriously writing, I had no idea how long it would take to develop my skills. It’s been a long time — a wonderful time — but I’m a few years shy of the age I thought I’d have a solid writing career. This could have crushed me. Instead, I realized I still have time, I still love my writing and I’m much better at it than I was at twenty, but there’s something else. Publication is my goal, but it’s not my purpose to writing.

If I never published again, I’d still write.  

Of course I’d love to be published. Short stories, novels, anything. It’s part of being a writer – creating a thing and needing to share it. And while certain doubts drive us toward improving ourselves, it should never stop us from pursuing what’s in our hearts.

I challenge you to take your doubts and stick them under a cold hard rock. Write without that stupid voice sabotaging your dreams. Write with freedom and write with joy.

And best of all, I remembered the fun I have figuring out these puzzles. I also recall the obsession. I could use tonight’s crit session to write another scene. Or, I could stick to the plan and do the crit. Decisions decisions!

I’ve decided it’s okay to WANT to do it all. I just need to rein that in. Choose a primary and a secondary goal, and forge ahead.

This week, in testing out my new strategy: I’m going to make the novel my primary focus, and I’ve selected a short story (flash) to revise for my secondary goal. I’ve used this in planning my fitness for the week as well. The cardio is my primary focus – getting up at 5 to either bike or ride (depending on the weather, but the intention is to alternate the activity from day to day), and the secondary will be a brief dumb bell workout in the evening.

This brings me back to my focus word for the year: INTENSITY. I’ve intensely pushed for my writing, but struggled with too many choices, too many obstacles, too many other priorities.  Well, it’s June. This is my half-year check, and the intensity has not obeyed my utmost intentions. This primary/secondary idea should fix that. A person cannot be intense about something if they’re dividing up their time and energy into too many projects.

This is me, reinventing myself. Nice to meet you.

I’m glad to be back into this project. I’ve missed novel writing. I’m really trying to develop a system to get multiple projects moving simultaneously. It’s always been a weakness of mine to hyperfocus on one project and stay on it until it’s done. Of course it’s good the project gets done, but if I ever get a chance to do this for a living, I’ll need to be able to balance multiple projects. I might have multiple contracts, or have my “work” writing and my “fun” writing.

Multitasking is good. I’ll get better at it.

In the meantime, I’m reading the novel so I don’t have to remember that the VP deadline passed a few days ago, and keep myself out of my mailbox and into my writing. I’ll find out eventually if I’ve been selected or not. At this point, my attention to it really doesn’t matter. (Or so I keep telling myself!)

Happy Writing!

The Taking by Dean Koontz - I let this one sit on my shelf a long time because the first few pages were frightening. Picking it up again, my instincts proved correct. The main character Molly battles impossible scenarios as it seems the world is coming to an end. She’s a wonderfully resourceful character, pure and sweet in contrast to the evil Kooontz has thrown at her. I enjoyed this one, though I should warn you, I couldn’t read it when I was home alone.

The Moonpool by P.T. Duetermann - a suspence novel with the main character being a retired cop (I like those) with a flair for getting into trouble. He found himself quite the scenario in this novel, which I listened to in the car, and displayed a remarkable sense of self preservation in extracting himself and his german shepards from all that trouble. An excellent read, with suspence in all the right places. Duetermann has many other novels, which I for sure will be checking out.

Deeper Than The Dead by Tami Hoag - another author I hadn’t read before and thoroughly enjoyed. There’s a murder loose and who else gets into trouble but the local 5th grade school teacher with a heart of gold. She’s dead center in this, counseling her students and an FBI agent (the other POV character) in a suspence that tangoes with romance. The FBI agent has a remarkable history, one that makes his present case something to fear. Wonderful characters, especially the teacher’s best friend, and the student that were sucked into this atrocity. There are serious flaws in every character in this novel and they tie each character into another in horrifying ways.

The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks - tissues needed for this one. Mr. Sparks has done it again, pitting one sympathetic character after another after another. I liked how he took what felt like a sterotypical teenager and her dad and gave his readers another level of attachment to them. There are gravely sad parts to this story, but the magic of connection between one character and another made the cost of those tissues negligible.

A Walk To Remember by Nicholas Sparks – I hadn’t even heard of this one and was uncomfortable with the voice reading this audio book, but I stuck with it. It didn’t take long to ease into the character and the girl he spent time with, another pair of teenagers, and I found myself relating to kids I didn’t think I could relate to. Sparks hits his readers hard with reality, and throws us into troubles where the only comfort found is through God. He reminded me how precious and unpredictable life is, and as much as we try to control it, we just need to hang on and enjoy the ride, no matter how long or short it is.

The Koontz novel was the only paperback, the rest were audio books. I’m glad for the audio books and the chance to branch into other genres than science fiction and fantasy (at least for a little while!). Hope you’re enjoying a good book, too.

I’d only “read” an audiobook a few years back, when I had some eye surgery and couldn’t see well enough to read. The book was Envy, and I thoroughly enjoyed it, so when this suggestion was thrown at me, I jumped right in.

Thank goodness for my local library which has quite the selection of audio books. Of the 15 novels I’ve read since January, 9 of them were audio books. I’ve discovered a few quirks, too. I can get used to almost any reading voice, but I can’t seem to listen to fantasy and science fiction. I need to read those myself. It seems not knowing how the made up works are spelled really bother me and distract me from the story. My audio books tend toward romance, suspence, and mainstream.  So it’s been a great way to expand my reading horizons as well.

As a writer, I need to read. It not only inspires me, but reminds me of the little details I enjoy reading that maybe I didn’t think to include in one of my own stories.

The CDs have been bulky in the car, and having to wait for a red light to change discs is sometimes frustrating. (When you WANT the red light, that’s the day the work drive ends in record time due to, you guessed it, the lack of red lights). The next step is downloading audio books to my mp3 player. I have a zune, which won’t play in my car without a special connector which doesn’t work right. When it dies, I might opt for an Ipod instead, since my car actually has a direct connecton for an Ipod.

I’m not sure I’m ready for an e-reader. I played with one while I was at B&N a few weeks back, but I like the feel of paper beneath my fingers. I don’t want to have to stop and worry about charging the thing. (My life has turned into a charging parade: laptop, mp3 player, cell phone, house cell phone, camera, etc).  I’ll make the jump at some point, I imagine, but I’m not there yet.

How about you? How do you do most of your reading? Are you loving e-readers, or shying away still? Am I just being stubborn, or do you get it?

Way too much happened in May, but I did manage to write 3 completed stories, with a fourth close to being finished.  I still want to write more than I have time, but I’m again trying to streamline my schedule. I’ve hit something, a need, no a realization? I need to get this novel done and I’m done whining about how it isn’t getting done. It starts now. Tonight actually. I’ve created a schedule to fit the writing in, hopefully in addition to some short story revisions. It’ll take about 10 weeks to finish the first draft, averaging about 4k a week. I’m sure I’ll get more done once I get the ball rolling and might even get done a little earlier, but I’m not married to it.  (See, there I am doing it again, trying to accomplish more…)

May Results

• 3 short stories written
• 4 rejections / 4 resubmissions
• 2 books read (audio) plus some short stories

June Goals

• Novel Writing: Shadow of Blood (about 1k a day x 5 days a week; averages 2 chapters weekly)
• short story writing: conduit (in progress; only need about 2 – 3 more hours on it)
• short story revisions (Etherea In Her Veins, and resubmit it) plus 3 flash fiction and one picture book
• crits x4 (Sundays)

I’ve also signed up for the Clarion Write A Thon (and unfortunately am still unsponsored; might have to sponsor myself at this rate). I’m curious to see what they’re going to post to inspire the participants and am hoping to learn something new in the process. It starts on June 26^th, and originally I was going to write a story a week to keep up with it. I’m not sure anymore that’s what I’m doing. I might be better off doing a revision challenge. I have a few stories that are close to submission ready and this might give me the push. I’m a slow reviser, thorough and analytical, so I usually don’t like to rush my revisions. I’m getting better at it, and my latest stories are better quality, so maybe they won’t require as many revisions before they reach submission quality. There’s only one way to tell, isn’t there. Okay June: let’s go!

But having just finished reading a thriller and picking up another one, I suddenly am questioning why I’m writing in the genres of fantasy and science fiction. I love them, I do, and it’s not that I don’t want to write them, but I should be working on the thriller ideas I’ve jotted down on paper and stashed away.

I’ve immersed myself in fantasy and science fiction short stories. Writing them, revising them, revising them again. It IS good, but that’s ALL I’ve been doing. I feel the sudden need to expand my writing horizons. Working on children’s stories is a good start and I enjoy working on those. Why aren’t I working on the thrillers?

Could I be afraid?

My last several attempts to work on the current novel in progress have failed. I need to just write it and be done with it. Throw it in the closet for a year and ignore its existance. It needs to be c0mpleted first. And working on all these short stories is distracting me. I suddenly feel like short story writing and revising (which has been my practice ground) is more like my playground. My natural tendency in writing has always been novels. Novel length complications and plots, novel length problems that can’t be dealt with sufficienctly in a short story.

I should be writing more novels.

But I love my short stories.

Can’t I do both? Maybe. But the novel in progress needs my full attention because of the issues I’ve had in dealing with it. So, new plan, sort of.

June: finish the damn novel.

June/July/August – use the Clarion Write A Thon to revise the 4 – 6 short stories at the top of my list.

August – December: One short story revision per month + novel work. (August to plan/outline the next novel, September – December to write it).

It’ll screw with my write1sub1 a  bit, quite a  bit actually, but am I really going to make a career selling short stories that really want to be novels?

I’m calling this Plan B for the moment. Maybe tomorrow I’ll feel more focused and go back to plan A.  This planning thing I do, it kills me sometimes. Why can’t I just take it week to week and not fret about what to write next?

Because I’ll never get anywhere.

I’ve written two stories for May SAD. I’ve got two more on the verge of completion. Four would be a nice total for the month. I could be happy with that, especially considering the insane month I just went through.

And now that I’ve tied my muse up in arguing with me, it’s time to work on the family finances for the month. Nothing like money to take the mind off writing.

So how’s your night going?

I fully admit short stories are both my practice ground and my luxury. I’ve gotten so much practice revising, learning my weak spots (and trying to avoid them), and testing out new characters and worlds. The luxury is that short stories do not build a career which will allow me to quit my day job and send my kids to college. But I love it, and that’s why I do it. It’s for me, and I can’t wait for the right opportunity to share my writing with you one day.

I’ve been feeling a little down lately about the writing time issue. I keep waiting for work to slow down, or to sleep better. No luck there yet, but it’s coming. In the meantime, I happened upon this lovely link which quieted those feelings. It’ll come in time, I just have to not give up, right?

http://writerunboxed.com/2011/05/25/so-you-want-to-be-a-professional-writer/

I refuse to move onto the next story until this one’s done. I don’t want to lose what I’ve discovered. I’ve also learned that my freewriting in trying to learn about Madison (the main character) is helpful during the freewriting, but the handwriting is so bad I can’t salvage what I don’t remember writing down. It’s an interesting exercise. But the story is more involved that what I originally intended.  It’s not just finding an alien’s kidnapped symbiont, it’s helping the alien she believes murdered her father, it’s learning that the truth is often hidden until one has the right perspective, and it’s about a woman accepting that her father wasn’t just disappointed by her – he never loved her.

And it’s almost down in crappy first draft form. uplifting, right?