D. M. BONANNO

June Results

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.

I’m trying to learn from anywhere I can as I continue my writing journey, which is why I signed up for Clarion’s Write A Thon. I haven’t attended the workshop, though I plan to apply within the next few years. In the meantime, they’re offering free help online via the Write A Thon to raise money supporting the workshop.

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!

I read a post today by another aspiring writer who was having doubts about the reality of being able to make it, discouraged not by his own skill or issues, but the vastness of a bookstore. My heart went out to him for the single reason that I love bookstores and they inspire me to work harder, yet this poor guy felt intimidated by my greatest inspiration. We’re all so different in how we work and plan and dream, except that we all have that voice.

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.

I know, I’m posting like crazy all of a sudden. I have things to share, and possibly, some people to read them.  Why wait to share good news? The novel is alive. I got a scene in over lunch. I had to delete its previous existance because it was so horribly wrong from where it needed to go. The scene was short. I’ll probably expand it in the rewrite, but not too much – there are tables turning. Chaos ensues as everyone who thinks they’re in charge gets shown they aren’t, and those that weren’t, well, the new changes aren’t as fun and pleasant as they thought they would be.

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!

This is a feeling that’s followed me my entire life. I remember in high school signing up for too many extra curriculr and cutting back, then doing the same thing, and then taking on college classes.  I do it in my adult life too, and it revolves around being a mom and a person with a full personal agenda. Lots of people do it, right?

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 refuse to give up on this novel, which is why I’m rereading what I’ve already written, and outlined the next few scenes in greater detail. I’m confused about what I’ve done with/to one of the bad guys, and I’m sorting that out at the moment. I’m not going to spend any more time than rereading requires though; I have a feeling I’ll be paring down the number of characters in the rewrite. 

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!

I used to share what I read, and what I thought of it, something short of a book review. I’ll probably eventually move on to that form, but in the meantime, here’s what I’ve been up to.

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.

Reading has taken on many forms lately. I used to read novels as my primary soure of fiction, but that’s changed. I came to realize that my life is too busy for me to sit down and read, unless I ignore my writing or the housework or worse, the kids. I drive to work 4- 5 days a week, which eliminated that as a reading option. Until someone suggested I try audio books.

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?

May Results

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!

Why do we choose the paths we take? I plan so much of my life, I border on OCD, but when it comes to writing, story ideas, it slips away from that. Not entirely, as I plan and outline seriously before a story is drafted, but in the sense that even I know better than to plan what I’m going to write. I would say this is healthy.

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 haven’t been able to put as much time as I’ve wanted to into my writing this year. That doesn’t mean I haven’t accomplished anything good – I have! I’ve written a decent amount of short stories, been revising and continually submitting, and I have not given up on the novel that refuses to be written. I won’t, either. It might be crap when I’m done, but I’ll finish it. As soon as I write a few more short stories, revise a few others, and submit them.

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’ve been working on “Conduit” for over a week now. It’s a tricky story, and not entirely clear to me, which is probably my issue in writing it. I’m also battling spoiling by my muse in which my last two stories came out as close to a perfect first draft as I can expect right now. So this one is just going to have to be a crappy first draft. Damn perfection!

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?

Today was a brainstorming day. I’ve had an idea for a while that I wanted to work on, but something seemed missing. I saw my husband’s grandfather the other day, and his interest in military/espionage thrillers every so slightly shifted the focus of my story — in a good direction.

As I played the with the idea driving into work this morning, I’d hoped I could write it before he passed away (stupid cancer), but no.

So, rather sadly, I continued work on the outline. I  believe in the story. I believe he would have enjoyed it. I’m writing it anyway. It’s just going to take a little longer.

I adored this man. He not only read my writing, but would refer back to a particular story he’d read years ago. He had a good heart and lived a wonderful life, until cancer stole it from him. If this story makes publication, the dedication goes to him.

My second story was more difficult. It tried to turn into a blend of “Dexter” and “Inception”, both of which are interesting works of fiction, but not MINE. I broke it back down to basics, refocused on the heart of the story. Then I realized there was no way for a happy ending, not one that would satisfy. This is a dark character, doing something wrong. I suppose I could have made it a redemption story, but I think that’s more of a novel length piece.

“One Touch” is science fiction, and came in at 2500 words.

I thought this was going to be a SF flash, but it got complicated fast. It’s going to take me two days to complete (it’s a workday and the dayjob must get done). The story is outline, I’ve got character sketches, and I have scenes scribbled in my notebook that need to be transferred onto the screen and fit into the story chronology.

The character is slightly off for me. I don’t exactly identify with her, but she’s got serious problems. I think I need to give her some flaw that readers can identify with, since most of us aren’t deranged bounty hunters. Maybe I’ll figure it out tonight, and write it up tomorrow morning.

Tentative title is “One Touch”.

I pulled the prompt last night, started the idea and outline this morning. “Fallen Star” is a 1900 word fantasy story about what happens when a star falls from the heavens. It was fun yet sad to write, and I enjoyed the scramble in trying to tie my ideas down before losing them.

 I’m beginning to see that the work focus isn’t a temporary thing. It’s been like this since August and hasn’t let up in the least. It’s good for my career and good for my family in the long run, but I have to become even more disciplined in how I use my time (and what I use it for) if I want my writing to evolve.

 I didn’t get to the novel at all, which is disappointing. I didn’t crit at all either, though I did just yesterday select a few chapters to critique this coming week. And then there’s Alex’s novel, which I’ll be getting to as well.

 It’s also May, which means it’s time for the Story A Day challenge.  I’d love to try the insane level one time and actually write a story every day in May, but considering I have to prep for my daughter’s birthday party next month, hubby’s birthday, mother’s day, my birthday, my sister’s birthday, and I’m sure I’m forgetting something else right now, but you get the drift. May also means I start back on my 4am writing time frequently. I’ve discovered it works best May – October and I let it go during the winter. 

 I also bought a bike, which is going to make exercise that much more enjoyable for the next six months.

April Reults:

•  Short Stories Written: 2 flash
• Short Stories Revised: 1 short story
• Short Stories Submitted: 1 new and 4 resubmissions
• Rejections:  4
• Crits:  0
• Read: 2 audio novels, plus picking my way through some anthologies and a Scalzi novel

 May Goals

I’m going to be selfish this month.

• Short Stories: 15
• Revisions: 3 (three submission deadlines; 2 of 5/07 and 1 on 5/13)
• Novel: one hour daily, Monday through Friday. (AM session)
• Critiques: Novel Crit for Alex, plus chapter crits for OWW

 Maybe it’s insane, but I like insane, and spring–real spring–gives me my jive back. I’m aiming for the 15 short stories (one every two days) and I’ll probably end up with half that if I really want to realistic, but hell, I’ve got to try!

I was writing for years before I knew about Clarion. It’s an incredible opportunity for those who can write well enough, and those who can afford it. I’m already preparing my speech to my boss about why I’ll need (hopefully!) to take a six week vacation from work. Clarion is a boot camp of sorts for genre writers, and while it’s not the only way to succeed, it’s a hell of a way to start.

The list of past instructors is astounding. George R.R. Martin, Elizabeth Hand, Neil Gaiman, Holly Black, Gregory Frost. This year, the students will learn under John Scalzi, Elizabeth Bear, and many others.

I don’t have the time and money just yet to apply. And the skill? You know I’m working on that. I haven’t applied for the workshop yet. Maybe in 2012 or 2013. Soon. In the meantime, I’m writing and learning on my own as best I can.

In the meantime, we can support something special.

My goal for the marathon is to write one story per week, in imitation of the actual workshop. I understand that are going to be challenges associated with the Write-A-Thon. I’ll try to use those toward the short story writing. I’ll post my progress here.

And I’m giving up lunch three days one week to pledge a small amount to another writer. If you’re one of my writing buddies and you’re signing up too, let me know. The first one to post such will be the writer I sponsor.

Here’s the thing… I love reading. I love the fantasy movies that are becoming more common. These writers start as normal people. People like me who obsess over their imaginations. Even if I don’t get to go, then I get to help someone who can potentially be my next favorite author.

Happy Writing, Happy Reading. And if you’re going to sponsor me, thank you.

Pledges can be made here:  —-> Dawn Hebein <—-

~ Dawn

Have I ever mentioned that crazy works for me? Can’t believe I’ve neglected to tell you…

Since Write1Sub1 madness is working, I’m signing on for the six week Clarion Write-A-Thon. I’ll be participating in an “at home” challenge that works on the workshop’s schedule. I don’t know what the exercises will entail or how time consuming it will be, though I’m shaking in my boots at the “This mini-Clarion will put participants through their paces and help them grow as writers while encouraging people to donate in their names” description mentioned here.

Partipation will accomplish a few things. I’ll give Clarion a little test drive, and if I can keep up with the six week push, then I’ll feel better about applying in 2012/2013. Second, I don’t know her well, but fellow writer Annie Bellet is attending Clarion this year, and if this doesn’t help her directly, it’ll at least help some other Clarion student who might be in a similar situation.

Writers need to support each other. This is me being supportive and having fun doing it.

If you wish to sponsor me for the event, I’ll post more information in the coming weeks. The event begins on June 26th, so we’ve got time.

Happy Writing!

~ Dawn

 March Results

I didn’t expect too much from March as the job and family sicknesses have continued, but my results came pretty darn close to what I wanted.  The running had some obstacles, and we completed week one of the program, but we didn’t progress very far.  On the other hand, I did a good bit of exercise, what with the file room move at work.

•  Short Stories Written: 1 flash
• Short Stories Revised: 2
• Short Stories Submitted: 2 new plus a total of 6 resubmissions
• Rejections:  5
• Crits: 1.5
• Read: 6 (3 audio novels, 2 novels, 1 memoir)

2011 Quarter 1 Submissions Check In:

• Short Stories Submitted: 15
• Short Stories Rejected: 13
• Stories in Submission: 9

April Goals

I don’t anticipate work or family needs dwindling, so I’m focusing my goals on the critical. I’d love to accomplish more than this, but I’m being realistic.

• Short Story Revisions: 2 (two deadlines on 4/15)
• Short Story Writing: 1
• Children’s Story Writing: 1
• Crits: 2
• Novel Writing: 4/16 – 4/30, whatever I can swing, but it’ll be my only project during that time. Guessing about 2k daily. Maybe enough to finish off the novel.

I like deadlines. They help me achieve things that seem impossible, and would be, without the drive to make that date. It’s one reason why I’ve promised myself to enter the Writers of the Future contest every quarter. It’s why I look for anthologies to submit my stories. It’s a solid push rather than simply “when it gets done”.

This week though, I’m pushing it. The job, the sickness, etc isn’t an excuse, but let’s face it, there is life beyond writing as much as I try to deny it. Everything in moderation, I say, except for writing. The vast amount of not writing weighed on me for a long time, and getting my submission done last week for the Triangulation anthology really lifted my spirits. It’s the reason I think I can make my Thursday deadline.

However, the story that is closest to ready is a 6k story that really needs to be rewritten. I’ve outlined it for it’s old and new form, identified what needs to be dropped or changed (big concepts, not little things) and in the morning, I start diving in.

I don’t know if I can do this, and even if it means I’m submitting 15 minutes before the deadline, I’m sure as hell going to try. The key, I believe, is hitting the story concepts and plot points. Getting the characters right. Rewriting instead of revising will iron out the writing to my current skill level (the story is years and years old). This can work. And if I want to dream big, I’ll have all of Thursday to revise the version I’m writing Monday through Wednesday.

Sometimes, it’s downright fun being crazy.

I’d planned so much writing related content this year for this blog, and it hasn’t happened. It’s been a miserable year for writing to this point, but that has to break. There are two reasons for this thought.

First, I’m a firm believer in “we’re given what we can handle”. I can’t handle NOT writing. I have this THING I can do, do well even, and that I love doing. Why would this have been given to me without the ability to use it? Then there’s the thought that if things keep going at this pace (the sickness, the work projects, other stuff on my mind), I’m going to go stark raving mad. I don’t think that’s the path meant for me, or it would have happened years ago.

So, February sucked. March sucked. Well, we still have two weeks to go, so maybe I can salvage something. My story that made semi-finalist for WOTF can be tweaked rather easily to fit the Triangulation theme this year. In all honesty, it makes the story stronger, so it’s good. I just need a waking brain to sit down and revise with.  I’m going to do this. I’ve already scheduled a day off from work after one of the big projects is done with, so that’ll give me a full 48 hours (well 40 if you count that I have to work on the 31st) to get this story plus another one revised before the 3/31 deadline for both Triangulation and WOTF. The Triangulation story will be easy, I think. The WOTF story, not so much. But I have to try.

I seem to do well under pressure (perhaps why all these work projects were thrown my way?), so we’ll have to just get it done. I have one more work task to do before I can get my afternoon writing sessions back. That’s an hour at the library before I pick up the kids from daycare. I can do a lot with an hour.

Thanks for checking in, and thanks for the good thoughts. I’ve been pretty bad at following up on my writing buddies this month too, so hopefully I’ll catch up with your posts soon. First, I need to meet my deadlines.

(And then there’s the PARSEC contest 4/15… if that’s even still on? Time to research that one.)

February has been quite the month for family illness and medical issues. I’ll make up the writing, I know I will, so I’m not horribly worried about it. I’m in a rotten combination of sick kids (taking turns, too, so someone has always been sick from the beginning of the month), snow storms, daycare institute days, and insane projects at work that I’ve been asked to do overtime and I’m barely getting in my normal time. I counted up the time off I’ve taken for the kids this month and it added up to over a week. How insane is that?

Meanwhile, I’ve got my SF telepath story on the mind and am working through some issues on it. Some friends helped me work through what I couldn’t see about the ending, but now I have to go research tropical insects. Or make one up.

Through it all, the writing has been on my mind. I’m aiming for getting my morning sessions in this week and my after work sessions. The short story and a crit for a friend are my primary goals. Everything else will come later.

Hope you’re healthier than we are. Keep those hands washed: I’m hearing about lots of the flu rearing its ugly head.

The week of the two-day school closing due to Chicago’s snowpacalypse resulted in screwing up my grand plans to participate in Forward Motion’s word count marathon and further progress on the novel. I can deal with that. Especially because I finally finished the critique for another FM member, and I’ve been working on the short story revision.  I also had a strange thought which whirl-winded into a partial story. It’s hand written, scrawled into a notebook by flashlight, so who knows what’ll happen to it once I transcribe it. 

I’m looking for a do-over this week. I know it’s snowing again, but we’re expecting school to be open tomorrow.

And now back to the writing!

My two year old son is home sick from daycare so I’m spending the day with him. Mickey Mouse, Cars, and Cats. The funny part is that the cat kept trying to catch the cars.

It wasn’t a “writing every day” week. I had a work late night, a role playing night, and a few nights of computer problems which we finally solved. I wanted 1000 works this week on the novel and made 1800.  I reworked the outline going forward. I’ve been working on a short story critique, and reading for a novel critique. I’m also reading Ray Bradbry’s book on writing.

He favors the writing fast and writing hot, then spending the time you need to fix it. Story needs to be captured in the first draft, the essence of what the character is feeling. I like that approach, and I think it’s what draws me into Story A Day May every year, and Write1Sub1 this year.

I did learn that I need more than one revision before I send a story out. Flash is different. But the 4100 word story I sent out two weeks ago was bugging me. I had a friend critique it, and she pointed out some serious flaws. I think I know how to fix them, but I might be tucking a copy of this story into my novel ideas folder. It opens up a whole world in urban fantasy I never intended anything more than a short story.

Time will tell, as it always does with my writing.

This week’s plans are a repeat of week 3. With any luck, I’ll manage more than 1k on the novel. I’m eager to get through this. I want to see if the big confrontation comes out the way I’m picturing it, or if it’ll take a turn…  Happy Writing!