While analyzing Black Violas, I had inspiration for a new story (also related to the parsec theme) and I wrote it right then and there in the parking lot. Came home and typed it up after dinner and am now looking at the revision. I’ve never written flash fiction before, and it was amazing that I got the elements right. I’m tweaking the details, but I love the story. It’ll come into its own before long. 🙂
Category Archives: Writing
March Progress / April Goals
March was amazing. I figured out the writing schedule and I got my goals done. Of course, I did revamp mid-month, but that’s par for me and goals. Goals are guidelines and I tweak them in order to get stuff done. I have more deadlines in April, but they are spaced out, thankfully.
March results:
- Viable Paradise application and submission story
- Rise of the Tiger Princess: drafted, revised twice, submitted
- The Lonely Orchard: revised and submitted
- Watering the Black Violas: revised
- Shadow of Blood: rereading novel-in-progress
April Goals:
- Watering the Black Violas: revise and submit by 4/15
- Nighthunter’s Bite: revise and submit by 4/30
- Shadow of Blood: read, review world notes, complete neccessary worldbuilding, and continue the writing at 500 words daily for a weekly goal of 2,500 words. Estimated completion date is July.
bomb’s away
Two submissions made today. Yes, I made my deadlines. The last one I made by about 15 minutes. 🙂 But it’s done.
tiger princess cont’d and complete
Working hard and making progress, but not done yet. 8 pages revised today, with a total of 25 in the story (double space), so I doubt I’ll finish tonight. Maybe in the morning, or over lunch? Here we go…
Edited 11:23pm to add: And v02 is complete! I’m printing and will reread in the morning before I send off for crit. It’s my usual length, 5k (25 pages double spaced). I think it’s good. 🙂
Full Time Working Mom of Two Makes Time for Writing (and stays sane, mostly)
I tell people I’ve been writing seriously for about ten, eleven years now. I thought I was writing seriously all those years. Granted it was a step up from hobby writing, so in that sense yes I was serious, but I’m on a whole new level of serious. Publication Serious. Getting up at 4:30 in the morning serious. I’m there.
I even have a typical schedule, created based on which activities I perform better at various times. All of this is subject to deadlines (like now, I’ve got two major short story deadliens, so ever writing session is spent working on those two stories) and also subject to family needs. My kids are too young for me to say “no this is my time”. But I plan the writing to fit into times where they aren’t around, or when they’re sleeping, or when someone can watch one or both of them for me.
My day-job dictates that Monday through Friday I work from 6;30 am to 3:00 pm, and my household responsibilites run me ragged Saturday and Sunday. Working around that:
Morning Writing: 4:30 – 5:30 Mon – Fri (novel writing / other first draft writing)
Lunch Time Writing: Tues, Thurs, and when possible Sat/Sun – short story work.
After Work: 3:45 – 4;45 (4x weekly) @ the library near daycare for (novel) revision
Evening Writing: 8:30 – 10:00 pm (5x weekly)- “Other” = Reading, Revision, “Developement” (plan, outline, analyze for revision), Submission prep, critiques, or whatever pressing deadline needs more time.
I guess that between the kids, work issues, weather related road delays, I tend to lose about a quarter of what I planned on doing during the day. The Evening Session will help me make up for those days, hopefully.
This schedule should theoretically allow me to accomplish the following in a year: write one novel, edit one novel, and fit in several short stories. I’ll know better after this year, but I’m hoping that spending more time writing means revision will go faster than I’ve done them in the past. We’ll see.
orchard revisions
It’s been a rough couple of days. I haven’t been able to make use of all my writing sessions, but the ones I’ve gotten in have been productive. The revision for Lonely Orchard is underway and going well enough. Left arm is sore tonight – something is off about using the library computers for extensive typing. One library has wooden chairs so I can’t adjust height, another library has horrible keyboards so I have to pound the keys. At least I’ve been able to use my evening writing session for reading and giving my arms a little break.
tiger princess… 1st draft done
Yes it’s a crappy first draft, but I like the story. I can fix it. 🙂 But first, I’m going to start on Orchard…
tiger tiger growr!
Engrossed in the tiger story, about 1/3 done. Started early this morning, got a half hour in around 4:45am, and then again over lunch. I was going to take the kids to the library today, but. . . I think I’ll be going alone and writing. Sorry kids, but I’ve got some momentum going which can be good for stories on a deadline.
critiques
I know I’m growing as a writer. Before, when someone critiqued me and tore my story apart, I bled. Me. I’d think I was a failure and question why I was doing this to myself. I’m done with that. Critiques are so neccesary to writing fiction. The world and story are so alive in my mind, that I cannot convey it all properly right off. Maybe if I had six months to forget the story and read it anew, that would help. But I’d still need the view of someone who hasn’t had any exposure to it at all. It’s invaluable.
So, Black Violas: I got back two critiques from writers, and two from non-writers. They all helped me understand what isn’t working. It was an early draft, I knew it needed work, but I didn’t realize how much I really tried to cram into a short story. It seems what I need to do is go in with a highlighter and find everything related to the single most important idea in the story, and anything that supports that. And start the next revision with just that.
It means cutting another character, and actually, I’m all right with that. What’s helping me is believing that the story as is, is a novel synopsis, so I can play with all my complications later on, in a stronger form. It’s allowing me to let go of what isn’t critical for this small piece to work.
There is less than a month until the contest deadline, and I have two other deadlines before it. This is definitely shaping up to be an interesting year–and I am not backing down from the challenge.
forging ahead
Resubmitted Fading Light after a quick revision. Definitely fixed some minor problems I didn’t see with the story before submitting it to Writers of the Future. Darn it. Better luck at this next place…
Working on Tiger Princess, actual title expanded to Rise of the Tiger Princess. And it’s got a whopper of an ending.
Writers of the Future: Honorable Mention
My story Fading Light received an Honorable Mention in the Writers of the Future contest.
What does that mean? Top 10 – 15% of entries received this quarter. Pretty neat for my first entry. My next story goes in in two weeks, and I’ve still got to revise it. I’m super psyched now. 🙂
Oh and my friend Margaret is on the list too, so doubley excited.
Black Violas, revision complete
This story has gone through the ringer, but it’s finally in good enough shape to pass onto critters. 🙂 No not the furry kind, the writer kind. Yes, I’m loopy. I stayed up too late, but… it’s okay.
G’night.
IÂ Applied
Can’t get in if you don’t apply…. My viable paradise submission has been emailed and the paper version of the application is awaiting the opening of my local post office. Now I just wait for July to hear if I’m accepted.
multiple projects
I’ve shifted over to the multiple/simultaneous project mentality. I flowed into it because some of my little bits of writing time don’t always allow me computer access. I outlined the Tiger Princess story, and started writing it today. The first scene revealed some information about the characters I hadn’t realized–I thought the main character was my tiger princess, but someone else has claimed that title in a very creepy kind of way. Can’t wait to get this one day and out. 🙂
I got some feedback on my letter for viable paradise, and the revision should be fairly easy. The submission is going to take a little while–Nighthunter’s Bite is in good shape, but getting into this workshop is competetive, and I need it in tip-top condition. I’m concerned that I’m sending in my experimental story (1st person pov, present tense), but with proper editing I hope I can make it shine.
Black Violas is on a break (last night). I’m about to rewrite the ending, the right ending I believe, so looking at it fresh should help.
Decisions
I spent my lunch break today analyzing three of the stories I have queued to edit, and I reviewed my submission needs with a realistic estimate of which stories I’ll be able to get into shape by these deadlines.
The Tiger story is first, I need to get the first draft done so I can revise submit it by 3/31 to the triangulation anthology.
Nighthunter’s Bite is next. My original intent was to submit it to writers of the future (3/31 deadline), but now that I’m applying to viable paradise, I want to submit either this story (2nd choice) or my Honor story, which is with JJA right now for the wizard anthology. So this story has priority for revision.
Dragon’s Bard and Lonely Orchard require much more work than I anticipated. Only one of them will get revised this month, and at the moment, I’m leaning toward Orchard. Black Violas isn’t due until 4/15, so after this round of revisions, I’ll post it for crit, and then get to it early april.
At least now I’m organized.
February Progress / March Goals
February was a trying month, but also a huge learning experience. Black Violas has been an extension edit, and I’m covering in one long revision what would have taken me several versions as well as multiple critiques to correct. Now I’m seeing this stuff on my own.
February Results:
* Hunter’s Honor – revised and submitted
* Black Violas – revised, revised, revised
* 1 critique
* started VP letter
* story research
* market research
March is going to be insane. I’ve set myself some potentially record setting goals in regard to short story revision, but I think I can do it. Several of the stories are in cleaner versions, except for one, which I need to actually write. I’m borrowing a method from a writer friend and working on it in small bits–250 words daily–while working on my revisions. The deadlines I have are 2 stories for my VP application (asap), trianguation anthology (3/31 via email), parsec contest (4/15 via postal mail), WotF (3/31 via postal mail). If I need to, I can drop the story for WotF, but I’d hate to waste the quarter if I can get a story in decent shape.
March Goals: (edited for submission changes)
Black Violas: revision (contest entry, will be retitled later) 4/15 deadline
Tiger Princess: draft and revision and submission 3/31 deadline
Nighthunter’s Bite: revision 5/14 deadline (aiming for 4/17 submission)
The Lonely Orchard: revision and submission 3/31 deadline
VP application
Crits — 2
Yes, I’m insane. But it’ll be a good test for deadline handling. I’ve blocked off four 45 minute writing sessions to do while I’m still at work but off the clock. I may take a personal day toward the middle/end of the month if my progress isn’t far enough along. I’m also employing a dual-project goal for my evening writing to see if it helps my brain by swapping projects when exhaustion starts setting in.
I wanted to try waking up an hour early and writing then, but I already get up at 5am for work. So, I’ll try it for a few days and see how it goes. At this point, I just want to get through all this madness. 🙂
bumps in the violas
Despite my cold, I came down to write tonight. The edit’s been progressing well, and I got done several more pages tonight, and then realized that my wordcount is still way too high. I’m five pages from the end, which is going to be rewritten more or less. I had a brainstorm on eliminating a character that really truly isn’t neccessary. But he did serve an important part that can be transferred to another character, but that means adding a scene and removing a scene. It might end up being that this change will not alter the word count, but I think it puts my MC in a better position of seeing the crap that’s about to happen and not just get it from someone else.
This could be good, but it means I’m NOT done tonight.
And I still need to dig through my To Edit pile for some short stories for my viable paradise application.
I need more time in my day…
still revising
Violas is going well. Too bad I only get 1 – 2 hours at a time, but tonight I made good use of it. I passed the halfway mark, I’m reducing the word count, and winding the story tighter. I’m up early with the kids tomorrow, but hopefully can stay up late in the evening to finish this off. I’ve got to get this out to my readers/critiquers quick, and start looking at my other short stories.
Hubby and I finally agreed that I can apply to Viable Paradise, and I need to choose the right stories to include in my submission package. Then there’s the letter. I’ve been working on it with the intent to apply for the 2011 workshop, but things just seemed to fall into place this year.
Violas coming alive
Last night I stayed up late to complete the rewrite. Not the revision: the rewrite. Sent it off to a few friends who I know enjoy SF, and sure enough when I read it over lunch today I realized how far I had veered off course in the last five pages. This is major. And this always embarasses me. I know I need to wait 24 hours before sending it anywhere.
I figured out what it lacked, that was all I had time for. But the amazing thing of driving home from work, without the radio, without screaming kids in the car, is a focus for me. I connected the dots of what was wrong to how to fix it. And that’s what I’m doing now. Just finished the final redlining, and am launching into a screen edit.
Will I finish tonight? I sure as hell hope so!
Revising Better
I knew this revision for Black Violas is the toughest one I’ve done a long time. The biggest issue was the viewpoint (written in 3rd, revising in 1st) and that the wording/verbiage was rather pathetic. I’m making serious progress, and am rewriting the last of the scenes. At this point, actually, the ending is completely new. Yet, I still have a page of notes, details I need to work into the story.
Why is this so difficult? Why is it taking me so long?
And it just hit me today. I’ve improved. I’m doing two or three drafts worth of revision in this one revision. I’m seeing my problems all at once instead of revising for problem A, then revising for problem B.
This is big. 🙂 I’m thrilled. I’m growing!
still going…
Lots of battles this week with work/lunch/sleep issues. We’re resolving much of it, and the writing improves as we do. Aiming to finish this revision by tomorrow night. I’m doing a scene to two per session now. It won’t be the final version, but close enough event/plot wise that i can have some readers give me some realistic feedback. Then I get to work on the Tiger story. Growr!
Query:Â Titles
So what’s the deal with short story titles? I’m not so worried with my novels because all I’ve heard is that the publisher will change it on you anyway, you just need one spiffy enough to get their attention. So how about short stories? No one ever talks about their short stories being renamed upon acceptance/publication.
I also want to know how you come up with your titles. I tend to pick an element from the story, and while my titles tend to be about something from within the story itself, they don’t seem to carry the weight of the stories I’ve read.
What do you think about titles?
Writing writing writing
Progress has been slow, writing time is not abundant, but I’m finding it in little bits and pieces. That’s the hazard of weekend writing, but we’re back in the week so I should have a better chance of getting time in.
Goals for my week – I intend to get a lot of things done.
Black Violas – two nights of computer time to bring these edits/rewrites into existance (Monday and Tuesday); then I can send it off to my readers.
Nighthunter’s Bite – revision again, probably Wednesday and Thursday.
Two crits, one on Monday, one on Wednesday.
And, if this goes well, I can jump back into Tiger Princess by the weekend.
So we’ll see. My eyes might be overestimating what I have time for this week, but I’m willing to give it a shot. Hopefully, the muse will be along for the ride.
violas in progress
Spent a few hours on Black Violas today, and put together a game plan on how to fix it. I was afraid it wasn’t fixable. I didn’t understand why the voice wanted to be in first person, but it did, desperately, and today I figured out why. I figured out why the ending didn’t work, and came up with a better one. I found a couple of muse bombs and I am exploiting the hell out of ’em. This is going to be a kick ass story when I’m through with it. I would love to share specifics, but heck, that’ll ruin it for when you read it.
honor subbed
It’s out, it’s gone, it’s in the email, no taking it back now. Revision wasn’t too bad, but took about three hours and a cupcake’s worth of sugar. Here’s thinking good thoughts.
Dawn Bonanno 