2009 Results/Accomplishments

December: not a lot of writing, but important projects were completed.
* Fading Light -- reedited and resubmitted;
* Hunter's Honor -- reedited and submitted;
* Think Sideways -- final 3 lessons completed.

2009 was a very busy year.  I learned that I can write when I often think I can't; I can work multiple projects (Balance!) though not quite simultaneously yet.  I learned that people have more faith in my writing than I had realized, which is amazing.

What did I do?  I survived the first year of my 2nd child's life.  That alone is victory.  Writing on top of that, aside from being insane, is wonderful.

While I didn't achieve all my goals, I came pretty damn close.


* Think Sideways 25/25

* Stalker novel planned/outlined
* Short Story Edits -- 5
* Short Story Submissions -- 7
* New Submissions -- 2
* Short Story Writing -- 1
* Crits -- 7
* Reading -- 4
* FM Workshops -- 1
* Rejections -- 6
* Publications -- 1

Hunter submitted

Revisions completed over lunch; story submitted.  This one item cleaned up 2 goal items I didn't think I'd make this year.  I am much pleased with myself.  :)

Hunter revisions

Continued.  Slow moving, but forward moving so I am glad.  I realize two things now: I really need to learn more about commas (what seems right one day, seems wrong the next and vice versa), and that I need to do something with the immaculate white cat I mentioned on page three.  Hmph.

Hunter revisions, again

Hunter revisions are in progress.  Removed myself from the cold basement, and am working in the living room after the kids have gone to bed.  The "climate" change is good, and I just have to adjust to having distractions (tv, hubby, food), but there are good things too, like when I'm stuck on a word and I can ask the nice guy sitting a few feet away. 

Possibly one more night on this project.

too harsh

I expect too much of myself at times... I'm close to making my goals for the year.  I won't complete all of it, there simply isn't enough time.  But with the whole potty training the toddler, getting us through the second baby's first year, and various other things (including a writing class!), I did pretty well.  If I get through Hunter this week and submit, that'll only leave one goal unaccomplished: writing the short stories.  I shouldn't be beating myself up about this!  So I'm going to stop.  I'm looking at what I accomplished, and I'm pretty pleased.  I never expected to get as close as I did to my goal, and that's why I was so hard on myself.

So, Hunter tonight.

goals and lack of progress

This is another one of my danger points: when I have a long list of goals for the month and they turn out to be impossible.  Oftentimes, I ignore what bothers me, and the ignoring of the writing begins, and six months pass before I choose to face it.  I'm not going to do that. 

I'm trimming my goals to show exactly the thing I want to get get done.  If anything else happens to get done, then fine.  But my time constraints aren't exactly promising right now.

progress

Okay so it's slow progress, but it's in the right direction.  I'm researching for Tiger Princess, making notes for 'Bite, and redlining Hunter for edit.  And I might even get some writing time over lunch tomorrow.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

switching tracks

Time is limited for me at the moment, so I'm switching tracks to a project nearest completion: the final edit of Hunter, with plans to submit it by the end of this week.  I want to work on the new projects, but as long as my holiday responsibilities are cropping up, I can't put as much time as I want into the writing.

Noted for my 2010 goals: no new projects for December, just cleanup and prep for the new year. :)

tiger princess

About a month ago, a new member to http://www.fmwriters.com/ inspired me with her user name, "Tiger Princess".  I knew I had to use it in a story.  I wrote tiger princess on a note and it's been staring at my all this time.  And today I found a new listing on Ralan for the Triangulation anthology "end of the rainbow" and the story HIT ME.  Punched me in the gut.

I have some research to do, but I know where I want to go with this.

AND at the same time, I figured out what (else) was wrong with Nighthunter's Bite. 

I need some writing time this weekend.  I need to work these out.

a stretch of life

Busy with work, busy with holiday prep, busy catching up on sleep.  Should be back at this writing thing in the next day or two, if everything else goes well.

nighthunter's bite

I know, it's a short story, and Maura has been in my head for years.  I haven't found the right way to tell her story yet, and some of the scenes are still giving me trouble, but I happened upon the 'title scene', about why the bite is important and what it means to her and her curse.

my eyes are bigger than my muse

Six days into the month and I'm already overwhelmed.  I need to scale back the "new projects" and get back to my original intentions for December, which is project clean-up and completion of my 2009 goals.  The edits and short story drafts will remina; the HTTS transcription will remain; but the novel revision will wait until January.  Forgotten Star has been slated for my 2010 novel project for a while now.  The HTRYN class Holly Lisle offered (and I signed up for yeah!!!) got me way overexcited and I jumped on it, thinking I have time to fit everything in.

Right.  What was I thinking?

So the worst case scenario is that I 'start' the class 4 weeks late.  Chances are there will be a lesson or two that won't take all week to complete, so I'll catch up at some point.  And if I don't, what consequence is there? I won't be the first person to complete the class? Hmmm.  No, that won't kill me, or the novel.  It can wait 3 more weeks.

I've grown up in the age of instant gratification.  I seize opportunities.  Sometimes they do need to be seized, but held onto for just a little while before indulging. :)

only human

I wanted to kick ass tonight and both, write Nighthunter's Bite and edit Black Violas.  Who am I kidding?  After a day with the kids (whom I love dearly, but tend to wear me out more on weekends), I barely have the energy to even watch tv.  I'm only human, which means I need a break.  I recognize that tonight, and am taking the chance to take a hot bath and read, and maybe tomorrow I'll come back recharged and do that much more.

On a positive note, I managed some writing while the kids were napping this afternoon and wrote a page for Nighthunter's Bite.  I'm getting some better imagery on where the story is going, and this one has a dog in it for sure now... :)

how is it thursday already?

Finally resolved the formatting issues with the Forgotten Star manuscript.  Something has broken it, but I fixed it to the point that I can at least read it coherently in a printout.  The revision will be done by typing up the "keepers" in a new Word file.

Fading Light is on its way to the post office.  My desk is clean.  I still have 'Bite and Violas to work on this week, but I'm taking tonight to relax and saving these stories for Friday and Saturday.

writing buffet

Another pass on Fading Light tonight, and I think it's done.  I'm not sure the final paragraph is right, so I'll sleep on it and see what I think of it tomorrow.  I worked on Nighthutner's Bite today, as well as the novel revision lesson (one).  I think my two fantasy novels may be one long story, so I'm adding them both to the agenda to read and analyze.

Tweak Tweak

Three tweaks were required for this latest 'quick' revision of Fading Light.  I managed two tonight, one of which is a revamp of the ending.  I think it's good.  I'll decide tomorrow after I've gotten some sleep.  And I still need to figure out that last tweak.  One little detail is all I need...

November Results / December Goals & Year End

Insane month, as I expected. Still, the results were good considering the time allotted for writing.

November Results
* Fading Light: edited and submitted twice
* Critiques: 2/2
* Novel Reading (con't Game of Thrones & Federations)
* Watering the Black Violas (edit in progress)
* Nighthunter's Bite (draft in progress)
* Registered and started a novel revision class HTRYN)

December Goals
* Black Violas: edit
* Black Violas: to crit group
* Hunter's Honor: edit
* Hunter's Honor: submission
* New Short Stories: 0/4
* Crits: 0/2
* Reading
* Complete HTTS 0/3
* Class HTRYN 0/4

The short stories goal is going to be the most challenging, but I'm hitting it hard in order to complete the goals I tasked myself with for 2009. The edits are important because I want to get my stories out into submission, one of my big goals for the year. And, I'm still going for the "balance". :)

Back Home

The vacation is over, now cleanup begins.  But I can't neglect the writing for the cleaning.  I have goals for this week:

Black Violas -- edit
Nighthunter's Bite -- write
Fading Light -- tweak & resubmit

I'd like to get Fading Light done tomorrow, and a quick edit pass for Violas on Monday, then I'll have the rest of the week to work on 'Bite and the remaining issues/analysis of Viola's further revision.

all work and no play

Taking some time for family and fun; will be back into the swing of things in about a week and a half.

rejection/resubmission

Fading Light rejected; sending it back out to another place.  My submission list for this one is too short; hitting http://www.ralan.com/ to check out some other places to sub.

Violas edit

Several ideas to edit the story hit me on the drive into the office this morning.  Each thought was triggered by techniques in the Think Sideways class, and I haven't even applied the techniques intentionally yet, this is my brain/muse putting all this together on the back burner of my consciousness.    Loving it, loving the story, and I can't to see how it's really going to end. 

It just might take a while to get to, since I've got the family visit, the birthday party, and the vacation to deal with.  And that trip to NY I've been hoping for may happen in early December, so... I need to hang onto these thoughts and hope I don't lose the feel for it before then.

Oh!

Think Sideways -- worth every penny.  Seriously.

This is probably the third time I've read these chapters, and while I thought they were informative on the previous reads, they're downright perfect now.  I'm discovering what's wrong with my story.  Several things, and it's not even the writing; it goes deeper than that.  And unfortunately, I think the theme I was writing the story for no longer applies. 

I'm going to have to play with my options a bit and see where the heart of this story is.  If the theme no longer applies, then I'll follow what does apply, and give this story the life it deserves.  I have other ideas I can try for the parsec contest.  At the very least, the contest itself led me to the path where I found this story, and that's no small thing.

Continuing with Think Sideways tonight and tomorrow, will get to the applicable assignments, and then we'll see what comes of this.

Thank you, Holly Lisle. :)

Weekend update

It's no secret that my life is a little crazy right now.  I originally planned to not write from the 20th until the end of the month, not realizing I'd start feeling the pressure (serious pressure) the week before that.  Editing has failed me, writing has failed me.  I'm struggling with Black Violas, and I can't see the forest nor the tress for the forest, and that should give you an idea of how far off base my writing barometer is as the moment.

Still, I attempted to write and wasted a good two hours last night.  I'd read what I wrote, make a change, start reading again and zone out.  Each time that started, the zoning would happen sooner.  There's something wrong with this story, and I have no idea what.  So, I'm going back to the beginning, thinking about how I wrote this one, to see where I missed something.

And that's when I recalled that I used a modified version of Holly's Think Sideways methods for story creation.  So I spent the next two hours pouring through class material, looking for the next step, a link from the writing to the revising that might trigger my internal editor to get back to work.  I made it through five lessons, without neccessarily completing the assignments so much as writing notes "do this" in a notebook.  I'm about to approach the revision sections, will probably get there tonight, and hopefully, get some answers.

sharing knowledge

I love to share what I know, especially when it's a topic I'm passionate about--like writing.  I think most of my blog readers are the friends I've made from forward motion, but I'd really like to hear from other friends.   I'm thinking about composing some posts with writing information for those of you who are interested in learning more.  It'll mostly be my approach/philosophy with links to other sources on that topic.

I've learned a lot over the years, am still learning, but I want to share.  In the interest of writing these posts for someone other than myself, please reply in comments if you'd like to read anything of this nature.  If you have questions, post those too and I'll see if I can help.

Writing is hard.  Writing alone is harder.

medical scare

I knew November was going to be chaotic, but not this bad.  The last week has been riddled with worry and regret and intense "what if" planning, making it the longest week of my life.  My dad's medical scare is still an issue, but what was leaning toward a diagnosis of liver cancer is moving toward something else.  Not sure what that something else is yet, but it's got my dad feeling more hopeful and there's even more hope in that.

Writing has slipped to the background for a few days, and probably will for a few more, but Black Violas is awaiting my attention, as is Carter's crit.  I'm not getting lost this time.

thursday thursday

It was a strange Thursday.  Rough day at the Day Job, lots of stress, and a little disappointment that the day job issue kept me from getting to the post office.  Well, the story will get out on Friday after I drop the kids off at school.  

No writing done in the evening, no editing.  I reviewed Black Violas, considering it for my next edit project, but I don't know if I'm ready.  I'm reading it, I like it, there are obvious places where the writing itself needs to be fixed, but I don't know what to do about the story itself.  I had a thought that first person would suit this one better, and since I had that many times while writing it, I think I need to try that route.  I also had a thought of swapping the MC from the daughter to the mom.  Their roles seem to be interchangeable as I have it now in the story.  If I reverse their roles and the troubles they've experienced, it might come out more emotional.  And I suddenly notice I've gravitated toward older characters in my writing. 

inspiration

I thought I was done with Fading Light, but it wasn't done with me.

My copy of "Federations" arrived yesterday, and I finally got a chance to start reading it.  The first story "Mazer in Prison" by Orson Scott Card sang to me.  The story was wonderful, and I went to reread it --analytically-- and decided I really liked the character's voice, the way he told his story without telling even though he presented fact.

And I realized I was missing that.  Connor was missing that.  So I went back to Fading Light and dug back into Connor's problems and how he viewed the world and adjusted a few words here and there to shine a better light on things, and then something huge hit me about the ending.  I totally missed this amazing thing he could do.

And now he's done it. 

And the story is ready to go.  For real.

fading light ---- done

Insane editing/fixing/re-editing over lunch. The story is good to go.

fading light cont'd

Worked on the manuscript with paper and pen, worked in most of the new changes (which now require transcribing).  Still need to rename the great spirits, but not feeling much creatively tonight (family worries).   I may have to skip my lunchtime workout to get this done...  my workout buddy is going to kill me.

fading light edit

Despite the crazy weekend, I got to work on Fading Light tonight. I feel like something is still off, or it could be I've just spent too much time on the story at this point. I printed it, and will look at it tomorrow. If it doesn't sing to me, I may just shelve it for a few days and read it again when I've had some space...

October Results & November Goals

October proved to be a wonderful month for writing.  I stuck with it all month, accomplishing a variety of work.  I'm quite pleased with it, and hope I can keep it up through next month.  November promises chaos: my son's first birthday, a short vacation, a family visit, and Thanksgiving: all in the same week.  I may need to fly back home early in the month for an unplanned family issue as well.  I'm scheduling the first three weeks of the month for writing and planning my goals according to the time I believe is available outside of preparing for these committments.

And no, I'm not doing NaNoWriMo, but for everyone who is: best of luck and have a blast!

October Accomplishments:
* Fading Light: edited; submitted to crit group, re-edit in progress;
* Watering the Black Violas: first draft written
* Hunter's Honor: edited; submitted to crit group
* Critiques completed: 3
* POV Workshop: 4/4 segments complete
* Novel Reading: slowly working through Game of Thrones
* Market Research for Hunter & Fading Light
* Started planning 2010 writing goals: novel projects selected, submission-hopeful short stories selected (yes I am forever thinking ahead to my next projects)

November Goals:
* Fading Light: complete edit and submission
* Watering the Black Violas: edit
* Nighthunter's Bite: write 1st draft (and rename)
* Critiques: 2
* Novel Reading (con't Game of Thrones)
* Hunter's Honor: edit (tentative)

fading light on hallows eve

I'm working on Fading Light tonight.  My crit group gave me several fantastic crits.  I missed 2 - 3 critical points for truly bringing this story alive.  One was entirely absent, but the other two are there, just below the surface.  I just need to name them.

It won't be done in time for me to submit before month-end, but that was my own self-imposed goal to make sure I got it out the door.  A few more days is fine.

organizing

Not exciting but good for the writing soul. ;)  I organized a ton of notes I'd been emailing myself for the past two years and dropped all those notes into Word files.  I feel much better now.

workshopping

I played catch-up today with the POV workshop Valerie is running on FM.  Completed exercise numbers two and four.  I also had a revelation today regarding my novel Forgotten Star, which I plan on editing is 2010.  For some reason, it suddenly hit me this might be a YA novel.  Who would have guessed?

Tuesday

Mostly household stuff today, and family issues.  I started and completed a critique for David, and hopefully didn't go too wild making comments. 

the value of a word

Since I began writing seriously ten years ago, there have been a few notable breaks from the writing for me.  Two had to do with pregnancies and childbirth, a third was related to insane stress and unusual living circumstances, and the others were writing related.  Critiques.  I can take a rejection from an editor much easier than I can take a harsh critique.  Twice now, I've received critiques that have sent me running (screaming) from writing.  The critiques were not wrong, I just wasn't ready to understand them and put them to use.  They intimitdated me from my writing, cropping up doubts in my ability, giving power to self-pity.

I have two stories out for critique right now.  One came back with numerous and consisten comments on what worked and what didn't, with comments citing disapointment in the outcome compared to a promise in the beginning, paths in the story that didn't get addressed, some grammar issues.  These were presented in a manner in which I digested them easily.  They were learning-worthy.  I love those kind of crits. 

But my other story received a crit in a very different fashion: the kind that usually sends me running.  With comments such as "poorly written" and "hated it" beginning the crit, it took me two hours of repeated attempts to get past such cold comments to get to the points this critiquer had made.  One some counts, I agree with some of the issues, on others- I don't.  But I fought with it.  Grappled with it.

Unneccessarily, perhaps.  Because in the end, it's feedback and I can do with it what I want.  But that doesn't stop the sting of someone hating what I've created.

I have to remind myself that if I want a career as a writer, there will always be someone who hates what I create.   Many someones. 

This guy gave me feedback that I asked for, and while it isn't in the warm-fuzzy-learning-joy kind of critique, it's still a critique with points I can use to better my story.  To the extent he wants?  Probably not.  It's my story.  I'll pick.  I'll choose.  And I'll learn what I can.

What do YOU do with crits you struggle with, right or wrong?

quiet few days

The writing has been quiet for a few days.  A nasty cold hit too, so I'm glad I finished the Hunter revisions early.  I'm torn now between starting the next revision for Fading Light.  I haven't received too many crits back (and I hate to be impatient and ask people for crits).  The two crits I received were accurate; I agree with most points made and at this point, I can't imagine there is too much more to point out.  I'm printing the latest version and the crits I have, and I'll look at it tomorrow night.  I can at least start marking up the printout and judge how I feel.

I've also started market research for Hunter's Honor and am pleased it fits the criterea for JJA's Way of the Wizard anthology.   It also fits my favorite fantasy zines, but I'm starting with JJA's antho.

Hunter's Honor

It's done.  Done and posted for crit.  The brain is dead, the fingers exhausted.  The eyes?  Quite bleary.  But the story is great.  I hope it reads as smoothly as I think it does, and I hope I solved all the story issues.  We'll see what my critiquers and time have to say.

On that note, I'm taking the day off writing tomorrow.  I might do some market research for Hunter.  Oh yes, and the beast clocked in at 4650 words.

Hunter's Honor

Last night I was hesitant to say the revision was complete, and I was correct.  I tied up loose ends, adjusted some writing, and retitled it to "Hunter's Honor" over lunch today.  I'll read it one last time this evening then post it up for critique.  The story has seriously grown: the batch of revisions took it from a 2500 word story to 4500 words.

hunter progress

This edit pass of Hunter is complete.  Stayed up way passed bedtime, but the brain, fingers, and muse were all cooperating.  I couldn't break that up.  I'll review the story tomorrow and post it up on the critique boards on FM.  Wordcount totals 4,000 words.  A good length for a short story, I think.

Title is still evading me.  Something about honor.  Looks like I have to fight for this...

Morning update:  a few loose ends need to be tied together before I'm comfortable posting for crit, but I'm pleased at the changes.  The story seems right.  Title may be "Hunter's Honor".  Will be working on this over lunch.

and it begins again

The week's started up fairly strong; one crit today, one workshop exercise and discussion, and editing more on Hunter. I'm still rewriting the ending, and the word/page count is rising. It's sloppy writing at the moment, I'm just trying to capture the event and the feel of it. I'll have to go back and see what will need cutting and how much of it needs cleaning up. But getting there. This is good.

new scenes for hunter

Adding the new material has been tough. The story background has changed, so I've had to be careful weaving these details around events already in place. And then fitting the new scenes in so they don't look like purple Dora bandaids... ;-) Getting there.

I've been encouraged to join the Muse Online Writing Conference (it's free). I haven't yet done it, and it's over this weekend, but I promise myself that I'll sign up for it next October. In fact, it's going on the family calendar (and my annual goals sheet) to remind myself.

hunter redlined & gutted

I completed the redlining over lunch, determined what is to be gutted and what is to be edited, and where to insert new scenes and details. I expected it to hurt, to be reluctant to let these scenes die, but it doesn't, and I didn't. It feels right.

Thursday night lost to illness; good news is I'm back on my feet on Friday.

evening writing

I think I'm developing a cold here, thinking is much more difficult than it was this afternoon. I had a wonderful brainstorming session in the car (in between the cursing at the construction) and came up with a few thoughts for the title and the new opening. Except that now I can't even bear to type anything. It doesn't help the basement is cold... So I'm taking the manuscript and notes upstairs with a red pen and marking it up now. I'll enter the changes tomorrow. Can't wait to get this thing going!

hunter revisions and the weight of honor

I am so glad I decided to edit this story. Revisions are in full swing and I am loving it. I'm still not sure what the title is, but it'll come to me before this edit is complete. I thought for a long time that this story was about racism, but the characterized racism stems from a terrible event that ocurred because one man did not act honorably, and someone had to stop him by any means, and did. That's not honor either, but for a people who respect honor to this degree... well, that's pretty drastic.

New scenes are going in tonight, and then a full edit/cleanup pass.

hunter revisions

I think I've been really hard on myself lately in regard to my writing quality. I reread Violas today, and while the writing is fairly plain, it's not the horrible disaster I thought it was. The ending will need tweaking for sure, but the story seems solid. Same situation with Hunter. I thought it was a complete rewrite, but after analyzing it tonight, that's an extreme option that I don't think the story needs to deal with.

The focus has changed, and Daymar is no longer the "Hunter, Hunted" but he's still a hunter, and while the tables have turned on him, his role, his task has become much more complicated than simply capturing an evil witch. Scenes need to be added, other bits need to be removed, and then everything smoothed and edited. I have faith in this story. I can't believe I wrote this over five years ago. I need to give it some life already.

Violas First Draft is DONE

Finished it up this evening. The writing is horrendous. I started in 1st person pov, then went to 3rd and sometimes flipped back to 1st when it felt right. I still don't know what it should be, I'll figure that out next month when I edit it.

This is the first new story I've completed in over a year. I'm quite pleased with the story, and can't wait to edit it. Well truthfully, I can wait, but I'm eager to see what I can do with it when the time is right.

Now it's time for bed.

amazing viola progress

Amazing progress on Violas today. Gutted most of the old version, and wrote the new story, and have the climax and finale to write now. I have to figure out the ending though, something is hanging...

This is a much better story than I thought it would be. :)

I also had a few ideas on how to slip some extra details into Fading Light that should liven up the surrounding world.

brainstorming

Violas has changed drastically thanks to a brainstorming session with my brother. He asked a question I wasn't prepared to answer, and that threw quite a wrench into the works. The end result is a better story (outlined, everything else has been gutted), but the ending still needs some attention. Looks like I'll be skipping the workout tomorrow to get this done.

what a week

This has been a roller coaster week between the baby boy's needs (ear infection and cutting two teeth) and the writing success (short story publication). I maybe achieved half the writing time I aimed for, but I supposed that I even made half of it is a win.

Writing agenda this week: Hopefully with the boy feeling better, I can get some regular writing time in. I need need need to finish this short story, and I need to crit for a guy in my group.

Published

Treischan Strength has been published in the Shadows & Light: Tales of Lost Kingdoms anthology.

violas cont'd

I worked on Violas over lunch today, I'm about a third of the way through the story and the POV (1st) isn't working anymore. I'll move the story into 3rd and edit out the 1st perspective on the edit.

I'm almost done with the 3rd of 7 scenes, so definite progress. There is a lot of (fill-in-the-blank) type notes though, but that may clear up with the pov change.

I'm so excited to be moving again on this story. I'm just not thrilled with the bumpy-stumpy 1st draft sentences... can't wait for the edit. I don't think anyone is looking at this first draft.

As soon as this is done, I'll get back to Carter's crit. I've learned to balance multipe projects, but I can't seem to juggle 1st drafts with other tasks.

violas tonight

Character work tonight, and plotting. I'm putting a lot of time into this, I know, but I want to see what the end result will be or if I am unconsciously procrastinating. Will post update when I have the answer. ;)

slow progress

I think I'm on the right track now with Violas. I need to refocus on the important details and I am using the Think Sideways techniques to do this. After the past few days of sick baby combined with insane working hours, my brain and body are tired, and after today's insane workpace, my hands are very tired. My fingers want to find a cool vat of silky mud and jsut soak. So, I will cut the Viola scenes tomorrow, am salvaging two, but redirecting them, and then I have to write the rest.

Slow, yes, but progress is good.

there's a thought

I've been using the Think Sideways techniques for novel ideas, but why can't I use it on my short stories? I'm going to test it out on Violas, possibly tonight....

posted: 7:47 PM, power loss 8:04 PM -- proof of Murphy's existance in my life

behind the scenes

My brain likes to simmer with things, and I didn't realize until bedtime last night that it was still simmering the ending to Fading Light. I didn't realize this until I was reading a chapter of Think Sideways regarding story endings and then it hit me like one of those cartoon pianos falling from the sky. So I made the changes and updated the story version to my crit group. The prose isn't as fancy as it was before, but the content is positively heart wrenching, which counts for more. Hopefully my gut is correct.

Worked a bit on the POV workshop Valerie Comer is running on FM.

Friends headed over for role playing tonight, so not much more for today.

tiring sundays

Fading Light has been posted for my crit group. I'm eager for some feedback and a little fearful as well. I'm always fearful on crits. Occupational hazzard I guess. :)

A full day with the kids is exhausting, yet I still pushed this evening. Did some science research for Black Violas, tried working on the first draft a bit, but failed at that. Science fiction is difficult for me, not impossible, just very difficult. It requires a lot of effort to understand concepts that do not come naturally to me, but yet I have the need to understand them to represent them properly in the story. I don't always understand the science I read in science fiction either, but I try. And for some reason I love reading it. Figure that one out.

I'm giving my brain some time to adjust to the science and am going to spend the rest of my writing time tonight review Hunter for those changes. I originally decided it would be a rewrite. I need to skim through the manuscript and select which passages will remain.

Fading Light tonight

This story breaks my heart every time I work on it. But I worked through it, and the edit is complete. I'll review for typos in the morning and then send off to my crit group. This is one of my best pieces, and it follows my trend of dark and painful. I guess I just can't write happy. I need more puppies and rainbows...

September Results/ October Goals

September was a good month as I was able to pull myself back into the writing. I don't have a lot of completed work, but there are projects in progress that will continue into October. Family stuff may come up mid-month, but hopefully I can work around that. This is the final quarter of the year -- time to own up to those goals I made in January. At least, as best I can at this point.

September Results

submissions -- 1

acceptance -- 1

joined crit group

crits -- 2

short story edits -- 2 in progress

short story drafts -- 1 in progress

novel reading -- Game of Thrones, Martin (in progress)

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

October Goals

fading light edit

fading light to crit group

fading light final edit

fading light submission (dependent upon lvl of edit needed)

viola first draft

hunter edit

crits - 2+

novel reading

fm pov workshop

Progress

Two crits done today (one was a quickie), and brainstormed on Viola. I'm closer to the science answers, the research helped, but I still need to nail it down.

why didn't I pay attention in high school?

I'm not a scientist, and I don't bluff well, but somehow I write science fiction. I write the characters and the problem first, and place them in the world where they'll be most interesting. Currently, it's science fiction. Somehow I have to evolve the science of my story into a merge of actual science and dawn-science. It's not easy but I do enjoy a challenge every now and again.

Story Breakthrough

I finally remembered what happened this weekend (sick child and stress and exhaustion) and the bad news is I feel it sneaking up on me now.

Onto the writing: I hit a breakthrough on the story I'm writing on for the parsec contest. I wrote the ending first and now I'm on the beginning which is weird for me but a change in routine is good for the brain. It confuses the muse, but she gets into the swing of it. I think it amuses her. The title is Watering the Black Violas, and it wound its way into science fiction. The original ending I wrote is already obsolete, but that's all right. It helped me find my path for this story which I can't wait to share.

Weekends...

...don't work for writing. I don't even know what I did Saturday night. I promised two writers in my crit group some feedback and I wasn't able to deliver. I should be able to finish up the work tonight and send them off, then I can work on Fading Light again.

The publication date for the Shadows & Light anthology has been moved up -- the updated date is October 2009.

so much to write, so little time

Hunter isn't an edit, it's a rewrite. The new ending I have in mind is good, and it ties together the story threads quite nicely. I want to salvage a few parts of the original story, I worked in a lot of imagery that adds to the ghostly feel of the story and I want to keep that. The main character is still the hunter, but he's not so much hunted as he's caught between a rock and a hard place. He becomes judge jury and executioner.

As for the parsec story, I've jotted down about a dozen ideas I could write. I'm going to pick my favorite and run with it. The contest allows up to four entries per writer, so I'll take it one story at a time, and just try to vary the use of the theme and genre to make them as different as possible. I started the first story over lunch, and it's a little creepy. I wrote the ending first actually, which is unusual for me, and the fate of these characters is kind of sickening but fascinating at least to me. I just need to keep writing it and see what it turns into or rather, starts with. :)

I really like the theme -- Color of Silence -- and I swear they must've picked it for me this year. Last year's theme was Dark Glass and I almost had a story for it, but just didn't commit to it. The prior year just stumped me (Metallic Feathers). I know I can write to a theme, and finally I've got one that just sings to me. I can't waste the opportunity. Hopefully the story will sing too.

Wed Eve

Read two stories for crit, brainstormed on the parsec story (too many ideas, I need to focus a bit more), and focused on the Hunter edit. I think I managed to nail down Daymar's involvement with a pretty neat ending. The story's come a long long way from its first draft.

Moving Forward Again

Edits are coming along, and I found a critique group to join. Fading Light should be ready to post to the group by next week at the latest. My progress posts won't be daily, as that would be too boring to type (and for you to read) "I edited" six times a week. :) I'm just excited about the crit group at the moment. I know most of the members (online contacts) and I've exchanged crits with several of them over the past few years. I'm excited about critiquing their work too. They always had interesting stories in the past, and I'm sure that hasn't changed.

Updating

I'm in edit mode, so I'm going with it. Fading Light is moving along once again, and I've cleared the dust off Hunter Hunted, which is getting revamped big time and is due for a title change. Writing is once again becoming a daily event. Now I need to work on completing tasks a little quicker. Fading Light needs a few more days of computer time and Hunter needs some paper & pen time so they balance well. It doesn't help that tonight is the season premiere of Heroes, but I guess I'd better make good use of now.

Treischan Strength

Treischan Strength has been accepted for publication by Pill Hill Press.

Need Groove Back

I slipped away from the writing for a bit, scared off the new novel for some reason. I think I was intimidated by the new characters (which can be fun, challenging, and terrifying all at once!). I need to get the groove back, even if it's 30 minutes a day. This week, I'm aiming to edit Fading Light, something I know I can do. I've got a strange schedule with work, and Mom's in town, so I anticipate some level of exhaustion, but writing is ON the agenda. SOMETHING every day.

This week

Monday's lunch break was spent editing Fading Light (1 page).

Tuesday evening's writing time was spent with the hubby.

Wednesday evening is going to be serious-clean-up-the-house night. Grrr.

Silence

The posting silence means Family took over this weekend, and I had neither the energy nor will to write, but I read. I've been reading Think Sideways lessons, and I've been reading Game of Thrones.

And I've been thinking about my outline, trying to fit my bad guy in, but I realize too that I know who my bad guy was up until the point he committed this particular crime, and he's angry now, losing control, but who is he when he isn't this criminal? And yes, this is important because he and his victim know each other. Poor Audrey can't look at this guys and say it's him because he looks and acts like a criminal. What fun would that be to read? Besides, even criminals have their own lives and schedules and likes and dislikes. It's not like they live for each moment they commit these crimes. They grocery shop. They go to the mall. They read the newspaper while sipping their coffee. Ooooh.. and there it is. Thanks for the help. ;-)

Aha!

It's the outline. I spent some time with Audrey today, my main character, and we went through her story together and while her discoveries and her courageous reactions to them are exciting, and the things she stands to lose is heartbreaking, it isn't nearly fearsome enough. We need Stalker scenes. We need to see Him watching her. We need to feel his rage when she defies him.

So no words, but the outline is moving forward.

Tuesday July 21st Daily Progress

I'm building the habbit again, building the routine. To that end, I chose to work on the short story edit and redlined 6 more pages. Tomorrow I'll review the crit I have on hand, and start inputting my changes.

Stalker has some issues, namely its worldbuilding is far from satisfactory, and I'm uncomfortable with that. I understand Holly's lesson in overplanning, but I'm going to outline just a bit more tonight, on paper, and see where that takes me. Something is holding me back, and it isn't laziness. I'm missing something, and that something should be obvious to me.

Monday July 20th Daily Progress

I completed the first part of my assignment for lesson 10, but I did not write on the novel, and I could not even keep my eyes open long enough to read a paragraph on the short story. I knew Mondays would be miserable for writing, and that's why I planned to take them off. Now I'm also fighting the "I used to have time and energy to write" but that was before I had kids. I chose to take my daughter for a bike ride this evening, and while the walk was good for me and we had a wonderful time, it wasn't good for the writing. And so I have to choose on a daily basis.

My goal of writing 5 days a week might not be as realisitic as I thought with my principle goal of "Balance" in my life. Or, it might simply be I have not written in such a long time, especially on an intensive project like a novel, and I just need a week or two to get back into the swing of things. I also normally do not start novels in the middle of summer. That was brilliant (insert sarcasm here).

The balance thing may help though, as I did my workout over lunch and that extra walk in the evening and I slept better than I have in months... of course my head hit the pillow at 9:30 so I finally slept for almost 8 hours. What a difference. I feel awake, I feel conscious... and just maybe I'll get to some writing tonight. :)

Sunday July 19th

Busy day with friends and the kids, so I'm taking tonight as a night off the novel. I managed to redline 3 more pages on Fading Light earlier today, and will make another attempt before bed.

I start my writing week on Sunday, so this is my first of two nights off the novel. I know, wonderful way to start the week. It'll balance out, and the writing tomorrow will be all the better for it.

Addendum: Read Think Sideways lesson number 10 before bed, but didn't hit Fading Light again.

Saturday July 18th

Despite sheer exhaustion and frustration at children who refuse to go to sleep and stay asleep when I have writing goals, :-) I started my novel. And this is a repeat of last night which resulted in 0, yes zero, words written. Tonight's work was shorter than I hoped for, but openings are difficult for me and the fact that I wrote nearly 300 words that I don't hate is really good.

My goal is to work on the novel 5 days a week, an hour or two at a time. Fridays are probably impossible, so I'm planning on no writing Fridays unless I'm in the mood. Mondays will probably suck also, as they tend to be the toughest work day and by the time the kids are in ZZzz-land, my brains are friend, scrambled, poached. Done.

Stalker's opening: Audrey danced into the photography studio, her closing packet under one arm, and a grin to shame the Cheshire cat. The running ended today, ended about an hour ago when she purchased her rented home under her birth name, her real name, a name she hadn't used in seven years.

On other fronts... Treischan Strength is back in submissions again, sent out this evening via email. Fading Light and my favorite red pen are waiting for me, so now I'm off. Ta-ta!

Addendum: Fading Light - redlined 1 page for editing.

Beginnings Anew

Lots happening on the writing front. Time is short, so I might stop posting to the FM boards and just post here for a while. The past few days and weeks have brought me to the point of:

* selecting my short story project: Fading Light needs one more edit, then I'm pushing it out for submission.

* located orphan submission: Treischan Strength was supposed to be resubmitted to a new market, but somehow I missed it. I'll be setting that up this weekend.

* novel project associate with Think Sideways course has been renamed to Stalker, simply because Haven is not a very exciting title. The writing begins tonight.

Starting a new project is exciting and scary and I'm to the point of bouncing out of my seat with all my fidgeting at work today. I can't wait to get the kids to sleep, and the bills paid, and the laundry started tonight. Then it's Writing Time.

Updates will be forthcoming, they may not be exciting, but part of the purpose of this blog is to keep track of my writing.

Novel Planning

I'm at it again. The project is in conjunction with the writing course (How To Think Sideways) by Holly Lisle. I'm in the planning stages of that suspense novel, and should be able to start writing within the next few weeks. I've got a temporary title of "Haven" which could of course, change at my next whim. But it's something. A thing without a name is empty to me. The wrong name is not as bad, but everything needs a name.

Moving Forward

Since I don't have a lot of time for writing, I decided to focus on just one thing -- the writing class. It's going well, I'm up to lesson five and I'm tweaking concepts I knew and used, but it's nice to see how far it can go without taking the next ten years to figure it all out myself. The biggest thing I'm learning is how not to kill myself before it matters. I'm leary to discuss actual class details, as Ms. Lisle has worked hard on this course, but suffice to say I'm learning some self control, which may go a long way toward using my writing time more effeciently.

So far I've gotten three really cool novel ideas straight from the assignments and can't wait till the writing can begin. :)

Planning

So I signed up for Holly Lisle's How To Think Sideways writing course, and dropped it when time constraints became too much. I've picked it up again, and have been working on the course material. I'm working through lessons three and four simultaneously (they work well that way, at least in my head they do), and I've got two solid thriller ideas. (Although I can't decide if thriller or suspence is the right word, I'll work that out later).

It looks like my brain was ready to start this up again. I just hope I can hold onto it this time!

She's Been Patient, But It's All Over Now

Life's been crazed, but I can't ignore the muse. She's been quiet, yet I can feel her watching me. And when I picked up a Dean Koontz novel this weekend, the first fun reading I've done in a very long time, she grabbed me by the neck. "You can write like this," she told me, "you just need to make the time." And before she could strangle me, I promised her a half hour a night.

So I'm going to take another look at Holly's writing class. I'm also thinking about skipping the short story angle and diving into a novel. Something new, something different. If I'm going to start this off right, different could very well cement me into the committment.

January Goals

I'm slowly moving back into Sanity thanks to the little one granting me more sleep these days. :) To that end, I've made some January goals and gotten started on them.

Originally, my January goal went like this: "My January goal is to get myself and my family on a schedule to allow myself some writing time. Any writing time. "

I've specified some items to get done before the end of the month.

* Review coursework completed for my two writing classes
* Identify and reread my priority projects (short stories in progress and editing)
* Resubmit marketable short stories [DONE - Treischan Strength went out today!]