January Progress / February Goals

It's been an interesting month to say the least.  I lost the first week to family travel, and the next three weeks were struggles between being sick or taking care of the sick. I lucked out with a day off work that daycare was miraculously open, and I spent the day on a writing project that saved me two weeks worth of evening writing time.  I have decided for sure, I'm taking one personal day off from work each month and committing myself to a day of writing.  I'm pleased with my work, even though I have several "in progress", but I did complete a story that's been haunting me for years. 

I am disappointed I didn't get to the novel revision, but I have four short stories that have submission deadlines of March 31st, and I'd really like to get them in the best shape I can.  The novel may have to wait until April.

January Progress:

* Nighthunters Bite - first draft written and a full revision done.  (By evening time standards, this is a good three weeks worth of work).

* Black Violas - revision in progress. (Rewrite, actually, in regard to POV).
* Hunter's Honor - revision in progress.
* Tiger Princess - research done, outlining and worldbuilding in progress.
* Reading - still working on Federations, and rereading some of the stories that appeal to me (and have POVs that deal with my current stories).

February Goals:

* Hunter's Honor - revise and resubmit asap
* Fading Light - minor revision to ending
* Tiger Princess - first draft
* Black Violas - revision
* Nighthunter's Bite - revision

black violas, cont'd

A few days off due to family and stuff, and now I'm back at the keyboard.  Working on Black Violas, and it's coming along nicely.  Slow, unfortunately, as I am rewriting the story, so it's deeper than an edit, and not quite as free as a first draft, but it's strong. My heroine is bitter yet motivated, and damn if she isn't going to figure this out, one way or another.  :)

editing

Black violas edit is underway; the new opening rocks.

Received Hunter back from a submission, no luck there.  I want to revise it again before I send it out, but I need to finish Black Violas first.

black violas in progress

Watering the Black Violas is in the edit process now.  It's drastic in that the pov is shifting from third to first, and while I'm keeping the events fairly close to the original, it's easier to jsut rewrite it into a clean new file.  I'm eager to get it done, but I'm guessing it'll take a few days at my evening writing pace.  Then I can send it off for crit.

nighthunter's bite revised

What a wild ride that was.  I have a day off from work, and decided to spend it baking and writing.  I spent 6 hours working on the short story edit, only taking brief breaks to get water or swap laundry around.  If I had tried this during my normal evening hours, it would have taken a week to complete. It's off to some readers now, so I'll have to wait for feedback.  Hopefully, I'm not out of my mind on this one. (Or, scaring anyone off my writing!)

I hope Maya is happy now, and that the next round of revisions are minor.

nighthunter continued

I've been battling POV and continuing the edit (somewhat) but I've at least decided I still like first person for this story.  I'm leaning toward past tense now, though present tense nags me just as much.  I'm just going to have to make a choice at some point.  Maybe tonight, because I have lots planned for this week.

Black Violas needs me.  Tiger Princess needs me.  I have research.  I have a day off, which was supposed to be for writing, but it's getting eaten up with baking plans and house cleaning that I've neglected for too long.  So yes, I really need to choose.

I'm giving myself a deadline of tonight to make the decision.  After that, I continue the edit, and be done with it in a day or two.

nighthunter edit in progress

Some wonderfully dark ideas, some twisting of an already threatening situation, and a slave who stands up for herself...  No wonder I can't put it down.  Perhaps this is a good sign.

I didn't bother with the usual method.  No analysis, no red-lining.  Just jumped in and threw notes in to add or change details, deleted the uselesss stuff, and tweaked what didn't work.

Another night, then I'll send it off for feedback.  If only I can lasso those past tense verbs leaping in front of my 1st person  present...

nagging stories, taking over my life

I wrote Maya's story.  I wrote it, and she's refusing to leave me alone.  I've got the fixes for the story already in my head, sooner than I've ever had the desire to edit a story (six days after writing it).  I guess I'd better hit it while I've got the desire.

The problem I have with this, is I have three other short stories (two in edit, one in draft) that have a 3/31 deadline.  Maya, I so want to tell you to get in line, but I love my muse too much to refuse an untimely gift.

So, editing tonight.  Maybe if I get to the Nighthunter's Bite edits, it'll clear my head to hit Violas.  Hopefully, I can get moving early enough on it, and stay up late.  Might not be room for much sleep tonight. ;)

more violas

Violas... new opening, definitely going with 1st person pov.  Not sure of the ending yet, but reshaping the story.  Mostly, I'm rewriting it, not just revising.  None of the writing/language really thrilled me in the first draft, so I really just went through the original manuscript and chose which lines I really like and want to keep if I can.  The rest, is just an outline.

my black violas... in progress

Started the edit for Watering the Black Violas.  The ending is wrong, way wrong, and I might have the wrong POV (3rd vs 1st) but I have to play with it before I know for sure.  This doesn't look like an easy edit....

nighthunter's bite

You're welcome Maya.  Go collect some souls, will you?  Let me write some other stories now. ;)

Yes, it's done.  Finally.  The ending doesn't seem exactly right, I was torn on who should die, but I think I made the right choice.  Now, to tuck this one away until I'm ready to edit it.

more 'bite

Major progress on Nighthunter's Bite.  Over 2k written today, and just a scene and a half to go.  Tomorrow should be good for tying it up.  Not a happy story though, but one that needed writing.  I'll be glad to put Maya to rest for a bit once this is done.

'bite in progress

Despite my exhaustion, I worked a little on Nighthunter's Bite.  I deleted the junk I had in place, tweaked the existing opening, and that was pretty much it.  Ready to move forward, next writing session.

planning for the rest of the week

I'm back from my trip and wow did I ever underestimate the time I need to get settled back in.  I posted goals for this week, but I can't get to them all. 

Nighthunter's Bite is on the agenda for tonight and tomorrow, I'll push through what I can.  (No more 'i need this to be perfect'; I just need to write the damn thing.  I can always edit it. This story has been in my head for three years now, I'm disgusted with myself.) 

Then, Friday and Saturday I'd like to spend on Black Violas.  I have a March 31st deadline, and I'm only on the first revision here.  Again, this doesn't need to be perfect, but I need to start addressing the story issues.  I do not have the luxury of time on this one.

This is the year I break through my old writing problems and produce.  Year?  Nah.  Week?  Change should never be later, it should always be now.  TODAY.

2010 Goals and Expectations

I have high expectations for 2010, but I know there will be complications this year for various reasons.  With that in mind, I have selected Enudrance as my focus goal because I want to endure through the issues that come, and when I take those neccessary breaks to deal with (or enjoy) my life, I will return to the writing. 

Novels: You can't publish a novel if you don't write it to completion and edit it.  Shadow of Blood is about half complete (stopped during my pregnancy with Amber) and I intend to complete it this year.  Forgotten Star has been in existance since 2000, and it needs an edit worthy of my love for the story, and it needs to enter the submissions process.  I signed up for Holly Lisle's How To Revise Your Novel class to do this.  I'll take what I like from her process and forge on ahead.  I also know that ideas will come to me for other stories to write: I will allow myself to develop those ideas and conduct limited research (see below "novel planning") and then return to it when I need a new project.

Short Stories: I love them, but they are still a challenge.  I will continue to write and revise and submit.

Reading: My time is limited but I can't neglect reading.  I'm still working on Martin's behemoth novels, but I also need to keep reading short stories, and I'd like to start reading some YA because some of my story ideas are veering that way.  I just don't know enough about the genre to feel comfortable writing in it just yet.

Classes/Workshops: I don't know what's on the agenda at FM for 2010, but I know the 2009 workshops (I think I did two of them) were wonderfully helpful for my writing.  If it's free, why turn down an opportunity to learn?  And I will be saving some personal time from work to hit the Muse Online for the same thing. (edit: workshops not on the agenda, but there are "back to school" classes that run about a month.)

Viable Paradise: I've drooled over this workshop for years and the husband and I finally decided I could apply.  The kids will be old enough in 2011 for me to leave him alone with them for a week, and I'll have enough time to budget for the trip.  My one project for December 2010 is to complete the application.  I don't yet know if I'll be applying with the novel chapters or the short stories, but I have a year to decide.

I'm also hoping to use personal time from work this year to provide extra time for writing, maybe on the basis of a half day, once a month.



2010 Goals
Main Goal: Endurance
HTRYN Class: 22 lessons
Forgotten Star revision
Shadow of Blood 1st Draft (40k done, 40k to go)
2YN Class (half done w/Shadow of Blood)
Novel Planning: 4
Short Story Writing: 6
Short Story Edits: 15
Short Story Submissions: 20
New Submissions: 3
Crits: 20
Reading: 6
FM Classes as interested
FM SAD Writing Challenge (May)
Muse Online Writing Conference (Oct)
Prep Viable Paradise application for 2011


** Taking time to visit family; no writing schedule for the first week of January.