October 14

Let's see. August's submission came back as did both of September's. I hadn't meant to send two but a computer/email glitch made me think the first one hadn't gone through. Thankfully I was smart enough to send a different story to the second market.

Today, I took a personal obligation day to extend the long weekend. I spent a few hours at the library and began a new short story for an upcoming anthology. Over 500 words for the day - a good start.

I also set up my fundraising page for NaNoWriMo. If you'd like to help them bring free creative writing programs to more than 2,500 classrooms, 206 international regions, and 650 community centers worldwide, here is my link. For my US friends, donations are tax-deductible.

July Round-up & August 1

A good chunk of July was eaten by a head cold. Well, the days were actually still there but I had almost no energy or creative power left after working the day job. However, in the end, I did accomplish what I set out to do.

July Stats:


Total Words - not all were new but 50,218 (winning Camp NaNoWriMo)
Completed - Another pass through the spicy shape-shifter romance novel
Submissions - 1
Rejections - 1
Outstanding Submissions - 2

August 1 and I have already sent out my submission for the month. Fantasy & Science Fiction is accepting electronic submissions until August 15. Why not try my luck? I doubt it will make a difference if I submitted today or in two weeks.

Camp Day 1

Well, I didn't write as many words as I had hoped today. In part, it has been very hot here - the humidity hasn't broken in a couple of days - so I haven't had a good night's sleep in a while.

But I did write. Tomorrow is questionable since I'm travelling but I will try to write while in transit.

Title - Beasties (needs a new title)
Words today - 1,653
Words total - 1,653
Music - fireworks, very close by

June Roundup

I returned home from vacation in May to the news my team was changing offices the night of my first day back. On one hand, it is great! I went from a 'three bus/10 minute walk/total of an hour' commute (or $25 cab ride) and working from home three days a week to a 'block & a half to the bus/5-8 minute ride/block to the office' commute. On the other, I'm still getting used to being in the office every day after almost two years of working from home.

It all boils down to not a lot of words or progress on the writing front this month. However, Camp NaNoWriMo begins tomorrow and I have great hope that I will rewrite the Beasties novel. Tomorrow is a holiday here, so I have plans to write a good chunk of the day.


June Stats:


Total Words - not many
Completed - nothing
Submissions - 1
Rejections - 1
Outstanding Submissions - 2
Days with writing related activity - not sure

June 22

Well, the story I started early in June fizzled out. I still need to decide which story will be this month's submission.

July brings with it another installment of Camp NaNoWriMo. My plan is to rewrite my 2012 NaNo spicy romance novel with the aim of sending it out. Okay, *after* polishing & reader feedback.

My current plan is to post daily updates ... or updates on the days I write. I already know one day that I will likely not be writing. (Yeah! I get to see Welcome to Night Vale live!)

June 2

Today was the first day back at work after two weeks of vacation. I'm not completely surprised that I'm finding it a bit difficult to focus on writing tonight. There may not have been as many as last night but a few are better than none. Hopefully tomorrow I'll be more focused and a little less tired.

Title - as yet untitled short
Words today - 163
Words total - 714
Music - Carsie Blanton - Not Old, Not New

June 1 - New Story

There's a short story market I recently discovered with a June 16th deadline. We'll see if what I started tonight ends in time and holds together.

Title - as yet untitled short
Words today - 551
Words total - 551
Music - The Delta Saints - Death Letter Jubilee

May Roundup

May was a bit of a crazy month. From my birthday in the first week through the pressure of getting things caught up at work to two weeks of vacation (oh, how I needed those), it was almost non-stop.

I don't have much in the way of solid numbers for the month but I did come to a decision. Rather, while talking with the friend I was visiting, I had to acknowledge something. The big fantasy novel isn't really working right now. When I sit down to look at it, I feel stressed and not in a good way. For the next little while, I'm going to let it rest and focus on the spicy romance novels.

May Stats:


Total Words - not many
Completed - nothing
Submissions - 1
Rejections - 0
Outstanding Submissions - 2
Days with writing related activity - not sure

April Roundup

I "won" Camp NaNoWriMo by revising my NaNo book from last November. It's in the hands of two beta readers as I type.

Otherwise, I sent one submission, received one rejection and am thinking about how to get back into the big fantasy novel.


April Stats:


Total Words - net gain of 2,800 words
Completed -revision of Tidal Wave, the book still in search of a better title
Submissions - 1
Rejections - 1
Days with writing related activity - 24

April 20 - Update

I received a rejection this morning for April's submission. March's is still outstanding which isn't a total surprise given it's a brand new market. Also, the closing date for submissions was March 31 and these things take time.


2014
Submissions - 4
Acceptances - 0
Rejections - 3
Outstanding - 1

April 19 - First pass complete

I had set my goal for Camp NaNo at 30,000 words or 30 hours. So far, I have spent 29 hours working on revisions.

I just sent the second draft off to my alpha reader. She is going to try to read it tomorrow or the next day. Once she's done, I will definitely have at least another hour of work to do on it. (Anyone who has read early drafts of mine is now laughing.)


Title - Tidal Wave (but still needs a new name) 
Words today - 2,500
Words total - 29,000
Music - Sixx AM - This is Gonna Hurt

April 18 - Very Close

There are only a few scenes left and then I'll be finished the first pass. I do have more scenes to write and some things to discover (ah names) but I could be done tomorrow.

Title - Tidal Wave (but still needs a new name) 
Words today - 2,500
Words total - 26,500
Music - computer fan and neighbours

April 17

I have not really looked at this novel since I finished it in November. There were scenes in tonight's section that I don't even remember writing. I like them. I just don't remember them.

I am getting close to the next big action section. I may actually finish the first pass this weekend.

Title - Tidal Wave (but still needs a new name) 
Words today - 1,000
Words total - 24,000
Music -computer fan & the fridge

April 16

Oh, this chapter made me teary again. And angry. Hopefully it hits other people the same way.

The closer I get to the end of the book, the more I am positive I need to go through it at least once more before sending it to readers. Perhaps I will subject my alpha reader to it as is. She's very good at pointing out where I've left things out or things need more description.

Title - Tidal Wave (but still needs a new name) 
Words today - 1,500
Words total - 23,000
Music - random sounds of people in the hallway

Winter returns - April 15

Awoke this morning to snow and blustery winds. In some ways, it's nice to be writing about a hot country - even if I still don't have a name for it. It's also nice that I have another two weeks to get my taxes filed. There are some advantages to not being in the US. :-)

I decided to get an earlier start than I have been on the revisions. Worked an hour which took care of the next chapter. Things are starting to move faster and the next chapter is when nasty things happen. I'd rather not look at that part tonight.

Title - Tidal Wave (but still needs a new name) 
Words today - 1,000
Words total - 21,500
Music - Marc Jordan - On A Perfect Day

Monday Monday - April 14

Mondays can be hard. Add to it heavy winds, rain and appointments after work hours and I'm tired. Tonight's section didn't seem to need a lot of changes. We'll see when I reread tomorrow if I was right in that assessment.

Title - Tidal Wave (but still needs a new name)
Words today - 1,000
Words total - 20,500
Music - Jane Siberry - Sweet Incarnadine: Songs of Love (compilation)

April 13

Slow day today. After yesterday's concerted effort, I've spent the day sleepy and struggling for focus. But focus I did.

There has been a bit more progress including another 'ah crap' moment when I realized my POV character had never been to a particular place but speaks of it as if she has. ::makes note to add another scene or two::

Title - Tidal Wave (but needs a new name)
Words today - 1,500
Words total - 19,500
Music -Randy Bachman's Vinyl Tap

April 12 - Post-Marathon

Well, I did 5.5 hours of revisions from noon until just after 8 pm. I discovered that I had neglected to name the country where the book takes place. Thirty days of NaNoWriMo and eleven days of revisions and I finally noticed.

Something tells me this is going to be a three or four revision kind of book.

Title - Tidal Wave (but needs a new name)
Words today - 5,500
Words total - 18,000
Music - traffic & loud radios

April 11 (late) and Marathoning

Yesterday's numbers are below. I took another look at the bridge scene and tweaked it a bit as well as polishing the next two scenes. At the end of this, I'm going to print out the whole thing & read it through to see if it holds together. Then it will be time to fix any little things I don't like and send it my volunteer readers.


The Camp NaNo marathon begins at noon my time. Until then, I'm dealing with chores. Already arranged to go for coffee with a friend so I can get away from the desk and stretch. :-)

I will be back later to update the numbers.

Title - Tidal Wave (but needs a new name)
Words yesterday - 1,000
Words total - 12,500
Music - Jane Siberry - Sweet Incarnadine: Songs of Love (compilation)

April 10th Progress

Finally finished the second bridge scene. It definitely needs more polish but it sets up the relationship between the characters a bit better and doesn't make the next scene feel like it came out of left field.

Tomorrow I will continue on with polishing November's words and looking for snacks for the marathon of writing on Saturday.

Title - Tidal Wave (but needs a new name)
Words today - 1,500
Words total - 11,500
Music - Jane Siberry - Sweet Incarnadine: Songs of Love (compilation)

April 9

It's been a rough couple of days in the real world. I haven't accomplished as much as I'd hoped - still working on the second bridge scene - but at least I'm still trying.

Saturday is the Camp Marathon writing day. I'm hoping to really make progress. Must remember to pick up some healthy writing snacks.

Title - Tidal Wave (but needs a new name)
Words today - 1,500
Words total - 10,000 (meaning I've spent 10 hours so far on revisions. 1/3rd of the way to my goal)
Music - Jane Siberry - Sweet Incarnadine: Songs of Love (compilation)

April 6 Progress

Yesterday was completely filled with the maple syrup festival, visiting and dinner with a friend. Tiring but good. Tonight, I finished the first bridge scene and began the second. That is tomorrow evening's goal - finish the scene and get back to the existing words.

Title - Tidal Wave (but needs a new name)
Words today - 1,000
Words total - 6,500
Music -The Strombo Show

April 4 - Camp & other writing related items

Today, I sent April's submission. According to the market information, I'll hear back on that one before the end of the month. The deadline for March's submission is officially past. Now comes the waiting.

Title - Tidal Wave (but needs a new name)
Words today - 2,000
Words total - 5,500
Music - cars splashing through the rain

Tonight's dinner plans have become tomorrow night's dinner plans. Neither of us wanted to get soaked. Tomorrow morning, I'm planning to attend the local Maple Syrup Festival, so writing time will be in the afternoon. I began one of the bridge scenes tonight but I'm losing focus so it's time to stop.

April 3 Notes

I'm counting tonight's work as 1.5 hours. The files were open longer but there were distractions.

Title - Tidal Wave (but needs a new name)
Words today - 1,500
Words total - 3,500
Music - Toronto Maple Leafs game on the radio

I've hit the point where I need to add a few small scenes to fill in the main characters' relationship. Otherwise, things are happening too quickly and, while that was okay during the NaNo process, it doesn't work while revising.


I have plans tomorrow evening so there may not be an update. We shall see.

April 2

I would have worked longer on this tonight but I had the opportunity to attend a public lecture at the Perimeter Institute. We have the minimum hour but I'm hoping for a bit more tomorrow.

Title - Tidal Wave (but needs a new name)
Words today - 1,000
Words total - 2,000
Music - The Inside Movie, by Estas Tonne

Again mostly tightening up language and making some different word choices. (I think they are better. We'll see what my volunteer readers think.)

Opening day of Camp

According to the officials at NaNoWriMo, one hour of revising/editing equates to 1,000 words. At the end, I'll do an actual word count but for tonight, the stats are:

Title - Tidal Wave (but needs a new name)
Words today - 1,000
Words total - 1,000
Music - The Inside Movie, by Estas Tonne

Tonight's work was mostly tightening up language. New scenes will happen over the next week or so.

Submission Update

I received a very nice rejection letter for February's submission today.

It's one of those stories that has had nice things said about it but it just hasn't found a home yet. I'm not sure if I'll send it back out as April's submission or if I need to do a bit more work on the story.

March 10 - Progress

With pokes from my writing partner, I finally slowed down enough to write. It's been a busy day between appointments and work.

The last few scenes have been difficult for different reasons. The first one had 'big nasty thing' that had to happen. The last had T working out a possible reason for big nasty thing. (He's not a happy camper at the moment. Which means others are soon going to also be unhappy.)

Title: Chaos Unleashed
Words Total:36,664
Words Today:399
Reason for stopping: Finished the scene and the antagonist is on the move
Music: Red - Nothing and Everything

Planning ahead

It is March which means it's almost time for camp! Okay, not the summer camp where you're bitten by mosquitoes, dealing with sunburn and eating too many hot dogs. No, this is becoming one of my favourite camps. April brings the first of two Camp NaNoWriMo months. (The second is July.)

I "won" NaNoWriMo last year but the book wants to be longer and needs some TLC. My April goal is to revise Tidal Wave (and find a better name for it in the process). In the mean time, I need to add words to the traditional fantasy novel I've been fighting with.

March 2

I just sent off this month's submission. The market closes at the end of March, so I'm not expecting to hear back right away.

Yesterday, I scribbled a bit at breakfast. Today, I have plans to at least input those few words and see if that sparks more.

February roundup

You might infer from the lack of posts in February that it was not a good month for writing. You would be correct.



I spent part of the month sick. At the day job, I was assigned work for a stream of business I haven't audited in years. It took a week before I realized one of the reasons I was tired (mentally) was that it was like going through training again.

I do have hopes for March.

February Stats:


Total Words - I'm not sure. Beyond the poem, it was mostly a "poking at words" month
Completed - 1 poem
Submissions - 1
Days with writing related activity -15

Kickstarter

No, not for me. I don't often put these on this journal but, selfishly, I want to read these stories.

Laura Anne Gilman is kickstarting two new stories in her Cosa Nostradamus universe.

In her words:
THE WORK OF HUNTERS and AN INTERRUPTED CRY follow the adventures of PI Danny Hendrickson (human mother, faun father, 100% Attitude) and his partner/assistant/student Ellen, a human with magic she doesn't understand and can't contain. As private investigators, they work the space between the magical and the Null world, where people can - and do - get lost...

In my words:
Danny and Shadow (aka Ellen) are a great team. They aren't perfect (and wouldn't it be boring if they were) but both are willing to risk everything to save lives and help. You want magic, sardonic humour and great stories? You've come to the right place.

If you have a few dollars to spare, please consider backing this. The funding period ends February 14th. Wouldn't a successful Kickstarter be a great Valentine's gift for the author?

Sylvan Investigations: The Work of Hunters and An Interrupted Cry

Submission Update

I received a rejection for January's submission. Still have February's out there and am readying March's to go near the first of the month.

February 3

My writing partner (and Alpha reader) and I haven't been writing together. Some of that is because she lives 2 time zones away. Some of it is that life gets in the way. I miss doing it and asked her about it.

We are going to write, at the some time, two evenings a week and possibly some weekends. Tonight was the first session. She is editing and I found music and wrote one scene and began another.

Title: Chaos Unleashed
Words Total:36,265
Words Today:426
Reason for stopping: It's Monday and I have to go to the office tomorrow
Music: Red - Shadows

February 1

I'm still waiting to hear on the January submission. The market closes today, so I'll likely hear within the next month.

I just sent February's submission. According to the market information, I'll hear by the end of March.

If nothing else, publishing teaches you patience.

January Stats:


Total Words - 5,621
Completed - 1 short story / 1 'hard to write' scene
Submissions - 1
Days with writing related activity - 31

Fridays and new goal

I always thought Monday would be the worst day creatively for me. After all, I was back at work after the weekend. Why wouldn't I be tired and slothful? Turns out Fridays are the hardest day for me to be creative. Maybe it's because the work week made my brain tired. Maybe it's just that I need the extra time to transition from the day job to the weekend job.

No new words tonight. I did reread what I wrote last night. I think the bones of it will stay but it definitely requires fleshing out. At least I'm past the first hurdle with this part of the storyline.

I've added a new writing goal for 2014: send out one submission per month. I sent January's on the first. I have one ready to go for February. (The market is only open for that month.) Once Alpha has given me feedback on Falling, I'll revise and have it ready for March. (That market closes March 31st.)

I'd like to sell a few of them but that is not within my control. I can only send them out and hope for the best.

Little epiphy

While waiting for something to load for work today, my mind wandered. I was thinking about the 'don't wanna' scene and what follows the point where I stopped. I knew what the overall result would be but realized that 'thing' wasn't going to be able to happen in the moments between the two actions. It needed a little longer.

Which made me realize what the POV character would try to do and why it would fail. "That will make it even worse," I said to myself. "Which means that's what I have to do." And is another reason I never, ever want to meet my characters in real life.

Title: Chaos Unleashed
Words Total:35,839
Words Today:521
Reason for stopping: Finished the scene
Music: Unwoman - The Fires I Started Instrumentals

Jan 21

First part of the hard scene is written. Tomorrow, I'll face the rest.

Title: Chaos Unleashed
Words Total:35,318
Words Today: 205
Reason for stopping: It's getting late & I have to work in the morning.
Music: None. Nothing seems to fit.

Sundays are made of this

I did not finish the "I don't wanna" scene tonight. I did make progress on it.

Title: Chaos Unleashed
Words Total:35,113
Words Today: 223
Reason for stopping: It's getting late & I have to work in the morning.

Tomorrow's goal is to finish the scene ... no matter what.

Okay

I need to write today.

I know I've been procrastinating because the next scene is one I don't want to write.

Time to take a deep breath and face it head on. (Wish me luck.)

Sundays pass quickly

No actual words today. I spent time finding the most recent version of my novel among the many bits and pieces of files. The bits & pieces are now tucked away in a folder for sorting through when I have time. Most can likely be deleted without issue but I have a feeling some of the information may be missing in the 'full' version.

I've been thinking about writing retreats for this year. I am currently planning a trip in May which will see writing happen - likely accompanied by tea and/or coffee and late night talks. I'd like to have at least two more. Perhaps a weekend with like-minded friends. Perhaps another trip to Kingston. (I'd count World Fantasy but I know the writing time will likely be minimal.)

At least I finally found out how to easily set the first page for my manuscripts. (Don't ask. Let's just say what I call something and what the program calls the same something are not the same.)

January 11 - Editing

One of the good things about writing the story so quickly is that I still remembered most of what I'd written. (If I've been away from something for a long time, I'm almost always surprised by something I find in the file.)

I was also doing small edits of the previous day's work as I went. Not my usual way of doing things but it seemed to work for this story. I did a quick edit on the whole thing (managing to add 20 words to the total) and have sent it off to my alpha reader for her input.

I'm not sure what I'll work on tomorrow.

Well then - January 8 - 10

The first full week of 2014 of the day job is done.

I did manage to write every day, even if I didn't make my goal of 500 words a day. It's okay though. I did write every day. And tonight, with exactly 500 words, I've come to the end of the first draft of the new short story. Tomorrow I will print it and read it all the way through for the first time.

Woo! I finished something and it's only January 10th!

Title: Falling
Words Total: 4,652
Words Today:519 / 355 / 500
Reason for stopping:First draft!
Music: Gotan Project/Unwoman/Kitchener Rangers game

January 6 & 7

I didn't sleep well the past two nights and I'm back at work for the first time since Christmas Eve. My brain seems to take offense to both those things.

I did write last night, though word count was not very high. Tonight, I did manage to hit my 500 words. Don't think the characters will be impressed with where I left them but ...

Title: Falling
Words Total: 3,278
Words Today: 236 / 523
Reason for stopping: Sleepy am I.
Music: Toronto Maple Leafs game/Gotan Project

Press not a falling man too far! - January 5

Title: Falling
Words Total: 2,519
Words Today: 402
Reason for stopping: It's getting late & the next scene needs more focus than I currently have
Music: Kitchener Rangers game/Gotan Project/The Strombo Show

I didn't quite make word count for the day but I did write. I've been a bit distracted today since it is the last day of my vacation. I'm hoping tomorrow goes well and I can make up the extra words that I missed today.

Okay, I'm just hoping I write at all. I have an appointment after work, so I won't get to writing until late. Fingers crossed that the work day goes smoothly so I'm not also dealing with a headache.

Help me, I think I'm falling (January 4)

Words were a struggle again today - partly due to my feeling off, partly due to not knowing exactly what happens next in the story. There is some irony in getting through the holiday season without being sick but feeling it now.

Title: Falling
Words Total: 2,117
Words Today: 523
Reason for stopping: Made word count
Music: Gotan Project

January 3

Another cold day and cold apartment. I wanted to nap more than write but I did make my word count.

Title: Falling (I think that's going to be the final name)
Words Total: 1,594
Words Today: 510
Reason for stopping: Made word count & it's a good place to stop
Music: Unwoman & Gotan Project

Tomorrow's forecast is for warmer temperatures. Perhaps there will be more than the minimum amount of words too.

January 2

Tonight the words came slowly - in part, I think, due to my being tired.

Title: Trapeze (working title)
Words Total: 1,084
Words Today: 515
Reason for stopping: So tired. But I get to put a star on the calendar.
Music: Gotan Project

New Year - New Goals

Welcome to the new year.

One of my goals (I don't use the R word) is to write at least 500 words most days. (I say 'most days' because I don't want to set myself up for failure.) All going well, there will be update posts - most days.

Title: Trapeze (working title)
Words Total: 569
Words Today: 569
Reason for stopping: It was a good place to stop for the night.
Music: Gotan Project