Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Different stuff

Deanwesleysmith.com has a great post on his blog, another chapter in his Killing sacred cows-myths series. Dealing with rules about publishing, writing and such.


Been working on one of my novels, still not sure why I don't want to finish my fantasy. Been sitting too long, too much work having to redo the first half of the book with what I have learned about grammar and action and the five senses since I started It or???

Anyway, I'n excited about the book I'm doing now. It's flowing so much. I'm on vacation and am able to do thousands of words but when I get back to work next week Tuesday, day after the fifth which is the day after The Fourth, I'm going to have to sacrifice short story time to get it done. Modifying a Dean hint two pages a day on the novel should do it. I hope I can get my self to do it. I figure I will have maybe 24,000 words come next Tuesday. 20 to 28 anyway, :)   So another 60,000 to 80,000 words more to go.

I know the ending but not the middle...yet. I may by the time I get there.


I have three or four stories to go back over too and another two started. I would like to work on some of them also.

Got another didn't grab me for F&SF today, sooner then usual. Got another three to six stories to send them, not counting the ones I'm still working on.

Maybe one of them....maybe not

Saturday, June 26, 2010

New Market--Flash Urban Fantasy

Looked over a new market today, they pay only ten dollars a story-maybe more once they figure things out-and they want all types of fantasy including something called Aether and UF.

So I thought well why not a flash urban fantasy, now I'm going to have to write it. Even at 1,000 words ten dollars would be less than three cent a word but I might try them anyway. Esp, if I can make it 500 words.

I thought it may not be easy to get everything UF is in flash but with the idea that popped into my mind maybe it will be.

But do I want Elves, humans, demons etc. playing strip poker? How could you tell with some of those creatures? Some people would enjoy it but maybe I don't know, maybe just a friendly game of regular poker.

Thursday, June 24, 2010

More ideas and novel

If anyone is following these more info.

I mention my mind seemed to be working on an idea for yet another Urban fantasy. The one about a team. So today I had to work on that idea. I managed to get some other writing done, but spent time on that idea. I got a team of seven people who work by themselves. Actually there are ten in the company but three are office workers and come and go.

I think I spent too much time explaining each person's powers, I may change some of them anyway. Not sure if super speed for short periods is really the type of powers I wanted. Maybe with a trick or some such.

And while reading a new book by Huff I came up with my own idea for the same type of situation. Of course my characters may be more moral when it comes to sex. That is the first book I almost put down because of the sexual activities of the characters. Bisexual incest at least with cousins but hints it could be even closer. So far there's no reason for it, just extra stuff that may have to do with the characters but have no purpose in the story. So far anyway. I skimmed past most of the beginning and finally get into the real part of the tale. It was a long introduction.

Anyway that makes now around ten UF ideas. Probably more. My inner muse seems to be stuck on UF.

Speaking of the novel. I managed to write a bit in one and a bunch in another. Since I'm working on the novels on my laptop I had to transfer the older chapters of both novels to the laptop. Actually good thing I did. Not only so that I will know the names of my characters in the Storm Born novel but I found out I hadn't finished chapter two. I decided to do a word count with four and a half chapters when I discovered I had only 900 some words in chapter two. Oops, so I worked on that chapter today. I think its over 2,000 0r 3,000 words now. I also managed to work some on chapter 5 but time to finish chapter two first.

I seem to have about 18,000 to 20,000 words so far. So another 15 chapters t least unless I can make some of them significantly longer.

Double PS

At least if I do go back over that novel I can add words it it. It's about 72-76 thousand words long. Adding Show and sensory-the all five senses every two pages thing-details would help make it longer. I figure I could make it over 80,000 words maybe 85.



And on my way driving around town last night I started to come up with another urban fantasy idea. This one involves a team. That seems to be the new rage. Laura Anne Gillman has done it, Simon Green now has a book out or will soon be out, about a Team working against the supernatural. I read part of the first chapter and that may be what got my mind working on the idea. I thought including a guy can do more than she should be able to do, perhaps he is hundreds of years old and is actual a well known mage but who hasn't been seen for ages. But that seems too cliche-ish. I may put in a guy who is a student and/or son of the guy so even though he knows more than he lets on he still isn't a Master. That could explain why he disappears every so often--his teacher calls him for another lesson.

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

One more post

Started my vacation. I had planned to work on my novel "Freewater Threat" it badly needs grammar lessons, and other nitpicks fixed. But as I was going over the third chapter I see it also needs more Show so it's going to take a lot longer to fix. Maybe that's one reasons Dean says to keep working on new stuff. Fixing old stuff takes too much time.

After finishing a Green's latest the spy who wore a torc novel I want to finish one of my urban fantasies but I also started a story last night. Should be short and I know most of what will happen. But not sure how the MC changes. (I still don't get why that is so important) and today I have errands to run so little actual writing time. Plus I played too much this morning and took a short nap. Didn't get as much sleep last night as usual.

I wanted to work on the old book, at least one new book and a story or thee per day-I still have two stories written at work that need going over- but so far only worked on the old novel once and a couple of stories.

Will be working on the new story-one market wants exploding spaceship and such, I'll give him some- so an idea popped into my head last night. I barely had time to start it. See if I have time later to work a novel--I still need to do a crit for Critters.

WotF Again

WotF posted the winners of the First Quarter on the blog. Of course I knew that already since they sent a Newsletter a few days ago. Maybe now they will begin posting the HMs for the second quarter. I think that's the one I'm in.

As I've said before I think they are taking longer than usual.

Speaking of them, Dean Wesley Smith is now going to be one of the judges. I wonder if after all this time if he would recognize my writing.

I'll be sending out my next entry June 29, it should get postmarked before the 30th.

Stories out

Sent out 12 stories yesterday. That made it about 15 out. Not as many as I have had out, 22 at least is my record.

Well, make that 14 out now. One story came back already, it wasn't even out half a day. Must have been really bad.

That's the bad thing about having stories out.

Monday, June 14, 2010

I wonder

Dean mentioned in an Email response that I am doing better with my grammar. I wondered how he would know. He hasn't seen one of my stories for something like three years. Of course I do post notes on his blog. Some are a little on the long side. That's probably how. But I also thought of two other ways.

It doesn't really matter that much--I appreciate the word of encouragement, just makes me go hmmm.

I did save the E-mail so I could reread it a couple of times.


Louis

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Another WotF

Boy, are they taking their time.  Keep expecting a phone call to ask my permission to place by name on the blog or the rejection.

I do hope its the first and that this time I go beyond HM. I've been there three maybe four times time to go beyond that stage.

A SF song

  by  a Janis Ian.  All info is here with the song.

ttp://kriswrites.com/2010/06/12/the-studio-version-of-janis-ians-welcome-home

Neat song

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Writers read this blog

http://kriswrites.com/2010/06/03/freelancers-survival-guide-giving-up-on-yourself-part-one/

If you're thinking of giving up or not even, it talks about the new publishing.  Good stuff and deserves a Wow

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Something nice

Well two people on the Baen's Bar forum have stated my last story shows improvement. That's something. Not the Good News I want but something.

Now if a editor who can my one of my stories would say that. Or I get some good news from this quarter's WotF contest. That is the one they are judging right now