Saturday, December 31, 2011

Part Three on New Year

Some people have stated how many words they wrote

I'm not sure how many words I wrote. At least what is now a 53,000 word novel. And at least half a dozen stories.... make that twelve.  One was over 10,000 words, three were less than 500, another less than 2,000, a couple around 1,000.  Oh and a couple that came in around 25 words- for a contest. So make it at least 15 stories. Plus two chapters for one novel and three in another- it might be five in that one not sure when I started it. Plus a few other chapters and stories I think.


Not to mention a couple of letters to the editor. And gobs of posts here, on Google+, hatrack and a couple of other blogs. And an odd E-mail or ten. But that was all non fiction. 

My Goals for the New Year

After reading a post on a writer's forum I realized I hadn't set forth any goals for this next year. I made a couple last year but can't recall them exactly, one or two had to do with getting my novels ready to send out which I haven't done. But back to this year

 So:

Besides the ones that are continuous such as; growing spiritually(this place http://vccfresno.org/welcome.html  as well as reading the Bible-praying-worshipping will help with that) and in my relationship with my wife (learningp changing and growing spiritually will help with that), there are some other goals:

Get three novels ready to send out or E-publish.
Finish Angel Kin.
Write a bunch more stories-How many would depend on how long they are.
Send a story to WotF each quarter.
Send out more stories
Do another novel- have to decide on which one.

Not sure of any other non writing goals that wouldn't be included in the above paragraph.

Friday, December 30, 2011

Good wishes for New Year with some left over Christmas message






   This is a New Year wish but let me say a thing or two about Christmas first. I didn’t get to making this comment before Christmas... it will relate to the New year.



   Christmas is a time to celebrate the Love of God. He sent Jesus to be born and to live as a man for us because we needed it. His love transforms us. Like the song says No matter who we are, what we have done, we are someone special in the arms of Jesus. 

I believe the main reason Jesus went through living as a man, dying as a man, and raising from the dead, was so we can be right with God and go to heaven. We can’t be good enough we have to do it His Way. But there are good things that come along with His Forgiveness. Like His love and acceptance of us no matter what, that I referenced a moment ago. There’s also Peace that passes all understanding and Joy so great you can’t explain it. 

Even if you one of the ones who really have it all together with very little if any emotional baggage and everything you do succeeds, you still need his forgiveness and some time or another you will need his Peace even if it’s only when you die. 

For the rest of us His Love, acceptance, Mercy-Grace, is worth knowing Him now. 


That is how this relates to the New Year. His love will be there throughout the New Year by His grace and mercy we can have good success we will still be someone special in His arms. Even if we blow it,  His Mercy-Grace is new every morning. All Year Long. 

So starting the New Year with a Relationship with Jesus whether we have a ton of emotional baggage, a few bags or none at all. 

So have a Happy New Year with Good Success.      

Thursday, December 29, 2011

Slight update and a surprise

Revised one mini story well, actually a flash.  What I mean by mini is less then 500 words. This one is 955.

I had forgotten I had one western almost written. I finished it, revised it a bit, spell checked it and sent it to Pedestal. I thought they took various genre and flash. I was right on both counts. But they change what the want every month or so. I just happened to hit them at the right time.

I had to check on my other western to see what my pen name is for that genre. Which I will reveal if the story gets picked up by any one or I e-publish it.

Probably should have spent more time on the revision- nitpicks. Probably left some in the way I go. But I hope the idea that I hit them at the right moment means something but we shall see.

I have another western but it's probably closer to 2,000 words if I recall correctly. I might send it to ZOETROPE next week. Their reading period opens on the first.

Oh, I am also slightly surprised that none of the online markets I sent a story to have sent a rejection yet. Some are pretty fast with one.

Yet More Music

Got NewsBoys "God's Not Dead" album. Great, I like every song. Of course three or four are praise songs that have been around for a while but still they do them good... :)


A bit different from their last album but that's okay.

http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/gods-not-dead/id471679867

And yet another goal

Okay, finished rewriting the last two chapters for my Nano novel Breaking out.   

Of course now I have to revise the whole blasted thing but for the second time it's officially done. I don't think I will add that other chapter I thought about doing. I might do something with the idea as I revise but we shall see. Or save it for the next book with this MC.  Yeah I want at least one more.


It's now somewhere around 54,000 words. I imagine it will be under 60,000 by the time I'm done. So either try to sell it as a YA the traditional way or E-publish it. 

Oh Cat Rambo had a special offer for Wrimbos: a special price for an editing . 

Just sent off the last batch of feedback to someone on their NanoWriMo novel. I'll remind folks that this is the last week to do so if you want to take advantage of my editing offer for NaNoWriMo novels mentioned here: http://www.kittywumpus.net/blog/2011/12/06/nanowrimo-what-now/


Too bad I probably won't have mine ready to send it to her in time. But I might be able to use her usual editing. I will need it for E-publishing. 

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Another book I'm reading

Started  "Gods & Monsters" by Lyn Benedict.


Third in a Dark UF series... are there any other types? I think some aren't quite as dark as others. This is a Darker one.   A bit different. This is not one of my favorite series but still worth the reading.  Lyn is a great story teller and I want to be like her in that respect.

Lyn has her MC get "irritated to the bones" too much. Seems like almost anything gets under her skin, of course she is an angry person-- partly because of her emotional baggage and partly because she is that type of person. And I'm not that crazy about what is going on with her little sister--in this book it takes up very little space so far, or that must magic workers don't like the MC.

But as I said it's worth a read- I'm reading it very quickly-- when not writing like crazy during this vacation I'm reading.

 And I add that this series is one of the main reasons I came up with my angel kin novel. Haven't said much about that one but I'm writing it at work so it will take a while and might be shorter than 50,000 words... we shall see how much I come up with.

More by Dean on goals '12

This just happens to coincide with me having goals for this week. Kinda fitting though.

This is part two of a three parter evidently

http://www.deanwesleysmith.com/?p=6111#comments

Two more goals reached

Okay, fulfilled two more goals.

Revised and sent out the WotF story for Q1-'12

And I submitted 12 stories-which includes the WotF one-instead of ten. Thought I would do 13 but can't decided whether to send in one to Pseudopod Of course all they can say is no which they probably would do anyway. But that story would be tired up for a month or more.. a lot more if they are as bade as Escapepod used to be.

And that includes stories to two new markets for me. Wish I had one to send to Lightspeed but JJA is very hard to get by and the one SF I haven't sent to them is the one I sent to WotF. Not counting some that I wrote years ago that need work.

So two more goals to go.

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

First goal

Yea, I finally finished New Mage. Not sure how many words but I think it's less than the usual amount but that's okay. Personally I think it's my best novel. I still need to redo chapters two and three and revise it all but I wrote the end today. :)


Funny thing is that the world was inspired by Laura Anne Gilman but I think the character was inspired more by C. E. Murphy and one or two other writers of UF. In both cases I so mean inspired, I made the world and character my own with their own way of doing things and their own hurts etc.  I will count the words but I need to finish my next goal: getting my WotF story ready and sending it out.


As a certain writer I know would say, where's my Macho to celebrate?   :)

Sunday, December 25, 2011

public goals

Okay, have a set of goals I am making public.

I have this week off so I want to: Finish the revision of my WotF story and send it in, finish the New Mage novel, finished the rewrite of the half of the last chapter of Breaking Out, do five revisions of my mini stories, send out ten stories-three vial snail mail.


I will have some errands to run, and maybe a movie with my wife-if there is anything we both want to watch-, but it's something doable. One week starting tomorrow- Monday the 26.

A link and Greetings

To all my seven followers and those who read this now and then.

Merry Christmas.

Or Happy Hanukkah for those of that religion, even though it's half way or so done.


May all have a good success in '12.


And speaking of '12 here's a link to a post, by Dean Wesley Smith on setting goals for next year.  Good stuff n various types of goals and what type we know we can do.

http://www.deanwesleysmith.com/?p=6062#comments

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Music News

  Been listening to a variety of Christmas music.

Just wanted to mention one group. The David Crowder Band. Their Carol of the Bells/Christmas Eve song is out of sight. It shows how good the band was. Wow, I wonder if he had a big band for that one.

Look it over at http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/oh-for-joy/id464497960
 Hope this works its the first time I've tried to doing the iTunes store this way.

I say was because evidently they are breaking up if they haven't already.

More later.

Sunday, December 11, 2011

Star Trek's Enterprise

http://tinyurl.com/72f7ug3

check out the second picture that starts the video.

Saturday, December 10, 2011

Rant, update and Thanks

First the thanks:

Hey, I have seven followers now. Thanks Mary Ann.  I've known a couple of Popes in my life. :)



I may know at least one reason I have been procrastinating so much with the ending of New Mage. I don’t know how the end battle goes. In my mind I have two scenes ready to. One my MC is shooting super hot plasma out of her hands to get through the bad guy’s shields. And second a Griffin drops through the house’s roof to help my MC. He eat some other supernatural creatures and/or distracts the bad guy enough for my MC to do something sneaky. I will probably have to bring that out to a cover patio since the house has four floors but I can do that. But I don’t know what else happens. My MC needs to use a plant she brought along but I have no idea how. Maybe I just need to write and see what comes out of my mind. That sometimes works out okay.



And I should have sent out some stories today. I started to print out two stories last night but couldn’t  First the printer says it’s low on ink. I figure there probably is still enough for two shorter stories, I just need to keep an eye on the printing to make sure. But then a third of the way through I see that somehow the The End got placed on a page by itself and that other pages are misaligned. There are extra spaces between some sentences. I stop the printing and fix that. Start over. I somehow noticed that one page has a stain on it Ekkk, So Reprint that page but I discover that other pages have printing on them. So my story was printed over what was there already.  UGH so no stories out today. 

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

A different Christmas Story

Or  A reflection on PC Christmases
 I will add that there could be grammar and comma problems even though I tried to fix those last year.


 A Different Christmas story

Enjoy:

Bill activated his cabin’s door allowing Dora to come in. She had just interrupted him by asking though the door’s intercom if she could come in for a moment. He should have turned it off signifying that he didn’t want any company.

He rolled his chair back to his desk and started working on his computer again. She came in and the door closed. She started speaking about a certain project him, her and few others were working on together. It was an after hours project that the Freighter-liner company they worked for encouraged its employees to do. It would provide them with overtime and if it worked as it should it would be a good mark on their files.

He was listening with one ear however since he was trying to finish a private project. He suddenly raised his head knowing she had just said something different in a different tone of voice. He had not caught what she had said.

She repeated herself in a louder voice, “I said, What is that?”

He somewhat confused said, “It is a special computer game I am working on.”

She said, “Not that! I mean that in your corner?”

He turned to look at what she was pointing at. She was pointing an accusing finger at an object in the opposite corner from the entertaining-work desk. The object was four feet three inches tall and was two and a half feet wide at its widest. That widest part was about one fourth of the way up from the bottom. The wide part looked like a skirt and was made up of branches that came out from the center pole. All of the branches, from the skirt to the top were green, while the center pole was brown. Below the bottom of the skirt one could see the skinny pole that made up the center. The skirt narrowed as it went up until very near the top it was one and a half feet wide. From that point it sloped inward finally forming a thick needle three inches long. He had decorated it with two multicolored light cables and various round globe looking items as well as what looked like upside down Js painted alternately red and white.

He turned back to his work and off handily said, “That is my Christmas tree. I had Jorge in engineering, fix it up for me. Its not as nice looking as a real one, but its not that bad. You must have seen some before.”

She said, “Yes I have seen Christmas trees, but I never expected to see one here. If someone who is of another religion pr an atheist sees that they might be offended. This is a public place with people from diverse backgrounds.”

He turned to her and said, “Huh? What are talking about?”

She said, “This is a place of diversity. You know people from many diverse back grounds work here and are passengers on this ship. They could very well be offended that you are displaying items from for a religious observance from one religion.”

He blinked and looked confused and said, “Christmas is still the largest event on the earth and most colonies, and even a couple of space habitats celebrate it to some degree or another. People would know what holiday that tree represents.”

She said, "Yes, but some people will be offended so you should take it down. This is a public place as I said. If you don’t I will place a complaint. Then they will force you to take it down.”

He somewhat angrily replied, “Hey. This is not a public hallway. People have to be allowed though that door to come in here. Now if this was out in the passageway, that would be different. Even though this would still be about Christmas a harmless celebration that even many non-Christians celebrate. You can place a complaint if you want to, but they will most probably not be able to do any thing about even if they wanted to.  Time after time, the courts have declared that these living cabins are not public ground. They are the same as a private house, or even an apartment. So that means that I can do most anything in here in the way of decorations and celebrations. If someone is that offended they do not have to come in here. They are the ones that should be put out not me. Besides if they are that offended they should go to a sensitivity training seminar so they can learn not to be offended by the expression of someone’s private beliefs”

She said, “That may be so, but you should still not offend someone of a minority religion. If you do not take that down I will boycott this cabin until you do.”

He again said, “Huh?”

She answered by saying, “I’ll leave and not enter this room as long as you have that thing up”

He looked at her for a while then suddenly turned and started typing again.

He said, “If that is what you feel, you must do what you feel like is right,” 

After a moment he reached over and pressed the door button then continued, “The door is activated. You can leave and we can discuss our project though the door, or at your room. Christmas is a diverse celebration, it is made up of traditions from various cultures and people of many backgrounds celebrate it. Perhaps you should go a sensitivity training seminar. I can get you in one over the intergalactic net. And any stores that reject the term Merry Christmas is biting the hand that feeds them. More money is spent at Christmas time for Christmas presents and decorations then any other time of the year. People buy Christmas presents not Holiday presents.

“One last statement, only a small handful or people do not celebrate some form of Christmas, of those it’s only a small share that would be offended...more people are offended by you not doing it for that reason.”

She said something that sounded like hmmfff and started toward the door.

He said as she did, “Or we could go too your cabin and look at the rainbow symbols you have on display but don’t forget they are a Christian symbol also.”

She went out the door and he went back to work on the new computer game he was fine tuning.

He said to himself, “And that tree isn’t even a real one. Maybe I should have called it a Holiday tree but it isn’t, there’s no such thing as a holiday tree...with a shake of his head he continued that thought,  boy what some people will choose to be offended over. ” 

A quick post

I get a Newsletter or three from Writer's Digest. A few years ago my wife gave me a subscription to the magazine. I read over each edition but didn't really find much to help me however their Newsletters are full of good stuff. I don't take the time to read every section but I keep an eye out for headlines that look interesting. I've saved links to articles and such to reread.


And second:

I now have six followers  Good and thanks S.R.Dantzler .


Now if I could get a couple of comments.  :)



Sunday, December 4, 2011

General update

Okay finish with NaNoWriMo as I referenced a couple of posts ago. So I am catching up with business I let go as I was working on the NaNo novel.

I crited two chapters for one guy is who is writing a novel. The Dread Naughts. An interesting and I think somewhat different tale. Whenever it comes out, if you like intrigue and action plus the MC always in danger, a race against the bad guy that could result in various deaths, you will like this story. So keep it mind. I'll be back with the writer's name.

I have to choose a story for a onthepremises.com contest. A smaller contest but still interesting. This time the premise is home.

I need to work on my final version of a story for WotF this quarter ending the thirty -first. I should do that first.

Finally worked some on my New Mage novel that should have been finished at least six months ago. I keep sidetracking it for some reason. Of the three novels I worked last year, that is my best... I think. I am eager to do more on and finally finish it, then I have to rewrite second and third chapters. Noticed I said rewrite not revise.

Need to send out stories, to IGMS, Fantasy and Science Fiction, if he is still taking stories to Lupine at Fantastic Stories. I know which one to send to him.

Him and F&SF and one other are the only paper stories I send out now. Everyone else takes it through the internet. Well, there might be one more I would snail mail out.

And the number five follower seems to have settled down. It has been on Five for the last three times I came here, even when I go back to the blog after adding a post. That's good.

Saturday, December 3, 2011

"Unsympathetic Magic" By Laura Resnick

Third in a lighthearted UF series.

Yet still a wild ride as one person quoted on the cover says. Very well done, great descriptions of events. With romance mixed in also. You can also learn something reading this book. I didn't know there were watchtowers in New York city. Built during a bygone era but evidently still somewhat kept up. Somewhat not totally.

And she discussed the religion of Vodou(Rats can't recall the exact spelling and the book isn't handy). For personal spiritual reasons I'm not sure if I really wanted that much in-depth teaching on it but still interesting and well done. The teaching fit into they story rather well.

Her first sentence is one of the longest I've seen in quite a while. Almost throws my theory that First sentences should be short, out the window... almost. Personally I think she pulled it off but one writer who can do it well doesn't destroy my idea. I don't think any do-s and don'ts of writing are ever one hundred percent. And of course the type of book may have something to do with it too.

And Laura has a way with titles in this series. I don't have time right now to list them all but I think they're great.

So buy the book and read it. Don't forget books make great Christmas presents OH speaking of that Don't Forget My Story in Strange New Worlds Ten. Another great present anytime. A link is one the side of my blog. :)

I used a link to B&N because I use them more, they give me discounts-some as much as thirty percent off.
The Book

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Finished NaNoWriMo

50,900 and some words.

The last chapter needs a whole lot of fixing, the writing is a mess and the ending was rushed but I can fix it later. Actually, probably the whole thing needs a lot of fixing but my "burst writing" as one NaNo writer of the weekly encouragement E-mail called it, got a good work out. :) 


That final battle scene may look a bit like a couple of earlier ones too--I kinda cheated a little bit.   And that last couple of paragraphs are full of Tell.  But I can add a some show later.


Just not sure of when I will get to it. I want to redo it now but I still have that other novel to finish. And last year's NaNo Novel to get cleaned up so I can send it out or e-publish it.   Still going back and forth on that. I think I will E-publish (with POD) this year's especially if it stays under 70,000 words which it might. Maybe under 65,000. I have two chapters to add and to revise some- maybe rewrite the last half of the last chapter- but that won't as a huge amount of words. 


I want to add one or both of those chapters before my MC receives a hint and when he figures out where the bad guys are.