Procrastination is my Downfall…

If I had to tell you my worst writing habit it would be procrastination. Just getting my bum on the seat in front of the keyboard and screen seems to be the hardest thing to do. (Hence my 5000 word a day target for August*). Once I’m there it’s figuratively blood, sweat and tears to get anything on the page. If I’m lucky I may get into a flow but it doesn’t seem to happen that often for me.

So I felt almost encouraged in a way when I happened to read Wen Spencer’s blog at the weekend. Wen Spencer is one of my favourite authors. I think she’s incredibly original and has tackled a number of genres and (for me) has never once written a story that didn’t draw me in. I could only hope one day to write half as good as she does. (Bad grammar – sorry! )

Wen Spencer’s livejournal – Squatting Rights

It was her post of May 9th that struck a chord. I was sorry to hear she’d had to stop writing due to medical problems. But her image of chipmunks on crack frantically spinning a hamster wheel is one that’s going to stay with me. I obviously have lazy non-addicted chipmunks, possibly I have a guinea pig that is too fat to even get onto said hamster wheel. Hopefully by the end of August I will have a lean mean guinea pig writing machine.

* – the point is not so much to hit the 5000 word target every day, but to get as close as possible and hopefully maybe hit it once or twice. If I can get any of the rewrites or first drafts completed I will be supremely happy.

Geez…

I can’t believe it’s been so long since I posted.

:sigh: I suck at blogging. But will be doing my best to start posting again. As Xena would say – don’t apologize, improve.

In August I’m hoping to write 5000 words a day, so currently ramping up to that.

WIP’s at the moment – Demon’s Touch – first draft, rewriting The Bargain.

Writing Universes

As Brief Encounter (1) was from a different universe, I thought I’d post today about some of my worldbuilding rules.

I’m currently writing/plotting in four (I think ) universes. Where each universe is a unique time and place with its own worldbuilding rules.

Call For Submissions : Samhain Publishing Space Opera Anthology

*Permission to repost granted. Please repost on your blogs, yahoo groups, shout it from the rooftops, hire sign twirlers, get an airplane to do a flyover with a banner, or even better, get your favorite alien to do a flyover in their spaceship with a banner…*

Get your outer space on! Intergalactic wars, space battles, alien cultures, and love (and lust) across the cosmos.

I’m very pleased to announce an open call for submissions for a new, yet-to-be titled spring 2010 space opera anthology. I’m looking for fast-paced, action-adventure space opera romances. Don’t know what space opera is? Think Star Wars, Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica or my personal favorite, Firefly/Serenity. For more information on space opera, you can check out the entry on wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Opera

I’m open to M/F, M/M, or multiples thereof, and any sexual heat level. The only rule is the story should be set mainly or entirely in space and the romance must end happily ever after or happy for now.

The anthology will include novellas from 25,000 to 30,000 words in length and will be released individually as ebooks in April 2010.

Submissions are open to all authors, published with Samhain or aspiring to be published with Samhain. All submissions must be new material—previously published submissions will not be considered. Additionally, manuscripts previously submitted, whether individually or for past anthologies, will not be considered either. Please be aware that manuscripts submitted to this anthology cannot be resubmitted at a later date unless by invitation from an editor.

To submit a manuscript for consideration, please include:

The full manuscript (of 25,000 to 30,000 words) with a comprehensive 2-5 page synopsis. Please include a letter of introduction/query letter. Full manuscripts are required for this as it’s a special project.

As well, when you send your manuscript, please be sure to use the naming convention SpaceOpera_Title_MS and SpaceOpera_Title_Synopsis. This will ensure that your submission doesn’t get missed in the many submissions we receive, and makes it easy for me to find in my ebook reader.

Submissions are open until August 10, 2009 and final decision will be made by August 31, 2009. Please send your submission to editor@samhainpublishing.com and include Space Opera Anthology in the subject line.

Questions can be addressed to Sasha Knight sasha@samhainpublishing.com

Thoughts

Not really a WIP update as such because that’s a little in limbo at the moment.

But I’ve had a serious think about my plans. I have got so many stories I want to write that I need to gain a little focus – lol.

Therefore the plan (currently) is as follows:-

The Land of the Fey was originally conceived as a Trilogy so I’m going to stick to that. Book 2 – Lily and Darvan and Book 3 to lead off Book 2. There are potentially lots of other interesting , side stories to follow (Genys and Reynard especially) but I’m going to try and stay strong and hopefully there will be time to squeeze those stories in, in the future. Lily and Darvan’s story will be up next, I have an outline though it needs some reworking following feedback from my crit partners. However, the main plot is down, it’s just a little of the nitty gritty that needs sorting.

The Bargain (working title). I am so looking forward to working on this story and getting it as good as it can possibly be.  There are definitelyother stories in this Universe that I’m just dying to tell. So after I have a working version of Raven, I’ll be looking to write another story leading out of this one.

WIP Update

Currently working on The Bargain (second draft), Chapter 17, word count 25,002

Have merged four chapters down to two. Things are proceeding smoothly at the moment.

Sex/love scenes – I’ve just completed one – are something of a stumbling block. Mainly because I think these scenes perhaps more than any other you are conscious of having to get right. Nothing knocks a reader out of a moment quicker than  a badly written love scene. So it’s almost sweating blood to get them so what you have in your head matches what’s on paper. I’m still not happy with what I’ve got as it stands in the second draft but I know there’s going to be much more refining to come before I even think of submitting.

Why Beta Readers are a Good Thing #1

When every one of your beta reader / crit partners says Huh? over a particular word, you know you’ve got to change it.

It seems the term ‘arsed’ (as a synonym for bothered) is not heard of outside the UK, and is possibly only known in certain regions of the UK. lol

Arsed is therefore deleted.

Thoughts

LOL – you should know by now I suck at titles.

So I’ve been thinking (hence the title of the post) for a while about posting some online fiction. But haven’t, for a couple of reasons.

1 – It takes me a long time to write anything. I usually write about three or four drafts, then crit group and/or beta read, rework any problems, then final polish.

2 – Kind of connected to 1). Any extra writing I do will be time away from my WIP, and would probably not be as polished as I’d like. I am something of a rabid perfectionist.

Anyway, what I’m thinking of doing is short scenes, a la Friday Fiction. These may be from familiar characters such as Lily and Alaric, or characters I’m playing about with in my head – such as Robert, or something completely random and strange.

For 2009 (notice how I’m giving myself a little time here) I’m planning on blogging as follows:-

• Tuesday – WIP progress report
• Thursday – Thursday 13
• Friday – Fiction
• Sunday – Poem, for as long as I’ve got poems to share

With other random stuff chucked in for good measure I’m sure. That’s the plan anyway, comments, questions, suggestions?

Day 3 of Wordcount Blasting

LOL – have slightly come to the conclusion I suck at wordcount blasting. Maybe next time I do it things will fall into place and I’ll have the time at the computer I need.

Start of Day 3 – 18421

End of Day 3 – 20537

I think I have learnt from this, that I am much more slow and steady wins the race. But I think it was well worth trying and I’m onto Chapter 6 having finally gotten over my Chapter 5 hump.

Day 2 of Wordcount Blasting

So, onto Day 2. Reasonably clear day, just have to take the dog to his class this afternoon, but that should still leave me with plenty of time to crack on. Apart from expecting a visit from my sister and nieces later, but hopefully will have made a dent in it by then

Wordcount start of Day 2 – 17589

Wordcount end of Day 2 – 18421

Now it might seem that this is not a cause to celebrate – but IT IS! Because I have finished chapter five – the first love scene. And anyone who was reading between the lines of my Thursday 13 on Procrastination a couple of weeks ago will have realized I was sorely stuck on that. But I am over it! Finally – and it’s only taken me most of the day editing and re-editing to get it right (and changing the point of view character for the chapter)*. And I can now crack on with the rest of the story.

* – I know that editing is not part of the Nano process, and it’s the part that I struggle most with. But I find the more I’ve got my character’s behaviour straight in my head, the easier the revision process is.