Back to Work

Well, I am back at work, and back to writing. My first week back I had to go to a Library convention in Omaha. I was hoping to get some writing done at night while I was there, but I was exhausted both nights and just watched TV. It wasn’t a total loss I did see what happens when you give 900 librarians free beer and wine for 2 hours. It was actually a little scary.

I did write a little when I got back. I wrote the first chapter of a new novel. It was great. It was like stretching a muscle I hadn’t used in awhile. My writing time is drastically reduced right now, I spend about half of my old writing time taking care of the twins, but I have started a novel and will keep on writing, though at this pace it will take me over a year to finish the book.

An Acceptance and a New Writing Style

I got an acceptance to Bards & Sages Quarterly. The Last Dragon will be appearing in their December issue. Off the top of my head I think this is my fifth story accepted by them. If you are a fantasy writer looking for a place to send a short story I can’t recommend them enough, the editors are great to work with and they put out a professional looking product that you can be proud of.

My current novel is coming along nicely. I just hit the 20,000 word mark. Everything seems to be flowing a lot easier this time. So I am asking myself what is different about my process this time. The only thing I can think of is the outline/plotting process. I wrote my first couple of novels with no outline, these were fun stories but lacked structure. The plot ambled along, going this way and that, until the end came out of nowhere (a lot like most of my blogs).

I wrote my next novel with a very rigid outline. The novel plugged along but writing it just wasn’t any fun. It took me about twice as long to finish the novel. And I really think you can tell that I didn’t even like the story or the characters by the time I got to the end. And to be honest I can’t remember how the thing ended. I can tell you all kinds of details about the novel I finished in 2009 but the one I finished a few months ago is a mystery. I think that really says something about me and rigidly structured writing.

This time I have an outline, but I am allowing the story to go where it wants and then I write a new outline whenever I need to. It is much more organic, providing structure without hampering my creativity. I think I may have finally found a way to write that really suits me and what I need as a writer. Of course I won’t know for sure until I finish novel but I can say that this writing process is making me a lot more productive.

In other news, that is only vaguely writing related, the summer reading program starts on Saturday. This is the busiest time of year for a children’s librarian. Last year we had just over two hundred kids sign up for the program, I am hoping for more this year.

The last day of the program is July 13th. The doctors say that I will be a dad on August 22nd, but there is a very good chance that it will be a month or so earlier than that since we are having twins. So it might be awhile before I can squeeze in any blog posts or writing time to find out if I actually did find “my writing style”.

The State of the Union

It has been real busy the last couple of weeks. I had the stomach flu and then I had to do a bunch of stuff for the summer reading program (The Kick-Off Party is June 4th and we are having an international hot dog bar, for anyone in the area who is interested) I have my trip to the elementary schools planned, I will be walking classroom to classroom giving a presentation about the Summer Reading Program. I am also done with planning events for all of the six weeks. This summer's theme is One World, Many Stories and I have been planning programs about other countries. Being a children’s librarian is exhausting.

I have also been attempting digital painting, I say attempt because they are pretty awful, but just like anything else practice makes perfect. I have been trying to get everything done because we have a little vacation planned this week. During June and July I can’t take any time off of work, it would even be hard to take sick leave, so we are headed up to Deadwood. We are leaving tonight and coming back on Friday. Should be a nice little break from work. I am bringing my laptop, I always get some writing done on vacation. Jessy falls asleep a good two hours before I do, and just like at home that is my writing time.

With everything going my writing time has been cut back but progress on Blood Plague War is going forward. I just finished a really hard scene the last one before I start building to the climax. The rest of the novel is like a little movie in my head, which judging from past experience, means I should be able to coast right to the end. I also found a few anthologies that I would really like to write something for. I haven’t had the urge to write a short story since last August. Maybe I only write short fiction in the summer?

Anyway, sorry for the meandering nature of this post. I didn’t really have a plan when I started writing it. Happy Tuesday, and I’ll let you know if I when the $10 million progressive jackpot.

Exhausted

I am exhausted. Yesterday I visited nearly one hundred local businesses trying to get donations for the libraries summer reading program. After 8 hours and some blistered feet I can say that I collected more this summer than last which is always good, and next year I can go to way fewer places in person. There were a ton of them, over half that just wanted a brochure about the program and a mailing address. Next year I can just mail those places a brochure and I won’t actually go there in person.

But being physically exhausted has me feeling mentally inspired. I am going to write a few chapters of Blood Plague War today. Next time I am feeling uninspired maybe I should move some furniture or something.

Sword & Sorceress

So I am done with most of the prep work for the Summer Reading Program. The program starts next week, so while I will be super busy when I am at work my nights and weekends will be my own again.

The first thing I did with my free time was write a story for the Sword and Sorceress anthology. I wrote a 5000 word story that is actually a shore prequel to one of my unpublished novels. I did not expect to get published, it is a pro paying antho, but I heard that they give personal rejections and I hoped to get some tips to make the story better.

My personal rejection said that there was nothing wrong with the story it just did not have the feeling she was looking for, and that I should send it to other markets.

I found this somewhat heartening. At least she didn't hate it, and didn't have any major problems with the story. I have already subbed it to another market, and have my fingers crossed. I am going to start at the top, as far as pay scale goes, and work my way down.

I am also going to have a short 500 word zombie story in Daily Bites of Flesh. The story entitled Divorce of the Dead is almost all action.

A dreadful feeling

Today I am filled with an almost overwhelming sense of dread. The cause of this feeling, is my first radio appearance.

I am going on the radio to promote the Children's Summer Reading program. I don't really see the point as this will be right after the morning news, and everyone I know turns to another station, but my boss said I had to go on the air (which is not something they mentioned in my job description). So I have a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. I can only imagine how aweful I will feel tomorrow.

At least it will be early tomorrow, so that I can get it over with first thing. I have a statement all typed out that I am going to read, I know this will make for boring radio but I have never been on the radio and I am viewing it as an entirely new public platform with which to make an ass of myself. Sounding kind of boring is a whole lot better than the alternatives I can think of.

Kingdom of the Dead

Well Kingdom of the Dead got its first rejection this week, I went through and did an edit and sent it off to another publisher. I had a little bit of a problem finding someone to send it to. I have a strange problem that I never read about in any of the writing books.

We own a small press.

Why is this a problem? We didn't start Pill Hill Press to publisher our own novels, and we don't want to. But having my novels published by another small press makes almost no sense as far as money is concerned. I would get 25% royalties, at best, from another publisher if we published it I would make 100%

I have a list of about 8 different publishers for each novel, all of which pay adavances. But when I make through the list I am going to have problems finding someone else to send my novels to. Like I said, it is a strange problem.

Oh well, nothing to worry about yet. And since Duotrope's says that most of the publishers on my list take over 100 days to respond to a submission, I should have two years, or so to figure it out.

I may have to switch gears on writing for the next couple of weeks. I have to go on the radio to promote the library's Summer Reading Program on Wednesday. I have about ten minutes of air time to fill up, and I am super nervous. Tonight I have been writing my presentation, and I think it is only about 5 minutes long, so I will have to write some more on that. Friday I have to visit another elementary school and I need to write a presentation for that.

I also have to write a presentation on how to find a job online by June 2nd, we have computer education classes at the library and this is the topic I got. And then I have to write a 15 minute speach on the history of the library. It is the town's 125th birthday and the city counsel has decided to go all out. I think they are just trying to get an econmic boost, but it means I have to tell people about the library on Heritage and History day.

So there is just a ton of work to do and no time to do it.

Update

March is over, and April is on its way. Which means that I need to finalize my plan for the Summer Reading program at work. The six week program takes months and months of prep work. The library is going to have programs nearly everyday for the entire month of June.

I doubt I will get any writing or editing done in June. Which means I need to really start working on editing my two novels if I want to sub them anywhere before July. It's strange how different the stories are now that I am editing rather than writing. When I was writing I thought Kingdom of the Dead was a much better novel than Summer's Blood, but now that I am editing I think Summer's Blood might be the best thing I have ever written. I took three months away from it and I don't even really remember the novel.

So I can read it as a reader instead of an author. I am really proud of my characters in this novel, they are much more thought out than my previous attempts, I think the plot is engaging and there is way more world building than I remember there being. I am just hoping I like the whole thing as much as I liked the first 20,000 words.

I like all of my novels/stories but there is something about this one that I can really identify with.

Milehicon and Other News

Milehicon- We just got notice that our payment has been recieved and we are offically registered to go to Milehicon in Denver at the end of October. This is out first convention and we are excited.

Work- I got the promotion at work and we have finally filled the open jobs. I have Saturdays off again, yay! Today I went through submissons for Shadows and Light but I should be able to start writing again next weekend.

Shadows and Light- We are offically 5/8 of the way full, and I can't beleive the quality of the submissons we are getting. I am baised but I think every story we have accepted is amazing. I can't wait to get it to the printers.

Novel- I really need to come up with a title for the novel I am currently working on. I just broke 60,000 words and I think I have another 30,000 or so left to write.

The Lion of Solkara- My first novel has been through a major rewrite and the query has been sent, crossing my fingers.

The Life of a Part Time Writer

Two people at work quit this week, so I am now schedule to work six days a week until the end of August. Not necessarily a bad thing, I do have an interview for a higher paying position. But it does mean I won’t be writing any short fiction this month.

I will still work on my novel, I set myself a very manageable goal of 2500 words a week. I can’t help but fell a little disappointed, I was starting to see a lot of improvement in my writing. Writing for all the anthologies was fun, I was stretching myself to write in genres I am not usually interested in.

I still have about ten subs out, so I may still have some acceptances to write about later in the month.

As for Shadows & Light the anthology I am editing for Pill Hill Press, there should not be a problem. I don’t mind reading for a few hours every night, I usually do anyway to help put myself to sleep. I am going to have to make slight change to the guidelines.

I like reading Sci-fi but it is not what we are looking for in this anthology. So far about a third of the subs have been Sci-fi. A sci-fi element in a fantasy story would be fine but an interstellar battle between humans and aliens doesn’t really fit.