Saturday, May 30, 2009

Recent Podcasts

Vicki and I are very happy with our new ability to schedule podcasts in podbean.com At first it was a little nerve wracking to hit "publish" when you don't want the post to go out that day, but we figured it out. We were so excited about it, we had a few minor slip-ups where we forgot to add in the audio file before the post was published. Now we've got numerous reviews lined up, and regular episodes slated until the 22nd of June. We are really hoping not to have to change the schedule of the podcast just because I'm having a baby, so we'll be trying to record even more episodes ahead of time.

We also have a guest review coming up by @dreamrock! It is tentatively scheduled for the 15th of June. Ominous music!

Lastly, one of our recent episodes, "Star Strek Special," was a delight to record. It's more relaxed than a regular episode, and it's not really a review of the movie, either, though of course the movie spurred the special. Warning: Spoilers!

Thursday, May 28, 2009

What Happens When You Have No Main WIP

I was excited to finish "Adopted" (which still needs a new name) that between that and day-to-day distractions, I haven't gotten much writing done since. I have been trying to chose a "main project" which is historically important for me when it comes to actually getting writing done. A main project, for me, is the thing that you have your mind on as a writer. The thing that you take breaks from when you need to, and so you might get a few words in here and there on other projects, but still the main thing that you make progress in. The thing that you can point to and say "I wrote this day/week/month." Often, side projects are truly distractions in that they never get finished, so the work you put into it ended up being just to keep your skills sharp. That is, they never get finished unless and until they become the main project.

Logically I should chose one of my former "side" projects for my new main project, and develop that. There is one scifi story in particular, "Fishing Line," that I have been hovering about, but my focus remains scattered. Maybe it makes me nervous because it tackles subject matter I don't normally bother with, though it's the kind of thing I'd be just fine reading. Or maybe it's because I have a baby cooking in my belly!

In any case, I have been getting some writing done-- flash fiction, that sort of thing-- but precious little. Whenever I have trouble getting the word count out, I try to make sure I'm up on keeping the stories I've already finished out there, submitted to some place or another for consideration. I also try to make sure that if I do have any ideas for stories, even if I don't feel like writing them at that moment, that I write out the idea for possible use later. At least I can say I've been doing both of those things.

Still, here's hoping I can have a main WIP sometime soon to really develop and hammer out.

Friday, May 22, 2009

Adopted - Finished!

So I was right that it would be only a few more sessions before Adopted was finished. What I didn't expect was that I'd be sitting down for those sessions so soon. Hey, sometimes when you're near the end of a story, you can't help but actually finish it.

I rearranged some of the text according to my plans for the first edit. That way, when I'm ready to actually sit down and edit, I don't have to do any prep work. I just have to sit down and read through the darn thing. Editing is not my strong point, as I tend to get distracted by other projects. Then, even after editing through a couple of times, I feel it is best to have some sort of beta reader, which inevitably leads to more editing. ;)

Before I edit this one, I'd really like to come up with some other name. "Adopted" was always meant as a WIP title, and I don't want to stick with it just because it's the name I've been using. It doesn't give you any clue as to what the story is about. At least the blurb I wrote up in March still works:

Adopted
(First Draft Complete - 19k)
Sherry is a teen living in a world where the human population has suffered a serious decline. She lives at the former location of SETI, where an alien probe is being kept. After generations of studying the probe, most of the townspeople don't expect anything new to come of it. Boy are they wrong.

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Adopted, 17k

It has only been a couple of days since my last post, yet these few days were far more productive than the last few months, especially for Adopted. I am feeling much better after my brush with 9.0 hemoglobin count a week and a half ago. I'm also really excited about the convention I'm going to this weekend, and seeing my friends there. One of my friends will be selling geek dice jewelry there. Somehow all of this has culminated in an increased ability to focus on a more long-term project like Adopted.

Yesterday I did some brainstorming on the plot. I'd had the plot all hashed out, but it was in need of streamlining. I didn't even realize this until I got to a part just before the climax and I was trying to work out some of the nitty gritty details. It then occurred to me that I was expecting the characters to act unreasonably, and that more reasonable actions would actually speed up the build-up to the climax. The climax involves an axe, and I am practically there. A few more sessions and I should have the first draft done. Because of the streamlining, I expect it to top out around 20k, perhaps 25k at the most.

After that, I have some plans for reworking the first draft. Some of what I wrote when I was first starting this project meanders a bit much, but I didn't want to get rid of too much of the back story. I may have found a way to incorporate the back stories better so as not to sacrifice either characterization or pacing. I wrote down my plans to that effect in case I don't get to work on the rewrite for a while. I do at least plan/reasonably hope to finish the first draft before, say, the baby comes.

And now to get ready for the convention!

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Adopted -- 14k

So maybe 14k isn't that impressive, considering that I posted way back in March that I was up to 12k. Of course, Adopted isn't the only thing I've been working on, it's just still what I consider my main project, since I have a full outline for it.

I've also been writing a lot of flash fiction. One reason being precisely because it's so short, by definition, and I like the feeling of saying that I have written that day.

I also started a nonfiction project. I've been working as an after school instructor for a handful of years, and this past year I actually had a job that required me to write out my plans for that day in some sort of reasonable format. As part of the nonprofit I helped start, Hope 4 Life Ministries, I plan to compile these lessons and some related advice into an instructors manual of sorts. So, I've been writing for that, too, in the form of lesson plans but also in short essays for the chapter heading and appendix(es).

Dear Editor, the podcast I run with my sister, is still going strong. Episodes are more or less released "on time". Artist Alley podcast, which I run with a friend of mine, is also still running, but on a more random/drawn out "schedule."

I've been badly anemic because of the pregnancy, but thankfully that is getting better. As long as I watch that, I should be able to continuing working-- and writing-- a little longer. Baby is due July 13. :D So on the one hand I am very pregnant and happy to get any writing of any sort done at all. See you around!

Sunday, May 17, 2009

More Published Flash Fiction

I know I'm a late bloomer in this sense, but I have discovered twitter, and discovering twitter meant re-discovering my favorite type of flash fiction -- that under 100 words-- or whatever fits into a twitter post. One of my "twitter flash" stories will be published by

http://thaumatrope.greententacles.com/
Nov 21, 2009

Flash stories this short don't usually have names, but for convenience sake I'm calling this one "Cherub Flash". Subscribe to http://twitter.com/thaumatrope to see it Nov 21!

Also, my flash fiction horror piece, "The Beginning is Nigh" is still set to come out Oct 25, 2009 at 52 Stitches. 52 Stitches has just released a short youtube video advertising their webzine here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5cgGA5zsQM

So please post or tweet about these two publications!

PS. Not enough flash fiction for you? Subscribe to these tweets:
http://twitter.com/motkedapp
http://twitter.com/twae
http://twitter.com/everydayWeird