Monday, April 30, 2012

Writing Marathon 25

1 hr. 300 ish words (nonfiction).

I finished readying "The Six" by K. B. Hoyle and spent some time writing the review for that and then prepping blog posts for other reviews and author interviews. I am quite embarrassed to see that I messed up on the release date for one of them! Hopefully a google calendar for sffwrtcht will help me keep track, now that I'm up to a post a week over there.

I've still got to finish that review and also the PV contracts - but, another night. It is already way past my bed time!

Note: it only took me two days to read "The Six" because I found it quite enjoyable.

Sunday, April 29, 2012

Writing Marathon 24

30 minutes.

I accidentally fell asleep while I was putting the baby to sleep. He was extra fussy and I had to lay there an hour before he'd let me get up! So, this writing session was accomplished through a grumpiness and grogginess. It didn't feel like writing, but at least I stuck to my guns regarding what I was going to write tonight. PV contracts! They're closer to be done.

Saturday, April 28, 2012

Writing Marathon 23

31 minutes of editing. I'm reading "To Save Samantha" backwards paragraph by paragraph. Got 1/3rd through.

30 minutes is amazing considering that Saturdays are when I podcast with Pendragon Variety, which ends after my usual bedtime. AMAZING. Because I like to sleep.

Oh, uh, and those Pendragon Variety contracts? When I said that I was going to do those tonight, that was because I forgot that today is Saturday. My brain was too fried after podcasting. I'm not putting them off! I just can't remember what day it is. That's better, right? ;)

Friday, April 27, 2012

Writing Marathon 22

50 minutes. Final final pass-through of "Spoils of a Long Dead War," then formatted and submitted it to a SF/F mag that I feel is a good fit. We'll see if they agree.

I also know which magazines I want to submit "To Save Samantha" and "People of the Sea" to. One of the magazines I would be submitting to takes about a year to respond, but for some places, it is worth it.

OH NO! I forgot that I was going to do the PV contracts tonight. So... uh... tomorrow, then!

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Writing Marathon 21

1 hr, complete edit run-through of a 4k fantasy story, "Spoils of a Long Dead War."

You wouldn't believe how many titles this poor story has had, nor how hard each title has tried to sound dirty (The Hunter's Stones, any one?). I think it is ready to submit, and I know where I want to submit it, but I find it advisable to let it sit at least one more day so I don't get submission regret. Otherwise known as that moment that you pop out of a deep sleep realizing that you should have changed this or that before sending it off. Or the moment that a beta reader you gave up on gets back to you with a typo that you missed.

We'll see tomorrow!

And if you are wondering why I've been editing so many stories at once, the short answer is because there are so many to edit. Switching between them allows me to "drawer" my stories without actually losing any editing time. This story is one that I suddenly recalled as being ready or near-ready to submit, and my current game plan is to first work on the stories that are nearest to ready so that I can have a few running around in submission piles while I'm editing or writing the next batch. Something about not being published if you don't submit any where.

Speaking of publishing, tomorrow I plan to work on writing the contracts for Pendragon Variety's upcoming e-book release, now that the accepted stories have been chosen by our PV team. I will be counting this towards my writing time because I feel like learning about and participating in the publishing process as a whole is beneficial for any writer. Also because I will literally be writing, it just won't be fiction.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Writing Marathon 20

1 hr 15 minutes - 1 hour of editing and formatting, and 15 min of researching possible markets (14k? Ugh.)

I think it's time to send People of the Sea off to beta comments. And maybe I'll finally have the courage to take a look at To Save Samantha tomorrow. Not sure if it's been in the drawer long enough!

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Marathon 19

1 hr 15 min - 1100 words, and that makes a complete rough draft of People of the Sea!

Funny. I felt like I was interrupted quite often (kids!) but looking at the stop watch I set versus the actual time that has passed since I started writing tonight, I can't have spent more than 15 minutes fussing over the kids. And there goes the baby again.

Looking forward to tomorrow's writing session, though I haven't decided yet what I'm going to do! I'm not sure that I have the heart to look over To Save Samantha, yet.

Monday, April 23, 2012

Marathon 18

40 minutes and 500 words.

That 40 minutes includes a bit of research time as I suddenly realized that I knew nothing about how to make a canoe. I finished up the scene that I started last night.  I didn't get to the fun part yet, but, hey, more motivation for tomorrow, right? At this rate I might be done with People of the Sea by the end of the week, pending Beta Reader feedback. Now, that's a goal I can aspire to. Woohoo!

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Marathon 17

1hr and 10 minutes and one 1,300 word scene! Whew.

I had an idea for People of the Sea earlier today, and it's working so far. It takes the characters to crazy extremes of yelling at each other and feeling embarrassed. Haha. That's a start.

And have you read "Enchanted" by Alethea Kontis? You can read my review about how awesome it is here. She is coming to NC next month, and she'll also be at Dragon*Con. See her appearance schedule here.

Saturday, April 21, 2012

Marathon 16

17 minutes of editing / formatting today. I'm trying to get my head around a scene I need to write for People of the Sea. It's like I found a rotted slat in the fence and have to replace it, but can't remember where I got the others originally.

Saturdays are when I podcast with the lovely ladies at Pendragon Variety. Check it out!

Friday, April 20, 2012

Marathon 15

So, blogger is completely different now. It's about time, but I'm temporarily annoyed.

20 minutes in Rent-a-Mech today. I don't have much to show for it but the important thing is that I stuck to the habit. I've noticed that the last few days I have been waiting to start until after the baby wakes up the first time. No! Bad writer mommy! Some nights, that could be a whole 15 extra minutes! I hate being interrupted, but that's life.

Going to bed early so I can sleep and fight this sore throat. By the by, garlic infusions do not taste good.

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Marathon 14

30 minutes and 500 words on the Rent-a-Mech. I thought the writing felt a bit slow! Transitions are always the trickiest. I almost fell into the trap of the never ending dialogue, where the characters talk about what is about to happen before it happens. I might torture my loved ones with that in real life, but not my readers. Ha!

Tore up another scene card. Tearing up the cards is immensely satisfying.

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Marathon 13

I was feeling brave and went to work on The Rent-a-Mech and the Stablehand. 800 words in 30 minutes, and at the end I got to tear up a scene card. Yay! Also note that this is why 30 notecards is only a 20-25k story for me. I actually broke out the calculator for that, like it matters. Haha!

Today is also the release day for "Fighting Gravity," by Leah Petersen (@leahpetersen). Fighting Gravity is an engaging gay romance that has a strong foundation of modern scifi. I'm excited to share my review with you, but that doesn't come out until May 10th. To be sure, you'll be hearing from me about it again later, but for now go congratulate Leah Petersen on twitter or on her blog!

Oh, and I was trying to redo my blog theme and lost the old theme without finding one that I truly like. Laaame.


Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Marathon 12

Last night: 50 minutes
Tonight: 60 minutes

While searching for a place to submit "To Save Samantha," I stumbled upon a publication that sounds perfect for "People of the Sea." I thought I remembered that "People of the Sea" was ready to go, but taking a look at it.... Yeah. Not quite. I think it must have been that I was tired of editing it, and it was time for the drawer method. Now I've reopened that drawer and blown the dust off the paper. Tonight I finished the first read-through/editing, and I'm pleased to have identified some weak areas of the story that need more serious overhaul. I may switch back to "To Save Samantha" so that I can let this one settle a bit.

Monday, April 16, 2012

YA Report: Enchanted by Alethea Kontis

I had first read Alethea Kontis in Orson Scott Card's Intergalactic Medicine Show years ago, and I have loved her ever since. So you can imagine how thrilled I was to read and review her debut YA novel, Enchanted! It is lovely, indeed:

“Enchanted” by Alethea Kontis is a YA fairy tale that follows Sunday, the seventh daughter of a seventh daughter, and her romance with a prince-turned-frog. Set in a world where it seems possible for all of our classic fairy tales to be true, “Enchanted” focuses on the importance of family and friends, trust, and the truth that builds that trust. After all, when your godmother is powerful enough to turn you into a frog, family matters.

Head on over to the SFFWRTCHT blog to read the rest of the review!

New York Times bestselling author Alethea Kontis is a princess, a goddess, a force of nature, and a mess. She has authored several published books in multiple genres as well as short fiction, essays, and poetry appearing in over ten anthologies and numerous speculative fiction magazines.. Her debut YA fairy tale novel, Enchanted, will be published by HMH (Harcourt Books) this spring.

You can find Princess Alethea online at: www.aletheakontis.com and on twitter at @AletheaKontis .

Sunday, April 15, 2012

Marathon 10

35 minutes today, editing "The Rent-A-Mech and the Stablehand" to fit my new outline.

New rule: I'm only allowed to "need" to do one thing between when the kids go to bed and when I start writing time. And then I can only do that one thing and not the three other things that pop into my head along the way. Haha!

Also, caffeine headaches are no joke. No excuses!

Saturday, April 14, 2012

Marathon 9

I got cracking on my writing time early today so that I could have a guilt-free podcasting evening with Pendragon Variety. Since I couldn't sit down at a computer yet, I decided to focus on a story that needed brainstorming and notecarding.

Remember how I said yesterday that I didn't have any ideas and thought I'd have to move on to another project? Could you hear that in an Eeyore voice? 15 minutes and 5 or so notecards later, I've got a game plan! Tomorrow I'll be writing in "The Rent-a-Mech and the Stablehand". Woohoo!

Friday, April 13, 2012

Marathon 8

20 minutes today. Although I'm very focused once I start, I need to stop piddling around before I start writing. It helps if I don't have to go downstairs to eat first because somehow that can take forever.

Since I sent off "To Save Samantha" to beta reader(s), I read over another story that needs attention. I found myself making very few edits because it is a strong beginning, but it is just that. A beginning. A 5k beginning. I'll see if I can brainstorm some plot points but I think I'm going to have to move on to something else for my marathon time, at least for now.

See you next time!

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Marathon 7

Boy am I dragging my feet today! I am tired and distracted and did not even want to start editing. Still, I put in 22 minutes for a once-over. The whole story is put together like it was never torn apart, and maybe it's time for a beta reader or three. For now, I'm calling it a day.


Marathon 6

P decided that I wasn't allowed to blog about this yesterday - he's getting two teeth and he would like me to know that my presence is required for this event!

So, last night I managed 37 minutes on "To Save Samantha." It was equal parts cutting words and stitching words together. I am creating a monster! Bwahaha!

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Marathon 5 (?) !

Rest assured that I have been keeping my 15 minutes or more of writing time a day. Easter Sunday, I reached this goal by taking notes on my phone for the changes I wanted to make to "To Save Samantha." Monday, I polished a review for Science Fiction and Fantasy Writer's Chat and wrote on the ending for "To Save Samantha," but I didn't want to blog about it that night because my review for "Wicked Passage" came out on the website that same day.

Now it is day 5! I spent at least an hour total today writing and revising. I've got the ending finished and rewritten a huge chunk in the middle. Five days ago I had no idea how to end it or how to fix the lackluster middle. Now the finish line is in sight!

Monday, April 9, 2012

YA Report: Wicked Passage by N. M. Singel

"Wicked Passage" was a blast to read. It was kind of like watching Time Bandits:

“Wicked Passage” by N. M. Singel is a trippy science fiction following thirteen year old Blake Wyatt as he attempts to preserve the timeline while taking directions from a talking book and two dogs who live in a field of blue grass. With the help of an uncle who likes to nap at the most inopportune times and a sister who manages to get herself locked in a trunk, Blake must save Christopher Columbus from a mutiny started by a Tolucan, an evil being determined to destroy not only Blake but the universe’s entire timeline.

Head on over to the SFFWRTCHT blog to read the rest of the review!

Saturday, April 7, 2012

Marathon 3

I got in my fifteen minutes today, despite having a podcast recording to attend (Pendragon Variety). Talk about just barely, too! 20 minutes of writing the ending for "To Save Samantha."

I discovered I had to break through this odd feeling that I was writing the ending to someone else's story. Reading something I wrote so long ago gives me that feeling, like I wrote it in my sleep and don't remember. I remember wanting to write the story and all that, but the words themselves, the phrases, feel like they were written by somebody pretending to be me.

Then I got over it.

It's a long day tomorrow, so Happy Easter everyone!

Friday, April 6, 2012

Marathon 2!

This is my second night of my writing Marathon, and I'm happy to report that I wrote for just under an hour. I'm not quite as thrilled with how late it is, but that's because the kids went to bed late and I got carried away with writing.

Tonight I wrote the rough draft of my review for Leah Petersen's fantastic book, "Fighting Gravity." It was one of those books where, when I write the review, I'm trying really hard not to sound like a rabid fan girl. But seriously, the book deserves the praise.

I also took some notes for my plans to revise "To Save Samantha." I need to rip out a scene in the middle and I've got some conflicting ideas for what to replace it with. When the story requires me to go in a completely different direction that I had originally envisioned, it usually takes me at least a day to chose and get over my choice.

Now it is bed time for Mommies!

Thursday, April 5, 2012

The Marathon Begins!

Tonight begins my "Marathon" re-dedication to writing. I'm dedicating 15 minutes every night to any of several writing projects in various stages of concept, writing, and editing - with a focus on the later two. This is how I accomplished my (diminished version of) NaNoWriMo, which proved that this is a good motivator/method for me to get writing. Right after the kids go to bed is the only time of the day where I am guaranteed those fifteen minutes of uninterrupted concentration. Take what you can get, right?

Tonight I started a stop watch and clocked in just over an hour editing "To Save Samantha," a story I abandoned over a year ago when I decided that life needed to settle down before I could apply myself with any thing like good results. "P" is eight months old now, so I might get a full two hours a night to write, do a chore or two, answer emails, etc. P cried just after I was done editing tonight, and now I'm going downstairs to take the chicken out of the crockpot, then blissful, blissful sleep. Life goes on, but that life shall now include writing fiction.

Special thanks to my friend and fellow writer, Cyd, who is often the final impetus to get me back on the writing track. It's easy to feel comfortable writing two book reviews a month, until Cyd innocently asks you what you've written recently.

Tonight: One Hour. Go me!

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

YA Report: Andrew P. Mayer Interview

I had the privileged of interviewing Andrew P. Mayer for his trilogy The Society of Steam. Check it out here!

Look for more information on The Society of Steam trilogy and Andrew P. Mayer on his website, http://www.andrewpmayer.com/ There is also an adorable little “newpaper” website for the trilogy at http://societyofsteam.com/