End of Month Roundup

[temporus]

Just a few accomplishments for the month:

One new short story completed.  Although really, I started it before the end of last year, but since I wrote over 50% of it this month, it counts.   Title is Daemonstration.

Revised an old story.

One story still in the wilds.  I try not to worry about these, that's what my Write Again software is for.  

Read four books:

The Ogre's Wife, by Richard Parks.   An absolute treat of a short story collection.  I couldn't recommend it more highly.  My personal favorites were A Place to Begin, Golden Bell, Seven, and the Marquis of Zeng, and The Ogre's Wife.   I know I'm looking forward to his next collection due out this year from Prime Books, Worshiping Small Gods.

Dark Notes from NJ, Edited by Harrison Howe.  A collection of short stories by the Garden State Horror Writers.  Tales inspired by music and lyrics from NJ Musicians.  First, I have to admit, the concept is just cool.  I'm tempted to go back and try the idea on my own, see what I could come up with.  The stories run a broad approach, each with it's own note of Darkness, yet none quite duplicating the others.  The sum of those notes was a dark chord with much tension.   Just what you want with a collection of Horror shorts.

Swords and Deviltry, by Friz Leiber.   Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser.  Okay, so there are many classics I'm way behind on.  I've had a quirky past in my reading list, but I'm on a mission to make up for it.  I'm working to catchup on the classics, both within the SF/F genres and in literature in general.  This is one of those I should have read years ago.  Fantastic.  The only negative I could imagine, is that there were only three stories.  I'll definitely be adding more to my to be purchased list.

Summer Knight, by Jim Butcher.   I'm a bit behind on my Dresden Files books.   I'm planning to catchup, especially with the new TV series out on SCiFi Channel.   (Which I find interesting.)   This book kept me on my toes a bit more than the first two.  It was also a bit of a branch out from the others.  A different feel, not quite as ordered as the first three were.  I'm hopeful that as the series continues, we'll see even more of this to come.

Not as much as I had originally hoped coming into the month.  But, in hindsight, not as bad as I feared.  I'm going to have to drop a few TV shows, or I'm not going to get much more than this done per month.

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Comments

[l-clausewitz.livejournal.com]

Well, answering your previous post: how many first drafts do you already have? If it's just two or three and they're all short stories, you probably can go on with writing a couple more. But if it's really a huge pile, then maybe it's time to start revising and sending them out.

[temporus.livejournal.com]

I think I might be in a middle zone, where I have just enough that if I polish them all up, I can have a number making the rounds. But, if I did that, I could get stuck if I should be so lucky to get a rejection that says, "We have to pass on this one, but please send us something else." Then I might not have the next one ready to send, because the few others are all out as well.

I chose to polish up an older first draft so that I can get it to my crit group. Then I'll be jumping in on a new story. I have to look through my ideas for which one I want to do next. I should be through this revision tonight, and starting on the next.

You've been busy!

[(Anonymous)]

Wow, I'm wilting with the sensation of my own writing inertia now . . . it'll pass. Probably low blood sugar :) I try and picture you and hear your voice as I read these --as if I'm in your living room! Last night I tried to imagine your house with your son in it . . .tried to imagine your lives and how different . . .
OK, now I'm babbling.
Just wanted to know I'm enjoying reading this . . . and that I HAVE read the first one of 'the Dresden Files'
cheers
cat whitney

Re: You've been busy!

[temporus.livejournal.com]

Hi Cat! Glad to see you enjoying this.

C has read the Dresden books as well. She has...somewhat differing opinions on them than I do.

We can't wait till you're out on our coast again, so we can get together.