29 September 2009

Weekly Goals - September 29, 2009

A bit of good news this week. Along with the goals information, I also received my contributor copy of Golden Visions magazine. And on top of that, my story "A Thankful Heart" was accepted by Golden Visions as well. See my previous blog post for details.

Results for this week:

1. Completed editing on "Conventional Wisdom" (was "Trust") and sent of to beta readers
2. Only completed around 1000 words on "Hiding in the Shadows"
3. Completed edits on "Deadly Decisions" and still need to get some beta input.

And now the goals for this coming week:

1. Send "Deadly Decisions" off to some beta readers
2. 1500 words on my new story, "Hiding in the Shadows"

Submission status for the week:

Short stories:
"Seeker" (submitted August 10)
"Some Assembly Required" (rejected, need to re-submit)
"Collateral" (need to re-submit)
"Entrapment" (since August 31)
"Conventional Wisdom" (waiting on beta input)
"Deadly Decisions" (need to re-submit)
"A Thankful Heart" (ACCEPTED)




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27 September 2009

New Publication!

Just thought I'd share the news that my story "Profit and Loss" is now available in the October Issue (print) of Golden Visions Magazine. This is my first print edition (my contributor copy is on its way), so something I'm rather proud of.

Head on over and get yourself a copy. They have them available in print or PDF (the "buy now" buttons aren't labeled very well, so pay attention to what you're adding to your cart).

And of course, enjoy the story!

26 September 2009

Why I Do What I Do

Wow, an actual blog post? I'm shocked as much as you are. I'm going to attempt to start working toward putting up weekly blogs (I'll still be posting up the goals posts) again. We'll see how it goes.

***

Writing is a depressing business. All sorts of work, relatively little pay (certainly not enough to live on, at least in my case anyway), giving up most of a social life in order to stay in and write your next novel/short story. Putting yourself and your abilities out there for a high risk of ridicule and rejection. It's a wonder that anyone does it. But there are so many of us out there who still do.

In my case, I tend to spend most of my time in front of my laptop, or working on notebook paper, scribbling out manuscripts, notes, or other assorted odds and ends. It's very rare when I won't take writing work with me places I go, even if it's a social setting. The trouble is, with a day job taking up most of my time, what I have left for writing is limited. So, I use up as much time as possible to get work accomplished. Otherwise, it would likely take several years to get a novel written, or several months to get a short story completed (not counting the endless amounts of time required for the query and submission processes). If I was satisfied with that pace, I'd never be a success at writing. To be a success, one has to complete a lot of work, and in a timely fashion.

Given the relatively small rewards available to writers, one has to beg the question...

Why do I do what I do?

To answer this, one probably needs a little background on me, personally. My mother was an English teacher before she died (I was a teenager at the time) and consistently harped on my skills, growing up. It's one of the things I'm glad for, because engineers (my day job) are generally notorious when it comes to spelling, grammar, sentence structure, etc.

I started writing at a fairly young age, and she always encouraged me in it. I can't recall where I ever finished a piece while she was still living, so she never had the chance to read my work. And that's a good thing, as those early works were utter dreck. Ultimately, her death proved to be the spark that ignited my writing, and took it to the next level. Suddenly, I had a point of reference for a vast array of emotions that I'd never experienced before.

So, if I had to guess why I put myself through the abuse I do, I imagine it would be in part an attempt to honor her memory. Knowing she encouraged me down this writer's path leads me to think she's likely looking down at me and what I've accomplished so far, and I'd like to think that she's proud.

And as many have said before me, the best is yet to come.

22 September 2009

Weekly Goals - September 22, 2009

Some good work this week, though slacked a little on the second goal.

Results for this week:

1. Completed this round of editing on The Cure
2. Only completed around 1200 words, but hit a scene break and stopped

And now the goals for this coming week:

1. Edit "Trust" and send off to some beta readers
2. 1500 words on my new story, "Hiding in the Shadows" (tentative title)

Submission status for the week:

Short stories:
"Seeker" (submitted August 10)
"Some Assembly Required" (since May 18)
"Collateral" (need to re-submit)
"Entrapment" (since August 31)
"Trust" (need to re-submit)
"Deadly Decisions" (need to re-submit)
"A Thankful Heart" (since June 26)




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15 September 2009

Weekly Goals - September 15, 2009

A week of vacation did me a world of good. Though near the end of the week, I began slacking off toward my writing goals, the relaxation more than made up for it.

Results for this week:

1. Completed around 9.5K words of editing on The Cure
2. Created a book trailer (see my last post -- added goal)

And now the goals for this coming week:

1. Complete (approximately 6.5K words left) editing on The Cure
2. 1500 words on my new story, "Hiding in the Shadows" (tentative title)

Submission status for the week:

Short stories:
"Seeker" (submitted August 10)
"Some Assembly Required" (since May 18)
"Collateral" (need to re-submit)
"Entrapment" (since August 31)
"Trust" (need to re-submit)
"Deadly Decisions" (need to re-submit)
"A Thankful Heart" (since June 26)




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08 September 2009

Weekly Goals - September 8, 2009

A bit better this week. Hoping to get some things done, since I'm taking this week off from work.

Results for this week:

1. Completed around 11.5K words of editing on The Cure

And now the goals for this coming week:

1. Complete 10K words of editing on The Cure

Submission status for the week:

Short stories:
"Seeker" (submitted August 10)
"Some Assembly Required" (since May 18)
"Collateral" (need to re-submit)
"Entrapment" (since August 31)
"Trust" (rejected, need to re-submit)
"Deadly Decisions" (need to re-submit)
"A Thankful Heart" (since June 26)




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01 September 2009

Weekly Goals - September 1, 2009

Not so good this week...work stresses seem to be working their way into my down time.

Results for this week:

1. Completed approximately 3K words of editing on The Cure

And now the goals for this coming week:

1. Complete 10K words of editing on The Cure

Submission status for the week:

Short stories:
"Seeker" (submitted August 10)
"Some Assembly Required" (since May 18)
"Collateral" (need to re-submit)
"Entrapment" (rejected and re-submitted August 31)
"Trust" (since May 30)
"Deadly Decisions" (need to re-submit)
"A Thankful Heart" (since June 26)




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