Dwelling in Possibility

I've just stumbled on this website, where Alex Kourvo reviews books about the craft and business of writing. The list is impressive, including many I've never heard of. Just glancing through some reviews, I think there may be books I'll want to check out. Keeping for future reference!  

 So, I'm watching the Falcon Heavy launch on repeat, listening to Life on Mars and Space Odditiy, and wiping up an occasional tear. That's all.

Things have got a bit blah. Nothing in particular, just the usual. The idea for the new novel now feels trivial, the characters wooden. One of the stories I've been working on may have to be trunked. Or wait another six months before I can face it again. (The other one seems to be working, but once you're "blah" you only consider the bad news, right?).

I've had a headache for the whole week, not a full migraine but annoying enough. And it doesn't help that it's so dark and gloomy. I'm nocturnal, so I often wake up well into the afternoon, and then it's dark in a couple of hours... And the little day there is, is cloudy and rainy and miserable. I think SAD is aptly named, and I'm definitely suffering.

Oh well. Better stop whining.

By way of yhlee:

Find the nearest book to you, turn to page 45, and read the first sentence: this describes your sex life in 2018.

PROFESSIONAL TIP
For the most intense emotional experience, tell the whole story from the same POV. [Rayane Hall, Writing Vivid Emotions]

First I laughed out loud, then I started to wonder. Now I no longer know what to think.... ;)

 Well, not all of them are new, but it sounded better...

In November (or was it December?) I ordered a million ink samples to play with. I don't know what I was thinking, because it'll take me forever to get through them all, and part of the fun is getting new ink to try (even if you have unused samples in the drawer.) Too late now! ( Here are the fist five: )

Overall, not a bad year. Some disappointments, but some good developments as well.

The Good Things that Happened:

Agent--I finally got representation and my novel is out on submission. That's a big step forward that will hopefully lead to something good, if not with this novel than maybe the next one...

My first pro sale--a tiny flash to DSF, which hardly counts, but considering I only wrote three flashes this year (and two shorts last year), it's not that bad...

Word Count: ~110k in edits & ~65k new words


Looking at my goals for the year, I got more than I planned on some things and less on others:

Goals for 2017:

Novels:

- finish, rewrite, polish and query agents - Yes! 
- draft a sequel -- I've got a good outline and I'm half way through the 1st draft
- do one more draft of the YA novel incorporating all the feedback; decide if to query again or self-pub -- decided to leave it for now
- one more draft of my sf screenplay in a final attempt to either get it produced, or let it die forever -- nope, I just couldn't face it..

Short Stories:

Write at least 4 flashes/shorts -- yes, though two still need editing


I'm both looking forward and dreading 2018... If my novel sells--yay! If it doesn't, I'll be miserable for months till I have something new out there again. I'm not a fast writer, so that may take a while.

Goals for 2018

Novels:

I'm half way through the sequel to Orion's Shadows but unless I get some GOOD NEWS in early January I think I will leave it for now and start working on a new novel. I have a very rough idea of what it might be but it will be a while before I can start writing. My goal will be to have that new novel through a couple of drafts and to the agent by end of summer.

By then we should have a good idea if the current novel will sell, so can move on to submitting the new one.

Short fiction:

I keep wanting to write more but then failing completely... I hope to at least finish the two shorts/flashes that are still in edits and maybe write two more... I've failed at Codex Idol but I'll try WW again in January. Wish me luck!

Craft:

I've identified two craft issues that I want to work on, so that will be my focus this year. They are related but different: one is about body language and using it to deepen the subtext of the scene and character and the second is conveying the character's emotions, as I tend to just go to internal monologue or forget emotions all together...


Should make for an interesting year... Onward!

So, before my Lady Duofold even arrived, I bought another three four pens. Five, if I include the dip pen and nibs. And did I mention the eighteen ink samples? I am both excited and terrified. Excited, because I'm really looking forward to playing with them (got a stub-italic and a flexible nib pens!), and terrified because I really, really cannot afford to spend more money. And because I realise I'm just displacing my writing anxieties by having to research that particular vintage pen right now, and watch that eBay auction... 

November result: 42k words on Orion's Pieces, 2k over my target. I'm pleased. Yes, I know some have written close to 100k, but I'm not them. This was likely my most productive month ever, especially the second part, once I got things going. So, hooray.

It's also been a great distraction from the novel-on-submission-I-need-to-check-mailbox-again stress. I actually managed to keep this out of my mind, at least most of the time--so that's worth another hooray.

Now November is over and I've deflated like a burst balloon. I'm tired, and the weasels have returned, doing extra time on their weaselling, telling me my novel will never sell so I need as well not bother. But I'm not going to cave it (at least, not yet). I hope I can finish the first part of the novel before Christmas, which may be hard as we have several family visits this month, but I only need another 15k (I think) to finish. So, that's the plan. And over the holidays I'll start world-building for the next novel, which should be good fun.

[Though with the way the world is going, it may end up being a rather grim vision... The new novel will be closer time-wise to present day, maybe only a century or two away, and so much closer to the world today. And I'm not feeling optimistic...]

On a lighter note, Christmas presents are all bought! I think I'm better prepared than I've ever been. And I know I'm getting some nice books and inks! And maybe even a new pen.... Yay!

Time flies when you sit in the same space staring the same letters on the same white screen. The letters do change order and concentrate in different arrangements, but that's about all the change I get. Oh yeah, sometimes it's Major Tom trying to bite my fingers as I type and other times it's Earl Grey.

But anyway. It's been a month since my novel is out on submission. I know it's about five minutes in publishing time, but I can't help getting antsy. With the holiday season, I'm not likely to hear anything before January. I'm trying to brace myself for the wait, but it's haaaaard...

I've decided to try to do NaNoWriMo, as a way of 1) distracting myself, and 2) giving Book 2 a flying start. Well... I did manage to distract myself. The start has been less than flying. Actually, it's been awfully difficult. I'm guessing part of it must be coming from being unsure if the whole thing even makes sense, because if book 1 doesn't sell, who needs book 2? And then there were the usual weasels telling me how it all sucks, how nothing is innovative but everything is predictable and boring... Sigh.

But, I stuck at it and I think I'm past the biggest hump. At 28k words, I'm well into the middle of Gossimey's part, and THINGS ARE HAPPENING... I plan to push through till at least end of the month, hopefully till the end of this part. Then I will decide if I want to continue and write Tertia's part as well, or set it aside for a while and focus on something new. I started gestating a SHINY NEW IDEA but it's got a loooong way to go.