2011
1/1 - complete through first draft of Chapter 15 - "Greater Things" in A Moment in the Storm (~58,000 of 160,000 words), also complete beta draft of All Shapes
1/2 - begin first draft of Tryst, a novel (~68,000 words)
4/2 - complete first draft of Tryst
5/14 - complete through first draft of Chapter 25 - "Untested" in A Moment in the Storm
5/15 - begin first draft of The Manipulator's Knock, a novel (~80,000 words)
9/30 - complete first draft of The Manipulator's Knock
10/31 - complete through first draft of Chapter 32 - "Black and Bright" in A Moment in the Storm
11/1 - begin first draft of In The Tall Trees, for NaNoWriMo
11/30 - complete first draft of In The Tall Trees, for NaNoWriMo
2012
2/4 - complete through first draft of Chapter 44 - "The Mad Fisherman" in A Moment in the Storm, to end.
12/17/10
12/14/10
11/23/10
The plan keeps coming up again
Nxt few weeks are going to be spent on the beta draft of All Shapes, and getting through a few chapters in A Moment in the Storm. It's been a long time since I've written any of it, and I feel strongly about how it might turn out. It's a little strange writing a few chapters in between other projects. You'd think the writing would get stronger with each novel on the stack, so to speak. I'll take a little time to read over a little of what I've done in that, organize my thoughts, and plow forward. I also might poke at a short story or four.
I had a new idea for a book! I know, right? I think it'll be called Hooves, and it'll be really scary.
For fun, here's my currently percolating novel ideas, in rough order:
Tryst - Owen and Mel take a holiday at her family's cabin. They meet her Uncle Gray and Aunt Betty there, active fifty-somethings who take care of the cabin year round. Owen and Mel's dysfunctional relationship is revealed as Gray and Betty attempt to comfort, even seduce, Mel away from her violent, almost delusional husband. When three young students of Gray's arrive as guests, Owen begins to blatantly lust after one of them. His intentions turn . . .
The Manipulators / Dimensional Door / This Living Hand - As yet untitled fantasy novel about Holis and Dormir, a pair of adventurers who must round up a cadre of misfits to escape their world that is coming apart at the seams.
The Tall Trees - A young runaway is taken in by a rural family trying to make ends meet on their farm. The mother begins to suspect the girl is trying to seduce her husband, even as her son is falling in love. When confronted, the girl reveals her true feelings, and they are not what anyone expected. The mother finds a way to get rid of the girl who is ruining her family from the inside out. Ruining it rotten.
Hooves - A father is grieving the death of his family after a home invasion. He begins to hear noises in the basement, and discovers the ghost of his daughter is haunting the cubby where she used to play with her brother. at first she tries to comfort him, but soon she begins to make outrageous, terrible demands of her father, who is too broken and heart-sick to resist.
Wake of Ages - continuation of the short story "The Arm of Heaven", sf/fantasy space opera.
Our Bright Midnight - sequel to My Sleep Debt
Rough schedule for the next few months:
12/10 - complete All Shapes beta draft.
12/31 - complete through chapter 15 of AMITS (five total). about 18,000 words.
1/3 - begin Tryst first draft, target word count of 70,000.
I had a new idea for a book! I know, right? I think it'll be called Hooves, and it'll be really scary.
For fun, here's my currently percolating novel ideas, in rough order:
Tryst - Owen and Mel take a holiday at her family's cabin. They meet her Uncle Gray and Aunt Betty there, active fifty-somethings who take care of the cabin year round. Owen and Mel's dysfunctional relationship is revealed as Gray and Betty attempt to comfort, even seduce, Mel away from her violent, almost delusional husband. When three young students of Gray's arrive as guests, Owen begins to blatantly lust after one of them. His intentions turn . . .
The Manipulators / Dimensional Door / This Living Hand - As yet untitled fantasy novel about Holis and Dormir, a pair of adventurers who must round up a cadre of misfits to escape their world that is coming apart at the seams.
The Tall Trees - A young runaway is taken in by a rural family trying to make ends meet on their farm. The mother begins to suspect the girl is trying to seduce her husband, even as her son is falling in love. When confronted, the girl reveals her true feelings, and they are not what anyone expected. The mother finds a way to get rid of the girl who is ruining her family from the inside out. Ruining it rotten.
Hooves - A father is grieving the death of his family after a home invasion. He begins to hear noises in the basement, and discovers the ghost of his daughter is haunting the cubby where she used to play with her brother. at first she tries to comfort him, but soon she begins to make outrageous, terrible demands of her father, who is too broken and heart-sick to resist.
Wake of Ages - continuation of the short story "The Arm of Heaven", sf/fantasy space opera.
Our Bright Midnight - sequel to My Sleep Debt
Rough schedule for the next few months:
12/10 - complete All Shapes beta draft.
12/31 - complete through chapter 15 of AMITS (five total). about 18,000 words.
1/3 - begin Tryst first draft, target word count of 70,000.
done six . . .
3,000 yesterday, completing chapter 45 - "The Lure", and marking THE END of A Stray Light from Tomorrow. This is a book I didn't like so much when writing it, but I cried at the end so it must be worth something. It's come it at my revised estimate of 84,000 words.
There was SO MUCH PLOT in this book, necessarily due to the multiple permutations through multiple time/s. During the writing, it often reminded me of my trunked book The Still Tower at Twilight, except with far fewer characters to keep track of. I do think my first line edit and beta draft will involve figuring out my protagonists a little bit more, fleshing them slightly (I hate to make character motivation overly psychological, so I went super bare bones in this first draft) now that I've got the dramatic notes on paper.
Post later today about upcoming plans. Ideas. Thxgvn.
There was SO MUCH PLOT in this book, necessarily due to the multiple permutations through multiple time/s. During the writing, it often reminded me of my trunked book The Still Tower at Twilight, except with far fewer characters to keep track of. I do think my first line edit and beta draft will involve figuring out my protagonists a little bit more, fleshing them slightly (I hate to make character motivation overly psychological, so I went super bare bones in this first draft) now that I've got the dramatic notes on paper.
Post later today about upcoming plans. Ideas. Thxgvn.
11/1/10
10/29/10
10/27/10
Contents of the Beast's Stomach
The table of contents for All Shapes:
1 - The Old Couple
2 - Quitter
3 - Long Division
4 - Brushes
5 - The Wedding
6 - First Dream Alone
7 - Mr. Black
8 - The Wild Woman
9 - Bad Dancing
10 - The Wound
11 - Between the Pines
12 - Speak Desire
13 - The Rat
14 - Just Piles of Meat
15 - Second Shape
16 - The Hammer
17 - Further Murders
18 - Tracks
19 - The Devourer
20 - A Long Bloody Trail
21 - The Monster Is Shown
22 - Snowstorm
23 - A Trusting Pair
24 - Coupling
25 - The Dark Divide
26 - The Glacier
27 - Blessing's Dream
1 - The Old Couple
2 - Quitter
3 - Long Division
4 - Brushes
5 - The Wedding
6 - First Dream Alone
7 - Mr. Black
8 - The Wild Woman
9 - Bad Dancing
10 - The Wound
11 - Between the Pines
12 - Speak Desire
13 - The Rat
14 - Just Piles of Meat
15 - Second Shape
16 - The Hammer
17 - Further Murders
18 - Tracks
19 - The Devourer
20 - A Long Bloody Trail
21 - The Monster Is Shown
22 - Snowstorm
23 - A Trusting Pair
24 - Coupling
25 - The Dark Divide
26 - The Glacier
27 - Blessing's Dream
10/12/10
10/1/10
9/28/10
the dam break
1500 words yesterday. finished through chapter 21. approaching the midpoint with greater velocity. gravity grows. we start to age a little faster here.
9/8/10
Whew! A busy few weeks. School has started, this leaves me without a lot of energy when I finally collapse at home from work. I have been writing very slowly, ticking away at the Stray Light, jotting notes in my comp books, scratching out lines. Another obstacle is a BIG show I have tomorrow with Helms Alee (a real good band from Seattle). Preparing for that has also taken a lot of mental energy. What else? Oh yeah.
GO PACK GO!
500 words yesterday, through (finally) chapter 19. I'm a little over a third done with the novel, hope to speed up and finish by the end of October.
GO PACK GO!
500 words yesterday, through (finally) chapter 19. I'm a little over a third done with the novel, hope to speed up and finish by the end of October.
8/10/10
8/4/10
Peaceful, easy
Week five is my lazy week. I've just been doing very little writing, maybe 200 on friday, another 400 or so since. I think the book is ending up shorter than I expected, I'm going to use the next few days to feel out a couple of structural problems I've encountered.
7/27/10
7/16/10
The Tall Trees
Going into the woods with my wife this weekend. Three day hiatus from Stray Light, but as I mentioned before, will edit All Shapes. Fairly close to being on track w/ the 4 chapters a week. chapter 7 was a two-scene chapter, and is about half again as long as most of the chapters. 8 is shorter.
The Tall Trees. I might do some work on an outline for this idea I had a few weeks ago. I needed to find a project that didn't have any fantasy/sf elements, closer to the vein of Tryst (though this promises to have at least some mystical notes). I'll tell you about it sometime.
The Tall Trees. I might do some work on an outline for this idea I had a few weeks ago. I needed to find a project that didn't have any fantasy/sf elements, closer to the vein of Tryst (though this promises to have at least some mystical notes). I'll tell you about it sometime.
7/15/10
7/6/10
Been a long time
I started A Stray Light From Tomorrow yesterday, ramping up slowly with 700 words. The book will have just under fifty chapters, so a lower word per chapter count overall, though I'm giving myself up to around 90,000 words to get this one down.
6/23/10
Mind the gap
I love football. American football. But yay to the U.S. for moving on in World Cup.
Plan to do some diddling on A Moment in the Storm. Not with any particular goal in mind, but just so I don't lose the flavor of it since I'll be writing two novels (and probably three) in between working on major sections of it.
Plugging away at second draft of All Shapes. My enthusiasm only grows! I decided to change the "numeral only" chapters to chapters with titles. I've written every other book with chapter titles, I don't know what I thought I could accomplish by not having them this time. Except I did have them, but only for certain chapters. It was a lame idea.
Plan to do some diddling on A Moment in the Storm. Not with any particular goal in mind, but just so I don't lose the flavor of it since I'll be writing two novels (and probably three) in between working on major sections of it.
Plugging away at second draft of All Shapes. My enthusiasm only grows! I decided to change the "numeral only" chapters to chapters with titles. I've written every other book with chapter titles, I don't know what I thought I could accomplish by not having them this time. Except I did have them, but only for certain chapters. It was a lame idea.
6/21/10
6/19/10
Sheee-it. I'm already done editing the first four chapters of All Shapes. It's reading real well so far too, I'm really liking the book. Gets me excited to write more. I also picked at 1000 words or so of a short story called "News from the Compartment" about a train hijacking/love affair/death dream.
6/17/10
Known Forms
How do I know I made the right decision to skip to All Shapes as the next novel to prepare for publication?
'The woman put the blade to the flesh of the first rabbit. Before she cut through, a howl broke the silent night.
The trees shook with the treble moan, leaves driving the echo into the open yard, and the woman shivered. The sound seized her heart; like the last breath of a murdered man, or a scream of jealousy, but all wrapped up in the angry throat of a wolf. The oaks pressed around her and she said, "My God!'
That's how I know.
'The woman put the blade to the flesh of the first rabbit. Before she cut through, a howl broke the silent night.
The trees shook with the treble moan, leaves driving the echo into the open yard, and the woman shivered. The sound seized her heart; like the last breath of a murdered man, or a scream of jealousy, but all wrapped up in the angry throat of a wolf. The oaks pressed around her and she said, "My God!'
That's how I know.
6/16/10
Worked on the query for An Empty Place yesterday. I can write poetry. Short stories. Novels. Song lyrics and songs. I can't write a satisfying query for the life of me. Here's what I'm working on now:
Dear Agent,
Holm is a terrorist. A magic adept engaged in a secret war against a faceless, tyrannical government exploiting the world's last remaining energy source. Every war requires sacrifice, and to protect the other adepts, he can never see the family he loves. Never touch his wife's face. Never see his son smile. He must remain invisible.
When the regime unleashes a supernatural plague on the world, and his son is among the first victims, he decides his loyalty is not as important as his boy's life. With the promise of a cure, he turns traitor and brings his son to the enemy. The cure is a lie. His son is abducted, and Holm is murdered. Before he dies he whispers a final spell, allowing his spirit to find a new body. A golem whose purpose is to undo the damage caused by Holm's betrayal.
His memory gone and his body imperfect, this "new" Holm needs help. Tad is a rebel whose people are threatened with annihilation by the plague. Darling is an adept who suspects Holm is a traitor. Together they can help him retrieve his memories and stop the plague, but he will have to sacrifice himself again, and the son who he still loves.
AN EMPTY PLACE is a dystopian thriller, complete at 72,500-words. I believe it will appeal to readers of Ursula K. LeGuin, Philip K. Dick, and Cormac McCarthy.
Thank you for your time and consideration,
and here's what I had before, which I've had rejected six times without requests for partials (granted some of them had a partial as part of the query pack):
Dear Agent,
Holm is a terrorist. A magic adept engaged in a secret war against a faceless, tyrannical government exploiting the world's last remaining energy source. Every war requires sacrifice, and to protect the other adepts, he can never see the family he loves. Never touch his wife's face. Never see his son smile. He must remain invisible.
When the regime unleashes a supernatural plague on the world, and his son is among the first victims, he decides his loyalty is not as important as his boy's life. With the promise of a cure, he turns traitor and brings his son to the enemy. The cure is a lie. His son is abducted, and Holm is murdered. Before he dies he whispers a final spell, allowing his spirit to find a new body. A golem whose purpose is to undo the damage caused by Holm's betrayal.
His memory gone and his body imperfect, this "new" Holm needs help. Tad is a rebel whose people are threatened with annihilation by the plague. Darling is an adept who suspects Holm is a traitor. Together they can help him retrieve his memories and stop the plague, but he will have to sacrifice himself again, and the son who he still loves.
AN EMPTY PLACE is a dystopian thriller, complete at 72,500-words. I believe it will appeal to readers of Ursula K. LeGuin, Philip K. Dick, and Cormac McCarthy.
Thank you for your time and consideration,
and here's what I had before, which I've had rejected six times without requests for partials (granted some of them had a partial as part of the query pack):
6/14/10
Memory of light
Did a third outline for Stray Light, think its coming together really well. There are one or two problems I can see right now. The first is obviously due to complicated time travel plots, and the different methods of time travel. I have two primary time lines that are being jumped between, 2000 and 1982. I have to keep an accurate double time line, and this is more difficult because The Zone moves. Thus, I have to keep a three quadrant time line with the location of the "time-shifting" narrative device. It's boggling my mind just now. Additionally, I feel like the antagonist/s aren't fully formed yet, and their motives and desires are going to have to percolate for a while before I can start writing.
6/13/10
Stripped
Last night, I think I made the decision to temporarily trunk Still Tower and move on to editing All Shapes. I think I made as I was drunk and full of flame. How many times do the characters of Still Tower return in my dreams, or lurk in the figments of my imagination, or consume me in anger or fear? Never. All Shapes does all of those things. It is just better, and I want to edit something real good. So there we are.
6/12/10
It's done
I finished My Sleep Debt about twenty minutes ago, the last 1,300 words.
Updates on plans for the future and reflections coming.
Updates on plans for the future and reflections coming.
6/3/10
5/21/10
cross posted from absolutewrite forums:
I am definitely a "nexter", always prepared to move to the next novel before the last one (or the one before the last one) is edited. I like to do two edits before a draft sees a beta reader. I'm currently working on my second novel's line by line, and dear jebus, it is a slog.
I think the manuscript is in the absurd number of pages (600+ probably?), with four parts, eight chapters in each part, plus another chapter at the beginning and the end. I'm only about fifty pages into it. Daunting, daunting, daunting.
I think I'll try to do at least three pages a day. That way I should finish in about six months at the latest. At some point I'll start the "second" edit, which is incorporating my line by lines into the beta draft, along with any restructuring or new prose.
Keep ya'll posted for good measure and motivation.
I am definitely a "nexter", always prepared to move to the next novel before the last one (or the one before the last one) is edited. I like to do two edits before a draft sees a beta reader. I'm currently working on my second novel's line by line, and dear jebus, it is a slog.
I think the manuscript is in the absurd number of pages (600+ probably?), with four parts, eight chapters in each part, plus another chapter at the beginning and the end. I'm only about fifty pages into it. Daunting, daunting, daunting.
I think I'll try to do at least three pages a day. That way I should finish in about six months at the latest. At some point I'll start the "second" edit, which is incorporating my line by lines into the beta draft, along with any restructuring or new prose.
Keep ya'll posted for good measure and motivation.
5/19/10
Schedule soldier
Schedule soldier, on the hill, turns the scope around.
Now that I'm trucking along nicely in Sleep Debt, I am going to reset some of my schedules from the last couple of months. I'm still pretty sure the next novel I'm going to write is Stray Light. I am totally torn after that, though, between Tryst and This Living Hand (I still want a different title for this, but we'll see). I also know I am going to have to tackle the fantasy series. But Sleep Debt is kind of a light, urban fantasy. Still Tower has the multiple p.o.v. characters in common with Moment, too. Plus I need to edit that bloated corpsicule.
Yeah, I def. think I'm going to continue putting the fantasy off, maybe do four or five chapters this summer, while working on a short story, before Stray Light. . . . hm, hope you don't mind me brainstorming with my fingertips. Got a line of electric light flowing.
June 12th - complete first draft of My Sleep Debt (80,000 words)
July 31st - complete short stories "A Man Averted His Eyes", and "News from the Compartment", and through Chapter 14 in A Moment in the Storm. (lol. seems like a lot for 6 weeks. we'll see.)
Aug. 1st - begin first draft of A Stray Light From Tomorrow (80,000 words)
Nov. 1st - begin first draft of Tryst (60,000) or This Living Hand (100,000) for NaNoWriMo
That should easily take us out of the year. Gotta find more time to work on those already completed novels, stories, and get them queried/submitted as needed. Keep the dust off.
Now that I'm trucking along nicely in Sleep Debt, I am going to reset some of my schedules from the last couple of months. I'm still pretty sure the next novel I'm going to write is Stray Light. I am totally torn after that, though, between Tryst and This Living Hand (I still want a different title for this, but we'll see). I also know I am going to have to tackle the fantasy series. But Sleep Debt is kind of a light, urban fantasy. Still Tower has the multiple p.o.v. characters in common with Moment, too. Plus I need to edit that bloated corpsicule.
Yeah, I def. think I'm going to continue putting the fantasy off, maybe do four or five chapters this summer, while working on a short story, before Stray Light. . . . hm, hope you don't mind me brainstorming with my fingertips. Got a line of electric light flowing.
June 12th - complete first draft of My Sleep Debt (80,000 words)
July 31st - complete short stories "A Man Averted His Eyes", and "News from the Compartment", and through Chapter 14 in A Moment in the Storm. (lol. seems like a lot for 6 weeks. we'll see.)
Aug. 1st - begin first draft of A Stray Light From Tomorrow (80,000 words)
Nov. 1st - begin first draft of Tryst (60,000) or This Living Hand (100,000) for NaNoWriMo
That should easily take us out of the year. Gotta find more time to work on those already completed novels, stories, and get them queried/submitted as needed. Keep the dust off.
5/10/10
Further back and faster
I brain-stormed on Stray Light some yesterday. I'm getting a good feel for the main characters and their problems. I'm developing an interesting time travel mechanism that keeps the story focused on a tight cast, in a well defined setting, which I think is essential for good time travel stories - at least those that aren't fascinated with the physics-of-it-all. Once again I'll be dealing with ghosts and mental illness, dark desire, enemies and families.
This week's goals
I did 200 words yesterday, leaving me 200 behind on the week. The good news is that I think the chapter's are going to speed up - be a little tighter - going into the climax.
My goal for the week is to get to 57,000 words, or 6,200 by end of Saturday.
My goal for the week is to get to 57,000 words, or 6,200 by end of Saturday.
5/8/10
Week end projects
1,000 words yesterday. I have 1,300 to do today to stay on track, since it's Mother's Day tomorrow and I'm heading to the in-laws, I don't expect to get a lot of writing done.
5/5/10
5/3/10
In other news
I sent three more queries for An Empty Place to agents late last week. That leaves 6 outstanding, 2 form rejects. I'm sure I'm going to have to pick up the pace soon, but I'm starting with my most desired agents and agencies, so we'll let these fizzle before I do more scatter-shot querying.
This week's goals, the return
I wrote 900 words last Friday, and tightened up the outline for the next few chapters. Somehow I got a sniffle this weekend, either from my nephew's birthday party at Swimtastic, the new pollen chapter of spring, or drinking too much wine on Saturday night. All strong contenders.
My Sleep Debt stands flush at 44,300, at the beginning of Chapter 13. Including this one, I have eleven or twelve more chapter's to go, with a possible coda. One chapter is kind of a rest and reflection chapter for our hero, but I won't know if it fits until I get there.
My goals this week: reach 52,000 words by Saturday. I'm going to focus on getting some writing done on the weekends from here on out, and attempt to complete the book before my wedding party on June 19th.
My Sleep Debt stands flush at 44,300, at the beginning of Chapter 13. Including this one, I have eleven or twelve more chapter's to go, with a possible coda. One chapter is kind of a rest and reflection chapter for our hero, but I won't know if it fits until I get there.
My goals this week: reach 52,000 words by Saturday. I'm going to focus on getting some writing done on the weekends from here on out, and attempt to complete the book before my wedding party on June 19th.
3/29/10
Future works
The current slate of upcoming novels, in roughly the order I plan to write them in:
My Sleep Debt, Sleeper Series (in progress)
A Stray Light From Tomorrow
Antilotian Romances, Book I: A Moment in the Storm (in progress)
This Living Hand
Tryst
The Wake of Ages
Antilotion Romances, Book II: Devil in the Quick
Our Bright Midnight, Sleeper Series
Antilotion romances, Book III: The Silent Hour
These Starry Eyes, Sleeper Series
Antilotion Romances, Book IV: Last Stitch of Life
Antilotion Romances, Book V: New Year Song
The "Where We Live"
Correspondences of Frens and Bonz
My Sleep Debt, Sleeper Series (in progress)
A Stray Light From Tomorrow
Antilotian Romances, Book I: A Moment in the Storm (in progress)
This Living Hand
Tryst
The Wake of Ages
Antilotion Romances, Book II: Devil in the Quick
Our Bright Midnight, Sleeper Series
Antilotion romances, Book III: The Silent Hour
These Starry Eyes, Sleeper Series
Antilotion Romances, Book IV: Last Stitch of Life
Antilotion Romances, Book V: New Year Song
The "Where We Live"
Correspondences of Frens and Bonz
This week's goals
Hi all. I'm married now. Good news!
This week I plan on writing 1,500 a week, putting me over 30,000 words and staring at about 50,000 words to go in My Sleep Debt. The last two weeks have been busy, but I've also been troubled by periods of doubt and disillusionment. Every writer worth a pinch of salt has these periods. I will press on!
Long term goals follow.
Spring 2010
May 28th - Finish 1st draft of My Sleep Debt
Summer 2010
July 4th - Finish 2nd draft of A Still Tower At Twilight
July 16th - Finish through Chapter 15 of A Moment in the Storm
July 19th - Begin 1st draft of A Stray Light From Tomorrow
August 1st - Begin 2nd draft of All Shapes . . .
Fall 2010
October 1st - Finish 2nd draft of All Shapes . . .
October 29th - Finish 1st draft of A Stray Light From Tomorrow
WINTER 2010
November 1st - Begin 2nd draft of My Sleep Debt
November 1st - Begin Chapter 16-44 of A Moment in the Storm
2011 and Beyond
January 15th - Finish 2nd draft of My Sleep Debt
April 1st - Finish 1st draft of A Moment in the Storm
May 1st - Begin 1st draft of This Living Hand
This week I plan on writing 1,500 a week, putting me over 30,000 words and staring at about 50,000 words to go in My Sleep Debt. The last two weeks have been busy, but I've also been troubled by periods of doubt and disillusionment. Every writer worth a pinch of salt has these periods. I will press on!
Long term goals follow.
Spring 2010
May 28th - Finish 1st draft of My Sleep Debt
Summer 2010
July 4th - Finish 2nd draft of A Still Tower At Twilight
July 16th - Finish through Chapter 15 of A Moment in the Storm
July 19th - Begin 1st draft of A Stray Light From Tomorrow
August 1st - Begin 2nd draft of All Shapes . . .
Fall 2010
October 1st - Finish 2nd draft of All Shapes . . .
October 29th - Finish 1st draft of A Stray Light From Tomorrow
WINTER 2010
November 1st - Begin 2nd draft of My Sleep Debt
November 1st - Begin Chapter 16-44 of A Moment in the Storm
2011 and Beyond
January 15th - Finish 2nd draft of My Sleep Debt
April 1st - Finish 1st draft of A Moment in the Storm
May 1st - Begin 1st draft of This Living Hand
3/27/10
3/9/10
Whoa . . .
I'm super crushed this week! What with preparing for NOLA, I've decided to put a "pause" on My Sleep Debt. Doesn't mean I wont work on it, but it does mean I won't be setting unrealistic goals for myself. I can't imagine the pause being lifted until I get back from vacation, the last week of March/ first of April. I think my tentative end date is going to be May 28th. 10 weeks from when I get back. If I have thirty thousand words by the time I leave (I'm currently at 23,500, meaning I just need 6,500 more in the next ten days), I would only have to do 5,000 a week, or 1,000 a day, to meet that goal.
Through April and May I hope I can get some more editing done of Still Tower, (finish second draft, if possible). I'll take June "off" before starting A Stray Light From Tomorrow, my time travel novel.
Through April and May I hope I can get some more editing done of Still Tower, (finish second draft, if possible). I'll take June "off" before starting A Stray Light From Tomorrow, my time travel novel.
3/1/10
This week's goals
Ah, I can smell the crisp anticipation of spring on everyone's skin! The blackbirds flock to the backyard in the morning! This week I'd like to shoot for between 1,600 and 2,000 words a day, though I expect to be quite busy, since I have a show on Friday. In all, I'd like to have 40,000 words by E- and I's trip to NOLA. That's 24,000 words in 15 weekdays, or 1,600 a day. That should put me at the half way point, through Chapter 12.
Wrap up
Well, I got most of my writing done Saturday morning while I was in the middle of composing my Week end project post. I did end up writing 150 more words, but only just! Of course I barely got a chance to look at my outline - I'll have to do that today before moving forward - but this does mark the end of Chapter Four - "A funny couple of suits". It is overlong, I need to tighten up the pacing now that the "case" is being introduced.
Stay tuned for weekly goals . . .
Stay tuned for weekly goals . . .
2/27/10
Week end projects . . .
This afternoon we'll be going to E-'s parents house, but I've already fired off 500 words. Chapter Four has turned out a little harder than I expected, as there are two rapid changes of pace as the story proper gets revved up after a brief interlude in my main character's normal routine. I did a quick look at my outline and I already see some tightening of the plot necessary before I get too far.
So my projects for this weekend are to catch up to 16,000 words (750 more) and review my outline, and deepen my notes in that outline going forward.
I also hope to do some editing on Still Tower at Twilight, which I didn't get to last week, what with E- being in Tampa and all. I'm also considering a name change, seeing as it has the word "Twilight" in it, and that may give people the wrong impression. It's kind of a lovecraftian cosmic horror novel, with multiple point of view characters facing the indifference of the universe and the cruelty of humanity that seeks its power. I used to call it Threshold, a direct nod to Lovecraft, but there is already a book called that. I have considered names like Black Room With A Voice. If someone ever reads it perhaps they might have suggestions. It's over 700 pages long in manuscript form though!
Later: I did 1,100 this morning total! So only 150 more for peace.
So my projects for this weekend are to catch up to 16,000 words (750 more) and review my outline, and deepen my notes in that outline going forward.
I also hope to do some editing on Still Tower at Twilight, which I didn't get to last week, what with E- being in Tampa and all. I'm also considering a name change, seeing as it has the word "Twilight" in it, and that may give people the wrong impression. It's kind of a lovecraftian cosmic horror novel, with multiple point of view characters facing the indifference of the universe and the cruelty of humanity that seeks its power. I used to call it Threshold, a direct nod to Lovecraft, but there is already a book called that. I have considered names like Black Room With A Voice. If someone ever reads it perhaps they might have suggestions. It's over 700 pages long in manuscript form though!
Later: I did 1,100 this morning total! So only 150 more for peace.
2/22/10
This week's goals
Sc- came over yesterday and we banged out a song or two or three. I watched chess videos into the wee hours. Did some house keeping, manuscript cleanup on Still Tower At Twilight in preparation for more line edits.
My goals this week are very similar to last week: 1,500 words a day for 7,500 on the week. That would bring me to about 16,000 words, and should completed through Chapter Four and start Five, though I was very successful last week in exceeding goals, so maybe as a "over goal" I'll say I want to finish Chapter Five by next weekend.
My goals this week are very similar to last week: 1,500 words a day for 7,500 on the week. That would bring me to about 16,000 words, and should completed through Chapter Four and start Five, though I was very successful last week in exceeding goals, so maybe as a "over goal" I'll say I want to finish Chapter Five by next weekend.
2/20/10
Week end projects, plus!
Progress report from Friday, the 19th.
1,200 words, completing Chapter Two - "On hard-luck and the hive" and getting a start on Chapter Three - "My interview, part two". I also outlined four more chapters. I'm ahead of schedule by about 1,000 words, which is a good place to be.
I went to see one of my favorite bands, Retribution Gospel Choir, last night. I melted. Hide it away, Child! I have a shared b-day celebration with Mc- and I have to drive E- to the airport tomorrow morning. This will be a weekend I finish writing songs.
Oh yeah, I'm in a band.
1,200 words, completing Chapter Two - "On hard-luck and the hive" and getting a start on Chapter Three - "My interview, part two". I also outlined four more chapters. I'm ahead of schedule by about 1,000 words, which is a good place to be.
I went to see one of my favorite bands, Retribution Gospel Choir, last night. I melted. Hide it away, Child! I have a shared b-day celebration with Mc- and I have to drive E- to the airport tomorrow morning. This will be a weekend I finish writing songs.
Oh yeah, I'm in a band.
2/17/10
An Empty Place, Synopsis
This is the complete synopsis that I'm sending out with queries that need one. Don't read this unless you've read my book!
2/15/10
This week's goals
Start My Sleep Debt. Write approximately 1,500 words a day, with the goal by weeks end of 7,500 words. This should put me through the prologue and the first two chapters.
Line edit Chapter's One and Two of Still Tower at Twilight. I've already edited the prologue on paper.
Line edit Chapter's One and Two of Still Tower at Twilight. I've already edited the prologue on paper.
Wrap up
I completed the outline for the first part of the new novel I'm starting today, My Sleep Debt, an urban fantasy. My touchstones for this one are going to be Chandler, Doyle, Graham Greene, and the X-Files. It should be a fun read, but for my part, I just hope it comes a little easier than the last one.
Weekly goals post later.
Weekly goals post later.
2/14/10
2/13/10
Week end projects
It's part 1 of my birthday week. Need to recover from this shimmering, all consuming, beam sending hang over.
2/12/10
An Empty Place, Query
Posted below is my current draft of the AEP query. I'm pretty confident with it. Let me know what you think.
-
Dear [Agent]:
Holm Aegis is running. He can't rest or the hunters will find him.
They are not human, their faces are culled from a nightmare. He's hurt: a roiling sore gnaws his insides and worsens with every step. Did they wound him? He can't see straight in these desolate woods, he can't remember how he got here, where is he going? His mind clutters with strange symbols when he tries to recall his past. He sees a giant red cat made of starlight and fire. A spirit guide. A hallucination.
Before he is lost to madness Holm is rescued by a hard-hearted woman named Tad. She is his compass. She takes his hand in the darkness and leads him to light. But she can't help him remember. Their ultimate salvation lies in the symbols that cloud Holm's mind. They are the keys to unlocking a hidden world of magick, if he is willing to relive his violent past.
But it might be too late. The wound in Holm's side is getting worse. Growing. It moves inside of him.
Alive.
AN EMPTY PLACE is a dystopian fantasy, complete at 72,750-words. It should appeal to readers of Ursula K. LeGuin and Philip K. Dick.
I can be contacted at any time by phone at ### ### ####, or email: hoehnen AT gmail DOT com. Thank you for your time and consideration,
Charles Ll. Hoehnen
-
Dear [Agent]:
Holm Aegis is running. He can't rest or the hunters will find him.
They are not human, their faces are culled from a nightmare. He's hurt: a roiling sore gnaws his insides and worsens with every step. Did they wound him? He can't see straight in these desolate woods, he can't remember how he got here, where is he going? His mind clutters with strange symbols when he tries to recall his past. He sees a giant red cat made of starlight and fire. A spirit guide. A hallucination.
Before he is lost to madness Holm is rescued by a hard-hearted woman named Tad. She is his compass. She takes his hand in the darkness and leads him to light. But she can't help him remember. Their ultimate salvation lies in the symbols that cloud Holm's mind. They are the keys to unlocking a hidden world of magick, if he is willing to relive his violent past.
But it might be too late. The wound in Holm's side is getting worse. Growing. It moves inside of him.
Alive.
AN EMPTY PLACE is a dystopian fantasy, complete at 72,750-words. It should appeal to readers of Ursula K. LeGuin and Philip K. Dick.
I can be contacted at any time by phone at ### ### ####, or email: hoehnen AT gmail DOT com. Thank you for your time and consideration,
Charles Ll. Hoehnen
2/11/10
2/10/10
2/8/10
This week's goals
I've almost caught up to E- on editing An Empty Place (she's about half way through Chapter Eleven), but the last few pages are already very clean since I focused on the ending so much in the 2nd draft. This week I'd like to finish the 3rd draft, and finalize my submission packet. If I have some spare moments I'll continue developing the outline for My Sleep Debt, which I plan on starting next week.
The first two weeks of a novel can be extraordinarily hard or it could all tumble out as if in a single breath. Either way, I don't count to heavily on them. But my tentative plan is to write 1500 a week day from the 15th to the 28th, then accelerate.
The first two weeks of a novel can be extraordinarily hard or it could all tumble out as if in a single breath. Either way, I don't count to heavily on them. But my tentative plan is to write 1500 a week day from the 15th to the 28th, then accelerate.
Wrap up
Go Saints!
I outlined 6 of 25 chapters for My Sleep Debt. Starting to crystallize in my mind, which is a good sign. More later.
I outlined 6 of 25 chapters for My Sleep Debt. Starting to crystallize in my mind, which is a good sign. More later.
2/6/10
Week end projects
Work on the outline for My Sleep Debt. Watch movies and tv, write songs, sweep the floors, take out the garbage. Find a sunny spot.
Nine days until I put the first word down on MSD.
Update: As I get closer to my sub date of March 1st (when I query the first set of agents I've been collating for the past few months) I'm going to post my query and synopsis, for posterity's sake. Hopefully it wont take too many rounds before I get a request for a full. That's my next goal for An Empty Place.
In the same vein, moving forward I'll post summaries/hooks/portions of my other completed books. As I edit those to draft two and three, its useful to stay focused on the big picture, and shape how I'm going to try and sell them.
Nine days until I put the first word down on MSD.
Update: As I get closer to my sub date of March 1st (when I query the first set of agents I've been collating for the past few months) I'm going to post my query and synopsis, for posterity's sake. Hopefully it wont take too many rounds before I get a request for a full. That's my next goal for An Empty Place.
In the same vein, moving forward I'll post summaries/hooks/portions of my other completed books. As I edit those to draft two and three, its useful to stay focused on the big picture, and shape how I'm going to try and sell them.
2/5/10
Plays
I think some of my friends and I are going to collaborate on a play or two. I'll let you know how that develops. I am well versed in dramatic structure and have a good feel for dialogue and direction, but I always struggle with finding subjects that an "audience" would respond to. I'd prefer the play to be performed. My favorite actor moved to Salt Lake City though.
2/4/10
2/3/10
2/2/10
2/1/10
This week's goals
I'm going to keep it simple. I don't have any particular end date in mind for completing A Moment in the Storm, it's been something I work on in between books for three ms' now. I'm not going to focus on it. Chapter Ten introduces a new character and P.O.V. (making it the books seventh, and far from the last), and I am not totally ready to dive into that.
More important is finishing the "final", 3rd edit of An Empty Place. My goal is to complete editing Chapters Three - Eight this week!
More important is finishing the "final", 3rd edit of An Empty Place. My goal is to complete editing Chapters Three - Eight this week!
Wrap up
So, I didn't get through Chapter Three. I had too much fun hanging out with my friends on Saturday night, talking music, movies, and old times/new times. My friend Sm- did a great thing for Haiti, my friend Fk- made a record with one of his bands, and I clapped my hands. I stopped by my brothers house, ate at OCB, and watched 11 hours of Lost.
Progress report:
completed editing scene 2, Chapter Three - Alchemy and Alarms, of An Empty Place
Later I'll post my weekly goals.
Progress report:
completed editing scene 2, Chapter Three - Alchemy and Alarms, of An Empty Place
Later I'll post my weekly goals.
1/30/10
Week end projects . . .
The week end is a good time to refocus, consolidate ideas, and finish up loose ends from the previous week. I didn't get through the first three chapters of An Empty Place, so I hope to finish up the 3rd draft of Chapter Three - Alchemy and Alarms before Monday.
Other than that, what comes, comes.
Other than that, what comes, comes.
1/29/10
1/28/10
Tryst - new novel idea
Occasionally I'll post my new fiction ideas (or old, since I just started this blog).
Five or six years ago when I lived on Farwell and we were still in school, I wrote a short screenplay for a film I wanted to direct called "Tryst". I started to adapt the screenplay into a short story a year ago, but I'm thinking it would work better as a novel.
It's about a couple who visit the woman's aunt and uncle at their summer cabin in the north woods. Over the course of the vacation (my working title was "Vacation" but it sounded too much like a Chevy Chase movie) Melanie is seduced by her aunt and uncle, and Mark, who is left in the cold, grows increasingly jealous. Mark has powerful connections back in the city, and he's willing to use them to regain the upper hand in his marriage. Things end violently.
Some aspect of this story will be the difference between the surreal moments of seduction that Melanie experiences, Mark's paranoid fantasies, the idyllic lake cabin, and the weird, almost animal behavior of the aunt and uncle . I'm thinking of approaching the story in a similar way to how I wrote All Shapes . . ., with alternating 3rd person p.o.v.'s between Mel and Mark, though I'd probably want to stay more firmly in dramatic voice.
Fun note: pretty much everything I've written in a contemporary or historical setting has been set in the north woods.
Five or six years ago when I lived on Farwell and we were still in school, I wrote a short screenplay for a film I wanted to direct called "Tryst". I started to adapt the screenplay into a short story a year ago, but I'm thinking it would work better as a novel.
It's about a couple who visit the woman's aunt and uncle at their summer cabin in the north woods. Over the course of the vacation (my working title was "Vacation" but it sounded too much like a Chevy Chase movie) Melanie is seduced by her aunt and uncle, and Mark, who is left in the cold, grows increasingly jealous. Mark has powerful connections back in the city, and he's willing to use them to regain the upper hand in his marriage. Things end violently.
Some aspect of this story will be the difference between the surreal moments of seduction that Melanie experiences, Mark's paranoid fantasies, the idyllic lake cabin, and the weird, almost animal behavior of the aunt and uncle . I'm thinking of approaching the story in a similar way to how I wrote All Shapes . . ., with alternating 3rd person p.o.v.'s between Mel and Mark, though I'd probably want to stay more firmly in dramatic voice.
Fun note: pretty much everything I've written in a contemporary or historical setting has been set in the north woods.
I watched Lorna's Silence by the Dardenne brothers. I highly recommend all of their films that I've seen. I'm much less sick today, though still congested and woozy from the cold medicine.
"I would only make a film if it was in french. And I don't speak french."
Progress report:
1000 words in A Moment in the Storm, Chapter Nine - Sons of the Statum
completed editing An Empty Place, Chapter Two - Evocation of the Protector, and scene 1 of Chapter Three - Alchemy and Alarms.
"I would only make a film if it was in french. And I don't speak french."
Progress report:
1000 words in A Moment in the Storm, Chapter Nine - Sons of the Statum
completed editing An Empty Place, Chapter Two - Evocation of the Protector, and scene 1 of Chapter Three - Alchemy and Alarms.
1/27/10
My head is a heavy ball filled with crystal fluid. I will be updating my goals in the middle of the week (Wednesday or Thursday morning) to reflect the progress I've made and my expectations for the rest of the week. Because I've been sick and my focus poor, I'm scaling back.
Adjusted goals:
finish Chapter Nine - Sons of the Statum in A Moment in the Storm
complete editing through Chapter Three - Alchemy and Alarms in An Empty Place
continue developing outline for My Sleep Debt.
At this point it looks like my goal of a February 15th start date for My Sleep Debt is still possible. I'd also like to be finished with the 3rd draft of An Empty Place, and I'll probably be done with Part II of AMitS. Though this break between new ms is only going to be five weeks, it feels like much longer. I'm hesitant to adjust that period oto much (I already bumped up the start date for MSD by two weeks out of growing impatience), as I worry a shorter gestation period will lead to inadequate ideas and poor execution.
Adjusted goals:
finish Chapter Nine - Sons of the Statum in A Moment in the Storm
complete editing through Chapter Three - Alchemy and Alarms in An Empty Place
continue developing outline for My Sleep Debt.
At this point it looks like my goal of a February 15th start date for My Sleep Debt is still possible. I'd also like to be finished with the 3rd draft of An Empty Place, and I'll probably be done with Part II of AMitS. Though this break between new ms is only going to be five weeks, it feels like much longer. I'm hesitant to adjust that period oto much (I already bumped up the start date for MSD by two weeks out of growing impatience), as I worry a shorter gestation period will lead to inadequate ideas and poor execution.
1/26/10
Sickness deepens. Finding it very difficult to concentrate on any new material, though I've made some progress editing. E-'s making thai noodles tonight.
Progress report:
Completed editing An Empty Place, scene 1 of Chapter Two - Evocation of the Protector
200 words in A Moment in the Storm, Chapter Nine - Sons of the Statum
Progress report:
Completed editing An Empty Place, scene 1 of Chapter Two - Evocation of the Protector
200 words in A Moment in the Storm, Chapter Nine - Sons of the Statum
1/25/10
This week's goals
I'm not writing a new ms (manuscript) currently, except for leisurely completing Part II of A Moment in the Storm prior to February 15th. That's six chapters at about 4,000 words a chapter, or 24,000 words. Since it will be five weeks worth of writing total, that's only an average of 685 words a day, well below my targets when seriously focusing on a new ms (though I rarely set wc goals for the week end).
As of today, January 25th, I've completed the first two chapters of Part II (Chapter Seven - Stories and Ceremonies, Chapter Eight - A Very Quiet Man). The goal for this week is to complete Chapters Nine - Sons of the Statum, and finish the majority of Chapter Ten - To Love Is To Fear.
However, the primary goal for this week is to get knee deep in editing the 3rd draft of my first full length novel, An Empty Place. Editing it now, I definitely feel that it is extremely close to submission quality. I'll set the goal of completing the first three chapters. Another minor goal includes continuing the final outline for My Sleep Debt.
As of today, January 25th, I've completed the first two chapters of Part II (Chapter Seven - Stories and Ceremonies, Chapter Eight - A Very Quiet Man). The goal for this week is to complete Chapters Nine - Sons of the Statum, and finish the majority of Chapter Ten - To Love Is To Fear.
However, the primary goal for this week is to get knee deep in editing the 3rd draft of my first full length novel, An Empty Place. Editing it now, I definitely feel that it is extremely close to submission quality. I'll set the goal of completing the first three chapters. Another minor goal includes continuing the final outline for My Sleep Debt.
Wrap up
I watched Conan's last Tonight Show and balled my fucking eyes out throughout the a) entirety of the clip that summarized his time on nbc and b) Neil fucking Young's "Long May You Run". I also received a sickness from someone . . .
Progress report:
edited first scene in An Empty Place, Chapter One - Night Life, 3rd draft. began revising outline for the second novel in the Romances, Devil in the Quick.
Later today look for a post on goals for the week, and a progress report tonight.
Progress report:
edited first scene in An Empty Place, Chapter One - Night Life, 3rd draft. began revising outline for the second novel in the Romances, Devil in the Quick.
Later today look for a post on goals for the week, and a progress report tonight.
1/23/10
Week end projects . . .
Every week end I summarize the projects I plan to work on. On Sunday I'll review my progress.
Beginning 3rd draft of An Empty Place for submission. Working from line edit by E-. Also moving forward with a final outline for My Sleep Debt, transcribing hand-written notes to word processor. May piddle around with the outlines for the latter books in the Romances.
Currently writing:
A Moment in the Storm, Chapter Nine - Sons of the Statum
A Man Averted His Eyes, short story
An Empty Place, 3rd draft
Beginning 3rd draft of An Empty Place for submission. Working from line edit by E-. Also moving forward with a final outline for My Sleep Debt, transcribing hand-written notes to word processor. May piddle around with the outlines for the latter books in the Romances.
Currently writing:
A Moment in the Storm, Chapter Nine - Sons of the Statum
A Man Averted His Eyes, short story
An Empty Place, 3rd draft
1/22/10
Upcoming novels . . .
My Sleep Debt - urban fantasy. the first novel in the 'Sleeper' series. 25 chapters at ~80,000 words. tentative start date of February 15th, 2010
A Stray Light From Tomorrow - sf thriller. 32 to 38 chapters at ~80-90,000 words. tentative start date of July 1st, 2010
"This Living Hand" (w/t) - sf. 16 chapters at ~80,000 words. tentative start date of January 1st, 2011.
A Stray Light From Tomorrow - sf thriller. 32 to 38 chapters at ~80-90,000 words. tentative start date of July 1st, 2010
"This Living Hand" (w/t) - sf. 16 chapters at ~80,000 words. tentative start date of January 1st, 2011.
Novels in progress . . .
The Antilotian Romances, Book I: A Moment In The Storm - fantasy, in progress at 32,800 of ~176,000. tentative end date of December 31st, 2010.
All Shapes . . . - horror, complete at 78,750. 1st draft.
Still Tower At Twilight - horror, complete at 136,899. 1st draft.
An Empty Place - dystopian fantasy, complete at 72,500 words. 2nd draft out to readers. Sub pack, 3rd draft in progress. tentative sub start date of March 1st, 2010.
A Secret Path - lit fic, complete at 35,883. 2nd draft trunked.
All Shapes . . . - horror, complete at 78,750. 1st draft.
Still Tower At Twilight - horror, complete at 136,899. 1st draft.
An Empty Place - dystopian fantasy, complete at 72,500 words. 2nd draft out to readers. Sub pack, 3rd draft in progress. tentative sub start date of March 1st, 2010.
A Secret Path - lit fic, complete at 35,883. 2nd draft trunked.
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