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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

Sent out queries to five agents today. I'm going to go at it in groups of five.

Week end projects

It's part 1 of my birthday week. Need to recover from this shimmering, all consuming, beam sending hang over.

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.

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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

Progress report:

completed editing the 3rd draft of An Empty Place. Preparing query and synopsis for submission. Stay tuned!

Progress report:

completed editing scenes 1 and 2 of Chapter Ten - Evil Germs of Matter in An Empty Place

Progress report:

completed editing Chapter Nine - The Circle of Will, An Empty Place

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.

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.

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.

Progress report:

completed editing of Chapter Seven - Chamber Music, Chapter Eight - The Thunder With Limbs of An Empty Place

Remembering Reed

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.

Yesterday was Fk-'s birthday and the whole crew went to a bar. It was fun though I had a bad stomach ache from eating too much.

I edited like a madman.

Progress report:

completed edited Chapter Five and Chapter Six - Cutting Off the Fat, of An Empty Place

Good on me.

Progress report:

completed editing scene 3 of Chapter Five - The Lid of Madness. It's a LONG chapter.

Progress report:

completed editing scenes 1 and 2 of Chapter Five - The Lid of Madness, An Empty Place

Yesterday I edited like a madman while rewatching a bunch of Lost. I also fit in a 45 minute yoga routine with E-, so my bones feel good too!

Progress report:

completed editing Chapter Three - Alchemy and Alarms, and Chapter Four - The Long Dark Road Inside, of An Empty Place.

Huzzah.

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!

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.