Category: Weekly Writing Check In

Weekly writing check-in: Steadfast

Busy week! My daughter had a dance meet this week (the first of the season) and then an invitational on Saturday. I. Am. Exhausted. You’d think I was the one doing all the dancing.

A little writing, a little work on a fairy tale project, and that’s about it. Oh, except for Steadfast, of course.

Writing work:

  • Series work (structure, brainstorming, research)
  • Fairy Tale project
  • Writing ~3,000 words

Submissions:

  • None

Rejections:

  • Moving Day

Acceptances:

  • None

Publications:

My story Steadfast is in the December issue of Flash Fiction Online.

The story is a modern retelling of Hans Christian Andersen’s The Steadfast Tin Soldier, with a gender flip and an unapologetic happy ending. (Take that, HCA!)

Head on over and give all the stories a read.

Weekly writing check-in: Thanksgiving edition

Quiet Thanksgiving week. I did do some Photoshop work, but no projects to share. Maybe next week. I need more stealth cats in my life.

I did do more writing, however. After my writing tear of a few weeks ago (and subsequent deleting of some of those words), I’m going for slow and steady. I’m pleased with this week’s progress.

And … that’s it!

Writing work:

  • Series work (structure, brainstorming, research)
  • Mark Dawson’s Ads for Authors Course
  • Graphic Design/Photoshop tutorials
  • Writing ~5,454 words

Submissions:

  • None

Rejections:

  • Simon the Cold

Acceptances:

  • None

Publications:

  • None

Weekly writing check-in: stealth cat and an honorable mention

Meet stealth cat, my latest Photoshop project.

My big news this week is my short story (really, flash fiction) The Potato Bug War received an honorable mention in Pulp Literature’s Raven Short Story Contest.

This is the second historical fiction story I’ve written, and I’m kind of amazed I managed to pull off a story about World War II in 540 words.

So, you may be asking, at some point will I try writing novel-length historical fiction? I might. I just might.

Not as much writing this week. I started (yet another) set of courses. This one is on advertising for authors, and I’m loving it so far.

And that’s about it!

Writing work:

  • Series work (structure, brainstorming, research)
  • Mark Dawson’s Ads for Authors Course
  • Graphic Design/Photoshop tutorials
  • Writing, ~3,000 words

Submissions:

  • None

Rejections:

  • None

Acceptances:

  • None

Publications:

  • None

Weekly writing check-in: halfway … maybe

I might be about halfway through this new story. Then again, I might not be. Who knows? (Presumably, I should, but it doesn’t always work that way.)

Still, I’m pleased with my slow and steady word count.

Otherwise, a quiet week, what with the time change. I think falling back may actually be harder than springing forward. So. Dark. At five p.m.

Writing work:

  • Series work (structure, brainstorming, research)
  • Graphic Design/Photoshop tutorials
  • Writing, ~5,000 words

Submissions:

  • Simon the Cold (reprint market)

Rejections:

  • None

Acceptances:

  • None

Publications:

  • None

Weekly writing check-in: long lists and such

Well, at least there’s no negative word count this week. I’m back on track, more or less.

In good news this week, I did have a story make Pulp Literature’s Raven Short Story Long List. I can’t say which story since the submissions are blind, but I’m pleased.

Also, I worked through some Photoshop tutorials (as you can see) and the lessons for my folklore classes. I’m not doing anything particular with the folklore at the moment, but I find that the classes and the reading spark all kinds of story ideas.

Writing work:

  • Series work (structure, brainstorming, research)
  • Graphic Design/Photoshop tutorials
  • Writing, ~4,523 words
  • Folklore classes

Submissions:

  • None

Rejections:

  • None

Acceptances:

  • None

Publications:

  • None

Weekly writing check-in: hello, negative word count

Not quite, but after that writing tear last week, I went in and removed about 2,000 words. I’m not really sure how many new words I managed this week, but I’m going to take a guess at ~3,200 of them.

And sometimes that happens. It doesn’t matter how much I outline or work on the story structure beforehand, I need to actually write the words to learn what the story is really about.

This time, my characters discovered a mysterious, locked briefcase that wasn’t there in the outline. What’s inside the briefcase? Other than some angry ghosts, I’m not 100% certain.

So, this coming week, I’ll relook the structure and (fingers crossed) move forward with the story.

Otherwise, some Photoshop, some folklore, and a few submissions.

Writing work:

  • Series work (structure, brainstorming, research)
  • Graphic Design/Photoshop tutorials
  • Writing, ~3,200 words
  • Folklore classes

Submissions:

  • Cheating Death
  • Moving Day

Rejections:

  • Dereliction
  • Respite

Acceptances:

  • None

Publications:

  • None

Weekly writing check-in: hello, writing tear

I went on a writing tear this week, getting in nearly 8,500 words.

So now I’m closing in on 20,000 words.

In all that, I did manage to squeeze in some classes and Photoshop work as well. Not a lot, but some. It looks like a long list, but it was really a little bit here and a little bit there.

And that’s it. I think I used up all my words in my manuscript this week.

Writing work:

  • Series work (structure, brainstorming, research)
  • Graphic Design/Photoshop tutorials
  • Writing, ~8,400 words
  • Folklore classes
  • Truby class

Submissions:

  • None

Rejections:

  • Moving Day

Acceptances:

  • None

Publications:

  • None

Weekly writing check-in: hello, new sale

A rejection this week, but we’re just going to ignore that because not only did I write +5,000 words, I sold a story!

I sold Steadfast to Flash Fiction Online. Details forthcoming. Steadfast is a modern (and non-magical) retelling of Hans Christian Andersen’s The Steadfast Tin Soldier with a gender flip and an unapologetic happy ending.

That’s about it. I’m almost to 10,000 words in the novel, which means it’s starting to feel more like a real thing and less like vaporware. I’m adjusting the structure as I go along. It’s a lot like going on a trip after you’ve done some extensive planning. Sure, you read the guides books, planned the route, maybe even checked Google’s street view. But there’s something about driving–and writing–that changes everything.

Writing work:

  • Series work (structure, brainstorming, research)
  • Graphic Design/Photoshop tutorials
  • Writing, ~5,200 words

Submissions:

  • None

Rejections:

  • Three by Three

Acceptances:

  • Steadfast

Publications:

  • None

Weekly writing check-in: hello, new project

At long last I started the new series. Despite the planning and structuring and researching, when I open up a fresh, blank, document, it still feels a lot like that.

Even so, I managed to write +3,500 words. It’s a start.

I will also continue to research and adjust as I go along, because that’s just the way it works.

A couple of rejections, but I did turn one around and send it back out. Add in some tutorials and a class on witches, and that rounded out the week.

  • Series work (structure, brainstorming, research)
  • Graphic Design/Photoshop tutorials
  • Writing, ~3,500 words

Submissions:

  • Three by Three

Rejections:

  • Three by Three
  • Cheating Death

Acceptances:

  • None

Publications:

  • None

Weekly writing check-in: Welcome, October!

I love October. October makes me think of Halloween, which makes me think of ghosts, which makes me think of Coffee and Ghosts.

It also makes me think of witches, and that’s up next–both in writing and an entire class on witches that begins in a few days. I’m very excited.

No actual draft writing this week, but most definitely this coming week. I really have nowhere else to go. Structuring and outlining and world building? I have more to do, but I’m at the point where I need some words on the page. So. Time to stop messing around.

I also completed another Photoshop tutorial as well.

That’s it for this week. Tune in next Sunday to see if I actually manage some words.

Writing Work:

  • Series work (structure, brainstorming, drafting)
  • Graphic Design/Photoshop tutorials

Submissions:

  • None

Rejections:

  • With Hair of Teeth and Claw

Acceptances:

  • None

Publications:

  • None