Weekly Writing Check In – Page 20

Weekly writing check-in: the one with the Iowa adventure

I spent last weekend at the Iowa Summer Writing Festival. Did I have a good time? Well, let’s just say I’m already scheming ways to spend a week there next year. It. Was. Amazing.

So? What did I do?

I made some new friends:

Saw the sights:

Went Legend Tripping:

I also attended the workshop Fiction and Fairy Tale. Lots of prompts and quick writing, lots of new ideas. I stayed in a lovely bed and breakfast, did a lot of walking, and basically had a blast exploring the campus and downtown. If you can make your way to Iowa City during the summer, I highly recommend it and the festival.

Also, if you scroll down a bit, you can see that my story, A Knight at the Royal Arms is live in Pulp Literature #15.

Writing Work:

Planning/researching new series
Story planning and notes
Fairy Tale class/Folklore class
Iowa Summer Writing Festival

Submissions:

Lucky
The Way Home

Rejections:

Lucky

Acceptances:

None

Publications:

My story A Knight at the Royal Arms is included in Pulp Literature #15.

The story is a light-hearted fantasy about a modern-day damsel in distress (one who wears steel toe boots).

Weekly writing check-in: the one with the adventure

I’m off on an adventure this week, one that involves fairy tales and writing and other fun things. I will report back next week on all that I did. See you then!

Writing Work:

Planning/researching new series
Story planning and notes
Fairy Tale class/Folklore class

Submissions:

An Army of Toads
Keeping Time
Fire and Ivy
Like Bread Loves Salt

Rejections:

None

Acceptances:

None

Publications:

None

Weekly writing check-in: the one with some Prime Reading

I started another new class this week. This one is on folk tales. It’s all stories all the time around here. I even wrote a retelling of Rapunzel. (Yes, I know. Yet another.)

The big news this week is down below, but we’re pretty excited about it.

And I’m going to make this short. See all those classes? I have homework to do.

Writing Work:

Planning/researching new series
Story planning and notes
Story Journal
Fairy Tale class
Folk Tale class
Rapunzel retelling ~ 1,000 words

Submissions:

None

Rejections:

Keeping Time

Acceptances:

None

Publications:

None, but! Amazon has selected Dating on the Dork Side to be part of its curated Prime Reading list for the next ninety days or so. If you have Amazon Prime, you can read the novel for free.

If you have Amazon Prime, you can read the novel for free.

Weekly writing check-in: the one with the glimmer

So this week I learned that my (very) short story Lucky received an honorable mention in Glimmer Train’s Very Short Fiction Contest. I so seldom submit to places like Glimmer Train because I so seldom commit an act of literary fiction. I wasn’t expecting anything from this submission. I suspect my fellow writers “get” this more than readers might. It’s like glancing out the window and glimpsing a unicorn.

And I sent the story back out to another one of those unicorn markets this week. Hey, you never know when you might catch one.

In other news, lots of story and story journal work this week along with some research. Plus I started my fairy tale class.

Writing Work:

Planning/researching new series
Story planning and notes
Story Journal
Fairy Tale class

Submissions:

Lucky

Rejections:

Lucky
Fire and Ivy

Acceptances:

None

Publications:

None

Weekly writing check-in: the one with the dance recital

It was the week of the dance recital. And we are tired. Amazingly, I got a little work in. I made it through the first section of the story journal, and I’m gearing up to start the next. I made some progress on the new series, notes and some draft writing.

One very nice rejection on With Hair of Teeth and Claw–two exclamation points and an invitation to submit something else. That’s almost as good as an acceptance. I’ve run out of reprint markets for it at the moment so I may turn it into a free story for my newsletter. Wait, you didn’t know about the free stories? You can get them when you sign up for my newsletter here.

Next week: more story work, plus I start a course on fairy tales!

Writing Work:

Planning/researching new series
Story planning and notes
Story Journal

Submissions:

None

Rejections:

With Hair of Teeth and Claw

Acceptances:

None

Publications:

None

Weekly writing check-in: the one with the thunderstorm

I’m going to be quick this week. I hear the rumble of thunder out there. And it’s dark. So. Very. Dark.

I did a lot of behind-the-scenes work this week. I updated some back matter and other whatnot in my e-book files. I worked on my story journal. Some world building for my series. Sort of a grab bag of tasks. As soon as I get more content in my story development bullet journal, I’ll post some examples.

And now it’s like midnight outside. I may just head to the basement.

Ah, summer in Minnesota.

Edited to add: Hail! Thunder! Green skies! And of course, it isn’t Minnesota if you’re not taking a photo of the weather.

Writing Work:

Planning/researching new series
Story planning and notes
Story Journal

Submissions:

None

Rejections:

None

Acceptances:

None

Publications:

None

Weekly writing check-in: the one with the story journal

I mentioned a while back that I’ve been using a bullet journal to organize my life, more or less. And I like it. I joined this bullet journal group on Facebook where everyone (other than me) is an artist and does these incredible layouts for their weeks and months. Me? Not so much. I use a pen, and that’s it.

But I had a brainstorm the other day for creating a story development bullet journal. So, in my very best handwriting, I’ve been writing out all the various story development exercises I do before I begin working on a story. In the end, I’ll have something I can take with me anywhere, all indexed and handy.

Writing Work:

Planning/researching new series
Story planning and notes
Story Journal

Submissions:

None

Rejections:

An Army of Toads

Acceptances:

None

Publications:

None

Weekly writing check-in: the one with the brainstorm

Sometimes not being able to do a lot of writing can be a good thing. I had a brainstorm idea this week, one of those: why on earth didn’t I think of that before?

In terms of writing/series planning, it doesn’t change too much. It’s more like shifting gears and finding the right road to take.

Other good news this week: my neck/arm are getting better. The physical therapy really seems to be working. Things hurt less and less each day, and I should be back to feeling fine shortly.

And with that, I’m off to rest my neck/arm and do a little more research.

Writing Work:

Planning/researching new series
Story planning and notes

Submissions:

An Army of Toads

Rejections:

None

Acceptances:

None

Publications:

None

Weekly writing check-in: the one with neck x-rays and red riding hood

Ouch. This will be short because I have a pinched nerve in my right shoulder (and, of course, I’m right-handed). Fortunately, I finished the writing I needed to before this happened (or maybe it’s why it happened–I don’t know). I submitted a reprint this week. And now, I’m going to do a little research and […]

Another short post this week. There is something wrong with my neck/shoulder. Neck x-rays have ruled out anything really terrible, and for now, I’m visiting the physical therapist twice a week in hopes of relieving the pain/tingling/numbness in my right arm and hand.

As you can imagine, this makes it difficult to write or do a lot of other things as well. I spent this week doing more research and scribbling some notes.

On the bright side, I managed a submission, a rejection, an acceptance, and a publication. So. There’s that.

Writing Work: