Category: Weekly Writing Check In

Weekly writing check-in: the one with the Dating on the Dork Side cover reveal

front cover rgb jpgSo, if you’ve been following along, you know we had our cover reveal this week for Dating on the Dork Side.

We are pleased and excited and getting ready for the release on November 30th.

I also had a nice surprise this week when my contributor copy of Dragons, Droids and Doom, Year One arrived. Links below. It is full of speculative fiction: 370 pages of it from 49 writers. I’m thinking it would make a pretty awesome holiday gift for anyone who loves short speculative fiction.

And somehow despite the cover reveal flurry, I managed to write +7,000 words this week on The Ghost That Got Away. I’m so close to the end. So. Close. I’m hoping this next week to finish it up.

Writing Work:

  • Dating on the Dork Side cover reveal and blog tour
  • Proof review, e-book final builds for Dating on the Dork Side
  • Coffee & Ghosts season two, episode two: 7,343 words

Submissions:

  • None

Rejections:

  • A Measure of Sorrow

Acceptances:

  • None

Publications:

year-one-cover-webMy story Incriminating Evidence is part of Dragons, Droids and Doom, Year One, the very first anthology from Fantasy Scroll Magazine.

It’s in print and e-book, available in all sorts of formats from all kinds of retailers. Check out Dragons, Droids and Doom for more information.

Weekly writing check-in: the one with the frozen fairy tales

Darcy and I have been busy with getting everything set for the launch of Dating on the Dork Side. We’re gearing up for a cover reveal on the 19th, along with a variety of other things.

I did manage some Coffee & Ghosts writing, nearly 5,000 words.

And, of course, the publication of the Frozen Fairy Tales anthology, which includes my story Simon the Cold.

Want to get in on the frozen fun? Hop on over to Enchanted Conversations for a chance to win $100. No, really. All you need is no more than 700 words, but no less than 200, depicting some aspect of Sleeping Beauty set in winter. For all the details, see the contest post.

Writing Work:

  • Coffee & Ghosts season two, episode two: 4,750 words
  • Dating on the Dork Side launch activities

Submissions:

  • None

Rejections:

  • Knight in the Royal Arms
  • The God of Bright Red Things

Acceptances:

  • None

Publications:

IMG_0781It’s in the (snowy) wild! You can read more about it in my post here.

You can also hop on over to World Weaver Press for more information on this anthology and a bunch of other really cool speculative fiction.

Weekly writing check-in: the one with the cat on the printer

 

printerA quiet week this week, although I did do a fair amount of writing. Darcy and I did a fair amount of Dork Side launch brainstorming. Final page proofs for an anthology that comes out this week.

I feel like I was much busier than my list below might indicate.

There are weeks when you feel like you’re accomplishing a lot but don’t have much to show for it. The showing comes later.

One bit of news! I found out that The Fine Art of Keeping Quiet placed first in the International Digital Awards contest and The Fine Art of Holding Your Breath placed third–both in the young adult category.

Yeah. I knew something else happened this week.

Writing Work:

  • Outlining and brainstorming episode two
  • Coffee & Ghosts season two, episode two: 6,800 words
  • Dating on the Dork Side launch brainstorming
  • Final page proofs for Frozen Fairy Tales anthology

Submissions:

  • None

Rejections:

  • None

Acceptances:

  • None

Publications:

  • None

Weekly writing check-in: the one with more vine leaves

coffee1I’m happy to report that the first episode for season two of Coffee & Ghosts is complete at 24,000 words.

Yes, I’ve moved into novella territory, and it feels right. I hope it reads that way.

I even have tentative titles for the three episodes:

  • Ghosts of Christmas Past
  • The Ghost That Got Away
  • The Wedding Ghost

But that’s changeable. And I realize that there are about 20,000 other stories on Amazon with a similar title to Ghosts of Christmas Past. That’s just the way it is. It’s a Christmas story. It’s about ghosts (and coffee). What are you going to call it?

Darcy and I continue to fill in all the blanks for the Dating on the Dork Side release. I added in pieces that were missing from the book files (about the authors, acknowledgements, etc.). We reworked descriptions–short and long–for the book, and other small things that pop up when you’re getting ready to launch a book.

And of course, the nice surprise below. I found out this week that Steps to Goodbye will be included in the 2015 Best of Vine Leaves Literary Journal.

Writing Work:

  • E-book and print layout for Dating on the Dork Side, tweaking and adding
  • Coffee & Ghosts season two, episode one: 4,600 words, complete at 24,000 words
  • Outlining and brainstorming episode two.

Submissions:

  • None

Rejections:

  • Incriminating Evidence

Acceptances:

Publications:

  • None

Weekly writing check-in: the one with the print layout

Chapter oneI completed the print layout for Dating on the Dork Side, mostly yesterday. I always think that I’ll do a little at a time, pace myself, not go all crazy and try to do the entire novel all at once.

Seriously, I think the InDesign interface has some sort of subliminal messaging, or crack, or something. I’m always telling myself: Okay, after this chapter, I’ll get up and do the laundry/eat/let the dog out.

Then it’s all: Okay, after this chapter, I’ll go be a human being again and do what other human beings do.

Yeah. Not exactly. On the upside, the print layout is (mostly) done.

I ended up with ~7,600 words on episode one for season two of Coffee & Ghosts. I did not finish it this week (so … close), but this coming week for certain. Or mostly certain. I probably shouldn’t jinx myself. But we have clearly moved into novella territory.

Writing Work:

  • Completed print layout for Dating on the Dork Side
  • Coffee & Ghosts season two: 7,600 words

Submissions:

  • A Measure of Sorrow (reprint market)

Rejections:

  • None

Acceptances:

  • None

Publications:

  • None

Weekly writing check-in: the one with fun with graphics

Coffee and Ghost mockup

So, a little fun with graphics this morning, a really good writing week, and more fun with print layout in InDesign.

I ended up with ~7,000 words on episode one for season two of Coffee & Ghosts, and I’m closing in on 12,000 words for the episode so far. I’m thinking I can finish it off this week (!).

After turning around that rejection this week, I ended up with a milestone of fifty story submissions for the year. So there’s that.

Writing Work:

  • Print layout work
  • Photoshop tutorials/graphics fun
  • Coffee & Ghosts season two: 7,000 words

Submissions:

  • Gretel and Hansel

Rejections:

  • Gretel and Hansel

Acceptances:

  • None

Publications:

  • None, but don’t forget to enter the Goodreads giveaway for Selfies from the End of the World. See yesterday’s post for more information.

Weekly writing check-in: the one with the Goodreads giveaway

Look! Some new writing this week on season two for Coffee & Ghosts. Writing a second season? It’s challenging. If nothing else, I’ll learn something from this. Learning = good.

Finished up revision work/copy edits for another project (more on that later) and started in on the doc clean up and formatting.

And I have a Goodreads giveaway running this week (until the 15th) for a signed copy of the paperback. So, if you like your reading in paper form, head on over to enter.

Writing Work:

  • Revision work
  • Formatting and doc clean up
  • Coffee & Ghosts season two: 4,500 words

Submissions:

  • None

Rejections:

  • None

Acceptances:

  • None

Publications:

None, but the print version of the  Coffee & Ghosts series bundle has a Goodreads giveaway. Enter to win a signed paperback.

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Coffee and Ghosts by Charity Tahmaseb

Coffee and Ghosts

by Charity Tahmaseb

Giveaway ends October 15, 2015.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/widget/156879

Weekly writing check-in: the one with coffee and ghosts

So, lots of coffee and ghosts this week. Final, final tweaks to get it ready to launch yesterday. If you like all your ghost (and coffee) stories in one place, this is the format for you.

Did some revision work this week and some brainstorming on a possible season two for Coffee & Ghosts and … I think I may have a season two. I’m thinking three stories this time, novella length (or so I hope). We will see.

And we did it. All four of my Girl Scouts are first aid qualified–and so am I (again). Minus a few bruises on my wrist from practicing chest compressions, all went well.

Writing Work:

  • Revision work
  • Coffee & Ghosts season two brainstorming and outlining

Submissions:

  • Gretel and Hansel
  • Knight in the Royal Arms

Rejections:

  • Gretel and Hansel
  • Knight in the Royal Arms

Acceptances:

  • None

Publications:

The Coffee & Ghosts series bundle is out in the world.

Coffee & GhostsYou can read more about that in my post here. But it’s available in one volume, or read each episode for free if you have a Kindle Unlimited subscription. It’s even in print.

Weekly writing check-in: the one with more keeping time

cofee and ghosts headerThis week my story Keeping Time found a new home over at Luna Station Quarterly. This is a reprint sale, but it’s especially nice since the original journal is no longer online. So, come December, Keeping Time will again be available online.

Some rejections, some submissions, and some work on a series bible for the Coffee & Ghosts series. I have a hint of an idea for an upcoming season two, and maybe a hint of one for a holiday novella. We’ll see how that goes.

Otherwise, it was a week of wrestling with tech issues, from formatting to trying to get four Girl Scouts registered to do some online first aid training. Now, you’d think that last wouldn’t be so hard. Well? You’d be wrong. I think we’ve got it now, and by this time next week, we’ll all be certified. But keep your fingers crossed, just in case.

I’ve also been playing around with Canva (lots of fun) as illustrated above.

Writing Work:

  • Final review: Print and e-book layout on Coffee & Ghosts
  • Revision and formatting work
  • Ghost series bible and brainstorming

Submissions:

  • The Perfect Canvas
  • Incriminating Evidence
  • Gretel and Hansel

Rejections:

  • Gretel and Hansel
  • Incriminating Evidence

Acceptances:

  • Keeping Time

Publications:

  • None

Weekly writing check-in: the one with selfies at the end of the world

So … the world ended this week, and we have the selfies to prove it. Or something like that. My short story “In a Manner of Speaking” is included in the anthology from Mad Scientist Journal.

I’m still working on the very last adjustments to Coffee & Ghosts. It would go a bit quicker if this wasn’t happening:

zon

CreateSpace is all: That’s a nice file you have there. Too bad you can’t see it.

I suspect things will be up within a few hours. I did just manage to download all the new books and files to my Kindle. I can always go read. Or write. I could always go write something.

Writing Work:

  • Final print and e-book layout on Coffee & Ghosts (almost there)
  • Revision work
  • Proofing work

Submissions:

  • None

Rejections:

  • Incriminating Evidence

Acceptances:

  • None

Publications:

SelfiesAntho

Selfies from the End of the World is out in the world this week. You can see more about it in my post here.

No one understands an apocalypse like the people who have experienced it. Mad Scientist Journal has brought together twenty-three tales of people who have seen the world end.

These accounts range from irreverent to surreal to heartbreaking. Zombies share space with global wars, super-viruses, canned peaches, and the death of the sun.

Available in print and e-book: Kindle, Nook, Print, Kobo, iTunes