Category: Weekly Writing Check In

Weekly writing check-in: the one with some audio

So, you guys! I’m in audio! Well, I’m not, but two of my publications are. Both The Fine Art of Keeping Quiet and The Maze: Three Tales of the Future are available in audio from Audible, iTunes, and Amazon (see links below).

The narrator, Ashley Klanac, did a fantastic job with both titles. Also, below, you can click to listen to a sample of each.

I have some promotion codes for a free copy. If you enjoy audio books and would like to listen to either or both, send me a note via the contact form. Bonus points if you listen and leave a rating/review at Audible. I have it on good authority that Audible loves it *this much* when you do that.

Otherwise, I wrote what may be my first historical short story this week. I’m kind of psyched about that, although not so much about the title.

Writing Work:

  • For the Want of a Nail ~ 3,533 words

Submissions:

  • None

Rejections:

  • Five to Freedom

Acceptances:

  • None

Publications:

Keeping Quiet audio Amazon, Audible, iTunes

 

 

The Maze Audio

Amazon, Audible, iTunes

Weekly writing check-in: the one with a finished novelette

So, I finished my coffee/ghost story this week. It has words! And an ending! And a title! Giving up the Ghosts came in at 8,948 words. I also think this is the first time I’ve written an honest-to-goodness sequel for something. I think it worked. At least, I hope it did. I’ll know in a few weeks when I read over the draft.

I also worked a bit on some flash fiction. And if you take a gander below, you’ll see a link to a post I did up yesterday on five books about WWI.

Writing Work:

Submissions:

  • Knight in the Royal Arms
  • Five to Freedom

Rejections:

  • None

Acceptances:

  • None

Publications:

Just a matter of timeYes, on Kindle only. For short stories, this seems to be my best option. As tempting as the 58 cent payouts from Kobo are … okay, they’re not tempting at all. I’m better off, for the time being, placing my short work in KDP Select and the Kindle Unlimited program.

For now. It might not always be that way. And I’m not locked into anything. At least, I’m only locked in for 90 days. 90 days? In publishing? That’s a blink of an eye.

So … it’s available for 99 cents, or you can borrow it for free if you are an Amazon Prime and/or Kindle Unlimited member.

Weekly writing check-in: the one with an Eagle Scout

EagleWell, it’s official, hardware and all. My son is now an Eagle Scout. He worked so hard for this, and the process had its ups and downs, to be sure. We’ll probably have a court of honor in a few months or so. But for now, we simply gaze upon the medal and pins–and that’s enough.

In other news, I managed about 3,000 words on the coffee ghost story. I worked through all the audio files for The Fine Art of Keeping Quiet. The Maze is done, and according to my dashboard, headed for retail (!).

Also, I wrote up a book review this week (see link below). And I may do another post in a bit to recap all the WWI books I’ve read in the past few years.

Writing Work:

Submissions:

  • Like Bread Loves Salt

Rejections:

  • Like Bread Loves Salt

Acceptances:

  • None

Publications:

  • None

Weekly writing check-in: the one with a sad week

Sparky

It was a sad week around here. We said goodbye to our sweet girl Sparky on Tuesday. It was hard to let go, but also, it was time.

I did manage a little writing this week. Got a notion for a second installment (episode? story? I don’t know what to call it) featuring Katy, Malcolm, coffee, and ghosts from Ghost in the Coffee Machine. I’m hoping this will end up as both a standalone story but add to an overall story/character arc (because I have a notion for a third as well). This might be a tad ambitious.

I also reviewed audio files this week for The Maze. To say I’m excited about this would be an understatement. But it doesn’t leave much time for anything else–so, no submissions this week. Of course, the upside is no rejections.

Writing Work:

  • Ghosts and coffee ~ 2,000 words
  • The Maze: audio file review

Submissions:

  • None

Rejections:

  • None

Acceptances:

  • None

Publications:

  • None

Weekly writing check-in: the one with a finished novel

dorm5So apparently you can send your son off to college and finish a novel all in the same week. Because that’s what I did this week. Those 11,000 words? Yeah, I have no idea when I wrote them. I just grabbed pockets of time here and there, and the next thing I knew, I was closing in on the last few scenes.

Once you get there, it’s hard to stop writing. So while that looks like a lot of words, it didn’t feel that way. As far as the total goes, the novel came in at ~ 80,000 words, which is a nice size for a novel.

And also, in other big news, my son went off to college this week! It’s not every day these two things happen, right? As you can see, he’s busy doing schoolwork already. Actually, he’s filling out the check-in form so he isn’t charged for damage to his dorm room later on.

So … that was my week. How was yours?

Writing Work:

  • Pansy 2.0 ~ 11,650 words

Submissions:

  • March Madness

Rejections:

  • Five to Freedom

Acceptances:

  • None

Publications:

  • None

Weekly writing check-in: the one with not much to say

goldySo, our new pup, Mattie, is adjusting well. The cat is getting sneaky and finding ways to be in the same room as said pup without Mattie noticing. Of course, when she does, the cat zips back downstairs.

Summer is ending, we’re getting my son ready to head off to college (the image is your clue as to where he’s going) and my daughter to Jr. High (milestones, we have them). Not quite as much writing this week as last, but I’m heading into the home stretch of Pansy 2.0 and can see the whole way in front of me. While it’s a re-draft, many pieces are significantly different: new scenes, new characters, new twists. It’s been a lot of fun to write.

Nice rejection this week for a story that’s long enough that I might put it in Kindle Unlimited and call it done. But I still have a few more I can submit when I hit a little downtime.

Writing Work:

  • Pansy 2.0 ~ 6,011 words
  • World Building class

Submissions:

  • The Life Expectancy of Fireflies

Rejections:

  • A Knight in the Royal Arms

Acceptances:

  • None

Publications:

  • None

Weekly writing check-in: the one with a new pup

Mattie3 Mattie2So yes, this happened over the weekend.

Meet Mattie (short for Matilda). She looks like a puppy, but she’s actually four years old. According to the Animal Humane Society she’s a mix of Dachshund and a smooth-haired terrier. She is small and cute and very, very sweet.

Now let’s hope the cat will like her (I’m not too worried about our other dog).

Naturally, since I mentioned a dearth of rejections last week, I received two this week, although they were both personal and fairly positive, so there’s that. Writing work, some world building (although I’m a bit behind–blame the new dog). I would love to finish Pansy by the end of August, but I’m not 100% certain that will happen.

Writing Work:

  • Pansy 2.0 ~ 7,885 words
  • World Building class

Submissions:

  • None

Rejections:

  • The Madness in King’s End
  • Keeping Time

Acceptances:

  • None

Publications:

  • None

Weekly writing check-in: the one with some world building

JoNearly 12,000 words this week. Yes, I am in what Jo March (of Little Women) might call a writing vortex. All I need is the special cap. No, really. I need the special cap. Do you think they have them at Target?

I’m also taking a world building class since these new, crazy speculative worlds keep popping up in my writing. It’s time to put a little structure around them and dig a little deeper.

Otherwise, a quiet week. Everything that can go out pretty much is out, so no submissions. No rejections (yet), and since I haven’t heard back, no acceptances either (funny how that works).

I did follow up on some stories, since there’s a great deal of orange in my submission tracker.

Writing Work:

  • Pansy 2.0 ~ 11,529 words
  • World Building class

Submissions:

  • None

Rejections:

  • None

Acceptances:

  • None

Publications:

  • None

Weekly writing check-in: the one with some print

More writing this week. It’s amazing how much more time one has to do this when one isn’t to-ing and fro-ing the smaller members of the household to/from horse camp. I’m at ~ 44,000 words with Pansy 2.0, which isn’t too bad.

The proof came for The Maze. I adore making these little books. It’s so much fun and good practice as well. I always think I’ll remember everything I need to do for an interior layout, but of course, I don’t.

My son Andrew read the premise for The Maze and declared it “really interesting.” My daughter said the stories sounded like Doctor Who episodes (and she means this in a good way). At long last, my kids endorse my writing!

Writing Work:

  • Pansy 2.0 ~ 8,848 words
  • Received and approved proof for The Maze
  • Listened to and selected a narrator for The Fine Art of Keeping Quiet and The Maze (can’t wait to talk more about this)

Submissions:

  • None

Rejections:

  • None

Acceptances:

  • None

Publications:

The MazeAvailable at Amazon. If you have a Prime or Kindle Unlimited account, you can borrow it for free.

Now in Print as well, and available as a Kindle Match Book. This means if you buy a print copy (you must do this first), you can get the Kindle version for 99 cents.

Weekly writing check-in: the one with a startling launch

So this week, I decided to simply drop another book out there, this time a collection of three short stories, run a free promotion, and wait to see what happened.

This is what happened:

#1 maze placement

It was a wild three days. Also, a gratifying three days. I decided to try KDP Select and going exclusive with Amazon (at least for 90 days). I know there are lots of opinions about that, but I wanted to try it–simply because I can. This is one of the things I love about being my own publishing company. I can try things, assess what works (or doesn’t), then try something else.

Also, The Maze will be available in print in a week or two and maybe even audio (shh … more on that as it develops).

I also logged nearly 8,000 words in Pansy (I should give this book a real title) this week and did the layout in InDesign for The Maze. Also, lots of driving to and from horse camp to drop off/pick up my daughter.

I’m going with productive. It was a productive week.

Writing Work:

  • Pansy 2.0 ~ 7,860 words
  • Print layout, etc. for The Maze

Submissions:

  • Keeping Time (audio/reprint market)

Rejections:

  • None

Acceptances:

  • None

Publications:

The MazeAvailable at Amazon. If you have a Prime or Kindle Unlimited account, you can borrow it for free.

For those of you who prefer print, I’ll let you know when that version is available for purchase.