Weekly writing check-in: the one with West Side Story

So my daughter and I went to see West Side Story this week, which was a lot of fun, but a very late night for both of us. We went on Friday, and the Wild (as in the hockey team, Minnesota Wild) were playing as well. And that was fine, except the game got out when the play did, and we ended up spending some quality time in the parking garage.

Also, I have no idea if the Wild even won their game.

I did some more editing this week, some planning, and some reading/research.

I also started a bullet journal. I’m always making lists, but I end up making them in twelve different places, then I lose all my lists. This is an attempt to keep all my lists together. We’ll see how it goes.

Writing Work:

  • Planning/researching new series
  • Revising, editing An Army of Toads

Submissions:

  • Fire and Ivy

Rejections:

  • Fire and Ivy

Acceptances:

  • None

Publications:

  • None

Weekly writing check-in: the one with some editing

Another quiet week. I did some editing on An Army of Toads, some research and planning of a new series (or possibly more than one series–ideas, I have them), and some reading. I’m hoping I haven’t caught that “flu-like” virus the doctor said my daughter had all last week.

So, to be on the safe side, I’m going to go drink a little tea, do a little editing, and read a lot today.

Writing Work:

  • Planning/researching new series
  • Revising, editing An Army of Toads

Submissions:

  • None

Rejections:

  • None

Acceptances:

  • None

Publications:

  • None

Weekly writing check-in: the one with the great courses

A quiet week this week. I’ve been doing a lot of background work and not so much actual story writing. Still, it seems like I’ve done a lot of work but don’t have much to show for it.

I recently took the plunge and went in for a full membership at Audible. One of the things I love are The Great Courses. They’re also kind of expensive. This is where the membership credits come in handy. (Some, but not all, are available in the library system, so I use that option as well.)

One nice thing about the courses is all the lectures are about 30 minutes long. This is the perfect length for my commute or for listening with ear buds while I do some chores, and so on.

And that’s about it for me. I think I’ll go listen to another lecture.

Writing Work:

  • Planning/researching new series
  • Drafting/outlining/structure and so on

Submissions:

  • Fire and Ivy

Rejections:

  • Fire and Ivy

Acceptances:

  • None

Publications:

  • None

Weekly writing check-in: the one with the binge-watching cure

We had lots of fun at last week’s author visit with Liza Wiemer. If you ever need a speaker for school/group of teens (especially those who like to write), I highly recommend Liza. Also, check out her wonderful debut YA novel Hello?

I also finished writing An Army of Toads this week. It came in at ~9,000 words, which is an awkward length for a short story. (Technically, it’s a novelette, which is a cute name but a hard sell.)

My big news this week is, of course, the acceptance of The Saint of Bright Red Things to The Binge-Watching Cure:

The Binge-Watching Cure will be an anthology of short stories of increasing size. The first story will be 100 words—anyone can read that. The next, 200 words. Then 500, then longer, all the way to novella length.

Sounds pretty cool, doesn’t it? My story was selected for the 4,000-word slot, and I’m very excited about that. This is a story set in France during World War Two. Here’s a quick summary:

In Nazi-occupied France, Marigold Jenkins, the daughter of ex-patriot Americans, must keep her identities—all three of them—a secret. She navigates the streets of Paris armed with a bright red handbag, scarlet lipstick, and a compact tailor-made for her role as a courier in the resistance.

But when a train accident leaves her concussed and stranded in a provincial hospital, Mari must navigate a new reality, one that leaves her at the mercy of a German officer. She must decide whether she can trust this man—and what she must sacrifice in order to do so.

For writers, they’re currently taking submissions for a horror anthology.

And last, but not least, Coffee and Ghosts 3: The Complete Third Season is finally in print format.

Writing Work:

  • Planning/researching new series
  • Outlining/Draft writing ~ 4,000 words, An Army of Toads = done!

Submissions:

  • Fire and Ivy

Rejections:

  • Fire and Ivy

Acceptances:

  • The Saint of Bright Red Things

Publications:

The print version of Coffee and Ghosts 3: The Complete Third Season is now available!

Weekly writing check-in: the one with the short list

I didn’t quite finish up An Army of Toads this week. I’m close, but as I mentioned last week, a new character in the form of a Bandit King strolled into the story and complicated things.

One rejection this week (which, you’ll note, I sent right back out). But I am pleased that the story made the short list in Pulp Literature’s Bumble Bee Flash Fiction contest. So, there’s that.

Today, my daughter’s Girl Scout Troop is having an author visit and workshop with Liza Wiemer, and we couldn’t be more excited.

Writing Work:

  • Planning/researching new series
  • Outlining/Draft writing ~ 4,500 words

Submissions:

  • Lucky

Rejections:

Acceptances:

  • None

Publications:

  • None

Weekly writing check-in: the one with another early morning

Or maybe it just feels like early morning, thanks to DST. I love having extra light in the evenings, but I could do without the actual time change.

I got some writing in this week on a new story, along with some outlining. I wasn’t so much stuck as I was in pondering mode, possibly because a minor character wanted to take on a much larger role than I had envisioned. So now I need to consider what it is the Bandit King wants. (And certainly he wants something because that’s how bandit kings are.)

That’s about it.

Writing Work:

  • Planning/researching new series
  • Outlining/Draft writing ~ 1,500 words

Submissions:

  • None

Rejections:

  • None

Acceptances:

  • None

Publications:

  • None

Weekly writing check-in: the one with the early morning dance competition

Dance competition time! For my daughter, not me. But we were up early and at the event before we’d normally be at school/work.  I’m tired. We’re all tired here. So a short check in this week. I finished How Goldie Lost Her Locks, which came in at ~14,000 words. I also finished up the layout for Coffee & Ghosts 3 and have ordered a print proof.

I think this come week will be a short story week, and I hope to both write one and revise one. We’ll see.

Writing Work:

  • Planning/researching new series
  • Draft writing ~ 3,700
  • Print layout, Coffee & Ghosts

Submissions:

  • None

Rejections:

  • None

Acceptances:

  • None

Publications:

  • None

Weekly writing check-in: the one with more fairy tales and Girl Scout cookies

It was a week of Girl Scout cookies and fairy tales and print layout for Season Three of Coffee & Ghosts. And that’s about it.

I’ve been doing some world building, but I prefer to write stories along with that, or really, as part of the world building. Because sometimes you have to walk in your world to see whether or not it works.

I’m hoping to finish How Goldie Lost Her Locks this week and move onto An Army of Toads. Then I’ll take a look at a novella I wrote last year with an eye to expanding it (and really, it’s this story that started this particular journey).

Writing Work:

  • Planning/researching new series
  • Draft writing ~ 5,100 words!
  • Print layout, Coffee & Ghosts

Submissions:

  • None

Rejections:

  • None

Acceptances:

  • None

Publications:

  • None

Weekly writing check-in: the one with the bundle of ghosts

So, this week, I released the bundle of season three of Coffee & Ghosts, because some people like their coffee and ghosts all in one place. I’m still doing the print layout for it, but that should be ready in a week or two.

And … I started in on a new story. For now I’m calling it How Goldie Lost Her Locks, and it’s about how … Goldie lost her locks. I’m also outlining another one that I think I’ll call An Army of Toads. And if you’re thinking to yourself: hm, those sound like reimaged fairy tales, you might be right.

Otherwise, I filled the week helping my daughter with her Girl Scout cookie sales … lots and lots of cookies sales and lots and lots of cookies.

Writing Work:

  • Planning/researching new series
  • Draft writing ~ 5,000 words!

Submissions:

  • None

Rejections:

  • None

Acceptances:

  • None

Publications:

ghost-series-3Coffee & Ghosts 3: The Complete Third Season is now available for those of you who like your coffee & ghosts in one place.

Weekly writing check-in: the one with the final project

now-and-later_6x9

This week I completed the final project for my design class, which you can see on the left. I also managed to finish Story Genius and get a little draft writing in. But mostly? Mostly I worked on my final project.

Now that the class is over, I hope to shift priorities a bit and get more writing done. I’m still researching and world-building, but I’m at the point where I can work on the actual story part of it.

This always feels a little shaky. Brand new words in a brand new project, especially after working on Coffee & Ghosts for more than a year. I have to shift gears and remind myself that we all start with a blank page. The first step is to fill it with something.

So, that’s the goal for this coming week!

Writing Work:

  • Planning/researching new series
  • Draft writing
  • Story Genius — Done!
  • Graphic design class — Done!

Submissions:

  • None

Rejections:

  • None

Acceptances:

  • None

Publications:

  • None