Tag: Photoshop

Weekly writing check-in: short stories, novellas, and Photoshop

Jasper and Poppy … maybe?

Checking in late today. I fell into a Photoshop black hole, and I’m just now crawling out of it.

I splurged on a couple of Photoshop actions, and let me tell you… that’s hours of fun right there. Worth every cent.

I’m still looking for the right stock photos for my covers. The models don’t need to look exactly how I see the characters in my mind, but it helps if the attitude is right.

Then you need a supply of poses, preferably on an isolated background (or one that’s fairly neutral), and, and, and … you get the idea.

In actual writing news, I finished the short story I was working on. I’m now letting it rest a bit before I revise and send it off.

I also started outlining the companion novella. The main challenge here is to keep it at novella length. I hope to start writing it soon, possibly as early as this coming week.

Weekly writing check-in: Even more writing and dancing

Even more dancing this week. There’s one more meet on Tuesday, and then that’s it until January. Whew!

I did get some writing in, +5,000 words or so. And my story, Steadfast, in Flash Fiction Online, got the most amazing review here.

And now I need to go figure out Christmas, or at least wrap some presents before the tower of Amazon boxes in the front hall tips over and crushes someone.

Writing work:

  • Series work (structure, brainstorming, research)
  • Mark Dawson’s Ads for Authors Course
  • Writing ~5,000 words

Submissions:

  • None

Rejections:

  • None

Acceptances:

  • None

Publications:

  • None

Weekly writing check-in: Writing and Dancing

It’s been a busy week, what with some snow, a dance meet and an invitational, some ads classes, some writing, and some extra-long commuting thanks to the snow mentioned earlier.

And hey, it’s snowing on WordPress, too!

This is what I worked up in Photoshop this week, a quick cover for two of my short stories. The rights have reverted back to me, and I can do anything I like with them. So. What I would like to do with them is send them along as a free read to my mail list.

In this bundle:

  • Knight at the Royal Arms (published this summer in Pulp Literature)
    About a modern-day damsel in distress
  • Simon the Cold (published in Frozen Fairy Tales)
    About a woman who meets the mysterious Simon and must help him save the world

(And you can sign up for my mail list by clicking the Mail List tab at the top of the page if you like.)

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: 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