I’m having an issue with another story in that I am horribly stuck but I want to finish the story so badly. I’m unable to go back and figure out what’s not working, though. It’s just…boring and I can’t figure out how to extend it or rewrite it or… SIGH. It’s been sitting for quite some time. It’s actually my 2009 NaNo piece. I’d sure love to call that thing done before NaNo 2010 starts. :|

Just like I needed to go to New York when I wrote those chapters. And South Carolina, and Orlando. I need my characters to go home because they’re starting to cost me money, planning all of these trips!

I’m giddy to be writing, again. Ideas are flowing. this makes me happy!

Dear MissM ,

Great news! Your submission has been accepted for entry on the short-story.net website. Now you can get your work seen by the world! The unique address to your work is:

http://www.short-story.net/story.php?s=1465

If you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to reply to this email.

It was sort of a given, since it’s a short story archive that doesn’t seem to have many stipulations but it was a place to start! *claps*

I’m so excited! I’m so scared! What if people don’t like it? *scream*

In my head, I had what I thought was a bit of cute, witty, but story line revealing banter between my main characters. I took notes on Friday, because I knew I couldn’t get to it until after the weekend. I was looking forward to writing it, because I could just hear it in my ear, on the tip of my tongue, and laughed every time I thought of it.

So then I sat down to write it. And uh…………it kind of fell flat. Awwww.

Good news is that I think it can be revived with some editing CPR but first I need to pick up the chapter where I left off and write it through and THEN go back and edit. That’s going against my usual habit of write, edit, edit again, write, edit, edit again, throw the laptop against the wall. Trying to remove that last part, so removing some of the edits and the edit agains.

Hoping I’ll get at it tonight, but we’ll see! Next month, when I still have nothing published, I’ll kick myself for these ‘I don’t feel like writing’ nights.

In the month of February, I blogged quite a bit on my personal blog, sometimes managing 7 blogs a week. I also completed a chapter of All I Wanna Do, the epic fanfic that seems like it’s never going to end but will, eventually. I also slaved over my first short story submission, Try to Say No, which I’m particuarly proud of. I’ve heard nothing about it, thus far.

My word count for February comes in at 33, 431, beating January’s 31K by a few thousand. I am at 22% of my goal for the year, which seems about right. At the end of March I should be over 25% of my goal. My YTD count is 64,756.

Sometimes I just can’t believe I write that many words!

I am hoping to get to Chapter 41 this weekend and the beginning of this week and have an update to that story by next weekend. My father is in town so I need to use my time wisely this week!

I’d like to pull the short that I wanted to revamp and see if some ideas for turning it into a 3k -to 5k short story come to me. I feel like I am struggling unnecessarily with this? Why doesn’t this come easy? Why aren’t I overflowing with stories to tell? Why am I not just DYING to write, right now?

Try To Say No

I forgot to mention this is a rewrite of a piece I did last year called Calm Waves and Smooth Moon, so if it sounds familiar, it is. :)

I have submitted this story to two archives. Because if I didn’t do it tonight I would obsessively edit more until it was worse and I really think, after getting some thoughts from a friend, that it’s at its best. *breathes sigh of relief*

One of the archives, I didn’t realize they hadn’t posted a story since fall of ‘09. That doesn’t bode well. The other is just one of those internet archives… don’t think I’ll have any trouble being accepted but we shall see. Other sites require first right of publishing or… whatever it is they call it, so I can’t submit until I have something I haven’t submitted elsewhere.

I also am reading some advice on being published and submitting your work… I guess I need to prep a couple of different stories, in case an editor wants to read more. Guess I’d better get moving! I’m kind of thinking of digging into my archive and adding to the one about the girl that doesn’t like light. I want to get away from romance for a minute.

Feels good to have something done, though. Really good.

I joined My Writer’s Circle, finally. Read a couple of great pieces, offered some opinions and such. Overall, though I find a lot of older US writers who write fantasy, or young writers looking for help with speeches and English assignments, and writers from the U.K. *shoulders sag*  Believe me, I’m kind of annoying myself, with this. I told Green Eyes that when I ask someone to read something, and they don’t have anything to say, it ticks me off. But if they pick it apart, that hurts my feelings. I’m not sure, exactly, what I want. Maybe I should try to define that, first.

In the meantime I have successfully not made any more edits to Try To Say No. I think that’s a good sign.  Maybe I should upload it so  people can read it and offer thoughts?

Heard about a new writing contest. Due April 1. HMMMMM. It seems to me that the winner’s of these contests have a distinct style. The subject matter is fantasty, futuristic, or historical. I don’t feel like I have skillz in those areas.

Well.

We’ll see…

**

Have been up since 6ish. First thing I did was open the laptop and take a fresh look at ‘Try To Say No’. I got some good feedback overnight, over some parts that were niggling at me but I didn’t know WHAT was exactly wrong. Thanks to that person that went beyond a cursory glance and actually read the piece and had something to say besides ‘it’s good, now read mine’. Not sure I will hang out there, much. I know I am much more interested in hearing what people have to say about my piece than sorting through every 17 year old’s 122 lines of poetry. I can’t imagine how many people there want to read other people’s stuff, either. We shall see. I’ll do my best to return the favor when I can.

I think I am coming much, much closer to  final draft. Taking a long, overnight break did a great deal of good, as did that critique. I do need to come to a point, eventually, where I decide I am done and call it good and finished and move on to something new. Not sure I’ve reached that point, yet.

Hopefully more writing today and a trip to Barnes & Noble this afternoon. Looking forward to that. Books!

Now I am back at my own piece and asking myself questions, like why? Why would my main character stick with this person? Do I need to explain that? What does she see in him? Since this is just a snapshot, should I leave people wondering and asking themselves the same question? Does it just seem like she’s whiny and weak, or does she have any kind of resolve in her? Do I want my readers to like her or hate her?

This process is maddening. Every time I think, okay this is the best it can be and maybe I should just save it and email it to the submission site, I read it again, and see more things I could probably change. Grrrr. I need to leave it alone for a bit again.

*

Update: More editing, reading through, perfecting. And I joined Protagonize, a community of writers who sometimes collaborate on works but most importantly read and offer critique. Sometimes I need to hear from people who don’t know me and aren’t obligated to be nice. Though it’s nice to get that pat on the back from my friends, too. I’m sure I’ll open myself up to a few of those.

I’ve posted the current draft at Protagonize here.

*

I’ve been doing some editing this morning on Calm Waves and Smooth Moon which has now been retitled ‘Try to Say No’.

I’m wondering if I need to add more to it… more reactions to what’s going on, more internal thoughts. It’s in 3rd person, pretty much from one perspective, so the reader gets a view into that character’s thought process.  I don’t like to write what I call ‘diary entries’. This happened and then that happened and then happened, the end’. I like to be introspective and bring elements out. At the same time I want the author to draw conclusions and not have to be told how the character feels.

Hmmmmmmmmmmm.

I also went for it with Autocrit. Got the basic package which lets me run a series of reports on things like overused words and phrases, cliches, repeated terms, sentence length variation. It was quite helpful. I’m learning that I am repetitive by nature. While I do it on purpose, overuse loads the story down– it’s just meant to carry a central theme, not be annoying. Autocrit directed me to get rid of as high as 42 occurrences of a word! It did help me think about the point I am trying to get across and try to use other words, more complex or simpler terms.

I think I am going to seek out a few people to read it and get some thoughts. Let it sit for awhile and look at it again. I’m not in any hurry, but sometimes I can overwork a piece and it turns out worse. I want to get it complete and submitted so I can stop messing with it.

It’s break time, here at the ranch! Back to writing later,

Write.

Write some more.

Look for some books.

Leave the house.

WRITE.

I am hoping to get a start on Ch 41 of AIWD. Got some ideas rolling around but the chapter needs a purpose. A goal that I need to achieve in writing it otherwise I will write into oblivion. Maybe some planning tomorrow.

More editing on Calm Waves and Smooth Moon. I made some really great progress last night before I stopped to watch one of my fave shows. Tonight I have been playing around (obviously, with my theme) and enjoying my Friday night.

If I’m reading it right, I should have about a month to come up with something spiffy and shiny for Glimmer Train. I seriously need to start writing things down. I had an idea but it’s now gone. No clue when I am going to learn this lesson.

Beginning to yawn and hallucinate. Time for resting. Work tomorrow.