Tuesday, August 28

I wrote 300 words today and that meant I put a stop to the inertia that has been with me for almost two weeks. Bleah, for the inertia. Woo-hoo for writing 300 words today.

Now lets see if I can do at least the same tomorrow. Wednesday, for some odd reason (natural work week rhythm, something) is my worse day for writing.

Last weekend wasn't productive at all for writing. I didn't finish that story for workshop. Yep, I've slipped back into the old habits. Procrastination, avoidance. I'm trying to keep my head on straight and just begin again. This fall, this faltering step is noted. Let's move on.



Friday, August 24

Another workshop has come and gone and I didn't hand in another story. Ugh, not enough weeks in this quarter to get a Mad-Marvin.

I'm in an odd state. I've been writing more words in the last month, however I'm not finishing much. I can do a short-short while in the back of my mind I'm thinking this isn't important, this is just practice, it's fluff and I don't know if I'll ever make it into a story. But I finish the short-short and hand it in to the workshop.

This doesn't get me anywhere. My procrastination and avoidance are worse when it comes to stories I feel are important. Or I feel I want to do a good job on. All stories should be that way. I'm not progressing until I finish stories. I'm not progressing until I realize I'm still stopping myself, so why don't I just finish the damn story and move onto the next?

This weekend I'm aiming to finish a story I've been sporadically working on. Couple thousand more words and rewriting, rewriting, rewriting.
It's getting tougher to get a Mad-Marvin, by the way. The workshop calendar, once a tool to get people to bring in stories in an otherwise quiet workshop, is now a tool to gauge the pursuit of the Marvin AND a tool to keep us under six stories a week.

Some workshoppers find it frustrating to see the calendar filled for a month or two. There's a long wait to bring in a story if you don't sign up early.
It should also be noted that even if six people are scheduled to bring in stories on Tuesday, sometimes less than six are handed in. Some writers are on the ball and they come prepared to take an open slot.

I've been bad. I've signed my name on every week this quarter. Only once was I able to get the word out that I wasn't bringing in a story.

I'm continuing on, going for any award I can get this quarter. I'm not sure about the next quarter. I haven't signed up for any weeks yet and names are being filled in fast. I don't want to sign up for any. I need to finish stories first. I'd like to sign up when I know I can deliver a developed story.
Maybe I'll do what others do. I'll bring a story in case there's a slot open. I'll have to think about this. I have to finish this quarter first.


Thursday, August 16

Writing has been slow again of late. Today I wrote one page worth of new words on a rewrite. "After The Sky Fell" is a story I'm going to rewrite slowly. Getting the details right are time consuming for me but I do enjoy immersing myself in getting the words right on this one. Also, I want to practice writing new stories. I want to discover my process, from first draft to revision. In the past I've been such a undisciplined and procrastinating writer, I can't even tell you what my process is. Hopefully in another month or two, I'll be able to tell you or anyone.

As I see it, there's two different kinds of rewriting. The rewriting I do before I hand in a story to the workshop. And the rewriting I need to do after the critique. I don't rewrite enough before I hand in a story to the workshop. I don't take the time (or make the time) to go through the story line by line.
Again, it's my process I'm discovering with this new-found discipline and that process will help me to hand in rewritten stories to the workshop.
Better rewritten stories handed in the workshop should mean less work after the critique. In theory.

Anyway, tomorrow I'm going back to work on the new story that's due for Tuesday's workshop. I'm not far from being done, however the middle of the story needs developement. I'm going to take the time to make sure every word and sentence is right and everything within the story serves a purpose.

Chow.


Tuesday, August 14

Two weeks since my last entry. How did that much time slip by?

I got a rejection from Realms Of Fantasy for my story "Shattered." That's the one I had workshopped at Kris and Dean's. Bummer. I had hopes for this one. I can send a revised version of the story, but the comments on the rejection didn't give me any clue if that's what I should do. I might send it to Asimov's. Or I'll try SciFi.com.

Tonight at workshop, I found out Devon Monk and Bruce Holland Rogers each sold a story to Realms Of Fantasy. Leslie What got a rejection from there, just like me. Maybe Shawna Mcarthy thought she bought enough stories from the Wordos?

I must admit, I can't compete with Devon and Bruce. Congrats to the both of them for selling to Realms.

I still have at story on Shawna's desk, sent around mid-March. On my rejection, Rebecca (editor assistant) wrote they're still looking at my other one. That would be it. Who knows what "looking at" means. Maybe it's sitting on the desk waiting to be read. :-)

Also at workshop tonight, Eric Witchey returned from a week at The Writers Of The Future Workshop. Sounds like he was overwhelmed. He's excited and he tells us we must enter in that contest. He had pictures to show, as well as the anthology, the framed art work for his story, and the framed certificate.

I hope to hear more about Eric's fantastic week. What I heard only scratches the surface. He did say he got a reaction from his acceptance speech. Everyone loved it, some moved to tears. Tim Powers complimented him. And Eric doesn't remember what he said. His mind probably went blank from all the excitement. He will be getting some documentary material from WOTF, so he'll find out what he said, and hopefully we will too.

As for the Mad Marvin, I have three stories in and six more weeks to go in this quarter. I can't miss another week.

More later