Quarterly Review

Mar 31, 2010 Daily Writing

I’ve spent the past day stewing over the decision of what to write next, and in the quiet of the moment I took a look back over the past three months (being a real life corporate type, I figure it’s time for my quarterly review).

The results, you ask:

Overall, not bad: six new short works and a novel rewrite, though I have to admit the first short was started in late December, so it shouldn’t really count…but if I’m going corporate for this post, I’ve decided I’m a results-oriented outfit, so I’ll credit myself for whan the work finished. So six stories in Q1 of 2010 [grin].

On to Q2, and back to the decision of what to write next.

Fixing Things Up

Mar 28, 2010 Daily Writing, Short Stories

Lisa finished her reading of the last story I completed, and the results are a mixed bag.

First, there were relatively few typos and basic copy-editing errors, which is always good (hey, the place isn’t called “The Typosphere” for nothing). But she asked a couple great questions about the story itself which I could answer inside my head, but that I admit I hadn’t addressed particularly well in the manuscript.

Hey, it happens.

So I’ve spent the morning going back through the piece and making certain things very clear. I’ll set it aside now, and come back to it this evening for another read-through to see if I think I’ve gone overboard or not.

Wired for Words

Mar 27, 2010 Daily Writing

The last two days have been business days, meaning I’ve put submissions together and got things in the mail. This also includes some final work on tax paperwork I needed to prepare that was not related to writing in any way. Always much fun.

I tend to batch my business days like this rather than do them a little at a time–though I’ll say that the prevalence of publications that accept electronic submissions has helped this quite a bit. I can do the business end when my creative side is tired, or in other words while I’m perched on the couch in front of the TV at night.

But I digress a bit.

I’ve mentioned that Lisa and I are going to the health club quite a bit, and that I’ve been podcasting-out while treadmilling and lifting and doing all sorts of other physical damage to my body. My latest dwelling spot is a collection of Don Swaim’s interviews on the Wired for Words website. These interviews had been broadcast as part of CBS’s Book Beat. Nothing better than listening to hundreds of writers talk about … well … about stuff.

Highly recommended.

Draft 2.5 Done…

Mar 25, 2010 Daily Writing, Short Stories

…and on to Lisa’s “To Read” pile.

On to the next story.

One draft, two draft, three draft, more

Mar 24, 2010 Daily Writing, Short Stories

I worked my way through the second draft at lunch yesterday, though I suppose it would be more accurate to call it draft 1.5. I did this work on paper, marking up a draft with many (many, many) ink-scrawlings. I left three problems behind that I marked in big pink highlighter.

This morning, I went through and added in all my edits, as well as fixed two of the three fundamental problems. The astute will realize that three minus two equals one, which happens then to be the number of issues I have yet to resolve.

The issue here is a matter where I’m unhappy with the method I’ve chosen to report a integral fact of behind the story. The draft today does it in a workmanlike fashion, so technically it’s “fine.” I’m looking for better than fine, though. My guess is that I need to plant a seed someplace upstream to hang the information on at the key point. But honesty forces me to admit that at this moment I’m not 100% positive where that hook ought be planted. So I think I’m going to let this sit for the afternoon and come back to it with a different brain on.

Yes, I know. That sounds like it might hurt a bit.

Hey, it’s a tough life.