Category: Thunderbird

My Anthology To-Do List

9/8/2014

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I have been busy rearranging many of my current projects, mostly in my anthology/collection section. I took on too much and my writing was suffering for it. I ultimately had to make a decision on what was actually feasible given due dates and the need to work on other stories as well. Here's the basic run-down:

LT3 has so many interesting calls out, but I had to decide which ones I simply could not write something for. The due dates for their calls are all really close together and I lost half my summer due to that crazy job, which is why I've been forced to pick and choose. I've had to drop my idea for their Lovely, Dark, and Deep call I was so interested in (and which closed last month), and Villains Inc., which sounds amazing, will probably be too much of a stretch for me to write by the due date.
Instead, I'm going to finish the edits for Thunderbird, the story I wrote for LT3's Intertwined call. I am also hoping that the basic story idea I had in my head for their Villains Inc. call can be altered for their Devil's Land one instead. I'm not sure if there's even enough time to write my Devil's Land idea before that due date, but I'm going to try!
I was hoping to write for a few of Riptide Publishing's calls. They didn't accept my story, Knoty Love, for their BDSM call and I ran out of time for their Sports Romance one. I missed the due date while I was working my butt off elsewhere. Maybe one day I'll write the idea I had fleshed out for that story, about a soccer player with a broken leg and his oh-so-helpful "nurse", but it won't be any time soon.
My story, Dragon Consultant, was supposed to be for their Shifters and Weres call. A recent reread of that story told me what I had already suspected: there is no way I could write the entire story by the due date. It's too large and complicated for the quickly nearing date and I have too many other things I also want to get done during that time. I love the dragons and the world I created, so instead of abandoning the story I'm hoping to eventually finish it as a stand alone instead.
After carefully looking through their open call list, I realized that the only one I had a chance of finishing on time was their Sweet Romance call. It's a fun call and something I haven't tried to write in a long time. I think I'll enjoy the challenge!
I was also going to try writing a very short New Year's call for Dreamspinner Press. For some reason I thought I could put together 5k within a few weeks. I didn't take into account my real life or the fact that I had so much else to write. That story has been moved to my "I'll write it when I have free time again" pile with the goal of it being a free short story. I may re-appropriate it for the Sweet Romance call, but I'm not sure just yet. At the moment I have zero plans of writing for a different Dreamspinner call, simply because I have too much on my to-do list already. Maybe in 2015 I'll take another look.

I'm hoping that by reducing my to-do list I'll be able to put more focus and love into what's left. Of all the anthologies I was planning to write in 2014, I'm sad that there are only three left on this list. When I keep in mind all of the other stories I'm currently working on--including two books in The Oracle series, two books in the Out of Underhill series, and three stand alone books--I know that my writing list isn't nearly short enough. Luckily, unlike these anthologies, none of my other stories have due dates. They'll still be waiting patiently for me when the anthologies are submitted.

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September Goals

9/3/2014

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Setting goals for August helped me focus my writing time, especially given the fact that I was under a time constraint. Now that the six-week job that ate up all my free time and my will to live is done, I have a lot more time for writing. I'm hoping that by setting goals for September I'll be able to get more accomplished this month too!

Work on The Oracle's Sprite. My goal for this story has always been to have it completely written and ready to submit to LT3 by the end of the year. I would really like to get a large portion of this story, at least 10k words, written during September. That will
give me enough time to write the ending and give the story a thorough edit
before my self-imposed due date.
Finish Magnified. In my head this seems like a lofty goal, yet it's really only
10k words. I have to write the final battle scene and the aftermath/ending
and then the story will be completed. It's not all that much to do. The main
reason why I've added this goal is because Justified, part two, is starting to take shape in my head and I don't feel as if I can start putting it onto paper until Magnified is finished.
Write, plan, or submit three anthologies. The first one is Thunderbird, which I wrote for LT3's Intertwined collection call. It's written, but it needs editing. I don't foresee any issues getting it ready to submit by the due date and I would like to have it in LT3's hands by the end of this month.
The second is for Riptide Publishing's Sweet Romance call. I haven't written something sweet and YA appropriate since Cleanly Wrong, one of my first published stories. It's a challenge I would like to take on. My goal is only to figure out the basic plot and characters this month so I can get the story ready to start going onto paper. It's an open-ended call, but I would like to have it submitted by early next year.
Third is LT3's The Devil's Land call. I really enjoy having my stories run in their serial section and the due date is far enough away that I think I have time to write something for it. I'm hoping to get started with the introduction chapters and begin fleshing out the plot this month.

So, that's my plan for September! I'm really hoping that I'll be able to get it all finished. As always, one of my other stories will no doubt creep in and demand equal time, but that's part of the fun. I'll post again in October to see if posting my goals was a successful idea.

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News: It's my day off, so I'm working on my writing instead

8/12/2014

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8/12/14
My crazy job continues unabated. Today is my lone day off this week, so I'm trying to take full advantage of the free time. So far I have edited parts of Thunderbird to get it ready for submission, figured out how to transition to the climax scene of Magnified, and stared hopelessly at the edits for Road to Home. I wouldn't call myself productive, but the intent is there!

Thunderbird is one of the shortest anthology submission pieces I've ever put together. It's barely 11k words and I'm starting to get worried that it's too short. Do I need to add another scene at the end--an epilogue maybe--to help cement their ongoing relationship? I still have months before this story is due, so it's not a big deal yet, but I want this story done and ready to go so I can focus on some of my other stories once my crazy job is finally over.
Magnified continues to be the longest and most in-depth story I have ever written. I've been stuck on this one scene for a few weeks now, trying to figure out how to transition from the build-up to the climax to the climax itself, but I finally figured it out and am happily moving on. All that's left to write is the climax itself and the aftermath. I will not be submitting Magnified at that point, however. I have big plans for Justified, part two, but parts of that story are contingent on my getting Magnified written correctly. The last thing I want is for Magnified to get set in stone (ie. published) and then afterwards realizing that I can't get Justified to work properly because I accidentally flubbed one scene. Only once the entire series is written will I feel comfortable contacting a publisher. I'm really looking forward to starting work on Justified, though, so look for a working summary to appear soon.
What more is there to say about Road to Home? I've probably complained everyone's ears off enough at this point. I love the story to bits and I really enjoyed writing it, but something about this damned editing process is making me balk at every turn. The edits are straightforward and are not nearly as difficult as my brain is making them out to be. It's like my mind is thinking I'm climbing a rugged mountain even though I'm just walking up a steep hill. I am working my way through the edits, slowly but surely, and will have it back with LT3 in time. I'm looking forward to getting back to the point of bragging about how wonderful the story is!

I have crossed the halfway point of the six weeks at work and I'm happy that I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. My last day of work is the same day Road to Home is due back. September will be a much more relaxing month with neither of those things on my plate!

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NEws:

7/2/2014

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7/02/14

The edits for Heartbeat are back with LT3! That story is ready for publishing. Look for it in September. Of course the second I got the edits done, LT3 sent me more. The Oracle's Golem and Road to Home are sitting in my inbox right now, waiting for me to get started. Sigh. It's never ending!!!
I have a new release date for Road to Home. It's set to come out November 26, 2014.
I have finished writing Thunderbird. It still needs a thorough edit, but I've decided to put it aside for the summer. It's not due until January, so I have plenty of time. I want to focus on some of my other projects for a while instead.
Heartbeat is set in the same world as my Trickster's Eye series, which I haven't worked on in over a year. I decided since I was working on those edits I ought to dust off book one and give it a read through. I really like what I've written, but when I reached the end I came to the same problem that caused me to put it aside for so long. I have absolutely no idea where the story should go next. I'm hoping to figure out the answer to that problem, but not until some of my other big projects are also taken care of.

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News: Writing and Edits

6/21/2014

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6/21/14

Writing has been an interesting endeavor these past few weeks. I wanted to work on Dragon Consultant, one of the two stories I'm writing for The Oracle Series, or even the story I'm hoping to finish for Dreamspinner's Advent Calender that's due really soon. That hasn't happened. Instead I've been working on Thunderbird, my submission for LT3's Intertwined anthology call. Thunderbird is both a very easy story to write and a very difficult one. It's easy because I already know exactly what will happen. The entire story is planned out in my head; I just need to get it onto paper properly. I've passed the halfway point and I'm nearing the home stretch. Yet, this story doesn't lend itself to easy writing, which is why it's proving to be so difficult. Have a look around the internet and you'll find what I've found: reliable sources of the Thunderbird legend are few and far between. It's a paranormal fantasy story, so I'm allowed to have some leeway, but I want my characters to be as accurate as possible. Every time I reach a point in the story where a bit of legend or lore would help the world grow I run into a wall. I've put many more hours into research than I ever thought I would. Despite that, Thunderbird is coming along nicely. I'm hoping to have it completed in the next few weeks even if I won't submit until closer to the due date.
The other story I've been working on is Heartbeat, the edits of which are due very, very soon. Because I've been so preoccupied with Thunderbird, I took a few days off of editing. That will have to change this weekend. I'm really hoping to have Heartbeat back to LT3 by Monday. I don't want to make any promises, but that's the plan I'm I am going to force myself to stick to it. There really isn't that much more to do, so I think it's a feasible plan. Still, please wish me luck so the procrastination fairies don't strike again!

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My Anthology To-Do List

September Goals

News: It's my day off, so I'm working on my writing instead

NEws:

News: Writing and Edits

Coming Soon

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My Anthology To-Do List

September Goals

News: It's my day off, so I'm working on my writing instead

NEws:

News: Writing and Edits

Coming Soon

Author

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