What are you currently writing? - Page 39

julieannfelicity · 09-30-2010, 06:16 PM

I'm working on three projects right now.

One book I've had to step away from (The Last Curl), got a touch of that virus called, Writer's Block.

With my second project, I'm trying to work on a short story ... though it's not in my usual genre, so it's been tough. Hoping to get it out by November so that it may be submitted to a collection.

Then lastly, I'm working on a book I've tentatively titled, From Heaven. It's more geared towards YA. I actually like writing this one, and it's a nice break from what I usually write.

Cliff Ball · 10-01-2010, 05:23 PM

I currently working on 2nd version of Don't Mess With Earth that addresses some of the issues people seem to have with my fictional interpretation of history. I was going to write a sequel, but, felt that the novel needed to be longer, so I'm adding it to the updated version. Of course, I'm going to change the title to a different name, mostly because it will practically be a completely different novel.

Just4kix · 10-02-2010, 01:48 PM

I'm writing queries, blurbs, pitches, blogs and forum posts trying to sell the books I've already written.

In between, I'm doing a final edit before uploading my YA novel "Mystery at Ocean Drive' as a Kindle. (It came third in the Pan MacMillan YA novel comp, but no publishing deal.)

I've got 20 storylines ready to complete for animation for my children's 'Leon Chameleon PI' series - when I can find an animation company who can get funding. I've a third Leon Chameleon PI book looking for a publisher.

I'm entering my short stories in competitions, editing books for other writers, and fending off being a judge for a writing comp.

I'm also writing the monthly newsletter for my neighbourhood watch, and I'm trying to learn how to make covers for Kindle books, but otherwise I'm not too busy.

kennyc · 10-02-2010, 02:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Just4kix

...(It came third in the Pan MacMillan YA novel comp, but no publishing deal.)

....

Congrats!

Just4kix · 10-02-2010, 04:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kennyc

Congrats!

Thanks.

It was quite exciting getting an email to say I'd come third, but turned into a bit of a damp squib when they only mentioned the first and second place winners in the newspaper (claimed lack of space

) and then I didn't even get a mention on the website.

But it gave me a boost to know the book had merit.

Steven Lake · 10-02-2010, 04:38 PM

Book 4 of my Earthfleet series, "Empire Rising", has recently gone to the publisher for processing and eventual release this November, so I've already moved on to book 5 and am picking through that. And I state "picking", because it's rather tedious work getting the older style accents and sentence structure to work without making it read like an 1800's text book, while at the same time making the characters as real as possible. But I guess that's half the fun of writing. IE, the challenge!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Just4kix

...(It came third in the Pan MacMillan YA novel comp, but no publishing deal.)

Don't feel bad. A lot of writers I've heard of have had that happen to them. But as a small consolation, not all the big houses truly know what they have their hands on. I've seen them pick up books they thought would be gold, which actually ended up selling jack, while others they turned down went on to sell several million copies. So just hang on there. Eventually the right company will find you. Just the fact that you got 3rd place says volumes.

kennyc · 10-02-2010, 04:47 PM

I'm back evaluating, planning, scheming how to get back in the writing game....guess I just have to do it....worked a bit on my science article/essay - The First 4 Billion Years and thinking about/planning others.

I guess the thing that is putting a damper on me is whether there really is any kind of market at all for science/essay/opinion articles. I guess I shouldn't worry about it but still...

Steven Lake · 10-02-2010, 04:54 PM

KennyC, actually, there is. However, the only outlets anymore are either magazines, which are dying, and science oriented websites, the latter of which is more likely to take your article. Not all pay you for your work, but sometimes the pay isn't the biggest benefit of submitting the article. Sometimes the feedback is worth more than the few bucks you'd get by having someone purchase it from you for publishing. Heck, I ran a tech site for years and never got paid a dime for my work, but the things I learned about writing, editing, and research are paying huge dividends even today, especially in the area of technical writing, which is all we did. That has actually had some very positive benefits which translated perfectly over to my sci-fi writing, since there are numerous aspects of writing sci-fi that require you to approach it from a technical mindset.

kennyc · 10-02-2010, 05:04 PM

Thanks Steve, that pretty much mirrors my thoughts on the matter. I appreciate the input!

kcmay · 10-02-2010, 10:10 PM

I'm in the revision/edit stage of a science fiction novel. I hope to have it ready to send out for pre-release reviews Nov 1.

Then I get cracking on the sequel to TKL.

jaxx6166 · 10-02-2010, 10:17 PM

Holy crap, I finally broke 50k on Hills (again)

With only 5 chapters left to complete, I'm shooting for it to end up being just under 80k. This is exciting, because it's draft Beta One. I already deleted close to 10k from Alpha One. Now, the pieces of the puzzle are looking a little bit better. If I can keep up the same output, I'll be looking for beta readers by November. Maybe have a draft for December/January. But, then I'll have to work on an accelerated pace for Ashes. I need to stop putting this one off, I think it's mostly the jitters that's keeping me from performing.

Steven Lake · 10-03-2010, 09:18 AM

Congrats Jaxx! I hope everything works out for ya on your editing! I actually use a date focused editing system. IE, the "version" number is the particular date the book is being worked on. So for example, my typical versioning goes something like this: book name (date)

Sometimes I'll even include the series name in the title (if it doesn't make it *too* long), and the number as well. If it causes the name to be too long, I'll a lot of times just fall back to doing the series name and the position in the series instead, sorta like this: series 5 (date)

Now it might seem like I'd accumulate a LOT of extra files doing that, since I create a new file with a new name for every day I work on the manuscript. Actually though, I really don't. Given the speed at which I work through a novel, the difference in a manuscript between days is quite considerable. Also, having dated older versions available for review is handy as it gives me something to look back at should I need to review or find something I took out of the current manuscript, or to see what I had written before in case I want to reuse an idea or scene in its original form that had been either removed, or heavily edited.

I also use this dated versioning system because it prevents me from losing all my work in case the document file I'm working on collapses. I had that happen one time, which is what spawned my current system of date titled versioning. I had been working on a story along the way, and every time I got to a certain point, the file would collapse and I'd lose everything. Well, the first time I lost everything. The second time I only lost my most recent work. It turned out in the end that the file was corrupt, and going over a certain size pretty much toasted the file. So I had to eventually export it to a new file, and everything was fine after that. But I learned to keep versioned copies after that. ^_^

Also, someone once told me that if you ever find that someone has stolen your work, and you want to fight them in a court of law, having numerous versioned copies of your manuscript, especially if they're dated copies (ie, the date is in the title), will give you a huge advantage over someone who only has one copy of the manuscript. A friend of mine had that happen to him a couple years ago. The guy came in with only his one copy, which turned out to be an early draft copy of my friend's manuscript that he'd gotten his hands on, and my friend had an entire CD full of versioned files showing workflow, story development, character growth, etc. The judge saw that, laughed, and then awarded my friend a sizable judgment against the guy who'd stolen his manuscript.

Just4kix · 10-03-2010, 12:21 PM

Hi Steve,
Thanks for being encouraging about my 3rd place in the Pan MacMillan comp.

My humorous novel "But Can You Drink The Water?" came in the top 50 out of 5000 in the 2010 ABNA awards, and the Publishers Weekly Reviewer called it "Droll, witty and utterly British", which was really exciting,

but then nothing came of that either.

I've now published as a Kindle.

Steven Lake · 10-03-2010, 08:51 PM

Eh, don't let those couple of launch failures get you down. You wouldn't believe the amount of "And you are...?" looks and replies I got when I first started out. I still get those even today, although to a far lesser degree. lol. Actually, now that I think about it, even the big guys get that from time to time. I mentioned Tom Clancy to someone one time and they were like, "Who's he?" Yeah, uh, ok, lol. Don't worry, in time you'll find the right niche market, or even the right small house to pick you up. One guy to poke might be nielmarr, as he's an editor at a small house press in the UK. If he can't help you directly, I know he can point you in the right direction.

AuthorGuy · 10-04-2010, 09:50 PM

I have some excellent news. My novel, St. Martin's Moon, and 4 of my short stories will be released over the next several months! All should available in multiple electronic formats, and the novel in paper.

I have just finished writing a short story for the PARSEC contest, and just started a new steampunk short story for the holiday season.

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09-30-2010, 06:16 PM	#571
julieannfelicity Junior Member Posts: 4 Karma: 499812 Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Massachusetts Device: Kindle PC	I'm working on three projects right now. One book I've had to step away from (The Last Curl), got a touch of that virus called, Writer's Block. With my second project, I'm trying to work on a short story ... though it's not in my usual genre, so it's been tough. Hoping to get it out by November so that it may be submitted to a collection. Then lastly, I'm working on a book I've tentatively titled, From Heaven. It's more geared towards YA. I actually like writing this one, and it's a nice break from what I usually write.

10-01-2010, 05:23 PM	#572
Cliff Ball Zealot Posts: 135 Karma: 525420 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Texas Device: none	I currently working on 2nd version of Don't Mess With Earth that addresses some of the issues people seem to have with my fictional interpretation of history. I was going to write a sequel, but, felt that the novel needed to be longer, so I'm adding it to the updated version. Of course, I'm going to change the title to a different name, mostly because it will practically be a completely different novel.

10-02-2010, 01:48 PM	#573
Just4kix Zealot Posts: 135 Karma: 365040 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Durban South Africa Device: none	I'm writing queries, blurbs, pitches, blogs and forum posts trying to sell the books I've already written. In between, I'm doing a final edit before uploading my YA novel "Mystery at Ocean Drive' as a Kindle. (It came third in the Pan MacMillan YA novel comp, but no publishing deal.) I've got 20 storylines ready to complete for animation for my children's 'Leon Chameleon PI' series - when I can find an animation company who can get funding. I've a third Leon Chameleon PI book looking for a publisher. I'm entering my short stories in competitions, editing books for other writers, and fending off being a judge for a writing comp. I'm also writing the monthly newsletter for my neighbourhood watch, and I'm trying to learn how to make covers for Kindle books, but otherwise I'm not too busy.

10-02-2010, 04:47 PM	#577
kennyc The Dank Side of the Moon Posts: 35,907 Karma: 119230421 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Denver, CO Device: Kindle2; Kindle Fire	I'm back evaluating, planning, scheming how to get back in the writing game....guess I just have to do it....worked a bit on my science article/essay - The First 4 Billion Years and thinking about/planning others. I guess the thing that is putting a damper on me is whether there really is any kind of market at all for science/essay/opinion articles. I guess I shouldn't worry about it but still...

10-02-2010, 04:54 PM	#578
Steven Lake Sci-Fi Author Posts: 1,158 Karma: 14743509 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Michigan Device: PC (Calibre)	KennyC, actually, there is. However, the only outlets anymore are either magazines, which are dying, and science oriented websites, the latter of which is more likely to take your article. Not all pay you for your work, but sometimes the pay isn't the biggest benefit of submitting the article. Sometimes the feedback is worth more than the few bucks you'd get by having someone purchase it from you for publishing. Heck, I ran a tech site for years and never got paid a dime for my work, but the things I learned about writing, editing, and research are paying huge dividends even today, especially in the area of technical writing, which is all we did. That has actually had some very positive benefits which translated perfectly over to my sci-fi writing, since there are numerous aspects of writing sci-fi that require you to approach it from a technical mindset.

10-02-2010, 05:04 PM	#579
kennyc The Dank Side of the Moon Posts: 35,907 Karma: 119230421 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Denver, CO Device: Kindle2; Kindle Fire	Thanks Steve, that pretty much mirrors my thoughts on the matter. I appreciate the input!

10-02-2010, 10:10 PM	#580
kcmay Addict Posts: 363 Karma: 500001 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Georgia, USA Device: Kindle2	I'm in the revision/edit stage of a science fiction novel. I hope to have it ready to send out for pre-release reviews Nov 1. Then I get cracking on the sequel to TKL.

10-02-2010, 10:17 PM	#581
jaxx6166 Wizard Posts: 1,222 Karma: 769316 Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Eternal summer Device: 350, iPad, PW	Holy crap, I finally broke 50k on Hills (again) With only 5 chapters left to complete, I'm shooting for it to end up being just under 80k. This is exciting, because it's draft Beta One. I already deleted close to 10k from Alpha One. Now, the pieces of the puzzle are looking a little bit better. If I can keep up the same output, I'll be looking for beta readers by November. Maybe have a draft for December/January. But, then I'll have to work on an accelerated pace for Ashes. I need to stop putting this one off, I think it's mostly the jitters that's keeping me from performing.

10-03-2010, 09:18 AM	#582
Steven Lake Sci-Fi Author Posts: 1,158 Karma: 14743509 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Michigan Device: PC (Calibre)	Congrats Jaxx! I hope everything works out for ya on your editing! I actually use a date focused editing system. IE, the "version" number is the particular date the book is being worked on. So for example, my typical versioning goes something like this: book name (date) Sometimes I'll even include the series name in the title (if it doesn't make it too long), and the number as well. If it causes the name to be too long, I'll a lot of times just fall back to doing the series name and the position in the series instead, sorta like this: series 5 (date) Now it might seem like I'd accumulate a LOT of extra files doing that, since I create a new file with a new name for every day I work on the manuscript. Actually though, I really don't. Given the speed at which I work through a novel, the difference in a manuscript between days is quite considerable. Also, having dated older versions available for review is handy as it gives me something to look back at should I need to review or find something I took out of the current manuscript, or to see what I had written before in case I want to reuse an idea or scene in its original form that had been either removed, or heavily edited. I also use this dated versioning system because it prevents me from losing all my work in case the document file I'm working on collapses. I had that happen one time, which is what spawned my current system of date titled versioning. I had been working on a story along the way, and every time I got to a certain point, the file would collapse and I'd lose everything. Well, the first time I lost everything. The second time I only lost my most recent work. It turned out in the end that the file was corrupt, and going over a certain size pretty much toasted the file. So I had to eventually export it to a new file, and everything was fine after that. But I learned to keep versioned copies after that. ^_^ Also, someone once told me that if you ever find that someone has stolen your work, and you want to fight them in a court of law, having numerous versioned copies of your manuscript, especially if they're dated copies (ie, the date is in the title), will give you a huge advantage over someone who only has one copy of the manuscript. A friend of mine had that happen to him a couple years ago. The guy came in with only his one copy, which turned out to be an early draft copy of my friend's manuscript that he'd gotten his hands on, and my friend had an entire CD full of versioned files showing workflow, story development, character growth, etc. The judge saw that, laughed, and then awarded my friend a sizable judgment against the guy who'd stolen his manuscript.

10-03-2010, 12:21 PM	#583
Just4kix Zealot Posts: 135 Karma: 365040 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Durban South Africa Device: none	Hi Steve, Thanks for being encouraging about my 3rd place in the Pan MacMillan comp. My humorous novel "But Can You Drink The Water?" came in the top 50 out of 5000 in the 2010 ABNA awards, and the Publishers Weekly Reviewer called it "Droll, witty and utterly British", which was really exciting, but then nothing came of that either. I've now published as a Kindle.

10-03-2010, 08:51 PM	#584
Steven Lake Sci-Fi Author Posts: 1,158 Karma: 14743509 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Michigan Device: PC (Calibre)	Eh, don't let those couple of launch failures get you down. You wouldn't believe the amount of "And you are...?" looks and replies I got when I first started out. I still get those even today, although to a far lesser degree. lol. Actually, now that I think about it, even the big guys get that from time to time. I mentioned Tom Clancy to someone one time and they were like, "Who's he?" Yeah, uh, ok, lol. Don't worry, in time you'll find the right niche market, or even the right small house to pick you up. One guy to poke might be nielmarr, as he's an editor at a small house press in the UK. If he can't help you directly, I know he can point you in the right direction.

10-04-2010, 09:50 PM	#585
AuthorGuy Member Posts: 12 Karma: 591438 Join Date: May 2010 Device: SONY EReader PRS300	I have some excellent news. My novel, St. Martin's Moon, and 4 of my short stories will be released over the next several months! All should available in multiple electronic formats, and the novel in paper. I have just finished writing a short story for the PARSEC contest, and just started a new steampunk short story for the holiday season.