Catching up (again)

It's been a little over a month, and yet again, there's been a lot of movement in the world. On the personal side, I lost my job at the beginning of November, and I'm having a bit of trouble adjusting. I've never been unemployed and out of school for an extended period of time before, and the fact that I haven't been contacted for so much as an interview yet is troubling. At the same time, being on the other side of the interview table, I know it can take weeks, even months, between the time a candidate submits an application and when they start the interview cycle, so I simply need to wait.

As for the rest of the world, well...the US has somehow managed to survive the first year of the Trump presidency, and there has been a rash of people (mostly men) who have been accused of sexual harassment and assault actually facing consequences for those actions. That, to me, is worth a lot. It means that all light in the world has not died.

Hope remains, my friends. And remember, optimism is not the same as blindness or naiveté. It simply means that one believes tomorrow can be better than today. I believe that - do you?

December Round-up, End of Year Check-in, and 2017 Goals

Starting with the round-up!


Words written YTD: 59,195 on two and a half projects (Paranormal Investigations novels, a prequel short story that didn't really go where I wanted it to, and Novel Wars (my Nano)) - that's right, I managed a full month without writing. It was awful.

Writer-ly things accomplished: Not a blessed thing, unless you count realizing that not writing is not OK.

New books read: Pounce (aka a book of kitty pictures that needs to be available at all times); January/February 2016 Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction; When Books Went to War (I know I've already reviewed it, but short summary, I loved it); Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife (not my favorite Mary Roach, but interesting for all that); The Prophecy Con (Book two of Rogues of the Republic aka Fantasy A-Team); Lumberjanes #22-23; Pirate King (Russell and Holmes take on the Pirates of Penzance, which left me humming the Major General's song); and Beekeeping for Beginners (Russell and Holmes, the early days).

Old books re-read: The Jennifer Morgue & The Fuller Memorandum (Laundry Files 2-3); Grave Peril (Dresden Files 3); The Arctic Incident (Artemis Fowl 2); Searching for Dragons (Enchanted Forest Chronicles 2, which still holds up beautifully).

Well, if nothing else, I certainly read more this month. Now, on to the 2016 goals that I'm pretty sure I missed:

• Complete draft of book 2 of Paranormal Investigations
• Due:  March 31, 2016
• Q1 status:  I should really restate this as "fill in the gap between books 1 and 2 of Paranormal Investigations", and it's still in process.
• New due date: July 31, 2016
• Q2 status: This is the goal for this Camp Nano, so we'll see if we can actually finish filling the gap this month.
• Q3 status: Ish? I've reached a good stopping point and realized that enough changed in book 1 that book 2 basically needs to start over again. I'll call this one complete (as restated in Q1), with redrafting book 2 as the plan for Nanowrimo
• New goal: Complete draft 0 of book 2 of Paranormal Investigations
• New due date: December 31, 2016
• Q4 status: AHAHAHA no.
• Complete draft of Church of Books
• Due:  September 30, 2016
• Q1 status: I haven't even touched this one in a while. I'll keep the date as is for now.
• Q2 status: Same as Q1
• Q3 status: Yeah, that didn't go according to plan. I've spent the year focusing on PII, so this one is off to the side. This will get moved to next year.
• Q4 status: See Q3 update.
• Complete edit of Paranormal Investigations
• Due:  December 31, 2016
• Q1 status:  In process
• Q2 status:  In process
• Q3 status:  In process (so many notes on my draft 0 of book 1, many of which involve asking Past Stephanie just what the devil she was thinking)
• Q4 status: made it through draft 0 of book 1, but haven't had the wherewithal to go back and start fixing things.
• Complete draft of one of the works started for a Nano
• Due:  December 31, 2016
• Q1 status:  In process, as Paranormal Investigations started as a Nano
• Q2 status:  In process, looking better with each day of sitting and actually getting some words on the dang page
• Q3 status:  I'm going to call this complete, with PII book 1 as a complete draft 0. Go team me!
• Q4 status: Done!
• Complete at least one Nano
• Due:  November 30, 2016
• Q1 status:  COMPLETE!
• Q2 status:  Trying for number 2!
• Q3 status:  Didn't make number 2; revving up for number 3
• Q4 status:  Well, I made it for one.
• Submit at least one story for publication
• Due:  December 31, 2016
• Q1 status:  I have ideas, ever so many ideas...keeping the date as is for now.
• Q2 status:  I may come back to the short story I was fiddling with post-Camp Nano, or I may try for something completely different. Who knows? Not me!
• Q3 status:  Uh, we'll see. I haven't even thought short fiction in a couple of months.
• Q4 status:  And again, AHAHAHA no.

Clearly, setting these kinds of big goals just isn't working for me. I need to break things down into manageable chunks, else everything's going to be "AHAHAHA no" next year.

• PII book 1 editing
• Go through notes on at least one scene every two weeks, incorporating changes and noting bigger changes for later
• Novel Wars drafting
• One character study per month, including interviews, background, list of favorite books/least favorite books, and for the novelists, best writing atmosphere
• Other drafting
• Read through existing works in progress, choose one to work on for each Camp Nanowrimo (April and July)

Looking at it like that, I think it's doable. For now, at least. We'll see what the first quarter of 2017 brings. (Incidentally, anyone else super gun-shy about the new year? I'm almost afraid to say "Happy New Year" in case 2017 hears me and takes it as a challenge.)

Nanowrimo Day 4

Just a quick update that I'm not dead, and neither is my Nano. Currently I'm sitting at 1,347 words. According to the Nanowrimo website, I should be at 6,666 words for today. So, it's a bit of a slow start.

I'm enjoying what I'm writing, though, so that helps. It's called Novel Wars, and it's sort of a cross between the Hunger Games and Cutthroat Kitchen. Thank heavens for my writers' group at work, as they helped me bounce ideas for the contestants and the sabotages they'll have to deal with. (I keep being reminded of a quote from WorldCon this year, that writers "create fictional people and then torture them," and I can't help but giggle maniacally.)

Anywho, I'll be getting back to it shortly. I'm going to a write-in tomorrow, so with luck having several hours set aside to do nothing but write will help get the momentum going. After that, well, I'll probably be avoiding the internet entirely on November 8-9, because while I'm thrilled that this dumpster fire of an election is finally going to be over, I don't particularly relish the idea of watching the backlash, regardless of which way it goes. I may spend the 9th with my Kindle and my little writing machine, disconnected from the internet and cuddling the cats.

Happy Friday, all!

Third Quarter Check-In

We are now in the dawning of the Age of Aquarius the fourth quarter of the year, so let's look back on Q3 and see what got accomplished (or didn't).

• Complete draft of book 2 of Paranormal Investigations
• Due:  March 31, 2016
• Q1 status:  I should really restate this as "fill in the gap between books 1 and 2 of Paranormal Investigations", and it's still in process.
• New due date: July 31, 2016
• Q2 status: This is the goal for this Camp Nano, so we'll see if we can actually finish filling the gap this month.
• Q3 status: Ish? I've reached a good stopping point and realized that enough changed in book 1 that book 2 basically needs to start over again. I'll call this one complete (as restated in Q1), with redrafting book 2 as the plan for Nanowrimo
• New goal: Complete draft 0 of book 2 of Paranormal Investigations
• New due date: December 31, 2016
• Complete draft of Church of Books
• Due:  September 30, 2016
• Q1 status: I haven't even touched this one in a while. I'll keep the date as is for now.
• Q2 status: Same as Q1
• Q3 status: Yeah, that didn't go according to plan. I've spent the year focusing on PII, so this one is off to the side. This will get moved to next year.
• Complete edit of Paranormal Investigations
• Due:  December 31, 2016
• Q1 status:  In process
• Q2 status:  In process
• Q3 status:  In process (so many notes on my draft 0 of book 1, many of which involve asking Past Stephanie just what the devil she was thinking)
• Complete draft of one of the works started for a Nano
• Due:  December 31, 2016
• Q1 status:  In process, as Paranormal Investigations started as a Nano
• Q2 status:  In process, looking better with each day of sitting and actually getting some words on the dang page
• Q3 status:  I'm going to call this complete, with PII book 1 as a complete draft 0. Go team me!
• Complete at least one Nano
• Due:  November 30, 2016
• Q1 status:  COMPLETE!
• Q2 status:  Trying for number 2!
• Q3 status:  Didn't make number 2; revving up for number 3
• Submit at least one story for publication
• Due:  December 31, 2016
• Q1 status:  I have ideas, ever so many ideas...keeping the date as is for now.
• Q2 status:  I may come back to the short story I was fiddling with post-Camp Nano, or I may try for something completely different. Who knows? Not me!
• Q3 status:  Uh, we'll see. I haven't even thought short fiction in a couple of months.

Day 4 of Camp Nanowrimo, June Round-Up and Second Quarter Check-In

Why yes, I am cramming everything into one post! This is what happens when I go to a convention (Westercon, in this case), and forget to get posts up for while I'm gone.

July Camp Nano:
Current word count: 1,152
Goal word count: 30,000
What's happening: Turns out that Jonathan (love interest) and Jack (partner in the work sense of Veronica) are bros. Also, the paranormal community around the coffee shop is Not Happy about the mystical, magical new coffee blend. Alison wants nothing to do with this - she just wants to go on her date already, dangit.

June Round-Up:

Words written YTD: 30,429 on one and a half projects (Paranormal Investigations novels and a prequel short story that didn't really go where I wanted it to)

Things accomplished in fiction: see above

Writer-ly things accomplished: Decided that the short story wasn't going to do what I needed it to do, and that I wasn't in a good place to keep going with it at the moment. Picked up the proverbial pen for the second Camp Nano of the year, and I'm planning to keep my word count goal where it is - it'll be good practice for November.

New books read: Waking Up in Vegas (Incryptid short story by Seanan McGuire, which remains so much fun); Night Owls (urban fantasy I picked up on a whim - other than an unnecessary amount of head hopping, pretty solid); Hamilton, the Revolution (why yes, I have fallen into the hole that is Hamilton fandom, why do you ask?); Lumberjanes Volume 1 (so cute, and with enough "what the hell?" going on to keep things interesting); No Love Lost (Weather Warden short story that I hadn't known existed previously - kinda meh, to be honest); The Fifth Season (nominated for a Hugo, and so far, my front-runner); Stage of Fools (October Daye short story, courtesy of Seanan McGuire's Patreon)

Old books re-read: The Long Earth, The Long War, and The Long Mars (sci-fi collaborations by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter, read to be caught up for the two new ones I hadn't read yet); Ill Wind (Weather Wardens book one, because sometimes you just need somewhat trashy romance with djinn and weather magic); Kitty and the Midnight Hour (see previous, only replace djinn with werewolves); Ms. Marvel Volume 1 (picked up the other two volumes in trade paperbacks and decided to re-read volume 1, as I hadn't looked at it since last year's Hugo nominations).

Q2 Check-In:

• Complete draft of book 2 of Paranormal Investigations
• Due:  March 31, 2016
• Q1 status:  I should really restate this as "fill in the gap between books 1 and 2 of Paranormal Investigations", and it's still in process.
• New due date: July 31, 2016
• Q2 status: This is the goal for this Camp Nano, so we'll see if we can actually finish filling the gap this month.
• Complete draft of Church of Books
• Due:  September 30, 2016
• Q1 status: I haven't even touched this one in a while. I'll keep the date as is for now.
• Q2 status: Same as Q1
• Complete edit of Paranormal Investigations
• Due:  December 31, 2016
• Q1 status:  In process
• Q2 status:  In process
• Complete draft of one of the works started for a Nano
• Due:  December 31, 2016
• Q1 status:  In process, as Paranormal Investigations started as a Nano
• Q2 status:  In process, looking better with each day of sitting and actually getting some words on the dang page
• Complete at least one Nano
• Due:  November 30, 2016
• Q1 status:  COMPLETE!
• Q2 status:  Trying for number 2!
• Submit at least one story for publication
• Due:  December 31, 2016
• Q1 status:  I have ideas, ever so many ideas...keeping the date as is for now.
• Q2 status:  I may come back to the short story I was fiddling with post-Camp Nano, or I may try for something completely different. Who knows? Not me!

April Round-Up and First Quarter Check-In

I've survived the first Camp Nanowrimo of the year, and I emerged victorious. Let's see how April went, shall we?


Words written YTD: 24,104 on one project (Paranormal Investigations)

Things accomplished in fiction: Oh, so very much. Alison finally made it to the big boss' office, and is seriously freaked out. It still goes better than anticipated. Next up: her second date with Jonathan, this time to a bookstore. What? They're geeks!

Writer-ly things accomplished: I won Camp Nano, I won Camp Nano...*happy dance* Things are still going well, and I've got some decent momentum going.

New books read: The Voyage of the Basilisk (Lady Trent Memoirs #3, which remains fantastic); Velveteen vs. The Junior Super Patriots (Seanan McGuire's take on superheroes, which is AWESOME); Rat Queens #15 (for I love a good comic about a group of butt-kicking women).

Old books re-read: The Eyre Affair, Lost in a Good Book, and the Well of Lost Plots (Thursday Next books 1-3, because I needed some comfort reading).

It actually saddens me a little, how few books I read this month. Of course, I was focused on writing more than reading this month, but still. I'd like to balance that a bit better.

And now, a quick look at the 2016 goals thus far:

• Complete draft of book 2 of Paranormal Investigations
• Due:  March 31, 2016
• Q1 status:  I should really restate this as "fill in the gap between books 1 and 2 of Paranormal Investigations", and it's still in process.
• New due date: July 31, 2016
• Complete draft of Church of Books
• Due:  September 30, 2016
• Q1 status: I haven't even touched this one in a while. I'll keep the date as is for now.
• Complete edit of Paranormal Investigations
• Due:  December 31, 2016
• Q1 status:  In process
• Complete draft of one of the works started for a Nano
• Due:  December 31, 2016
• Q1 status:  In process, as Paranormal Investigations started as a Nano
• Complete at least one Nano
• Due:  November 30, 2016
• Q1 status:  COMPLETE!
• Submit at least one story for publication
• Due:  December 31, 2016
• Q1 status:  I have ideas, ever so many ideas...keeping the date as is for now.

End of year update and 2016 goals

That whole 'writing every day' thing didn't really work out the last month or so, and I'm not going to come up with excuses. I need to make time and focus on my writing, because I feel better when I write. That's basically what it comes down to, in the end - I need to make time to do the things that make me feel better, both physically and mentally. And yes, I realize that this is a mind-blowing revelation - it's only taken me nearly 35 years to figure it out, but I'm a slow learner.

So, updates:

• Complete draft of book 2 of Paranormal Investigations, Inc.
• Due: April 30
• Q1 Status:  This one got put on the back burner, as this series is the one that feels too much like Maureen Johnson's Shades of London series.
• New due date:  Uncertain
• Q2 Status:  I started working on this again, but it's been slow going.
• New due date:  Going to call this March 31, 2016
• EOY Status:  Haven't worked on this for quite some time, but I'm going to keep with the new due date for now.
• Complete draft of Church of Book
• Due: August 31
• Q1 Status:  I think I'll meet this goal, even though it isn't the same Church of Book it was when I first drafted these goals.  I've basically started from scratch, and it's my current Camp Nanowrimo project.
• Q2 Status:  ...Not so much.  I'm still working on it, though!
• New due date:  June 30, 2016
• EOY Status:  Again, haven't worked on this for a bit, but it's been stewing.
• New due date:  September 30, 2016
• Win at least one of either Camp Nanowrimo or Nanowrimo
• Due: November 31
• Q1 Status:  In progress for the April Camp Nanowrimo
• Q2 Status:  Failed both April and June Camp Nanowrimos, but I'm still going to try for November!
• EOY Status:  And failed November, too. Trying again in 2016.
• Complete edit of Paranormal Investigations, Inc.
• Due: December 31
• Q1 Status:  As this is on the back burner, it's being pushed back for now.
• New due date:  Uncertain
• Q2 Status:  See above regarding book 2.
• New due date:  December 31, 2016
• EOY Status:  Keeping the same due date for now.
• Submit at least one short story for publication
• Due: December 31
• Q1 Status:  Haven't even started anything regarding this yet.
• Q2 Status:  I'm going to call this one complete (for "at least one"), based on the Pratchett memorial anthology submission.  That doesn't mean I'm not going to try to submit something else; just that I can at least mark one thing off the list
• Complete draft of Words That Mean Something
• Due:  December 31
• Q2 Status:  New goal!  This is the one I started working on for Camp Nano in June.  I managed to get a rough outline together last week, so I'm hoping to get more words on the page over the next couple of months.
• EOY Status:  I kind of dropped this in favor of my November Nano, so I'm changing the goal.
• New goal:  Complete draft of one of the works started for a Nano.
• Due:  December 31, 2016

2016 Goals:

• Complete draft of book 2 of Paranormal Investigations
• Due:  March 31, 2016
• Complete draft of Church of Books
• Due:  September 30, 2016
• Complete edit of Paranormal Investigations
• Due:  December 31, 2016
• Complete draft of one of the works started for a Nano
• Due:  December 31, 2016
• Complete at least one Nano
• Due:  November 30, 2016
• Submit at least one story for publication
• Due:  December 31, 2016

Nanowrimo Update (Days 9-29)

So, hitting 50K is extraordinarily not likely to happen this year, but I have managed to write every single day. In addition, I've managed to actually get a better sense of what I'm doing with this story, and I'm getting more and more excited by what I'm doing. I want to continue on with what I'm writing, and also see how long I can keep the writing-every-day streak going - it feels like it's been too long since I've actually written that much and wanted to keep going.

Project: Living Cities
Deadline: November 30, 2015 April 30, 2016
New words written: 11,443 (since the last check-in)
Present total word count: 19,346

Things accomplished in fiction: the detectives both realize that something is "different" about each of them; more information about the first victim comes to light, and the senior detective starts getting an idea of who - or what - is behind this; a second victim is found.

Nanowrimo Update (Days 3-8)

So, I'm a touch behind. I know, I know! At least I have been writing every day. Not a LOT, mind, but at least something.

Project: Living Cities
Deadline: November 30, 2015
New words written: 5552 (since Monday)
Present total word count: 7903

Things accomplished in fiction: detectives are introduced; victim has been identified and family notified; something strange happens to the junior detective on the case.

Nanowrimo Update (Days 1 and 2)

I'm stealing the format of my updates directly from Cherie Priest's blog, as it's remarkably streamlined:

Project: Living Cities
Deadline: November 30, 2015
New words written: 2351 (between yesterday and today)
Present total word count: 2351

Things accomplished in fiction: A body has been discovered; our lead detective has seen the body, and is unimpressed; and a young man can't remember where he was last night, but there's an awful lot of blood on his hands...

So far, Nano is moving along. I actually stayed up Saturday night until midnight to start writing the second the time changed over, since with the clocks falling back an hour, I got an extra hour to write. I'm still not 100% sure where things are going to end up, but I have a better idea of whodunit, which is important to know when writing a crime novel. (Also, can I just say how amused I am that Chrome recognizes "whodunit" as a word?)

Anyway, I've got about twenty minutes left in my writers' group lunch break, and I still have a ways to go to meet goal today. Back to the word mines!

Second(ish) Quarter Check-In

We're just going to ignore the fact that we're halfway through the third quarter, and play catch-up.

• Complete draft of book 2 of Paranormal Investigations, Inc.
• Due: April 30
• Q1 Status:  This one got put on the back burner, as this series is the one that feels too much like Maureen Johnson's Shades of London series.
• New due date:  Uncertain
• Q2 Status:  I started working on this again, but it's been slow going.
• New due date:  Going to call this March 31, 2016
• Complete draft of Church of Book
• Due: August 31
• Q1 Status:  I think I'll meet this goal, even though it isn't the same Church of Book it was when I first drafted these goals.  I've basically started from scratch, and it's my current Camp Nanowrimo project.
• Q2 Status:  ...Not so much.  I'm still working on it, though!
• New due date:  June 30, 2016
• Win at least one of either Camp Nanowrimo or Nanowrimo
• Due: November 31
• Q1 Status:  In progress for the April Camp Nanowrimo
• Q2 Status:  Failed both April and June Camp Nanowrimos, but I'm still going to try for November!
• Complete edit of Paranormal Investigations, Inc.
• Due: December 31
• Q1 Status:  As this is on the back burner, it's being pushed back for now.
• New due date:  Uncertain
• Q2 Status:  See above regarding book 2.
• New due date:  December 31, 2016
• Submit at least one short story for publication
• Due: December 31
• Q1 Status:  Haven't even started anything regarding this yet.
• Q2 Status:  I'm going to call this one complete (for "at least one"), based on the Pratchett memorial anthology submission.  That doesn't mean I'm not going to try to submit something else; just that I can at least mark one thing off the list
• Complete draft of Words That Mean Something
• Due:  December 31
• Q2 Status:  New goal!  This is the one I started working on for Camp Nano in June.  I managed to get a rough outline together last week, so I'm hoping to get more words on the page over the next couple of months.

Well, it's not as exciting as I would have hoped, but at least there's progress.

First Quarter Check-In

Well, I'm slowly getting back into the swing of things.  I've been writing fairly regularly, and I think I stand a chance of making it for Camp Nanowrimo this month.  (Note to self:  the next time you think about doing two swaps on Ravelry that are due the same month, which also happens to be a Nanowrimo month?  Don't do that.)  It seems like a good point to check in against the goals I set for myself at the end of last year.  Things have obviously shifted in priority, so it's also a good time to redefine those goals.

• Complete draft of book 2 of Paranormal Investigations, Inc.
• Due: April 30
• Q1 Status:  This one got put on the back burner, as this series is the one that feels too much like Maureen Johnson's Shades of London series.
• New due date:  Uncertain
• Complete draft of Church of Book
• Due: August 31
• Q1 Status:  I think I'll meet this goal, even though it isn't the same Church of Book it was when I first drafted these goals.  I've basically started from scratch, and it's my current Camp Nanowrimo project.
• Win at least one of either Camp Nanowrimo or Nanowrimo
• Due: November 31
• Q1 Status:  In progress for the April Camp Nanowrimo
• Complete edit of Paranormal Investigations, Inc.
• Due: December 31
• Q1 Status:  As this is on the back burner, it's being pushed back for now.
• New due date:  Uncertain
• Submit at least one short story for publication
• Due: December 31
• Q1 Status:  Haven't even started anything regarding this yet.

Speaking of short stories...At Norwescon the weekend before last, I went to a panel on story structure.  As the structure of Church of Book has changed, I wanted to get a better sense of what tools I could use, and in general the panel was very informative.  However, I did ask the panel about my specific structure (essentially, flashing back to historical moments that explain the magic system, and then flashing forward to the main contemporary story) to see if it at least made sense.  Most of the panel said yes and gave me a few suggestions, but Steven Barnes, one of the panelists, stopped everyone and asked me if I'd been published.  When I said no, he started looking doubtful.  He said that the structure I proposed was "fifth grade material", and he wasn't sure if I was out of kindergarten yet.

I spoke to him after the panel, asking if he thought I should even bother continuing with the book if he thought it was so far beyond me.  I was upset, I admit - Mr. Barnes is a well-known and well-respected author, and one whose advice I value.  I've never been one to appreciate if someone tells me that something I want to do is beyond my reach, which didn't help matters.  Mr. Barnes told me to go ahead and continue, but not to focus all my effort on it, and to write short stories and submit them in the meantime.  It didn't matter to him that I'd submitted stories before, because it wasn't something I was doing right that second.  "Being a writer is about what you do every day," he told me.

Well, I agree with that last sentence, but I don't know that I agree with what I need to do.  I need to write, and regularly, obviously, but I don't think waiting to submit works until they're right means I'm less of a writer.  A writer writes, after all.  And this one is going to write.