Well, I’m back from a week of vacation and I’m feeling rested, refreshed, and about 10 pounds heavier. On almost every front it was a success. Where I feel I’ve fallen down is on the planned writing I was going to do.
I was hoping to have another 15K words written on my current story. Unfortunately, that number is closer to 3,500 words, which is respectable, but nowhere near what I wanted. Still, I’m going to cut myself a little slack and keep pushing forward. After all, beating myself up won’t do me any good.
I’ve read the first four chapters to my family and they all seem to like it (although their opinions might be a tad biased). My son keeps asking what happens next so his interest isn’t faked :).
I’ve come to realize that I need to develop a new routine for my writing now that summer is here. There’s the yard work to do, softball season and my kids wanting to spend time with me outside (by the way, this list is not in order of importance, just in case you’re wondering). Oh yeah, and there’s that extra 10 pounds to work off too (not to mention a few other ‘extra’ pounds I had laying around).
I’m still shooting for June 8 as the completion date for my latest story, but I already know the date will slip. I’m thinking June 15th now. I’ve got to work towards a June completion so I have enough time to finish the rewrite for “The Goddess Renewed”. I want it polished and shiny in time for the World Fantasy Convention which is in Calgary this year. I haven’t heard from Sean or Aaron in a while, but I think they are still interested in going.
On the podcasting front, I learned yesterday that my daughter knows how to use Garage Band. Learning this put me on the path for the podcast I’m planning. I’ve been trying to come up with a format that is both interesting and isn’t copying what’s already been done. With that in mind, I’m thinking of asking her to co-host the podcast with me.
I’ve been envisioning a podcast about writing (there aren’t any of those are there? :P) but I also want to make it informative for a select audience. The hope is to gain an audience who can both learn something and who want to read my books (clever eh?).
Since I write for many age groups, it occurred to me that I should target many age groups. My daughter is an avid reader who still picks up younger books when she’s in the mood for something light, but also reads stuff that is definitely adult. Usually though, she reads YA (Young Adult) novels. I think her view as a reader will be a nice counterpoint to mine as an author. We’ll see how it shapes up.
Personal Update
I got home to another rejection letter. Fortunately, this rejection is still from my round of query letters. That puts my Query Letter Experiment result at: 9 sent out, 4 ‘No thank you’s’, 3 ‘Send us more’, 1 ‘Return to Sender/Unknown Address’ and 1 outstanding. Of the 3 ‘Send us more’ responses, 1 publisher has read the entire manuscript (they ultimately took a pass but had some good comments for me) and 1 is currently reviewing 4 chapters. I have not sent anything to the third one yet in respect of the ‘no multiple submissions’ requirement.
With this kind of response, I would consider the Query Letter Experiment a success. I will definitely use this route again in the future.
On the Current Work in Progress, I’ve reached the 9,500 mark and the first major twist to the story. I think the next 10K will go pretty fast. I just didn’t have my head in it over the past few days, so I’ve spent time plotting the path to completion.
That’s it for now. Lots to do! I hope your writing (and other) projects are going well.
