Monthly Archives: July 2015

July 31, 2015 · 1:01 AM

July 2015 Camp Update #9

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I can’t believe the month is over already and this is the last camp update for this year.  I’ve had an awesome time and great cabin mates and I hope we can all get together again in April.

I hit my 62k word count goal on Wednesday, the 29th, with two whole days to spare.  One of my cabin mates had already hit her 50k goal, and the other three are on track to win as well, although WP always validates on the last day – I think she enjoys giving me more grey hairs.

So, now that Camp is over… Now what?

Lots of things.

I still need to wrap up the story, which is going to take a few thousand more words.  It’s the end of the entire series as well, though, so I’m thinking I’ll mostly summarize events and sort them out when I get to it in first round edits – by then I’ll have been through all of the other books and will have a list of threads that need to be tied off.  And there’s a final encounter in this scene that I really can’t write until I book 6 is done as it involves a character being introduced there.

And then I need to move some of the stuff in it to other files because it doesn’t really belong here so I can get it printed and shove it into its three ring binder to settle for a while.

I need to finish my folder/notebook project for The Academy of the Accord, and especially sort out what I have for books 6 and 7 of the series so I can get them finished this year.

(I’ll be back to my 1k-a-Day challenge for the next three months and they will be the focus of it. I really want outlines, though, so that’s what I’ll be doing later today, I think, along with maybe getting book 12 ready to print.)

I need to get the second round of edits done for Onyx Sun so I can get it out to a beta reader or two.  I also need to fine tune its blurb and get to work on a cover for it.  I’m hoping to have it ready to release sometime in September, so that’s the main project for next month.   (I’m hoping to get the above organizational stuff done today.)

And once Onyx Sun is in the hands of beta readers I’ll start first round edits on The Academy of the Accord.  The original plan was to edit it next year, but I think it’s going to take a lot longer than that.  (Yes, I’ll be editing at the same time that I’m writing a thousand words a day on other books in the series.  Yes, I am insane, thank you for noticing.)

And my pre-beta reader wants a sequel to Onyx Sun, and there are sequels planned for Song and Sword and Sanguine, as well.

And I’m toying with the idea of a promotions blog – or FB page – for The Academy of the Accord.  Because, you know, I have all this spare time…

And, of course, there are a few thousand other (non-writing) projects that have been on hold for the month of July that I need to get back to.

So no need to worry about me – I definitely won’t be bored!

 

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July 29, 2015 · 12:01 AM

Wednesday Words #31 (7/29/15)

Welcome to Wednesday Words!  Every Wednesday I will post some sort of prompt for a flash fiction piece.  The prompt will go live just after midnight Eastern time.

The prompt might be a picture, or it might be a list of things to include in a story, or maybe a phrase or a question or something from a “news of the weird” type thing, or a… who knows?

After that, it’s up to you.  But if you do use the prompt to write a bit of flash fiction (say, 500 words or so) I’d love to see what you came up with, so comment below with a link to where it is on your blog (or on WattPad or wherever).

(And a pingback to the post here where you found the prompt would be appreciated but isn’t necessary.)

Oh, and this isn’t a contest or anything.  It’s just a (hopefully) fun thing for all concerned.

And, hey, if it inspires more than 500 or so words, run with it!

This week’s prompt:

a lonely child
a junkyard
a frog

 

 

And, as always, I’d love to see what you come up with!

 

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July 27, 2015 · 12:29 PM

July 2015 Camp Update #8

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Wow.  My next camp update will be the last for this session.  It doesn’t seem possible.

I’m still holding onto par.

And Book 12 is still driving me insane.  In addition to the woes I posted about on Friday I now have three, maybe four, versions of one part of it.  I’m pretty sure I know which one I’m going to go with, but still…

(At this rate it’s going to take me a full day to just to get the file sorted out enough to be ready to print for editing.)

I have to work today but then I’ll be off for two days.  There are currently 7937 words between me and a win and I’m hoping to get them written before I go back to work on Thursday.  That leaves Friday free to sort out this mess to get it ready to print, and lets me go to Folk Festival without word count hanging over my head.

Then comes August and back to editing Onyx Sun so it can go to a beta reader or two.

And, of course, trying to finish The Academy of the Accord series before the end of the year.   I can’t believe that the end of it is so close.  It’s both exciting and sad at the same time.  And scary.

 

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July 26, 2015 · 12:01 AM

Sunday Snippet July 26, 2015

More from Onyx Sun, a science fiction novel currently in second round edits, which are sort of on hold while I do Camp NaNoWriMo with a goal of 62,000 words this month.

Taliya is back in her HoverWing, studying the gift her grandmother had left for her.

The usual creative punctuation warnings apply and I probably went over a bit (more than usual).

 

It seemed to be a normal recording device and she smiled as she pressed her thumb against the sensor in the center of it.  Hearing a slight hum she slid the disk into the player in her vehicle, remembering the day that her grandmother had handed her the key-disc to the craft.

“I know you’ll take care of it,” she had said, “but promise me you will keep it until after I’m dead.  You will need it then.” 

Taliya had assured her that she would be owning it for a long time in that case, but Ardelia had insisted, and less than a year later she had been diagnosed with a death sentence from a disease that she had picked up on an alien planet decades before.

Taking a deep breath, Taliya activated the player in her craft, and her grandmother’s face appeared on the screen.

“Your friend Josul encoded this for me and added something special to the player in your HoverWing.  This disc will only play on this device, so Maureena and Aelind have no idea what is on it. I don’t have much time to explain on here – something about the amount of space taken by the encryption.  Go to Starborne Fiduciary and tell them who you are, they will be expecting you.  I love you, child.”

Taliya was sobbing as the recording finished.  She had known.  She had to have known that she was dying long before she had announced the diagnosis.  And she had taken steps to arrange something for her, something that she didn’t want Maureena and Aelind to know about in any detail.  

Slowly she regained her composure but remained sitting in the HoverWing, too worn out on too many levels to do more than stare blindly at the controls.  She wanted to run back to Belyn, to tell him what was going on, and to hide in his tissue-laden guest room for the rest of her life.

She sighed and shook it off, reaching to start the craft:  she might as well get it all over and done with so she knew where she stood, and once it was all out of the way she would have the afternoon free to get in touch with her father and talk to him. She wasn’t entirely sure what sort of reception she would get from him but she was relatively certain that if Maureena tried to find her for any reason that would be the last place she would look.

 

 

As always, comments are loved!

 

Want to read more snippets from some really great authors?
Check out Sunday Snippets on Face Book.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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July 24, 2015 · 12:48 AM

July 2015 Camp Update #7

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This novel is a mess.

So far I’ve decided that the beginning that I have for it is going to have to be cut and turned back into the side story that it was originally supposed to be.  That’s fine, except now I don’t really have a starting point or an opening scene.

Then I decided that a whole bunch of stuff that I wrote really needs to be moved from Book 12 to Book 7.  This isn’t necessarily a bad thing – and it’s a very good thing for Book 7 – but it leaves me completely confused at the moment.

I think I mentioned in a previous post that there were a bunch of loose ends and lost threads that I was going to need to sort out.  Well, now there are more.  That section that I’m moving to Book 7 got me so sidetracked that I couldn’t even begin to find the thread I was following, so I did what any reasonable WriMo would do:

I said, “I’ll fix it later,” and skipped ahead to a place where maybe, just maybe, I can find my way forward.

And I’m reminded – again – of why I like outlines.  If I had an outline for this book I wouldn’t be floundering like I am and I’d have a narrative that made sense and isn’t going to need a month to wade through just the first edit.

On the other hand, I have some really great stuff for Book 7, and if I’d been following an outline I might never have made the discoveries that I did.

I think Book 7 is going to be my next project.  (It’s looking pretty good for finishing Book 12 this month.)  Book 7 also doesn’t have an outline.  Well, it has a partial one.  I’m going to try to finish it before I start writing, if I can get far enough ahead to afford the time to work on it.  If not, I’ll just go with what I have until August gets here.

One good thing about the 2k a day madness I’ve set myself for NaNo months — it’s going to make the 1k a day seem a lot easier.

Speaking of word count, I’ve been holding onto par, barely.  I had three days off but got absolutely no cushion built up.

Tuesday I woke up with my right eye glued shut, so I went to urgent care and am on antibiotic pills for bronchitis and antibiotic eye drops for conjunctivitis.  I’m horrible about anything coming near my eyes – including (especially) eye drops – and I have to put them in every four hours while awake.  Not my idea of a good time although I’m sure it’s entertaining for anyone watching me.

The good news is that my voice is working a little better and I no longer sound like a frog on helium.  At least, not most of the time.  Unfortunately the cough seems to be getting worse and I hack up a lung every time I talk so I think there’s going to be another doctor appointment in my future.

So, between the goopy eye and the coughing I’ve been feeling so miserable that I’ve barely gotten my 2000 words a day in to make par, and now it’s back to work for four days.

And the end of the month is only a week away.

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July 22, 2015 · 12:01 AM

Wednesday Words #30 (7/22/15)

Welcome to Wednesday Words!  Every Wednesday I will post some sort of prompt for a flash fiction piece.  The prompt will go live just after midnight Eastern time.

The prompt might be a picture, or it might be a list of things to include in a story, or maybe a phrase or a question or something from a “news of the weird” type thing, or a… who knows?

After that, it’s up to you.  But if you do use the prompt to write a bit of flash fiction (say, 500 words or so) I’d love to see what you came up with, so comment below with a link to where it is on your blog (or on WattPad or wherever).

(And a pingback to the post here where you found the prompt would be appreciated but isn’t necessary.)

Oh, and this isn’t a contest or anything.  It’s just a (hopefully) fun thing for all concerned.

And, hey, if it inspires more than 500 or so words, run with it!

This week’s prompt:
(click if you need a bigger image)

ww2

 

 

And, as always, I’d love to see what you come up with!

 

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July 20, 2015 · 12:56 AM

July 2015 Camp Update #6

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As of this writing I am slightly behind par – just under 500 words behind.  Considering that I had no cushion to fall back on, that’s not too bad.  I haven’t done today’s writing yet, so I’m not sure if I can get caught up to where I should be or not, but even if I’m 1000 or 1500 behind by tomorrow, that’s fixable.

But other than being a touch behind on word count, Book 12 of The Academy of the Accord is going well.

I realized that I had dropped a thread so I went back and picked it up and wrote the scene (to insert into the proper place later) and it clarified a lot of stuff in my head.  It’s going to add to the editing nightmare that awaits me, but that’s okay – it would be a bigger nightmare without it.

(I love it when conversations between characters lead to plots – and insights.)

Meanwhile, this virus is still kicking my tail.  It’s descending into my chest so I’m coughing a lot, and my voice is rapidly starting to sound like a frog on helium.

But I only have one more shift and then I’m off for three days, so I should get a good cushion built up.

Tuesday will be my Catch-Up Day.  It’s also my “Clean The Rat Cage” Day and my “Take The Folder-To-Notebook Project To The Library And Finish It” Day.

And there will probably be a load of laundry involved as well.

Wednesday and Thursday will be my “Build A Cushion” Days.

(I’m trying really hard not to have a “Waste A Bunch Of Time In A Doctor’s Waiting Room” day, but that might happen as well.)

 

 

 

 

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July 19, 2015 · 12:01 AM

Sunday Snippet July 19, 2015

More from Onyx Sun, a science fiction novel currently in second round edits, which are sort of on hold while I do Camp NaNoWriMo with a goal of 62,000 words this month.

Skipping ahead a few lines from last week, Taliya has handed Aelind Osbert a file she was carrying.

 

“Please see that Maureena gets this.  It’s the report from my trip to Roseeba Seven and the contract with the Miners’ Consortium there.”

He frowned as he took it from her.  “Why do you not give it to her yourself?”

“As you are no doubt already aware I will not be returning to her home. She knows that I am leaving it with you.” 

He looked flustered as he took it from her, her words having thrown him off center again. 

“Is there anything else?” she asked, keeping her tone cool.

“No.  That was all I had for you, Miss Swann.” 

She rose and so did he, and she allowed him to escort her to the door of his office.

“Good day, Miss Swann.”

“Good bye, Mr. Osbert. I doubt you’ll be hearing from me again.”

He nodded and opened the door for her.

As the elevator doors closed Taliya knew that he was already calling her mother to report on her visit.

 

As always, comments are loved!

 

Want to read more snippets from some really great authors?
Check out Sunday Snippets on Face Book.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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July 17, 2015 · 10:18 AM

July 2015 Camp Update #5

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To Breathe Or Not To Breathe

That isn’t my question, it’s my struggle.  Seems those sinus-related dizzy spells last week were a precursor to a particularly nasty cold virus.  At least two of my co-workers are on antibiotics, a steroid, and an inhaler because it turned into bronchitis.  Yay.

On a brighter note, my sinuses won’t let me sleep so I should have lots of extra time to write.

And time to write is a good thing.  I have no cushion right now (in fact, I haven’t even hit par for the day) but I’m determined to get at least 3k ahead today.

I’m not sure that all the words will make sense, but then, I have this lovely bit from yesterday to live up to:

“I’m a Tuanae, Vinadi. This is what I do. And what Bry does, which is why he needs to be with the others right now. Not because I don’t want him here with me or because he doesn’t want to be here with me, or because he wants or needs to be with the others, but because they need him to be there, whether they know it or not.”

I swear it makes sense in context, but… Yeah.  I do see a lot of red ink in its future.

In other news, Book 10 of The Academy of the Accord series is printed and in its three ring binder waiting for the series to be finished so it can be edited.

And in even better news, I’m pretty sure that I’ll wrap up Book 12 by the end of the month, which only leaves two books (6 and 7) to write.  And since I’ve more or less figured out how to tackle untangling them from the end of Book 5, it’s looking good to finish the series by the end of the year.

(And once Onyx Sun is with a beta reader or two I’ll start doing first run edits on The Academy of the Accord. There’s jus too much to do to be able to get the series in shape in one year, so I’m going to try to edit a book a month (while still writing 1k a day) for the rest of the year.

Well, except for November.  I’ll be aiming for 60k that month so editing goes back on hold for a month.

So, those are the plans.

Do you hear the gods laughing yet?

 

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July 15, 2015 · 12:01 AM

Wednesday Words #29 (7/15/15)

Welcome to Wednesday Words!  Every Wednesday I will post some sort of prompt for a flash fiction piece.  The prompt will go live just after midnight Eastern time.

The prompt might be a picture, or it might be a list of things to include in a story, or maybe a phrase or a question or something from a “news of the weird” type thing, or a… who knows?

After that, it’s up to you.  But if you do use the prompt to write a bit of flash fiction (say, 500 words or so) I’d love to see what you came up with, so comment below with a link to where it is on your blog (or on WattPad or wherever).

(And a pingback to the post here where you found the prompt would be appreciated but isn’t necessary.)

Oh, and this isn’t a contest or anything.  It’s just a (hopefully) fun thing for all concerned.

And, hey, if it inspires more than 500 or so words, run with it!

This week’s prompt:

a riot
a rose
a ruler

 

 

And, as always, I’d love to see what you come up with!

 

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