Screeching halt?

Having completed 12 stories in the first 22 days of the month and none in the final nine days, it appears as if my productivity came to a screeching halt. Actually, I'm wrapped up in a new short story that is requiring multiple drafts and significant (for me) research. It seems each time I write a scene I find that I'm missing some bit of knowledge to make the scene work the way I want it to. Then, once I have the necessary knowledge, I must revise what I've already written to make the factual bits fit with the fictional bits.

If this story works the way I want it to, it'll represent something new for me. If not, it'll still be a pretty good story.

Bad blog habits

I have a bad habit of rereading my old blog posts. And not just reading, but proofreading and then correcting any errors I find. I suppose I could have worse habits, but, really, don't I have more to do than reread my own blog?

What writers talk about

I don't know if this holds true across the entire spectrum of writers because I don't often hang out with writers in the real world, but I have noticed some similarities in what writers talk about when they get together.

Beginning writers talk about the process--where they get their ideas, how many times they revise, what time of day they write, and so on.

Established and moderately successful writers talk about the business--who's buying, what they're paying, and so on.

Well-established writers talk about everything except writing.

Thank you

From the date of my quadruple bypass in September until I finally recovered enough to quit bitching and moaning about it in December, fellow writers--many of whom I've never met and know only through e-mail and exchanges on various Yahoo groups--sent me a variety of good wishes, advice, and inspirational messages.

Some of you commented here while others e-mailed me directly, but no matter how you contacted me: Thank you.

The downside of increased productivity

Yesterday I received three rejections--three! It's been a long time since I received three rejections in one day. It's a good thing I already had plans that would keep me away from the keyboard the rest of the day, or I might have sat at the computer, brooding and not writing.

All three rejections came from a group of magazines I've been selling to on a fairly regular basis since 1993. They've changed their editorial focus and are seeking a different type of fiction than what I've been selling to them all these years.

Bleh!

I haven't anything in progress that would fit their new requirements, and I haven't decided yet if I even want to write the type of fiction they're now seeking. That's a decision for another day.

Day twenty-two, story twelve

I just finished printing a new bit of crime fiction, the story of a burglar, an amorous couple who unknowingly trap him in a closet, and what happens next. I started work on this story in August of 2007 and finished the 3,600-word final draft earlier this evening. It'll go into the mail tomorrow.

Seeking an attention span

One of the problems I had pre-surgery, and one that's returned now that I'm no longer taking Metoprolol, is an inability to concentrate on writing one story at a time. I'll start working on a story, get an idea for another story and stop to work on it, and then stop work on that to work on a third story. Having so many stories in progress means never having to say I have nothing to work on, but it does get frustrating sometimes to realize how many completed manuscripts I might have if I wrote each story start-to-finish.

Today's amusing copyediting error

From page 314 of Fifty-to-One by Charles Ardai: In the midst of a gunfight aboard a ship, "[b]oth fell to the ground moaning."

To the deck? Sure. To the floor? Maybe? To the ground? No.

Interesting note: "Ground," in nautical terms, means "the bottom of a body of water." So, if these two fell to the "ground," they most likely were drowning. Moaning and drowning.

Rejected

I don't plan to note every rejection I receive this year, but thought I would mention the first, from Ellery Queen, which arrived in today's mail.

So that's one sale and one rejection so far this year, putting me two acceptances behind my goal of a one-per-week average.

Still day seventeen, story eleven

I just submitted a new 4,600-word confession. I had the idea for this story mid-day Thursday when the opening line of dialog popped into my head, followed shortly by the next two lines of dialog and a tentative story-line. I worked on it Thursday evening and Friday evening, alternating with work on two other stories, and finished it late this afternoon.

Published

My story "Dead Flowers on Valentine's Day" appears in the February True Love.

Day seventeen, story ten

I completed a short--800 word--romance this morning, one that I actually started working on in April of 2008. I had, maybe, 600 words written. I finished writing it yesterday when I realized how the story should end* and proofread it this morning before preparing it for the mail.

*It's a romance, so it ends with an H.E.A. Of course. But with an 800-word story, those last few lines have to be just right.

Day sixteen, story nine

The problem with setting a goal--even facetiously--of writing a publishable short story every day for a year is that it's damn near impossible to catch up if you fall behind.

Earlier this evening I finished and submitted my ninth story of the year, a 6,200-word confession that I began writing in April of 2008. I've worked on it sporadically since then and had about half of it written before I picked it up again a few days ago.

1

I received my first acceptance of the year today, for an April Fool's Day-themed confession I submitted on January 7. Not only is it my first acceptance of the year, it's my first acceptance of something written (mostly) this year.

Day thirteen, story eight

I don't know why Christmas stories are pouring out of me, but this morning while walking the dogs I had an idea for a short-short Christmas mystery. I made a few notes at the time and this evening wrote the story. It clocks in at a mere 700 words, which is what the target market wants, and will go into the mail tomorrow.

Published

My story "Single on Valentine's Day" appears in the February True Romance.

Here's my damn epiphany

On September 17, seven days after my quadruple bypass, I posted this under the heading "Where's my damn epiphany?":

"If I were writing a story based on the recent events in my life, this would be the point where my protagonist has an epiphany--that character-altering moment when he vows to be a better person and save the world from injustice. So where's my damn epiphany?"

Here's my damn epiphany:

I used to take writing for granted. I never had writers block (which is a lazy writer's excuse for not writing) and I could write almost anywhere under almost any conditions. Then I spent 3.5 months essentially NOT writing. My head was empty. Now I'm writing again and I don't take it for granted. I'm overflowing with story ideas and things I want to write about. I'm even having trouble sleeping because I have so many stories zipping through my head. But take it for granted when I've learned how easily it can disappear? Not now.

Day ten, story seven

I finished writing my seventh short story of the year a few minutes ago, a bit of crime fiction that takes place during the Christmas season. I began work on this a few years ago when I was having a particularly bad Christmas, and the first few hundred words describe an apparent suicide. That's all I had until yesterday, when I picked up the story and figured out what the story was really about. I worked on it yesterday evening and this morning, and the final draft, which clocks in at 2,500 words, will hit the mail the next time I leave the house.

Day nine, story six

Yesterday I woke early with three lines of dialog in my head. I immediately booted up my computer and those three lines of dialog became three of the first four sentences of a new story. I spent much of the day away from home, but I had access to e-mail and every so often I e-mailed myself a snippet of dialog, a sentence of description, or a note about what a scene should contain. When I returned home yesterday evening I copied everything into my Word file, put all the pieces in the correct order, and wrote the connective tissue that tied all the pieces together. By the time I went to bed I had a new 2,100-word story.

I proofread/edited it this morning. After correcting a few typos and adding a few words, it'll be ready to submit.

I don't expect a prompt response, however, because this is just about the worst time of year to submit a Christmas story...

Day seven, story five

When I posted yesterday about the challenge of writing a short story a day for a year, I didn't actually think it was doable. But here it is January 7 and I just finished my fifth story.

The final draft clocks in at 4,300 words. Like three of the four previous stories, this one was started pre-surgery. Unlike the other stories, all I had written was the first 200 or so words. Finishing it was a much bigger challenge than finishing any of the others.