Myself? Of course, 5 novels for a fantasy epic in need of serious editing.
Before that, though, I'm writing a sci-fi set in the same world - target of writing around 2000 words a day, with 80,000 word total. Already 45k in, and hoping to finish writing and editing before end of July.
Anyone else? I'm seriously interested in what others are doing, and how far into their writing they are. Feel free to add info.
Brian
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1 short story in submission rounds to magazines, 2 more half written, 1 short story idea almost ready to go to the computer with.
Other ideas kicking around in the idea book and noggin.
Minimum goal of 500 words/day, 5days/week. Mostly there to insure some kind of progress, even when life gets busy. As ideas get more and more fleshed out, often push past that. Those would be the wonderful, inspired feeling days.
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Currently have 3 partials with agents by request on the 5th novel.
Shawn
Currently taking a break as far as writing goes...
Oh, also a couple dozen technical papers, but those don't count.
Erk
I have one short story in circulation, one I'm writing now, eight to ten I haven't started yet, and countless others I've thrown out.
My only publishing credits were through a scam; when I was ten or eleven, I had four poems published with poetry.com. Luckily all I cared about then was having my writing appear in a book, so I didn't give away anything I'm really attached to.
As for a daily goal, I don't really have one yet. Once I start actuialy writing my book I'm going try for at least 1000 words a day, and adjust as I see necessary. I've never really wrote on a schedule before, but then again, I've also never wrote a novel.
poetry.com is a vanity print service. They accept all poems and then publish them in $50 anthologies simply for the "poets" to buy for self and family/friends.
Btw - I didn't intent to write 5 novels - but 650,000 is too many words for a single novel. So I broke it down for the publishers and called it a volume of 5 novels. It may yet be slashed to 3. I'll see how things go.
They're just not an honest company. They're in it for themselves and don't care about the poets at all.
I've also got 3 short stories that I'm polishing for a new round of submissions; they've each been rejected once, but I've not given up hope on them!
Many years ago, I was published in a very small press magazine... But it was a very twisted little short story that I've not let any of my family read! LOL.
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they've each been rejected once, but I've not given up hope on them!
Wait till you have been rejected 70 times----rejected once means very little. Keep at it.
Shawn
"Finished" being a relative term, of course. I'll be doing a lot of polishing and rewriting to the last few chapters in particular, and tweaking the rest of it, correcting the format--page numbers out of sync between the chapters and all--but I did type the words, "The End."
My husband, bless his heart, won't fully understand how this feels, but I know you folks do. That's one of the helpful things about this site.
Congrats!
My husband understands, he's been through "the end" too many times now not to. He hates the start of a new book----does not understand why that is so hard.
Shawn
I have novella that’s finished but definitely needs ton of editing and revision. About a stripper (hey write what you know) and a drug dealer/addict (hey write what you---just kidding.)
My current opus is basically a 75,000 word love letter (to a girl I’m currently on the outs with) disguised as a fantasy novel. I’m slightly over 45,000 words I’m shooting for 75,000 but I think I’m going to go little over. I don't expect a massive rewrite or even too many revisions, but it’s going to take months to edit all the stupid little mistakes and what not. Man, I love this topic you got me talking about my favorite subject---ME!
JOHN!!!
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I sent my narrative poem in to Strange Horizons, unlikely to catch there, but it's a start.
I've finished a number of short stories, one of which I submitted once and got rejected. It was one of those "I love your voice, but . . ." types of rejections. I'm wondering if it feels too literary for the sf/fantasy audience. Hmmm.
I wrote about 40,000 words of one novel, abandoned it because I didn't feel in control anymore. Now I'm 30,000 into another and wondering if I should finish it. I don't usually get writer's block, and when I do, it's usually telling me that something in the story isn't working. The writer's block I'm suffering now is making me wonder about this novel.
Currently I'm in the editing/rewriting stage, so I estimate perhaps three to six more months until it's done.
Great thread, btw .
So, current project is a fantasy novel, around 150,000 words(unfortunately, seems to be growing). Rough draft complete, couple of edits done but needs 1-2 more. Hoping to start querying agents in 2-3 months if I can somehow keep my mind focused on editing, which is less fun than when I diagrammed sentences back in the eighth grade . . .
Least I have some confidence in this novel, but that won't sell it for me heh
Zixx
Sequel written and currently going through second editorial sweep (by me).
Contributing editor to magazine: my seven to ten page articles are run monthly.
Two short SF stories published a looooong time ago in Boston SF/F-themed college magazine.
One fantasy story serialized by Wild Child Publishing (winks at Shawn)
YA short story to be expanded to a series with the help of YA author Carol Plum-Ucci (The Body of Christopher Creed, among others).
Still writing short stories...need to slow it down, edit, and submit more, start fewer.
Phew! I'm tired now.
Also wanting to start volume two of my fantasy novel (probably 3 vols.) but I'm worried that if I start to do that, I'll lose any incentive I have to ever finish editing the first volume.
Finally, I'm in planning stages on a fantasy/historical fiction novel set in Central American at the time of Christ.
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Roughly 60k words on a fantasy novel, different parts in rough and edited states. Shooting for something 90k – 110k in length. Goal is to finish by end of year.
Lets see, currently two chapters into a new novel that I have a better outline for, expanding a short story idea that did go somewhere. Four short stories making the rounds to magazines and contests, so far collecting rejection letters. One fiction piece published last year at Wild Child Publishing (Yippie!). Various half-finished shorts and novel ideas laying around on the hard drive.
I've started work on the sequel to this novel and I'm at the really-excited-feel-like-it's-going-to-be-really-good-stage. The problem is, I feel like the first one isn't as good and I'm losing enthusiasm for it. How do I go with the feeling of loving the new one without becoming dismissive of the first? Does anyone else have this problem? I guess when I'm not actively working on a project it loses its shininess and I start doubting its value.
I'm also waiting to hear about a short story submission to a local lit mag and thinking about submitting a short story I just finished.
OK so maybe I am just sad. Here is where I am. I am the writer of one SF book, one SF-satire short in second draft form, and one book and several shorts in progress.
Now for the punch line. I wrote my book longhand and then put it down so that I could return to them with fresh eyes a few monthes later, and wouldn't you know the first three composition books are gone.
Been gone for monthes now, and to be honest I am having a real hard time recovering and adjusting to the loss.
PE Sharp
I was devastated, how can you re-write any of that stuff from memory? Even if you did would it still be the same? It put me in such a funk that I didn't feel like writing anymore, I had lost my heart.
But wonder of wonders, I found it about 8 months ago. I was thrilled. Now I am beginnig to re-write and edit some of that stuff. I have regained my will to write.
Don't give up, keep looking, maybe it will turn up. Only advice I can give is DO NOT do what I did. Keep writing, keep yourself going. I will be hoping and praying you find your stuff. (Mine was put in a box in the basement,when we did some re-decorating)I was sure I had looked there several times.
BEST WISHES, Boyd
I have a long way to go with my book. I've been struggling with all the technical things and so I haven't gotten much writing done since I lost tens of thousands of words back then. I'm starting to really -need- to write again, so hopefully progress will be picking up.
She had to rewrite it all from memory and notes. I don't know if she felt the second version was better or worse than the first, but it sold and she started a career with it. (I've read the book, THE SUNNE IN SPLENDOR, and I thought it was a fine book, FWIW.)
There are those who recommend that when a writer is still starting out with learning to write, it is not a bad idea to put a story aside when it's finished and rewrite it without looking at it.
This is especially true for novels because if you're really learning and growing as a writer, the stuff you wrote first in the novel is going to be a lot rougher and more poorly written than the stuff you wrote later. The bigger the book, the more words it has in it, the greater the difference may be. And a polishing rewrite may not be able to smooth things out.
Those who recommend this method say that what is good and strong about the STORY is still there in your mind, and you are writing it down with better writing skills than you originally started it with.
I don't know if this will help you feel better about losing the original, but it is a way of looking at having to start over again and rewrite it. And it just may be bearable if you look at it this way.
I think after reading the last few posts (and losing one story of my own, that I am still trying to rewrite for my very patient group... =) I will start filing a hard copy, saving a soft copy, and giving a copy to a friend to hold for me.
Something I've done out of curiousity was I started keeping tabs on word counts. The rough draft was 104,000 words. The revision is looking like it's going to be a bit smaller, but not as much as I had thought. And that includes some major changes in the middle of the book (I really came to a screeching halt the moment I hit my middle chapters during the rewrite).
But as far as inspiration goes...I based the book on real life experiences which were very meaningful to me. While the finished product bears almost no resemblance to the real experiences it was based on, the inspiration nevertheless drove my writing. As I revise the story has moved even further away from said events -- but it would have never, ever, gotten finished if I had not had that inspiration.
Hopefully I won't require such massive person influence for future works!!!