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I've noticed other people making incomplete references to their own work - but I thought it would be interesting to get a snapshot of this community - of what people are working on, and how far on they are.
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
[This message has been edited by Chronicles_of_Empire (edited July 06, 2002).]
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I have 2 short stories out. One to a magazine and one to a contest. I have 2 chapters of a novel written and rewritten and rewritten and rewritten. Also about 11 fragments / ideas / aborted projects etc. Of course there is the "trunk" that is full of stuff that will never see the light of day
[This message has been edited by MrWhipple (edited July 06, 2002).]
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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.
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.
[This message has been edited by GZ (edited July 06, 2002).]
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Revising an 85k novel for about the fourth time. Writing the second part of the trilogy, currently hitting chapter six with a tiny writer's block. Planning the final part, and the nine other projects that are to follow this one (my brain doesn't understand the concept of 'breaks'). JK's brain also doesn't fully comprehend the concept of 'short', so he has very little in the way of short fiction. JK is also shamefully lazy and undisciplined, and so doesn't even have a word goal for each day. JK has developed a worrying tendency to refer to himself in the third person... A question for you, Chronicles. You say you need to edit five novels? What made you take the 'do-it-all-at-once' road, as opposed to the 'one-at-a-time' road? JK
Posts: 503 | Registered: Sep 2000
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Hmmm, 5 complete novels, started on two more. Two serial stories published by Wild Child e-zine. Several ghost written pieces of non-fiction, a monthly non-fiction article aimed at writers for Wild Child.
Currently have 3 partials with agents by request on the 5th novel.
posted
Two shorts published (though not really, its a HS lit mag but still in HS so ha! little victories) working on a novel, right now at 10k shooting for 80k. about 3k week speed
Posts: 7 | Registered: Jun 2002
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posted
My novel is still in the prewriting stages, but it finaly seems to be going somewhere.
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.
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They take ALL of the rights to your piece. They can do whatever they want to it, and you don't really have any say. Plus, you can't get it published anywhere else afterward, because they own all the rights.
They're just not an honest company. They're in it for themselves and don't care about the poets at all.
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I'm currently working on a novel, and have finished 17 chapters totaling about 70,000 words. I'm now hitting what I consider to be the middle of the book, so you can imagine what a monstrous epic it's going to be... LOL. It's supposed to be the first of a trilogy.
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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Aha. Duly warned. Off to see the sister. Interesting that you should say that, Chronicles, since I had a similar experience with my trilogy. That started life as one novel, but with 150k words and a curious peice of time dilation... It also ended badly, and the new ending I thought up was going to be too much fun to squeeze into the end, so I had to do another book. Hardship, a crying shame really. JK
Posts: 503 | Registered: Sep 2000
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"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.
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ahhh, "the end". Both great and sad. I always sit back and sigh, and then feel let down.
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.
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I have an unfinished short story, which I desperately need to get back to. The working title is WWJD (I’m sure that’s copyrighted)---trust me it’s very tongue in cheek. It’s like if Christ came back, not as the second coming, but more of an on-sight inspection. It ends with Christ and Lucifer having a conversation in a strip club---if I pull it off right it will come off just like the sheepdog and coyote from Looney Toons.
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!!!
[This message has been edited by JOHN (edited July 12, 2002).]
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John! DANG! If you finish that short (WWJD), I wanna see it. I have a hard time figuring out how you could do that without being too irreverent, but I certainly would like to see a good stab at it. I've tried to come up with ideas like that, but I never manage to come up with any that work without being irreverent enough to turn readers off.
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OOooo....just looked at mine. Haven't written anything on it since the 28th. I know, I'm a slacker. Have 21,000 words. Was suppsed to be a short story, but have had so many more ideas lately that it may be a novella/novel. Have written several short stories, but never even tried to publish one. Probably an ignorant thing to do. Low self-confidence in my work. Maybe, one of these days.....
Posts: 17 | Registered: Mar 2002
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I didn't realize how relative the term "finished" was. (See comments above) Finally -- I think -- I'm on my final printout for marketing -- other than one last read-through this weekend for stubborn typos. I clocked in around 120,000 words. Now I only hope the editor from the writer's conference back in August who asked to see the whole thing hasn't changed publishing houses.
[This message has been edited by Kolona (edited February 07, 2004).]
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.
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Currently going through old notes to build the backstory, and am working on the plot points. I've got a looooooooooooong way to go.
Posts: 249 | Registered: Jan 2004
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I've written two complete novels, but never edited them and probably never will. Learned a LOT about writing, as it was kind of an education in itself. While I had a ton of fun writing them, I just didn't get the feeling they would be ever be sold due to just being a so-so story. I realized they were suspense thrillers without much mystery. They can be my 'training', if you will.
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
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Finished (ha!) first draft of 110K novel in March and have been editing since (feels like I will be editing it till the end of time). One short submitted to Phobos, and not a winner, so trying to see what I can do to juice it up for submission to magazines.
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.
quote: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.
I wish this had happened. Never could quite get that one to come together. It remains a large wreak on my hard drive that hopefully someday I will find the right way to revive (Or probably I should just let the poor thing die a peaceful death at this point).
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.
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Waiting for feedback on second draft of first novel to get started on re-writes to get in shape for approaching agents.
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.
posted
I am currently working on developing two stories that were at one time intended to be short, put the plotline turned out to be bigger. I am also working on a group of childrens stories that I am just now outlining and setting up. I have a short story out of this genre that I may submit somewhere and just started looking into that. I have been going back over some previous story ideas and decided to try and resurrect(sp) one of them. I submitted the first 13 lines in the F&F section, so go there and pick it apart for me. I think I need to pick one and concentrate on finishing it.
Posts: 471 | Registered: Sep 2003
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I am resurrecting this tread for an embittered rant.
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.
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PE, that's awful. You deserve some rant time. All I can say is I sincerely hope the books will turn up. <hangs head in sorrow for you>
Posts: 1810 | Registered: Jun 2002
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PE Sharp: Same thing happened to me. So I feel your pain. My writing folder where I kept all my stuff before entering it into the computer, disappeared about 4 years ago. I don't use that method too much anymore, directly into the computer from now on.
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.
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Sigh. That's one of the saddest things I've heard recently. I lost a whole bunch of work a few years ago, when my hard drive fizzled. That poor, poor computer....
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.
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PE - I am so sorry to hear this - and I truely hope they show up. We have a bad habit, when in a rush to clean, gathering stuff in boxes and putting them under the bed - and things disappear that way. So they might be somewhere they should not be - something got rearranged. If you describe them and someone else looks, they might show up - I know I have lost things and they were right under my nose, but I just didn't see them. Good luck.
Posts: 465 | Registered: Aug 2003
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PE, I heard that Sharon Kay Penman (a historical novelist) left the only copy of her first novel in the back of her car one day when she ran into a store for a quick purchase. When she came out, it was gone (though why anyone would steal a pile of papers--but maybe it was in a box and they just stole the box?).
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.
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I tend to use the method Kathleen is talking about just because I do not like what I have written, but I still like the story, so I rewrite without looking at the old one. I only pull out the old one if I get stuck to see how I handled a similar situation before. I have not done this with everything I have written, but a lot of it.
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.
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I just completed the rough draft on my first novel. Now I'm going throught he revision...wow. All I can say is you really need to find some inspiration the first time around. I've started three other books and none of them ever got anywhere. Publishing's a mile off, but whether the book sees the bookshelf or not, I'm just thrilled to be able to complete it at all.
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!!!
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