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Very Hot Topic (More than 25 Replies) Welcome to the Writing Life! (Read 1081 times)
Penthesilea
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Re: Welcome to the Writing Life!
Reply #500 - Oct 12th, 2014 at 4:07am
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I STILL need to come up with some names for "Cliffside Story" one of which I'll be stuck with for as long as I write in Samgara -- which will be a long time -- so I gotta get it right. I have a name I've been using but it just isn't "right" so I'll have to come up with something else.
  

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Re: Welcome to the Writing Life!
Reply #501 - Oct 12th, 2014 at 4:32am
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I think I'm going to quit for the night. I'm working on closing two gaps and I'm stalled on both of them. Besides, it's after 12:30 am and I'm tired which may be why I can't think of a crude but still PG-13 way for a sleazy cad to order Our Heroine to let him rape her. [The incident is from her "pre-curse" life which is why she won't just let him try it!] Anyway, tonight's finishing word count is 13,345. I added 790 words which isn't bad for a few hours work done around cooking and eating dinner.
  

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Re: Welcome to the Writing Life!
Reply #502 - Oct 15th, 2014 at 5:16am
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I've been going over "Cliffside Story" tonight and it's looking pretty good for a first draft. I've decided on one of the names I needed and I've gotten those filled it. STILL need a suitable name for Our Heroine's opponent in the next to last combat which I still have to finish. Hopefully tomorrow's "plate" won't be so full and I'll be able to make some headway on that and the indecent proposition she gets later.
  

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Re: Welcome to the Writing Life!
Reply #503 - Oct 18th, 2014 at 4:46am
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I've managed to get a little done on Cliffside Story the last couple of days. Not a lot but the two scenes that are giving me the most trouble as starting to come together. At least I'm getting some of the dialogue written. I'll fill in the action and scenery later although real detail may wait until after the first draft is done. Still, I want to get enough laid down so I have something to work with. Since it's nearly 1 am, I'm going to quit for the night. The cognitive functions are starting to grind to a halt.

Word count: 13,755.
« Last Edit: Oct 18th, 2014 at 4:47am by Penthesilea »  

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Re: Welcome to the Writing Life!
Reply #504 - Oct 19th, 2014 at 1:38am
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Word count is now over 14,000.
  

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Re: Welcome to the Writing Life!
Reply #505 - Oct 19th, 2014 at 1:41am
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It is very difficult to type with a Warrior Princess in your lap who is licking your hand...
  

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Re: Welcome to the Writing Life!
Reply #506 - Oct 19th, 2014 at 2:16am
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The Princess has decamped and it's time to start working on dinner -- Skywise is working tonight -- but the combat I've been working on is almost finished. Just two more gaps to close and it will be done.
I can see the light at the end of the tunnel on this one and it ISN'T an oncoming train!
  

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Re: Welcome to the Writing Life!
Reply #507 - Oct 19th, 2014 at 4:47am
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Okay. One gap left to close and this pain in the butt combat scene will be done. Or at least "first draft done."
  

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Re: Welcome to the Writing Life!
Reply #508 - Oct 19th, 2014 at 5:12am
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The last gap is closer to being closed but I'm gonna head out for the night. My cognitive functions need recharging.

Current word count: 14,328
« Last Edit: Oct 19th, 2014 at 5:13am by Penthesilea »  

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Re: Welcome to the Writing Life!
Reply #509 - Oct 20th, 2014 at 2:04am
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Smiley The combat scene is finally finished!

All that's left now is a couple of small gaps in one scene and the first draft will be finished. I'll get on those right after dinner which is at this moment, ready.
  

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Re: Welcome to the Writing Life!
Reply #510 - Oct 20th, 2014 at 3:50am
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DONE!!!


The first draft anyway. It needs some "color" and I need to hunt up the exact name for the piece of furniture that I'm visualizing but what I have in place now will do until I start the next draft. Tomorrow I'll print out a proofing copy and then set it aside for about a week. Then it will be back to work on it.

Final word count: 15,118
« Last Edit: Oct 20th, 2014 at 3:57am by Penthesilea »  

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Re: Welcome to the Writing Life!
Reply #511 - Oct 21st, 2014 at 1:44am
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"Cliffside Story" is now in hardcopy and resting on a clipboard awaiting my attention.

While I was curled up with the Queen I had an idea for a another short story set about 40 years after "First Death." No title yet but it has potential since it covers another pivotal episode in Our Heroine's life that doesn't merit a full blown novel. I can think of a number of incidents that fit that description.... Smiley So her life may be revealed as a series of short stories/novellas. That isn't without precedent. Robert Howard hit most of the high points of Conan's life that way.
  

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Re: Welcome to the Writing Life!
Reply #512 - Oct 21st, 2014 at 4:21pm
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The next couple of days are going to be difficult.
"Cliffside Story" is on a clipboard, waiting for proofreading, editing and revision and "I" started reading a new book last night that has given me all sorts of ideas for punching up the story. Thing is, I want to wait a few days before I start proofreading (which I will do before editing/revision) so I'll see the errors easier. I've been clearing out errors as I went along -- easy to do when you are working on a short piece -- so I'm not expecting to find too many but keeping my hands off of it for even a few days is gonna be a trial...  Smiley

I'm still looking at the markets and their maximum word counts and that will be a factor in how much gets added to "Cliffside Story." I've got time to get it as good as I can. It's not like I'm in a race to a deadline and the only person I'm competing with is me.
  

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Re: Welcome to the Writing Life!
Reply #513 - Oct 24th, 2014 at 6:29pm
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The 2015 Guide to Literary Agents arrived today. I don't know if I'll really need an agent for short story submissions but I hope to need one for the reworked novels before the end of next year.
  

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Re: Welcome to the Writing Life!
Reply #514 - Oct 25th, 2014 at 12:55am
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Well, I've managed to stay away from Cliffside Story for a week so I'll start proofing tomorrow barring "real life" and then begin the edit/rewrite. I'm still undecided about where to send it first but I'll have a better idea when I'm closer to having it ready to submit.
  

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Re: Welcome to the Writing Life!
Reply #515 - Oct 25th, 2014 at 1:17am
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Just made a copy of Cliffside Story's first draft "for the record" so I can work on the original without worrying about cutting something and not being able to put it back because I don't have the first draft text.
  

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Re: Welcome to the Writing Life!
Reply #516 - Oct 29th, 2014 at 5:27pm
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I've pulled the hardcopy of Cliffside Story out of hiding ("Out of sight, out of mind", don't ya know.) and I'll be starting the proofreading as soon as Skywise is on his way. I've come up with a title for the next short story and an overall title for them when they're collected -- which I intend for them to be -- so I'm doing good on the "details" end of things today.
  

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Re: Welcome to the Writing Life!
Reply #517 - Oct 29th, 2014 at 11:17pm
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"Cliffside Story" has been proofed and the editing/rewriting process has started. Consequently, there is quite a bit of red ink on the hardcopy but not as much as there would have been had I not proofread as I went along. I may or may not start transferring the corrections to the word document tonight -- it will depend on how I feel and how busy I am with other stuff.
  

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Re: Welcome to the Writing Life!
Reply #518 - Oct 31st, 2014 at 12:45am
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The first round of corrections and edits is complete. The process was made more difficult by the presence of the Warrior Princess in my lap, demanding attention and practicing unlicensed acupuncture on my right knee.
The word count is now 15,133.
  

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Re: Welcome to the Writing Life!
Reply #519 - Oct 31st, 2014 at 4:50am
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My eyes, especially my left one, are killing me. After a second round of proofing/editing I started going through my list of magazines that publish fantasy, science fiction or both and culling out those that are definitely not a good fit for Cliffside Story. I'm also culling out those that pay with copies or don't pay at all. (If I wanted to write for free, I'd get a deviantart account!) And lastly, I'm culling the ones that don't sound like Cliffside Story is what they're looking for. No point in wasting their time and mine. THEN there are the ones listed under the "Fantasy" and "Science Fiction" headings that say in their entries in the magazine listings section of the guide that they don't want to see any fantasy or science fiction! Smiley "Word Count" is a big consideration too. Some of these magazines are obviously aimed at people with very short attention spans.
I miss the days of "MZB's Fantasy" and "Amazing Stories." A lot of good sf/f came out of those magazines....
« Last Edit: Nov 6th, 2014 at 1:55am by Penthesilea »  

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Re: Welcome to the Writing Life!
Reply #520 - Nov 1st, 2014 at 10:24pm
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I've managed to trim a bit out of Cliffside Story. It's length is going to limit the places that I can submit it to so I'm trying to get it down as much as I can without gutting it. *sigh* Some people's idea of a "short story" amounts to a vignette. It takes WORDS to tell a complete story, damnit!!

Post # 34,100
« Last Edit: Nov 1st, 2014 at 10:38pm by Penthesilea »  

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Re: Welcome to the Writing Life!
Reply #521 - Nov 1st, 2014 at 11:52pm
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Adjectives, adverbs and whole sentences that can be cut without negatively impacting the story are being thrown overboard in the quest to get the word count down. I'm glad I've kept a copy of the first draft. When it comes time to put the anthology together, I can refer to it to see what if anything I want to put back.

Current word count: 14,786
« Last Edit: Nov 2nd, 2014 at 1:12am by Penthesilea »  

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Re: Welcome to the Writing Life!
Reply #522 - Nov 2nd, 2014 at 12:34am
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Count down to 14,741.
Time for dinner.
  

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Reply #523 - Nov 2nd, 2014 at 12:44am
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Count:14,703.
  

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Re: Welcome to the Writing Life!
Reply #524 - Nov 2nd, 2014 at 1:43am
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I think I'm done cutting for the night. My brain is turning to mush and the words are beginning to run together.
Current word count: 14,615
  

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