Waiting

Even though my word count is climbing to a ridiculous level (mostly in part to the "distraction from reality" it provides me), it seems like I'm waiting on stuff right now. I have "The Silent Treatment" out there talking to agents -- although right now it's at one place which doesn't allow simultaneous submissions. They might like it, they might not. They're "going steady" right now.

I'm also really looking forward to November where I'll participate in my second NaNoWriMo. The outline I've been spending my free time working on (see above) is what I'll be working on during the challenge.

So stress, right? It's not fun. But sometimes writing is like going to another world ... even more than watching TV or a really good movie. Since writing takes a lot of thought and imagination, it often blocks the "bad thoughts" ... or at least I can incorporate said problem into some sort of plot. *

Speaking of NaNoWriMo, I've got to say that the forums on that website have been extremely helpful. Whether I'm trying to figure out what a 911 dispatcher would say or just want to browse overheard dialogue, I couldn't have asked for a better help. Maybe this year I'll actually participate in the in-town gatherings ... meeting some 3-D people in a non-work environment would be nice!

Lest I start blabbing, I'll leave the update here.

*Note: Just because I use some of my own experiences in the stuff I write, there's always, ALWAYS enough fiction thrown in so that you can never assume I've gone through exactly what you've read.

It's come to this

I've posted my trusty word count widget to the right regarding my monstrous outline word count. I'm having so much fun with this story that it's bordering on addiction. Maybe this is bad for me.

This outline is almost a novel by itself

I'm over 34,000 words at the moment on the outline for "Awake". I've said this about previous projects before, but I'm not sure if the length of this outline means I'll have an extremely long novel when I'm finished, or if it means I've just about said everything I can say. We'll see.

The plot has gone past the climax now, and I'm working out how everything winds down to a satisfying ending. Thinking about using an epilogue.

Awake!

Nothing really to report, but I've been having a good time outlining my latest creation. It is called "Awake" (as you can probably tell from the title of this post). So far, the outline is 26,000 words, which is about the length of a novella. This thing is getting crazy.

A Physical Copy

Who would have thought I'd be so excited about a single, physical copy of my story ... looking like a real live book? It's a good thickness (as you can see from the previous post, where I have it between other, "officially" published books by authors I enjoy), and it's got my name on the cover. What could be better?

(I guess what could be better is if I found this same book at Barnes and Noble or on the NY bestseller list. ... maybe later.)

Even though I've read the darn thing about 50 times by now (because of the extensive editing I put it through in just a short time), opening the cover and sneaking out a few paragraphs is more enjoyable than I thought it would be.

Even though the above-mentioned project has come to an end, I still have two other stories (at least) in various stages of done-ness. One is a sequel (or second in a series) to The Silent Treatment, using the same main characters, but moving them to Germany (because who wouldn't want to go to Germany??), and kidnapping one of them. What is a mystery series without a good kidnap? This story is in its rough draft stage, and I haven't looked at it since February.

The second project is a rewrite of something I've been messing around with for the better part of a decade. Though I've "written" the story TWICE now, it's again in its outline stage. Each time it gets better ... I have high hopes for the third try. It follows five people who wake up in a locked museum. If I told you any more, I'd have to kill you. All I can say is that from the time the characters wake up to the time the mystery is finally resolved, I'm hoping to leave my dear readers with a "wow, that was ... wild" feeling. In a good way.

Every time I re-work the story (which I've titled Awake, since first the characters physically wake up, but then they become conscious of what they've actually experienced), I realize it goes a lot further than I thought. Either this novel is what's going to make me famous, or it's complete crap that won't ever see the light of day. I guess we'll find out!

Submitting Fiction

That time has come again. I've written a novel, edited it, got my mom to read it, got a few friends of mine to say, "I'm too busy to read it, but I promise I will", and now I'm querying literary agents.

I've also taken advantage of NaNoWriMo and CreateSpace's free proof copy offer, so I should be seeing a paperback of The Silent Treatment in the mail in a little while. Even though it's just for me and won't actually be on sale, it's quite exciting. I'll be able to put it on my bookshelf in the "S" section.

<-- like this!

Fif-tee thou-sand! *crash*

Ok, I did it.

ZZzzzzz.....