Stinky Cows and Horses, Wizards, Etc

[cathschaffstump]

Arm on ice, but here’s today’s count for Hulk Hercules.

7 / 38 (18.4%)

The Augean Stables tale was pretty broad and fun to tell, and so it required little revision. Next session, however, will be pretty much brand new: introducing Hera and Libby. Hercules may get all my attention next session. I also want to get Tony and Bianca back to the school and get a Bianca POV scene before I start in on the Herculean love triangle. So, we have some new tents to pitch.

***

Now for Substance. I added in two old scenes and polished up Stephan’s questions about the curses. Next session I will go back over that section in a smoothing rewrite, and move into the chapter that introduces the Hamwiches in earnest, as well as polish Atreus’ custody battle for his children. I’ve almost reached 75 pages for the resend, but of course, I must revise the entire novel first.

67 / 384 (17.4%)

Catherine

Originally published at Writer Tamago. You can comment here or there.

Comments

[krysta-3.livejournal.com]

Sorry the arm's still achey. I'll bet it gets difficult to type. Sounds like you're still making progress, though. So kudos to you!

Just curious, how many books have you completed so far? You seem to be a very prolific and multi-tasking writer.

[cathschaffstump.livejournal.com]

Tina:

I'm not sure! Let me do some math!

Juvenalia: 2 novels that are never seeing the light of publication.

Blood is Thicker than Water: Victorian Spinster Vampiric Action adventure, but no longer my brand, which is why I'm serializing it at Las Habladoras. It's not bad, but I don't want to write more of it. It does give me useful background for another project I have in mind, however...

Clasped Heart: An awful piece of poo, from which I ripped off the characters for Sister Night, Sister Moon, the novella Drollerie has.

Japanese Students and Composition Teachers: The Negotiation of Classroom Assignments: My dissertation, so it's a big novelesque book.

Two Klarion novels, accompanying short stories, and a novella.

Half of a Monte Cristo retelling from Mercedes' POV.

Half of a series about trolls in Iowa and a faerie coup.

1st draft of Hulk Hercules.

Several short stories from fandoms and gaming (embarrassment!)

So, novels=7 and two halves. dissertations=1. and miscellania.

The problem for me isn't the ideas or the writing. It has, until recently, been finding the time to write, and I finally decided that I just would.

Same question to you?

Catherine

[krysta-3.livejournal.com]

Wow! I am utterly in awe of you. :-) For someone who didn't have the time to write, 7 novels and and two halves is pretty dang impressive.

How long have you been writing--year wise? I'm not one of those "I've been writing since I was four" authors. I started about three years ago--literally started--sat down, tried it, realized I loved it.

Then I got serious about learning the craft and have written four full novels and am almost to the half point with my fifth. And like you, I've a few short stories, poems, and various sundries, too.

[cathschaffstump.livejournal.com]

Bear in mind, I'm 43. While I'm writing I've always felt most myself, but I kept letting about everything get in the way about it. Which I totally realize is my own fault.

My first two novels were written at 14 and 18. And then I went to college. In college I took workshops and played at short stories, and was a very mediocre writer.

After my MA in 1988 (child prodigies grow up to be everyone else!), I decided to try to do some more writing. By the early 90s, I had penned Aunt Polly's novel, and had promising nibbles about maybe taking it on. But I didn't know anything about publishing, so nothing happened.

Then I went to get my PhD and didn't do anything except play at short stories until 2001. That dissertation took up most of my time. In 2001, I began the Klarion stories. They started life posted in the Harry Potter fandom and were very popular there.

In 2004, I gave up writing for fandom, and I began turning them into novels. BUT life intervened again, as I took on a coordinatorship at work which ate my soul for 2 years.

In 2006 I read some of my fiction at Wiscon, and I had enormously positive response, and that's what it took for me to get serious about submitting. Apparently more than my mother and friends liked what I wrote. ;)

So, I've been getting gigs (Drollerie and Cats Curious) but I've yet to get an agent, although I think that's a matter of time, and with a little luck is closer than I think.

You know, you've written A WHOLE LOT for 3 years. Ratio wise, you've written circles around me. :D

[krysta-3.livejournal.com]

Thanks for that. Everyone keeps telling me how prolific I am, yet there are times I feel like I'm just puttering along when I think of how many book ideas I have and want to write. There are SO many.

But that's a good thing, right?

Good luck with the agent search! Sounds like you might have a bite already, so I'm sendin positive vibes up for you that you catch one quick!

[cathschaffstump.livejournal.com]

It is a good thing. It's a different kind of problem than the one folks have who have a hard time coming up with ideas, but I think I'd rather have the full brain than the empty one.

Good luck also with your agent.

Catherine

[erised1810.livejournal.com]

oooh look at that, it's haaatching.
i don't know. i've stopped thinkign abour rocks lately. it's jstu about watering plants and having te whole universe f yoru story spring to life. if that hulk book comes out i hope i'll be a translater adn can be contracted to tur nthis this thign in dutch. i think our kids will love it to bits too.
and as for substance, i did the nay or yay thing earlier and yes mummy i'll plunge into the erm thing you ocne sent me by way of sort ofsniffing at what your'e breathing into it right now. and for your arm i'l just say ha! because whatever it was that wanted this to hinder you, well...no siree :P