The Same Thing We Do Every Night, Pinky…

Here I am, thinking.

What I am thinking is that I now have only one short story circulating. Mark Twain's Daughter came home yesterday, and true to my word, I sent it out to Writers of the Future. Well, I wrote the nice people at WotF with a question, and they were so solicitous and helpful I felt like I really should send them something.

When I came back from Viable Paradise in 2009, I was given the gift of confidence. I have been very careful to prune that confidence so it doesn't turn into overconfidence. (Confidence gone to seed is pretty ugly and can smell like yesterday's marijuana.) At the time I received a real gift from many of my fellow VPers. Lots of them suggested that what I had taken to the workshop was unique, and that it might go somewhere. I felt renewed in my resolve to do the kind of thing I do. Not so commercial, me, but I know what I do.

Flash forward to now. Here I am in the middle of the Klarion third book rewrite. My initial readers tell me it's working, but I feel like I'm floundering. The only thing for it right now is to keep writing and not let the editor turn on until I at least have a first draft. This is hard, but I am trying.

At the same time, this is taking me a long time. I am not competing with anyone but myself, but I feel strange that I'm doing only this isolated thing. I have no avatars in the world right now but one. And I know this can't be the best way to meet editors, make connections, and all that jazz. It seems counter-intuitive to that end.

I find myself pulled in several directions. I have a lot of ideas of things I'd like to try, and finite time to try them in. I'm trying to focus myself on one project right now, but I feel other projects slipping away from me.

It hasn't been all morass this last year. What I feel I have done this year is gotten better at writing short stories. I have one story coming out in November, and one I wrote last year coming sometime. And I have expanded my sense of belonging and participation in the writing community. That's something.

Nevertheless, I feel that I must do a bit more. I work best with goals and an action plan. Cue the action plan.

Read the rest of this entry »

Mirrored from Writer Tamago.

The Shout Out Thread

I would like to promote some of my writer friend's recent publications and acceptances, but there are so many of them that I worry about forgetting many things. Given the amount of brain space work is taking up these days, that's almost a guarantee.

It is my hope that if I BEG my writer friends, they will be happy to comment about their latest and/or upcoming releases, either here, at Dreamscape, or at Live Journal, and I can edit them into this thread. Heck, even if you feel like reminding people about something you've got out there that needs a little love, go for it.

So, guys, tell these nice people where they can read your work. And don't be shy. I did ask you.

Catherine

***

And here are the authors! YES!

Naomi Clark: I'm in the middle of release panic as my second Urban Wolf book, DARK HUNT, came out this week! If people like queer fiction, werewolves, and Paris, they might like this All the info is at my blog.

George Galuschak: My short story, "Middle Aged Weirdo in a Cadillac," is still available at Podcastle. It's read by Norm Sherman, who does a great job!

Jon Gibbs: My debut novel, Fur-Face (Echelon Press, 2010), is scheduled for paperback release this month. I heard from the publisher yesterday that it'll be available at Amazon.com within the next week.

Chang Terhune: Some of my work can be found on my site where much fine dining, whining, droning and writing occurs.

Shveta Thakrar: For my part, a bunch of awesome writers and I have stories coming out in Steam-Powered 2: More Lesbian Steampunk Stories, due to release next week on the twenty-sixth. Anyone who's interested in finding out more can contact the editrix, JoSelle Vanderhooft.

Martha Wells: Most recent for me is fantasy novel THE CLOUD ROADS, which came out from Night Shade last March. The second book in the series, THE SERPENT SEA, will be out in January.

Kurt Wilcken: A project I was working on last year has finally seen daylight: A children's book entitled "Trouble on Earth Day" by a writer and teacher named Kathy Stemke, which I illustrated.

As for writing, I've been doing a lot off blogging about Science Fiction and Fantasy novels on the Daily Kos website. I've just started a discussion of Roger Zelazny's "Lord of Light".

And I would indeed be remiss if I did not plug my webcomic, HANNIBAL TESLA ADVENTURE MAGAZINE, a pulp-era adventure about a two-fisted scientist in the Doc Savage mold. I've recently started a storyline about how Ginger DuPree, gutsy girl reporter, encountered the "CAT-MEN from MARS!"

Mirrored from Writer Tamago.