Shifting Gears

The mad rush is finally at an end. I've sent out two or three short stories a month for God knows how long now, and I can finally stop to catch my breath. Well, not really. I still have a few more anthologies to submit to, but they are not for a few months. But that isn't what I need to focus on right now.

All my attention is turning towards my poor neglected novel.While Esther, Bryan, and Thomas have not had any rest either, their first adventure together is gathering electronic dust. But no longer!

I really am excited to get back to work on finishing and finally submitting this beauty. The short stories both gave insight on how the characters live and also my own writing methods. The rejections from the past few months have also taught me about what market this book does and does not belong to.

Last year, I had an opportunity to send Resurrected Thief to a publisher I really really really wanted. However, I knew the book wasn't finished. First, it physically wasn't. I had about two chapters to go. Second, it still felt there was something else missing to the whole adventure. In all my plotting and scribbling for the short stories, I finally worked out that missing piece. I'm still bummed about missing that chance--and two other smaller houses I really liked closing to open submissions--but I'm glad I waited. The book and all its characters are much better off now.

I think I'm ready for the next step.

The Rescue

This is my darling Vicky, taking a nap on my handwritten first draft of Our Fathers. We adopted her and Bailey, who would not sit and join her for this picture, in December of 2012. My sister had been talking about adopting a dog for the longest time, and convinced my parents to go down to a local shelter. Meanwhile, I was in one of the most depressing times of my life. I went along with the second trip, as my mother thought I needed to get out of the house and that puppies would help. 

Vicky was the skinniest thing you had ever seen. The shelter had found her on the streets a week before. She was so timid and liked sitting off by herself. When I went over to her, she just sat by my side and rested her head on my leg. She kept right next to me the entire time...well, until the staff brought along food. While I sat with her, my sister fawned over Bailey, who was a newborn little fluff ball that fit in the palm of your hand. My mother and sister couldn't decide which dog to get, all while I sat on the floor with Vicky. I'll admit, that first day all I wanted to do was go back home and cry. I had just been dumped, lost my job, suffered another rejection letter. But Vicky sat by me and didn't leave. 

The next day, the whole family went back to the shelter. We didn't know which dog we were getting, but that we had to make a choice before someone else adopted one of them. I remember walking back into the area housing all the dogs. Vicky was lying down in the back, hiding from all the other people. When I stepped into the room, her head jumped up and she ran over to the door. She started bouncing around until I came over and rubbed her little head. My mom started laughing that she recognized me, and I knew it was true. Vicky wanted me. So I picked her up and carried her to the counter. We all still loved that little fluff of a baby, so my parents decided to just throw everything to the wind and get both. 

All while filling out the paperwork, buying food and toys and beds, I didn't put Vicky down. She kept her head on my shoulder until we got into the car, where she curled up on my lap until we got home. After trotting around the house with joy, Vicky resumed her place curled up at my side. She and I are inseparable. 

Why interrupt my normal talks about writing for a tale of adopting my little puppy? Because as an author, life can be lonely. Not everyone is cut for loneliness, and I am one of those people. It's also a life of rejection and hardships which can be hard to endure all by yourself. Vicky and Bailey are my current support team. They provide plenty of cuddles and kisses when I am sad. They also force me to get up and go outside. 

Please do not take this as me being one of those people who only live for their pets. Yes, they are my babies and I love them to death. They have helped me through a lot of dark times when I struggled to explain to people what I feel about my writing and other things. I've gotten to the point where I stop telling people when the rejections come in because I'm tired of the same responses. This isn't ingratitude for their comments, just that I know after all these years it's subjective and there will be hundreds more rejections than acceptances and I need to keep carrying on. I've only had one boyfriend who didn't respond that way, and it was absolutely perfect. 

My thoughts have gotten away from me again. The point is that everyone needs someone to stand by them. And I thank God every day for giving me these two fluff balls. 

Fair Elven Maidens

In lieu of currently writing several tales set in the Fae Realm itself, I thought I would take some time to drabble about three "fair elven maidens" that form a foundation for this prequel series.

First is Tirithviel, star of my current writings. She is the "elf assassin", but plays a bit of a bigger role than that. She is one of a secret sect serving the more unseemly desires of the elven nation. She is given missions by the Lord Steward, who enjoys showing his position of power at any opportunity. She is also the only female within this group, but that doesn't stop her from plucking at the tense political strings. If there is a strange occurrence in the city that just so happens to give the elves more power, Tirithviel and her companions are most likely behind it.  

Saerwin is a stalwart member of the city's guard. Always clad in armor and always following the rules. She first peeks her head in "The First Days of Winter", but might actually steal the role from Tirithviel in an upcoming project. Or maybe the two will work together. On second thought, I doubt they will get along. While she is an elf, she doesn't share the same thoughts as many of her kin that elves belong at the top of the hierarchy. Politics in the Fae realm are actually a lot of fun to write, but Saerwin would prefer to stay away from them. She is a guardian and will gladly stand at the front lines.

Veryan has yet to make an actual appearance in any writing. She will be serving in a more traditional feminine role of mother and wife. She is actually the sister-in-law of Tirithviel. Probably a distant cousin of Saerwin knowing how elves are all related. Yet both of these elves are constantly compared to Veryan, and they usually respond with a bit of mockery. Mostly in good nature, of course. Neither of them are nurturing, and they are well aware of that. They can handle a blade better than a baby.

While this all sounds like ranting, which it mostly is, I do know how all three will play into the grand scheme of things.Their actions directly correlate to why and how Esther and Bryan hunt down the dangerous Fae. I really should write the stories themselves, but I really just want to ramble to someone.  

Should you ever give up?

The short answer is no. I keep writing, keep foraging onward. But what about when a project hits a wall and there is no going around it? Or when your story just isn't as exciting as you thought it might be?

My old answer was to move onto something else and finish that writing later. It's lead to scores of half composed shorts and novels clogging up my computer. I'm trying to keep pushing on and finding the bright light at the end of the tunnel. What is the worst that can happen? A rejection letter?

My short story "A Golden Alliance" is hitting a few of these walls. I know what has to happen in the scene, but it isn't coming across as thrilling as it plays in my head. Being so close to the end makes it even more frustrating. The deadline is just over a week away and I have about 500 words left. Yet such such hard words.

I wanted to write a story in the vein of conniving political schemes, but between elves and goblins instead of old men. The events here lead up to the pinnacle of the trilogy following the elven assassin Tirithviel, and her missions lay the groundwork for the final book of the Hawke series. It all lines up perfectly in my head like dominoes...but the words aren't coming. This scene is reading like bickering teenagers pretending to be mature, which does describe them in a manner of speaking. I only wish it could come off more sophisticated.

The words will come out anyway. They usually do. I can only hope they are the right ones this time. I hate rewriting. It always makes me feel like I wasted time writing, where as line edits make me feel more on goal. The bones of this story are excellent. I just need to plaster on more attractive flesh.

New Updates--Sort of!

While this might seem contrary to the last post about branching out from the Victorian Era, I've reworked the pages showing my current projects. Take a look around!

The Black and Redd Mysteries do not have much at the moment. You can find the link to read the first chapter of Our Fathers though! What follows is a very rough outline of the future of the series. Please forgive the brief descriptions. They come from both not having a full idea of the story, and not wanting to spoil very much.

The Hunters is a little bit more crazy. Right now, it's arranged chronologically. In my head, there are going to be three series of novels and a whole lot of short stories filling in the gaps. First comes the history of the Fae Realm, which will be mostly comprised of a trilogy and several short stories. Next comes the "Hawke Hunters", which follow Esther, Bryan, and Thomas. This series will be five novels and so so so so many short stories. The final series of novels will be sent in Eastern Europe and is either going to happen at the same time or ten years before the Hawke novels. Since it's nothing more than an idea, I've left it off the master list at the moment.

As I'm sure you are all aware, this rough timeline is by no means set in stone. Also, for reference, my short stories range from 4,000 to 15,000 words. Different publishers have different definitions for the separation between short story and novella, so I just labeled them all as shorts. When things are published, the labels will be more defined. Also, any italicized titles are the rough placeholders. I really need to work on my title crafting skills...

So explore my crazy attempt at keeping my thoughts organized! And please feel free to comment with any, well, comments about what you are excited to read. I don't want to always be talking to myself.

The Far Off Future

While every scrap of paper around me has notes about Victorianism, I've been thinking about other things to write. This is by no means a delay of any of my current projects. It's just a desire to be known for more than one type of writing.

I have so many half composed ideas for high fantasy and sci fi books. Tales of sorceresses leading armies. Surly rangers tracking bandits. Genetically enhanced spies. Cyberpunks plotting in night clubs. I'd love to devote times to these characters and their own stories soon. It honestly won't be for some time, since I'm at home with my Victorian mysteries. I just dread the idea of unfinished stories.

I know a lot of authors are satisfied with staying in their zone, and I have no qualms with that. I just want to write about everything and anything. Whatever fleeting odd thought that comes in my head ends up on paper. Yes, a lot of them get scrapped for being nothing but nonsense. Others get fitted to work into another project. A few of the ideas in the Monster Hunter series are actually carried over from these little odd thoughts. To be honest, I even thought about trying that entire series into another fantasy series, but it got too complicated too fast.

I do have a priority list of other things to write when Black and Redd and the Monster Hunters are either done so I have more time. I wish with all my heart it was possible for me to stay at home and write all day long. I'd be able to get all of this done a lot sooner. Maybe I'll win the lottery soon!

A Change of Plans

After another slew of rejections, I think I might have to reevaluate my writing plans. Seeing once again that my stories are not quite right for the anthologies is feeding into my self doubts about not being good enough. I know it's a practical reason on the editor's part because they have a limited number of spaces and need a cohesive narrative, but it still stings.

So instead of wallowing, I'm reassembling my plan of attack. Up until now, I've been sending submissions to any and all anthologies marked steampunk, Lovecraftian, or paranormal. Apparently my writing doesn't quite meet these descriptions. While I don't quite agree, I have to move on instead of arguing or trying to mesh my writing into something it isn't. So I intend on trying to send these short stories to magazines instead. I also want to try and do one a month instead of two or three so I can divert time between the short stories and the novels. Writing three short stories at once and hitting all deadlines showed me it was possible to multitask very well. I also tend to write better with looming deadlines.

Now, I know I've tried to set limits before on where I submit to avoid unneeded stress. It very rarely lasts long. I am not going to deprive myself of writing something if a prompt really strikes the Muse's fancy. I just feel I need to change my approach on finding places to submit. And if this doesn't work either, we will find another plan and keep moving along.

Which is Better: A Bad Book or a Good Book?

I guess the answer would appear obvious. I for one would rather get lost in a captivating new fictional realm, where I cannot put the book down no matter what is happening around me. My own writing gets pushed to the side, but I always always end up feeling more rejuvenated to write my best. Reading a fantastic book inspires me to write my own work and be considered at the same level of these authors.

Now, a bad book is a different story. Seeing the success of a bad book sparks a different sort of fire underneath me. If books about certain phases of the moon and arrays of color get massive success, why can't I? Let me show my worth and show how much better a relationship between two compatible detectives can be instead of an abusive stalker and his helpless victim?

Likewise, I tell myself that the characters and their actions should inspire readers to better themselves. I want Esther and Scarlet to show women it's possible to live out your own dreams when all of society is tell you to stop and go back to your knitting. I want Colby and Bryan to show it's possible to overcome countless obstacles from your past and find the place where you belong. I do not want my characters to make readers think it's a wonderful idea to find someone to control their life for them and to grovel to another's wishes.

While I know these books are a phase and we won't hear about them after a while, the time spent hearing all their praises eats at me. I'm not denying there is some jealousy. These authors have sold millions and I haven't. But the sheer mass hysteria of fans troubles me even more. People really enjoy it when a boyfriend strips the girl of all agency and blames her for all the issues? This lack of respect and manipulation is what people call romantic now? I'm not even talking about the poor writing and grammar yet!

The world has enough insanity every day. We shouldn't encourage people to seek out the dangerous kind. We should be showing them something better.

To avoid spoilers, I'll keep this example vague...When I was editing one of my novels, the male lead started to get overly aggressive in his romantic endeavors. As soon as I read it I rewrote the scene so the female sticks to what she wants and the male then backs down. He is at first offended, but he isn't portrayed as a saint for pursuing her in that manner. Instead, I try to show how much of a, for lack of a better term at the moment, butt head he was being and he then learns to respect her and her wishes. Is it really that hard for people to actually do that?

In conclusion...I want my writing to spark something positive in my readers. I want these stories to matter.

It's All About the Pace

Pausing the madness of writing my fifty million projects to celebrate that one is finished.  It needs to be edited and titled but at least the hard part is over! Only two or three more to go until the big deadline of March 1st. 

One of the reasons I finished this particular project so early is the short length. The cap is 5,000 words, but the story is just 3,500. Many people think 5,000 words is plenty long but not me. It's barely a chapter! Knowing how I have a tendency to extend myself and then waste days trimming the fat, I tried to outline my short stories differently. For 5,000 words I have the intro, the swift conflict, and then the resolution or dramatic cliff hanger. This short story was no different, until I started writing the conflict. I had barely passed 1,000 words at that point. I started to worry that it wasn't going to be exciting enough. 

Now, I have nothing wrong with really short fiction. I just have the habit of writing every little detail. I have also never written anything this short before. I still think it's a great story, which I don't want to force by adding in more scenes and dialog. At least if something strikes my fancy, I have room to add it. 

There is also no time to waste on the other stories. Back to work!