I’m Reviewing The Situation

As Fagin sang “I’m reviewing, the situation…” then so have I been. A few days ago I asked the question How Do Writers Do It, regarding managing workloads alongside family and the day job. Since then I have been looking at what I have on the go so to speak, and seeing my way to rationalize it into a more workable state. It has meant I’ve had to be brutal, somethings have had to give, but I think I at a place now where, hopefully, forward motion can be made.

I follow George RR Martin’s Not A Blog, and he occasionally posts about the monkeys on his back. I suppose that was my problem, I’d got in a situation where I had too many projects open. Now this may be fine for the great and powerful GRRM, writing is his work, his life, and he can devote as much – or as little – time to it as he see’s fit. For me, I don’t have that luxury, I have to fit my writing around work and life. So some of the monkeys I’ve been carrying around have been put into a zoo, until I have time to free them again.

To this end I’ve made myself a priority list, projects that will get my full attention until finished. The hope is this way I will actually finish something before the year is out. The list is as follows.

1. I’m five chapters into a novella, this has been taking up more and more of my time as it is, and was part of the reason other projects were not getting a look in. I’ve prioritized this because it is the one that excites me the most, I think about it all the time, ideas, characters, plot twists. I already have the rest of the novella plotted out, so I’m a step ahead of myself in already knowing where I’m going with this one. I’ll be making a separate post about it in the coming days, the novella has a title, and is part of a series, but more of that later.

2. Tales From Beyond The Event Horizon is semi-put on hold. I’ve had feedback from beta readers, and have started the 2nd draft edit. But the novella takes priority and so this has to wait.

3. Screenplay – I’ve been working on this for 18 months or more now. The intention was to get it finished for the Autumn slot for the BBC Writers Room, but looks like it maybe next year now.

4. Fantasy novella – Like the script above this has been gestating for at least 18 months, its the least developed project I have, so I feel safe in letting it sit for a while longer.

Everything else, a second script that only has initial outline & characters, the re-write/edit of my Pratchett Prize entry from a couple of years ago, the couple of Future Shock scripts I have ideas for, have all been put on hold for the duration.

Unlike before I’m not going to be trying to do bits to each as I go along. I am going to concentrate on one project and get it finished.

That’s the plan anyway, but as the saying goes, best laid plans and all that.

Beta Readers Are The Bees Knees

A few weeks ago I sent the three short stories that make up my planned self published collection - Tales From Beyond The Event Horizon - out to beta readers. This is the first time I’ve ever done anything like this, asked someone to read my work and give me feedback. Sure editors of the small presses that have printed my work have read it, but this felt different, this felt like I was taking a whole bigger step down the published path.

I chose my readers because I know them, know their work and trust what they would have to say to me. Colin F. Barnes is a writer and editor, I know him from Twitter and have read his work – Vex: A Modern Viking Fantasy, and his collection Day of Demons. Paul Starkey is a writer who has self published a book – City Of Caves available on Lulu – and is a successful short story author – he has two stories in forthcoming publications Dead Rush and Use Enough Gun.

Both have read my stories and given me feedback, both have been truthful and offered constructive criticism. Most of what they have pointed is pretty straightforward – grammar, punctuation – but they’ve also put forward ideas in layout and content. I will say this has opened up new avenues within the stories I’d written, in one instant taking it in a slightly different direction. This is a good thing, as the new direction works a lot better than the original.

I had intended to have the collection polished and published by the end of June. I can’t see that happening now, with other ongoing projects it’s going to be pushed back a couple of months at least. Still if the end result is a better product then the delay is worthwhile.

To anyone out there contemplating sending their work to beta readers. DO IT! They see things you’ll never see, you look at your work through rose tinted glasses, a fresh set of eyes takes those glasses off.

 

 

Adventures In Writing

Seems like ages since I did any sort of update on the various projects I have boiling, simmering and just gathering ingredients for. So please excuse the lack of information on my part.

So, did I tell you I’d had another short story accepted? No? Well I have, its called Death Rides A Pale Horse and is in the forthcoming anthology called Dead Rush being put out by Wicked East Press. Its a collection of stories with the theme of the Old West. I’ve had the galley proofs so am guessing publication should be pretty soon.

There are still two months to go until the deadline for the Fantasy Writing Contest being run by Fantasy Faction. I got my submission called You Can’t Avoid A Little Blood submitted soon after subs opened, I also opted for the Entry Plus service where I’ll get a detailed critique from one of the judges. Not sure if I get this if accepted or not? Doubtful I’ll hear anything from this until after the closing date, there was a post on their forum saying Entry Plus subs wouldn’t be going out till then so that people couldn’t revise their entry and get it back in.

I’m waiting on an email from Pill Hill Press for my submission to the last in the Monster Hunter trilogy anthology they are putting together. According to their forum they have read all stories submitted so far and acceptance/rejection emails are going out as we speak. One person has posted saying they’ve had their’s so its a waiting game now.

I submitted a short script – about 7 minutes – for the second season of Twisted Showcase. The first season is up on line with a great selection of weird, creepy and scary stories. Not sure when I’ll get any news on that but from Twitter I know they’ve filmed the first episode already and are still considering other submitted stories.

I’ve only just (yesterday) submitted a short story to 2000AD for a Judge Dredd competition. Only 2,000 words, short and sharp with blood and guts. Deadline is May 23rd so nit sure when will hear anything.

I’ve finished the polish on the stories I’ve collected together that I aim to self publish on Kindle. I’ve settled on three stories that cover horror and steampunk. I’m sending them out to a couple of readers next week and am at present working on a cover design.

That’s it, all up to date now. I’m now project free for the first time in ages, but I have begun research and note making for a planned novel set in the same universe as one of the stories in my anthology. Its early stages at present so doubt I’ll even have the first draft ready until later in the year.

 

Tales From Beyond The Event Horizon – WIP

For the past couple of months I’ve been assembling a collection of my short stories and re-reading them. As I’ve gone through I’ve been selecting stories to be included in an anthology I’m planning on self publishing on Kindle. Initially I had a couple of dozen stories, all un-published and some rejected submissions. To date I have whittled that total down to ten and then down to five. I know have the four that I intend to include selected and have been giving each a re-read and edit.

As of last night I have two stories edited, polished and prepared. The anthology will be a mix of genres. I’ve already opened an account on Amazon for the Kindle self-publish, and already registered the title.

I feel now the time is right to begin to get the anthology “out there”. I’ve tweeted about it several times, but as I plan on getting the rest of the stories edited and ready so I can publish early in the summer, I think I should begin now a heavier push to get it noticed. The plan is from now until publication date – I’m looking at June – I’ll post regular blogs about the progress.

For now all I’ll give you is the titles of the first two stories.

Pretty Maids All In A Row – has appeared on GeekPlanetOnline, but I have revised it and added to the overall length. It is a horror story seen through the eyes of a 14yr old boy.

Darkness Falls – was submitted to Pill Hill Press for the first book in their Monster Hunter trilogy. It is a monster horror pitting a local sheriff against an ancient horror.

The final two stories, one is a steampunk and the other an alternative history fantasy, but maybe more of them next time.

 

Tales From Beyond The Event Horizon, Pretty Maids All In A Row & Darkness Falls © Philip Norris 2012