It's been two weeks. I'm so bad at keeping you all updated.
I've written all of... Wait for it... 50 words in the last two weeks.
I've been distracted. Thinking about doing some freelance writing on the side. Thinking of doing a lot of things on the side.
In the end I did none of it, mostly because D asked me why I felt the need to spread myself so thin that nothing would get finished. And the answer to that is, I have no idea.
Maybe it's a subconscious thing. Maybe I don't want to finish anything. Or maybe I have such a curious mind I latch on to new ideas and delve as deep as I can into them given a short amount of time. What ever the reason, I come up with crazy schemes or ideas a lot.
So what now? Well, I get the keys to my very first home in exactly 7 days, 3 hours, and 45 minutes, so I'm not thinking about anything else for a while. We have to renovate the bathroom before we can move in so that will be stressful. And when I do have some down time, I will work on my No-Plot Project and that's it. I really should stop getting so distracted, it makes life very complicated.
Anyway, that's the last two weeks of my life. I hope you are having a simpler time.
Cheers,
Tina
Showing posts with label Science Fiction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Science Fiction. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Positive Attitude
OK well I don't have much of an update for you.
I haven't written in the last week. D and I have been spending some time "discussing" how we want the bathroom in our new house to look like (we have to completely renovate it before we move in). That and trying to buy a new used car seems to have taken up most of my time.
Still, I feel optimistic about the coming week. It's another short week for me (the joys of working for government) but I think I can get a lot done.
It's all about being positive. A positive attitude attracts positive energy, or so I'm told.
So... I hope you have a positive week too.
Tina
I haven't written in the last week. D and I have been spending some time "discussing" how we want the bathroom in our new house to look like (we have to completely renovate it before we move in). That and trying to buy a new used car seems to have taken up most of my time.
Still, I feel optimistic about the coming week. It's another short week for me (the joys of working for government) but I think I can get a lot done.
It's all about being positive. A positive attitude attracts positive energy, or so I'm told.
So... I hope you have a positive week too.
Tina
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
The Ides of March
It's been two weeks since I last wrote. A lot has happened.
As you know from the last post, we bought a house. Last week we finalized the purchase after the home inspection (which was nerve wracking).
The other thing is work (day job) related. Alberta held a general election which resulted in a cabinet shuffle and a new break down of the ministries. Boring stuff to you outside folk, right? Well to us who have to work inside, it's cause for confusion. The end result being that my unit is being moved to another ministry. Joyful Stress!
So why the blog post title? Well the Ides of March is the Roman term for the 15th of March (or thereabouts since it was according to the Roman calendar). The house purchase was finalized on the 13th, the confirmation of our ministry move was on March14th, and...
Word Count:
Saturday (March 15) - 1,496 words on Ice Debt (in 2 1/2 hours)
Ice Debt is coming along really good. I'm really enjoying not having to follow a previously developed plot line. It's taking longer than I thought it would, if only because I'm not writing as much as I should, but I like what's coming together. I broke the 10,000 word barrier, which means a lot for someone who has a hard time getting past chapter 2 or 3 (I'm on chapter 4).
All in all, the Ides of March or the middle of March has been good to me. It's thrown a lot of changes my way, but they say that this time of year is good for that.
Maybe I should aim for next years Ides of March to try and get my novel published. It's always worth a shot, right?
I hope the winter months haven't been too hard on you, but you can be glad they're over. Tomorrow is the first day of Spring.
Tina
As you know from the last post, we bought a house. Last week we finalized the purchase after the home inspection (which was nerve wracking).
The other thing is work (day job) related. Alberta held a general election which resulted in a cabinet shuffle and a new break down of the ministries. Boring stuff to you outside folk, right? Well to us who have to work inside, it's cause for confusion. The end result being that my unit is being moved to another ministry. Joyful Stress!
So why the blog post title? Well the Ides of March is the Roman term for the 15th of March (or thereabouts since it was according to the Roman calendar). The house purchase was finalized on the 13th, the confirmation of our ministry move was on March14th, and...
Word Count:
Saturday (March 15) - 1,496 words on Ice Debt (in 2 1/2 hours)
Ice Debt is coming along really good. I'm really enjoying not having to follow a previously developed plot line. It's taking longer than I thought it would, if only because I'm not writing as much as I should, but I like what's coming together. I broke the 10,000 word barrier, which means a lot for someone who has a hard time getting past chapter 2 or 3 (I'm on chapter 4).
All in all, the Ides of March or the middle of March has been good to me. It's thrown a lot of changes my way, but they say that this time of year is good for that.
Maybe I should aim for next years Ides of March to try and get my novel published. It's always worth a shot, right?
I hope the winter months haven't been too hard on you, but you can be glad they're over. Tomorrow is the first day of Spring.
Tina
Wednesday, March 05, 2008
Bought a House
Well it's done.
We finally found a house... here's the funny thing, it's the same house that I talked about in the last two posts.
Turns out they were tired of having to wait on the market for so long. Their realtor called ours and said they'd be willing to take our last counter offer. $15,000 under the original asking price (they reduced the price twice since we walked away).
It's still the best house we've seen with the cheapest price tag. So of course we jumped on the opportunity.
Last night we put in a formal offer, and they accepted (minus one small date change we were willing to accept). Now comes the Home Inspection, getting the Finances and getting Possession of the home on April 15th. That's only 5 weeks away. Wow.
I'm still not as excited as I think I should be. Perhaps it will all sink in when the Mortgage comes through and I actually have to pay for the house. :)
As for my writing, well you could say that it's suffered. The Week of February 18 -24 I wrote no words. Last week (February 25 - March 2) had the following:
Word Count:
Wednesday - 1,108 words on Ice Debt
This week I give no guarantees on my productivity, at least not until the final conditions come off the home offer (March 13). After that, I should finally be able to get back into writing.
Hope you have a great day, and for you writers out there... Have a Fantastic Writing Day!
Tina
We finally found a house... here's the funny thing, it's the same house that I talked about in the last two posts.
Turns out they were tired of having to wait on the market for so long. Their realtor called ours and said they'd be willing to take our last counter offer. $15,000 under the original asking price (they reduced the price twice since we walked away).
It's still the best house we've seen with the cheapest price tag. So of course we jumped on the opportunity.
Last night we put in a formal offer, and they accepted (minus one small date change we were willing to accept). Now comes the Home Inspection, getting the Finances and getting Possession of the home on April 15th. That's only 5 weeks away. Wow.
I'm still not as excited as I think I should be. Perhaps it will all sink in when the Mortgage comes through and I actually have to pay for the house. :)
As for my writing, well you could say that it's suffered. The Week of February 18 -24 I wrote no words. Last week (February 25 - March 2) had the following:
Word Count:
Wednesday - 1,108 words on Ice Debt
This week I give no guarantees on my productivity, at least not until the final conditions come off the home offer (March 13). After that, I should finally be able to get back into writing.
Hope you have a great day, and for you writers out there... Have a Fantastic Writing Day!
Tina
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Buying a House
Remember how last week I said that D and I were looking at houses again? Well we found one... and we are putting an offer on it tonight.
We spent the majority of the last week looking at homes. Thursday we met with a realtor to help us see inside the homes we've been interested in. Saturday we viewed 5 homes and on Sunday we drove by some more homes on our own. Monday (Family Day in Alberta) we viewed 2 more homes and found the one we're putting an offer on.
Seems a bit fast, even for me, but I think it's the right thing to do. It has everything we wanted in it (except that it's not a semi-bungalow but that wasn't really on the list... it was more my secret wish). It has a huge backyard which will be great for dogs, and it has an unfinished basement that we can develop into more living space. It also has a small room I can turn into an actual writing office, which is awesome. After looking for a couple months last year during peak times and almost a month this year, D and I have seen well over 30 properties. While it still needs some work, this is the best home we've seen.
Now that I've let you all know what's new in my world I will give you the pathetic word count for the week (remember, I was looking for a home):
Word Count (Feb 11th - Feb 18th)
Wednesday - 760 words on Ice Debt
Hope you all have a fantastic writing day. I will keep you posted as things develop.
Cheers,
Tina
We spent the majority of the last week looking at homes. Thursday we met with a realtor to help us see inside the homes we've been interested in. Saturday we viewed 5 homes and on Sunday we drove by some more homes on our own. Monday (Family Day in Alberta) we viewed 2 more homes and found the one we're putting an offer on.
Seems a bit fast, even for me, but I think it's the right thing to do. It has everything we wanted in it (except that it's not a semi-bungalow but that wasn't really on the list... it was more my secret wish). It has a huge backyard which will be great for dogs, and it has an unfinished basement that we can develop into more living space. It also has a small room I can turn into an actual writing office, which is awesome. After looking for a couple months last year during peak times and almost a month this year, D and I have seen well over 30 properties. While it still needs some work, this is the best home we've seen.
Now that I've let you all know what's new in my world I will give you the pathetic word count for the week (remember, I was looking for a home):
Word Count (Feb 11th - Feb 18th)
Wednesday - 760 words on Ice Debt
Hope you all have a fantastic writing day. I will keep you posted as things develop.
Cheers,
Tina
Monday, February 11, 2008
Feb 4 -10 Word Count
If last week was a write off... this week is abysmal....
Word Count:
Wednesday - 641 words on a new short story
That's it. I didn't work on Ice Debt (my No-Plot-Project). I didn't do much of anything really.
It's all because we are starting to look at houses again. The market in Edmonton seems to have slowed down a bit in the last couple of months. Enough at least to have a few more homes in our price range. I'll keep you posted if anything interesting happens.
One last update; I am registered to attend the World Fantasy Convention 2008, which is coming to Calgary Alberta from October 30 - November 2. I'm really excited. If you're interested in going you should book your hotel room soon. When we (my writing friend Rox and I) booked last week, Wednesday was already booked up.
That's all I've got right now. Hope you had a fantastic writing week.
Tina
Word Count:
Wednesday - 641 words on a new short story
That's it. I didn't work on Ice Debt (my No-Plot-Project). I didn't do much of anything really.
It's all because we are starting to look at houses again. The market in Edmonton seems to have slowed down a bit in the last couple of months. Enough at least to have a few more homes in our price range. I'll keep you posted if anything interesting happens.
One last update; I am registered to attend the World Fantasy Convention 2008, which is coming to Calgary Alberta from October 30 - November 2. I'm really excited. If you're interested in going you should book your hotel room soon. When we (my writing friend Rox and I) booked last week, Wednesday was already booked up.
That's all I've got right now. Hope you had a fantastic writing week.
Tina
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
Jan 28- Feb 3 Word Count
This past week was almost a write off in regards to writing.
Word Count:
Tuesday - 1,062 words on a new short story
Wednesday - 680 words on Ice Debt
I was sick on Monday and Tuesday again. I guess I hadn't healed completely from the week before.
Thursday and Friday were stressful days at work. By the time I go home all I wanted to do was relax. And over the weekend, D and I spent our time looking at houses again (and hanging out with friends).
Still... having said all of that, I started writing Chapter three on Wednesday. Not bad for a month's work on this no-plot-project.
Looks like my 'day job' work will calm down this week, so I should be able to get in some good writing days.
Hope you're having a good one,
Tina
Word Count:
Tuesday - 1,062 words on a new short story
Wednesday - 680 words on Ice Debt
I was sick on Monday and Tuesday again. I guess I hadn't healed completely from the week before.
Thursday and Friday were stressful days at work. By the time I go home all I wanted to do was relax. And over the weekend, D and I spent our time looking at houses again (and hanging out with friends).
Still... having said all of that, I started writing Chapter three on Wednesday. Not bad for a month's work on this no-plot-project.
Looks like my 'day job' work will calm down this week, so I should be able to get in some good writing days.
Hope you're having a good one,
Tina
Monday, January 28, 2008
Jan 24-27 Word Count
Well, this will be short. Just an update on how many words I've written since Wednesday.
Word Count:
Saturday - 902 words
I didn't write on Thursday like I thought I would, but I still got three weekdays and one weekend in. I also finished Chapter 2 of my No-Plot-Project, so things are going pretty good.
It's a little confusing for me to update you on my word counts whenever I feel like writing an entry, so I think I'll only update you on word counts on Mondays. That way it's easier for me to keep track of my writing (hence the new title format).
Hope you are having a good writing day on this chilly (more like freezing) Monday.
Tina
Word Count:
Saturday - 902 words
I didn't write on Thursday like I thought I would, but I still got three weekdays and one weekend in. I also finished Chapter 2 of my No-Plot-Project, so things are going pretty good.
It's a little confusing for me to update you on my word counts whenever I feel like writing an entry, so I think I'll only update you on word counts on Mondays. That way it's easier for me to keep track of my writing (hence the new title format).
Hope you are having a good writing day on this chilly (more like freezing) Monday.
Tina
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Good Rejection from OnSpec
Yesterday was a Library day. Normally a very good day, and it was in more ways than one.
First off, let's get the word count out of the way....
Word Count:
Tuesday - 497 words (not bad for being sick)
Wednesday - 1,181 words
Yesterday was a very good day for writing, however I also got a rejection letter from OnSpec in the mail (I've had quite a few of those recently).
This one, however, was very good. No they didn't say that I was a fantastic writer but regrettably they could not publish my master piece (I'm not that delusional). They did, however, give me two lines of 'to-the-point' comments that really made me think. They asked me a question that showed me one of two things. 1) I had a serious flaw in my logic, or 2) I wasn't showing my audience what was really going on and so it came across like a had a major flaw in my logic.
Either way, I will have to go back into this story and take a good hard look at it. I am very grateful that they took a few moments out of their day to tell me what they really thought of my story. I don't think I'm very thick skinned, but I know that I need these comments to grow as a writer. Thus, the more comments I get the better writer I will become.
Thanks again to the OnSpec staff who wrote that comment.
Tonight I write some more on Ice Debt. Wow, four days in a row. Do you think I can do it?
Tina
First off, let's get the word count out of the way....
Word Count:
Tuesday - 497 words (not bad for being sick)
Wednesday - 1,181 words
Yesterday was a very good day for writing, however I also got a rejection letter from OnSpec in the mail (I've had quite a few of those recently).
This one, however, was very good. No they didn't say that I was a fantastic writer but regrettably they could not publish my master piece (I'm not that delusional). They did, however, give me two lines of 'to-the-point' comments that really made me think. They asked me a question that showed me one of two things. 1) I had a serious flaw in my logic, or 2) I wasn't showing my audience what was really going on and so it came across like a had a major flaw in my logic.
Either way, I will have to go back into this story and take a good hard look at it. I am very grateful that they took a few moments out of their day to tell me what they really thought of my story. I don't think I'm very thick skinned, but I know that I need these comments to grow as a writer. Thus, the more comments I get the better writer I will become.
Thanks again to the OnSpec staff who wrote that comment.
Tonight I write some more on Ice Debt. Wow, four days in a row. Do you think I can do it?
Tina
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Sick, But On Track
I think I've been keeping to my new schedule pretty good. I cheated a bit on Wednesday and Thursday, and I didn't write over the weekend (don't I get a break on my Birthday?), but I still think I'm doing good.
Word Count:
Wednesday - 25 words, then worked on layout and content for my writing website revamp
Thursday - More layout and content work
Monday - 851 words
At least I did something writing related on those days.
I'm home sick today, so I'll keep this short and sweet. Besides, my stomach hurts... stupid stomach flu.
I'll be trying to write this afternoon, but no guarantees. It's not a scheduled writing day and I'm sick, so we'll see.
Cheers,
Tina
PS: No time line yet on when the website revamp will be done, but I'll keep you posted.
Word Count:
Wednesday - 25 words, then worked on layout and content for my writing website revamp
Thursday - More layout and content work
Monday - 851 words
At least I did something writing related on those days.
I'm home sick today, so I'll keep this short and sweet. Besides, my stomach hurts... stupid stomach flu.
I'll be trying to write this afternoon, but no guarantees. It's not a scheduled writing day and I'm sick, so we'll see.
Cheers,
Tina
PS: No time line yet on when the website revamp will be done, but I'll keep you posted.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Mondays
Did I mention that I hate Mondays?
I know today is Tuesday, but I have news from yesterday.
Got home from work and there was a form rejection letter from Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine, waiting for me in the mail. I guess they didn't like "Broadcasting Live" (that's the short story that was once called "Pain and Blood"). This is its second rejection so I think I will have a few of my writer friends look at it and tell me what they think. I had a few people read through it before, but maybe it needs a little more work before I send it out a third time.
After reading the paper mail, I checked my email. There was a lovely email from the 3 Day Novel contest, announcing the winners. I wasn't one of them. I didn't even make the short list, or get an honorable mention. Oh well. I was thinking about turning my submission "Beloved Child" into a comic book script to see what happens. Now, I can go ahead and give it a try.
I had dinner after checking my emails, and then locked myself in my office (aka the spare bedroom) to write. It was one of my new writing days, so I tried to forget all the other stuff and just wrote.
Word Count:
Monday - 1,329 words
Not bad for 1.5 hours on a Monday night. It's actually really good.
Ok, so it wasn't the best Monday in the world but at least I got a good bit of writing done and I know what I'm going to do with the rejected stories that have come home.
Tuesday should be better.
Tina
I know today is Tuesday, but I have news from yesterday.
Got home from work and there was a form rejection letter from Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine, waiting for me in the mail. I guess they didn't like "Broadcasting Live" (that's the short story that was once called "Pain and Blood"). This is its second rejection so I think I will have a few of my writer friends look at it and tell me what they think. I had a few people read through it before, but maybe it needs a little more work before I send it out a third time.
After reading the paper mail, I checked my email. There was a lovely email from the 3 Day Novel contest, announcing the winners. I wasn't one of them. I didn't even make the short list, or get an honorable mention. Oh well. I was thinking about turning my submission "Beloved Child" into a comic book script to see what happens. Now, I can go ahead and give it a try.
I had dinner after checking my emails, and then locked myself in my office (aka the spare bedroom) to write. It was one of my new writing days, so I tried to forget all the other stuff and just wrote.
Word Count:
Monday - 1,329 words
Not bad for 1.5 hours on a Monday night. It's actually really good.
Ok, so it wasn't the best Monday in the world but at least I got a good bit of writing done and I know what I'm going to do with the rejected stories that have come home.
Tuesday should be better.
Tina
Monday, January 14, 2008
Schedule and Birthday
Monday! I hate Mondays!
This past week I started working on my No-Plot project. So far so good.
Word count:
Wednesday - 1,271 words
Thursday - 359 words
I didn't write on Saturday which was my intention but two out of three days isn't bad.
This week I'm aiming for the full four days; Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday. My new writing schedule. Here I go, wish me luck.
On a completely different (and probably irrelevant) note... my Birthday is this weekend. I'm looking forward to the dinner with family and friends, and of course the breakfast in bed. The gifts are fun and all, but I prefer the "make-me-feel-important" stuff.
Hey it only happens once a year, I deserve to enjoy it.
Cheers,
Tina
This past week I started working on my No-Plot project. So far so good.
Word count:
Wednesday - 1,271 words
Thursday - 359 words
I didn't write on Saturday which was my intention but two out of three days isn't bad.
This week I'm aiming for the full four days; Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday. My new writing schedule. Here I go, wish me luck.
On a completely different (and probably irrelevant) note... my Birthday is this weekend. I'm looking forward to the dinner with family and friends, and of course the breakfast in bed. The gifts are fun and all, but I prefer the "make-me-feel-important" stuff.
Hey it only happens once a year, I deserve to enjoy it.
Cheers,
Tina
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
Writing More?
Hey, I'm posting only 4 days apart. Woo-who! or should I say W00T, the word of year for 2007 (spelt with two zero's).
Things are good. I didn't write over the weekend like I was supposed to, but we took down our Christmas decorations and etc. I still have a little corner left to pack up, but that will probably happen tonight.
On Sunday, I spent a couple of hours in a major book store chain (I'm sure you know the one). I walked out with three books on writing as a career. Writing for the Internet, writing as a freelancer, and writing with no-plot (which I thought was the most appropriate considering the recent project I've assigned myself). I'm reading the no-plot book first since I want to get started on my "lets-see-what-happens-when-I-have-no-idea-what-my-story-is-but-I'm-going-to-write-it-anyway" project. I think it will be fun... mostly because I have little-to-no expectations (the ones I do have expect it to suck). So I have licence to waste my time writing something that is junk because it is just an experiment, and no one ever has to read it.
On a different note, I've been thinking about increasing my scheduled writing days. I've been writing every Wednesday since last year (it was a 2007 new year's resolution that I kept) which has helped me a lot. However, I think I need more. I'm going to try for one & a half hours of writing on 3 weekdays and maybe 3 hours on a weekend day. We'll see if that works for me. It's still only 7 and a half hours a week, but it's better than the 2 I'm putting in now.
Well that's all the update I have for you on this lovely Tuesday afternoon. I have a writing day set for tomorrow so we'll see if something new happens so I can update you again.
Cheers,
Tina
Things are good. I didn't write over the weekend like I was supposed to, but we took down our Christmas decorations and etc. I still have a little corner left to pack up, but that will probably happen tonight.
On Sunday, I spent a couple of hours in a major book store chain (I'm sure you know the one). I walked out with three books on writing as a career. Writing for the Internet, writing as a freelancer, and writing with no-plot (which I thought was the most appropriate considering the recent project I've assigned myself). I'm reading the no-plot book first since I want to get started on my "lets-see-what-happens-when-I-have-no-idea-what-my-story-is-but-I'm-going-to-write-it-anyway" project. I think it will be fun... mostly because I have little-to-no expectations (the ones I do have expect it to suck). So I have licence to waste my time writing something that is junk because it is just an experiment, and no one ever has to read it.
On a different note, I've been thinking about increasing my scheduled writing days. I've been writing every Wednesday since last year (it was a 2007 new year's resolution that I kept) which has helped me a lot. However, I think I need more. I'm going to try for one & a half hours of writing on 3 weekdays and maybe 3 hours on a weekend day. We'll see if that works for me. It's still only 7 and a half hours a week, but it's better than the 2 I'm putting in now.
Well that's all the update I have for you on this lovely Tuesday afternoon. I have a writing day set for tomorrow so we'll see if something new happens so I can update you again.
Cheers,
Tina
Friday, January 04, 2008
New Year, New Way of Thinking
I haven't written since October 2nd. Sorry to leave you all hanging.
The PureSpec conference was fun. Got to meet up with a publisher friend from Calgary again, and got to see a whole new side of the writing world. Comic books have made an impression on me.
I've basically stopped writing since the conference.... so that means I'm still only halfway through chapter two of my novel. I have still been meeting up with my friend Rox at the library to write, but I haven't been producing very much. Mostly, the reason has been stress at work. I had a break down in November and had to go home that day because I was so upset. The stress and political pressure got to me.
I never did contact my tutor about the change in direction. I will have to call and thank them all for helping me out for the last year. I bought the course three years ago and my 3 year extension runs out at the end of this month. I don't think getting my novel done in less than 30 days is going to work, and I'm done trying to force myself to do something. It has to come naturally.
December my support group held our 3rd annual Christmas dinner and didn't stop talking about books and writing until 1:30am. Our Publisher friend from Calgary came up to celebrate with us, and seemed to enjoy himself. It was a great night, but I don't know many people who could handle talking about writing all night long.
The Christmas season was busy, and now that it's the new year it's time to clean up the apartment and re-assess my life.
My job has gotten better since the break down. Some of the pressure has been taking off. I do like being able to say that I make a difference doing my job, but the stress level is something I will be monitoring closely. Also, my course is over. Even though I have a month left, there is no way I will be able to get anything done in time. I think it's time to say thank you and goodbye.
And what of my writing? Well, like I mentioned before comic books have made an impression on me, and I've had a couple people tell me that my writing would translate well into the form. I already have a completed story that I am converting into a graphic novel (non-serial comic book) script and I'm looking for an artist to help me make it real. I still don't know a lot about the industry but I've got my fingers crossed.
I also have to figure out how I write best. Thus far I've always planned out my stories in such detail that it should take nothing to finish them. Yet, I'm finding that the more the story is planned out, the more I get bored with it and it ends up getting pushed aside. My latest assignment for myself is to try and write something I only have a general idea of and see what happens. I don't know if this little project is a short story, novella, or a novel but I guess that's part of it, right?
I just really want to write again. I'm tired of having life get in the way of what I want to do. I told D last night that I was planning on writing on Saturday (something I haven't done in months) and he almost started clapping saying "Good, it's about time".
And it is about time. Time that I start believing in myself. Not that I'll get published or get famous because, while it would be great, that's not success for me. Success is have a story finished so that other people can read it, whatever the form. I just want to tell my stories. To get them out of my head, and maybe make people think about things a little different. Success is me being happy.
One last thing. It has been discussed, thought about and finally decided that C. M. Hunt is an old pen name that needs to be retired. So, I will be writing under my real name from now on. No more hiding behind a pen name. I write dark stories. I'm ok with that. It just means that I have a really interesting imagination, and I'm not ashamed to write under my own name anymore. I'll be changing my website soon to reflect the name change to Tina Hunter.
So.... Here's to 2008! Hopefully a year of Success!
Tina
The PureSpec conference was fun. Got to meet up with a publisher friend from Calgary again, and got to see a whole new side of the writing world. Comic books have made an impression on me.
I've basically stopped writing since the conference.... so that means I'm still only halfway through chapter two of my novel. I have still been meeting up with my friend Rox at the library to write, but I haven't been producing very much. Mostly, the reason has been stress at work. I had a break down in November and had to go home that day because I was so upset. The stress and political pressure got to me.
I never did contact my tutor about the change in direction. I will have to call and thank them all for helping me out for the last year. I bought the course three years ago and my 3 year extension runs out at the end of this month. I don't think getting my novel done in less than 30 days is going to work, and I'm done trying to force myself to do something. It has to come naturally.
December my support group held our 3rd annual Christmas dinner and didn't stop talking about books and writing until 1:30am. Our Publisher friend from Calgary came up to celebrate with us, and seemed to enjoy himself. It was a great night, but I don't know many people who could handle talking about writing all night long.
The Christmas season was busy, and now that it's the new year it's time to clean up the apartment and re-assess my life.
My job has gotten better since the break down. Some of the pressure has been taking off. I do like being able to say that I make a difference doing my job, but the stress level is something I will be monitoring closely. Also, my course is over. Even though I have a month left, there is no way I will be able to get anything done in time. I think it's time to say thank you and goodbye.
And what of my writing? Well, like I mentioned before comic books have made an impression on me, and I've had a couple people tell me that my writing would translate well into the form. I already have a completed story that I am converting into a graphic novel (non-serial comic book) script and I'm looking for an artist to help me make it real. I still don't know a lot about the industry but I've got my fingers crossed.
I also have to figure out how I write best. Thus far I've always planned out my stories in such detail that it should take nothing to finish them. Yet, I'm finding that the more the story is planned out, the more I get bored with it and it ends up getting pushed aside. My latest assignment for myself is to try and write something I only have a general idea of and see what happens. I don't know if this little project is a short story, novella, or a novel but I guess that's part of it, right?
I just really want to write again. I'm tired of having life get in the way of what I want to do. I told D last night that I was planning on writing on Saturday (something I haven't done in months) and he almost started clapping saying "Good, it's about time".
And it is about time. Time that I start believing in myself. Not that I'll get published or get famous because, while it would be great, that's not success for me. Success is have a story finished so that other people can read it, whatever the form. I just want to tell my stories. To get them out of my head, and maybe make people think about things a little different. Success is me being happy.
One last thing. It has been discussed, thought about and finally decided that C. M. Hunt is an old pen name that needs to be retired. So, I will be writing under my real name from now on. No more hiding behind a pen name. I write dark stories. I'm ok with that. It just means that I have a really interesting imagination, and I'm not ashamed to write under my own name anymore. I'll be changing my website soon to reflect the name change to Tina Hunter.
So.... Here's to 2008! Hopefully a year of Success!
Tina
Thursday, September 13, 2007
A 30 day novel?
I have exactly 30 days... from today until the October conference, Pure-SPEC.
What am I going to do with those 30 days? Well, I'm going to try and write my novel.
I'm sure you've heard of NaNoWriMo (you write a novel during the month of November), and several of my writing friends are thinking of signing up for it. I really wanted to, but I wasn't sure if I should wait until then to start the novel I'm working on now, or start now and work on something else for November.
(Side note: I finished my outline for LLR last night, and I'm ready to go.)
So, I've decided to give writing a novel in a month a try... right now. While NaNoWriMo has you aim for only 50,000 words, I'm aiming for 100,000. Is it possible? Of course it is. Will it be hard? You bet. If I don't finish in exactly 30 days its not that big of a deal, but getting 90% of it done is where I'd like to be as a minimum.
I just feel the need to finish something big. Yes, I've done short stories, and even a novella for the 3-day novel contest... but I want to say, "I've written a Novel." I'll worry about it getting published later, right now I just want to have something I could even submit.
So here I go. I wrote the first 50 words last night, just to get a feel for it, and now I'm jumping in. Day One, Chapter One, let's start this word count going.
C
What am I going to do with those 30 days? Well, I'm going to try and write my novel.
I'm sure you've heard of NaNoWriMo (you write a novel during the month of November), and several of my writing friends are thinking of signing up for it. I really wanted to, but I wasn't sure if I should wait until then to start the novel I'm working on now, or start now and work on something else for November.
(Side note: I finished my outline for LLR last night, and I'm ready to go.)
So, I've decided to give writing a novel in a month a try... right now. While NaNoWriMo has you aim for only 50,000 words, I'm aiming for 100,000. Is it possible? Of course it is. Will it be hard? You bet. If I don't finish in exactly 30 days its not that big of a deal, but getting 90% of it done is where I'd like to be as a minimum.
I just feel the need to finish something big. Yes, I've done short stories, and even a novella for the 3-day novel contest... but I want to say, "I've written a Novel." I'll worry about it getting published later, right now I just want to have something I could even submit.
So here I go. I wrote the first 50 words last night, just to get a feel for it, and now I'm jumping in. Day One, Chapter One, let's start this word count going.
C
Monday, August 27, 2007
3-Day Count Down
5 more sleeps until it's time to play the 'lets-write-a-novel-in-3-days' game.
I'm excited... and nervous... and wondering what I was thinking when I signed up for this, but I'll be fine. This is a great experience, and have a great idea, and all I have to do now is sit down and write.
So way does it seem so hard?
Update: In the past week, I have created an entire species history for the Vinlue (my alien race in 'White Cats and Suicide'). I have also plotted out the first 7 chapters of 'Love Light Rising', but the rest of it will have to wait until after the weekend. For the rest of this week, I plan on plotting out my 3-day fantasy novel idea 'Beloved Child', and preparing for the 3-day. Busy, Busy, Busy.
On a side note, check out this website http://live.zeros2heroes.com/. This Canadian site lets people vote on comic book ideas that they would like to see developed. I'm not normally a comic book fan, but this looks like a pretty cool interactive site.
Have a great writing day,
C
I'm excited... and nervous... and wondering what I was thinking when I signed up for this, but I'll be fine. This is a great experience, and have a great idea, and all I have to do now is sit down and write.
So way does it seem so hard?
Update: In the past week, I have created an entire species history for the Vinlue (my alien race in 'White Cats and Suicide'). I have also plotted out the first 7 chapters of 'Love Light Rising', but the rest of it will have to wait until after the weekend. For the rest of this week, I plan on plotting out my 3-day fantasy novel idea 'Beloved Child', and preparing for the 3-day. Busy, Busy, Busy.
On a side note, check out this website http://live.zeros2heroes.com/. This Canadian site lets people vote on comic book ideas that they would like to see developed. I'm not normally a comic book fan, but this looks like a pretty cool interactive site.
Have a great writing day,
C
Monday, August 20, 2007
Con-Version 23
OK. Here is my attempt at explaining what happened this weekend.
Friday, we (two members of my writing support group, Eileen and Billie, and myself) arrived in Calgary around 2pm. We settled in and went down to registered around 4pm. There wasn't a lot of people around yet, but I guess not a lot of people show up on the Friday.
The opening ceremonies were at 7pm, and we got to meet all the guests of honor. Brian Hades from EDGE announced that they were merging with Dragon Moon books. We were the first ones to hear the news.
After the ceremonies we went to the dealers room to see who was selling what. Brian Hades was there with his team (Janice and Justyn from Marketing, and his lovely wife Anita) and our picture was taken with them for the EDGE newsletter. Eileen, Billie and myself hung around and chatted with them for a while. What amazing people. Really good natured and open. Brian and I chatted about my work and about the fact that I'm new at all of this.
There was a musical at 8pm that was hilarious. It was a mixture of Phantom of the opera and Star Trek, in a completely original script. It was lots of fun. After that, we three headed for our room. We spent a good portion of the night brain storming, and went to bed around midnight.
Saturday, we headed down to the hotel restaurant for breakfast. Thinking we had more than enough time to eat (it was 9am and the first panel was at 10) we ordered breakfast. We didn't get it until 9:45am. We were a little pissed off to say the least, but we weren't going to let it ruin the day.
The panels I went to were; Current Trends in SF&F for Kids and Teens, Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy, Introducing EDGE, When Biology Goes Bad, and Historical European Martial Arts. Eileen and Billie when to a few different panels but it was mostly the same ones.
We went for dinner at Tony Roma's with a large group of people from the Con. Eileen knew a few of them from a workshop she had just gone to in Calgary a few days before. The service was much better then at breakfast.
Eileen and I tried to go to the dance that night but it just wasn't our thing. We did end up hanging out in the Con-Suite for a few hours talking to the Biologist from the "When Biology Goes Bad" panel, Bill (William) Gibson. We talked a lot about my novella 'White Cats and Suicide', and he gave me some phenomenal advice. Eileen talked with a gamer who helped her with the world building in her novel 'Virago'. Another late night but some awesome ideas were had by all.
Sunday, there was a brunch provided, and the three of us sat at a table with Brian Hades and team (Janice and Justyn) and Bill Gibson. What a brunch! Ideas and discussions bouncing around the table for an hour and half. But we had to leave and go clean out the room. We checked out and made it to our last two panels; Unconventional Religion and SF, and Alternative Archaeology.
Last but not least was the Blue Pencil Cafe. It was pre-registered 10 minute one-on-one sessions with Brian Hades. It was amazing. He answered all my questions and offered career advice. If you ever get to meet the man, I highly suggest you do. He told me to keep in touch and I planned to.
We didn't leave right after that like we had planned. We actually hung out in the lounge with Justyn for an hour, talking about un-writing-related topics. When we finally left, it was with carry over excitement about our writing.
I did keep in touch with Brian Hades, I emailed him this morning offering to be a volunteer reader for the EDGE (and now Dragon Moon) slush pile. It's a really good opportunity, and he was all for it. I'll get my first package in the mail sometime soon. How exciting. I'm also in touch with Bill Gibson, the genetic biologist from the University of BC. He has fantastic ideas, and really knows how to keep a story real, even if it's science fiction.
Life is good. I'll chat with you soon.
C
Friday, we (two members of my writing support group, Eileen and Billie, and myself) arrived in Calgary around 2pm. We settled in and went down to registered around 4pm. There wasn't a lot of people around yet, but I guess not a lot of people show up on the Friday.
The opening ceremonies were at 7pm, and we got to meet all the guests of honor. Brian Hades from EDGE announced that they were merging with Dragon Moon books. We were the first ones to hear the news.
After the ceremonies we went to the dealers room to see who was selling what. Brian Hades was there with his team (Janice and Justyn from Marketing, and his lovely wife Anita) and our picture was taken with them for the EDGE newsletter. Eileen, Billie and myself hung around and chatted with them for a while. What amazing people. Really good natured and open. Brian and I chatted about my work and about the fact that I'm new at all of this.
There was a musical at 8pm that was hilarious. It was a mixture of Phantom of the opera and Star Trek, in a completely original script. It was lots of fun. After that, we three headed for our room. We spent a good portion of the night brain storming, and went to bed around midnight.
Saturday, we headed down to the hotel restaurant for breakfast. Thinking we had more than enough time to eat (it was 9am and the first panel was at 10) we ordered breakfast. We didn't get it until 9:45am. We were a little pissed off to say the least, but we weren't going to let it ruin the day.
The panels I went to were; Current Trends in SF&F for Kids and Teens, Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy, Introducing EDGE, When Biology Goes Bad, and Historical European Martial Arts. Eileen and Billie when to a few different panels but it was mostly the same ones.
We went for dinner at Tony Roma's with a large group of people from the Con. Eileen knew a few of them from a workshop she had just gone to in Calgary a few days before. The service was much better then at breakfast.
Eileen and I tried to go to the dance that night but it just wasn't our thing. We did end up hanging out in the Con-Suite for a few hours talking to the Biologist from the "When Biology Goes Bad" panel, Bill (William) Gibson. We talked a lot about my novella 'White Cats and Suicide', and he gave me some phenomenal advice. Eileen talked with a gamer who helped her with the world building in her novel 'Virago'. Another late night but some awesome ideas were had by all.
Sunday, there was a brunch provided, and the three of us sat at a table with Brian Hades and team (Janice and Justyn) and Bill Gibson. What a brunch! Ideas and discussions bouncing around the table for an hour and half. But we had to leave and go clean out the room. We checked out and made it to our last two panels; Unconventional Religion and SF, and Alternative Archaeology.
Last but not least was the Blue Pencil Cafe. It was pre-registered 10 minute one-on-one sessions with Brian Hades. It was amazing. He answered all my questions and offered career advice. If you ever get to meet the man, I highly suggest you do. He told me to keep in touch and I planned to.
We didn't leave right after that like we had planned. We actually hung out in the lounge with Justyn for an hour, talking about un-writing-related topics. When we finally left, it was with carry over excitement about our writing.
I did keep in touch with Brian Hades, I emailed him this morning offering to be a volunteer reader for the EDGE (and now Dragon Moon) slush pile. It's a really good opportunity, and he was all for it. I'll get my first package in the mail sometime soon. How exciting. I'm also in touch with Bill Gibson, the genetic biologist from the University of BC. He has fantastic ideas, and really knows how to keep a story real, even if it's science fiction.
Life is good. I'll chat with you soon.
C
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Week Wrap Up
What a week...
I am officially taking part in the 3-Day Novel Contest. I sent in my registration today.
I also finished editing my short story "Pain and Blood", and I'm just waiting on US stamps to send it out to Analog Magazine.
And... I leave tomorrow to go the the Fantasy and Science Fiction Conference "Con-Version".
"What was that? It just went speeding by?"
"That's just C M Hunt, the author. She's flying."
C
I am officially taking part in the 3-Day Novel Contest. I sent in my registration today.
I also finished editing my short story "Pain and Blood", and I'm just waiting on US stamps to send it out to Analog Magazine.
And... I leave tomorrow to go the the Fantasy and Science Fiction Conference "Con-Version".
"What was that? It just went speeding by?"
"That's just C M Hunt, the author. She's flying."
C
Monday, August 13, 2007
My 1st Rejection
Well it finally happened.
Today, it is with great pleasure that I share with you the contents of my very first rejection letter from the Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. It is a standard "thanks but no thanks letter". Not good, but not bad either.
"Dear Ms. Hunter: Thank you for submitting "Freedom Fire," but I'm going to pass on it. This tale didn't grab my interest, I'm afraid. Good luck to you with this one, and thanks again for sending it our way."
I am proud of this letter because it proves that I have jumped into the game, and that I'm ready to play. The best and only way to fight 'Rejection', is to hit it right back with 'Persistence'. Therefore, it's time to file this letter away and send Freedom Fire on to it's next possible home, ON SPEC.
(And as an FYI, I am sending out Pain and Blood, my second short story, to Analog Magazine on Wednesday.)
As a side note: The Science Fiction and Fantasy Conference is on Friday. I'm getting excited. Looks like there will be time to write while I'm there, as well as before and after the conference. There also seems to be lots of interesting sessions taking place. Right now I want to go to all of them, but I'm sure that once I'm there it'll be easier to pick and choose (I hope). I'll let you know how it goes.
Have a good one,
C
Today, it is with great pleasure that I share with you the contents of my very first rejection letter from the Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. It is a standard "thanks but no thanks letter". Not good, but not bad either.
"Dear Ms. Hunter: Thank you for submitting "Freedom Fire," but I'm going to pass on it. This tale didn't grab my interest, I'm afraid. Good luck to you with this one, and thanks again for sending it our way."
I am proud of this letter because it proves that I have jumped into the game, and that I'm ready to play. The best and only way to fight 'Rejection', is to hit it right back with 'Persistence'. Therefore, it's time to file this letter away and send Freedom Fire on to it's next possible home, ON SPEC.
(And as an FYI, I am sending out Pain and Blood, my second short story, to Analog Magazine on Wednesday.)
As a side note: The Science Fiction and Fantasy Conference is on Friday. I'm getting excited. Looks like there will be time to write while I'm there, as well as before and after the conference. There also seems to be lots of interesting sessions taking place. Right now I want to go to all of them, but I'm sure that once I'm there it'll be easier to pick and choose (I hope). I'll let you know how it goes.
Have a good one,
C
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)