Writers of CS: Whatcha Doin'?

[AnaKhouri]

Writers of CS, what are you working on right now?

I have a plateful slated for 2014. I await a couple more sets of comments on my latest novel (a YA Japanese-inspired fantasy), so I can begin final revisions on it before I choose the first market for my submission. In addition I am writing a sequel to my novella “Hour of the Lotus”- which is going to be about twice as long as the original!- and hope to get that completed (revisions and all) by April.

I have not one, not two, but three long pieces I began at various times and abandoned. I still feel that they all have potential and hope to complete them (they will all end up being novellas, I think) by the end of the year. One is a weird Western about a Chinese railroad worker who fights vampires with kung fu; one is another Japanese-inspired fantasy (based on an old contest prompt about an m/m story about a prisoner and one of their captors- obviously this story wasn't ready in time for the contest, but I still think it's a solid tale), and the last is a prequel to “Hour of the Lotus”.

The sequel to my latest novel has also been slowly piecing itself together in my head, and I hope to have it at least begun by the end of 2014.

I've also been playing with writing a retelling of the folktale “Onibaba”. That was one I'd actually been contemplating years ago, but I got pregnant and after that it took many years for me to be able to think of writing a story that involves such gruesome violence against children. I think I might be finally able to face it- and I'd better hurry as we're currently trying to get pregnant with #2!

Ambitious for me, since I'm a slow-ass writer (I have to write longhand and transcribe later; I can't type directly into a computer, my brain shuts down looking at a screen).

[MoonCat]

Revising what I wrote for Nano. It ended up at just under 79K words, which isn't really long enough for a full novel. I can see several areas that need to be fleshed out, which should get me to 85-90K, long enough for space opera. Then I need to make a decision: Do I concentrate on the space opera stuff, which for some reason I can write crazy-fast, or do I explore the fantasy idea that's been simmering on the back burner? If I go with space opera, I have to go "back in time" a bit, because this last thing was the end of the story arc, and the beginning needs to be rewritten.

I have so many ideas and partially-written things. I have to decide what to focus on this year.

[Kaylyn]

I'm editing my NaNo from 2011 and having a few people read it that I know. When I'm ready for more hardcore editing and criticism (at least after this draft is finished, and maybe after another draft or two after that) I'll see if some of the more critically-minded people on here want to pitch in.

[KatherineB]

Now that my PhD is finally done, I'm looking at whipping the creative part of that into shape so I can start shopping it around publishers. I have my first non-fiction book, for which I already have a tentative contract, which I really need to do masses more research on. And I have a few fan fics that are started but which really are (IMO) good enough that they deserve to be finished before Easter.

[Kara]

As far as my creative endeavors, I'm still sitting around wishing I could get past my crippling writer's block so I could either polish the things I've already written or start on any of the numerous ideas I've had bouncing around in my head forever. I haven't been able to do more than stare at a blank page (or Word document) until I want to break down crying since 2006.

[Jester]

I may have two new gigs coming up, both of them paid, both of them not paying much.

One is doing a regular blog for my bar.

The other is writing periodic pieces for an alcohol website.

I'm especially hoping the second one pans out, as it may mean more paid online writing gigs, which could mean I could stop looking for a second job and just focus on that. And that would not only make me happy, it would make my mother happy, as she has been harping on me for years that I should put my writing talent to better use.

[Mishi]

At the moment, I'm blogging when I have the time and energy. Every time that I've tried to write stuff I've ended up deleting it due to shyness, so I'm trying to desensitise myself in preparation for when I have the chance to write fiction.

[Kheldarson]

I'm trying to finish my novel. It went through another plot revision and now I can't seem to find the time or energy to write it.

Anybody got suggestions for balancing a night job, contract day job, baby, and writing? While getting sleep?

[Stormraven]

I'm working on my second Jude Derry story, and I have two or three other stories in the pipeline.

[Antisocial_Worker]

Writers of CS, what are you working on right now?

You know what I'm up to... same old, same old, at the same old molasses in January in Siberia speed. The only new things to report are that I'm in a creative writing class led by the Supreme Lord Hippie, and am now forced to write poems about nothing in particular. I joined the class in hopes that I would learn ways to make ideas come faster and more steadily, but no dice yet. His only advice so far is to sit in an empty room, and forget about getting details right -- either of which would drive me insane. I remember spending half an hour researching because I wanted to use the right term for a character worrying about being sealed alive in either asphalt or macadam -- what would they be using in 1903? Turned out to be macadam, and all was well. I know, though, that had I not been able to get that detail right, it would have kept biting and slobbering until I pried it off and tended to it. That's how it is when a detail or a fact comes up. It must right and it must be right from the beginning.

[AnaKhouri]

I took several CW classes in college; my favorite was taught by a regionally famous author. He was this old man who had these eyebrows...they were like huge white caterpillars. He always had us meet in diners and coffee shops because he didn't like the classrooms. I made sure never to sit across from him in case his eyebrows leaped off his face and tried to attack me.

He passed away a few years ago; it was very sad. He was a cool old guy.

[Jay 2K Winger]

In terms of writing, I alas have not been up to a whole lot.

Well, I mean apart from running that Firefly-verse RP here on the forums.

And participating in a Dresden Files RPG game on another forum. (Centering on mortals living in 1984 New Orleans)

I started a wrestling blog My Cent-and-a-Half on NXT (Why a cent and a half? Because my opinion's not worth much.) which I update about once a week.

I've stalled on writing the follow up to my NaNo from a couple years ago, "Star Force One: Origins." I have an outline for "Star Force One: Synchronization" typed out, but I haven't written much on it since then. :/

[Argabarga]

Still fleshing out my little story.

I'm up to 38 pages, but that's really small font with no spacing.

It's crime fiction with as much grounded in reality as I can manage, with a focus on whacky but believable characters based on those I've known growing up around here.

Got a lot of inspiration from Carl Hiaasen, if that helps you imagine it.

Body count is already at 2, with a minimum of 3 needed to make the story work and the possibility of more, if you're the kind that likes it when the antagonists start piling up like chordwood near the end... :P

[Kara]

In terms of writing, I alas have not been up to a whole lot.

Well, I mean apart from running that Firefly-verse RP here on the forums.

I thought about joining that, but I have discovered I'm like, a black widow of forum RP's. Not just here, but every single forum RP I've ever gotten involved in. If it's just getting started, it barely gets off the ground; if it's been going awhile and I join, it fizzles out shortly after.

I wonder if the D&D IRC game I used to be in is still running. That was able to withstand my RP touch of death :P

[dalesys]

... piling up like chordwood ...

Oh, I see. A musical.