All the strangers came today, and it looks as though they're here to stay

Progress has occurred. I've finished a rough (oh God, so very rough) draft on the proposal for my (half-conceived, barely begun) YA project (which will have to remain on the back burner for a bit) … so there's that, and I'm glad. I hate writing proposals, but sometimes they're very helpful – they force me to concentrate on the awesome bits, and make a case for my story as I struggle to put it together in my head.

So I'm glad this proposal is whole, even if it's total crap at present. Now the idea can simmer, and I can approach it with more decisiveness and confidence later. Or that's the plan, anyway.

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And here's today's progress on my fifth Clockwork Century novel – a book about teenage juvenile delinquents, hypothetical ghosts, ex-Confederate spies-turned-Pinkerton agents, and gangland mayhem within the walled city of Seattle … now with Bonus! zombie Sasquatch and the return of everyone's favorite elderly cross-dressing Native American princess:



Project: Inexplicables

Deadline: September 15, 2011

New words written: 3068 (respectable)

Present total word count: 13,548 words

Things accomplished in real life: Once again ran errands on foot; went to the bank, deposited some foreign rights money and started separate savings account to stash quarterly tax money; filed some paperwork; made a lunch date with a friend; did a bit of housework, but not really enough; wrapped up a day-job project; exchanged some important emails; negotiated a couple of interviews/appearances; noticed that Ziggy has begun blowing bubbles (nesting behavior) so he's probably pretty happy with the new accommodations.

Things accomplished in fiction: Poor little druggie unravels at length, sees ghosts, hears things, finds a great stash of stuff to steal.

Next up: Still haven't gotten to the "fall down and go boom" part. Realized I needed a few bits of interstitial connective tissue first. But I'm getting to it next, I assure you.

Total word count for 2011: (Leaving out the YA proposal's count) – 16,616 words

[Crossposted from my website. If you'd like to comment, you can do so either here or there.]