What are you working on at the moment?

[[deleted user]]

Still working on my upcoming novel, which I've chronicled in this thread. I'm now into my sixth editing run-through, so maybe I've become an editing junkie. This time around I'm finding virtually no typos, only a rare awkward sentence, and no more plot holes. As much as I want to keep improving it, I think that when I finish this time, it's time to let it go. That is, if I ever want to publish the thing.

[Jennifer]

I'm working on my web serial Making Fate (makingfate.jenniferrpovey.com) and on editing the second of the Silent Years novellas, Crone, for publication.

...did somebody say air pirates?

[K.]

Finishing the revisions in the front half of Out of the Shadows to remove the massive amounts of redundancy (publication revisions), and the editor's pick revisions to add in dialogue (released to FB only for the moment.)

Maybe actually finishing book 3 this month? At least the first draft. The first edit/revision will have to be next month, with all the class papers I can already see looming on the horizon.

[Tracy]

Counteract, the first volume in my YA thriller series, came out last August. Currently, the second volume in the series is in edits, and due out in June 2015. I'm working on the first draft of the next book in the series.

If that weren't enough, I'm also working on an historical nonfiction as well, a companion volume to Fips, Bots, Doggeries, and More, (2012)

Counteract

Fips, Bots, Doggeries, and More: Explorations of Henry Rogers' 1838 Journal of Travel from Southwestern Ohio to New York City

[Turhan]

I'm finally done with my Createspace POD book for Silverblood Demons (1st book in the trilogy Daughters of Darkness) Now I'm trying to get back to a morning routine to continue the 2nd book in the series...

Wish me luck!

[Christina]

Good luck! :)

[D.L.]

I'm working on the first draft of the sequel to my latest sci-fi novel, Brane Child, which was released last month. I'm planning just three books for this series right now (although I could get talked into more). :-)

[Turhan]

Christina wrote: "Good luck! :)"


*Like*

[K.]

Turhan wrote: "I'm finally done with my Createspace POD book for Silverblood Demons (1st book in the trilogy Daughters of Darkness) Now I'm trying to get back to a morning routine to continue the ..."

Turhan, you don't need luck. You've got the hardheaded determination to knock down any wall in your way. Steady down, and smile. You've got this. (That goes for everyone else on this thread, too. If you didn't, you wouldn't be here I think.)

[Ashe]

I'll be "starting" chapter 5 in my book today. Starting in that I'm putting in the chapter heading and continuing on with rewrites. I just hope I can get a decent amount of energy to get going today. This week has been TERRIBLE for energy. I'll probably only have gotten maybe 800 words this week but I'm glad I got something.

[K.P.]

started again on SIGNET's sequel. it was supposed to come out last year but illness and incompetent employees held it back. after another round of firings and having disgruntled employees wreck stuff SIGNET was one of the galleys destroyed in the battle. so its rewrite time...

[Turhan]

K. wrote: "Turhan wrote: "I'm finally done with my Createspace POD book for Silverblood Demons (1st book in the trilogy Daughters of Darkness) Now I'm trying to get back to a morning routine t..."


"Turhan, you don't need luck. You've got the hardheaded determination to knock down any wall in your way. Steady down, and smile. You've got this. "

Wow, thanx for saying that K, I really appreciate it :)

[Christina]

I really like this thread. It motivates me to see what everyone else is doing.

I had a bit of an a-ha! moment with the series I'm currently working on. Each story is self contained, so originally, the plan was to keep it going as long as possible, never fully defeating the main cause of conflict (think eighties cartoons like GI Joe). But I've come up with a way to tie it all up after seven books and still leave it open to further expansion in the future. Now, if I can just shut down all of the other book ideas that keep trying to cut in line.

[Ashe]

Christina, i don't know if you do this already but I find it helpful to do a little quick and dirty summary for nnew ideas to keep for later. It lets me get the idea out so it'll stop cutting in front and then I have it down to use later. Might help you,again, if you don't already do something similar.

And as a side note from my post, fatigue is stupid.

[K.]

Turhan - you are quite welcome. If you weren't hard headed, then you'd never have managed to get your title amended, covers changed, and still keep the book on the sales shelf. And, there are times when being a bit hard headed is a wonderful thing - like convincing yourself you've got the schedule.

Christina - Kind of agree with Ashe. I've had that happen a couple of times on this series. Not entire books, but definitely chapters hitting out of sequence. Getting them down where I could manipulate them later did wonders for muting down the demands to get out.

Ashe - have you tried sleep yet? Or does the schedule not allow for it?

[Ashe]

I have aleep issues is part of the problem. And readjusting to a new climate after moving 2 weeks ago. Not sleeping well and/or waking up with bbad headaches will sap you. I think I'll be better once it warms back up.

[Christina]

I have a lovely idea board in my office that is usually full of lofty goals and Google Keep for thoughts on the go, but that doesn't stop ideas from other projects from invading my brain while I work on the current series. I can do chapters out of order, but I don't do well with multiple projects at once.

[Ashe]

I can't either, though it might work a little differently with a series. Haven't tried. I wish I had ssome good advice to offer.

[K.]

Christina - I know authors who manage to do it, but I have no idea how they can. When I try, I just wind up muddling all the different story lines together with the result of a lump of trash. Sometimes I can untangle them, but more often than not, I wind up having to start from scratch on everything again. And, the story NOT being written usually packs up its bags and leaves the country for good.

Ashe - hope things improve for you soon. Being tired is the pits. Being tired for medical reasons are even deeper pits. Healing wishes coming your way if you want them.

[Ashe]

Appreciate it. I don't even need tons of energy. Chores and writing. I count networking and blog posts as non-writing work and that's easy.

[Richard]

For me, it's finishing a book which is the big challenge. I'm at 25k words of a novella that was meant to be 20k, and no sign of the story sewing up. Oh well, we are but the humble recorders of our characters' lives. I have novel on hold that needs serious reengineering, so it's a bit annoying. Now, if I could just stop spending hours on Twitter every day...

[Turhan]

Christina - I didn't think about it at first, but yeah this thread is inspirational and I can see that's why I keep checking in on it. This is a fun place to be :)

K - You know, you're right it did take quite a lot of determination to do those changes you mentioned. Plus I also had to reformat my mobi's etc and a coupl'a other things to make it all work.

'I luv authors'...is that a T-Shirt?

[Christina]

It is! At least Google shows me plenty of Zazzle shops with I <3 authors.

[[deleted user]]

Ken wrote: "Still working on my upcoming novel, which I've chronicled in this thread. I'm now into my sixth editing run-through, so maybe I've become an editing junkie. This time around I'm finding virtually..."

Replying to my own post--because I lied. I'll need a seventh editing run-through because I made a lot of changes on this one to improve the book's readability, and I'm still not certain that it's as perfect as I can make it. Just one more...

[Christina]

Do you have beta readers, Ken? I find that my readers are just as good at telling me when to stop obsessing as they are at pointing out what is broken.

[[deleted user]]

After years of submitting stories to magazine editors, I've become pretty good at telling when a story is and isn't ready. First you change the glaring errors, and then the lesser ones stand out more. Eventually, as you realize that your changes aren't making the work any better, just different, you stop. On this run-through the changes were for the better. The next one might be sufficient, and I think any beta readers I might engage would agree. Right now my obsession is making it the best I'm capable of; if it becomes a trial of indecision, an obsession for perfection, then you're right, it's time for beta readers.

[Hákon]

I have been trying, not very successfully, to get back to my novel. In the meantime I've done quite a few short stories, and somehow they are starting to seem thematically connected. So I could perhaps put them into a collection.

Then I got an idea for yet another non fiction project which I think might be interesting, but haven't done much work on it. Of course I really don't need another project to work on so I should skip it until I've finished some of my current projects.

[R.J.]

I'm currently working on three different stories, none of which are published but that's okay, I have fun working on them.

I'm also editing the second and third in a series for publishing and resisting the temptation to start writing the fourth. It seems I'm on a tangent with the series and should probably take a real break to work on something I typically wouldn't do.

[K.]

Hákon wrote: "I have been trying, not very successfully, to get back to my novel. In the meantime I've done quite a few short stories, and somehow they are starting to seem thematically connected. So I could per..."

Hakon, you could always put those short stories up on a blog - just let it be a series of posts. That's what I've been kind of doing with some of my stuff. At least, the stuff that's not directly attached to the series I'm actively working on. (Though, from time to time, something related will sneak through, just for some place to store it for a while.) Then, if you decide later to go back and collect them, you have everything in one place, and possibly a small fan base for it to start from.

::Shrugs:: Just a suggestion, that may be "preaching to the choir".

[Hákon]

K. wrote: "Hakon, you could always put those short stories up on a blog - just let it be a series of posts."

Thanks K., that's not a bad idea, I may just do that.

[Jamie]

Just finished another several rounds of revisions and copy-edits on my Arts Reborn 2.5 novella. Ready to send it back to my wife for her second round thoughts, and to beta readers. :)

[K.]

Jamie wrote: "Just finished another several rounds of revisions and copy-edits on my Arts Reborn 2.5 novella. Ready to send it back to my wife for her second round thoughts, and to beta readers. :)"

Can't wait for it to come out, Jamie. I like what you're doing with the story.

For the moment, while I'm still waiting on the school work pile to start sorting itself out into a priority list, I'm trying to find copies of books I swear I'd downloaded/purchased from the Better reads project. I hope they weren't on the defunct hard drive.

Oh, and hammering on a short story submission piece or two. If anyone writes in the paranormal horror genre, look up Cedar Loft Productions. They're assembling an anthology that might be interesting for you.

[James]

R.J. wrote: "I'm currently working on three different stories, none of which are published but that's okay, I have fun working on them.

I'm also editing the second and third in a series for publishing and res..."

Yes, editing is important, and I too wrestle with writing another piece while I'm editing. I'm doing so now. I'm trying to finish the final novel in my High School Heroes series, while editing a sci-fi short story. It's not working out too well.

[[deleted user]]

Nothing! (Finished that novel, and re-read it 7 times for edits).

[James]

Ken wrote: "Nothing! (Finished that novel, and re-read it 7 times for edits)."

Congrats!

[Jamie]

Ken wrote: "Nothing! (Finished that novel, and re-read it 7 times for edits)."

Hooray!

Forging forward on Book III for a bit today, then maybe doing that next revision pass of the novella.

[Christina]

I have five chapters left in the book I'm working on. It's big reveal time and I'm banging my head on the desk trying to plausibly get the characters into place for the end.

[Shaun]

Working on getting out my first Sci-fi novel. Spent the last couple weeks creating a website as well as a trailer for the series. lol! I am so webbed out at the moment. I need to get back at doing some artwork. That is where I truly relax.

[Hákon]

Christina wrote: "I have five chapters left in the book I'm working on. It's big reveal time and I'm banging my head on the desk trying to plausibly get the characters into place for the end."

I'm doing a similar thing, but for a different reason. I'm trying to write a blurb.

[Richard]

My third main-series novel has been stalled for months while I work on novellas set in the back story. I'd been trying to decide between several possible plot-lines for it, and having trouble deciding on one. Today I decided I'll do them all, in parallel. Complicated, but it will make for an interesting challenge. If it all comes apart, it will be a learning experience.

[Christina]

Ah! Hakon, you just reminded me that the worst is yet to come! The dreaded blurb! At least we have a thread for help.

[Hákon]

Christina wrote: "Ah! Hakon, you just reminded me that the worst is yet to come! The dreaded blurb! At least we have a thread for help."

It is the first blurb I write, and it is taking a loooong time, but I'm glad to be able to post it the thread to see what people think of it before I use it.

[Jamie]

Just passed 70K on the first draft of book III in my series. Have probably 40K left?

Really should go do another round of revision on the end of my novella, but I'm in a good first drafting flow, and don't like to break that.

[[deleted user]]

Resurrecting this thread because I've been thinking about writing my third novel, but I've found nothing to kindle my enthusiasm. I've been exploring a sequel to Ship of Storms, and have some of the characters ready, including characters from the original story. Haven't come up with an earth-shaking plot to get fired up about, so now it's on the back burner.

Now considering a sequel to my second novel, To Summon The Blackbird, and that's a different story altogether, with no many different ways I could go with it. Currently have a cover and a title that complements the first one, and most of the first chapter written. I think all I have to do now is buckle down and do it.

[Pam]

I know the feeling Ken. I've been working on a final edit of my long fantasy novel all 2015, sporadically as I keep losing enthusiasm due to life events. Did a lot for NaNo (as a rebel) in November, but then had to stop for Xmas preps, and with illness etc., am having a real struggle to get back to it.

[Christina]

I understand motivation issues. I want to finish my current series, but every time I sit down to write, something unrelated comes out. Usually a fragment of another idea to go on the back burner. That's the main reason I've decided I'm not publishing incomplete series anymore. It may mean a year or more without a published work, but I'd rather at least have a draft finished for everything so I'm not stuck trying to meet some arbitrary self-imposed deadline.

[K.P.]

How was everyone's new years party? The grumpy drunk crank you all know got caught up in too much epicness and had to avoid cops, lolz. I hope your parties were less chaotic.

As for what I'm currently working on... Whew, got my janky computers up and running with duct tape and some prayers. I decided to give writing books a break right now, since I had a really craptacular year and burned through 4 computers (failed every 3 months wtf). The books I had slated for release this year were 2 sequels, Enter A Shadowy Figure (SIGNET) and Written In Blood (Devil Hunter Isawa chronicles) as well as 4 new titles, The Last Remnants (YA Fantasy), Guardian Legend (Dark Fantasy), The Enforcer (paranormal fantasy/crime thriller) and Jive Turkeys Need Not Apply (action adventure/police procedural). Backups kept meeting the dust and extensive rewrites are starting to work my nerves.
But... all is not lost! Had some decent sales and good reviews, so that counts, right? XD
I'm not hanging up the word processor yet however. Since I sent off a proposal for a video game publisher, soon I'll start cranking out retro awesomeness (woot). For now, my poor tree destroying doorstoppers will be put on hold for a while...

Work hard and write on!

[Ethan]

I'm busy trying to plan out a schedule of live events to promote my book, whilst I get started on the next one.

[Melissa]

I'm finally focused on book one of my five book epic. I had a couple of chapters written, then got distracted by world building, then more world building, followed by more world building. I'm still world building but at least there's some actual writing going on. Fantasies, gosh!

[Nia]

Hi 8-)

I've just discovered that Goodreads is also Goodwrites: a great place to find a band of warrior authors just like myself, fighting the good fight with pen and keyboard as we seek the ultimate treasure, the ability to make a living as a writer.

Any and all advice is welcome 8-)

I'm working on book three of my series, Folio 55, whilst working as a teacher. The Christmas holidays have been wonderful, not just for the obvious, but because freed of 100% concentration on lesson preparation and marking, I've been able to place thirty pages down onto my virtual paper. Sadly, once school starts, I'm lucky to make it four in a week. Given that 4659, my third book, is going to be heading towards 600 pages and I have just reached page 195, does anyone have any good tips on writing whilst doing another full time job?

thanks.

Nia S.