I need to apologize for dropping off the writing cliff for the last several months. Since April, I’ve been dealing with a wrist injury that no one seems to be able to diagnose or figure out how to treat. Because the injury is to my dominant hand, I’m having a hard time doing much of anything. I’ve also been unable to work my day job.
Though I’ve experimented a bit with dictation apps for writing, I have to admit that the stresses connected to my situation have been getting to me, so I haven’t felt like creating anything. And when I do, I seem to be unable to concentrate on the same project each time. Hence, I now have six, yes, six works-in-progress.
I can’t keep going on like this. So I’m going to start posting weekly ‘progress reports’ here on my website, in the hopes that it will help me stay on track from now on. Here are the projects I am currently working on:
- Unnamed Shifter Story, based on a Japanese Folktale. I thought this one was complete and ready to sub, but not many publishers will accept a 15,000 word novelette. Self-publishing is not something I’m prepared for at the moment, in skills or in finances. I plan on expanding this up to a minimum of 20,000 words with a possible sub-plot and/or more world-building details.
- Sci-Fi. Sequel to Bonded. Dev gets his own story and a woman more than capable of taking the playboy first mate down a couple of well-deserved notches. Currently stalled at just under 5000 words in the first draft.
- Sci-Fi. Book One of a potential trilogy with the working title of “Phoenix.” Just under 12,000 words into the first draft.
- Sci-Fi. Book Two of the same trilogy mentioned above. Working title: “Rebel.” Wrote most of this story before realizing it should be the second book, not the first. Over 13,000 word into first draft and hopefully not too many of those will have to be tossed out when I revise it so the overall story line follows the new one being set out in “Phoenix.”
- Fantasy novella. Current working title is “Dragon Sacrifice.” It is book one in a trilogy. Has a complete first draft of over 23,000 words but needed heavy revisions. About halfway through the changes and still need to write an almost completely new ending.
- Fantasy. Book Two of trilogy with the current working title of “Dragon Quest.” Only 1300 words written on the first draft.
So there it is. I don’t think I can make progress with every story on a weekly basis, though I’ll certainly try. I’m toying with the idea of participating in NaNoWriMo–National Novel Writing Month–this year as a way of getting a completed first draft for either the Bonded sequel or “Dragon Quest.” I would definitely need to master the use of dictation if I do NaNo though, which is another reason I’m thinking of giving it a shot.