What are you working on?

[DixieChic]

Hi! After reading these boards for a couple of weeks, I'm just interested to find out what kinds of novels you guys are working on and how along you are with your project . . .

Are you working in a specific genre?

How close are you to finishing?

Is this your first book? Fifth?

What is your goal in terms of finishing your current work? Do you have a completion date in mind?

I'll start by saying that while I've written and sold a few screenplays and hundreds of non-fiction articles, this is my first novel. I guess you would call the genre "literary chick-lit" (at least, that's what I call it :D ) and I'm guestimating that I'm about 1/3 of the way thru my first draft.

I would like to be finished with my first draft by September 1 when I'm headed off to a writer's conference. My biggest challenge, as I've shared here before, is turning off the Inner Editor and moving forward. But now that I've joined Inner Editors Anonymous, I'm doing much better :) .

Look forward to getting to hearing more about what YOU'RE working on . . .

Dixie

[EminemsRevenge]

Well Dixie Chick, i have just finished writing my Joycean "tome" which is more Stephen Hero in execution than Ulysses if fact, and it only qualifies as a tome since it took me that kind of time to write:confused:

This is my first novel, which utilizes my weird tastes in literature, and i'm just too busy celebrating at the moment that i cannot answer your questions properly right now...but i shall return to expound on this topic further.

BTW...know any good agents into literary fiction???

[azbikergirl]

Are you working in a specific genre?

Yes, currently Fantasy

How close are you to finishing?

I have one 99% done (final edits underway), one in first draft

Is this your first book? Fifth?

The almost finished one is the fourth written, 0th published.

What is your goal in terms of finishing your current work?

I'll consider the first draft one the 'current work.' I hope to have the first draft done by the end of June, and the second draft done by the end of August.

Do you have a completion date in mind?

Not really. Whenever I tried to set date goals, I always missed them. Maybe now I have a better sense of how much time I need to write a novel, but I'll hold off on deciding on a completion date until I'm almost there. :D

[triceretops]

It's sc-fi and right around 83,000 with another 20,000 to go. It's # 12 book written, so I'm pretty confident. My goal is to keep on going till I bust the novel market. I've sold everything but a novel and screen play.

Tri

[KTC]

Are you working in a specific genre?

I don't know what to call it. Just fiction.


How close are you to finishing?

I'm 60% done first draft...so nowhere near finished! It's all up here, though. (Tapping my head to suggest that the info is up in the noggin area.)


Is this your first book? Fifth?

3rd manuscript...none published.

What is your goal in terms of finishing your current work?
I would like to finish it.

Do you have a completion date in mind?

I would like to call it complete by the end of October. At least 2nd draft anyway.

[kelker11]

Hi all,

I've been a lurker here for quite a while, and I finally decided to register and actually join a few discussions! So here's my two cents...

Are you working in a specific genre?
My current WIP is horror. I also have one fantasy/scifi and one contemporary drama that are in the beginning stages of planning and development. LOL, that makes it sound SO professional when really its just a few notes on characters, storyline, and setting. But I like that phrase "the beginning stages of planning and development". ;)

How close are you to finishing?
Hmm, one and a half pages down, four hundred or so to go on the horror book. The others are basically just notes and ideas jotted down on napkins and scraps of paper.

Is this your first book? Fifth?
Well, it will be my first book if I ever get past the first page and a half. I just keep rewriting that same page and a half each time I sit down. I've probably done close to thirty revisions on that little bit (I'm not exaggerating)...and I never seem to get any further.:faint:

What is your goal in terms of finishing your current work?
To be honest, sometimes it feels pretty darn hopeless. I get excited about the project, work diligently planning my scenes, characters, etc. But once I sit down to write, I just seem to keep redoing the same few paragraphs over and over and over. Then I get disgusted that I can't get it right, so I find myself ignoring it. At least, that's how this one is going.

Do you have a completion date in mind?
At this rate, I'll be dead before I ever get past the first chapter.

--------------------------------

But having said all that, I'm not giving up. No matter how long it takes, this book is going to get written!

Anyway, this is a great site, and I appreciate all the advice. Its a huge help to someone just starting out. So thanks!

[DixieChic]

I find it really inspiring to hear about all the work that's going on . . . this can be such a solitary business that it's encouraging to know there are so many writers out there struggling toward the same goal -- something finished.

I totally relate to your frustrations, kelker, but if you can so accurately capture what it feels like to be a struggling writer, you're obviously a good one :-) Keep it up!

[zizban]

1. I have an untitled fantasy WIP going, about 1/3 done with the first draft. Also revising my POD book from years ago I would like to find a 'real' home for. I am a much better writer now so I am redoing it. It's a science fantasy novel and its nice returning to the world I created for it.

2. Guess I answered this one already :)

3. This will be fourth or fifth book, depending on how you count. My last work were three tightly connected novellas. I don't know if it counts as a novel or a collection.

4. My fantasy WIP, by December. Revision of science fantasy book, this summer sometime.

[Mistook]

I guess you'd call my novel either "Post Modern Pulp" or "Superhero Prose" - it has it's roots in the old pulp detective novels, and the early comic books that grew out of that genre, but it has a definite "Gen-X" slant to it, with elements of paranoia, sarcastic humor, and the glorification of slackers.

Whatever it is, it's fun, and it appeals to geeks between the ages of 18-40 - that much I know from trolling the internet for the opinions and tastes of various intellectual cliques around the free world.

At the half-way point in the manuscript, I felt a little burnt-out, and took a month off to revamp my website and do a little promotion and wander around the web, taking the pulse of culture, and making friends along the way. Now I'm back on the horse, confident that this thing has a real market out there.

[kelker11]

I totally relate to your frustrations, kelker, but if you can so accurately capture what it feels like to be a struggling writer, you're obviously a good one :-) Keep it up! Thanks DixieChic! In this instance, I will bow to your superior knowledge & opinion. :thankyou:


;) Just kidding...but I do appreciate the kind words.

[GWBailey]

Are you working in a specific genre?
Science fantasy for kids.

How close are you to finishing?
Almost 50% on first draft.

Is this your first book? Fifth?
This is my second.

What is your goal in terms of finishing your current work?
After it’s been edited, several drafts written, I’ll work on the long process of finding a publisher.

Do you have a completion date in mind?
On the current track I should be finished by late June, early July.

[DixieChic]

I'm curious - are any of you members of local writer's groups? If so, do you find this experience helpful at all?

I was thinking of joining a group that includes biweekly group critiques as part of the process. However, it's a bit of a drive to get together with that one. There isn't a group in my town, and I was also considering trying to start one.

Would love hear about your experiences with writer's groups . . .

Thanks - Dix

[MarkEsq]

Are you working in a specific genre?
Mystery/crime - a London barrister teaching in Texas is called upon to defend a homelass man wrongly accused of murder.

How close are you to finishing?
Well, I'm pretty close to starting... :) No, wait, I'm pretty close to finishing the first chapter.

Is this your first book? Fifth?
Second in a series. The first is sitting with an agent who is deciding whether he wants to represent it/me.

What is your goal in terms of finishing your current work? Do you have a completion date in mind?
No. I'd like to have it done by the end of the summer but having had twins recently my schedule is not quite my own yet.

And to answer you last question...

I'm curious - are any of you members of local writer's groups? If so, do you find this experience helpful at all?
No. I thought about it and then realized:
(a) I didn't have the time
(b) there wasn't one near to me
(c) none of them would be as talented as me and so would have nothing to offer me, and
(d) what little writing-related time I have I should spend writing.

PS For all those writers' groups in Dallas, (c) was a joke. :)

[LightShadow]

Are you working in a specific genre?
Mainstream Adult Fiction/Paranormal
How close are you to finishing?
Complete
Is this your first book? Fifth?
13th manuscript, second one attempting publication, 0 novels published so far
What is your goal in terms of finishing your current work? Do you have a completion date in mind?
I have an agent, and we have completed copyediting and formatting. The search is on once they tell me that no more editing is necessary

[Azure Skye]

Are you working in a specific genre?

Middle-grade fiction. Mystery/ghost story to be more specific with a lot of humor. Also, I just came up with a plot for a play.

How close are you to finishing?

I have a little over 40,000 words and I feel I'm only half way through the first draft. The play is still very much in the thinking stage.

Is this your first book? Fifth?

This will be my first book. I used to write something that resembled poetry growing up and some short stories but never anything of this length.

What is your goal in terms of finishing your current work?

I would like to have the first draft finished by early summer. I finally landed a job so now I can concentrate on writing on days off and in the evenings before I have to go back to school again in the fall. I'm determined to see this through.

Do you have a completion date in mind?

Early summer so I can rip it to pieces later.

[Joni Holderman]

I'm curious - are any of you members of local writer's groups? If so, do you find this experience helpful at all?

I was thinking of joining a group that includes biweekly group critiques as part of the process. However, it's a bit of a drive to get together with that one. There isn't a group in my town, and I was also considering trying to start one.

Would love hear about your experiences with writer's groups . . .

Thanks - Dix

Dixie Cuplet-
I'm a member of an online ficition writer's group called Quill n Ink, which I find very helpful. We have members writing novels and short stories in the mainstream, mystery, scifi and horror genres so far. Everyone posts work and critiques the work of others.

Here's a link for anyone wants to apply: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Quill_N_Ink/

I tried a local writing group, but a) more than half the members were poets, so it was difficult for us to meaningfully critique each other's work b) work was handed out, read, and critiqued the same night. I like a more thoughtful approach with multiple readings and c) it was time consuming, considering the amount of reading/critiquing accomplished vs. drinking coffee, administrative details, etc.

With an online group, you can critique in the middle of the night and still feel like a member of a writing community.

[EminemsRevenge]

Are you working in a specific genre? Literary "rap"...combining James Joyce with the elements of hip-hop.

How close are you to finishing? Finished Friday, and the synchronicity of that date being May 20, 2005 looks like a good omen.

Is this your first book? Fifth? Third, first novel...and thank god the previous two were written under a pseudonym and will never see the light of day again.

[aadams73]

Are you working in a specific genre?

Mystery/crime with a healthy dose of humor.



How close are you to finishing?

My beta readers received the manuscript yesterday. So...depends.


Is this your first book? Fifth?

Third. I trunked the first two because I realized I'm just not cut out to be a romance/chick lit writer.

What is your goal in terms of finishing your current work?

I'd like to have queries out to agents by mid June.


Do you have a completion date in mind?

If all goes well with the betas, it's finished. Until they finish I'm spending my waking hours working on my next book.

[veinglory]

Are you working in a specific genre?

erotic romance

How close are you to finishing?

About a week

Is this your first book? Fifth?

3rd

What is your goal in terms of finishing your current work? Do you have a completion date in mind?

About a week. 1 1/2 chapters to go

[E.G. Gammon]

Are you working in a specific genre?
-My novel series is a mixture of genres ranging from Mystery to Horror to Romance to Supernatural Thriller to Fantasy and probably a couple others. It's very unique. My backburner projects have a wide range of genres but I guess you could say my projects in general have an edgier feel - full of action and plot twists. I also tend to write things that may stir up a little controversy.

How close are you to finishing?
-Almost seven years and five months into the development of my novel series, I am just pulling everything together and starting to write chapters and passages from the eight books. I have no idea how close to finishing I am. I just write and I'll be done when I'm done.

Is this your first book? Fifth?
-First. I never intended to write novels. The story told in my novel series was originally planned to be a limited run network soap opera up until last Thanksgiving. It was then I decided to leap into novel writing.

What is your goal in terms of finishing your current work? Do you have a completion date in mind?
-I'd like to finish Books 1 and 2 by July 26, 2006 - my 21st birthday. I want to write the first two books before I propose the series, because I know the seven books that follow the first book, which will be around the average 80,000 words, will be HUGE: 100,000 - 200,000 words or more. It would be nice to have atleast two books done, so I can be ahead a bit. If two books are done, I could be writing Book 3 while finding an agent and finishing it or even starting Book 4 when my agent (hopefully I'll find one) starts to find a publisher for Book 1.

[Thekherham]

Are you working in a specific genre?
I'd like to call this one a rural fantasy.

How close are you to finishing?
I'm currently reading it aloud. I seem to catch mistakes better that way. So as soon as that's done... well, I guess I'll send it out or... do something...

Is this your first book? Fifth?
This is the first complete novel. I've written others, but those are partial. One day... er, soon... I'll get back to those.

What is your goal in terms of finishing your current work?
I better get this one done. I've been working on this for years... decades... eons. My wife is getting on my case lol.

Do you have a completion date in mind?
I never consider specific completion dates. Too much of a hassle. Let's just say... sometime in 2005 (but don't take my word for it.)

[TheNightTerror]

Might as well throw in my own 2 cents. :)

Are you working in a specific genre?

Not really. My current story is a suspence/romance/mystery/horror mix. Well, the last two genres are iffy, but they could easily happen.

How close are you to finishing?

Nowhere near. I wrote the first 20 pages or so yesterday, I'd say I've got 0.01% done so far. :tongue

Is this your first book? Fifth?

Not sure. I've written about 16 or so stories so far, haven't tried to publish any of them, guess this one must be about number 17 . . . :faint:

What is your goal in terms of finishing your current work? Do you have a completion date in mind?

Nope. I just wanna finish it. I guess I hope the rough draft will be done in 3 months or so, but that's about all . . .

[sgtsdaughter]

A dissertation on gendered patriotic iconography (US 20th century . . . blah blah blah to those who don't want to be drolled for hours about gender thoery and history. I find it intriguing, but others not often), a few freelance articles, a dark short story, taking out the five million pounds of paper that i removed from my desk this afternoon . . .

oh, and finding my sanity which is in my next smoke . . . here i go.

[katdad]

Are you working in a specific genre?
Yes, modern American private detective novel series.

How close are you to finishing?
Thus far about 20k words -- a long ways.

Is this your first book? Fifth?
My 3rd in the "Mitch King" PI series. The first 2 books are now at my agent, who's hopefully beating down doors of publishers so we can get a sale.

What is your goal in terms of finishing your current work? Do you have a completion date in mind?
I hope to finish the 3rd novel by the end of the year.

[MitchJ]

Are you working in a specific genre?

Supernatural thriller

How close are you to finishing?

That's an interesting one. I finished a 17,500 word version meant as a treatment for a screenplay, and then completed two drafts of the actual screenplay. When I started on the third draft, I realized that a novel would be a better way to tell my story. POV and internal turmoil play an important part and the camera can't portray that as well. I'll let someone else adapt it ;)

I'm in the middle of the first chapter of the novel.

Is this your first book? Fifth?

It's my first.

What is your goal in terms of finishing your current work?

I think the story has potential and would like to see it published (wouldn't we all).

Do you have a completion date in mind?

I'd like to finish by the end of the year.

[Torin]

Are you working in a specific genre?
I've actually started typing in Book 2 of my YA mystery/paranormal books. This is the first revision/rewrite stage.

I've got an erotic book to revise and a lengthy fantasy thing to sort out and complete, not to mention trying to come up with some short-shorts to send out into the world.

How close are you to finishing?

Book 2 is complete in its rough draft. The erotic novel is likewise complete in its rough draft. The fantasy thing is incomplete with something like 300,000 words. :Shrug:

Is this your first book? Fifth?

My first novel has been out for a couple of years and I recently signed a contract for an erotic novel (the one I'm working on is a companion piece), and my first YA novel is sitting on an agent's desk somewhere.

What is your goal in terms of finishing your current work? Do you have a completion date in mind?

No, I don't have a particular date in mind at the moment, although I expect to have Book 2 done by the end of June and the erotic one as well. The fantasy thing...well, it's taken years to get it this far, it'll probably be a few more. :)

[Sharon Mock]

Are you working in a specific genre?
Speculative fiction -- fantasy with enough science fiction in it to make it interesting.

How close are you to finishing?
I've recently finished the first round of revisions and am letting it sit while my first batch of beta readers tear it to shreds.

Is this your first book? Fifth?
Third attempt at a novel. Second novel-length project (the first attempt fell a bit, ahem, short. In many senses of the word). First novel worth bringing to a submission-worthy state.

What is your goal in terms of finishing your current work? Do you have a completion date in mind?
I want to have queries out to agents by the end of the year.

[SeanDSchaffer]

Are you working in a specific genre?

My specific genre at this time is Fantasy.

How close are you to finishing?

I've done several drafts of my latest work, but I'd say I'm possibly half-way through to completion.

Is this your first book? Fifth?

This is hopefully my second book, provided my first one gets off the ground with a publisher pretty soon. I do have a work done over in Maryland, but because of the PAinful experience with the book, I'd rather consider the work nonexistent at this point.

What is your goal in terms of finishing your current work? Do you have a completion date in mind?


My goal in terms of finishing my current work is to make it the best Fantasy novel I can make it into. The issue with me is changing the story substantially, removing characters that detract from the work and adjusting plot lines. I imagine the completed version could be ready in six months if I really put my mind to it. Which, by the way, these questions have inspired me to do.

So I will try to have the book finished by the end of the Summertime.

[TMA-1]

Are you working in a specific genre?
Science fiction.

How close are you to finishing?
Nowhere near, I'm afraid. Got most of the plot and characters, and some writing. I've just started... Also, I'm working on short stories about something else.

Is this your first book? Fifth?
First, not sure how it will turn out.

What is your goal in terms of finishing your current work? Do you have a completion date in mind?
Goal is to try and write a novel, or at least see if I can do that... Completion date, no.

[zornhau]

Are you working in a specific genre?
Swords and Sorcery.

How close are you to finishing?
Halfway through the 2nd draft. Have new scenes to add.

Is this your first book? Fifth?
1st completed.

What is your goal in terms of finishing your current work?
As soon as possible. Would like to be touting a partial by end of year.

Do you have a completion date in mind?
No. I just pour the work in as and when I can.

[Nateskate]

Are you working in a specific genre?
I'm working on an Epic Fantasy, which will be a series. I'm not quite sure how many books. Ultimately, it will depend on editors perspectives, because it really is "one long story", and I imagine if they don't like the ending of book one, I can simply take the first chapter of book two and make it the ending of book one. Book one is roughly 85,000 words, so that would take it up to roughly 95,000-100k

Take roughly 500,000 words and divide it by whatever booklength the publisher prefers. It's well beyond a trilogy length.

How close are you to finishing?
Book one is the only book completely finished, or I should say, finished to the point where I handed it to an editor.

Book two is almost finished to the point where I'm wondering if it will be finished before the editor hands me back book one. We're in a race, though secretly, I'm hoping I lose.

Book three already seems overwhelming, as did book one and book two, but I'm hoping it will be the book that requires the least amount of massive changes.

Is this your first book? Fifth?
It's both, in terms of one being completely finished (depending on edits required) and I'm guestimating, when the final revisions are done, this series will be at least a five book series, which exists at least in first draft.

What is your goal in terms of finishing your current work? Do you have a completion date in mind?
The art for me is being satisfied at any given point in time. I feel like I'm on a treadmill, and I won't be able to relax until I've completed all the revisions on the entire series. Unfortunately that means I'll probably be on a treadmill for years. Fortunately, I'm not going to have to look for a new hobbie for a few years. Depends on perspective.

I'm hoping book two will be ready for editing by early July.

[DixieChic]

Thanks so much for the link, Joni - This sounds like the perfect solution for me . . . I'm definitely going to apply!

Dixie