Reading, Writing, Editing, Critiquing, and sometimes Submitting

Maryn

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Good for you, Ink! I aspire to be that busy.

I am reading "Because It Is Bitter, and Because It Is My Heart," Joyce Carol Oates, and still plodding through "The Way of Kings" because I've invested so much time in it already.
I am listening to trucks in the quarry behind our house.
I am writing the end of the third novel in a series I intend to self-publish before my untimely demise.
I am editing the second novel to make its facts align with the third.
I am critiquing a paragraph here and there at Another Board where teens are the only ones seeking feedback but hardly get anyone who knows anything. "I love it!!!" and "It's boring." don't help.
I submitted so long ago I couldn't tell you what or when.
 

Liz_V

Not my first rodeo.
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Reading: I finished Fragile Things (creepy but good, as usual). Also finished a highly-recommended book that was a good story struggling to get out through the constant info-dumps. Also finished The Pulp Jungle by Frank Gruber, a memoir by a 30's-era pulp writer, which was interesting but made me feel like a complete slug about my writing output. About to start re-reading The 9th Directive by Adam Hall, for my housemate's & my in-house book club.

Editing: I got actual useful feedback with a recent short story rejection, so I've edited the story accordingly. I'm fundamentally allergic to revision, but this was (a) easy and (b) addresses both the main slushers' objections and a secondary one. Now I just need to...

Submitting: ...send out the freshly-revised story. Unfortunately this one's already been around the block a bit, but I'm sure there's a market out there that needs a fun little gnome story.

Critiquing: Umm... :gone:

Writing: Not a damn thing, and I'm really depressed about it. I just don't have any focus or concentration at all lately, and I apparently do have a Pavlovian association between putting fingers to keyboard and falling asleep. I need a good swift kick in the motivation, but all my usual tricks for that involve going places and seeing people. :e2bummed:
 

InkFinger

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I am reading On Writing and Worldbuilding Volume 1 by Timothy Hickson
I am listening to Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson
I am writing The Myrish Discovery, the first of the alien stories in my Near Earth series.
I am editing not much if I'm honest. I should be editing my novel Seaward Secrets (working title). I rewrote the first 45,000 words and now have about 100K total. This will be finished in 2021, and we will see about querying.
I am critiquing - a novel by one of the writers here on AW. interesting story, needs a bit of work, but that's writing. this is good for all of us, you should do it too.
I am submitting The Martian Consequence referenced last time to the Writers of the Future on Wednesday.
 

Liz_V

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Reading: Finished a couple of Adam Hall spy novels. Next up was Zane Grey's Riders of the Purple Sage, which was highly recommended but I couldn't make it past the first five incredibly tedious chapters. Skipped to The Trail Rider instead, which is pretty good.

Writing: Yes! Got the novel I started for NaNo 2018 booted back up, and am making decent progress. Flying ferrets FTW.

Editing: Well, you know me and editing. But I have a pile of very minor notes for both this book-so-far and the prequel.

Critiquing: Still no. I've seen a few cases where I've been tempted to offer, but introversion+bad track record+already overscheduled keeps stopping me.

Submitting: I'm slowly starting to query again; got one out this week, and a few more agents in my sights for when they reopen.
 

She_wulf

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Hi all, It has been so long since I've haunted this site. I appreciate all of you who didn't miss me. (lol) since 2018 I had to find my groove - which meant some things went by the wayside. Your community is STILL in my top #1 list to recommend for the best writing online support around.

Here's my current reply.

Post once a week or so:

  1. What are you reading? Reading "Remembering Ryan" - all the other shorts which were submitted.
  2. What are you writing? Three projects: last of the DeSantos trilogy (romance - second chance, mild chili heat level), Anthology "thrill of the chase" Paranormal romance - chili pepper hot, Anthology MC "Vow of Protection" (romance - maybe chili pepper hot, definitely 17+)
  3. What are you editing? all wrapped up with my edits YAY!
  4. What are you critiquing? coming up RAMP mentee work
  5. and, sometimes, What will you submit for publication next? DeSantos 3 - due May, Vow of protection is due in August, and Paranormal is October I believe.
 

Maryn

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Hey, we remember you! Great to see you're keeping this busy with writing.
 

InkFinger

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  • I am reading M.L. Wang's The Sword of Kaigen
  • I am writing a novel - The Myrish Discovery - for my Near Earth series. I've just completed a first draft of the main story.
  • I am editing the fifth draft of my story The Gentleman's Virtue
  • I am critiquing my son's first novel and my writing partner's next novel.
  • I am hoping to get Seaward Secrets ready to query. It still needs a bit of cleaning, but it's a good story and almost there. I do not have something ready for WoTF, but I'm hoping to have something for September.
 

Liz_V

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Hey! I remember this thread! Yeah, maybe I should be doing some of this stuff....

Reading: Recently finished a couple of urban fantasy novels that... eh. One was Tim Power's latest, which should have worked better than it did, and I can't figure out why. It felt like the author was just phoning it in, but I recognize that's not a useful analysis. And the other seemed unclear on whether it was a darkly-comic romp or a horror movie. Currently reading John M. Ford's The Dragon Waiting, which is very well done but I think I'd be getting more out of it if I knew that period of history better.

Writing: May actually have figured out enough plot-points to get the climactic scene of the WSIFP (Work Still In F'ing Progress) going.

Editing: Yeah, no.

Critiquing: None. I miss my in-person writing group, even if they weren't really where I need to be.

Submitting: Been doing decently on the short-story front; current have 7? 8? out in slush-land. Not so hot on the novel querying. Maybe now that AW's back up, I can raid the archives for more leads.
 

frimble3

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Hey! I remember this thread! Yeah, maybe I should be doing some of this stuff....

Reading: Recently finished a couple of urban fantasy novels that... eh. One was Tim Power's latest, which should have worked better than it did, and I can't figure out why. It felt like the author was just phoning it in, but I recognize that's not a useful analysis. And the other seemed unclear on whether it was a darkly-comic romp or a horror movie. Currently reading John M. Ford's The Dragon Waiting, which is very well done but I think I'd be getting more out of it if I knew that period of history better.

Writing: May actually have figured out enough plot-points to get the climactic scene of the WSIFP (Work Still In F'ing Progress) going.

Editing: Yeah, no.

Critiquing: None. I miss my in-person writing group, even if they weren't really where I need to be.

Submitting: Been doing decently on the short-story front; current have 7? 8? out in slush-land. Not so hot on the novel querying. Maybe now that AW's back up, I can raid the archives for more leads.
Re: 'Dragon in Waiting' - I loved it and it made me more aware that fantasy could be about real things, not just wizards and maidens. It also made me more interested in history and Looking Stuff Up, in general. Which was useful IRL, as I has a head start on the Mithraic Cults, etc. Oh, and added depth to the Princes in the Tower.
I'm kind of surprised that no-one ever made a movie of it.
Never hurts to look up the interesting or confusing bits afterwards.
 

Liz_V

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Never hurts to look up the interesting or confusing bits afterwards.
Oh, very true. But I don't so much need specific bits as a general overview; I don't know much about that period beyond "two competing lines squabbling over the throne" and "princes in the tower". (And half of that, I got from reading The Daughter of Time.) I get the feeling he's doing some cool stuff with the assorted political machinations and paranormal explanations for real-world events, but I can't properly appreciate it because I don't know the starting points.
 

InkFinger

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  • I am reading Wolves - Behavior, Ecology, and Conservation edited by L. David Mech and Luigi Boitani - this is research for me.
  • I am listening to In the Shadow of the Gods by John Gwynne (audio book)
  • I am writing a novel - The Winds of Mars (working title, but I've learned it's already used)
  • I am editing the fifth draft of my story The Myrish Discovery
  • I am critiquing my writing partner's novel as she provides snippets.
  • I do not have an active submission, but I do plan to take part in the Zombie Pirate Publishing Writing Week challenge in a couple of weeks.
 

InkFinger

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  • I am reading Wolves - Behavior, Ecology, and Conservation edited by L. David Mech and Luigi Boitani - this is research for me.
  • I am listening to In the Leviathan Wakes by James A. Corey (audio book)
  • I am writing a novel - The Winds of Mars (working title, but I've learned it's already used)
  • I am editing the fifth draft of my story The Myrish Discovery
  • I am critiquing my writing partner's novel as she provides snippets.
  • I do not have an active submission, but I do plan to take part in the Zombie Pirate Publishing Writing Week challenge in a couple of weeks.
 

Maryn

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You're way ahead of me, InkFinger.
  • I am reading Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots, about a woman hired by superheroes to be one of their many supporting workers--a henchman. It's wonderful.
  • I'm not listening to any audio books. Not my thing except during car trips.
  • I'm writing the fourth book in a series I intend to self-publish.
  • I'm editing the third book in that series, which isn't as cohesive as the first two.
  • I'm critiquing a short story outside our genre. I read all kinds of fiction.
  • I have nothing on submission and no plans to do so any time soon.

Maryn, discouraged
 

InkFinger

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  • I'm not listening to any audio books. Not my thing except during car trips.
I find that reading a good book messes with my writing, but listening to a good book on my evening walks doesn't affect my writing at all. So, I listen to books one after the next. I walk an hour most nights.
 

Maryn

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That's interesting. I can read outside the genre in which I'm writing, but start copying good erotica when I read it and I'm writing it. So I mostly read thrillers, suspense, and mystery, since nearly all my writing is erotica these days. (I did stick some on my iPad for an upcoming vacation's reading. I don't write much while traveling.)

But hearing it doesn't interfere, huh? I'll have to try that. I do like to have something to occupy my brain when I'm doing boring tasks that take a while. Like I need to shampoo carpets sometime in the next few months, and that might be the perfect time to listen.

Maryn, cupping one ear
 

InkFinger

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  • I am reading a collection by one of our very own AW writers - Eric Lewis' As it Seems
  • I am listening to Of Shadow and Sea by Will Wight
  • I am writing a novel - The Winds of Mars
  • I am editing the third draft of my novel Seaward Secrets (working title)
  • I am critiquing my writing partner's novel as she provides snippets, and my son's stories
  • I do have submitted 4 stories for publication in the past two weeks, wish me luck.
 

InkFinger

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  • I am reading The Beast from Beyond by Sam Phillips on Kindle Unlimited
  • I am listening to Reckless by Gemma Rogers
  • I am writing a novel - Unnamed Horror/Thriller (45K)
  • I am editing nothing at the moment, but will pick up Seaward when I finish the above
  • I am critiquing nothing - which kind of makes me awful, but haven't gotten requests either
  • I do have 3 stories out, got one reject a week or two back.
 

veinglory

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  1. What are you reading? The hands of the emperor by Victoria Goddart
  2. What are you writing? Currently in the final proof stages of a textbook coming out next year
  3. What are you editing? (as above)
  4. What are you critiquing? Nothing right now.
  5. and, sometimes, What will you submit for publication next? I have a complete first draft of a fantasy novel I need to un-drawer but might write some short stories first
 

Maryn

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I have problems reading print now but am attempting to finish a fantasy our daughter gave me.

I'm not listening to any audio books. Not my thing except during travel. This may have to change.

I'm writing a replacement for the first chapter of a completed novel, which will replace the first replacement. The first version lacked clarity and confused people, the second was clear but suggested the book was about a different character than it is. It's the first book in a series and I need to get it not just good but also right.

I'm editing the third book in that series because its completely-made-up timeline crashes into reality and everything needs to coordinate better than it does.

I'm critiquing nothing but remain open to first chapters or short stories, especially after the first week in January.

I have nothing on submission. I'm fine with that.
 

Unimportant

No COVID yet. Still masking.
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  1. What are you reading? Re-reading very old favourites (Mary Stewart, Georgette Heyer, etc)
  2. What are you writing? Nothing. My interest in writing is currently sub zero.
  3. What are you editing? I tried editing an old story but realised the character is just too creepy and disgusting, and it's not a story I want to perpetuate.
  4. What are you critiquing? Nothing at the moment (other than work stuff). I've beta read half a novel and am waiting for the author to complete revisions on and send me the other half. A few months ago I beta read two books in a series and am waiting for the author to complete revisions and send me the third book. And I critted an opening chapter in the fantasy SYW yesterday. I'm available for the right stories/chapters/novels over the next several weeks.
  5. What will you submit for publication next? I've got one short story out on sub but, in the weeks since submitting, I've realised that the story a) has a serious flaw that needs correcting and b) isn't sufficiently in the genre the anthology editors want, so I'm confident of a No showing up in my inbox come February. I've got one completed (new) erotica short sitting gathering dust, but no markets even remotely suitable. My interest in submitting old stories as reprints is also pretty much zero, and I'm realising they're all pretty much crap.
 

InkFinger

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  • I am reading Plot Gardening by Chris Fox
  • I am listening to Blood Bond by Hillary Hilderbrand
  • I am writing practice pieces only at the moment
  • I am editing - Seaward - novel
  • I am critiquing nothing - nothing today
  • I am submitting The Black Hand of Eldred Strum to Baen Fantasy Adventure Award contest
 
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Unimportant

No COVID yet. Still masking.
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I'm beta-reading a novel for a fellow AW-er. Other than that, nada.
 
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InkFinger

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  • I am reading Folly by Stella Cameron (A Cotswold Murder Mystery)
  • I am listening to Book Three of the Fall of Radiance by Blake Arthur Peel
  • I am writing practice pieces only at the moment
  • I am editing/revising - Seaward - novel (2/3rds, plan to be done by EO June)
  • I am critiquing nothing - practice threads
  • I am submitting WoTF and BFAA contests (decisions due next month)