It’s been a rough week.
Ok, that’s a bit of an understatement, but I’ll let it stand. My sister is recovering from surgery to repair a badly broken leg. I’ve got a friend in a medically induced coma. I’m not going to get into details, but both are several states away and, even if I could visit, there’s not a damned thing I could do.
Additionally, I haven’t been as productive as I usually am, writing wise (ya think?) and that weighs on me pretty heavily.
Add to that the usual stresses, mix well, serve chilled, and it wouldn’t be an understatement to say that I’ve dealt with it poorly.
So, here I am on a Sunday morning, waiting for the coffee to start working, feeling the edges fraying, wishing that I could go back to bed (I can’t. Once I’m awake, I’m up for the duration). Wishing that I could, somehow, go back a week and start over.
There are no do-overs.
But I can start again.
Sometimes I forget that.
Starting over suggests that I go back, forgetting what I’ve learned along the way. Suggests that the struggle was for nothing.
Starting again is just that. Pick up where you left off, learn from your mistakes, adjust your course, and keep slogging through. Sometimes the going will be hard. Sometimes you’ll stumble, lose direction. Sometimes you’ll encounter a helping hand when you least expect it, find your footing, find ways open to you that you’d never even considered.
No, there are no do-overs, but you can start again at any time.
What I’m working on:
The Price of Power: After a final, quick “Couple of things”, the story is good to go! We’re getting close to the unofficial release date, so stay tuned…
Brimstone: The window is closing. The outside date that I’ll hear whether or not the story has been accepted is Oct 31st (8 days away). If you’ve a mind, I’d take it as a kindness if you’d cross what you’ve got for me.
Partners: Has been submitted! I hit my goal of getting it sent off on the 10th. I’m waiting to hear back from the editors.
Chasing the Kestrel: I’ve still got several open queries – including the agent who asked for more pages.
Beneath the Waves – A Wainwright and Holliday Adventure: It’s a working title. This will be my submission to the “Submerged” anthology open call. I’ve got until December 1st to get it done.
Death…I don’t have a title, yet: I don’t even have a working title, yet for the story I’m submitting for the “Death of All Things” anthology open call. I’ve got until December 31st to get it done, which seems longer than it actually is, since I’ll be starting it on December 1st. Sooner if I can get the other story done ahead of schedule.
What’s Next:
2017: I’m formulating plans and schedules (more on that later) but I want to keep the momentum that I’ve generated this year going.
Total Word Count:
Recently, the idea to keep track of that first million words, and post it somewhere, came up and I thought it was a good idea, if only to provide me with a kick in the ass.
Thanks to the magic of Calculators and Coffee, here is the word count for the week:
1.5 hours of editing x 3 days this week = 4.5 hours
4.5 hours of editing at 400 words per hour = 1800 words
300 new words
This brings my grand total to…
279,100 words!!
That leaves 720,900 words to go.
That’s doable.
Time: 10:42 am – ish
Music: Blind Guardian – Miracle Machine