A Good Four Days!

Over 40,000 words in four days, plus another sale of a short story to DDP and most of Vision done and ready to go up.

Days like that are fun. I don't want to do 10,000 words a day every day, but it's great for the short run. Even in NaNo I don't get much past the first week with 10,000 word days.

Written in the Sand is a joy to write. The opening moved too slowly, but openings are often that way for me, and in the edit I'll likely rework and cut a good amount of material. The outline is wonderful. 80 some entries, and I have them marked at 1000 words each, but they're almost all going over that word count.

I want to go back to work at it now, but I really can't keep doing 10,000 word days. I do have other things that need to be done. Really. But you know, it probably won't hurt to go for 5,000, right?

(Slaps fingers)

And Raven is off. Well, you know, I could get used to this working in the morning if it weren't so damned bright out.

I had something odd happen with Raven. Right as I was preparing to send it off I had to write a short blurb, and in writing the blurb I chanced upon something that the story needed, so I went back in and rewrote it yet again. Much better. So the story is off to the publisher, and I can get on with whichever challenge I want to do today.

And look, it's just noon.

Good morning.

I mean seriously, Good Morning.

I rarely get up this early, partly because (like last night) I don't go to bed before 5 or 6 am. However, this cold is playing havoc with me today, and since Russ had things to take care of elsewhere, I got up and went to work on the computer. I'm not back to Labor of Love or Unfinished Business yet, though. I have a submission I need to get in, and I'm just about done with it. Then I'm going to work on Paid in Blood and Gold. I keep feeling drawn to it, and I figure I might as well work on it then. It would be nice to have a really good amount done on it today.

Right now, though, I'm going to get Raven done and off to the publisher.

Hello!

It's very late. I should have been in bed hours ago. However, it is Labor of Love at Forward Motion, and I have been enjoying the work, despite having a horrid cold. Or maybe because I have it -- I can't sleep without choking so I might as well sit here and work. I've written over 20,000 words in two days on a new novel Written in the Sand (was The Sand and the Wind). I'm considering moving over to Unfinished Business and making a run for the end of Paid in Blood and Gold instead of going farther on the new one. I keep feeling guilty that I had been doing so well on that novel and then just dropped it for the challenge. LOL. We'll see.

What else is going on? Can anything else be going on when you write that much? I'm sure things happened around me. I didn't notice. I had a lovely note from someone thanking me for the work at Forward Motion, which is always nice.

On the other hand, I had an amusing (and annoying because of the timing) run in with a couple romance writers who couldn't get it through their heads that I wouldn't list their books at Estand not because they were Romance, but because I do not list individual books or authors. It's a site for Electronic Publishers. It was amazing. The odd thing is that they weren't the first Romance writers I've had this problem with, so I think somewhere there is a list with some faulty information. At any rate, if I didn't know so many truly nice Romance writers, in both print and electronic format, I would really start worrying. These people can be downright rude and pissy! Okay, I've had to deal with rude sf and fantasy writers as well, but they aren't quite so persistent. (grin)

But overall, life is good. Forward Motion is running wonderfully. I have some of the most helpful, wonderful moderators in the world. These people really get out there and work. Some of the ones who have been there for a while have been retiring this year, and I fully understand that. It's a lot of work for nothing, and at least with Holly there they had the ability to say they were moderators at a site for a name author. They've been wonderful, and even though some of the moderators have stepped down -- for life reasons, for work reasons, and whatever other reasons -- it has been a very polite move, and they've all stayed at the site and continued in ways that are not quite so demanding.

I love Forward Motion. I couldn't have said that a year ago, when I had just taken over. I had worries about everything I did, and we had troubles with people who stirred things up (whether intentionally or not) right away, so I learned quickly that it's best to just step in, take action, and move on. That's the way the site has gone for this year, and you know... we've more than doubled in size, we continue to grow, and we have far fewer problems than we ever did before. The site is maturing. It's not that I took over, it's that FM reached a stage where the people who know what they want sorted out their priorities, and because they have those set and are working toward them, the people who join in later are pulled into that level as well.

I'm looking at new things to add, new approaches to try. The site grows but it grows in a good direction and toward a goal. And it's great to be part of it.

And I think I should be getting some sleep!

Today starts the Labor of Love and Unfinished Business dares at Forward Motion.

Last night I got horribly ill and spent most of today curled up in bed.

Sigh.

But I'm moving along on The Wind and the Sand. Current count is 4042, which isn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be since it's only coming up on 5pm. I don't know how long I'll stay up today, but if I make 5000 words that's not too bad. I think I might do better. Except for being dizzy when I get up, I seem to be feeling better over all. Russ had this flu stuff a few days ago. I should have realized it would hit at the worst time for me!

I might be late with Vision this month. I should probably concentrate on that rather than writing, but it makes my head pound. Maybe later tonight.

Oh! I have a new story available at Double Dragon:



Year of the Fire Rat
$1 or free with the purchase of Aubreyan
http://www.double-dragon-ebooks.com