Busy, Busy, Busy

Well, I haven't written here in a while, and there's a good reason. I've been pretty busy, both with regular family and work stuff, and with writing. The book I've been co-ghostwriting is coming along pretty well, and I've got most of the first chapter of it done (I'm trying to get a chapter or so done every month). However, it's been an effort even to get that much done.

Things are starting to settle down a bit, though, and I'm hoping to post here more often on my progress (as well as actually pick up the pace on my progress!)

Check it out!

My short story "Ties That Bind" is appearing this month in the magazine "Perpetual," an online journal showcasing stories in all sorts of different genres.

Anyway, you should check it out.

Too bad, so sad

I just got word this week that my story "In Plain Sight" got rejected by Andromeda Spaceways. I can't say I'm entirely surprised. With my last story that was rejected by them ("Woman is Cipher"), among the comments was something like "too much kitschy detective stuff." Since "In Plain Sight" was pretty much nothing but kitschy detective stuff, I figure it was doomed from the start. Oh well. It was worth a shot, I suppose.

Out of Mothballs

Just for fun (and because I think it'll be worth it) I'm pulling my short story "Sinking NeoVenice" out of mothballs, dusting it off and re-editing it for publication. I'll probably go over it, checking for overall character motivation, consistent theme, always with an eye to trim down if I can. Then I'll post it over at the CW forums and see what kind of feedback I get from it. My final step will be to see if there's an appropriate market out there for it. It's sort of an unusual story--kind of a cyberpunk thing, but I think it won't be too tough to find a market if I can make the story itself work well enough.

Encouraging meeting

I met this last week with the guy whose story a fellow author and I are ghostwriting, and it was a very encouraging meeting. We talked through his original manuscript and how we can cut it down to the most impacting stories, which I'll then fill out with description and other prose. I feel like we now have a definite direction for the project. It also looks like there's a decent chance that it'll get picked up by a major publishing house, which will be really nice. 

Of course, that last little tidbit sort of puts the pressure on, but that's okay. We can deal with that. 

Now all we need to know is how much time we've got left 'till deadline.  

Outlining

I'm currently engaged in a fairly new undertaking for me. Basically, I'm analyzing a lot of raw material, then outlining in preparation for distilling it down into an interesting and compelling non-fiction narrative which will form chapters of a future book. (another author is working on the other half of the book) In a sense, I will be writing it, but in another sense, it's someone else's work. I guess that's what ghostwriting's all about. It's an interesting learning experience. 

Done with the Devos

I'm finished with my first draft of the week's worth of devotionals from Philippians I was asked to work on about a month ago. 

I like how they turned out, but I'll be running them by the wife just to make sure I didn't write anything really heretical.