Mist and Shadows

Another week, another update.

Still slowly improving the output, this week breaking the 8K mark. next week hopefully will be back over 10K for the week.

Of that around 5K was on an untitled short story which is around two thirds complete. Should have the rough draft done by the end of the next week, but who knows when it will get a rewrite.

It is time however that I absolutely must get back to working on, and completing, a novel. All this time and all these words and little to show for it. So I am now going to get back to working exclusively on my first novel, bar a day or two a week for short stories and Cara’s Choice.

Week five has turned out to the second best week this year in terms of output, with a little over 7000 words written, so at least I hit the minimum desired mark of 1K words a day.

Still, for all that, it was only half the output of the first week of the year.  The next couple of days seem to be clear currently and I hope to get some serious writing done during them.

The week saw the completion of the first draft of The Bronze Man, after many weeks of meaning to get it done.  I also started work on two other short stories which I hope to have completed during the next week.

Between parent’s visiting, cleaning up for parent’s visiting, Australia Day and admittidly some general slackness of my part, week four was another week well below par.  Only wrote on three days with around 3500 words done.

It is really starting to get to me this lack of progress that is going on.  I want to write, I need to write, yet something seems to be holding me back.  Perhaps it is that little nagging voice at the back of the head which is saying why put in the effort as it’ll never amount to anything.  I really need to stomp on that hard.

I think I need to reappraise how I am going about this and what I am working towards.  I do have some ideas on that regards and will be working towards them over the coming weeks – more shall be forthcoming as it progresses.

Week three has come and gone. While it was better than week two, it was still a little lacklustre, only around 5000 words written. Not sure exactly why I haven’t been able to manage better these last two weeks.

Currently I’m working on a number of synopsis. I’m trying to get the basic stories of a number of novels written down so that later I can move back and forwards between them as the mood strikes me and at least have a point of reference besides what may be in my head.

I’m also planning to do some extensive work on a series of short stories – I want to get a few finished and on the site soon.

After last weeks rather poor effort, yesterday I got a rather solid day of writing in, clocking in at around 3600 words written.  In effect I got more done yesterday than all of last week.

Of that around 2000 words were of the rough synopsis of In Fire – I sat down and wrote it out all in one hit, and I like where it is going.  Another 1000 odd words were of the first part of the rough synopsis for the Steampunk story, though the synopsis isn’t finished yet.  Later on I’ll have to go back and write up the full synopsis, which will probably take up ten to twenty thousand words on previous efforts.

Week Two of 2009 was pretty much a write off. All up, I managed around 3000 words for the week, which is what I am aiming for per day, not the week overall.

Admittedly there were some mitigating circumstances, with a few days out due to visiting my parents for their joint 60th birthday party, but that still left a number of days where I should have got more done.

I am also going slightly crazy – I have far too many story ideas reverberating around in my head wanting to get out, but not enough time to do so. This is the list of the current ones (though it changes fairly regularly).

Serial Story:

Cara’s Choice.  Takes up a couple of hours a week – no plotting, just write what comes to mind.

Short Stories:

The Pit:  Man and Beast are thrust into a fighting pit to battle for the crowds.  Who lives, who dies and can they win their freedom?  First draft complete.  This one is set in the In Fire novel world.

The Bronze Man:  A small Maedari village comes under attack by Chelosian sea raiders. Can they hold out long enough for help to arrive?  First draft around two thirds complete, this is turning more into a novella than a short story

The Straits of Tuafi:  Privateers and smugglers make a daring raid on the strategic islands at the center of the Straits of Tuafi.  In conception/plotting stage.

The Charioteer: Beast stalk the ancient lands and Lahaenar the Charioteer must battle one such beast to save a village from its devastation.  In conception/plotting stage.

The Professor: While investigating an ancient burial site, Hjalir and his escort come under attack by desert raiders.  Taking refuge in the tombs, they find something that may be more dangerous that even the raiders.  First draft one third done.

Cahuac and the Sun:  The Sun has wandered from its course and abandoned the Aracan.  The mighty Cahauc sets out to find the Sun and return it to its appointed way.  First draft complete.

Ray and his Human:  In the depths of space, their ship crippled, the sarcastic android Ray has to keep his ‘master’ alive.  Conception/plotting complete.

The Village:  In the far distant past, simple stone age traders arrive at a wondrous village, where hundreds live and possess vast wealth of copper, clothes of dyed fabrics and other unheard of treasures.  This story was written for something else – I am in the process of rewriting it to fit into my world.  Rewriting old draft.

The Duel:  An old knight and a young knight exchange words and a duel is provoked.  A surprise lies in store as the pair meet to settle differences by a trial of arms.  This is a story I wrote back in high school, though I seem to have misplaced it.  Conception/plotting stage.

Novels:

In addition to those short stories, I have a number of novels floating around in my head, plus more I am deliberately avoiding even thinking of.

Winter Wolves: Synopsis complete – 12K words done of first draft.

In Fire: Plotting/Conception stage.

Out of Time: Plotting/conception stage.

Queen’s Honour: Synopsis mostly complete.

Primal Tales:  Uncertain as to whether this will be a novel or a collection of stories, but revolves around shapeshifters and beastmaster, berserkers and the wild magic of weather and beasts and plants.  Still in the conception stage, but the concept leapt out at me recently and won’t let go.

Steampunk Tale:  In a fantasy world where magic and monsters meet steampunk – guns and clockwork and steam engines and air ships – a young man joins up with gentleman explorer Sir Richard Hammerman and his entourage and embarks on a wild adventure.  Conception stage.

So there you have it.  Some six novels and nine short stories all fighting to be heard.  No wonder I’m going stir crazy….