I’ve made a decision to drop Kaiju Story for now. I’ve read the reviews. Some were favorable, some were not. There was a lot of conflicting information. But it pointed there were many fundamental problems with the plot and characters that couldn’t be resolved in simple revising. It’s like three stories in one – documentary, science fiction, and horror. The beginning does not match the end. And moreover, I just got annoyed with the story itself. I didn’t want to waste time polishing a turd when there were more interesting things to write. And it’s not because I’m done with Black Hole Son, because I started on Old Dragonslayer Story…
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Back on the Train
Now more than ever, it’s important to get Black Hole Son under 120,000 words, thanks to this tidbit from Rachelle Gardner. Myths and facts of publishing, indeed. I still can’t get a straight answer to whether it’s all right if my novel is over 120,000 words. But my own instincts are telling me to trim that mother down, and an agent who’s signed 21/26 debut novelists must know a thing or two about premiere writers. Fortunately, I’d say it’s looking good to achieve this goal. I’m on page 30 / 268 of Black Hole Son and I’ve killed 5,000 or so words so far, and there’s more to come. I…
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Some Updates – Including an insulting critiquer
Well, time for some updates. Working on Black Hole Son 3rd and final draft. I think it’s really improving at this point. Everything feels tighter and faster. I just hope it’s not too fast. I’ve already managed to kill 5,000 words. If I can kill 15,000 more, I’ll be under 120,000, which is my goal. So far, I’m on page 20 or so. I’m just trying to make it as publishable as I can, while still keeping as close to my story as possible. Kaiju Story is up on Critters. Totally forgot about it. When I started getting emails, I was like “What? I have a story? Which one is…
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Vampire Family Story Done
I’m done revising Vampire Family Story, and I’m pleased with how it turned out. Unfortunately, it also ballooned up to 6,000 words, which limits some of my publishing options. It’s no Hugo Winner, but it’s a good story, and I think I improved it to the point where many people will be pleased. I wondered, as I was revising, whether I was trying to please everyone. I tried to only fix problems that multiple people complained about. But even multiple people can be wrong (and make me pump the story to too many words. That’s the double-edged sword with getting a lot of critiques. Too many cooks can spoil the…
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White Mage Story done
I’m done with the first draft of the White Mage story – go me for productivity! It’s been submitted to Critters under the title “Healing Mage”, because I thought I couldn’t call him a White Mage, I thought that was too close to Final Fantasy, although I hate the word Healing Mage. I should probably find a better word, but I like the concept of White Mage so much – it sounds right. Next up is trying to make Fairy Story into a flash fiction. Right now it sounds a little dry, as I’m basically turning the concept into the narrative. No dialogue, and not much setting. No revelations either.…
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Giving Up on Kaijus
I gave up on Kaiju Story, at least for now. I just can’t figure out where it goes or what the ending is. I think I started off too limited. If I continue it, I’m going to have to start fresh. I’m really disappointed in myself, that I couldn’t finish it. Real writers can write anything, especially something they’re inspired for. I just can’t think of a way to end it. I’ve come up with telepathic monsters that can only be understood when in a drunk rage, eyes in the floor, kaiju-worshipping cults, daycare centers, and so on. But none of it turned from concept to story. And there were…
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More Whining About Short Stories
I’m really going through a lot of emotions with this short story crap. It seems like no matter what I write, it’s crap. It’s too juvenile, or it has no ending, it just fizzles. But I have to keep pressing on to get writing cred. But no one’s gonna accept crap like this. I’m a novel writer, not a short story writer. I just have no desire to turn these out because I have no interest in the storylines. There’s no time for anything to develop. It’s like pulling teeth. No matter what, I can’t think of a non-cliche way to end Kaiju story. Everything’s been done before. I can’t…
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Dumb Forum Posters
I’m just about done with this “I Should vs. I Want to” thread I’ve got going on SFFWorld.com. For one thing, it still seems the users are so steeped in their “How dare you insult the classics by implying it’s may not be necessary to read them if you’re a writer.” There’s only one guy that’s arguing with me, and he’s always misinterpreting my response. I’m now arguing things that have nothing to do with my point just so that I won’t be written off as some n00b that’s pissing in the wind compared to Mr. 1,000 Posts who has no idea what I’m or he’s talking about. He’s talking…
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Update
Tried tackling Fairy Story again. No dice, still hate it. I saw Cloverfield on Thursday night and got inspired to write something about giant monsters. Giant monsters are cool, but all I’ve got is a snippet of an idea. But this time I’m doing something with it, and trying to let it go organically. I have no idea where it’s going to stop, and I’m not even sure where it’s beginning. It’s just a concept. I wonder where it’s going to go. This wasn’t a planned story, so there’s not as much pressure on it to be publishable.