So…

Hi neglected blog.

So after doing not much of anything this year I’m in bed with my laptop.

Writing a poem.

A science fiction poem.

About the beach, and snorkelling.

About being a geek.

And about my kids.

…

It isn’t turning out so well but I don’t care.

How long, the Beforedeath? — an update

I have criminally neglected this blog of late.

I have no excuse, other than to say I haven’t done anything much you’d find interesting.

However, yesterday I went to the Katharine Sussanah Pritchard Spec Fic Awards – even though my story – our beloved “How long, the Beforedeath?” – didn’t make the grade this year.

But an update! Last time I mentioned the story was here (if you exclude my 20,000 word rewrite), but thanks to the generous judge of the competition, who mentioned many, many stories that didn’t make the grade, I got a smidgen of feedback.

Steven Dedman mentioned “How Long, the Beforedeath?” as one of the pieces that started well, but ultimately failed to satisfy in its conclusion. Interestingly similar feedback to that received by Phill from my writing group (who you may remember sparked my 20k in 10 days challenge with the words “the end is where I started getting interested.”

 

Anyway – a rewrite may be on the cards!

Day 10 – 20k in 10 days – FINISH!

Day 10:

Target: 20,000 words

Actual: 20,023 words

Done! Scraped over the line at 11:14pm (West Aust. time). Will now email it to Phill who will verify and let me out of my bet.

Completely shattered. Will reflect on this better in the morning and blog on some of the thoughts I have had about the process as a whole.

I’m pretty pleased though. The story – though written poorly in places – is cohesive and structurally reasonable.

May have to think up some kind of editing challenge next

Thanks for your support along the way folks!

20k in 10 days

Dear Writing God,

Please let this story be good. Or at least not-shit.

Sincerely,

Dan

Day 10 (am) – 20k in 10 days

Day 10 – morning:

Target: 20,000 words

Actual: 17,379 words.

Up early to put some wordage down before work. Got 500 words done from an important little scene.

About 2,600 to go. Very doable.

Day 9 – 20k in 10 days

Day 9:

Target: 18,000 words

Actual: 16,870 words

Big day. Had two writing sessions for more than 3,500 words. Going to go to bed, get up early and do an hour before work and hopefully get up around the 18,000 mark. Then tomorrow night I’ll just have the 2,000 to do and I’m home.

Epic!

In other news, the writing was quite good tonight. The story is structurally making a lot of sense. I’m a little worried that:

a. the resolution is coming together a little too matter-of-factly; and

b. that I am adding information that should have been alluded to much earlier.

But I guess these things can be fixed at second draft stage! (yes, I am currently filled with the misguided notion that the story has merit)

Day 8 – 20k in 10 days

Day 8:

Target: 16,000 words

Actual: 13,266 words

Another 1,000 words only. Not great writing either. Blaming Saturday.

Sunday better deliver!

Day 7 – 20k in 10 days

Day 7:

Target: 14,000 words

Actual: 12,126 words

Writing on a Friday night can bite me.

Though surprisingly, did 1,000 words tonight.

My plan for my remaining word limit is 3,000 words on Saturday, 3,000 Sunday and 2,000 Monday.

Doable, right?

Day 7 – 20k in 10 days

Whoever invented writing didn’t touch base with whoever invented chilling out on Friday night.

Fuck.

20k in 10 days – the big f#%cking machine gets a purpose

Today while driving to work it dawned on me that my big-shiny-technology-thing-created-for-no-other-reason-than-sci-fi-demanding-it, (not that it actually demands it, but mine does) can provide the mechanism for the MAJOR revelation in my story.

I can’t tell you the relief I’m feeling. I had no idea what I was going to do to get past this hurdle.

It always makes me wonder what darker forces are at work when something written on a whimsy becomes incredibly important to a story.