Wednesday, April 1, 2015

Spent about three hours re-writing, editing, and polishing (such as it is) 29 poems I'd written in various guises over the past 17 years.  I wanted to see which ones were good enough to send out.

More than I thought, is the answer.

About 2,456 total words, my word count says.  With all of the writing, re-writing, editing and polishing, I'll say...

Approximately 1,200 words.

And I've got some good poems to send out, too.

Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Spent about four hours making a flyer about my published stories, including my two that are free in online magazines.

App. 500 words.  Looks good.

Week ending Sunday, March 29, 2015

Today I finalized 617 words of a so-far three-page poem that I think could be something special. 

I've always liked writing poems and I've been paid for a couple, but I've only sent out those two.  But as I've been researching markets for my stuff--which is what I've been doing most of the week, besides working at home at my job that pays The Man--I've seen a ton of places to send out my many poems.  I won't send them all out, maybe, but...

Well, not much this week, so I'm sure I'll get my butt kicked again.  Very, very frustrating week.

1,000 words earlier this week + 617 words of this poem + about 350 words, just a couple of pages of the next chapter of my almost-finished book.  ::sigh::

So let's just call it an even 2,000 words again this week.  I thought there'd be more.

Next week there will be.

Tuesday March 24, 2015

Spent most of the afternoon and night writing and sending out query letters to different publications.  I had a backlog of pieces to send out, so I had a business day of research and writing.  Very stressful.

Approximately one thousand (1,000) words.

But at least it's done.

Now, back to the actual writing...

Week Ending March 22, 2015

One poem today: 246 words.

1,345 words on Wednesday.

1,345 + 246 = 1,591.

Assorted almost-sent query letters would round it up to 2,000 words for the week.

Not very good, but considering the week I had, especially at work...

I'm not feeling bad about it.

One finished short story, and one finished poem, and a few finished query letters.

Really not bad for the week I had, and I've done much worse than this.

I'll do better.  I must do better.

But I'll definitely take 2,000 words for this week, and those finished pieces.

March 18, 2015

Spent 7 hours editing, re-editing, and partially re-writing a short story.  But I turned an okay one into a really good one, I think, with a much better Voice and flow.  I'd always been a bit disappointed in this one, and now I'm not.

3,350 words, at first.

Then, 3,240 words.

Finally, 2,690 words.

When you take out that many words, but still show and say the same thing, it's got to be better.

Since the ultimate goal here is to produce marketable writing, I'll make a guesstimate about the number of new words for today, and then send out the story.

I'll say...half of the final total.

So...1,345 words.

I hope to announce, soon, on another blog, http://stevespublishedwork.blogspot.com/, that this story has sold somewhere.  Wish it luck!

March 9, 2015

Very exciting.  New short story I started today, after reading John Cheever's very good--and very strange--"Torch Song."  Give it a read.

I have no idea why reading Cheever's work compels me to start a short story that only just barely, maybe, resembles something of his.  This is the third time; the other two--non-genre pieces--have sold.  (Knock on wood.)  Anyway, one does not question what stirs awake the Muse.  Or tunes in to my antenna.  Or whatever.

You take it and you run with it.

I ran with it.

Short story, tentatively named "Tito's."  2,179 words.

That's over 2,500 words in the past 24 hours.

If only that could always be the way.

But...why can't it?