Somebody stop me…

In writing news:

Crazy person that I am, I went and started two new stories (I have no idea how long they’ll end up being. Might be shorts, might be novellas, might be novels- hard to say until I get further into them), but I’ve got so many stories in various stages of completion that starting more just seems like a bad it. I just can’t help myself. When an idea hits me sometimes I just have to write it.

The first one I started is called Sometimes the shadow wins, about a kid and his shadow.

The second I’ve been calling The world according to Jimmy Smitts. It’s about a boy and his highly unusual neighbor.

I really need to start finishing projects before jumping into new ones. Shame on me.

Speaking of completing projects, I’ve only got about 25 pages of Sins of a Father remaining that need edited for the 3rd draft to be complete. Bad part is they are some of the pages that require the most work. Should be finished by the middle of next week if all goes according to plan so I’m still on schedule to finish the final draft by the end of the year.

Sadly, I’ve only added about 2500 words to Dark Wilderness in the last week and a half, but I’m still hoping I can pull the rest out of my head onto the pages by the end of the month. I may end up a bit off schedule on that one as most of my writing efforts have been focused on Sins of a Father.

In sculptural news:

I started a Jack Skellington full body sculpt that stands about 16 inches tall. I don’t have any photos of it yet and don’t feel like taking any at the moment. Perhaps in a future post.

I also half molded the Luka head. Being the first time I’ve ever attempted to make a mold I definitely hit some setbacks, which hopefully I can overcome. I won’t know for sure until I attempt the second half of the mold. I certainly learned a few things about molding for my next attempt and hopefully I can make this one work. If I can’t it means scrapping the mold and the sculpt with nothing to show for it, but sometimes it takes that experience to learn the correct way of doing things.

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Halfway There

The good news: I’m halfway through the second draft of Sins of a Father. The second draft is coming along nicely and much faster than I’d anticipated, which I’m thankful for. I’m thoroughly enjoying this writing kick I’ve been on lately. Here’s to hoping it lasts.

The bad news: I’m tired, so no more writing for tonight. It would all be rambling gibberish that would need changed during editing anyway, so it’d be a bit pointless to keep going. I’ll get back at it tomorrow evening and try to knock out a few more chapters of draft number two.

Time to visit the land of nod. Have a good evening y’all, and an even better Sunday.

Weekly Goals Review: 5/13-5/19

These goals posts are mostly for myself, so that I can keep track of where I’m going, where I’ve been, and if I’m on the track I’d like to be one. They are also so I can hold myself accountable when I fail to meet a goal. I find that easier to do if I list my goals in a public forum such as this rather than just tack it on a wall where only I’ll see it. Feel free to comment if you wish, but it isn’t necessary.

I switched my focus from Cherokee Johnson to Sins of a Father in the middle of the week, so I got a late start with the goals, but I’m happy with where I am.

Green means the goal was accomplished.

Red means it wasn’t.

Last Week’s Original Goals

• Write a minimum of three first draft chapters of Cherokee Johnson
• Write the second draft of the After Death story
• Write one second draft chapter of The Rain

 

Last Week’s Updated Goals

• Finish planning phase of Sins of a Father
• Write at least two first draft chapters of Sins of a Father
• Write one second draft chapter of The Rain

This Week’s Goals

• Write a minimum of four first draft chapters of Sins of a Father
• Write a story for CC’s blog
• Write the second draft of the After Death story

This Month’s Updated Goals

• Write at least half of the first draft of Sins of a Father
• Begin planning phase for Sins of a Father
• Begin writing the second draft of The Rain
• Write second and third drafts of After Death story
• Edit and submit After Death story
• Start a story for submission to the Big Bad Anthology (submission deadline July 31)

Next Month’s Updated Goals

• Finish the second draft of Sins of a Father
• Continue work on the second draft of The Rain
• Write a couple chapters of Cherokee Johnson
• Begin rough sketches of The Child’s Guide
• Write second and third drafts of Big Band Anthology story
• Edit and submit Big Bad Anthology story
• Find 2+ more anthologies to submit to

This Year’s Updated Goals

• Publish Sins of a Father
• Begin editing phase of The Rain
• Complete first draft of Cherokee Johnson
• Begin working on drawings for The Child’s Guide
• Submit stories to at least five anthologies

The ambition is still there. Occasionally, the drive comes and goes, but that’s something I’ve got to work through. Join me on my journey, it’s going to be a long, bumpy one.

Weekly Goals Review: 5/6-5/12

Weekly Goals Review: 5/6-5/12

These goals posts are mostly for myself, so that I can keep track of where I’m going, where I’ve been, and if I’m on the track I’d like to be one. They are also so I can hold myself accountable when I fail to meet a goal. I find that easier to do if I list my goals in a public forum such as this rather than just tack it on a wall where only I’ll see it. Feel free to comment if you wish, but it isn’t necessary.

Green means the goal was accomplished.

Red means it wasn’t.

Last Week’s Goals

• Write a minimum of four first draft chapters of Cherokee Johnson I only managed two this week, but I got 6 last week so it all works out right? No, not really. I just slacked off when I should have been writing.
• Finish first draft of story for submission to the After Death anthology (submission deadline June 30)
• Bonus: Started planning phase for Sins of a Father

This Week’s Goals

• Write a minimum of three first draft chapters of Cherokee Johnson
• Write the second draft of the After Death story
• Write one second draft chapter of The Rain

This Month’s Goals

• Finish the first draft of Cherokee Johnson
• Begin planning phase for Sins of a Father
• Begin writing the second draft of The Rain (working title)
• Write second and third drafts of After Death story
• Edit and submit After Death story
• Start a story for submission to the Big Bad Anthology (submission deadline July 31)

Next Month’s Goals

• Finish the second draft of Cherokee Johnson
• Continue work on the second draft of The Rain
• Continue planning for Sins of a Father, maybe scratch out a few chapters
• Begin rough sketches of The Child’s Guide
• Write second and third drafts of Big Band Anthology story
• Edit and submit Big Bad Anthology story
• Find 2+ more anthologies to submit to

This Year’s Goals

• Publish Cherokee Johnson
• Begin editing phase of The Rain
• Complete first draft of Sins of a Father
• Begin working on drawings for The Child’s Guide
• Submit stories to at least five anthologies

The ambition is still there. Occasionally, the drive comes and goes, but that’s something I’ve got to work through. You’re more than welcome to tag along for the ride. Ride my coat tails to fame! Just another ambitious pipe dream there, haha.

Weekly Goals Review: 4/29-5/5

These goals posts are mostly for myself, so that I can keep track of where I’m going, where I’ve been, and if I’m on the track I’d like to be on. They are also so I can hold myself accountable when I fail to meet a goal. I find that easier to do if I list my goals in a public forum such as this rather than just tack it on a wall where only I’ll see it. Feel free to comment if you wish, but it isn’t necessary.

Last Week’s Goals

• Write a minimum of four first draft chapters of Cherokee Johnson
• Settle on my next project I’ve decide my next project will be turning my Sins of a Father series of stories into a full length novel. For now, the novel will carry the same name as the story that got the ball rolling. Don’t expect it to be released any time soon, though. There will probably be at least a few more shorts along the way as part of the Friday Fictioneers to give you a brief glimpse into the world of the book.

This Week’s Goals

• Write a minimum of four first draft chapters of Cherokee Johnson
• Finish first draft of story for submission to the After Death anthology (submission deadline June 30)

May’s Goals

• Finish the first draft of Cherokee Johnson
• Begin planning phase for Sins of a Father
• Begin writing the second draft of The Rain (working title)
• Write second and third drafts of After Death story
• Edit and submit After Death story
• Start a story for submission to the Big Bad Anthology (submission deadline July 31)

June’s Goals

• Finish the second draft of Cherokee Johnson
• Continue work on the second draft of The Rain
• Continue planning for Sins of a Father, maybe scratch out a few chapters
• Begin rough sketches of The Child’s Guide
• Write second and third drafts of Big Band Anthology story
• Edit and submit Big Bad Anthology story
• Find 2+ more anthologies to submit to

This Year’s Goals

• Publish Cherokee Johnson
• Begin editing phase of The Rain
• Complete first draft of Sins of a Father
• Begin working on drawings for The Child’s Guide
• Submit stories to at least five anthologies

As you can see, I’m being pretty ambitious with my goals, but hopefully I can stick with it and pull through. I’ll give it my best effort anyway. It’s going to be a long, bumpy journey. Wish me luck!