It feels like fireworks are going off in my head.
First: Today is my sixth anniversary as a full time science fiction and fantasy author. In 2012, my day job left me and I was left with only an 8 title back list and no real hope of working in higher education again. It’s worked out okay so far.
Second: Today is my first day as the Chief Financial Officer of the Science-Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. It’s a wonderful opportunity to give back to science-fiction and the community that surrounds it. I’m honored to have been elected.
Third (but hardly least): I’ve been working on new structures to support my writing since February when I went to the Smarter Artists Summit in Austin. This last month brought back a tool that I used in the past but forgot–the tracking spreadsheet.
When the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers do their periodic NovelRama – 25,000 words in 4 days – I always track my writing by session. It helps me keep track of where I am in the day, how many words I’ve written that day, and how many more I need to write before I can sleep. NovelRama is great fun and I’ve always been sad when it ends. It’s almost always been a great way to jump start a stalled project.
This last week, I had that spreadsheet idea brought back to me and I spent some time playing with it, trying to make it easier and more informative.
It’s made writing fun again. Really fun. The kind of fun that I remember having but had lost track of in the day-to-day slog of trying to set and meet deadlines, keep up with my health, see my kids often enough to be able to pick them out of a line up and all the other stuff that people do.
Honestly, I’m a little giddy.
Status:
1. The first draft of Home Run is nearly completed. I’m cautiously optimistic that I’ll find the ending in the next 3-5 days. There’s still a lot of work to do to make it ebook ready, but that day is coming soon.
2. My stretch goal for the month of July is finishing up another paperback. I did South Coast last month. This month I’m shooting for To Fire Called. Fingers crossed on this because…
3. I also have to do the free-write and outline for By Darkness Forged. I plan to do that while betas and editors are playing with Home Run.
4. Artistic Whispers is still working on the Audible production of Tanyth Fairport.
5. Podium (Jeffrey Kafer) will be getting By Darkness Forged as soon as I get it done.
Happy Fourth for those who celebrate it. I know I’ll be celebrating with the fireworks in my head.
Long may they blow my mind!
Until next month, crew. Safe voyage.
Image credit:Sehsuan at English Wikipedia [GFDL, CC-BY-SA-3.0 or CC BY 2.5], via Wikimedia Commons