| Author |
Message |
    
Dennis Collins
Mindsight Moderator
Post Number:
474
Registered: 06-2002
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, January 16, 2004 - 04:47 pm: |   |
OK all you guys...
Who's writing and who's coasting these days?
I'd like to know how many of our forum regulars are ACTIVELY writing something at this time. Can be a novel, short story, non-fiction, poetry, anything.
I'll go first...
For Thine is the Power third installment in the McCoy series... Will pass the 60,000 word threshold tonight... Expected completion - mid February. |
Kevin P. Grover
Unity Member
Post Number:
1019
Registered: 03-2002
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, January 16, 2004 - 04:57 pm: | |
Well, I'm taking notes on Mists of Memories. Hopefully I'll be ready to write some more on it in a month or so when I get totally caught up with setting up pubs and advertising.
www.winterwolfpublishing.com |
Perry Comer
Unity Member
Post Number:
1113
Registered: 04-2002
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, January 16, 2004 - 05:19 pm: | |
working on a revolution war story of New York city for children (10-14 yr olds). Will finish in about three weeks
http://www.pacwriter.netfirms.com/ |
C. E. Winterland
Mindsight Moderator
Post Number:
1317
Registered: 06-2002
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, January 16, 2004 - 05:39 pm: | |
I'm trying to find my desk... have you seen it?
Perhaps if I had a shovel... or maybe a snowplow...
I haven't 'typed' anything for a while other than HTML, Action Script, and Java. I am 174 pages into my re-write of Luring the Animus, and have been steadily daydreaming about my piece for Tales from the Mead Hall.
But I think I lose out in the actively writing category.
CEW |
Laurel Johnson
Unity Member
Post Number:
2535
Registered: 01-2002
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, January 16, 2004 - 05:54 pm: | |
Actively writing book reviews by the score.
Occasionally writing poetry because of too many interruptions and too short an attention span to work on my two or three novels languishing in the Word file.
I wrote a couple short stories awhile back but nothing since. |
Nancy Marie
Unity Member
Post Number:
1664
Registered: 08-2001
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, January 16, 2004 - 06:33 pm: | |
Rewriting, rewriting, rewriting, in that order.
Nothing new, but I am starting to have ideas again, and that's a good sign. Unfortunately school started today so all my writing energy will be spent in writing essays on Sacramental Theology. Maybe someday someone will invent a 48 hour day, then I might have time to do some creative writing.
blessings, Kitty |
Jennifer Lynn
Wisdom Member
Post Number:
975
Registered: 03-2002
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, January 16, 2004 - 07:58 pm: | |
Half way into my next novel. Harper's Treasure is about a girl, a nerd and some buried treasure. Gotta go.. the nerd is getting frisky!
Jenn |
Fred Dungan
Hsympothai Member
Post Number:
492
Registered: 10-2002
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, January 16, 2004 - 08:30 pm: | |
I am approximately 17,000 words into Vigilantes and am enjoying every minute of it. No wonder I don't make any money at it.
http://www.fdungan.com/vigilantes.htm |
Violet Towe
Wandering Member
Post Number:
219
Registered: 03-2002
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, January 17, 2004 - 06:50 am: | |
I'm waiting and waiting and waiting and.... well you get it, for an answer fron the three agents who has my full manuscript and four other agents who has the first 75 pages. Also waiting for Poisioned Pen Press to get back to me.
I have not started my next novel, or maybe try to write my first nonfiction of what happened to us last year. So, I'm just waiting. Don't you just hate this hurry up and wait business? |
Brian T. Seifrit
Wisdom Member
Post Number:
630
Registered: 03-2002
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, January 17, 2004 - 12:04 pm: | |
Finished a 90k word Historical/Western,(not a big market, I'm realizing for Westerns... oh well), have started a thriller, near 20K words so far... Chug, chug, chuggin along... Talk to ya... Keep all your pens to the paper, now, ya hear... :^)
Brian T.
http://seifrit.ineedabook.net |
Steven Shrewsbury
Hsympothai Member
Post Number:
477
Registered: 04-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, January 17, 2004 - 01:11 pm: | |
Co-writing alot with Peter Welmerink lately.
Wrote 2000 words of DEER GOD this morning.
Wrote 1500 words on DAMN YOUR EYES-THE WILD HUNT the other day.
Last week I did 3000 words of TERRORS OF DUNWICH and worked on outlining a new Blackthorn book.
Dropped a few hundred words into final edit of STRONGER THAN DEATH.
But really I ahve been loafing, to be honest. Working 12 hour days makes one concentrate on shorter works.
|
Jennifer Lynn
Wisdom Member
Post Number:
976
Registered: 03-2002
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, January 17, 2004 - 02:20 pm: | |
And one more thing.. just finished getting a request for the complete ms of Melting Ms McCool, the romantic comedy I'd finished a couple of months ago. Since not hearing from Echelon, my first pick for this novella, I found a new publisher (ebook thus far) who sound like they are going to be fantastic!
Check them out at http://newagedimensionspublishing.com/.
Jenn (who is doing a happy dance) |
Gloria Marlow
Wisdom Member
Post Number:
533
Registered: 04-2002
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, January 17, 2004 - 06:15 pm: | |
On New Years Eve, I finished writing my third book, Shades of Silence.
I am working on the final edits of The Butterfly Game which is to be released in the spring.
I am beginning to think about/write what I hope to be my fourth complete novel, Yesterday's Dreams
|
Deejay (Unregistered Guest)
Work-in-progress guest
Posted From: 24.0.45.234
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, January 17, 2004 - 10:30 pm: | |
I just finished a manuscript about a week and a half ago and am sending queries to agents - does that count as writing?
Deejay |
Nancy Mehl
Mindsight Moderator
Post Number:
1441
Registered: 08-2001
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, January 17, 2004 - 10:45 pm: | |
63,000 words into my newest one. Mainstream mystery/suspense. 63,000 words so far. Spent all day rewriting. Had an element that didn't work so I took it out and rewrote most of the story. I'm ready to move on and determined to finish this within the next couple of weeks.
Still searching for a home for "Sinner's Song." Wish I could get it placed so I could move on.
Need to get back into the second book in the Malevolence series. Started it long ago - just need to finish it.
Have two other series working in my head. Which way to go??? Don't know.
Brian - didn't know you were into Westerns. I've been reviewing Michelle Black - have you heard of her? Just recently talked to Don Coldsmith on the phone. Nice guy. Great Western writer.
Nancy |
John Laurence Robinson
Hsympothai Member
Post Number:
482
Registered: 01-2002
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, January 18, 2004 - 05:12 am: | |
I'm writing the next one in the Joe Box series, but it's not going nearly as fast as I want. Only about 20,000 words done so far; weirdness at work is sucking an inordinate amount of time from me. Also working with Cook's publicist; May 1 is going to be here before I can spit!
John |
Todd Hunter
Unity Member
Post Number:
1057
Registered: 02-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, January 18, 2004 - 05:43 am: | |
Writing each month on my newsletter...
Sitting down to write on two main projects, one of which is the sequel to Hero, entitled Friends in Deed. Not doing much writing on either project, unfortunately...sort of bummed out when I go to write, which is never good.
So, don't know if I fit into the "Actively Writing" category either... |
D.R.
Awareness Member
Post Number:
11
Registered: 05-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, January 18, 2004 - 04:27 pm: | |
When the day job seems to make me so that tired that don't feel like writing, I have to MAKE TIME to write. I pay so much attention to other people's writing that by the time I actually get a chance to write my own material, I end up isolating myself from everyone I love. Not good.
Luckily, I have a wife who is very understanding about my need to write and read. I have always been an "honest writer" and freely share my experiences with other writers.
The only real dilemma I face right now is publishing something that I may want to take back and swallow when I'm old. Gotta write the perfect book, ya know?
I suppose I could publish what I have now, just to write another book and say I didn't believe any of the first one.
D.R. Bennett
http://www.drbennett.2ya.com
http://www.drbennett.2ya.com |
LaurieAnne
Unity Member
Post Number:
1163
Registered: 12-2001
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, January 18, 2004 - 05:24 pm: | |
I have written my daily plan to allow time for writing, but I keep letting life get in the way.
HOWEVER, after a certain friend's birthday party this weekend, I have some VERY interesting ideas for breaking fully into the Erotica category. (And possibly some very sexy volunteers to pose for romance covers. Long story, not for the faint of heart. LOL)
Other than that, I haven't done anything on my own. Concentrating on getting other's works in print.
LA
www.authorsinkbooks.com
LaurieAnne
|
Sheila Schmidt
Hsympothai Member
Post Number:
371
Registered: 05-2002
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, January 19, 2004 - 10:20 am: | |
Wow, yall have been busy beavers. Makes me feel somewhat unmotivated and lazy...
Todd, is that Clifford the Big Red Dog you are posing with? And, please, no comments about ending a sentence with a preposition - it's a Monday!
Sheila |
sophie simonet
Wisdom Member
Post Number:
757
Registered: 03-2002
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, January 19, 2004 - 01:59 pm: | |
Actively writing. Yay! |
Todd Hunter
Unity Member
Post Number:
1062
Registered: 02-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, January 19, 2004 - 03:50 pm: | |
Yes, indeed...
Clifford's a good friend of mine... :-)
At least he was that evening...when I was engaged in a book signing at that particular Waldenbooks (thus, the sign in the background)...we have a six-year-old nephew, so thought we should probably snap a picture... |
C.S. (Unregistered Guest)
Work-in-progress guest
Posted From: 68.214.226.19
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, January 21, 2004 - 09:09 am: | |
Hi all. Long time with no post on my part. Hope all is well. Thought this was a good time to jump back in. I am wrapping up my first screenplay and should have the novel version completed at the end of the month.
C.S.
www.csalexanderentertainment.com |
Dennis Collins
Mindsight Moderator
Post Number:
492
Registered: 06-2002
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, January 21, 2004 - 10:40 am: | |
Hey C.S. Don't be such a stranger... |
C.S. Alexander
Awareness Member
Post Number:
2
Registered: 08-2001
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, January 21, 2004 - 10:52 am: | |
Thanks Dennis. I will try to throw my two cents in more often. Just hope no one tries to give me change back.
C
Buy my book....please. |
Perry Comer
Unity Member
Post Number:
1123
Registered: 04-2002
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, January 21, 2004 - 12:42 pm: | |
Hi CS - glad to see ya
http://www.pacwriter.netfirms.com/ |
Dennis Collins
Mindsight Moderator
Post Number:
530
Registered: 06-2002
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, February 05, 2004 - 05:02 pm: | |
Well, I'm still pumping away...
When I started this thread three weeks ago today, my manuscript stood at 60,000 words. Tonight it will pass the 76,000 mark and looks to be about two chapters away from completion. Less than a week away. My chapters seem to avereage around 2400 words and so the book will likely finish up at a lttle over 80,000 words.
In my opinion, that is just about where I want to be. Since I've been reviewing books (almost two years now), I've begun to pay a lot of attention to length. Seems like 250 to 300 pages covers most of the stuff out there in my genre.
I had really hoped to have this one finished by this weekend so that I could go to this conference boasting two completed manuscripts. But I guess it will be close enough. In any case, I've printed out the first 50 pages and will be taking them along as a sample. |
Claudia Turner VanLydegraf
Mindsight Moderator
Post Number:
832
Registered: 06-2002
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, February 05, 2004 - 09:24 pm: | |
Good for you Dennis.
I wish you the best of luck and ability to show off for those that you are trying to reach. Hope it all flies for you.
Take care and have a great time at the conference. Tell us what happens when you get back, K??
Claudia |
Nancy Mehl
Mindsight Moderator
Post Number:
1457
Registered: 08-2001
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, February 06, 2004 - 11:21 pm: | |
Just at 70,000 words on the new one. Last two chapters fleshed out.
Now on to completion.
I also need to send the first three chapters of my sequel to my agent. This will go to my new publisher. Would love to get a contract for the sequel.
Nancy |
Dennis Collins
Mindsight Moderator
Post Number:
549
Registered: 06-2002
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, February 14, 2004 - 10:58 am: | |
Living in the booney's is great if you enjoy solitude (and I do) but there is very little culture in this blue collar/rural section of Michigan. When most of the locals write anything, it usually consists of a noun, verb, and one adjective, not necessarily in the same tense. Occaisionally a direct object may sneak in but more often, it's just an expletive.
Consequently, the nearest writer's group is over an hour's drive away.
Soo.... I turn to my friends here to help me with decisions.
I've been accumulating notes for three future projects and don't know which one should be next. Here are my thoughts, I wonder what you guys think.
1.McCoy (or O'Conner) gets a distressed call from a relative in the old country (Ireland) and takes his Yankee street experience across the pond to help a family member deal with a murderer.
My Thoughts... Maybe I'll wait until I can make a (tax deductable) trip over there to get a feeling for the place.
2. Racially motivated murders... A young white girl, just learning how to drive accidentally kills a local radio celebrity who hosts a black militant talk show. The girl commits suicide and then her mother does the same after radicals stage demonstrations in front of her home. The father seeks revenge on the entire race. The story culminates when the dead talk show host's son (who is extremely middle of the road) becomes a local sports hero, driving an unlimited hydroplane as the only black driver in an all white sport.
My Thoughts... Might be too narrow an audience. Unlimited hydroplanes are huge in Detroit, Seattle, and Madison Indiana but I'm not sure the rest of the world cares.
3. Anybody here know about Poverty Island? Robert Stack featured it on "Unsolved Mysteries." Local legend is that over four hundred million in Confederate gold was being shipped north to Canada to buy munitions. The ship was intercepted by a French (leased by the Union Navy) Frigate and sunk in Lake Michigan off of Wisconsin's Door peninsula (Green Bay) within sight of Poverty Island. Local treasure hunters have spent fortunes looking for these riches. Michael O'Conner is going to find the gold while under contract to a salvage pirate who charters Michaels cabin cruiser.
My thoughts... This story might have the widest appeal. I've already done a ton of research including spending several hours in personal conference with the curator of the Great Lakes Maritime Museum (Who insists that it's all a myth.)
Anybody wants to chime in, I'll listen.
|
Laurel Johnson
Unity Member
Post Number:
2599
Registered: 01-2002
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, February 14, 2004 - 11:38 am: | |
I vote for Ireland. Definitely. Americans who write Irish stories are big in the mother country right now. |
Brian T. Seifrit
Wisdom Member
Post Number:
644
Registered: 03-2002
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, February 14, 2004 - 12:10 pm: | |
# 3- For sure... Thats a great layout, for a great story Dennis. I'd vote for three, most definitely... Talk to ya...
Brian T.
http://seifrit.ineedabook.net |
Claudia Turner VanLydegraf
Mindsight Moderator
Post Number:
841
Registered: 06-2002
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, February 14, 2004 - 12:18 pm: | |
Dennis,
I would most definetly vote for the Poverty Island story. I have contemplated that fiasco for many years, though I am nowhere near it, heard about it from my grandfather. It is a story that, like DB Cooper, has much appeal, also like all the other sunken treasure voyages that Clive Cussler writes about and our own Rick Tegler, whose book (HAVOC) is now available thru PA, wrote sort of about. Those stories, whether true or not, always have an air of truth and mystery and suspense and...... you could even throw in a love interest. Hopefully, it would capture a huge audience.
Personally, I would wait on the Irish plot, cause you should see the grounds where your story takes place before you write it, for the historical points to be accurate. And the other plot, I am not sure that it would be that good a subject for a book at this time. But those are just my thoughts.
You do what you feel best about, but seeing as how you have already done a lot of research on the Poverty Island ship wreck, I think that it would be best if you put some heart into it and wrote the story. Write what you know most about, stretching to make it the best you can, not writing what you know least about and stretching to make it seem half-way truthful, is the best way to go, I think.
Claudia |
Todd Hunter
Unity Member
Post Number:
1125
Registered: 02-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, February 14, 2004 - 03:06 pm: | |
I, also, vote for #3...
Judging from present experience, however, whichever one you choose to go with, make sure not to stray from that story (to write others). That's how you end up with about 5-6 fragments of novels all lying around, as I do...ugh. |
LaurieAnne
Unity Member
Post Number:
1199
Registered: 12-2001
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, February 14, 2004 - 06:56 pm: | |
I would definitely put #2 on the back burner. Besides the fact that I have never heard of an unlimited hydroplane (but then, I lead a VERY sheltered life out here in the styx), you nailed it with the extremely limited audience.
#1, you would want to be able to have some clear, concise notes about the location in Ireland, what it takes to reach it, what attitudes and such are like, etc., in order to pull it off believably.
So, I vote for #3. This seems the best researched at this time, most accessible, and has the (current) widest appeal. (And like I said, me not hearing about hydroplanes falls in with never having heard of Poverty Island...and I live in Michigan...)
LA
LaurieAnne
|
Kevin P. Grover
Unity Member
Post Number:
1046
Registered: 03-2002
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, February 14, 2004 - 10:16 pm: | |
#3 gets my vote
www.winterwolfpublishing.com |
Dennis Collins
Mindsight Moderator
Post Number:
550
Registered: 06-2002
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, February 15, 2004 - 10:13 am: | |
Well...
The votes are pretty much what I expected. High sea (even if it's just Lake Michigan) adventures will just never lose their appeal.
My heart is more into the hydroplane story because of my involvement with the sport. I was hoping to help Miss Budweiser put the Gold Cup Regatta on the world map.
I'm really not comfortable writing about Ireland without first hand knowledge, although I just finished writing a book that had a major part of it's action in Florence, Italy. Maybe it's just that Ireland is more parochial and not as flamboyant as Italy.
I'm learning all sorts of neat stuff in my research on the Poverty Island story though. I've decided to place Michael O'Conner in the position of being the "interim" owner of a 1968, 46' Chris Craft Roamer Riviera Motor Yacht. He's restoring it as an investment.
Until yesterday, I never knew that Chris Craft offered that model in an aluminum hull as opposed to just the steel model. Over 3 tons lighter carries more fuel, longer range, faster. I think I've found my boat.
This book might prove to be fun after all. |
LaurieAnne
Unity Member
Post Number:
1202
Registered: 12-2001
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, February 15, 2004 - 11:41 am: | |
If you decide to go sailing, Dennis, let me know so that I can stow away in one of your suitcases. LOL.
LA
LaurieAnne
|
Claudia Turner VanLydegraf
Mindsight Moderator
Post Number:
843
Registered: 06-2002
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, February 15, 2004 - 11:55 am: | |
Dennis,
Did that boat happen to have one or possibly two Grey Marine Twin Screw motors? I am familiar with that motor because it was what powered my little Boston Whaler. Good motor, great little boat. Had it for about two years on and off. Rode the water well and sort of bobbed like a cork, it was a double ender. Good little ocean boat.
PS, I am glad that you decided to go with that story. Since you can incorporate a lot of your boat knowledge into it, along with possibly your hydroplane abilities also. And, like LA said, IF you ever want to take someone out, I could make a detour up to your place when I am back for the meeting in August....... (I may just plan on that anyway, if there is an invite) .
Claudia |
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