Writing by Jeffrey James Pacres
Last summer I started using The Magic Spreadsheet, which is a tool for writers to stay accountable and stay writing. It rewards writing every day with points that grow accumulatively for every day that you write your current minimum with level ups roughly every 30 days if you do write every day. And it turns out that works really, really well for me. Today is my 197th day of writing every day. I’m currently on level 7 which translates to a minimum of 550 words per day. The downside is that The Magic Spreadsheet only tracks the amount of words written, not if anything gets finished, which is fine and dandy on many levels. But since having to be accountable to anyone at all is working out so well for me, I’m going to try something that Seanan McGuire does on her blog which is sharing what she’s working on every month.
So without further ado what I’m working on January 2014:
Lonely Souls
My NaNoWriMo novel that got callously thrown aside in favor of surviving December’s homework deadlines and day job deadlines. It’s the story of a half human succubus trying to find her own way in the modern world. First draft is about halfway there and the way is clear.
The First Line
The First Line is a magazine with a fascinating concept; the stories all start with the same first line. I love the concept so much that I’m determined to get published in it. The next first line is: “Carlos discovered _____ [fill in the blank] under a pile of shoes in the back of his grandmother’s closet.” I know what happens, I just need to write it.
Space Pirates without a title
The story about two sisters who ended up among a crew of space pirates. They pull a heist that goes horribly, horribly wrong. Outline almost finished.
Librarians without a title
I’ve been trying to write this book for three years now and in November I think I finally managed to figure out the story I want to tell first with the help of Dean Wesley Smith’s plotting workshop. Outline started.
Venus for Colonization
There’s an anthology coming up, titled Aphrodite Terra, which is a collection of science fiction stories about Venus. And I am obsessed with Venus. I have no idea of the story I want to tell or pretty much anything else than the deadline being way too soon. But still, I’m going to try to think of something before the deadline.
Holding Out for a Hero
I’ve been submitting to Writers of the Future every quarter since last spring and plan to keep doing so until I win or become otherwise ineligible (professionally published novel or more than three short stories). The next story is about someone who desperately wants to be a superhero but isn’t in a world where superheroes are real.
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