Weekend Update

I've been averaging closer to 5,000 words lately than 3,000. Part of it is a more concerted effort to write, write, write everyday. Part of it is that I've gotten better at stifling my internal critic and getting into a flow state where I just write without worrying about whether the story is going anywhere or is any good. In short, I'm better at trusting my process, or my subconscious, or however you want to phrase it. I can always consciously try to improve the story later. But when I'm writing, I'm trying to just write fast and hot, staying in the story. It seems to be working.

That doesn't mean that I don't have doubts. I do. Over the last couple of days I've had serious doubts about whether this story is going to work. But I've learned to just have the doubts and keep writing. I had those same doubts about my first novel and it turned out better than I expected. This one will too, I expect. And it'll be one more novel under my belt; that much more practice, and I'll be one novel closer to selling.

If you're following these posts, you may notice that I haven't written a word on the back-up novel, the urban fantasy. That's because I'm finding that it's easier to keep plowing along on a single story so far. That could change, but I confess to a fear that if I find myself stalling on the current novel and try to start another, I'll never get back to this one. That may or may not be the case, but as long as I can keep plugging away on this one, there's no harm in not finding out yet.

In other news, no news on any of my outstanding short stories or novel submission packets. No acceptances this week, but no rejections either.

Stories in Circulation: 11
Rejections: 35
Stories Accepted: SEVEN
Stories to Resubmit: 0

Novel Queries: 1 Novel, 5 queries out
Novel Rejections: 5

Project 1: Space Opera (Title TBD)
Words Written: 37,771




Project 2: Urban Fantasy (Title TBD)
Words Written: 0