"It's hard to hold the hand of anyone who is reaching for the sky just to surrender..."

[secret_history]

I have come to the conclusion that I am definitely insane. Not that this is news to anyone who knows me. However, this kind of insane actually feels kind of nice. It feels good to be writing again.


Let's make a list of current projects:

Beyond the Pale

Horror-Western, my own take on a roleplaying campaign that lasted about two years. Mostly I'm re-writing the story to suit my own nefarious purposes. Also, because roleplaying doesn't always make for a coherent narrative.

82 / 312 (26.3%)

312 posts brings me to four more years' worth of posting, give or take. More take than give. :)

I definitely have enough story to last that long, possibly more. Whether or not I'll still be interested in finishing the story in four years is another kettle of fish. Hopefully I will. I don't like leaving things hanging.


Conflation

My first attempt at science fiction. Who knows if it'll work?

10 / 100 (10.0%)

I'm using 100 instalments as an artificial number. Maybe it'll last longer, but I'm thinking of making this a limited-time kind of project. It'll take long enough to finish posting every two weeks, in any event. Once I have a better idea about my long-term plot, that'll give me a framework within which I can work and determine how many installments it'll take me to get where I'm going.


Into Temptation

Murder mystery, again a first attempt on my part.

48,042 / 200,000 (24.0%)

I want this finished before NaNoWriMo, the first draft, that is. I don't want the ghost of this previous NaNo novel hanging around and moaning inside my head while I'm trying to write something new. Also, it needs a LOT of research. I went to the Bibliothèque Nationale today and got myself a library card. Yay, research!

Cal's story

This really needs a proper title. YA fiction.

4 / 150,000 (0.0%)

150,000 is a pretty arbitrary number, but it suits my purposes for now. Ideally I'd like to have the first draft finished before November. We'll see how that turns out.

Swan story

Also needs a proper title. I have no idea what kind of story this is, except that it's been rattling around in my head since November as a sort of concept, and it's just now beginning to gel inside my head as an actual story. I still have some plot issues to work out, but I'm feeling excited about this shiny new story.

1,519 / 150,000 (1.0%)

Ideally I'd like the first draft of this to be done before NaNoWriMo. However, the words "dreaming" and "technicolour" spring to mind, given my other projects. It could also be turned into a NaNoWriMo project, given the proper planning and if I keep the momentum going so that the story doesn't feel alien (or worse, stale) by the time I get back to it.

Little Deaths

I'm thinking somewhere around 15 short stories to be written in August, at the rate of one every two days. Each story should be at least 6,000 words and will be a maximum of 10,000 words, or thereabouts. So it'll be anywhere between 90,000 and 150,000 words. Umm, yikes again. But, I think, doable for a one-month period, especially given that these will all be separate stories. A short story shouldn't take me that long to write, if I know where it's going.

0 / 15 (0.0%)

Looking at the calendar, there are 180 days before NaNoWriMo. Did I mention dreaming and technicolour?

In order to keep on-schedule with my serials and finish up my other projects, that comes to... let's see: (quick mental math), about 3,300 words a day. That's a good two and a half hours of straight writing every day, and good writing at that. Not the kind of writing where you write three words, stare at the screen, look out the window, and then delete ten words. Six straight months of constant inspiration, enough leisure time to write for two and a half hours every day, including weekends, is not especially realistic. So yes. Technicolour.

Well, it will be something to aim for. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, right? I likely won't be able to sustain that rate of production, but giving myself an idea of where I'd like each story to be in six months' time is a good start, I think.

Comments

[elanya.livejournal.com]

I must admit, both your ambition and your ability to produce both such quantity *and* quality of interesting story causes me envy...

My writing time spend is nearly always of the second variety described -_-

Plus I am so easily distract- hey is that something shiny?

[secret-history.livejournal.com]

I know what you mean. Up until about two years ago I had a major case of writer's block and didn't write anything for years and years. I owe a debt to baronscartop for getting me into the serial business. It seems to have unlocked whatever needed unlocking. :)

Don't sell yourself short. I've enjoyed what I've read of your writing. Hopefully I'll be able to catch up entirely soon.

Also, I too tend to get easily —hey, shiny! ;)

[owldaughter.livejournal.com]

I am so impressed by your clear-cut goals.

The swan story -- does it include real swans? Do you need swan info? There's a really good book on them that I've been dragging my heels about ordering, so if you're looking it's another reason for me to finally get it and lend it to you.

[secret-history.livejournal.com]

It does in fact involve real swans. You wouldn't happen to have anything about mythology and symbolism involving swans, would you?

I'm going to head to the Bibliothèque Nationale to do some research on it, but if you happen to have something on swans, that would be great. :)