A Big Distraction, Or A Big Help (We'll Find Out), And Some Actual Progress Actually Occurring

[dr_pretentious]

I've been meaning to post about CoyoteCon, the 31-day online writing conference, but keeping up with the email traffic in preparation for the event has taken up nearly all my toddler-free computer time. It's a kind of crazy thing to do, a 31-day conference, and I can only stand in awe of Joely Sue Burkhart, Deena Fisher, and the other organizers. I'll be on a few of the chatroom panels (on ghosts as characters, writing Paganism, and worldbuilding), and I'm participating in Joely Sue's open-invitation writing challenge, and that's as much as I can squeeze in around my life. (Mantra: Gareth won't be a toddler forever.) I wonder whether, at the end of May, the writing challenge will have done as much to increase my productivity as the planning and panel participation will have sapped it. We'll see.

The Ria story is about two-thirds done, I think. At least, Microsoft Word tells me that what I have is already near the target word count, but about a third of those words are notes and sketches toward scenes I haven't really fleshed out yet, and notes I haven't deleted yet but probably don't need anymore. When I've built the structure enough to take the scaffolding off, the word count will probably be about the same, if the process of writing the Ghost Tours story is any basis for prediction. Surely I can transmute about 8,000 words of notes into about 10,000 words of storytelling in 31 days. Surely.

So I've been looking over the draft, making plans and breaking the big task (finish manuscript!) into smaller, day-sized chunks (Scene 4, Ria decontaminates hexed refrigerator; Scene 10, the Asatru neighbors' Seidhr ritual goes awry).

Oh, and somehow, I need to get my head back into the anthology for a few days before CoyoteCon starts, because I absolutely cannot let that project drop for the month of May, and the gravitational pull of the conference is mighty.

Comments

[showingup.livejournal.com]

CoyoteCon looks fun. I'm wondering about registering. The time difference would make some sessions impossible, though.

And the Ria story? Like babies - they come when they're ready ;)

[laradionne.livejournal.com]

Right now I am laughing because you really *did* use the hexed refrigerator in the Ria story! Glad to know that something so full of ick could be turned into something positive =)

[jaime-sama.livejournal.com]

I can't wait to read about the hexed refrigerator. :)