Either way, I did manage to quell my self-doubt about the project. I'm digging my heels in and am currently laying out the plot of each piece. Right now, I'm getting into the motivations of the characters. Sure, sometimes things just happen because the antagonist is nuts – but there has to be a reason for his nuttiness, and that's what I'm trying to weave into the story.

So even though I feel that I'm behind where I should be, I know that by the time I'm finished with all the planning, I'll have a little packet of info for each story and when it comes time to write, I can sit down at my desk every morning, open up my formatted outline and just get down to business.

In other news, Only Our Dust was rejected again. I honestly figured it would be (I submitted it to one of Duotrope's 25 Most Challenging Fiction Markets), so I wasn't too upset about it. Now the task is to find a new market to sub it to. Problem is – most are closed to subs right now.

Still haven't managed to fit #fridayflash into my weekly schedule, either. I do have a cool idea for it – I just need to squeeze it in there somewhere. Since I'm not doing any writing right now, I'm starting to feel that itch, which is both a good & bad thing – with the bad being that creeping grumpiness that comes when I'm not writing…my fellow writers know what I mean.

[NWC]

Being a writer is no different. Because sometimes, after spending days, hours or even weeks working on one piece, it isn’t uncommon to contract a case of tunnel vision.

I had what I thought was a pretty good story going. Atmospheric beginning? Check. Creepy things afoot? Check? The story was going along well…until…well, you know how sometimes saying a word over and over again can make it lose all meaning? So, too, can working and reworking (perhaps overworking?) that one beloved piece of writing.

I admit it…my story needs more work. Every now and then I slipped into the passive voice. Yes, there were a few places where I forgot to change the spelling of my antagonist’s name. And alright…I get it…it could do with a better build-up of suspense, and the ending needs some slight tweaking. Thankfully I had a friend who wasn’t afraid to give me a little reality check. And I’m thankful for that!

It’s never too late to make your work better. As writers, we primp and preen and finesse every word; we tame every stray plot thread with a final spit-shine. But before we decide to showcase each piece, no matter how good we think we are, it’s always best to get a second, third or fourth opinion.

Besides, what kind of writer would I be if I allowed said story to leave my outbox with toilet paper stuck to the bottom of its shoe?

Right. So, here’s the meat you came looking for:
- WIP #1: a short story I’ll be subbing to Pill Hill Press. Quick rewrite, which I hope to finish by Friday
- WIP #2: outlining my NaNo project. Still brainstorming on that one, but planning to start the actual outlining on Monday – yikes!

Join me Friday for my 2nd attempt at Friday Flash!
[NWC]

Another figure stepped over the guardrail. Toes hanging over concrete edging, back pressed flat as fingertips curled loosely around metal edging.

“You, too?” Jake bleated, watching the river course fifty feet below his scuffed shoes.

The man nodded. “Unrelenting pencil pusher. He just won’t stop.”

“Stop what?” The water swirled, coaxing Jake downward.

“Hunting me. Fucking collection agents,” the man spat, the words distasteful in his mouth.

Jake’s brow wrinkled, his mind churning like the current below.

The other man’s voice punctuated his thoughts. “You?”

“Always hot on his trail, but…he keeps eluding me. Slippery motherfucker.”

The two men looked at one another.

Did that shock you? Yes, this is tame for me, but after a week of writing a particularly gruesome tale, I think I needed the break. But – depending on how you look at it (or your own experiences with collection agents) this could very well scare the bejeezus out of you.

Happy weekend!
[NWC]