We are go for takeoff

After a couple of weeks of high-octane stress and nearly running this thing down to the wire, I've got the go-ahead for... wait for it... a business trip to India! To Pune (which used to be called Poona in the old days) to train some colleagues in the intricaies of a software package that they'll be using to help support my current #1 client. I leave tomorrow, and I'll be returning on November 9th. Phew!

It's a fantastic opportunity from a writer's POV too. I'm ready to soak in as much atmosphere and culture as I can, in the time when I'm not working. I'll be there during Dewali, The Festival of Lights, which is just such incredible timing. I'm going to take a million photos and hours of video and when I get back I'll put it all up on a website to share it with everyone.

That's the good news. The bad is that I don't know if I'll be able to post while I'm away. I'm hoping to, provided the hotel has good connectivity. It should... but then again I've stayed in plenty of places in the US where connectivity was a joke. and I won't be sending out queries while I'm away. There's no need to tempt fate -- I'd look a complete twit if I ended up having to explain that I couldnt actually SEND a partial or the full ms if an agent actually asked. Now isn't that the sweetest excuse ever? I will work on my query letter though. And Project Tevan.

So for the time being, keep writing and blogging and I'll catch you later!

Freebies

Am I slipping back into my old ways? No. At least, I'm trying not to but something big is brewing for me work-wise and if it comes off it will be incredibly exciting. I'm longing to share it with everyone, but until I get the final go/no-go decision I want to keep it a secret. And that's why I haven't posted anything new on here for almost a week.

However, in the on-going effort to improve my writing skills I've found a great offer that you might find helpful too. ConceptDraw is offering a free download of an older, but fully functional ( anyone remember Data's classic line from one of the very early ST-TNG episodes? Well, it's not fully functional in THAT way. Honestly! You writers have minds like sewers :) ) -- to return the subject at hand -- version of MINDMAP. It normally costs around $200 so this is a steal. As you might have guessed from the name, it's software that helps you to draw mind maps. Assuming you don't already know what mind-mapping is, it's a graphical technique for generating ideas and linking those ideas together in eye-opening ways. And that's what we writers have to do for our stories to really take off.

If you'd like copy free you can download it from here for PC and Mac then get your serial # here. I've only just downloaded it, but it looks good and seems easy to use. So now you can't say I never give you anything for spending your time reading my blog!

Twisted

Hmmm. All evening I've been running this crazy idea through my head. I've kind of planned a twist for Varda all along. But now I've come up with a new twisted twist. If my storytelling skills are up to it, it's going to be a really fun tale. Varda may not agree, but heck, who's writing this thing anyway? But I need to get it worked out properly before I get going down this rabbit hole, so I'm going to work on outlining and planning for the rest of the week. That's not my style, so it will be a bit of a challenge. F it works out though, the payoff will be terrific.

A Few Words

Well, it wasn't as good a day as it could have been writing-wise, but I did at least get a few words written. Better a few than none at all, right? And why, you may ask, am I throwing in the towel so early? I have to 'fess up. Monday is the night that Top Gear runs on BBC America and it's quite the best thing on TV so I have a date with the TV set. That and the spouse has bought a particularly nice bottle of wine which we fully intend to demolish in the next hour or so.
Catch you later.

Moving on

I've begun work on Project Tevan again. Not much progress to report to be perfectly honest, but I wrote up two index cards --- to be more accurate I completed a couple of new storyboards entries in Liquid Story Binder, and these scenes are very promising. I'm going to work a lot harder on planning this book. ASF was a "seat of the pants" job. I loved it but I ended up rewriting the entire thing and that was hard. I'm not going to claim the words I did today. Maybe if I get a lot more done tomorrow I will. I need to get back in the saddle, my writing skills have definately suffered from lack of ecercise these last few weeks.

Okay, something strange is happening to me tonight. That's the second time I've type wiring instead of writing. Is my brain trying to tel me something... or am I just tired? Just tired is my guess. Catch you later. Zzzzzzzzzzzz

Reeeejected

And I'm as happy as Larry (Question: Why is Larry supposed to be such a jovial chap? Anyone out there know?). I'm one step closer to getting published, which is great. Now, naturally I'd have been a lot happier if I'd been asked for a partial, but to be perfectly honest I didn't expect anything else. The point is it was a nice, personalized rejection. Now I have to continue to work on the query letter and keep sending it out.

 

Splash!

That's the sound of me jumping in with both feet. Yes, as last, I've done it. I've just sent off my very first query letter ever. Boy, it took some courage, which is pretty darned sad when you consider it. After all, what's the worst that can happen? A rejection, right? And I'm prepared for it. But it's a huge deal for me. It's another of those baby steps that will move me from just wanting to be published to actually getting there... one day. And now I can go to bed and maybe I'll actually sleep. Or not.