Diddly squat

That's a fair summation of what I've managed to do over the Christmas period. It wasn't for lack of trying, but lots of beer and food combined with sleep deprivation does not make for efficient brain function. Today is the first time I've got (sorta) back on track, adding 700 words to Commune. I'm in a large descriptive section of the narrative and I always find that much more taxing than dialogue. I hope to add some more this afternoon, at least get it up to 1,000 words for the day.

No news is, um, no news

I've not added any posts in the past week because, sadly, there has been nothing to report. Commune continues to limp along a few hundred words at a time, hobbled by work commitments and general fatigue. My aim to have it finished by Christmas is now nothing but a fairy story - unfeasible even by fairy story standards. In fact, I think I'll be lucky to have it done before I go back to work on January 8 next year.

I queried Spinetingler about 'Blue Diamond Pool' and they had pretty much just planned to run the story as I sent it, minus the endnotes. Actually, I think the managing editor was a touch surprised how willing I was to make the changes I did make. I guess they deal with their share of prima donnas in this biz.

BB&T have revised their publishing schedule (going from quarterly to bi-annually) so it looks like 'The Vampire Film Review' will not see print until July 2007. Sigh...

Afraid of no ghost

The Poms at Bloody Books sent a friendly but nonetheless frustrating rejection for Ghost Kiss this morning:

"Thank you for submitting the chapters from Ghost Kiss. Adele and I enjoyed it, but I'm afraid we've decided it's not one for us. I do wish you every success in placing it elsewhere.

Yours sincerely

Simon Petherick
Publisher
Bloody Books"

I have noticed that since being published, the rejections have been rather more courteous. A year ago, I would never have gotten a rejection containing the words "Adele and I enjoyed it".

So anyway ... now I have to pick another market for my dark little novel. A concern for another day - perhaps one in the new year. I can't see the point in sending it off so close to Christmas.

Intrusions

Seems like forever since my last post. Work on Commune has slowed to another crawl in the past week as life - both work and social - encroaches on my spare time and motivation. I'm trying to get the book up and running again, but it's a bit like trying to crank an old Model T Ford into action. Managed 1,300 words yesterday, and that was by far the most I had written in days. On track for something similar today, with luck.

With my contributor copy of Back Roads not due until early January and my next two stories not being published until March, I'm in a bit of a mental funk right now and feeling the wear and tear of 2006. Come to think of it, I've had no reply email from Spinetingler, either, and I'm supposed to have my revised version of the story back by January 5.

Can't quite believe that 'The Beauty Without' was published around this time last year. 2006 has gone by so fast I almost feel like I've been robbed. On the other hand, I got part way to realising my dream, so I guess the old adage of 'Time flies when you're having fun' applies.

Where's the love?

Writing Commune has been a loveless exercise this past week. I've had flat patches in every other novel I've written, but I think its extended length (I've just begun page 120 with the finale still many pages off) and some burnout from a busy year have worked together to muck with my motivation and confidence. It's tempting to take some time off ... but I know that would spell the end of the project and waste 80,000 words, most of them pretty good (I hope). So I've put my head down and started to grind the motherfucker out - 1,000 or 500 words at a time. I'm hoping the flow will pick up again when the end seems a bit nearer.

One good thing has come out of this teeth-grinding mess - a decent ending. Now I just have to get there...