An Update on Stuff

I'm taking a break from housework (not enough time to sit and get into "writing mode", though), so here's an update on some things.

Joe has been revising and editing his science fiction short story, Runners, in pretty much all of his spare time during the past week. This particular piece has been difficult for him, to say the least. But he has earned my respect for not giving up on it.

Two of my short stories are out on submission to magazines. My fantasy short, The Blade of Tears, is being considered by an online publication, and my science fiction short, The Missing Link, is being considered by a print publication.

Hunted, my fantasy novella, has been quite stubborn this past week. I've tried two different versions of the next scene, and I'm not happy with either. I'm so close to finishing that one...frustrating.

Editing on Web of Deceit, my first science fiction novel, is going well. I'm currently working through chapter 23, which means I have (including this one) only eight more chapters to go. The novel should be ready by November, which was my goal (yay!). It's amazing how much you can accomplish just by doing a little bit every day.

Venom of Life, the sequel to the above novel, has three chapters complete in the first draft. But I've recently decided to hold off on that one for a bit, and work on my other science fiction novel, Mirra. The reason is not because the ideas aren't there, or that the story isn't flowing, or anything like that. Far from it. I'd like to work on a fresh story world and characters, though, 1) To take a break from the Web universe...it's been my LIFE for the past year, and 2) To prove to myself, and others, that I can do something new.

Mirra has been brewing in my head since December of 2008, so it's about time I gave it some attention. Up until yesterday, I had only written one scene...guessing it would fall somewhere in the vicinity of chapter three. Last night I started chapter one (finally!). Needless to say, it took me some time to figure out exactly where the story should start, even though the whole plotline is pretty clear in my mind.

I also made an important decision regarding viewpoint, just two days ago. I'd originally planned to write the novel in third person limited, which is my comfort zone, and shuffle between Mirra's point of view and Nathan's point of view, the two main characters. Then I'd later decided to write the whole novel from a single viewpoint, Mirra's. This past Sunday, while brainstorming some details about Mirra's character arc for the story, I thought I'd try writing a scene in first person, just to see how it felt.

And it felt perfect. Big smiles.

So Mirra is going to be my first attempt at writing a novel in first person (I've written short stories in first person, but nothing even close to novel-length). A little scary, trying something new, but I think it will be worth it.

That's all for now, friends. Back to cleaning. Grumble, grumble...

~Lydia