So, the first Ben story I wrote after Pack Dynamics, "The Monster Without" (also known as Hitman Ben around these parts), has found a home at StoryHackNot only that, but they were super-prompt with a very author-friendly contract, and the story should see print around July or so, or maybe even earlier ( Read more... )

What with all the taxes I did. But it's done. Go, me. I hope I didn't screw it up too badly, like I did last year ( Read more... )

So, yeah, I've been staring at the damn steampunk werewolf western for two solid days now, going "durrrr." My preacher and my protag have about done all that's productive with this conversation, and so I need to get the plot moving again ( Read more... )

I'm 6500 words into the steampunk werewolf western, and it has come to a screeching halt. I thought I had a place for this scene to go, and I neglected to write it down, and it is gone like the proverbial wind ( Read more... )

Well, I've spent a lot of this day looking for a snippet to post instead of writing. Which is really, really stupid. I will use the excuse that I'm still noodling ideas. Yeah. That's it. Noodling.

Anyway. ( Have a taste of hitman!Ben, cut because it mentions rape. )

I spent some time at Borders today, going through it again, and this time all I did was minor minor tweaking ( Read more... )

I think.

I think it's done. I even have a title that I somewhat like. The climax is repaired (as much as I can).

I think. I think I really like this story.

I wonder where I should send it first.

And what I should write next.

THERE it is.

You know what I've said before, about us being more afraid of what a good-guy character pushed to the brink of his endurance will do, rather than being afraid of what bad, scary thing will happen to them?

Yeah. Those of you who've read the short story "The Warrior," by Jim Butcher, in the Mean Streets collection, you know what I'm ( Read more... )

And it's better. The personal stakes for Ben are stated much more clearly, and they're higher than "you'll go to jail and break Janni's heart."

I'm still not sure it's "there," yet, but it's "closer," anyway.

And I still don't have a title. Gaaaaaaaaaaaaah.

A person asks: How do you write your first draft of your story?

And I answer:
1. Remind myself that the first draft is allowed to suck. Nay, is GOING to suck ( Read more... )