Big News!
Posted on Friday, September 2nd, 2011I know I’ve been gone for a while… a mix of not sure what to write/busy/family from out of town visiting. On the other hand, I do have some interesting news. Which is an actual surprise, I know; I usually talk about the craft of writing. I will continue on to that for my next blog post, I promise.
First bit of awesome news is that there is now more to do on Friday Nights than wish you hadn’t broken up with your ex! That’s right, me and @DanniM86 created(mostly on a lark), the #FNTWP. It stands for Friday Night Twitter Writers Party. It was originally supposed to only be a one night thing, a night where writers on twitter could get together, write, chat and know that other writers would be there. Well, it was enough of a hit that me and Danni got talked into doing it every week. Sometimes it’s only Danni or me who’s running it, but most of the time you’ll be able to find the both of us there. We allow any writerly activity to go on during the #FNTWP… Reading, Writing, Editing, Playing Video Games I mean, looking for tips on Dialog (in the i-tunes store). Pretty much, if you’re a writer and you think it helps you, do it and then tell us about it. With so many writers in one place, it’s also an excellent place to find advice on writing, worldbuilding or re-finding your magic. Look me up there from 7pm to 12 pm Mountain Time on Friday nights!
Second bit of Awesome news is that I have finally found a critique group. This is the first one I’ve ever been in and I must say, so far I love it. I started the group with a few of the writers here in Calgary (@violettedream, @TimOfTheAwesome, @DanniM86-follow them on Twitter, they’re great) and we’ve only had one official writing meeting. I got the first chapter for my Falling Through the Threshold-WIP critiqued and I was very pleased. They told me about what I had done that could be changed, what they liked, where they thought the story was going, and helped me identify issues. They complimented me on it, which made the whole experience a lot less terrifying. I’ll be turning in the second chapter at the beginning of next week and I’m excited to do so, as odd as that may sound. Also, we’ve got the best name for the group ever, “A Bitch of Writers”.
The third Awesome thing is, of course, the biggest. I had to save the best for last! Are you ready?
I HAVE FINALLY FINISHED MY NOVEL!!!
That is right, I have finally finished the rough draft of the elephant that’s been hanging around in the closet! It is a finished manuscript at 101,187 words. A reasonable first draft length and it give me a bit of leeway while editing for rising and falling word counts. The story isn’t ready to be sent out to agents or editors yet (yes, if any of you read this blog, you can let out that breath you’ve been holding, expecting to see a first draft travesty end up on your desk any minute) but I am hoping that I will have the first ¼ of the book edited and ready to present to Brian Hades (owner of Edge Science Fiction and Fantasy/Tesseract Books, the biggest publisher or Science Fiction and Fantasy in Canada) during SiWC this year. Hopefully, he’ll like the idea and he’ll ask me to send in a copy of a few chapters to him (I can dream right?). If not, perhaps he can help me figure out where I’m presenting my idea in the wrong way and he can help me improve my pitch. Either way, I want as much of my editing as I can to be finished before I send it in
Well, that’s about it for right now! I’ll be back to my twice weekly posts next week(promise), with a good post on craft again.
Tags: Blog, Brian Hades, Edge Publishing, motivation, Novels, SIWC, Surrey International Writers Conference, Tendinitis, wrist pain, Writing
Posted in Blogs by B.A. Matthews | Comments Off