{"id":1690,"date":"2020-02-03T20:04:13","date_gmt":"2020-02-04T01:04:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/?p=1690"},"modified":"2020-02-03T20:04:13","modified_gmt":"2020-02-04T01:04:13","slug":"feeding-the-beast","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/index.php\/2020\/02\/03\/feeding-the-beast\/","title":{"rendered":"Feeding the Beast"},"content":{"rendered":"

We\u2019re well into 2020 now, and the writing scene is as frenetic as ever. Congratulations to my writing pals from Twitter and Facebook who have had debut novels come out in the last year, or who\u2019ve been picked up for publication sometime in the coming months! All that hard work eventually pays off, doesn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n

\"\"But writers, we know that signing a book deal\u2014or self-publishing a novel, or an accepted short story\/stories in fiction magazines\u2014does not mean the end of the work. Oh no. That\u2019s just the beginning of a new phase. For those fortunate enough to find a publisher, that signature on the bottom line means a couple more rounds of revisions, not to mention the marketing involvement. Even zine contributors know that if your short story is accepted with no need for revisions, there\u2019s the next story. And the one after that. And those characters who\u2019ve been sitting on your shoulder, whispering into your dreams, remember them? You still have to write their stories, too.<\/p>\n

Because the itch to write, that creative beast we all know so well, requires constant feeding. It never ends. Or at least, we hope<\/em> it never does. Most writers I know live and breathe their craft. It\u2019s what brings them joy. They don\u2019t write because they want to. They write because they can\u2019t not<\/em>. (Grammar police \u2013 you know what I mean.) I\u2019m fortunate to have a spousal unit who gets that writing is essential to my well-being. He makes it a point to keep me fed and watered, that I get plenty of sunshine and rest. Otherwise, I\u2019d probably get lost in my stories and never been seen again.<\/p>\n

You know from reading my past posts that I stay just that busy with projects. Here\u2019s what I\u2019ve been up to since last Fall.<\/p>\n

When I last posted here, I\u2019d gotten 45K words on a new WIP. That project is now coming into its second draft at just over 69K words. A little short of the ideal mark, probably, but at least I have room to fluff out the characters, give the reader a bit more depth of insight into each of the three POVs in the story. I\u2019m about to enter another round of tweaks and revisions before finalizing this draft and handing it off to betas. Also, I\u2019m signed up for a fiction workshop at The Muse,<\/a> which starts later this month. I hope to let the first few chapters be my submissions to this class; classmates there usually show no mercy (nor should they), and I hope to get some great feedback there.<\/p>\n

My other big project, the one I\u2019ve been working on for years, has finally been submitted. Wish me luck on that front.<\/p>\n

I also have another new novel project crowding its way into my already full brain. This one ought to be \"\"really fun, requiring research into the 1960s (because as they say, if you remember the 60s, you weren\u2019t really there<\/em>), hippie culture, and so many other exciting topics\u2026I\u2019m really looking forward to starting the actual narrative, but for now I\u2019m working on characterizations and settings, filling in the numerous plot holes (hey, it\u2019s still early in the process!), and fleshing out all the other structural details a plantser (three parts plotter\/one part pantser) requires before diving in head-first.<\/p>\n

The two short stories I still have on query are still hanging in limbo, but I haven\u2019t had much time to give them of late. One other short piece, \u201cLate December,\u201d is not my usual spec-fic genre, but is more literary. That one is scheduled to come out in mid-March. Keep an eye on my \u201cpublished works\u201d list for the link when it\u2019s released.<\/p>\n

In-between the rest, I\u2019m caught up in the eternal search for comps for my ready and up-and-coming WIPs, so that when asked, I can provide titles. I know I can\u2019t be the only one for whom this is a challenge, right? Comment, writers, with how you find comps for your own works. Maybe there\u2019s an easier way than flailing about on Google, Goodreads, or Amazon?<\/p>\n

Anyway, #Writers, you are my tribe. I know you get it. You all have your own beasts to feed.<\/p>\n

Write on.<\/p>\n

Signature photo courtesy of Pexels<\/a><\/p>\n

Woodstock artwork photo<\/a> by Peter Kraayvanger<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We\u2019re well into 2020 now, and the writing scene is as frenetic as ever. Congratulations to my writing pals from Twitter and Facebook who have had debut novels come out in the last year, or who\u2019ve been picked up for publication sometime in the coming months! All that hard work eventually pays off, doesn\u2019t it?…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1691,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[3,17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1690","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog-posts","category-on-writing"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8n0kX-rg","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":931,"url":"https:\/\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/index.php\/2018\/07\/16\/fear-of-revisions-you-can-do-it\/","url_meta":{"origin":1690,"position":0},"title":"Fear of Revisions: You Can Do It!","author":"DremaDeoraich","date":"July 16, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Last week I mentioned that my fiction intensive class (with author Lydia Netzer) would be critiquing the first 25% of my manuscript. Everyone said they loved it. Many offered specifics on what they loved and why, as well as what drew them in. On the other hand, every student found\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog Posts"","block_context":{"text":"Blog Posts","link":"https:\/\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/index.php\/category\/blog-posts\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Editing-1024x768.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Editing-1024x768.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Editing-1024x768.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Editing-1024x768.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1001,"url":"https:\/\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/index.php\/2018\/08\/13\/writing-skill-social-media-for-the-win\/","url_meta":{"origin":1690,"position":1},"title":"Writing Skill: Social Media for the Win","author":"DremaDeoraich","date":"August 13, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"I think I said in one of my blog posts earlier this year that I hoped to self-publish my work-in-progress by the end of 2018. Of course as we all know, plans are made to be changed, and mine was no different. Once I discovered Pitch Wars and the PW\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog Posts"","block_context":{"text":"Blog Posts","link":"https:\/\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/index.php\/category\/blog-posts\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/HeartOnHands.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/HeartOnHands.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/HeartOnHands.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/HeartOnHands.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/HeartOnHands.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1277,"url":"https:\/\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/index.php\/2019\/01\/28\/never-give-up-never-surrender\/","url_meta":{"origin":1690,"position":2},"title":"Never Give Up, Never Surrender","author":"DremaDeoraich","date":"January 28, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Right now, I\u2019m about four weeks away from beginning yet another round of revisions on my novel. Why four weeks, you ask? Because the draft is still out with two readers and, by the time I get their changes back, I\u2019ll be preparing for a trip to Guatemala with friends.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog Posts"","block_context":{"text":"Blog Posts","link":"https:\/\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/index.php\/category\/blog-posts\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Marathon.jpg?fit=1200%2C961&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Marathon.jpg?fit=1200%2C961&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Marathon.jpg?fit=1200%2C961&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Marathon.jpg?fit=1200%2C961&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Marathon.jpg?fit=1200%2C961&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1383,"url":"https:\/\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/index.php\/2019\/05\/20\/remember-me\/","url_meta":{"origin":1690,"position":3},"title":"Remember Me?","author":"DremaDeoraich","date":"May 20, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"I\u2019m back! 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