PROGRESS REPORT: WEEK ENDING MAY 10, 2014

Mixed results this week

My progress report for the last 7 days is mixed.

Nancy A. Hansen, my friendly beta/proof reader, had to set my latest short story aside (for now) to go over the galley PDF of her next release to make sure everything was alright before publication.

Meanwhile, although I have continued working on Alpha, Book 2: Wayward Son; life had other ideas about what should and shouldn't have been on my agenda this past week, so all I really accomplished was getting a good start on what will be Chapter 9.

And of course, there's always my duties as Editor-In-Chief of The Free Choice E-zine to attend to.

This leads us to an interesting point. Last week I discussed WHY DO I WRITE?
This week, since I've discussed this topic before, a brief second look at WHAT TAKES SO LONG?
I've always wondered this from a reader's perspective, as I anxiously awaited the next release from any of the authors I like. But now that I'm on the other end of the keyboard, I have a better understanding of the situation.

First and foremost, I'm only human.

That goes without saying, but as such, I have all the trials and tribulations that everyone else faces. Eating, sleeping, housework, and all the other ups and downs of life that must be faced on a regular basis.
As much as we sometimes wish otherwise, there are only 24 hours within any given day, so we have to make the most out of what we have.

Writing isn't as easy as you might think.
Granted, there are some days when the words come faster than I can type.
Yet there are others when seems like I couldn't find them even with the help of the world's most powerful microscope!
It isn't just a question of knowing what you want to say, but how to say it as well.
Some writers might be able to tell you how much material they are able to produce within a given amount of time.
Me? I've always been more concerned about quality over quantity.
Whether I've written 100 or 1000 words at the end of a session, whose length varies because of all the other trappings of life that must be addressed, if those are the best passages I am able to produce, then I'm happy and believe that the readers and fans will be happy when whatever I'm working on is finally released.

Of course, I start each new writing session by rereading what I wrote in the previous writing session first, but that leads into a discussion of HOW I write, which is a topic best saved for another time.

See you around the Internet.
Lee Houston, Junior
11 May, 2014

PROGRESS REPORT: WEEK ENDING FEBRUARY 15, 2014 (Alternative title: What takes so long?)

So how is everyone?

Depending upon where you live, the weather hasn't been all that great of late, so I've been using the time cooped up indoors, when I'm not trying to stay warm (a never ending battle in the middle of winter!) to finish that short story that suddenly gained a deadline.

Now, I'll be the first to admit that I've been working on that since early January, and I'm sure some folks are wondering why it apparently takes so long to write a 10,000 to 15,000 tale?

First off, every writer is different. For say, Walter B. Gibson, the man who wrote 287 out of the original 325 Shadow novels, especially back when the title was bi-weekly(!), a short story like this probably would have been only a day or two's work at the most for him.

The average writer, if they're lucky, is able to put in two to three hours a day at their craft, when they're not tackling other creative matters (like promotions and books sales), let alone the more mundane issues of life like doing the dishes and the laundry.

But while I have always been more concerned with quality over quantity, I WILL be done with that short story this week!

The story will be sent on to its publisher then, and I'll be back at work on the manuscript to Alpha, Book 2: Wayward Son.

When I'm not taking care of my Editor-In-Chief duties at The Free Choice E-zine, or the dishes, or the laundry, or...

 

See you around the Internet!

Lee Houston, Junior

16 February, 2014