100 Works in 2007

100 Works in 2007 - Update

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Well it is my goal to write and publish 100 things this year.  Let's check my list to see where I am at right now...

1. A Love Supreme - short story - needs editing, serious revisions
2. Meditation on Meditation - poem - Honorable Mention in the Poetry Society of New Hampshire May 2007 National Contest
3. Simple Needs - micro-fiction - to be published in The Binnacle
4. Discussing Temptation - poem - needs editing
5. False Hope - micro-fiction - under consideration by publisher(s)
6. I Hate Poetry - poem - under consideration by publisher(s)
7. My Own Brand of Blues - memoir manuscript - final edits done, waiting on production galleys
8. Survival Notes - fiction chapbook manuscript - final edits done, waiting on production galleys
9. So Cool - poem - to be published online in Death Metal Poetry (08/26/07)
10.  wedding song - poem - to be published in Talking Stick 16
11.  How the Blues Can Bruise - poem - to be published in Cuivre River Anthology, First Place in the Saturday Writer's One-Page Poem Contest 2007
12. Protocol - poem - published in The Crazy Child Scribbler, Issue 5.1, April 2007
13.  Urban Seduction - poem - to be published in poeticdiversity, August 2007
14.  What the Dealer Didn't Tell You About Heroin - poem - under consideration by publisher(s)
15.  The Weight of Grief - poem- needs editing, serous revisions
16.  Of Truth, Words, and Lies - poem - under consideration by publisher(s)
17.  Observations at a Downtown Starbucks - poem - under consideration by publisher(s)
18.  Minnesota -  poem - under consideration by publisher(s)
19.  Birthday Wishes - poem - under consideration by publisher(s)
20.  Urban Seduction - poetry chapbook manuscript - under consideration by publisher(s)
21.  Suspended Animation - prose- under consideration by publisher(s)
22.  The Ex-Girlfriend Paradox - micro-fiction - needs editing
23.  Friday Night Survival Guide - micro-fiction - needs editing
24.  Combustible Elements - poem - under consideration by publisher(s)
25.  Down But Not Out - poem - under consideration by publisher(s), needs editing
26.  Last Call Testimonial - poem - under consideration by publisher(s), needs editing
27.  Stand Up and Sing - poem - under consideration by publisher(s)

28.  When I Speak of Life - poem - under consideration by publisher(s)

There are good and bad things with this list... 

Bad = I only have 28 things written, and since the year is more than halfway done, it is looking like I won't come close to my lofty goal. 

Good = a lot of the things on the list have been accepted and will be published, and some have even earned awards.  So I will keep plugging away with this goal in mind, even if I am doomed to fail. 

In the coming months I will be switching primarily to fiction - I want to work on a chapbook manuscript of short-short fiction pieces for a contest.  I also will be dedicating the entire month of November to Nanowrimo, the challenge of writing a 50,000 word novel in one month. People all over the world try this, some succeeding, while others fail.  I hope to man up and do it.  I have no clue what this novel will be about, but I think I will be ready to try this when November arrives.

All right, I am already behind enough on my writing goals - time to stop blogging and start writing.  Later...

Since I found myself...

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...in an editing and proofreading groove (if there is such a thing), I went on and finished my final edits and checks on my upcoming fiction chapbook, Survival Notes.  This chapbook, which will contain nine of my short stories, will be published by Cervena Barva Press as part of winning the 2006 Cervena Barva Press Short Story Prize.  It will be out later this year.  I'll keep you posted on its availability and let you know more about it as I learn more.  It's my first fiction chapbook, so I am excited about it - it is a pretty big milestone for me to have a chapbook publication in a genre other than poetry (my primary literary device of choice), so hopefully this will gateway into many other opportunities in writing.  Now that I've done all the proofreading I had piled up, I have no excuse for not writing some new material.  So I better get to it...

Finished the story for Friday's deadline...

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...and sent it out this afternoon.  So I have part of my list done, and that story was work #5, the unfinished one.  So I just have to finish my edits to my manuscript and come up with a 1500 word story by 3/15...piece of cake.  Maybe.  Would be easier if I didn't have work, bills to pay, and home stuff to do - this productive member of society stuff is cutting into my free time.  Later...

Been busy writing...

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...revised two old poems and sent them out to a contest.  The revisions were enough to make them new in my eyes, so I will count them as works #8 and #9 in my quest for 100 works in 2007.

This will be a busy week as far as writing (and every other aspect of my life) goes.  I have two prose/fiction contests I want to enter - one by 3/9 (this Friday) and the other by 3/15, and I have barely started.  But I think I can hammer something good out if apply myself early in the week.  I work best under pressure, even if it is pressure I created by my own procrastination.

I am also working on final edits and setup for my book, My Own Brand of Blues.  My publisher contacted me last week and the book is basically in production (yay!) - so I have to do my part and put the finishing touches on it.  Most of my changes will be in formatting and reading it a million times - I'd hate for one spelling mistake to loom there on a random page in a manuscript I've had "finished" for 3+ years.  I'm a little nervous about it all, since this is a part of the publishing biz that is pretty much new to me, but I'm ready to see where it takes me.  It will be damn cool to be a published author with a book when it's all said and done.

Anyway, I might not blog for a few days, at least until all these loose ends are tied up.  Until then, be good...

Just wrote a poem...

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...so maybe I'm out of my mini-writer's block.  We'll call this poem, I Hate Poetry, work #6, since I haven't given up on #5 as a story yet - just waiting for a little inspiration.  Trying to get something more written this weekend to get back on pace towards meeting the goal of 100 works written and published in 2007.  I am behind, but creativity comes in spurts, so I'm not too worried.  Yet.

Not much word on the writing I have out under consideration, just one rejection notice came in the mail yesterday.  I try to be an optimist and think no news is good news, or that the longer they're looking at my writing, the more chance I have to win contests or find a place in a journal.  But that damned pessimism keeps creeping into my thoughts.  So I better get back to writing - waiting for incoming emails or for the mail to come isn't a productive use of time.  Later...

Not much going on...

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...over the past couple of days.  Received a rejection notice, but it was one of the friendliest ones I've ever read.  Still doesn't make it feel much better.  Sent out a couple of batches of poems for consideration to two journals: one batch included #4, which I think is a solid poem.  Hopefully I'll get some (positive) feedback soon.  Some upcoming journals and anthologies should be out soon with some of my work in them - I'll make a mention when I know more.  About to rework some old poems that are sitting around unfinished to add to my list of works in 2007...some are pretty close to being done, others need a complete overhaul.  Hopefully along the way I might get a few new ideas....

Started #5...

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...it's a short story.  Wrote a strong introduction, got 1200 words deep...then nothing.  But at least it is started, we'll see what I can do with it later.  No acceptance or rejection letters in the mail, so I will just keep plugging away, young American writer working in obscurity.

Goal Setting and Other Overrated Activities

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Every year needs a purpose.

Sounds good, doesn’t it? But it’s a little late to make a New Year’s Resolution, so maybe I’ll set a goal I’ll actually accomplish, or at least try to meet.

My goal is to try to write 100 pieces of writing (poetry and fiction), edit them, and get them published this year. That would pretty much double my published works and hopefully expand my fan base. I might fail miserably, but hopefully I’ll get some serious writing done. If I just get the 100 pieces written, it will make me grow. In the process, I want to finish the poetry manuscript that I’ve been working on, as well as complete a full-length collection of short fiction. I also plan on participating in the NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) challenge in November, where I will try to write a 50,000 word novel in one month. All of this seems daunting, but you don’t know what you can do until you try to do what you think is imposible.

All of this will keep me busy as a writer, force me to be productive, and give me a little more to talk about in this blog. I am going to try to talk almost every day about my writing, my acceptances, and the scores of rejection notices I will undoubtedly receive.

I just set this goal today, and I am already behind. Here is an inventory of what I've written so far this year:

1. A Love Supreme – short story

2. Meditation on Meditation – poem

3. Simple Needs – flash fiction

4. Discussing Temptation – poem

#1, #2, and #3 have been edited and submitted to contests and/or regular calls for submissions by publishers. So I need to finish up this blog entry and get back to work – I have 96 works to write and 100 to get published. Gotta get on my grind…