Google Docs update
Google Docs was in need of an update. I can’t see it replacing Scrivener, but in a pinch it will serve nicely.
My father never had truck driver’s block.
—Roger Simon
Snapshots and the revision process
David Hewson has a fantastic, highly recommended blog.
He posts about his writing process, day to day. I’ve found the blog inspiring, informative and eye-opening.
30,000+
I’ve reached the 30,000 word mark of my novel in progress.
It took me longer than I’d hoped to go from twenty to thirty thousand words, but I was unwell for about a week, and didn’t have the frame of mind or energy to do any writing during that time. But I’ve shaken off the illness and am back, ready to start typing away.
A brilliant book, packed with useful information for the aspiring novelist. Stratospheric recommendation from me: 9/10.
From Pitch To Publication Would get 10/10 if it was updated to include information and advice regarding the onward march toward e-book ubiquity.
The Europa Transmissions
My story on 365tomorrows. Ya know, in case you haven’t read it yet…
Duotrope
One of the greatest problems I face, as a writer, is finding appropriate markets for my work. You see, quite often the work I produce is of mixed genres, and is not easily placed. Finding that e-zine, website or plain ol’ magazine publisher isn’t easy.
But I have found a great place on the net to help me.
It’s called Duotrope.
Duotrope is a writing markets website, with some great features and a pretty good set of writerly data. It’s been a huge help to me. Through Duotrope I’ve discovered loads of excellent little sites, and new avenues to publication. I recommend the hell out of it!
Here’s a snippet from their site:
What We Are
Duotrope’s Digest is a free resource for writers that primarily offers an extensive, searchable database of current fiction and poetry markets. We also offer a calendar of upcoming deadlines, submissions trackers (for registered users), and some nifty reports compiled from the data we’ve accumulated.
It is, as far as I can tell, a voluntarily run set-up, that needs regular donations from its users. So, head on over to Duotrope, have a look around, and if you like what you see, consider donating. Let’s face it, we all need a little help sometimes.
20,000+
I’m now 20,000+ words into the first draft of my novel.
It’s an interesting experience. I had a rough idea of the story before I started, but the more I write the more ideas are created. I think this is a result of letting the characters do what they want. A few characters have shown themselves to be different from how I had first pictured them. One minor character has become integral to the plot, and thus is no longer a minor character.
It’s as if they are actors auditioning for a role in my story. Some make the grade, some don’t.
I’ve also decided to increase the novel length to 100,000 words, up from the previous 80,000. This is because the average novel length is around 100,000, and I want to give this story every chance of getting published. I want to give the agent or publisher as few reasons as possible to reject it.