Stupid Stupid Writer Brain

I have been saying, recently, that my short stories have been successful, and now it's time to focus on writing (and of course, publishing) longer pieces.

I have a full-length (maybe a bit long, actually... the first draft was close to 150,000 words!!) novel that is currently in the process of going through the painful time of "second draft"... or "concept edits" if you prefer that phrase. The... "It's a romance novel, and you simply cannot have your hero accidentally kill a twelve year old girl in a romance novel, are you crazy?" stage of things.

I have at least two more London Steam novelettes to finish... I'm about halfway through Synchronous Rotations which is a steampunk/vampire/menage (m/m/f) story. And then I have Wind Me Counterclockwise which is another steampunk menage story, this one m/f/clockwork robot... each of these stories will probably run in the 10,000 - 15,000 word range.

And then I have a more traditional romance, steampunk, novel, The Wormwood Trade, that I've concepted, outlined, and done some character write-ups for, as well as written an intro and the first 2 chapters. I am guestimating that Wormwood Trade will run between 80,000 and 100,000 words when complete.

So, like I said, I have a lot of work ahead of me. If I can do all of these things in 2013, that'd be great... 

Which does mean, really, that I'll either have to cut waaaaay back on my short story writing, or I'll have to actually get my ass in gear and write every damn weekday. (because, confessions of a writer here... I really, really don't... Most weeks, I write maybe 1 to 3 days...)

So, of course I end up thinking about... other projects.

Because I am a stupid, stupid writer.

The first project idea that I'm toying with is a collaborative project... it sort of mulled around in a couple of different ways. First thing was, I was listening to the radio and a Pittbull song came on. Now, more than a year ago, my best friend and fellow erotica writer, Elizabeth L. Brooks, wrote a flash fic piece with Pittbull as one of the words selected that she had to work into the short...

Now, she wrote that piece back in August, 2011... so I read it over 16 months ago... and it's stuck with me. I remembered it when I had a beer in October of that year that actually had accents of caramel... and I remembered it again when I heard a Pittbull song on the radio. It's a really, really good piece. So, I texted her about it while the song was on.

We got to talking about the piece, via texts... and she mentioned that she was editing some ultra-shorts for a collection and that she was... well, not too terribly fond of them.

"You could just do your own," I said. (I text in complete sentences, most of the time. I really hate chat-speak and if 140 characters isn't enough, I can send a second text.)

"I suppose I could."

Elizabeth texts me back in full sentences. It's one of the many, many reasons I love her.

"In further fact, we could probably do one together."

"Let me talk to my publisher about that..."

And thus was born the idea. Writing one flash fic piece per week, 500 - 1,000 words long. (I will probably need some audience participation on this one, for 3-4 word prompts to write to... all suggestions used will get their names in the front of the book/e-book if it gets published. I think the publisher Elizabeth is thinking of going with has a minimum e-book sales requirement for a book to go into print... )

So, that's the first thing.

And then... well, it started as a one thing and then ended up as a "will you shut up, brain?" thing.

I got an email yesterday from an editor who'd talked with one of my other editors.. "I've been told you write hot... any way I could sway you to be interested in doing a submission for cupid's chokehold?!" We email back and forth last night, getting details and stuff for another one of Hot Ink's holiday special anthologies.

There's a pretty tight deadline for this submission, obviously, to get it out before the 14th of February. And I'm exceedingly flattered to be asked to participate. This will be the third collection/publication where I've been specifically requested to submit, and let me tell you, that does all sorts of wonderful things for my ego. So, I went to bed last night, thinking about it.

And I came up with a story idea. Except that it doesn't really work for that collection.

It does, however, work for this collection.

I had looked over this call and dismissed it. I don't usually go the BDSM route. Which is not to say I don't mind a little tie-down or some playful spankings. I've tried it out in an informal sort of way. Certainly never to the extent of costumes or industrial grade chains. And I'm not really familiar with a lot of the "tropes" of the Master/slave relationship. Given how much crapola 50 Shades of Fanfic has gotten about badly portraying the BDSM lifestyle with its "red room of pain"... I've not been especially eager to add my name to the list of the don't know what the fuck she's talking about...

Except now I have an idea. And it's a brilliant idea. And I LOVE the idea.

So, I took some notes. It's not due until my birthday (May 1st) so I have time.

And I was looking through my slush pile today. I have several stories that have either not found a home, or have not been completed - I have a really interesting piece that's only about 1/3 done that I started for another collection and then had an excess of real life and didn't finish it. I wrote to the editor for a week's extension on the deadline and was told she had plenty of submissions and she was running tight on time anyway.

I really think I can make Two Tents work for the Valentine's collection. So... that's what I'll be doing.

And it looks like I'll be writing "Make your Mark" as well, for the May 1st, Princess Bound collection as well. And there's the possibility that I might write up a story for Delilah's Cowboy Heat collection. And Elizabeth and I are more than likely going to go ahead and work on this collaborative short-short collection...

Oh, and plus, I decided that I was going to teach myself to crochet this year, since I really do not know how to do any craftsty sort of things, and I sometimes feel bad about that. Also, if I can learn to make those tiny cute stuffie crocheted dolls, that would really make a lot of gifts for my geeky friends.

So... busy writer is fucking busy this year.

PS - there's still time to enter the last drawing for the Smutty Advent Calendar... so go do that, people, what are you waiting for, an engraved invitation??