dancinghorse: (Clarion)
For today, we wrote Exactly 1200 words of outline/story sketch/very very very very rough initial Stuff on Sekrit Projekt.

Camilla got a ride in the dusk, buzz-bombed by bat. She had happy ears, because she got her turn even though Ephiny got all the daylight, humph! Miss E wore saddle and bridle, did balance work, learned about weight in stirrups. She's been wobbling all over the place like a cheap folding table when she wears the saddle. Tonight she learned that when weight goes in the stirrup, you get a leg at each corner and you stand. She learned this on the right side first--that cranky right leg instead of coming up for a kick opted to root itself in earth and she stood. There was much praise of her Awesomeness. Which she ate up with a spoon. Ephiny loves to be Awesome.

She's almost ready. Just a tiny bit more thinky time and setup, and she'll have me on her back. I'll do that in a session with S--two weeks, give or take.

For anyone who says you have to start them while they're young and weak, because when they're mature they're too strong and therefore dangerous, I have this to say: A big, giant razzberry. 8yo Ephiny is grown into herself, has a clue how to balance, is pretty comfortable in her body, and has enough brain cells to handle the concept of work. She's had to learn the habit of obedience, as all young horses do, and she's needed time to get used to the idea of steady work, but she's got a wonderful mind and her body is ready to handle whatever I ask of it.

It does help that as a 3yo she was trailer-trained and taken to her breeding-stock evaluations (she passed, needless to say), and she's since been handled and played with regularly. She hasn't been a wild child all her life. But this late start has been a good thing, and she's taken to it very nicely. I'm looking forward to finally sitting on her.

11919 / 20000
(59.6%)
dancinghorse: (Clarion)
915 words of Horseblog for tomorrow. Maybe more fiction tonight? More fiction would be good.





9719 / 20000
(48.6%)
dancinghorse: (Clarion)
The monsoon is finally here, after a brief tease and a blast of Dragon Weather. We had actual measurable rain this afternoon. It felt gooood.

And Pook is back to his normal, sound, full-of-himself self. He's been doing his homework and doing it well. Best Ride Ever yesterday--all wiggly and bendy and boingy and happy.

In the Literary Coolness department, Book View Cafe member Chris Dolley, who is one of the funniest writers I've read in ages, has a new ebook out: French Fried. Here's what the man says: An unfortunately true account of English author Chris Dolley’s harrowing first eight months in France, the book has been described as ‘A Year in Provence with Miss Marple and Gerald Durrell.’

Upon surviving a difficult move to a foreign country, Dolley and wife discover their life savings and Dolley’s identity have been stolen. Adding insult to injury, the authorities have no time for his problem, so with the 'help' of an 80-year-old mother-in-law, Dolley tracks the criminals himself through the bureaucracies of France, Spain, Ireland, and Great Britain. FRENCH FRIED is an account of the author’s hilarious yet frightening journey through a nightmare of international crime.

Read Chapter One of FRENCH FRIED for free: http://www.bookviewcafe.com/index.php/French-Fried-Chapter-One

Purchase the ebook:
http://www.bookviewcafe.com/index.php/French-Fried

The book is screamingly funny. Go. Read. But don't drink anything while you do it, or your keyboard will never recover.

Also weirdly brilliant but in a totally different way, an old friend has put up a new blog in which he plays with excerpts from literary classics that were never actually written. I do hope he puts up Mark Twain's never-written review of Alcott's "Little Squaws."

And on another note altogether, I'll be getting the Beta writing Class going ASAP. There just hasn't been enough of me to scrape over the daily bread in the past week. I know some of you are anxious to get going. I'll get there! I promise!

In the meantime, the Clarion Write-a-Thon continues. Thank you so much to all my awesome sponsors. You're making me proud--and helping a great writing program stay afloat.

Also, guilting me into writing lots of new stuff. Having finished two shorter pieces, now I'm working on book proposals as a lead-up to diving into a novel. Two of those down. Two (or more) to go. Then we'll see if the agent screams and faints at some of what I've been up to.

So, as of this evening, here's the trusty word counter, marking the end of week 2:

8804 / 20000
(44.02%)

Finito!

Jul. 6th, 2010 02:35 pm
dancinghorse: (Clarion)
The Clarion Write-a-Thon canters on.

Quick update to mark completion of story draft. 1642 words since the last entry. Running a bit behind the per-day goal since Thursday, but it's still early in the day (and I'm still ahead in the overall stats). There will be more. Of something else. Yes.

Meanwhile, draft! W00t!


6112 / 20000
(30.56%)
dancinghorse: (Clarion)
Yesterday was an editing day, in among wrestling with replacement DVR and dying of the humidity. I ran through about 9000 words of edits, but couldn't really count any new words.

Today I made up for it. 250 new words in the Shadow Conspiracy story, which made it a draft. And now it's off to its editor. Followed by 901 words of another story.

Also, lesson. Though I didn't ride. Pook got a massage instead. There will be neep soon, when I find the words for what we did.

Meanwhile, Clarion gets words of fiction. I think I'll need to up the final goal, considering how many words I've racked up in the first five days--and that's with interruptions and a missed day. Dare I aim for double the words? Can I do 40,000 by August 7th? And still keep up with everything else?

I'll have to think about that.

4470 / 20000
(22.35%)
dancinghorse: (Clarion)
Yesterday was a big zero. I had a family commitment, and it ate the day. But I figured I had some leeway, since I racked up so many words the day before.

Today had a lot of not-fiction in it. And a whole lot of Joomla-wrangling. Gaahh. I won. But it was a near thing.

Still, I got my words in. New story, a somewhat overdue commission, while I gear up to start writing chapters for the Sekrit Projekt.

This is working so far. I'd have made excuses and not written any fiction today if I hadn't succumbed to Write-a-Thon Guilt(tm).

Goal for the rest of this week: Finish story. Start Sekrit Projekt.

500 words a day. Tote Dat Page.

3319 / 20000
(16.6%)
dancinghorse: (Clarion)
Day one, with bells on. I'm informed that I'm one of four top donation earners for the event so far--thank you so very much, my awesome sponsors. You are the very definition of Awesomeness.

Anybody else, if you've been thinking of tossing a few pennies into the pot, the pot is open through August 7th. It all goes to Clarion, and that is an excellent cause.

I'll be right here, writing like a writing thing. Today was a good day. Tomorrow probably will not produce many words, if it manages any--I have a family obligation that will eat the day--but I've tripled up on fiction today, with special added bonus bloggage.

The total breaks like so:

1196 words of Horseblog for Book View Cafe--that goes live tomorrow--

and

1581 words of draft for Shadow Conspiracy II. That finishes the draft, which I've been working on for, essentially, forever. Needs tweakage and editage, but hey. Draft. Cleanup and tweaking this week, then it can go off to its editor.

2777 / 20000
(13.89%)
dancinghorse: (Clarion)
...and squaring the stacks of paper on the desk. Getting ready to do the Write-a-Thon.

I found a nice word counter here. Let's give it a test whirl:



0 / 20000
(0%)


OK, that seems to work. I might fudge tomorrow and count writing up the Horseblog over at BVC, which isn't fiction but it's about writing fiction, right? And I'll do some fiction bits as well.

Meanwhile, errands to run. And Betas, I think I have you all in the filter now. I'll be putting up the first substantive post no later than Monday. Much sooner, I hope.
dancinghorse: (Clarion)
I've set up the filter for those who asked to be included in the beta test of an online writing class. If you asked to be included but you can't see the post, let me know and I'll add you to the filter.

We've currently got 16 people in the group, with at least one more who needs to friend me in order to be included, so we're full--but hang in there. I will be running a regular class after we get the format betaed and working.

In other news, I am now officially participating in the Clarion Write-a-Thon, benefiting Clarion UCSD (the latest incarnation of "my" Clarion that I taught back along). My page is here. I've promised to write at least 500 words a day of new fiction, one way and another. More if I can. From July 27th-August 7th. Er, go team go?

Aaaaannnnd I've sweetened the pot. Donate at least $250 in my name and you're entered in a drawing for a free weekend (well, 3 days/2 nights, any time of the week) at Camp Lipizzan. If more than one person does this, the rest will get prizes: signed books, ARC's, a signed ms. if you ask really really reallllly nicely.

I think it will be fun. meep.

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