IWSG: To Write or Rewrite | Fall 99c Sale | Wattpad Wednesdays | Awesome Giveaway

IWSG was created by the Captain Ninja Alex J. Cavanaugh. To visit the IWSG participants, please click here. The IWSG Anthology Contest is open until November 1st. Click here for details. You must post either September or October to be considered for the anthology. Our co-hosts are TB Markinson, Tamara Narayan, Eva E. Solar, Shannon Lawrence, and Stephanie Faris.

The writing is still going well. I've been writing every single day since July 1, mainly between two projects, although I had three in September. But within the next few months, I will have my secondary project slot empty. Here is where my insecurity lies.

Once I finished the first draft of The Mission (The Gaia Project 1.1), the short story "On Day 168" slipped into the second spot. As soon as I complete that first draft, I've recently decided to write the bonus woodwose section that will appear in The Fate Challenges boxed set. I figure those chapters will take me through November and maybe even into December. But what should I write after that?

I have several projects I could rewrite, including The Cassandra Project series (3 books, NA Paranormal Suspense), Fall of Gravity series (3 books, YA Sci-fi), or a horror short story collection. All except the last book in The Cassandra Project series have been written, but ALL need major rewrites, which would involve rereading through the stories, writing new outlines, and writing the books.

But do I want to rewrite old work? I just don't know. There is a thrill in exploring something new. I have so many series I want to write one of these days, including To the Future series (4 books, YA Urban Fantasy), Tides of Fortune series (9 books, Epic Fantasy), Paranormal Freaks series (2 books, YA Horror), Less Than Princess Perfect (4 books, Epic Fantasy), etc. Of course, any new series I write will need planning before writing, especially anything within a different world.

Do I even want to work on a series? I know series sell better than standalone novels, but I'd love to write the standalone book No More Than Shadows (YA Alt. World Fantasy) one of these days. I'm sure there is something quite pleasurable in writing a novel to completion and knowing that's it, that I don't have to stress over the next book and the next within the series.

So that's where I am at with my insecurities this month. Too many choices. All requiring a lot of work and dedication and pre-planning that I need to work on now before I end up with no second project and nothing planned. Of course, it's not a terrible thing to have too many ideas, but they can end up very overwhelming. (Not that I have to have a second project of course, but I like the feeling of accomplishment of working on more than one story at a time. I've stood still for far too long.)

What are your insecurities?

From now until 11/16, you can purchase Once upon a Nightmare: A Collection (paranormal horror), Reborn (YA Epic Fantasy), and People of Foxwick and Their Neighbors (Epic Fantasy short stories) for 99 cents a piece.

Click here for purchase links.

Read Reborn from the beginning or Chapter Thirty-Four.

Here's the deal, all you need to do is visit the Rafflecopter page and enter. It's as simple as that. At the end of the month one winner will be randomly selected to win an e-book copy of all five books.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wednesday's Writing Update: July Stats, August Goals, and more!

Happy Wednesday!

Is it just me or does it seem like August has come way too early this year?

Since July ended on Sunday, I have July's stats.

Submissions: 1

Rejections: 0

Acceptances: 0

Stories Short Listed: 2

Total Word Count: 10,951

Total Pages Edited: 269

The pages edited number was a bit lower than it should've been, but I wrote more words last month and read more too.

For August, my main focus is on Virtuoso rewrites. My goal is to rewrite/edit a chapter every two days. I still haven't finished my dragon short story, so I'll work on it when I have time. I do have a few flash pieces to write, but this month shouldn't be too bad. Of course, I have editing too. I'm trying to write in the mornings and edit in the afternoons. It's working out so far.

On Raven and the Writing Desk, our theme this month is deserted islands. I continued Mer's journey in my flash piece "Washed Upon the Shore" in today's short story "Cursed Isle." You can read it here.

Today I have announced my "Favorite Summer Reads" blogfest on my Surrounded byBooks Reviews blog in honor of its one year blogoversary month. Stop by, read the details, and consider signing up. It should be fun and a great way to learn about new books.

So does anyone have any new news?

Wednesday's Writing Update

It's time for another Wednesday's writing update.

First off, don't forget my 50 Followers blog contest. There is still time to enter. Click here for more details.

On Friday, I published a piece of flash fiction called "Dare to Dream." You can read it here.

So far, January has seem a time for editing and rewriting, rewriting and editing, with a dash of writing in between.

Lisa Rusczyk, Aubrie Dionne, and I are compiling our short stories and poetry from 2010 that appeared on our blog Raven and the Writing Desk for a Raven and the Writing Desk 2010 anthology. Today, I finished editing my old short stories. We hope to have this book available sometime in March in print and electronic formats.

On Monday, I finished up another PWP assignment. I'm really enjoying this proofreading/editing job, and it has helped me feel more confident when I edit someone else's work and my own work.

I've already written the flash fiction for this coming Friday. You'll have to wait and see what it is until then.

Then, I've been rewriting Virtuoso. I finished chapter three over the weekend. So far, I'm editing/rewriting a chapter a week. I had hope to get more chapters done, but I'm pretty happy with the chapters rewritten and where the story is going. Originally, the novel was 68,000 words. I'm hoping this time it'll be over 60,000. Right now, I'm at 4500 words.

I also have been rewriting Defying Gravity. It is a longer short story, originally 8800 words, but I'm hoping with rewrites that it will come over 10,000 words. It's more of a novelette than a short story. I finished rewriting chapter three, and I look forward to working on chapter four. So far, I've rewritten/written 3100 words in it.

I am writing a new short story too. It's a longish short story called "The Disappearance of Emma Rose." I plan to submit it to Innsmouth Free Press's Candle in the Attic, a gothic anthology. I hope to finish it sometime around the first week of February.

Since I finished the majority of my editing, until I get a new assignment from PWP, then I'll mainly spend my time in writing and rewrites.

By the way, I highly recommend lists. Each day before I go to bed, I've been making a list of what I'd like to get done the next day. For the most part, I've been sticking to the list and getting bunches done. I really hope to keep it up throughout the year.