Set Goals High

Yesterday, I spent a fair amount of time reworking all the plot points and world events for my paranormal and after brainstorming with Sir Hotness my brain felt like it was imploding...

In a panic I called Xandra and said, "Maybe I should just write another erotica, put this on the back burner." and she said, "Don't you dare."

I woke up feeling much more optimistic and then read my horoscope:

Friday, Apr 24th, 2009 -- Today's pragmatic New Moon in your 1st House of Personality enables you to accomplish so much that you might surprise yourself. It's not just that you are able to sustain a high level of production; it's that you won't be dissuaded by anyone's argument. Your well-known stubbornness is a positive attribute now that enables you to overcome significant obstacles. Set your goals high and follow through with unwavering determination.

So, I am going to let what is in my head percolate awhile longer...not because I want to but because today is going to be a jam packed day. Doctor appointment this a.m. and a track meet (invitational) later this afternoon.

I'm excited...so excited that this paranormal is already becoming a trilogy.
I just need to get started now.

WIP Submitted

Whew! The latest WIP has been submitted...

Now, I can focus on my back burner which is bubbling over with WIPs. Deciding which to focus on is the problem. I have the paranormal monster, magic WIP Daughter of Darkness that could go horror...I have the yet unnamed paranormal werewolf romance...I have WIP Lovers, the BIG BOOK that I have been working on for eight months that is at 120K and nowhere near ending and falls somewhere between contemporary fiction, chick-lit, and erotica...I dare not call it literary fiction yet, but may have to face that truth when it hits 150K and I definitely see it doing that.

Actually, I think I'll take the weekend to mull it over since Sir Hotness will actually be in town AND we're celebrating his birthday before he goes out on the road for a week. Between trips he'll only be home for 36 hours (long enough for the Welcome Spring Party) before going out again, so I will have plenty of solitary time to focus and write which is making me feel like bringing the BIG BOOK forward to the main burner is a good idea.

Then there are a few short stories I'm playing with...

What is staying on the back burner for now:
WIP Frank's Garage (lesbian erotic romance)
WIP Perilous Rendezvous
WIP Prime
WIP Vow of Silence (George's stand alone story inspired by the Chronicles)
WIP Echo of Redemption (Book 4 of the Chronicles of Surrender)

Wow...looking at this list...I really don't think I have time to take a weekend off...geesh!

Getting Closer...

It seems like I've been working on the WIP Prodigal Slave forever but really it's just because I keep taking breaks to do work on other WIPs.

My fault entirely...but still frustrating. So, I still have two chapters to write to call this one done. And really, I am sooo excited about Prodigal Slave. It's one of my favorites. A little history: I wrote the first chapter as a short story about six years ago, tried to turn it into a novella for an anthology in January of this year but realized it was really meant to be full length...and so here we are, three months later still writing.

As the name implies Prodigal Slave is heavy on the D/s relationship with bondage, international travel and two French men to round out the tale. Oo-la-la.

Oh BTW forced rest is a good concept...I've been writing like crazy for two days.

This Is A Problem...

So, I think I wrote a few weeks ago that I was writing a short WIP for submission to the Bind Anthology Samhain is acquiring for...

So how's that going? you ask.

Well, let me tell you about it...

I started working on "Freedom" ... and half-way in I had the thought, "Oh! Oh,oh. Oh! I have that little thing tucked away on my harddrive that I could just polish up and be done with it...WIP: Prodigal Slave...yeah, I started polishing and a week later, I'm at 34K." The anthology target is 20k-25k. That means I either have to whittle it back down for the antho...or add 20k to make it a novel. It's back on the backburner...

Meanwhile, last week I pulled another short from the backburner...WIP: Under The Big Top...knowing all it needed was the final scene...a little tie me up and throw knives at me number...the setting is a circus...trust me the scene is very erotic...but the more I imagined and typed...I decided this is never going to work for the anthology and so started turning the work into a quick little something for Liquid Silver Books that would have been an unexpected boon because I've been wanting to try writing something a little different...and this one would be perfect for their Sterling line, which is a little softer, sweeter...and I'm staying on track as far as pacing. The problem is I decided that the main male character should be a werewolf and now my plot is outgrowing my original romance-novel intent, it's sort of morphing into a full-grown urban fantasy. My first thought of a quick 40K "quickie" is now turning into my second thought of, "Oh shit, I doing it again." So this morning I sit with 26k already written and a decision to make...I either have to rein in the plot and turn the spin back toward the softer, sweeter side of erotic for LSB Sterling...or I need to continue on my present course and see what it morphs into because at this point there isn't an erotic bone in its body...I know! How crazy is that?...There's potential for soft erotic...but not yet.

Meanwhile, back on to the anthology, which is supposed to be my prime focus this week. I'm back to square one. Looks like I'm going back to where I left off with Freedom...

Oy vey...

Delayed...

I feel like I'm running a day behind on everything...
Yesterday was the full moon, I remembered the day before yesterday...and tonight...but missed it yesterday...

This morning a friend text and asked how the holiday shopping was coming along...holiday shopping? My brain paused...and then I had that "oh shit" moment of panic...

I know you've noticed...I've missed blogging every other day or so...
It seems I'm always playing "catch-up"

Like I said, I feel like I'm running behind...
Delayed...

I've been writing, revising...
Is that really an excuse?
Can I blame it all on the writing process? Yes, I think I must...

So, I apologize, but I can't promise that my regular scheduled blogging will get any more...regular...the WIP seems to be taking every single free brain moment...

I wonder if I can put an I.O.U. under the "Yule Tree"?
I don't think Beautiful Girl will be as understanding...

Porn Star Revised...

Okay, so I've ripped my ms Porn Star a new one...and then some...then I went back to the original and rewired it...I'm calling it done (the second time around, third, whatever, not the first...which sucked...I can admit that it sucked about my own ms as long as I fix it, right?)

Anyway...I'm reading through it now, hoping to have back to my VERY PATIENT editor tonight...and crossing my fingers that the revision gets her kiss of approval.

I will say that it is not what it started out to be...a menage.
And I love menage as much as the next girl...
But this one actually begged for a monogamous Happily Ever After.

I know.
Who knew.
Really?
OMFG!

I think this happy marriage I'm in is screwing with my head...I'm jaded, right? I don't believe in HEA? I know. Crazy. Next thing you know I'm going to start writing stories that start with the words Once Upon A Time In A Land Far Away...

I'm happy.
It's a schizophrenic, dysfunctional relationship story...with a lot of mindless sex...a lot of mindful sex...and a happily ever after.

Whew.
I'm not done with the read-through yet, but I'm calling this draft of Porn Star done:)