January 4, 2012 | www.booksofm.com

Getting To The Point: 100 Days

It’s January 4th and I’m four days into my novel revisions. The biggest decision I’ve had to make is whether or not my main character’s amnesia is integral to the plot, or if it’s just a device I’m using to build the world slowly. It is crucial that the MC does not remember what’s happened to her. When the story begins, she doesn’t even know her memory has been magically wiped, because she’s been betrayed by the man she believes to be her husband.

This technique also means that I have to tighten up “the point” of the story. Yes, she realizes she’s been “had.” Then what? Well, I know “what,” I just have to get to it sooner by writing that elevator pitch. There’s absolutely no reason why I have to spend three chapters getting to the point of the story or, in other words, the MC’s quest.

Also? I hate the MC’s current name. That is all.

About the 100 Days for 2012: For more about this project, visit 100 Days of Novel Revisions.

Hugo Award Nominations Open!

The 2012 Hugo Award nominations are open! If you’re able to nominate an author, editor or publisher for a Hugo award, I hope you take the time to do so. The nominations end on January 31st and there’s a lot of great categories to list your favorites.

This year, I have one short story that would be eligible for a Hugo award. “Tailfeather” appeared in Apexology: Science Fiction & Fantasy along with seventeen other fine tales this past summer.

Good luck to my friends and peers in the community!

2011 Publications In Review

In an earlier post, I talked about how I achieved my 2011 publishing goals. Today, I’m going to share with you the publications that debuted this past year and hint about a few new titles that are at the presses.

Games

In January, the first publication that debuted was SCENES OF THE EMBRACE, a tool for Storytellers to use with Vampire: the Requiem.

After GenCon, I released a new INSTANT ANTAGONIST: THE CREEPY COTTONTAIL through FR Press, which is a hybrid game decide replete with a story, a systemless creature and story hooks. This critter has a Lovecraftian (albeit a bit satirical at times) flair.

The latest release is STRANGE, DEAD LOVE which is also for Vampire: the Requiem. This is a paranormal romance sourcebook that addresses many different types of settings. So far, the feedback has been pretty positive.

I finished up two other game-related projects that are scheduled to debut sometime in 2012.

Fiction

My goal this year was to focus on my stories, and I feel that I made some strides in that direction. Here’s a look back at what was published and what I experimented with.

In February, I (along with several others) experienced historic political unrest that took the form of extensive and consistent protests. I posted some pictures from February and March. This experience affected my work. I wrote a story, first shared on my blog, then self-published called Lady Yellowbird and the Flight of the Sad Panda set in the world of Occupation, a global dystopian setting I created many years ago. I ended up reading this story at WisCon, too.

Shortly thereafter, Bewildering Stories picked up another science fiction-related work called The Message, which you can read for free. Then, “Tomorrow’s Precious Lambs” appeared in The Zombie Feed, Volume 1. Readers enjoyed this story at OddCon and asked if there would be a sequel. 😀

For April Fool’s, Paths of Storytelling for Vampire: the Masquerade debuted. This was a “lost” manuscript where readers can choose how the story progresses. I wrote the Gangrel storyline. And yes, before you even ask, I required lots and lots of reprogramming to flip from Requiem to Masquerade and back again!

Then, my story titled “Tailfeather” debuted in Apexology: Science Fiction & Fantasy this summer. It’s a tale about a woman who becomes a cybernetic bird in a dystopian setting, the second in my dystopian setting. Apex Publications was extremely supportive of my work and I’d gladly work with them again.

I donned my editor’s hat twice this past year. The first was for Haunted: 11 Tales of Ghostly Horror which was the debut anthology for FR Press. The second was for Slices of Fate: The Collected Works of Eddy Webb, FR Press’s debut author collection.

Last but not least, the print edition of The Queen of Crows became available in full color and black-and-white.

For 2012, “Fangs and Formaldehyde” is slated to debut in the New Hero anthology from Stone Skin Press. REDWING’S GAMBIT, a novella for the Bulldogs RPG, will also appear this year, too. I had a *lot* of fun working on both stories.

Non-Fiction

Non-fiction is ever on my radar. I wrote an essay for Apex Magazine Issue 24 titled “Grab Your Badge, Ready, Set, Meet!” I penned guest columns for the How To Write Shop and a new column geared for freelancers titled Adventure to Dice Castle for Geek’s Dream Girl.

This year, I am hoping to finish up a non-fiction book and continue writing guest columns and articles. I continue to write reviews for FlamesRising.com as I get time.