#amwriting - Hanging Up The 'Do Not Disturb' Sign

These days, we’re all too familiar with that hashtagging business, so, no need to explain myself.  However, talk to people outside of the Twitterverse, and they give you that ‘huh’ look.  Such is the case, once more, with my orbiting satellites who do not transmit the usual social networking signals.

Experience has told me to keep my mouth shut while #amwriting, because I simply cannot write with someone constantly looking over my shoulder.  It's like picking your nose, you need a little privacy.  But since letting the cat out of the bag that I now do—actually—write stuff, everyone and their cousin wants to know what I’m doing next.

It can be very distracting.

Of course, they want more of the Lancaster Trilogy (I'm beginning to think they don’t quite understand the word ‘trilogy’), and want to know what happens next.  It’s hard not to stamp my foot and throw a tantrum and tell them to…well…you know what I mean.  Seriously, I do have other things to write about.  While I feel quite flattered they’d want more Lancaster stuff (so great for the ego, btw), I have moved on with my imaginary life.

Right now, I’m waist-deep in a new story (Hear that folks? New story) titled To Catch A Marlin.  Each day, I find myself anxious to dive in (barring there's no distractions from the real world—but boy, they can’t seem to take a hint) and hack away at the keyboard to conjure up words.  And like the last work in progress I just completed, I’m noticing I’ve become anti-social again.  Well, more so than usual.  It’s like 75% of my attention is still lodged into the new world in my head, while the other 25% performs the usual day-to-day tasks.  I have been told I tend to ‘wander’ (I never really noticed that until it was brought to my attention) and my temper tantrums tend to rise miraculously too (just picture a protective dog guarding her pups with bared teeth and nasty little snaps).  I've even got the 'go-away' glower down pat (oh, and the growl).

Of course, I’m not really conscious of these occurrences (it could be PMS too—just saying), especially when I’m only utilizing 25% of my brain.  I mean, seriously, there’s multitasking, and then there's micro-multitasking.  Jeez, I can’t do everything and be aware I’m doing it!  Hubby has learned to read the signals well (for self-preservation reasons) and quite enjoys when #amwriting.  He can surf the TV channels to his hearts content.

Anyway, you do know this is all tongue-and-cheek (not really…kidding, kidding) and I’m sure most of you do, or are afflicted with the same.  Maybe I should do like those construction workers and put up a sign saying: ‘Work In Progress: #amwriting.’  Even better: ‘Disturb At Your Own Risk.’  No?  Too blunt?  #justsaying.

I any case, I shall get back to #amwriting…

Cheers!

T.K. Toppin

SFF Saturday - Feb 25

Once again, I bring you another snippet from my current work in progress, Bengaria's War. This is a story set way into the future, where man has colonized star systems, wages war to steal other Systems, grow cabbages and sword fight, shoot energy guns and fly Nezu-class warships...while drinking tea.

The tale centres around, Ryn Bengaria, the daughter of a farmer who finds herself married to a King and at the brink of war as the evil Regent Sibur tries to steal their System.  Along the way, they encounter the Nezu colony.

In this scene, we have Ryn and her former weapons master, Til, in relaxed conversation...

    “And I’ll bet your mother always had good reason to clobber you.  I can just see you as an unruly child.”  Ryn affected aloofness, but her mood had shifted—at last—enough that he saw her relax.  “Always up to no good.”
    Til grinned.  “I had a fabulous childhood, as one does on a huge tea plantation.”
    “And I bet it was a misspent one filled with mischief.”
    “Adventure,” he corrected solemnly.
    “Is there a difference?” she blinked back pretending to be shocked.
    “Huge.  Adventure means I didn’t get half as many clobberings as when I did mischief.”
    Ryn laughed loudly.  It made her entire face light up, even bringing some colour back to it.  “You’re too silly, you know that.”  Then, she slid out of the armchair, dropped to her knees, leaned forward, and kissed him.

If you're interested in participating in next week's SFF Saturday, stop by their sign-up blog which is open every Wednesdays.  And don't forget to follow the rules and use the #SFFSat hashtag.

Cheers!

SFF Saturday - Feb 18

Still with the WIPs...I bring you a snippet from my current work in progress, Bengaria's War. This is a story set way into the future, where man has colonized star systems, wages war to steal other Systems, grow cabbages and sword fight, shoot energy guns and fly Nezu-class warships...while drinking tea.

The tale centres around, Ryn Bengaria, the daughter of a farmer who finds herself married to a King and at the brink of war as the evil Regent Sibur tries to steal their System.  Along the way, they encounter the Nezu colony.

In this scene, we once again meet Commander Thrater from the infamous Nezu colony.  Ryn and her former weapons master, Bur'et, now her advisor, have boarded Thrater's ship for an informal meeting...

But, Thrater admitted as he watched, unless he was mistaken, Bur’et had managed to capture Ryn’s capricious attention.  It made him feel like a brutish ogre in comparison.  Perhaps their first meeting didn’t go as well as he’d imagined it would.  Perhaps pretending to be a brutish ogre like their legend suggested might not have been the ideal way to go.  Social decorum with outsiders was truly confusing—they seemed highly offended with touching.  Did they not know that a mere touch was enough to relay a multitude of questions and answers, which the mouth was incapable of speaking?  Ah, her mouth, it had been simply too irresistible to ignore…to sample.

If you're interested in participating in next week's SFF Saturday, stop by their sign-up blog which is open every Wednesdays.  And don't forget to follow the rules and use the #SFFSat hashtag.

Cheers!

SFF Saturday - Feb 11

Keeping up with the WIPs...Again, I bring you a snippet from my current work in progress, Bengaria's War. This is a story set way into the future, where man has colonized star systems, wages war to steal other Systems, grow cabbages and sword fight, shoot energy guns and fly Nezu-class warships...while drinking tea.

The tale centres around my protagonist, Ryn Bengaria, the daughter of a farmer who finds herself married to a King and at the brink of war as the evil Regent Sibur tries to steal their System.  Along the way, they encounter the Nezu colony.

In this scene, Ryn is about to learn a little bit more about herself while visiting her father.  In her company, Til, her former weapons master and now her advisor.  And as for teacol, it's a strong, bracing liquor made from tea...think single malt whiskey with a green tea flavour.

“Da?” Ryn said impatiently.  While a reunion between her father and Til, however intriguing, was not as urgent as why she’d come back home in the first place.  “Since when do you drink?”

“Religiously since you got married.”  Sul raised his hand gently, urging Ryn and Til to sit.  They sat side by side on the couch, while her father chose his favoured armchair and poured out three glasses of the strong, yellow-green spirit.  Before speaking again, he held up his glass in a silent toast and took a small sip.

“I’d hoped you would never have reason to find out.  But as circumstances have changed so drastically this past year, I’ve lived knowing that one day you’d be here, seeking answers to the one thing I have fought hard to keep from you,” he reached across and laid a gentle hand on her knee.

If you're interested in participating in next week's SFF Saturday, stop by their sign-up blog which is open every Wednesdays.  And don't forget to follow the rules and use the #SFFSat hashtag.

Cheers!

Between WIPs

The Grosjean Chronicles or To Catch A Marlin...

Decisions, decisions.

Now that Bengaria's War is "complete" and in the hands of betas, I find myself flitting from one WIP to the next.  To be honest, I've got two on-going stories, both set in the same world as the Lancaster world (to make things easier) and both competing for my attention.

Last week, after resurrecting The Grosjean Chronicles, and then this week, To Catch A Marlin, I realized that both were becoming too similar.  Ack!  We can't have that happening!!  Then it got me wondering if that was the reason I couldn't get past a certain point and ended up writing Bengaria's War -- which is set in a completely different world, and so, fresh.

Yesterday, I spent most of my supposedly-allotted-for-day-job-time reviewing what I'd written so far in To Catch A Marlin.  Of course, I couldn't help but fiddle with a few paragraphs and tweak a few chapters, mostly to disguise the fact that it was once again set in the Lancaster world.  I think I managed it, but kept enough similarities to make you wonder.  The fact that both Grosjean and Marlin end up at the same place (okay, a space station) right now is irrelevant.  There will be plenty of time later to fix things up and give each a little distance.

But, I'm still in a quandary...I want to continue writing, both of them, at the same time.  Which one, I'm not sure.  I've also reviewed all my notes on both stories (making adjustments along the way...of course), and still haven't come any closer to a decision.

I'm thinking I should let both have another little rest.  I've also been asked to beta the sequel to a really cool SFR story, the first in the series to be released shortly (this month, I think).  So my mind is tugged in that direction as well.

I wonder, maybe to solve the problem I'll just have to flip a coin and let it rest at that.

Oh well, cheers!

Sucker for Punishment

Yep, you read right.  I'm going full-speed ahead and lining myself up for some brutal punishment.  I have no one to blame but myself.

I've decided to query agents again...

And funny how after a couple years of not hacking out submission queries, you tend to forget a few things.  I can't even look through my saved files to take notes since the computer crashed dramatically a year ago and wiped that out.  But then, considering I wasn't able to attract an agent then, maybe that's a good thing.

For the last couple of hours, I've spent this glorious Monday morning (said with sarcasm...who loves Mondays anyway?) typing and retyping a passable submission query and trying to "get it right."  Jeez, talk about the pressure of trying to sound business-like AND catchy.  Maybe I should take lessons in narrating movie trailers.  Maybe I should just forget about it completely and stick to my publishers.  But I can't shake the feeling that there's more out there for me.  Hence, the predicament of punishment.

So, I pretty much slapped together a moderately pleasing query letter (which I'll probably pick at some more) and sent off my very first submission query in two years.  What a heady experience, I swear my heart was thudding somewhere close to my throat as my finger hovered over the SEND button.  Then I remembered I forgot to add the word count and smacked myself in the head.  See, the punishment begins.  Sigh...

On that note, Happy Monday.

Cheers!