A look back

I'm finally getting caught up with 2005. It's been rather troubling to be three days into the month and still trying to get all the odds and ends cleared from 2004, but I think I've done it. I spent most of last night working on some DDT work and getting the last of my non-writing schedule set up.

2004 totals:

1,035,404 Words

1 Non-fiction book
9 novels
6 outlines
14 short stories

Oddly, I apparently didn't write a single novella or novelette in 2004. That's very unusual for me! There were also several essays and articles, but I rarely remember to list those.

Submissions:

Total -- 35
Still Out -- 3
Rejections -- 14
Sold -- 12
Placed, nonpaying -- 4
Lost in transit/mag closed -- 2

Writing-wise, it was an odd year but a good one. The sale of Ada Nish Pura to Aio is the high point because I really didn't think I would manage that one.

I've started my 2005 writing year off a bit slowly, but I think well. I've started a mystery/adventure titled Serendipity Blues. It's set in 1974 and starts on the eve of Nixon's resignation -- though that's just backdrop material and has nothing to do with the actual story.

Lately I've been working with outlines with various levels of detail. Serendipity Blues just refused to be properly outlined at all. I finally wrote out some thoughts on the novel and tried to get them into a coherent order.

Then I started writing the novel, and those thoughts began to coalesce into something reasonable. I wrote the opening, and then stepped it back by a few minutes in story time, and start with my MC on stage with his rock group doing the final refrain from their signature hit, Serendipity Blues. This finally grounded the novel. I may later decide that it isn't the best place to start after all, but it fixed the novel in my mind and allowed me to watch the main character take those first steps.

After that the story began to flow -- slowly, but flow nonetheless. I have two more books I might write in the set, depending on how the first one goes. Russ read the first 12 pages and liked it, so I think I'm on the right path. Good. I've wanted to write this book for over half a year, but didn't feel as though I could get a good grip on what it needed, character wise. I now have five characters -- two main characters, three secondary ones -- who fit the story well. I have a series of events that bring these characters together and explain the title, Serendipity Blues.

I started editing Glory for my edit/rewrite work. I need to cut back the opening introduction to Gloryanna Del Mar quite a bit, and I think I'm getting there in this version. The story, I think, is good and solid. I just need to fix the writing part. (grin)

I have other projects I need to seriously start thinking about. The main one is the novella for Yard Dog Press. Since I didn't write a single novella last year, I find this kind of funny.

And the work on Ada Nish Pura will start soon. I'm excited about that part and hope that it goes well.

So that's my writing world report for the start of 2005. Yes, it's late. I fear that's going to be my trademark for the year.

And now, here is a snippet of the first draft opening to Serendipity Blues:



Hot white lights picked him out on the stage, blinding him to the crowd again. He could hear them, though -- the shouts, the pounding of hands and feet as Inferno played the encore. Dante's fingers danced over the strings of his favorite Gibson, picking out the cords while Ted sweated, trying to keep up, and Silva pounded the beat on the drum. Mike stood by the microphone, head bowed and still, waiting for the chorus to pick up again. Inferno had played a damned good gig.

The concert had gone better than he expected, given the arguments that led up to it about everything from their play list to what clothes they wore. Once they reached the stage, though, the music led them back to where they had all begun, four years ago in Mike's basement. Dante felt unexpected pleasure as he played through the last riff of their trademark closing song, Serendipity Blues. He and Mike sang the refrain, though he wished Mike would put a little more power and feeling into it sometimes --

"Have you heard the news... We're looking for those old serendipity blues...."

The last notes disappeared in the shouts of the crowd. Dante grinned and leaned closer to the mike. "It's been a good day, a time to celebrate --"

And the mike went dead. He knew it. The crowd must have thought he'd finished talking. They shouted even louder and cheered, but Dante looked over his shoulder and saw Paul Perry, Mike's toadie, moving away from the sound board.

Bastards.

Dante O'Claire stripped off his guitar and handed it to one of the stage hands while the crowd still shouted and clapped approval. He stalked away from the stage like a leopard on a short leash, and the people who had been crowding in around back stage got out of his way. He didn't look back as the other three headed for the single *s room they shared, and he didn't even wait to greet *s as they took to the stage.

Dante headed for the closest door leading outside. He wasn't going to deal with any more bullshit tonight.

Damn bastards, telling him to tone down the political rhetoric. Telling him that he couldn't lead a cheer tonight, celebrating Nixon's resignation. Where the hell did they think they were playing, an enclave of the Young Republicans? Chicago? Shit, they didn't need Daley or the ghost of old J. Edgar to keep them quiet when the others were so quick to censor themselves.