IWSG Day & Deadlines

Happy IWSG Day! It’s the second month of the new year and decade and here we are again. Blog hopping on the first Wednesday of the month, to find out what’s going on in our writerly lives. Encouraging and supporting each other. As we travel this road of writing, querying, publishing, promoting, etc. As always, thanks for bringing us together goes to ninja extraordinaire Alex Cavanaugh.

The awesome co-hosts posting today are: Lee Lowery, Ronel Janse van Vuuren, Jennifer Hawes, Cathrina Constantine, and Tyrean Martinson!

Interested in joining us? Click on the badge above. Our Twitter hashtag and handle are #IWSG and @TheIWSG.

So what’s going on with me this month?

Well, let me get something out of the way first.

Sorry. I had to do that. I’d almost given up in submitting to the Women’s Orgasm Erotica Anthology deadline. I’d been dragging my feet in writing the stories and making the submission deadline. 

When will I get through my thick head I’m more productive while listening to music? I don’t know why I try to do without because nothing comes to me when I do. 

Anyways, something told me double check. And lo and behold the deadline has been extended from January 31 to March 1, 2020. So I’m submitting my short “The Anniversary Present” with a word count goal of 3-4k words. I’ve got a month to rewrite and edit and submit by the extended deadline. Already changed the setting of the story though the plot remains the same. 

On other woot woot news, I barely made it submitting “Sensual Delights” by the Temptation Press: The Match Game anthology deadline. At a 6,211 word count, I barely managed to submit the short on January 31st at 11:52 pm.

As for the Once Upon A Hallowed Eve anthology, the ghost romance story wasn’t coming together. Had the couple, several scenarios but no character names and too weak a plot to work with. So there was no way I was going to make the February 1st deadline for this one.

Yet another woot woot, Violet Gaze Press extended their Only One Bed anthology deadline to March 31. So might submit there too. My ghost romance couple weren’t doing anything and had a story idea already niggling in my mind from the prompt. I’ve already pre-plotted a new story for them. They’re looking for steamy short stories of up to 10k words and so far I’ve written 218 words in my first draft. 

So for February, I’m working on two shorts. One old and one new. And started reacquainting myself with my NaNo novel Hellsgate. With fresh eyes, I’m hoping to finish and finally write the words “The End” by fall.

Wish me luck!

Right to Left: Anaya Jean, Sift, Lorelai, Sun, John, Lilly, Sorel, Gavin, Tamara, Ryan, King and Rummy

 

February 5 question – Has a single photo or work of art ever inspired a story? What was it and did you finish it?

Has a photo or work of art ever inspired a story? I can’t say. I did write a poem in my Advanced Poetry Workshop class in college based and in the voice of Edvard Munch’s “Scream.” But if you were to ask if I had ever been inspired to write a story because of a sound then yes indeed! It’s all thanks to my friend and co-worker. One day I was on her department’s floor and she was cracking pistachio shells with her aluminum coffee can/bottle on her desk. The resulting bangs gave birth to “Dreaming of You” and the Dream Brotha series universe. Right now it’s on hold and unfinished. Which I hope it won’t remain so for too long. And that when I get back to it with fresh eyes I can finally have another WIP to use two very special words for. The End.

What’s going on with you this month? Have any writing/publishing news to share? How was IWSGPitch? Did you take part in #SFFpit? Received any manuscript requests? Was it a bust? Will you take part in another pitch event?

Has a single photo or work of art ever inspired a story? What was it and did you finish it?

What process do you undergo when you come back to a story you’ve set aside? Do you set a story aside to come back with fresh eyes later? Or do you keep on writing, go straight into the rewrites and edits without pause?

PS Don’t forget #KissPitch is back again! This is a twitter pitch event only for romance and women’s fiction writers. If you have a manuscript polished and ready, start working on those pitches. #KissPitch will start at 9am and end at 9pm on Valentine’s Day. Good luck! 😀

PSS Had another poem published by Feminine Collective. “Lessons in Language” was published on their site on January 15, 2020.