Writers (and readers) who are also, in their own way, fineapples. All friendly here.
What's everybody working on?
I'm writing the sequel to my first book, and the current scene is a lot of fun. There's an airship, a race of nonhumans best described as "steampunk firebending mice," and a talking bat who's a chatty bastard. He just channelled two-year-old me by taking a huge bite right out of the cake.
What about the rest of you fine folks? :D




Fire bending! What fun! Every story gets just that little bit more interesting as the probability of explosions increases.
For myself, I set novel #2 aside early last year to write a few short stories for venues that didn't pan out, but one of those (romance) stories grew into novel #3, the first draft of which is (I swear!) 90% complete. I hit a snag or three in the plot (wherein the romance shuffled to the side and the mystery took the spotlight) while some hard stuff was going on irl. I needed happy stories, not Darkest Moments, so I wandered off to write more (exceptionally fluffy, yet somehow dark) short stories, three of which are ongoing and threatening to become novellas.
I maybe don't do so well trying to write short fiction… or one thing at a time...
Wow - your book sounds fun! I like the talking mice in the Seanan McGuire's InCryptid series. I can't wait to meet steampunk firebending mice!!
I've been floundering between writing projects, but I settled on a new novel in a supernatural universe I created a long, long time ago (in a NANOWRIMO verse far, far away). It's about a vampire named Eva who works as a reporter and gets called to a murder scene, only to discover that the victim is the head vampire for the entire Southeast (Florida to Kentucky, both Carolinas, Alabama, and Mississippi). I actually wrote one novel in this place, so I needed to spent a few days finding all the characters names and personalities to keep continuity, the bane of all writers. Now I'm writing the first draft while trying to figure out who did it.
Sounds like a good time! Here's hoping you figure out whodunit without having to do massive rewrites!
Yeah. I like writing mysteries, especially the part where I have to figure out the villain as I'm writing. :-)
So, on the way back from DragonCon I tallied up the current projects and apparently it is a lot. Editrix had Words for me. But right now I'm doing my first pass line edits on Turing Shrugged, drafting Will Shakespeare: A Play and a teen romance as yet untitled (and I forget what the working title is so it can't be that good), second pass edits on White Lightning the novel and finishing drafting stories for White Lightning the anthology, one of those needs renamed, and potentially drafting and submitting at least one story. In addition to research and prep work, outlines and such, for half a dozen other freaking things, and formatting Sandborn for print.
Too many projects. But I can speak on any of them if the titles catch interest.
Your story sounds really cool! I love the bat.
I'm working on finishing off a chapter in my novel. It's about a character in middle age looking back on his younger years, and it goes back and forth in time. Right now I'm in the very first draft and it's more of a wordy outline in quality. Lots of editing to do later but I really want to get the story down.
Thanks! Yours actually sounds similar to my first book, with a main character with Memory Problems. He discovers his life in reverse, while trying to figure out what's going on in regards to bad guys and current shenanigans. (I originally tinkered with the character through short stories, and I got to use those as flashback scenes, woo!)
Your story sounds fun. Is the first one available anywhere?
I'm working on editing/rewriting my first novel (detective fiction in a fantasy setting) . It's so much harder than writing the first draft. At the moment I'm doing a pass through concentrating on characterisation and POV.
It is in fact! It's on Amazon as both e-book and print.
Detective stuff in fantasyland sounds like a good time! What kind of crime needs solving?
Murder and treason! A peasant is killed when he falls from the facade of the high temple, apparently stealing the inlaid stone work. The truthseeker and her assistant uncover a cruel and treacherous plot that reaches from the banquets of aristocrats to the stinking lanes of the lower city.
I'm having fun writing it anyway!
I've gone off-piste and started a fantasy novel.
Working on part 2 of some Sci fi shorts for my writing group. I do all my writing in the bus into work, so it's slow going. :)
Hey, Marlynn! Sounds like a very fun read. Your post reminded me of something I would love to ask every writer here: What's the target audience for your book/series? Do you keep those readers in mind when you write/edit or simply follow your own interests and instincts for what unfolds?
As for me: I'm dusting off Word files for two completely different books (mystery and sci-fi).
I tend to write things I'd like to read, keeping it generally PG-13. That's more for people like certain family members who are sensitive to Gross Stuff than for kids, but as far as I'm concerned my audience is anyone interested. (I know that can make it harder to categorize and market, but it's how I write.)
What are the mystery and sci-fi about? Any crossover? (Who assassinated the alien ambassador? Was he just allergic to the fish?)
I've toyed with a blend of paranormal/mystery-detective, haven't found a groove yet. Sorting notes for YA fit in sci-fi and decided I need to focus on setting and characters for a while. They're not talking to me ;)
I got my first R&R, so I'm about to start re-working my book on sub to fix the problem spots (basically my MC needs to be a little bit more likable, but still keep his arc). Fingers crossed I don't screw it up!
If your talking bat would like to share some cake I'd be totally up for that ;)
You say that now, but you don't know what kind of cake it is! :D
...Ever read the kids' book How To Eat Fried Worms?
I haven't, but I can imagine what kind of cake it is now ;)
Might still be worth it for cake...
It is actually described as surprisingly tasty to the average human tastebuds, despite icky ingredients. The nonhuman chefs know what they're doing. :)