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2019 Weekly Writing Log, Part Four
Oct. 6th, 2019 03:38 pmI’ve started feeling worthless again, so it’s time to pick up my weekly writing log.
I’m currently working on a multichapter urban fantasy Zelda/Ganondorf story called Malice, and it’s turned out to be much longer than I anticipated. I had half a mind to end it prematurely with a bed scene and call it a day, but I’ve gotten a number of comments on earlier pieces from readers saying that they wish I had developed the story more instead of ending it at a convenient stopping point. I therefore decided to let this one grow as big as it needs to be. Since I haven’t been getting a lot of feedback on the story as I write it, however, it’s been somewhat stop and go.
This week I edited the thirteenth and fourteenth chapters, which I’d posted on AO3 back in August. As soon as I was able to commission a cover illustration, I started editing and posting two chapters a week on FFN. I’ve been doing that for the past seven weeks, but the story has only received two favorites and six followers. It’s dispiriting that an original story idea in a popular fandom with an eye-catching cover illustration, solid editing, and a regular update schedule isn’t attracting any attention. FFN is a dead platform, though, so I’m trying not to let this bother me too much.
I also edited the fifteenth chapter into a strong second draft, and I finished a decent first draft of the sixteenth chapter. If all goes well, I should be able to post both chapters on AO3 and FFN next weekend.
I’m still working on my series of short stories centered around various items in the Zelda series, A Hero’s Inventory. The next one is going to be about the Keaton Mask in Ocarina of Time. I wrote the first two paragraphs this week. I’d like to post this story at the end of the month, so I’m taking my time.
I have mixed feelings about Inktober, but I decided to use the prevalence of sketchy and unpolished art on social media as an encouragement to get started on my twelve-panel comic about Link’s Awakening, which I’ve decided to draw entirely in Photoshop. I still don’t have good hand-eye coordination or perfect control of the stylus, so all of my lines are a bit wobbly and frail, but I’ve decided that’s fine for now. This week I posted the first three panels on Instagram and Twitter.
A professional artist I’ve been following, Bree Paulsen, opened Halloween commissions at the beginning of the month. I’ve more or less decided that I’m done with commissions, but I will not say “no” if a perfect opportunity falls directly into my hands. Once I’m done with A Hero’s Inventory, I want to put together my second chapbook of horror-themed short fiction, and I asked Bree to create a cover design for me.
I’m also making another chapbook for a short story I translated, Hiromi Kawakami’s “Summer Break.” I actually translated the entire short story collection as a grad student, but the conversation I was having with an editor dissolved in 2012 after the author was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize. The translation was never published, but I want to self-publish this short story so that I can use it as a text in one of the classes I’m teaching in the spring. I might be giving a presentation about the story in January if my abstract is accepted, and I’d like to be able to give copies to the other conference attendees. In any case, I edited and formatted pages three through five this week.
I’ve been working on two book reviews for my blog. I should be able to post one of them next weekend, and I can save the other for next month, when I’ll need to devote my attention to a professional review for an academic journal. I’m also editing one of my old reviews every week and posting an abbreviated version on Goodreads, and I was able to stick to that schedule this week.
This week I became both a Goodreads Author and a Goodreads Librarian. Neither was all that difficult - it was just a matter of filling out some forms - but I’m still proud of myself.
When I write it all out like this, it seems as if I’ve done a lot, but it really doesn’t feel that way. Even though I enjoy what I’m doing, not getting any feedback makes me feel as though I’m not accomplishing anything. Meanwhile, the more substantial projects I’m working on take time to complete, which can also make it feel like I’m not actually doing anything. But I will hang in there and keep writing!
I’m currently working on a multichapter urban fantasy Zelda/Ganondorf story called Malice, and it’s turned out to be much longer than I anticipated. I had half a mind to end it prematurely with a bed scene and call it a day, but I’ve gotten a number of comments on earlier pieces from readers saying that they wish I had developed the story more instead of ending it at a convenient stopping point. I therefore decided to let this one grow as big as it needs to be. Since I haven’t been getting a lot of feedback on the story as I write it, however, it’s been somewhat stop and go.
This week I edited the thirteenth and fourteenth chapters, which I’d posted on AO3 back in August. As soon as I was able to commission a cover illustration, I started editing and posting two chapters a week on FFN. I’ve been doing that for the past seven weeks, but the story has only received two favorites and six followers. It’s dispiriting that an original story idea in a popular fandom with an eye-catching cover illustration, solid editing, and a regular update schedule isn’t attracting any attention. FFN is a dead platform, though, so I’m trying not to let this bother me too much.
I also edited the fifteenth chapter into a strong second draft, and I finished a decent first draft of the sixteenth chapter. If all goes well, I should be able to post both chapters on AO3 and FFN next weekend.
I’m still working on my series of short stories centered around various items in the Zelda series, A Hero’s Inventory. The next one is going to be about the Keaton Mask in Ocarina of Time. I wrote the first two paragraphs this week. I’d like to post this story at the end of the month, so I’m taking my time.
I have mixed feelings about Inktober, but I decided to use the prevalence of sketchy and unpolished art on social media as an encouragement to get started on my twelve-panel comic about Link’s Awakening, which I’ve decided to draw entirely in Photoshop. I still don’t have good hand-eye coordination or perfect control of the stylus, so all of my lines are a bit wobbly and frail, but I’ve decided that’s fine for now. This week I posted the first three panels on Instagram and Twitter.
A professional artist I’ve been following, Bree Paulsen, opened Halloween commissions at the beginning of the month. I’ve more or less decided that I’m done with commissions, but I will not say “no” if a perfect opportunity falls directly into my hands. Once I’m done with A Hero’s Inventory, I want to put together my second chapbook of horror-themed short fiction, and I asked Bree to create a cover design for me.
I’m also making another chapbook for a short story I translated, Hiromi Kawakami’s “Summer Break.” I actually translated the entire short story collection as a grad student, but the conversation I was having with an editor dissolved in 2012 after the author was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize. The translation was never published, but I want to self-publish this short story so that I can use it as a text in one of the classes I’m teaching in the spring. I might be giving a presentation about the story in January if my abstract is accepted, and I’d like to be able to give copies to the other conference attendees. In any case, I edited and formatted pages three through five this week.
I’ve been working on two book reviews for my blog. I should be able to post one of them next weekend, and I can save the other for next month, when I’ll need to devote my attention to a professional review for an academic journal. I’m also editing one of my old reviews every week and posting an abbreviated version on Goodreads, and I was able to stick to that schedule this week.
This week I became both a Goodreads Author and a Goodreads Librarian. Neither was all that difficult - it was just a matter of filling out some forms - but I’m still proud of myself.
When I write it all out like this, it seems as if I’ve done a lot, but it really doesn’t feel that way. Even though I enjoy what I’m doing, not getting any feedback makes me feel as though I’m not accomplishing anything. Meanwhile, the more substantial projects I’m working on take time to complete, which can also make it feel like I’m not actually doing anything. But I will hang in there and keep writing!
