Poll Results and other Babble

Well, the results of the 2007 Predators and Editors Poll are in. I came in at #6 Artist(out of over 70 artists) and Flash Fiction Online came in at #14 (out of 87) Fictionzine. For our first nominations ever, and with only one issue last year, we didn't do very bad at all. Thanks to all of those who voted for me and Flash Fiction Online, and who shoved us so far up the list. Hopefully next year--with our abilities to produce an array of different styles--we will both reign supreme. Liberty Hall's Writers Forum finished out at #8 (behind a plethora of romance sites) and Hatrack River Writers Workshop at #18 in Writers Forums. Liberty Hall came in at #2 for Writers Workshops; Hatrack River hung in at #15. All in all, we stayed in the top 20. Congratulations to Rachel Marks for her #11 spot in Artist and for her piece entitled Jade, that came in at #15 for Artwork. Other members of Hatrack or Liberty Hall: J. R. Tomlin #6, and S. T. Forstner #13 for Speculative Fiction Short Story; R. F. Long #9 for Short Story. Congratulations to all.

My collaboration effort is trudging right along. While I took the time to rework and polish my recent WOTF entry, Nancy was using NaNoWriMo to knock out 50,000 words. I've only bashed out one-tenth of that! However, it's coming along now. I have yet to read her 50k words, but she has sent them to me. I'm waiting until I establish a definite plot. She's writing the present story and I'm writing the historical one. I'm just starting to get into the antagonist's head, and it's fun. Then, when all is done on my part, Nancy and I shall have the task of choosing where to weave the past into the future's tale and cleaning up everything left over after we fit them together.

Also, if anyone is really out there and interested in writing (and not getting them already) David Farland has an email called the "Daily Kick in the Pants" that he sends out once a day to anyone interested--for free. This is an excellent source of information, instruction, inspiration, and hope for any aspiring writer. Send him an email (at dwolvert@xmission.com ) and write only "Kick me" in the subject line and body, and you will start receiving them, too.

Well, I'm off again until next time...

Exclusivity

Just a quick update, since I have once again been remiss:

I am the exclusive artist (bearing the title "Art Director") for Flash Fiction Online. Eventually, I'd like to be an accredited author also, but the widening of my art credentials is a small ego boost. I need all of those I can get.

Meanwhile, the collaboration has picked back up. The both of us have had other projects, but now--on my end, at least--that's clearing up. My own work-in-progress (the expanded Pantroth story) is on hold. I have had a burst of ideas, but, I'm allowing them to coalesce during the first draft of my share of the collaboration.

I'm letting The Third Rule cool off. When I hit that again, I want to go in fresh--and with no predispositions. I've had a lot of valuable feedback, and have to step away before applying it (or figuring out how to apply it). I still believe in the story, though, now I'm intending to look at it as more of a detailed outline. Hey those are the breaks.

As for Magnum Opus, I'm going to give that an overhaul, too. I think I'm going to focus on some fantasy elements and then send it out to RoF. Wish me luck.

A Little Bit of Everything

So, the kids didn't have school this morning--they're off Monday, too--and, as usual, that automatically makes the morning hectic. My daughter was the first one up. It's funny: when she dresses for the day, she almost always chooses something filthy first. She picked a baby-blue pair of gym pants and a once-was-white T-shirt. It looked as if she had slid into all four bases, and then did it again the other way to make it even. So, I point it out. She says "So?" Then the oldest boy gets up, at his parents' beck and scream, and fumbled around for twenty minutes finding pants and taking his morning whizz. My wife's going around like a shark that just knows it scented blood, trying to find the cubscouts manual--which I asked her a question about. (Foolish me, I should know better when her powers are not yet at full capacity.) Then I pry the oldest off of his @$$ and make him go outside and play catch with me for an hour. Now my shoulder's feeling it. I played catch with my wife the day before and she has an arm on her! Now, the daughter's gone off to Mass. for the weekend (Yayyy!), the little one's having a typical day (either screaming his head-off or laughing hysterically), and the oldest is back on his butt, watching Mythbusters. The wife's approaching maximum strength (and she's found the bloody handbook), probably playing Runescape.

I have sent a more characterized first chapter/prologue off to my collaborator, Nancy Greene (She says I can use her name), though I'm waiting to hear back. And she has yet to send me her first chapter. (Think I'm nudging her with the guilt-stick?)

I've got a challenge up at Hatrack: the "Apocalyptic Taco Mix" short-story-challenge, that I'm writing a story for. Rules are simple: come up with a story--inspired by said phrase--that has a word count between 500 and 7000 words. 14 of us are going at it. I only have about 700 words at the moment, but I've had an idea brewing. I might even polish it for my WOTF 1st-quarter entry. It has an interesting flavor.

Artistically, I've been working on a painting of a pheonix for the last couple of days. I think it's almost done. Of course, I could show my wife--maybe get another "What is it?"--before I claim I'm done. I always love that. As usual, it's been a love-hate process, and I'm not sure where I stand, yet. It's not signed yet, so it's not done.