Scene Break
June 28, 2023
SCENE BREAK
UPDATE ON MY NOVEL
I am busy editing UNDER THE BUBBLE. Some days it's easy to revise 10 or 20 pages; others, I can barely work on it at all. I think I prefer revising over drafting, but if I have to leave for an appointment, I can't get started on the book. If I have time when I get home, I work on it then. While participating in an onlince conference I discovered I needed to start in a different place so I am now on chapter 16. My goal is still to query agents by the end of the year.
UPDATE ON MY POETRY
I've completed 17 poems for the Indiana Poetry Society Annual Poetry Contest. There are 32 categories, of which I'm eligible for 31, but I won't write for that many. I don't do sonnets and limericks, so that lets a few out, as well as a few topics I don't know enough about. The poems for the contest are due in September. I might write a few more.
My pamphlet will be published as a chapbook in March 2024. For now, you can download 'Questions I Didn't Know I'd Asked' from the publisher's website. https://lachlanjmcdougall.wordpress.com/catalogues-zines-pamphlets-and-other-ephemera/
The pamphlet will be a chapbook for sale on their site and on Amazon in March 2024.
My next chapbook, 'Hand-Me-Downs,' is next. LJMcD Communications is also publishing it in July 2024. It will be available to purchase from their website and Amazon.
Three poems were accepted for the INverse Poetry Archive of Indiana. They will appear online by early fall. At that time I'll include a link in this newsletter.
OTHER PUBLICATIONS SINCE LAST NEWSLETTER
1. Dear Reader: https://be96ec23-2e7a-41a4-82af-edf178d90c6e.filesusr.com/ugd/7f31e1_e11f6b36cef3440bbb4c3b82e837ffdf.pdf
2. Criptime Cento: https://issuu.com/eratomagazine/docs/issue_iii_hunger_digital_version
3. Escape: https://www.intangiblemagazine.com/issues/issue-iv
4. A Regular Workday: http://www.assignmentmag.com/
5. Too Soon; Our Friends and Family are Gone: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C6W1CL4S
WHAT I'M READING
The Spare Man by Mary Robinette Kowal. She writes about happy couples and speculative fiction. This one is set on a space-liner. A couple are on their honeymoon, and there's a murder! It's good so far, but I'm a slow reader. The author uses proper pronouns for all the characters involved. Quite refreshing.
PODCASTS I LIKE
I listen to several podcasts, but today I went back to an older Queries, Qualms, and Quirks. In this podcast, Sarah Nicolas talks to traditionally published authors. They have a set of questions they ask everyone. I especially like the Author DNA, where we learn if the writers prefer coffee or tea, sound or silence, and if they are pantsers or plotters. Even non-writers would enjoy listening to this podcast. I have a lot of older episodes to catch up on.
MEANDERINGS
Meanderings is what I call the blog section of my website. Please check that out next time you visit. I'm trying to add content more often, not necessarily writing-related. Comment if you are so moved.
WHAT I'VE LEARNED SO FAR
I made a list of things to share in this section, one at a time. The trick is to pick one, just one, to start with. So I decided to begin with patience. I'm currently editing, and sometimes wonder if I'm taking too much time. But if I rushed, I know I wouldn't do a good job. I am also aware that this won't be my only time through with the edits. It's my first. I have set a goal to query agents by the end of the year. That means the book will be ready to query. I'll have my edits finished. It's June. I have six months. I have time. Breathe. If I count the pages and divide them I realize I'm doing more than enough!
Have patience with yourself. If you don't you will burn out. I know I will.
STAR TREK
I swear I'll never know what Janeway sees in Chakotay! He's nice and sweet but I don't like his mouth. It's too cupid-ish. I realize mine is the minority opinion.
Strange New Worlds season 2, esisode 1 aired and it was a blast. Spock stealing the Enterprise was far-fetched but I loved the way the did it. Episode 2 was much better in my opinion. It tackled real-world topics of beting treated as 'other' and laws that discriminate based on who a person is. Top notch writing and acting. Now to learn that Prodigy has been cancelled from Paramount takes center stage. What a horrible blow! More to come, I hope, next month.
OTHER TV
I just learned Sunday that the last season of Queen Sugar had been added to Hulu. That was enough to make me renew my subscription to Hulu. There hasn't been anything else on Hulu worth watching lately so I'd let it lapse. If you haven't seen Queen Sugar you're missing out. It's a great family drama set in Louisiana about black farmers. Superb!
TODAY'S CARD
Now what? (Touch drawing: Deborah Koff-Chapin) What will I write about this card?
Thank you for reading my Scene Break.
Mona