My current project is now at 12,000 words and is officially a novel. It’s a lot of fun diving into a long work again and, I have to say, so much easier than the first time.
It took me over a year to write my first novel. It was bad enough that I scrapped it and wrote the whole thing a second time keeping nothing but the basic premise and the name of the protagonist. That took another year. Then I spent six months revising version two, only to abandon it entirely in favor of a new project – my daughter, Cassandra.
This time feels different. I’m more focused. I have a better understanding of how to create compelling characters and how to construct a story. These are skills I learned entirely through trial and error. It’s encouraging to see how much I’ve progressed since my last attempt.
I’m feeling so confident, in fact, that I plan to have around 30K written by the end of October, and write the rest of the first draft in November, since it happens to be National Novel Writing Month. It’s going to be hard. I can’t wait to see how it turns out.
Kim Writing life
The Abduction. Rejected by Zahir. Form letter.
Two rejections + one cranky toddler = big glass of Merlot this evening.
Kim The rejection files
Meriel’s Brownie was rejected by GUD Magazine. Not a surprise. It’s not really the kind of thing they publish. But there are not many places to send a story that long so I thought I’d give it a shot. Next, I’m going to post Meriel to my online critique group in the hopes that I’ll get some good suggestions on how to cut it by oh, 50 or 60%.
Kim The rejection files
We’re in the process of moving from a ridiculously large house to an apartment, so I’ve been getting rid of a lot of stuff. This week I found my journals – all twenty years worth. I’m really torn over what to do with them. On the one hand, they’re an important part of my history. They’re inconsistent and missing large chunks of time, but essentially they tell the story of my life. On the other hand, they’re tremendously embarrassing. Particularly the early years. Back then I seemed only to write when I needed to vent, so up until about 1999, when the entries grow more detailed and regular, I come across as an angry neurotic loser.
I thought about pulling out the best entries and collating them into one giant uber-journal but it seems wrong to censor myself that way. Same goes for getting rid of the early years and keeping the rest.
I guess I’m not ready to let them go quite yet. I’ll have to pack them back up, seal the box tight and worry about it when my daughter has learned how to read.
Kim Writing life
I think I’ve inadvertently begun writing a novel. The short story I’m working on keeps growing in size and complexity. I’m 3,000 words in and the end is nowhere in sight. What’s more, I don’t want it to be. I like the people I’ve made. I love the world I’ve put them into. I want to linger here for more than a few thousand words.
Kim Writing life
I’m done moping and have come to terms with the end of summer. Certain events have transpired to make me more kindly disposed toward PEI winters and I’m now back to my sparkly autumnal self. My sweaters are out of storage. My tea cupboard is stocked. All is well.
Kim PEI goodness
Welcome to Santa’s Woods, the inspiration for my latest story. Santa’s Woods is a North Pole-themed attraction for small children that lies just outside of North Rustico on Prince Edward Island. 
I love this place. It’s corny and homely and charming and wonderful all at the same time. Someone put a lot of time and effort into building Santa’s Woods. Everything is homemade and hand-painted. The results are sometimes sweet… 
and sometimes alarming.
Santa’s Woods doesn’t seem to be about making money. There’s no website. There’s no gift shop or snack bar. They only take cash and there’s no ATM on site. Sure, it’s overpriced, as all tourist traps are. But there’s no doubt in my mind that the people who run Santa’s Woods do it for love. 
This little house is right inside the park, between the trampolines and the fish pond. If you look in the windows you can see what appears to be a living room. There are three Christmas trees in there, a couple of armchairs, a television, a sewing machine and an elderly woman with a walker who waves when she catches you looking.
Once in a while, a stooped old man comes out of the house dressed in a Santa suit and gives candy canes to the children.
After leaving Santa’s Woods, I couldn’t stop thinking about that elderly couple. I wonder if they actually live in that house and, if so, do they stay there all year long? Do they have family members who help with the park’s maintenance? What will happen to Santa’s Woods when they can’t run it themselves anymore? And of course, since all my stories end up twisting into fantasy, I wonder what kind of magic they’ve conjured up within their labor of love?
Kim PEI goodness, Writing life
One Shoe Highway was rejected by Fantasy Magazine four hours after I submitted it. A form letter this time. On the bright side, it’s nice not to have to wait three months for the same news. I love online submissions.
Kim The rejection files
Meriel’s Brownie was rejected this week by Orson Scott Card’s Intergalactic Medicine Show. They’re overstocked on stories of over 10,000 words. Meriel’s Brownie is 14,000 words long. It’s hard enough to sell a story when there are only a handful of magazines that publish fantasy. As an unknown writer my chances of finding a home for something that long are slim. Poor Meriel’s only got a couple of chances left before she goes into retirement.
Kim The rejection files