National Novel Writing Month Retrospective

National Novel Writing Month 2012 has come to a close.  Typically, 85% of participants do not reach the lofty goal of writing 50,000 words or more of a novel during the November challenge.  I did not want to write another novel, but did accept the greater challenge of writing 50,000 words of short fiction.  I fell short.  Really short.  The final tally:  Word Grand Total = 27,014, New Stories = 4, New Poems = 6.  Included in the total were extensive revisions of several existing stories and the revision, at the request of an interested publisher, of the first 10,000 words of my novel.

Sadly, and significantly, on ten days of November I did no writing at all.  I'll forgive myself for taking Thanksgiving day and the day after off as well as the three Sundays I had to work at a busy urgent care center an hour's drive from my home, but that still leaves five days off with no good excuse.  A basic lack of discipline--no other reason can be offered.

The days I did write numbered twenty, and I averaged 1,350 words a day.  If I kept to that average on the five days off, I would have written 6,750 more words, at least one more short story, and probably one or two more poems.  Had I the discipline to write an average amount on the five other "excused" days, these numbers would double, and my grand word total would have topped 40,000!  Add my numerous and sometimes wordy blog posts into the mix, and I'm sure I would have exceeded my goal.

So, for the month of December--no excuses!  50,000 words is the goal.  I will count blog posts as well as short fiction.  An additional goal is not to miss a single day--no more goose eggs.  Challenge accepted...

New Poem: Ghazal of the Nazirim

After completing my review of Dwarf Stars 2012 which contains two "ghazals," Star Ghazal by Holly Jensen and The World's Scriptures by Gene Doty, that do not strictly follow the rules of the form, I decided to try my hand at writing one.  Ghazal of the Nazirim is the result of this self-imposed challenge.  Mine follows all the rules of the form--it really wasn't that difficult.  "Righteous and just" make my refrain--which is all I will say here until the poem is published--perhaps as a foreword to one of my Songs of Eretz novels...

My 2012 Dwarf Stars Top Three

The following are what I consider to be the top three poems in the Dwarf Stars 2012 anthology.  They will be nominated by me to the Science Fiction Poetry Association (SFPA) for a Dwarf Star award.  For reviews of these and all other poems in the anthology, please refer to my post of November 7, 2012 entitled "Review of Dwarf Stars 2012..."  For a list of my finalists, please refer to my post of November 24, 2012 entitled "My Top Ten..."

First Place:  TiME to Go by Elizabeth Barrette
Second Place:  Macroscopic Propagation by J. E. Stanley
Third Place:  Night Sky by Dietmar Tauchner

SFPA offers both print and .pdf anthologies for sale at http://www.sfpoetry.com/dwarfstars.html

My 2012 Dwarf Stars Top Ten

The following is a list in alphabetical order of the poems in the Dwarf Stars 2012 anthology that made my top ten (out of fifty-two) and are, therefore, finalists for my nomination for a Dwarf Star award.  For  reviews of these and all other poems in the anthology, please see my post of November 7, 2012 "Review of Dwarf Stars 2012..."

Adrift in the Spacecraft by Michael Arnzen
All Folk Have Legends of Her by David C. Kopaska-Merckel
Before Science Stepped in by Rod Usher
Closure by Greer Woodward
Macroscopic Propagation by J. E. Stanley
The More Space by Ann K. Schwader
Night Sky by Dietmar Tauchner
SETI by LeRoy Gorman
Snowflake Galaxies by G. O. Clark
TiME to Go by Elizabeth Barrette

SFPA offers both print and .pdf anthologies for sale at http://www.sfpoetry.com/dwarfstars.html

Review of "'You're Heads,' She Says. 'You're Tails.'" by M. Bennardo

"'You're Heads,' She Says. 'You're Tails.'" by M. Bennardo was posted in Daily Science Fiction on November 19, 2012.  A scientist serially clones a human, keeping one clone and discarding the other.  This is the second tale by M. Bennardo reviewed in Songs of Eretz, the first being the stinker, "Reversals," reviewed August 14, 2012.  Again, I find that Mr. Bennardo has a good idea for a story, but the delivery is lacking.  A slightly better effort than last time, however.  3 out of 7 rocket-dragons.

National Novel Writing Month

November is national novel writing month, the time of year when writers informally challenge each other to knock out at least 50,000 words or so.  I have decided to accept the challenge.  My goal is to write about 50,000 words of short fiction this month or roughly 2,000 words a day six days a week (every day but Thanksgiving and Sundays--I'm working at a busy urgent care center every Sunday this month except the Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend).  I'll be periodically updating my progress (if any) below--so check back often and keep me honest and true!

1:  704 more words of a Terrier series story I've been wrestling with.
2:  1,243.  Completed a new Terrier series story and began a vampire story.
3:  957 more words for the vampire story.
4:  Sunday
5:  0
6:  482 more words for the vampire story.
7:  449 more words for what is turning into an erotic vampire story.
8:  2,436 words today, completing the draft of my erotic vampire story.
9:  175 words of the next Treatment series story.
10:  50
11:  Sunday:  100
12: 0
13: 0
14: 0
15: 0
16:  4,600-word re-write on The Last Nazirite novel for an interested publisher
17:  3,300-word re-write on "The Old Guard"
18:  Sunday
19:  900-word re-write on "One Moon"
20: 0
21: 0
22:  Thanksgiving 0
23: 0
24: 0
25: Completed the re-write for The Last Nazirite Warrior novel, 5,400 more words
26: 350 more words in Treatment story
27: 419 more words in Treatment story
28: Revised a 4,500-word short story, finished "The Price of Immortality" 50 words, 124-word poem
29: 250 words of poetry
30: 525 word new robot story
Word Grand Total = 27,014
Number of New Stories = 4
New Poems = 6