Half of 2014 is now gone, and looking back at June, how’d I do?

• Work on Thunder Road Book 3.

Well I certainly did that. I didn’t get as far as I wanted to. I ran into a chapter that bedeviled me for about a week and a half. It was the chapter that reintroduced Loki, so no surprises that working on it came with a side of mischief.

I’m a little behind the schedule that I’ve set for myself. However, considering that this novel started its life as a handwritten jumble of scenes written in no particular order, and notes typed as far back as the first draft of Thunder Road, is starting to actually feel like a book, I’m satisfied, if not overjoyed, with my progress. I will be overjoyed when it is done.

**There can be no joy until it is done.**

Also: holy shit, half the year is gone already! I made some longer range goals way back in January when it seemed like Fimbulwinter had come. How are those doing?

• Turn in Book 3 of the Thunder Road trilogy to Ravenstone.
• Attend at least one SF&F convention in a city that I’ve never been to.
• Revise at least one of the three four (after NaNoWriMo) drafted novel manuscripts I’ve been letting lie fallow until it is in submission shape and then send it out.
• Participate in NaNoWriMo again (I’ve already started outlining the new project!).
• Be more diligent about keeping my short fiction on submission.
• I have at least eight short stories in various stages of readiness to submit, I’d like all of those to be out the door in 2014, and say write and submit at least two more for a total of ten new stories in the mix.
• Turn in two comic scripts (Sekkrit projects, yo.).

Still a lot of work left ahead of me, it seems. But progress has been made. Steps are being taken. While it’s too early to say whether Book 3 will be turned in before the end of the year, it kind of has to be in by February if it’s going to make the production schedule, so I feel pretty good about my odds.

I’m actually going hog wild on the convention goal, Portland, Oregon and World Horror Con may be behind me, but I have V-Con and Vancouver, and World Fantasy Con and Washington D.C. ahead of me. This won’t let me off the hook for the next two years though. The convention goal is going to be one I try to stick to every year. And World Fantasy 2015 will be in Saratoga Springs, New York and I haven’t been there yet either.

Revisions are ongoing with my NaNoWriMo book from 2011. It was my hope to have it in submission shape for this year’s World Fantasy Con, but contracted work has to come first. Whether I hit this goal is entirely dependent on Book 3 of the Thunder Road trilogy.

I’m actually reconsidering my participation in NaNoWriMo this year. Again, dependent on what kind of shape Book 3 is in. Yes, I have an idea for what my next NaNo book might be, but even if I’ve got the time, I might not try and draft that novel (I already have enough first drafts to fix!), instead, I might be one of those NaNo rebels that spends the month writing short stories.

Speaking of short stories:

I have thus far been much better about keeping my short fiction out on submission than I was last year (which reminds me that I have a couple stories that came back recently that I need to resubmit). Not crossing this one off until the year is over though.

I’ve drafted two new short stories this year, both of those are out in the world, so yay! One more thing off the list! As soon as I have something to say about them, I’ll share it. Fingers crossed I can give you good news soon. I wrote a third short story that needs maybe one more pass of edits before I’m willing to let it out into the world and have rough drafts for two more. As for editing the older stories that had been laying fallow, they’re still lying out in the field. I haven’t brushed the dirt off them yet.

My comic script work stalled, but I have one story treatment done, and another one roughly scripted.

That’s my writing year so far, how’s yours going?

Write on!