Big IMPORTANT Blog Announcement

Those of you who've been following me and know something about the Peyton Progress Meter/Peytonometer should get the significance of the following.

I'm applying the Peytonometer to my book I, Crimsonstreak!

Do you know what that means? DO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS!!!??

Here's some help:

I, CRIMSONSTREAK

MAY 2012

CANDLEMARK & GLEAM

KINDLE * NOOK * IBOOKS

and

WHEREVER BOOKS ARE SOLD
You can find a blurb about this in Publishers Weekly (click here!).

Revisions, revisions, revisions

It's been a pretty quiet week on the writing front. I sent a manuscript into Angry Robot Books for their open submission month. I won't hear back about that for a long time, but I figured it was worth it. The worst they can say is "no thank you" and there's also the (admittedly minuscule) chance they'll take an interest in it.

Most of my writing time this week has been used to work on revisions for I, Crimsonstreak, my superhero story about a super-speedster who busts out of an insane asylum to stop his father from playing his own personal game of Risk with the entire world. I can tell a difference between the writing in that book and many of my more recent projects. I'm eliminating a lot of choppiness, beefing up the characters, and adding little vignettes to the book that reveal more about the protagonist. I'm about 3/4 into the main story from a revisions standpoint. So far, I've added 5,000 words to the narrative; my goal is to beef up the word count to about 70,000 for the main adventure. Once that's over, it's onto the meta-fiction part of the Crimsonstreak universe, which is nearly 25,000 words in its own right. That part of the text needs to be rearranged, reformatted, and rewritten.

I haven't used my precious writing meters lately, so, let me reiterate that I, Crimsonstreak is in its "Audibles" phase.

You know, because everybody needs a little Peyton (What's the Peytonometer? Find out here).

Writing Update, 2/25

With production around 1,500 words tonight, I had another "Average Night."

I finished my short story, "Capes." That means I have another update on the new Peytonometer! We've moved from "First Draft" to "Audibles!" What does this mean? The explanation is here.

Reggie Miller WC Latest and the Inaugural Peytonometer Update

With a shade over 1,500 words, I managed to have an "Average Night" on the Reggie Miller Writing Continuum. My current short story is a project called "Capes," which is about a legacy hero who absolutely hates wearing a cape, but is forced by circumstances to do so. I think this story will end up in the 4,000-4,500 word range.

It is unfinished, of course, which puts it in the "First Draft" category on the Peyton Progress Meter.

Introducing the Peyton Progress Meter

I'm stuck at a crossroads on a story I've been writing and decided it would be fun to come up with another "meter" to measure my progress. I already have the Reggie Miller Writing Continuum, a magical meter that keeps me honest on my word counts. Were I to update the RMWC (or simply "the Reg"), tonight I would've technically been blocked by Tayshaun Prince.

But there's no fun in posting that.

So now, I have a new meter. Don't worry, "The Reg" isn't going anywhere! The new progress meter features Peyton Manning and is intended to track the individual progress of a work. You'll find the Peyton Progress Meter (PPM or "Peytonometer") below:

A quick guide to the meaning:

First Draft: I probably should've called this "Reading the Defense" or "First Down," but I kind of like the idea of Peyton coming up to the line of scrimmage and getting his "first draft" of the defensive game plan. Obviously, this category means a story or book is in the process of being written.

Audibles: Step 2 on the Peytonometer is "Audibles," which translates into "Revisions." When a story/novel hits this stage, the first draft is complete and the story is being revised/reworked/rewritten.

Beta Reader Handoff: Once I've called my audibles, it's time to send my story off to my beta readers (I'm actually looking for some if anyone's interested). This stage includes getting comments back from readers and making changes based on their suggestions.

Going Deep: Once I've taken into account the suggestions from my beta readers, it's time to release the work into the wild! That means sending the short story out to a publication or directing a query letter toward an agent or publisher.

We Have a Winner: This is the triumphant moment that a work gets accepted for publication! Raise that Lombardi Trophy up high, Peyton! Congratulations...we have a winner!

Of course, not every story comes up big. Some are one-and-done, some advance to the AFC Championship Game before falling short, and others simply fade away. These stories have been rejected...or as the Peytonometer calls it, Foxboroughed!

The following tragic graphic reflects these unfortunate situations:

You can expect guest appearances from the Peytonometer as I continue to share my writing progress.