a very quick update

Finished the rough draft of my sample chapter!

I shouldn’t really say “rough draft”–some portions of it are quite polished–but I have finally got all the content in there. And it’s going to be fantastic. I have three strong stories already, and once I finish polishing the two new stories, it should be a good piece overall. I think I have several more drafts to go before it’s ready for a publisher, but it’s a good start.

I have also backed up all my book files to my Web server (password-protected so nobody but me can get at them). This way, if my house burns down, I don’t lose everything. I’m also thinking about getting my audiotapes duplicated–same thing. (I have been hunting for microcassette duplicators and have been unable to find any. Dang.)

I’ve also sent off an email to the writing coach who helped me about six months ago, inquiring how I can start back up with him. I figure it’s worth a shot–we’ll see how he does at doing detailed critiques of drafts. If it doesn’t work out, I’ll try someone else. Meanwhile, i will continue on with the folks at River Walk Journal, because I think they’re better for detailed critiques of fiction-like work. Hal Bennett is likely to be more helpful with the process, I think, and more patient with getting multiple drafts (he’s getting paid for the process, after all).

I’ve also gotten copies of the Opening Ceremonies videotapes from the San Francisco AIDS Foundation. I’m sending them off to a place that will transfer the tapes to DVD for me, and then I’ll finally be able to start Day One properly. I’ve been having a tremendous amount of trouble starting Day One, partly because openings are difficult, partly because I wasn’t sure what happened when.