Tell me about your project

[Caged Maiden]

hey guys, I just wanted to pop in and ask what you all are working on. If you haven't written a query letter, this is a fine time to do one. If you need some help, here's an article for ideas: How to Write a Query Letter

If you have a synopsis, that's good, too. Tell us briefly about your project. It's a great way to get us interested, find crit partners, maybe even snag some readers.

 

[Svrtnsse]

Me! Me! Me! I wanna go!

Just Done
I've recently finished the first draft of my first novel and I'm currently waiting for response from beta readers. If you want to check it out there's a link to it in my signature. The beta version of the novel is available for free. It's a low-key, mundane story (but in a fantasy setting), about a regular guy who goes on vacation and how he struggles with being alone and with his desire to find "the one".

Next Up
While waiting for feedback on the draft I figured I'd take a break from writing and catch up on all the games I hadn't played but it didn't quite work out. Instead I've started planning the next story. This story will likely take place over two different novels that really only tie together at the end - but they're both interesting stories, so why not tell both.
The first one is about Roy. He's a werewolf and a wrestler/fighter in his middle ages and somewhat past his prime. When the story starts he's thinking about quitting, but he's got no idea what to do. Then, he gets a message from an old friend back home, telling him that Toini, his first big teenage love is alive and has returned home (she went MIA during a military mission over a decade ago).
Toini's return forces Roy into action and he decides to leave his wrestling career behind and return home. He just has this one match left to win (I haven't decided yet how big a deal that will be or how important that is to the story). Getting from Tin Jian, where Roy is, to Kul Viller, where Toini has just shown up is a month-long trip by train and the journey will take up the bulk of the story.
During the trip Roy meets Alene. She's also a shapeshifter (therianthrope), but her animal aspect is that of the rainbow coyote. The rainbow coyote is the result of failed animal cultivation and the creature is severely instinctually damaged - it's natural instinct are actively opposing the animals continued survival. In other words, Alene has issues.
Much of the story will be of the friendship (not a love affair) between Roy and Alene.

Currently
Alene is a relatively new character to me and I don't really have a grip on who she is. To rectify this I'm writing a flash-fiction series with her as the main character. It's largely unrelated to the story above and takes place a few years before it. As far as actual story goes, it's pretty crap, but it's helping me get closer to the character and understanding what she's about.

What about that other story?
That one will be about Toini and what she's doing in Kul Viller and I haven't really figured that out yet - but I'm sure it will be some fantastic and contrived reason that will ultimately end up with people sitting in cafes and drinking tea.

 

[ThinkerX]

Hmmm...at the moment I am wrapping up (finally!) an immense (and immensely boring) non fiction science project (numbers far outnumber letters) that occupied my spare time since November of last year. Call it a periodic obsession. In a few years time it becomes redundant.

Next up (hopefully in the next few days) I begin revising 'Justice,' my entry in the 'Trials of Jobe,' a MS project put together by Ankari. I expect that to take maybe a week as most of the revisions are fairly simple.

After that, two longer projects will vie for my limited attention: 'Labyrinth,' which is a novel length rewrite project nearing completion; and 'Empire: Country,' a novella length work needing a full rewrite. Last I looked, most of 'Empire' seemed fairly good, but the opening chapter is enough of a pain to where I might have to consult folks here.

I received an email from 'Camp NaNo.' Back at years start I told myself I would dedicate that camp to cranking out a rough draft of 'Empire: Capitol,' the sequel to 'Empire: Country.' (Empire is a series of four novella's.)

Add in whatever short stories I write this year and...hmmm....yes...I should collapse into a gibbering heap by mid-summer.

 

[Ireth]

I have a number of projects on the go, some more complete than others.

WINTER'S QUEEN - YA fantasy about a human girl kidnapped by a Fae prince. He wants to marry her, but only so he has a wife and can usurp his father's throne on Midwinter Night.

TENTH REALM - Epic fantasy about worlds colliding. Races of Faerie and the Nine Realms, formerly unknown to each other, must band together against a threat to them all.

MY SOUL TO KEEP - YA contemporary fantasy about a young man whose dead twin sister is trapped inside of him, and occasionally borrows his body. Necromancers want to kidnap the guy and extract the sister's soul for evil purposes.

DANCING ON EDGES - YA contemporary fantasy exploring issues of self-identity. Intersex, genderfluid human teen teams up with older male dhampir to confront racism and segregation between humans and vampires in their town.

A DROP IN THE OCEAN - YA fantasy about post-apocalyptic merfolk. Young deaf lesbian mermaid journeys to find a cure for her poisoned cousin, teaming up with cousin's human-turned-merman attacker.

LOW ROAD - Historical fantasy in 1360's Scotland. Newborn vampire befriends his killer and faces off against the lord of all vampires to protect his loved ones both living and undead.

BELLRINGER - Historical fantasy, LGBT retelling of "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" in late 1500's England. Werewolf bellringer falls for human faith healer, who helps her escape cathedral and protect werewolves from evil genocidal deacon.

 

[Tom]

Um, I have quite a few going at the moment that are in various stages of incomplete.

Southerner--A chieftain's son journeys to a forest that is the last great stronghold of the Fey. Part-Faerie himself, he struggles with doubts about his humanity, questions the racial tensions of his homeland, and learns that good and evil are never as clear-cut as they seem. YA epic fantasy, but with dark fantasy elements. MC is a PoC, and possibly bi-curious. This project also explores mental illness, including depression/bipolar disorder, implied schizophrenia, and various complexes.

Frostbite--When a vampire's clan is destroyed by hunters, he starts on a downward spiral of depression and loneliness. Only the thought that he might still have some humanity left keeps him going. Dark urban fantasy, most likely YA. MC is half-Japanese and asexual.

Fire Be Quenched (working title)--The last dragon in the mountains is captured and forced into a human form. With the help of a telepathic woman, he adjusts to human life, and even grows to enjoy it, only to learn that only he in dragon form could have protected the mountains from a coming evil. YA epic fantasy. This one is an exploration of what it means to be human, and a commentary on (and hopefully a subversion of) the typical roles assigned to female characters in fantasy.

 

[Garren Jacobsen]

I have various projects going on right now.

Blood Iron (working title): A YAish novel set into the distant future. Magical society has come out of hiding, started a war, and now magic and non magic people constitute two separate nations in the world. However, a terrible disease was unleashed on the world during that war. My MC has it. Because of it he is an outcast in the magical community. A terrorist organization composed entirely of these Diseased has risen up to overthrow the system. My MC is trying to not join their ranks, while also trying to do well at college. This is a planned series.

The Fallen (working title): An attempt at discovery writing. This follows the descent of a powerful magic user as he succumbs to his darker nature. It's told in three parts focusing on three parts of his life. Part I is entitled The Youth. It follows his exploits of losing his family, learning to control his gravity and kinetic magic, while seeking revenge on the people that murdered his village. Part II is the spy. It follows his adventures as a spy operating in an unfriendly nation. He will be faced with many morally ambiguous choices, one of which involves stealing a soul. Part III is the Rebel. This details his campaign against his former nation and his rise to power and final descent into darkness. This is in the drafting stage.

The Assassin (working title): A novel about a young man forced to be an assassin because he has magic. He is the best assassin there is. This details his exploits of saving another young mage from a similar fate, while at the same time dealing with a Valjean and Javert relationship with the priest. This is only in the planning stages.

Common law novel: I am world building and outlining a novel where the magic system is based on certain American Common law principles. I expect it to be a combination of a legal thriller, a political drama, and a military adventure rolled into one. This is a planned trilogy where I will explore certain concepts like the rule of law, free will, and some other broader concepts.

Grim Reaper novel: This is also in the planning stages. It's about a curator forced to become a reaper to hunt down a time traveling magic user who is trying to influence history and become immortal.

Probate novel: Early concept stages. I am planning on writing a mystery about a wealthy family whose parents have died without doing any estate planning for the bulk of their wealth. The money vests only if the survivors live five days after the deceased. Various people who stand to inherit start dying. I'm not sure who I want to be the killer but they'll be a few degrees removed from the original decedents.

These are all the projects I have that I think I can make good progess on at this point. Blood Iron and the Fallen are the ones I'm actively working on. The rest I jot down notes as I can think of them and write if the muse strikes me.

 

[K.S. Crooks]

I have recently finished chapter 9 of my Guild of Galyndor sequel. This is the second year of training for the students and the Masters have a nice surprise waiting for the students. Further growth in abilities and skills for the students plus the addition of new Masters. New races are introduced and the challenges face exceed the first book. Switched to editing a chapter after it is written to hopefully make editing at the end less painful.

Directly after this I may write book three or start on a different story line that is set now. It involves people 18-20 years of age who discover the have special powers. At first they are too immersed in their own lives, most are in college, to realize they are under watch by the government or a company looking to use them. Worked out some of the details , but it is on the back burner for now.

 

[skip.knox]

I try to stay focused on one project at a time. So:

Goblins at the Gates is an epic fantasy novel set in the world of Altearth at the time of the late Roman Empire. In Altearth, instead of barbarians invading, it was goblins. Lots of goblins, if a quarter million counts as lots. Standing against them is one Roman Legion commanded by a General who hates the Army. His principal ally is an exiled princess with a peculiar white sword, and her magician followers. He only wants to go home to Constantinople. She will do anything to end her exile. Each needs to figure out that something more is at stake, but even if they do so, will they be able to stop the goblin Horde?


Standing in the wings is another Altearth tale, mostly written but probably in need of a major rewrite once I look at it again. It's the story of four young humans and one elderly gnome. When the gnome goes missing, the humans go in search and find much more than they expected, including an underground city, evil wizards, and a half-forgotten beast known as a lindwurm. They can't hope to overcome such dangers. All they want to do is to escape and get back home.

Standing back in the green room, pacing back and forth by now, is the story of Quinn-the-Sprite and his friend John Golly. Trapped in a peculiar house on a peculiar island, these two old friends must face madness at every turn in order to save the very place that doesn't want saving. When they discover the island's secret, everything changes, including themselves. Another Altearth tale.

Everything else is in the ideas-and-notes stage. All are Altearth tales. They include a boy who crosses half of Europa to claim his crown from a rival, a community of dwarves living in secret beneath the noses of orcs who try to preserve the old ways, what happens when the wrong fellow gets tapped as the Chosen One, the real story of the Piltdown Elf, a whodunnit at a wizard convention, an account of the dragons at Stamford Bridge, and Richard the Lion-heart in Sicily.

Does anyone have a couple extra lifetimes they'd let go cheap?

 

[T.Allen.Smith]

I never really talk too much about stuff I'm working on, at least not in detail. It kind of ruins the magic for me and I usually wind up sounding like a raving mad man.

So, I'll be brief....

A novel that I'm currently revising for critique partners. This one's a chunky beast. Came in at 72k at the midpoint.

Revising a novella that just finished its 7th draft (2 rounds of editing) for Ankari's Trials of Jobe project.

A collaboration project with a few Scribes, set in an Asian steam-punk shared world.

Planning a post-apocalyptic novel with a different sort of character arc for the MC.

Planning an elaboration of the short story I wrote for The Iron Pen challenge (Benediction). I'm considering expanding it into a novella or short novel after my live critique group pushed me in that direction.

Lastly, I'm about to wrap up the 5th month of the Paint a Thousand Words challenge. This will be taking a short break while some other projects are brought to completion. It will then resume and, after we compile enough stories, I may seek publication for the writers and artists.

 

[Gryphos]

At the moment I'm finishing off the second draft of 'Tails and Wisps' (working title), which is a steampunk fantasy story in which this dude who's renowned as the worlds only effective 'witch hunter', must face off against one particular witch whose power exceeds anything anyone even knew was possible, all the while trying to figure out what the bloody hell is going on in the world.

At the same time I'm planning the sequel, the working title of which is 'Voices and Blades', in which the witch hunter winds up having to stop a conspiracy by a dictator to wipe out half the world's leadership, and staying alive while being hunted down by two immensely powerful magical beings.

But aside form that I'm also throwing some ideas back and forth in my head. One of which is what I can only describe as Game of Thrones with cats.

 

[Hainted]

Have about 14 short story ideas I'm knocking out as a way to work up to my novel idea. 2 so far, but one needs a complete reworking IMO and the other is a work-in-progress.

Middle Management-Follows an unimaginative manager of a plastic cutlery factory as he makes a deal with an extra-dimensional being to boost production and gain him respect.

Untitled SF story- In the future people can upload there consciousness into machines to handle dangerous work, leaving their bodies an empty shell on earth. One man returns from work to discover a prototype A.I. has stolen his body and run off with his wife to start a new life.

If anyone wants to read the first one message me. I've done 2 drafts but still don't feel like I've got it anywhere close to what it should be. Think I need fresh eyes to look at it.

 

[cupiscent]

I wrote a query after I finished the first draft of my project, and as I started revisions - it's a great tool for really focusing your revisions on the core story! Now that I'm nearly done with revisions, the query isn't quite accurate any more, but here's what it looked like at that stage:

Two years ago, Siyon Velo achieved notoriety - and immunity - by reaching across the planes and picking the pocket of the Demon Queen. But infamy has palled. So when Izmirlian Hisarani - rich, indolent, and just a little fascinating - casually asks him to break the bounds of known reality, Siyon’s in.

Soon, his life is all too interesting. His old friend Anahid is going from society wife to crime baroness, and her young sister Zagiri is trading harmless rooftop swordfights for serious revolution. Right when he doesn’t need the attention, the Inquisition is on all their tails, headed by the bastard who burned Siyon’s house down (with him still in it).

Pursuing Izmirlian’s impossible demands will take Siyon to hell, and even to the opera. It may well destroy the world, and just when Siyon’s fallen in love too. But he made a promise, and that sorcerous vow is wound around his soul like barbed wire, growing tighter every day...

Hey, at least life’s not boring any more.

THE NOTORIOUS SORCERER’S PENULTIMATE WORK is a fantasy novel complete at 120,000 words. It combines the urban intricacies of Lies of Locke Lamora with the setting-discovery thrill of Throne of the Crescent Moon.

 

[Smith]

I have to say, I always love the sound of everything I hear about your work, Gryphos. You have one definite reader whenever you're finished. And cupiscent, your book sounds right up my alley as well, bloody fantastic.

Since the end of NaNoWriMo last year I've been escaping into fanfiction for a while, but I'm ready to get back to my two main projects.

The Flenser. Dark fantasy. A manhunt for a dangerous warlock gets personal for a master witch hunter, for whom its a matter of pride, a reckless young soldier for whom it is a matter of revenge over a dead lover, and a seasoned war priest, for whom its a matter of family, but things are, inevitably, complicated when the sinister rivalry between the Empress's two most senior advisers ensnares all of them. This needs to be buried in a hole so I can't look at it for however long it takes to just write the last third of the story, and then editing forever.

Two Steps From Hell. Working title, even if it's so damn fitting. Dark high fantasy. A paladin with an unhealthy talent for necromancy must go in search of her people's forgotten goddess in the face of rising racial tensions, taking with her a surly chef with a secret bloodlust and a sordid magical past, his nervous young apprentice, and a handful of mercenaries with differing loyalties, one of whom has predatory eyes for a member of the group. Though I failed to make any real progress with this project during November (a bit of a patchwork task), the characters deserve their damn story, so I'm working on rewriting it from the ground up.

 

[Fyle]

Working title:

Kingdoms : A tales of two slaves (might have to chage cause its a bit to much like "A tale of two cities.")

295k words, 60 chapters, dark fantasy (complete and has been plotwise for 6 months) - down from 317k...

Still editting until I can't find anything to cut or typos to correct or echos, repeating head words or paragraphs to split.

I have had two people read it completely, both pretty happy and said they would read a sequel. Quite a few reviews anywhere up to chapter 3-10ish...

Soon as I get a few more opinions on the full story, I will look into query letters. I am also searching for scenes to cut since 295k is still to looong.

 

[Graylorne]

I'm working on several projects:

1, 2 & 3. The next books in my Revenaunt-series, 1 (Grimoires) and 2 (Vavaun) are side-stories, 3 (Bellarinde) is a continuation of the main storyline.

4. Broomrider, the standalone sequel to Lioness.

5 & 6. Translating the Shardheld trilogy and Lioness for the Dutch market.

That should keep me off the streets for now.

 

[BronzeOracle]

My one serious project is Oracle's Gate.

Its a story of two children, Dynanth and Frona, who have lost everything to slavery, except each other's friendship. Forced to flee their brutal master they wash up on a strange land and are welcomed by its unconventional people and their oracle. As they grow up they tackle youth's challenges, their friendship under strain, while around them gods and politics vie to tear apart a fragile peace. Dynanth's ambition places her at odds with the oracle's own daughter, while Frona delves into lost knowledge to find her own identity.

When a ghastly murder throws their new home into chaos, Dynanth is convinced that the dreams of her lost god can reveal the truth and Frona will follow her old friend to hell and back if need be. Little do they know how dark the truth will get and that the murder is but a prelude to a wave of destruction, one that threatens to consume everything they care about.

Who can know the mind of a god? Who indeed?

I'm also doing some short stories but nothing major. Most of the short stories I am working on revolve around working out backstories and characters for Oracle's Gate.

 

[Giya Kusezu]

It's kind of fun to read what everyone's working on

Right now, I'm drafting the first book in a duology I've had in mind for some time. It's definitely been a challenge, as it deals with several characters I haven't worked with for a few years, as well as a new character I'm still fleshing out.

My other main project is revising a trilogy I wrote ten years ago, which takes place before the duology in the timeline of that world. I had self-published the trilogy through Xlibris, but after a lot of contemplation, I chose to withdraw the trilogy this year so that I could clean it up. That includes an overhaul of the covers and hefty revision of the manuscripts.

Together, these two projects make the biggest work load I've ever undertaken, but I feel it is all worth it. So far, I've been okay, and I've been trying to pace myself so that I don't burn out partway through.

 

[Hainted]

Working title:

Kingdoms : A tales of two slaves (might have to chage cause its a bit to much like "A tale of two cities.")

295k words, 60 chapters, dark fantasy (complete and has been plotwise for 6 months) - down from 317k...

Still editting until I can't find anything to cut or typos to correct or echos, repeating head words or paragraphs to split.

I have had two people read it completely, both pretty happy and said they would read a sequel. Quite a few reviews anywhere up to chapter 3-10ish...

Soon as I get a few more opinions on the full story, I will look into query letters. I am also searching for scenes to cut since 295k is still to looong.

Please don't take this the wrong way but at 300 words a page in printed form that's almost a thousand page novel. That's the equivalent of the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy or a Stephen King short story. I think if I was you I would find a break point and release it as 2 books. I mean there are successful writers who regularly produce 1000+ page novels (Martin, King, Sanderson, Rice) but it would seem to be a tougher sell as a first book.

 

[Velka]

Wow! You lot are quite busy. I wish I had the time (and motivation) to manifest all the worlds in my head into words.

Currently I have a very modest (writing) project list:

1) The Red (working title of duology/trilogy/who knows): I have about one and a half books written. Most of book one is written proper, although there are a few chapters here and there that have three sentences to them outlining what part of the plot goes there. The second book only exists because the first one got so damn long, so I found a place to 'end' the first one.

2) The Department of Uninvented Inventions: This is in a perpetual state of outlining. Mostly writing things that won't see the light of day, if I ever get around to writing it, to get a better feel for the world and characters.

3) Boring and dry professional blah blah blah stuff for work that has far too much of my attention and far too little of my interest.

I unfortunately have creative ADD and also have various crocheting, painting, drawing, woodworking, and sewing projects littering my life in varying states of not-being-finished. When summer comes I'll add my garden to that list.

 

[Caged Maiden]

I unfortunately have creative ADD and also have various crocheting, painting, drawing, woodworking, and sewing projects littering my life in varying states of not-being-finished. When summer comes I'll add my garden to that list

Hooray for kindred spirits, procrastinating with the best of them! You're my new hero. What do you sew, paint, and garden? Me too