Progress Report, in which I feel brave and reckless

When we last left our hero, he had pretty much written himself into a corner.  But wait!  What’s this?  Looks like an update from Magic Meter!

Ha!  Take that, stubborn story!

And that’s a first draft.  Since I didn’t put it in the Codex contest, I suppose there’s no need for anonymity:  it’s called “The Applause,” although that title might change.  I’m still not sure the piece works, but then, I never am.

And what the hell—since I’m feeling all brave and reckless, here’s a snippet:

As Crystal takes the stage, I huddle in the shadows in the corner of the bar, wondering if I am actually capable of killing her—or whoever it was that did this to me.  An hour ago, I wasn’t so sure.  But with every minute that passes, I become more certain that I can do it, that I will do it.  If I have to.

Cheerful, eh?  Hey, what did you expect?  It’s a Halloween story.

Now I have to get ready for MileHiCon, and figure out my next novel project.  I’m kinda interested to learn what it will be, because at the moment, I got nothin’.  So that’s exciting.

Kind of.

No updates for Write Club.

Laterz . . .

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Where to Find Matt at MileHiCon 46

The last stop of the 2014 Rotundo World Tour is upon us:  MileHiCon 46, October 24-26, in Denver.  Here’s my schedule:

Friday, October 24

3:00 pm–WriterMatch.com: Choosing a Writers’ Group (Grand Mesa B-C)

7:00 pm–Short Story Sampler, Vol. 1: Discussion & Readings (Mesa Verde C)*

Saturday, October 25

2:00 pm–Keeping Expository Lumps Digestible (Mesa Verde A)

Sunday, October 26

1:00 pm–Ask the Authors (Mesa Verde C)

*Remember that I always bring bribes treats to my readings.  Come for a treat, stay for a tale—that’s my motto.  Or would be, if I had a motto.

I love MileHiCon.  Hope to see you there!

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Progress Report, in which I demonstrate a special skill

So that hard stop I mentioned last week?  Proved to be a bit harder than I thought.  Which is to say, I managed some 1600 words on the new story, and . . . well, Magic Meter paints the rest of the picture:

Yeah.  See, not quite done.  And it’s already over 5K words, which was supposed to be my upper limit.

Now, I was traveling over the weekend, but even so, I could probably could have finished this thing . . . if I only knew how it ended.

That’s right, folks:  I’m at the climax of this piece, and I don’t know what happens next.  Most writers struggle with the famous “muddle in the middle,” and I’ve certainly tussled with it more than once.  But it takes a special kind of skill, I think, to write yourself into a corner at the very end of a story.

Odds are good, of course, that the problem is not with the conclusion, but with something that came before.  Which is of little comfort (or help) at the moment.

Whatever.  I’ll figure it out.  I think.  I hope.

No updates for Write Club.

Back to the grind . . .

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