Back in the Saddle - Writing Update

 We are nearing the middle of June. I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the warmer weather.

 

I have been hard at work gardening, writing, and walking.

 

Writing

Most of my writing time is spent on three separate projects, two non-fiction for senior readers and the other a historical mystery. (For Western lovers)

I managed to write over 3,000 words in the past ten days. That may seem slow for many writers, but it is pretty fast for me. The Western mystery is finished, but why not one last go-over? The other two, one finished and one about 70%, still have a way to go – fun times.

 

Edits

I love writing first drafts. Often the time seems to fly by with the creative juices flowing. Edits are another matter. Like many writers, I am not a fan of editing, but it needs to be done, so we all do it. I usually limit myself to about an hour and a half for a session for editing.

 

Health Update

The neck is feeling great, and I am gradually gaining more and more movement, left, right, up, and down. Six-month post-surgery appointment tomorrow, If all goes well, I may be playing golf again. I could also see an easing of many of my restrictions. Fingers crossed on this.

 

Writing Quote of the Day

“Start writing, no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on.”     Louis L’Amour

 

 Photos

From some of our June walks

Enjoy the week! And, keep on writing. 

 

Why I hate editing and other horror stories

I understand that there are writers that enjoy editing. Somewhere there are probably people that enjoy flat tires, painting the fence and swatting mosquitoes, but I am not familiar with any of those folks. I do not like editing, I try anything to get out of it and it always works—trouble is the material stays the same. Yep, you guessed it, needs editing.
I have a completed manuscript and have edited seventeen pages (of nearly 300) in the last fourteen months. Instead of editing I have spent my time writing stories. Writing is more fun and more rewarding than editing. So I chose to write not edit.
Do you know why people blog—I do, no editing. Not here anyway.
Well back to editing and my unending search for the extra adjective and the hated adverb.
Now I am too tired to tell other horror stories—good night!

-N-

Westerns--Alive or Dead

Well partners—welcome along and I hope we have a great ride. This is post # 1 of someone still writing about the old American west.

I live in the west, Wyoming to be specific, and have written both fiction and nonfiction stories about this great area of our country. From time to time I will be posting some of each. All comments are welcome; I will try to answer every one. I have read so much lately about the dying western.

Not sure it is the western that is dying, just maybe the readers. So how do we go about fixing it? Find new readers.

Right now, I am working on a contemporary young adult western, about 1/3 done, 20,000 plus words. I like it, hope someone else does, will finish by the first of the year. In the area of nonfiction I have just completed a short work of early Indians in Wyoming, concentrating on what is was like in the pre-1800s west.

Stay with me for stories of cowboys and Indians, and everything else, from trail dust to cowboy cooking.

See you in a few sunsets.