No Regrets?

I have just found out about The Beast, which was an interactive web game by a team of writers including the novelist Sean Stewart.

It has finished.

I wasn't entirely inconsolable as I'm not sure I would have managed to keep up anyway.

Not so long ago I came upon the wonderful blog by Miss Snark, offering witty advice to aspiring writers from the point of view of a literary agent. A whole community grew up around the blog and I would have loved to be able to join in the comments. But I came to it late.

It had finished.

Now that one I was sorry to have missed. If only I could have been a Snarkling. Alas, I was too late.

I'm determined not to have this happen again but I'm not sure how to keep up to date with what's happening. It seems to be a feature of the internet that the most exciting events end just as they become most popular. At least I'm in on Evil Editor's blog and community of writers. I hear he's just had his millionth hit. I hope he won't be leaving us any time soon: I've only just found him.

Under the bed

I'm writing a third novelette at the moment: this time it's science fiction again. I've decided that plotting a story before I start it is probably a good idea. A lot of writers seem to have worked this out a long time ago but I can be a bit slow at times.

I now have two "under the bed" novels, following the advice of the great Miss Snark and I suspect this new one will be the third. I have learnt so much, though, from the process. I think this is the first novelette I will have written that was not poured out during Nanowrimo. I don't know if that will make this one better, worse or simply unfinished.

I'm still trying to edit my last November's offering. Realising that the plot didn't make a lot of sense was a bit of a downer but the story does have some redeeming qualities. I think. I'm grateful to my friends at Critique Circle for helping me to try to make it a bit less abysmal.