Hilary Moon Murphy

The Mutual Nagging Society

Now that the Holiday Newsletter is finished, it's time to get back to writing fiction again. I have a whole passel of projects that await. They are:

• Continue revising "The Fire of Genius."

  This story was a 12,000 word novelette about the patent office fire of 1836. I want to turn it into a 30,000 word young adult Novel. Progress: 50%.

• Finish Hindu Gods Don't Speak to Tourists.

  This is a modern day fantasy novel set in India. How long ago did I start it? Way too long ago. It was three-quarters done when we started dismantling my office to make a baby nursery. Then my computer crashed, and all my backup disks were misplaced during the move. I still can't find them, but they're in my husband's office -- somewhere.

  My mission: either find the dang backup disks, or start over from a few hardcopies and my notes. Progress: 75% if I find my backup disks. 10% if I don't. This one is pretty frustrating.

• Give a soul to "On the Trail of Chicken Boy."

  This story, a farce about interdimensional travel and the Weekly Weird News, bombed at Clarion. It was criticized for having way too many in-jokes. However, after reading it to audiences that were not from my Clarion class, I realized that this one, shallow though it is, has some real potential.

  I think that the key to giving it a soul in the rewrite will be theme. I must decide what the story is really about, and then add some depth to the humor. I think this one will be a pretty fast rewrite once the theme is in place. Progress: 0% on the rewrite, but the story's plot and characters are solid.

• Finish "This Space Intentionally Left Blank."

  It's science fiction, and I've got a great plot and a great idea and it's not moving at all. Aargh. Progress: 10%.

• Finish "Queen's Gambit Declined."

  I really, really like this one. It features a Portuguese family in the Mogul courts of India and a killer chess board. And it is moving. Progress: 30%.

• Finish or trunk assorted other stories too lame to list here.

Anyhow, that's my to-do list. First, I have to finish the rewrite of "Fire of Genius." Why? I met a reputable agent at World Con who told me that I could send it to him when it was finished. I want to get the story to him before he forgets who I am.

So it's time to invoke the mutual nagging society, folks! From now on, I am posting a daily word count. If you don't see progress, nag me. Nag me often. Nag me ruthlessly and if you want, I will nag you back.

Speaking of mutual nagging, do any of my fellow web journalists want to do a mini-dare in January? I have avoided joining most of the ongoing novel dares because the days of two thousand word (or even one thousand word) outputs have receded into the distant past. Working full-time and parenting does not allow me to be that prolific. But I should still try to stretch myself.

Hence the concept of the mini-dare. Take your normal output on a really good day and add 200 words to it. Then promise to try and write that much every day in January.

I average anywhere from 200-500 words a day. So my "good" days are 500 words. To stretch myself for the mini-dare I would have to attempt to write at least 700 words/day for the entire month of January.

Other writers could set their own "mini-dare" ideal. What about it? Are any of my fellow web rats up for this? Let me know.

Fellow web rat Benjamin will be a proud father any day now. The official due date is tomorrow, but babies have a way of making their own schedules! Here's wishing him and his wife the best as they reinvent themselves as parents.

I cannot believe that it has almost been a year since Cassie was born. Where did the time go?

Hmm