Non-Writing Update for July

I've failed to write any new stories lately, although I've been reworking World of Hero.  It had a lot of problems -- very little characterization or character development, a straightforward plot with no twists or surprises or anything very interesting, not a lot that was funny, etc.  I've been trying to rewrite it in a series of short sections, each of which works as a sort of joke or has some sort of punch line -- sort of like how Vonnegut wrote in Cat's Cradle, as an example.  I think.  Anyway I do think I've improved the opening of the story, but the plot itself is going to require some major work.  But I have a few ideas.

At Writer's Night on Saturday I read The Devil in the Details.  I think everyone liked it, I didn't really get any big negative comments, but one thing I did do while reading was to edit out several sentences on the spur of the moment because I sensed that they added nothing to the story.  I went back and rewrote that section to match today.  I also read the first two new sections of World of Hero, and while I think people liked them they still need work, and the story really needs to start moving along after that.  But the problem is that I still have some things to set up before the story gets going... so I have to think about how to restructure things there too.

Today I read through Dancepocalypse and rewrote it quite a bit, setting up the beginning better and trying to chop bits out of the middle to shorten the story, which seems to go on longer than it really needs to.  I think I've improved it, and I think it works better than I remember.  I really need to go through all of my stories like this and rework them to the best that I'm able, if I want to publish them, but for today I reworked this one story, and I think it works better.  This is one that I haven't read to anyone else yet (I have a lot of those still).

I've waited too long to really get these published by Rainfurrest, but if I work at it I can still probably get something published by the end of the year.  Maybe.  I need to get the stories in the best shape that I can manage, and then ask friends to edit them, and get at least a cover illustrated or maybe find a way to get several interior illustrations too.  Lots to do.