I made the bestseller list!

The bestseller list on Fictionwise, that is. I'm still waiting to find out if I'll be the first author of a short story ebook to make the New York Times bestseller list ;)

In it's first week on Fictionwise, "Hear The Wind Blow" made it to number 4 out of 509 fantasy short stories, and number 40 out of all 5,167 short stories. Woohoo! That news is motivating. I appreciate the sales. THANK YOU!

If you bought my story through Fictionwise, will you do me a favor and rank it? There's a choice on the left sidebar of your 'bookshelf' for ranking the stories you've purchased. It will help me in the long run if my readers add a favorable ranking. Thank you, again! (Echelon purchasers please post a review on Echelon. I'd like to use them in my promotional booklet.)

But...on to other writing projects.

I finished printing my manuscript. I simply must have a hard copy in my hands at this stage. I said that on the last post, didn't I? And I said I was making changes, but I wasn't very specific. Currently, I'm in the process of updating my summary outline so that it matches my manuscript because I deviated a bit and then I changed the whole story goal (the latter was in my mind, not on the manuscript). Next, I will use the summary outline to look at each scene. From there, I can edit, delete or add to fit my new story goal.

For some reason I can't do this manuscript review phase from the computer screen. (How many times have I said that?) I don't know why I need a hard copy. Maybe I need the reassurance that I've actually accomplished something? Looking at 300+ pages of printed manuscript and knowing I wrote it sure feels like an accomplishment. But, like all writers, I look at it and wonder if it was just a colossal waste of time or if it can be made into a story. This motivates me to work harder, to make sure those 300+ pages are worthy of the time and attention I put into them.

My optimistic goal is to have this draft completed by May 31st.

Beyond the novel.... Short stories seem so quick and light compared to the heavyweight, the novel. I don't have a specific goal in mind, really; I just found that working with a short story is a useful way to take a break from the novel and still keep my writerly mind agile.

Be sure to check out my Fictionwise page if you haven't already!
http://www.fictionwise.com/eBooks/JanelleDakotaeBooks.htm