Advent Ghosts 2013

Today I’m participating in the 100-word #adventghosts2013 flash fiction event run by writer Loren Eaton. Here’s my piece. Links to all of this year’s stories are here.

Winter in Amsterdam

Peerenboom’s eyes opened to find his partner looming over his deathbed. “Oh, Jan! My sons want to change my will. They say our business is corrupted by weird doings.”

“I loved you as a father, Albers! Why shouldn’t I inherit?”

“That pact was made fifty years ago. I’ve grown old…but you! You look as young as ever. How—?”

“I got sloppy,” said the other Dutchman. 

Skin pale as Venetian milk glass, he grasped his crony’s hand.

“Sleep, friend, sleep.”

“So cold,” Peerenboom thrashed. “So cold!”

“Ja, like the grave.”

So ended the partnership of Peerenboom & deWinter, purveyors of ice.

Copyright 2013 Joseph D’Agnese

Amsterdam image by @jordanpulmano, via Unsplash.

Free Writing Tracker by W. Bradford Swift

Free Writing Tracker

Back in July I talked about how I track my writing progress using a handwritten ledger. It’s served me pretty well but on January 1 I’ll be switching to a digital system.

I have never learned how to create my own spreadsheets, but thankfully a writer friend and colleague, W. Bradford Swift, has done the heavy lifting already. His writing tracker template lets you input the number of words written daily, and will also calculate your hourly output, if you care about such details. When you get to the bottom of Swift’s existing spreadsheet, you can just cut-and-paste the cells to extend the sheet. You can download the writing tracker free at Swift’s website. If you’re inclined to thank him, check out his sci-fi/fantasy books. If you’re looking for a way into his fiction, check out his short story, "Hunt Along the Iron River," which I enjoyed.

In other news:

I recently completed a good draft of my historical fantasy WIP, which I’m cryptically calling TIMoNY for the moment, and am taking some time off to catch up on the blog and write some other material. While we’re on the subject of tracking your writing progress, I can say that it took me about 60 days to write the first draft, 50 days to do the second draft, 20 to do the third. I’m happy with the results, but that’s not the same as saying I’m done, or even satisfied. I’m asking Denise to read it first, and I’ll revise with her input in mind. I already have a batch of changes I’d like to make, but I need the distance right now. So I’m working on some revisions to another book in the meantime.