All to often. Things don't go as I plan. I'm a horrible planner. It doesn't matter if I'm trying to plan an event, or plan my goals, I tend to suck at it. I tend to overlook setbacks. Or if I see the setbacks, I tend to be over confident about dispatching them.
So I'm slightly back to square one. I will be making an effort to start posting on here again.
Since I last posted I have, abandoned two partial novels, to possibly be revisited in the future. Pulled the novel I had planned for my website, and set to work on it, as a possible work for submission. Unfortunately I wont finish it before NaNo, and rather than continue writing in it (which would be cheating, so I wouldn't feel right about adding my totals to my region, with the goal of defeating our rivals in Australia) I have decided to start an Urban Fantasy/Suspense novel. It will be my first of that sort. and it should only be around 75K words, so if I can manage to finish it this novemeber, I will polish it up and it could be my first submission... if I like it, anyway.
So that's where I'm at. in less relevant news, I may have a lead on an apartment. *fingers crossed* So that would be exciting.
Alright folks. hopefully I'll see ya here again in the next couple days :)
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Thursday, July 12, 2012
H'lo
I thought I'd do a quick hello and update you on stuff.
Well, I dropped my online writing group. I'd like to get back to it at some point, but right now it was acting as more of an anxiety inducer than anything useful. I just have too much to do. I can see the usefulness when I'm not quite so rushed, but right now I"m on a tight (self imposed-ish) deadline, and the online writing group was just getting in the way.
Unfortunately, while I did have some extra time, and less stress, I still didn't have as much motivation and energy as I needed. not much I can do about the energy, besides coffee. Even the motivation is going to be hard to increase, but I can encourage it but getting rid of some of the things I'd rather do. If I had an office without internet, that would be excellent. But I can't afford an office and an apartment (not that I've found one of those yet) so I've been looking for places with 2 bedrooms, one of which I'll use as JUST a creative office, no video games, movies, web surfing. it will be for writing (and occasional drawing or playing music possibly) and nothing else.
But that plan has been on hold while I look for a place that meet's my wants, my price, and allows dogs. I have found several that meet two of those, but none that met all 3. Well three actually. but one of those I let pass because I thought I found two better options. in the mean time, the better options stopped returning my calls for a week, and when he did both the other places he had were no longer available. CURSES!
Anyway, so I've been without an office, and I'm easily distracted by my A.D.D. like dyslexia (apparently it's one of the symptoms of dyslexia) which tends to lead to watching tv, playing video games, surfing the web, etc.
Then this occurred to me today while listening to the podcast Writing Excuses: I could go to the library! It's likely to be quiet, people aren't likely to bother me. If I need the internet it's right there, but I'm not likely to be so comfortable I'll start watching a movie, or playing a game. and I'm also not likely to fall asleep there (as I often do unintentionally at home). I probably wont get there everyday of the week, but if I can get there for a couple hours, 3 or 4 days a week, that will help alot!
Alright, I've got some things to do if I'm going to get there today (which I may not, I've already ran, and am falling asleep, but I'll try.) Have a great day!
XD
Well, I dropped my online writing group. I'd like to get back to it at some point, but right now it was acting as more of an anxiety inducer than anything useful. I just have too much to do. I can see the usefulness when I'm not quite so rushed, but right now I"m on a tight (self imposed-ish) deadline, and the online writing group was just getting in the way.
Unfortunately, while I did have some extra time, and less stress, I still didn't have as much motivation and energy as I needed. not much I can do about the energy, besides coffee. Even the motivation is going to be hard to increase, but I can encourage it but getting rid of some of the things I'd rather do. If I had an office without internet, that would be excellent. But I can't afford an office and an apartment (not that I've found one of those yet) so I've been looking for places with 2 bedrooms, one of which I'll use as JUST a creative office, no video games, movies, web surfing. it will be for writing (and occasional drawing or playing music possibly) and nothing else.
But that plan has been on hold while I look for a place that meet's my wants, my price, and allows dogs. I have found several that meet two of those, but none that met all 3. Well three actually. but one of those I let pass because I thought I found two better options. in the mean time, the better options stopped returning my calls for a week, and when he did both the other places he had were no longer available. CURSES!
Anyway, so I've been without an office, and I'm easily distracted by my A.D.D. like dyslexia (apparently it's one of the symptoms of dyslexia) which tends to lead to watching tv, playing video games, surfing the web, etc.
Then this occurred to me today while listening to the podcast Writing Excuses: I could go to the library! It's likely to be quiet, people aren't likely to bother me. If I need the internet it's right there, but I'm not likely to be so comfortable I'll start watching a movie, or playing a game. and I'm also not likely to fall asleep there (as I often do unintentionally at home). I probably wont get there everyday of the week, but if I can get there for a couple hours, 3 or 4 days a week, that will help alot!
Alright, I've got some things to do if I'm going to get there today (which I may not, I've already ran, and am falling asleep, but I'll try.) Have a great day!
XD
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Unknown setting
So Sunday my writing group did an exercise for writing setting. I tend to struggle with writing setting. When I read, I tend to let much of setting details float by. I think setting is often times used pointlessly, or simplistically. It's purpose is often times to do little else but to paint a literal image in the reader's mind. But I tend to base the images off of personality or atmosphere, and memories much more than I do off descriptions. When the description serves more than one purpose, It sticks with me better. for example, when I read about Jim Butcher's character Waldo Butter's jet black hair, I remember it, but I don't visualize him that way. I visualize him as having dirty blonde hair. But when Patrick Rothfuss talks about his character with red hair, bright red, red as flame. I remember, the image is powerful, it's brought up many times, and it is woven into the story. it's important. Now, Butters is a side character, and there can't always be importance to hair. Yet character description is demanded by the readers..... Long story short, because I often times ignore descriptions when I read, I tend to forget about descriptions, or forget the details of descriptions when i write. So practicing this was especially needed by me.
In the prompt, each of us was given a popsicle stick with a name of a setting, steam punk, ancient Japan, post apocalyptic, Egyptian, USA in the 1920s, etc. I wont give mine away, but I knew very little about it. We were also supposed to describe it as a tour guide, but by the time i'd wiki'd my subject, I'd forgotten that detail.
In entering the section of the city I call home, I always finds myself with
mixed emotions. The world isn't what it was expected, the last great war
had ended, it was supposed to end all wars. In those sections of the city
soldiers danced in celebration of the end of wars. In my city, there was a
new war, a younger war.
There was progress too. 3 sky scrapers fought for dominance of the sky,
two twins and a younger brother. It's one of my favorite sights. depending
on the angle, the towers looked both complete and in progress. construction
Workers toiled to finish, and desk jockeys rode elevators to offices.
And then there was our leadership. "I am not a crook" played on every screen
was echoed in mocking by small children. No things weren't perfect. The
ideology of uninhibited love of the previous decade had faded, and was fading.
I think that came out pretty decent actually. Can you guess my setting? 1970's America.
anyway, gonna try to work up the motivation to write some novel now.
Sunday, July 1, 2012
Shutgun. Head. Sweet relief.
Dramatized reen-countment(made up word):
Another day at rayovac, working the ol' grindstone. AAA batteries in packs of eight are taken from a conveyor belt, and placed in display trays, ten per trey, cardboard seperators are placed on 3 trays of batteries before those trays are packed into cardboard boxes. The seperators don't actually do anything, but walmart and Rayovac like to pretend they keep they keep the cards from bending. 250 of those boxes are stacked on a pallet and wrapped up to be shipped out. a normal day, with one caviot. A nerd believes he's found a common soul. I was not the nerd.... somehow.
I'm going to shorten the nerds names for comedy (and two irony's one for you and one for me.)
Fat: Oh, so wanna be an author, huh?
Me: *I shrug* yeah, I -
Fat: Oh that's cool. Yeah I like to think of myself as a writer too. A writer and a reader.
Me: Oh yeah? what do you like to read?
Fat: Oh all sorts of stuff. Harry potter, star wars, twilight. I like good quality stuff.
Me:....................... yeah, a lot of people like those books. I read harry potter.
Fat: Oh, not just the books. I love the fanfic. Fanfic in general is just awesome. I don't know why they don't publish some of that stuff.
Me: *Trying really hard not to slap myself in the forehead* I've never been a big fan fiction reader.
Fat: Well, sure you said you're a writer. so what do you like to write about? you ever do cross-overs
Me: Cross overs?
Fat: Sure, like harry potter vs. the darkside. Prof. Lupin and the half blood vampire. Cross-overs. Actually I wrote that last one. Lupin falls in love with Bella's daughter. Well not love, just immutable attraction. I think it's my favorite of all my writing.
Me: Yeah I don't really write fanfic.
Fat: What? Why not?
(By the way, next two blocks of dialogue are as closed to word for word as I can remember)
Me:..... Well...... (if you write fanfic look away)..... it's not real writing. You can't publish it either.
Fat:..... Sure, you can. There's lots of websites outthere that let you post fanfic.
Me: sure... but that's not the kind of published I'm going for.
Fat: So, then what do you write about?
Me: well, lots of stuff. Mostly speculative fiction (scifi/fantasy/horror/etc). I wrote a book about a carpenter that learns to use magic, finds out the history behind his runaway father, and saves a city from an evil-
Fat: so... was he like Harry potter's friend or something? was he a weasley? Don't call the evil thing Voldamort, he's dead. Try... moldavort! and you're welcome for that.
*Shotgun. Head. Sweet relief. (by the by, if I had a blog where I only complained about things, this would be my sign off. No you can't use it, I may not be done with it.)
Another day at rayovac, working the ol' grindstone. AAA batteries in packs of eight are taken from a conveyor belt, and placed in display trays, ten per trey, cardboard seperators are placed on 3 trays of batteries before those trays are packed into cardboard boxes. The seperators don't actually do anything, but walmart and Rayovac like to pretend they keep they keep the cards from bending. 250 of those boxes are stacked on a pallet and wrapped up to be shipped out. a normal day, with one caviot. A nerd believes he's found a common soul. I was not the nerd.... somehow.
I'm going to shorten the nerds names for comedy (and two irony's one for you and one for me.)
Fat: Oh, so wanna be an author, huh?
Me: *I shrug* yeah, I -
Fat: Oh that's cool. Yeah I like to think of myself as a writer too. A writer and a reader.
Me: Oh yeah? what do you like to read?
Fat: Oh all sorts of stuff. Harry potter, star wars, twilight. I like good quality stuff.
Me:....................... yeah, a lot of people like those books. I read harry potter.
Fat: Oh, not just the books. I love the fanfic. Fanfic in general is just awesome. I don't know why they don't publish some of that stuff.
Me: *Trying really hard not to slap myself in the forehead* I've never been a big fan fiction reader.
Fat: Well, sure you said you're a writer. so what do you like to write about? you ever do cross-overs
Me: Cross overs?
Fat: Sure, like harry potter vs. the darkside. Prof. Lupin and the half blood vampire. Cross-overs. Actually I wrote that last one. Lupin falls in love with Bella's daughter. Well not love, just immutable attraction. I think it's my favorite of all my writing.
Me: Yeah I don't really write fanfic.
Fat: What? Why not?
(By the way, next two blocks of dialogue are as closed to word for word as I can remember)
Me:..... Well...... (if you write fanfic look away)..... it's not real writing. You can't publish it either.
Fat:..... Sure, you can. There's lots of websites outthere that let you post fanfic.
Me: sure... but that's not the kind of published I'm going for.
Fat: So, then what do you write about?
Me: well, lots of stuff. Mostly speculative fiction (scifi/fantasy/horror/etc). I wrote a book about a carpenter that learns to use magic, finds out the history behind his runaway father, and saves a city from an evil-
Fat: so... was he like Harry potter's friend or something? was he a weasley? Don't call the evil thing Voldamort, he's dead. Try... moldavort! and you're welcome for that.
*Shotgun. Head. Sweet relief. (by the by, if I had a blog where I only complained about things, this would be my sign off. No you can't use it, I may not be done with it.)
Friday, June 29, 2012
aaaaaand Break.
So I've spent a few hours writing. not sure when I started. Tenish? anyway, I got a couple thousand fresh words cracked out. It's about what I'm expecting from myself. if I'm in the zone I can write 500+ thousand words every 15 minutes. But that is usually spaced out with times of "hmm what happens next" and "how can I phrase this". Writing that quickly generally puts more words on paper, but I often hate what I'm writing in those times. looking back at them, they usually aren't too bad, but I'm less confident in them as I go.
I also revised a section of the story that I realized wasn't following cannon, that took some time. But it wasn't as aweful as I was expecting. actually, I was really set to write. If I can write this much every day, and maybe 5k extra on weekends, I should be set come september. Today this goal feels very attainable. I'm getting tired, so I don't know that I'll be able to write more today, but I think I'm okay with that.
The website is coming along too. I'm not likely to have it completed by the July, but we'll see. I'm going to try to get some more out of the way right now. So far, I have the main page pretty much finished. I haven't uploaded it yet, so no checking! I've got 3 goals for it this afternoon. I'm going to try to get a template set up that I can post my web book (Seven Kingdoms) and a mirror of this blog on. That shouldn't take long, as I know about what I want. With that done I can quickly mirror what blogs I've written (since the start of the year anyway). If I have time and energy, I MIGHT also do a quick revision and post of the first section of the novel. I'll probably make it a teaser though, since I don't have enough written yet to really start posting. But I might be able to get word out, get people interested. I also want to make a "Sorry this page hasn't been created yet, this is a beta version of the site. please check again later! XD" page.
Alright, I'm going to go attempt to do this. But one final note. I've found that listening to music helps me, so long as I can't sing along, and it's high energy. So I've been listening (for several hours) to this japanese music, it's odd, but I like it, and it meets the requirements. Thanks pandora! I will take my check now (God that joke is tired)
Duces!
XD
I also revised a section of the story that I realized wasn't following cannon, that took some time. But it wasn't as aweful as I was expecting. actually, I was really set to write. If I can write this much every day, and maybe 5k extra on weekends, I should be set come september. Today this goal feels very attainable. I'm getting tired, so I don't know that I'll be able to write more today, but I think I'm okay with that.
The website is coming along too. I'm not likely to have it completed by the July, but we'll see. I'm going to try to get some more out of the way right now. So far, I have the main page pretty much finished. I haven't uploaded it yet, so no checking! I've got 3 goals for it this afternoon. I'm going to try to get a template set up that I can post my web book (Seven Kingdoms) and a mirror of this blog on. That shouldn't take long, as I know about what I want. With that done I can quickly mirror what blogs I've written (since the start of the year anyway). If I have time and energy, I MIGHT also do a quick revision and post of the first section of the novel. I'll probably make it a teaser though, since I don't have enough written yet to really start posting. But I might be able to get word out, get people interested. I also want to make a "Sorry this page hasn't been created yet, this is a beta version of the site. please check again later! XD" page.
Alright, I'm going to go attempt to do this. But one final note. I've found that listening to music helps me, so long as I can't sing along, and it's high energy. So I've been listening (for several hours) to this japanese music, it's odd, but I like it, and it meets the requirements. Thanks pandora! I will take my check now (God that joke is tired)
Duces!
XD
Monday, June 25, 2012
I hate Melan....
Alright, I'm getting tired and I'm running out of steam. but I felt like I needed to blog.
Today I had no incentive to write. I felt whiny and crabby and tired when I tried to start. I could almost hear myself complain "But I don't WANT to do that right now." The thing was I didn't want to do anything. I didn't want to watch tv, read, write, eat, swim, sleep, stay awake. I had no interest in any kind of activity or choice. It was a very melancholic/lethargic mood, and it's something I struggle with at times.
I like to entertain myself with the thought that Sherlock Holmes suffered from similar fits, and were usually preceded at proceeded by fits of periods of genius and accomplishment. They were likely brought on by the drug use, but w/e.
I don't know that genius ever comes before or behind these bouts of lethargy, in some kind of cathartic balance; but I do know that making myself be more than mindlessly active while I feel that way sucks.
However. that doesn't mean there isn't a nice pay off if I manage to subvert my subdued feeling. But today, I forced myself to write. I pushed myself to put out 2k words, and for the first 1.5k I was checking my word count every couple hundred words. It was arduous, but finally I was just 400 words away, so I decided to do a 15 minute word spring, to finish up. 15 minutes later I was just shy of 500 words, and it wasn't long after that that I had surpassed my goal of 2k words by over 500 words.
The writing isn't perfect, and I messed up the cannon a little bit, but I surpassed my goal for the day. and more importantly, I over came that whiny voice that wasn't willing to be satisfied with any course of action.
So yay me! I have realized something through this though. If I was very lucky, and motivated, I could reach my every goal by this fall. I could create a website, write a book, finish a book, and revise both books, while writing a third book that I'd be posting to my website. It's possible I could achieve all these things by the time I go to worldcon in the fall. But it's possible that september will find me with no upkept website, no routinely updated book or blog found on the website. and two unfinished, unrevised books.
So what can I cut out? The website shows a level of seriousness, that I'm hesitant drop. But at this stage in my career, there's not much I can post on there beyond the blog and free book. So I can't really cut either of those things if I plan to keep the website. I'm changing my publishing of the web book to a weekly post of 5k words, in an attempt to give me a better chance to remain consistant.
But it wont be enough. I had to decide which novel to get manuscript ready by the fall. One of them, has 60k words written already. The other has around 6k But WtL, has two drawbacks, despite being further along. One, I am very undecided about many aspects of it, and I'm struggling with what to rewrite. and two, it's the first book in a series. New authors are much more likely to sell a stand alone book than a series. It's also my first novel, and therefore not likely to sell. Perhaps I could finish, revise, and make it manuscript ready by the fall, but I'm not even confident I could do that.
While, I'm not thrilled at the idea of dropping WtL for the next several months, distance might provide a new perspective. I also have the new novel (tentatively named Brendon's darkness) outlined in many ways. the specifics are still coming to me, as I'm largely a discovery writer. but I know the story line. I have the plot summery worked out. it shouldn't take me long to bring it to a full length novel. The goal is to have it written by august, and revised by September. and made manuscript ready by the end of the first or second week in September.
Even this goal feels slightly daunting today, especially considering I'd like to have eight posts totaling 40k words written and posted in my 7kingdoms, web novel.
Deep breathes everyone. I can do this. I will do this. That said, this blog may take a bit of a hit in that time. I'll post at least once a week, but I can't guarantee it will be more than that. Once the fall hits, I'll start working up to daily posts again. Although, november will likely see a decline for nanowrimo, but we'll worry about that when we get there.
For now, wish me luck. And take care.
XD
Today I had no incentive to write. I felt whiny and crabby and tired when I tried to start. I could almost hear myself complain "But I don't WANT to do that right now." The thing was I didn't want to do anything. I didn't want to watch tv, read, write, eat, swim, sleep, stay awake. I had no interest in any kind of activity or choice. It was a very melancholic/lethargic mood, and it's something I struggle with at times.
I like to entertain myself with the thought that Sherlock Holmes suffered from similar fits, and were usually preceded at proceeded by fits of periods of genius and accomplishment. They were likely brought on by the drug use, but w/e.
I don't know that genius ever comes before or behind these bouts of lethargy, in some kind of cathartic balance; but I do know that making myself be more than mindlessly active while I feel that way sucks.
However. that doesn't mean there isn't a nice pay off if I manage to subvert my subdued feeling. But today, I forced myself to write. I pushed myself to put out 2k words, and for the first 1.5k I was checking my word count every couple hundred words. It was arduous, but finally I was just 400 words away, so I decided to do a 15 minute word spring, to finish up. 15 minutes later I was just shy of 500 words, and it wasn't long after that that I had surpassed my goal of 2k words by over 500 words.
The writing isn't perfect, and I messed up the cannon a little bit, but I surpassed my goal for the day. and more importantly, I over came that whiny voice that wasn't willing to be satisfied with any course of action.
So yay me! I have realized something through this though. If I was very lucky, and motivated, I could reach my every goal by this fall. I could create a website, write a book, finish a book, and revise both books, while writing a third book that I'd be posting to my website. It's possible I could achieve all these things by the time I go to worldcon in the fall. But it's possible that september will find me with no upkept website, no routinely updated book or blog found on the website. and two unfinished, unrevised books.
So what can I cut out? The website shows a level of seriousness, that I'm hesitant drop. But at this stage in my career, there's not much I can post on there beyond the blog and free book. So I can't really cut either of those things if I plan to keep the website. I'm changing my publishing of the web book to a weekly post of 5k words, in an attempt to give me a better chance to remain consistant.
But it wont be enough. I had to decide which novel to get manuscript ready by the fall. One of them, has 60k words written already. The other has around 6k But WtL, has two drawbacks, despite being further along. One, I am very undecided about many aspects of it, and I'm struggling with what to rewrite. and two, it's the first book in a series. New authors are much more likely to sell a stand alone book than a series. It's also my first novel, and therefore not likely to sell. Perhaps I could finish, revise, and make it manuscript ready by the fall, but I'm not even confident I could do that.
While, I'm not thrilled at the idea of dropping WtL for the next several months, distance might provide a new perspective. I also have the new novel (tentatively named Brendon's darkness) outlined in many ways. the specifics are still coming to me, as I'm largely a discovery writer. but I know the story line. I have the plot summery worked out. it shouldn't take me long to bring it to a full length novel. The goal is to have it written by august, and revised by September. and made manuscript ready by the end of the first or second week in September.
Even this goal feels slightly daunting today, especially considering I'd like to have eight posts totaling 40k words written and posted in my 7kingdoms, web novel.
Deep breathes everyone. I can do this. I will do this. That said, this blog may take a bit of a hit in that time. I'll post at least once a week, but I can't guarantee it will be more than that. Once the fall hits, I'll start working up to daily posts again. Although, november will likely see a decline for nanowrimo, but we'll worry about that when we get there.
For now, wish me luck. And take care.
XD
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Big fat liar
One of the things I have had a difficult time with in the past, is accepting that what a character said was a lie. I think authors don't tend to do that much in dialogue. When two characters are talking about something, they tend to answer truthfully and fully, unless they are a villainous character up to no good. But it seems as though general lies, told out of embarrassment, or impatience, or gloating, don't tend to be told very often.
I was just writing a scene in which a character was explaining how he would found it cowardly to send a man to the gallows, rather than face him in single combat. While the character believes that, he neglected to say that a part of him relishes in killing scumbags. I was on the verge of sharing that information out of reflex, when I realized I didn't have to. and I would never have to. the character could lie.
I think sometimes we only recognize lies in stories if they are told by traitors, or if the narrator or pov character reveals their deceit. But I think authors probably often allow characters to tell half truths, without the revelation; small lies that you really would only pick up on by rereading, or knowing the true personality of that character.
Alright, well that was short. but that's okay. Maybe a joke. One I heard a while back.
Two cannibals are eating a clown. One turns to the other and says, "Does this taste funny to you?"
XD
I was just writing a scene in which a character was explaining how he would found it cowardly to send a man to the gallows, rather than face him in single combat. While the character believes that, he neglected to say that a part of him relishes in killing scumbags. I was on the verge of sharing that information out of reflex, when I realized I didn't have to. and I would never have to. the character could lie.
I think sometimes we only recognize lies in stories if they are told by traitors, or if the narrator or pov character reveals their deceit. But I think authors probably often allow characters to tell half truths, without the revelation; small lies that you really would only pick up on by rereading, or knowing the true personality of that character.
Alright, well that was short. but that's okay. Maybe a joke. One I heard a while back.
Two cannibals are eating a clown. One turns to the other and says, "Does this taste funny to you?"
XD
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Uphill battles, and averting "Meta"
When I last posted, I said I wanted to start blogging daily. I'm sure it'll take a while before that truly becomes a habit, but ya gotta start somewhere. and since I tend to have a lot of false starts before I actually start, I gotta start my false-starts somewhere too.
A couple weeks ago I started running in the employee fitness center at Rayovac (where I'm employed), I'm a couch potato in general, and I'm very out of shape, so I go back and forth between running and quick walking, pushing myself to run longer and faster every visit. When I'm on the treadmill I have often listened to music or audiobooks, and I'll focus on these things when I'm doing the running portion especially. Today I forgot my headphones. I had gone out to my car to swap my boots for running shoes, when the realization struck me that I had no means of distracting myself from the slowly ticking seconds. One other time I'd ran without them, and every step was miserable. I was too aware of my running, of my exhaustion. I was overly aware that I had just finished working a draining eight hour shift spent entirely on my feet. I nearly just called it a day and went home. Instead, I set my jaw, and ran anyway. There will always be things to distract us from our goals. Loosing weight, getting in shape, these things will never be easy (hence the failure of every easy diet and simple weight-loss pill/drink/earmuffs), so when a new difficulty comes along, we can't let ourselves get frustrated. Part of us thinks "I'm already fighting an uphill battle, it's not fair that I have to face _____ too!" (for me that blank would have be filled with "focus"). Instead, we have to remember that we chose to fight an uphill battle, rather than accept the alternative. the missing headphones of problems, changes nothing.
Two things relate this to writing, first off, Becoming an author is another uphill battle, and I'm bound to run into some problems I didn't expect, or I hoped to avoid. When they surface, I'll have to remember, that I was prepared to face them in order to obtain my goal.
Secondly, while running in silence, I was able to distract myself with a new book I'm working on, and I feel like I came up with some neat advances, including character backgrounds, and world possibilities that could be explored in a sequel, without ruining the stand alone nature of the initial book. so Yay!
I was going to share a "daily to do list" I wrote up this morning, but I feel like I've occupied a sufficient amount of both our days with this post already. A hint tho, this blog was on the to do list (whoa, Meta! j/k) xD
A couple weeks ago I started running in the employee fitness center at Rayovac (where I'm employed), I'm a couch potato in general, and I'm very out of shape, so I go back and forth between running and quick walking, pushing myself to run longer and faster every visit. When I'm on the treadmill I have often listened to music or audiobooks, and I'll focus on these things when I'm doing the running portion especially. Today I forgot my headphones. I had gone out to my car to swap my boots for running shoes, when the realization struck me that I had no means of distracting myself from the slowly ticking seconds. One other time I'd ran without them, and every step was miserable. I was too aware of my running, of my exhaustion. I was overly aware that I had just finished working a draining eight hour shift spent entirely on my feet. I nearly just called it a day and went home. Instead, I set my jaw, and ran anyway. There will always be things to distract us from our goals. Loosing weight, getting in shape, these things will never be easy (hence the failure of every easy diet and simple weight-loss pill/drink/earmuffs), so when a new difficulty comes along, we can't let ourselves get frustrated. Part of us thinks "I'm already fighting an uphill battle, it's not fair that I have to face _____ too!" (for me that blank would have be filled with "focus"). Instead, we have to remember that we chose to fight an uphill battle, rather than accept the alternative. the missing headphones of problems, changes nothing.
Two things relate this to writing, first off, Becoming an author is another uphill battle, and I'm bound to run into some problems I didn't expect, or I hoped to avoid. When they surface, I'll have to remember, that I was prepared to face them in order to obtain my goal.
Secondly, while running in silence, I was able to distract myself with a new book I'm working on, and I feel like I came up with some neat advances, including character backgrounds, and world possibilities that could be explored in a sequel, without ruining the stand alone nature of the initial book. so Yay!
I was going to share a "daily to do list" I wrote up this morning, but I feel like I've occupied a sufficient amount of both our days with this post already. A hint tho, this blog was on the to do list (whoa, Meta! j/k) xD
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
An update, An objective, and a plan
Alright Alright already! I'll post a new blog! You guys are so demanding! No but seriously I do it for the fans, hopefully one day, you wont be imaginary!
There is actually a few things I could post on here.
I don't know how many of my friends & family have realized that I've begun taking writing seriously; that I'm gradually transitioning into viewing it both as an enjoyable hobby and dream, but also a "business". I've been attempting to make this transition for a couple months, and it's not happening as quickly as I'd like, but eventually I want to get to the point where I'm writing because I enjoy it, because I want to, and (when I'm not in the mood) because it is my decided career. I'm not there yet, I still spend more days not writing than I do writing. The goal is to write everyday, or at least 5 days a week, because when I become a full time, fully-financially-supported-by-my-craft, author; I probably will be writing 5 days a week.
Brandon Sanderdson once said that he writes 14 hours a day, 5-6 days a week, but he didn't mind because it was something he loved. Now I'm not sure I would need or be able to do anything for 14 hours a day, But I could see myself happily writing 60 or so hours a week (assuming I didn't have to work part or full time somewhere else.) For now my goal is to get to the point that I'm engaged in my writing [process] 20-30 hours a week. Eventually I'll sell a couple novels, or a series, and it'll allow me to work just part time, and then I'll try to transition into writing 40-50 hours a week. So that by the time my self-sufficiency is relying wholly on my writing, I can easily transition into writing 60+ hours a week.
So what am I doing to attain these goals? For one thing, I'm always considering new story ideas, and playing my works-in-progresses out in my head. I listen to the podcast writing excuses, and I soak up their advice, and use their discussions to gauge my position and progress as a writer. I analyze books, movies, and tv shows; breaking them down to their stories, and finding the positives and negatives of the works. I'm part of two writing groups, and tho I'm not as productive as I'd like, I'm learning things, and I'm getting better.
Still, none of this explains how I plan to transition from amateur to professional, or justifies my belief that I can attain a professional status where so many others fail. According to Jim Butcher, only about 3 in 1000 people that decide to become published author's make it. and of those only 1 in 10 make enough money to call it a living. On the face of it, this isn't very encouraging. But then you have to realize that a lot of people who decide they want to be published author's never finish a book. Well, it wasn't my best work, the ending sucked, and I've since changed it enough that it needs significant rewrites. but I HAVE finished a novel. Over the next couple months I'm hoping to refinish it, complete with an excellent ending, consistency, and nearly twice as much content. To be honest it was a little daunting, and I felt myself getting bogged down, so I've started a new novel that I can work on simultaneously. Being able to switch tracks for a day or a week, will help me to keep writing when frustration or uncertainty threatens to bog me down.
This second novel also gives me advantage over two more groups of writers. Plenty of people planning to get published (and even some who don't) have written novels. But many of these write just one or just one series. they spend years trying to sell their novel, constantly editing and rewriting it/them when they get rejections (or even just out of fear of rejection). Patrick Rothfuss (excellent writer), spent a decade trying to get "King Killer Chronicles: Name of the Wind" published. Apart from a children's book or two, He has published only books in that series. I got the impression, that it's all he really tried to get published. I also plan to write more books when I'm done with these. This time next year, I hope to have half a dozen books written and revised to manuscript level floating around publishing houses, and agencies if I haven't gotten published yet. The other group I have advantage over, is the group solely trying to sell books that can't stand alone. Publishers prefer stand alone stories from first time authors. Even if there's room for a sequel, the first one should be a self-contained and sufficiently resolved story. You could also argue that writing multiple (and disparate) stories is valuable experience/practice that writers of a single novel or series just don't get.
The next thing I'm likely to face, is rejection. I'm hopeful and I'm determined, but I'm also very likely to receive rejections from many places before I get an acceptance. I'm imagining this is another big drop off point. Nobody likes rejection, especially when it's something they've poured themselves into, sweat, tears, and blood. I'm sure I'll hate it, but I"m also determined not to let it stop me. I'll revise and rewrite, and I'll submit new works, and I'll submit to multiple places. and When I am able to move past my initial rejections, I'll realize that I'm passing another swath of people cut down by their own doubts affirmed.
You know there's also a group of people that send in submissions with ridiculous splattered all over them. Doing things like choosing weird looking fonts. I heard of a person that had their letters in a mix of colors. Perfumes, pictures, drawings. Submissions should be crisp, easy to read, and they should wreak only of professionalism. This I can do, and would have done even without the many groanings of editors shared with me.
So already, I feel like I'm outstripping much of my competition. Jim Butcher followed up his statistics with an explanation of his road to publication, and a statement about outrunning the competition, not the bear. The second stastic about only 1 in 10 earning enough to call it a living, really doesn't scare me much, I mean, if I already beat the odds of 1 in 334 get published, then I'm not going to give up until I'm able to make enough that I can make it my only and full time job.
Every Author I've heard talk about it, has said the same thing. Just don't give up, Keep writing, keep trying, keep at it. the Tor submission guidlines and FAQ were asked what percentage of people that submitted got published. They really didn't want to answer, because they didn't want to discourage potential authors. They WANTED the submissions. Eventually they did give a real percentage, but I don't recall it, the only percentage that stuck with me was this: "100% of people that don't submit their novel, don't get published."
This post is dragging on, but I have a few more things I want to share. First off, I'm planning to go to worldcon (a scifi and fantasy convention in Chicago) that often has publishers, editors, and agents networking, hanging with friends, and promoting books. I plan to use the opportunity to provide a face and personality to go with my name. My plan is to get two books manuscript ready by the beginning of september. Then I go to the convention, step out of my comfort zone and strike up conversations with editors and agents, get to know them and their work a bit, and ask if I can send them my manuscript. When they get it, they'll have a human being to connect to the work, and it could give me the edge I need.
Secondly, I bought my name as a domain name DarrenMoen.com is owned by me for the next two years. I'm planning to have a working (if simple) website ready by then as well. On the website I'll have sample stories excerpts. I'll have a mirror of this blog posted there. I'll have a bit of biographical info, maybe a book review spot. I might start doing a podcast. I was considering working up to the point where I was blogging daily, podcasting weekly, and uploading a youtube video monthly. I also have some ideas for webcomics I might share. I also have a lot of story ideas (more everyday) I might take one of them and publish it on my website a chapter at a time. There will always be new ideas, and having a free story out there could show case my talents, and attract an audience for future books. So this will all be on my website (by the way, another thing to put me above my competition), so when I go to the convention, I can hand out cards with my website and email address and maybe a QR code. (Brief QR code side adventure... aaaand, I'm back)
alright, I'm nodding off, sleep takes me, I'mma let it. But in conclucsion. I'm as determined to be a writer as a college kid is to be a doctor or Lawyer, it's not likely to be quick, it wont be easy. But I'll get there, I've got too many ideas and too much drive to not make it, and I've put in too much time and money already to call it a lost cause.
O, btw, It's not my hope to get published by out-pacing other aspiring authors. Ideally every single one of us would right excellent prose, and the world would find itself with an insatiable hunger for new novels and stories, that no amount of new authors could ever sate. So read, get your friends to read, and practice with me, and maybe we'll all make it. Either way I'm determined to get there, not because I'm better or luckier than others, but because my writing, timing, and purposes are all excellent and matured. I would honestly rather write beautiful, elegant, and well formed prose; with only a cult following, than write a clumsy, cliche, and pointless piece of prose that was a best seller and made me millions. I'm in it for the stories, perhaps my elitist thinking will give me another advantage.... or perhaps it's a disadvantage. But it's one of those things I have no real control over. The sky is blue, everybody dies, I can't grow facial hair, and I want to write things I can be proud of more than I want to write things I can profit from.
There is actually a few things I could post on here.
I don't know how many of my friends & family have realized that I've begun taking writing seriously; that I'm gradually transitioning into viewing it both as an enjoyable hobby and dream, but also a "business". I've been attempting to make this transition for a couple months, and it's not happening as quickly as I'd like, but eventually I want to get to the point where I'm writing because I enjoy it, because I want to, and (when I'm not in the mood) because it is my decided career. I'm not there yet, I still spend more days not writing than I do writing. The goal is to write everyday, or at least 5 days a week, because when I become a full time, fully-financially-supported-by-my-craft, author; I probably will be writing 5 days a week.
Brandon Sanderdson once said that he writes 14 hours a day, 5-6 days a week, but he didn't mind because it was something he loved. Now I'm not sure I would need or be able to do anything for 14 hours a day, But I could see myself happily writing 60 or so hours a week (assuming I didn't have to work part or full time somewhere else.) For now my goal is to get to the point that I'm engaged in my writing [process] 20-30 hours a week. Eventually I'll sell a couple novels, or a series, and it'll allow me to work just part time, and then I'll try to transition into writing 40-50 hours a week. So that by the time my self-sufficiency is relying wholly on my writing, I can easily transition into writing 60+ hours a week.
So what am I doing to attain these goals? For one thing, I'm always considering new story ideas, and playing my works-in-progresses out in my head. I listen to the podcast writing excuses, and I soak up their advice, and use their discussions to gauge my position and progress as a writer. I analyze books, movies, and tv shows; breaking them down to their stories, and finding the positives and negatives of the works. I'm part of two writing groups, and tho I'm not as productive as I'd like, I'm learning things, and I'm getting better.
Still, none of this explains how I plan to transition from amateur to professional, or justifies my belief that I can attain a professional status where so many others fail. According to Jim Butcher, only about 3 in 1000 people that decide to become published author's make it. and of those only 1 in 10 make enough money to call it a living. On the face of it, this isn't very encouraging. But then you have to realize that a lot of people who decide they want to be published author's never finish a book. Well, it wasn't my best work, the ending sucked, and I've since changed it enough that it needs significant rewrites. but I HAVE finished a novel. Over the next couple months I'm hoping to refinish it, complete with an excellent ending, consistency, and nearly twice as much content. To be honest it was a little daunting, and I felt myself getting bogged down, so I've started a new novel that I can work on simultaneously. Being able to switch tracks for a day or a week, will help me to keep writing when frustration or uncertainty threatens to bog me down.
This second novel also gives me advantage over two more groups of writers. Plenty of people planning to get published (and even some who don't) have written novels. But many of these write just one or just one series. they spend years trying to sell their novel, constantly editing and rewriting it/them when they get rejections (or even just out of fear of rejection). Patrick Rothfuss (excellent writer), spent a decade trying to get "King Killer Chronicles: Name of the Wind" published. Apart from a children's book or two, He has published only books in that series. I got the impression, that it's all he really tried to get published. I also plan to write more books when I'm done with these. This time next year, I hope to have half a dozen books written and revised to manuscript level floating around publishing houses, and agencies if I haven't gotten published yet. The other group I have advantage over, is the group solely trying to sell books that can't stand alone. Publishers prefer stand alone stories from first time authors. Even if there's room for a sequel, the first one should be a self-contained and sufficiently resolved story. You could also argue that writing multiple (and disparate) stories is valuable experience/practice that writers of a single novel or series just don't get.
The next thing I'm likely to face, is rejection. I'm hopeful and I'm determined, but I'm also very likely to receive rejections from many places before I get an acceptance. I'm imagining this is another big drop off point. Nobody likes rejection, especially when it's something they've poured themselves into, sweat, tears, and blood. I'm sure I'll hate it, but I"m also determined not to let it stop me. I'll revise and rewrite, and I'll submit new works, and I'll submit to multiple places. and When I am able to move past my initial rejections, I'll realize that I'm passing another swath of people cut down by their own doubts affirmed.
You know there's also a group of people that send in submissions with ridiculous splattered all over them. Doing things like choosing weird looking fonts. I heard of a person that had their letters in a mix of colors. Perfumes, pictures, drawings. Submissions should be crisp, easy to read, and they should wreak only of professionalism. This I can do, and would have done even without the many groanings of editors shared with me.
So already, I feel like I'm outstripping much of my competition. Jim Butcher followed up his statistics with an explanation of his road to publication, and a statement about outrunning the competition, not the bear. The second stastic about only 1 in 10 earning enough to call it a living, really doesn't scare me much, I mean, if I already beat the odds of 1 in 334 get published, then I'm not going to give up until I'm able to make enough that I can make it my only and full time job.
Every Author I've heard talk about it, has said the same thing. Just don't give up, Keep writing, keep trying, keep at it. the Tor submission guidlines and FAQ were asked what percentage of people that submitted got published. They really didn't want to answer, because they didn't want to discourage potential authors. They WANTED the submissions. Eventually they did give a real percentage, but I don't recall it, the only percentage that stuck with me was this: "100% of people that don't submit their novel, don't get published."
This post is dragging on, but I have a few more things I want to share. First off, I'm planning to go to worldcon (a scifi and fantasy convention in Chicago) that often has publishers, editors, and agents networking, hanging with friends, and promoting books. I plan to use the opportunity to provide a face and personality to go with my name. My plan is to get two books manuscript ready by the beginning of september. Then I go to the convention, step out of my comfort zone and strike up conversations with editors and agents, get to know them and their work a bit, and ask if I can send them my manuscript. When they get it, they'll have a human being to connect to the work, and it could give me the edge I need.
Secondly, I bought my name as a domain name DarrenMoen.com is owned by me for the next two years. I'm planning to have a working (if simple) website ready by then as well. On the website I'll have sample stories excerpts. I'll have a mirror of this blog posted there. I'll have a bit of biographical info, maybe a book review spot. I might start doing a podcast. I was considering working up to the point where I was blogging daily, podcasting weekly, and uploading a youtube video monthly. I also have some ideas for webcomics I might share. I also have a lot of story ideas (more everyday) I might take one of them and publish it on my website a chapter at a time. There will always be new ideas, and having a free story out there could show case my talents, and attract an audience for future books. So this will all be on my website (by the way, another thing to put me above my competition), so when I go to the convention, I can hand out cards with my website and email address and maybe a QR code. (Brief QR code side adventure... aaaand, I'm back)
alright, I'm nodding off, sleep takes me, I'mma let it. But in conclucsion. I'm as determined to be a writer as a college kid is to be a doctor or Lawyer, it's not likely to be quick, it wont be easy. But I'll get there, I've got too many ideas and too much drive to not make it, and I've put in too much time and money already to call it a lost cause.
O, btw, It's not my hope to get published by out-pacing other aspiring authors. Ideally every single one of us would right excellent prose, and the world would find itself with an insatiable hunger for new novels and stories, that no amount of new authors could ever sate. So read, get your friends to read, and practice with me, and maybe we'll all make it. Either way I'm determined to get there, not because I'm better or luckier than others, but because my writing, timing, and purposes are all excellent and matured. I would honestly rather write beautiful, elegant, and well formed prose; with only a cult following, than write a clumsy, cliche, and pointless piece of prose that was a best seller and made me millions. I'm in it for the stories, perhaps my elitist thinking will give me another advantage.... or perhaps it's a disadvantage. But it's one of those things I have no real control over. The sky is blue, everybody dies, I can't grow facial hair, and I want to write things I can be proud of more than I want to write things I can profit from.
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Dystopia
Alright, I wasn't going to, but I'm posting the prologue to the book I started writing for my new writing group. This is unrevised (so it still says vampires, but it will say something else like Ghost, or banshee, or mermaid. IDK, it'll be changed. this scene's overt antagonist is an impossible monster, that's the important take away.)
amn the Writers. Monsters weren't real, this was just a sick twist
in his script. The lights flickered and went out, thankfully he'd come
prepared. It was really the only weapon against the Writers. When the
started to mess with you're story you could only try to prepare for
the inevitable, with luck you come out the hero, the alternative is
usually death. Ben was usually the plucky sidekick. He should be on
the phone while one of his friends guided him through the dark factory
with blood splattered walls. “What did I do? What did I do? What did I
do?” the phrase came unbidden from his thoughts to his mouth, as
little more than a squeak. Why were the Writers putting him in this
situation. There was no such things as monsters. All the same he
adjusted his grip on his wooden spike. The script said he had to kill
a vampire. But there were no vampires, vampires were a cliché, writers
avoided them because their lives depended on it. Why would they
reintroduce them now, after fifty years of avoidance?
Ben's flashlight followed a smear of blood on the wall down to the
floor.
“Oh God. Oh God he's dead. Oh God.” his stomach heaved as it had so
many times since entering the warehouse, and he dry heaved eyes
clenched tight against the horror. This morning he was just an
accountant. His stories hadn't been interesting, not really. His
family always warned him about that. “Ben don't be an accountant”
they'd say, “you know what's interesting about accountants? The way
they die. If you HAVE to be an accountant, be one that travels the
world seeks out adventure. Be one that writes his own story. Make as
little work for the Writers as possible.”
He hadn't listened. He just wanted a comfortable life. Wasn't that
the point of all the stories? Wasn't it all about the resolution
toward peace? Defeating evil and retiring into mediocrity? He'd
achieved that he just skipped the evil step. He avoided evil. But he'd
found the mediocrity and it made him happy. He had a wife a house and
2 kids. He had a dog named spot and a picket fence. He had a cat named
fluffy. He had the dream. Why did the Writers need to take that away.
Carefully avoiding looking at the mutilated body on the floor, Ben
walked deeper into to building. Find the vampire. Kill the vampire.
Maybe they'd let him have his peace then. He would have earned it. He
wasn't fit for this. Vampire! There were no such thing. What did the
writers want then? Did they want him to kill someone dressed as a
vampire. Could he? If it meant his peace, could he kill a normal man,
just following his own script? Damn the writers!
Ben's breath rang loudly in his ears, only the reluctant dragging of
his feet, and the throbbing of his heart were more pronounced. If
there were vampires, maybe that's what they'd hear too. The fear in
his footsteps, the edge in his breath, the panic being pumped through
his veins. He couldn't help but imagine shadows moving in closer,
surrounding him. Why am I doing this? What can they do to me that
worse than this? His steps faltered. Could they do worse than this?
Nobody was going to let him stab them with a steak. And he was hardly
an athlete. Without extraordinary luck he'd die tonight anyway.
He knew why. It wasn't because he was an accountant. Not really. It
was his own fault. He'd cheated on his wife, and worse he hadn't told
his listener. They said it wasn't in his character, which meant he'd
lied about other things. He'd wanted so badly to have that perfect
life that even a fake was better than nothing.
Maybe he did deserve this fate, but that didn't mean he had to accept
it.
“I'm going home. Do you hear me? I'm going home to tell my wife I'm
sorry and I love her. I'm not going to try to kill you, so you have no
reason to kill me. Let's just... Let's just all go home. I'll call the
cops about the body, they'll clean it up. Let's just go home.”
There was no concession, but then, there was no refusal or attack
either. Maybe they didn't want to kill him. Maybe they were afraid for
their own life. Slowly, Ben turned and began to take slow steps toward
the warehouse entrance, stake held tight, ready to defend himself if
he really needed to. Nothing moved. His hopes raised, and with it his
fear of hope being dashed. His slow creep became a walk, soon he was
jogging down the corridor. He could see light shining in through the
newspaper covered windows.
“Your life has been promised to me”
The disembodied voice come from all directions and stopped Ben cold.
Where was he? He searched wildly with his flash light, left right,
before and behind. Everywhere was empty. He began to creep forward
again. He was only 10 yards from the door. “please, I'm sorry. I don't
want to do this. I don't want to die!” Ben realized how helpless he
looked. He knew there was no such thing as vampires, but he couldn't
help feeling like he was looking like lunch. He straightened himself
and raised his stake. “I will defend myself if you attack me! Why
don't we both just go home to our families?” It was quiet and he was
so close to the doors. All the while his flashlight searched. No
sound, no movement. Left, right, before and behind.
And Above. Always look above, vampires hang from ceilings. It seemed
so obvious now. Now, Now that the room was spinning. Now that
consciousness was fading. It seemed so obvious, with the vampire's arm
around his throat, neck pierced and bleeding. “Damn the writers.”
amn the Writers. Monsters weren't real, this was just a sick twist
in his script. The lights flickered and went out, thankfully he'd come
prepared. It was really the only weapon against the Writers. When the
started to mess with you're story you could only try to prepare for
the inevitable, with luck you come out the hero, the alternative is
usually death. Ben was usually the plucky sidekick. He should be on
the phone while one of his friends guided him through the dark factory
with blood splattered walls. “What did I do? What did I do? What did I
do?” the phrase came unbidden from his thoughts to his mouth, as
little more than a squeak. Why were the Writers putting him in this
situation. There was no such things as monsters. All the same he
adjusted his grip on his wooden spike. The script said he had to kill
a vampire. But there were no vampires, vampires were a cliché, writers
avoided them because their lives depended on it. Why would they
reintroduce them now, after fifty years of avoidance?
Ben's flashlight followed a smear of blood on the wall down to the
floor.
“Oh God. Oh God he's dead. Oh God.” his stomach heaved as it had so
many times since entering the warehouse, and he dry heaved eyes
clenched tight against the horror. This morning he was just an
accountant. His stories hadn't been interesting, not really. His
family always warned him about that. “Ben don't be an accountant”
they'd say, “you know what's interesting about accountants? The way
they die. If you HAVE to be an accountant, be one that travels the
world seeks out adventure. Be one that writes his own story. Make as
little work for the Writers as possible.”
He hadn't listened. He just wanted a comfortable life. Wasn't that
the point of all the stories? Wasn't it all about the resolution
toward peace? Defeating evil and retiring into mediocrity? He'd
achieved that he just skipped the evil step. He avoided evil. But he'd
found the mediocrity and it made him happy. He had a wife a house and
2 kids. He had a dog named spot and a picket fence. He had a cat named
fluffy. He had the dream. Why did the Writers need to take that away.
Carefully avoiding looking at the mutilated body on the floor, Ben
walked deeper into to building. Find the vampire. Kill the vampire.
Maybe they'd let him have his peace then. He would have earned it. He
wasn't fit for this. Vampire! There were no such thing. What did the
writers want then? Did they want him to kill someone dressed as a
vampire. Could he? If it meant his peace, could he kill a normal man,
just following his own script? Damn the writers!
Ben's breath rang loudly in his ears, only the reluctant dragging of
his feet, and the throbbing of his heart were more pronounced. If
there were vampires, maybe that's what they'd hear too. The fear in
his footsteps, the edge in his breath, the panic being pumped through
his veins. He couldn't help but imagine shadows moving in closer,
surrounding him. Why am I doing this? What can they do to me that
worse than this? His steps faltered. Could they do worse than this?
Nobody was going to let him stab them with a steak. And he was hardly
an athlete. Without extraordinary luck he'd die tonight anyway.
He knew why. It wasn't because he was an accountant. Not really. It
was his own fault. He'd cheated on his wife, and worse he hadn't told
his listener. They said it wasn't in his character, which meant he'd
lied about other things. He'd wanted so badly to have that perfect
life that even a fake was better than nothing.
Maybe he did deserve this fate, but that didn't mean he had to accept
it.
“I'm going home. Do you hear me? I'm going home to tell my wife I'm
sorry and I love her. I'm not going to try to kill you, so you have no
reason to kill me. Let's just... Let's just all go home. I'll call the
cops about the body, they'll clean it up. Let's just go home.”
There was no concession, but then, there was no refusal or attack
either. Maybe they didn't want to kill him. Maybe they were afraid for
their own life. Slowly, Ben turned and began to take slow steps toward
the warehouse entrance, stake held tight, ready to defend himself if
he really needed to. Nothing moved. His hopes raised, and with it his
fear of hope being dashed. His slow creep became a walk, soon he was
jogging down the corridor. He could see light shining in through the
newspaper covered windows.
“Your life has been promised to me”
The disembodied voice come from all directions and stopped Ben cold.
Where was he? He searched wildly with his flash light, left right,
before and behind. Everywhere was empty. He began to creep forward
again. He was only 10 yards from the door. “please, I'm sorry. I don't
want to do this. I don't want to die!” Ben realized how helpless he
looked. He knew there was no such thing as vampires, but he couldn't
help feeling like he was looking like lunch. He straightened himself
and raised his stake. “I will defend myself if you attack me! Why
don't we both just go home to our families?” It was quiet and he was
so close to the doors. All the while his flashlight searched. No
sound, no movement. Left, right, before and behind.
And Above. Always look above, vampires hang from ceilings. It seemed
so obvious now. Now, Now that the room was spinning. Now that
consciousness was fading. It seemed so obvious, with the vampire's arm
around his throat, neck pierced and bleeding. “Damn the writers.”
That old dusty trail
Alright, it's been more than a week since I last wrote, which I didn't want to happen, even if my excuse is that working 60 hours a week with 4-6 hours of sleep a night is exhausting. Even so, I've neglected my blog.
What can I share today? Well, I just got home from my writing group a little while ago, so I should have some, sadly... we're not as productive as I'd like. November is a productive month for us, and March had a slight increase, but on the whole, it's more of a "hang out with like-minded people and get creative juices moving" group, than a writing group. Even during NaNoWriMo, we didn't do much sharing of our writing. I might try to get the group there more interested in actually writing and sharing, and growing, as a group.
It may be that the group majority isn't interested (or at least serious) about getting published, and getting to the point where their creations can support them financially. That is my goal. I want (and believe I can attain) a sustainable income as an author. I've no doubt that it'll be difficult, but it's my goal. I've heard great things about having a strong writing group. I think there's the potential for that with the group I'm in, but I think we need to decided whether or not we want to reach for that. We have a diverse group, and I think that diversity could add a lot to our critiques. If you're in A Ream of Writers, and you're interested in focusing the group back on the writing and growing aspects of the group, hit me up and let's see what we can come up with.
In the mean time, I've joined an online writing group in the attempt to get some feed back. It doesn't provide quite the incentive to write as A Ream of Writers does (during Nov. anyway), but I think there's excellent potential for honing my craft, and helping others hone theirs.
As far as the writing goes, I've written a prologue for a new story, as my first submission to my new writing group. I used a fake vampire (Shampire! oh that's fun! :-P) as the antagonist. I want some uncertainty in the prologue about the existence of monsters. The character is killed at the end of the prologue, ostensibly by the monster. The problem is, that vampires really ARE over used. And the book isn't about vampires, and vampires are in fact fake in the book. Thankfully my group pointed it out to me, and I can change it to a sham-monster of a different variety.
I also realized that part of my difficulty with revising Wielding the Locket, is that I haven't finished it. There's a few things I need to do to finish. Firstly, I need solidify some of the back-stories and world rules enough that I can find the best ending. and secondly I need to just start writing it. I wrote a pseudo-ending back in December so I could share it, but it was too early for that scene, and that scene wasn't meant to be the ending.
Alright, one more thing I've learned about the Writing (or at least about it's peripheries ((peripheries was apparently not a word I learned to spell recently... thank you spellcheck)). I need a website. If I do get published, a website could be very useful for collecting and keeping readers. But even before that, a website would show publishers, editors, and agents that I'm serious about my work, and would give them a taste of who I am and what I do. So my goal for this summer is to set one up. I'll share that on here when it's ready.
Okay, I have to go critique 4 more 1k submissions for my writing group, I need to write a little of WtL. and I need to go to bed.
Random thing of note for the week: Something unexpected, but not wholly surprising, has been happening; I'm getting better at spelling. I've always been pretty bad at spelling, but I hate the red lines under my words, so I often correct it manually until I find the right spelling, and lately I've been getting fewer of those.
Also, I realize that I sometimes don't make sense, I tend to blame dyslexia (self diagnosed), but it's also fatigue that both causes it and keep me from reading and editing these. I'll start doing that in a week or two when I've caught up a little on sleep.
What can I share today? Well, I just got home from my writing group a little while ago, so I should have some, sadly... we're not as productive as I'd like. November is a productive month for us, and March had a slight increase, but on the whole, it's more of a "hang out with like-minded people and get creative juices moving" group, than a writing group. Even during NaNoWriMo, we didn't do much sharing of our writing. I might try to get the group there more interested in actually writing and sharing, and growing, as a group.
It may be that the group majority isn't interested (or at least serious) about getting published, and getting to the point where their creations can support them financially. That is my goal. I want (and believe I can attain) a sustainable income as an author. I've no doubt that it'll be difficult, but it's my goal. I've heard great things about having a strong writing group. I think there's the potential for that with the group I'm in, but I think we need to decided whether or not we want to reach for that. We have a diverse group, and I think that diversity could add a lot to our critiques. If you're in A Ream of Writers, and you're interested in focusing the group back on the writing and growing aspects of the group, hit me up and let's see what we can come up with.
In the mean time, I've joined an online writing group in the attempt to get some feed back. It doesn't provide quite the incentive to write as A Ream of Writers does (during Nov. anyway), but I think there's excellent potential for honing my craft, and helping others hone theirs.
As far as the writing goes, I've written a prologue for a new story, as my first submission to my new writing group. I used a fake vampire (Shampire! oh that's fun! :-P) as the antagonist. I want some uncertainty in the prologue about the existence of monsters. The character is killed at the end of the prologue, ostensibly by the monster. The problem is, that vampires really ARE over used. And the book isn't about vampires, and vampires are in fact fake in the book. Thankfully my group pointed it out to me, and I can change it to a sham-monster of a different variety.
I also realized that part of my difficulty with revising Wielding the Locket, is that I haven't finished it. There's a few things I need to do to finish. Firstly, I need solidify some of the back-stories and world rules enough that I can find the best ending. and secondly I need to just start writing it. I wrote a pseudo-ending back in December so I could share it, but it was too early for that scene, and that scene wasn't meant to be the ending.
Alright, one more thing I've learned about the Writing (or at least about it's peripheries ((peripheries was apparently not a word I learned to spell recently... thank you spellcheck)). I need a website. If I do get published, a website could be very useful for collecting and keeping readers. But even before that, a website would show publishers, editors, and agents that I'm serious about my work, and would give them a taste of who I am and what I do. So my goal for this summer is to set one up. I'll share that on here when it's ready.
Okay, I have to go critique 4 more 1k submissions for my writing group, I need to write a little of WtL. and I need to go to bed.
Random thing of note for the week: Something unexpected, but not wholly surprising, has been happening; I'm getting better at spelling. I've always been pretty bad at spelling, but I hate the red lines under my words, so I often correct it manually until I find the right spelling, and lately I've been getting fewer of those.
Also, I realize that I sometimes don't make sense, I tend to blame dyslexia (self diagnosed), but it's also fatigue that both causes it and keep me from reading and editing these. I'll start doing that in a week or two when I've caught up a little on sleep.
Friday, May 11, 2012
First breath in days.
I've got a solution to my afore mentioned problem. If you want to read it in detail, you can in my previous post ("an 'oh crap' moment" I think); the premise being that I thought my novel Wielding the Locket (WtL) was doomed because I forgot to account for magic in my world's economy, religion, and current military strategies which is sort of a problem in my book. Most authors tend to deal with this issue in 1 of 3 ways. They account for the issues. They limit who can use the magic (genetics, chosen one, discipline.) Or they make the cost of using the magic very high ( sometimes a one time price paid on the onset, sometimes a price paid for each act of magic, sometimes an accumulative cost.
Now, since I hadn't accounted for the affect of magic on certain aspects of my world, I was afraid I was going to have to scrap the book, rewrite it completely (and in ways I didn't like). I did not want deny magic to anyone who wanted it. I considered making it religious taboo, too cliche. I considered having it cause insanity, which would have fit fairly neatly, but this is also a bit over done, and probably darker than I'm prepared to make this story.
I fell asleep having decided I was going to need the magic to cause sudden blindness. and it made me sorta sad. I softened the blow to my characters and myself by leaving my characters with an alternative form of sight (sort of a cross between Wheel of time's "seeing the weaves" of the "one power", Neo seeing the code in The Matrix, and Daredevil seeing with sonar). But it had to be a big enough disadvantage that people would be pretty hesitant to accept it as fair trade for learning magic. I had already come up with this concept for one old woman, and I felt it solved my problem, but it was still a bit darker than I was ready to make, especially because it could require extensive rewrites of discriptions at very least, along with rewrites of the character struggle. So I wasn't happy.
Finally, while working at Rayovac, I was able to refine that idea into a better fit for the puzzle I'm building.
Not everyone who uses "magic" (or wield the Impeti, as I phrase it.) loose their sight. But the ones who can do serious magic do, the ones who are in complete control of their Wielding will loose their sight.
This will be called "loosing the light" by other wielders. but outsiders (especially those from another city) often assume it's a reference to their goodness. there will be mixed rumors, some knowing about the blindess others not. But they will keep most people away. Many of those that try to learn will give up when they are told the consequences.
It's possible to regain full sight, if you give up the ability to see the Impeti that sorta make up everything.(Will, Reason, Sensation, Life, Nature, Truth/Illusion, Time, Matter, Distance/location/velocity). You could potentially still use magic, but it would be much less controlled. This can't be undone (as of now).
It works well because it will scare people off, help keep people from building their own Wielding armies (with Full wielder help)
Since it doesn't happen until you gain full control over your wielding, and has a build up period, I can keep his sight in the majority of the book; probably with disconcerting periods of blindness.
It also provides a great opportunity for tension in the character, suspension in several scenes, and several excellent plot twists, including one I just thought of now, that probably will remain buried until one of the sequels.
anyway. problem fixed!
Also, I didn't do any kind of reread/edit of this, so I apologize for any nonsense sentences. I literally fell asleep writing this..... Can't wait till I can get more than 5 hours of sleep a day, and work less than 12 hours.
Now, since I hadn't accounted for the affect of magic on certain aspects of my world, I was afraid I was going to have to scrap the book, rewrite it completely (and in ways I didn't like). I did not want deny magic to anyone who wanted it. I considered making it religious taboo, too cliche. I considered having it cause insanity, which would have fit fairly neatly, but this is also a bit over done, and probably darker than I'm prepared to make this story.
I fell asleep having decided I was going to need the magic to cause sudden blindness. and it made me sorta sad. I softened the blow to my characters and myself by leaving my characters with an alternative form of sight (sort of a cross between Wheel of time's "seeing the weaves" of the "one power", Neo seeing the code in The Matrix, and Daredevil seeing with sonar). But it had to be a big enough disadvantage that people would be pretty hesitant to accept it as fair trade for learning magic. I had already come up with this concept for one old woman, and I felt it solved my problem, but it was still a bit darker than I was ready to make, especially because it could require extensive rewrites of discriptions at very least, along with rewrites of the character struggle. So I wasn't happy.
Finally, while working at Rayovac, I was able to refine that idea into a better fit for the puzzle I'm building.
Not everyone who uses "magic" (or wield the Impeti, as I phrase it.) loose their sight. But the ones who can do serious magic do, the ones who are in complete control of their Wielding will loose their sight.
This will be called "loosing the light" by other wielders. but outsiders (especially those from another city) often assume it's a reference to their goodness. there will be mixed rumors, some knowing about the blindess others not. But they will keep most people away. Many of those that try to learn will give up when they are told the consequences.
It's possible to regain full sight, if you give up the ability to see the Impeti that sorta make up everything.(Will, Reason, Sensation, Life, Nature, Truth/Illusion, Time, Matter, Distance/location/velocity). You could potentially still use magic, but it would be much less controlled. This can't be undone (as of now).
It works well because it will scare people off, help keep people from building their own Wielding armies (with Full wielder help)
Since it doesn't happen until you gain full control over your wielding, and has a build up period, I can keep his sight in the majority of the book; probably with disconcerting periods of blindness.
It also provides a great opportunity for tension in the character, suspension in several scenes, and several excellent plot twists, including one I just thought of now, that probably will remain buried until one of the sequels.
anyway. problem fixed!
Also, I didn't do any kind of reread/edit of this, so I apologize for any nonsense sentences. I literally fell asleep writing this..... Can't wait till I can get more than 5 hours of sleep a day, and work less than 12 hours.
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
an "oh crap" moment
So, I've started listening to Writing Excuses (as I may have said), and I was just listening to an episode from their first season where they talk about costs of magic.
AND.
MY.
JAW.
DROPPED.
OPEN.
I've been pretty proud of my NaNo Novel (here after called Wielding the Locket (Here after referred to as WtL)). I mean, I still have a lot of work to do, but the frame work was there. and the more I add and edit, the more excited and proud I get.
I forgot the books. (Ted Mosbey from how I met your mother tells a story of an architect that built a library but forgot to account for the books, the building sank a little each year and was eventually condemned.
I wanted my magic system to be available to anyone willing to learn, I wanted a years worth of learning to be be a solid start. a year to learn a lifetime to master, sort of thing. The magic system has no health costs (beyond some fatigue, which is cliche) and has no moral cost. the cost is generally in material, time, and the distance of the magic user (wielder) from the affected area. There's other potential costs, but you could get by with just those for the most part. There's also increased random activity surrounding magical activity. I'm actually fairly okay with the cost of the magic. although, I need to do something about the fatigue, it's too cliche.
the problem is, Magic has almost no effect on my world's economy. why wouldn't everyone learn magic to aid them in their every day life? I do have rules set up about being approved as a "student". But there's a large number of people who can wield. Why aren't they making big bucks? well, some are, but why not more?
With the limited number of wielders, why aren't there people training an army of wielders to take over the world?
I haven't thought of any of these things, it very well may be my story's Unmaker.
Bed Time, maybe I'll find another puzzle piece or two that will answer these questions and unify the story even better, while I sleep.
AND.
MY.
JAW.
DROPPED.
OPEN.
I've been pretty proud of my NaNo Novel (here after called Wielding the Locket (Here after referred to as WtL)). I mean, I still have a lot of work to do, but the frame work was there. and the more I add and edit, the more excited and proud I get.
I forgot the books. (Ted Mosbey from how I met your mother tells a story of an architect that built a library but forgot to account for the books, the building sank a little each year and was eventually condemned.
I wanted my magic system to be available to anyone willing to learn, I wanted a years worth of learning to be be a solid start. a year to learn a lifetime to master, sort of thing. The magic system has no health costs (beyond some fatigue, which is cliche) and has no moral cost. the cost is generally in material, time, and the distance of the magic user (wielder) from the affected area. There's other potential costs, but you could get by with just those for the most part. There's also increased random activity surrounding magical activity. I'm actually fairly okay with the cost of the magic. although, I need to do something about the fatigue, it's too cliche.
the problem is, Magic has almost no effect on my world's economy. why wouldn't everyone learn magic to aid them in their every day life? I do have rules set up about being approved as a "student". But there's a large number of people who can wield. Why aren't they making big bucks? well, some are, but why not more?
With the limited number of wielders, why aren't there people training an army of wielders to take over the world?
I haven't thought of any of these things, it very well may be my story's Unmaker.
Bed Time, maybe I'll find another puzzle piece or two that will answer these questions and unify the story even better, while I sleep.
Monday, May 7, 2012
Jumping in
Back in November I participated in NaNoWriMo and managed to write a 50k word novel in the month time frame. The book still wasn't finished and over December I added another 15k ish until I got the story to a point where I felt I could share it with some close friends and family, and it had a facsimile of an ending. Since then I've been working on it. It's not where I'd like it to be, and I'm starting to see the changes that are needed.
This post I'll share a one or two with you and let you know my possible solutions.
The first is the beginning of my story. I'm a world builder in a lot of ways, and it tends to detract from the actual plot and character if I'm not careful. in the first three chapters the character is basically just contemplating his city, and history, and the potential future of both the city and him. Really there's a purpose for it, and it achieves something worth while, but it does through a pretty boring method. I actually really enjoy it, and others might too, but it's not where it should be. and it's not where it could be. despite enjoying the info dump, those scenes have largely felt flat to me.
While J'yon (main character) is recalling what he's heard about the city's history, he mentions that the city has been rebuilding the walls as though preparing for another war.
I decided this is what I needed. I'm now in the process of reworking the beginning of this story to take place a few years down that path. Now the city is AT war, the walls are still incomplete and the city is forcing young men without a master-level trade to march as soldiers against the forces of another city.
Here's my opening paragraph, it's literally a first draft, and it's not perfect but its an enormous imporvement
J'yon looked up from his uncle's work bench and the lion head he'd been carving for a banister knob. The sun blossomed over the city's skyline, its light supplementing that of the glow off the oil lamp. He was finished. The last hour of sanding and detail work had been the hardest. Maybe staying up all night to finish his project hadn't been strictly necessary, but he wanted to impress his uncle. Now Hayben would have the whole day to inspect the house and double check all the details before its new owners moved in. The house was J'yon's master piece, his final piece of carpentry done as an apprentice. Hayben had been keeping an eye on his nephew's work, of course, to make sure he made no large or dangerous blunders; but he'd left the project largely in J'yon's hands. They'd hired men to help with the labor and it had been J'yon's job to lead them and to make sure they didn't make any mistakes either. Now, a year later, the manor was finished with the placing of the banister knob and his uncle's last inspection.
Placing his city at war has also opened up much greater chance for character depth, added a side plot that will provide several types of conflict/ friction. it also adds greater opportunity for a foil charcter early on, and provides better tension in the opening scene.
I'm going to leave you there for now. comments are of course welcome.
Darren
Only a Sith deals in absolutes
This post I'll share a one or two with you and let you know my possible solutions.
The first is the beginning of my story. I'm a world builder in a lot of ways, and it tends to detract from the actual plot and character if I'm not careful. in the first three chapters the character is basically just contemplating his city, and history, and the potential future of both the city and him. Really there's a purpose for it, and it achieves something worth while, but it does through a pretty boring method. I actually really enjoy it, and others might too, but it's not where it should be. and it's not where it could be. despite enjoying the info dump, those scenes have largely felt flat to me.
While J'yon (main character) is recalling what he's heard about the city's history, he mentions that the city has been rebuilding the walls as though preparing for another war.
I decided this is what I needed. I'm now in the process of reworking the beginning of this story to take place a few years down that path. Now the city is AT war, the walls are still incomplete and the city is forcing young men without a master-level trade to march as soldiers against the forces of another city.
Here's my opening paragraph, it's literally a first draft, and it's not perfect but its an enormous imporvement
The air hummed with the deadly murmer
of war, making sleep impossible. J'yon had spent most of the night
meticulously carving, sanding, and staining a lion's head as the
finishing touch for his master work. His salvation. He could hear the
quick march of armored foot-falls on the cobbled streets, a fate he
knew he would face if his master-work didn't pass a council
inspection. His apprenticeship would be called a failure and he would
be a forced recruit in the city's military. If he was lucky they
would make use of his experience as a carpenter's apprentice and he'd
build catipults and cross bows, more likely he'd face the army of the
lost empire with sorely inadequate training, and no taste for death.
"The forward lines will cure you
of that weakness soon enough" Captain Jol had told him, "cure
you or kill you, you got no problems too long on the forward."
J'yon's stomach churned with anxiety,
for better or worse he'd meet his fate today. Carpenter and well
paid, or nameless soldier on a line.
For comparison, here's the original first paragraph.
For comparison, here's the original first paragraph.
J'yon looked up from his uncle's work bench and the lion head he'd been carving for a banister knob. The sun blossomed over the city's skyline, its light supplementing that of the glow off the oil lamp. He was finished. The last hour of sanding and detail work had been the hardest. Maybe staying up all night to finish his project hadn't been strictly necessary, but he wanted to impress his uncle. Now Hayben would have the whole day to inspect the house and double check all the details before its new owners moved in. The house was J'yon's master piece, his final piece of carpentry done as an apprentice. Hayben had been keeping an eye on his nephew's work, of course, to make sure he made no large or dangerous blunders; but he'd left the project largely in J'yon's hands. They'd hired men to help with the labor and it had been J'yon's job to lead them and to make sure they didn't make any mistakes either. Now, a year later, the manor was finished with the placing of the banister knob and his uncle's last inspection.
Placing his city at war has also opened up much greater chance for character depth, added a side plot that will provide several types of conflict/ friction. it also adds greater opportunity for a foil charcter early on, and provides better tension in the opening scene.
I'm going to leave you there for now. comments are of course welcome.
Darren
Only a Sith deals in absolutes
I watched startrek before it was cool
I'm returning to this blog after an extended hiatus. My imaginary (for now) audience may be wondering "why did you stop posting?" The answer is simple. I didn't feel like I had anything worth sharing or chronicling except perhaps my fiction. The problem with publishing fiction in a place like this is, three-fold (because I like the phrase and it probably will work here.)
1.) people can copy right any good ideas you post.
2.) You're not as likely to spend time editing, and even if you do you don't have the anxiety of showing editor or publisher to force you to really examine your work, so its easy to be sloppy and not improve.
3.)if you manage to write something of quality despite number 2, and people don't steal your ideas like in 1, You would have just published your excellent idea for all the world to read for free. Making later professional publishing a head ache if not an exercise in futility.
Thus the Hiatus. But I've come up with something I think I can consistently write about. My Journey as a write. That may be of zero importance to the entire world. But it offers me a new perspective on my writing, yours, or what I imagine my imaginary audiences perspective might be. As I learn to write better and better I can make note of it on here, as a reminder to myself. As I read magazines, listen to podcasts (writing excuses), and any other method of growth, I can share what I've learned, what's stuck with me most and do some live editing.
I was also given the idea of limiting what I share from my as-yet-unpublished works, for two reasons. first it avoids the afore mentioned problems, and secondly, it allows me to get a more targeted feed back. Instead of getting an opinion of a story as a whole I can post a section, scene, or sentence, that will be judged on its own merits. Its true that this will limit the usefulness of the comments as the whole story and purpose will often be lost to the reader, so I may do some explanation before and/or after, as seems fitting.
I've also decided that I will eventually be a published author. In the past this wasn't really a thing a person could truly decide, luck and skill and a market were important factors in getting published. But you can publish an E-Book on amazon now really easily. This isn't my preferred path, and I think I have what it takes to be an excellent and well received writer of speculative fiction novels. So I plan to chronicle my attempts at getting published too, when that comes up.
I don't really seeing this blog having a sizeable audience, but it may be of interest to other aspiring writers, some of my friends and family, and one day maybe my fans. But for now, this is mostly just for me. But please read and comment (always comment!) and share with friends and family that you think might enjoy this, or any enemies you think will hate it! :)
1337, bow ties, are cool, may the 4th be with you, don't forget your towel, there are 10 types of people in the world (those that know binary and those that don't), Brown coats!, make it so.
Geek cred. established.
I'm out
You can know where I am, or you know how fast I'm leaving, but you can't know both.
1.) people can copy right any good ideas you post.
2.) You're not as likely to spend time editing, and even if you do you don't have the anxiety of showing editor or publisher to force you to really examine your work, so its easy to be sloppy and not improve.
3.)if you manage to write something of quality despite number 2, and people don't steal your ideas like in 1, You would have just published your excellent idea for all the world to read for free. Making later professional publishing a head ache if not an exercise in futility.
Thus the Hiatus. But I've come up with something I think I can consistently write about. My Journey as a write. That may be of zero importance to the entire world. But it offers me a new perspective on my writing, yours, or what I imagine my imaginary audiences perspective might be. As I learn to write better and better I can make note of it on here, as a reminder to myself. As I read magazines, listen to podcasts (writing excuses), and any other method of growth, I can share what I've learned, what's stuck with me most and do some live editing.
I was also given the idea of limiting what I share from my as-yet-unpublished works, for two reasons. first it avoids the afore mentioned problems, and secondly, it allows me to get a more targeted feed back. Instead of getting an opinion of a story as a whole I can post a section, scene, or sentence, that will be judged on its own merits. Its true that this will limit the usefulness of the comments as the whole story and purpose will often be lost to the reader, so I may do some explanation before and/or after, as seems fitting.
I've also decided that I will eventually be a published author. In the past this wasn't really a thing a person could truly decide, luck and skill and a market were important factors in getting published. But you can publish an E-Book on amazon now really easily. This isn't my preferred path, and I think I have what it takes to be an excellent and well received writer of speculative fiction novels. So I plan to chronicle my attempts at getting published too, when that comes up.
I don't really seeing this blog having a sizeable audience, but it may be of interest to other aspiring writers, some of my friends and family, and one day maybe my fans. But for now, this is mostly just for me. But please read and comment (always comment!) and share with friends and family that you think might enjoy this, or any enemies you think will hate it! :)
1337, bow ties, are cool, may the 4th be with you, don't forget your towel, there are 10 types of people in the world (those that know binary and those that don't), Brown coats!, make it so.
Geek cred. established.
I'm out
You can know where I am, or you know how fast I'm leaving, but you can't know both.
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