So I'm into the rewrite! Let's get last weeks totals first:
Mon: 2009
Tue: 2102
Wed: 2120
Thu: 1178
Fri: 1437
TOTAL: 8846
So it's a FAIL. But I also wrote a handful of short stories (okay, two short stories) that impeded my writing time by a little bit, making this failure a little more acceptable. Either way, this week: No fails. Seriously, I'm back on this damn horse and I don't care who knows it.
Rewriting has been an interesting experience. First, I'm finding myself cutting a lot and I find myself shifting a lot of scenes to make the narrative more streamlined. Right now, the book is at 9274 words, and I'm at the same spot that is 15,000 words into the original draft. I like what I'm writing a lot more, that's for sure. Cutting all that has made more room for me to flesh out the ending and add a little more action to those points. The biggest cuts will likely be in the middle, though, and I'm excited for that part. In any case, I need to actually get writing! More to come!
Monday, September 22, 2014
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
Rewrite Time!
So, while I have a handful of projects ready to go for my next novel, I've shifted my priorities some. It's time to work toward publishing, in some capacity, and as a result I've decided to rewrite my first book, for a couple of reasons.
The primary reason is that I love that book, but I'm not the same writer I was when I started it. I'm much better, writing more concisely with consistent voice and overall, better habits. As I said, I still love the tale itself, and I want to preserve that. It perfectly sets up the universe I write about, has some memorable and fun characters (more on them in a moment), and really works as a story.
As I said, I love the characters in this book. They're also the characters in books two and three of the same series (obviously), and after writing one and a half more books about them I really feel like I know them better than when I had started book one. So, going back to rewrite (especially the beginning chapters) of book one, I'm getting a chance to write them as they should have been and much more consistently. They're coming across even stronger than the first time I'd written them and I love that.
The last reason I'm doing it this way is more professional. It's always been my plan to get my work out there in some capacity, and I've been practicing and writing my ass off to try and make that happen. Not necessarily in traditional publishing circles, but at least in a self-publishing effort. My first book is one that I would like to self publish, and would want to self publish its sequels eventually too. I think it has a chance with a publisher/agent in a traditional way, but not as much as one of my current works in progress, which I plan to finish after I rewrite this book. That work, its own standalone story, will likely be the one I push for real, traditional publishing, while trying to market and make a name for myself with the series I self publish.
What does this mean for you, my blog reader? Well, nothing, really. Yet. It means that I'm working to publish something, something of mine you can read as fiction and this blog will then sort of make sense. It means that the word counts I'm putting up will now be in line with the work I do on that rewrite. And of course, it means that I've changed my mind yet again about what I'm working on.
In any case, Friday will bring a new word count total. I know I did over 2K yesterday, but only about 1,100 on Monday. So we'll have to catch up! Also, I am still planning on posting some of my short works and flash fiction for you to read, so be ready for that!
Bishop
The primary reason is that I love that book, but I'm not the same writer I was when I started it. I'm much better, writing more concisely with consistent voice and overall, better habits. As I said, I still love the tale itself, and I want to preserve that. It perfectly sets up the universe I write about, has some memorable and fun characters (more on them in a moment), and really works as a story.
As I said, I love the characters in this book. They're also the characters in books two and three of the same series (obviously), and after writing one and a half more books about them I really feel like I know them better than when I had started book one. So, going back to rewrite (especially the beginning chapters) of book one, I'm getting a chance to write them as they should have been and much more consistently. They're coming across even stronger than the first time I'd written them and I love that.
The last reason I'm doing it this way is more professional. It's always been my plan to get my work out there in some capacity, and I've been practicing and writing my ass off to try and make that happen. Not necessarily in traditional publishing circles, but at least in a self-publishing effort. My first book is one that I would like to self publish, and would want to self publish its sequels eventually too. I think it has a chance with a publisher/agent in a traditional way, but not as much as one of my current works in progress, which I plan to finish after I rewrite this book. That work, its own standalone story, will likely be the one I push for real, traditional publishing, while trying to market and make a name for myself with the series I self publish.
What does this mean for you, my blog reader? Well, nothing, really. Yet. It means that I'm working to publish something, something of mine you can read as fiction and this blog will then sort of make sense. It means that the word counts I'm putting up will now be in line with the work I do on that rewrite. And of course, it means that I've changed my mind yet again about what I'm working on.
In any case, Friday will bring a new word count total. I know I did over 2K yesterday, but only about 1,100 on Monday. So we'll have to catch up! Also, I am still planning on posting some of my short works and flash fiction for you to read, so be ready for that!
Bishop
Wednesday, September 10, 2014
Surgery
So I had some surgery.
That's the main reason I've been gone, but the other is just life getting in the way. The surgery I had was a septoplasty and bilateral turbinate reduction. They fixed up my nose, and for a while there I was completely unable to breathe through my nose and experiencing serious sinus pressure headaches. In any case, the air is returning to my nostrils and with it my will to write and post and all that. I've been a flake on this, my own blog, for a while now and I really want to get back into the habit of writing here.
SO! In the interest of starting fresh... I finished my latest novel not long before the surgery, and am starting one of three new projects that I have planned and partially started. I'm working on about the first 5-10k this week and the week before and will have a good chunk of story to see which I think has the most potential. Next week begins fresh, accurate counts and good meaningful posts.
That being said, for now I'm writing casually on these three projects, getting just a little in for each, probably around 1K words a day for them. It's relaxed, and it's helping me get back into the swing. Also, I'm going to start a third category of posts on my blog... my actual writing. I do a lot of flash fiction for a competition on the web each month, and I'm going to start posting some of the shorts I've written, or maybe even some of the chapters of one of my novels--we'll see on that part.
Stay tuned!
P.S.
Apparently, when the hospital asks for an emergency contact, if you say "Scarlett Johansson", they don't look up her number and call her. It was a real disappointment.
That's the main reason I've been gone, but the other is just life getting in the way. The surgery I had was a septoplasty and bilateral turbinate reduction. They fixed up my nose, and for a while there I was completely unable to breathe through my nose and experiencing serious sinus pressure headaches. In any case, the air is returning to my nostrils and with it my will to write and post and all that. I've been a flake on this, my own blog, for a while now and I really want to get back into the habit of writing here.
SO! In the interest of starting fresh... I finished my latest novel not long before the surgery, and am starting one of three new projects that I have planned and partially started. I'm working on about the first 5-10k this week and the week before and will have a good chunk of story to see which I think has the most potential. Next week begins fresh, accurate counts and good meaningful posts.
That being said, for now I'm writing casually on these three projects, getting just a little in for each, probably around 1K words a day for them. It's relaxed, and it's helping me get back into the swing. Also, I'm going to start a third category of posts on my blog... my actual writing. I do a lot of flash fiction for a competition on the web each month, and I'm going to start posting some of the shorts I've written, or maybe even some of the chapters of one of my novels--we'll see on that part.
Stay tuned!
P.S.
Apparently, when the hospital asks for an emergency contact, if you say "Scarlett Johansson", they don't look up her number and call her. It was a real disappointment.
Tuesday, August 12, 2014
IT Intel 1
A good chunk of my job in the IT department at my company is to take calls from field managers where they are having issues with their local networks and servers. These managers are often better suited as managers than as computer technicians, so my team and I provide on the phone support for them for the tech aspect. As you can guess, as with any job out there, there are the technically illiterate people among us. That isn't to say they're not skilled or intelligent; they're just not great with computers. So much of my job is taking calls that end with simple solutions. Restart the computer, SHAZAM! It's fixed. That sort of stuff.
Most of these people on the other line, I've never met in person. I come up with images of them in my head, and ideas about what they're like. In fact, I have characters in my mind, and whenever I receive the call, I sometimes have to have them repeat what they said because I was busy daydreaming about their 'character' attempting to hit the computers with a ball peen hammer.
Other times, I wonder what's going on that I'm not hearing. Like the other day, I had a call from a manager who began to speak, but then was immediately cut off. I expected him to call back immediately, as they often do when they cut out, but so far it's been six hours and he's not responded. I tried to call him, and his phone rings for a while and goes to voice mail.
I chose to believe that he is, in fact, not just a manager with my delivery company, but an international super spy, and that the conversation would have gone like this in a narrative format:
"Patrick. I need your help, the computer just started--*click*" Jackson looked at his phone, bemused by the 'no signal' indicator which had, only moments ago, five bars. The silent air of the office filled with a low, rumbling laughter, and Jackson's eyes narrowed at the familiar sound.
"Agent Jackson... We meet again." The voice echoed from the doorway as Professor Malestorm turned and entered.
"Malestorm." Jackson said, closing the laptop in front of himself with one hand and putting down his ball peen hammer with the other.
"I wouldn't drop your only weapon, Jackson." Malestorm reached into his long silver lab coat with a gloved hand, producing a laser pistol. "I'd say this fight will last six hours, minimum."
Jackson cracked his knuckles. "Guess I won't be calling him back..."
I mean, that's realistic, right?
Most of these people on the other line, I've never met in person. I come up with images of them in my head, and ideas about what they're like. In fact, I have characters in my mind, and whenever I receive the call, I sometimes have to have them repeat what they said because I was busy daydreaming about their 'character' attempting to hit the computers with a ball peen hammer.
Other times, I wonder what's going on that I'm not hearing. Like the other day, I had a call from a manager who began to speak, but then was immediately cut off. I expected him to call back immediately, as they often do when they cut out, but so far it's been six hours and he's not responded. I tried to call him, and his phone rings for a while and goes to voice mail.
I chose to believe that he is, in fact, not just a manager with my delivery company, but an international super spy, and that the conversation would have gone like this in a narrative format:
"Patrick. I need your help, the computer just started--*click*" Jackson looked at his phone, bemused by the 'no signal' indicator which had, only moments ago, five bars. The silent air of the office filled with a low, rumbling laughter, and Jackson's eyes narrowed at the familiar sound.
"Agent Jackson... We meet again." The voice echoed from the doorway as Professor Malestorm turned and entered.
"Malestorm." Jackson said, closing the laptop in front of himself with one hand and putting down his ball peen hammer with the other.
"I wouldn't drop your only weapon, Jackson." Malestorm reached into his long silver lab coat with a gloved hand, producing a laser pistol. "I'd say this fight will last six hours, minimum."
Jackson cracked his knuckles. "Guess I won't be calling him back..."
I mean, that's realistic, right?
Tuesday, July 29, 2014
Critiquing the Idea
For those who don't know, I'm a member of a writing forum. One of the things I've seen asked a lot is for people to give advice on or critique an idea for a story or a novel. It's something that's difficult for me to get a full grasp on, because until recently, I've always been rather private with my ideas (see: how this blog has very little of my actual ideas written out!) and have never really sought advice in that stage of the process. These people obviously have a different mindset, and it makes me wonder how they're approaching the process.
Mainly, I'm curious how others' advice affects their ideas. If I were to say, here's my story: A, B, and C, and you were to say, "Change C to D", I'm not sure I'd make the change. Mostly because my thoughts would be on 'well, that's not how the story is supposed to go'. But it's not the fault of the suggester: They only have the barest of bones on the tale.
A wise man once said, "if it ain't broke don't fix it" (I said 'wise', not 'grammatically astute'). How can anyone know what's wrong with a story when there's no story? How can an "idea" be broken? No one knows what the story really is yet because the story doesn't exist. I worry for these writers because I think they're getting too plagued by the starting line.
If you ponder over ideas, making changes and asking questions about just the spark of inspiration you received, how will the story ever get made? Some writers go in with a chapter by chapter plan of their story, and some of them might start exactly as I've described here; checking up on the idea first. But I know for a fact that there are writers who get bogged down in this opening stage so much that they soon find themselves months, maybe years later with this great idea, but not a single word written toward it.
I suppose if I were inclined or qualified, my advice would be to get an idea and then write the story. Close the world out until "The End" is written, and then critique it yourself. Edit it, clean it up, leave it alone, and clean it up some more. Then, show it to the world and see what they think. You'll probably need to make more changes once other people see it, but I doubt they'll be as sweeping or story-altering as they would have been if you sought advice with just that idea. Instead, the critique will focus on style and structure, making your writing better rather than trying to make your story better.
Mainly, I'm curious how others' advice affects their ideas. If I were to say, here's my story: A, B, and C, and you were to say, "Change C to D", I'm not sure I'd make the change. Mostly because my thoughts would be on 'well, that's not how the story is supposed to go'. But it's not the fault of the suggester: They only have the barest of bones on the tale.
A wise man once said, "if it ain't broke don't fix it" (I said 'wise', not 'grammatically astute'). How can anyone know what's wrong with a story when there's no story? How can an "idea" be broken? No one knows what the story really is yet because the story doesn't exist. I worry for these writers because I think they're getting too plagued by the starting line.
If you ponder over ideas, making changes and asking questions about just the spark of inspiration you received, how will the story ever get made? Some writers go in with a chapter by chapter plan of their story, and some of them might start exactly as I've described here; checking up on the idea first. But I know for a fact that there are writers who get bogged down in this opening stage so much that they soon find themselves months, maybe years later with this great idea, but not a single word written toward it.
I suppose if I were inclined or qualified, my advice would be to get an idea and then write the story. Close the world out until "The End" is written, and then critique it yourself. Edit it, clean it up, leave it alone, and clean it up some more. Then, show it to the world and see what they think. You'll probably need to make more changes once other people see it, but I doubt they'll be as sweeping or story-altering as they would have been if you sought advice with just that idea. Instead, the critique will focus on style and structure, making your writing better rather than trying to make your story better.
A Month of Failure
Greetings internet! It's been a short while, eh? Let me explain. So when we last talked, I'd not been here in a while because things were getting busy around me. Well, just when I thought the storm had cleared, I got floored! My boss came in with the news that she got another job elsewhere (a better one!) so while we were all very happy for her, it did make for some real changes here in the office. We had to restructure a few things and one of the senior members of the IT team got promoted to her place. We're a medium sized delivery company, as you might know, and we also get more deliveries going in the summer because the weather makes things easier to work with. So all in all, my office time was mostly spent either working for real, or writing my book. I just didn't have time for the blog, I'm sorry to say.
I also went to a convention, got a tattoo, joined a new gym, and have been preparing for a minor surgery (nothing scary!). So my time's been pretty monopolized and what little free time I've had at home has been spent relaxing with my wife, Bishopette. So I apologize for having been a dead duck for a couple of weeks. For now, let's get the counts over with, I got more to say!
Summing up the last couple of... erm, I just looked at the date, and it's been a month. SO: Summing up the last month:
Week 1: 2597 (This was the convention week)
Week 2: 7677
Week 3: 4548
Week 4: 8625
As I said, it's been hectic. It's safe to say July was a month of failure. But, I am making progress in "Observer", the latest novel, and am about 70,000 words in. Things are really moving in the story and it's coming together beautifully.
So that sums up the return-to post, let's get to the discussions!
I also went to a convention, got a tattoo, joined a new gym, and have been preparing for a minor surgery (nothing scary!). So my time's been pretty monopolized and what little free time I've had at home has been spent relaxing with my wife, Bishopette. So I apologize for having been a dead duck for a couple of weeks. For now, let's get the counts over with, I got more to say!
Summing up the last couple of... erm, I just looked at the date, and it's been a month. SO: Summing up the last month:
Week 1: 2597 (This was the convention week)
Week 2: 7677
Week 3: 4548
Week 4: 8625
As I said, it's been hectic. It's safe to say July was a month of failure. But, I am making progress in "Observer", the latest novel, and am about 70,000 words in. Things are really moving in the story and it's coming together beautifully.
So that sums up the return-to post, let's get to the discussions!
Monday, June 30, 2014
Not Dead!
>.>
<.<
^.^
No! I'm not dead! Wait, you didn't notice? Oh... okay... Let's go to the counts! FOR TWO WEEKS!
Mon: 4032
Tue: 2605
Wed: 3602
Thu: 2700
Fri: 2067
TOTAL: 15006
Mon: 2011
Tue: 2061
Wed: 2026
Thu: 2135
Fri: 1579 FAIL
TOTAL: 9812 FAIL
I'm calling it a win. Nearly 25K in two weeks is not bad, if I do say so myself. Deal with it!
So what's been going on? Well, not a lot. What's up with you? Okay, okay, I've been busy lately. I've been working on judging a short story contest, making a costume for a convention coming up rather rapidly, making a video game, writing this book, and to top it all off, we had a massive data issue at work recently that ate up a lot of time. It is, in fact, the sole reason for the Friday failure in the second week up there.
So what now, you may well ask... I'm taking a break for this week. Not to say there's going to be no writing, but I've got a lot on my plate right now and will only be at work half of this week (leaving town on Thursday for the costume thingy :D ) and deadlines for the short story contest, said costume, and some work stuff are all taking priority right now. But I'll be back later this week with an "adventures" story and for now I'm going to go read more short stories and work at work, I suppose!
<.<
^.^
No! I'm not dead! Wait, you didn't notice? Oh... okay... Let's go to the counts! FOR TWO WEEKS!
Mon: 4032
Tue: 2605
Wed: 3602
Thu: 2700
Fri: 2067
TOTAL: 15006
Mon: 2011
Tue: 2061
Wed: 2026
Thu: 2135
Fri: 1579 FAIL
TOTAL: 9812 FAIL
I'm calling it a win. Nearly 25K in two weeks is not bad, if I do say so myself. Deal with it!
So what's been going on? Well, not a lot. What's up with you? Okay, okay, I've been busy lately. I've been working on judging a short story contest, making a costume for a convention coming up rather rapidly, making a video game, writing this book, and to top it all off, we had a massive data issue at work recently that ate up a lot of time. It is, in fact, the sole reason for the Friday failure in the second week up there.
So what now, you may well ask... I'm taking a break for this week. Not to say there's going to be no writing, but I've got a lot on my plate right now and will only be at work half of this week (leaving town on Thursday for the costume thingy :D ) and deadlines for the short story contest, said costume, and some work stuff are all taking priority right now. But I'll be back later this week with an "adventures" story and for now I'm going to go read more short stories and work at work, I suppose!
Monday, June 16, 2014
Momentum
Ever felt like something was coming to you and going so fast that you felt like gliding through it was almost effortless?
Mon: 2207
Tue: 3200
Wed: 3665
Thu: 2000
Fri: 3312
Sat: 1636 BONUS
Sun: 1016 BONUS
Total: 17036
Finally! A week with NO failures! And look at that total. Whew, I'm loving this new book. It's coming along swimmingly, as you can tell, and the plot is advancing nicely.
I don't want to say that it was the flash of inspiration for this novel's idea that led to this sort of momentum, but there's something about the fresh perspective and new characters that have really brought my stride into high gear. I'm really enjoying writing this one and will continue to until the end. For now though, back to work!
Mon: 2207
Tue: 3200
Wed: 3665
Thu: 2000
Fri: 3312
Sat: 1636 BONUS
Sun: 1016 BONUS
Total: 17036
Finally! A week with NO failures! And look at that total. Whew, I'm loving this new book. It's coming along swimmingly, as you can tell, and the plot is advancing nicely.
I don't want to say that it was the flash of inspiration for this novel's idea that led to this sort of momentum, but there's something about the fresh perspective and new characters that have really brought my stride into high gear. I'm really enjoying writing this one and will continue to until the end. For now though, back to work!
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
Retail Recap 1
One of the many jobs I had before I was blessed with my position in IT was at an electronics retail store. I won't say which, for obvious reasons, but I will say it's a small-box electronics retailer that's been around a long time, and most people wonder why it's still relevant. Even the employees wonder this.
In any case, my wife (then girlfriend) worked there in college for a summer and when she left, I took the open position at that store. I went to college in a very small town, and keep that in mind as it becomes relevant to the story later on. I worked as an associate there on and off for my last years in college, and I learned a lot about small town living. I'd like to share a few of those observations (since my current adventures are a little boring!).
Lesson 1: People sometimes walk into retail establishments with no intention of buying anything. They just want to talk. Sure, some people come into a store to check out the merchandise and to price match, or even scout out competition for another store. That's all well and good! But there are some people (especially in small towns) who come in just to... have a chat.
My fifth manager at that small town location (yes, it went through 5 managers in the lesser part of a year) and I became friends. Mostly because we were of like ages, but also because we were both "city boys" who were living in the small town against our will. And neither of us really cared much for retail, just had it as a job. One month we were having horrid sales. It's not that we really tried overly hard on the normal months, but this month in particular no one was coming in. So he asked me if I had any ideas on how to attract more customers. Being dumb, I suggested we could get a coffee pot for people, encourage them to stick around more, look around the shop, and possibly buy cell phones (our primary revenue driver, despite having poor selection and we were a 3rd party retailer).
"No," he said, "We do not want that."
"Why?" I asked.
He reached over and patted me on the shoulder and said, in the nicest way, "That's the dumbest idea you've ever had, and soon you'll know why."
Not one week later, I was sitting in the back room playing Angry Birds on a tablet that was supposed to be for store demos. It was early morning (9-930ish) and a weekday, and that meant no customers, so kick back and finish your McDonald's breakfast, Patrick. And so I was. Soon, I heard the door chime ring and I got off my butt and paused my Angry Birds and made for the sales floor.
A middle-aged gentlemen was walking in the door. He looked like he had recently come out of a cave that he had been in for a few short decades. His coat was denim, dirty, and had holes all over. His hair looked closer to cobwebs than an actual byproduct of the human body, and his face was craggy and rigid. I greeted him and asked him what he was looking for.
"Oh, nuthin'," he said, in an awkward gravelly country drawl, "Jus' lookin'."
I nodded, "Sure, well, if you have any questions, let me know." He proceeded to look around the store by turning his head ninety degrees to the left, then turned back to me and leaned on the store's counter.
"How's bid'ness?" he asked, smacking his lips after the words exited. This was the first of a few dozen questions, all of them as idle and mundane as the next. Each time he asked another question, the miniature version of myself that inhabits my head would slam his own body against the walls of my skull in a small and rebellious attempt at suicide. But, being retail, and being trapped by the big brother eye of the security footage, I had to be polite and had to remain at my post. The district manager was rather strict.
"Ya know," he said at one point, "Ya'll'd do good to have sum coffee in here, Ah could go fer a cup!" And then, right then, I understood how suggesting a coffee machine was the stupidest idea I'd ever had.
But, being the semi-college educated man that I was at the time, I formulated a plan. I had an old flip-style cell phone. I reached a hand into my pocket and thumbed at the dial pad, lucky that I had remembered to mute it so that the customer couldn't hear the tone it played when I pushed the buttons. I slowly and painstakingly found each number and pressed 'send'.
"So, Ah put tha' corvette's engine into mah pickup, ya kno' the ford 250 Ah was tellin' ya abou'?" He went on and on as I waited. The words typed above were literally the words out of his mouth, and I know nothing of cars or whether it's possible to transplant a Corvette's engine into a Ford 250, but I surmise anyone who had the idea to mutilate a Corvette in favor of a pickup truck is in need of a shift in their priorities. In any case, as these thoughts rang through my head, I was saved by another type of ringing.
The store phone went off, my call had finally gone through. I excused myself from the conversation that had been going on for (according to the store's clock) over thirty minutes. I answered the phone and heard only the sounds of my pocket on the other end. But I--using the best acting skills I could muster--pretended the other end was an interested customer. I gave a wave to the man-who-speaks-forever and said into the phone, "Sure, let me see if we have those in stock," and went to the back room. From there, I watched the man-who-speaks-forever on the security monitor, and only after five long minutes of standing at the counter doing nothing (possibly talking to himself, warming up for my return) he finally left.
I knew then that having free coffee for customers in a store like that was just begging for people to come in, stand around and have a chat. And as much as I enjoy meeting people and being polite, there's only so much a retail person can take. Some of them do have other work to get to. Some of them just really want to beat their boss's scores on Angry Birds.
In any case, my wife (then girlfriend) worked there in college for a summer and when she left, I took the open position at that store. I went to college in a very small town, and keep that in mind as it becomes relevant to the story later on. I worked as an associate there on and off for my last years in college, and I learned a lot about small town living. I'd like to share a few of those observations (since my current adventures are a little boring!).
Lesson 1: People sometimes walk into retail establishments with no intention of buying anything. They just want to talk. Sure, some people come into a store to check out the merchandise and to price match, or even scout out competition for another store. That's all well and good! But there are some people (especially in small towns) who come in just to... have a chat.
My fifth manager at that small town location (yes, it went through 5 managers in the lesser part of a year) and I became friends. Mostly because we were of like ages, but also because we were both "city boys" who were living in the small town against our will. And neither of us really cared much for retail, just had it as a job. One month we were having horrid sales. It's not that we really tried overly hard on the normal months, but this month in particular no one was coming in. So he asked me if I had any ideas on how to attract more customers. Being dumb, I suggested we could get a coffee pot for people, encourage them to stick around more, look around the shop, and possibly buy cell phones (our primary revenue driver, despite having poor selection and we were a 3rd party retailer).
"No," he said, "We do not want that."
"Why?" I asked.
He reached over and patted me on the shoulder and said, in the nicest way, "That's the dumbest idea you've ever had, and soon you'll know why."
Not one week later, I was sitting in the back room playing Angry Birds on a tablet that was supposed to be for store demos. It was early morning (9-930ish) and a weekday, and that meant no customers, so kick back and finish your McDonald's breakfast, Patrick. And so I was. Soon, I heard the door chime ring and I got off my butt and paused my Angry Birds and made for the sales floor.
A middle-aged gentlemen was walking in the door. He looked like he had recently come out of a cave that he had been in for a few short decades. His coat was denim, dirty, and had holes all over. His hair looked closer to cobwebs than an actual byproduct of the human body, and his face was craggy and rigid. I greeted him and asked him what he was looking for.
"Oh, nuthin'," he said, in an awkward gravelly country drawl, "Jus' lookin'."
I nodded, "Sure, well, if you have any questions, let me know." He proceeded to look around the store by turning his head ninety degrees to the left, then turned back to me and leaned on the store's counter.
"How's bid'ness?" he asked, smacking his lips after the words exited. This was the first of a few dozen questions, all of them as idle and mundane as the next. Each time he asked another question, the miniature version of myself that inhabits my head would slam his own body against the walls of my skull in a small and rebellious attempt at suicide. But, being retail, and being trapped by the big brother eye of the security footage, I had to be polite and had to remain at my post. The district manager was rather strict.
"Ya know," he said at one point, "Ya'll'd do good to have sum coffee in here, Ah could go fer a cup!" And then, right then, I understood how suggesting a coffee machine was the stupidest idea I'd ever had.
But, being the semi-college educated man that I was at the time, I formulated a plan. I had an old flip-style cell phone. I reached a hand into my pocket and thumbed at the dial pad, lucky that I had remembered to mute it so that the customer couldn't hear the tone it played when I pushed the buttons. I slowly and painstakingly found each number and pressed 'send'.
"So, Ah put tha' corvette's engine into mah pickup, ya kno' the ford 250 Ah was tellin' ya abou'?" He went on and on as I waited. The words typed above were literally the words out of his mouth, and I know nothing of cars or whether it's possible to transplant a Corvette's engine into a Ford 250, but I surmise anyone who had the idea to mutilate a Corvette in favor of a pickup truck is in need of a shift in their priorities. In any case, as these thoughts rang through my head, I was saved by another type of ringing.
The store phone went off, my call had finally gone through. I excused myself from the conversation that had been going on for (according to the store's clock) over thirty minutes. I answered the phone and heard only the sounds of my pocket on the other end. But I--using the best acting skills I could muster--pretended the other end was an interested customer. I gave a wave to the man-who-speaks-forever and said into the phone, "Sure, let me see if we have those in stock," and went to the back room. From there, I watched the man-who-speaks-forever on the security monitor, and only after five long minutes of standing at the counter doing nothing (possibly talking to himself, warming up for my return) he finally left.
I knew then that having free coffee for customers in a store like that was just begging for people to come in, stand around and have a chat. And as much as I enjoy meeting people and being polite, there's only so much a retail person can take. Some of them do have other work to get to. Some of them just really want to beat their boss's scores on Angry Birds.
Monday, June 9, 2014
A New Project (Again!)
Alrighty! Some big things happening now, let's hit the counts:
Mon: 1689 FAIL
Tue: 2099
Wed: 2025
Thu: 1039 FAIL
Fri: 2020
Sun: 1510 BONUS
Total: 10389
"What's that bonus mean?" you may well ask. So, Monday was Deletion Day. You already heard a little about that if you read last week's update. I cut back 30,000 words. Part of those words were the 1689 that I had already written, so I stopped for the day after that and worked on some editing. The next day I started in on the standard fare, going on where the deletions left off. Failed legitimately on Thursday, and was way behind for the week. Yesterday, I got an idea for a new novel. As all my novels are, it was set in my universe of sci-fi fun and I've been working on it since Sunday as my primary project. No, I'm not abandoning my third novel in my series, I'm just taking a break from it. Everything was going really well on it, I just got distracted by the new awesome. We'll get it all finished! Though right now that does mean that I have four works-in-progress, all set in my lovely universe! It's a good thing.
Anyway, since the weekly goal hit, I'm taking this as a success! Also, the reason you've not seen any "Adventures" posts these past couple of weeks is because... I've had no real adventures. Been mostly hanging out with my wife and my friends, so it's been slow, but fun. This weekend, on Saturday I'm working, BUT I'll be reading and judging entries for a short story contest, so I might be too busy to put in another day of bonus writing. We'll see!
Bishop
Mon: 1689 FAIL
Tue: 2099
Wed: 2025
Thu: 1039 FAIL
Fri: 2020
Sun: 1510 BONUS
Total: 10389
"What's that bonus mean?" you may well ask. So, Monday was Deletion Day. You already heard a little about that if you read last week's update. I cut back 30,000 words. Part of those words were the 1689 that I had already written, so I stopped for the day after that and worked on some editing. The next day I started in on the standard fare, going on where the deletions left off. Failed legitimately on Thursday, and was way behind for the week. Yesterday, I got an idea for a new novel. As all my novels are, it was set in my universe of sci-fi fun and I've been working on it since Sunday as my primary project. No, I'm not abandoning my third novel in my series, I'm just taking a break from it. Everything was going really well on it, I just got distracted by the new awesome. We'll get it all finished! Though right now that does mean that I have four works-in-progress, all set in my lovely universe! It's a good thing.
Anyway, since the weekly goal hit, I'm taking this as a success! Also, the reason you've not seen any "Adventures" posts these past couple of weeks is because... I've had no real adventures. Been mostly hanging out with my wife and my friends, so it's been slow, but fun. This weekend, on Saturday I'm working, BUT I'll be reading and judging entries for a short story contest, so I might be too busy to put in another day of bonus writing. We'll see!
Bishop
Monday, June 2, 2014
A Step Backward
Today's a rough day... let's look at last week's numbers:
Mon: OFF
Tue: 2116
Wed: 2295
Thu: 2074
Fri: 2076
Took Monday off, but really these numbers are irrelevant because...
Today I deleted over 30,000 words! Okay, not really DELETED, but I removed them from the work (saved them in another file, just in case) and am considering whether I want to keep it or not. I really got bored with what I was writing, and that to me spells disaster. I had originally planned for this novel to go one way, then it ended up going another. Somewhere (74,000 words in) I realized I hated that new direction. So I went back to a major moment in the plot and hit "cut-paste" and tossed the trash into a fresh document (in case I want to change my mind, or revisit some section).
The reality that hit me was that things were getting too heavy-handed and too cliched in some spots. The overall story was boring the hell out of me, and I was losing track of a lot of the characters. The lesser issue is that the "science" part of "science fiction" was being loosely used. It wasn't too bad, but it was making me uncomfortable enough that it all added up to removal. It's the first time this has really happened to me, where I had to delete a massive chunk of a story to start again, essentially, but I'm in no real hurry with this book.
I'm a little upset about it. It's a lot of work that I'm essentially resetting, but I really think I can make this story a lot better by doing this. We'll see. I'm going to plan out a little tonight, see what fresh ideas hit, or see if I want to revert to the original plan. Either way, this whole project may end up getting restarted. We'll see, and I'll keep you posted!
Mon: OFF
Tue: 2116
Wed: 2295
Thu: 2074
Fri: 2076
Took Monday off, but really these numbers are irrelevant because...
Today I deleted over 30,000 words! Okay, not really DELETED, but I removed them from the work (saved them in another file, just in case) and am considering whether I want to keep it or not. I really got bored with what I was writing, and that to me spells disaster. I had originally planned for this novel to go one way, then it ended up going another. Somewhere (74,000 words in) I realized I hated that new direction. So I went back to a major moment in the plot and hit "cut-paste" and tossed the trash into a fresh document (in case I want to change my mind, or revisit some section).
The reality that hit me was that things were getting too heavy-handed and too cliched in some spots. The overall story was boring the hell out of me, and I was losing track of a lot of the characters. The lesser issue is that the "science" part of "science fiction" was being loosely used. It wasn't too bad, but it was making me uncomfortable enough that it all added up to removal. It's the first time this has really happened to me, where I had to delete a massive chunk of a story to start again, essentially, but I'm in no real hurry with this book.
I'm a little upset about it. It's a lot of work that I'm essentially resetting, but I really think I can make this story a lot better by doing this. We'll see. I'm going to plan out a little tonight, see what fresh ideas hit, or see if I want to revert to the original plan. Either way, this whole project may end up getting restarted. We'll see, and I'll keep you posted!
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
A Break
Okay, so let's just dive into the numbers:
Mon: 2108
Tue: 2131
Wed: 1122 FAIL
Thu: 302 FAIL
Fri: 0 FAIL
Total: 5663 FAIL
I'm posting late because I took a bit of a break this holiday weekend (and some of the week, as you might be able to tell from the numbers). I pulled myself away from writing and internet and sort of enjoyed life for a weekend. It was nice, it was refreshing, it allowed me to catch up a little on my reading and my editing, so I'm feeling better. I'm working on today's total right now, and have gotten about 1233 words in, will be jumping back into it after I blog this stuff.
And yes, I took yesterday off as well. It's a holiday, after all! Okay, yeah, that's flimsy excuse, but still! Anyway, as I said, I'm feeling 100% again and I can get back on my goals. There will be no misses this week (and in fact, I'm going to try and make up for missing Monday as well).
Breaks, if you ask me, are a difficult concept for a writer (or any creative mind). It affords some time for the artist/writer/musician/sculptor/slam poet to step away from their work and de-stress in order to get back into things, but at the same time, it leads to what you see above: Failure. It's one of those situations where balance is necessary, and my trouble with breaks in the past is that I end up taking a break that never really ends. This is really what led to my first schism with the craft when I was drowned in work after college.
So when I take a break, I need to have a clear endpoint in mind. I was really burnt out by Wednesday last week, which is when I considered taking a break. I did a little work on Thursday, but not nearly enough to constitute anything, and I just decided then that I was going to take it easy the rest of the week and work on editing of other people's work--which in of itself is still helpful to better my writing, but not nearly as much as actually writing.
Anyway, the time for breaks is over. I don't want to spiral into sloth. I'm getting back into things today and vow to hit my goal for this week! All I need to do is keep the internet at bay.
Bishop
Mon: 2108
Tue: 2131
Wed: 1122 FAIL
Thu: 302 FAIL
Fri: 0 FAIL
Total: 5663 FAIL
I'm posting late because I took a bit of a break this holiday weekend (and some of the week, as you might be able to tell from the numbers). I pulled myself away from writing and internet and sort of enjoyed life for a weekend. It was nice, it was refreshing, it allowed me to catch up a little on my reading and my editing, so I'm feeling better. I'm working on today's total right now, and have gotten about 1233 words in, will be jumping back into it after I blog this stuff.
And yes, I took yesterday off as well. It's a holiday, after all! Okay, yeah, that's flimsy excuse, but still! Anyway, as I said, I'm feeling 100% again and I can get back on my goals. There will be no misses this week (and in fact, I'm going to try and make up for missing Monday as well).
Breaks, if you ask me, are a difficult concept for a writer (or any creative mind). It affords some time for the artist/writer/musician/sculptor/slam poet to step away from their work and de-stress in order to get back into things, but at the same time, it leads to what you see above: Failure. It's one of those situations where balance is necessary, and my trouble with breaks in the past is that I end up taking a break that never really ends. This is really what led to my first schism with the craft when I was drowned in work after college.
So when I take a break, I need to have a clear endpoint in mind. I was really burnt out by Wednesday last week, which is when I considered taking a break. I did a little work on Thursday, but not nearly enough to constitute anything, and I just decided then that I was going to take it easy the rest of the week and work on editing of other people's work--which in of itself is still helpful to better my writing, but not nearly as much as actually writing.
Anyway, the time for breaks is over. I don't want to spiral into sloth. I'm getting back into things today and vow to hit my goal for this week! All I need to do is keep the internet at bay.
Bishop
Monday, May 19, 2014
Graduation Situation
So, this weekend was a big graduation weekend for many schools across the country. In the windows of cake stores (and by cake stores, I mean that section I walk by in Walmart that makes me want to buy a cookie cake ‘just because’) you’re probably seeing a lot of graduation-themed cakes. Yes, ‘tis the season for diving into a horrendous job market… And ‘tis the season for sitting in a huge room listening to inane speeches about the next steps of your life. Which is how I spent my Saturday morning.
As avid readers (all one of you!) know, I’ve been sick this past week. I do not sleep well when sick, and despite wanting to spend all my time in bed in a coma induced by Nyquil, I find myself doing things like mowing the lawn without provocation, because why? (I actually mowed the lawn while at the worst of my sickness—what’s wrong with me?) I also tend to stay up late as it is, and have had a particularly hard time sleeping this week, so when Saturday rolled around, I had plans to be in a coma. See “Nyquil” above.
My lovely wife, Bishopette, had other plans. It’s not her fault, it’s a family event kinda thing, but I had to go to my brother-in-law’s fiancée’s graduation. Writing that sentence reminded me that were it not for marriage, I would have no idea who this person was, and would never have had to go to her graduation at EIGHT A-FREAKING-M. Seriously, who plans graduations? Shady Acres Retirement Village? Saturday is a wide open day, most everyone on the planet can attend things at eight, nine, ten, even noon. Let me sleep, higher education!
I’ve been to a few graduations, including my own, and I know what they entail for the most part. So, as you can guess, I brought my Nintendo 3DS. My wife didn’t mind, one of the earmarks of why I married her, and in fact brought a book for herself to read (which now reminds me I really should have brought a book, read a little, became a better writer through it… but the monsters in Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate are not going to slay themselves). As we sat, listening to a keynote speaker talk about… something… I was fighting a Lagiacrus, scourge of the seas. This great water serpent and I were in mortal combat, and the middle aged woman next to me seemed none too pleased with her seating arrangement. Every few moments, I’d hear the speaker say… something… and then she would say, “Ooh,” like it was the most poignant or moving grouping of words she had ever heard. Clearly, she was the speaker’s groupie.
As the day went on (by GOD did it go ON AND ON), she continued to “ooh” and “ah” EVERY FREAKING SPEAKER that went up there, and there were a lot of them. Yes. I get it, it’s sweet that he built a school for disadvantaged youths, but I am trying to concentrate on quelling a great monster of the seas here! All while I was swinging my great sword, she would casually look in my direction (I never actually looked at her face, as Larry the Lagiacrus was still breathing) and give an “Ugh” of disdain in the fact that I was entertaining myself rather than losing three hours of my life to speeches about… something…
This middle-aged woman (let’s call her Helen!) never actually said anything to me directly, but with each of Helen’s condescending grunts of displeasure, I felt more assured in who I was. I was reminded that even though I had already graduated from an institute of higher learning, had a stable job and a wife, and generally began to feel my youth slipping away… I would never be a Helen. It’s my goal in life to one day be forced to go to a graduation for my brother’s grandchildren (I’m not having children of my own—they’d cut into my monster hunting time) and I will bring my 3DS. I’ll sit next to someone my own age, a future Helen, and pop that thing out and mutter curses under my breath while Son of Lagiacrus (Louis the Lagiacrus!) attempts to murder my hunter. I’ll receive a mindful helping of “ughs” and other snorts of derision, but it will all be worth it as I know that in some small part, thanks to video games… I’ll always be a child.
As avid readers (all one of you!) know, I’ve been sick this past week. I do not sleep well when sick, and despite wanting to spend all my time in bed in a coma induced by Nyquil, I find myself doing things like mowing the lawn without provocation, because why? (I actually mowed the lawn while at the worst of my sickness—what’s wrong with me?) I also tend to stay up late as it is, and have had a particularly hard time sleeping this week, so when Saturday rolled around, I had plans to be in a coma. See “Nyquil” above.
My lovely wife, Bishopette, had other plans. It’s not her fault, it’s a family event kinda thing, but I had to go to my brother-in-law’s fiancée’s graduation. Writing that sentence reminded me that were it not for marriage, I would have no idea who this person was, and would never have had to go to her graduation at EIGHT A-FREAKING-M. Seriously, who plans graduations? Shady Acres Retirement Village? Saturday is a wide open day, most everyone on the planet can attend things at eight, nine, ten, even noon. Let me sleep, higher education!
I’ve been to a few graduations, including my own, and I know what they entail for the most part. So, as you can guess, I brought my Nintendo 3DS. My wife didn’t mind, one of the earmarks of why I married her, and in fact brought a book for herself to read (which now reminds me I really should have brought a book, read a little, became a better writer through it… but the monsters in Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate are not going to slay themselves). As we sat, listening to a keynote speaker talk about… something… I was fighting a Lagiacrus, scourge of the seas. This great water serpent and I were in mortal combat, and the middle aged woman next to me seemed none too pleased with her seating arrangement. Every few moments, I’d hear the speaker say… something… and then she would say, “Ooh,” like it was the most poignant or moving grouping of words she had ever heard. Clearly, she was the speaker’s groupie.
As the day went on (by GOD did it go ON AND ON), she continued to “ooh” and “ah” EVERY FREAKING SPEAKER that went up there, and there were a lot of them. Yes. I get it, it’s sweet that he built a school for disadvantaged youths, but I am trying to concentrate on quelling a great monster of the seas here! All while I was swinging my great sword, she would casually look in my direction (I never actually looked at her face, as Larry the Lagiacrus was still breathing) and give an “Ugh” of disdain in the fact that I was entertaining myself rather than losing three hours of my life to speeches about… something…
This middle-aged woman (let’s call her Helen!) never actually said anything to me directly, but with each of Helen’s condescending grunts of displeasure, I felt more assured in who I was. I was reminded that even though I had already graduated from an institute of higher learning, had a stable job and a wife, and generally began to feel my youth slipping away… I would never be a Helen. It’s my goal in life to one day be forced to go to a graduation for my brother’s grandchildren (I’m not having children of my own—they’d cut into my monster hunting time) and I will bring my 3DS. I’ll sit next to someone my own age, a future Helen, and pop that thing out and mutter curses under my breath while Son of Lagiacrus (Louis the Lagiacrus!) attempts to murder my hunter. I’ll receive a mindful helping of “ughs” and other snorts of derision, but it will all be worth it as I know that in some small part, thanks to video games… I’ll always be a child.
Bishop
Like... Bay Of Pigs Levels of Failure
I’m actually afraid to go to the counts this week…
Mon: 1035 FAIL
Tue: 2179
Wed: 1156 FAIL
Thu: 1222 FAIL
Fri: 1530 FAIL
TOTAL: 7122 FAIL
How is Tuesday my victory day? I hate Tuesdays. Like seriously, Tuesdays are the worst!
Anyway, sorry I didn’t post this all on Friday, but it’s been a fairly busy weekend and I’ve been trying to beat the living hell out of the rest of my cold so that I can get back to actual work on my book. I’ve also got books I need to critique and so I’m basically behind in every aspect of my life, hence the horrors of those numbers above.
So, for now I’m going to close this post because I’m posting an “adventures” post today and still have 2000/2000 words to write and two chapters minimum of people’s work to critique (plus one short story!) so I’ll be going now…
Bishop
Mon: 1035 FAIL
Tue: 2179
Wed: 1156 FAIL
Thu: 1222 FAIL
Fri: 1530 FAIL
TOTAL: 7122 FAIL
How is Tuesday my victory day? I hate Tuesdays. Like seriously, Tuesdays are the worst!
Anyway, sorry I didn’t post this all on Friday, but it’s been a fairly busy weekend and I’ve been trying to beat the living hell out of the rest of my cold so that I can get back to actual work on my book. I’ve also got books I need to critique and so I’m basically behind in every aspect of my life, hence the horrors of those numbers above.
So, for now I’m going to close this post because I’m posting an “adventures” post today and still have 2000/2000 words to write and two chapters minimum of people’s work to critique (plus one short story!) so I’ll be going now…
Bishop
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
Coughing II: The Return of Cough
I hate to go into more detail about being sick (as it might make this part of my blog seem like nothing but my whining) but really, that's all that's going on right now so...
Last night was fun! If you read that line sarcastically, then good. If not, go back and read it again and emphasize the exclamation point as much as possible in your head. Or out loud, provided you're either alone or don't care what those around you think about you talking to yourself. It's okay, I'll wait.
Okay, so last night my cough had been well contained with cough medicine, a substance I worry my body is growing a dependence on, and I was feeling pretty good. Riding high on wings of wax, I flew high up to the sun, feeling that if I was doing so well, I should be able to stay up a little later. On any given work night, I stay up until around midnight, sometimes one. I work nine-to-five and get anywhere from six to seven hours of sleep. Yes, I know I'm supposed to get more, but video games. So last night I stayed up until 12:30, and decided to try and get some sleep.
Bishopette and I are sleeping separately. No, we're not fighting, it's just that with both of us sick we temporarily decided to put me up on the spare mattress (note: not a full bed, just a mattress) until the coughing we each have subsides. And I'm glad we decided this because...
When I went to bed, my throat began to tickle. It started as a "tee-hee my throat's tingly!" and quickly descended into "every breath causes your mouth to feel like and your brain to believe that there's a spider in your larynx and so it will immediately force you to cough and dry-heave uncontrollably until you vomit."
And that's what happened. It was awful, even breathing through my nose made me cough sometimes. And then, but by the grace of whatever unloving deity dominates this realm, my nose became too congested to breathe. So someone wanted to make sure my throat received the proper tickling it deserved. Needless to say, I was up until three in the morning, possibly later. I'm supremely exhausted right now and I'm sucking on a coca-cola like a baby's bottle, praying that someone comes into my office with an IV drip of epinephrine. Or whatever substance stops my throat from tickling.
Last night was fun! If you read that line sarcastically, then good. If not, go back and read it again and emphasize the exclamation point as much as possible in your head. Or out loud, provided you're either alone or don't care what those around you think about you talking to yourself. It's okay, I'll wait.
Okay, so last night my cough had been well contained with cough medicine, a substance I worry my body is growing a dependence on, and I was feeling pretty good. Riding high on wings of wax, I flew high up to the sun, feeling that if I was doing so well, I should be able to stay up a little later. On any given work night, I stay up until around midnight, sometimes one. I work nine-to-five and get anywhere from six to seven hours of sleep. Yes, I know I'm supposed to get more, but video games. So last night I stayed up until 12:30, and decided to try and get some sleep.
Bishopette and I are sleeping separately. No, we're not fighting, it's just that with both of us sick we temporarily decided to put me up on the spare mattress (note: not a full bed, just a mattress) until the coughing we each have subsides. And I'm glad we decided this because...
When I went to bed, my throat began to tickle. It started as a "tee-hee my throat's tingly!" and quickly descended into "every breath causes your mouth to feel like and your brain to believe that there's a spider in your larynx and so it will immediately force you to cough and dry-heave uncontrollably until you vomit."
And that's what happened. It was awful, even breathing through my nose made me cough sometimes. And then, but by the grace of whatever unloving deity dominates this realm, my nose became too congested to breathe. So someone wanted to make sure my throat received the proper tickling it deserved. Needless to say, I was up until three in the morning, possibly later. I'm supremely exhausted right now and I'm sucking on a coca-cola like a baby's bottle, praying that someone comes into my office with an IV drip of epinephrine. Or whatever substance stops my throat from tickling.
Monday, May 12, 2014
Major Failure 05/12/2014
Well, this is depressing... let's go to the counts:
Mon: 2008
Tue: 488 FAIL
Wed: 0 FAIL
Thu: 2141
Fri: 0 FAIL
Total: 4637 FAIL
My first weekly fail. Sigh. The reason for it is my sickness. I've been just plain exhausted and barely able to do my essential work at my job, so writing has gone by the wayside this week. I'm still coughing relentlessly and when I'm not coughing my body is trying to tell me to go to sleep immediately. So my waking time is either my body churning out coughs of death or is trying to not be awake.
So the hell continues. Today (Monday, because I was too dead to even post anything on Friday--I even took that day off work, which I HATE to do) I'm halfway through the day and I'm running on three and a half hours of sleep and haven't written a thing yet. I plan on trying after I finish this post, but I worry that I'm just drained right now. And unfortunately, that's really all I have to say. My brain's just fried from not getting rest all weekend, so I'm just going to sign off. Worst. Week. Ever.
Bishop
Mon: 2008
Tue: 488 FAIL
Wed: 0 FAIL
Thu: 2141
Fri: 0 FAIL
Total: 4637 FAIL
My first weekly fail. Sigh. The reason for it is my sickness. I've been just plain exhausted and barely able to do my essential work at my job, so writing has gone by the wayside this week. I'm still coughing relentlessly and when I'm not coughing my body is trying to tell me to go to sleep immediately. So my waking time is either my body churning out coughs of death or is trying to not be awake.
So the hell continues. Today (Monday, because I was too dead to even post anything on Friday--I even took that day off work, which I HATE to do) I'm halfway through the day and I'm running on three and a half hours of sleep and haven't written a thing yet. I plan on trying after I finish this post, but I worry that I'm just drained right now. And unfortunately, that's really all I have to say. My brain's just fried from not getting rest all weekend, so I'm just going to sign off. Worst. Week. Ever.
Bishop
Thursday, May 8, 2014
First Adventure: Coughing
So, as promised, I'm adding some snippets of my own life and mental insanity... here's the first.
My wife, Bishopette, is a teacher. This means that every few months she comes home with fresh germs from her students (who I'm sure are lovely, but I picture them as walking amoebas at this point--usually with cigars hanging out of their mouths, spreading pestilent fumes) and offers them to me by way of "breathing." I'm not sure why, it could be an immune system that was tempered by my childhood of swimming in a lake by my house that was (and is) comprised of 98% duck poop, but I only get sick about once or twice a year.
It's that time of the year!
Bishopette has had a nasty cough for a few weeks now, and her's has become a full-blown flu. I'm seeing the opening ends of it, meaning that I have SO MUCH fun coming toward me. I'm already coughing and spewing strange globular substances when I do, and my coworkers have taken notice of this. The reason they have taken notice of this is because the five of us that make up the IT department share an office with desks strewn about, and being five computer nerds... our social skills are greatly lacking. This means, at any given time, the noise level in our office is approximately -5 decibels. Any higher and we scurry away under our desks and hug our computer towers for protection.
So when I started coughing and wheezing, I caused a minor disturbance. One of my co-workers, who we will call Rico (I'm naming people in my life after characters from classic science fiction novels), had some cough drops readily accessible at his desk. By "readily accessible," I of course mean "had five different flavors and brands in his desk drawer". I was offered one and I took it on Monday, when my coughing began.
As I mentioned before, computer geeks like us sometimes have poor social skills, so throughout this whole week, I have been coughing and choking without really realizing that everyone around me is being made to listen to this noise:
"Huacccck! Chuuuaaaaak! Yuuugggghhhhhrrrrk!" Every five minutes. Rico, however, has noticed.
He constantly has reminded me throughout the week of his arsenal of cough drops by taking a few ever-so-silently from one of the bags and chucking them across the room like bolas. The resulting impact onto my brain reminds me of the noise I'm making ("Grrrrraaaaaauauuuccchcchchckckck!") and I sheepishly unwrap the cough-drop shrapnel and suckle at it, weeping silently as I remember why I have so few friends. Okay, that last part was a little dramatic.
I have some pretty awesome friends.
My wife, Bishopette, is a teacher. This means that every few months she comes home with fresh germs from her students (who I'm sure are lovely, but I picture them as walking amoebas at this point--usually with cigars hanging out of their mouths, spreading pestilent fumes) and offers them to me by way of "breathing." I'm not sure why, it could be an immune system that was tempered by my childhood of swimming in a lake by my house that was (and is) comprised of 98% duck poop, but I only get sick about once or twice a year.
It's that time of the year!
Bishopette has had a nasty cough for a few weeks now, and her's has become a full-blown flu. I'm seeing the opening ends of it, meaning that I have SO MUCH fun coming toward me. I'm already coughing and spewing strange globular substances when I do, and my coworkers have taken notice of this. The reason they have taken notice of this is because the five of us that make up the IT department share an office with desks strewn about, and being five computer nerds... our social skills are greatly lacking. This means, at any given time, the noise level in our office is approximately -5 decibels. Any higher and we scurry away under our desks and hug our computer towers for protection.
So when I started coughing and wheezing, I caused a minor disturbance. One of my co-workers, who we will call Rico (I'm naming people in my life after characters from classic science fiction novels), had some cough drops readily accessible at his desk. By "readily accessible," I of course mean "had five different flavors and brands in his desk drawer". I was offered one and I took it on Monday, when my coughing began.
As I mentioned before, computer geeks like us sometimes have poor social skills, so throughout this whole week, I have been coughing and choking without really realizing that everyone around me is being made to listen to this noise:
"Huacccck! Chuuuaaaaak! Yuuugggghhhhhrrrrk!" Every five minutes. Rico, however, has noticed.
He constantly has reminded me throughout the week of his arsenal of cough drops by taking a few ever-so-silently from one of the bags and chucking them across the room like bolas. The resulting impact onto my brain reminds me of the noise I'm making ("Grrrrraaaaaauauuuccchcchchckckck!") and I sheepishly unwrap the cough-drop shrapnel and suckle at it, weeping silently as I remember why I have so few friends. Okay, that last part was a little dramatic.
I have some pretty awesome friends.
Friday, May 2, 2014
Trying Creepy 05/02/2014
Another week down! Let's go to the counts:
Mon: 2146
Tue: 2120
Wed: 2057
Thu: 2133
Fri: 2288
Total: 10744
Woo! No failures! Then again, no days broke past the 2500 mark, so that's a bit of a bummer. But, either way, here we are.
I'm enjoying working with 1-week posts, I get to write more about what's going on and I feel like my posts are more substantive. If you want, you can still check in everyday and pretend I'm here with you, blabbering on about writing. Anywho, this week, I've gotten to a nice point in book 3. I'm just under 47,000 words in and I've got the characters in some stick situations. This third installment has a bit of a horror element to it. It's designed to be darker and (hopefully) scarier than the other two books. The part I'm writing now is the beginning of the frightful element. I've been told by some of my beta readers that I'm good at writing suspense into the narrative, and I think at the very least these scenes will have enough tension to keep the reader wanting to turn the pages. I hope they're 'keep the lights on at night' scary, but I don't think I've got enough experience in horror writing to actually master that quite yet. So for now, creepy suspense is my goal.
I like to think that I dabble in some new things with each book, I guess it's part of trying to discover my favored writing style, but its also just because that's the story I'm seeing in my head at the time. I'm nothing if not honest with portraying the exact tale that my head wants me to tell. So, here I am, trying to be a little scary and hoping it works, all just because it fits the story!
See you next week!
Bishop
Mon: 2146
Tue: 2120
Wed: 2057
Thu: 2133
Fri: 2288
Total: 10744
Woo! No failures! Then again, no days broke past the 2500 mark, so that's a bit of a bummer. But, either way, here we are.
I'm enjoying working with 1-week posts, I get to write more about what's going on and I feel like my posts are more substantive. If you want, you can still check in everyday and pretend I'm here with you, blabbering on about writing. Anywho, this week, I've gotten to a nice point in book 3. I'm just under 47,000 words in and I've got the characters in some stick situations. This third installment has a bit of a horror element to it. It's designed to be darker and (hopefully) scarier than the other two books. The part I'm writing now is the beginning of the frightful element. I've been told by some of my beta readers that I'm good at writing suspense into the narrative, and I think at the very least these scenes will have enough tension to keep the reader wanting to turn the pages. I hope they're 'keep the lights on at night' scary, but I don't think I've got enough experience in horror writing to actually master that quite yet. So for now, creepy suspense is my goal.
I like to think that I dabble in some new things with each book, I guess it's part of trying to discover my favored writing style, but its also just because that's the story I'm seeing in my head at the time. I'm nothing if not honest with portraying the exact tale that my head wants me to tell. So, here I am, trying to be a little scary and hoping it works, all just because it fits the story!
See you next week!
Bishop
Friday, April 25, 2014
Romance Me! 04/25/2014
Aha! Here's this weeks totals:
Mon: 2806
Tue: 2859
Wed: 2153
Thu: 3001
Fri: 1795 FAIL
END: 12614
As you can see, I'm failing today. At least for now. It's the end of my work day soon, and I have a horrendous headache and I'm having trouble deciding where things are going to go in the book right now, so I'm cutting myself a break. Also, I got 2K above the weekly goal, so on some level I still call it a win. Especially yesterday: Did you SEE 3001? I love it. I need more days like that.
One thing this book has me writing a lot more of is romance. When I first started this book series, I was thinking I would kinda bypass the romantic ideas. One of my closest friends, and a man who reads a book every three days, told me that there has to be two things in a good book: A girl that you always think the guy's gonna get with, and he eventually does; and a dog. I'm not so sure about the dog thing. I know he says that because he loves dogs (and I do too, let's be honest) but the first part, I somewhat agree with. I wouldn't say for EVERY book, but I think most books, particulary series where we see characters develop over a few books, there should be some element of romance.
It's important that it's not forced or overstated, hell, it might not even end up going anywhere. But love, and the inevitablility of desire is something that's present in our lives on a daily basis. It should be present in the lives of the characters as well. In my book, I have two characters who have been dancing around one another for a while now and in book three things really take off for them. There's some drama that comes from it, and obviously lots of conflict, but ultimately theirs is a love story.
I was afraid of writing it at first. I understood love, being a married man, and though I still have trouble understanding women sometimes (okay, a LOT of times) I was worried I might not come across as honest or sincere in that department. I'm happy to say I was wrong. I not only feared for no reason at all, but I was missing out on something I found myself to be competent at, which also added an element of realism and conflict to my story that I think readers will enjoy.
But I suppose we'll just have to see...
Bishop
Mon: 2806
Tue: 2859
Wed: 2153
Thu: 3001
Fri: 1795 FAIL
END: 12614
As you can see, I'm failing today. At least for now. It's the end of my work day soon, and I have a horrendous headache and I'm having trouble deciding where things are going to go in the book right now, so I'm cutting myself a break. Also, I got 2K above the weekly goal, so on some level I still call it a win. Especially yesterday: Did you SEE 3001? I love it. I need more days like that.
One thing this book has me writing a lot more of is romance. When I first started this book series, I was thinking I would kinda bypass the romantic ideas. One of my closest friends, and a man who reads a book every three days, told me that there has to be two things in a good book: A girl that you always think the guy's gonna get with, and he eventually does; and a dog. I'm not so sure about the dog thing. I know he says that because he loves dogs (and I do too, let's be honest) but the first part, I somewhat agree with. I wouldn't say for EVERY book, but I think most books, particulary series where we see characters develop over a few books, there should be some element of romance.
It's important that it's not forced or overstated, hell, it might not even end up going anywhere. But love, and the inevitablility of desire is something that's present in our lives on a daily basis. It should be present in the lives of the characters as well. In my book, I have two characters who have been dancing around one another for a while now and in book three things really take off for them. There's some drama that comes from it, and obviously lots of conflict, but ultimately theirs is a love story.
I was afraid of writing it at first. I understood love, being a married man, and though I still have trouble understanding women sometimes (okay, a LOT of times) I was worried I might not come across as honest or sincere in that department. I'm happy to say I was wrong. I not only feared for no reason at all, but I was missing out on something I found myself to be competent at, which also added an element of realism and conflict to my story that I think readers will enjoy.
But I suppose we'll just have to see...
Bishop
Friday, April 18, 2014
Back from the Dead! 04/18/2014
Hello internet! Miss me?
Let's start with the counts for this week, shall we? Starting on Sunday of this week, I totaled 14,761 words into book three. Here's the breakdown:
Sun: 2079
Mon: 2545
Tue: 3038
Wed: 2962
Thu: 2054
Fri: 2083
Total: 14761
That's a good week! Things have been heating up in book 3, we just got past the first fifth or so, and I'm really enjoying where it's going. It has a long way to go--this one might actually come in at 150k or more--and I'm really enjoying writing it.
That all being said, I think I'm going to blog once a week from here on out. I'll do it on Fridays, so expect a count much like the one you just saw above every week, plus a little about how I'm doing or a writing topic I feel like getting on my soapbox about.
This week, I had a bit of writers block. Okay, it was really just a bit of writer's block in the past hour or so. I wrote my 2k and in doing so I came very close to resolving a major subplot, but once I finished I thought it over and realized it was far too early to bring that plot to a close. The book has a long way to go and it's a major arc between two of the characters, and the last thing I wanted was for it to just fall out in the first chunk of the book. So I had to stop, delete over 1500 words of text and start it over. The subplot remains intact, and is now a much more suspenseful section, and has the potential to weave throughout much of the book, or at least the first half. I'm really exhausted from the rewriting, as I had to actually brainstorm how I wanted to do it rather than just writing. I stared at a blinking cursor for over an hour trying to think of what was going to happen in place of those 1500 words. But as I said, it's over now and it's going to be worth it.
I also finished the first edit of book 2, and have sent book 1 out to some beta readers. Hoping to get feedback soon!
Bishop
Let's start with the counts for this week, shall we? Starting on Sunday of this week, I totaled 14,761 words into book three. Here's the breakdown:
Sun: 2079
Mon: 2545
Tue: 3038
Wed: 2962
Thu: 2054
Fri: 2083
Total: 14761
That's a good week! Things have been heating up in book 3, we just got past the first fifth or so, and I'm really enjoying where it's going. It has a long way to go--this one might actually come in at 150k or more--and I'm really enjoying writing it.
That all being said, I think I'm going to blog once a week from here on out. I'll do it on Fridays, so expect a count much like the one you just saw above every week, plus a little about how I'm doing or a writing topic I feel like getting on my soapbox about.
This week, I had a bit of writers block. Okay, it was really just a bit of writer's block in the past hour or so. I wrote my 2k and in doing so I came very close to resolving a major subplot, but once I finished I thought it over and realized it was far too early to bring that plot to a close. The book has a long way to go and it's a major arc between two of the characters, and the last thing I wanted was for it to just fall out in the first chunk of the book. So I had to stop, delete over 1500 words of text and start it over. The subplot remains intact, and is now a much more suspenseful section, and has the potential to weave throughout much of the book, or at least the first half. I'm really exhausted from the rewriting, as I had to actually brainstorm how I wanted to do it rather than just writing. I stared at a blinking cursor for over an hour trying to think of what was going to happen in place of those 1500 words. But as I said, it's over now and it's going to be worth it.
I also finished the first edit of book 2, and have sent book 1 out to some beta readers. Hoping to get feedback soon!
Bishop
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
A Change 04/09/14
04/09/2014
2109 words written today! Back working on the stand-alone book rather than book three. I wager I'll be swapping between the two quite a bit.
I've also been giving consideration to updating this blog once a week rather than once a day. It's not for lack of wanting to keep myself up to date on things, but for lack of things to write about everyday! In the beginning it was easier, just commenting on writing as a whole, but it's getting more difficult.
I'm trying to edit two books and write and keep this blog up, which let's be honest, not a lot of people traffic. I'm not too far from trying to find an agent or get published either, so I'm going to be busy. If I end up not going the traditional publishing route, I'll begin posting chapters here (as well as e-publishing) and that will be cool, but until that decision is fully made, I think after this week I'm going to slow down the updates. I'll still be writing 2k-a-day, and I'll report day-by-day totals at the end of the week, but then I can also consider what I want to say on the blog and give more interesting things to read.
Bishop
2109 words written today! Back working on the stand-alone book rather than book three. I wager I'll be swapping between the two quite a bit.
I've also been giving consideration to updating this blog once a week rather than once a day. It's not for lack of wanting to keep myself up to date on things, but for lack of things to write about everyday! In the beginning it was easier, just commenting on writing as a whole, but it's getting more difficult.
I'm trying to edit two books and write and keep this blog up, which let's be honest, not a lot of people traffic. I'm not too far from trying to find an agent or get published either, so I'm going to be busy. If I end up not going the traditional publishing route, I'll begin posting chapters here (as well as e-publishing) and that will be cool, but until that decision is fully made, I think after this week I'm going to slow down the updates. I'll still be writing 2k-a-day, and I'll report day-by-day totals at the end of the week, but then I can also consider what I want to say on the blog and give more interesting things to read.
Bishop
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
Inaccurate Count Day 4/8/2014
4-8-14
Don't have an accurate word count today. I was working between two different stories, adding to scenes that were bare-bones before. I know I hit over 2k, because I started book 3 of the series (I know, I'm supposed to be working on the other book, rather than my series, but I couldn't resist) and the count there came up at 1944. So, I hit somewhere over 2k, probably around 2100.
Other than that, it's been a rough day and I'm not up for posting much of anything. So for now, just reporting the counts.
Bishop
Don't have an accurate word count today. I was working between two different stories, adding to scenes that were bare-bones before. I know I hit over 2k, because I started book 3 of the series (I know, I'm supposed to be working on the other book, rather than my series, but I couldn't resist) and the count there came up at 1944. So, I hit somewhere over 2k, probably around 2100.
Other than that, it's been a rough day and I'm not up for posting much of anything. So for now, just reporting the counts.
Bishop
Monday, April 7, 2014
...Aaaand we're back! 04/07/2014
04/07/2014
2184 words written today.
I worried a little about pacing today in my work. This next novel I'm writing begins somewhat more slowly than my last couple have, and I'm trying to focus on the character arcs at the expense of some plot. Everything still has plot relevence, it's just slower at putting it together.
I pride myself in my character writing, particularly dialogue, and I think it's going to work out well. There's some humor, some budding romance, and some politics built into the narrative, so it still has things to grab onto. I just sometimes worry it might be boring. But my earmark for boring is when I'm bored writing it, and I've yet to truly be bored writing this one. So I'm soldiering on!
Bishop
2184 words written today.
I worried a little about pacing today in my work. This next novel I'm writing begins somewhat more slowly than my last couple have, and I'm trying to focus on the character arcs at the expense of some plot. Everything still has plot relevence, it's just slower at putting it together.
I pride myself in my character writing, particularly dialogue, and I think it's going to work out well. There's some humor, some budding romance, and some politics built into the narrative, so it still has things to grab onto. I just sometimes worry it might be boring. But my earmark for boring is when I'm bored writing it, and I've yet to truly be bored writing this one. So I'm soldiering on!
Bishop
Thursday, April 3, 2014
The End 04/03/2014
04/03/2014
Completion. Today I wrote 1895 words, which you might notice
is under 2000, but fear not. That’s because I’m celebrating. Book 2 is done.
Well, rough draft is done. But still. Massive victory dance time!
I honestly haven’t feel this good… since book 1 had the
words “the end” typed into it. I know there’s probably not a lot of people watching
this blog often, but to those of you who do read, thanks for sticking with me
these past couple dozen entries to the end. It’s certainly not the end of the
blog, nonono, this is just a milestone!
I’m taking tomorrow off from blogging, I think, in order to
get a head start on editing book 1 (the third edit really needs to get done) and
I’m going to pick up writing again on Monday with my newest book idea. If you
don’t already know, book 1 and 2 are a series, and this new idea is not part of
the series (though it’s set in the same universe) and so book 3 will be a long
time coming. Until then, though, new challenges await!
Thanks for reading!
Bishop
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
Changes by Chapter 04/02/2014
04/02/2014
2042 words written, and I'm well into the last chapter.
It's been very busy at work and every free moment was spent writing, so I don't have much to say, but I will say a little about how things change when you reach the end of the story. I keep up on my progress using Microsoft excel, and have a spreadsheet for each of my ongoing projects. One tab is a chapter-by-chapter overly with chapter names and the status of the chapter (rough draft, first edit, etc.), and another tab has a counter for how many words I write and how many are left before I hit my goal point for that book. Other tabs include characters, places, timelines, and so forth. It helps me keep the story straight. By far, though, the most important one is the first tab, the chapter tab.
Here, I have all of my chapters, named and marked in green for finished, yellow for in progress, or red for no progress in columns for rough draft, first edit, second edit, and beta edit. Currently, book 1 is in beta edit on chapter 7. But the most important is the last column, marked "changes to make by chapter." There, I mark things that I changed in my head as I wrote and that I need to go back and change. The most recent example is how I modified the name of a technology in my story, and needed to place a reminder in each of the chapters that I remembered where I had used that tech. It makes the first edit much cleaner, and I can make sure that I'm being consistent with my concepts and ideas throughout the work.
Bishop
2042 words written, and I'm well into the last chapter.
It's been very busy at work and every free moment was spent writing, so I don't have much to say, but I will say a little about how things change when you reach the end of the story. I keep up on my progress using Microsoft excel, and have a spreadsheet for each of my ongoing projects. One tab is a chapter-by-chapter overly with chapter names and the status of the chapter (rough draft, first edit, etc.), and another tab has a counter for how many words I write and how many are left before I hit my goal point for that book. Other tabs include characters, places, timelines, and so forth. It helps me keep the story straight. By far, though, the most important one is the first tab, the chapter tab.
Here, I have all of my chapters, named and marked in green for finished, yellow for in progress, or red for no progress in columns for rough draft, first edit, second edit, and beta edit. Currently, book 1 is in beta edit on chapter 7. But the most important is the last column, marked "changes to make by chapter." There, I mark things that I changed in my head as I wrote and that I need to go back and change. The most recent example is how I modified the name of a technology in my story, and needed to place a reminder in each of the chapters that I remembered where I had used that tech. It makes the first edit much cleaner, and I can make sure that I'm being consistent with my concepts and ideas throughout the work.
Bishop
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
April Fool's Day 04/01/2014
04/01/2014
2029 words written today!
I have no April fool's joke, sorry!
That being said... I'm writing the end to the second to last chapter tonight when I get home from work and will most likely finish the book by tomorrow or at latest, Thursday. As a result, I'm concentrating mostly on the work and have nothing to post here today. Sorry! I'll continue to keep up to date on my progress and keep writing.
All in all, this was a really disappointing post, wasn't it?
Bishop
2029 words written today!
I have no April fool's joke, sorry!
That being said... I'm writing the end to the second to last chapter tonight when I get home from work and will most likely finish the book by tomorrow or at latest, Thursday. As a result, I'm concentrating mostly on the work and have nothing to post here today. Sorry! I'll continue to keep up to date on my progress and keep writing.
All in all, this was a really disappointing post, wasn't it?
Bishop
Monday, March 31, 2014
Resolutions 03/31/2014
03/31/2014
2172 words completed today.
Which puts me well into the 100k mark, and only two chapters left. Resolution chapters, as it turns out, because I just finished the climax today! Resolution is fun, and often something I find lacking. It might just be a sense of wanting “more” of what happens to the characters of a good story, but I find that lately a lot of stories and movies are ending too abruptly. I want the resolution, the after-effects, the epilogue!
My first book has a rather short, but sweet resolution. It’s very present in the story, and gives a good sense of what happens just after the events of the first book… but even still I wanted to write more. It’s part of why I wrote a second book with those characters. This time, I’ll be offering a bit more in the way of the resolution, and I’m rather excited to write it, as it lets me focus on the characters and their relationships to one another. My favorite stuff!
Bishop
2172 words completed today.
Which puts me well into the 100k mark, and only two chapters left. Resolution chapters, as it turns out, because I just finished the climax today! Resolution is fun, and often something I find lacking. It might just be a sense of wanting “more” of what happens to the characters of a good story, but I find that lately a lot of stories and movies are ending too abruptly. I want the resolution, the after-effects, the epilogue!
My first book has a rather short, but sweet resolution. It’s very present in the story, and gives a good sense of what happens just after the events of the first book… but even still I wanted to write more. It’s part of why I wrote a second book with those characters. This time, I’ll be offering a bit more in the way of the resolution, and I’m rather excited to write it, as it lets me focus on the characters and their relationships to one another. My favorite stuff!
Bishop
Friday, March 28, 2014
Side Characters 03/28/2014
03/28/2014
2109 words today, huzzah! So. Close. To the end. Of. Book. 2.
So, what to talk about today..? Characters! Yes, characters. I’ve touched on them in the past, and today I want to talk about side characters more specifically. It’s my favorite aspect of writing, really, to create side characters who paint a picture about the world I’m creating. In both of my books I work hard to create little side characters who exist for really only a chapter or two and give the main characters contrast.
They’re always simple, but I really flesh them out in their dialogue. I try to make them as alive as (and sometimes more alive than) my main characters. They provide a real grounding for the setting, and make a colorful believable world. So, I suppose, if there’s something to take away from this rather short blog post its that I feel that a world exists best when dotted with a few characters that enhance the animation of the setting. This may seem somewhat obvious, but when I first started out in high school, I glossed over some of the details of the side characters that really could have enhanced the story, a lot. I’m very proud to say that I’ve grown in that respect, and sometimes find myself loving my side characters more than my main characters. Sometimes.
Bishop
2109 words today, huzzah! So. Close. To the end. Of. Book. 2.
So, what to talk about today..? Characters! Yes, characters. I’ve touched on them in the past, and today I want to talk about side characters more specifically. It’s my favorite aspect of writing, really, to create side characters who paint a picture about the world I’m creating. In both of my books I work hard to create little side characters who exist for really only a chapter or two and give the main characters contrast.
They’re always simple, but I really flesh them out in their dialogue. I try to make them as alive as (and sometimes more alive than) my main characters. They provide a real grounding for the setting, and make a colorful believable world. So, I suppose, if there’s something to take away from this rather short blog post its that I feel that a world exists best when dotted with a few characters that enhance the animation of the setting. This may seem somewhat obvious, but when I first started out in high school, I glossed over some of the details of the side characters that really could have enhanced the story, a lot. I’m very proud to say that I’ve grown in that respect, and sometimes find myself loving my side characters more than my main characters. Sometimes.
Bishop
Thursday, March 27, 2014
Length 03/27/2014
03/27/2014
Another 2275 words down, and edited another chapter of book 1. Rockin’ day.
My second book is not going to be quite as long as I expected it to be. Book 1 came in at about 105k (after some editing, it’s down to 104k, and more to cut), and book 2 is currently 95,600 words. I the rest of the climax will take me only a few thousand more, probably three or four thousand, and then the resolution will most likely be another three to four. Originally, going into this second story, I was expecting it to be around 150k. I ended up making changes to the plot as things unfolded (because they unfolded much better than I had half-planned them to), and things just sort of flew by. I expect that book 2 will be about as long as book 1, maybe a smidge longer.
But that’s okay. I liked the length of book 1, I think it puts the book in a very publishable position, as sci-fi novel ranges for first time publishing range around 100k as a nice length and it was enough room to tell the story I wanted without over writing or under writing anything. I suppose I worried too much about the length from the beginning, but I just love the feeling of counting down until I hit my desired endpoint that I got caught up wondering where that endpoint was. I estimate that book 2’s first draft will have its final word in place by the end of the month, and I could not be happier with it so far. As a first draft, it stands up with far fewer mistakes than book 1 (which required a LONG first edit) and I’m excited to be able to dive into publishing with an extra volume in my back pocket in case the unthinkably wonderful happens and they say, “Have you thought about a sequel?”
Here’s to dreaming!
Bishop
Another 2275 words down, and edited another chapter of book 1. Rockin’ day.
My second book is not going to be quite as long as I expected it to be. Book 1 came in at about 105k (after some editing, it’s down to 104k, and more to cut), and book 2 is currently 95,600 words. I the rest of the climax will take me only a few thousand more, probably three or four thousand, and then the resolution will most likely be another three to four. Originally, going into this second story, I was expecting it to be around 150k. I ended up making changes to the plot as things unfolded (because they unfolded much better than I had half-planned them to), and things just sort of flew by. I expect that book 2 will be about as long as book 1, maybe a smidge longer.
But that’s okay. I liked the length of book 1, I think it puts the book in a very publishable position, as sci-fi novel ranges for first time publishing range around 100k as a nice length and it was enough room to tell the story I wanted without over writing or under writing anything. I suppose I worried too much about the length from the beginning, but I just love the feeling of counting down until I hit my desired endpoint that I got caught up wondering where that endpoint was. I estimate that book 2’s first draft will have its final word in place by the end of the month, and I could not be happier with it so far. As a first draft, it stands up with far fewer mistakes than book 1 (which required a LONG first edit) and I’m excited to be able to dive into publishing with an extra volume in my back pocket in case the unthinkably wonderful happens and they say, “Have you thought about a sequel?”
Here’s to dreaming!
Bishop
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
A Thank You 03/26/2014
03/26/2014
2129 words written today! Also did a bit of editing on book 1, something I’ve been avoiding for no reason at all lately.
I’m sorry to report that I don’t have any topics to discuss today. It’s been a very exhausting one, as I had a lot of work to do at work, and so I’ve not had much time to think anything up. So for now, I’ll just say this. To anyone reading this blog, thank you. I appreciate your support, in a blog that is largely just for me to report my word counts and hold myself accountable for my process. If you like, comment below about anything I write about. Though, I doubt there’s many of you out there right now, partly because I have no published work (self or otherwise) that you can have as a reference for what I do. I hope this is going to change soon, and when it does I hope you’ll keep reading, or start reading if you haven’t already.
That being said, I also invite you to join my journey if you’re a fellow writer. In the comments you can post your word counts for each day and we can do this together. If 2k is too much (or too little!) go ahead and make your own goal and report it. I doubt there’s anyone really consistently following yet, but the offer stands. I’d love to be encouraged by you and hope that I encourage you in some way. Thanks for reading, and see you tomorrow!
Bishop
2129 words written today! Also did a bit of editing on book 1, something I’ve been avoiding for no reason at all lately.
I’m sorry to report that I don’t have any topics to discuss today. It’s been a very exhausting one, as I had a lot of work to do at work, and so I’ve not had much time to think anything up. So for now, I’ll just say this. To anyone reading this blog, thank you. I appreciate your support, in a blog that is largely just for me to report my word counts and hold myself accountable for my process. If you like, comment below about anything I write about. Though, I doubt there’s many of you out there right now, partly because I have no published work (self or otherwise) that you can have as a reference for what I do. I hope this is going to change soon, and when it does I hope you’ll keep reading, or start reading if you haven’t already.
That being said, I also invite you to join my journey if you’re a fellow writer. In the comments you can post your word counts for each day and we can do this together. If 2k is too much (or too little!) go ahead and make your own goal and report it. I doubt there’s anyone really consistently following yet, but the offer stands. I’d love to be encouraged by you and hope that I encourage you in some way. Thanks for reading, and see you tomorrow!
Bishop
Beta Readers 03/25/2014
03/25/2014
2985 Words written… YESTERDAY!
That’s right, I missed a post! But of course you noticed that. Right? You read every day, right?! Of course you don’t. Anyway, so you’ll end up getting two today, how lucky for you!
I’ll spend this first one being a little sappy. I really appreciate beta readers. If you’re a beta reader out there, good on you. It’s difficult to get people to put in the time and commitment to read, let alone read something that’s admittedly not quite finished. I know how important these people are because I’m in this stage right now, trying to get people to read my first novel. Sometimes, even the people closest in your life are unwilling, and I can’t say I blame them. I forget who said it, but someone said, “Asking someone to read your unpublished manuscript is assault in most states.” Because of this, I try and support other writers I know and give them my opinion on their work as best I can.
So, here’s to you, beta reader!
Bishop
2985 Words written… YESTERDAY!
That’s right, I missed a post! But of course you noticed that. Right? You read every day, right?! Of course you don’t. Anyway, so you’ll end up getting two today, how lucky for you!
I’ll spend this first one being a little sappy. I really appreciate beta readers. If you’re a beta reader out there, good on you. It’s difficult to get people to put in the time and commitment to read, let alone read something that’s admittedly not quite finished. I know how important these people are because I’m in this stage right now, trying to get people to read my first novel. Sometimes, even the people closest in your life are unwilling, and I can’t say I blame them. I forget who said it, but someone said, “Asking someone to read your unpublished manuscript is assault in most states.” Because of this, I try and support other writers I know and give them my opinion on their work as best I can.
So, here’s to you, beta reader!
Bishop
Monday, March 24, 2014
Caffeine! 03/24/2014
03/24/2014
2085 words today! Woo!
Book 2 has passed the 89,000 word mark, and our heroes are in the throes of the tense “act 3.” Should be exciting once it actually hits shelves and/or e-readers. Soon… sooooooooon…
Anyway, I really don’t have much to talk about today. Haha! Okay, that was a lie.
One of the things I’ve been discussing (what are the odds I start with that statement?) is narrative style. To be first or third? (Or even second person, if it’s a choose your own adventure novel) Past or present tense? I write in third person past tense, every time. Except on this blog, of course. It might be a personal preference, and it might be just a straight up bias, but I really dislike the present tense narratives. First person usually goes hand in hand when the book is present tense, and while I dislike first person narratives less than I dislike the present tense, it still puts me off.
I suppose it’s because of what I read. I like sci-fi, cheap or classic. Generally (though obviously not exclusively) these books are written in the classic third person past narrative. That’s how I read, and how I’ve always written. It’s what I’m comfortable with, what I love. A lot of people will tell you to write what’s comfortable for you, but I agree with Stephen King when he writes in his book On Writing, that unless you have a very specific reason to write in the first person, write it in third person. It’s just, to me, a more formal looking story style, and makes for an easier read. I get very sick of people saying “I” and “me” all the time.
See, that was a joke, because I say “I” all the time on this blog!
PS, can you tell I've had a lot of caffeine today?
Bishop
2085 words today! Woo!
Book 2 has passed the 89,000 word mark, and our heroes are in the throes of the tense “act 3.” Should be exciting once it actually hits shelves and/or e-readers. Soon… sooooooooon…
Anyway, I really don’t have much to talk about today. Haha! Okay, that was a lie.
One of the things I’ve been discussing (what are the odds I start with that statement?) is narrative style. To be first or third? (Or even second person, if it’s a choose your own adventure novel) Past or present tense? I write in third person past tense, every time. Except on this blog, of course. It might be a personal preference, and it might be just a straight up bias, but I really dislike the present tense narratives. First person usually goes hand in hand when the book is present tense, and while I dislike first person narratives less than I dislike the present tense, it still puts me off.
I suppose it’s because of what I read. I like sci-fi, cheap or classic. Generally (though obviously not exclusively) these books are written in the classic third person past narrative. That’s how I read, and how I’ve always written. It’s what I’m comfortable with, what I love. A lot of people will tell you to write what’s comfortable for you, but I agree with Stephen King when he writes in his book On Writing, that unless you have a very specific reason to write in the first person, write it in third person. It’s just, to me, a more formal looking story style, and makes for an easier read. I get very sick of people saying “I” and “me” all the time.
See, that was a joke, because I say “I” all the time on this blog!
PS, can you tell I've had a lot of caffeine today?
Bishop
Sunday, March 23, 2014
Failure 03/23/2013
03/23/2014
“Bishop!” You say, “You buffoon! You’re posting on a Sunday and failed to post on your work Saturday!” Yes, you’re correct! I worked yesterday, and did some writing (1563 words) and got caught up reading books to actually post. Sorry! You might also note that the number in parentheses above is not above 2k. My first failure! To make up for it, I wrote an additional 2418 words today, making for a weekend total of 3981! So, I’ll call it a half victory? Will you accept that? No? Alright… I failed.
But, that’s the nature of the beast. In any case, the nearly 4k I wrote this weekend was a new project, an idea that came to my head while driving to work on Saturday, grabbing my food from the window at the Hardee’s drive-thru. What can I say, I love sausage biscuits. It began as a novella, but as the idea shifted and grew in my head when writing it, I realized it had a lot of potential to be a full-length novel. It’s set in the same universe that my main series is based in, but earlier in time.
I’m really enjoying writing it, but have a nagging sensation of incompletion of book 2 of the series, which is sitting firmly at 87,000 words right now. I think my plan, for now, will be to work on book 2 throughout the week and anytime I spend working at home, it will be on the new project, at least until book 2 is done, which shouldn’t be long.
Anyway, that was a fun little rant and acceptance of failure. See you tomorrow!
Bishop
“Bishop!” You say, “You buffoon! You’re posting on a Sunday and failed to post on your work Saturday!” Yes, you’re correct! I worked yesterday, and did some writing (1563 words) and got caught up reading books to actually post. Sorry! You might also note that the number in parentheses above is not above 2k. My first failure! To make up for it, I wrote an additional 2418 words today, making for a weekend total of 3981! So, I’ll call it a half victory? Will you accept that? No? Alright… I failed.
But, that’s the nature of the beast. In any case, the nearly 4k I wrote this weekend was a new project, an idea that came to my head while driving to work on Saturday, grabbing my food from the window at the Hardee’s drive-thru. What can I say, I love sausage biscuits. It began as a novella, but as the idea shifted and grew in my head when writing it, I realized it had a lot of potential to be a full-length novel. It’s set in the same universe that my main series is based in, but earlier in time.
I’m really enjoying writing it, but have a nagging sensation of incompletion of book 2 of the series, which is sitting firmly at 87,000 words right now. I think my plan, for now, will be to work on book 2 throughout the week and anytime I spend working at home, it will be on the new project, at least until book 2 is done, which shouldn’t be long.
Anyway, that was a fun little rant and acceptance of failure. See you tomorrow!
Bishop
Friday, March 21, 2014
Inspiration Part III 03/21/2014
03/21/2014
2156 words down today.
I’ve been discussing inspiration in my last couple blog posts, so I figured I might as well make it a trilogy. Inspiration is, as I’ve said, truly different for every person who creates. It works differently for each person because we each work differently. It truly is as they always told me as a child, we’re all like little snowflakes.
That being said, I do believe that the only thing a writer can do is write. Be there inspiration or not, a writer must write, or he stagnates. That isn’t to say that an artist does not need to push through whether or not there’s inspiration. I don’t know enough about painting or drawing to make that statement one way or the next. For writing, though, it’s imperative that the writer beats his inspiration to submission and makes it work for him. What inspires me lately is reading. I read and it makes me want to write, and write better. For some people it may be different, but the necessity remains.
A writer must write in order to be a writer, and so if you wait for inspiration to come along, you’ll wake up one day and realize you’re waiting for nothing. Your waiting turns into raw procrastination, and stagnation occurs. This is the entire reason I began my 2K-a-day personal challenge. It’s the reason why NaNoWriMo exists—to get people habitually writing without the necessity of waiting for some divine moment of clarity. Don’t wait for it. Hunt it.
Tomorrow is my work Saturday, so expect an update!
Bishop
2156 words down today.
I’ve been discussing inspiration in my last couple blog posts, so I figured I might as well make it a trilogy. Inspiration is, as I’ve said, truly different for every person who creates. It works differently for each person because we each work differently. It truly is as they always told me as a child, we’re all like little snowflakes.
That being said, I do believe that the only thing a writer can do is write. Be there inspiration or not, a writer must write, or he stagnates. That isn’t to say that an artist does not need to push through whether or not there’s inspiration. I don’t know enough about painting or drawing to make that statement one way or the next. For writing, though, it’s imperative that the writer beats his inspiration to submission and makes it work for him. What inspires me lately is reading. I read and it makes me want to write, and write better. For some people it may be different, but the necessity remains.
A writer must write in order to be a writer, and so if you wait for inspiration to come along, you’ll wake up one day and realize you’re waiting for nothing. Your waiting turns into raw procrastination, and stagnation occurs. This is the entire reason I began my 2K-a-day personal challenge. It’s the reason why NaNoWriMo exists—to get people habitually writing without the necessity of waiting for some divine moment of clarity. Don’t wait for it. Hunt it.
Tomorrow is my work Saturday, so expect an update!
Bishop
Thursday, March 20, 2014
Inspiration and Reading 03/20/2014
03/20/2014
Ah, another 2425 words down!
Continuing what I was talking about yesterday, inspiration is something, for me, that is derived from reading other works. I get a drive and an ambition, and try my hardest to incorporate what I learn from those books and make my own story that’s unique. I’ve been speaking with others who disagree with the idea entirely, and go so far as to say that reading is not necessary to writing well.
Before I go too far into this, I will admit there was a time when I thought this. I read in college for my classes, obviously, but never read much farther than that. How wrong I was. As I read now, I see how much it improves my writing. It not only inspires me to write certain elements and teaches me how to tell a good story, it overall improves my style and technique as well. I’m driven to write more than I was before, and to write better. Now, I work hard to set aside time for reading, as it pushes me to be a better writer, either to out-do some of the bad books I read (and those also teach me what not to do) but also to strive for greatness like the good books I read. There is a lesson in every book, good or bad, and each lesson makes you better as a writer.
So, while it is possible to be a literary prodigy and be amazing at writing without ever really reading actively… I wonder how much potential is lost by believing the opposite. I wonder how many competent writers that don’t read could be made great writers by reading. I wonder what kind of prolific works they could churn out if they found that drive and inspiration in a book that most writers already embrace. In any case, tonight I plan on going home, relaxing, and reading a good chunk of the book I’m in the middle of, and in the process I promise I’ll learn something about writing.
Bishop
Ah, another 2425 words down!
Continuing what I was talking about yesterday, inspiration is something, for me, that is derived from reading other works. I get a drive and an ambition, and try my hardest to incorporate what I learn from those books and make my own story that’s unique. I’ve been speaking with others who disagree with the idea entirely, and go so far as to say that reading is not necessary to writing well.
Before I go too far into this, I will admit there was a time when I thought this. I read in college for my classes, obviously, but never read much farther than that. How wrong I was. As I read now, I see how much it improves my writing. It not only inspires me to write certain elements and teaches me how to tell a good story, it overall improves my style and technique as well. I’m driven to write more than I was before, and to write better. Now, I work hard to set aside time for reading, as it pushes me to be a better writer, either to out-do some of the bad books I read (and those also teach me what not to do) but also to strive for greatness like the good books I read. There is a lesson in every book, good or bad, and each lesson makes you better as a writer.
So, while it is possible to be a literary prodigy and be amazing at writing without ever really reading actively… I wonder how much potential is lost by believing the opposite. I wonder how many competent writers that don’t read could be made great writers by reading. I wonder what kind of prolific works they could churn out if they found that drive and inspiration in a book that most writers already embrace. In any case, tonight I plan on going home, relaxing, and reading a good chunk of the book I’m in the middle of, and in the process I promise I’ll learn something about writing.
Bishop
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
Inspiration 03/19/2014
03/19/2014
2083 words today! And I intend to work on it later tonight as well.
One thing that I’ve been discussing is the age-old question of where story ideas come from. Some people believe in some abstract “inspiration” that just comes to them. This isn’t the case for me. I pine over settings, not stories. I think about people and cultures within the world I want to set my story, and soon the story comes out.
Inspiration to me is more like “I read/saw/played this, and it made me want to do something similar.” Science fiction, as a genre, is littered with great works inspired by great works. It’s visible in the technology that’s described most of all. How many works, after all, use a warp drive? To other people, inspiration is what “happens” that makes them think of a story idea, but to me this is more of an epiphany. Whatever you call it, I honestly believe that stories do not get written this way. Well, let’s be fair: they do. I just believe that writers who are prolific and write constantly and write well do not depend on random moments of inspiration. Mine is more of a fluctuating level of “inspiration.”
Obviously, I write every day. I’m not always innately inspired. Some days, I’m just trying to get through the writing (like today) but I still do my best to make it the best writing I can. You’ll see these “uninspired” days in my counts. On a good day, I’ll hit past 2500, as I just couldn’t stop. On a bad day? I’ll be below 2100. The writing is still good, I just didn’t particularly have the drive I might have had another day. It doesn’t mean I’m uninspired, though, it just means I’m not as inspired.
My moments of epiphany, though, are more like problems being solved. How does character X get out of the situation I put him in when I wrote today? These ones come to me in the car or in the shower, and it just hits me. My brain is constantly hammering on in the background, trying to solve the problem and at one point, it just comes together. Now, this blog post is rambling, so I’m going to end it here. Maybe I’ll have more thoughts on this tomorrow…
Bishop
2083 words today! And I intend to work on it later tonight as well.
One thing that I’ve been discussing is the age-old question of where story ideas come from. Some people believe in some abstract “inspiration” that just comes to them. This isn’t the case for me. I pine over settings, not stories. I think about people and cultures within the world I want to set my story, and soon the story comes out.
Inspiration to me is more like “I read/saw/played this, and it made me want to do something similar.” Science fiction, as a genre, is littered with great works inspired by great works. It’s visible in the technology that’s described most of all. How many works, after all, use a warp drive? To other people, inspiration is what “happens” that makes them think of a story idea, but to me this is more of an epiphany. Whatever you call it, I honestly believe that stories do not get written this way. Well, let’s be fair: they do. I just believe that writers who are prolific and write constantly and write well do not depend on random moments of inspiration. Mine is more of a fluctuating level of “inspiration.”
Obviously, I write every day. I’m not always innately inspired. Some days, I’m just trying to get through the writing (like today) but I still do my best to make it the best writing I can. You’ll see these “uninspired” days in my counts. On a good day, I’ll hit past 2500, as I just couldn’t stop. On a bad day? I’ll be below 2100. The writing is still good, I just didn’t particularly have the drive I might have had another day. It doesn’t mean I’m uninspired, though, it just means I’m not as inspired.
My moments of epiphany, though, are more like problems being solved. How does character X get out of the situation I put him in when I wrote today? These ones come to me in the car or in the shower, and it just hits me. My brain is constantly hammering on in the background, trying to solve the problem and at one point, it just comes together. Now, this blog post is rambling, so I’m going to end it here. Maybe I’ll have more thoughts on this tomorrow…
Bishop
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
Perseverance 03/18/2014
03/18/2014
2771 words written today.
And so begins the first part of the climax of book 2! I’m now
80,000 words in and the villain’s evil plan is finally coming into place. Now
begins the desperate struggle to stop him, even with our heroes in a weakened
position.
I’ve been reading a little about worried writers who are
depressed or upset about some aspect of writing. I worry for these writers, and
feel their pain, but I think there’s only one way to get past this sort of
feeling of inadequacy or inaction that comes from any creative task: create. I’ve said before, that what makes a writer is
not this or that, it’s writing. If you write, and write constantly, you’re a
writer. If you paint and paint constantly you’re a painter. If you carpent and
carpent constantly, you’re a carpenter. (Though, that might be wrong, I know nothing
of carpentering.) In any case, if you’re bogged down by your own personal
feelings of failure, be them correct or not, the only way to relieve yourself
from it is to persevere past it.
I am not the best writer. I know that. I’m probably not even
a great writer. I’m definitely a competent writer. But there are times I’m
embarrassed by what I’ve written. Sometimes it’s the poor quality of the prose,
or just the inability to keep things straight in my head, but either way the
only way I can fix it and continue is to do just that. Continue. Editing makes
things right again, and there’ll always be time for it. So, writer… write on.
Type away your worries and your blues, and just get the story down. Once it’s
there, then you can worry about if it’s good or not. Only if it’s down in its
entire completion, and only after you’ve had a chance to edit it properly. Even
then, don’t judge yourself too harshly, though I know I often do.
Bishop
Monday, March 17, 2014
Recurring Elements 03/17/2014
03-17-2014
2380 words written today!
Happy St. Patrick’s day! It’s a Monday, so try not to get too drunk, alright? As for writing, I’ve been extra motivated recently. I’m building to that downhill slide that is the climax of the novel. The downhill part comes with how easy it is to write. The climax is really the only part of the book I think about as I go, because I do think that planning it out just a little bit is conducive to a healthy plot. In my books, I build toward events and have things that need to be recalled back to. This requires some forethought, because if I just wrote, these elements might not always come back the way I want to design them to.
Some writers who just write will go back and fix these issues later. They’ll get it on the first edit, but I try to get it on the first draft. Obviously, some things will need revision or be forgotten, but that’s natural. If I work to plan for certain things to be recurring elements or building plot toward the climax, I can make a more intertwined web of a story. Basically, if I have something hinted at in chapter one and don’t plan a spot for it to recur near the end, I will lose it in the narration and will need to rewrite it out, or write it in at the end. But, such is the danger of being a man of little planning. It all seems very obvious, but it can be difficult to get right.
Bishop
2380 words written today!
Happy St. Patrick’s day! It’s a Monday, so try not to get too drunk, alright? As for writing, I’ve been extra motivated recently. I’m building to that downhill slide that is the climax of the novel. The downhill part comes with how easy it is to write. The climax is really the only part of the book I think about as I go, because I do think that planning it out just a little bit is conducive to a healthy plot. In my books, I build toward events and have things that need to be recalled back to. This requires some forethought, because if I just wrote, these elements might not always come back the way I want to design them to.
Some writers who just write will go back and fix these issues later. They’ll get it on the first edit, but I try to get it on the first draft. Obviously, some things will need revision or be forgotten, but that’s natural. If I work to plan for certain things to be recurring elements or building plot toward the climax, I can make a more intertwined web of a story. Basically, if I have something hinted at in chapter one and don’t plan a spot for it to recur near the end, I will lose it in the narration and will need to rewrite it out, or write it in at the end. But, such is the danger of being a man of little planning. It all seems very obvious, but it can be difficult to get right.
Bishop
Friday, March 14, 2014
A Fresh Perspective 03/14/2014
03/14/2014
2029 words done today, a little lower because of a serious headache. This puts the book total at 74,596 words, or about 3/5 of the way finished, I estimate.
I’ve started editing my first book again, after nearly a month of just “letting it sit.” I had no idea quite how necessary that part of the process was. Not the editing, the letting it sit. As I began my editing, I read the revised prologue, it worked pretty well. I write it after the rest of the book and after the first two rounds of editing when I’d ironed out some bad habits I had when I started the book. Bear in mind, when I began book one, I hadn’t written since college, which has been a couple of years now. When I delved into chapters one and two, there were issues. Big issues. Issues I missed in edits one and two. Things were over-described or needlessly wordy, and some stuff was just poorly said.
I realize now that leaving it alone is what I need to do. I recommend trying it if you’re a fellow writer, especially if you have a habit of finding yourself being wordy. You come back about thirty days later and the reading is fresh, it’s new, it’s easy to see errors that aren’t quite as glaring. So, I’m beginning edit round number three, and after that I’ll be looking for an agent to represent the work. Here’s hoping it’ll be good news down the line. And if not? I’ll write another, and another, and another until I have good news for you. As you might expect, I’ll be documenting this process all the while.
Bishop
2029 words done today, a little lower because of a serious headache. This puts the book total at 74,596 words, or about 3/5 of the way finished, I estimate.
I’ve started editing my first book again, after nearly a month of just “letting it sit.” I had no idea quite how necessary that part of the process was. Not the editing, the letting it sit. As I began my editing, I read the revised prologue, it worked pretty well. I write it after the rest of the book and after the first two rounds of editing when I’d ironed out some bad habits I had when I started the book. Bear in mind, when I began book one, I hadn’t written since college, which has been a couple of years now. When I delved into chapters one and two, there were issues. Big issues. Issues I missed in edits one and two. Things were over-described or needlessly wordy, and some stuff was just poorly said.
I realize now that leaving it alone is what I need to do. I recommend trying it if you’re a fellow writer, especially if you have a habit of finding yourself being wordy. You come back about thirty days later and the reading is fresh, it’s new, it’s easy to see errors that aren’t quite as glaring. So, I’m beginning edit round number three, and after that I’ll be looking for an agent to represent the work. Here’s hoping it’ll be good news down the line. And if not? I’ll write another, and another, and another until I have good news for you. As you might expect, I’ll be documenting this process all the while.
Bishop
Thursday, March 13, 2014
Keeping Score 03/13/2014
03/13/2014
2360 words today, making 10861 for the week, already over goal!
Book 2 has passed the 72k mark, and I’m really flying high on the emotion of it. When I start my works, that word counter is like a score keeper. I watch it get higher and higher and with it comes my self esteem. I feel like I’m truly accomplishing something with the number’s rising digits. I celebrate everyday when I pass 2k, but I really feel good when I hit those tens. 10k, still a long way to go, but that’s a decent chunk down. 20k, even more so. 30, 40, 50… It all just feels better and better until I hit around the 90k mark.
With both books, I have had a dip around 60k where I worry I’m not doing right by the story. Am I not good enough? Am I not writing as well as so-and-so would? This bogs me down a bit and it can be tough to really hit my stride. Around 90k, though, it’s the opposite. I’ve only hit 90k once, and that was with book 1, but when I hit 90k, I was so ecstatic and could so easily see the end in sight, that I pushed hard. Probably too hard, in fact. I burned 6k the day after I hit 90, and another 9k the day after that to finish the book. I had to go back and expand some sections because I rushed through them so much at the end, but I’ve never felt so driven to do anything creative in my life. I pushed myself to write constantly in those two days, and the second day I stayed up late just to make sure it finished. And it did.
Hitting “The End” on a book is a feeling of immense accomplishment. I would say it’s akin to finishing a marathon, but I have never run a marathon (and never intend to, but I am in awe of those who do). If it feels half as good as finishing a novel, then it probably feels pretty damn good.
Bishop
2360 words today, making 10861 for the week, already over goal!
Book 2 has passed the 72k mark, and I’m really flying high on the emotion of it. When I start my works, that word counter is like a score keeper. I watch it get higher and higher and with it comes my self esteem. I feel like I’m truly accomplishing something with the number’s rising digits. I celebrate everyday when I pass 2k, but I really feel good when I hit those tens. 10k, still a long way to go, but that’s a decent chunk down. 20k, even more so. 30, 40, 50… It all just feels better and better until I hit around the 90k mark.
With both books, I have had a dip around 60k where I worry I’m not doing right by the story. Am I not good enough? Am I not writing as well as so-and-so would? This bogs me down a bit and it can be tough to really hit my stride. Around 90k, though, it’s the opposite. I’ve only hit 90k once, and that was with book 1, but when I hit 90k, I was so ecstatic and could so easily see the end in sight, that I pushed hard. Probably too hard, in fact. I burned 6k the day after I hit 90, and another 9k the day after that to finish the book. I had to go back and expand some sections because I rushed through them so much at the end, but I’ve never felt so driven to do anything creative in my life. I pushed myself to write constantly in those two days, and the second day I stayed up late just to make sure it finished. And it did.
Hitting “The End” on a book is a feeling of immense accomplishment. I would say it’s akin to finishing a marathon, but I have never run a marathon (and never intend to, but I am in awe of those who do). If it feels half as good as finishing a novel, then it probably feels pretty damn good.
Bishop
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
Exposition Position 03/12/2014
03/12/2014
2061 words today, and barely made it in time before work ended.
Today was all about exposition. It’s a horrendous thing when done improperly, and can destroy the illusion of your characters. If they just say something like “As you know…” and go into a long-winded exposition about their evil plans, you’ve lost everything to the exposition demon. No one believes it. It’s not how people speak, it’s not how characters would speak, and if they already knew it, why did they need to talk about it? It makes no sense.
My book just introduced the plan of the final villain (well, one major part of the plan) by it actually happening before the reader’s eyes. It seems like a simple, stupid statement, but I decided to keep the reader in the dark and have the plan gradually come out. The villain in my book is all about strategy and misdirection, so it works well. He’s still got tricks up his sleeve, including a plan B, but those are for later. The best thing about it is that I drop clues and give hints along the way that build into the later reveals. As always, I might be doing it wrong. It might not be that great, but that’s what editing is for. I’m hoping that the reader gets to the reveal and goes, “Oh! That’s what that was all about before! That makes so much sense!” and my villain comes off as a genius. That’s the hope, anyway.
Bishop
2061 words today, and barely made it in time before work ended.
Today was all about exposition. It’s a horrendous thing when done improperly, and can destroy the illusion of your characters. If they just say something like “As you know…” and go into a long-winded exposition about their evil plans, you’ve lost everything to the exposition demon. No one believes it. It’s not how people speak, it’s not how characters would speak, and if they already knew it, why did they need to talk about it? It makes no sense.
My book just introduced the plan of the final villain (well, one major part of the plan) by it actually happening before the reader’s eyes. It seems like a simple, stupid statement, but I decided to keep the reader in the dark and have the plan gradually come out. The villain in my book is all about strategy and misdirection, so it works well. He’s still got tricks up his sleeve, including a plan B, but those are for later. The best thing about it is that I drop clues and give hints along the way that build into the later reveals. As always, I might be doing it wrong. It might not be that great, but that’s what editing is for. I’m hoping that the reader gets to the reveal and goes, “Oh! That’s what that was all about before! That makes so much sense!” and my villain comes off as a genius. That’s the hope, anyway.
Bishop
Tuesday, March 11, 2014
Outlining for the Edit 03/11/2014
03/11/2014
2146 words down today.
They say Tuesdays are the most depressing days of the week, which I can understand. You’re coming off of a Monday, so you’re not feeling well rested like after a weekend day, and you’ve still got a long way to go in the week. So, here’s to all of you trudging through Tuesday! It’ll be Friday before too long.
Anyway, today’s writing got a bit emotional, and I’ve been reading peoples’ thoughts on writing emotionally tense or charged scenes, and I realized something about myself. I came to understand that when I write, especially in these more emotionally tense scenes, I write them first with a “tell” attitude. I sort of just say “she could tell he felt devastated” or “he couldn’t contain his fear.” When I go back and edit, though, I expand on these things. I change them from “she could tell he felt devastated,” to something more descriptive like, “his eyes stared back at her, unblinking and wavering with shock. His breath came in short, frightful sips.” That might be an overstatement, but the idea is there. When I write, I sometimes am almost outlining what I want to say, and when I edit I go back and say, “Hm. No, that’s not nearly what it should be.”
This just furthers my belief that Hemingway was right when he said, “The first draft of anything is shit.”
Bishop
2146 words down today.
They say Tuesdays are the most depressing days of the week, which I can understand. You’re coming off of a Monday, so you’re not feeling well rested like after a weekend day, and you’ve still got a long way to go in the week. So, here’s to all of you trudging through Tuesday! It’ll be Friday before too long.
Anyway, today’s writing got a bit emotional, and I’ve been reading peoples’ thoughts on writing emotionally tense or charged scenes, and I realized something about myself. I came to understand that when I write, especially in these more emotionally tense scenes, I write them first with a “tell” attitude. I sort of just say “she could tell he felt devastated” or “he couldn’t contain his fear.” When I go back and edit, though, I expand on these things. I change them from “she could tell he felt devastated,” to something more descriptive like, “his eyes stared back at her, unblinking and wavering with shock. His breath came in short, frightful sips.” That might be an overstatement, but the idea is there. When I write, I sometimes am almost outlining what I want to say, and when I edit I go back and say, “Hm. No, that’s not nearly what it should be.”
This just furthers my belief that Hemingway was right when he said, “The first draft of anything is shit.”
Bishop
Monday, March 10, 2014
Dreams 03/10/2014
03/10/2014
SOURCE: Anything Comic
2095 words written today!
I have vivid dreams. One of the things I do when I have a vivid dream that particularly makes me think of a story idea or plot point (or solves an issue I'm having) I record it. Technology is wonderful, and where once I had a piece of paper and a pen by my sleeping area, I now have a cell phone. I use a Samsung, and what's wonderful about them is that they come with an app that's basically a notepad where you can record stuff, and I have one dedicated to story ideas I come up with in dreams. Last night I solved a plot issue I was worried about as my brain solved the problem in my head. Of course, it also advised that I make the villain of my story reveal himself to be a million years old at the end, and has kept himself alive by magic. The sleep giveth, and the sleep taketh away.
I also stay up far too late most nights, which leads me to use my breaks at work for napping. As I write this entry, I just took a nap, wherein I dreamed, albeit briefly, and in the time it took me to go from the break room where I napped, back to my office where I planned to record the dream on my phone, I forgot the dream. I know it was nothing major relating to my plot, or even a story idea, but it was funny and now I'm sad I didn't just instantly put what I remembered into my phone.
In any case, I'm sure it had something to do with goats, as I remember I was reading about the upcoming video game "Goat Simulator." Which is why I worry I missed out on remembering something great.
Bishop
SOURCE: Anything Comic
2095 words written today!
I have vivid dreams. One of the things I do when I have a vivid dream that particularly makes me think of a story idea or plot point (or solves an issue I'm having) I record it. Technology is wonderful, and where once I had a piece of paper and a pen by my sleeping area, I now have a cell phone. I use a Samsung, and what's wonderful about them is that they come with an app that's basically a notepad where you can record stuff, and I have one dedicated to story ideas I come up with in dreams. Last night I solved a plot issue I was worried about as my brain solved the problem in my head. Of course, it also advised that I make the villain of my story reveal himself to be a million years old at the end, and has kept himself alive by magic. The sleep giveth, and the sleep taketh away.
I also stay up far too late most nights, which leads me to use my breaks at work for napping. As I write this entry, I just took a nap, wherein I dreamed, albeit briefly, and in the time it took me to go from the break room where I napped, back to my office where I planned to record the dream on my phone, I forgot the dream. I know it was nothing major relating to my plot, or even a story idea, but it was funny and now I'm sad I didn't just instantly put what I remembered into my phone.
In any case, I'm sure it had something to do with goats, as I remember I was reading about the upcoming video game "Goat Simulator." Which is why I worry I missed out on remembering something great.
Bishop
Correction: 2334 words today, went back and added a little more.
Friday, March 7, 2014
By Hand or By Type 03/07/2014
03/07/2014
2628 words today! Happy Friday!
Slow day at work, it let me finish much earlier than usual
as well as get over 2600 words done. I might end up writing some more later
today just because I have the extra time.
I wonder if I would have been able to write as prolifically
as I do without a computer. I love computers, for so many reasons, but one of
the biggest is word processing. I cannot imagine the necessity of writing
everything out onto paper. I have horrific penmanship, mostly because if I have
the option, I type. Every time. In college, I wrote in notebooks while I
ignored my professors' lectures, but even then I wished I had a laptop in those
days (My primary computer is always a desktop, for gaming, and it wasn't until
I was given a personal laptop at my job that I had a more portable option). I
told myself so many times that I would go back and type up those older stories,
but I never did. I never did it when I was in college, and I doubt I will now.
Even the typewriter annoys me--it's horrendous with
formatting, and mistakes were permanent unless you had one of those from the
80s and 90s that actually had white-out ink. I used one for about a week,
mainly for the curiosity of it, and quickly became annoyed at having to
interrupt my trains of thought to pull pages and put in new ones. I can only
imagine having these as my only options. I definitely would have a rough time
reaching the goal I work toward every day. So I suppose... thank the gods for
computers!
I clearly owe Bill Gates a beer.
Bishop
Thursday, March 6, 2014
Pace and Thursdays 03/06/2014
03/06/2014
2089 Words today.
It's Thursday today. That's almost as good as Friday, but really not even close.
My characters are taking things in directions I didn't expect. Really, they're being jerks about it too, laughing at me from inside my mind as they take control of the narrative and go off and do their own things. It makes for better story-telling, but boy, they were being awfully smug about it today.
I've been a bit disappointed with my pace as well. Not the pacing of the book, that seems to be working well, but my own writing speed. I've hit my goal as needed since I started the book, and especially since I started the blog. But it's not quite as intense as when I finished the first book. By the end, I was at 4K a day, and on the last day of writing book one, I hit just under 10K. It was a good day. I think it has something to do with the impending completion of the piece, and right now I'm so in the middle that my mind is feeling a little tired and like there's no end in sight. Either way, I'm to soldier on and continue this quest! Hopefully, nearer to the end of the work, you'll see me posting numbers much higher than 2089.
Bishop
2089 Words today.
It's Thursday today. That's almost as good as Friday, but really not even close.
My characters are taking things in directions I didn't expect. Really, they're being jerks about it too, laughing at me from inside my mind as they take control of the narrative and go off and do their own things. It makes for better story-telling, but boy, they were being awfully smug about it today.
I've been a bit disappointed with my pace as well. Not the pacing of the book, that seems to be working well, but my own writing speed. I've hit my goal as needed since I started the book, and especially since I started the blog. But it's not quite as intense as when I finished the first book. By the end, I was at 4K a day, and on the last day of writing book one, I hit just under 10K. It was a good day. I think it has something to do with the impending completion of the piece, and right now I'm so in the middle that my mind is feeling a little tired and like there's no end in sight. Either way, I'm to soldier on and continue this quest! Hopefully, nearer to the end of the work, you'll see me posting numbers much higher than 2089.
Bishop
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
Continuity 03/05/2014
03/05/2014
2028 words today, another busy day at work that kept me from going too far above my goal.
Continuity was an issue of mine today. It's an issue that plagues a lot of writers who fire from the hip and just write as they go. I had to double back a little and make a few adjustments when I realized that I should have referenced this earlier. I also needed to dip back a couple of chapters to see what I already referenced that I needed to use. I want to avoid putting in unnecessary things that never get seen again. In my eyes, if it's not important to the plot or to a character's development or background, it's generally tough to find a reason to put it into a book.
With sci-fi (and fantasy, too) I have the luxury of readers expecting a bit more book for their buck. I can be a little extra wordy, or throw in some otherwise not totally necessary world-building in order to create an atmosphere that's not familiar to the reader. Even still, I try not to go off on a tirade of back story for a character who has one insignificant line. Also, if the line is insignificant enough, I think the line can be omitted. Then if the character's not saying or doing anything important anymore, get rid of that character! Writing can be tough in this way, because you can see and imagine great things, but they're not necessarily useful in the book, and can bog it down and ruin your pacing or destroy your readers patience and interest.
In any case, for me, it's all about the editing. I'll be able to see how badly I maintained continuity in the first revision.
Bishop
2028 words today, another busy day at work that kept me from going too far above my goal.
Continuity was an issue of mine today. It's an issue that plagues a lot of writers who fire from the hip and just write as they go. I had to double back a little and make a few adjustments when I realized that I should have referenced this earlier. I also needed to dip back a couple of chapters to see what I already referenced that I needed to use. I want to avoid putting in unnecessary things that never get seen again. In my eyes, if it's not important to the plot or to a character's development or background, it's generally tough to find a reason to put it into a book.
With sci-fi (and fantasy, too) I have the luxury of readers expecting a bit more book for their buck. I can be a little extra wordy, or throw in some otherwise not totally necessary world-building in order to create an atmosphere that's not familiar to the reader. Even still, I try not to go off on a tirade of back story for a character who has one insignificant line. Also, if the line is insignificant enough, I think the line can be omitted. Then if the character's not saying or doing anything important anymore, get rid of that character! Writing can be tough in this way, because you can see and imagine great things, but they're not necessarily useful in the book, and can bog it down and ruin your pacing or destroy your readers patience and interest.
In any case, for me, it's all about the editing. I'll be able to see how badly I maintained continuity in the first revision.
Bishop
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
Middles 03/04/2014
03/04/2014
2024 words today, barely made the goal.
I'm at a tough spot that I'm sure a lot of writers get into. I'm between two great moments of action in that all-important middle of my book. This puts me at 54,310 words so far into book 2, which is somewhere between halfway and one third of the way through what I plan to write. The middle can be hard, for many many writers, but especially for writers that don't really plan the entire book out (pantsers, as we're called). It's difficult to keep the action rising toward the climax without accidentally sagging the middle, or letting certain elements drag on for length purposes. A lot of panters like myself have a beginning and a climax in mind (some have even less when they start) and making them connect is the tough part.
I've got a vague idea of what I'm going to do with this middle section, and I hardly think it's sagging, I'm merely having trouble connecting two points of the narrative to one another. My characters are spread out geographically right now, so I have to shift from one to another and keep the narrative interesting and keep the elements of mystery that I'm trying to maintain. As I always say, I think I'm doing well, but that will really only be seen in editing.
Bishop
2024 words today, barely made the goal.
I'm at a tough spot that I'm sure a lot of writers get into. I'm between two great moments of action in that all-important middle of my book. This puts me at 54,310 words so far into book 2, which is somewhere between halfway and one third of the way through what I plan to write. The middle can be hard, for many many writers, but especially for writers that don't really plan the entire book out (pantsers, as we're called). It's difficult to keep the action rising toward the climax without accidentally sagging the middle, or letting certain elements drag on for length purposes. A lot of panters like myself have a beginning and a climax in mind (some have even less when they start) and making them connect is the tough part.
I've got a vague idea of what I'm going to do with this middle section, and I hardly think it's sagging, I'm merely having trouble connecting two points of the narrative to one another. My characters are spread out geographically right now, so I have to shift from one to another and keep the narrative interesting and keep the elements of mystery that I'm trying to maintain. As I always say, I think I'm doing well, but that will really only be seen in editing.
Bishop
Monday, March 3, 2014
Oscars 03/03/2014
03/03/2014
2062 words, and counting. I'm planning on writing some more today.
So the Oscars were last night. Am I supposed to capitolize the "O" in Oscars? I don't know because I hate them. No, I'm not the kind of guy who hates how "political" they are or, how this person lost to this person or whatever. I just dislike the constant praise for whichever movie had the longest runtime. It might be that my idea of what makes a good movie is far skewed from everyone else's, but it might also just be that I really dislike awards shows.
I was just telling a friend of mine that my favorite description of a movie is "Kurt Russell shoots people." This is what entertains me, to be honest. I like sitting back and enjoying over-the-top action. I went with my wife and her family to see "American Hustle," mostly because Amy Adams was said to get naked in that film (LIES--She only gets mostly naked). To me, it was two and half hours of people talking with tense looks on their faces. I understand there was more to it than that, and I get what the film was trying to do/say through and through, I was just bored. I was in the minority leaving that movie theater. I remember when Christian Bale's character reaches for a gun in a safe, and I thought, "Finally, some actual action," then we as an audience never see that gun again, which I find annoyingly misleading as well as sloppy writing--don't include elements that are just never going to be shown again, unless there's some real significance. I have not seen any of the other Oscar nominees, aside from Gravity which was a great movie because it was a legitimate thriller with some good acting. They even ruined James Bond; he was the pinnacle of over-the-top action and ridiculous story-telling, and when Daniel Craig entered the scene, it needed to be gritty and real. I don't want gritty and real. Gritty and real is on the news, along with the opinions of people who want to tell me how horrible one side of the political parties are. I want Sylvester Stallone snarling at mercenaries before he massacres them without reloading.
So I never care about the Oscars. Movies I like never win. They never even come close. Sometimes they get the "best sound editing" or "best sound mixing" Oscars, but everyone knows those are the "I'm gonna take a leak now" Oscars. So I'm going to sit on my happy, lonely hill with movies like "Soldier" and "Crank," or any "Die Hard" or "Rambo" film. That's not to say I don't like heavier films, I sometimes really do, but when it comes to wanting to simply be entertained for a few hours, I want meaningless fun. I'd be less annoyed if there was a "best action film" Oscar, or even a "best comedy" but that's not going to happen, for some reason.
Okay, this has been a rant, so I'm going to move on. Later!
Bishop
2062 words, and counting. I'm planning on writing some more today.
So the Oscars were last night. Am I supposed to capitolize the "O" in Oscars? I don't know because I hate them. No, I'm not the kind of guy who hates how "political" they are or, how this person lost to this person or whatever. I just dislike the constant praise for whichever movie had the longest runtime. It might be that my idea of what makes a good movie is far skewed from everyone else's, but it might also just be that I really dislike awards shows.
I was just telling a friend of mine that my favorite description of a movie is "Kurt Russell shoots people." This is what entertains me, to be honest. I like sitting back and enjoying over-the-top action. I went with my wife and her family to see "American Hustle," mostly because Amy Adams was said to get naked in that film (LIES--She only gets mostly naked). To me, it was two and half hours of people talking with tense looks on their faces. I understand there was more to it than that, and I get what the film was trying to do/say through and through, I was just bored. I was in the minority leaving that movie theater. I remember when Christian Bale's character reaches for a gun in a safe, and I thought, "Finally, some actual action," then we as an audience never see that gun again, which I find annoyingly misleading as well as sloppy writing--don't include elements that are just never going to be shown again, unless there's some real significance. I have not seen any of the other Oscar nominees, aside from Gravity which was a great movie because it was a legitimate thriller with some good acting. They even ruined James Bond; he was the pinnacle of over-the-top action and ridiculous story-telling, and when Daniel Craig entered the scene, it needed to be gritty and real. I don't want gritty and real. Gritty and real is on the news, along with the opinions of people who want to tell me how horrible one side of the political parties are. I want Sylvester Stallone snarling at mercenaries before he massacres them without reloading.
So I never care about the Oscars. Movies I like never win. They never even come close. Sometimes they get the "best sound editing" or "best sound mixing" Oscars, but everyone knows those are the "I'm gonna take a leak now" Oscars. So I'm going to sit on my happy, lonely hill with movies like "Soldier" and "Crank," or any "Die Hard" or "Rambo" film. That's not to say I don't like heavier films, I sometimes really do, but when it comes to wanting to simply be entertained for a few hours, I want meaningless fun. I'd be less annoyed if there was a "best action film" Oscar, or even a "best comedy" but that's not going to happen, for some reason.
Okay, this has been a rant, so I'm going to move on. Later!
Bishop
Friday, February 28, 2014
Pantsing! 02/28/2014
02/28/2014
2080 words today!
And it was a busy one. At work, I had a lot to get done (and still do!) and barely was able to finish writing on my lunch break.
One of things I've been seeing a lot of is the debate about planning vs pantsing in writing. Pantsing, as it's often referred, is the idea of just writing by the seat of your pants, typing furiously to add to the story in progress without a care in the world as to planning out the plot. I find myself between the two of these methods, as I plan out the major plot points, who kills who, what big events will eventually happen, but I also pants. Each individual scene is completely fresh and I let my characters act as the wind-up toys they are. Today I wrote a scene that turned into something completely unexpected as the characters spoke in my mind and made things go differently than I'd originally planned. I had to go back and change a few little things from earlier scenes in order to maintain continuity, but it kept the pacing better and made for a more interesting twist to the story.
That sort of technique is what I love about the craft, and the surprise that comes with it. Everytime I write something new, it's just that: new! I didn't necessarily expect X to happen, but it's awesome! And it might lead into Y, or even just jump to Z! So, I suppose between the two, I'm a pantser, writing with speed and unknown direction, but I like that. This isn't to say anything's wrong with the other methods, but they're just wrong for me.
Bishop
2080 words today!
And it was a busy one. At work, I had a lot to get done (and still do!) and barely was able to finish writing on my lunch break.
One of things I've been seeing a lot of is the debate about planning vs pantsing in writing. Pantsing, as it's often referred, is the idea of just writing by the seat of your pants, typing furiously to add to the story in progress without a care in the world as to planning out the plot. I find myself between the two of these methods, as I plan out the major plot points, who kills who, what big events will eventually happen, but I also pants. Each individual scene is completely fresh and I let my characters act as the wind-up toys they are. Today I wrote a scene that turned into something completely unexpected as the characters spoke in my mind and made things go differently than I'd originally planned. I had to go back and change a few little things from earlier scenes in order to maintain continuity, but it kept the pacing better and made for a more interesting twist to the story.
That sort of technique is what I love about the craft, and the surprise that comes with it. Everytime I write something new, it's just that: new! I didn't necessarily expect X to happen, but it's awesome! And it might lead into Y, or even just jump to Z! So, I suppose between the two, I'm a pantser, writing with speed and unknown direction, but I like that. This isn't to say anything's wrong with the other methods, but they're just wrong for me.
Bishop
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Sleepy Dialogue 02/27/2014
02/27/2014
2240 Words today, and a very sleepy set as well.
Didn't sleep well last night and had some odd dreams, as I often do, so I'm a bit groggy this morning. I powered through my words before lunch, though, which is something I'm rather proud of. It's getting easier and easier, as I've said, the more I build toward the more climactic points of the book.
I've been discussing dialogue a little lately, and I wanted to put my thoughts in here. Dialogue is one of the most important elements of any story, obviously. We see more of the characters through their words than through their action sometimes, and that makes it infinitely important to get these elements right. One thing I try to do with dialogue is write it to be read as the character would say it. In my book, there's a character with a Texan accent, so instead of "Yes sir," he says "Yes'suh," or something to that effect. I've heard of people disliking this type of dialect inclusion, but I find it's essential to "hearing" the characters in your head. After all, without it, a small child's dialogue might look identical to that of an adult's, which would be obnoxious if you ask me.
Anyway, the weekend's coming up, and I couldn't be more thrilled. Work's been very busy this week, with a lot of equipment to manage and data to process. As much as I love working on computers, though, I'd prefer it be a little slower. Let's me write more.
Bishop
2240 Words today, and a very sleepy set as well.
Didn't sleep well last night and had some odd dreams, as I often do, so I'm a bit groggy this morning. I powered through my words before lunch, though, which is something I'm rather proud of. It's getting easier and easier, as I've said, the more I build toward the more climactic points of the book.
I've been discussing dialogue a little lately, and I wanted to put my thoughts in here. Dialogue is one of the most important elements of any story, obviously. We see more of the characters through their words than through their action sometimes, and that makes it infinitely important to get these elements right. One thing I try to do with dialogue is write it to be read as the character would say it. In my book, there's a character with a Texan accent, so instead of "Yes sir," he says "Yes'suh," or something to that effect. I've heard of people disliking this type of dialect inclusion, but I find it's essential to "hearing" the characters in your head. After all, without it, a small child's dialogue might look identical to that of an adult's, which would be obnoxious if you ask me.
Anyway, the weekend's coming up, and I couldn't be more thrilled. Work's been very busy this week, with a lot of equipment to manage and data to process. As much as I love working on computers, though, I'd prefer it be a little slower. Let's me write more.
Bishop
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
The Periodic Table of Story Elements
The Periodic Table of Story Elements By James Harris
I love this thing. I just discovered it today thanks to a friend linking me to writingprompts.tumblr.com (Another great site!) and have been toying with it a bit this morning. I probably would have gotten my 2K done a lot faster had I not discovered it!
It does a decent job of connecting storytelling to many of its elements, using references to pop culture and some classics. I also like the idea of taking some of the major story elements to make a "molecule" of the work. Obviously, some works (particularly novels, which are longer) incorporate many, many elements of this table as they're so universally used in great story telling. While obviously not intentional, these elements are formed by the culture around us, using and reusing these tropes and telling great tales with them and influencing us to do the same.
In any case, it's a nice summation of some simple ideas that can be built into great tales.
Bishop
I love this thing. I just discovered it today thanks to a friend linking me to writingprompts.tumblr.com (Another great site!) and have been toying with it a bit this morning. I probably would have gotten my 2K done a lot faster had I not discovered it!
It does a decent job of connecting storytelling to many of its elements, using references to pop culture and some classics. I also like the idea of taking some of the major story elements to make a "molecule" of the work. Obviously, some works (particularly novels, which are longer) incorporate many, many elements of this table as they're so universally used in great story telling. While obviously not intentional, these elements are formed by the culture around us, using and reusing these tropes and telling great tales with them and influencing us to do the same.
In any case, it's a nice summation of some simple ideas that can be built into great tales.
Bishop
Editing Another's 02/26/2014
02/26/2014
2312 words today, and I might write more when I get some time after lunch. I'm really into this section of the story, things are heating up!
I've been editing a fellow writer's work, and I really feel that the practice I get from that is offering me a different perspective on the process. I'm honored to have been asked to give my notes on the piece, and will be working pretty hard to get through it in a good timeframe. I know my writing can only improve by editing this piece, especially since his work has some aspects I really admire. So far I'm only a couple of chapters into the work, but I'm already learning from it and from my own edits.
I've also been feeling better. Yesterday was a pretty taxing day and I felt like I couldn't do anything right, but today I feel much better. I don't know if it was the headache or something else, but I felt overly anxious yesterday too, but this morning it all seemed like it melted away. Felt good.
Bishop
2312 words today, and I might write more when I get some time after lunch. I'm really into this section of the story, things are heating up!
I've been editing a fellow writer's work, and I really feel that the practice I get from that is offering me a different perspective on the process. I'm honored to have been asked to give my notes on the piece, and will be working pretty hard to get through it in a good timeframe. I know my writing can only improve by editing this piece, especially since his work has some aspects I really admire. So far I'm only a couple of chapters into the work, but I'm already learning from it and from my own edits.
I've also been feeling better. Yesterday was a pretty taxing day and I felt like I couldn't do anything right, but today I feel much better. I don't know if it was the headache or something else, but I felt overly anxious yesterday too, but this morning it all seemed like it melted away. Felt good.
Bishop
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
One Headache of a Day 02/25/2014
02/25/2014
2215 words today, and another rough one.
I had a headache and a stomach ache all morning, and only now in the afternoon is the stomach part starting to clear up. My head is still pusling with pain, so I can only imagine that my writing might have suffered a little. Even still, I'm proud to have finished. Tuesdays are already the most depressing day of the week, methinks, so to get 200 words above the goal feels good.
A suspenseful conclusion to a particularly tense little scene was the subject of my chapter today. It was a short chapter, clocking in at only about 2.5K in word length, as opposed to my usual 4K average. But that's okay, it served its purpose well and if I need to add more in editing, well then that's what's going to happen. I'm afraid I don't have much else to say today, I'm really not feeling well. So, for now, I'm going to close this blog entry.
Bishop
PS: RIP Harold Ramis, you were one funny guy and your work will be sorely missed.
2215 words today, and another rough one.
I had a headache and a stomach ache all morning, and only now in the afternoon is the stomach part starting to clear up. My head is still pusling with pain, so I can only imagine that my writing might have suffered a little. Even still, I'm proud to have finished. Tuesdays are already the most depressing day of the week, methinks, so to get 200 words above the goal feels good.
A suspenseful conclusion to a particularly tense little scene was the subject of my chapter today. It was a short chapter, clocking in at only about 2.5K in word length, as opposed to my usual 4K average. But that's okay, it served its purpose well and if I need to add more in editing, well then that's what's going to happen. I'm afraid I don't have much else to say today, I'm really not feeling well. So, for now, I'm going to close this blog entry.
Bishop
PS: RIP Harold Ramis, you were one funny guy and your work will be sorely missed.
Monday, February 24, 2014
Monday Madness 02/24/2014
02/24/2014
2,050 today, and barely made it.
Work was rather busy this morning and I had to spend much of my lunch hour on the phone with customer service representatives, so you can guess how that went. I had to push hard to motivate myself to get work done, and was able to write my 2K in about an hour flat. I worry that the prose suffers a bit under the speed, but that's future Bishop's problem. Editor Bishop's problem.
Yesterday was a good day off, but I was itching to write. It's strange, some weeks my days off are easily handled, I have no care or concern in the world, and other days I'm itching to get back to work. Obviously, if it hits, I try to write a little bit, but at the same time I find that having the time off can really refresh my brain and make my work that much better, so I try hard to maintain the schedule.
It's going to be a good week, I've got some doctor's appointments to tend to, but they shouldn't get in the way of the work. As usual, you'll hear about my adventures here on this site. See you tomorrow!
Bishop
2,050 today, and barely made it.
Work was rather busy this morning and I had to spend much of my lunch hour on the phone with customer service representatives, so you can guess how that went. I had to push hard to motivate myself to get work done, and was able to write my 2K in about an hour flat. I worry that the prose suffers a bit under the speed, but that's future Bishop's problem. Editor Bishop's problem.
Yesterday was a good day off, but I was itching to write. It's strange, some weeks my days off are easily handled, I have no care or concern in the world, and other days I'm itching to get back to work. Obviously, if it hits, I try to write a little bit, but at the same time I find that having the time off can really refresh my brain and make my work that much better, so I try hard to maintain the schedule.
It's going to be a good week, I've got some doctor's appointments to tend to, but they shouldn't get in the way of the work. As usual, you'll hear about my adventures here on this site. See you tomorrow!
Bishop
Saturday, February 22, 2014
Wind-up Toys 02/22/2014
02/22/2014
Another 2132 words done!
And it feels really good. Today is a particularly slow Saturday here at work, so it's been really easy to get the work done. I wrote a somewhat suspenseful scene, and I think I did well with it--we'll see for sure in editing.
One of the things that I was discussing with other writers recently is the way that characters seem to act and breathe on their own, and I got to use my favorite analogy about characters I write. In my eyes, the character is like a wind-up toy, where I build it and paint it and wind up the key, then it goes and moves all on its own. It's very true. A lot of times, as a writer, I find myself just pouring words onto the page that the characters act out by themselves. They act on instinct and intuition and sometimes legitimately surprise me with what they can do.
I worry it's something that non-writers or non-creative types might not understand, and even then there are writers who disagree with or simply don't subscribe to this theory, but it genuinely works for me. It continues to surprise me everyday that I write, and it makes the process that much more entertaining.
Bishop
Another 2132 words done!
And it feels really good. Today is a particularly slow Saturday here at work, so it's been really easy to get the work done. I wrote a somewhat suspenseful scene, and I think I did well with it--we'll see for sure in editing.
One of the things that I was discussing with other writers recently is the way that characters seem to act and breathe on their own, and I got to use my favorite analogy about characters I write. In my eyes, the character is like a wind-up toy, where I build it and paint it and wind up the key, then it goes and moves all on its own. It's very true. A lot of times, as a writer, I find myself just pouring words onto the page that the characters act out by themselves. They act on instinct and intuition and sometimes legitimately surprise me with what they can do.
I worry it's something that non-writers or non-creative types might not understand, and even then there are writers who disagree with or simply don't subscribe to this theory, but it genuinely works for me. It continues to surprise me everyday that I write, and it makes the process that much more entertaining.
Bishop
Friday, February 21, 2014
6 Ways Writing Is Sexier Than Stripping (You wont believe this!) 02/21/2014
02/21/2014
2,039 Words Written
After a critique of my prologue for book 1, I spent 1,000 words today rewriting the entire thing. Originally, the prologue occured after a certain incident took place, but I moved it so that the narration is actually when the incident is taking place. Effectively, the issues that the beta readers had, that I came to agree with, was an overly slow pace with almost no action. It was rather dry, and slow, and sad.
It was that way originally in order to get a sense of mystery about what happened, but I think I was able to keep that sense of mystery by offering just the right amount of information during the incident. The new prologue is more exciting, and pulls the reader in more, and it keeps some of the suspense alive for the climax of the novel.
Other than that, not a whole lot going on. I still wrote another 1,039 words on the second book, mostly part of a short action scene that builds into a more suspensful section. It was easy and fun to write, and helped me get that much farther into the story.
Usually, that would be all I write until Monday, as I take Saturdays and Sundays off from writing. But tomorrow is my work Saturday (I have one per month) and so I'll be able to get another 2,000 words done then as well. I'm excited about that, as the office is empty on Saturdays and I can really iron out my work and often times I write a lot more than just 2,000 words, just because of the solitary time. I can really make up for the 1,000 I had to spend on the rewrite and get a bit more ahead in book 2.
So, until tomorrow...
Bishop
2,039 Words Written
After a critique of my prologue for book 1, I spent 1,000 words today rewriting the entire thing. Originally, the prologue occured after a certain incident took place, but I moved it so that the narration is actually when the incident is taking place. Effectively, the issues that the beta readers had, that I came to agree with, was an overly slow pace with almost no action. It was rather dry, and slow, and sad.
It was that way originally in order to get a sense of mystery about what happened, but I think I was able to keep that sense of mystery by offering just the right amount of information during the incident. The new prologue is more exciting, and pulls the reader in more, and it keeps some of the suspense alive for the climax of the novel.
Other than that, not a whole lot going on. I still wrote another 1,039 words on the second book, mostly part of a short action scene that builds into a more suspensful section. It was easy and fun to write, and helped me get that much farther into the story.
Usually, that would be all I write until Monday, as I take Saturdays and Sundays off from writing. But tomorrow is my work Saturday (I have one per month) and so I'll be able to get another 2,000 words done then as well. I'm excited about that, as the office is empty on Saturdays and I can really iron out my work and often times I write a lot more than just 2,000 words, just because of the solitary time. I can really make up for the 1,000 I had to spend on the rewrite and get a bit more ahead in book 2.
So, until tomorrow...
Bishop
Thursday, February 20, 2014
The Internet Today
Source: A Zillion Dollars Comics
This is something that has baffled me since it came into existence, and azilliondollarscomics.com has done a fantastic job illustrating it here. It's obviously something that came around simply for the reason of: It works. People click in this crap. I do it, and you probably do too.
From the eyes of a writer, it shows a waning society, one where every single factoid of life is turned into a sound byte or spun into a pseudo-terrifying/titillating/funny list. Unsurprisingly, I'm rarely shocked by the 10 things I'm supposed to be shocked by. In fact, more often than not, these articles are hastily researched (if researched at all) or are offering the findings of a mathematically insignificant portion of the population. Sometimes, they're outright lies, and other times they're just opinions. It's a degradation of the media, and we're stuck with nothing else to look at in every banner ad on the web.
That being said, look forward to my next blog post, "6 Ways Writing Is Sexier Than Stripping(You Wont Believe This!)"
Sensations 02/20/2014
2,363 words today.
I got done with my goal a little earlier than usual today, mostly because of the momentum I gained from last night's work. I powered through some of the slower sections and am really building into the "act 3" of my book.
I did have some issues today, but mostly they were in my own head. I think something that a lot of writers worry about, especially when writing fiction, is authenticity of feeling. I worry that my writing is not quite conveying the feeling that I want it to, the feeling that I'm feeling while I type the words. It goes along with the old cliche of "there's no words to describe it" which is a phrase to which ever writer says "challenge accepted."
I think I did alright, in conveying a character's overpowering sensation of shame followed by a coin flip of a sensation of great honor and joy. It seems so simple to condense that down into one little sentence, but in the prose I felt I was struggling with it. I suppose we'll see how it went in the end when someone other than me reads it. Here's hoping for the best!
Bishop
I got done with my goal a little earlier than usual today, mostly because of the momentum I gained from last night's work. I powered through some of the slower sections and am really building into the "act 3" of my book.
I did have some issues today, but mostly they were in my own head. I think something that a lot of writers worry about, especially when writing fiction, is authenticity of feeling. I worry that my writing is not quite conveying the feeling that I want it to, the feeling that I'm feeling while I type the words. It goes along with the old cliche of "there's no words to describe it" which is a phrase to which ever writer says "challenge accepted."
I think I did alright, in conveying a character's overpowering sensation of shame followed by a coin flip of a sensation of great honor and joy. It seems so simple to condense that down into one little sentence, but in the prose I felt I was struggling with it. I suppose we'll see how it went in the end when someone other than me reads it. Here's hoping for the best!
Bishop
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Plot Thickens! 02/19/2014
02/19/2014
2018 Words written today!
I'm about 1/3 the way through the second book, and things are starting to pick up in the plot. A lot of the first few chapters gave an air of mystery and built relationships on the crew--something I was really excited to write. But I'm relieved to be adding some more action to the mix now.
Things are starting to type themselves again, and I'm having to do little thinking before each scene. Just like in the last few chapters of book 1, I am really just letting the characters act themselves out in my mind. There's still a ways to go before the action hits hard, but the plot is thickening, and even while I'm writing it, that's exciting.
Anyway, I had some trouble getting to the goal today. I didn't go to work, I had a doctor's appointment, so I was a bit worried I'd not have the time, or I'd be too distracted to actually sit and get it done. This blog is the motivation that kept me on it, though. I know no one's reading it yet--it's far too new and I've done nothing to advertise it--but still I know I need to write the entry and hold myself responsible for it. Thanks, Internet, I owe you one!
Bishop
2018 Words written today!
I'm about 1/3 the way through the second book, and things are starting to pick up in the plot. A lot of the first few chapters gave an air of mystery and built relationships on the crew--something I was really excited to write. But I'm relieved to be adding some more action to the mix now.
Things are starting to type themselves again, and I'm having to do little thinking before each scene. Just like in the last few chapters of book 1, I am really just letting the characters act themselves out in my mind. There's still a ways to go before the action hits hard, but the plot is thickening, and even while I'm writing it, that's exciting.
Anyway, I had some trouble getting to the goal today. I didn't go to work, I had a doctor's appointment, so I was a bit worried I'd not have the time, or I'd be too distracted to actually sit and get it done. This blog is the motivation that kept me on it, though. I know no one's reading it yet--it's far too new and I've done nothing to advertise it--but still I know I need to write the entry and hold myself responsible for it. Thanks, Internet, I owe you one!
Bishop
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