Tonight I come to you live (well, kind of) from my brand new laptop. I'm very excited about it, as it's completely loaded with all of the unnecessary things I need for writing (4GB Ram, 1 GB Nvidia Graphics Card, 320 GB HD, etc.) And of course, Microsoft Word, which I do actually need for writing is included with the Microsoft (sigh) Vista package. It's a very flashy system, and I'd like to personally thank the generous donor who contributed to the cause.
Against my own best advice, I've begun a basic outline for my next project (sequels notwithstanding). I'm keeping this one tightly under wraps, though I've talked about it for years. It's a themed story that requires a ton of research as it would be historical fiction piece, set in my favorite historical period.
Now that I'm armed with my newest piece of weaponry, I'll need to practice what I preach and stay focused on the writing and not so much on the new PC gaming and movie viewing. I'm expecting things to move fairly quickly now, and I'll adhere to my "hour a day" work schedule. Often I'll write longer than that, but as a goal I look to get in an hour. It is rewriting, though, which is quite different than crafting a story. Every line is scrutinized to nausea, then scrutinized again the next day. The bad news is, I kill myself over every sentence. The good news is that by the time it reaches your hands it should be a finely tuned piece of badassery.
On a separate note...
The picture posted on the blog is in regards to the subject of my next book, which is going from bachelorhood to married man. In no way is it referring to the relationship I share with my beautiful wife.
She is my best friend and confidant, and I can't imagine spending a second of my life without her.
Remember, there ain't a horse that can't be rode, and ain't a cowboy that can't be throwed.
Until next time...
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Friday, March 20, 2009
Detox just to Retox
Suddenly the meaning of 'TGIF' means a hell of a lot more than crappy sitcoms on Friday night.
Thanks once again for checking out my meager pittance of a blog. It's quite depressing to look at how my blog is formatted. There's nothing unique about it. It's about as standard as standard goes for the 'blogspot' realm except for the outstanding job I do by occasionally inserting a new photo on the title where the blog's name is nearly unreadable. Well, at least I"m doing that.
Weeks are flying by at a Doc Brown pace, and I swear I don't remember the last four days. I nearly finished reading "The Plunge" in its first iteration, and predictably I'm underwhelmed. I typically dislike everything I do as a point of self-criticism, but upon reading my first pass at "The Plunge" I can definitively say that there's much, much more to do.
I compare writing to building a house. The first step is to construct the frame, which is the foundation upon which the rest of the aesthetics of the home is shaped. Upon that you add the sheet rock, insulation, paint, texturing, fixtures, etc. to complete a home. As for the "The Plunge," I've only got the frame built.
As I'm going back through and reading the sentences I laid down awhile ago, I'm shocked at how bare they are. There's lots more to add and lots more to do before this 'house' is ready to hit the market. I'm excited to one day slap the 'For Sale' sign in the front yard.
I've FINALLY begun work on the computer document itself, which is a liberating feeling. Without a laptop I feel naked, and without one I'm rendered unproductive. Hopefully that will change soon, but until it does, I'll be struggling to do serious work on the title. How did Dickens do it without 4 gigs of ram and a wireless mouse?
Thanks to everyone for their kind words concerning the small blurb I posted on the site awhile back. It's good to know that there are some folks out there looking to read my work. I hope to have final copies of both books completed by June. I've already got four ideas in the hopper for the next one, assuming that neither of these are published/deserving of a sequel. Trust me, everyday I encounter something in my life that is sequel-worthy to "The Plunge."
Until next time...
Thanks once again for checking out my meager pittance of a blog. It's quite depressing to look at how my blog is formatted. There's nothing unique about it. It's about as standard as standard goes for the 'blogspot' realm except for the outstanding job I do by occasionally inserting a new photo on the title where the blog's name is nearly unreadable. Well, at least I"m doing that.
Weeks are flying by at a Doc Brown pace, and I swear I don't remember the last four days. I nearly finished reading "The Plunge" in its first iteration, and predictably I'm underwhelmed. I typically dislike everything I do as a point of self-criticism, but upon reading my first pass at "The Plunge" I can definitively say that there's much, much more to do.
I compare writing to building a house. The first step is to construct the frame, which is the foundation upon which the rest of the aesthetics of the home is shaped. Upon that you add the sheet rock, insulation, paint, texturing, fixtures, etc. to complete a home. As for the "The Plunge," I've only got the frame built.
As I'm going back through and reading the sentences I laid down awhile ago, I'm shocked at how bare they are. There's lots more to add and lots more to do before this 'house' is ready to hit the market. I'm excited to one day slap the 'For Sale' sign in the front yard.
I've FINALLY begun work on the computer document itself, which is a liberating feeling. Without a laptop I feel naked, and without one I'm rendered unproductive. Hopefully that will change soon, but until it does, I'll be struggling to do serious work on the title. How did Dickens do it without 4 gigs of ram and a wireless mouse?
Thanks to everyone for their kind words concerning the small blurb I posted on the site awhile back. It's good to know that there are some folks out there looking to read my work. I hope to have final copies of both books completed by June. I've already got four ideas in the hopper for the next one, assuming that neither of these are published/deserving of a sequel. Trust me, everyday I encounter something in my life that is sequel-worthy to "The Plunge."
Until next time...
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Lando System?
When your mind is exhausted and your body has had all it can stand, occasionally you can reach a heightened sense of concentration and revelation.
By now I've begun to wrap my head around what my daily schedule will be going forward, which isn't really optimistic for book-writing. The end of each day provides me with an hour or so most of the time to utilize it in the best possible way I can. There are so many things that I want to do and accomplish that for some reason work doesn't fit into the equation. Often enough I use every free second to write or edit in some form or fashion, while blending in family time and the odd television program that previously ensnared me in its web. Frustration sets in at times, and it's in those moments that I have to keep my eye on what's most important.
Everyone has responsibilities, which inevitably interfere with all of the fun stuff in life. Time is so short that it's easy to lament that you can't go to the movies or shopping even on the weekends. With time so precious, it's important to focus on what makes you the happiest and most complete. Sure, one could become enraptured by ten different television shows, which would consume an entire week's worth of time. Or one could focus on physical fitness and exercise, while ignoring other interests altogether. If watching twelve hours of television per week, or working out non-stop makes you feel productive then by all means enjoy. Productivity is a relative term.
Sorry for jaunting off the beaten path there for a second. I hear many people all too often complain about not having time to learn to play instruments, or write or read a classic novel. Time is wasted constantly throughout the day. Next time you sit down to play XBOX or watch the latest episode of "Dancing With the Stars," think about all of the things you think you'll never have time to do. Then ask yourself where your priorities lie.
So, back to the first sentence of this blog...
Around the middle of last week I was laying in bed, editing "The Plunge," in the moments before sleep overcame me. My wife was sleeping, and the puppy was already in his kennel for the night. The grind of the week's commute had already stripped any last vestige of energy from my system, and I worked on the book for the sake of moving forward with the project. My eyes skimmed the lines of words, and like fine wine revelations of improvement flowed into a streaming conscious. Suddenly I became a better writer, and I quickly scribbled the improved sentences and anecdotes next to the original text. The new output was simply amazing.
There's a quasi-famous philosopher/author named Colin Wilson who has written many books on a variety of topics. He is perhaps best know for his work, "The Occult," which is a broad research on various topics of the unknown. Throughout "The Occult," Wilson speaks frequently of, "Faculty X," which he claims is man's latent and lost missing sense, like sight or sound. Over time, so he claims, we have lost the ability to connect with this faculty as technology has evolved and made life so easy. According to Wilson, "Faculty X" sleeps deep within us and is an untapped resource that is dulled by modern conveniences, but at times it shows itself when our mind is at its most quiet. "Faculty X" is most likely to show itself when we're on the brink of exhaustion, and as I rested on the bed, almost asleep, I couldn't help but wonder if my new insight into my work was spurned on by the missing ability.
Work still continues on both books at this time. Early feedback on "Waterglade" has been extremely positive, and I continue to tweak "The Plunge" daily. I've set a tentative summer deadline to have both works prepared to send to prospective agents. We'll see if I can hit the mark.
Until next time...
By now I've begun to wrap my head around what my daily schedule will be going forward, which isn't really optimistic for book-writing. The end of each day provides me with an hour or so most of the time to utilize it in the best possible way I can. There are so many things that I want to do and accomplish that for some reason work doesn't fit into the equation. Often enough I use every free second to write or edit in some form or fashion, while blending in family time and the odd television program that previously ensnared me in its web. Frustration sets in at times, and it's in those moments that I have to keep my eye on what's most important.
Everyone has responsibilities, which inevitably interfere with all of the fun stuff in life. Time is so short that it's easy to lament that you can't go to the movies or shopping even on the weekends. With time so precious, it's important to focus on what makes you the happiest and most complete. Sure, one could become enraptured by ten different television shows, which would consume an entire week's worth of time. Or one could focus on physical fitness and exercise, while ignoring other interests altogether. If watching twelve hours of television per week, or working out non-stop makes you feel productive then by all means enjoy. Productivity is a relative term.
Sorry for jaunting off the beaten path there for a second. I hear many people all too often complain about not having time to learn to play instruments, or write or read a classic novel. Time is wasted constantly throughout the day. Next time you sit down to play XBOX or watch the latest episode of "Dancing With the Stars," think about all of the things you think you'll never have time to do. Then ask yourself where your priorities lie.
So, back to the first sentence of this blog...
Around the middle of last week I was laying in bed, editing "The Plunge," in the moments before sleep overcame me. My wife was sleeping, and the puppy was already in his kennel for the night. The grind of the week's commute had already stripped any last vestige of energy from my system, and I worked on the book for the sake of moving forward with the project. My eyes skimmed the lines of words, and like fine wine revelations of improvement flowed into a streaming conscious. Suddenly I became a better writer, and I quickly scribbled the improved sentences and anecdotes next to the original text. The new output was simply amazing.
There's a quasi-famous philosopher/author named Colin Wilson who has written many books on a variety of topics. He is perhaps best know for his work, "The Occult," which is a broad research on various topics of the unknown. Throughout "The Occult," Wilson speaks frequently of, "Faculty X," which he claims is man's latent and lost missing sense, like sight or sound. Over time, so he claims, we have lost the ability to connect with this faculty as technology has evolved and made life so easy. According to Wilson, "Faculty X" sleeps deep within us and is an untapped resource that is dulled by modern conveniences, but at times it shows itself when our mind is at its most quiet. "Faculty X" is most likely to show itself when we're on the brink of exhaustion, and as I rested on the bed, almost asleep, I couldn't help but wonder if my new insight into my work was spurned on by the missing ability.
Work still continues on both books at this time. Early feedback on "Waterglade" has been extremely positive, and I continue to tweak "The Plunge" daily. I've set a tentative summer deadline to have both works prepared to send to prospective agents. We'll see if I can hit the mark.
Until next time...
Sunday, March 8, 2009
There and Back Again
With my first week of 9-to-5, commuting work in the books, it's time to gear up for week number two.
Work continues still on the rewrite of, "The Plunge," and now I'm currently a bit more than one-third through it. My laptop crapped out a month ago, which in turn has prevented me from working on the computer document as much as I would like to. In turn I've improvised as best I can, and am editing and note-taking on the physical edited copy.
I put "The Plunge" down in December after finishing, and haven't picked it up since. By the time I was finished with the rough draft, I was so sick of the story I wasn't sure if I'd ever want to look at it again. Luckily re-reading it has enabled me to catch a lot of transition and other issues that were missing in the first run, and I'm reliving a lot of the moments I was experiencing approximately a year ago.
"The Plunge" is a fun story of pseudo-redemption that everyone can relate to on at least one level. Many will relate on all levels. Getting married is a life-altering step, and as I've learned it alters a few things you didn't expect to be altered. The act of planning a wedding is a different case altogether. It's hilarious to look back and see how serious such small things were, like buying a cake and picking out flowers.
On a different note...
This coming Friday the fabled Resident Evil series will make it's long awaited return to console gaming systems with its newest installment. I am looking forward to getting my hands on the new game and seeing what the survival horror franchise has in store for the new console generation.
I've been into the Resident Evil franchise for over a decade, and the 'zombie' genre has evolved quite a lot since then. There's no question that this venerable gaming franchise was a major influence on me while writing my first novel.
Until next time...
Work continues still on the rewrite of, "The Plunge," and now I'm currently a bit more than one-third through it. My laptop crapped out a month ago, which in turn has prevented me from working on the computer document as much as I would like to. In turn I've improvised as best I can, and am editing and note-taking on the physical edited copy.
I put "The Plunge" down in December after finishing, and haven't picked it up since. By the time I was finished with the rough draft, I was so sick of the story I wasn't sure if I'd ever want to look at it again. Luckily re-reading it has enabled me to catch a lot of transition and other issues that were missing in the first run, and I'm reliving a lot of the moments I was experiencing approximately a year ago.
"The Plunge" is a fun story of pseudo-redemption that everyone can relate to on at least one level. Many will relate on all levels. Getting married is a life-altering step, and as I've learned it alters a few things you didn't expect to be altered. The act of planning a wedding is a different case altogether. It's hilarious to look back and see how serious such small things were, like buying a cake and picking out flowers.
On a different note...
This coming Friday the fabled Resident Evil series will make it's long awaited return to console gaming systems with its newest installment. I am looking forward to getting my hands on the new game and seeing what the survival horror franchise has in store for the new console generation.
I've been into the Resident Evil franchise for over a decade, and the 'zombie' genre has evolved quite a lot since then. There's no question that this venerable gaming franchise was a major influence on me while writing my first novel.
Until next time...
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Patience
To the three of you that check this blog somewhat regularly, I sincerely apologize for the lack of new content. I began a new job this past Monday, and my work schedule remains a moving target. It's a stark departure from previous days when I had time to write at relative convenience. Now, however, time has become scarce.
That said, I remain upbeat and optimistic. "Waterglade" is in my editor's hands, and the first draft is currently being worked through. We have a disagreement on the voice of the opening pages, but that's another fight for another day.
Every unencumbered second I have belongs to the rewriting "The Plunge," which optimistically I targeted a March 21st completion date for. Unless something miraculous occurs, that is not going to happen. I'm not sure what the new date will be, but I am working on it as much as possible. All other interests have fallen aside (television, movies, news, sports, videogames, etc.), and writing now more than ever remains at the forefront of my priorities.
Looking at the clock, I'm running a bit late for work, so I'd best get on the road. Here's to wishing you all the very best out of your days...
That said, I remain upbeat and optimistic. "Waterglade" is in my editor's hands, and the first draft is currently being worked through. We have a disagreement on the voice of the opening pages, but that's another fight for another day.
Every unencumbered second I have belongs to the rewriting "The Plunge," which optimistically I targeted a March 21st completion date for. Unless something miraculous occurs, that is not going to happen. I'm not sure what the new date will be, but I am working on it as much as possible. All other interests have fallen aside (television, movies, news, sports, videogames, etc.), and writing now more than ever remains at the forefront of my priorities.
Looking at the clock, I'm running a bit late for work, so I'd best get on the road. Here's to wishing you all the very best out of your days...
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