Way of the Writer

Shutting down

2005-03-21T10:51:00.000-08:00

This blog has been discontinued. Please update your links to my main blog, Words, Weights, Whatever. Thanks! I plan to shut down this blog in the next few weeks.

New month resolution: writing

2005-02-01T16:29:00.000-08:00

As I discussed in an earlier post, I plan to write at least a page (250 words) a day. I have not done so since I wrote that post but plan to change that tonight. I'm already scheduling time (see Whatever).

Goal by midyear: first draft complete, preferably second draft complete.

A page a day keeps the guilt away

2005-01-27T09:31:00.000-08:00

A standard page, considered by many writers and the industry, is 250 words, typed, and double-spaced. How hard can it be to type 250 words on a daily basis? I'm going to find out as I implement some discipline back into my writing. I'm debating, though, if I should note my efforts in this blog. We'll see.

Return to the fold

2005-01-03T16:31:00.000-08:00

I did no writing during the month of December. Cars consumed my attention and still do.

It's a new year which usually marks the time for the establishment of new goals. For me and writing, it's thus:

Complete the first draft of PP.
Complete the (yet unnamed) comic book script.

I've set the dates for the above goals. Now to get to work.

Desert

2004-12-30T09:04:00.000-08:00

I have not written since the end of November and the beginning of the car fiasco. Same with reading (and car mags don't count.)

Aargh! Must...read...and...write....

Preoccupied

2004-12-09T11:28:00.000-08:00

Haven't done any writing since the end of NaNoWriMo and the probs with my car. Will resolve this week. The writing, that is.

*Done**

2004-11-29T16:26:00.000-08:00

Complete NaNoWriMo last night. Updated to the purple bar this afternoon.

*Thunk.*

Reaching for the stars...or 50k

2004-11-24T09:38:00.000-08:00

Significant progress in my NaNoWriMo wordcount goals last night, garnering over 3k during a couple of Word Wars over at the Forward Motion chat. While much is utter cr@#, the pages provide a lot of background info that I've been biting the bit to incorporate for some time.
By the by, here are two excellent posts on writing by author Crawford Kilian:

Are You Comic or Tragic?

Plot in Science Fiction

Progress, not perfection

2004-11-22T09:10:00.000-08:00

Wrote both on Friday and Sunday night at the coffeeshop. The latter was a bit frustrating: I lost 500 words due to Microsoft Word and spent way too much time trying to figure out why I couldn't connect to the Internet on my laptop. (Turned out to the connectivity problem in the cell. A technician had been dispatched.)

Still, I garned over 5k of words pushing me within a thousand words of 40k. I should be able to stay on track and pass 50k by the 28th which is way before the deadline.

*Laying it down to rest**

2004-11-20T13:55:00.000-08:00

Finished Murder in Tarsis by John Maddox Roberts.

Image found on the Internet and all rights belong to its owner.

Slowing down (but that's a good thing)

2004-11-18T09:21:00.000-08:00

I'm debating about the way I'm currently focusing my NaNoWriMo efforts. As you know, I've been used timed writing exercises to accomplish the objective. Unfortunately, I've reached the point where the technique has become a hindrance. I'm wading through new territory in the draft that would benefit by a more relaxed, thoughtful, phase. But such a change in pace and speed would severely drop my word count to half or lower. To make up the slowdown, I would have to increase time devoted to the event and, as we all know, time is at a premium.

Decisions, decisions....

Ahead but slipping fast

2004-11-17T09:28:00.000-08:00

The holiday doldrums have caught up with me. I haven't written anything meaningful for the last day. I'm over a day ahead of schedule but need to get a good ten pages to stay that way.

Hmmm. 250 words per hour. While that's normally not difficult, I'm in a new section of the draft and having a hard time getting a grip of the characters and the setting. I should just free-style it: I can do clean up, later.

*Most yet**

2004-11-15T09:00:00.000-08:00

As stated in previous entries, I didn't do anything for NaNoWriMo on last Thursday or Friday. Thus, I spent all Saturday evening (from 1600 until midnight) writing partially to catch up (which I did), but to get ahead as well.

The writing schedule for this week:

Monday (tonight): Write
Tuesday: Maybe. Seeing a play with a friend of mine.
Wednesday: Maybe. The Spouse's half-day.
Thursday: Maybe. Depends if I hit the gym.
Friday: Write.
Saturday: Write though probably not much due to continued remodeling efforts and Fame.
Sunday: Write (see Saturday).

Hmmm. Right now I'm a day ahead in my word count. Looking at the schedule, I'll probably change a lot of those Maybe's into "Write" by simply shifting some writing time from the evenings to the day. I average between 400-500 words every 15 minutes without strain and aim for two thousand words minimum a day. I should be able to generate a substantial number during breaks and, especially, during lunch.

Justice, like lightening

2004-11-14T13:29:00.000-08:00

Finished Nobody Loves A Centurion (by John Maddox Roberts) this morning. Good stuff!

Image found on the Internet and all rights belong to its owner.

Discussion of the Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay (Amazing)

2004-11-12T09:04:00.000-08:00

Image found on the Internet and all rights belong to its owner.

Last Tuesday, GAC, CS, and I discussed Chabon's award-winning book. We all liked the style though CS and I sometimes felt annoyed at the transitions. GAC had probs with the way the beginning of the novel dropped the flashback.

I liked the feel of setting; Amazing made me feel what it must have been like at that time. (I've never fully realized how casual and assumed anti-Semitism and homophobia was in the U.S. Thankfully the country's grown past that.) I was more familiar with the history of the comic book industry so it was interesting to see a fictionalized interpretation of its rise and fall.

We were not too sure about Sammy's subplot. Thematically, we agreed with Greg that there's this sense of escape throughout the story with Sam's ultimate action at the end of the book reflecting that point. But was it really necessary? Same could be said about Joe's massive storyline while he's in the Artic. I sometimes felt that could have been a separate story in and of itself. (By the way, what happened to the dogs...brrr.)

Overall, a wonderful read. I'll have to find and check out some of Chabon's other published works.

Beyond the Blog

2004-11-11T15:27:00.000-08:00

Two for the price of one:

10th Odyssey Workshop Announced

RateYourWriting.com

And another one...

2004-11-11T09:01:00.000-08:00

Finished The Catiline Conspiracy by John Maddox Roberts last night.

Book signing

2004-11-10T10:56:00.000-08:00

On Saturday, November, 6th, I attended author Jacqueline Carey's signing of her latest book, Banewreaker. We had a brief chat before she began: I attended her book tour of the Kushiel series last year and, though she didn't remember me, she remembered some of the questions asked.

Some of the highlights from the Banewreaker signing:

The book was originally written as one book. When it grew way beyond its britches, the publisher asked it to be split into two books.

Unlike the Kushiel series, the Banewreaker books are written in third person, simple past tense. I asked it this was difficult for Ms. Carey who replied it was actually going back to her original writing style.

The story is a tragedy, dealing with characters on the wrong side of the Good versus Evil theme so prevalent in the fantasy genre.

Once the duology is complete, she will be returning to the Kushiel world and write a new trilogy.

Ms Carey also fielded some questions about the Kushiel books. I found it very interesting (and telling) that the BDSM community is using the marks system found in the books as part of their own (in a similar vein to Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land sparked a new religion.)

Overall, a wonderful signing. Ms Carey was a pleasant speaker. I can't wait to start on Kushiel's Dart, the first book of the series.

Caught up

2004-11-10T09:45:00.000-08:00

Been writing like a maniac for the past couple of days for NaNoWriMo. Finally caught up with last night. Whew! And due to certain events, I'll even have more time to write. Whoohoo!

Mixed

2004-11-09T08:09:00.000-08:00

Because of vacation, I fell four days behind for NaNoWriMo. I was able to make up nearly three days yesterday but, due to fatigue (and interesting shows on the Discovery Channel and Cartoon Network) I didn't write for an additional two and a half hours as originally planned an allocated. I'll have to make up the time tonight which means pushing my cardio workout to a later date.

Two bite the dust

2004-11-08T09:25:00.000-08:00

Finished The Amazing Adventures of Kavelier and Clay last Saturday. Whew! Will review with my friends tomorrow night.

Finished King's Gambit by John Maddox Roberts later that evening as well.

Image found on the Internet and all rights belong to its owner.

Ahead

2004-11-04T14:10:00.000-08:00

Today's the fourth day of NaNoWriMo. The average number of words to generate daily is 1667 (rounded up) to complete the event. Thus, I would need to be at 6668 words by midnight tonight.

I've written 7068 words over the past three days; I have yet to start today's session, putting me comfortably ahead of the goal. And even better: the spouse gives me time to write. Whew!

Progress

2004-11-03T11:30:00.000-08:00

Over 5000 words on my NaNoWriMo draft. Over 10% complete and it's only the third and I'm on vacation. Yeah!

An auspicious beginning

2004-11-02T06:39:00.000-08:00

Wrote a total of 3328 words total yesterday. A good start.

Off to a good start

2004-11-01T01:54:00.000-08:00

Wrote 1057 words to start off NaNoWriMo. Need to write 1667 daily to make the goal. I'll write more later throughout the day and aim for 2000 total.

Image found on the Internet and all rights belong to its owner.

Another bites it

2004-10-31T23:13:00.000-08:00

And, appropriately, on Halloween:

Screening Party

100/60 (Conclusion)

2004-10-31T16:07:00.000-08:00

Remember that experiment I said I would try earlier in the week? Well, I did it and averaged 108 words per hour. Yes! She was right.

Beyond the Blog

2004-10-29T16:12:00.000-07:00

Magical World Builder's Guide

Kewl!

Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay

2004-10-28T08:19:00.000-07:00

Image found on the Internet and all rights belong to its owner.

Finally started the book.

Line, write scene, delete line

2004-10-27T15:24:00.000-07:00

Goal*

Sounds exactly how I write my zero and first drafts.

*All contents and their rights belong to the author.

100/60

2004-10-26T09:37:00.000-07:00

Going to try a little experiment based on the presumption one can complete NaNoWriMo by writing approximately 98 words an hour for 17 hours per day (presuming 7 hours of sleep.) I'm going to find a day sometime between now and November 1st and write an average of 100 words per hour and see the results. I call it the "100/60" Experiment.

Weekend of writing

2004-10-25T13:38:00.000-07:00

Following on the heels of the Friday Word War over at Forward Motion, I spent Saturday afternoon and evening just writing. Specifically, I practiced timed writing exercises. Very interesting time, especially when both The Editor and The Muse suddenly made their presence known. I think I wrote four pages (over a thousand words) of dialogue between the three of us. NOTE: It's bad enough when you piss off one or the other, but never both at the same time. Neither one sulks quietly....

On Sunday, I attended the Stephen R. Donalson signing down in San Diego. I'll be honest, he's not the most scintillating speaker. A thin, white-haired, older gentleman, I noted he gestured a lot while speaking in an articulate, yet, rapid-fire manner. He was tired from the tour and I agreed.

But I wasn't there for the author per se, but more about his thoughts and his background. What I learned was:

The reason it took him 20 years before writing The Runes of the Earth was that he didn't feel he had the necessary skills to write it (and the rest of the quartet) until only recently.

He does not like deadlines and has a very generous three year gap between each book. (Exception: Runes of Earth. Apparently one of the upper-upper accelerated the process to release the book from 12-18 months to 6. Ack!)

Raised by missionary parents in India, the condition of Hansen's disease was, to him, perfectly normal. Apparently the missionaries had leper house servants. Since his parents didn't fear the disease, he didn't either.

He started to write Runes on September 10th, 2001. And couldn't continue for months after the 11th.

While he originally wrote his novels from outlines, now he concentrates mostly on character. Specifically, he knows the ending of the quartet and the major events. How he'll get there, though, will be based on the characters actions.

Overall, I'm glad I attend the signing and can't wait to read Runes. But first, I'll have to reread the first two chronicles.

Writing, writing, writing, so much writing....

2004-10-24T10:39:00.000-07:00

Spent much of the afternoon and evening just...writing. Specifically, did lots of timed writing exercies. Gave me the nice average figure of a page (250 words) every 15 minutes.

Real writing

2004-10-23T15:48:00.000-07:00

Spent the evening yesterday at the coffeeshop prepping for NaNoWriMo. Resolved a difficult moral issue due to upcoming personal events. Whew! Even engaged in my first Word War (100 words) over at Forward Motion for the first time in over a year.

Finished

2004-10-23T15:28:00.000-07:00

Just read The River God's Vengeance by John Maddox Roberts.

Beyond the Blog

2004-10-22T11:35:00.000-07:00

today in alternate history

Kewl! Thanks, Adam.

Beyond the Blog

2004-10-21T15:32:00.000-07:00

Na-No-Blog-Mo

Kewl!

98 words an hour

2004-10-21T08:30:00.000-07:00

I read in the NaNoWriMo forums how one participant had calculated that one could complete the goal by writing approximately 98 words per hour. Seven hours of sleep were included in the calculation. As I previously commented, I found the figure psychologically comforting even though impossible.

But wouldn't an attempt be fun to try? I'm thinking, just for grins, selecting a day and see if I can write 1666 words (which would be 98 words per hour for the 17 remaining hours of a day.) That means scheduling no major activities for that day such as working out, long lunch (more than 45 minutes), etc. Just sit and write 98 words on the hour, every hour.

The day will have to be either a Saturday or Sunday. Hmmm. What's R.'s on-call schedule for November again?

Doin' it

2004-10-20T10:43:00.000-07:00

Here we are again ...

Very inspirational. Great job, Alex!

If you're interested in writing and teaching

2004-10-19T08:28:00.000-07:00

Writing and teaching

Some great advice for those who are interested.

Prepping up

2004-10-18T14:37:00.000-07:00

This was the first weekend I spent a significant time writing. I drove down and stayed at the coffeeshop both Saturday and Sunday jotting down notes, journalizing, and reviewing my ideas for NaNoWriMo.

Scheduling occupied the lion's share of time. Specifically, I calcuated how many words I needed to aim for weekly as opposed to daily, what were the writing days (usually nights); and the time slots in each day. I discovered a significant (well, sorta) glitch: R. was on vacation from Monday, November 1st through Sunday, November 7th. That meant couple time during those evenings and weekend. I believe, though, I came up with a workaround. (And, yes, we spoke about it. Pouting and sulking does affect me. And the couch is very uncomfortable.)

Another situ is deciding which idea to work on during November. I've narrowed down from six to two but was stumped. Do I want to pursue the idea of what happens to the main character after he's swallowed by the dragon (DT)? Or the character who's the chess piece/salvation for returning gods (PP)? Both ideas have good strengths and weaknesses. I've given myself until the 21st of this month to come with a solution. (See private writing journal as to why that specific date.)

I spent some time in the NaNoWriMo forums as well to see how my fellow participants were gearing up. Many, especially the returnees, had posted intriguing ideas and I found the following especially intriguing:

Someone calculated that one can meet the 50k word goal by writing 98 words per hour (after considering sleep.) Though I (and other participants) found executing the idea to be obviously impossible, I found the figure psychologically soothing.

Fillers were intriguing. Besides the common ones liked flashbacks, dream sequences, and lots of inane dialogue, there were the more unique ones like novel-related blog entries. My favorite was one writer whose two main characters met a fortune teller who did a reading for each one. At 9-12 cards each with a paragraph (at least) to describe each card, I could see the writer filling up a dozen pages quickly. Even better, the readings were related to the plot. Kewl!

All work and no play makes Joel a bored boy, though. I spent some time in the Forward Motion chatroom where I convinced a newbie to join NaNoWriMo. And I talked to several regulars in the coffeeshop. One is an aspiring film-maker. We spend a considerable length of time on our arts.

Overall, a productive weekend.

Culture on food and story ideas

2004-10-18T14:13:00.000-07:00

Hmmm. I caught on the Discovery Channel yesterday a brief snippet about killer whales. Scientists have been puzzled why the animals don't attack humans with the frequency like sharks. Snorklers, for example, would look like floating seals from under the ocean's surface (which, scientists believe, sharks attack humans). Yet there are various excursion groups that can safely float above feeding wild killer whales.

A theory, based on captive whales like Shamu, is that killer whales--wild or captive--have a culture developed around their food source. It's been observed that whales that hunt fish have a different "culture" than those who hunt seals and the two tribes don't interbreed. Killer whales (again, like Shamu) whose primary source of food is fish won't attack their human trainers because they're not fish. Seems at first a bit ridiculous (meat is meat, right?) even for an animal, but humans exhibit similar behavior. A human culture that primarly eats fish, for example, would have different hunting techniques and even equipment than a culture that hunts deer.

I had read in one of the Traveler role-playing game supplements about an alien culture that was partially based on where they found their food in their alien oceans and thought the concept intriguing and original. Now I discover (no pun intended) the authors idea may have been based on the killer whale or other animals exhibiting similar behaviors. Regardless, there are some cool ideas for stories in either source (see private writing journals. You think I'm actually going to share them with you hacks? ;) ).

And people wonder where writers get their ideas. For myself, it's not getting them that's the issue.

Writing time

2004-10-15T09:23:00.000-07:00

Let's look at October:

Friday, 15th
R. won't be home until around 2200. I can get in at least a good couple of hours if not more if I start around 1930. Oh! And start moving Internet surfing after all the writing's done.

Saturday, 16th
R.'s on-call until Sunday. I can start writing after a morning workout and brunch. Hmmm. Spending the afternoon and early evening just writing. Sounds good!

Sunday, 17th
R. won't be back until early afternoon. I can put some good writing time until then after a morning workout. Rest of the day and evening will be on housework and "couple" time.

Monday, 18th
Will finally try to get that two hour workout in the evening (kwando followed by step). Forget writing.

Tuesday, 19th
Hmmm. Maybe a good couple of hours (1830-2030) before visiting my friends that evening.

Wednesday, 20th
Nope. R.'s half-day.

Thursday, 21st
Debating about this day and Friday, the 22nd. If I attend a cardio class in the evening, forget it. But if I take the class Friday night, I can put in a good couple of hours at a minimum.

Friday, 22nd
I'll be putting in at least a couple hours regardless if I work out this evening or not (see Thursday, 21st) especially since R.'s on-call and won't be back until Saturday morning.

Saturday, 23rd.
R.'s gonna be wasted from being on-call. Large block of writing time after workout.

Sunday, 24th.
Write after workout.

Monday, 25th
Writing night.
Tuesday, 26th
None. Workout, followed by exhaustion and sleep or visit friends first then collapse into a coma.

Wednesday, 27th
R. start vacation until November 5th. We're going to have to sit down and discuss when I'm writing and not to be disturbed. But no writing this evening as we celebrate.

Thursday, 28th
None. Workout, followed by exhaustion and sleep.

Friday, 29th
Get in some goodly number of hours.

Saturday, 30th
Get in some goodly number of hours. What I need to do is not sleep in no matter how comfortable R.'s body feels in the morn and afternoon.

Sunday, 31st
Get up in no matter how comfortable R.'s body feels and write.

Halloween. Hmmm. Maybe I'll give R. the pleasure in giving out the candies solo for the first time in over two years. Definitely, though, some major writing time.

NaNoWriMo starts at midnight, November 1st. Damn! Can't stay up late to write.

To be continued....

Beyond the Blog

2004-10-14T09:40:00.000-07:00

Rich Language

Thanks, Scott!

Obstacles (continued)

2004-10-14T08:31:00.000-07:00

Days or blocks of time that I can't write:

Wednesday evenings: R.'s half day when we usually go out to eat and have quality "couple" time together. I'm amazed I didn't put this at the top of the list. (I know writers who put writing over their spouses and that's fine. For them: I'll consider doing the same when my writing generates at least our combined gross income for at least three years in a row (see Holly's wonderful article on quitting one's day job to write full-time) and R. acquieces to being second fiddle to words.)

Emergencies: Mom's medical conditions resurfaces. Dad suddenly develops something. R.'s family comes down with something. R. needs emotional comfort. My libido drops below seven days a week. Duh.

Sleep: Well, duh. I already whined about how not getting any (sleep, that is) impacts my writing already.

Still leaves lots of time blocks open. Next: Writing time.

Prepping up

2004-10-13T16:48:00.000-07:00

I need to get to speed for NaNoWriMo. No prob with the ideas: I have at least eight. No prob with outlining, either. Six of the eight have good, chapter by chapter and/or scene by scene breakdowns. I can easily generate a new outline for a new idea given a day or weekend.

The main situ will be the wordcount. Participants will need to average 1250 words a day to make the 50,000 word goal. That's approximately five pages a day.

I won't be able to make such an average on a daily basis with my current schedule. I need to develop a schedule now so I'll be able to keep up on a weekly basis. That's 8750 words (35 pages) a week.

First order of business is to get writing. Second is to make such a weekly goal by the 30th (Saturday) of this month. Thus, I won't be in complete shock when I start on November 1st.

Obstacles (well, sorta)

As I stated above, I can't generate five pages a day due to other commitments. I do like to sleep, for example. Thus, I need to determine where are my available major blocks of time (two or more hours). Like a physician, I'm going to start by eliminating those days or blocks of time that I can't write:

Workout evening: When I'm attending a cardio class. Usually every other evening. I'm usually wiped when I get home.

Tuesday night with friends: When I meet CS and GAC. Hmmm. Should I eliminate seeing them at all during November (though see the 2nd, below)?

October 31st: Specifically, the evening hours when the rugrats are continuously ringing the doorbell. (Actually, I enjoy handing out the candies and stand outside the basket of goodies.)

November 2nd: meeting my friends for our monthly book discussion.

November 25th or 26th: During the time we're visiting family.

To be continued....

Need...sleep

2004-10-12T13:28:00.000-07:00

Image found on the Internet and all rights belong to its owner.

I love my spouse dearly, but this 5-6 hours of sleep regularly doesn't cut it for me. I tried writing--even a page!--last night but the lack of sleep (I need 7 at a minimum for some semblance of consciousness) actually made me dizzy.

Enough. I don't like to whine and don't plan to start now. (That's actually planned for later.) Action to be taken: go to bed at a reasonable time regardless of guilt-trips.

Currently reading

2004-10-10T13:41:00.000-07:00

Image found on the Internet and all rights belong to its owner.

Screening Party by Dennis Hensley.

Currently reading

2004-10-10T11:42:00.000-07:00

Image found on the Internet and all rights belong to its owner.

Atticus of Rome by Barry Denenberg.

Beyond the Blog

2004-10-08T11:44:00.000-07:00

Internet-Resources.com

Writing Links & Links for Writers Writers' Resources on The Web and More

Oh!

Shouldn't have bought it

2004-10-07T22:40:00.000-07:00

Image found on the Internet and all rights belong to its owner.

Bought and read the trade of the new Teen Titans (A Kid's Game) issues 1-7.

Oops. Will have to add another series to my pull list.

What's our social future?

2004-10-06T13:38:00.000-07:00

Global to Local:
The Social Future as seen by six SF Writers:

Thanks for the link, Zen of Me!

Conversation on I, Claudius

2004-10-05T09:07:00.000-07:00

I met my friends CS and GAC around 2050. Unlike our first meeting, we didn't immediately
plunge into discussion of this month's book but the events in our lives.

CS opened the discussion. We all agreed how much we enjoyed the book: Graves made the
characters live for us which is not always easy, especially for a historical. CS later
remarked how timeless the story was even to this day; we all made comparisons relevant to
today's politicking. Both CS and GAC contributed specifics to their points. I had finished
the book earlier and, having already started several new books, could only generalize. But I
contributed my impression of the story. We all agreed to read the sequel, Claudius the God.

Next book: Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon.

Currently reading

2004-10-03T22:20:00.001-07:00

River God's Vengeance by John Maddox Roberts.

Currently reading

2004-10-03T18:22:00.000-07:00

Ethan of Athos by Lois McMaster Bujold.

It begins!

2004-10-01T11:21:00.000-07:00

Registration for the National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriM0) has begun. I signed up and even issued challenges.

This year I will finish it!

2004-09-26T07:16:00.000-07:00

Zero Hour

On sabbatical. See you next month!?!

Back to basics

2004-09-25T16:40:00.000-07:00

Image found on the Internet and all rights belong to its owner.

Back in college I took several martial arts classes. I remembered the sensai (teacher) saying on the first day to always remember--and practice--the basics which consisted of stances, some punches, blocks, and kicks. I've return to that state with my writing and have been reading extensively Thursday and Friday night.

What? Reading?

One of the books I'm reading is Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg. She writes in one section about "composting", of allowing one's experiences "to sift through our consciousness". While she was addressing all of one's experiences in life, I further added to my "compost" heap why I wanted to write. And that meant reading and lots of it.

I, Claudius. The Jade Enchantress. The Bulterian Jihad. Comic books. Manga. Role-playing games. Blogs. These, and many other written media, I've been devouring with all my speed-reading abilities. The Word is my Muse's fuel and building block for how can one write without reading? I've read of authors who state they've stopped reading when they write. I've read their works and can tell from the drop in quality. My opinion? They've become authors (celebrities), forgetting they were writers (actors) once.

They forgot the basics.

Countdown: one day before blog change....

The...Vision

2004-09-24T06:41:00.000-07:00

Vision

Countdown: two day before blog change....

Zero

2004-09-23T23:02:00.000-07:00

Still nothing. Ugh.

Countdown: three days before blog change....

Writing resource

2004-09-22T06:19:00.000-07:00

alden.nu

Wow!

Countdown: four days before blog change....

Sunday, Monday

2004-09-21T14:04:00.000-07:00

Read several chapters of I, Claudius before heading out on Sunday. Oh! Discovered Holly had a new blog on-line. Yeah! (But see below).

Nothing on Monday due to workout (see Forge) and discussion with R. about remodeling of house.

* * *

It was very interesting to read Holly's new blog. One thing that immediately struck me was the lack of the Comments feature. I could understand her reasons: too busy to response; nasty folks; and content focus. I'm debating about continuing comments on Way once zero
hour hits on the 26th.

Hmmm. Decisions, decisions....

Countdown: five days before blog change....

2004-09-20T16:20:00.000-07:00

Burning Void--Writers' Resource

Cool site.

Countdown: six days before blog change....

2004-09-19T23:31:00.000-07:00

Commitment

Only major writing was updating my blog on Friday. Developed a writing schedule for next week. R.’s on-call (again) for the weekend so that’s a major opportunity to get a goodly amount written.

Image found on the Internet and rights belong to its owner.

NOTE: You may stop reading. The following are my upcoming goals and thoughts on those said goals and barely relevant to the above post.

As I stated in Whatever, I’ve renewed my commitment to my goals. For writing, it’s the following:

Aim to complete the first draft of my novel by year’s end.
Aim to complete NaNoWriMo in November.
Aim to complete the first draft of a comic book script by year’s end.

Because of the time involved for these objectives (and others), I’ve been debating about maintaining Way of the Writer and my other blogs at my current pace.

Or even maintaining any blogs at all. I have never forgotten Holly's poignant post on protecting the work or Sheila’s own shutdown of her blog.

I won’t be in debate for long. The countdown (see below) on all my blogs was not written on a whim.

Countdown: seven days before blog change....

2004-09-18T14:33:00.000-07:00

Real town names.

WARNING: Don't be drinking or eating anything when reading this post. (Thanks, Cosmoblog!)

Countdown: eight days before blog change....

2004-09-17T13:20:00.000-07:00

Woodpulp gone wild.

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Finished Misadventures in the (213). Review to follow. (Really!)

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Finished Artemis Fowl. Review to follow. (I hope!)

Now for the last couple of days....

Wednesday and Thursday
I did lots of journaling and idea generation (usually at Starbucks) but nothing concrete on my stories.

But speaking of writing....

I discovered a while back that I constantly generate new ideas, images, and even entire scenes will driving. Since it would not be conducive to jot down anything while driving (California drivers are bad enough), I decided to get a tape recorder.

The idea is not new to writers or even to myself. I asked R. about any old ones in the house and was given…after several weeks…a top-of-the-line model. From the 1980s. I looked at the hulking black box and, after biting down a remark about obsolete technology, said thank you.

The recorder has worked out quite well after we put in new AA batteries (requires two) and a new tape. I've already recorded several days worth of ideas while noting my daily activities to later put in my blog. (I forgot, for example, most of Wednesday until I listened to my recording of that day.)

Countdown: nine days before blog change....

2004-09-16T14:25:00.000-07:00

Survey show workers shud write better

'Nuf said. (Thanks, alanmacey!)

2004-09-15T06:22:00.000-07:00

Baby steps

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Monday
At the coffeeshop much of the afternoon writing in my journals and playing with words.

Tuesday
As Monday.

2004-09-14T01:06:00.000-07:00

Thousand...

"To travel a thousand mile is better than to read a thousand scroll of books."

A...slight change...to this Hero of the Month's philosophy.

2004-09-13T23:21:00.000-07:00

Nothing to report. Quality time with spouse. I know my priorites!

2004-09-12T01:25:00.000-07:00

Ralan Conley's Webstravaganza

An incredible resource for writers. Thanks, Mr. Kilian!

2004-09-10T21:27:00.000-07:00

Second day

Wrote two days in a row. Yeah! While still working on the outline for PP (1st draft), I made a significant change to the main character (MC). He is now in his forties instead of mid-twenties.

Now I feel much more comfortable in writing his scenes. And I ready have much of the first three chapters complete. It will take minimal rewrite to fit the change. (Though I'll have to add the kids, though. And I'll have to rethink S.'s character since he's now the youngest--mid-twenties--in the triad.)

Now something a little more light-hearted:

How to write Epic Fantasy

Oh, cool! But Pure Maiden Warriors is so out of style...!

2004-09-09T20:15:00.000-07:00

"Is Science Fiction Finished?" (by Crawford Kilian)

Found on the Internet and all rights belong to its owner.

A wonderful post by the author.

2004-09-08T21:17:00.000-07:00

Two down...

Image found on the WWW and all rights belong to its owner.

Whew. Accomplished two goals so far this week.

Tuesday I finished up East of Eden. I met with my friends at our usual local and the three of us discussed the book at length. What an incredible discussion! I'll definitely be apply what I learned from the wonderful book (e.g., archtypes, the Cain and Abel fables, etc.) into my future novels. Next book: I, Claudius, to be read by and discuss on October 5th.

Last month Tribe contacted me via an e-mail message. The company asked if I could submit ten recommendations of venues based in Los Angeles for a gift. I finally finished the last recommendation (East West Playhouse).

Yeah! Now let's see if I get that gift.

2004-09-07T21:22:00.000-07:00

Done!

Finished East of Eden. Gotta run to discuss the book. Review to follow! (I hope.)

2004-09-06T01:39:00.000-07:00

Going towards the goal

While at R.'s place of work (see Words), I worked on my writing goals for the rest of the year. So far I have:

Complete the first draft of a novel. (Hmmm. Is it realistic for a novice like myself to achieve such a goal in barely three months? I know professionals who can but most who can't.)
Write those Tribe ads.
Contact Forward Motion to submit an article for Vision.
Start a comic book script.

2004-09-03T23:48:00.000-07:00

It starts with an Amazon...

Image found on the Internet and all rights belong to their owners.

(A rare second posting...)

I was showering this morn when my Muse literally staggered me with cool concepts for the Amazing Amazon. And that led to a breakthrough in my story, PP. I spent a goodly number of hours at the coffeeshop writing them down. (Probs with my hand again despite the brace.)

Feels so good to write again!

2004-09-03T14:22:00.000-07:00

Wanderings from the Web

Nominees for the 16th Annual Lambda Literary Awards have been announced

2004-09-01T14:35:00.000-07:00

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

Blithe House Quarterly, the leading online journal of lesbian and gay literary fiction, is pleased to open submissions for its 2005 issues.

URL: http://www.blithe.com

2004-08-28T17:23:00.000-07:00

Comic books and writing

Read some comic books today, finally catching up with my reg prescripts.

Wow! The ending of Astonishing X-men #4 actually surprised me. And the beginning of the Avengers: Dissembled storyline's looking like it will be interesting.

Wish I could say the same about Wonder Woman #207. I'm still ambivalent about Rucka's run and am beginning to understand why folks are considering his pacing to be a bit slow.

Then there's Superman #208.

I normally don't collect the Man of Steel. But I've always liked Lee's art and so decided to give the issues a shot. Oops! The so-called more "realistic" dialogue with lack of explanation is beginning to wear on my nerves, not entice me to get the next issue. Wish I had held off until the collected book was released.

Now, where's those other issues...?

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Spent a good portion of the day working on my works-in-progress. Yikes! Fallen so far behind in all of them. I created files for those I had notes, outlines, and even chapters and was surprised when I read the seven excellent results. Wow. Muse peered with interest and became excited that I had to shoo Her out of the room to keep the peace. Fortunately, the few folks in the coffee shop barely noticed (though I bet the staff was annoyed again with the glitter.) A good beginning.

2004-08-27T13:01:00.000-07:00

Another bites the dust

Finished Judgement of Caesar by Steven Saylor. Review to follow.

2004-08-24T13:27:00.000-07:00

So much to write and there's never enough time!

One of the promises I made to myself is to review at least every novel I finish. I later mentally added discussing my experiences at author signing.

Well, you know what they say about making promises you can't keep.

Here's my current backlog of books to review since I started Way:

Here are the signings:

L.E. Modesitt, Jr.
Wil Wheaton
Anne and Todd McCaffrey (today)

Whew! Thankfully I hadn't added my comic books, graphic novels, and role-playing game supplements to the review. Yet.

I know I can do review them all. In time. I need to determine in what order, though. Shall I start with most recent books and signings? Or start with the oldest? Want to get caught up by year's end, preferably earlier.

I also need to figure the nature of the posts for both Way and Forge and when to update (or to even keep the blogs). Ugh.

Decisions, decisions....

Image found on the Internet and all rights belong to their owners.

2004-08-21T22:19:00.000-07:00

Signing

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Attended the Just A Geek signing by author Wil Wheaton down at Mysterious Galaxy. Review of the event to follow.

2004-08-19T10:25:00.000-07:00

Another down....

Finished Blood Rites by Jim Butcher last night. Review to follow.

2004-08-17T10:49:00.000-07:00

Currently reading:

Blood Rites by Jim Butcher

Misadventures in the (213) by Dennis Hensley

2004-08-12T23:16:00.000-07:00

Another one bites the dust(bin)

Completed Dragon Society by Lawrence Watt-Evans. Review to follow.

2004-08-08T01:21:00.000-07:00

Short-story competition

White Award Entries Sought

Judges are now accepting entries in the 2005 James White Award short-story competition, with the winner to be honored in Glasgow, Scotland, at the 2005 World Science Fiction Convention. Named after the Irish SF author, the James White Award is an international short-story competition.

(Article continues at Sci Fi Wire.)

2004-08-06T23:05:00.000-07:00

Review: The Deal by Timothy J. Lambert and Becky Cochrane

At the start of a New Year, Aaron Fisher makes 'The Deal' with his closest but frustratingly single friends: none of them will discuss their single-hoods and attempts to pair up with The One except once a month during the 'Love Sucks' meetings.

Starting from this unique (to me) premise, co-authors Timothy J. Lambert and Becky Cochrane (part of the famous 'Timothy James Beck' writers) brisky shove, push, and sometimes downright slap Aaron and his friends (always humorously) through renewed love, frustrating careers, new loves, and finally (of course) finding The One.

I thoroughly enjoyed the trip. Having been reared on a plethora of how terrible life can be for those who are different (the Front Runner, while a great book, is not usually described as funny), it was refreshing to read a book whose characters mess up their lives like any characters populating Jackie Collins novels (but usually cuter).

There's no heavily profound message in The Deal (unless realizing one's faults by being honest is 'heavy'.) Or hot and heavy sex. But if I wanted the former, I'd read War and Peace again or the latest Maxim issue. As for the latter, I have plenty of DVDs for my HDTV thank you very much.

I purchased The Deal to be entertained and I got five stars instead. This is not easy. Out of the eight thousand books (hardbacks alone) I have, I've only given such a rating to four. My litmus test? If I can't put a book down until the next morning, it's a winner.

2004-08-02T06:40:00.000-07:00

Another one bites the dust

Finished He's The One by Timothy James Beck yesterday. Review to follow.

2004-08-01T18:30:00.000-07:00

Another one finished

Finished The Deal by Timothy J. Lambert and Becky Cochrane. Review to follow.

2004-07-31T07:58:00.000-07:00

Against me

from inkmusings' blog (pic's from the WWW):

"Any writer, I suppose, feels that the world into which he was born is nothing less than a conspiracy against the cultivation of his talent."

– James Baldwin

2004-07-30T18:54:00.000-07:00

Finished another book

Finished Shameless byPaul Burston this morn. Review to follow.

2004-07-28T12:05:00.000-07:00

Rejuvenation

Didn't do any writing while on vacation. However, my interest in writing a comic book/graphic novel was renewed, jolted by the many self-published folks at the convention. While most were "all art, no story", we found a few easily at professional level. Example: Sentinels.

I may do a review of the two graphic novels once I've finished the current one (see above).

2004-07-26T09:05:00.000-07:00

Back!

Back from vacation. Update to follow.

2004-07-20T07:05:00.000-07:00

Finished

Completed reading Fool's Fate at 2:30 AM this morning. Now where's the pillow...?

2004-07-19T12:53:00.000-07:00

Mark of a good book

Guessed who stayed up until 4 AM this morning reading Fool's Fate?

2004-07-17T11:41:00.000-07:00

Huddle and Fool

Read another chapter of Huddle and two chapters of Fool. Very interesting.

The chapter of Huddle was the longest so far. Each section was from the viewpoint of a different character. Usually. Several sections had awkward slips from one viewpoint character to another in the section. Minor, but noticeable.

The chapter also introduced concepts that, while I had read and heard of, had never actually seen used. One is second person point of view (POV). Another is stream of consciousness. In a third scene, the author uses "i" instead of "I" for for POV. This is in addition to referring to one POV character as "our hero" throughout the entire section. I think the writer used these techniques to not only differentiate the characters but as a thematic component as well.

My opinion? Ugh. The characters still sounded the same and the techniques just made it worse.

As for Fool? Happily plunged into the story.

2004-07-16T07:45:00.000-07:00

More is good

Added more links. Now just got to focus not reading them as much as focusing on my own projects.

2004-07-16T07:31:00.000-07:00

Thursday Torment

No reading or writing except blogs. Not good for the eventually publication of the quintessential American novel.

2004-07-14T09:13:00.000-07:00

Continued to read

Finished another chapter of Huddle. Either I was more tired than normal or the writing was better, but the chapter read fairly well. It's obvious the author knows how flag football's played which is the more unique element of the novel.

Read a chapter in Fool's Fate. Wow!

Way of the Writer

***Shutting down***

***New month resolution: writing***

***A page a day keeps the guilt away***

***Return to the fold***

***Desert***

***Preoccupied***

***Done****

***Reaching for the stars...or 50k***

***Progress, not perfection***

***Laying it down to rest****

***Slowing down (but that's a good thing)***

***Ahead but slipping fast***

***Most yet****

***Justice, like lightening***

***Discussion of the Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay (Amazing)***

Beyond the Blog

***And another one...***

***Book signing***

***Caught up***

***Mixed***

***Two bite the dust***

***Ahead***

***Progress***

***An auspicious beginning***

***Off to a good start***

***Another bites it***

***100/60 (Conclusion)***

Beyond the Blog

Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay

***Line, write scene, delete line***

***100/60***

***Weekend of writing***

***Writing, writing, writing, so much writing....***

Real writing

Finished

Beyond the Blog

Beyond the Blog

***98 words an hour***

***Doin' it***

***If you're interested in writing and teaching***

***Prepping up***

***Culture on food and story ideas***

Writing time

Beyond the Blog

Obstacles (continued)

Prepping up

Need...sleep

Currently reading

Currently reading

Beyond the Blog

Shouldn't have bought it

What's our social future?

Conversation on I, Claudius

Currently reading

Currently reading

It begins!

Back to basics

The...Vision

Zero

Writing resource

Sunday, Monday

Commitment

Rejuvenation

Shutting down

New month resolution: writing

A page a day keeps the guilt away

Return to the fold

Desert

Preoccupied

*Done**

Reaching for the stars...or 50k

Progress, not perfection

*Laying it down to rest**

Slowing down (but that's a good thing)

Ahead but slipping fast

*Most yet**

Justice, like lightening

Discussion of the Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay (Amazing)

And another one...

Book signing

Caught up

Mixed

Two bite the dust

Ahead

Progress

An auspicious beginning

Off to a good start

Another bites it

100/60 (Conclusion)

Line, write scene, delete line

100/60

Weekend of writing

Writing, writing, writing, so much writing....

98 words an hour

Doin' it

If you're interested in writing and teaching

Prepping up

Culture on food and story ideas