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 |  Adventures of writing when I don't have a clue, which seems to be most of the time... |
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My writing journey's journal I have been an avid MMO game player for many years and a pen and paper gamer for years before that. And I've never been able to write more than a page or so at a time, and that would take me hours to do. Creatively, I have had stories and even novels in my head that I could explain to someone, or even tell them the story audibly, but could never put down on paper. And I never found out why. Until my wife introduced me to Stephanie Meyer late this spring. I read Twilight, and the rest of the books in rapid sequence... I think I spent less than two weeks on all of them, and then I watched the movies. My wife mentioned that she had never written before, even a short story, and that she completed the entire first novel in three months or so. I read an interview she gave with another author (for the life of me I cannot remember who it was), where she explained her entire writing process. I said to myself, Self, you can do that. If a housewife, with three kids running around, can do it, then I can too. Except that I had tried, and couldn't write worth a darn. So I tried something new and radical. I ignored everything else, and by everything, I meant everything. And I sat down to write. I cut out everything, except caffeine... No more TV, no movies, no games -- really, I quit playing all of them. I found that now, devoid of all the other distractions, I could write. One of my sons helped me find some background noise (shameless plug incoming: http://rain.simplynoise.com/), and I found I could write even better. What did I write? I just took a word and turned it into a sentence. And then the sentence into a paragraph. I added a tragedy, and turned it into a murder. And then added a love story. And then a thriller, because the love story caused problems for the murderer. And from there, I had a theme. From the theme came a focus. I just made it up as I went along, telling stories that actually ended up on paper, not just as whimsical thoughts that I would lose by the next day. I wrote over 100k words in July, and another 75k in August. We're barely into September, and I've already written 46k words (not counting this blog), and I have no plans to stop writing. The sky is the limit... well, actually, I've gone past that in a few places -- to the stars and beyond. There is no limit to what you can do if you just put your mind to it and start, one word at a time. ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** |
| I've always had a gift for writing, but it didn't come without pain. My father was a pastor, so he could write and speak well, and my mother an English teacher, so she corrected grammar for us both. They wanted to fail me in third grade because I refused to do those stupid SRA cards (reading comprehension exercises) -- the ones where you start with "See Jane run. She runs fast." and ended with stories that might actually have been interesting. I couldn't make myself go through the elementary stuff to get to the ones that were more engaging. My mother insisted that I could read, and she made them test me before failing me out. I tested at post-high-school levels... and, as you can guess, they didn't flunk me. I still wouldn't read through the SRA's, however, so I never became a favored student. In high school, I took Gifted English in 11th grade (They thought I was average before that, but it was more that I was lazy and bored -- so they never bothered to test me.) and got a C for the year. I never worked harder at a class in my life, and I was honored to get that grade from the most amazing teacher ever. Five or six years after I graduated, they actually fired him -- not for cause, or for any kind of abuse -- but because he wouldn't give top marks to students who didn't earn them. He had been teaching for 40 years or so, and had never once changed his grading system to "adjust" to laziness on the part of his students, or the crappy education they got prior to joining his class. Robert F. Hollenbach, my hat goes off to you. After that, I started a BBS (Bulletin Board System), which was, in a lot of ways, the precursor to the Internet. People would call in over phone lines to my computer (from their computers), login, and peruse through forums of messages other people had written. Then, they would reply, and those replies would go out over the long-distance lines to every other BBS that had subscribed to the same forum. I was a major mail hub for years, and was known all over the world as both a technical resource (and reliable host), as well as knowledgeable in my writing and research. At one point, I had eight phone lines, each with a $750 modem attached, about $10,000 in hardware and another $12,000 in software -- not to mention $800-1,600 a month phone bills. I don't miss the cost or the bills, but I do miss having complete control over the content and the systems required to maintain it. In a way, it was much like WDC is now for The StoryMaster  , though I never made any money doing it. For every dollar that came in by way of donations, I spent a thousand. I considered it a public service, of sorts. My way of giving voice to forums and topics that otherwise would have gone silent.Professionally, I used to write memos, technical specifications, and often was selected as the one to explain things to both CEO's and end users, as I could put things in words that they both understood without difficulty. My main job was as a programmer, and then I worked my way up into software architecture, designing multi-million dollar systems and having to "sell" the concepts to everyone in the "food chain" of a company, while allowing as many of them as possible to think it was all their idea. In recent years (before I attempted to write fiction), I wrote numerous blog posts, created websites, and more -- most of which got ignored because I was out of my element. On a BBS, I could make sure people read my stuff, but on the Internet, it didn't work like that. So, long before I started writing my first novel in 2013, I had already had 35+ years of writing experience... though you wouldn't have guessed that if you read my first drafts. (Ugh) My writing was rough, bad even, and I got plenty of reviews that told me that. But never once did I receive anything from WDC reviews or comments that made me want to give up and bury my head in the sand. The community here is nothing short of amazing, and it can draw out the best we have to offer and show us how to present it to the world. >JaceCar  novelist and editor |
Just finished writing (mostly from scratch) the second chapter of "Invalid Item"  . No, I didn't add it to my WDC book yet. I want to get reviews and feedback on my first chapter, first.I'm pleased with how it's coming along, but my brain can't seem to get itself into gear well enough to jump through all the hurdles I want it to. And yes, I talk to my brain... No, I'm not schizophrenic. A least the other me in the room tells me I'm not. Sometimes, it gets confusing.  The third chapter is going to be more difficult, as I'm attempting to integrate my main character, Alexei Cole, into a new school for his senior year. I've made him older (eighteen instead of fourteen), and I'm attempted to roughen him up a bit. But, that's where things get tough for me. Most of the interactions he had (in my first four versions) with his teachers (and other students) were based on a fourteen-year-old mentality, emotional development, and so forth. Now, I have to redo all of that to match his age. That's not actually all that tough, though it does take a bit of work. That's not all of what I'm doing with the rewrite. I've learned a lot about writing in the last two years, especially how to add mystery and intrigue into the flow of a novel. I gave up far too much too soon in previous versions, so this time around, I am trying to hold back as much as I can -- so my readers get the chance to figure things out before I hit them with the details. Slow and steady wins the race. |
Saw a Newsfeed item a few minutes ago from Matt Bird MSci (Hons) AMRSC -- if you haven't watched the video, you should. It's excellent. It made me reminisce... back to some of the good times in my past. LinnAnn -book writer  and ~Minja~  -- you might like this.My reaction: Darn, I should do this... I just tried singing for the first time in a couple of years (I quit smoking about two years ago), and I found I could hit notes I haven't hit for decades -- without squeaking like a half-drowned rat. And, then I figured I should expound upon that answer: I started singing in church, and in musicals there. One of them that I remember particularly well was playing the part of Haman in an adaptation of the Book of Esther. I had great fun with it. I used to do a Capella performances in high school and college (ancient history ago, I know), but the real rage for it (modern era) didn't start until well after that -- eight or nine decades later, maybe. And, by that time, I was all pruny and stuff from constant bathing. I've stopped that, now, and while it can be a little fragrant at times to be near me, I assure you, it's for the best. I'll take a bath next year, I promise! I performed in numerous musicals while growing up in the boonies of Bucks County, Pennsylvania. There weren't many people there, back then, and Philadelphia was still small (by today's standards). Early Vaudeville was painful, as was Slapstick, but I lived through it and am probably who I am because of their influence. At my best (with my favorite soprano at my side -- that means you, Amy Rufe -- wherever you are. I should have kissed you all those years ago. I got grounded for months just for talking to you... until four in the morning, LOL), we could cover a full seven octaves. When we performed (a group of eight, one for each range: Bass, Tenor, Alto, Soprano, and variants) it was nothing short of magical. More than once, we backed up major guest artists from New York and Philadelphia opera companies. They stole the spotlight, at least initially, but we stole it right back. We were good. The best time I ever had in a musical was playing Lamar in Godspell -- and yes, I actually hit ALL the notes, even though I was technically a second bass. The only reason I didn't get the second lead was... political. The "star" of the show put his best friend there, even though he couldn't carry a tune without serious assistance -- but he was a joker, and that's what was called for in John the Baptist. I should look up all the players and find out where they are now, in life. Ahh, the past. Sometimes glorious, sometimes horrible. We, as writers, need to strive to remember both. >JaceCar novelist and editor ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** |
| Anyone have any good Anime dramas to add to this list? I described my novel, "Invalid Item" to my wife's brother, and he suggested I would enjoy the following: I've checked the (few) I found on my own and watched.  Man in the High Castle more info ▼ Vampire Hellsing (ヘルシング Herushingu) more info ▼ Rosario + Vampire (ロザリオとバンパイア Rozario to Banpaia) more info ▼ Vampire Hunter D (吸血鬼(バンパイア)ハンターD Banpaia Hantā Di) more info ▼  Trinity Blood (トリニティ・ブラッド Toriniti Buraddo) more info ▼ Non-Vampire Samurai 7 (サムライセブン Samurai Sebun) more info ▼ Cowboy Bebop (カウボーイビバップ Kaubōi Bibappu) more info ▼ Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood ( 鋼の錬金術師 Hagane no Renkinjutsushi) more info ▼ Neon Genesis Evangelion (新世紀エヴァンゲリオン Shin Seiki Evangerion) more info ▼ Noein: To Your Other Self (ノエイン もうひとりの君へ Noein: Mō Hitori no Kimi e) more info ▼ Others he listed, but didn't explain: Samurai Champloo Angel Beats Eureka Seven Sword Are Online .hack//SIGN(.hack//SIGN is not a typo -- it is pronounced Dot Hack Sign) Death Note Bleach Trigun InuYasha Elfen Lied Claymore Full Metal Panic! Spice and Wolf (I didn’t like this one, but I think you would) Oh My Goddess! Sekirei Witchblade Howls Moving CastleOthers people have recommended to him: Code Geass Kill la Kill Psycho Pass Serial Experiment Lain Steins;Gate One-punch Man Clannad Blood+ Girls Bravo Vampire KnightMust Know Animes: Ghost in the Shell (obviously) Ranma ½ Akira. more info ▼ He concluded with: There are even more animes that I love and thin you should watch, but these will get you started. -- @Jamion (his personal handle and Twitter address) |
| What's happening with me? Nothing. Well, almost nothing. Sorta, kinda, almost nothing. Something? Well, not quite that much, I suppose. I'm sitting here listening to Pandora and staring at the screen, wondering how to finish the scene I'm on. I'm at the point where (I think) the reader is going to be getting tired of backstory and dialogue... and I need to advance things to the point where something (there's that word again) starts happening. Of course, my lead character almost died (first scene), got a sexy kiss (second scene), a hug from his sister (third scene), and got chewed out by his father (fourth scene). I'm pretty sure I haven't lost anyone yet (this is all in my mind -- I haven't shown the new stuff to anyone), and I don't want things to get too stale... or else people won't bother to continue reading until something relevant happens. NOTE: My starting action and dialogue reveal some key information about my main character (character development), so they aren't wasted words -- it just can't continue forever without readers saying, "OK, so I thought this was a novel about XYZ, and the author hasn't told me anything yet." I need to avoid that. That's one of the burdens we have as writers. We need to grab our readers with action and "show, not tell", but there is such a thing as pacing... where we, occasionally, need to slow down and write straight prose instead of dialogue and action, just so they can breathe, digest all that we've written, and then get hungry for the next bit of adventure. If there's one thing I've learned from my time on WDC -- that people will tell you what they really think (if you're not too prickly to accept constructive criticism), and instead of that being a negative, it can be just what you need to clean things up and give your work a fresh coat of polish. That's where I am right now. I need to advance things and move the storyline ahead (just a bit) to set up the introduction of more primary characters, and then actually begin to tell the main story. And, man, is it a good one! Wish me luck! >JaceCar novelist, editor, and publisher ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** |
| Someone just sent me a comment stating they have Scrivener, but haven't yet learned how to use it. I probably should write a series of "how-to" articles, as I've become quite proficient with it over the last few years, but I'll start with this: Scrivener Basics One of the things many people (especially those who use notebooks instead of a PC/Mac with a separate keyboard) find is that the binder can "lose" things when they drag their mouse accidentally. Don't panic. Just look for little carats > and ^ (or the down version) that are out of place. You'll find your missing scenes or whatever and can put them back where they belong. The best way to get around this (to prevent it from happening) is to hit F11 to put your current document in full-screen mode. It won't let you change anything outside of that doc without first hitting F11 again. Scrivener doesn't lose anything. It saves automatically (every 5 seconds or so, depending on settings), but it doesn't always let you undo your changes. The binder is one of those places where undo doesn't work. Otherwise, every document, page, scene -- everything -- has a full change log, so you can undo/redo numerous changes, even if you haven't touched the document in a while. The best advice I have is to create your project on Dropbox (or other cloud storage). I use multiple computers, and as long as I *close* the project before switching, it's always immediately available on the other comp. And if you're offline, it still lets you work with the project, because it keeps a copy locally. Hope this helps at least someone! |
| Yesterday (Sunday), I finally hit "submit" on Kindle Direct Publishing for my wife's first novel. Yes, I know I should have had mine out there long before now, but I hit a major spell of writer's block/writing aversion... and the perfectionist in me wouldn't let me publish something only halfway done. But that's about to change. Now that my wife's novel is published, I am going to dive into a complete rewrite of
Back to my wife's novel: The publishing process was more complicated than it had a right to be for something as simple as a one-part novel, but most of it was self-inflicted. I learned a lot (a whole lot) about editing and publishing, copyrights, ISBN's and distribution, advertising, and more. It was enough to make my head hurt... many many times across the last six months. Again, the perfectionist in me wouldn't let it go out without at least my part (as editor) being done to the best of my abilities. So, I proudly introduce a new Kindle novel: The First Day of Summer , by Cas Miller. It is the first in a series; Cas is writing the next one as I write this.If you can't follow the link (for whatever reason), just search for "Cas Miller" or "JaceCar" on Amazon, and it'll lead you to the novel. If even that doesn't work, here are the rest of the details: THE FIRST DAY OF SUMMER (The Seasons of Ft. Ferree, Book 1) By Cas Miller ISBN-10:1-944532-01-3 (print) ISBN-13:978-1-944532-01-7 (print) ISBN-10:1-944532-02-1 (ebook) ISBN-13:978-1-944532-02-4 (ebook) Blackburn & Blackburn, LLC 50 Court Street Upper Sandusky, OH 43351 blackburn2.com >jace JaceCar neophyte novelist ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** |
NOTE: This started as a reply to ~Minja~  -- a comment on her blog, but I decided to move it here because I needed to get a few things off my chest, and did not want the content to get buried.She wrote in her comments to "Invalid Entry" that she would like to forget certain bad things from her past. Here is my reply:Don't we all? (want to forget) I've lived through disease, death, abuse, an all-consuming house fire, bad breakups, incredibly poor business (and life) choices, and more. Between the house fire (where we lost everything) and getting fired by Microsoft (cool company to work for) only five weeks later... I cannot decide which is worse. Now, I am disabled, overweight, and have been working on weaning myself off of narcotic pain killers over the past few months. There have been better years, let me tell you. There are definitely some events I wish I could forget... but for the life of me, I cannot. Some of them haunt me, even 30+ years later. Remorse is a horrible thing. It is, however, one of the things that define us as human. We live, we fall down, we get back up again -- and we learn. The bad things in life have as much to do with who we are as the good. Sometimes, it is difficult to accept, but it is true, nonetheless. A Katy Perry song comes to mind: "The One That Got Away." She looks back at her life and realizes that "the one" would have been a whole lot better than what she has now. I feel the same way with a great many things -- except for my wife and kids. Good or bad decisions at the time (and over time as they grew up), I don't regret a moment with them. I've been with my wife for 23+ years -- almost half my life. We are growing "cooler" toward each other over time, but we are still best friends and keep no secrets from each other. And when we need a hug (or more) we are there for each other, no matter what. My elder son graduates from Wake Forest on Monday -- double major in math and physics. I know I'm going to cry, but those tears will not be ones of sorrow or remorse. I just hope I remember the good times 30 years from now, and manage to forget the bad. |
| Nothing to say here, move along. Er, wait. Nothing to see here. Well, that's not quite true, either. Let me try again. Oh dear... where to begin. Ok, got it. Start simple... Exhausted (need sleep). I can fix that, once I can tear myself away from the computer and lay down. Ashamed (my unexplained/unexcused absence). I don't know what to tell you, except that I've had a hard time with writing, editing, publishing... and it all ended up in the "to do" list and never got done. I left people (WDC people) hanging -- specifically ~Minja~ , but there are others that will go unmentioned mostly because my memory is failing, not because you don't mean anything to me.Frustrated (my family situation, agents, publishers). Real life sucks sometimes, but you can't just turn it off like a light or tell it to wait until you're ready. It is always there, and almost always demanding more than one can give. And agents/publishers? Argh, I don't know that I have any pleasant words to describe my experiences with them in the past year. I'd rather kick them than call or write to them again, but I will do what I have to... Finally, Excited (one of my novels and one of my wife's novels). Nearing editing completion and getting very close to publishable. Months if not weeks away -- depending upon my energy/ability to get the final editing/formatting completed by deadlines that almost always seem unreasonable. So... I'm back. I hope I'm here (at WDC) to stay this time. I need this site, this community. I don't know why I thought it was a good idea to stick my head in the sand for six plus months, ignoring everyone and everything. It didn't help me. It didn't help you. SLAP! Ok, I'm awake. Unless I'm not. Then how did this get posted? |
| I joined a couple other writers websites recently. One of them links agents with authors and the other is a place to market yourself or your work. They opened my eyes to a bit of the cut-throat world of book publishing. I wish I had stayed ignorant. I don't even know how to describe how mean they were to an unpublished, unagented author like me. It boggles my brain. If I had gone there first instead of to WDC (which I found barely two months after I started writing), I would have given up writing long before now. In their eyes, there is no point in being anything less than perfect. If you post a piece of work, they will tear it apart without ever looking at it. They will argue back and forth over word count, not content. And, if they do get to content, the first thing they say is that your spelling and grammar need so much work that you might as well hang it up now. You'll never be good enough. But, because you have posted your piece online, you're screwed. No agent will touch you. If you hint that it is less than perfect, you get slammed, because they only want to see "highly polished" pieces. They should be completely hidden until they are perfect. If it is perfect (which to my understanding can never really happen), the fact that you haven't sold it is a negative. If you do sell it, that's also a negative. The only way you can get around that is to sell a lot of copies... which you have to do without an agent in order to get an agent's attention. Doh! Apparently, you have to work in a vacuum, let no one see, review, or edit your work except for paid professionals (no one else is good enough), then send out query letters, one at a time, and wait for someone to be impressed enough to sign you. Oh, and those query letters better not be anything but a single page in a preset format (which includes Times New Roman font and only Times New Roman font), because they ignore and reject non-standard queries. Wait, except for all those non-standard queries that happen to get their attention. Those don't count. I'm at a loss as to how a new writer can figure out that he has talent, or that one of his pieces is actually quite good, without ever showing it to someone. Apparently, you are supposed to know you are good before you start writing, prove that you are good by completing it without any help, guidance, or encouragement, do your own critiques and editing to polish your work to show you are good. Do all this behind the scenes and then maybe, just maybe, someone will give you more than a passing glance. But only if you haven't broken one of their many hidden rules. You know the kind -- they're the ones you don't learn about until you break them. I'm not going to give up, but darn if I'm not frustrated as hell right now. >jace neophyte novelist ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** |
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. I have two books from WdC members that I'm reading now and when I finish with them I'll get on it and do product review here and on amazon of course. I'm glad to hear you decided to work on yours and can't wait to see what you're up to. I just have some strong feeling that it's going to be best seller because Vamparisi is just awesome 