Now Playing: FORTH EORLINGAS by Howard Shore
I DID IT! I WROTE 50,000 WORDS IN ONE MONTH!
Sorry, got a little excited there. It's just that I've never written anything that fast, and when I started I had no idea if I could do it or not. National Novel Writing Month struck me as a really cool idea, but I was far from confident in my ability to actually achieve it.
It's been an AWESOME month to write--I've sat down every chance I've had and hammered out this story at top speed. I feel like I know what it means to be a professional novelist now; the people who churn out the books I love to read must write like this, and somehow, even though writing is a lonely gig by nature, you feel a kind of connection with those idols of yours, and with those others out there trying to reach the same goals.
The funny thing is, knowing what it takes doesn't really make it all that much easier. It just makes it easier to self-assess, to say, "Yeah, I'm way off track, for sure." Writing the story is still a grind, one word at a time.
The novel, called "Star Born," isn't done, and it won't be for a while. I'm going to do my best to continue to write with the same dedication and fervor, but I've come up with a few things along the way, and noticed some holes that will take to time to review and patch. But that's part of the process, and I'm ready to meet the challenge head on. I think it's a great story, and I'm looking forward to seeing a finished product.
My first NaNoWriMo experience is done, and it's a win. I feel energized. I feel accomplished. I'm looking forward to reaching more goals.
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
Sunday, November 17, 2013
Nightly Noveling
Now Playing: AVATAR FILM SCORE by James Horner
Just Read: THE WIND THROUGH THE KEYHOLE--Enjoyed more than I thought I might going in. I have read all The Dark Tower series and thought opening at back up was a risky play, but I should have known to trust a master. Very fun and very inspiring.
Reading Now: STONE OF TEARS by Terry Goodkind
I am taking part in NaNoWriMo, where participants try their best to write 50,000 words of a new novel from Nov. 1 through Dec. 1. It's about the halfway point (yesterday) so I had to have 25,000 in the bank to be on track. I'm proud to say I touched 30,000.
The novel is about a girl who lives on a generation ship heading for a new planet. As the story opens, she seems to be the only one not thrilled about Deceleration Day, which begins the countdown to landing one year away. Seeking solace among the many catwalks and narrow maintenance corridors hidden throughout the ship, she accidentally overhears something that gives her chills--a plot to sabotage the ship and ensure it never reaches its destination.
I work night shift at a hospital 3 nights a week, and since I'm currently residing across the country from my home, there isn't much to do when I sleep all day on my days off. It's worked out--few distractions, few interruptions, few temptations to get away from writing and do anything else. Just what I need to accomplish 50,000 words in a month.
NaNoWriMo is a pretty cool concept, and they've done a great job with the online community. I'm a fan of the pep talks from writers I've read and admired for a long time. One recently spoke about "The Middle" and I was reminded of the Jimmy Eat World song. That's where I'm at now--the middle of the ride, and things seems a bit slow, a bit like wading through mud (or perhaps quicksand) with the end far away, not even in sight.
"Trudging. You know? Trudging, to trudge: the slow, weary, depressing yet determined walk of a man who has nothing in life except the impulse to simply . . . soldier on." -Chaucer ;)
That's me here with this novel, not really knowing how I'm going to get from here to the end.
Wait. Actually, I do. One word at a time.
Just Read: THE WIND THROUGH THE KEYHOLE--Enjoyed more than I thought I might going in. I have read all The Dark Tower series and thought opening at back up was a risky play, but I should have known to trust a master. Very fun and very inspiring.
Reading Now: STONE OF TEARS by Terry Goodkind
I am taking part in NaNoWriMo, where participants try their best to write 50,000 words of a new novel from Nov. 1 through Dec. 1. It's about the halfway point (yesterday) so I had to have 25,000 in the bank to be on track. I'm proud to say I touched 30,000.
The novel is about a girl who lives on a generation ship heading for a new planet. As the story opens, she seems to be the only one not thrilled about Deceleration Day, which begins the countdown to landing one year away. Seeking solace among the many catwalks and narrow maintenance corridors hidden throughout the ship, she accidentally overhears something that gives her chills--a plot to sabotage the ship and ensure it never reaches its destination.
I work night shift at a hospital 3 nights a week, and since I'm currently residing across the country from my home, there isn't much to do when I sleep all day on my days off. It's worked out--few distractions, few interruptions, few temptations to get away from writing and do anything else. Just what I need to accomplish 50,000 words in a month.
NaNoWriMo is a pretty cool concept, and they've done a great job with the online community. I'm a fan of the pep talks from writers I've read and admired for a long time. One recently spoke about "The Middle" and I was reminded of the Jimmy Eat World song. That's where I'm at now--the middle of the ride, and things seems a bit slow, a bit like wading through mud (or perhaps quicksand) with the end far away, not even in sight.
"Trudging. You know? Trudging, to trudge: the slow, weary, depressing yet determined walk of a man who has nothing in life except the impulse to simply . . . soldier on." -Chaucer ;)
That's me here with this novel, not really knowing how I'm going to get from here to the end.
Wait. Actually, I do. One word at a time.
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
A Week of SF
Now Playing: BATMAN BEGINS FILM SCORE by Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard
Just Read: HOTEL ON THE CORNER OF BITTER AND SWEET by Jamie Ford--Loved it. It was cool meeting the author, refreshing to jump outside of F&SF for a bit, and rewarding to read. A great novel, and a deep well of ideas of how people interact. Well done.
Reading Now: THE WIND THROUGH THE KEYHOLE by Stephen King
For the first time in a while, "SF" for me doesn't refer to science fiction, but the wonderful city of San Francisco. Now that I'm close, I had the opportunity to spend some time there last week at the city's annual literary festival called Litquake. My friend Jared, also a writer, tipped me off to it, and I'm glad he did.
Wednesday night, I went to an event called "Northwest Novels" starring Jamie Ford, who has set his two books in Seattle. I bought the book I mentioned above, and he graciously signed it and chit-chatted with me and everyone for a bit. His wife, who's awesome, talked to me about my own writing, which was both flattering and inspiring. Also, she's a nurse! So I'm kind of like both of them put together: Writernurse!
Then Saturday, after sleeping three hours and hurrying faster than I have in my whole life, I caught a train up and sat in on two panels--one about short stories and the other about novels. Most of what I heard, I already knew, but it was helpful to have the truth grilled into me one more time--writing is hard work. One of the authors, who I thought was probably the coolest and most fun, I later discovered is well known in the F&SF world, having published many stories in the top magazines and "Year's Best" anthologies. Her name is Karen Joy Fowler, and I'm going to be reading more of her stories soon.
Afterward I went and had drinks and listened to stories at the "Litcrawl," a fun evening of bar hopping and fiction reading. I ended up at an awesome book store and cafe that sold all kinds of F&SF I've never heard of, and had shelves and shelves of discounted fiction. How can I pass that up, I ask you???? So I bought four books.
I have a book buying problem. It comes and goes.
I did the touristy stuff, too--Golden Gate Bridge, Fisherman's Wharf, open-top bus tours, cruise around Alcatraz. San Fran is a pretty sweet city, with a rich history of literature, but like I mentioned earlier, the city's main lesson to me was that writing is hard, and the only way to do it is to show up and do it. New authors like myself can't hear that enough.
Just Read: HOTEL ON THE CORNER OF BITTER AND SWEET by Jamie Ford--Loved it. It was cool meeting the author, refreshing to jump outside of F&SF for a bit, and rewarding to read. A great novel, and a deep well of ideas of how people interact. Well done.
Reading Now: THE WIND THROUGH THE KEYHOLE by Stephen King
For the first time in a while, "SF" for me doesn't refer to science fiction, but the wonderful city of San Francisco. Now that I'm close, I had the opportunity to spend some time there last week at the city's annual literary festival called Litquake. My friend Jared, also a writer, tipped me off to it, and I'm glad he did.
Wednesday night, I went to an event called "Northwest Novels" starring Jamie Ford, who has set his two books in Seattle. I bought the book I mentioned above, and he graciously signed it and chit-chatted with me and everyone for a bit. His wife, who's awesome, talked to me about my own writing, which was both flattering and inspiring. Also, she's a nurse! So I'm kind of like both of them put together: Writernurse!
Then Saturday, after sleeping three hours and hurrying faster than I have in my whole life, I caught a train up and sat in on two panels--one about short stories and the other about novels. Most of what I heard, I already knew, but it was helpful to have the truth grilled into me one more time--writing is hard work. One of the authors, who I thought was probably the coolest and most fun, I later discovered is well known in the F&SF world, having published many stories in the top magazines and "Year's Best" anthologies. Her name is Karen Joy Fowler, and I'm going to be reading more of her stories soon.
Afterward I went and had drinks and listened to stories at the "Litcrawl," a fun evening of bar hopping and fiction reading. I ended up at an awesome book store and cafe that sold all kinds of F&SF I've never heard of, and had shelves and shelves of discounted fiction. How can I pass that up, I ask you???? So I bought four books.
I have a book buying problem. It comes and goes.
I did the touristy stuff, too--Golden Gate Bridge, Fisherman's Wharf, open-top bus tours, cruise around Alcatraz. San Fran is a pretty sweet city, with a rich history of literature, but like I mentioned earlier, the city's main lesson to me was that writing is hard, and the only way to do it is to show up and do it. New authors like myself can't hear that enough.
Thursday, September 26, 2013
Writer Moment
Now Playing: SEASONS by James Elsewhere
Just Read: THE MAGICIAN KING by Lev Grossman--Totally cool, like the first book. Magic for a rated R crowd, but with all the flair of childhood fantasy. Just wish things had been happier, haha.
Reading Now: FALL OF GIANTS by Ken Follett
Coast-swapping completed, I'm moved in to a place called Sunnyvale, CA. (Could I ask for a more picturesque name?) My humble new abode is, well, humble--I didn't have cable or internet, no way to kill time or create background noise. So what did I do?
Before I left North Carolina, I went to the library and checked out a couple--okay, six--audiobooks to listen to on the drive over. I got through three of them. So when I found myself all moved in with nothing to do, I hooked my speakers up to my computer and put the next one in. Over the course of the next few days, I knocked out a whole novel.
Total writer moment, right? I mean who else would think or want to play audiobooks in their living room while they cleaned/cooked/did the laundry/showered/ate lunch? But I've found that it makes the time pass quickly, and the advantage it has over television is that you don't have to keep your eyes on it.
Of course, now that I have internet (I'm blogging from my kitchen table, woohoo!), I'm sure I'll be watching a lot more Netflix. But to be honest I'll probably continue the audiobook thing, at least for a while. I'm also a member of the Sunnyvale library now, and they have all kinds of new titles! I wonder how many I can get through?
And don't worry--I'll return those books to the library in NC . . . somehow.
Just Read: THE MAGICIAN KING by Lev Grossman--Totally cool, like the first book. Magic for a rated R crowd, but with all the flair of childhood fantasy. Just wish things had been happier, haha.
Reading Now: FALL OF GIANTS by Ken Follett
Coast-swapping completed, I'm moved in to a place called Sunnyvale, CA. (Could I ask for a more picturesque name?) My humble new abode is, well, humble--I didn't have cable or internet, no way to kill time or create background noise. So what did I do?
Before I left North Carolina, I went to the library and checked out a couple--okay, six--audiobooks to listen to on the drive over. I got through three of them. So when I found myself all moved in with nothing to do, I hooked my speakers up to my computer and put the next one in. Over the course of the next few days, I knocked out a whole novel.
Total writer moment, right? I mean who else would think or want to play audiobooks in their living room while they cleaned/cooked/did the laundry/showered/ate lunch? But I've found that it makes the time pass quickly, and the advantage it has over television is that you don't have to keep your eyes on it.
Of course, now that I have internet (I'm blogging from my kitchen table, woohoo!), I'm sure I'll be watching a lot more Netflix. But to be honest I'll probably continue the audiobook thing, at least for a while. I'm also a member of the Sunnyvale library now, and they have all kinds of new titles! I wonder how many I can get through?
And don't worry--I'll return those books to the library in NC . . . somehow.
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Coast Swapping
Now Playing: HARLEM by New Politics
Just Read: A CASUAL VACANCY by J.K. Rowling--Well, about as far from Harry Potter as is possible to be. Not saying I didn't like it--the writing was great and it was so deliciously gossipy . . . but you know.
Reading Now: THE MAGICIAN KING by Lev Grossman
Today marks a milestone. I'm starting a trip out west, to move to Palo Alto, California for the next three months for work. It's my first travel assignment. My Camaro is packed to the brim, and she's hungry to eat up some road.
Tonight I'll be in Memphis, Tennessee, then a new city each day after that until finally arriving in Palo Alto on Monday. I'm nervous, but mostly excited. It's hard leaving my family and my girlfriend (although she's driving out there with me, and it's gonna be a hell of a road trip/vacation!) and my amazing job and coworkers. But a snake can't grow any bigger without shedding its skin, right?
My goals for the next three months are many and varied--first, succeed at this new job, be flexible, be intelligent, learn something, make some friends. Second, spend my spare time making myself better, by writing voraciously, and exercising, and exploring. Third, learn about and see as much of America as I can, hopefully with the company of some unparalleled friends and family.
There was an interesting article in the most recent AACN magazine, by the president. It was about having a combination of courage and action in your life if you want to be successful; she says, "You can't be passive about success in your life." That, I think, is so true, and it's a philosophy I've subscribed to since I was a kid.
Sometimes, you've got to close your eyes and jump into the pool, no matter how cold it is--usually, after a minute or so, it really isn't so bad.
Just Read: A CASUAL VACANCY by J.K. Rowling--Well, about as far from Harry Potter as is possible to be. Not saying I didn't like it--the writing was great and it was so deliciously gossipy . . . but you know.
Reading Now: THE MAGICIAN KING by Lev Grossman
Today marks a milestone. I'm starting a trip out west, to move to Palo Alto, California for the next three months for work. It's my first travel assignment. My Camaro is packed to the brim, and she's hungry to eat up some road.
Tonight I'll be in Memphis, Tennessee, then a new city each day after that until finally arriving in Palo Alto on Monday. I'm nervous, but mostly excited. It's hard leaving my family and my girlfriend (although she's driving out there with me, and it's gonna be a hell of a road trip/vacation!) and my amazing job and coworkers. But a snake can't grow any bigger without shedding its skin, right?
My goals for the next three months are many and varied--first, succeed at this new job, be flexible, be intelligent, learn something, make some friends. Second, spend my spare time making myself better, by writing voraciously, and exercising, and exploring. Third, learn about and see as much of America as I can, hopefully with the company of some unparalleled friends and family.
There was an interesting article in the most recent AACN magazine, by the president. It was about having a combination of courage and action in your life if you want to be successful; she says, "You can't be passive about success in your life." That, I think, is so true, and it's a philosophy I've subscribed to since I was a kid.
Sometimes, you've got to close your eyes and jump into the pool, no matter how cold it is--usually, after a minute or so, it really isn't so bad.
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
Thirty Days of Personal Development
Now Playing: AQUEOUS TRANSMISSION by Incubus
Just Read: HORNS by Joe Hill--A very fun and well-written dark adventure, though I thought the ending was rather curious . . . but no spoilers here, read it for yourself!
Reading Now: A CASUAL VACANCY by J.K. Rowling
I'm back in action today after dedicating my recent off-time to "personal development." That's a way of saying I've have been on almost constant vacation for over a month.
I've been to the lake with my girlfriend, nephew, and brother's family to go water skiing, tubing, and knee boarding. The Fourth of July found me in a muddy park in Augusta, GA, getting soaked and stained red from the damp clay in a spontaneous and torrential downpour (very fun!). The following week I spent in Myrtle Beach, SC, at my annual family reunion with some of the most awesome people in the world: my cousins, aunts, and uncles. Afterwards, I was home for three days of work, then thought, "What the hell?" and caught a plane to London, England, where my friend Nick was . . . . well, not backpacking exactly, but exploring for personal development. Anyway, he was in London for a week, so I decided to head out there and hang out--great decision. First time I'd ever been out of the country, and it was a blast.
Moved out of my apartment and staying with family for now, until my next adventure--hopefully in a month I'll be relocating for work to California. My trusty laptop will be coming with me, and the stories that follow will, hopefully, be many and of high quality.
Somehow, I managed to barely hang on to my W1S1 goal of one story per month by finishing a 2500-word story on July 30. I've been a bit slack on submissions, but hopefully today I'll revamp a few rejections and test some new homes for them.
You're only young for so long, you know? May as well up and go to London when you can.
Just Read: HORNS by Joe Hill--A very fun and well-written dark adventure, though I thought the ending was rather curious . . . but no spoilers here, read it for yourself!
Reading Now: A CASUAL VACANCY by J.K. Rowling
I'm back in action today after dedicating my recent off-time to "personal development." That's a way of saying I've have been on almost constant vacation for over a month.
I've been to the lake with my girlfriend, nephew, and brother's family to go water skiing, tubing, and knee boarding. The Fourth of July found me in a muddy park in Augusta, GA, getting soaked and stained red from the damp clay in a spontaneous and torrential downpour (very fun!). The following week I spent in Myrtle Beach, SC, at my annual family reunion with some of the most awesome people in the world: my cousins, aunts, and uncles. Afterwards, I was home for three days of work, then thought, "What the hell?" and caught a plane to London, England, where my friend Nick was . . . . well, not backpacking exactly, but exploring for personal development. Anyway, he was in London for a week, so I decided to head out there and hang out--great decision. First time I'd ever been out of the country, and it was a blast.
Moved out of my apartment and staying with family for now, until my next adventure--hopefully in a month I'll be relocating for work to California. My trusty laptop will be coming with me, and the stories that follow will, hopefully, be many and of high quality.
Somehow, I managed to barely hang on to my W1S1 goal of one story per month by finishing a 2500-word story on July 30. I've been a bit slack on submissions, but hopefully today I'll revamp a few rejections and test some new homes for them.
You're only young for so long, you know? May as well up and go to London when you can.
Saturday, June 29, 2013
R&D
Now Playing: MONEY by Pink Floyd
Just Read: EXODUS by Leon Uris--Really cool account of a monumental event that I really didn't know much about until I read this book. I didn't like some parts of it, but others were awesome, and it brimmed with future story ideas.
Just Read: HEART-SHAPED BOX by Joe Hill--Loved it. Well-plotted, believable, and intricate, not to mention full of perfect detail and spot-on writing. Looking forward to more of his stuff.
Reading Now: TOYS by James Patterson and Neil McMahon
I had a talk with my brother last week on the lake about research as a writer. He's a mechanical engineer, and I don't know the first thing about realistic mechanics. That said, mechanics turns out to be a big part of what I write when I pen science fiction.
I'm planning out these two stories--one novel, and one trilogy of novels, both science fiction, both involving a great deal of space travel. I'm going to write the stand-alone book first. It's about a girl aboard a multi-generational space ship, one of three traveling to populate a far off world. Think Nina, Pinta, Santa Maria, except whole generations have lived and died aboard the ships.
Well, I'm not a rocket scientist, and I don't know much about the physics of space travel. So I'm reading a book now about it by a guy named Dr. Yoji Kondo (and others), who I know, actually--in addition to being a Writers of the Future judge, fiction writer, and real rocket scientist, Dr. Kondo is also one of the highest ranking aikido black belts in the world, and I've studied under him since about my sophomore year in college or so.
Anyway, this book should help to design my setting, and to make the problems I invariable put it through appear realistic. I'll do the research by studying and interviewing people who know more than I do, and I'll develop by plotting outlines as my research sparks ideas. Before too long, I'll be a jack of all trades.
One more perk to this amazing career.
Just Read: EXODUS by Leon Uris--Really cool account of a monumental event that I really didn't know much about until I read this book. I didn't like some parts of it, but others were awesome, and it brimmed with future story ideas.
Just Read: HEART-SHAPED BOX by Joe Hill--Loved it. Well-plotted, believable, and intricate, not to mention full of perfect detail and spot-on writing. Looking forward to more of his stuff.
Reading Now: TOYS by James Patterson and Neil McMahon
I had a talk with my brother last week on the lake about research as a writer. He's a mechanical engineer, and I don't know the first thing about realistic mechanics. That said, mechanics turns out to be a big part of what I write when I pen science fiction.
I'm planning out these two stories--one novel, and one trilogy of novels, both science fiction, both involving a great deal of space travel. I'm going to write the stand-alone book first. It's about a girl aboard a multi-generational space ship, one of three traveling to populate a far off world. Think Nina, Pinta, Santa Maria, except whole generations have lived and died aboard the ships.
Well, I'm not a rocket scientist, and I don't know much about the physics of space travel. So I'm reading a book now about it by a guy named Dr. Yoji Kondo (and others), who I know, actually--in addition to being a Writers of the Future judge, fiction writer, and real rocket scientist, Dr. Kondo is also one of the highest ranking aikido black belts in the world, and I've studied under him since about my sophomore year in college or so.
Anyway, this book should help to design my setting, and to make the problems I invariable put it through appear realistic. I'll do the research by studying and interviewing people who know more than I do, and I'll develop by plotting outlines as my research sparks ideas. Before too long, I'll be a jack of all trades.
One more perk to this amazing career.
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