Don't Be Hard on Yourself, Self

Now Playing: IT'S A LONG WAY TO THE TOP  by AC/DC
Just Read: 61 HOURS by Lee Child--Another great example of how to keep the tension up, the questions asked, and the pace page-turning. Probably my favorite thriller series. 
Reading Now: THEFT OF SWORDS by Michael J. Sullivan

It's been a lovely start to fall! 

I graduated with my doctorate and took about a month to unwind and not worry about too much, including writing. I've been looking forward to getting all that time back, but it turns out I was more tired after my program than I was expecting. 

But I'm trying to not bee too hard on myself. That's difficult for me--I'm notoriously self-critical. If I haven't written much in a short period of time, I tend to get a little antsy and irritable, and I'm definitely feeling some of that, but trying to give myself grace and remind myself that I just finished the culmination of my education. 

Next month we will be welcoming our second baby boy, so time will probably disappear once more. Again, I'm going to (try to!) be easy on myself and not get mad when I haven't written a story every week. I know I won't have time for NaNoWriMo again this year, and that's okay. It's much more important to me to enjoy time with my newborn and family. 

On the other hand, I have a lot of story ideas in mind, was able to submit to the WotF Contest before the September deadline, and am almost done with a book about outlining novels, which I think will be a fun way to scratch the writing itch while rocking a baby to sleep. 

Ever onward! 

Outlining in my Future

Now Playing: THAT'S NOT MY NAME by The Ting Tings 
Just Read: BLUE MARS by Kim Stanley Robinson--A satisfying ending to a long trilogy about terraforming Mars and the relationships of the people who do so. 
Reading Now: NOTHING TO LOSE by Lee Child

Another quarter has passed, another story written, another submission to the Writers of the Future Contest.

Success! 

It's been busy, what with finishing my doctorate in August, herding a toddler every day, and caring for a wife just coming out of her first trimester (woohoo!). But it is important to me to get a submission into this contest every quarter, and I did so, and I think it's a good one. I always think they're good, but you know. Still waiting to hear back from last quarter's submission. 

In other news, I have some edits back for a novel manuscript I haven't been able to get to, but maybe I'll find some time this month, between finishing a final project for one class and analyzing data I just got in for another class. There's certainly no end on the to-do list! 

I do have a fun plan for the next six months, though. Once I'm through with my classes, I'm going to read a book about outlining novels, then use what I learn to outline at least three novels I've been stewing over for the last two years. They are all largely formed in my head, but I think getting an introduction to effective outlining will help me flesh them out. This in turn (I hope!) will make the actual composition come easily. Wish me luck! 

Stories in Bloom

Now Playing: IN BLOOM by Nirvana
Just Read: TROUBLED BLOOD by Robert Galbraith--Such an intricate book, so much so that at times it was difficult to keep up. A main mystery and half a dozen ancillary mysteries, lots of liars, the knotted plotting this author is known for. Overall I greatly enjoyed it, though it took me some time to get there. 
Reading Now: BLUE MARS by Kim Stanley Robinson 

The second quarter of the Writers of the Future Contest just passed, with me submitting on the last possible day yet again. But I submitted! And that's the important part--you can't win if you don't write and submit.  I'm actually really pleased with the way this story turned out. It's been a year in the making, ever since I went on vacation last spring to the Outer Banks and learned a little bit about the Lost Colony of Roanoke. Three of the five stories I've been working on lately have been historical fantasy, which isn't necessarily my forte, but I've really enjoyed writing them. 

This WotF experience may be different than any before. Sadly, David Farland, the coordinating judge and writer of much epic fiction, passed away in January. Though I'd never met him, his death struck me. I'd always dreamed of learning from him in person, at the WotF winners' week, and now I'll never have that chance. However, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I've actually learned an extraordinary amount from him already. His advice in the WotF books, his videos on YouTube, and his Zoom meetings where he answered participants' questions (including mine!) were all incredibly helpful. His generosity to new writers is hard to quantify. I hope to be able to give back in a similar way one day. Even without meeting him, I will miss him. 

This week was the winners' week, and Friday was the awards gala, and another year passed without me being there. I expressed to my wife how depressing that was. I've been submitting to this contest for almost half my life! But she pointed out that I have only gone one quarter in the last several years without winning at least an Honorable Mention, and I've won four Silver Honorable Mentions--a reassuring sign that my fiction is indeed improving in quality, despite feeling sometimes like I'm banging my head against a brick wall. Nothing to do but keep writing and keep submitting. 

In other news, I'm working on edits for a novel manuscript I received in March. They have been super helpful--if daunting--so far, and I'm hopeful to finish another polished draft perhaps by the end of May, when this current doctoral semester is over and I have a little more time to dedicate to it. Lots on my plate! But honestly, it's been fun--it feels like I have a dozen stories in bloom this spring, and I'm excited to see where they go. 

Subject to Inertia

Now Playing: PARTICLE MAN by They Might Be Giants
Just Read: THE EVENING AND THE MORNING by Ken Follett--Another great one. I really enjoy the way his books unfold and would love to do something similar on a sci-fi/fantasy scale. He does such a good job of making you hate the villains!
Reading Now: BLACK SUN by Rebecca Roanhorse

As part of my class on leadership this semester, we've been reading this book called Deep Change by Robert Quinn. Basically, it's about undergoing a (frequently painful) major revision of culture or self in order to accomplish growth and improvement, and to get off of a slow death spiral that ends in misery or collapse for yourself or your organization.

It's made me think about this concept of inertia--an object in motion tends to stay in motion unless acted on by an outside force, and the same is true with objects at rest. Does the concept apply to people as well? I definitely go through fits and spurts of productivity, with writing and lots of other areas of my life. I sometimes realize I have been stuck at rest and need something to act upon me and give me a jumpstart. Usually it is something I read that inspires me, like a particularly good story or novel that I want to be like, and then I'm off again for a while.

So as the new year gets underway in earnest, I'm trying to think about how I can make productivity a habit. I might have to undergo some deep change to do it, like giving up staying up late and eating and drinking unhealthily, and instead wake up early and exercise and write when I'm the most energized. I've never been a morning person, but I've always wanted to be--maybe this can be the moment. I'm off to a good start so far, and if I can build some inertia, I think I can produce some good stories this year.  

Oh How I Miss NaNoWriMo!

Now Playing: INSIDE THE FIRE by Disturbed
Just Read: GREEN MARS by Kim Stanley Robinson--Tons and tons of sci-fi worldbuilding that really got me thinking about my own worldbuilding skills, especially beyond the physical. So much politics! 
Reading Now: THE EVENING AND THE MORNING by Ken Follett

Congratulations to all you NaNoWriMo winners out there! 

I've won NaNoWriMo twice, and both times were amazing experiences. I loved the feeling of being submerged in the story, thinking about it all day for a month, and writing writing writing alongside so many peers. The community on Twitter was inspiring and really helped push me to get to 50,000 words. 

This November, I had to focus on my doctoral project, so I didn't have the time to dedicate to NaNoWriMo. But following along on Twitter made me remember sitting up late at my desk, listening to music from a hundred different film scores, and typing from one plot point to another. For me, it was a magical time, when writing felt more like play and less like work than ever before. 

What was really amazing, though, is how much NaNoWriMo taught me. Maybe it was just by virtue of word count--I've heard that your first million words are just practice, and I think more and more that that's true--but I think it was more than that, too. It taught me the skills you need to write a novel, such as how to construct it, how to foreshadow, how it can be broken into different acts (or beginning, middle, and end) and what those parts need. I had written novels before NaNoWriMo, but they were a different kind of fun. This was like being a part of a masterclass, with all the Nanoers as my fellow students trying to accomplish something together. 

My program is finished next August. Who knows what next year will bring, but I hope I can do NaNoWriMo again in 2022. 

Pacing Yourself

Now Playing: GOLD GUNS GIRLS by Metric
Just Read: THE RACKETEER by John Grisham--Kind of a slow pace for me, but it picked up when we learned the narrator wasn't telling us everything.
Reading Now: GREEN MARS by Kim Stanley Robinson

There are a few aspects of writing that I find continually challenging to self-evaluate, and pacing is one of them. I've always approached it instinctively when editing--does this feel right? It's all very subjective; I feel as though pacing lacks some of the other more definitive mechanics of other aspects of writing. Things like tone, theme, and points along the character arc also fall into this category for me. Spotting where such changes are needed is probably the part of fiction I struggle with the most.

Editing myself is something I've been working on improving all year. I read a book on the topic, scanned some helpful blog posts, and listened to a number of (very generous) podcasts by published authors. I've also allowed myself more time between composing the first draft and editing it into a final draft, which is a tip I've seen pop up again and again, and I'm hopeful it will pay off. 

So now what I'm doing is writing a story each quarter for the Writers of the Future Contest, letting it sit for a month or more, and then revisiting it and editing it before the submission deadline. In this way, I've earned a Silver Honorable Mention in three of the last four quarters. I've earned a minimum of Honorable Mention every quarter for the last two and a half years. I'm so extremely hopeful to get a win that it's painful sometimes, but all I can do is keep writing the best story I can and submitting. 

If you know any good books on self-editing, leave the title in the comments! Thanks! 

September's Gone!?

Now Playing: THE KIDS AREN'T ALRIGHT by The Offspring
Just Read: DEEP SKY by Patrick Lee--Loved the pace and complexity of this novel, and have really enjoyed this sci-fi/thriller series. Definitely the kind of series I hope to write one day.
Reading Now: THE CONCRETE BLONDE by Michael Connelly

Is it mid-October already!?

This has been the busiest, fastest September I can remember. My son is three months old, I'm six weeks into my doctoral program, I'm working full time, my wife is back to work, and I'm preparing and giving three lectures over five weeks. Yow!

Still, fortunately, I found time to write two short stories in September. I'm glad I was able to--having a creative outlet was a nice way of venting after all the non-creative work I've been doing. Writing has been more cathartic this month than normal. I'm happy that I've been able to keep up my 2020 goals of putting out more short stories. 

One thing I haven't done is submit as many of those stories. I've been writing feverishly, finishing a story, and moving on to the next without editing and polishing each one for submission. They aren't ready yet. So my plan for October is to write a flash horror story (love reading and writing horror in October!) and spend more time revising the stories I wrote in August and September. It's an ambitious goal, but one I'm motivated to achieve because I received some good news recently--I won a Silver Honorable Mention in the Writers of the Future Contest! That's the highest I've ever gotten in the contest after submitting for, like, 15 years. I have been winning Honorable Mentions regularly now, and winning a Silver definitely feels like a validation of the work I've been putting into the craft. 

I am hopeful that the trend will only continue!