Now the real writing begins

I have spent the last few weeks taking notes, working on the story, and creating a detailed outline. Now that its finished, work on The Spiral Effect: Alex Wonder, can resume.

Great Night

Boy howdy. Yes, I'm from Oklahoma. But I love it and am rocking it tonight. Wrote 1439 words tonight. Well, about half of them were during a twenty minute break I had at work, but still, that's a great amount in one day, especially given the short amount of time I get to write. Unless you write, I guess you could never fully understand the joy I feel right now. I had been in quite a slump. So far, three, or maybe it was four, attempts at writing this next arc to the Spiral Effect had been disasters. Couldn't quite get the feel of what I wanted to say and show. The character's thoughts didn't feel right. Came off as forced. I did some praying and meditation, realized I was allowing that ungodly nag of self-doubt cling to my conscious and push me into worry what others might think of the work, how they would receive it. Would they like it, or would I let them down. Of course, I say eFF that. I cannot write properly, wondering how the audience may view the story. It never comes out the way it should. If they like it, they like it. If they don't, oh well. I tell the story to the best of my abilities. I tell the story as its told to me. I cannot do the story injustice by writing it in a way that people may or may not like better. I have to be true to myself and the story. Then, and only then, does it speak to me with such a clear song. Oh, how I love it. Feels great. Super stoked that I am almost finished with page 7, have a total of 2073 words in the bag, and on a fantastic track to this story. Autumn is here with that wonderful crispness that shatters the mortal coil of materialism and gets me to imagine and see the greatness of beyond.

Spiral Effect Book 1: Alex Wonder

Another week before us. Last Thursday, as I was hoping, I finished chapter fourteen to Yahnolite Histories. So, this week, I decided I would begin work on the next part to The Spiral Effect. It has been awhile since I worked on this story. I think it was late June  or early July when I published the prologue/prelude to the series. Spent the weekend thinking of ways to start it and came up with some really good ideas. Much better than I had previously intended. About three weeks ago I had actually written three pages to this new arc in the series, but those are trash now. This new beginning is waaaaaay better. And I used six a's in that way, so you know I'm serious. This new beginning to the Alex Wonder arc has a much better flow to it. Definitely has a better pace and effect for not just this arc, but the entire series.

Pacing, wow, something I used to be terrible at in story telling. I must say though, over the years, reading Dostoevsky (That guy was in no hurry), and taking the advice of a couple of friends, I have learned to take my time, and give the story a good pace. Don't want it to go too slow, no, no. But I always had a problem with it going too quickly. I am sure taking adderall has helped some too. Nevertheless, the pacing is a big deal. While the prologue/prelude to Spiral Effect is around 36 pages, I plan on each individual serial novella to fall in 70-90 page range. I had been wondering how I would pull that off, but with this new beginning, which I can use as a kind of theme for the beginning to each arc, I see no problem hitting 70-90 pages. I want those pages to be important and necessary, not filler, so that's why I am stoked about how this new arc starts off.

Tonight, I got off to a good start and hit 781 words. I was a little worried and hesitant about starting tonight. Still battling a sinus infection (got some antibiotics on Friday, which have been helping, but damn this Oklahoma weather.) and I was pretty damn tired after work today. But, after buying some wine, I decided, watching TV and falling asleep is not a good way to end the evening.  So, I wrote for an hour, and definitely got in a good start to Spiral Effect: Alex Wonder. I hope to finish by early October to give me a chance to revise and edit so that I can have it up on Amazon no later than the beginning of November. I really want to release each episode of the series no later than once every quarter, have a good consistent flow to the stories and give readers a consistent time frame of when each arc will be released. A good many people have already told me they cannot wait until the next episode. Never been good at deadlines, but this is a good way to start.

Enjoy the evening my friends. Until later.

Another Night

Cranked out 585 words tonight. The chapter is flowing nicely, and I will probably have it finished either by tomorrow night or Thursday night, which means I will have all weekend to tweak my notes and go over the game plan for Chapters 15 and 16. I find it is best to plan the chapter out in its entirety before sitting down to write it. Once I finally found my niche in story telling, and hated wasting time on so many revisions, edits, and complete rewrites, I decided that this was the best approach when tackling a short story, novel, or script. Some friends of mine who have decided to test the craft have asked me if I ever deal with writer’s block. My immediate answer is always, “No.” They seem perplexed by this, especially when I tell them I don’t think writer’s block exists (a statement I read from Philip Pullman once and has always stuck with me). They ask me my secret and I just tell them you have to plan out your story, chapter by chapter, before actually writing it. That way, when I actually sit down to write, my brain can focus on the words and style because the content is already there.

Anyways, I am off to bed. Early night, I know. It’s not even 9 yet, but I am so damn tired. I hardly slept last night due to all that coughing. Hope these sinuses quit acting up soon.

Until another night strikes me.

Back to Work

Well it is Monday and a great time to return to work. And by work, I mean my real passion, writing. I took Friday, Saturday, and Sunday off, which I hope to not make a habit. I think it’s good for me to take at least one day, but three, sheesh. I admit, I had pretty good reason. Friday evening, my brother-in-law, uncle, and family friend helped my dad and step-mom move into their swanky new house. My brother-in-law owns a 15 foot trailer and my uncle’s is eight, so you could say we packed a lot onto those beasts.

Well, it took quite a bit of time and arm strength, lugging and lifting, heaving and hauling those muscle tearing dressers, desks, vanities, piano, and the like. But we accomplished it with only four loads, two for each trailer. And yes, the beds of the truck were loaded as well. The move wasn’t all bad, however. I ate some free pizza (from a gas station, but good nonetheless) and the piano we moved made it to my house since my dad is getting a new baby-grand piano. So now, my four year old daughter and fifteen month old son can regale me with the beautiful sounds of tiny little fingers wildly punching key after key in no specific rhythm or order. Just complete chaos mixed with their screaming chants and lyrical nonsense. It is truly awesome.

On Saturday, that sinus infection decided it wanted a sequel and reared its ugly head again. Loaded up on some Naked Juice—if that’s the proper term—some Benadryl, and Sweet Dreams herbal tea. Then I laid down and partook in some college gridiron action. I’m glad to say that all the teams I rooted for won.

Tonight, things are back to normal. Worked on Chapter 14 for about forty-five minutes to an hour and wrote 583 words. Roughly 1 1/2 pages. The story is progressing quite nicely. Can’t wait till tomorrow night when I can add to it.

Enjoy the evening folks. This one will not come again.

Rolling Along

Wrote 2 pages tonight. Feel like I could probably write more, and just might, but not until the wife goes to sleep. Going to hang out with her for a bit.

I must say, I am enjoying the consistency again. The two pages took only about thirty-five minutes. Didn't feel rusty going into it. Need to keep this up.

Chapter 14

Well, it is nearing completion. A page a day may seem slow, but at least it is consistent. Definitely beats methods of the past which involved three weeks without writing followed by a frenzy of sleepless nights of sporadic, anxious riddled writing. I am hoping, and praying, that once the nicotine and withdrawal symptoms completely leave, my noggin will be clearer and more focused.

Ten pages done, five to ten more to go. After that comes a big question, do I move forward to chapter fifteen, or take a break and work on the next part to Spiral Effect? Question best left till next week. Finish chapter fourteen first.

Wow…Where to begin?

So, the first three weeks of the new school year are already over. If the rest of the year flies by this fast, I’ll be a happy man. Another summer break of writing like the one that just ended would be sublime. So far, not much writing has occurred since school began (none in the first week and a half), but I did come up with a game plan that will not only see me get closer to my publishing goals, but also save my sanity. I will write a page a day. Yes, that’s right, an entire page. No less, but more if I am capable and on a roll. I like this plan of mine, for me that is, because it surely keeps the pressure off. I figured that one page a day, for a little over two hundred days, and by summer, I should be finished with the novel and can work on other stories while pitching this one to publishers/agencies. I began this past Monday, August 26th, and have stayed true to my goal, with the exception of Friday and Saturday, due to a terrible cold/sinus infection. Now, this sinus infection probably came at the worst time and may be due to more than just the over abundance of pollen in the air. Last Wednesday, after an amazing writer’s club meeting with my new friend David Calvert, I smoked my last cigarette. I know…I know…I have said this at least two hundred and ninety-nine times (or five hundred more than that), but I am hoping that this is the last time I say it. As of 10:25 PM Sunday, September 1st, I have still not had a cigarette. Feeling good, but shaky, and am almost certain the withdraws have played part in weakening my body just enough to feel lambasted by this sinus infection/cold. I have popped so many different pills, I really am not sure I am entirely lucid. So, I will probably keep this short. Just wanted to post an update because it had been a couple of weeks. Hope the web finds everyone well and that we all venture out and check out the stars from time to time. It’s a beautiful world out there. Until next time.

Writing is so therapeutic

Well, not going to lie, things have been a bit rough lately. However, I always find that popping on my headphones, sitting down in front of the computer, and writing brings solace. I wrote 600 words, which is fantastic since I've been in a depressive slump. While I would never assume this would help others, it's a godsend for me because it's more than therapeutic, it's spiritual. Using the gifts God gave us will do that for a person. And even though summer break is at its end, and time to write will be a tad more difficult to come by, I press on, knowing that this journey is completely with it, even with the lows.

Last Week

It is the final week of summer break. People have asked me if I am looking forward to a new school year. They do not seem to understand my response of, “No, not really. Wish this summer break could last forever.” But then again, they do not understand my love of writing. That each day I am able to put in three hours or more of writing time, I feel so happy, accomplished, like, “Job well done.” Sure, I may never be successful in the American sense of the word, making a shit load of cash, but that doesn’t matter. I just want to write every day. Some people have said, “Then do it.” Which, I typically do. But when a new school year is in full swing, and two children depend on me, well, finding time becomes a tad bit more difficult. Nevertheless, I still try. Any who, I did write about two hundred words earlier, which was nice. Just a slow, methodical stroke of the keys as I continued telling Jalen’s story. It was enjoyable. Plan of doing a bit more later tonight too. Well, my wife wants to converse. So until tomorrow.

Busy

I have been crazy busy the past week. Updating, installing, and fixing the computers at my school eats up a lot of time. As do my children. Hope to write on here more consistently when things calm down. Hope it is soon because I have not even had time to work on my novel since last Wednesday. Grumpy.

Finished Chapter Thirteen

Well, I finished chapter thirteen today. Hooray! Yes, I am very excited at how well the first book to Yahnolite Histories is progressing. I am also excited because, by the end, this chapter took a direction I was not expecting. So amazing when the story uses me to bring it to life. It also blows my mind how smooth the writing process was for this chapter considering I had no plans/outlines for it at all. When I go in blind, it typically takes me an hour or so of typing, deleting, typing, pacing, thinking, and deleting again before I get a feel for it. Not to mention, I had planned on writing something else for chapter 13 (the original plans for 13 will now appear in chapter 14), but then a moment of realization/inspiration hit me and I couldn’t walk away from it. Good thing I didn’t either—the chapter will play a pivotal role later on in the story. It also brought more depth to two of the characters. So, tomorrow morning I will begin chapter 14, bringing me ever so closer to completing this beast. After six years of procrastination, several rewrites, a brief stint with a gambling addiction, and working on other projects, I finally feel good about the daily time slot I have allotted myself to work on this story and that alone.

Until next time

Digital Publishing Confusion

Yesterday, as I looked over my KDP account with Amazon, as I try to do a few times a week, I noticed that three of my short stories were no longer enrolled with KDP select.  Great, I thought, now I can publish on Google Play and iTunes, reach a new audience.  I figured with how easy it is to publish on Amazon, this would be cake.  A day later and I am still unsure about the process.  Took me about two hours just to submit two short stories to the play store (still not sure I uploaded all the right info because there is no option to preview the cover or story before completing the submission).  It is still in the “processing” mode, and I hope before it goes live, I have a chance to look it over and make sure everything is square—fingers crossed. As for iTunes, their directions didn’t prove any simpler.  So, I may wait a bit before attempting that route. 

Back to writing Yahnolite Histories…

New Blogspot

Decided to create a new blog spot. Why, you may wonder?  Well, my old one, which hasn't seen any active (from myself) in a year, was really dedicated to my novel series The Yahnolite Histories.  This one, well, I want to use for just about anything that comes to mind, predominately writing and the grueling, yet enjoyable (at least for me) process it entails.  This is mainly for myself to splatter my thoughts--clear them either before working on one of my projects or dump out what's left over when my mind has become too sluggish.  Nothing worse, for me at least, than to work on a short story or novel, when exhausted or overwork, just to read over it the next day and see it is absolute rubbish.  This can also help ground me, bring me back to my world.  Sometimes I find myself getting a bit lost in these other worlds, not to mention the main character.

Unlike Monday and Tuesday, which were truly great days of writing, this one writhed painfully.  I had read a review of The Spiral Effect and, well let's just say I didn't take it too well.  I know, every author receives a bad review.  I'm fine with it. I accept it.  But it bothered me because it was the only review.  I've had over a hundred downloads of this baby,around forty in other countries, and all I can garner is one review?  To make it worse, I found out that Amazon has been screening reviews.  Which explains why some of my friends (really probably just one) reviews never showed.  Which lead me to wondering how many of my friends (forget family--besides my wife of course) actually read it.  I can't blame them too much.  How many hacks and wannabes vomit pure crap in the form of videos, music, or poetry?  I think some of us (dare I say most?) are afraid of even watching, reading, or listening to a friend's work out of fear it will suck. Because then how do we respond? I know I have. Which forced me to break that cycle and start watching and listening, which, to my wonderful surprise, wasn't bad. Actually pretty good.

Things have gotten better.  I am not bummed out anymore.  The review doesn't bother me now.  I realized one of the main beef's this reader had with the story was actually something I did on purpose. I will not apologize for that. I want the Spiral Effect to be an episodic piece.  It was originally meant to be a hundred to hundred and twenty issue comic book series, but since I cannot find an artist willing to do that much work for minor profit from independent sales (which wouldn't be much, especially for a shit load of work he or she would have to do) I am publishing these stories differently.  Yes, it may piss readers off at first, but it is a risk I am willing to take. For me, the story takes precedence over the reader because the tale is alive.  If they don't understand this, then there is nothing more I can do.  I have to be honest with myself, with God, and these strange tales that, for some reason, have decided to personally talk with me.

Before I go, glad to see I wrote 1005 words today.  In ebook terms that's probably 3-4 pages.  So not bad, especially since it was done in about two hours, with my four year old daughter tugging at my ear with her delightful questions every ten to fifteen minutes.

Until tomorrow.