Absence makes the heart grow fond.

Well, here I am. 

Not really though, I just wanted to say hey and give everyone a quick update on what is going on with my life as a writer. 

I have made huge progress in the world of Overshadowed since I last posted.  It has been a long road, but I can see the end, it's only a couple of months off.

I have sent the latest draft out to a group of Alpha Readers, they are currently reading over it and cataloging their thoughts and opinions.  I am most anxious to hear what they have to say. 

The next step is to lay some wax on it.  Clean up everything and make it look shiny .  I still need to do my "out-loud" reading, which is a helpful process for determining readability, and also catching most punctuation errors.

I also need to get some cover art done.  That part is going to be fun, I have seen some concept stuff, and I know the perfect cover is close.  We just have to find it. 

I am also working on several other projects.  I have gotten sucked into the short story game, and I'm currently working on another Science Fiction piece.  For some reason, most of my short stories seem to fall under this label.  It is coming along well, and I should have it completed in the next week or so.

I have also started work on a new novel.  This one is going to be a bit shorter than Overshadowed, and an entirely different type of book.  But I am having a great time writing it, and I also have found a platform to show off some truth to the world.  It will be interesting to see where it ends up, but I will talk about that more in the future. 

I have decided to change the name of my book as well.  Overshadowed has been a great working title, but it's always lacked the feeling of completeness.   Plus there is this small problem of a book written in the early 1900's called Overshadowed....


The Overshadowed Saga Book 1: Footprints of Darkness

That is the new name, I quite like it.  Let me know what you think!


'Til next time.

Break Time!!!

Hey faithful readers,

Hope all of you are doing well.  As usual, I am a day late and a dollar short on my blog update.  I just wanted to remind all of you to have a safe and wonderful Christmas season.  We are two weeks from the big day and personally I am getting excited.

I know a lot of us find this time to be very enjoyable, but also extremely stressful.  And for those of us who are also in school it's even worse.  Finals are killer this time of year.

So I wanted to officially announce my holiday break!!

I'll be back in early January, when all of this holiday excitement is behind us.  Keep  a close eye on the future, exciting things are in store for all of us.

Overshadowed is going exceptionally well!  I have picked out my Alpha readers, now if only I can get them to actually take up the project with me.  All the rest of you will have to wait until the book is in print to find out what the story is all about.

Until then, you guys have a great Christmas and a Happy New Year!!

Chapter 19: Dealing with distractions.

So we've all been there. You sit down in your bubble of creative space, load up a fresh document (or sheet of paper), lay your fingertips to the keys (or grab your pen), and...

I personally am not a big fan of the “writers block” excuse. I don't know about you, but my time is valuable, and I don't have a lot of it to use on writing.  So I need to bring my
“A game” every time I touch the keyboard. I need to have myself prepared to capture "usable" material every time I enter my bubble.   Now mind you, this doesn't always work. Occasionally I fail miserably, but mostly things work out just fine.

If you’re struggling in this area, than you’re probably wondering how I do it.  I have never thought of myself as an expert, more like a peon than anything.  But what works for me, well it works for me.  So if you try it, it just might work for you...

A big part of it, the part I was planning on talking about, has to do with the atmosphere of writing.  I write at pretty much the same time, in roughly the same place, and go through a similar routine each time.

My routine is simple; I grab a huge cup of coffee, have music blasting out of my IPod (right now it’s Iration), and a comfortable seat. When I do this, my head instantly goes to writer-mode and I am ready to drop a ridiculously huge word count.  

I think doing what makes you comfortable will help create your bubble.  Hemingway got rip-roaring drunk first, and that worked for him.  That’s probably not the best idea, but hey it worked for him.

My bubble is strange, it’s not the type of atmosphere you would not picture being conducive for creative writing, but it is.  I like my bubble; you should like yours as well.

When I put music on, it’s usually just one song on repeat, and let it play as background noise.  This keeps my mind from getting lost as it wanders around in the outer fringes of the galaxy-sized void in my brain. It's my own type of quiet. 

Another preparatory action I take is to enter my bubble with multiple goals. Sometimes, I want to create something new.  My imagination is on overdrive, my fingers are on fire, and a whole new universe is created.

Other times I don't feel inventive at all.  That's when it is nice to have several projects in play, or one project in several different stages of completion.   If I don't feel like working on something new, I can jump into the guts of my story.  I can find dialog that needs to be repaired.  Or I can line-edit a fight scene.  Or I can email my editor, so she can remind me what my characters ages are.  

 

But what about the times when I'm not in my bubble?  When I have to write outside of my normal elements?  Or (gasp) what if there is no more coffee????

I, by no means, have all the answers, but I do have some experience with having to be flexible when writing.  I love my bubble, but it’s not always available.  That’s when I have to use “the plan.”   

Just so we’re clear, I always try to approach writing with a plan. I don't just sit down and start banging out stuff, because that doesn’t work for me.  I do believe there are times when you have to capture an idea, and if you don't, then you will lose it.  Those times are a great learning experience, and I encourage you to give it a try, especially if you’re a new writer. For me, it has been a long time since I’ve tried to write like that.  I don’t normally try to write anything until I have digested it mentally first

In closing; I have a lot of material, I have a bubble, and you can bet I have a cup of coffee.  That’s what works for me, if you don’t have tools like this in your toolbox, then maybe you should focus on getting some. If you’re struggling with new ideas, maybe you need to have a daydreaming session and work on getting some.  If you’re struggling with even that, than you should tune in next week, because I'm going to open the huge, monstrous, discombobulated can of worms that is my mind. I’m going to talk about daydreaming.

In personal news, I just started reading Stephen Kings On Writing and I’m quite excited.  It’s about time I started learning how to do this correctly. 

 In Overshadowed news, we are almost done!!!!!!

I can almost see the finish line, and this time it’s not a mirage.  It’s the real-deal, the finale, the end. 

Well sort of....

Actually, it’s more like the beginning (crap)... I’m still excited though.  I am going to go through and remove all my silly little notes to myself, cross my i’s, and dot my t’s, and see what she looks like.  Then it goes to the alpha reader stage.  And finally, there’s that pesky little part, the one where I get someone to publish it...

  So keep reading, and get your friends to read as well.

Also comments and emails are always welcomed. I love insight from others, so don't be shy.  

Writing updates

Okay so here's the deal...

I wasn't able to get my usual style of chapter ready for S.O.F. this week, and since it's Saturday morning I figured I would instead give some teasers of the projects I'm working on. I'm gonna be vague on some things, but at the very least it will give you all an idea of the scope of writing I am currently doing.

I'll start with the obvious:

Overshadowed is going extremely well, I am working on trimming one last chapter. It's pretty wordy, and laden with lots of adverbs and adjectives, kind of embarrassing lol. When this chapter is finished we only have one small half chapter left and the final draft is DONE!!!!! I am working on some character bio's, brief summaries, and a major teaser project (more of that later). For now, if you're interested in getting a sneak-peak of Overshadowed, let me know. I am seeking Alpha Readers.

Other projects:

The major teaser project is a prequel to Overshadowed. It is being written in Novella form and is going to be available for your reading pleasure some time in the spring. I'm very excited about this story, it is loaded with action and suspense, and is one of my most favorite pieces.

I just finished up a 1500 word short for a short story contest. The contest deadline is December 1st, so that is going out today, or if I have to procrastinate further, on Monday. I am supposed to hear news of my victory sometime in February.

Those of you who were quick enough to catch my release of 'Glass Walls' a couple of months ago, got to see a completed short story. I am going to try and publish that story, I feel it could do well in the current Sci-Fi marketplace. So in my spare-time, I am working on getting submission packets together.

I have several "Shelf Novels" in the works as well. None of them are true Sci-Fi, none of them are true Fantasy. I'm finding it difficult to fall into a particular genre as a writer, maybe I'm going to need to create a pseudonym.......

One of those "Shelf Novels" is my spin on the current vampire craze. It's also my attempt at humor writing. It's been interesting, but I haven't found much time to work on it in the last year, so it is collecting digital-dust in my Hard Drive.

I have a handful of projects that I am shy about. Primarily because I am extremely excited about them, and the future they present for me as a writer. So they all get categorized as my "Super-Secret, High-Hopes Novels", if I am able to effectively market Overshadowed, I will start working on one of these. One novel, it's working title is called 'Darkness', is a story that gives me goosebumps if I think about it too much. So that will probably be the next project I tackle; and I promise that it won't take me five years to finish it.

And finally, the Overshadowed sequel!!!!! Yes Overshadowed is a stand-alone novel, but the story is not completed. In fact it's just getting warmed up, I have some major things in store for the readers of this series. The sequel, which I have tentatively called 'The Lure of Shadows' is in the basic outline form right now, and it blows my socks off when I go there. I simply cannot wait to start writing this book; I have been stuck in line editing and re-drafting for a llllloooooonnnnnnggggggg time now, and I am ready to continue the story of Overshadowed.

So that is all for now readers. Keep a close eye on this blog, things are starting to get very exciting. I promise that it's worth the wait.

'Til next time...

Sorry for the Absence

Hey faithful readers, I would like to apologize for my absence as of late. When I started this blog, I committed to providing one chapter a week. The last couple of weeks have been full of challenges that have made it difficult to hold true to that commitment.

So I offer you my most sincere apology. I will be back on Friday with a new chapter just for you.

Thank you all for your patience, and as always, for reading this in the first place.

Chapter 18: All It Takes is Imagination

Many of us who claim to be fiction writers can also claim to have an active (or over-active) imagination. There are always exceptions, but for the most part that is the case.

For me personally, ideas come in waves. They start with some imaginative twinge, or some random inspiration. I won't have anything for a month or so, then suddenly there are ten different ideas bounding around in my head. I am once again entering a season filled with new ideas. I love mulling them over and just enjoying the story as it unfolds in my mind.

All this talk of imagination has really got me thinking about something. If you spend much time involved in writing than you know some people view the imagination in a rather funny light, it’s almost placed in a box of sort. It’s venerated for it’s power, but it’s also condemned for what many consider improper use.

Perhaps you're wondering what I'm talking about, perhaps you've already ascertained where I‘m going with this. However one would think, because of my vague opening, that such a presumption would be impossible to ascertain correctly. I can assure you that was my intention. I wanted to give your imagination some time to mull it over, before I pulled back the curtain and revealed where I am going with this.

I want to rant about Mary Sue or Marty Stu (or Gary Sue), depending on gender, and origin of reference. Now I know what you're thinking. What the heck are you talking about? Who, or what is a Mary Sue?

A Mary Sue is the process of an author writing themselves into a story. Not just writing themselves into the story mind you, using their writing as a platform for “wish-fulfillment”. Basically taking the heroic aspects of a character and projecting it onto themselves. This creates a couple of issues, the first being it can be quite egotistical. Secondly it can be classified as wishful thinking, that you as an author are only creating an outlet for your own over-inflated self worth.

Now I say all of this with an addendum, a good author can Mary Sue themselves and disguise it so well that most people can’t discover it. A shallow Mary Sue will usually lack any real development. They will possess something that gives them a completely unfair advantage, and will pretty much always do the things we all wish we ourselves could do.

I have heard all of those comments and more when I have been privy to discussions on this topic. I have heard many people slam Christopher Paolini on this one. They call him egotistical for blatantly “Mary Sueing” Eragon, saying it was based on himself, and they have called him crazy for going so far as to write with a quill. Do I think either of those approximations are true? Honestly, I don't. Writing is very challenging, wanting to create a certain type of atmosphere is sometimes best done by putting yourself as close as possible to the atmosphere you are trying to write. This is actually nothing more than intelligent writing. It helps make it a little bit more real for you the writer, which will translate out into the story, making it more real for the reader.

The area that really makes me angry is how writers are viewed for even Mary Sueing in the first place. It's like you're required to imagine a world, build it from the ground up, populate it with limitless races, fill those races with events of endless combinations, and keep yourself out of it completely. How many of you when you were little, imagined that you were a Jedi Knight? Or you were wielding a sword that turned blue when it was near Orcs? How many of you condemn someone for writing a story, and basing the main character on that very same heart of imagination as a key theme??? Its impossible for me to not plant myself in a story, because at the end of it that is what it’s all about. It's about transporting your mind to a place where your imagination can thrive, and really enjoy itself.

So in all seriousness, why be upset at someone for basing a character on themselves? Is it because we are selfish and want to hold all the imaginative cards for ourselves. Maybe it's hard to allow yourself to go to the place where you're the one walking the hero's journey, if you know it was intended for someone else all along.

I don’t really know why people get condemned for projecting themselves on their stories. I think if it’s an issue of over/underwriting a character, than character development is the way to resolve it. If you want a hero that is able to defeat every obstacle he faces you’ll have little interest in your story (unless your superman).

Anyways, that's my rant for this week. I consider myself an exception to this because I don't Mary Sue myself. It helps having a female protagonist for one, but mainly because I take it to an even higher level. I try to hide a small trace of myself in every character I write. That way, my readers get to know me just a little bit better each time they read one of my stories.

In Overshadowed news we are plugging right along. I'm getting hyped to start revealing a little bit more about the story every once in awhile. I'm going to be building an awesome website soon with plenty of cool stuff to help get you excited for Overshadowed. You're gonna want to check it out, then you're gonna want to tell everyone you know about it. Overshadowed is coming, and it’s going to be huge.

As you can tell, I'm getting excited. You can't blame me though, I've been working on this book for a very long time. Getting so close to the end is so exciting

Well that's all for this week, drop me a line and let me know what you think.

'Til next time.

Chapter 17: Overshadowed Update

Hey everybody! I hope you're enjoying your Friday evening. And I hope this blog post will help make it that much better of a night, lol!!

Have you ever felt like you were on the verge of a major change in life? I love that feeling, I love knowing that something great is about to transpire.

The last few chapters on the science of fiction have been rather forced, and for that I apologize. Sadly my personal life has encroached on my ability to blog. I have not been able to spend the time formulating decent ideas, thoughts or advice on what I have stumbled across through my writing.

However, I don't think things are going to change much for me as we start to get closer to fall. School is plodding right along, work is work, family is amazing and Overshadowed... Well Overshadowed has never been more exciting.

We are approaching the completion of the latest round of major editing. This is far and away the most time consuming part of this whole process. Since it is drawing to a close, those of us who are working on this project can't help but feel that we are almost to the top of the mountain. Well I can't speak for anyone else, but I'll speak for myself. Getting near to finishing this book has me more excited each and every time I touch the keyboard. Now I'm not saying that the work is done, because it's not. In fact, the work is just beginning, fortunately the work from here on out is more enjoyable, and a lot easier.

I want to start featuring some of the characters of Overshadowed, so I can start to tease you guys a little bit with tidbits from the story. For now, let me just say that I have never been more excited to see what's going to happen next.

In that regard, I am wondering if any of you want to know what happens next. I am looking for several individuals who love to read, and who would be willing to do some work on Overshadowed with me. I need a handful of people that are willing to do an alpha reading project on this book. If you're interested in getting a sneak peak at Overshadowed, and you're willing to spend some time discussing it's finer points with me, than this is a great opportunity for the both of us. Just shoot me a quick email, Facebook, or leave a comment here.

I also have three short story projects in the works. I don't have any plans to post anything on the blog just yet, but I might be persuadable. I have finished two short stories and one thing I'm going to be doing going forward is cataloging my adventures of trying to get them published. Keep an eye out for updates there, it should be interesting.

I hope you're as excited about getting to read Overshadowed as I am to finish it. Get ready to tell your friends and family to hop on the Overshadowed bandwagon, we can all ride it together.

Thanks for your time!



'til next time!