Invasion Novel – Update

Blog Post No. 524

I sure hope I’m not going to be shooting myself in the foot (since I write my posts before their Thursday release) but if things go according to my current schedule, I should be done this draft of the Invasion Novel by tomorrow. I’m calling it the sixth draft even though I’ve been through the book more than six times. I feel like this is the sixth version of the book, though, so I’m sticking with it. While I’m optimistic that I’ll be finished, there is one potential issue that could make me a liar.

Like Dickens Before Me

Blog No. 395

A few days ago I was struggling with my daily writing and hit a wall. (It may have been some time last week, time has stopped having much meaning in March). I’ve since gotten back on track with the Invasion Novel (for the most part). Instead of doing nothing that day (something that had been happening more than I’d like) I opened up a blank document and wrote my daily word count towards a new project. I’m not sure when I’ll get to spend much time with it, or how far I’ll go, but it was better to work on something rather than nothing, right?

Lesson Learned

Blog No. 241

I was working on a story the other day (even though I have so many other things on the go) and I noticed that, while the first draft still needs some work, the writing was improved. That is, while I still have a long way to go, the recent edits I’ve been working on have sunk into my thick skull, and I either caught or avoided some of the things that were pointed out to me with the crime story. It’s a continuation of the time I spent with WOW. While I haven’t managed to go for a long time, the lessons I learned are still with me. I constantly suggest to other new writers to find a group and go get their writing edited. It’s important to getting things reviewed but taking the time the time to edit other people’s writing is just as good. I found I learned as much, if not more, by finding my own mistakes in other people’s stories.

Update

Blog No. 204

In January, I decided to stop writing the book I was working on and started writing another one. The idea was that I would be able to knock out 40 000 words in a few months and have myself a finished novella. It took me until the end of July to reach my original goal, but by then, the story was nowhere near done. I shifted gears and from then on I’ve called the story a novel (or short novel) and had the intention of hitting 60 000 words. From the beginning of August (sitting at near 40 000 words) to the end of September, I struggled to get another 10 000 words. It was a rough time. I did poorly.

When Will I Learn?

Blog No. 198

While it may not seem obvious, I’ve been working away on Pilot all year. I would agree with people commenting that it’s been taking too long and nine months to complete 45 000 words is sad. Yup. I’m right there with you. Still, it’s the longest story I’ve written (longer every time I plug away at it) and it’s only the third novel I’ve ever attempted to write. Again, having tried and failed twice before isn’t something I’m super proud to share, but it’s a fact, and I know I’m not the only person who’s been in that boat. The first try was just not a goo enough story to be a novel I made it to a forced fifth chapter, coming up with new things to add every day (padding out the lack of plot). Eventually I came to term with the faulty concept and moved on. The second one was much better. I was a huge idea and I managed to get to 35 000 words before floundering.

Collections and Lies

Blog No. 153

How tired are you of hearing about this, so-called Collection, that Christian and I have been yammering on about for the last year and a bit? If you are as done with it as I am, get ready to be exasperated, because that book is done and ready to print! Boom! What started as a lark back is 2014 will be out before the end of 2015 and it will be spectacular. Don’t believe me? The title is No Light Tomorrow. How does that strike your fancy? Still not convinced? It’s over 30 000 words spread across six stories written by two authors! You know, a short story collection. You want more? The cover was designed by an actual graphic designer and approved by none other than the authors themselves. Even better, it will mark the first book released by the newly formed Adventure Worlds Press, a publisher in name only dedicated to printing whatever Christian and I want and nothing else. How exciting is that? If your answer was ‘very’ that this collection is right for you, and we want you to get excited.

To recap some of what has happened up till now, back in the distant era of 2014, somewhere near the beginning of that fretful year (fretful being used for dramatic purposes only) two authors, Christian Laforet and Ben Van Dongen, were sitting in a coffee shop, working on their writing and discussing the future. What you will see next is a dramatic retelling of the situation and has little to no bearing on the actual past and does a terrible job representing both the individuals included in the story and the situation as a whole.

Needing a Novel

Blog No. 133

I was in Anchor Coffee House the other day, enjoying a coffee and talking to the staff. (That place is kind of like my Cheers). I had brought in some layout designs for an ad they are putting in the June Zine (to hit shelves soon) to get their opinions, but it had been a while since I had been there, so the talk quickly turned to “What’s new?” After the pleasantries were exchanged, the topic turned to my writing. I was excited to share what I’ve been doing (as I am with any interested parties) and talked a little about the novel. The good people who work at Anchor know a bit about the other things I have and am writing (the stuff at Adventure Worlds, the Zine, and the Collection) and the question came up, why a novel.

Story Qualifiers

Blog No. 120

What are the things within a story that allow it to be categorized? Sometimes the answer is obvious. A horror story is scary, a sci-fi story has amazing technology, fantasy has a lot of walking. More often than not, there is way more to it. Every genre has many sub genres, plenty of books cross the strict categorical boundaries, the writing and style play a part, along with how others perceive the author. I spent many years working at Chapters, shelving books. I mostly spent my time in fiction, sorting the types so I could take piles of book (literal armloads) to the corresponding shelves. For a long time sorting was easy. If there was a picture of a dragon, it went into fantasy, spaceships went to sci-fi, ghosts, vampires and blood went to horror, and half naked dudes went to romance. There were always exceptions, but it was very easy and straight forward. Then things started to change.

Fresh, Exciting, and New!

Blog No. 118

I have a rather full plate this year, when it comes to writing and the like. Christian and I are hard at work on the second (and a half) drafts of our collection, I have a rather long multipart story going up monthly on Adventure Worlds, I’m picking away at the novel I started last year (and restarted this year), I have edits galore, and since we have more artists working on Finders, I’ve been drumming up new ideas for the pair, plus the next zine is due. What I don’t need is another story idea burning a hole in my imagination, but that’s what I have. Saturday morning, I woke from a vivid dream, ran over to the computer, and feverishly typed an awkward opening paragraph encapsulating the fading memory of the dreamed adventure. Now it’s following me around, pulling me away from my other tasks, spinning around my head like one of those pirate ships at theme parks (but the ones that actually go all the way around.

Behind The Writing: November Snow

Blog No 107

With any good behind the writing, I start with the link to the original story so you can go read it and avoid any spoilers. Because, of course there will be spoilers.

http://adventureworldsblog.com/2014/12/01/november-snow/

I’ve never written anything like November Snow. I think I tried once in high school, but that was a long time ago (and I didn’t finished anything back then). The first person genera is a little bit of an odd duck. It is often ties with mystery or detective novels and I think that’s mostly because of Arthur Conan Doyle (are we supposed to call him sir?). While not all Holmes stories were in first person, many of the memorable ones were. By no means was he the first person to write in that way either, but you can’t take away from the reach of a character like Holmes (especially currently). While I wasn’t attempting to write anything like Sherlock Holmes (or any other Doyle story for that matter) I was planning on writing a detective story, so first person felt right. The pulp authors did it, so why shouldn’t I?