Since I wrote my first book, I've created a lot of characters. Aside from the ensemble of a dozen or so characters in What Lurks Through the Mirror, I've had characters from a sequel, and several planned sequels, the cast of Meet Sam, of Geneticide, or Bliss, and of the Modern Irish Myth books to add to the list, with over a hundred different characters in all of that. (Caveat: Geneticide had dozens of characters in written or planned stories, to its detriment. It's part of the reason I abandoned the project after completing the first draft.)
Those are just the books I've finished. There were many started-and-failed books over the years, and some I haven't written or, as is the case of my Operation Overdrive novel, are still being written. There are too many characters to keep track of, at this point.
I like to think of my earlier writing as necessary failures. Through the first books I wrote, I was able to focus on creating many (too many) unique and entirely human characters. I didn't have the time to tell most of their stories, or the inclination, focusing too much on plot. However, there have been some favourites.
Of them all, Ogma from the Modern Irish Myth series stands out. He's a poet, from Old Gods Returned, and with planned appearances in the later books in the series, as well as being the star of a few flash stories, who guides the dead to Otherworld. He struggles with the new language of Ireland - that is, English - and with the customs of the twenty-first century, and he's every bit a hero and a warrior, despite facing anxiety and panic at every corner. Ogma is an old hero, one of the last to disappear from the world of magic, and a prophet for the people.
While Bliss has some really fun characters in it, and while I like the other characters in the Modern Irish Myth books, I think Ogma presents an exciting opportunity. He's a god, with power over the dead, and his greatest power is limited by his lack of understanding of the language he's forced to speak.
(For the record: I love the protagonist of my Operation Overdrive novel. She's sarcastic and empathetic; she has to deal with trauma and anxiety; she's uncertain, and she doesn't realise she's intelligent and beautiful, and she doesn't treat people like she's better than them. She's not unnecessarily witty, and she doesn't want anything special from life. She makes writing the book a lot of fun.)
Showing posts with label camp nanowrimo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label camp nanowrimo. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 9, 2014
Thursday, June 26, 2014
Operation Overdrive, or The Month That Might Kill Me
It's been a while since I've written a full, proper blog post. I mean, a long, long time. And I haven't kept to my daily schedule since March, when a combination of London and theatre gave me too much else to focus on. Combine that with the worries about getting into the course I applied for - and thank God I actually got into it, and will begin in September - and I shut down slightly.
Lately, though - as in the past few days - I've been planning a come back. I've been planning to go into overdrive. Next month, I'm planning to do a lot online. Let's just break it down a bit. Every day in July, I want to:
- Post a blog post here
- Post a poem or story on Paragraverse
- Upload a video blog on my YouTube channel
This, and here's the catch, is while I'm writing a book for Camp NaNoWriMo. A book I haven't finished planning. So that'll be fun.
The way it's going to break down is that the blog posts will be written in advance, more or less. I've already scheduled the first three at the writing of this. They're short, and form a sort of running interview with my myself. Minus the questions. I'm insane, but I'm not ask myself questions for a month insane.
The poems are going to be either (a) something that came to me in a moment of pure inspiration or (b) based off something I found in my research for my Camp NaNoWriMo novel. The stories, which will appear every Friday on ParagraVerse, are re-posts of the original Modern Irish Myth flash stories. I made the decision recently to remove that site completely, when it became apparent that I was neither posting new material to the site, or sending anyone to it.
The video blogs are going to be my attempt to capture the month of writing on camera. Largely they'll focus on the novel, and how my progress is going. I imagine it's going to be a very stressful, very busy month, and it's all down to one other, as-yet-unmentioned thing: I'm starting a newsletter, and I want to encourage people to sign up to it. I still need to work out the kinks before I even share a sign-up page (or, you know, even begin the newsletter process of it - I have one thing sorted out, but after that... let's just say I have a lot to do.)
Starting the newsletter also requires me to re-start my Sunday articles. So I have to write them every week. And this is the kicker - while making sure I have a new poem, blog post and video going up on a daily basis, while directing people to my sign up sheet and while posting my Sunday articles - I'm setting a target of 75,000 words for my Camp NaNoWriMo challenge.
And did I mention I haven't finished planning it yet?
This is the month that might kill me, and I honestly can't wait to see how I do. I have my head in the game. I love the idea for the book. I know what I want to do with this book when it's done. I know that I can write 2,500 words per day on average. (Case in point: Balor Reborn.)
I know I'll be exhausted. I know I'll have to put in a lot of hours. I know it'll mean not watching television boxsets, or sitting down to rewatch movies for no reason. I know it'll mean not aimlessly walking around the city centre just to get out of the house. I know it'll mean not playing Skyrim for the tenth time and getting nowhere in it.
I know all of that, and I still want to do this. I want to write this book, and I want to share these blog posts, and the videos, and the poems. I'm all about the big challenges to myself. They're how I figure out my strengths and weaknesses, and that's how I grow as a person.
This Tuesday, it all begins.
Lately, though - as in the past few days - I've been planning a come back. I've been planning to go into overdrive. Next month, I'm planning to do a lot online. Let's just break it down a bit. Every day in July, I want to:
- Post a blog post here
- Post a poem or story on Paragraverse
- Upload a video blog on my YouTube channel
This, and here's the catch, is while I'm writing a book for Camp NaNoWriMo. A book I haven't finished planning. So that'll be fun.
The way it's going to break down is that the blog posts will be written in advance, more or less. I've already scheduled the first three at the writing of this. They're short, and form a sort of running interview with my myself. Minus the questions. I'm insane, but I'm not ask myself questions for a month insane.
The poems are going to be either (a) something that came to me in a moment of pure inspiration or (b) based off something I found in my research for my Camp NaNoWriMo novel. The stories, which will appear every Friday on ParagraVerse, are re-posts of the original Modern Irish Myth flash stories. I made the decision recently to remove that site completely, when it became apparent that I was neither posting new material to the site, or sending anyone to it.
The video blogs are going to be my attempt to capture the month of writing on camera. Largely they'll focus on the novel, and how my progress is going. I imagine it's going to be a very stressful, very busy month, and it's all down to one other, as-yet-unmentioned thing: I'm starting a newsletter, and I want to encourage people to sign up to it. I still need to work out the kinks before I even share a sign-up page (or, you know, even begin the newsletter process of it - I have one thing sorted out, but after that... let's just say I have a lot to do.)
Starting the newsletter also requires me to re-start my Sunday articles. So I have to write them every week. And this is the kicker - while making sure I have a new poem, blog post and video going up on a daily basis, while directing people to my sign up sheet and while posting my Sunday articles - I'm setting a target of 75,000 words for my Camp NaNoWriMo challenge.
And did I mention I haven't finished planning it yet?
This is the month that might kill me, and I honestly can't wait to see how I do. I have my head in the game. I love the idea for the book. I know what I want to do with this book when it's done. I know that I can write 2,500 words per day on average. (Case in point: Balor Reborn.)
I know I'll be exhausted. I know I'll have to put in a lot of hours. I know it'll mean not watching television boxsets, or sitting down to rewatch movies for no reason. I know it'll mean not aimlessly walking around the city centre just to get out of the house. I know it'll mean not playing Skyrim for the tenth time and getting nowhere in it.
I know all of that, and I still want to do this. I want to write this book, and I want to share these blog posts, and the videos, and the poems. I'm all about the big challenges to myself. They're how I figure out my strengths and weaknesses, and that's how I grow as a person.
This Tuesday, it all begins.
Friday, July 26, 2013
Day 26: Baker, Poet, Cinema Goer
Could I tell you where the day went? I could not. Could I take a guess? Darn tootin'.
I know I spent a lot of time watching Buffy. Again. Season 3 has now been watched, complete with prom and school explosion. I will admit, I got a little bit emotional watching it. Aside from the flashbacks to childhood, it also reminded me of my final year ball. We had less demons.
In the midst of the final episodes of the season, I also put a cover on an old-but-unused-copybook, complete with card on the inside covers, and coloured paper on the outside. I'm using it to track the publication - if any - of my poems. Since May 30th, I've written 70 poems. I'm hoping to do a massive write-a-thon of poetry soon in an effort to increase my creative expression. I'm talking about more than a poem a day; I plan on writing about twenty to twenty four poems in a single day. In my head, it sounds like fun.
Part of me also wants to maintain a poetry blog. So, that might happen soon.
Aside from prom and poetry, I baked some brownies. I'll be brief: they're delicious, and everyone who's had one agrees. I brought some to the cinema. We went to see The Wolverine. How was it you ask?
Well, it was significantly better than Wolverine: Origins. It was better than X-Men: The Last Stand. It was violent, it had swearing, it was better than the trailer suggested it might be. There were a couple of things I didn't like - nit-picky comic book things - but overall it was fun, and the after-credit scene leads on nicely to Days of Future Past, which is going to be awesome.
All of that aside... no writing. I don't know if I'm just lacking enthusiasm to sit down at my laptop, or if I'm just being lazy. It's probably laziness. However, I'm not giving up on the book. I just need to get my head back in the game.
To be honest, I want Camp NaNoWriMo to be over. It's not making me more productive. If anything, it's making me wary of doing anything else. Which is exactly what the exams did to me in May. That's less than convenient. Hopefully I can get The Blood of Leap completed soon, and then I can get on to doing what I want with writing, when I want, without a month-long challenge hanging over my head.
Thursday, July 25, 2013
Day 25: Reunion
I didn't do much writing today. Okay, I did nothing. I hadn't really arranged any time in the day for it to fit in, and didn't use the time I had arranged for other things exactly as planned. There was only one thing I really, really wanted to get done: a reunion.
This involved meeting in the city - at the Spire (where else?) - and going for lunch. Nando's was in order. It was my first time to experience the deliciousness of the ever-growing chain. A few years back, when my family went to Portugal, we acquired a taste for Peri Peri chicken. I haven't had a decent dish since. (My mum tried it once...it didn't work out.) Today, I was entirely satisfied with my food, enough so that I would return.
So that's good.
After dinner, the three of us went shopping. Well, they did most of the shopping. After a few minutes in a gift shop none of us had ever seen before, we ended up in clothing store after clothing store. I didn't really mind, until we ended up in the lingerie section of Penneys.
Let's just be clear: neither myself or my friend buying something for herself were comfortable being there. I was just glad I didn't need to have an opinion on any of it. It kind of helped that we joked about the episode of Father Ted in which the priests found themselves lost in the lingerie section with no way out.
Of course, I dragged them to the comic book shop. It would be rude not to. I was in and out in a matter of minutes - the perks of shopping with someone who knows exactly what he wants and where to get it - and we were off to wander about some more.
We found a couple of overtly religious preachers on our journey through the city, today. One rather large group of young men and women proclaimed their life-changing discovery of God. Somehow, even after four years in God College, none of us were able to listen to much of that. I think we've become slightly alienated from religion at the thought of academia. I'm sure it'll wear off if we don't run into too many preachers in the next few weeks.
What was more troubling was the man claiming the word of God on Henry Street, and turning all psycho-Islamaphobic-bigot on us. Wherever Muslims go they start wars, yadda yadda yadda... as if the US military hasn't been unnecessarily involved in some recent conflicts. As if Hitler wasn't a Christian. As if the British Empire in its quote-unquote glory days weren't devout Christians. When people ignore certain fundamental facts of history to further their hatred, and do so in the name of Christ...well, that makes being a Christian difficult.
Don't get me wrong. I know what it means to be a Christian. It's the people who hear this guy and somehow come to believe that it's about hating on others that I'm worried about. So, here are a couple of truths for you:
- Wars are started by people, sometimes over religion, sometimes over politics, sometimes over wealth, but no one group of people is solely responsible.
- The core message at the heart of Christianity is love, and I'm willing to accept that a lot of people who call themselves Christians can come to forget that, or are intentionally unwilling to see the love of others.
Of course, I didn't bring these things up while wandering about the city. It was much to warm out for that. Instead we walked away muttering to ourselves that he was a nutjob, until more exciting topics for conversation arose.
By the time I arrived home, I had intended on submitting some more work to various journals. That didn't happen. I ended up having dinner and watching more Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Tomorrow, I'm baking. But I'll definitely have to make time to do some writing, do some submitting, and start making plans with friends. Having a social life is fun!
This involved meeting in the city - at the Spire (where else?) - and going for lunch. Nando's was in order. It was my first time to experience the deliciousness of the ever-growing chain. A few years back, when my family went to Portugal, we acquired a taste for Peri Peri chicken. I haven't had a decent dish since. (My mum tried it once...it didn't work out.) Today, I was entirely satisfied with my food, enough so that I would return.
So that's good.
After dinner, the three of us went shopping. Well, they did most of the shopping. After a few minutes in a gift shop none of us had ever seen before, we ended up in clothing store after clothing store. I didn't really mind, until we ended up in the lingerie section of Penneys.
Let's just be clear: neither myself or my friend buying something for herself were comfortable being there. I was just glad I didn't need to have an opinion on any of it. It kind of helped that we joked about the episode of Father Ted in which the priests found themselves lost in the lingerie section with no way out.
Of course, I dragged them to the comic book shop. It would be rude not to. I was in and out in a matter of minutes - the perks of shopping with someone who knows exactly what he wants and where to get it - and we were off to wander about some more.
We found a couple of overtly religious preachers on our journey through the city, today. One rather large group of young men and women proclaimed their life-changing discovery of God. Somehow, even after four years in God College, none of us were able to listen to much of that. I think we've become slightly alienated from religion at the thought of academia. I'm sure it'll wear off if we don't run into too many preachers in the next few weeks.
What was more troubling was the man claiming the word of God on Henry Street, and turning all psycho-Islamaphobic-bigot on us. Wherever Muslims go they start wars, yadda yadda yadda... as if the US military hasn't been unnecessarily involved in some recent conflicts. As if Hitler wasn't a Christian. As if the British Empire in its quote-unquote glory days weren't devout Christians. When people ignore certain fundamental facts of history to further their hatred, and do so in the name of Christ...well, that makes being a Christian difficult.
Don't get me wrong. I know what it means to be a Christian. It's the people who hear this guy and somehow come to believe that it's about hating on others that I'm worried about. So, here are a couple of truths for you:
- Wars are started by people, sometimes over religion, sometimes over politics, sometimes over wealth, but no one group of people is solely responsible.
- The core message at the heart of Christianity is love, and I'm willing to accept that a lot of people who call themselves Christians can come to forget that, or are intentionally unwilling to see the love of others.
Of course, I didn't bring these things up while wandering about the city. It was much to warm out for that. Instead we walked away muttering to ourselves that he was a nutjob, until more exciting topics for conversation arose.
By the time I arrived home, I had intended on submitting some more work to various journals. That didn't happen. I ended up having dinner and watching more Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Tomorrow, I'm baking. But I'll definitely have to make time to do some writing, do some submitting, and start making plans with friends. Having a social life is fun!
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Day 24: Childhood Obsession Marathon
Eight.
That's how many episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer I watched today. I couldn't help myself. I only stopped because we were sitting down for dinner, and I decided I needed to do something of relative value today. This was after sleeping in to eleven in the morning. That's late for me. Thankfully, Joss Whedon and tea know how to make everything okay.
When I was a child, I watched this show religiously. My friends and I were obsessed with it. Every week, when the new episodes aired, we would spend all our time out of class talking about it.
We were eleven.
Somehow, the idea that we might be too young for the show never crossed our minds. To us, it was okay to watch a show in which people were hurt and killed or had sex, and we readily accepted the same-sex relationship of Willow and Tara.
Of course, it wasn't the worst thing anyone in the school watched (in terms of how young we were to be watching it.) Plenty of people were watching South Park then, which is clearly and definitively more offensive, less tasteful, more racist and sexist and unsuitable for children than anything else that we laid eyes on.
I think the line, "It's not all like that" got us off the hook more than a few times when our parents walked in on sex scenes. To be fair, that's a true statement. Buffy the Vampire Slayer was the original nerd show of the nineties, as far as I was concerned. (That, and Star Trek in its various forms... I watched a few of those, too!) Before my interest in Doctor Who, before Supernatural even existed, there was Buffy.
It was my childhood obsession in the days before we had Internet access, and before HMV closed I managed to buy the entire series boxset for €50. That was money well spent.
Buffy is one of the most influential television programmes of my life. It gave me an interest in the supernatural, it created some amazingly wacky characters, and it stood by a set of values that really stuck with me. Love and friendship and courage were some of the most commendable traits of my youth, and where I could show them I did. I think it's safe to say that Buffy the Vampire Slayer changed my life for the better.
Today's writing may have been limited to a single flash story, but it's one that reflects some of my childhood influences in fiction, the supernatural and horror. These are the roots I need to return to for The Blood of Leap, and as far as I'm concerned my time spent watching 90s television is well spent.
That's how many episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer I watched today. I couldn't help myself. I only stopped because we were sitting down for dinner, and I decided I needed to do something of relative value today. This was after sleeping in to eleven in the morning. That's late for me. Thankfully, Joss Whedon and tea know how to make everything okay.
When I was a child, I watched this show religiously. My friends and I were obsessed with it. Every week, when the new episodes aired, we would spend all our time out of class talking about it.
We were eleven.
Somehow, the idea that we might be too young for the show never crossed our minds. To us, it was okay to watch a show in which people were hurt and killed or had sex, and we readily accepted the same-sex relationship of Willow and Tara.
Of course, it wasn't the worst thing anyone in the school watched (in terms of how young we were to be watching it.) Plenty of people were watching South Park then, which is clearly and definitively more offensive, less tasteful, more racist and sexist and unsuitable for children than anything else that we laid eyes on.
I think the line, "It's not all like that" got us off the hook more than a few times when our parents walked in on sex scenes. To be fair, that's a true statement. Buffy the Vampire Slayer was the original nerd show of the nineties, as far as I was concerned. (That, and Star Trek in its various forms... I watched a few of those, too!) Before my interest in Doctor Who, before Supernatural even existed, there was Buffy.
It was my childhood obsession in the days before we had Internet access, and before HMV closed I managed to buy the entire series boxset for €50. That was money well spent.
Buffy is one of the most influential television programmes of my life. It gave me an interest in the supernatural, it created some amazingly wacky characters, and it stood by a set of values that really stuck with me. Love and friendship and courage were some of the most commendable traits of my youth, and where I could show them I did. I think it's safe to say that Buffy the Vampire Slayer changed my life for the better.
Today's writing may have been limited to a single flash story, but it's one that reflects some of my childhood influences in fiction, the supernatural and horror. These are the roots I need to return to for The Blood of Leap, and as far as I'm concerned my time spent watching 90s television is well spent.
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Day 23: Sick Leave
After a wonderful day yesterday, I woke up at 4am. I was thirsty, I was a bit dizzy, and I needed to get out of my room. I headed down to the kitchen to get a drink, and stayed downstairs feeling like the worst was yet to come. Turns out my instinct was right. Shortly after my mum came down to check on me, I got sick.
I can't really plan for being sick. Worse, I can't plan for the feeling of being exhausted and drained and completely unlike myself. Once again, I didn't get to write. I think I need to re-determine what it is I want to accomplish this month in terms of writing. I reckon if I can at least just finish writing The Blood of Leap I will have done something I can be proud of.
As for today... well, once I was free from the great white phone to God, I sat in the living room with a blanket over me and a glass of Sprite on the table, most of the fizz removed. It seems to be the go-to drink when someone gets sick in this house. I watched a short show on BBC about royal babies, and headed back up to bed.
It was after half seven by the time I fell back asleep, and I woke up at half ten to a phone call from my mum asking how I was. Although I was tired - then, and from that point on - I didn't get sick again. It took a long time to get my appetite back, though.
Since I knew it wouldn't be a good idea to sit in my room all day, I stayed downstairs and watched DVDs. My room is both too hot and too far away from a bathroom to be a good resting place when I don't know if I can keep food down.
Anyway, I ended up watching a lot of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I'd been watching Season 2 a while back, but one particular episode kept freezing on me. I took a guess at where I'd left off, and started with the next episode. And that's how I spent the day, watching the remainder of Season 2.
I'm hoping that tomorrow I can do some work. Mainly, I just want to feel more like myself again. I'll write some poetry, write some fiction, do some reading, and hope that my stomach doesn't bother me again.
I'll leave you now with a quote from Buffy, one that I thought was worth remembering:
I can't really plan for being sick. Worse, I can't plan for the feeling of being exhausted and drained and completely unlike myself. Once again, I didn't get to write. I think I need to re-determine what it is I want to accomplish this month in terms of writing. I reckon if I can at least just finish writing The Blood of Leap I will have done something I can be proud of.
As for today... well, once I was free from the great white phone to God, I sat in the living room with a blanket over me and a glass of Sprite on the table, most of the fizz removed. It seems to be the go-to drink when someone gets sick in this house. I watched a short show on BBC about royal babies, and headed back up to bed.
It was after half seven by the time I fell back asleep, and I woke up at half ten to a phone call from my mum asking how I was. Although I was tired - then, and from that point on - I didn't get sick again. It took a long time to get my appetite back, though.
Since I knew it wouldn't be a good idea to sit in my room all day, I stayed downstairs and watched DVDs. My room is both too hot and too far away from a bathroom to be a good resting place when I don't know if I can keep food down.
Anyway, I ended up watching a lot of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I'd been watching Season 2 a while back, but one particular episode kept freezing on me. I took a guess at where I'd left off, and started with the next episode. And that's how I spent the day, watching the remainder of Season 2.
I'm hoping that tomorrow I can do some work. Mainly, I just want to feel more like myself again. I'll write some poetry, write some fiction, do some reading, and hope that my stomach doesn't bother me again.
I'll leave you now with a quote from Buffy, one that I thought was worth remembering:
“Bottom line is, even if you see 'em coming, you're not ready for the big moments. No one asks for their life to change, not really. But it does. So what are we, helpless? Puppets? No. The big moments are gonna come. You can't help that. It's what you do afterwards that counts. That's when you find out who you are.”
Friday, July 19, 2013
Day 19: Too Hot to Handle
I'm going to keep this brief, because even though it's half eleven at night, my room is still uncomfortably warm. That said, once I'm done writing this I'm going to get tea. I'm a writer, I'm Irish, deal with it.
Let it be said, the following complaint about the heat is not because of my fair complexion or the ginger in my hair. No, I would be complaining about the sun if that were the case. I'm just uncomfortably hot pretty much all of the time right now, even when I'm indoors, in the shade, with a cold drink.
Productivity levels have fallen to an almighty low. Needless to say, I'm thankful for the "encouragement" I had to write and post the flash stories this week, or I might not have written a single word. If this heat keeps up, I probably won't finish writing The Blood of Leap until August.
Yes, it's looking like I won't reach my Camp NaNoWriMo target. To be fair, I set it expecting an Irish summer. We usually get temperatures in the late teens, three days max if we're lucky, and separated by at least as many days ridiculously chilled, cloudy or raining (though the rain usually comes when there's clouds.) I expected to be indoors and trying to keep warm. Or at least not looking for the coldest room in the house. (Downstairs toilet, in case you're wondering. Pity it's not exactly office material. Nowhere for a laptop.)
That said, I do intend to keep working on. My aim all along has been to write the books, and write them I shall. Next week, if this heat persists, I'll move the laptoparoonie down to the kitchen again on a daily basis.
Anyway, I did do some writing today. The latest flash story. Entitled Helping Hand, it's the last of the four stories that celebrates the release of The Hounds of Hell by filling in the gaps in "normal" people's lives since the events of Balor Reborn. While one story is set after The Hounds of Hell, the others are all beforehand. Today's story actually takes place during the same time-frame as Balor Reborn, which was fun, and addresses a missing element a friend of mine pointed out.
You can read it here: http://modernirishmyth.com/helping-hand/
Tomorrow, I've got a lot of other business to attend to, but you know I'll still be blogging. In the meantime, we're into the last eight hours or so of the giveaway of Balor Reborn and Old Gods Returned. You can find the obligatory links below. I hope you enjoy the read.
Balor Reborn (US/IRL):https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008S1FGFW
Balor Reborn (UK):https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B008S1FGFW
Old Gods Returned (US/IRL):https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00963VXXA
Old Gods Returned (UK):https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00963VXXA
You can also buy The Hounds of Hell at either of the links below:
US/IRL: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DYQNTZA
UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00DYQNTZA
Let it be said, the following complaint about the heat is not because of my fair complexion or the ginger in my hair. No, I would be complaining about the sun if that were the case. I'm just uncomfortably hot pretty much all of the time right now, even when I'm indoors, in the shade, with a cold drink.
Productivity levels have fallen to an almighty low. Needless to say, I'm thankful for the "encouragement" I had to write and post the flash stories this week, or I might not have written a single word. If this heat keeps up, I probably won't finish writing The Blood of Leap until August.
Yes, it's looking like I won't reach my Camp NaNoWriMo target. To be fair, I set it expecting an Irish summer. We usually get temperatures in the late teens, three days max if we're lucky, and separated by at least as many days ridiculously chilled, cloudy or raining (though the rain usually comes when there's clouds.) I expected to be indoors and trying to keep warm. Or at least not looking for the coldest room in the house. (Downstairs toilet, in case you're wondering. Pity it's not exactly office material. Nowhere for a laptop.)
That said, I do intend to keep working on. My aim all along has been to write the books, and write them I shall. Next week, if this heat persists, I'll move the laptoparoonie down to the kitchen again on a daily basis.
Anyway, I did do some writing today. The latest flash story. Entitled Helping Hand, it's the last of the four stories that celebrates the release of The Hounds of Hell by filling in the gaps in "normal" people's lives since the events of Balor Reborn. While one story is set after The Hounds of Hell, the others are all beforehand. Today's story actually takes place during the same time-frame as Balor Reborn, which was fun, and addresses a missing element a friend of mine pointed out.
You can read it here: http://modernirishmyth.com/helping-hand/
Tomorrow, I've got a lot of other business to attend to, but you know I'll still be blogging. In the meantime, we're into the last eight hours or so of the giveaway of Balor Reborn and Old Gods Returned. You can find the obligatory links below. I hope you enjoy the read.
***
Balor Reborn (US/IRL):https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008S1FGFW
Balor Reborn (UK):https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B008S1FGFW
Old Gods Returned (US/IRL):https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00963VXXA
Old Gods Returned (UK):https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00963VXXA
You can also buy The Hounds of Hell at either of the links below:
US/IRL: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DYQNTZA
UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00DYQNTZA
Monday, July 15, 2013
Day 15: Eep
I'm not going to lie, part of me is terrified about tomorrow. That part of me is ignoring the book I'd been editing. The Hounds of Hell is coming out!
It's been a fun experience to write the book, but I can't wait for it to be released into the wild, and for the publication party to begin with it. With that said, though, I still have to write tomorrow's flash story.
I'm kind of behind on this, to be honest, but I think it'll be fine. Flash stories are, by their very nature, short. I enjoy writing them. I chose a fun one to start with. In the words of my people, be grand sure.
Today, I was in full editing mode, though. No writing. Yet. As soon as everything's ready for tomorrow, I'll get something done, I hope. Though, I think by then it'll be a bit late. It means I'll be writing a lot tomorrow, between all the fun publication stuff. Expect tweets. Expect Literary Stand-Up. Expect me to be super excited.
And expect tea. Lots of tea.
I would probably be more prepared for the launch if I hadn't been in work today. I was essentially a robot for my shift, grabbing books with stickers belonging to the old shop, and putting new ones on. Okay, mis-representation: we're the same shop, and the same company, but we're a franchise. And the change-over is a nightmare. I officially hate stickers. Especially our old €8.99 stickers. They put up a fight.
Anyway, a full day's work slowed me down in the writing department. I'm not complaining, though. I could use the money for the day in it. Even writers have to eat and buy comic books.
So, yes, blathering on now... I have work to do. And excitement to contain. Eep!
It's been a fun experience to write the book, but I can't wait for it to be released into the wild, and for the publication party to begin with it. With that said, though, I still have to write tomorrow's flash story.
I'm kind of behind on this, to be honest, but I think it'll be fine. Flash stories are, by their very nature, short. I enjoy writing them. I chose a fun one to start with. In the words of my people, be grand sure.
Today, I was in full editing mode, though. No writing. Yet. As soon as everything's ready for tomorrow, I'll get something done, I hope. Though, I think by then it'll be a bit late. It means I'll be writing a lot tomorrow, between all the fun publication stuff. Expect tweets. Expect Literary Stand-Up. Expect me to be super excited.
And expect tea. Lots of tea.
I would probably be more prepared for the launch if I hadn't been in work today. I was essentially a robot for my shift, grabbing books with stickers belonging to the old shop, and putting new ones on. Okay, mis-representation: we're the same shop, and the same company, but we're a franchise. And the change-over is a nightmare. I officially hate stickers. Especially our old €8.99 stickers. They put up a fight.
Anyway, a full day's work slowed me down in the writing department. I'm not complaining, though. I could use the money for the day in it. Even writers have to eat and buy comic books.
So, yes, blathering on now... I have work to do. And excitement to contain. Eep!
Sunday, July 14, 2013
Day 14: Late Start, Awesome Result
Today, it took me some time to actually get to writing. Not to worry, though, because I managed to write over 2,400 words tonight. This has brought me through chapter four of The Blood of Leap, in a second day of writing quite a bit, and has resulted in the second change of plans.
This is a direct result of not planning enough content for the books, but also seeing an opportunity to dedicate chapter four to something special. It's shorter than most chapters in the book, but the most significant chapter in terms of world building and plot development for the series, with the possible exception of the final chapter if memory serves.
I still only have two more chapters planned in the book, though, which means I may be facing some word count troubled in the near future. I need to write at least 12,000 words more...in the next two chapters.
Can you see my problem?
There just isn't enough in the plan to make that happen. Yet. Reading over my plan as I began writing this, I noticed a couple of areas I could expand upon. One of them is going to be sweet and gentle, albeit slightly creepy. The other is going to be much bloodier.
With a title like the one I have, is that really a surprise?
Even still, I worry that I won't have enough to go with. It's a good thing I have a month until I actually planned on publishing it, but haven't actually announced an official release date. I get to finish the book before I do that, I reckon. That's something I plan on doing this month, anyway.
Still, I'm quite happy with how the book is turning out so far. I think I might need to go back over some notes I have for the book, though, to make sure I really tell the story I've been wanting to.
Tomorrow, though, I'll have to focus on the final edits for The Hounds of Hell, to make sure the book is ready for Tuesday. I also need to write the first flash fiction story, format the book, and get things ready for the publication. I'm lucky I'm not working on Tuesday to get a lot of this managed, and to get back to writing The Blood of Leap.
This is a fun month. Hashtag stress, wha'?
This is a direct result of not planning enough content for the books, but also seeing an opportunity to dedicate chapter four to something special. It's shorter than most chapters in the book, but the most significant chapter in terms of world building and plot development for the series, with the possible exception of the final chapter if memory serves.
I still only have two more chapters planned in the book, though, which means I may be facing some word count troubled in the near future. I need to write at least 12,000 words more...in the next two chapters.
Can you see my problem?
There just isn't enough in the plan to make that happen. Yet. Reading over my plan as I began writing this, I noticed a couple of areas I could expand upon. One of them is going to be sweet and gentle, albeit slightly creepy. The other is going to be much bloodier.
With a title like the one I have, is that really a surprise?
Even still, I worry that I won't have enough to go with. It's a good thing I have a month until I actually planned on publishing it, but haven't actually announced an official release date. I get to finish the book before I do that, I reckon. That's something I plan on doing this month, anyway.
Still, I'm quite happy with how the book is turning out so far. I think I might need to go back over some notes I have for the book, though, to make sure I really tell the story I've been wanting to.
Tomorrow, though, I'll have to focus on the final edits for The Hounds of Hell, to make sure the book is ready for Tuesday. I also need to write the first flash fiction story, format the book, and get things ready for the publication. I'm lucky I'm not working on Tuesday to get a lot of this managed, and to get back to writing The Blood of Leap.
This is a fun month. Hashtag stress, wha'?
Saturday, July 13, 2013
Day 13: Surprise!
Every day when I wake up, I check my Amazon sales. It's become a habit, since the free promo days ran earlier in the year and Planning Before Writing actually began to sell. It's gotten to the point where if it sells even a couple of copies overnight, it'll reach a Top 100 position in a sub-category most of the time. In seeing that it had, in fact, done that, I went to the Amazon page to see where it ranked. I didn't expect much.
I expected, much less, to see a review there from May that hadn't been there when I saw the review from June. When I received the June review, a 3-Star review (which isn't bad), I wasn't exactly over the moon. I think I was mainly put down by the star-rating, because I didn't see how it was justified. But then, I was being a bit biased. But it was the only review visible. I literally could not see another review on the page. There was only one.
This morning, two.
I looked at the second. I read the date. I got confused. Then I completely ignored the fact that Amazon hid a review from me for two months to look at the star-rating. The reviewer thought that the ideas in the book were so worth reading that she gave it 5 stars. 5!
I was shocked. I wanted to happy dance all over the house. My brain was too tired to process that sort of movement, though, so I just let myself get giddy. I pretty much stayed that way all day. It was an awesome surprise to wake up to. It was a justification of the work I put into the book, and the sort of mind-set I was in when I wrote it; I was in Teacher Mode, and I knew what I was talking about. I had to, during class, for the sake of my pupils, and for those four weeks that carried through into my writing. And someone acknowledged that something I wrote had some value beyond just the price-tag.
See, that's the thing about reviews. A good review doesn't just say "I was willing to spend to the money to buy this book". It also says "I think this book is worth reading", and sometimes you might even add "Buy this book, even if you're put off by the price". My book is only 99 cent USD, so I'm not sure that really applies in my case, but you get the point - a good review says something about the value of the content, not just about the price of the book as an object or file.
So, that was awesome.
I was then able to arrange to get to go see a play starring one of my very bestest friends in the whole wide world, the ever-lovely Clara McQuaid. She was the lead in my first play-to-the-stage The Rest is Silence, she ran Drama Soc last year (and happened to be chosen by two directors to be leads in two productions during the year) and in the short space of time that I've known her, she's managed to go from being nervous she couldn't do a character justice to having her first professional job as a stage actor. And, well, that's just brilliant. I didn't think, after seeing her in The Rest is Silence, that I could ever be more proud of her, but I was wrong.
I've got the play to look forward to during the week, tickets already bought. It's looking to be a fantastic show (and lots of people are talking about it!).
Oh, and as for the writing... 1,000 words done tonight, but I intend on staying up a bit longer to keep working. Just as soon as I grab more tea.
I expected, much less, to see a review there from May that hadn't been there when I saw the review from June. When I received the June review, a 3-Star review (which isn't bad), I wasn't exactly over the moon. I think I was mainly put down by the star-rating, because I didn't see how it was justified. But then, I was being a bit biased. But it was the only review visible. I literally could not see another review on the page. There was only one.
This morning, two.
I looked at the second. I read the date. I got confused. Then I completely ignored the fact that Amazon hid a review from me for two months to look at the star-rating. The reviewer thought that the ideas in the book were so worth reading that she gave it 5 stars. 5!
I was shocked. I wanted to happy dance all over the house. My brain was too tired to process that sort of movement, though, so I just let myself get giddy. I pretty much stayed that way all day. It was an awesome surprise to wake up to. It was a justification of the work I put into the book, and the sort of mind-set I was in when I wrote it; I was in Teacher Mode, and I knew what I was talking about. I had to, during class, for the sake of my pupils, and for those four weeks that carried through into my writing. And someone acknowledged that something I wrote had some value beyond just the price-tag.
See, that's the thing about reviews. A good review doesn't just say "I was willing to spend to the money to buy this book". It also says "I think this book is worth reading", and sometimes you might even add "Buy this book, even if you're put off by the price". My book is only 99 cent USD, so I'm not sure that really applies in my case, but you get the point - a good review says something about the value of the content, not just about the price of the book as an object or file.
So, that was awesome.
I was then able to arrange to get to go see a play starring one of my very bestest friends in the whole wide world, the ever-lovely Clara McQuaid. She was the lead in my first play-to-the-stage The Rest is Silence, she ran Drama Soc last year (and happened to be chosen by two directors to be leads in two productions during the year) and in the short space of time that I've known her, she's managed to go from being nervous she couldn't do a character justice to having her first professional job as a stage actor. And, well, that's just brilliant. I didn't think, after seeing her in The Rest is Silence, that I could ever be more proud of her, but I was wrong.
I've got the play to look forward to during the week, tickets already bought. It's looking to be a fantastic show (and lots of people are talking about it!).
Oh, and as for the writing... 1,000 words done tonight, but I intend on staying up a bit longer to keep working. Just as soon as I grab more tea.
Friday, July 12, 2013
Day 12: The Day That Disappeared
A few things happened today, and in the interest of writing once this is done, I'll keep this post short. Most significantly, though: I can't really figure out where the time went today, but it wasn't spent writing.
I woke up late. That always sucks.
I ate breakfast, I had tea, I played Skyrim briefly before a lunch-time dinner. And then I draw a blank.
Actually, that's not entirely true. I planned a couple of things, neither of which were stories. One is a budget that needs regular updating. I'm going to stick to it rigidly. Weird as it sounds, I'd like to be prepared for Christmas this year. And I want to go to London at some point, too, so I'll need money for that.
The other thing was a list, a schedule. I have a lot of books on business and personal development, and I've decided that from Monday onwards I'm going to start reading them, a chapter a day. I'll make notes, I'll do the tasks the books set, and I'll ensure I educate myself in a few different areas.
I also let some ideas wander around in my head, one of which is for a book, the other of which is for a kind of business-y project. I still need to work out the details on each, though they're looking to be fun. I have a feeling, based on my projections for writing, that I'll be able to write the book in January. That may also be when I get to start with the other project, unless I work a lot quicker at it than I originally intend. (That's probably what's going to happen, once I get myself back on track again.)
In short, though I can't really recall doing much today, I seem to have made long-term plans for finance, reading, writing and working. And the heat has kicked my ass again, today, making me sleepy already. Tonight's target: 1,000 words.
I woke up late. That always sucks.
I ate breakfast, I had tea, I played Skyrim briefly before a lunch-time dinner. And then I draw a blank.
Actually, that's not entirely true. I planned a couple of things, neither of which were stories. One is a budget that needs regular updating. I'm going to stick to it rigidly. Weird as it sounds, I'd like to be prepared for Christmas this year. And I want to go to London at some point, too, so I'll need money for that.
The other thing was a list, a schedule. I have a lot of books on business and personal development, and I've decided that from Monday onwards I'm going to start reading them, a chapter a day. I'll make notes, I'll do the tasks the books set, and I'll ensure I educate myself in a few different areas.
I also let some ideas wander around in my head, one of which is for a book, the other of which is for a kind of business-y project. I still need to work out the details on each, though they're looking to be fun. I have a feeling, based on my projections for writing, that I'll be able to write the book in January. That may also be when I get to start with the other project, unless I work a lot quicker at it than I originally intend. (That's probably what's going to happen, once I get myself back on track again.)
In short, though I can't really recall doing much today, I seem to have made long-term plans for finance, reading, writing and working. And the heat has kicked my ass again, today, making me sleepy already. Tonight's target: 1,000 words.
Thursday, July 11, 2013
Day 11: Room Changes
Today, I spent most of my time in my bedroom. Unfortunately, my laptop was in the kitchen, so you can bet I wasn't writing. Instead, I was rearranging my room for the first time since I moved up there in January 2012.
My bed has been moved so that I'm looking at the skylight, which freed up a lot of space elsewhere. I lost floor space, but I don't really use my floor for anything other than an Unofficial Dumping Ground. So that's not going to happen as much or as easily anymore. There's also talk of getting a new bookshelf in there, so that'll solve the problem of space.
Fun, right?
Well, yes and no. I'm glad the room is being changed around. I'm glad to be having more space. I just wish we hadn't been in the middle of a heat wave when I had to do it. (It was do it myself or attempt to do it with my mum trying to help; my room was barely big enough in terms of head space for me to have done it. I could not have rotated the bed with her also there, and it wouldn't have made actually moving furniture any easier. So, I waited until she was out of the house to do it, and she got to go out in the sun when she got home instead of baking in the attic. I stayed there to continue cleaning and moving things that weren't my bed.)
Aside from the heat, there was also the problem of not writing. As I'm sure you might have guessed, that's not fun for someone who's behind on his word count.
End result: I need to write five and half thousand words tomorrow to stick to my 2K-per-day (as an average) rule. First thing in the morning, I'm making space on my desk. Second thing, I'm moving my laptop upstairs. Then I'll be setting myself targets for every half hour until I've reached my target.
Considering I can write pretty quickly, I think I might be able to get this done before dinner time (unless dinner time is lunch time, in which case, later than that.) After that, I'm one massive step into The Blood of Leap. However, even at this stage in the book, I can see I'm going to have some length-trouble again. I can also foresee a remedy for that, which doesn't involve adding a chunk to the end of the book. This is actually utilizing something already in the plan, not something I missed.
I'm actually kind of excited about that, because it's a way to introduce something more fully that I'd wanted to write about for a long time. So that's fun. I think I actually thought about it while cleaning my room.
Anyway, that's happened. I like when these books surprise me. The plans for The Hounds of Hell and The Blood of Leap have been written for a long time, so I haven't really had a chance to consider them up until recently. I didn't think about what was missing or if there was enough detail. I wrote the plans, and then I intended to write the books. That was around...May? (I'm just going to go check an email...) Nope, not May. March. I wrote the plan in March.
So, I'm getting surprised quite a bit. It's kind of a "Why didn't I do this?" kind of feeling. Which is where I'm going back to the bedroom, at that little tangent, to something else I wondered why I didn't do before: start saving coins in my jar again.
You might recall (unless you're new here - hello!) that last September, I was saving for a tablet. I was putting money in a jar every week, pouring every coin I had in my wallet inside. I had a goal.
For some reason, even though I've been quote-unquote saving for a camera, I haven't actually been saving. My bank account has gone down frequently. I've spent money because I had it (though that's not to say I've had a lot.) But I wasn't saving anything, and I wasn't getting any closer to my camera. So, I put about €19 in there today in coins that I had laying around.
Take that savings jar. Take it and like it.
Now, it'll take a while to save the money I need for a camera like that, so obviously I'm going to have to start budgeting my money properly again. (Yuck.) But it's a case of putting €20 aside every week. Given the fact that most of my friends work so we rarely get to meet up, it's actually fairly easy to not spend money, if I just gave that a shot every once in a while.
The most I ever spend on comic books in a week is €20. That might seem like a lot, but that's when everything seems to come out all at the same time. I also go to the cinema, and if I stopped buying sweets (okay, chocolate) not only would I be doing my health some good, I'd save a few euro per week. It would only cost me €10 per visit (and that's also a chance to see friends, so yay for a social life!) In terms of books... not to sound like my mum, but I have enough of them to last me a while.
Okay, even I can't believe I won't buy books. But let's look at it this way: three books I've wanted for a long time are on their way to my house because I had money on an O2 card and wanted to clear it off so I would no longer be under any hold by it. And I have the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy to read. And Game of Thrones. (Just the first book in that series...but also the fourth paperback... long story.) But I have a lot of books I want to read, and as near as I can tell, there isn't much coming out soon that I want to read. (Okay, so Darren Shan's Zom-B series has a new book every few months... shut up. And Roddy Doyle is releasing The Guts and that has Jimmy Rabbitte Jnr in it and I want to read it and shut up... I'm talking to myself here.)
Even still, I'm not exactly rolling in the money. But I do have some put aside to finally sort out the Things I need to clear my taxation with the IRS and finally start receiving money from Amazon. And there's actually money there. Though, and this is the real kick in the teeth, it'll take a while for me to get it. The IRS will take about 8 weeks to process my forms. Effectively two months. Amazon can take up to 60 days to send me a payment. Another two months. By that calculation, I'll have the first royalty check in time for Christmas presents. While that's not putting me any closer to owning a camera now, it's finally clearing me up to earn money from my books. Even if it takes a while to get to me.
This started with room changes and barely spoke about the book... um...
Okay, so NaNoWriMo is fun, and all that, but I can really understand how life starts getting in the way of it, even when you don't seem to have much to do. From the outside looking in, I have five days off per week and no other commitments. And yet, I've been finding it difficult to actually get to my laptop to write. (Incidentally, once I actually get to my laptop, I've been quicker this month at actually getting to work than I have been for the last eleven months, so that hasn't been a problem.) I just happen to have a lot going on in life that I don't talk about online, but it takes up a lot of time in my day. The room change is part of that.
I've been cleaning it for a while now, sorting through notes, finding things I thought I'd lost forever (like, thrown out completely) and generally getting stuck doing it for hours, because there's a lot of stuff that needs going through from the past four years. A lot of stuff was just moved up to the attic without me looking at first when I moved up there, and I haven't paid this much attention to all that sort of stuff since. Yes, in a year and a half I haven't done a clear-out of stuff. That's because I've mostly considered the stuff that's been thrown out recently to be important for college. (As it happens, a lot of it wasn't. It met the recycling bin. It was magical.)
This has gone on too long, hasn't it? Anyway, the short version of this is: I didn't write nearly as much as I wanted to today, so I get to pay for it tomorrow.
My bed has been moved so that I'm looking at the skylight, which freed up a lot of space elsewhere. I lost floor space, but I don't really use my floor for anything other than an Unofficial Dumping Ground. So that's not going to happen as much or as easily anymore. There's also talk of getting a new bookshelf in there, so that'll solve the problem of space.
Fun, right?
Well, yes and no. I'm glad the room is being changed around. I'm glad to be having more space. I just wish we hadn't been in the middle of a heat wave when I had to do it. (It was do it myself or attempt to do it with my mum trying to help; my room was barely big enough in terms of head space for me to have done it. I could not have rotated the bed with her also there, and it wouldn't have made actually moving furniture any easier. So, I waited until she was out of the house to do it, and she got to go out in the sun when she got home instead of baking in the attic. I stayed there to continue cleaning and moving things that weren't my bed.)
Aside from the heat, there was also the problem of not writing. As I'm sure you might have guessed, that's not fun for someone who's behind on his word count.
End result: I need to write five and half thousand words tomorrow to stick to my 2K-per-day (as an average) rule. First thing in the morning, I'm making space on my desk. Second thing, I'm moving my laptop upstairs. Then I'll be setting myself targets for every half hour until I've reached my target.
Considering I can write pretty quickly, I think I might be able to get this done before dinner time (unless dinner time is lunch time, in which case, later than that.) After that, I'm one massive step into The Blood of Leap. However, even at this stage in the book, I can see I'm going to have some length-trouble again. I can also foresee a remedy for that, which doesn't involve adding a chunk to the end of the book. This is actually utilizing something already in the plan, not something I missed.
I'm actually kind of excited about that, because it's a way to introduce something more fully that I'd wanted to write about for a long time. So that's fun. I think I actually thought about it while cleaning my room.
Anyway, that's happened. I like when these books surprise me. The plans for The Hounds of Hell and The Blood of Leap have been written for a long time, so I haven't really had a chance to consider them up until recently. I didn't think about what was missing or if there was enough detail. I wrote the plans, and then I intended to write the books. That was around...May? (I'm just going to go check an email...) Nope, not May. March. I wrote the plan in March.
So, I'm getting surprised quite a bit. It's kind of a "Why didn't I do this?" kind of feeling. Which is where I'm going back to the bedroom, at that little tangent, to something else I wondered why I didn't do before: start saving coins in my jar again.
You might recall (unless you're new here - hello!) that last September, I was saving for a tablet. I was putting money in a jar every week, pouring every coin I had in my wallet inside. I had a goal.
For some reason, even though I've been quote-unquote saving for a camera, I haven't actually been saving. My bank account has gone down frequently. I've spent money because I had it (though that's not to say I've had a lot.) But I wasn't saving anything, and I wasn't getting any closer to my camera. So, I put about €19 in there today in coins that I had laying around.
Take that savings jar. Take it and like it.
Now, it'll take a while to save the money I need for a camera like that, so obviously I'm going to have to start budgeting my money properly again. (Yuck.) But it's a case of putting €20 aside every week. Given the fact that most of my friends work so we rarely get to meet up, it's actually fairly easy to not spend money, if I just gave that a shot every once in a while.
The most I ever spend on comic books in a week is €20. That might seem like a lot, but that's when everything seems to come out all at the same time. I also go to the cinema, and if I stopped buying sweets (okay, chocolate) not only would I be doing my health some good, I'd save a few euro per week. It would only cost me €10 per visit (and that's also a chance to see friends, so yay for a social life!) In terms of books... not to sound like my mum, but I have enough of them to last me a while.
Okay, even I can't believe I won't buy books. But let's look at it this way: three books I've wanted for a long time are on their way to my house because I had money on an O2 card and wanted to clear it off so I would no longer be under any hold by it. And I have the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy to read. And Game of Thrones. (Just the first book in that series...but also the fourth paperback... long story.) But I have a lot of books I want to read, and as near as I can tell, there isn't much coming out soon that I want to read. (Okay, so Darren Shan's Zom-B series has a new book every few months... shut up. And Roddy Doyle is releasing The Guts and that has Jimmy Rabbitte Jnr in it and I want to read it and shut up... I'm talking to myself here.)
Even still, I'm not exactly rolling in the money. But I do have some put aside to finally sort out the Things I need to clear my taxation with the IRS and finally start receiving money from Amazon. And there's actually money there. Though, and this is the real kick in the teeth, it'll take a while for me to get it. The IRS will take about 8 weeks to process my forms. Effectively two months. Amazon can take up to 60 days to send me a payment. Another two months. By that calculation, I'll have the first royalty check in time for Christmas presents. While that's not putting me any closer to owning a camera now, it's finally clearing me up to earn money from my books. Even if it takes a while to get to me.
This started with room changes and barely spoke about the book... um...
Okay, so NaNoWriMo is fun, and all that, but I can really understand how life starts getting in the way of it, even when you don't seem to have much to do. From the outside looking in, I have five days off per week and no other commitments. And yet, I've been finding it difficult to actually get to my laptop to write. (Incidentally, once I actually get to my laptop, I've been quicker this month at actually getting to work than I have been for the last eleven months, so that hasn't been a problem.) I just happen to have a lot going on in life that I don't talk about online, but it takes up a lot of time in my day. The room change is part of that.
I've been cleaning it for a while now, sorting through notes, finding things I thought I'd lost forever (like, thrown out completely) and generally getting stuck doing it for hours, because there's a lot of stuff that needs going through from the past four years. A lot of stuff was just moved up to the attic without me looking at first when I moved up there, and I haven't paid this much attention to all that sort of stuff since. Yes, in a year and a half I haven't done a clear-out of stuff. That's because I've mostly considered the stuff that's been thrown out recently to be important for college. (As it happens, a lot of it wasn't. It met the recycling bin. It was magical.)
This has gone on too long, hasn't it? Anyway, the short version of this is: I didn't write nearly as much as I wanted to today, so I get to pay for it tomorrow.
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Day 10: Procrastination
I find that with one of three books written this month, I've begun procrastinating a lot more. Fun, right? Not for my word count. The exact level of progress on The Blood of Leap is... non-existent.
However, I did manage to finally upload the trailer for The Hounds of Hell!
It's a thing, now. I can be happy about that. I can also finally stop focusing on that aspect of the book and start focusing on other aspects of next week, including:
1. The flash stories I want to publish next week.
2. The publication of The Hounds of Hell.
3. The completion of The Blood of Leap.
Yeah, that has to happen, and soon. I think tomorrow, in between the make-over of my bedroom and the occasional descent into madness, I need to write a lot. An awful lot. Thankfully I have no social life to speak of for tomorrow, or for Friday (most of the day, anyway), so I can work on getting a lot of the book written in the next couple of days.
If things go my way, I hope to have 10,000 words written by the time I leave for the cinema on Friday night. That's a bit ambitious, but I'm going to make a start on the writing tonight. This is partially to avoid going near my room, which I have reason to believe is still a furnace. (I learned from yesterday not to spend all my time in my bedroom, and commandeered the kitchen.)
I imagine I'll have approximately three hours to write tomorrow, not including blogging time. That's the potential for 4,000 words, I think. Which means, by those calculations, I'll be writing for a bit over five hours on Friday. Thankfully, writing is fun. Even if going out and buying comic books, and making trailers, and drinking a ridiculous amount of water, is also fun. (Wait, drinking water isn't fun... I just needed to survive this unbearable heat.)
So, there's that. Me being behind, me planning on catching up, me going insane, possibly being over-hydrated and bound to face the consequences tonight... good times, am I right?
However, I did manage to finally upload the trailer for The Hounds of Hell!
It's a thing, now. I can be happy about that. I can also finally stop focusing on that aspect of the book and start focusing on other aspects of next week, including:
1. The flash stories I want to publish next week.
2. The publication of The Hounds of Hell.
3. The completion of The Blood of Leap.
Yeah, that has to happen, and soon. I think tomorrow, in between the make-over of my bedroom and the occasional descent into madness, I need to write a lot. An awful lot. Thankfully I have no social life to speak of for tomorrow, or for Friday (most of the day, anyway), so I can work on getting a lot of the book written in the next couple of days.
If things go my way, I hope to have 10,000 words written by the time I leave for the cinema on Friday night. That's a bit ambitious, but I'm going to make a start on the writing tonight. This is partially to avoid going near my room, which I have reason to believe is still a furnace. (I learned from yesterday not to spend all my time in my bedroom, and commandeered the kitchen.)
I imagine I'll have approximately three hours to write tomorrow, not including blogging time. That's the potential for 4,000 words, I think. Which means, by those calculations, I'll be writing for a bit over five hours on Friday. Thankfully, writing is fun. Even if going out and buying comic books, and making trailers, and drinking a ridiculous amount of water, is also fun. (Wait, drinking water isn't fun... I just needed to survive this unbearable heat.)
So, there's that. Me being behind, me planning on catching up, me going insane, possibly being over-hydrated and bound to face the consequences tonight... good times, am I right?
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
Day 9: Blame it on the Sunshine
Today, I had good intentions of writing a chunk of The Blood of Leap. This was to accompany today's task of getting the book trailer online. Unfortunately, neither thing happened.
As it happens, while sunny weather has a tendency to bring about storms - which can knock out power - the heat can also cause machines to slow down to the point of being useless. This is especially true when working in the attic. My bedroom is a sauna, and my laptop doesn't appreciate it very much. Though I admittedly spent quite a long time doing the artwork for the book trailer, putting the finishing touches on them on my laptop proved nearly impossible.
Most of the work is done, but the last bit, that I'm not even sure I'm sticking with, needs a tiny bit more attention. If it wasn't taking half an hour for the laptop to do anything, I'd have it all done, by now. Long story short, with this weather it's going to be difficult to finish up.
I'll have to bring my laptop down to the kitchen tomorrow to actually finish up, and to do some work, because I don't think either it or I can handle my room another day, even with every window in the house open. Heat rises, and it can't get out quickly enough. The end result: Paul roasts alive. The end.
I had hoped that by the time I finished up with the last image, I could write some of the book. Unfortunately, my laptop is giving up on me. Writing on it tonight is not going to happen. I've resorted to using my tablet to write this post, but it's much more difficult to do so, and to keep track of how much or how little I'm actually saying. I usually leave this for when I'm too tired to turn on my laptop to write a blog post.
Tomorrow, I'll try get done what I had initially set out to do: write a lot of the book, and upload the trailer. Since it's also New Comic Book Day, I'll be heading out early to ensure I get home early. If I manage 3,500 words, I'll be happy. It'll keep me on par with where I need to be with Camp NaNoWriMo, and it'll take a chunk out of the book. It's about four hours' work, though, if I'm calculating that correctly - and I'm probably underestimating myself - but I think I can manage it. The main priority is the trailer, though.
Right now, it's all just good intentions. The weather could very well kill my laptop again, and with it my progress. Time will tell, but hopefully I don't have a repeat of today on my hands.
Monday, July 8, 2013
Day 8: Basically Winning at Life
This morning, I slept in.
So much for that schedule, right? There's no way I could write even close to my goal, right? Wrong. Even waking up late, I wrote over 4,300 words before lunch. Admittedly, I haven't written anything since, but here's the important part:
So much for that schedule, right? There's no way I could write even close to my goal, right? Wrong. Even waking up late, I wrote over 4,300 words before lunch. Admittedly, I haven't written anything since, but here's the important part:
I finished writing The Hounds of Hell.
When I get back to writing, I get to start The Blood of Leap. Here's the thing about that book: I've wanted to write it since August 2012. I stayed overnight in the very castle in which the book is set. In my head, I've mapped every detail. In the plan, I've planned a massive shift in the series.
Getting this far is a big deal for me, not just because I've been wanting to write the series for a long time and had to jump over a few hurdles to get back to writing it (hurdles in the form of: teaching in September, having to hand in a Research Paper, having to write a direct a short Christmas play, January teaching placement, double the workload in college for the second semester, exams, and PEMF - a definition for which you'll need to go back to 2010 for), but because in the minor scale of Camp NaNoWriMo and my aim to write three books in 31 days (though, that includes a 5,000 word head start on The Hounds of Hell), I'm actually a day ahead of where I planned to be.
Am I sacrificing life for this? No.
While I've spent the day indoors because I can't stand the heat - never mind the sun - I've got plans this evening to see friends and eat pizza. We've passed our exams, and though I've seen college friends and celebrated that fact with them (though for me, those celebrations were at a friend's birthday party), I haven't actually celebrated with my secondary school friends.
So, I'm doing that today.
(Side note: damn it's hot.)
Anyway, right now I'm contemplating whether I should start writing The Blood of Leap now, or if I should work on the artwork for the trailer for The Hounds of Hell. I'm not sure how difficult it's going to be, just yet.
I think that actually decides it for me, doesn't it? I'm a day ahead on the book, but I have next to nothing done for the book trailer which is due to be released tomorrow. Head in the game, Paul, yeah?
So, I've decided that because I'm writing a lot, and I'm still seeing friends, and I'm happy and I'm working, I basically win at life at the moment. All I need to make that official is a bank statement that says "I told you so" and an official Winning At Life certificate from someone in a position of power, like Michael D or Jesus or Spiderman.
Sunday, July 7, 2013
Day 7: Family Things
While I didn't reach my word count target for today, I'm not actually that fussed. In the morning, my family spent time together over breakfast, and when I got home from work, we spent time together again. I've still completed a chapter, and I've gotten over 1,100 words written for the day. It's not 2,000, and I'm not caught up, but I have a plan.
This might involve not really talking to people much tomorrow. Such is life. But here goes:
Wake at eight. Immediately shower, have breakfast, and do all those sorts of things that can hinder a day.
At twenty to nine, I write for fifty minutes, roughly. My target: 800 words.
Every hour for the next three hours, I have a target of 950 words. By lunch time, I'll have over 3600 words written for the day.
At half twelve, I record the audio track for the trailer. I'm giving myself half an hour to do this. I'll probably edit out the hiss of the microphone and the sounds of breathing while I'm at it.
I'll then take a forty minute break, for lunch.
The next fifty minutes, I'll have another target of 800 words. Every hour following, until half four, I'll have a target of 950 words. By the end of that, I should have 6350 words added to my total, which should be more than enough to complete the book. I'll be trying to avoid the Internet in all of this time, but I'll probably pop in to tweet whether I've reached word count targets.
At half four, I'll blog about the day. When I'm done, I'll be leaving for dinner with friends from secondary school to celebrate us all having completed exams. I don't know when I'll be home.
I think it's a fairly good plan, and it'll see me not only catching up on Camp NaNoWriMo, it should ensure The Hounds of Hell sees its completion. This means I can start The Blood of Leap a day early, which takes the pressure off when Tuesday comes around. I'll need to do a fair bit of artwork, then, so I don't really want any delays.
Basically, with my plan tomorrow, I can win at life a bit.
Saturday, July 6, 2013
Day 6: Not Enough Time for Tea
I lost six hours today, between leaving for work and getting home from a couple of supermarkets with my dad. The actual four hour shift in work was okay, if not boring, with a ton of de-stickering going on in our move to a franchise. It was mind-numbing.
It doesn't help that (a) I woke up early but felt exhausted, (b) I couldn't sleep last night until I felt I wasn't going to need to use the toilet again and (c) I went to the cinema tonight. Friday is normally my cinema night. Now, at half ten, I've had my day split up twice and I haven't written nearly as much as I need to.
And I just don't have enough time for tea. As it is my eyes are begging me to go to bed. It's not even a screen ting. Being open is bad enough. I'm writing this with my eyes closed for the most part, checking back for typos and errors and all that sort of nonsense, and just hoping there aren't too many of them to make the task difficult.
Having written less than 600 words today, it's clear that I either have to write a lot more tomorrow, or I have to stay up later than I really can manage.
I think I'm going to head to bed, soon, rather than stay up for the sake of attempting another 1400 words. Even if I could write the chapter with my eyes closed, I don't fancy sitting here doing so. I like to know what to write based on what I've already written, trying to achieve a bit of a balance between narrative and dialogue, and that's difficult when I can't re-read everything I've written, on account of my eyes being closed.
First world problems?
Anyway, tomorrow will be different, I think. I'll at least have a regular Sunday. I can wake up earlier than usual if I go to bed soonish, and that should give me time to write some of the catch up, and get me back on track to finish - hopefully - by Tuesday.
As it stands, I'm at 10712 words on Camp NaNoWriMo, and about 5,000 words over that in the book. It's reached it's minimum length to be considered a novella, and of course I still have a couple more chapters to go. Doing the maths in the my head, if I catch up over the next couple of days on top of my regular 2,000 words per day, the first draft will be finished by my schedule.
This leaves me with 22 days to write both of the other books. Sharing 44,000 words between them, I think I'll be reaching for more than 62,000 words overall in the month to ensure all three novellas are completed. (I've also got the little extras to throw in at the end of each, and should begin paying some attention to that, I think.)
Anyway, there's my excuse for not writing much today. I think resting eyes that are tired to the point of being sore is probably a good call, though. I'll still bring a cup of tea to bed.
It doesn't help that (a) I woke up early but felt exhausted, (b) I couldn't sleep last night until I felt I wasn't going to need to use the toilet again and (c) I went to the cinema tonight. Friday is normally my cinema night. Now, at half ten, I've had my day split up twice and I haven't written nearly as much as I need to.
And I just don't have enough time for tea. As it is my eyes are begging me to go to bed. It's not even a screen ting. Being open is bad enough. I'm writing this with my eyes closed for the most part, checking back for typos and errors and all that sort of nonsense, and just hoping there aren't too many of them to make the task difficult.
Having written less than 600 words today, it's clear that I either have to write a lot more tomorrow, or I have to stay up later than I really can manage.
I think I'm going to head to bed, soon, rather than stay up for the sake of attempting another 1400 words. Even if I could write the chapter with my eyes closed, I don't fancy sitting here doing so. I like to know what to write based on what I've already written, trying to achieve a bit of a balance between narrative and dialogue, and that's difficult when I can't re-read everything I've written, on account of my eyes being closed.
First world problems?
Anyway, tomorrow will be different, I think. I'll at least have a regular Sunday. I can wake up earlier than usual if I go to bed soonish, and that should give me time to write some of the catch up, and get me back on track to finish - hopefully - by Tuesday.
As it stands, I'm at 10712 words on Camp NaNoWriMo, and about 5,000 words over that in the book. It's reached it's minimum length to be considered a novella, and of course I still have a couple more chapters to go. Doing the maths in the my head, if I catch up over the next couple of days on top of my regular 2,000 words per day, the first draft will be finished by my schedule.
This leaves me with 22 days to write both of the other books. Sharing 44,000 words between them, I think I'll be reaching for more than 62,000 words overall in the month to ensure all three novellas are completed. (I've also got the little extras to throw in at the end of each, and should begin paying some attention to that, I think.)
Anyway, there's my excuse for not writing much today. I think resting eyes that are tired to the point of being sore is probably a good call, though. I'll still bring a cup of tea to bed.
Friday, July 5, 2013
Day 5: Publication Preparations
Today, I did two things: I reached 3,000 words in The Hounds of Hell, and I drew up a list for everything I needed to do for the publication and promotion of the book, before and after its release. Be warned: this post might read as a wee bit Official. I apologise for the seriousness in advance. Normal insanity will resume in the future, probably.
The first thing I need to do is create a book trailer. Last year, Balor Reborn's trailer had to be limited to things I could find online that people didn't have to hear until they went into the trailer. Otherwise, there'd be spoilers. Couldn't have that now, could we? Even if it was just a trailer, it was a piece of content in and of itself.
This time around, I have the freedom of not being on camera all day. This not only allows me to take the writing process a little bit slower, it allows me to muck about with the trailer a bit more. My plan is to:
1. Record some audio. I have a script for this, and while I'm not sure my own voice is suitable for this, I can always edit it a bit. I just have to remember to speak slowly. As I'm sure you know - if you know me, or if you've ever watched me on YouTube - I have a habit of speaking quickly. Very quickly.
Thankfully, Audacity (it's free, and I recommend it) allows me to (a) change the speed of the record (look at me using all the technical words...) and (b) change the pitch of the volume. I can make my voice deeper and slower. I can't do away with how I sound, exactly, but I can at least make a difference so it doesn't sound exactly like me on the video.
After the audio is recorded, I need to:
2. Find suitable music. Thankfully, I know a place to get royalty free music for this, for free. As a poor writer, this is beneficial for me. The music needs to fit the trailer, and needs to sound good even when I lower the volume so I can be heard talking.
Then...
3. Create images for the video. I'm thinking Celtic artwork. I'll be "hand drawing" it all, using my tablet. I hope. If not, I'll think up something else, but I'd like to have some interesting artwork in there and be able to say that I did it.
That's all preparations for the video, which needs to be uploaded by Tuesday 9th. But that's not all I have to do. When the book is released, I plan on accompanying it with four flash stories. I'm not going to reveal what myths they relate to, but I can confirm this: they have no yet been written.
Fun, right? There will be one every day from the Tuesday to the Friday, taking place at various times. This effectively gives me a week from the date the trailer goes live to:
1. Write four flash stories.
2. Edit the book.
3. Format the book.
4. Write most of The Blood of Leap.
Even when I finish the book, I'll still have Camp NaNoWriMo to keep up with. I'm possibly going to be working like a mad thing on this series, but it'll be worth it in the long run. I figure, if I can get ahead of myself with trailers and stories and editing and formatting, the process of publication will be easier in the future. Plus, if I publish four flash stories every time I release a book - or just release one a week between books - I'll have a huge collection of stories on the Modern Irish Myth site by the time the final book is published.
Oh, but just for the record: the book has reached the 15,000 word mark, and my Camp NaNoWriMo word count has gone over 10,000 words. I've officially caught up with myself, after only writing 800 words yesterday.
Somehow, I don't think productivity is a problem for me right now.
The first thing I need to do is create a book trailer. Last year, Balor Reborn's trailer had to be limited to things I could find online that people didn't have to hear until they went into the trailer. Otherwise, there'd be spoilers. Couldn't have that now, could we? Even if it was just a trailer, it was a piece of content in and of itself.
This time around, I have the freedom of not being on camera all day. This not only allows me to take the writing process a little bit slower, it allows me to muck about with the trailer a bit more. My plan is to:
1. Record some audio. I have a script for this, and while I'm not sure my own voice is suitable for this, I can always edit it a bit. I just have to remember to speak slowly. As I'm sure you know - if you know me, or if you've ever watched me on YouTube - I have a habit of speaking quickly. Very quickly.
Thankfully, Audacity (it's free, and I recommend it) allows me to (a) change the speed of the record (look at me using all the technical words...) and (b) change the pitch of the volume. I can make my voice deeper and slower. I can't do away with how I sound, exactly, but I can at least make a difference so it doesn't sound exactly like me on the video.
After the audio is recorded, I need to:
2. Find suitable music. Thankfully, I know a place to get royalty free music for this, for free. As a poor writer, this is beneficial for me. The music needs to fit the trailer, and needs to sound good even when I lower the volume so I can be heard talking.
Then...
3. Create images for the video. I'm thinking Celtic artwork. I'll be "hand drawing" it all, using my tablet. I hope. If not, I'll think up something else, but I'd like to have some interesting artwork in there and be able to say that I did it.
That's all preparations for the video, which needs to be uploaded by Tuesday 9th. But that's not all I have to do. When the book is released, I plan on accompanying it with four flash stories. I'm not going to reveal what myths they relate to, but I can confirm this: they have no yet been written.
Fun, right? There will be one every day from the Tuesday to the Friday, taking place at various times. This effectively gives me a week from the date the trailer goes live to:
1. Write four flash stories.
2. Edit the book.
3. Format the book.
4. Write most of The Blood of Leap.
Even when I finish the book, I'll still have Camp NaNoWriMo to keep up with. I'm possibly going to be working like a mad thing on this series, but it'll be worth it in the long run. I figure, if I can get ahead of myself with trailers and stories and editing and formatting, the process of publication will be easier in the future. Plus, if I publish four flash stories every time I release a book - or just release one a week between books - I'll have a huge collection of stories on the Modern Irish Myth site by the time the final book is published.
Oh, but just for the record: the book has reached the 15,000 word mark, and my Camp NaNoWriMo word count has gone over 10,000 words. I've officially caught up with myself, after only writing 800 words yesterday.
Somehow, I don't think productivity is a problem for me right now.
Thursday, July 4, 2013
Day 4: Uh Oh
I'm not making excuses for having not written today...but that's what it's going to seem like for a while as I tell you why I haven't written today.
It boils down to three things:
1. I was cleaning my room this morning. It took longer than I thought to do less than I'd have hoped.
2. I was out with friends celebrating one of their birthdays. This had me out of the house for eight hours or so. We went to the cinema, we grabbed some dinner, and I went home afterwards. I didn't delay, but I was still out for eight hours, thanks to the buses.
3. I was tired.
Actually, number three should really read as such: I am tired. This is still a reality. But here's why I'm not making excuses despite what you just read or skimmed over:
I plan on writing tonight, until my eyes hate me for still being awake. They're getting there already, though, so I very much doubt I'll reach 2,000 words tonight. The only reason I'm writing this blog post first is because I suspect I'll be up past midnight writing, and I don't want to miss blogging every day this month.
Dilemma, though: I haven't done anything for FUFDay. Yet. It's a little too late to record and edit and publish a YouTube video, so that's out of the question, but I can do something, something I hinted explicitly at yesterday. I can announce a release date for the book.
Ordinarily, I would wait until the book is finished before doing that, but since I didn't do that with Balor Reborn either, I think I'm safe in doing it again. As it's Camp NaNoWriMo, and I'm enjoying it heartily, I imagine I'll actually be finished the book by Tuesday. Already having the cover done is a bonus, because it means I have less to do once the book is written. So... here we go... ready?
Really? Are you ready?
Because we can delay this as much as you need if you want some time. I know this is a Big Deal. Maybe more so for me, but still. This is big...ish.
Are you sure? You're ready now? You want me to tell you or you'll hurt me? Well, alright then...
It boils down to three things:
1. I was cleaning my room this morning. It took longer than I thought to do less than I'd have hoped.
2. I was out with friends celebrating one of their birthdays. This had me out of the house for eight hours or so. We went to the cinema, we grabbed some dinner, and I went home afterwards. I didn't delay, but I was still out for eight hours, thanks to the buses.
3. I was tired.
Actually, number three should really read as such: I am tired. This is still a reality. But here's why I'm not making excuses despite what you just read or skimmed over:
I plan on writing tonight, until my eyes hate me for still being awake. They're getting there already, though, so I very much doubt I'll reach 2,000 words tonight. The only reason I'm writing this blog post first is because I suspect I'll be up past midnight writing, and I don't want to miss blogging every day this month.
Dilemma, though: I haven't done anything for FUFDay. Yet. It's a little too late to record and edit and publish a YouTube video, so that's out of the question, but I can do something, something I hinted explicitly at yesterday. I can announce a release date for the book.
Ordinarily, I would wait until the book is finished before doing that, but since I didn't do that with Balor Reborn either, I think I'm safe in doing it again. As it's Camp NaNoWriMo, and I'm enjoying it heartily, I imagine I'll actually be finished the book by Tuesday. Already having the cover done is a bonus, because it means I have less to do once the book is written. So... here we go... ready?
Really? Are you ready?
Because we can delay this as much as you need if you want some time. I know this is a Big Deal. Maybe more so for me, but still. This is big...ish.
Are you sure? You're ready now? You want me to tell you or you'll hurt me? Well, alright then...
The Hounds of Hell
Book Two in the Modern Irish Myth series
by Paul Carroll
Coming July 16th 2013
For realsies. It's happening. I have less than two weeks to finish writing the book, edit it, and make a trailer for it. I also plan on doing some promotional work when the book comes out, so I need to get that done. (Spoiler alert: it's some flash fiction stories.)
Okay, that's a thing done. Now to do some writing. For maybe fifteen minutes, because my eyes are furious I'm still awake and staring at a screen.
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Day 3: Brain Stew Has Been Served
Today's writing was hindered by my need for an income; I worked from nine in the morning until six in the evening. It wasn't actually that bad. A little bit boring. The only thing I disliked about it was having to get up early, and then having to walk home. By the time I was finished my dinner, most of the day was already over. That doesn't lend itself well to writing.
In fact, by the time I was half-way home, I had a headache. I blame the heat. That headache didn't go away fully, to which I can attribute some degree to exhaustion. Or something. Words are now refusing to work for me, after writing 2,200 of them for today's writing session. Brain Stew or not, I worked away on the book.
I focused entirely on one chapter, bringing me up to the 'half-way' point, in terms of chapters. Whether it's half-way through the word count, I won't actually know until I'm closer to the end of the book. That word count by the way... over 11,000.
Can I just say now, deciding to write 2,000 words per day was probably one of my better ideas. Just as it is with New Year's Resolutions, the specificity of writing goals is crucial to actually achieving them. Having an overall goal in mind is even greater, too. While I could have told myself to write 60,000 words in a month, that was giving me permission to relax on some days.
But here's the thing: relaxing doesn't usually bode well for me. Also, that implies the writing is work. Yes, it might take some effort to actually sit down at my desk for a few hours, concentrating on the story, but that doesn't mean it isn't fun. Writing has always been enjoyable for me. Taking a day off from it doesn't do me any good. It's like asking me to stop drinking tea. It's too much a part of my day, too important an aspect of my life, to simply give up.
Even with a melted brain and exhaustion setting in, I can't not write something.
There's also the case that I've been wanting to write a lot every day, for a long time. I'd wanted to do it in June, too, but I allowed myself to get lazy. That was the biggest problem I began to face in May, during the exam season, because I wouldn't let myself write without studying, and I was so sick of studying that I couldn't focus on it a lot of the time. The end result was that I did no work. By June, that had made me adverse to working. I eased myself back into it by writing on my blog every day, and writing poems every day, but this is the real test of my ability.
It comes down to one piece of advice I've heard over and over again: to become a truly great writer, you have to write every day. It's not enough to just read about writing. It's not enough to just think about it. You have to write every day, and you it's even better if you write a certain amount every day. Some write ten pages. Others just one. I'm aiming for 2,000 words per day as a minimum, and I hope that one of these days - maybe Friday - I can double it.
Writing every day despite Brain Stew is one of the most important things to take away from NaNoWriMo. Reaching towards a defined goal is up there, too. It's only day three of Camp NaNoWriMo, but I think I'm getting into the swing of things, now. Tomorrow, it's FUFDay. I'm not sure how that'll work in Camp-style, but we'll see. Maybe I'll do something ridiculous like announce the release date for this book and really pile the pressure on.
In fact, by the time I was half-way home, I had a headache. I blame the heat. That headache didn't go away fully, to which I can attribute some degree to exhaustion. Or something. Words are now refusing to work for me, after writing 2,200 of them for today's writing session. Brain Stew or not, I worked away on the book.
I focused entirely on one chapter, bringing me up to the 'half-way' point, in terms of chapters. Whether it's half-way through the word count, I won't actually know until I'm closer to the end of the book. That word count by the way... over 11,000.
Can I just say now, deciding to write 2,000 words per day was probably one of my better ideas. Just as it is with New Year's Resolutions, the specificity of writing goals is crucial to actually achieving them. Having an overall goal in mind is even greater, too. While I could have told myself to write 60,000 words in a month, that was giving me permission to relax on some days.
But here's the thing: relaxing doesn't usually bode well for me. Also, that implies the writing is work. Yes, it might take some effort to actually sit down at my desk for a few hours, concentrating on the story, but that doesn't mean it isn't fun. Writing has always been enjoyable for me. Taking a day off from it doesn't do me any good. It's like asking me to stop drinking tea. It's too much a part of my day, too important an aspect of my life, to simply give up.
Even with a melted brain and exhaustion setting in, I can't not write something.
There's also the case that I've been wanting to write a lot every day, for a long time. I'd wanted to do it in June, too, but I allowed myself to get lazy. That was the biggest problem I began to face in May, during the exam season, because I wouldn't let myself write without studying, and I was so sick of studying that I couldn't focus on it a lot of the time. The end result was that I did no work. By June, that had made me adverse to working. I eased myself back into it by writing on my blog every day, and writing poems every day, but this is the real test of my ability.
It comes down to one piece of advice I've heard over and over again: to become a truly great writer, you have to write every day. It's not enough to just read about writing. It's not enough to just think about it. You have to write every day, and you it's even better if you write a certain amount every day. Some write ten pages. Others just one. I'm aiming for 2,000 words per day as a minimum, and I hope that one of these days - maybe Friday - I can double it.
Writing every day despite Brain Stew is one of the most important things to take away from NaNoWriMo. Reaching towards a defined goal is up there, too. It's only day three of Camp NaNoWriMo, but I think I'm getting into the swing of things, now. Tomorrow, it's FUFDay. I'm not sure how that'll work in Camp-style, but we'll see. Maybe I'll do something ridiculous like announce the release date for this book and really pile the pressure on.
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