NaNoWriMo 2016

Yep. I've decided to carve out the time to do National Novel Writing Month this year. Am I nuts? Probably. But, I just can't let another month pass without going back to writing. Now this will be a balancing act. I have lots to do as a publisher including launching MYTHIC, my sci-fi/fantasy magazine.

This all is happening with a rather topsy-turvy context as far as my personal life is concerned, but well, who doesn't have to work in some pretty crazy circumstances sometimes. I can't make that an excuse to throw the towel in.

So, I'm back and I'm looking forward to starting and finishing a novel in 30 days in November. Good luck to one and all who are joining in this crazy writing challenge.

NaNoWriMo 2015: I Spoke Too Soon!

Hey fellow writers. I admit it. I spoke too soon. The fact is that I completed this year's NaNoWriMo. I'm a winner, finally!

I'm not done with my novel in progress, Stormborn's Fate, but I hit 50,000 words of a draft. So, I hit a milestone. Now, onward to the complete of this book.

Congrats to my fellow winners. Keep working if you're not done yet. If you didn't participate officially, you can always start a book tomorrow.

It's been fun.

NaNoWriMo 2015: A Good Try

Well, it's been a challenging November and I've had some setbacks along the way. I've been writing more consistently than I have a quite some time and that in itself is cause for celebration. Yet, it won't be enough for me to hit the finish line on this year's National Novel Writing Month. With four days left in the challenge, I would have to write so many words a day to finish that it's just not realistic for me. I've have trouble admitting that even as the daily counts have gone up through missed days. 

Instead of bemoaning the fact I won't finish this book by November 30, I have decided to focus on adding words at a reasonable pace for me until it's done and then continuing to build my daily writing habit by writing another book. I am practicing. This whole challenge has been about getting into the habit of practicing my writing craft and improving by just simply writing. 

Though I won't finish this year, I will have my best final total since I started participating in NaNoWriMo. That's an accomplishment  as far as I'm concerned. I know that I will have other opportunities to try again next November and in other challenges before that month. 

So to all of you who don't think  you're going to hit 50,000 words by the end of this month I say this: Don't worry about it. Did you have fun writing? Will you keep going even if it means writing into December so you do finish your books? If yes, then that's great. 

Just keep writing. I know I will.

NaNoWriMo 2015: Chipping Away At It

Just letting you know that I'm still writing. I haven't hit the daily numbers I would like with this but I'm still getting somewhere--albeit slowly. The goal is still to finish this year. That' s a milestone I'm not ready to give up on. It also means that I'll need to hit some really good numbers for the remainder of the month.

This is important work for me. It's a chance at resetting my writing as a part of the day. You know, making it a regular habit. Having it as a regular component of each day is an important step for me since I've been rather sporadic with my output over the last few years.

I hope everyone else has had an enjoyable NaNoWriMo and not gotten stressed out about it. Remember it's supposed to be a fun exercise as well as a challenge. Good luck to those still in this thing. See you at the finish line.

NaNoWriMo 2015: Still In This!

Yeah, so it's Day Eleven and I'm still aiming to win this thing but it doesn't come without a few wrong turns. I started the challenge writing one book and realizing it wasn't the book I wanted to write, so I stopped and started all over again. Needless to say, this put me behind a bit so I'm going to have to do extra work to cross the November 30th finish line.

All of this writing must be fit into days spent either carrying for my youngest son or in various tasks related to my publishing company. That's enough all on its own to keep me extra busy and give me excuses to not come to the writing during a given day.

I'm still making strides. I want this years' NaNoWriMo to make a transition point with my own fiction and represent how I plan to move forward with any future writing.

Writers are people who write. Like anything else, the more you write the better you get. The more practice you get the more proficient you get at something. I aim to make more time to practice but that means making those hard choices about time.

I'm sure I'm not the only writer that has to deal with these realities. Maybe some of you are doing the same thing during this monthly challenge. Hang in there and keep writing.

NaNoWriMo 2015 - I'm Jumping In!

I wasn't sure if I was going to get in the ring this year, but I am. I'm jumping in and writing into the dark. That's right. I have no clue what I'm writing at this point and I won't know where I'm going--just like a reader reading a book for the first time. I like the fun in that and the challenge too. So, basically, I'm I hope to get a few pages in before the end of the night on something brand new. I've not written much fiction lately. I've been too busy with other things. I do hope to change that and I'm using National Novel Writing Month to do it. 

50,000 words in 30 days. Pretty exciting. Good luck to all of this year's participants! I'm rooting to each and every one of you to cross the finish line. I hope you do the same for me.

I'll probably post updates as I move through November. If you're going along for the ride, feel free to drop by and leave a comment. Catch you later!

Writing In 2015: The Challenge Of The Series

I decided at the beginning of the month that I was going to participate in Camp NaNoWriMo. I'm still in it, but not sure if I'll hit my target count. One of the things I did from the outset was decide that I was going to work on my first sequel. The book is the second book in a series that I started in 2012 with a book called A Kingdom Of Shadows. I wrote it as the first book in a series on purpose, leaving some threads untied in the plots and allowing some characters to grow with the events of the story. 

But the story wasn't over yet. 

The Dawnbringer War as the series was called was just getting started. I needed to consider the sequel. I needed to serious think about the challenge of writing a series. But I let it go for a while. Nearly three years have passed. The story is still needs to be told. I do want to finish it. So I'm working on the sequel this month and will probably continue onwards into the following month. It's possible I could have the book completed around the time the first one was back in 2012. A Kingdom of Shadows had a September 11 release date.

This book I'm writing, The Isle of the Morning, will be followed up pretty directly by a third book. That's something I knew I wanted to do if I was going to start this book. I would work on the third one once the second was completed. Honestly, I have a sketch for the rest of the year that includes trying to finish up this series...unless The Dawnbringer War isn't a trilogy.

I've found that I've had to revisit the first book, reading over it, looking at the few notes I had, and basically try to reacquaint myself with the story I was created and the characters that experienced the opening movements of the epic I was was writing. This is a growing period and I'll probably get a little stressed as I try to work on all of this.

Other work, in other areas, must be balanced with what else I'm doing. The work I do as a publisher is challenging in its own way, but I'm excited by the work being done.

The Changing Moods of A Writer

Didn't you know? Us creative types are a wee bit unhinged sometimes. A give day can see a roller coaster like experience of moods before it comes to a crashing halt and they toddle off to bed. Up, down, so-so, truly maniacal, even zen-like sometimes. 

My current mood is reflected in the change of the site's appearance.  A splash of classic green, a bold use of fonts, and whamo--a totally different feel to it. Not sure how long I'll keep it this way, but for now it works. Well, it might need something else. Can't say for sure what it could be. I'll take suggestions from my readers. 

I also decided I needed a break from the consecutive "Writing In 2015" posts. I mean, there's more than this to this blog, I think. 

What I'm Reading

I've been reading more paper books lately. I went through this phase where I read a lot of ebooks and kind of got fatigued by the screen experience. There still is nothing like the weight, the feel, the smell, of paper books. As much as I like ebooks (and as much as my publishing company relies on ebooks) I still prefer paper. I'm not alone in that preference. Not much else to say about that, I guess. 

What am I ready, you dare ask?

Right now, three different paperbacks (two nonfiction books and a urban fantasy novel) sit next to me as I type this: 

1. The UFO Phenomenon by John Michael Greer

2. Discoverability by Kristine Katherine Rusch

3. Happy Hour In Hell by Tad Williams

I have others that I've started and set aside. Several really. I won't mention them here unless I add them to the aforementioned pile that I'm currently focusing on. Beyond paper, I've got several ebooks I'm in the process of reading. Probably a dozen or so. I just piece on them a little at a time, over a long time. Talk about a low attention span right? 

And The Writing?

Well. (Come closer, let me whisper it so everyone doesn't hear) I'm not writing fiction. Yeah, yeah, I know, I told you I was doing that Camp NaNoWriMo thingy. Well, I still am, technically. I haven't thrown in the grubby proverbial towel yet. It'll be a tighter deadline but I might just hit my 50K word target for July. 

I've been trying to come to grips with the story I chose to tell. It's a continuation of a series, so I've been reacquainting myself with the whole world and its cast. It's been percolating in my gray matter for a bit. I'll let you know whether I crash and burn or hit the bullseye on this one. 

Deep thought of the moment: What kind of writer am I really?

Writing In 2015: CAMP NANOWRIMO 2015!

Yeah, I decided to jump into Camp NaNoWriMo last minute. I've participated in the November challenge and have yet to complete a book in the allotted time. This is a spur of the moment decision so I have no clue how it will work out. With any luck, I'll write a book in July.

The secondary challenge will be doing this despite the fact that I'm getting ready to go on vacation next week. I'll probably lose that whole week to any consistent writing so I really have about three weeks do this in.

I welcome any well-wishers. Good luck to my fellow writers too.

Off The Rails

The novel's at a crawl right now. My concentration is shredded. Not a good place during the second half of NaNoWriMo 2014. Not at all. The book is very far behind where it should be at this point in the month. I've been here before when trying to do this. It's discouraging and frustrating.

I like this idea of writing a book in month. I keep coming back to it, giving myself the pep talk, and making announcements about participation in National Novel Writing Month and proceed to make the same mistakes as last year, and the year before that. I can say I got a little over half done last year. Even ended up with a finished book. That's something I guess.

I feel like I'm trapped in a ball of nervous energy that writhes inside and makes concentration pretty impossible. I procrastinate too. The only solace is knowing other writers have been where I'm at right now.

There are others things going on that I've not mentioned that might help explain why things are going poorly with my writing endeavors, but I don't mean them as excuses for not taking the time to write each day since November 1st. It was so manageable, wasn't it? I mean what's really so hard about six or seven pages? Double-spaced ones, no less? But that's all in the past. Things have gotten out of hand in this process.

I'm off the rails. Yep, this writer is off the rails and going through a gamut of feelings just to get to some sense of equilibrium so he can continue the storytelling. That's where it, ultimately, needs to lead. I need to get back to it, but this little rant is like letting off steam. Hopefully, it'll help me get back on track. (Yes, I noticed the train references. Nice right?)

Rough Start To NaNoWriMo 2014

So, the 10th day of NaNoWriMo is nearly over and I'm seriously behind. I've had a something of a rough start to this year's book writing but I'm not ready to give up quite yet. I have a chance to get back on target with word counts and hopefully cross the finish line on the 30th for the first time.

This is a big deal for me. The chance to finish book or at least 50,000 words of a  book in thirty days will be a great milestone. I currently have 5,260 words done so I have 44,740 words left to write. At this stage, that means I need to write 2,237 words at day, minimum, to cross the finish line. That's still doable. So let the challenge continue.

NaNoWriMo 2014

Yep, I'm putting my hat in the ring again and jumping into the the annual novel writing challenge next month. I've tried to do National Novel Writing Month more than once and have yet to finish it. Will this year be different? I like to think so. I would like to say that I wrote a book in a month. I'd also like to say I can do it more than once.

Productivity still matters to me though I can say very certainly that I've not had the most productive 2014. It's been kind of lousy, honestly. Still, I can finish the year on a stronger note. Part of that is just writing those 50,000 words in 30 days. That will make me feel a heck of a lot better.

Getting back on more solid footing as a creative writer does matter to me. I've done a lot to distract myself from that goal and I'm doing my best to stop procrastinating. (Yep, still dealing with that little beast.)

So yeah, I'm jumping in and joining thousands who participate. Let me know if you're one of them. Send me a comment. Say hello.

Story Challenge 2014: Update #2

The word is sluggish. I've not managed to establish momentum on this story challenge so completed stories are not coming all that quickly. Still, I have an update. I've not sent any stories out to markets yet and am thinking about waiting until they're all done before starting that phase. No hard fast rule though.

Last time I had two stories done. I'm only adding two more stories to the done list. Here's the rundown.

A WAGER IN CALDRED - 9,757 words
IN A GIANT'S EYE - 5,067 words
THERE BE MONSTERS - 7,094 words
TALE OF THE WATER THIEF - 4,572 words

So, I'm slowly plugging along. No white heat here, just slight progress. So, I have sixteen more stories to write. I'm going to take my time. I'll be back with further updates, of course. I'll be happy to finish the challenge.

Story Challenge 2014: Update #1

Hey folks. Well, I figured I'd just drop a few lines here to say I'm making progress on my 20-story challenge that I set up for the first part of 2014. One of the things I know I need to do is to follow through with these little challenges I set up for myself.  I mean, NaNoWriMo last year was great and everything but I still did not reach the finish line.

Short story challenges seem a more reasonable option of course but it is still all about following through. I'm happy to report that I have TWO stories done so far.

They are:

A WAGER IN CALDRED - 9,757 words
IN A GIANT'S EYE - 5,067 words

I am going to keep a tally of these completed works. All of the stories I'm doing for this challenge will be sent out to various short fiction markets to see if I can score a sale. That's what I'm after, really. I want to see my story in a pro magazine and reap the benefits from that kind of exposure. So here's to hoping one of my stories get snatched up.

Stay tuned for future updates. Later folks.

Update: Killer Of Dragons, Future Books, and Publishing Aims

Well, I wrote a few posts here about my involvement in NaNoWriMo and how I made good progress on a book but ended up not crossing that finish line again. I am here again to report that as of today I finished Killer Of Dragons. The book ended up as a novella, albeit a longer one. I'm happy with the ending and I am now looking at what to write next. The next phases are proofreading and editing. I have work piling up in that category and hope to get everything in line for a series of 2014 releases. My publishing company has sat idle this year and I am more than ready to end that trend for good.

Although I've started looking at possible plans for future writing, I don't know what book will come next. I have a few sequels in mind for books that I have out. This doesn't mean I'll start them right away only that I will have one or more of them done this year. Whatever plans I have must be fluid enough to work with my process as a storyteller.

I've put titles I have for books in a tentative writing/publishing list. That is a good first step for me, an outline for going forward. I've thought about doing it for the next couple of years or so just so I can have a bit of forward thinking without over-committing.

As far as completed projects are concerned, I have several waiting in the wings as well as some WIPs that I may or may not complete. All of these efforts are done in the name of organization. I'm pretty bad about organization. I want to get better but, well, you know, it takes time.

I'll be updating here with some of the projects developments and hopefully coming back with some other writings as well. I haven't done a "Dear Writer" column in a while.

Thanks for checking in folks.

NaNoWriMo 2013: Final Update

Despite my best efforts to cross that finish line, I did not complete 50K words on my novel Killer Of Dragons. My final word count was 32, 367 words. National Novel Writing Month is officially over. The next step for me is to continue working on this novel until it is complete.

I made some good strides this month even with life's familiar complications. I progressed farther on this book during November than any of the others. Though I have not done it yet, I believe that I will be able to write a novel in a month's time. There are tweaks to be made and flexibility is key to fitting in the right amount of writing into each day.

Writing every day is essential in this work. Each 1,667-word day matters. They add up and if you miss one they can quickly pile up to unrealistic levels. That is the main lesson for me this time. Do my very best to meet that minimal word count and I should have zero trouble getting to 50,000 words every month.

I am aware that not every novel fits neatly in to 50k. Some of them will be longer and that's fine. You just take the time necessary to get to the ending. Then the work of proofreading and checking the book takes over. That might spill over into the following month. That's also fine unless you're crazy enough to think you can write a novel every month. You might have to write more than seven pages a day.

Eight pages a day puts you a 2K words. That means you could do 60K in 30 days. Very nice.

Ten pages a day puts you at 2.5K words. That means you could do 75K in 30 days. Also nice.

If you want a fatter novel, say 90K, then you'd just have to write 3K words in 30 days. That's just twelve pages!

That's just a little math to put things into perspective.

I'm glad I participated in NaNoWriMo this year. I'll do it next year. With any luck, I will keep writing books in the meantime. Thanks for following along, folks. Later.

NaNoWriMo 2013 Update #4

Heading into the Thanksgiving festivities, Killer Of Dragons is at 25,018 words. At this point I have to accept that I won't finish by the deadline. I will keep writing but not try to kill myself trying to cram too many words in not enough days. It made my best effort this time, getting more words than in previous attempts. I'm proud of that accomplishment at least.

I will make one final update at the end of the challenge to let you know how I did. More than likely I'll be around 30 to 35K words but I will provide the final word count that I did during the month of November. I may have some thoughts or might reflect on the process of National Novel Writing Month, but it mostly comes down to scheduling and staying on target with the word counts each and every day.

Even if I am not finishing by the 30th of November I do intend to finish this book as soon as I can. Then I will consider the next book or whether I'll break with some short stories.

NaNoWriMo 2013 Update #3

Hit some roadblocks to writing lately. I've lost days with other business and in taking care of my son. Even the best plans are subject to the demands of reality. I only have about 10 days left in this month and that means 10 days to reach 50,000 words on this novel. The task has grown more difficult because the number of words I need a day keeps growing and the time I have available has been shrinking.

Does this mean I'm giving up again? No. Not yet. I don't like the idea of failing to finish NaNoWriMo another year. If I can reclaim time and if I can work around my other obligations more effectively then yes, it can work out and I can cross the finish line.

Right now Killer Of Dragons is at 13,663 words. Yeah, I know, I have to go a long ways to recover from this. Wish me luck.

NaNoWriMo 2013 Update #2

Well, I'm still writing the novel. Currently, Killer Of Dragons is at 10, 268 words. Given it is the 15th of November, I'm behind by about 15,000 words. It is the halfway point in this challenge and I still believe I will get to the end of the month with 50,000 words written on this book.

I've had gaps in writing this month which has upped the number of words I need to get written each day in order to cross that finish line. At this point, I have to write at least 2,500 words to have a shot at hitting this milestone. A few really good writing days where I could get over 2,500 maybe even double that would help give me more room to work out this book and have it completed ahead of the deadline.

Still, I am happy to be in this race. I've had enough of failure and am committed to seeing this through. I'm trying to see NaNoWriMo as a fun experience and one that can help liberate me. As  a writer I have goals. One of those is to be fast and free with my writing so I can write stories faster and in the white hot heat of the creative flow. And I want to be able to do it repeatedly.

I am trying to regain my footing so I can write every day though life does intrude with other important matters I know that I will make my way back to it. I hope everyone else participating in National Novel Writing Month this year is having fun creating stories and that you all consider publishing your works afterwards. Some of the best stories are written fast and furious.

See you at the finish line.

NaNoWriMo 2013 Update #1

I'm still in the game this time. I've got 4,430 words written on my new novel Killer Of Dragons so far. I need to up the count to get back on track so I can finish 50,000 words by the end of the month. I'm really determined now to finish NaNoWriMo this year. This will be a great milestone for me. Even if the book goes beyond 50K in length, I win if I hit that number by the 30th.

As a writer, one of the terms I've been looking at again lately is prolific. Often, the word is something of a misnomer. Those who think you're a prolific writer consider it in terms of writing very fast and churning out the words at a breakneck pace. I've come to believe that the truly prolific writers are those that just get back to the chair often enough throughout a give day and do so consistently. 

With a full plate of duties, even that can seem like a tall order. But it comes down to knowing a little personal math when it comes to your own writing style. I've been working up to a better word count by it requires being creative and looking for opportunities and taking them with out hesitation. New words written down are the reward.

I come back to this idea of math because if you can figure out how long it takes to write 250 words (the approximate number of words on standard manuscript page) then you can make estimates on how long it will take you to write a full length novel. Seeing as NaNoWriMo defines the length of a  novel as 50,000 words, you can divide that total by 250 to get 200 double-spaced pages. If you can then determine the length of time it takes to write a page you can do some estimates.

For instance, if I can get a page written in 15 minutes that means I can, in theory, write 4 pages in an hour. That's just 1,000 words. The writing challenges sets a 1,667 words a day go in order to reach 50K by November 30th. That means you should write about 7 pages a day to get across the finish line. 

7 pages a day. That's it. Double-spaced pages, no less. It's doable even if you're as busy as I am. Of course, since it is November 6th now,  should probably up it to 1,800 words or even 2,000 just to give myself some leeway in case I miss a day or something else comes up. 

This is a challenge I mean to win and am determined also to do it again. It would be great to write a novel a month. That's a dream and a desire to think about going forward. Thanks for reading along folks. Happy writing.