Yikes

Yes, it's been a while. I am excited to report that I will be picking up The Cabin again next week. I've gotten some feedback and have a lot on my mind regarding changes I want to make. So that is an exciting thing, eh?

The other thing I really ought to report is that I have received a verbal offer from the company I interviewed at, which I mentioned in my previous post. Hooray! The job is as a creative writer in the corporate office of a local company in Springville.

There's more. Yes, I know, I shouldn't overload my reader(s?) but a lot has happened. So last week we were watching some Olympics when someone from Freedom Academy called. They said that they had a spot open in Third Grade and that if we wanted Thomas in there, we had to call them back that night. We talked, talked and talked some more. Thomas wasn't too sure he wanted to go, but after some more talk and then some prayer and listening, he decided he was supposed to go. That was pretty great.

So he started going to the Freedom Academy Charter School last Thursday. He's adjusting well and is getting the hang of the whole school thing pretty well. We've all met his teacher and approve of her.

But we're still pretty high strung about it. Having done homeschool for these last few years, and having made probably the most formal plan so far for this school year, sending Thomas to school has been an adjustment for us too.

So that's my report. I'm trying to catch up on my sleep after getting so far behind by staying up and watching the Olympics till all hours. So now I'm going to bed.

Just kidding. Actually, Lily (my only daughter) is in the process of having a little girl princess birthday party. Today is her 4th, so it's quite the hullabaloo around here. Great word. Sincerely, that's a spectacular word.

Just stopping by

I've had to make some changes. The need for a steady income has grown rather a lot so I have been seriously after a full time job. I am doing the second interview at a company that I really like tomorrow, so hopefully it will all work out shortly.

As for writing, this is a writing job I am hoping to land. But also, I've been re-doing and reworking my synopsis and query letter for The Cabin. Some kindly friends who are authors have been very helpful with these things, so thank you Janette and David.

Anyway, I am nigh unto ready to send out my query to some agents. Some final changes will get me there. I am excited and nervous. So far the response from readers has been very positive. My sister, Emma, says she had cried twice by the time she was in Chapter 5, so that's good.

Anyhoo, I need to go to bed. I'll be back around. Sorry for the delay.

But can you believe the cheek? Yeah, sure those female Chinese gymnasts are 16. Oh for sure! I worked in Asia for over two years, nearly three, and I know a thirteen or fourteen year old when I see her. Pshaw.

carpe somnium

After the Weekend Break...

and I have a plan. Successful writers swear by the idea of letting the first draft 'cool down' for a little while. This is difficult for me, since I am so excited about finishing draft 1 of The Cabin and I just want to keep going.

But I will do it and I have faith that the book will be better for the cooling down process. I expect to pick it back up in September.

This leaves the question of what am I going to work on now? Well, the priority is to make some money and provide for my family, so I am dedicating a major chunk of my time to being the guinea pig for our new approach at ChartedCourse. This means that in a few minutes, I will start calling businesses and trying to set up appointments for presentations. I'll be doing this for about twenty to thirty hours this week. Woohoo!

As for writing, I am going to write ten articles for www.helium.com this week, as well as rate enough to get my rating status higher.

I am still waiting on the editors to get back to me about the new direction I want to take for The Mars Betrayal. The loooooooong lag is beginning to get to me; I really hope they haven't just decided to ignore me and see if I go away.

On another note, I just finished David McCullough's John Adams. It was marvelous. Here is the brief review I wrote on my list of finished books that I maintain:

A stunning, magnificently understated portrait of a man who did possibly more than any other single man to create our country and keep it going in times of strife, extreme partisanship and war. Bad-mouthed, singled-out for invective, underappreciated, John Adams was a true American, possibly the very first of his kind. I loved this book. I wept through much of it. I had no idea that my feelings for this country and what it can be and what those first Americans did for us ran so deeply. I'm seriously tearing up as I write this. I love John Adams now, and thus McCullough did what he needed to. Every American desirous of being a good citizen should read this book.

So there you go. Man I loved that book. My next book to read is a no-brainer fiction novel, but then I will read McCullough's book about Teddy Roosevelt. Then hopefully the copy of Truman that I requested from the library will be available.

I'm also supposed to read the Fablehaven books as well as The Known World. Furthermore, I really ought to read something of Brandon Sanderson's, another book by Shannon Hale (which I am told is better than Goose Girl, which was very good but lacking) but I can't remember the title of this book just now, and the list goes on.

As for my garden, it grows. Lots of squash, green beans, tomatoes and apricots. Gonna make some salsa this week.

Again, if any readers of this would like to read The Cabin, just let me know. I need readers... and I need validation. Please.

Gonna be a bestselling writer.

carpe somnium

Boogey down

because I just finished the first draft of The Cabin. Sure, it's not ready for publication, but I like the story! That's kind of a good sign (as my writing group knows).

It's about 63,000 words and the end went a little differently from what I had planned. But that's how these things go sometimes.

If any reader of this wants to read The Cabin for me, let me know. I need some good readers who will really weigh in with opinions and criticism (not only bad criticism though.. we writers are fragile).

I'm gonna go home now and smooch my wife (not that we only smooch to celebrate.... anyway) but I will probably be back later.

Check out Facebook and become a fan!

Raaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgggg!

You can't stop this! You just can't stop this!

I am so close to the end of this book I can taste it! In fact, I've written it! Now I have one or two chapters to write to get there. One with the brother. The other with the romantic interest.. maybe. I can probably combine them. I've got the characters' goals clear, the scene level objectives laid out and a story that's got me excited.

What more does a guy like me need?

Oh yeah, steady income. Sheesh.

Anyway, after that on-parade-rain, I better report on today's work. I started the day at 56,338 words. I now have 61,516. That's about 5200 words, give or take. Okay, take... but over 5000. And it felt great. I can't wait to have this draft done so I can read through the whole thing and have others read it.

Now if only I could feel the same excitement about The Mars Betrayal.

I have to get to bed. But I am finishing this tomorrow or Friday. Any readers of this who want to be a trusted reader of The Cabin, let me know. I have to warn you though, it's likely I'll have some kind of simple contract written up to make sure my story stays safe. It's not a trust issue; it's a business issue.

Anyhoo... check out Facebook, find my writer page and become a fan!

Gonna be a bestselling author.

CAARRRRPPPEEEE SSSSOMMMNIUMMMMM!

Veerry late on Tuesday night

and here I am. I just get this momentum and then my character, Josh Kerr, just takes me along for the ride. It's exciting, but my sleeping patterns are all wack.

I started the day at 51,324 words. I am ending my day at 56,338.

I know I said I saw 6-8000 words to go, like last week. But now I am seeing about that number still. So The Cabin will likely hit 65,000 words in its first draft form. That'll happen this week. Tomorrow I'm going to write like a madman.

I feel good about this story. It's one I am loving to tell and I believe others will love to read it.

And on the adding romance front, it's a go. It's difficult, but I think it's going well.

Remember to check me out on Facebook, find my Writer Page and become a fan, and also to check out my other blog. Oh, and definitely take a look at the family blog that Annemarie's working on.

carpe somnium

I'm going to be a bestselling writer.

Oh! I have to share! I entered a community boards contest on www.helium.com. I hadn't done that before, but thought it would be fun. The contest was to write something that made readers laugh out loud.

I won the contest! Here's a link to my humorous piece: http://www.helium.com/items/1122547-humorous-story-about-meditation

Hope you enjoy!

Report on Monday, August 4th.

Okay, so I outlined everything pretty much until the end of The Cabin. Feeling pretty good. I also wrote 1100 words, which isn't as many as I'd intended, but I crashed in my easy chair for a couple hours this evening after the children were in bed.

So now it's late and I really need to get to bed so that I can get up early-ish for a sales call in Salt Lake City. We're doing a presentation of the business benefits package that ChartedCourse offers as a supplement to traditional benefits.

It's my first major presentation to a big company, so it's pretty exciting.

For now, that's it.

Gonna be a bestselling writer. Oh yes.

Oh, btw, if you are on Facebook, search me out and be my friend. Then become a fan of my writer page. Please. I'm needy!

carpe somnium

Monday, very nearly a year after beginning this journey

and I am very close to finishing my third novel. I have every expectation of completing the first draft of The Cabin this week. I expect I have 6-8000 words to go. Again, excitement wars with fear. Fear of what?

I don't really know.

I'll be back to report on my day's work. Woohoo!

carpe somnium

Are you feeling hot, hot, hot?

Judging by thermometers in the area, the temperature in Provo, Utah hit at least 100 degrees Fahrenheit today.

Sheesh. Why oh why do I live in a desert?

Anyway, onto the writing thing. The Cabin is now at over 50,000 words. I've done 2378 words so far today and probably 2000 yesterday. Or so. I think there are likely about 8000 words left. Just a guess.

I have mixed feelings about finishing this book. The final scenes are pretty heavy- not necessarily in tone, but in what they need to accomplish. I need to show this guy's journey accurately, making where he ends up be worth a reader working his way through the book to get to it.

So I'm a little anxious. I almost don't want to finish it, but at the same time, I really do. I feel like I've got some great momentum going and I need to not waste it. I want this book to be good, and I'm willing to do what it takes.

As soon as I can get some feedback on the stuff I'm sending with my query for this book, I will get it sent out. I had wanted to have the queries out already, but there's no rushing excellence.

So that's it pretty much. If you haven't visited my other blog: http://gruntandsweat.blogspot.com you should do so. It's kind of fun and maybe more interesting than this one.

I'll be back.

carpe somnium