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!
Showing posts with label The Mars Betrayal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Mars Betrayal. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Friday, July 18, 2008
First writing group meeting last night...
and it was neat-o. Nobody tried to force romance into anybody else's book, everybody gave advice to Mike about fatherhood, the salsa was excellent, as was all the rest of the food, and I think we all gained from the meeting.
I personally benefitted on a global level for The Cabin. Good thoughts about tone, tightness and characterization came my way. We had Liz, Kristi, Mike, Melinda, Kaye and me in attendance. Hopefully more will show up next time. We've decided on the 16th of August at 10 AM for our next meeting. I have promised to bring some zuchinni (spelling?) and some of my garden blender salsa.
So today while Annemarie, Emma (my lovely sister who is visiting) Benjamin (my newly minted lad) and I were out to lunch and such, the main kickstand on my scooter broke. That will complicate the parking of the wicked little beasty some, so that's nice. :-$ (This is me gritting my teeth...)
On the writing front, I will be condensing the first three chapters of The Cabin into two in order to tighten it up some and get the first few scenes more powerful. I plan to have queries out by the end of the month. Also, I haven't yet heard back from the editorial team at the company that bought The Mars Betrayal, so I will continue to focus my fiction efforts on The Cabin.
The people in my writing group are very impressive writers. I am in august company.
I need to get some work done now, so I will sign off.
By the way, tonight I and my sister will be going to see The Dark Knight. That should be fun.
I personally benefitted on a global level for The Cabin. Good thoughts about tone, tightness and characterization came my way. We had Liz, Kristi, Mike, Melinda, Kaye and me in attendance. Hopefully more will show up next time. We've decided on the 16th of August at 10 AM for our next meeting. I have promised to bring some zuchinni (spelling?) and some of my garden blender salsa.
So today while Annemarie, Emma (my lovely sister who is visiting) Benjamin (my newly minted lad) and I were out to lunch and such, the main kickstand on my scooter broke. That will complicate the parking of the wicked little beasty some, so that's nice. :-$ (This is me gritting my teeth...)
On the writing front, I will be condensing the first three chapters of The Cabin into two in order to tighten it up some and get the first few scenes more powerful. I plan to have queries out by the end of the month. Also, I haven't yet heard back from the editorial team at the company that bought The Mars Betrayal, so I will continue to focus my fiction efforts on The Cabin.
The people in my writing group are very impressive writers. I am in august company.
I need to get some work done now, so I will sign off.
By the way, tonight I and my sister will be going to see The Dark Knight. That should be fun.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Oh the power of typos
Okay, so I just clicked on the link I posted to my other blog. The site is called 'To Grunt and Sweat,' and I posted the link in the list on the right. However, I typed: gruntandsweat.blogpsot.com
Do you see the typo? Apparently the URL above takes a person to a rather uptight Bible-ist (since it is clear this person's true religion is the Bible) and his website. It is full of fire, brimstone and self-righteous vindictiveness.
So if you clicked on the link to check out my new blog, I beg your forgiveness. I have fixed the problem and it now works as flawlessly as I eat ice cream.
Moving on.
I am still waiting to hear back from the editorial team about The Mars Betrayal. I won't say I'm confident. I keep imagining all kinds of creative ways for them to crush my spirit again, such as simply sending a letter saying, "Well, you suck. We need that advance money back and we would rather you never contacted our company again. Incidentally, you should quit your day job, since you probably suck at that as well."
Or something along those lines. I hope it doesn't happen. I feel like I wrote a better story this time, so we will see.
Of late I have been working on polishing a synopsis of The Cabin so that I can send it out to agents and get the publication process going. I really like this book. This is a nice thing, since I'm darn near puking each time I go to work on The Mars Betrayal.
Please erase that tragic, pitiable image from your minds. Now click on the link to my new blog, titled To Grunt and Sweat and have a great experience. Bonus points if you know where I got that blog's title from.
Oh yeah. I've decided to give my writing my best time. I will be doing it first thing when I begin my work day. I should be able to give it from 1 to 2 hours each morning. Maybe more.
I must to work. But first, a freewrite. Today's topic: paper mache. (Or some other correct spelling.)
Paper mache, papier mache? is one of the greatest art forms on the planet. I mean think about it, you are using so many different materials in this work. You use wood pulp from trees which has been pressed into floppy sheets. Not only that, there is ink on those sheets of paper, particularly if you are using newspaper. What's more, you are using a symbol of what made western civilization so vibrant: the printing press.
You also use glue that has been made from some kind of grain, more than likely, and water, which we cannot live without. If you are making some kind of round shape, you are likely using a balloon, which is rubber, which is a synthetic these days and a fitting sign of the lasting damage mankind's carelessness is doing to our lovely Earth.
Finally, you use your hands and you can smell the glue and even taste it if you want. Hearing the sploshing, sticky noise of the paper in the glue basically means that you are having a fully sense-engaging experience.
Okay, that took three minutes, but there you go.
Do you see the typo? Apparently the URL above takes a person to a rather uptight Bible-ist (since it is clear this person's true religion is the Bible) and his website. It is full of fire, brimstone and self-righteous vindictiveness.
So if you clicked on the link to check out my new blog, I beg your forgiveness. I have fixed the problem and it now works as flawlessly as I eat ice cream.
Moving on.
I am still waiting to hear back from the editorial team about The Mars Betrayal. I won't say I'm confident. I keep imagining all kinds of creative ways for them to crush my spirit again, such as simply sending a letter saying, "Well, you suck. We need that advance money back and we would rather you never contacted our company again. Incidentally, you should quit your day job, since you probably suck at that as well."
Or something along those lines. I hope it doesn't happen. I feel like I wrote a better story this time, so we will see.
Of late I have been working on polishing a synopsis of The Cabin so that I can send it out to agents and get the publication process going. I really like this book. This is a nice thing, since I'm darn near puking each time I go to work on The Mars Betrayal.
Please erase that tragic, pitiable image from your minds. Now click on the link to my new blog, titled To Grunt and Sweat and have a great experience. Bonus points if you know where I got that blog's title from.
Oh yeah. I've decided to give my writing my best time. I will be doing it first thing when I begin my work day. I should be able to give it from 1 to 2 hours each morning. Maybe more.
I must to work. But first, a freewrite. Today's topic: paper mache. (Or some other correct spelling.)
Paper mache, papier mache? is one of the greatest art forms on the planet. I mean think about it, you are using so many different materials in this work. You use wood pulp from trees which has been pressed into floppy sheets. Not only that, there is ink on those sheets of paper, particularly if you are using newspaper. What's more, you are using a symbol of what made western civilization so vibrant: the printing press.
You also use glue that has been made from some kind of grain, more than likely, and water, which we cannot live without. If you are making some kind of round shape, you are likely using a balloon, which is rubber, which is a synthetic these days and a fitting sign of the lasting damage mankind's carelessness is doing to our lovely Earth.
Finally, you use your hands and you can smell the glue and even taste it if you want. Hearing the sploshing, sticky noise of the paper in the glue basically means that you are having a fully sense-engaging experience.
Okay, that took three minutes, but there you go.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Monday night, all's well.. but...
Today was only semi-productive. I was tired from yet another completely unrestful weekend. Seriously, what am I thinking? Here's a rundown of my Saturday, so that you can admire my ambition.
Or just wonder what the heck is wrong with me. (for all three of you (okay, maybe four) who are reading this)
On Saturday, I woke up just before 7 AM. I then leapt onto my perfectly manly scooter (not all men need to have big Dodge trucks, although most of us crave one) and zipped up to the Y Mountain trailhead. I had invited the Elders Quorum along on my weekly hikes and had high hopes that a few faithful early risers would show up.
The Coles came. That was nice.
So we hiked and talked and stuff and they barely broke a sweat and I seriously don't think either of them even breathed hard. Meanwhile I had to stop regularly and try not to embarrass myself by sucking in breath too loudly.
Got back in time for a great breakfast (thanks Annemarie!) and some giggles with the kids and then I headed to the chapel to clean it. There was a good crew there so that I was able to really finally clean the bathrooms the way they needed to be done.
Got home and edged, weed-whacked and mowed. Then weeded, did a bit of second-stage veggie planting, weeded some more and then made a shopping list. I cook dinner on weekends and I needed some fresh veggies as sidedishes for what I was making. And I needed french bread and hadn't thought to soak some dough the night before.
So I went shopping, picked up groceries and some small trelllises (trelli? trellum? trella?) for our morning glories. Then I got back and stowed the groceries, reinforced the trellises... whatever.. and got them in the unbelievably rocky ground.
Washed up and then made dinner. Helped with kids getting clean and into bed, hand-watered a bit and then we labored through part of Lawrence of Arabia and then crashed.
That was Saturday. I'll stop there. Why did I write that here? I don't know. But I really enjoy my Saturdays, particularly since I can spend so much of my day outside and in dirt, working with my hands.
Anyway, I wrote an article for www.helium.com, a neat website that I've talked about a lot on this blog. I have nearly 900 articles there. Check out: www.helium.com/users/45690 to see them.
I also did some work for ChartedCourse, made a presentation and then fiddled around way too much.
My editor-folks got back to me, but not with comments yet. He said thanks for the installment and asked for a synopsis of the new version of The Mars Betrayal. I should have sent that today, but I will do it tomorrow. I will also get it to over 8000 words tomorrow.
So if you are reading this, and are in my writing group, please e-mail me later tomorrow asking if I hit my goal. Accountability rocks.
You can really tell I am a product of the eighties and nineties sometimes, can't you. Rad huh?
I will write a bestseller. I will be a bestselling author.
carpe somnium
Or just wonder what the heck is wrong with me. (for all three of you (okay, maybe four) who are reading this)
On Saturday, I woke up just before 7 AM. I then leapt onto my perfectly manly scooter (not all men need to have big Dodge trucks, although most of us crave one) and zipped up to the Y Mountain trailhead. I had invited the Elders Quorum along on my weekly hikes and had high hopes that a few faithful early risers would show up.
The Coles came. That was nice.
So we hiked and talked and stuff and they barely broke a sweat and I seriously don't think either of them even breathed hard. Meanwhile I had to stop regularly and try not to embarrass myself by sucking in breath too loudly.
Got back in time for a great breakfast (thanks Annemarie!) and some giggles with the kids and then I headed to the chapel to clean it. There was a good crew there so that I was able to really finally clean the bathrooms the way they needed to be done.
Got home and edged, weed-whacked and mowed. Then weeded, did a bit of second-stage veggie planting, weeded some more and then made a shopping list. I cook dinner on weekends and I needed some fresh veggies as sidedishes for what I was making. And I needed french bread and hadn't thought to soak some dough the night before.
So I went shopping, picked up groceries and some small trelllises (trelli? trellum? trella?) for our morning glories. Then I got back and stowed the groceries, reinforced the trellises... whatever.. and got them in the unbelievably rocky ground.
Washed up and then made dinner. Helped with kids getting clean and into bed, hand-watered a bit and then we labored through part of Lawrence of Arabia and then crashed.
That was Saturday. I'll stop there. Why did I write that here? I don't know. But I really enjoy my Saturdays, particularly since I can spend so much of my day outside and in dirt, working with my hands.
Anyway, I wrote an article for www.helium.com, a neat website that I've talked about a lot on this blog. I have nearly 900 articles there. Check out: www.helium.com/users/45690 to see them.
I also did some work for ChartedCourse, made a presentation and then fiddled around way too much.
My editor-folks got back to me, but not with comments yet. He said thanks for the installment and asked for a synopsis of the new version of The Mars Betrayal. I should have sent that today, but I will do it tomorrow. I will also get it to over 8000 words tomorrow.
So if you are reading this, and are in my writing group, please e-mail me later tomorrow asking if I hit my goal. Accountability rocks.
You can really tell I am a product of the eighties and nineties sometimes, can't you. Rad huh?
I will write a bestseller. I will be a bestselling author.
carpe somnium
Friday, June 27, 2008
Friday night lights?
Maybe not so much.
Actually I have only see the movie with this moniker, not the TV show. I like the movie somewhat. But truth be told, I number among the hordes who wonder why Friday Night Lights doesn't come on on Friday. Of course, maybe their network caught that error and has rectified the glaring problem.
Shows how in touch I am.
I have just sent off the two first chapters of The Mars Betrayal to my editors and am filled with self-doubt. If they hate it again, I am not sure what I will do next. So here's to hoping that they don't think it's crap and excoriate it again.
I think it's good. <-- (this said in a small voice)
Before I get back to writing, I am going to do a writing exercise: I will freewrite for two minutes on a random topic. Today's random topic is: Cannibals.
I begin now.
Cannibals really may have had it right. Think about it. They left no waste of their kills and they left no man behind. It's like a combination of Marines and Nader-ites, a totally unheard of combination to date, so it really makes sense.
What if I wrote a story about a cannibal boy who somehow got separated from his family just before the big tribal feast and then was transported to a modern society such as in LA. He could meet a girl and fall for her, but be so hungry that he kills and eats her parents. All the while she is a vegetarian.
But what would be his motivation and chapter and scene-level goals?
Maybe he's just hungry.
Okay, now I'm done. Hehe. Pure silliness.
So I shall now get back to work on The Mars Betrayal, but will soon be interrupted by a fellow named Luis. This is not precognition; Luis has an appointment for a company overview, and I have to do that overview.
Any readers who are reading this (I can't seem to figure out how to get rid of the redundancy in that phrase), por favor spread the word of my little blog. I know I had originally planned on just doing this for a year, but the writing thing is picking up and I am sticking with it for good. Now I just need people to read this, comment on it and give me validation.
Writers are needy. If you didn't know this already, file that eternal truth away somewhere safe. Maybe in your fire safe. Or your icebox.
Gotta run. I'll be back later. Oh, I want to hit 7000 words on The Mars Betrayal today.
carpe somnium
Actually I have only see the movie with this moniker, not the TV show. I like the movie somewhat. But truth be told, I number among the hordes who wonder why Friday Night Lights doesn't come on on Friday. Of course, maybe their network caught that error and has rectified the glaring problem.
Shows how in touch I am.
I have just sent off the two first chapters of The Mars Betrayal to my editors and am filled with self-doubt. If they hate it again, I am not sure what I will do next. So here's to hoping that they don't think it's crap and excoriate it again.
I think it's good. <-- (this said in a small voice)
Before I get back to writing, I am going to do a writing exercise: I will freewrite for two minutes on a random topic. Today's random topic is: Cannibals.
I begin now.
Cannibals really may have had it right. Think about it. They left no waste of their kills and they left no man behind. It's like a combination of Marines and Nader-ites, a totally unheard of combination to date, so it really makes sense.
What if I wrote a story about a cannibal boy who somehow got separated from his family just before the big tribal feast and then was transported to a modern society such as in LA. He could meet a girl and fall for her, but be so hungry that he kills and eats her parents. All the while she is a vegetarian.
But what would be his motivation and chapter and scene-level goals?
Maybe he's just hungry.
Okay, now I'm done. Hehe. Pure silliness.
So I shall now get back to work on The Mars Betrayal, but will soon be interrupted by a fellow named Luis. This is not precognition; Luis has an appointment for a company overview, and I have to do that overview.
Any readers who are reading this (I can't seem to figure out how to get rid of the redundancy in that phrase), por favor spread the word of my little blog. I know I had originally planned on just doing this for a year, but the writing thing is picking up and I am sticking with it for good. Now I just need people to read this, comment on it and give me validation.
Writers are needy. If you didn't know this already, file that eternal truth away somewhere safe. Maybe in your fire safe. Or your icebox.
Gotta run. I'll be back later. Oh, I want to hit 7000 words on The Mars Betrayal today.
carpe somnium
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
My bed calleth
but I pay it no heed.
I haven't had a chance to work on any fiction writing today, what with preparing to pick up the sales reins at ChartedCourse for a few days. Ronnie's headed out of town for a few days, so I have to keep our momentum building. More to worry about.
Anyway, I did do writing for ChartedCourse today. Actually quite a lot. It's just not fiction writing.
I also finally finished 1776 by David McCullough. A remarkable, moving read. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading, history, or simply wants to be entertained. It is a singular reading experience.
I'll add it to my list of recommended books on this site.
But now I'm paying heed to the call of the bed, so off I go.
I haven't had a chance to work on any fiction writing today, what with preparing to pick up the sales reins at ChartedCourse for a few days. Ronnie's headed out of town for a few days, so I have to keep our momentum building. More to worry about.
Anyway, I did do writing for ChartedCourse today. Actually quite a lot. It's just not fiction writing.
I also finally finished 1776 by David McCullough. A remarkable, moving read. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading, history, or simply wants to be entertained. It is a singular reading experience.
I'll add it to my list of recommended books on this site.
But now I'm paying heed to the call of the bed, so off I go.
Holy smoke...
I'm 3 for 3.
Okay, so if you've read many of my earlier posts, you will know that I have been writing for a company called ChartedCourse part time to keep some bills at bay. Of late I have been working primarily in my office at their corporate offices, actually doing my fiction writing there as well.
Anyway, I am the National Sales Director's Assistant, in that he and I hit around ideas regarding training and sales development. We're also good friends. I am also now functioning as a sales team leader and am actively recruiting sales people who want to make some good $$ while helping people get their finances figured out.
So today I led the corporate overviews for three prospective recruits to the sales team. All three committed to a second interview. Not bad eh? The reason this is so good is that as I get this team going I can actually get a commission percentage increase, which will be a healthy thing for my bank accounts.
This is supposed to be a writing blog, though, so enough of that. Should I sell my soul a little?
Nah.
The Mars Betrayal is at 6042 words. I will do a tiny bit now, then some more later. I need to run an errand or two, stop at home, then come back to the office tonight at 6PM for another overview. Of course, this one is with a guy who has scheduled twice before, so I'm winding up for his last strike basically.
If you haven't read How to Win Friends and Influence People, I recommend it.
I am still planning on sending two chapters of The Mars Betrayal to my editor on Friday. The thing is that I would like to have the whole new version done. This may be because I am a masochist and want to have my editor come back again saying it sucks so that I have to do it all over again.
Maybe I ought to work on those first two chapters a little more before sending them... but then my internal editor is being allowed to run amok before the story is done.
What to do?
No clue. I'll think of something.
I've added links to some blogs of new friends. Check them out.
carpe somnium
Okay, so if you've read many of my earlier posts, you will know that I have been writing for a company called ChartedCourse part time to keep some bills at bay. Of late I have been working primarily in my office at their corporate offices, actually doing my fiction writing there as well.
Anyway, I am the National Sales Director's Assistant, in that he and I hit around ideas regarding training and sales development. We're also good friends. I am also now functioning as a sales team leader and am actively recruiting sales people who want to make some good $$ while helping people get their finances figured out.
So today I led the corporate overviews for three prospective recruits to the sales team. All three committed to a second interview. Not bad eh? The reason this is so good is that as I get this team going I can actually get a commission percentage increase, which will be a healthy thing for my bank accounts.
This is supposed to be a writing blog, though, so enough of that. Should I sell my soul a little?
Nah.
The Mars Betrayal is at 6042 words. I will do a tiny bit now, then some more later. I need to run an errand or two, stop at home, then come back to the office tonight at 6PM for another overview. Of course, this one is with a guy who has scheduled twice before, so I'm winding up for his last strike basically.
If you haven't read How to Win Friends and Influence People, I recommend it.
I am still planning on sending two chapters of The Mars Betrayal to my editor on Friday. The thing is that I would like to have the whole new version done. This may be because I am a masochist and want to have my editor come back again saying it sucks so that I have to do it all over again.
Maybe I ought to work on those first two chapters a little more before sending them... but then my internal editor is being allowed to run amok before the story is done.
What to do?
No clue. I'll think of something.
I've added links to some blogs of new friends. Check them out.
carpe somnium
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Happy Tuesday to you...
I am in the middle of ChartedCourse work, but I wanted to repent of last night's mistakes. I actually fell asleep in my easy chair pretty much right as the kids were going to bed, so I didn't do any more writing last night.
However, I hit the 6000 goal yesterday during that first session, so no worries!
I will be working on The Mars Betrayal today as well, from about 3:30 to about 5:30. I might not write later, as I am hoping to take a lengthy walk so I can sleep better tonight. I've been having trouble sleeping the last few nights.
It may be because of snoring or squirming baby, but it may also be because I need to be good and tired. I am trying to regularize my sleeping habits finally, since I am supposed to be a grown up now.
Discipline. As a young, naive (evian backwards) writer, I had not imagined that to be successful as a writer I would need to have discipline.
This morning I took my older boys up the Y hike. If you don't know what that is, too bad.
Only joking.
BYU has this massive white Y painted on one of the mountains surrounding Utah Valley. There is a well-kept, rather steep trail that leads to the Y, and the trailhead is about a 5 minute drive from the house. I had done the hike for the first time on Saturday, and had actually hiked from the house, so it was kind of long.
This morning I drove Thomas, Hintze and myself to the parking lot at the trailhead, then we headed up. It's good exercise and the boys really enjoyed it.
I have to get back to it now, so I'm off.
(Soul selling attempt #2):
Britney Spears, Scarlett Johansson, Britney Spears, Scarlett Johansson, Britney Spears, Scarlett Johansson, Britney Spears, Scarlett Johansson, Britney Spears, Scarlett Johansson, Britney Spears, Scarlett Johansson, Britney Spears, Scarlett Johansson, Britney Spears, Scarlett Johansson, Britney Spears, Scarlett Johansson, Britney Spears, Scarlett Johansson
Hehe.
carpe somnium
However, I hit the 6000 goal yesterday during that first session, so no worries!
I will be working on The Mars Betrayal today as well, from about 3:30 to about 5:30. I might not write later, as I am hoping to take a lengthy walk so I can sleep better tonight. I've been having trouble sleeping the last few nights.
It may be because of snoring or squirming baby, but it may also be because I need to be good and tired. I am trying to regularize my sleeping habits finally, since I am supposed to be a grown up now.
Discipline. As a young, naive (evian backwards) writer, I had not imagined that to be successful as a writer I would need to have discipline.
This morning I took my older boys up the Y hike. If you don't know what that is, too bad.
Only joking.
BYU has this massive white Y painted on one of the mountains surrounding Utah Valley. There is a well-kept, rather steep trail that leads to the Y, and the trailhead is about a 5 minute drive from the house. I had done the hike for the first time on Saturday, and had actually hiked from the house, so it was kind of long.
This morning I drove Thomas, Hintze and myself to the parking lot at the trailhead, then we headed up. It's good exercise and the boys really enjoyed it.
I have to get back to it now, so I'm off.
(Soul selling attempt #2):
Britney Spears, Scarlett Johansson, Britney Spears, Scarlett Johansson, Britney Spears, Scarlett Johansson, Britney Spears, Scarlett Johansson, Britney Spears, Scarlett Johansson, Britney Spears, Scarlett Johansson, Britney Spears, Scarlett Johansson, Britney Spears, Scarlett Johansson, Britney Spears, Scarlett Johansson, Britney Spears, Scarlett Johansson
Hehe.
carpe somnium
Monday, June 23, 2008
Just stopping by on my way...
... to Mars. I currently have 4212 words in The Mars Betrayal and will shoot for 5500 before I finish this session in about an hour and a half. My goal for the day is to get to 6000.
I am going to write without my internal editor shouting at me but will try to simply tell the story.
Incidentally, Annemarie read Janette Rallison's book: Fame, Glory and Other Things on My To-Do List. She liked it, so I have added it to my reading list, although I need to finish 1776 and a C.S. Lewis book first. 1776 is a great book.
I have to go, but I will report back later on whether I hit my goals. I plan to send in a chapter or two to my editor at the end of this week.
That's all for now.
carpe somnium
I am going to write without my internal editor shouting at me but will try to simply tell the story.
Incidentally, Annemarie read Janette Rallison's book: Fame, Glory and Other Things on My To-Do List. She liked it, so I have added it to my reading list, although I need to finish 1776 and a C.S. Lewis book first. 1776 is a great book.
I have to go, but I will report back later on whether I hit my goals. I plan to send in a chapter or two to my editor at the end of this week.
That's all for now.
carpe somnium
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
It's past my bedtime, so off I go
I really need to be in bed now, as part of my new campaign to sleep like an adult. So what I did today was this:
I wrote a final article for my client's job and sent it off.
I did a pile of research and note-taking for the ChartedCourse May newsletter. By the way, Blake tells me that he'll have some material for me to start working on for the sales rep manual soon. Cool: more work!
And I wrote just under 1700 words for The Cabin. I know, I was supposed to do 2000, but other stuff kind of piled up. I ended up running some errands and getting 64 boxes of cereal for our food storage! That's right, 64. They were a dollar a box at Smith's, and we had been waiting for this sale, as it is an annual thing. So now our food storage is looking better.
Anyway, I was actually close to not doing any writing for The Cabin today, but I fought back the temptation to watch TV and be a fat vegetable who fears finishing a novel that could really be something.
When I sign off here, I'll run and write an article for www.helium.com and then rate a little. But then I need to get to bed! I am nearly certain that as I regularize my sleeping, the incessant ringing in my ears will reduce.
So off I go.
I am going to write a bestseller and I think I may just be doing that right now.
carpe somnium
Nothing inspiring to write today. Just a day that brought me closer to my success.
I wrote a final article for my client's job and sent it off.
I did a pile of research and note-taking for the ChartedCourse May newsletter. By the way, Blake tells me that he'll have some material for me to start working on for the sales rep manual soon. Cool: more work!
And I wrote just under 1700 words for The Cabin. I know, I was supposed to do 2000, but other stuff kind of piled up. I ended up running some errands and getting 64 boxes of cereal for our food storage! That's right, 64. They were a dollar a box at Smith's, and we had been waiting for this sale, as it is an annual thing. So now our food storage is looking better.
Anyway, I was actually close to not doing any writing for The Cabin today, but I fought back the temptation to watch TV and be a fat vegetable who fears finishing a novel that could really be something.
When I sign off here, I'll run and write an article for www.helium.com and then rate a little. But then I need to get to bed! I am nearly certain that as I regularize my sleeping, the incessant ringing in my ears will reduce.
So off I go.
I am going to write a bestseller and I think I may just be doing that right now.
carpe somnium
Nothing inspiring to write today. Just a day that brought me closer to my success.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Reporting on my Monday
I'm back. Yes, I was gone for a few hours, but don't worry. Breathe easy.
So it's late on this Monday night, but I had a goal to reach and I actually did it. Here's how the day went.
Taxes
I got them done in a few hours. There was a lot of data and worksheets and forms and deductions to get through, but I found that TurboTax really is all that it is touted to be. Good news came of it. As I said, I had expected to owe money, mainly due to the large chunk of cash we took out of our refinance.
We are owed a good refund! I was wrong! I love being wrong sometimes, but don't quote me on that.
Anyway, so no worries there. I e-filed and we are all set for the year.
Helium.com
I wrote two articles for www.helium.com today, as I said I would do. They took a little longer than I had wanted: about 45 minutes each, but that was really okay. Here are links to both of them:
http://www.helium.com/items/963713-hollywood-others-hollywood-simply
http://www.helium.com/items/963553-heard-ubiquitous-clubs-found
The first one is a rewrite of an article that they deleted because it was lame and way too short. The second is an article for a contest I am trying to win in, but one of my articles is doing shockingly bad! Sheesh.
Anway, as always, you can see all of my articles if you go to:
http://www.helium.com/users/45690
I rated for probably a total of thirty to forty-five minutes. I also spent a few minutes on the community boards, trying to regain my presence there after a few months' absence.
The Cabin
So I then had my goal for The Cabin. But it was already late. So we got the kids to bed, then I watched the Jazz cream the Wizards on TV. That was fun. I watched Perry Mason, then got to work.
I did 2500 words tonight. It felt good. I really have a strong image of this story. I feel invested in it.
But the lack of investment I feel in The Mars Betrayal seems to be showing through. I got word today that the latest draft is nearly as crummy as the first. I don't actually get it. I really felt good about this latest draft, but then I also felt good about the first.
So I'm a little dumbfounded.
I've been told that I need to get it right, and that I should take the time to do so. They say it won't make it into the first launch, so I guess we're looking at next year probably.
I will do exactly that. In fact, I'm not gonna do a darn thing with it for a week or two. In the meantime I will finish my first draft of The Cabin. I will also try to find a workshop that can help me with my graded reader troubles. I will also try to get a hold of some of the graded readers the editorial team suggested that we read so that we can get an idea of what they are looking for. Clearly I need to be doing more homework for The Mars Betrayal.
That's fine. I still feel like I'm a good writer, despite what this editorial team appears to think. Maybe one of us is right. Who knows, maybe we're both right and I need to adjust my writing more for the graded reader audience. Although I must admit that I probably am more in tune with the audience than any of them, since I have been a teacher of ESL/EFL as recently as seven months ago!
Anyhoo, such is life. I'll do more homework.
As I said this morning, no more mucking about. I will become a good novelist. I will do what it takes to learn. No more mucking about. I'm going to be a bestselling author.
carpe somnium meum
right now
So it's late on this Monday night, but I had a goal to reach and I actually did it. Here's how the day went.
Taxes
I got them done in a few hours. There was a lot of data and worksheets and forms and deductions to get through, but I found that TurboTax really is all that it is touted to be. Good news came of it. As I said, I had expected to owe money, mainly due to the large chunk of cash we took out of our refinance.
We are owed a good refund! I was wrong! I love being wrong sometimes, but don't quote me on that.
Anyway, so no worries there. I e-filed and we are all set for the year.
Helium.com
I wrote two articles for www.helium.com today, as I said I would do. They took a little longer than I had wanted: about 45 minutes each, but that was really okay. Here are links to both of them:
http://www.helium.com/items/963713-hollywood-others-hollywood-simply
http://www.helium.com/items/963553-heard-ubiquitous-clubs-found
The first one is a rewrite of an article that they deleted because it was lame and way too short. The second is an article for a contest I am trying to win in, but one of my articles is doing shockingly bad! Sheesh.
Anway, as always, you can see all of my articles if you go to:
http://www.helium.com/users/45690
I rated for probably a total of thirty to forty-five minutes. I also spent a few minutes on the community boards, trying to regain my presence there after a few months' absence.
The Cabin
So I then had my goal for The Cabin. But it was already late. So we got the kids to bed, then I watched the Jazz cream the Wizards on TV. That was fun. I watched Perry Mason, then got to work.
I did 2500 words tonight. It felt good. I really have a strong image of this story. I feel invested in it.
But the lack of investment I feel in The Mars Betrayal seems to be showing through. I got word today that the latest draft is nearly as crummy as the first. I don't actually get it. I really felt good about this latest draft, but then I also felt good about the first.
So I'm a little dumbfounded.
I've been told that I need to get it right, and that I should take the time to do so. They say it won't make it into the first launch, so I guess we're looking at next year probably.
I will do exactly that. In fact, I'm not gonna do a darn thing with it for a week or two. In the meantime I will finish my first draft of The Cabin. I will also try to find a workshop that can help me with my graded reader troubles. I will also try to get a hold of some of the graded readers the editorial team suggested that we read so that we can get an idea of what they are looking for. Clearly I need to be doing more homework for The Mars Betrayal.
That's fine. I still feel like I'm a good writer, despite what this editorial team appears to think. Maybe one of us is right. Who knows, maybe we're both right and I need to adjust my writing more for the graded reader audience. Although I must admit that I probably am more in tune with the audience than any of them, since I have been a teacher of ESL/EFL as recently as seven months ago!
Anyhoo, such is life. I'll do more homework.
As I said this morning, no more mucking about. I will become a good novelist. I will do what it takes to learn. No more mucking about. I'm going to be a bestselling author.
carpe somnium meum
right now
Friday, March 28, 2008
Thursday night... she's home!
Back again. Tonight we went and picked up Annemarie from the airport. She had a good trip it sounds like.
My writing report:
I have written two articles today, maybe one yesterday, for http://www.helium.com/ That's all! I've also rated a bit, which is a good thing. I was not a chosen winner in the Pulitzer Center's Citizen Journalism contest, which is lame, but the author who won deserved it. Her writing was flat, but she had some impressive inside perspective that was useful.
But I am in the top 3 of the contests I was fighting in last week. It should be finalized tomorrow, and right now I am only two points off the leader. One of my articles is not being rated very kindly, which is odd, because it is quite good.
I am going for the win in another contest this week as well, so wish me luck.
For tomorrow I plan on writing for Helium after the dentist (yes, one more time... sheesh) and then rating for a bit. Thereafter I shall work on The Cabin. Finally! I am not so sure I'll get it done this month.. okay, probably not, but I am going to get it done in the next couple of weeks. All of these plans are contingent on whether I hear back from the editorial team about The Mars Betrayal. So we will see.
Also, I got a call from the company I interviewed with last week. I had a feeling about what they were going to say. They didn't offer me the job. Surprising, but not, if you know what I mean. That's okay. I actually have been invited to an interview for a Teaching Fellows job in Austin, so that's interesting. I accepted, but it is on April 26th, so we will see what happens before then.
I just really need to work hard on my fiction. I have to learn this art and I have to do it well.
That's my writing report. Here's the etcetera:
For the last few days, I've not been getting enough sleep, which has translated into my being quite tired. I've also been refurbishing the lower level of our kitchen cupboards. They looked old and run down, so I sanded them, painted them a satin, ashy black and then reinforced the hinges. They look totally brand new and they actually look really good. I really wanted to get this done while Annemarie was gone so I could surprise her with it.
So when she got back tonight, she was surprised and very pleased. She, like me, loves the color and thinks they look amazing. Oh, I also rebuilt a corner which had been a problem. I think it looks almost pro, which sort of surprises me as I had to do it with a skilsaw (handheld jittery thing), a hand saw, my pocket knife, and no clamps or straight edges. Nor am I good at detail work. But this task was clearly blessed! It looks really good and very nicely finished.
We just watched August Rush, which is now one of my all-time favorite movies. Guess who's not a cynic? Yes, I am an unabashed sap. Annemarie hadn't seen it before, and I was anxious (dumb eh) to see what she would think. She liked it as much as I did. For many of the same reasons. It's pretty silly how self-conscious I am about how much I love that flick.
Anyway, it's late and my dentist appointment is early. I must to bed.
I'm gonna write a bestseller.
carpe somnium
My writing report:
I have written two articles today, maybe one yesterday, for http://www.helium.com/ That's all! I've also rated a bit, which is a good thing. I was not a chosen winner in the Pulitzer Center's Citizen Journalism contest, which is lame, but the author who won deserved it. Her writing was flat, but she had some impressive inside perspective that was useful.
But I am in the top 3 of the contests I was fighting in last week. It should be finalized tomorrow, and right now I am only two points off the leader. One of my articles is not being rated very kindly, which is odd, because it is quite good.
I am going for the win in another contest this week as well, so wish me luck.
For tomorrow I plan on writing for Helium after the dentist (yes, one more time... sheesh) and then rating for a bit. Thereafter I shall work on The Cabin. Finally! I am not so sure I'll get it done this month.. okay, probably not, but I am going to get it done in the next couple of weeks. All of these plans are contingent on whether I hear back from the editorial team about The Mars Betrayal. So we will see.
Also, I got a call from the company I interviewed with last week. I had a feeling about what they were going to say. They didn't offer me the job. Surprising, but not, if you know what I mean. That's okay. I actually have been invited to an interview for a Teaching Fellows job in Austin, so that's interesting. I accepted, but it is on April 26th, so we will see what happens before then.
I just really need to work hard on my fiction. I have to learn this art and I have to do it well.
That's my writing report. Here's the etcetera:
For the last few days, I've not been getting enough sleep, which has translated into my being quite tired. I've also been refurbishing the lower level of our kitchen cupboards. They looked old and run down, so I sanded them, painted them a satin, ashy black and then reinforced the hinges. They look totally brand new and they actually look really good. I really wanted to get this done while Annemarie was gone so I could surprise her with it.
So when she got back tonight, she was surprised and very pleased. She, like me, loves the color and thinks they look amazing. Oh, I also rebuilt a corner which had been a problem. I think it looks almost pro, which sort of surprises me as I had to do it with a skilsaw (handheld jittery thing), a hand saw, my pocket knife, and no clamps or straight edges. Nor am I good at detail work. But this task was clearly blessed! It looks really good and very nicely finished.
We just watched August Rush, which is now one of my all-time favorite movies. Guess who's not a cynic? Yes, I am an unabashed sap. Annemarie hadn't seen it before, and I was anxious (dumb eh) to see what she would think. She liked it as much as I did. For many of the same reasons. It's pretty silly how self-conscious I am about how much I love that flick.
Anyway, it's late and my dentist appointment is early. I must to bed.
I'm gonna write a bestseller.
carpe somnium
Friday, March 21, 2008
Just a quick update
Today was Friday, and it was a good one. I spent my morning and early afternoon sending out job applications to postings in Austin. While I did that, Annemarie read over my second draft of The Mars Betrayal.
She had some great, very useful thoughts and suggestions, so when I got to it, I was able to make some changes.
Anyway, after sending out about four or five job applications for Austin, I had lunch and then went and gave blood. Woohoo. That went fine, as it usually does. I got home and put some water on over the gardens and compost. It is getting close to time to roto-til it all up.
So then I got to work on The Mars Betrayal. I finished it off just before dinner and then sent it off to the editors. One of them got back to me to let me know he got it.
And that's it. We just watched Find Me Guilty. It was pretty good. Vin Diesel really did a good job.
Gotta run, it's late and I have a lot of work to do outside tomorrow.
She had some great, very useful thoughts and suggestions, so when I got to it, I was able to make some changes.
Anyway, after sending out about four or five job applications for Austin, I had lunch and then went and gave blood. Woohoo. That went fine, as it usually does. I got home and put some water on over the gardens and compost. It is getting close to time to roto-til it all up.
So then I got to work on The Mars Betrayal. I finished it off just before dinner and then sent it off to the editors. One of them got back to me to let me know he got it.
And that's it. We just watched Find Me Guilty. It was pretty good. Vin Diesel really did a good job.
Gotta run, it's late and I have a lot of work to do outside tomorrow.
2:30 AM, Thursday night/Friday morning
Well, it's late. But it's finished. The 2nd Draft of The Mars Betrayal, which is really a massive rewrite from the ground up, is finished. I knew I had to have it done today.
So now I'm listening to Men at Work on my streaming radio and writing about it in my online chronicle. (my pretentious way of saying 'my blog.')
Anyway, I feel good about it, but felt pretty good about the first draft. I obviously had no idea about what I was doing when I first wrote it. I really hope I know more of what I'm doing now. I think I addressed the issues pretty well and am fairly confident there are no plot holes.
The main issue now is that it seems long. I didn't check, (kind of scared to) but it looks like it's probably 18,000 words long.
In any case, Annemarie will read it in the morning. I hope to have it sent off tomorrow afternoon or evening. I never actually heard back about a deadline for it, but I wanted to get this off fast.
So now, unless other crap comes up for next week, I will put a pile of time into The Cabin. I am still supposed to finish it this month. The first draft, that is. When I say "supposed to" that's just by my goals.
Today I also wrote three (or four..?) articles for www.helium.com. One was a poem. And the three articles I wrote for the last contest are doing well. Two are #1, and the other is #2. The problem is that the two #1's are 1 of 2. This means that they don't count toward contest points. Arg. Titles need to have three articles to become competitive. Ugh. And the #2 is 2 of 3. So it has like 2 points.
Peh. Oh well.
I wrote a fun article about media's role in elections today, but it is an initiated title, so it's not active yet. I'll put a link to it when it goes active. I am kind of hoping it will get featured on the homepage.
As for yesterday, it was fun. Dentist was not, but it wasn't too bad. The numbness wore off just before my interview. By the end of the interview, the pain was blinding. I went to a 7/11 and got some advil in me. That really helped.
So the interview went really well. I met two ladies in it: Lena and Laurel. They are quite different from each other, but they are both top-notch. I felt it went well, as we were actually able to have a good conversation about the job and the work that would go into it. They seemed to like me as well.
At the end of the interview, they had me do a test. I won't go into specifics, simply because that seems unethical to me, but I was asked to edit a paragraph. When they came back, I gave my strong opinion of the paragraph and they said my answer was perfect! So that was nice.
Hopefully they will get back to me next week. I would like this job (particularly if it pays well), but I don't look forward to the driving up and back every day. I will miss the family if I have to do that. But we will take it as it comes.
After the interview, I went to my (hehe) audition. That actually went well too! The dude said I had a lot of inherent talent for acting. I need some training on technical areas, but I can't (and don't want to) pay for that with money or time right now. But it's something to look forward to at some point.
It's late. This is a long post. I have to go to bed.
Gonna be a bestselling author.
carpe somnium
So now I'm listening to Men at Work on my streaming radio and writing about it in my online chronicle. (my pretentious way of saying 'my blog.')
Anyway, I feel good about it, but felt pretty good about the first draft. I obviously had no idea about what I was doing when I first wrote it. I really hope I know more of what I'm doing now. I think I addressed the issues pretty well and am fairly confident there are no plot holes.
The main issue now is that it seems long. I didn't check, (kind of scared to) but it looks like it's probably 18,000 words long.
In any case, Annemarie will read it in the morning. I hope to have it sent off tomorrow afternoon or evening. I never actually heard back about a deadline for it, but I wanted to get this off fast.
So now, unless other crap comes up for next week, I will put a pile of time into The Cabin. I am still supposed to finish it this month. The first draft, that is. When I say "supposed to" that's just by my goals.
Today I also wrote three (or four..?) articles for www.helium.com. One was a poem. And the three articles I wrote for the last contest are doing well. Two are #1, and the other is #2. The problem is that the two #1's are 1 of 2. This means that they don't count toward contest points. Arg. Titles need to have three articles to become competitive. Ugh. And the #2 is 2 of 3. So it has like 2 points.
Peh. Oh well.
I wrote a fun article about media's role in elections today, but it is an initiated title, so it's not active yet. I'll put a link to it when it goes active. I am kind of hoping it will get featured on the homepage.
As for yesterday, it was fun. Dentist was not, but it wasn't too bad. The numbness wore off just before my interview. By the end of the interview, the pain was blinding. I went to a 7/11 and got some advil in me. That really helped.
So the interview went really well. I met two ladies in it: Lena and Laurel. They are quite different from each other, but they are both top-notch. I felt it went well, as we were actually able to have a good conversation about the job and the work that would go into it. They seemed to like me as well.
At the end of the interview, they had me do a test. I won't go into specifics, simply because that seems unethical to me, but I was asked to edit a paragraph. When they came back, I gave my strong opinion of the paragraph and they said my answer was perfect! So that was nice.
Hopefully they will get back to me next week. I would like this job (particularly if it pays well), but I don't look forward to the driving up and back every day. I will miss the family if I have to do that. But we will take it as it comes.
After the interview, I went to my (hehe) audition. That actually went well too! The dude said I had a lot of inherent talent for acting. I need some training on technical areas, but I can't (and don't want to) pay for that with money or time right now. But it's something to look forward to at some point.
It's late. This is a long post. I have to go to bed.
Gonna be a bestselling author.
carpe somnium
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Tasty Tuesday!
Look! Two days in a row! Tomorrow I will try to make it three, although it is set to be a beast of a day... More on that later.
Today I wrote three or four articles for Helium. I rated a pile of mostly okay stuff also. I also finished re-writing Chapter 4 of The Mars Betrayal. It's feeling good so far. Tomorrow's Wednesday, and if I get any writing done it will be a miracle. So I am going to shoot for finishing this rewrite on Thursday. I will exercise that morning, come home and eat, and then get right to The Mars Betrayal.
Anyway, I am trying to place high in a contest at Helium right now. It is the in the Real Estate category and I have a few things to say about that, so I've written three articles for it. I would really like to get one more written tomorrow before I head up to Salt Lake City.
Okay, so tomorrow, here's what's on the plate: Exercise in the morning, but only if Annemarie gets to bed at a reasonable hour. She's burning midnight oil like mad these last two days, trying to get a translating job done on time. So if she's up as late as she was last night, I will need to stay home and exercise here. If she goes to bed earlier, I will head to the Rec Center.
Then I will print out two resumes and one cover letter.
I have a dentist appointment at 11 AM for a cavity to be filled, then I will get home and try to churn out one more article for the http://www.helium.com/ contest.
Thereafter, I will head up to Salt Lake City. This is because I have an appointment for an interview with a company up there. The job is a content and copywriter position. I, obviously, think I can do the job well.
But I decided to take advantage of being in Salt Lake and I am going to drop off a resume and cover letter at the Church office building up there. I have applied again for the Assistant Editor job at The Friend magazine. This is the third time they've posted the spot, and I don't aim to give up. So the first thing I'm going to do in SLC is drop off a resume and hope to meet someone face to face. That is my dream job (if I'm going to work for anybody other than myself) so I am going to get after it.
Then I have my interview at 3PM. After that, I have, I kid you not, an audition at 5PM. I sent off for some info on a talent management agency and they have called me twice to schedule auditions to see if they want to represent me. You see, I must think I have talent. Actually I probably do, not that I want to 'make it' in Hollywood or anything. I wouldn't mind doing some ad spots though. Those babies pay the bills well.
So the audition is supposed to be about a half-hour. I will jet out of there as fast as I can and come screaming back down to Provo. This is because I have two visits to make as part of my work in my church. My first visit is set for 7PM.
Big day? Yes. I hope it goes well. I believe it will, as long as I keep my wits about me and remember to enjoy it.
So that's the plan. It's late and I really ought to go to bed. Maybe I can get some writing done tomorrow.
To anybody who is actually reading this, please know that I really appreciate the support and well-wishes. So far this has been a great experiment.
I'm gonna be a best-selling author.
Carpe somnium
Today I wrote three or four articles for Helium. I rated a pile of mostly okay stuff also. I also finished re-writing Chapter 4 of The Mars Betrayal. It's feeling good so far. Tomorrow's Wednesday, and if I get any writing done it will be a miracle. So I am going to shoot for finishing this rewrite on Thursday. I will exercise that morning, come home and eat, and then get right to The Mars Betrayal.
Anyway, I am trying to place high in a contest at Helium right now. It is the in the Real Estate category and I have a few things to say about that, so I've written three articles for it. I would really like to get one more written tomorrow before I head up to Salt Lake City.
Okay, so tomorrow, here's what's on the plate: Exercise in the morning, but only if Annemarie gets to bed at a reasonable hour. She's burning midnight oil like mad these last two days, trying to get a translating job done on time. So if she's up as late as she was last night, I will need to stay home and exercise here. If she goes to bed earlier, I will head to the Rec Center.
Then I will print out two resumes and one cover letter.
I have a dentist appointment at 11 AM for a cavity to be filled, then I will get home and try to churn out one more article for the http://www.helium.com/ contest.
Thereafter, I will head up to Salt Lake City. This is because I have an appointment for an interview with a company up there. The job is a content and copywriter position. I, obviously, think I can do the job well.
But I decided to take advantage of being in Salt Lake and I am going to drop off a resume and cover letter at the Church office building up there. I have applied again for the Assistant Editor job at The Friend magazine. This is the third time they've posted the spot, and I don't aim to give up. So the first thing I'm going to do in SLC is drop off a resume and hope to meet someone face to face. That is my dream job (if I'm going to work for anybody other than myself) so I am going to get after it.
Then I have my interview at 3PM. After that, I have, I kid you not, an audition at 5PM. I sent off for some info on a talent management agency and they have called me twice to schedule auditions to see if they want to represent me. You see, I must think I have talent. Actually I probably do, not that I want to 'make it' in Hollywood or anything. I wouldn't mind doing some ad spots though. Those babies pay the bills well.
So the audition is supposed to be about a half-hour. I will jet out of there as fast as I can and come screaming back down to Provo. This is because I have two visits to make as part of my work in my church. My first visit is set for 7PM.
Big day? Yes. I hope it goes well. I believe it will, as long as I keep my wits about me and remember to enjoy it.
So that's the plan. It's late and I really ought to go to bed. Maybe I can get some writing done tomorrow.
To anybody who is actually reading this, please know that I really appreciate the support and well-wishes. So far this has been a great experiment.
I'm gonna be a best-selling author.
Carpe somnium
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Yikes, a few days behind
The week has been okay, but I have been unusually tired during the afternoon, which is usually my solid writing time.
Anyway, I sent off the finalized User Manual to ChartedCourse. Hooray! Apparently launch for the Program is set to happen on the 20th. Good for them.
Today I finished the restructuring of The Mars Betrayal and I am excited to write it up. That will be tomorrow's job. I will get it all done tomorrow. You might ask why. Well, we writers got an e-mail outlining the timeline expected with our books. They're looking to have them in sales packages come mid year. So maybe July. That means that we need to get stuff done quickly. I need to have this draft ready immediately, and it needs to be good. So I have the skeleton redone and am going over it to make sure there are no plot holes and that characters are motivated well. I am still trying to find a way to flesh out the villain some, but that's kind of hard with the length limitations I have.
I'll find a way.
So with the second, good draft done, I will probably need to submit an art brief regarding artwork I think would work, and where I suppose it ought to go. Then I need to work up some proposals as to what the expository subject matter will be. I'm not sure, but I think I might put together a chronicle of the history of space travel over the last four or five decades.
I still fully intend to finish The Cabin this month. I'll squeeze it in. I'll probably start working on it after kids are in bed, in order to get my 5000 words a day.
Now, onto something more personal. I am, blessedly, back in touch with a wonderful lady who is pretty much my oldest friend. I don't mean that she is older than any other friend I have. I mean she is the only friend I have that has been my friend since I was seventeen. Aside, of course, from the folks I grew up with in the Foundation Faith of God. In other words, Jena is the first friend I made outside of the FFoG.
Anyway, she sent me an e-mail and we have been e-mailing lots this week. So Jena, if you're reading this, thanks for sending that e-mail! I'll keep the mushiness to a minimum here on this blog.
So she lives in Austin, which is a place we've actually (I kid you not) been considering as a place to relocate to. Right now I am heavily into a job search. I even interviewed yesterday for a job I don't really want, but that I could do and probably enjoy doing. And I would enjoy the regular $$ that comes from an 8-5 job too. But what I was going to say was that we've seen several possibilities for employment in Austin, and we like the looks of the place and the housing values down there. Our $$ will go farther down there than here in Utah, and we need a bigger house.
But now it's late and I have to run. I really need to get enough sleep tonight. Of course, I've been up late folding laundry. Oh well. Now the pile's gone anyway. If you don't have four growing, insane kids, you don't know what it is to have a pile of laundry. Whew.
Anyway, I sent off the finalized User Manual to ChartedCourse. Hooray! Apparently launch for the Program is set to happen on the 20th. Good for them.
Today I finished the restructuring of The Mars Betrayal and I am excited to write it up. That will be tomorrow's job. I will get it all done tomorrow. You might ask why. Well, we writers got an e-mail outlining the timeline expected with our books. They're looking to have them in sales packages come mid year. So maybe July. That means that we need to get stuff done quickly. I need to have this draft ready immediately, and it needs to be good. So I have the skeleton redone and am going over it to make sure there are no plot holes and that characters are motivated well. I am still trying to find a way to flesh out the villain some, but that's kind of hard with the length limitations I have.
I'll find a way.
So with the second, good draft done, I will probably need to submit an art brief regarding artwork I think would work, and where I suppose it ought to go. Then I need to work up some proposals as to what the expository subject matter will be. I'm not sure, but I think I might put together a chronicle of the history of space travel over the last four or five decades.
I still fully intend to finish The Cabin this month. I'll squeeze it in. I'll probably start working on it after kids are in bed, in order to get my 5000 words a day.
Now, onto something more personal. I am, blessedly, back in touch with a wonderful lady who is pretty much my oldest friend. I don't mean that she is older than any other friend I have. I mean she is the only friend I have that has been my friend since I was seventeen. Aside, of course, from the folks I grew up with in the Foundation Faith of God. In other words, Jena is the first friend I made outside of the FFoG.
Anyway, she sent me an e-mail and we have been e-mailing lots this week. So Jena, if you're reading this, thanks for sending that e-mail! I'll keep the mushiness to a minimum here on this blog.
So she lives in Austin, which is a place we've actually (I kid you not) been considering as a place to relocate to. Right now I am heavily into a job search. I even interviewed yesterday for a job I don't really want, but that I could do and probably enjoy doing. And I would enjoy the regular $$ that comes from an 8-5 job too. But what I was going to say was that we've seen several possibilities for employment in Austin, and we like the looks of the place and the housing values down there. Our $$ will go farther down there than here in Utah, and we need a bigger house.
But now it's late and I have to run. I really need to get enough sleep tonight. Of course, I've been up late folding laundry. Oh well. Now the pile's gone anyway. If you don't have four growing, insane kids, you don't know what it is to have a pile of laundry. Whew.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Reporting on my Monday
Okay, it didn't go as well as I had hoped, but lofty ambitions are good.
I was able to get the User Manual finished to the best of what I can do. Still waiting on one more image so I can finish it up.
I headed out for a couple hours, as it turned out, to get some resumes dropped off, as I wanted to try to drum up some more clients for my Proofreading biz. I got some contact info for a Nuskin guy, and then headed to Nature's Sunshine, a big but local herb and health company. I take a massive pile of their herbs every day already, so I know they're good. It turns out that they are looking for a part time copywriter. So I applied for the job! I would expect to hear back about it, although it's a little below my current level. The work would be pretty simplistic and the pay ain't gonna make me millions. But, the thing is, that's fine. I need the work and the money and I can do good work for them. Hey, maybe I'd get a discount on all the herbs I take...
Then I tried to switch over my Drivers License to Utah, as my current one is from Alaska and it is expiring in a month and a half. I need to renew before it expires, as I don't want to have to do a driving test. That didn't happen, because the office here in Provo doesn't do state switch-overs. Arg. I'll probably get it done tomorrow, because I plan on taking the older boys out to Orem to do their Spanish School.
So I got back and went right to work on The Mars Betrayal. It's coming together well; I am still reframing. I didn't get it all reframed, but I will finish tomorrow. I am now at a point where the chapters that are left are pretty well in sync, but I will tweak tomorrow so it is all seamless and has no more plot holes. Then I will do at least one chapter in it.
This means that today I could not work on my passion project: The Cabin. Arg again. I pray I will be able to make the time tomorrow to do so. I really want to get this done. I will have it done by the end of March. I will. Because I want to have it ready for submission by the middle of May.
But that's all for now. That sort of outlines my day tomorrow as well, so I will report on how well it goes tomorrow night. By the way, we have been watching Season 4 of the Office online in order to be caught up when it comes back on TV. That show is genius. And, yes I'm a sap, but I really admire how nicely they're doing the Jim/Pam thing. The show has its heart in the right place. Steve Carell is amazing.
I'm going to be a bestselling author. *Keep telling yourself that.* Okay.
That's all! Thanks for tuning in.
I was able to get the User Manual finished to the best of what I can do. Still waiting on one more image so I can finish it up.
I headed out for a couple hours, as it turned out, to get some resumes dropped off, as I wanted to try to drum up some more clients for my Proofreading biz. I got some contact info for a Nuskin guy, and then headed to Nature's Sunshine, a big but local herb and health company. I take a massive pile of their herbs every day already, so I know they're good. It turns out that they are looking for a part time copywriter. So I applied for the job! I would expect to hear back about it, although it's a little below my current level. The work would be pretty simplistic and the pay ain't gonna make me millions. But, the thing is, that's fine. I need the work and the money and I can do good work for them. Hey, maybe I'd get a discount on all the herbs I take...
Then I tried to switch over my Drivers License to Utah, as my current one is from Alaska and it is expiring in a month and a half. I need to renew before it expires, as I don't want to have to do a driving test. That didn't happen, because the office here in Provo doesn't do state switch-overs. Arg. I'll probably get it done tomorrow, because I plan on taking the older boys out to Orem to do their Spanish School.
So I got back and went right to work on The Mars Betrayal. It's coming together well; I am still reframing. I didn't get it all reframed, but I will finish tomorrow. I am now at a point where the chapters that are left are pretty well in sync, but I will tweak tomorrow so it is all seamless and has no more plot holes. Then I will do at least one chapter in it.
This means that today I could not work on my passion project: The Cabin. Arg again. I pray I will be able to make the time tomorrow to do so. I really want to get this done. I will have it done by the end of March. I will. Because I want to have it ready for submission by the middle of May.
But that's all for now. That sort of outlines my day tomorrow as well, so I will report on how well it goes tomorrow night. By the way, we have been watching Season 4 of the Office online in order to be caught up when it comes back on TV. That show is genius. And, yes I'm a sap, but I really admire how nicely they're doing the Jim/Pam thing. The show has its heart in the right place. Steve Carell is amazing.
I'm going to be a bestselling author. *Keep telling yourself that.* Okay.
That's all! Thanks for tuning in.
My plan for Monday
A new week, a new day, lots of stuff to get done.
A final report on last week: started a massive rewrite of The Mars Betrayal and am confident in its direction. I did get some work done on The Cabin during the week, and I even did just over a thousand words on Saturday. I also did some work for ChartedCourse, applied for a few jobs, got one response on a part-time freelance job and am now waiting for more information, and tried to professionalize my business. Finally, I won some cash from Helium and broke 800 articles last week.
I'm looking at getting into some real estate invesment this week.
Today I will do the final work (yes there's more) on the ChartedCourse member manual. I'll also get some info from Blake on what he needs me to do next. My guess is that I need to get to work on the other manual; the one for directors.
Then I will continue with the re-framing of The Mars Betrayal, with a plan to finish the reframing and then do chapter 2. Then I want to spend at least two or three hours (maybe more...) on The Cabin. I am eager to work on this book, more than I have been for any other project. I want to do a good job! I want to see where my character is going.
So that's my day. I'll report later.
A final report on last week: started a massive rewrite of The Mars Betrayal and am confident in its direction. I did get some work done on The Cabin during the week, and I even did just over a thousand words on Saturday. I also did some work for ChartedCourse, applied for a few jobs, got one response on a part-time freelance job and am now waiting for more information, and tried to professionalize my business. Finally, I won some cash from Helium and broke 800 articles last week.
I'm looking at getting into some real estate invesment this week.
Today I will do the final work (yes there's more) on the ChartedCourse member manual. I'll also get some info from Blake on what he needs me to do next. My guess is that I need to get to work on the other manual; the one for directors.
Then I will continue with the re-framing of The Mars Betrayal, with a plan to finish the reframing and then do chapter 2. Then I want to spend at least two or three hours (maybe more...) on The Cabin. I am eager to work on this book, more than I have been for any other project. I want to do a good job! I want to see where my character is going.
So that's my day. I'll report later.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Making a plan
I'm here to make a plan for my day.
More and more I have found myself uncomfortable with my abilities as a novelist. I have too often found myself feeling like I am in over my head, and that I really don't understand well the art and process of crafting a novel.
This has recently been demonstrated as a truth, since I just got comments back on The Mars Betrayal. It has major issues that need dealing with. So I am going to get back to work on it and I am going to make it better.
I will become a better novelist. As I do so, I will get closer to being able to write that bestseller I am going to compose.
Today I will put 2-3 hours into The Mars Betrayal. That will be my work for this morning.
I will then rate at www.helium.com for about thirty minutes. I will then write an article on the site and then rate a little more.
For my afternoon, I will (unless this gets derailed by job applications, which I will report on tonight) work on The Cabin. Gotta finish draft one and then get to work on revision soon.
So that's my day. I will report on it tonight. Gotta make daily goals and do them and report on them. That's how I will take the steps needed to become a better novelist and successful as a writer.
More and more I have found myself uncomfortable with my abilities as a novelist. I have too often found myself feeling like I am in over my head, and that I really don't understand well the art and process of crafting a novel.
This has recently been demonstrated as a truth, since I just got comments back on The Mars Betrayal. It has major issues that need dealing with. So I am going to get back to work on it and I am going to make it better.
I will become a better novelist. As I do so, I will get closer to being able to write that bestseller I am going to compose.
Today I will put 2-3 hours into The Mars Betrayal. That will be my work for this morning.
I will then rate at www.helium.com for about thirty minutes. I will then write an article on the site and then rate a little more.
For my afternoon, I will (unless this gets derailed by job applications, which I will report on tonight) work on The Cabin. Gotta finish draft one and then get to work on revision soon.
So that's my day. I will report on it tonight. Gotta make daily goals and do them and report on them. That's how I will take the steps needed to become a better novelist and successful as a writer.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)