Finally, I am done with chapter seven of my new manuscript. This one was a challenge. It dealt with a number of different scenes and characters. I’m not sure if I’m completely satisfied with what I have written but I know that it would be a mistake to go back at this point. I just have to keep forging ahead and see what comes next. I have already started the next chapter and am looking forward to getting in deep with this one. It is a flash back to earlier times in the main characters life. It will provide more back story while fleshing out current characters and introducing a couple more.
The writing is coming along a little more slowly than I’d like. I’m dealing with a number of different distractions at the moment. My wife and are in the process of moving to Arizona. Since I am not currently working we thought it would be a good chance to take advantage of the great housing opportunities that are down there. So over the next few weekends I will be selling a lot of excess things that we have accumulated over the years and need to get rid of. The goal is to lighten the load as much as possible before the big move, get as light as possible.
Despite the distractions I have set my mind to redoubling my writing efforts. Once we get down to Arizona I will have to find work immediately and will drastically cut down on free writing time. I have to try and get as much done as possible before the move, hopefully to the point of being done, or almost done. There is no delusion, there is going to be much work ahead of me before and after the move. I am as determined as ever to meet those goals and to finish my work.
Wish me luck, and thanks for reading.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Every artist has one or several other artists whose work has been an influence on their own. I’m no different in that respect. One of my favorite writers and the one that is most influential in my writing is Stephen King. My statement here is going to be obvious, but he is one of the most popular writers today, because he writes great stories. He is classifies as a horror novelist, but one only has to read just one of his stories to see although his stories usually take a turn toward the dark side, the stories are also run the gamut of the human experience. It is unusual to think of someone laughing while reading a horror novel, but King often interjects moments that make one chuckle or even guffaw. He seamlessly intertwines so many different myths and genres in his stories and make it seem effortless. I would go so far as to say I’m jealous of that ability. With the completion of his Dark Tower series what we saw was the emergence of a compendium of sorts. The Dark Tower draws from many of his other stories and they become a part, weather slightly or majorly in a larger story. The story then becomes a crux, or a backbone, for his work. The story on it’s own draws from and uses so many different sources and genres that it refuses to be classified and stands as a remarkable seven volume epic journey that makes a must read for anyone interested in fiction on any level.
I could sing his accolades all day, but he is very popular and his work is very well known. If a person has not read one of his stories, more than likely they have seen one on television or in the movies, and they might not have even known it. Most people are probably at least familiar with his name. The reason why I look up to him as an inspiration for my writing is his work ethic. Even though he is as popular as he is, and pulls down insane money for a writer he stays hungry and keeps churning out piece after piece. Not all of his writing is fantastic and amazing, but it usually at least good. The way he works though is absolutely commendable. It’s that type of ethic that I want to bring to my own work, to keep working, to keep churning out one good story after another.
Not too long ago I had the opportunity to read his book on writing, which is conveniently titled “On Writing”. I think one of the most important things I took away from that reading, is that if one wants to be a writer, one must write, and one must also read. One must be as passionate for reading as one is for writing. To get a strong grasp of the craft both of those tasks must be completed regularly. In King’s own words, “if you don’t have the time to read, you don’t have the time to write”. I believe that to be true, and I also found that to be an incredible relief. I love to read, and when I started writing I felt guilty for doing anything but writing. I felt like, well now that I want to write, it’s time for me to stop spending all this time reading and get down to some serious writing. Now it’s like I’ve been given permission to do something that I love, because ultimately it’s going to make me better at doing something else that I love.
My last entry I wrote about staying on task and meeting daily goals. Since Stephen King is the inspiration for my work ethic, and the two entries are closely related, I thought I would share a picture of Stephen King that I found that I think about whenever my mind wanders to something other than doing my work. Maybe this will help any reader of this blog to stay on track with their work as well. Long live the King! Enjoy!
I could sing his accolades all day, but he is very popular and his work is very well known. If a person has not read one of his stories, more than likely they have seen one on television or in the movies, and they might not have even known it. Most people are probably at least familiar with his name. The reason why I look up to him as an inspiration for my writing is his work ethic. Even though he is as popular as he is, and pulls down insane money for a writer he stays hungry and keeps churning out piece after piece. Not all of his writing is fantastic and amazing, but it usually at least good. The way he works though is absolutely commendable. It’s that type of ethic that I want to bring to my own work, to keep working, to keep churning out one good story after another.
Not too long ago I had the opportunity to read his book on writing, which is conveniently titled “On Writing”. I think one of the most important things I took away from that reading, is that if one wants to be a writer, one must write, and one must also read. One must be as passionate for reading as one is for writing. To get a strong grasp of the craft both of those tasks must be completed regularly. In King’s own words, “if you don’t have the time to read, you don’t have the time to write”. I believe that to be true, and I also found that to be an incredible relief. I love to read, and when I started writing I felt guilty for doing anything but writing. I felt like, well now that I want to write, it’s time for me to stop spending all this time reading and get down to some serious writing. Now it’s like I’ve been given permission to do something that I love, because ultimately it’s going to make me better at doing something else that I love.
My last entry I wrote about staying on task and meeting daily goals. Since Stephen King is the inspiration for my work ethic, and the two entries are closely related, I thought I would share a picture of Stephen King that I found that I think about whenever my mind wanders to something other than doing my work. Maybe this will help any reader of this blog to stay on track with their work as well. Long live the King! Enjoy!
Monday, May 11, 2009
The Task Master
First off, I would like to apologize to the followers of my blog. It has been a little while since my last entry. I have been unusually busy lately with trying to purchase a home in this terrible economy, and have preparing for a visit from my Mother. With that said, the topic of this entry is all about keeping on task.
One of the most important things to think about when taking part in any creative venture is making time to do the work. Anything worthwhile is going to take time to create, and one needs to set the time aside to do it. There are thousands of excuses not to do the work, trust me I know them all, but if one is serious about the work than a schedule should be set up and strictly adhered to. A professor of mine once said “everything in life exists to keep you from doing your work”. He was talking about painting, but that can be applied to any kind of creative task. It’s good to think about it that way. It keeps things in perspective. There are things one absolutely has to do, but one needs to figure out how important one’s work is and make sure there is time to do it.
When I was laid off from my job, I thought it would be incredibly easy to work on my writing. I found out that’s not the case, for me it’s actually much harder. When I was working my time was more structured There were certain things I had to do at certain times, and it was easy to throw in a schedule to fit in that time frame. Now that I’m not working I’ve taken over the all the household chores. There’s always something to do around the house so sometimes I just have to sort out my time better. It’s tough though with the unstructured nature of my day. I, probably like most people get, get distracted easily. Everything demands my attention, and sometimes I feel like I have to take care of everything before I can concentrate on the task at hand. That never works because there is always something that will exist to keep one from doing the work one needs to do. What I do is set daily goals for myself. I set a certain number of words to write every single day. Sometimes it’s easy to do, and sometimes it’s a struggle to achieve it, it depends on the day. What the goal does is help me keep working toward the purpose of finishing my project instead of it lingering on the shelf for way longer than it should, or maybe never getting completed at all. By setting goals I was able to achieve something I never thought possible, and that is finish a manuscript for a novel, and now working on a second one as well. Setting these daily goals can work wonders when completing lengthy works. Give it a try.
A comment to the people out there who say they have to wait for inspiration before they can work. That’s all bullshit. Sure there is a certain amount of inspiration when it comes to creative work, but the bulk of any creative venture is a lot of hard work. I think the greatest inspiration comes when one forces oneself to keep working, even when one doesn’t feel like it. Pushing oneself past creative plateaus is a great way to come up with new ideas and to push the farther than one might have originally thought possible. If one always waits for the muse to strike, or for the feeling of wanting to work to come, then there is a good possibility that the work will never get finished. Now I’m going to take some of my own advice and work on my manuscript some more. Until next time, thanks for reading.
One of the most important things to think about when taking part in any creative venture is making time to do the work. Anything worthwhile is going to take time to create, and one needs to set the time aside to do it. There are thousands of excuses not to do the work, trust me I know them all, but if one is serious about the work than a schedule should be set up and strictly adhered to. A professor of mine once said “everything in life exists to keep you from doing your work”. He was talking about painting, but that can be applied to any kind of creative task. It’s good to think about it that way. It keeps things in perspective. There are things one absolutely has to do, but one needs to figure out how important one’s work is and make sure there is time to do it.
When I was laid off from my job, I thought it would be incredibly easy to work on my writing. I found out that’s not the case, for me it’s actually much harder. When I was working my time was more structured There were certain things I had to do at certain times, and it was easy to throw in a schedule to fit in that time frame. Now that I’m not working I’ve taken over the all the household chores. There’s always something to do around the house so sometimes I just have to sort out my time better. It’s tough though with the unstructured nature of my day. I, probably like most people get, get distracted easily. Everything demands my attention, and sometimes I feel like I have to take care of everything before I can concentrate on the task at hand. That never works because there is always something that will exist to keep one from doing the work one needs to do. What I do is set daily goals for myself. I set a certain number of words to write every single day. Sometimes it’s easy to do, and sometimes it’s a struggle to achieve it, it depends on the day. What the goal does is help me keep working toward the purpose of finishing my project instead of it lingering on the shelf for way longer than it should, or maybe never getting completed at all. By setting goals I was able to achieve something I never thought possible, and that is finish a manuscript for a novel, and now working on a second one as well. Setting these daily goals can work wonders when completing lengthy works. Give it a try.
A comment to the people out there who say they have to wait for inspiration before they can work. That’s all bullshit. Sure there is a certain amount of inspiration when it comes to creative work, but the bulk of any creative venture is a lot of hard work. I think the greatest inspiration comes when one forces oneself to keep working, even when one doesn’t feel like it. Pushing oneself past creative plateaus is a great way to come up with new ideas and to push the farther than one might have originally thought possible. If one always waits for the muse to strike, or for the feeling of wanting to work to come, then there is a good possibility that the work will never get finished. Now I’m going to take some of my own advice and work on my manuscript some more. Until next time, thanks for reading.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Rejection
Getting into any kind of creative venture, one must expect rejection. I know this, but it is still a tough lesson to accept. When you create something, and put a lot of time and care into it, it is a part of you. Then to put it out for people to see and evaluate is very tough and scary. I built up a fairly tough skin during my years at art school, having to out up your work in front of twenty or more people and listen to them critique it. Those were trying times and I still have the battle scars for proof.
Now I have made a change from making paintings to writing. I have had an extensive amount of art training, but very little with creative writing. Reading and writing are things I have had a passion in for years, but I never thought of doing it regularly. I have always had ideas for writing projects, but never had the follow through. I decided to take this venture very seriously and put myself to task for daily goals and accomplishing what I start. In the year and half to two years that I have been writing regularly I have written a number of short stories, completed a manuscript for a novel, and am working on a second. Since losing my job, I felt a pressure, but also an opportunity to focus more on my writing, and to get some of my work published. So, with that said not too long ago I sent one of my short stories out to a magazine.
When I started writing I did a lot of reading on the experience of other writers starting out. The majority of the experiences are very similar in the way that most have gone through quite a bit of rejection before getting published. I expected this when I sent out my work. Still, when I sent it out, I hoped for the best. I felt it was one of the best pieces that I had written, and maybe had a good chance of getting accepted. When I got the reply envelope back a few weeks later, I was nervous opening it up. When I did, I saw the rejection letter. I was half expecting it, but still I was disappointed. I badly wanted some of my writing to be in print, and it wasn’t going to happen this time. I’m including the note that was sent back so people can check out what my rejection looked like.
Even though I was rejected and felt the sting of disappointment, I am more determined than ever to keep on writing, and to keep trying to break into the printed world. I will continue to devote myself to constant writing and reading to improve my abilities, and I will continue to share my experience here.
Now I have made a change from making paintings to writing. I have had an extensive amount of art training, but very little with creative writing. Reading and writing are things I have had a passion in for years, but I never thought of doing it regularly. I have always had ideas for writing projects, but never had the follow through. I decided to take this venture very seriously and put myself to task for daily goals and accomplishing what I start. In the year and half to two years that I have been writing regularly I have written a number of short stories, completed a manuscript for a novel, and am working on a second. Since losing my job, I felt a pressure, but also an opportunity to focus more on my writing, and to get some of my work published. So, with that said not too long ago I sent one of my short stories out to a magazine.
When I started writing I did a lot of reading on the experience of other writers starting out. The majority of the experiences are very similar in the way that most have gone through quite a bit of rejection before getting published. I expected this when I sent out my work. Still, when I sent it out, I hoped for the best. I felt it was one of the best pieces that I had written, and maybe had a good chance of getting accepted. When I got the reply envelope back a few weeks later, I was nervous opening it up. When I did, I saw the rejection letter. I was half expecting it, but still I was disappointed. I badly wanted some of my writing to be in print, and it wasn’t going to happen this time. I’m including the note that was sent back so people can check out what my rejection looked like.
Even though I was rejected and felt the sting of disappointment, I am more determined than ever to keep on writing, and to keep trying to break into the printed world. I will continue to devote myself to constant writing and reading to improve my abilities, and I will continue to share my experience here.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
an intro to my current work
In my previous entry I wrote that since I was laid-off, I was working on my writing. I am writing this, to introduce people to my work, and my current project.
For just over two months now I have been working on a manuscript for a novel. This is my second attempt at such an endeavor. My first one I completed almost a year ago, and can be read at www.webook.com/aberrant. I have to include a disclaimer here; this is my first attempt at such a project so read at your own risk. I thought it was okay, but the writing was rather rough and the inexperience seemed to shine through, things could have been handled better. I believe that the story was strong, but I just needed a bit more writing experience to do it justice.
In between the novel manuscripts I have been working on numerous short stories to hone my craft and to keep writing. Writing them has been a great experience for me. They are quick glimpses of another world and don’t demand too much of my time.
The novel manuscript is a different beast. There is just so much more to keep in mind and try to sustain for the life of the writing. The tentative title for my latest project is “The Sigil”. I estimate that I have about 30,000 words written so far, give or take a few thousand. I am almost finished with the seventh chapter, so I am well on my way. It’s been a challenge keeping on task all the time. I do enjoy the writing, but like most people I’m easily distracted. I just try to keep the focus as best as I can, and just keep hammering out some writing.
While I am trying to get this manuscript off the ground, I am also trying to get some of my short stories published. I figure I might get taken a little more seriously if I can get something into print. I’ll keep updating on my progress with both the manuscript and the short stories. Hopefully soon, maybe I can earn a little extra income for my efforts. Wish me luck and keep checking for more updates.
For just over two months now I have been working on a manuscript for a novel. This is my second attempt at such an endeavor. My first one I completed almost a year ago, and can be read at www.webook.com/aberrant. I have to include a disclaimer here; this is my first attempt at such a project so read at your own risk. I thought it was okay, but the writing was rather rough and the inexperience seemed to shine through, things could have been handled better. I believe that the story was strong, but I just needed a bit more writing experience to do it justice.
In between the novel manuscripts I have been working on numerous short stories to hone my craft and to keep writing. Writing them has been a great experience for me. They are quick glimpses of another world and don’t demand too much of my time.
The novel manuscript is a different beast. There is just so much more to keep in mind and try to sustain for the life of the writing. The tentative title for my latest project is “The Sigil”. I estimate that I have about 30,000 words written so far, give or take a few thousand. I am almost finished with the seventh chapter, so I am well on my way. It’s been a challenge keeping on task all the time. I do enjoy the writing, but like most people I’m easily distracted. I just try to keep the focus as best as I can, and just keep hammering out some writing.
While I am trying to get this manuscript off the ground, I am also trying to get some of my short stories published. I figure I might get taken a little more seriously if I can get something into print. I’ll keep updating on my progress with both the manuscript and the short stories. Hopefully soon, maybe I can earn a little extra income for my efforts. Wish me luck and keep checking for more updates.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
The Journey Begins
I have been laid-off for just over two months now. While I am waiting to either get called back, or to have to find another job I am dedicating my time to starting a writing career. I don't have much writing experience, my BFA degree is in painting, but I love to read and have a penchant for telling stories. I decided to chronicle my journey of either success or failure, (but most likely success), in this blog. I will attempt to give the reader a view of my progress in writing, I will keep people updated on where I submit my stories to, and whether or not they are accepted. I am looking to make my dream come true. Since the creation of a writer is not just their work, but also their influences, I will pepper the blogs by writing about the books I am reading, and movies that I am seeing, or just whatever the hell it is a person does who is laid-off from his job. Check back regularly, and help support a struggling writer on his road to publication. Please feel free to comment on any blogs, send advice, or share your own thoughts and experiences. Thanks for reading.
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