writing

Half way there (oooh oooh)

/ Alex Whitehall / 2 Comments

We are officially half way through the month of November and by association Nanowrimo. For those participating, that means they should have 25,000 words. For me, I don’t have any set number, but something tells me I should be a little further along than I am.

Just over two weeks left and I have over 8 chapters to write, which is about 16,000 words (I aim each chapter to be roughly 2,000 words). It’s probably closer to 20,000 if I include all the chunks I’m missing in text.

I succeeded in my previous weeks goals and now have the rest of the story plotted out and one of the chapters written. However, in order to finish in time, I’m going to need to up the amount of work I’m doing daily and spend more time thinking about CL than I have been. No pressure.

My goals for the next week:

  • Finish all back chapters and missing sections
  • Write two new sections

I’m a little worried that I won’t be able to get things done in time. Just gotta work harder!

A day late

/ Alex Whitehall / Leave a comment

I really did mean to post yesterday. In fact, over the course of the day, I thought several times, “I have to do my blog post tonight.” But as I headed home I got an awful headache, so I watched Rent, which made me cry and did nothing to help the headache. So I curled up and did some light reading. My headache is mostly gone, though I imagine it’ll be back by tonight.

I was not as productive as I would have liked with my Nano project. It seems that once I put myself to the task of working on one novel, four different ideas would all like their chance to shine. I’m being good and only writing down notes for them, but still, it’s a distraction. I think I’ve figured out their ages and how that will change to make it less uncomfortable for the readers, and I have some scenes planned in a vague sense. I’m not sure where to end exactly. Do I resolve everything? Do I just have it set up for resolution with the assumption that everything is resolved? I’m leaning toward the latter because politics isn’t my thing.

Also, I’ve realized two points in my writing that need major work, so I’m hoping to fix them: 1. Loose language. I’ve gotten so caught up in getting the story across that I’ve begun losing the fun of telling the story. My language has become mediocre, boring and repetitive. My next major project will be creating a novella that institutes more creative language. 2. Relationships over Plot. Relationships fascinate me, so I’ve been doing more writing that involves studying them than much plot aside from the basics. Of course, there is nothing wrong with this in itself, but I think I’ve been doing it so much that my writing has soured of it. I need to re-freshen my angles.

My goals for the week:

  • write one scene; and
  • plot out plot to the end.

That’s it for now.

Nanowrimo 2010

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As I previously reported, I am not participating in Nanowrimo, at least not properly. My novel from last year, Clockwork Lives, has sat unfinished on my laptop for the year, with me prodding it a few times when I didn’t have any other stories in progress. So, the plan is to work on CL this year for Nano, finishing up the scenes I skipped and concluding the story (since my resolution didn’t resolve like I was expecting it to last November).

My initial plan was to work on my laptop since it was once again working after some bad spots this summer. I wrote most of CL on my lappy and it seemed fitting. It also helps me avoid distractions (like…blogs). However, yesterday, when I sat down to read through last year’s work, my laptop refused to boot. AWESOME. Thankfully I have a backup of the story, and I don’t think it’s too outdated, so I’m now working off that. I don’t think there is much that is on my computer that is desperately needed to be saved, but who knows. Still planning on getting that fixed.

I hope to give an update on my progress at the beginning of each week. This week is obviously day one. Today I read through the entire story, making small edits and tracking some facts I’d forgotten (appearances) and some that need changed (ages, which were originally true to the era, but will need fixed to make it marketable).

My goals for this week are:

  • sketch out an ending;
  • write at least some new content; and
  • re-do ages.

Three small goals. Let’s see how it goes! See you all next week.

In which I haven’t started anything yet

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November is quickly approaching, and while Halloween is on my mind (I still haven’t come up with a costume yet), Christmas decorations have already begun appearing in stores. I’ll be honest, I’m in the mood for pumpkin pie and oyster dressing, but I’m in publishing, so we’re already running articles about all the delicious foods at the holidays, so I blame that!

November also brings about Nanowrimo, which I’m bowing out of this year in favor of hardcore editing and finishing my novel. Mostly finishing and piecing everything together into a quaint little complete work. Trying to get myself in the mood, I re-read a story that takes place in the same world, and started a new story that is the same. It’s going to be hard to put aside the new to revitalize the old, but I think I can do it. I’m just hoping I don’t get in there and find major surgery needs to be done.

In case I didn’t have enough on my plate, I’ve taken on a new horse to get fit. She’s pretty heavy and out of shape, and she needs to be ready for hunting, but also hopefully for me to work her all winter. So I’m working her at least twice a week, but I don’t know if I can take her out of the ring yet, so I still like to trail ride with my friends, which is another horse…and well you’re seeing the time constraints. I’m hoping I can take her out on a trail soon. Until then, I’m sort of exhausted on that front.

I have three books on my review pile for the group I work under. I know, such a strain to get free books and then write reviews of them, huh? My GoodReads list of to-read books hit 100 recently. So free ones are good. So are Amazon gift cards. And sales. Good and dangerous.

Time to go back to reading.

Incentive

/ Alex Whitehall / 2 Comments

Promises don’t really mean much unless there is some meaning behind them.

Since I’m worried about failing on my “get a book to a publisher by March 31” deadline, here’s what I’ll do…using three deadlines.

Nov 30…The chosen novel must be complete copy wise. Absolutely. Nothing missing. Failure to do so with be a $10 penalty. I’ll buy my friends a cake or treat or something and I won’t eat any– O.O

Feb 28…The chosen novel will be done all its editing. Again, a $10 penalty for being late.

March 31…send out to publisher(s). Why do I need a month for this? Finding the right publisher and doing cover letters/synapses, etc. Failure here results in $20.

I don’t know if this will work, but I figure it’d be nice to have an immediate response to my slackering, rather than the amorphous effect my current actions have spawned.

Now, I’m exhausted from a horse show. Good night.

Summertime and the livin’s easy.

/ Alex Whitehall / 3 Comments

When I was young(er), the Sublime lyrics “..in the summertime, the livin’s easy” felt true. At least until I was 15 and got a job, from which point every summer was working. Summer came to mean hard work, heat, sweat and no friends, through most of high school and all of college. Now that I’m in the real world and work all the time, summer is a time of longer days, different work clothes, and more sunshine. Of course, with the amiable weather, I’m enticed to venture out of my cave and participate in the world (as in, the horse world). Life isn’t so easy as hectic, and I think winter is when my “easy” time comes.

I’ve been listening to a podcast cohosted by J. Michael Tatum, who is a voice actor for some of the anime shows I watch. The basis of the show is that the two hosts (both voice actors) interview a guest (also a voice actor, although sometimes a director or engineer). Of course they often discussed being in the field of acting, how they had to take risks, how no job is really stable and that most just give you a false sense of security by being 9-5, when in fact you can be fired at any time. Hearing them talk about following their dreams, doing things they really love, and just DOING what they like, made me take a look at my own life.

This summer has not been easy on me. I’ve felt unmotivated and depressed for much of it, overwhelmed and exhausted for the rest. When I’m not goinggoinggoing, I’m struggling to relax and sink into reading or writing or television. While I’ve done plenty this summer (horses, writing, reading wise), I feel unsatisfied at where I stand. As if all my hard work hasn’t actually progressed me forward. It’s frustrating and saddening, and it needs to stop!

My point? I had a point? Oh, yes! I remember now…

There are only about two more months in which I’ll be riding four times a week, so my goal is to ride during those weeks and enjoy it while I can, before it turns bitterly cold and I’m miserable waking up twice a week to schlomp out in the cold (why do I do this again?). Step 1, enjoy horses while I can enjoy them.

Step 2 involves motivation. I was originally considering taking a language course at the local community college (Spanish or ASL, I was undecided). This would cost about $300 (after class fees and text book purchases). I figured it would be a good way to fill my time in the winter. As much as I do want to take a language, I need to do something productive first. I need to prove to myself that I can do what I want in life.

So step three involves sending something out for publication somewhere. I don’t care if it’s a short story, a tawdry romance, or an actual novel. I need to put polish on something and send it by March 31. I will be scheduling up baby steps for getting along that path, and I will have to find something to motivate me to stick to the schedule, but that’s the Plan.

Finally, in an afterthought sort of way…November is Nanowrimo, once again. I shall be participating, I’m fairly certain, and I have the beginnings of an idea brewing. However, I feel bad since my last Nano project was nearly abandoned once November was over. That’s not good 😦 If I decide to not actually do Nano, I may do something where I finish up last year’s project, which could fit it nicely with step 3.

We are all kings here.

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I’ve just returned from my vacation (a mini-vacation, really) and exhausted…well I arrived last night. After a night’s rest (and an afternoon nap) and being protected by my guard dog (who is only more than a yard from me when I put up barriers), I feel a little bit more human.

Now that my vacation is over, I’ll have more time to work on those things that were pushed to the side in favor of sewing/crafting. Of course, we are already beginning to look into next year’s projects, but we have time (and time to change our minds). I just want to return to the groove of my life, but that cannot begin until I’m no longer under the protection of my guard dog. Ah well.

For a period of time early this year, I’d been writing alot of short stories, which was freeing, but also damning. I felt nothing much would come of them, except to share them with the internet (which…err…I’ll get to!) so I decided to cut back and instead focus on my longer works. I’m not sure it worked to my favor, but I also had other obligations arise (see vacation notes), so I suppose I still have to give it a chance. I also decided to participate in Shousetsu Bang*Bang’s next issue…so I actually have to write something for a deadline now. Which will hopefully kick start my sudden dry spell.

For now…adieu.

Scattered

/ Alex Whitehall / 2 Comments

My head is extremely scattered right now, so that I am having trouble focusing on what needs to get done and what I want to get done. Sometimes it feels rather futile, because no matter how much I get done there is always more that needs to be done.

My laptop is being difficult. I don’t know if it’s Ubuntu or the laptop, but it freezes (seemingly randomly). This weekend it froze every ten minutes, if that. I had to do a hard reboot (I think that’s the word for it). I’m trying to find solutions online, but I swear they are speaking a different language. Ever since the fiasco in Anaheim, my laptop has been a little wonky. Thankfully there is very little saved on it that is vital to my writing. I think I’ll back up everything I currently have, just in case.

I’ve been doing a lot of reading recently and a little writing. I feel like I should read higher quality books in order to improve my writing, but there are few high-quality books in the genre I’m currently devouring. And I want to read books I enjoy, it’s my time afterall, but I also worry that the stories I read influence the books I write which aren’t really mainstream (not that I’m writing for fame, but it’d be nice).

In order to spread my wings a bit, I’m going to start submitting to Bang*Bang, maybe, you know, if I don’t chicken out. Maybe it’ll encourage me to submit to real magazines, and real publishers. Once I have a completed piece.

Also, I was supposed to sew a suit jacket tonight and instead read half of Whistling in the Dark. Is anyone really surprised by this? Go ahead Soba, yell at me, I know I deserve it.

Not-a-Loser Saturday

/ Alex Whitehall / 1 Comment

Ignoring the fact that it’s 6 o’clock and I’m writing a blog entry, I’m not a complete loser, I swear.

Most of my time has been spent reading and writing when I’m not at work (or at the barn on weekends). Because I’ve been doing a fair amount (read: loads) of amateur reading on the interwebs, I decided that it wouldn’t necessarily help my writing, so I decided to pick up some books that are in the genre that I write, thus queer YA (although mine aren’t strictly YA or queer or “school stories”). Interlibrary loans are wonderful for this, because my town is not…well I don’t want to say they’re closed minded or anything, but they don’t carry many of these types of books. It kind of makes me wonder how hard it would be for a kid who is questioning to get a book out and read about kids going through this stuff. I wonder how many kids do anyway. Probably only the out ones.

So I’ve been doing loads of reading, and because it’s YA I finish it in a couple days (or a day) which gives me a great sense of accomplishment. I think after I finish the latest book I’ll have to put off more until I finish The Art of Happiness, which I’m looking forward to reading. Reading takes plenty of my time, but the time spent feels so much better spent than watching TV, reading things online, or whatever else I waste time doing. Writing is possibly the only thing that feels more productive, and right now I don’t know about that.

After I woke up from my afternoon nap, I had this deep, thought-provoking realization about my High School life and I was going to write about it. Then I realized it wasn’t really that great, just me realizing I was actually a huge loser in High School, but I acted all tough and pretended I wasn’t. I wonder what I looked like from the outside. I think alot of it had to do with not being able to (or not feeling safe to) talk about what I wanted/give my opinion. I feel less angry now that I’m open with what I want to say, although it’s still a challenge I’m overcoming.

I could probably go on and on about my feelings and such, but that seems boring. I hope everyone enjoys their Saturday.

Who We Write For

/ Alex Whitehall / 1 Comment

Somewhere along the lines of writing my first book, telling my brother to “write for himself” and try to start working on my second book, I seem to have forgotten that I should, indeed, be writing for MYSELF. This entry by Neil Gaiman reminded me. Not only to not feel that the writer should be obligated to entertain us, but also that as the writer, we should not feel obligated to produce. Obviously producing earns money and money is, at least a little, good.

But if after my first book I want to scale some giant mountain instead of writing the second book, I can.

Of course no one is waiting for my second book, sitting on pins and needles, wondering if ___ and ____ survive and if ____ get’s that bag he’s been drooling over. But sometimes when I write I wonder if I’m making good decisions in my writing, and I wonder what my audience things. What I should be thinking about is if these actions are true to the story. I need to work on that a bit more.