Writing habits

I wrote a scene today that I felt rather proud of. Of course, it’s still in rough draft format and will need some polishing but that’s part of the beauty. It was remarkable not for its completeness or refined elegance, but for the character interaction and development that took place within it.

I honestly felt like I was outside looking in on my characters interacting with one another as if they had no idea that anything from this world existed. That sounds odd, I know, but it’s the best I can do to explain it. I always enjoy those writing stints where everything just seems to work out and mesh, but I am learning more and more that I need to write even when it feels a bit forced.

The truth is, I can still come up with some decent ideas, even if they don’t seem all that brilliant at the time. Taking a moment or two to analyze the direction the chapter is going every now and again has given me great insight into my story and has allowed me to make some changes here and there that give the plot a little more dimension and clarity.

Throughout this process I’ve been able to avoid a few situations that felt forced and mangled and I’ve changed the order of a few chapters to put the plot development on the right track. I’ve still got some refinement and tweaking to do on Chapter 1, but I’ve done my best to leave it as it is and keep accurate notes on the changes I want to make. I think this is important because it helps me avoid being stuck in an endless loop of refining and rewriting the same material. Besides, who knows what minor details I might think to add in later chapters that will require even more rewrites?

I guess the major benefit to sitting down and thinking about all this is that I’m really starting to develop a system of writing that I can adhere to and use to propel my writing further. And that’s the point of all this, isn’t it: To write more and to write consistently?

Letters from the Front

It's been a while since I've posted. I have been working on my latest project and have finished the first draft of Chapter 1 and have since moved to Chapter 2. I find that I am fighting a battle against going back to revise again and again, instead I try to plow forward. Though, I have faltered on a few occasions.

I have looked at Helium as a place to post up The Boy in the Window, but I'm not sure how to do it best. The system isn't all that intuitive for placing a story you have written already. It won't fit with the contests and there are several story categories with hundreds of stories already competing.

Competing... for attention, for lucrative awards, big lights, fast times... Am I good enough with my craft to say that I am tired of competing? At what point does an author stop pursuing the small victories and begin aiming at something larger in scale? I promised that I would give this story away soon, and I intend to do so. First though, I need to focus on my current writing project because I refuse to be distracted and to allow doubt to set in.

Some people say that success is a frame of mind. They say that you can attain the highest heights, climbed the most impossible peaks if only you first visualize your goal. If only you see it clearly in your mind and take it. Okay, sure, I'll play along. But there comes a time when visualizing turns into day-dreaming and soon those dreams have withered away.

I don't much like the idea that I'm nothing more than a dreamer. I would like to believe that I've got something to say worth listening to. I would like to believe that I have stories to tell that people will be eager for, that they will enjoy and cherish, that they will want to read again and again. What does it matter if I believe it, though? I want you to believe it too. More than that, I want you to know it.

Some day there will come a time when I take down most, if not all, of the content of this blog. I decided this some time ago. But when that day comes, I hope that you will be as happy as I am because when that day comes I will have made it.

My goals might be lofty, but I've exhausted so many already. Every few years my wife and I sit down and write a list. Time goes by and we look at that list and mark off all the things we've accomplished. Again and again we write and then we mark off. With so much already attained, why not?

So here it is:

I am going to be a published author. Not just short stories, but books. That's right, books. Not just one book, but several.

And there you have it. One more thing added to my list of goals, officially. Mark my words, this goal too will be fulfilled.

Yep, I sound like an ass: just another aspiring writer thinking he has something special to add to the slush pile. It's okay. Time will tell. :)

Happy New Year!

Hello visitors and fellow Bloggers! The new year is upon us and New Year's Resolutions abound. I've been hard at work on my latest writing project and the progress seems to be going well so far!

I've also been having a bit of trouble with my desktop computer. It seems the motherboard is failing on me. I have the replacement parts waiting to be installed but I'm moving files to an external hard drive as I type this post. The ever-changing status report has me at 175 minutes before the transaction is complete but it jumps back and forth in an effort to torment me. As if to illustrate the point, I'm now looking at 209 minutes remaining.

Some of you may be pleased to hear that me newest project will be novel-length. I hope to spare some time here and there to ink out a short story or two if the mood strikes me, but my primary objective will be to have a draft finished by April. It seems a bit reaching, but we'll see how it goes. After all, famous books such as Twilight were written in less time, though I hope the fruit of my effort bears a taste far sweeter, if even at the cost of proliferation. In short, I would rather produce a literary masterpiece than a popular fanfare, if that makes sense.

Okay, okay, perhaps literary masterpiece is pushing it, but it does have a certain ring to it, doesn't it?

To compensate for my recent lack of posts, and as recompense for any such future lapses as I work on the task before me, I am prepared to offer The Boy in the Window for your reading pleasure. This is the short story that I wrote and submitted to the Bebo Author competition. I took it down from my blog to submit to a writing contest and to perhaps seek publication.

If I choose to place it on a site other than this blog, I will post a link instead. Let me know what you think. If you'd rather I just post it to the blog, let me know. If you think I should try publishing it on a site such as Triond or Helium, sound off! If you have a suggestion for a print publication, by all means, do tell.

I wish you all the best of new years, and may all your days be epic.