If you want to be a writer, then why aren't you -- you know -- writing?

No Sunday Night Movie post tonight

Monday, March 8th, 2010

This is because it took me two nights to watch my Sunday Night Movie feature.  The film was 2 hours 37 minutes long and tomorrow I will tell you what I watched and how hard I laughed. (Not a good sign as it was not a comedy. Here’s a hint, I much preferred  When Worlds Collide.)

Today I got my new computer glasses with an Rx designed for use at a range of about 22 inches. It seriously reduced the eye strain I had at work and for most of the day and early evening I was feeling fairly good. The headaches returned to full force by the end of the evening because for everything else I am still using glasses that are out of date and my eyes are just too damn sensitive.

Talk you to tomorrow.

08.03.2010 Movies, Writing, general, life No Comments

I’m Back

Saturday, March 6th, 2010

Well, the last two days have been quite a tour de force of headaches for me. Yes my new glasses still have not arrived from the lab and so I have been suffering my daily headaches at this time of year. Friday got to near migraine quality and I left work a couple of hours early so I could do nothing and let my eyes rest.

The most frustrating part of the last two days is that it brought production on Cawdor to a halt. Thursday night was reducing to typing in edits on the chapter 3 and no original writing. Friday my head hurt far too much for me to even think of stringing words together.

However, by a bit of luck I woke up this morning without a headache. I intended to spend some quality time with my sweetie-wife, as I have not been the most fun to be around lately, and later a double feature of films with friends.

A friend and co-worker, Rachael, (No that’s not  a typo that’s how she spells it.) Is both a fan of Zombie movies and The Terminator franchise. Yet somehow she has never seen the 1978 Dawn Of The Dead and even more surprising she has never seen The Terminator. This is going to be rectified today.

Then in the evening it will be card and board games.

06.03.2010 Movies, Writing, general No Comments

Chapter 3 – first draft completed

Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010

So I have now completed the three critical chapters of Cawdor. At least in rough draft form. I’ve done the edits to the first two chapters and I am currently entering the edits on the third. Tomorrow at my day job while on break and lunch I will start writing Chapter 4 and at home I will complete entering the edits and corrections on chapter 3.

The edits are going pretty well. It helps that I think I know my first draft weaknesses pretty well. I tend to overwrite – so it’s lots of taking out words I do not need. And I tend to write passive on my first pass, she the edits also tend to switch the sentences to active instead of passive construction.

I’m hoping I can find someone who is not familiar with the work to let me know if the first three chapters have any grab to them

03.03.2010 SF, Writing No Comments

Making progress despite constant headaches.

Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010

Until I was 40 years old I did not need to wear glasses. That doesn’t men I’ve been blessed to live trouble free where it come to my eyes. I had a real fright in high school with an infection that almost blinded me. However, my vision after that was 20/20 just restricted in terms of light levels.

On my 40th birthday my gift from the fates were my first reading glasses. Every year since then I have had to had a new pair fashioned as my prescription changed. Each year as my vision gets worse, I start getting headaches that eventually become constant headaches with the occasional migraine tossed in for variety’s sake.

This year is no different. Last week I had my exam because I could feel the strain building after long bouts reading. The new doc confirmed my rx had changed — again and I ordered new glasses. Seven to ten day wait to get them so I am living in the land of constant headaches again.

However, I am still writing. I am clocking about 1500 words a day and if I can maintain this pace I should have the draft of Cawdor finished by the end of May or early June.

Tonight I will continue chapter three. Now all chapters are important but the first three have a special place for the unknown author. When you get a bite from a query letter it nearly always is a request for the first three chapters. This is what you have to sell the editor or agent on reading the rest of the book.

In the case of Cawdor the third chapter is really important. It is where those who were not clued in by the title, but familiar with MacBeth will realize what it is I am attempting; with great hubris, stealing from Shakespeare. Tonight I will take my first crack of the highly modified scene where the witches first encounter Macbeth.

Wish me luck.

02.03.2010 SF, Writing, general, life No Comments

Catch up

Monday, March 1st, 2010

There is no Sunday Night Movie this weekend as I was at Condor and too tired after the convention for movie watching. I wish I could do Condor justice in a review but the combination of a really busy and good con plus a series of headaches that has been pretty consistent since last Weds has just ruined my ability for decent blogging.

However I can say this. This was the best Condor I have been too. There were plenty of interesting panels, I rarely felt that I lacked anything to do. I had a number of really good conversations and re-connected with a number of friends I only see at conventions. I also came away with the idea I needed to make chapter three of Cawdor work. So despite the pain it was a pretty good weekend.

Today I managed to write over 1500 words on Cawdor. 750 at work on my laptop and the rest at home after my sweetie-wife went to bed. If I can keep up that pace I will have the first draft finished by the end of June early July.

01.03.2010 Writing, conventions, general No Comments

An Anguished State of Mind

Thursday, February 25th, 2010

The blog title refers to two things.

The first was the migraine that started yesterday and didn’t break until around noon today. Iy was a nasty brute and I spent about twelve hours in bed in the dark to deal with it.

More importantly the title refers to how I feel about my writing currently.

I’m two chapters into Cawdor and I think it’s going very well. This is turning out to be something of a stressor. I feel shaken in my ability to judge my writing. My last submission to the Writers Of The Future Contest I thought was a very strong story. I thought it was better written than Regret, I Am Allowed which placed as a semi-finalist. It had a more interesting conceit than The Station On The Edge, which placed as a semi-fianlist.  I also though it was a better story than either of the Honorable Mentions, Araceli and The House Of Bad Blood. (which actually sold.) Yet my latest story, Proof of Principle didn’t make any of the above cuts or honorifics. Is my judgement off that badly or is theirs?

So with that in my recent memory when I re-read and edit the start of Cawdor and I’m so pleased at how it’s working I can’t help but feel that maybe I am fooling myself.  That what I see and feel good about — well maybe it isn’t that good after all.

It kept me awake last night while I lay there in the dark with sub-kiloton nuclear explosions going off behind my eyeballs burning my brain with doubt and pain. It has kept me away from the keyboard today, but I will force myself past it.

On the plus side I did manage to do some more exercise today. After the headache broke I did a mile on the treadmill and another three miles on the stationary bike. Lucky for me it turns out the stationary bike does not tear up my knees like a real bicycle does. I think it is because the pedal on the stationary bike are further forward and not directly beneath me.

Anyway I’m keeping up with the new heart healthy exercising and I will finish Cawdor. As a personal reward for completing Cawdor I will treat myself to the big VIP tour at Universal Studios.

25.02.2010 With Honors, Writing, life 2 Comments

It’s going to be a long day today.

Friday, February 19th, 2010

Yesterday I got stuck sitting for three hours plus without the ability to stand or walk around. Sadly yesterday was also a bad arthritis day for my knees. By the time I went to bed both knees were hurting fairly steadily. I had hoped that when I awoke they would be better, but that is not the case. My right knee is going to be giving me fits all day. I can tell.

On the plus side I got several more pages written on chapter one of Cawdor and that seems to be progressing well. Today I take my laptop to work with me and I’ll utilize my new hour long lunch to get more writing done.

19.02.2010 Writing, general 1 Comment

Well I was wrong.

Wednesday, February 17th, 2010

I did get writing in yesterday. Oh no where near as much as I would like, but more than 500 words just the same. Even with the migraine.

I say — Go Team Me!

17.02.2010 Writing, life No Comments

Next Week I start Cawdor

Friday, February 12th, 2010

Well I had meant to start writing Cawdor this week, but that just didn’t happen. Between the hellishly busy pace at the day-job and two days sucked into the Big Bang Experience, I got nada done this week.

Still, I am excited. This will be a challenging novel for me to write and I am looking forward to it.

12.02.2010 SF, Writing, general No Comments

iPad

Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010

Short post — I want one.

Longer post. I can’t afford to buy one right now and unlike Steven Colbert I can’t beg for one on television.

So here’s the deal I made with myself.

I can buy myself an iPad when I can pay for it entirely with monies earned from my writing. Not from my day job, not from tax overpayment returns and not from any gift cards, but solely from money paid to me for my writing.

It could be a long time before I get one.

03.02.2010 Writing, general, tech No Comments

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