Well, it is actually finished now, at least for the current moment. Manuscript: Alpha has been revised, printed, bound, and sent off to my four lovely, devoted, selfless alpha readers. 176,000 words, plus a glossary, and a crudely drawn map to guide their mental wanderings as they read. Continue reading “Manuscript: Alpha is a Go – and it has a title!”
Tag: storytelling
Creativity Sessions: Let Your Characters Write the Story
I forget sometimes that others can help pull you out of creative ruts. I’ve put a lot of pressure on myself to finish Manuscript: Alpha of “Jaed and Aston” this week, mostly by telling my alpha readers that I was almost done.
Then, I hit a narrative point that felt messy and too drawn out. I fussed over wording, I tried to find a shortcut (which I do not like admitting), I brainstormed a whole bunch. And then I happened upon an interview that gave me the jolt I needed. Continue reading “Creativity Sessions: Let Your Characters Write the Story”
Actually Nearing the Finish Line
Ugh. The tying down of plots and characters continues.
As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, part of the delay on finishing Manuscript 1 of “Jaed and Aston” has been in trying to parse out the finishing plot points for each of my characters. The biggest difficulty I’ve found in this process has been in fitting the final pieces for each character together concisely, without jamming too much info/action into one section. Continue reading “Actually Nearing the Finish Line”
The Mystical Land of a Completed First Draft
Wow, spring has been busy for me in all of the best ways. Future Wife and I took a road trip to Niagara Falls and Toronto a couple weeks ago (pictures incoming), and I have two more road trips planned in April, first to Denver and then to New England just a few days later. Maybe I’ll post some updates from the road on the old travel blog. Continue reading “The Mystical Land of a Completed First Draft”
Book Review: LIONHEART, by Sharon Kay Penman
Medieval British History is my wheelhouse. I’m not an expert by any means, but learning about the English royalty is actually what first sparked my academic interest in history during high school. Who was the Black Prince and how did he get such an awesome moniker? How accurate were the popular tales about Richard I’s crusade? I just wanted to learn more, and I did throughout college.
Popular History
One oft-lamented aspect of the field of history by academics is the prevalence of popular history, particularly in film, television, and non/fiction. Popular history tends to take a wide, mass-appeal approach to the telling of history. The argument against these forms of history is that they are often more focused on a gripping narrative than on actual historical accuracy or objectivity. This is undeniable in many such works. Continue reading “Book Review: LIONHEART, by Sharon Kay Penman”
Creativity Sessions: Not Seeing the Trees for the Forest
Looking at that picture, most people would hear the water chiming over stones and logs, or imagine the animals that may be hidden behind that line of trees. I look at this picture and imagine the mountain spring that flows down into this river, or the wide expanse of the forest. Continue reading “Creativity Sessions: Not Seeing the Trees for the Forest”
Creativity Sessions: Thoughts on Storytelling
I’ve been thinking a lot about storytelling recently. Okay, I kind of think about storytelling all the time anyway. But binge-watching Louis on Netflix makes me reflect on the way we tell our own stories. Continue reading “Creativity Sessions: Thoughts on Storytelling”
NaNo Update – War of the Words!
Day 4 of NaNoWriMo: I haven’t had contact with the outside world in over 72 hours…
Psych. But seriously, I have spent a hell of a lot of time on my laptop recently. (Also, when was the last time you heard someone use “psych”? It’s sooo 1999.) Continue reading “NaNo Update – War of the Words!”
NaNoWriMo Returns, and so does my motivation
Holy crap, it’s almost October. This is the reason I avoid lofty New-Year’s-resolution-style goals at the beginning of the year. I am happy to say that I am on pace to meet some of the realistic goals I’ve set for myself. I should exceed my minimum for financial savings this year. My wedding is almost exactly one year away, and we have most of the major plans in place already (thanks mostly to my fiance, but whatever, I helped!). Continue reading “NaNoWriMo Returns, and so does my motivation”
Creativity Sessions: Is Narrative Limitless?
I’ve been reading much more than writing in recent weeks. Now I’m starting to realize that my extensive reading was too deeply affecting how I was thinking about my writing. Continue reading “Creativity Sessions: Is Narrative Limitless?”
Evening Satellite Publishing 