Paraphernalia in my Pocket

Apologies to All

2012-01-27T09:41:00.000-05:00

Apparently my Twitter account was breached Wednesday or Thursday morning and spammed all my followers. I've reset my password to prevent that from happening again but to everything affected let me apologize and say please ignore and twitter message from me you may have received this week. Apparently it is fairly easy to fake direct messages to others on Twitter so I'll be more careful in the

How Did I Become a Writer?

2012-01-23T08:59:00.000-05:00

The ability to writing fiction is a rare gift. Very often it springs out nowhere like some like of immaculate conception. In my case, I attribute it to my overdeveloped imagination -- the result of hours of being alone as a young boy and having to entertain myself. Even then I was using my toys to tell stories. The transition from tales made up on the spot to pass the time and writing them

A Portrait of a Writer as a Publishing Company

2012-01-20T10:14:00.000-05:00

Once upon a time, people writing fiction had to rely on themselves for everything. Well, almost everything -- feedback on a story remains firmly in the hands of the reader. They had to know how to write, and edit, and revise. Later with the advent of desktop publishing they had to know how to format too. These days, the writer needs a host of other skills too. He needs a sense of design and

I Have a Dream Too

2012-01-16T08:15:00.001-05:00

Today is a holiday in the United States to honor a man who had a vision and dream of a better world for all. It would be hubris to compare myself to such a one but I too have a dream-- a writer's dream. I dream of being published. While that time may be close at hand it does not feel that way. But I am also concerned about the walls that still exist along the road to publication. I think they

Lightning, Sparks, and a Little Fire

2012-01-13T08:35:00.000-05:00

I'm beginning to see why many writers I've spoken with about their first book have decided to self-publish subsequent books: getting a good contract is hard. While my publisher seems to be willing to consider the cover I want to use and will give me final say on many aspects of the publication process, they seem to also want to me to give them rights that they won't be using now and for which

Show and Tell

2012-01-09T09:07:00.000-05:00

Ironic that the craft of storytelling has nothing to do with telling you anything anymore. These days, as I'm sure you know, fiction writing is all about showing you what happens not telling you. I was reminded of this the other day when I got a look at an old draft of the novel I'm writing. The draft goes out of its way to describe the town that the main characters are visiting. None of this

Didn't I Do this Last Year?

2012-01-06T08:43:00.000-05:00

Sigh. I've got this strange feeling more and more that I've travelled back in time and am doing many of the same tasks I did last year. In January, for example, I collect the forms I need to pay my taxes and purchase the tax software I need to complete them. At the same time, all my deductibles for my medical insurance kick in now and last unless I satisfy them. Next month I will file my

More Lightning and one Spark

2012-01-02T08:53:00.000-05:00

After waiting three weeks to hear back from my publisher, I decided to write to them asking if they were still interested in my novel. I noted that I was expecting to hear back in two weeks per their email to me. They replied saying yes, they are still interested and then they send me a sample contract. This has got me going on what kind of deal I might get and has my generating all kinds of

In Closing

2011-12-30T10:00:00.000-05:00

The end of 2011 is coming up fast and so I thought I'd look back and see where I've been this year. It's been a busy time. My first novel, Aure the Topaz and gone from being self published to being of interest to a publisher. While it will not be re-published in 2012, it will be prepared for publication, assuming I agree to the terms of the publishing contract. That is very much TBD. At the

Reruns or Greatest Hits?

2011-12-26T08:56:00.000-05:00

I've been tempted to repost some old blog entries for folks who recently decided to subscribe and haven't combed through the 165 posts I've written. But then I thought, are reruns permitted while blogging? Isn't the point of blogging fresh new content? What about a list of greatest hits (posts)? Again, I don't think so. I'm reminded of a recent link a friend of mine shared on Facebook about

Lightning But No Sparks

2011-12-19T08:37:00.000-05:00

I reported about a week and half ago that I had heard from the publisher that wanted to purchase the rights to my novel, Aure the Topaz. I was told, after supplying my contact information that I would hear from them within two weeks. That time is nearly expires and I've not heard a word. This makes my wonder: were they serious about the contract or are they slow and understaffed? I can

Age Your Stories

2011-12-16T09:14:00.000-05:00

I have three books in play at the moment: the first one, Aure, the Topaz, now has a publisher ready to buy it and that is going to require some of my time to review proofs, discuss changes, work on promotions, revise my web site, etc. The third one, Telep, the Diamond, is being written. This is where a bulk of my effort is going now because I need to have as many books as I can drafted.

Sometimes I Get Lost

2011-12-12T10:00:00.000-05:00

There's a line from the Shelley poem, "The world is too much with us." by which the speaker of the poem laments that far to often we forget to stop and appreciate the things around us. I've have frequently felt that; it is easy to get caught up in the world and all the things that come at you. I frequently lose sight of what is truly important to me and get caught up in the crisis of the

Paraphernalia and Other Things

2011-12-09T08:15:00.000-05:00

I heard back from the publisher the other day just long enough to know that they got my contact information and they will be in touch by December 20. So now I wait. Meanwhile a friend of mine (the last person I thought would self-publish) decided to release a book on Smashwords. I spoke with him about this and decided it was time I released my short work on Smashwords while I writing Book 3

Lightning Strikes

2011-12-05T07:40:00.000-05:00

Back in October I submitted my first novel to a publisher because they claimed to help writers get published. They've come back now and have agreed to publish it. That's right binky. I found a publisher who wants to buy my work. I have been offered a contract. They asked from my contact information, which I supplied and I am now wait to hear from them on details. Despite this

It's Your Health

2011-12-02T08:28:00.001-05:00

I recently threw my back out. I've had lower back problems most of my life because of bad posture and little exercise. I've not so much a couch potato as a computer jockey. But the fact is, I find regular exercise boring. Give me a chore, like raking the yard and that's fine, exercise in disguise, but have me do twenty push-ups and I'm outta here. But the sad fact is I have no interest in

Threads

2011-11-28T08:30:00.000-05:00

As I write and develop Book 3 of the Aglaril Cycle, I find myself weaving in many different threads into the story. Some of planned and some are not. The planned threads include providing information to the reader that he or she needs to understand the story and the individual plots of all the characters. The unplanned threads are the results of character interaction. Some of these threads I

Technology marches on

2011-11-25T11:10:00.001-05:00

The other day I responded to a Facebook post from a friend. He was commenting on the lose of the local Blockbuster video store. Several people thought it was a shame but I pointed out that once the Internet began to provide all type of media: books, music, and video, to name three, the lose of physical stores selling these items is inevitable. Software is a prime example of this. I used to

Are you Ready?

2011-11-21T18:39:00.000-05:00

I have long said that I should have started writing my fantasy series, the Aglaril Cycle, sooner. That, because of the time it is taking to complete each novel, I should have started sooner so that I can be sure that I will get to my other stories and ideas. But the fact is (and was until recently) I wasn't ready to do so. The first draft of the material was completed in 1999. But that draft

Is this the Internet we wanted?

2011-11-18T08:07:00.000-05:00

Back in the early days of the Internet (okay, I'm talking about my early days with the Internet, the mid-90s) all I heard was talk about keeping it open and free of commercials and free of regulations. Threats to the openness and the general freedom it afforded were (and still are) still challenged by concerned individuals. But the Internet has evolved into something no one expected. Back

Writing is a Long Slow Process

2011-11-14T08:16:00.000-05:00

I'm finding just about everything associated with writing a long and slow process. This is certainly true of the drafts I'm writing. Of course, I'm writing novels consisting of thousands of words. I would expect that. But the revision process is a slow process too. Revising my first novel took about two months and revising the second novel will not win any awards for speed either.

Why Writing Good Fantasy Novels are Difficult

2011-11-11T08:47:00.001-05:00

I had an important realization while reading Stephen King's On Writing. His novels work well because many of them are set in the modern world. The benefit of this is his knows how his characters should react and he can add real elements from the modern world to give the story a sense of reality if he needs to. That's easy because the real world provides so many possibilities to draw from.

Report card

2011-11-07T07:49:00.000-05:00

I thought I'd take stock of all my writing projects to see where they are. This will help me get organized and focus on what I need to do. Aure the Topaz is in the hands of a publisher and I am waiting to hear back. I've completed a round of edits recently and don't plan any more changes to it. I just need a way to get the book in the hands of readers. Vorn the Onyx is complete. I was

The Grand Experiment

2011-11-04T08:29:00.000-04:00

I just finished reading On Writing by Steven King. Great book. One of the things it reminded me is that writers write, even when they think they are spent and their writing sucks and isn't fit to wrap fish. Writers write. Why? Because that's their job; because if they don't the writing gears in their heads freeze up like cold pipes on an arctic winter morning. There are probably other

Taking a Break

2011-10-31T07:54:00.000-04:00

I think I need to take a break from blogging and a few other things because it is getting increasingly hard to attend to everything that needs my attention. My stress is up -- I can feel it -- and my temper short. I feel burnt out and I need to recharge. This time of year, as the holidays approach, is always bad for me. Partly because of the added stress our society places on this time,