Thanks for Still Coming

I know I haven't been posting much lately--I'm having all sorts of computer issues, which affect not only my blog posting but also my writing. Somehow I deleted my Microsoft Office Suite from my computer, which means no Microsoft Word, which is the program I do all my writing in. So, I've been spending a lot of time trying to fix things.

I haven't done much writing lately (see above). But I have been thinking. I made a general outline for "Hemlock Lane," the short story. My goal is about 10,000 words. I don't think I can make it any shorter without cutting out vital information. I've already cut out more than I wanted to in changing it from a novel to a short story.

My Sleep Number Bed came today! I just set my sleep number. I'm a 45. Can't wait to sleep on it tonight.

RECENTLY READ: Phantoms by Dean Koontz. Just finished it this morning, and it's a great book. Very suspenseful. The bulk of the book covers just 2 days, and it's a long book, so there's a lot packed into those pages. But that's because a lot happens. I woudl recommend it to anyone looking for a good horror/thriller.

RECENTLY WATCHED: I've been watchign a lot of TV lately, since I can't write. I lvoe my Thursday night TV--My Name is Earl, The Office, and 30 Rock. I enjoy Scrubs too, it's just getting a little...old. Same jokes, over and over again.

I also recently got the series Firefly from the library. I've watched them all before, but I don't care. I love the show. I'm goign to watch the show straight through then watch Serenity. I wish there was more to the story, they're such fun characters.

RECENTLY LISTENED TO: Weezer's Blue Album. I only popped it into a new stereo that someone gave us to see if the stereo worked, then couldn't stop listening to the CD. It's one of the all time best albums.

Don't forget to check out my recently published poems--"The Void" at Daikaijuzine and "Between" at Chimaera Serials. Then come back and tell me what you think.

What To Do

Well, I'm just not hitting my stride with "Hemlock Lane." I don't know if that's because I haven't planned it out enough yet, or if it's just not the time for me to do it. I've thought about writing it as a short story, and I still may. It seems that I have too many ideas, too much material, to just go with a short story--most publications will only look at short stories under 5 or 6 thousand words. I could probably hit about 10K easily, and could probably get it to 20K comfortably.

I think what I need to do is just plan it out. I could start it farther into the action and cut out a lot of stuff. Maybe I could get it under 5K. What do you think is an acceptable length for a short story?

I've decided that the next novel project I work on will be one I started about three years ago. It's about a guy who works in a comic shop, and is meant as a comedy. Also a little romance for the ladies.

So, I don't know what to do right now. I've been going over what I already have for "Comic Guy." I may work on them at the same time--spend some time on my "Hemlock Lane" short story, then some time on "Comic Guy." If I plan out how I want "Hemlock Lane" to go, it will probably only take me a week or so to write it. "Comic Guy" will be fun, and I've already got 12K words done, so I've got a good start.

CURRENTLY READING: Phantoms by Dean Koontz. I've only ever read one of his books before, The Face, and it was awful. I am thoroughly enjoying Phantoms right now.

I'm also reading a book on Celtic mythology, so that I can mix in a little allegory in my books. I already came across one idea I need to go back and put in "Doorways." The Celts believed in a god who was a cross between the Greeks' Cyclops and Medusa. He had two eyes, but one was always shut. The people he fought with would use a large hook to pull the eyelid up when they were in war, and everywhere his gaze fell, the people would be frozen. I think one of my monsters in "Doorways," who are referred to as "gods," will be like that, except he can open his own eye. I already have the people mostly frozen with terror at the sight of him anyway, I think this'll make it just a tad bit creepier.

The Void

March was a big month for me. My poem "Between" was published in Chimaera Serials, and my poem "The Void" was supposed to be published at Daikaijuzine. However, there were problems at Daikaijuzine (I just really like typing that word--Daikaijuzine), and the issue didn't come out until this past Saturday. Go check it out, there's some really cool stuff there, even aside from my poem. Drop me a comment and let me know what you think about "The Void." And if you find much there that you like, tell someone else about the site. The only way the little ezines are ever going to get bigger is if the people who know about them tell other people.

Sorry it's been a while since I posted, it's been a long weekend. We had a party for my older son's second birthday, and had some family in town staying with us. It was a good time.

The Cleaner

So a while back, I won a book giveaway over at The Sphere. I won the Brett Battles's book The Cleaner. I finished it just a couple days ago, and I really enjoyed every minute of it. It's a spy novel, and I'd put it right up there with Robert Ludlum's books, and I'm a big Ludlum fan.

The pace never slows down, keeping you turning the pages right from page 1. The characters are likable, and although they have backstories that we're thrown into the middle of for this mission, you never really feel lost. Brett Battles weaves in all the information you need at the right moments. I think the most important thing that you pick up about the characters is that they're not only likable, but believable. You never really stop in disbelief of anything.

I enjoyed the plot, with all the twists, sort of like a James Bond movie without all the futuristic technology, although the book has its share of technology too. What modern spy thriller would be complete without it. Not all of the twists were complete surprises, though. But the fun isn't always in just being surprised by one thing after another, it's finding out how those things came to be, and I think that's where Battles was going with this one.

The Cleaner is a fantastic read, keeping you on the edge of your seat right from the start. I recommend it to anyone who likes to read exciting books. If you like dull, dry books where nothing happens, then it's probably not for you. But everyone else should go buy it as soon as it comes out.

Welcome, again

I've noticed I've had a serious flood of visitors from a website dedicated to the college I graduated from. If you're just joining from there, welcome! Glad to have you. If you're an old friend or someone I knew, or didn't even know, but you remember me, feel free to comment in the comment fields below or send me an email. My address is in the profile section of this blog.

To catch everyone up: I recently finished writing a novel, the first one I've ever finished. I've started dozens. It feels really good to accomplish something like that, it's such a large undertaking. I consider myself a writer now, even though I haven't sold it yet. I'm still working on some edits, then I'll be seeking an agent to represent me. In the meantime, I've started another novel. I've read in various places that many authors write at least 4 manuscripts before they sell one, so I've got to get moving.

Let's see, what else. Got married in 2003. Have 2 kids, ages 2 and 8 months. I work from home and get to watch them all day while I do. It's fun. And not fun.

Probably the biggest news I have, which you already know if you've read any previous entries, is that I bought a Sleep Number bed, and I can't wait to get it! My back is killing me.

I've had a few poems and stories published on the Internet over the years. I'm going to try to compile a list and keep it posted here on the blog.

Again, thanks for stopping by. Come back often. I try to update every day, but it's been kind of hectic the last week or so. Our elder son is having his b-day party this Saturday, things should settle down after that.

Sleep, coming soon!

My wife and I did ourselves a favor yesterday, and we bought one of those Sleep Number beds that you're always hearing about on Bob and Tom or Glenn Beck. Our bed has just been terrible lately. We both wake up with sore backs, and wake up all throughout the night. It's been a real nightmare. We finally said, that's it, let's go the best bed we can find.

So we bought the Sleep Number bed. Now we can adjust how firm or soft our bed is, and we can each have it different on our own sides. It's just the best thing ever. I can't wait to get it--probably another week or so before it's delivered. Now if I could just figure out how to get both of the boys to sleep through the night, I'd be all set.

I didn't do any writing yesterday--I was too excited about the bed. But the day before I did end up writing about 2200 words. Tragedy has struck Hemlock Lane!

RECENTLY WATCHED: Seinfeld. My wife and I are going through season 7 right now. So funny. I've seen most of these before, when they were originally on, but it's great to see them again and remember all the little things I've forgotten over the years.

Dreary Day (Rain)

I've written almost 2,000 words today, but it doesn't really feel like it. The words are just flowing today I guess.

"Hemlock Lane" is a horror novel, but so far nothing really bad has happened. I've written almost 5,000 words total, and I want to make sure that I get something horrible in soon. Unfortunately, everything that I've written so far has to be there. Everything that comes after this hinges on what's already been written, although so far they're really just a couple days in the lives of the lead singer of the band. But like in one scene, he and his girlfriend are hanging out at their secret place in the woods. There's some exposition, we learn a few facts, but for the most part, the scene is to establish that location. I'm pretty sure a body is going to turn up there very shortly, and the scene needs to be seen before that so that we understand it.

I've just had a thought about the book--maybe the first chunk will be told from the point of view of the lead singer. Then the second chunk will be through the drummer, and the third will be from the bassist. But I need a chunk for the villain, and it needs to finish with the lead singer again. Hmmm. I guess I could just do 5 different chunks. I think that would be a nice way to do it and get to see all the different personalities of the band members.

Just a thought. What do you think? when you read a book, do you like to see different characters's points of view, or do you like the whole thing to be told from one person's perspective?

Through 2

I've finished my prologue and the first 2 chapters now in "Hemlock Lane." Yesterday I wrote 663 words, which wasn't too bad. This book is going to be written at a slower pace.

It's very different so far. Aside from the prologue, it's all being told from one person's point of view. I may even delete the prologue later and keep it all from Ryan's POV.

Also, my chapter's are turning out to be quite a bit shorter than in "Doorways." In that book, a typical chapter was 15-20 pages. In "Hemlock Lane," they are 2, 5, and 3 pages, in order from the prologue. I like short chapters. "Doorways" just needed those long ones for some reason.

CURRENTLY READING: The Cleaner by Brett Battles. This is the book that I won off of the author's blog. It's kind of a mystery/intrigue/thriller type book. I'm only on page 56 of 353 and we've already got dead people. I'm enjoying it quite a bit.

CURRENTLY LISTENING TO: The Stranger Than Fiction soundtrack. It's a pretty cool CD, with a lot of stuff I'd never hear anywhere else.

And just to beat a dead horse, for anyone who may have missed it, don't forget to check out my poem "Between" published at Chimaera Serials, and read my post "Almost Forgot" about the poem.

Kurt Vonnegut

I'm sure you all know that Kurt Vonnegut passed away yesterday. It's a sad day indeed. I didn't discover Vonnegut fo rmyself until about 6 years ago, when I found a copy of his short story collection Welcome to the Monkey House at the Goodwill. I'd heard of him before, so I picked it up and fell in love. I devoured those stories, and went on to read some of his novels--I think Bluebeard may have been my favorite. Kurt Vonnegut's perspective on things taught me to look at things differently, to think about things differently.

I haven't read all of his books yet--I still have a long ways to go, really. I'll get to them all, I'm sure. His was a different kind of voice, one that will be missed.

Heart-Shaped Box

So I just finished Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill and I loved it. Awesome book. I'm not going to drag on and on, talking about it, but I wish my book "Doorways" was half that good. You get to see the characters grow, and you really grow to like them. Great writing.

I managed 437 words yesterday, and that was after I deleted a bunch of stuff I wrote before. I'm having a really rough time getting this one started. Maybe I need to do a little more planning before I jump into it. I've got a book in at the library on Celtic mythology, can't wait to pick it up. I'm very interested in working some of that into the book.

RECENTLY WATCHED: 24. I hope you saw Monday's episode, because it was one of the best of the season so far. I'm glad they wrapped up the terrorist plot already, leaving the last few hours of the day to deal with Audrey's reappearance--and come on, who didn't see this coming? Of course she wasn't dead. She was probably in the prison cell next to Jack's for months, without him ever knowing it.

Hook Contest

There's a hook contest going on over at the Fangs, Fur, and Fey blog. They've invited writers to submit the hook for their manuscripts, and they'll judge them (anonymously) and post the (anonymous) critiques on their website. This is a great help to someone who needs help writing a query letter or hook, even if they don't submit one of their own. You can learn a lot just from reading what was wrong with everyone else's. I intend to submit one for "Doorways" (thank goodness you don't have to give the name for your manuscript, considering I don't have a real one yet). I look forward to the criticism, to help me make it better. If I submit to their contest, then can find another similar contest, I may be able to craft a nice query letter when submitting my book to agents.

And Not Outlining

Yeah, I don't think this "not outlining" thing is going to work. I just have so many ideas, I want to write them all down, then I want to make sure that I can get them all in. And I need to make sure I get them in the right order.

When I wrote "Doorways," my outline consisted of a sentence or two for every scene that I wanted to write. It was just an overview, and often when I wrote the scene I discovered that things weren't going like I thought they would, and I would rewrite my outline from that point forward.

With "Hemlock Lane," I think I'm going to do an even broader outline than that. I'm not going to plan each scene, I'm just going to try to get the general progression of events, and just write whatever scenes I need to write to get from one idea to the next. The nice thing about having the outline that I did for "Doorways" was that if I was jumping to a different perspective, I always knew what was going on next, because I had it planned out already. So, we'll see how it goes.

CURRENTLY READING: Joe Hill's Heart-Shaped Box. I'm just over halfway through and I'm really enjoying it. I read somewhere that it was a better book than his dad's, but Stephen King's best are still superior, I believe (although I haven't finished it yet, so I can still be persuaded). But King does have some stinkers, and so far it is better than those (Cujo, Firewalker, Needful Things). And if you compare debut novels of the two, Hill's Heart-Shaped Box versus King's Carrie, Hill is definitely in the lead. I think I read that his short story collection 20th Century Ghosts is going to be printed in America soon. Can't wait for it.

I hope to finish the book this week and post a full review.

And for anyone who may have missed it, don't forget to check out my poem "Between" published at Chimaera Serials, and read my post "Almost Forgot" about the poem.

Not Thinking About #1

So while I'm not thinking about Book #1--from here on out, I'll refer to is as "Doorways"--I'm busy at work on "Hemlock Lane." I wrote those ,80 words or so in the Prologue yesterday, then started on Chapter One. I wrote 450 words there.

All told, I've got about 1000 words going in "Hemlock Lane" ("HL"). Right now, it just seems like a book about a band. By the end of Chapter 1, we'll have some scary stuff happening, I think. I haven't done any outlining yet, but I do have a rough idea of the plot overall. I'm going to try this one without so much outlining as my previous one, but I also think that I won't need it as much.

"Doorways" is told from many different people's perspectives. "HL" will probably be told only from the point of view of the main character, Ryan Ryback, and one or two others whenever necessary. But having it all come from one person's POV means I'll have less to plot, because I won't need to worry about different storylines meeting at the right places.

Don't forget to read my recently published poem "Between." Read my post "Almost Forgot" to find out where. (Or for simplicity's sake, go to Chimaera Serials and read it.)

Here we go again

Well, I didn't give myself much time off. I completely finished my first edit of my manuscript for Book #1 (still no title) on Friday. Yesterday I started Book #2 (working title "Hemlock Lane"). I didn't write much, just about 275 words in the prologue. So far today I've written another 275, and finished the Prologue, just a short two-and-a-half pager. If I get time, I may try to get started on Chapter 1 tonight.

I'm not completely sure what's going to happen in this book. I know who my major players are, and I know some events that are going to happen. I've got a loose idea of the whole story, I guess, it just doesn't seem like it's enough. My target length for this book is going to be 90,000 words once again.

Tomorrow my wife will start her edits on Book #1. I'm excited--not because she'll be editing. I hate that. She always makes my papers bleed red ink. It's all good stuff--I don't necessarily agree with it all, but it makes me really look at it either way to see what I think about it. No, what I'm excited about is that I'll be one step closer to finishing Book #1 once she finishes.

RECENTLY WATCHED: Lost. We watched all the back episodes that we missed, like the last 6 or so. I like it a lot better. When they came back form the break this spring, the show was really dragging. But now they've gotten their act together and they're telling some decent stories.

Almost Forgot

I almost forgot, I have a poem in this months issue of Chimaera Serials. It's called "Between." Just scroll down past the weird picture and you'll see it listed under poetry.

Honestly, that poem's not the best, but it's based on a real experience that I had. I was in bed, and I felt someone sit down on the foot of the bed, but I couldn't roll over. I couldn't move at all. I just laid there freaking out for a few minutes, then I could move, and there was no one there. I know I wasn't asleep. A friend of mine stayed in that apartment with me one time and he told me that the same thing happened to him--but I never told him about my experience.

Anyway, that's kind of what the poem is based on. Give it a read, tell me what you think.

Tuesday, Tuesday

I'm getting a good bit of editing done the last couple days. After I rearranged my story, I'm just going through, fairly quickly, to clean up the prose, make sure the time line is accurate, fix big glitches. My goal is to finish tomorrow. The the wife can take her time and look at it.

I know there's things I need to fix--at the beginning of the book, I did a lot better at showing and not telling. By the end I was just telling what was happening. Before I can fix a lot of those problems, I need to take some time away from it. Maybe I won't come back to it until May.

In the meantime, I can't wait to get started on my next idea. I had a plot coming together, but I don't think I like that anymore. Maybe I'll save it and do that one later. I want to keep the main characters as being in a band, but I want to try to center the whole book more on music. In my first idea, the plot didn't really have anything to do with their band. I have plenty of time to work on it. I do have a lot of little ideas I want to include, but I don't have a plot yet. We'll see what I come up with. I'd like to think that while my writing might not be the best in the world, my plotting is my strong point.

I got my free copy of The Cleaner by Brett Battles yesterday from over on his blog. It's next on my reading list after Joe Hill's Heart-Shaped Box, which I started yesterday.

RECENTLY LISTENED TO: I was listening to my copy of the Screaming Trees greatest hits Ocean of Confusion. I love the Screaming Trees. Their music is so dark, moody, trippy. The band in my book is going to play roughly the same style of music, a real grunge band.

RECENTLY BUMMED OUT ABOUT: I can't believe Ohio State lost to Florida AGAIN. First football, now basketball. I'm from Ohio. I'm not a huge fan or anything--if I'm watching college sports, I don't usually root for anyone, it's just fun to watch--but I do generally root for hometown teams if they're playing. Oh well, maybe next year.

Split Images

I raced through the end of my Elmore Leonard book yesterday, Split Images. I picked up Joe Hill's Heat-Shaped Box at the library, but I had to finish the other book first.

It was good, and I hope I didn't end up shorting myself of anything in it by reading too quickly through the last 80 pages or so. It was a good crime story. I was kind of wondering at one point what was going to happen, because the bad guys that the cop and his girlfriend were tracking were planning on killing another bad guy. I thought that either they would save the other bad guy from being killed, or the first bad guys would get away with it. Neither happened.

There's also a big twist towards the end--you know how characters in books and on TV always get themselves into tight situations, but the hero comes through and saves the day? Doesn't happen in Split Images. A character does get into a tight situation, but there's no last minute rescue. Wasn't expecting that at all.

A very satisfying read. I was pleased. I'd read Elmore Leonard again anytime.