Villains v. Heroes

I suppose the more correct statement is 'Protagonists v. Antagonists' but I like villains. The 'I'm here to, if not end, then seriously mess up, the world and here's my creepy laugh to prove it' sort. Maybe it's my religious upbringing but I like the dichotomy of Good and Evil, Right and Wrong. But that's not the point. This is the point: I like villains more than heroes because I think they're more interesting and take more skill to write. Even in good writing, all an author needs for a hero is as character with a vague notion to 'do what's right'. Anti-heroes and whatnot aside, at the very basic level that is all that is required. If well written, this will not compromise the integrity of the story. Because you can just have a ridiculously idealistic protagonist. Villains need a reason....

Read more »

Distraction

Last night, as seems to happen every so often, I found myself wandering back to Arylle. This is always a bad idea as it inevitably makes me lose interest in whatever other characters I should be working on, but somehow knowing this never stops me. Worse yet, last night I chose the last three chapters of the book, not only renewing my infatuation with the story, but leaving me an emotional cripple as well. What is it about this story? These people? Is it really just narcissism, since they are so much a part of me – sharing my neuroses and fears to such an extent that the book might be considered a roadmap to my soul? Is it because I grew up on them, learned to write through them, experienced so much of life while toiling to create those pages?...

Read more »

Posted in: characters,finishing,starting over,writing

Leafkin

Two weeks ago I woke up and realized it was April.  I mean, I really realized it was April. I've been lost in a mire of job applications while La Nina's indecisive weather patterns have messed with my head (I don't like going out in the rain, and I feel super positive when I'm active...which generally requires sunny weather.   This Winter/Summer/Winter/Summer every other week is just bad for me).  The Girl is bad for me, apparently. That said, it's April.   The countdown until Leafkin's deadline is on.    I'm trying to organize my time so that I can maximize everything I have to do before stories arrive.  Then I get to read and edit, do some event planning, and then work on website, facebook--even this blog could use a bit of tweaking.   I'm sensing...

Read more »

Origins

Is it time for an embarrassing memory? I think it is.Most writers have touching anecdotes about how they’ve been telling stories since they learned how to talk, making their parents write the words down because the budding genius was currently illiterate, how they won competitions when their age was still in the single digits, how they’ve always known that this was their calling, etc.I have a story like this too.When I was seven years old, I read the Betsy, Tacy, and Tib stories. These are a series of books about three girls growing up at the turn of the twentieth century and the various adventures that they embark on. In one of the books, the girls see a theatrical version of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, and decide to put on the show themselves for their friends and family. For some reason, this...

Read more »

Posted in: kids,memories,plays,uncle tom's cabin

On Social Networks

I am not afraid of the technological age. I don't feel that I can afford to be. If a writer wants to be successful in today's age I feel that one must be knowledgeable about technology. For the up-and coming generation (those of us under 40 years) technology has grown with us. We have no excuses. Computers invaded our work environment and proved a typing standard for academic papers. We are more familiar with the medium than any other generation, and rightly we should be. While I pour over blogs relating to e-books and e-reading devices, this is only a segment of the new era. Many of us are versed in using social networks and gmail (with all its fancy bonus features) for our social lives, we need to adjust these behaviors into the professional sphere. We can garner attention for our writing...

Read more »

Tick tock

I read an article last week about Nicolas Sparks, who started his most recent novel this February 17th and needs to have it done by May to keep it on schedule for getting it published this Fall. He says he’s not happy working under such time constraints, but he can get the work done. I’ve heard of people writing a novel in six months before, but three? Then again, it’s Nicolas Sparks.My point is, my only completed book took almost seven years, and that was just for the first draft. Granted, for the first four years almost nothing was written. The characters’ names changed, even the most basic elements of the plot changed, and only a few threads remain that identify it as the original story (the prison scene at the beginning is one of the only parts that has been included from day one)....

Read more »

Posted in: deadlines,Sparks

Story Telling: A Primitive Act Preserved In Modern Technology

It's late Friday night. I've been writing and researching like mad it seems. Because of this I'm having a little bit of a writer's block at the moment.I think I'm going to just use some spontaneity in writing this blog entry. However, shouldn't that be a part of every writer's work (one of a few exceptions, however, would be technical writing)? Sure, writing in the formal sense, such as the writing of a novel or an article especially if these two or their likes are to be published, have to have some sort of a restraint on them. But the very energy--the movement and rhythm of the writing--especially in fiction and poetry should be that of spontaneity and therefore natural flow. Yet, even to communicate the natural flow, at least on paper (or computer screen), the writing's got to be refined...

Read more »

Net Neutrality

You may have heard... The Federal Appeals Court overturned the decision made that would prevent Copmcast--and other broadband industries--from interfering with their "customers' access to the websites and services" . The debates are over an internet "fast lane," entrepreneurship and consumer privacy. The fast lane idea means that broadband services will charge more for access to higher speeds. If there are different speeds at which the audience can access the internet, this can affect consumer experience of websites, blogs, online stores, etc. Currently, entrepreneurs rely on filling niches that are being developed by burgeoning technologies. The more quickly the internet changes, the more it becomes integral to our lives, the more it becomes an outlet for business, advertising,...

Read more »

Progress Report

I’ve actually been on a writing kick lately, which is extraordinary (to say the least). The manuscript of Aya’s Wings has grown to fifty-two pages, which may not seem like much, but for me it’s quite a ways. I started this thing last September, seven months ago, and while I’m pleased with and proud of what I’ve written so far, it’s often been a paragraph at a time.I’m not sure what inspired this latest binge. Last week was Spring Break, so I had more time to write, but if anything, having more free time usually brings my writing to a standstill. I want to write most during finals week, the night before a big paper is due, etc. So maybe it started a couple of weeks ago when I had a family therapy midterm? Or maybe now that I’m out of the first couple of chapters, where everything is new...

Read more »

Posted in: characters,inspiration,writing

World and Electronic Document Building

Again, I apologise for ditching out on everybody last week again. I was more tired than hell by the time I got home from a long day at work and so just could not write so late in the evening. They were training me on some technology at my job with the state and so it was, as exciting as it was, quite complicated and some what intensive in that it felt like there was very little room for mistakes. But my trainers had been really good with me and very understanding that it was all new to me.Speaking about technology, and the machine they trained me on did involve documents, I've been getting more into reading up on and even learning a variety of program languages. Right now I'm taking an online course in XML through my job, and, as complicated as it can get, it is really interesting. I'm...

Read more »