Lately, I've been spending more time on my computer than anywhere else. The good news is that I've been getting a lot of work done in preparation for the release of Silence of Souls. The bad news is that my eyes have been redder and dryer than ever before.
I can't stop working, it seems. I'll work during the day, then I'll get back on my computer after dinner for "just one quick thing" and it turns in to working until I go to bed. Yesterday, I got up at 5am and drove from Albuquerque, NM to Sachse, TX and was exhausted. I spent the evening with my in-laws and grandparents, playing a game and visiting. Around 11pm, I headed up to go to bed, but when I got in the bedroom I picked up my phone and thought of one quick email I wanted to send before going to sleep, so I laid in bed and started typing. One quick email turned in to checking out a zombie website, doing a little research, and a few other things. I ended up working for two and a half hours before I finally went to sleep a little before 2am.
Then, I dreamed about zombies. For the last week and a half or so, I've had nothing but zombie dreams. It's been horrifying (and in a couple of dreams, pretty funny).
I'm on the last leg of my book. It's coming along so fantastically, but I've been overworking myself to the point of confusion.
The zinger is that I don't want to stop. I'm tired, worn, confused, frustrated, and I love it. I feel like it's really coming together and that my goals are going to be hit.
In five weeks is our annual Beach Blast- a week at the beach with lots of great friends/family/friends-who-are-like-family, too much food and too much booze. It's a lot of fun. My goal right now is to finish and publish before the Beach Blast so I can actually take the week off and recover from writing my novel.
Showing posts with label distractions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label distractions. Show all posts
Monday, June 11, 2012
Friday, June 1, 2012
Don't Be A Lazy Writer
Last night I could barely sleep, and for three reasons:
1. It was far too hot.
2. I had zombies on my brain (pun totally intended) and every little noise was making me jump.
3. Ideas for my next novel were flooding in and couldn't be stopped! (Not that I'd want them to be stopped, of course.)
When ideas rush to me, I have to write them down before they escape into thin air. I can't tell you how many times I used to say "I'll remember this in the morning" and then wake up the next morning and not be able to recall what it was. Usually, I'd remember that I had an earth-shattering idea that would alternate reality as we know it, but couldn't remember for the life of me what that idea was. I could've ended hunger, demolished the obesity epidemic, cured cancer, wiped away the national debt, and so much more if only I had written down those lost ideas! Seriously! (Okay, maybe I exaggerate here, but I've lost a lot of story ideas because of not writing them down.)
I'm totally in love with this idea. So much so that I already have ten (10!) pages of notes on it, including character backgrounds and an underlying plot. The best part is, after searching all around, I can't find any book out there yet even remotely similar to this idea! (I've been waiting for an idea to come to me that is completely new and fresh and has nothing similar to it out there.) It combines two (maybe three) of the most popular genres but does not seem to have been done yet, which makes me very happy. I don't think the idea is too "out there" to be completely rejected by the reading community, especially people who enjoy these two major genres.
Seriously, I can't wait to start writing this story. It's becoming so clear to me that I have to actually try to take the notes and then mute it so I can focus on my current project.
But what excites me so much about this idea isn't the thought of when it'll be done, published, and read by others (well, that thought does excite me, too), it's the thought of being able to explore this idea and see where it goes, to be able to dive into this world and become the characters.
The thing I've loved so much about writing my zombie novel is the fact that I'm there experiencing it all as it happens. Each character is a part of me, and when I write I become them (I call it "method writing," but I'm not sure if there's actually a term for it or not), one at a time. I know everything there is to know about every single one of them, even things they don't know about themselves.
So here's a big tip for all of you writers out there: don't be lazy! Write an idea down when it comes to you! You'll be thankful you did. There has been dozens of times when I look back over notes to find part of an idea that I completely forgot about and then incorporate it right in to my story, and it makes the story so much stronger. My whole zombie novel is based on a series of dreams, and most of the notes I have were written at 2am, 3am, or 4am after having seen something in a dream (so keep a notepad next to your bed, or do what I do: use a "Notes" app on your phone or text it to yourself).
Keep writing, and keep taking notes!
1. It was far too hot.
2. I had zombies on my brain (pun totally intended) and every little noise was making me jump.
3. Ideas for my next novel were flooding in and couldn't be stopped! (Not that I'd want them to be stopped, of course.)
 |
| "I just want a hug. That's all." |
When ideas rush to me, I have to write them down before they escape into thin air. I can't tell you how many times I used to say "I'll remember this in the morning" and then wake up the next morning and not be able to recall what it was. Usually, I'd remember that I had an earth-shattering idea that would alternate reality as we know it, but couldn't remember for the life of me what that idea was. I could've ended hunger, demolished the obesity epidemic, cured cancer, wiped away the national debt, and so much more if only I had written down those lost ideas! Seriously! (Okay, maybe I exaggerate here, but I've lost a lot of story ideas because of not writing them down.)
I'm totally in love with this idea. So much so that I already have ten (10!) pages of notes on it, including character backgrounds and an underlying plot. The best part is, after searching all around, I can't find any book out there yet even remotely similar to this idea! (I've been waiting for an idea to come to me that is completely new and fresh and has nothing similar to it out there.) It combines two (maybe three) of the most popular genres but does not seem to have been done yet, which makes me very happy. I don't think the idea is too "out there" to be completely rejected by the reading community, especially people who enjoy these two major genres.
Seriously, I can't wait to start writing this story. It's becoming so clear to me that I have to actually try to take the notes and then mute it so I can focus on my current project.
But what excites me so much about this idea isn't the thought of when it'll be done, published, and read by others (well, that thought does excite me, too), it's the thought of being able to explore this idea and see where it goes, to be able to dive into this world and become the characters.
The thing I've loved so much about writing my zombie novel is the fact that I'm there experiencing it all as it happens. Each character is a part of me, and when I write I become them (I call it "method writing," but I'm not sure if there's actually a term for it or not), one at a time. I know everything there is to know about every single one of them, even things they don't know about themselves.
So here's a big tip for all of you writers out there: don't be lazy! Write an idea down when it comes to you! You'll be thankful you did. There has been dozens of times when I look back over notes to find part of an idea that I completely forgot about and then incorporate it right in to my story, and it makes the story so much stronger. My whole zombie novel is based on a series of dreams, and most of the notes I have were written at 2am, 3am, or 4am after having seen something in a dream (so keep a notepad next to your bed, or do what I do: use a "Notes" app on your phone or text it to yourself).
Keep writing, and keep taking notes!
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
The Untitled Zombies Are Coming!!
Sometimes it feels like the more I need to write, the harder it is to get started. Today, I'm aiming to do 1,800-2,000 words to make up for lost time. (What am I doing on the Internet?? I should be writing!!) I'm a week behind schedule, and I'm still aiming for release on April 1st. If I have to, I'll push the release to April 7th because I don't want to put the novel out there if it's not ready.
The story itself and all the characters are done and hashed out, and the actual writing is coming along well (even though I'm behind schedule). I'm aiming to be done by the 17th and allow two weeks for editing and proofreading. I still need a cover and a title. A few ideas have come about what to title my zombie novel, but none of them seem to fit yet. I'm hoping it'll just come when it's ready to. It's currently saved as "Untitled Zombie Apocalypse Novel" but I don't think that title is really catchy enough to use for the finished product.
I'm not re-inventing the zombie genre, but I do think that mine is better than 90% of the stuff already available. There's so much zombie crap, really- stories with no action, no set "rules" of how the infection/undead mass acts, no realistic or relatable characters, and boring action sequences that seem entirely disconnected from the plot. I know my novel won't be absolutely perfect, and I know not everyone will like it, but I like it and I hope that others out there will enjoy it, too.
There's two things that have really helped me with this novel (and two things I use for almost all my work):
1. Pages of Notes. I have sections for characters, events, rules that must be followed (in this case, how the infection spreads, how it affects the body/mind, and how the undead act), things that I have mentioned that are important for continuity, specific pieces of dialogue I think of that I want to use at some point but not at the moment, town names, and anything else that I may need to quickly reference at any point in the writing process. I keep it very organized so it's easy for me to use so I can find what I need rapidly and get back to writing. This has helped tremendously on several occasions. Sometimes when I am stuck on the part I'm writing, I'll pop over into my notes, read a bit, maybe write a few things in there, and usually it breaks the writer's block.
2. Flashcards. I recently started doing this, but it's indescribably helpful! I write the main points of the plot (and even minor events that I want to include, or specific character developments that need to occur) on their own card, then I lay out the flashcards on a table and look at everything that will be happening. Then, I'll arrange the flashcards in the order that I think works best, read through them in that order, and see if it works. If it doesn't, it's really easy to move around the flashcards again and try out different orders. It's so interesting to see how just changing the order of things can affect the story so profoundly, and often the order of events affects character motivation for succeeding events.
Time to get back to writing- I'm off again to rendezvous with the undead.
The story itself and all the characters are done and hashed out, and the actual writing is coming along well (even though I'm behind schedule). I'm aiming to be done by the 17th and allow two weeks for editing and proofreading. I still need a cover and a title. A few ideas have come about what to title my zombie novel, but none of them seem to fit yet. I'm hoping it'll just come when it's ready to. It's currently saved as "Untitled Zombie Apocalypse Novel" but I don't think that title is really catchy enough to use for the finished product.
I'm not re-inventing the zombie genre, but I do think that mine is better than 90% of the stuff already available. There's so much zombie crap, really- stories with no action, no set "rules" of how the infection/undead mass acts, no realistic or relatable characters, and boring action sequences that seem entirely disconnected from the plot. I know my novel won't be absolutely perfect, and I know not everyone will like it, but I like it and I hope that others out there will enjoy it, too.
There's two things that have really helped me with this novel (and two things I use for almost all my work):
1. Pages of Notes. I have sections for characters, events, rules that must be followed (in this case, how the infection spreads, how it affects the body/mind, and how the undead act), things that I have mentioned that are important for continuity, specific pieces of dialogue I think of that I want to use at some point but not at the moment, town names, and anything else that I may need to quickly reference at any point in the writing process. I keep it very organized so it's easy for me to use so I can find what I need rapidly and get back to writing. This has helped tremendously on several occasions. Sometimes when I am stuck on the part I'm writing, I'll pop over into my notes, read a bit, maybe write a few things in there, and usually it breaks the writer's block.
2. Flashcards. I recently started doing this, but it's indescribably helpful! I write the main points of the plot (and even minor events that I want to include, or specific character developments that need to occur) on their own card, then I lay out the flashcards on a table and look at everything that will be happening. Then, I'll arrange the flashcards in the order that I think works best, read through them in that order, and see if it works. If it doesn't, it's really easy to move around the flashcards again and try out different orders. It's so interesting to see how just changing the order of things can affect the story so profoundly, and often the order of events affects character motivation for succeeding events.
Time to get back to writing- I'm off again to rendezvous with the undead.
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Weekend Break
It's been a pretty nice weekend, overall. Went and saw Star Wars Ep 1 in 3D yesterday with Danny and Kevin. It's a great movie, but I didn't feel the 3D was anything spectacular. It was cool to see it in the theater, though.
My grandpa came and stayed the night. He's legally blind and getting very hard of hearing, but he enjoyed the visit. He seemed very frustrated- he could barely hear at all, worse that usually. When we took him home, I cleaned his hearing aids for him and it seemed to help.
Went shopping this afternoon and bought some decorations for the Oscar Party I'm having next Sunday. I can't wait! They're always a lot of fun. I haven't seen very many of the nominated films this year, but I always enjoy spending time with good people and goofing around a bit.
I didn't do any writing this weekend. It was a nice break- I feel refreshed and ready to get going on the story again tomorrow! :)
My grandpa came and stayed the night. He's legally blind and getting very hard of hearing, but he enjoyed the visit. He seemed very frustrated- he could barely hear at all, worse that usually. When we took him home, I cleaned his hearing aids for him and it seemed to help.
Went shopping this afternoon and bought some decorations for the Oscar Party I'm having next Sunday. I can't wait! They're always a lot of fun. I haven't seen very many of the nominated films this year, but I always enjoy spending time with good people and goofing around a bit.
I didn't do any writing this weekend. It was a nice break- I feel refreshed and ready to get going on the story again tomorrow! :)
Friday, February 10, 2012
We need more cowbell!
The little things in life make me so happy: I set my ringtone to the theme song from The Walking Dead.
I've been working on my zombie novel all day, and I'm very happy with where it's going. There was a scene that popped into my head last night when I was in bed, and I wrote it out today- it won't be until later in the book, but I think that in this scene there is one sentence that wraps up the whole idea I'm trying to convey in the book. I didn't even really realize it until I wrote it, but with it in mind, I think my story just got a whole lot stronger. I still need a title for the book, but I think that will be one of the last things I create.
In between writing, I can't help but check my numbers. (I'm trying not to become obsessive with it, but I'm so excited that people are reading my work!) Here's the latest:
Please help him climb! What a dream it would be to see Shadows in the Window in the top 100!!
And now, as I get back to work, I leave you with this video, which combines two things I have a strange love for: The Walking Dead and Christopher Walken.
I've been working on my zombie novel all day, and I'm very happy with where it's going. There was a scene that popped into my head last night when I was in bed, and I wrote it out today- it won't be until later in the book, but I think that in this scene there is one sentence that wraps up the whole idea I'm trying to convey in the book. I didn't even really realize it until I wrote it, but with it in mind, I think my story just got a whole lot stronger. I still need a title for the book, but I think that will be one of the last things I create.
In between writing, I can't help but check my numbers. (I'm trying not to become obsessive with it, but I'm so excited that people are reading my work!) Here's the latest:
 |
| Click to enlarge |
Please help him climb! What a dream it would be to see Shadows in the Window in the top 100!!
And now, as I get back to work, I leave you with this video, which combines two things I have a strange love for: The Walking Dead and Christopher Walken.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Zombie Withdrawals
It's been almost 3 months since the last episode of "The Walking Dead" aired, and I can't wait for the new episode on Sunday. (Just four days, four hours, and forty minutes until it airs! But who's counting, right? And whoa, what a strange time length: 4d,4h,40m. Lots o' 4's.) I got several of the comic books for Christmas, and I'm loving them! Completely devoured them.
I love zombies. I do, it's just a thing. They've fascinated me as long as I can remember, and I have absolutely no idea why. Some people like ketchup, some like mustard. Some people like vampires, I like zombies.
Although it's been about a month since I wrote a word for it, I'm still hoping to get my zombie novel done soon. I wrote the outline for The Secret Room: Beginnings today, but now I just can't seem to get zombies off my brain (pun totally intended). So I've made a decision: I'm going to take a little time off from SR:B and spend a little time with the undead. Think of it as my toast to the return of "The Walking Dead."
A while back, I started a blog from the perspective of a zombie named Alice. I like her, although I found I didn't have much time to put into that blog once I started writing novels/novellas/novelettes (not to mention school, working at the dance studio, and so on). The other problem was that I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with Alice- I considered using her story as the basis for a play, and I started it, but never took the time to finish it. Maybe one day I'll go back to it.
But the whole point of this blog is to say two things:
1) I love zombies.
2) I miss writing my zombie novel.
I really can't decide which one I would rather complete first: the zombie novel or SR:B. The zombie novel (which is still untitled, but I'll worry about a title when I finish it) is something I've been wanting to do for a long time, and I started it several months ago (breaking in between and taking care of other things first). But SR:B is something that people seem to be anticipating (and by "people" I mean the four family members and friends who've asked me about it).
I'm going to work on both at the same time, or at least try to. For the rest of the week, I'm going to work on the zombie novel. :)
read it, zombie lovers! you'll like it.
I love zombies. I do, it's just a thing. They've fascinated me as long as I can remember, and I have absolutely no idea why. Some people like ketchup, some like mustard. Some people like vampires, I like zombies.
Although it's been about a month since I wrote a word for it, I'm still hoping to get my zombie novel done soon. I wrote the outline for The Secret Room: Beginnings today, but now I just can't seem to get zombies off my brain (pun totally intended). So I've made a decision: I'm going to take a little time off from SR:B and spend a little time with the undead. Think of it as my toast to the return of "The Walking Dead."
"How about a kiss? No? Aw, I get no kisses since eating off my own lips."
A while back, I started a blog from the perspective of a zombie named Alice. I like her, although I found I didn't have much time to put into that blog once I started writing novels/novellas/novelettes (not to mention school, working at the dance studio, and so on). The other problem was that I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with Alice- I considered using her story as the basis for a play, and I started it, but never took the time to finish it. Maybe one day I'll go back to it.
"I'm Alice. I died in 1989 and was reanimated in 2010."
But the whole point of this blog is to say two things:
1) I love zombies.
2) I miss writing my zombie novel.
I really can't decide which one I would rather complete first: the zombie novel or SR:B. The zombie novel (which is still untitled, but I'll worry about a title when I finish it) is something I've been wanting to do for a long time, and I started it several months ago (breaking in between and taking care of other things first). But SR:B is something that people seem to be anticipating (and by "people" I mean the four family members and friends who've asked me about it).
I'm going to work on both at the same time, or at least try to. For the rest of the week, I'm going to work on the zombie novel. :)
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
If I could stop sleeping, I would.
Sleep takes up a lot of time. Eight hours a night, on average. Sometimes a little more, sometimes a little less.
Most nights, I tell myself I'm going to go to bed at a reasonable hour, only to end up staying awake reading until 3 or 4am. This, typically, results in sleeping until 10am, at which point I kind of feel like I've wasted precious hours of the day. I refuse to give up reading, because it's so magical- each night I get to go to a different place, some of them don't even actually exist in this reality, and experience things I don't get to do on an average day. I love getting lost in a good book. Hell, sometimes I love getting lost in a not-so-good book.
I plan to get up at a reasonable hour and write more before evening activities begin with the family, which will be around 4pm. If I sleep until 10am, that'll only give me eight hours to write, get dressed, have lunch, take a shower, and do anything else that needs to be done. Unacceptable.
A friend of mine, Kevin, has challenged himself to write a 50,000 word novel in a month. He's on a roll so far- every day, he has been above his word count goal. I'm proud of him, and I can't wait to read his manuscript. Follow along with his progress: Watch Kevin write a book in a month and mock him if he fails.
I have a gift for writing fast. In high school and college, I could churn out a five-page essay the night before it was due in just an hour or two and get an A. When I sit down to write stories, I can easily do 500 words or more in an hour (which, if I work eight hours a day, would give me a total of 4,000 words a day), IF I take away distractions, such as:
-FaceBook
-Twitter
-Failblog
-Text messages
-The strange desire I have to collect all the stars in Cut the Rope
-The cat
-My need to sing and dance to my favorite songs when they come up on shuffle
I figure I could probably write a novel in a month if I actually spent the time I intend for writing, writing. So here's my resolution: from this point on, minimal distractions. This means that when I'm writing, I'm going to keep my phone in another room where it won't be a temptation, and only play movie soundtracks quietly in the background instead of listening to other music or having a movie on in the background. It also means that I am going to have to discipline myself to ONLY use the Internet for research on whatever I'm working on.
Okay, that's all I have for now. I'm off to bed, so I won't sleep in so late. After I read, but just one chapter... I promise, just one... unless it's a total cliffhanger.
Most nights, I tell myself I'm going to go to bed at a reasonable hour, only to end up staying awake reading until 3 or 4am. This, typically, results in sleeping until 10am, at which point I kind of feel like I've wasted precious hours of the day. I refuse to give up reading, because it's so magical- each night I get to go to a different place, some of them don't even actually exist in this reality, and experience things I don't get to do on an average day. I love getting lost in a good book. Hell, sometimes I love getting lost in a not-so-good book.
I plan to get up at a reasonable hour and write more before evening activities begin with the family, which will be around 4pm. If I sleep until 10am, that'll only give me eight hours to write, get dressed, have lunch, take a shower, and do anything else that needs to be done. Unacceptable.
A friend of mine, Kevin, has challenged himself to write a 50,000 word novel in a month. He's on a roll so far- every day, he has been above his word count goal. I'm proud of him, and I can't wait to read his manuscript. Follow along with his progress: Watch Kevin write a book in a month and mock him if he fails.
I have a gift for writing fast. In high school and college, I could churn out a five-page essay the night before it was due in just an hour or two and get an A. When I sit down to write stories, I can easily do 500 words or more in an hour (which, if I work eight hours a day, would give me a total of 4,000 words a day), IF I take away distractions, such as:
-Failblog
-Text messages
-The strange desire I have to collect all the stars in Cut the Rope
-The cat
-My need to sing and dance to my favorite songs when they come up on shuffle
I figure I could probably write a novel in a month if I actually spent the time I intend for writing, writing. So here's my resolution: from this point on, minimal distractions. This means that when I'm writing, I'm going to keep my phone in another room where it won't be a temptation, and only play movie soundtracks quietly in the background instead of listening to other music or having a movie on in the background. It also means that I am going to have to discipline myself to ONLY use the Internet for research on whatever I'm working on.
Okay, that's all I have for now. I'm off to bed, so I won't sleep in so late. After I read, but just one chapter... I promise, just one... unless it's a total cliffhanger.
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