The Unfinished Ideas

 

As we go through life we make plans, goals to reach as we continue on.  Like you, I have goals, such as writing a book or getting published.  Meeting those goals seems like a good thing to reach, but it isn’t always at the forefront of my mind.  But sometimes those things become very clear.

 

When someone passes that is close to you, it brings to mind what you want, no, need to finish.  This Christmas was one of those times.  My mother had a wonderful day with us, talking, eating, and opening presents.  And then she went home and we never were graced with her presence again.  She died of a heart attack that night, and all we are doing now is picking up the pieces.

 

It makes you think of wanting to finish your goals.  Apparently, my daughter thought the same thing because she suddenly had my second book cover done.  When I finish with my mom’s stuff, I will get that second book on Amazon.  Because time is short, and you need to do what you want to get done.

 

So, don’t give up and give your hobby a good try.  Don’t let time pass you by.

 

Happy Writing.

Getting Out of Your Comfort Zone

 

Sometimes you need to expand your horizons because sometimes we all fall into a rut.  I mean, I like High Fantasy, it’s my favorite and I like the idea I can add anything I want without having to deal with science and physics.  I mean, I still have to take into account a dagger is not going to do enough damage to hurt a dragon, but I don’t have to know the diameter in kilometers of how big the nuclear blast zone will need to be.

So, I encourage you to try something new.  If you are into fantasy, write a short sci-fi story.  If you like mystery, maybe a romance. It doesn’t have to be the genre you write in forever, but it will help you strengthen your writing skills by getting out of your comfort zone.  It doesn’t have to be in-depth or even long, just something to get your creative juices flowing.

My own example is I’m working on an end of the world story.  There is a lot of tech, science and rules of modern day living that I have to stay within.  Luckily, I have a science degree, so that helps, but it pushes me to think differently then when I’m writing fantasy.

 

So, my writing prompt for this week is to write two pages about a character being chased by the bad guy of your choice.  Write the short chase scene but use the surroundings, terminology and character descriptions that would fit with this different genre.

Writing Prompts

 Sometimes we need a little kick in the butt to get us to start writing.  To do something to get those writing juices just flowing.  So here are a few idea. 

    1) Make a group who takes turns coming up with the writing prompt.  The group can make up the rules as they go or set it up ahead of time.

      2) Google, (or your search engine of choice), writing prompts.  Be careful what you put in.  Some topics may not be what you think they are or should be.  There are a lot that are meant for school age kids, but that doesn’t mean they can’t work.  Sometimes those teachers have some great ideas to start with.

    3) Make your own list!  Take a few days, or weeks, and just write a list of ideas that might be good or not good.  Then take one a day, a week, a month to get you going. Who knows? Maybe it will turn into something grand!

         4) This can also work for campaigns for roleplaying.  If you write down a list of ideas then take one a day or a week and try and flush it out, it may help you with campaign ideas.  Obviously, not every one is going to work, but it will get you thinking.

To help you on your way my idea for the week is the end of the world.  Now I know this is overdone, but it doesn’t have to be zombies or nuclear war, but your own twist.  Just something to get you writing!

 

Happy Writing.

New Ideas and Butt in Chair Time

 New ideas are always a good idea.  As is refining old ideas.  I decided, since my main series was done and just awaiting the cover artist, that I would go back and fix the god-awful stories I had started about characters that make cameos or are mentioned in my main series in passing.

One such idea was the story of Noshi and Sebastion and how they became entangled with each other’s fates.  I wrote this story in college, or slightly after, and then let is molder on a back shelf.  I mean it was fun to write at the time, but on to the next story.

So now, as I have been trying to do, I take one, (or more) pages and go through and fix or completely overhaul each day.  Maybe someday I will have it, and maybe the series I have thought on for the two, ready for publication, but at the very least I’m sitting in the seat and writing for a few minutes a day.

Happy writing!

Feeling Guilty

 My last post was July and now it's October.  As I have pointed out in the past, sometimes it's hard to keep to a schedule.  This summer has definitely been one of those times.  Let's just say anything that can go wrong has, but we have plowed through it and now we are all trying to get back on track.

As I wait for my cover artist to finish my second book's cover, (I forgive her since she's in college right now), I try to get back into the writing mode.  And I suppose mood, as well.  I realized that writing is my way of escaping the everyday worries that everyone has and I haven't been doing it enough.

I'm currently working on a prequel book to my stories I'm still trying to get out, (My fist book is the High King's Sword by Heather Woodhurst on Amazon, if you are interested 😊 ), but that is going slow.  I feel as if as I get older that I subconsciously think that I don't have time for my "hobby".  But I love my hobby. It gives me freedom that you can not get anywhere else.

So my point to this is keep writing!  Don't give up on your "hobby" even if it's just to make an awesome gaming night for your friends.  Someone, somewhere will enjoy sharing your hobby with you!

Happy Writing.

The Art of Rewriting

 So, you have your ideas all sketched out or even a "manuscript" all done.  Now comes the fun part, (sarcasm intended) the editing.  Here are some things I do to make this task less tedious and maybe even a little fun.

1) Take it in chunks.  Do a chapter, a section, even a scene at a time.  If you try to digest the whole book at once you are going to miss those subtle tweaks you need to do.  Sometimes I just do a page a day, (on several different stories), so I can catch grammar errors as well as plot and flow.

2) Instead of editing purely, line by line, take a chunk you don't like and rewrite it separately.  Sometimes you have to look at things out of context to make it flow better.

3) Don't get frustrated.  I know, easier said then done.  Look something over, and if you have to, walk away for a bit.  Let the ideas and the scene ruminate in your brain away from the computer.  Sometimes that is all you need.

Happy writing!

Characters, Characters, Characters

 No story is complete without characters.  You may have a few or hundreds, or somewhere in between.  But sometimes, as you write, you may forget a character name.  Here are some ideas so to make it easier to remember or at least find if you can't remember.

1) First off, just make a list.  It seems simple enough, but when you are writing, you may forget to do things like this.  The inspiration comes and you just write.  I like an excel sheet, myself, but a word processor sheet, such as Word or Google docs works just as well.

2) Add in where they appear in the book.  Just by putting a page number where they appear is a great idea.  At the very least, you might be able to find a description or how they are important to the story.

3) Relationships in the story.  I don't mean just wife/husband relationship, but are they protagonist, a wizard, a mage, a warrior for some great nation, even how they are important to your main character.  This would be important when you are dealing with interactions between characters if you are using a character very infrequently.

4)Descriptions.  I like having these at a glance.  Did they have blond hair or brown, blue eyes or green?  If you just have to look in one place instead of flipping through drafts of your story, it makes that writing streak keep going.

Happy Writing!