Day - 274

Challenge accepted! Challenge completed!

I've been writing like a madman the last few days and have reached my goal of hitting the 185 page count mark before the end of the year. As a matter of fact, I'm at 188 pages. Writing 23 pages in just over 3 days is not too shabby in my opinion.

So where does that leave me in terms of finishing Red Bow 2.0? I would like to reach the 250 page mark. That means that I have 62 pages left to write. Then, there is the fun part of self-editing and then rearranging scenes and filling in any holes that may surface in the plot line. I think this is a very doable goal and am going to go out on a limb here and challenge myself to write the remaining 62 pages before January 10th. Why January 10th? Well that is when I'm going to be going out of town for a small road trip/vacation and I'd like to be finished with a completed rough draft or at least very, very close to finishing before I leave. Can I really write 62 pages in 11 days? I'm not sure, but I'm going to try my best to reach that goal. Let's see what happens. I'm in the home stretch and I can taste the finish line on this second novel.

Red Bow 2.0 Page Count = 188 pages

I write because I care and drugs are bad......

Can I Get Published In A Year

Day - 272 (Special Interview)

Special Interview

I am happy to post a special interview I had with the star of "Red Bow," Bow! It took some work, but I was able to work out a deal with his agent to get a few moments of his time. Just a fair warning, Bow can be crass at times, so if explicit language hurts your ear, you may want to skip over this interview. The link for the interview transcript is at the bottom of the page.

On a side note, I'm ten pages closer to my goal of 185 by the end of the year.

Red Bow 2.0 Page Count = 175 pages

Interview With Bow

Can I Get Published In A Year

Day - 270

Plugging Away

I've been able to make some decent progress this week, even with the holidays taking place. Word on the street is that this next week, I might have a special guest interview that I'm going to be able to post. I'm very excited about it. The person I'm going to be interviewing is a very busy person, so it will be a real treat to get a few minutes alone and ask some burning questions that I have.

One of the characters that I've been focusing on this week is Detective Davis. I'm really enjoying developing his character. He has surprised me with how his character progresses throughout the book. There are a few more touches I need to add to him before I move on to Detective Sanchez. I am VERY excited to develop his character some more because he is an integral part of "Untitled."

With the last week of the year approaching, I am eager to hit the 185 page mark before the start of 2011. It's time to dig down deep and write like a madman!

Red Bow 2.0 Page Count = 165 pages

Can I Get Published In A Year

Day - 265

Bow For The Holidays

I have gotten completely enveloped by the RB 2.0 revisions this last week. I have a very solid outline of scenes and am working on actually writing out these scenes every day. One thing that I decided to do was to describe, in detail, Bow's first kill. Well that is kind of obvious because I should be describing all of the kills, but the first is of significant importance because it is the lead domino that sets off a chain reaction for the rest of the story. I shed some light on how Bow thinks and how he feels. I've often wondered....What goes through a serial killers mind when he's getting ready to kill someone?

That question has always haunted me because I can't even begin to fathom what goes through a deranged person's mind as they're committing such horrendous acts of evil. I attempt to answer this question in a flashback scene of Bow's first kill. Additionally, I attempt to explain why Bow uses red bows on all of his victims. Oh believe me, there is a reason that he chooses to decorate the bodies with this otherwise festive material.

On a final note, Red Bow takes place in the month of December, around the holidays, so my daily quote that I've been keeping in the back of my mind as I write is "Bow For The Holidays." I am the writer who is thinking like Bow for the sake of the story. So in essence, I'm "Bow For The Holidays." Don't worry, I'm not going to start offing people. I'm simply stating that I'm further immersing myself into this story and the writing process to try to produce a better end product. Let's see if it actually pays off.

Red Bow 2.0 Page Count = 145 pages

Can I Get Published In A Year

Writing Exercise (CH3EX3)

This writing exercise builds off of the last two exercises and puts the character, Stacy, in a scene where she has to interact in some type of conflict where the other person is they type of person who doesn't forgive easily.

Ch3-EX3

Can I Get Published In A Year

Writing Exercise (CH3EX2)

This writing exercise builds off of CH3EX1 and puts the character in a situation where three different options can occur.

Ch3-EX2

Can I Get Published In A Year

Writing Exercise (CH3EX1)

This writing exercise is about creating a story from three events.

Ch3-EX1

Can I Get Published In A Year

Day - 256

When Characters Impact You

Now that most of the intense scenes with Bow are almost all done, I thought I'd change things up in the revision process and start adding more traits to some of the characters in Red Bow 2.0. In particular, I've thought of new struggles and traits to add to one of the main characters, Cheyenne.

I typed up a list of things that make up the character Cheyenne such as looks, mannerisms, personality, etc. There were some important changes that I wanted to make so that she can become a more intriguing character. I worked on that today and, to be completely honest, Cheyenne started to take on a life of her own. I just kept typing, having a general idea of where I was going, but not knowing where I would end up. After writing several pages and digging into the mindset of Cheyenne and finding out things that make her tick and make her who she is, I found myself really connecting with her. I know, I know, that sounds weird, but let me explain. I can see her strengths and weaknesses and I can relate to both of those personally. I think that is what can help make an "ok book" a "great book" - characters that reach out and touch you through their actions and words.

After rereading what I wrote, I actually had to stop and say "Wow, Cheyenne is a pretty deep character." I surprised myself actually. Now, I need to take that same mindset and template that I used and apply it to the other main characters. This is what I was hoping to accomplish with this revision......build on the characters and make them come to life. Slowly but surely, that is starting to happen and that is a great personal accomplishment that I'm cherishing as an amateur writer who is on this writing journey and learning every single step of the way.

Red Bow 2.0 Page Count = 129 pages

Can I Get Published In A Year

Day - 255

When A "Good Idea," Isn't

I get a lot of random ideas that pop into my head for scenes in the novels I'm writing. Additionally, I get ideas for new books to write. Sometimes the idea sounds so awesome (to me at least) that I get so excited about it without taking a step back and looking at it objectively to see if it's an idea that will work, or if it just sounds good on paper. I have had one idea for a new story that I thought was awesome. However, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that it wasn't enough to build an entire story around. What I was able to do was take a hybrid of that idea and spin it into a Red Bow 2.0 twist.

So the idea might not have actually been a good idea, but I was able to salvage part of it and make it work in a different story. I think that this is one of the challenges I have as an amateur writer with no type of guidance or formal training. I think since I'm on my own, I'm having to make mistakes and learn things as I go. I have to learn what works and what doesn't work. I also have to try to be open minded and not get so irritated when an idea I have isn't such a good idea after all. This is all part of the writing and learning process.

Do you want to know what I spun the "good idea" into was? Well it's a new twist for Red Bow 2.0 and it involves........

Can I Get Published In A Year

Writing Exercise (CH2EX10)

This writing exercise is about constructing a character from an image or an idea. Basically, working with a small snippet of information and creating a character from that. In this exercise, I created a character from a suggestion in the exercise book. Can you infer anything based on the brief description I gave of the random character?

Ch2-EX10

Can I Get Published In A Year

Day - 252

Writing Backwards...Again

So today I tackled the fun task of writing a different ending to Red Bow 2.0. This new ending is one of the major twists I was talking about the other day. I'm noticing a pattern here though. I like to write the ending before the middle section is done. Is that weird? Maybe by writing the ending early, it can help me better develop the beginning and middle sections of a story. I'm not sure, but I think it really works for me. By writing the ending first, I'm able to tie in plots lines a lot more easily than trying to do that the other way around.

I bet you're wondering, "What is so great about what you wrote today with your new ending?" Oh mercy, let me tell you. I reread what I wrote and covered my mouth and said, "Oh snap!" Not only is it completely messed up, but it teases the reader because they have to go back and think about different sections of the book to see the scenes from different angles. There is a new level of continuity for the story with the new ending. At least in my opinion. Then again, people who read it may say,"That is the lamest ending ev-ah!" To them I say, "Ok, I'll try to write a better ending next time." It's just fuel for the fire because I don't like to fail and I'm a perfectionist. If you tell me that I can't do something, I'm going to work at it until I am able to do it. Sure, I'm an amateur writer, but I want to be a professional and accomplished writer. Baby steps, baby steps!!

Look behind you!! Is that Bow standing there? Gah! He's coming for you........

Can I Get Published In A Year

Day - 251

Exhausting Writing

I knocked out a few pages in Red Bow 2.0 this afternoon and I physically felt tired after writing. The scenes were very intense because they are the final kills by the serial killer before the big finale and twist at the end. I noticed that I was bouncing my knee up and down while I wrote and my eyes were completely focused on the computer screen. Now the scene that I wrote was very elaborate and I think I felt tired because I was trying to be as detailed as possible. Detail is good and is something that was seriously lacking in the first version.

I think it's very interesting to experience these different feelings the more I write. I've had what I like to call "word vomit," which means that I write in a fast, explosive manner and I'm completely in the zone. I feel so much better after getting those thoughts out of my head. Now, there is the "exhaustive writing," where I felt tired after having my brain dish out so much information. Maybe that makes me weird, but I really am enjoying all these new experiences along the writing journey.

On a side note, I'm officially 100% scared of Bow and I sure hope that I don't ever encounter a serial killer like Bow in my lifetime. Somebody hold me...Gah!

Red Bow 2.0 Page Count = 115 pages

1, 2 Bow is coming for you........

Can I Get Published In A Year

Day - 250

To Twist Or Not?

The other day I rambled on about tying in plot lines in Red Bow 2.0 to "Untitled." One way that I thought about accomplishing this was with a couple of big twists in the storyline. Personally, as a reader, I love it when there are twists in books. I like being surprised and I also like that "oh man" feeling when you read something in a book. I think Ted Dekker is the master of plot twists. Every single book of his that I've read, I've been surprised with the twists. I've even tried to search out the possible twists, but he always keeps me guessing.

As an amateur writer, I think that I have a basic understanding of how to do this in a book. Crush, for example, has some pretty significant twists and it seemed to work pretty well. What about you loyal blog readers? Do you like plot twists? Or does it upset you when an author toys with you?

The new twists that I've thought of not only tie in nicely to "Untitled," but they also make this version of the story better in my opinion. I'm trying to push myself and write the best story that I know how to. I took a couple of classes at Wordstock this year and one thing that stuck with me was the comment about "don't save your best writing for later, write it now!" There are things that I've wanted to hold back on because I thought they were too good to put in the story, but it really doesn't make sense to do that. I should be laying it all out on the table, so to speak.

An update on Red Bow 2.0, I've outlined 11 new scenes, not including two new plot twists, that I need to write. With the help of the MindMapper program, I'm noticing that the guts of the story have gone from a basic story, to a story that develops characters, and flows in a more smooth manner. There were too many plot holes in the first revision that I had to go back and address.

I hope you are all as excited as I am to see how my writing will unfold. I've definitely seen growth in my writing over the last few months. It's nowhere close to where I want it to be, but I think I'm headed in the right direction. I will experiment and try new things and those things may or may not make it into the final drafts. This whole writing process and this journey is all about practicing, learning, and growing as a writer.

Can I Get Published In A Year

Writing Exercise (CH2EX9)

This writing exercise is about writing about a character in first person, while they are on a train. The goal is to try to delve into their inner thoughts to reveal part of their character.

Ch2-EX9

Can I Get Published In A Year

Writing Exercise (CH2EX8)

This writing exercise is about trying to put two characters into an intense scene where they are both competing for the same thing. I chose to use Tim and Amber's third date as the foundation for this exercise

Ch2-EX8

Can I Get Published In A Year

Day - 248

A Finished Product

I received two bound copies of Crush from FedEx this morning. These are the self-published versions that I have on lulu.com. Both copies will be distributed shortly, bringing the total number of copies of the book out in the wild, to four. Do you have your copy yet?




Can I Get Published In A Year

Day - 247

Tying Plot Lines Into A Series

When I first wrote Red Bow last year, I didn't intend for it to be a series...more specifically, a trilogy. However, I really wanted to write more scenes with two of the characters from the story. That is how I came up with the idea for "Untitled." Now, the tricky part about having a series is that I have to tie in plot lines across the different books. Going back and revamping Red Bow 2.0 is allowing me to do this exact thing. I find it very interesting how a simple line of text, a subtle glance from a character, and even events are going to tie into "Untitled."

One tool that I am going to be using more for Red Bow 2.0 and "Untitled" is a program called MindMapper. It allows you to create a visual representation of an idea and different sub-ideas (is that a word?). It is very important to me to make sure that each book can not only stand on it's own, but also tie into the remaining books.

So you're probably asking yourself, "Wait a minute mysterious amateur writer on the Internets.....you said you're doing a trilogy, but you're already writing three books. What gives mystery man?"

I'm glad you asked that question. I have a rough outline for the third book in the Red Bow series. While the stories are different, they are tied together by common characters in each book. But that's just getting ahead of myself here. I need to finish the remaining two books first before I embark on that journey.

In any case, I am tossing around ideas for ways to weave the plot lines and stories together so that people will not only enjoy the books, but will also enjoy them so much that they want to read another book in the series. All that's left is the execution of said task. Easier said than done though....

Can I Get Published In A Year

Day - 246

Shout Outs

I wanted to give a shout out to the new followers and also to my home girl SG! She gave me a shout out on her blog, so I'm giving her a shout out here. What up homie?!?

Alright, so to the new folks following the blog, welcome and thank you for following. It really does mean a lot to me that you've chosen to read my random thoughts and attempts at novel writing. Hopefully you are as excited as I am to experience this writing journey with me. There are roughly 119 days left before I meet my deadline and I can honestly say that I have been kicking up the intensity and fervor with which I write. For some unknown reason, my mind is filling with idea after idea for Red Bow 2.0. I'm diligently putting these ideas into my revisions and trying to write the best story that I know how to.

Red Bow 2.0 Page Count = 106 pages

It's a slow, but steady pace and there are still three days left in the week.

Can I Get Published In A Year

Day - 245

When The Mood Strikes

The last six weeks or so, I've had idea after idea randomly pop into my head for scenes to write. This happens randomly at work, when I'm at the gym, when I'm watching TV, when I'm reading, etc. Now why are these ideas popping into my head now more than before? Maybe I'm in the "writing zone?" All I know is that if I'm driving, I will tell my wife the idea and have her text it to me so I can write it out later. Or if I'm not driving, I'll jot it down in my iPhone.

Today, while in between meetings at work, I had a new idea for a scene in Red Bow 2.0. So what did I do? I started tapping away on my screen and writing it out. It's kind of funny to think about me writing scenes from the book on my phone. But if I don't write out the idea, I might forget it. All I know is that I'm really enjoying the writing inspiration that has been bestowed on me recently. When I think I'm out of ideas or stuck in a plot line, a new idea pops into my head. Maybe this is what new writers experience as they go through the writing process. I've noticed that converting these ideas into scenes is getting easier to do. The writing technique portion isn't necessarily easier, but being able to get the thoughts out of my head and into a document is much easier now.

In any case, when the mood strikes, I am ready, willing, and able to write in some fashion. Even if that means tapping away a scene like a weird person on my iPhone in a secluded parking lot in between meetings at work.

Can I Get Published In A Year

Day - 244

Pushing The Boundaries

I like it when authors push the boundaries in books. What do I mean when I say that? Well, when an author writes a very dark and sadistic story full of torture and gore (similar to Saw style movies), I find that very fascinating. Not necessarily because I'm into torture and gore, but because I'm intrigued that they can weave a story around those elements.

That also got me thinking about cussing in writing again. Looking back on Crush, I didn't intend to cuss at all. However, the more I wrote the character Dell, the more I felt it was necessary to develop his character. I think the same can be applied to Bow. Bow (in version 1.0) was kind of evil and twisted, but I want to push the boundaries and make him/her even MORE sadistic and psychotic. I'm going to try to do that by digging into Bow's thoughts. Why is Bow killing people? Is there a reason? Why does Bow kill people a certain way?

Truth be told, Bow is starting to actually scare me with how evil and psychotic he/she is. Somebody hold me!!!

Can I Get Published In A Year

Page Count

Red Bow 2.0

So I started with 90 pages and knocked out six pages this afternoon. I'm starting to feel bad for all these characters that are dying off in my book. They never saw it coming. Well obviously, they're not real. *Ba dum cha*

A-hem!

Red Bow 2.0 Page Count = 96 pages

I write because I care and drugs are bad....

Can I Get Published In A Year

Day - 243

What Scares You?

What makes a book scary? That is a loaded question. I think that different things scare people. Personally, I think things that happen in real life are scary. For example, I've talked about "Snapped" ad nauseum. The reason for that is because I find it truly disturbing seeing people "snap" and commit heinous murders or crimes. I mean, who in their right mind would feed their spouse soup mixed with antifreeze? Or who will murder their spouse and then cut up their body into small pieces and stick it in the trash? The fact that someone took the time to do these actions scares me.

So how do I write a scary book? Is "Red Bow 2.0" really a horror book? Is it a thriller book? What type of book is it? I don't know that I can accurately define it. What I can say is that it follows a serial killer and his/her murders. Additionally, one person appears to be taunted by the killer, Mason. To me, being taunted by someone who is killing people around me scares the crap out of me. Sure, this is fiction, but the scarier thought is that stuff like this actually happens. If you don't believe me, go watch the 11 O' clock news or read the newspaper. That is some scary stuff.

What I'm trying to convey through the revamp of "Red Bow 2.0" is a mix of fiction and real life type crimes. Could the stuff in "Red Bow 2.0" actually happen? Yes! Matter of fact, it probably has in some form. The thought of a serial killer running rampant and avoiding the police is scary.

Then again, maybe the serial killer, Bow in this case, is just misunderstood. Maybe there is a reason he is killing people, kind of like Dexter? I guess you'll have to wait and find out.

"Bow" is coming for you.......so you better sleep with one eye open.

Can I Get Published In A Year

Writing Exercise (CH2EX4)

This writing exercise is about revealing a character's personality/traits through a means of communication. I chose to stick with the Tim/Amber theme.

Ch2-EX4


Can I Get Published In A Year

Day - 242

Method Writing?

Some actors like to use "Method Acting" when they take on a new role. This typically involves immersing themselves into the character and trying to think and act like them. This can sometimes create a more powerful performance from the acting perspective.

Now, obviously, I'm not going to go around and kill people since I'm writing about a serial killer. What I can do is try to create a dark mood. How can I do that? Well music is a very powerful thing. Different styles of music can invoke different feelings. Additionally, watching dark stuff like episodes of "Snapped" or reading darker books, like "Heartsick" can also help.

What I'm driving at here is that I am trying to think like my characters think. Trying to put myself in their position and if I were them, how would I think and act? If I can do that, I may be able to create a tighter integration between the characters and the characters coming to life.

This should be interesting....

Can I Get Published In A Year

Day - 238

Red Bow 2.0

One thing that I didn't do a very good job of with Crush was outlining. I had an outline, but it was sloppy. Toward the end after I had written all of the scenes, I had to go back and reshuffle and fill in scenes. It worked, but it was a pain to do. Taking that little gem of information into consideration, I've started a new, more thorough, outline for Red Bow 2.0

What does this outline have? Details, details, details! Did I mention that it has details in it? Ok, just checking!

As I've mentioned before, the guts of Red Bow are good. A lot of clean up and polish is necessary though. In addition to that, I've thought of some new plot twists and turns to add. Not to sound cocky, but I've managed to amaze even myself with some of the new scenes I've thought of. I want Red Bow 2.0 to be dark and grittier than the first version. One of my favorite authors Chelsea Cain does such a good job of creating a dark tone/mood in a lot of her scenes. That is what I want to try to do as well.

Hid yo kids, hide yo wife, because "Bow" is coming for you!!

Can I Get Published In A Year

Day - 237

So It Begins.....

I have reread Red Bow and I'm amazed at how much progress I've made in a year's time. I'll be completely honest....Red Bow needs A LOT of work. The guts of the story are good, but I need a life sized buffer to add some polish to the story.

Stay Tuned....

Can I Get Published In A Year

Day - 236

Don't Call It A Comeback

Funny how time flies when life happens. So what have I been up to? Writing, obviously! This last month especially. I now present my first completed goal....Crush.

So now what happens? I take a moment to regroup and get back to writing. I'll be completely honest and say that finishing Crush was a HUGE personal achievement. Is my writing getting any better? Meh, we'll see. Am I able to write in a more consistent manner than say 100+ days ago? Yes! My life pretty much consists of working, coming home and writing, eating, exercising, writing some more, then going to sleep. Next day = repeat. Throw in some TV time and waving "hi" to my wife and that is my life right now. It's working though. With each day that passes, I'm gaining more confidence with my writing.

What can I possibly do for an encore after getting all angsty, emo, and lovey dovey with Crush? Psssh, I can go dark and write some really twisted, serial killer morsels of writing goodness. We are going to go old school and revisit Red Bow. That's right, the first "novel" that I tried to write. The good news is that I have a partially started template for the story. Now, I need to look at what I've written, reevaluate, tweak, and add more.

So I'm going to watch some episodes of "Snapped," watch the evening news, and skim through some Chelsea Cain and Ted Dekker books for some inspiration.

Stay tuned....

I write because I care and drugs are bad....

Can I Get Published In A Year

Day - 71

Character motivation

What makes a character tick? Why do characters act a certain way? These are both questions that can be answered by a well developed character. Let's go back to Tim and Amber, the characters I've created for some of my writing exercises. What makes Amber tick? Well, she obviously was impacted very hard by the death of her mother Janet. As a result of this, she appears to be a little bit mad at the world.

Tim, well we don't know a whole lot about him yet except that he's easy going, sarcastic, and has a book addiction.

Charlaine Harris does such a great job of developing characters and providing motivation for them. I can only aspire to be half as good as her character motivation/development.

Can I Get Published In A Year

Day - 70

So I've discovered something that I've been overlooking in my writing. I'm not giving enough description about individual characters. For example, I may say something like "Suzy was brunette with blue eyes." Sure, this gives a general idea of what Suzy looks like, but if I said something like "Suzy had curly, brunette hair that went past her shoulders. Her blue eyes offset her pointed nose and narrow chin," this gives a totally different impression of the same character.

Now the tricky part is finding the balance between too much physical description and not enough.

Can I Get Published In A Year

Day 69 - (Writing Exercise CH2EX2)

This writing exercise is about constructing a character from people I know. I took two physical features and one personality trait and combined them into a character named Stacy. What features and trait did I pick? Hmm......

Ch2-EX2

Can I Get Published In A Year

Day 68 - (Writing Exercise CH2EX1)

This writing exercise is about taking an aspect of my own personality and making this the main motive force behind the character's feelings and thoughts. So I guess the question is what personality trait did I impart into the character Tim?

Ch2-EX1

Can I Get Published In A Year

Day - 67

Tim and Amber are two characters that I made up during the first few exercises. To be completely honest, they have taken on a life of their own. Creating back story and personality traits for each character is a lot of fun. Amber has turned into a feisty character who is strong-willed and outspoken. However, there is a vulnerable side to her, which is her late mother Janet.

Tim is the "good guy." He's kind of sarcastic and I'd be lying if I said that wasn't partly based on me. Then again, I'm only sarcastic on days that end in "y." But I digress....

I've enjoyed developing Tim and Amber and am looking forward to what will happen to them next in the upcoming exercises. I don't know what will happen, but it should be interesting.

Can I Get Published In A Year

Day - 66

Character Development

Chapter 2 has some great information on how to develop characters. One method described is called the "fission method." This involves taking a trait or passion that you possess and building a character based on that. For example, if you are shy, you can create a character that is shy. To change things up you can make the character really shy. Additionally, you can take different traits from different people and combine them into one.

Can I Get Published In A Year

Day - 65

So after getting sidetracked, I'm getting back on track. I finished up four of the writing exercises from Chapter 1 and am now on Chapter 2. So what did I learn from Chapter 1 - "Ideas for fiction?" Well, I learned that it is possible to create a short story or a long story for that matter, based on a simple idea. Ideas can have a domino effect and create new ideas.

Chapter 2 deals with "Character." The plan is to build on the exercises I did in Chapter 1 on different ideas and learn how to develop characters and put them into different scenarios.

Can I Get Published In A Year

Day 64 - (Writing Exercise CH1EX13)

This writing exercise is about a quiet disaster and an argument or discussion about the problem/disaster.

Ch1-EX13

Can I Get Published In A Year

Day 63 - (Writing Exercise CH1EX12)

This writing exercise is about writing about a surprising behavior.

Ch1-EX12

Can I Get Published In A Year

Day 62 - (Writing Exercise CH1EX11)

This writing exercise is about writing a scene in a war or after a war.

Ch1-EX11

Can I Get Published In A Year

Day 61 - (Writing Exercise CH1EX10)

This writing exercise is about writing death and writing an obituary.

Ch1-EX10

Can I Get Published In A Year

Day - 60

I've discovered that a few authors post playlists of songs they listen to while writing. This is very interesting to me. Different types of songs can invoke different types of feelings and emotions. These can aide in the writing process in my opinion. Naturally, different styles of music can help with different writing genres. So without making myself look too girly or emo, here are some of the albums I've been listening to while working on these three different stories....

Red Bow
A Plea For Purging - Depravity
As They Sleep - Blacken The Sun
Asking Alexandria - Stand Up & Scream
Settle The Sky - Now That We're Watching
Oceano - Depths

Hmm....after writing this out..I'm noticing a dark theme music wise for Red Bow....

Crush
Intro - Intro
Intro - New Life
Mark Morrison - Return Of The Mack
Bobby Brown - Don't Be Cruel
Carrie Underwood - Play
LeAnne Rimes - Family

Alright, don't judge me on these albums. In my defense, Crush is a love story.

Untitled
Of Mice & Men - Of Mice & Men
We Came As Romans - To Plant A Seed
Park Lane - EP
Our Last Night - We Will All Evolve
Jamie's Elsewhere - They Said A Storm Was Coming
Texas In July - I Am

There are actually certain songs that I like to listen to when writing certain scenes. Maybe one day when the books are made into movies, I can have those songs playing the background. Ha!

Can I Get Published In A Year

Day - 59 (Writing Exercise CH1EX9)

This writing exercise is about an obsession a person has with collecting something.

Ch1-EX9

Can I Get Published In A Year

Day - 58

I'm plugging away on these exercises again. There is a lot of value in these writing exercises. I might think that the topics are a little bit weird, but I see what the author is trying to encourage....creativeness and practice. Practice may not make perfect in my case, but it will certainly give me more experience and time to polish my writing craft.

Can I Get Published In A Year

Day - 57

With the help of my wife, I came up with two of the main character names for Untitled. Additionally, I tapped out a quick draft of a car chase scene from this particular story. Who doesn't like a good car chase scene? I have to admit, it was a lot of fun writing out a rough outline. There is so much room for expansion, but the guts are set in place.

So what does the car chase scene look like? Patience... But I do promise that this car chase scene is nothing like you've ever read or seen before.

Can I Get Published In A Year

Day - 56

Progress check!

So I've gotten behind in updating and also completing the exercises. Despite all of these obstacles, I still am dedicated to the project and to practicing my writing. Just about two months down and ten more to go.

Can I Get Published In A Year

Day 55 - (Writing Exercise CH1EX8)

This writing exercise is about religion and writing about an idea.

Ch1-EX8

Can I Get Published In A Year

Day - 54 (Writing Exercise CH1EX7)

Writing exercise 7 is about writing a sports themed scene. An intense rivalry, if you will. This was actually perfect because one scene in Crush is centered around a sports rivalry. Just a warning, there is some cussing in this exercise.

Ch1-EX7

Can I Get Published In A Year

Day - 53

Writing Tip

Story Grid - Make five columns across and seven down. In the first column, write:

1. Inciting Incident: (Event that starts the action)
2. First Turning Point: (Hero or heroine makes decision to deal with problem)
3. Second Turning Point: (Character realizes how big the problem is)
4. Third Turning Point: (Character accepts responsibility for problem)
5. Crisis: (Character makes decision to do something to get what s/he wants)
6. Climax: (The action character takes as a result of decision)
7. Resolution: (The situation after action is taken)

Above and across, write hero/heroine, relationship, story (external).

I like this idea of writing out thoughts in this grid format. I'll be trying this approach with some of the writing exercises.

Full tip can be found at:
http://fiction-plots-pacing.suite101.com/article.cfm/story_grid

Can I Get Published In A Year

Day - 52

I came across an interesting writing tip..."Every sentence must do one of two things — reveal character or advance the action."

Wow! I went back and read through some of my writing material and found that a lot of my sentences did neither. So why is that? Bad writing habits? Lack of writing experience? Probably a little bit of both. Only practice and reading different authors will remedy this, I hope.

Can I Get Published In A Year

Day - 51

Writing Tip

Have Fun!

I have a lot of fun when I'm writing. However, me being a perfectionist can make it not fun at times. It is hard for me to write and not expect it to be perfect. This isn't realistic at all because even published authors think of different things they could have done to their stories. Finding the medium and always remembering to have fun when writing is the challenge. There isn't anything that I can think of that I'd rather do than write. Whether that pans out into something remains to be seen.

Can I Get Published In A Year

Day - 50

Writing Tip

Carry a notebook around to jot down ideas.

As silly as it may sound, I actually like this writing tip. Some authors have suggested that aspiring writers carry around a notebook to jot down ideas to peruse through later. It may look a little bit silly and nerdish, but I think that there is some weight to this tip. I get a lot of ideas for stories and plot lines while I'm driving around for work. I can't exactly pull over every time I have an idea, so maybe I should opt for a voice recorder.

Can I Get Published In A Year

Day - 49

Writing Tip

What If?

I've found this writing tip on several author's websites and on other writing websites. Asking the question, "What if?" can help writers (or me in this case) brainstorm on possible new plots lines or things that can be used to further develop the characters. The only problem I see with this is that I ask "what if" too much and come up with too many plot lines. Finding the balance with this type of brainstorming is going to take some practice.

Can I Get Published In A Year

Day - 48

Writing Tip

Whose story is it?

I found a writing tip that asks a writer to determine whose story the book is about. Maybe it's a primary character or maybe it's more than one.

Obviously, Crush follows Chris and Jordan. The two main characters. Red Bow follows Mason, the main character. Untitled....that I'm not sure yet. I've got three main characters. I'm wondering if I'm biting off more than I can chew with that many main characters.

Can I Get Published In A Year

Day - 47

Unfortunately, work this week promises to take up a lot of time. This results in less time to write. I'm fascinated how published authors manager their busy schedules and can still churn out novels.

Can I Get Published In A Year

Day - 46

Conflict

In most stories, there will inevitably be some type of conflict that arises. It could be something as simple as debating what to eat for dinner or a police officer playing a cat and mouse game with a criminal. Conflict is interesting and the more unique the conflict, the more interesting the plot can get in my opinion.

In Crush, there is definitely conflict but two of the main characters are good. If the conflict is good vs. good, the reader can possibly finish the story with a win/win outcome. At least, that's my two cents.

Can I Get Published In A Year

Day - 45

Writing Tip - Establish Author Authenticity

I had to reread this tip a few times to understand what it really meant. From what I can gather, this encourages an author to be concise with the details written and allows the reader to believe what is written. Sure, someone can write out the details of a scene, but blending factual information with concise details can beef up the story and help readers buy into the plot.

Can I Get Published In A Year

Day - 44

Writing Tip - Show Don't Tell

A new tip I found for novel writing is to "Show, don't tell." If there is a person in the story that is happy or sad, don't just say that they are happy or sad, show how they are happy or sad. This can be based on a situation or as a result of an event.

This is a great tip and I will admit that this is something that I struggle with. I will write something that is supposed to be dramatic or sad and I don't show how it's dramatic or sad. I think this will come with more practice and reading, but it is an area that I will love to improve on in my writing.

Can I Get Published In A Year

Day - 43

Sticking with the theme of the show "Snapped" providing so many story ideas, I've found a new show on the ID channel called "Cold Blood." It's probably very morbid that I am fascinated with all of these crime shows, but there is something with the puzzle aspect of the cases that draws me in. If you think about it, a crime or murder case is basically just a puzzle that needs to be solved. Now the complexity of that puzzle can be very simple or difficult.

The thing that I'm hoping for is to be able to transfer some of that puzzle aspect of real crime scenarios to novel ideas. I love a good mystery and maybe some of the plot twists and turns from these shows will help me become a better writer.

Can I Get Published In A Year

Day - 42

"Every story needs a good villain."

I remember hearing that statement in a TV show and it made me think about all of the movies and books that I've read. There was always some type of villain. I particularly enjoy the books where the villain is likable. It creates a sense of believability with the villain and the reader.

So what makes a good villain? Someone who is really twisted? Someone who is funny? Someone who is unbelievable?

I think there are numerous things that make a good villain. Personally, I like to see humor with villains. It could be a snarky comment or a sarcastic action. Even if the villain is say a serial murderer, I'd still like to be able to pull something from said character that either makes them very interesting or likable to me. I know, I know, that sounds weird, but then again....I'm weird.

Can I Get Published In A Year

Day - 41

Writing Tip

I found a writing tip that says "develop a main character you can readily identify with." This is interesting because the main characters in Crush and Red Bow I can really identify with. I'd even go so far as to say that there are elements of me in those characters. I've touched on this before, but different characters have different traits from people I know. It's like a big melting pot. So chances are, if I know you, you or a characteristic will be in one of my stories. :)

I've been playing around with secondary/supporting characters. One of the characters, Marcos, from Red Bow becomes more prominent in Untitled. He even has a love interest. Thinking back on different books that I've read, the supporting character can make or break a story. He/she can provide insight, comic relief, or support to the main characters. These secondary characters are just as important, if not as important as the leads in my opinion. Think about a story that you've ready and enjoyed. Now think about whether or not there was a supporting character in that story. I'm willing to be there was and that character had a large impact on the overall story.

Can I Get Published In A Year

Day - 40

Does it sound weird if I say that I dreamed about different scenes for Untitled last night? I think my brain is overloaded with too many different plot ideas. It would also be helpful to come up with a title besides "Untitled." The last two stories have gotten the titles after writing a few chapters, so I'm hoping that the same is true for Untitled.

Can I Get Published In A Year

Day - 39

Staying on the topic of Untitled, visiting Seattle this weekend made me think of several new scenes to incorporate based on visiting the city itself. I'm tossing around the idea of using a program called MindMapper to keep track of all of my ideas and tie them into plots. I used it when I first started my Thesis and found it helpful in keeping things organized.

Looking at the different author websites, I haven't found anything in the way of plot organization tips, other than keeping a notebook full of ideas. Since my writing is illegible, maybe MindMapper would be a good thing for me to use.

Can I Get Published In A Year

Day - 38

I have some of my core landmarks jotted down for Untitled and have mapped out a couple of the scene's locations. Speaking of Seattle, I'm going to be down at Safeco field today so not only will I be going to a baseball game, but I'll also be doing first person research on scene locations for Untitled. :)

Can I Get Published In A Year

Day - 37

Geography in stories.....

Untitled is set in Seattle. Part of the reason for putting this story in Seattle is because I needed a bigger city than Rayville (from Red Bow) to work with the first plot line of the story. Furthermore, several scenes that I've jotted down ideas for require certain land marks such as the Space Needle, Pike's Place Market, and Safeco Field. I'm doing research on my street names and other land marks because I want the environment and geographical descriptions to be as accurate as possible.

When I read Mark Henry's first book, I was able to get a clear picture of the location, Seattle, and knew exactly what location in the city he was describing or at least I could picture it based on surrounding areas. I think that it's important to have some sort of accuracy when dealing with a real city in a story. A made up city, well that just leaves everything to the imagination. I'm not that skilled to write about a large made up city....yet. Down the road hopefully.

Can I Get Published In A Year

Day - 36

I'm taking a break from Crush again and going back to Untitled. In Red Bow, a character named Marcos was introduced. He's pretty a pretty mysterious character because not a lot about his past is described in Red Bow. Because I made him so mysterious in Red Bow, I wanted to develop his character more so in Untitled. Part of that will involve a love interest, which sheds light on his mysterious past. I know, I know, so cliche.....but the mystery of his background provides a TON of options as far as developing his character.

So do people like mysterious characters? I do because I'm always wanting to know more about what makes them tick. Maybe that's just me though....

Can I Get Published In A Year

Day - 35

Showing part of the ending at the beginning.....

The start of Crush is actually part of the ending. It starts out with a scene where one of the main characters has made a decision. Then it goes backwards and shows the plots leading up to the ending. A lot of TV shows do this and I thought it would be a good way to start the story because frankly, the first few chapters didn't really draw me in. Weird for me to say that as it's my own writing. I thought it best to try to give some insight on what the whole point of the book was and how the characters got to that decision. Maybe it's a bad way to start the book Hmm....

Can I Get Published In A Year

Day - 34

Developed new plot lines for the middle section of Crush. I'm finding this part of the writing process to be much more enjoyable than I thought it would be. Connecting the plot lines together is like putting together a puzzle...and I really enjoy puzzles.

I can recall one author putting characters and plot lines onto index cards and shuffling them around to see how they end up. That may be a little bit more advanced than I'm ready for, but down the road I would like to be able to do that.

Can I Get Published In A Year

Day - 33

I finished up another Rachel Caine book this weekend and really enjoy the the way that she adds twists and cliffhangers at the end of books. Some people don't like these types of endings, but I (as the reader) really enjoy them. Sure it may be frustrating to be left wondering what happens next, but that just makes me want to read the next book.

RC's cliffhangers are simple and concise, but certainly throw a monkey wrench into the loop. I can only aspire to learn how to add that into my writing someday.

Can I Get Published In A Year

Day - 32

I went to another book signing this week and I found out that the author not only wrote several novels that made the NYT bestsellers list, but she did this while teaching full time. That leaves me with no excuse at all to not be able to finish these three books. While the workload that I have is large, it in no way compares to what a teacher has to do everyday.

Motivation.....

Can I Get Published In A Year

Day - 31

The start of a new month. So I've been at this for a month and although my progress isn't quite where I want it to be, it's a good start.

My goals for month two are to be more diligent in my writing and continue to research writing methods and of course read different authors.

My goal is to have my first draft for Crush completely done and start on the first round of edits. This is a pretty hefty goal, but I enjoy a challenge. If I'm able to meet that goal, I can knock out the polishing and then revisit Red Bow. Seriously, after watching so many Snapped episodes, there are a LOT of twists and turns I can add to the story.

Can I Get Published In A Year

Day - 30

Getting back on track. I really enjoy Friday's where I have the day off and can just write. Did some research and knocked out a few more scenes in Crush. Oddly enough, have several new ideas for the middle part of the book now that the beginning and ending are done. Working on linking the scenes together for continuity.

Can I Get Published In A Year

Day - 29

Ok, so there is a very important kissing scene in Crush. I'm trying to make it interesting, while not crossing the line to over the top. That is easier said than done. With a movie, you have music, slow motion, etc. In a book, your description has to paint a visual picture.

I think the scene turned out well, so we'll have to wait and see what people think about it and whether or not it's appropriate or crossing the line.

Can I Get Published In A Year

Day - 28

Wow, getting a little behind on updating the blog. Playing catch up........

Can I Get Published In A Year

Day - 27

My last post talked about Snapped and I've mentioned it before in previous posts. I am very intrigued by this show, even though it isn't exactly a cheerful, happy, show. The show Snapped is about women who all of a sudden snap (ironically enough) and perform some heinous murder. One of the most disturbing episodes I saw was of a sixteen year old girl who stabbed her mother thirteen times because she wanted to kill her boyfriend at school the next day. She was also plotting on killing her father. This is after she tried to OD on aspirin and after she went to her local church for counseling. Why do people snap and should this violence be glamorized?

That's a very tricky question. As far as glamorizing it, I'd have to say it depends on the situation. Maybe it should be glamorized to show that there are a lot of people out there who are hurting and need some type of hope or direction in life. Maybe by seeing people who experience this type of hurt, we will have more compassion for everyone in our daily lives?

Why do people snap? That is a very good question. I believe it stems from some type of hurt or pain. There are a lot of people who are hurting in the world and they might just need a friendly smile or a hug. As cheesy as that sounds, maybe tragedy could be prevented with a little kindness?

Can I Get Published In A Year

Day - 26

Inside the mind of a serial murderer. That is what I'm attempting to do with Red Bow. Ted Dekker has done a great job of getting into the mind of serial killers. So why do I have the fascination? I think they are very complex and methodical. From reading different books and doing research, serial killer typically have a reason for killing. Maybe it's an addiction, like Dexter has. Maybe it's triggered by a traumatic event, like a loved one getting killed. Whatever the reasoning, there is usually a method to their madness. Then again, there are the circumstances where people are just crazy nuts and kill for no reason. However, I think that is actually rarer than people think.

I find it kind of ironic that I, being very anti-violence and get skittish around needles, like to write about these types of stories. Maybe it's all of the horror movies I've seen. Maybe it's all of the episodes of Snapped I watch. I don't know, but for those people who know me, they will probably say that I'm very quiet and laid back and have never displayed any inkling of violence. That is what is so great about writing. I don't have to be a serial killer to write about one. I just have to have the imagination to create a story about one. Maybe that makes me weird. Or maybe that makes me creative. It has sure worked for Ted Dekker, so why can't it work for me?

Can I Get Published In A Year

Day - 25

Taking a break today to mentally recharge my batteries. It was bound to happen, but my mind feels tired. I think part of that is the fact that I've never written this much in succession before in my life. Interesting.

Can I Get Published In A Year

Day - 24

Getting close to finishing the initial ending for Crush. That will leave the tail end of the beginning and the middle part to work on. I wonder if it would have been easier to write in order, but to be honest, I didn't start to think about the middle of the story until after the ending ideas developed. I'm not sure if that's proper technique, but it's working so far.

Can I Get Published In A Year

Day - 23

Writing narrative. Up until I started doing exercises from the "Writing Fiction - Step By Step" book, I've only written in 3rd person. Part of the reason for that is because I have been heavily influenced by Ted Dekker. Most of the books that I've read by him are in 3rd person. One of the nice things about 3rd person narrative is it allows a broad perspective to be presented.

One thing I did notice when writing one of the exercises in 1st person is that it was actually pretty easy to write. I thought that it would be difficult, but it actually wasn't. I'm cautious about writing in 1st person because I think for what I'm trying to convey in the three stories, 1st person may limit the story. I could be wrong. It's possible that I may think that now simply because I don't have much experience with writing in first person.

Are there any preferences in your book readings? Do people really care what narrative it's written in? Is one better than the other or is it personal opinion again?

Can I Get Published In A Year

Day - 22

Dialog. This is one of the most important pieces of a story. Sure you can have a lot of description but there needs to be some type of dialog to move the story along. It helps explain emotions, decisions, and can help explain details in a plot line. One tip that I've been encountering in the Writing Fiction book and different author FAQ websites is that the dialog should be succinct and have a flow to it. This actually makes me scratch my head because I've read different books where the dialog was a bit rough to get through and others where it flowed smoothly and easily.

I think this goes back to interpretation. For example, Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris has a distinct first-person narrative. The dialog has a certain flow to it. To be completely honest, I hated the first 50 or so pages. The dialog irritated me. However, after reading some more, I understood what the author was trying to accomplish with the style of dialog and I liked it after that.

So I'm left with an unanswered question. What determines good dialog in a story? Proper English? Punctuation? Cohesiveness? Or is it just personal opinion yet again?

Can I Get Published In A Year

Day - 21

My imagination is running wild because I thought of two more ideas for different stories. I should start selling these ideas to Hollywood so I can retire. Hmmm....

Can I Get Published In A Year

Day - 20

Day 20. Time sure does fly when you're trying to write three books.

If I were to describe myself, I would say that I'm easy going and something of a sarcastic person. I've noticed that said sarcasm has made brief appearances in my writing. I hope that it doesn't get overused but I think it's nearly impossible for part of your own personality to not be put into some part of a story that you write.

Come to think of it, there are characteristics and traits from a lot of different people that I know that are in various characters in my stories. I think this was unintentionally/intentionally done. Inspiration and ideas come from everyday life and if people's personalities are strong and influential there is a good possibility part or all of that may be used in something I write. Scary, huh? :)

The main female character in Red Bow has a lot of traits from my wife. The character isn't her, but she has a lot of similarities.

Can I Get Published In A Year

Day - 19

I was able to knock out 5 1/2 more pages in Crush. I think that the story is picking up steam and new scene ideas are developing. It's still a long way until 250 pages, but the fact that I'm moving along at a slow, steady pace is promising.

Can I Get Published In A Year

Day - 18

Plugging away on Crush again. I'm over halfway through the first month. I have to admit that this is a lot more work than I expected. I knew it would be a lot of work, but setting aside time each day to write requires a lot of discipline. Especially when I work full time and have other things that I do (e.g. baseball, spending time with my wife, etc.).

If I learn nothing else, I would have to say that writing everyday definitely helps set up a consistent routine. It's not that I don't want to write every day. That's not the case at all. There are just other obligations that I have to take care of. Now if only I could win the lottery and just write all day and travel. That sounds like a pretty good gig.

Writing is a lot of work, but it's work that I enjoy doing. Immersing myself in the characters of a story and seeing how scenes and dialog play out is very fascinating to me. I have ideas for a general plot line and it's awesome to see that scene explode into something larger than I originally imagined. I can't even begin to fathom what that writing will look like with more practice and hopefully some guidance from a teacher or someone similar.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that writing is my passion. Whether or not I get published, that remains to be seen. Even if I don't get published, I believe that I'll continue to write for my own personal satisfaction. There is always Lulu.com, right?

Can I Get Published In A Year

Day - 17

I'm torn between three endings for Crush. One of them is a complete cliffhanger. It's the type of ending where the reader has to decide what they think happens. The second is a complete ending that is concrete. Since the story is a love story, it ends with the guy either picking/getting the girl or not picking/getting the girl. The third ending is based on the concrete ending, but with a twist. I like twists in stories, but maybe that's just because I'm a twisted person. Who knows?

Can I Get Published In A Year

Day - 16

Doing some research on the FAQ sections of various others, in relation to writing tips. One tip that sticks out is trying to write in the same place at the same time. This will help train your brain to know that in a certain environment, writing will always take place.

I tend to write in different places. Basically anyplace that I have a computer and some free time. However, writing in my "lab" (as I like to call my computer room) is my favorite place to write.

On a side note, after seeing several episodes of "Snapped" on Oxygen, I have so many new ideas for expanding Red Bow. Nothing quite like take real life situations as a basis for creating plot lines and scenes.

Can I Get Published In A Year

Day - 15

Pounding away on some research for Untitled. I thought I'd change it up and step away from Crush to try to keep my mind fresh. Busy weekend ahead but determined to make some progress.

Can I Get Published In A Year

Day - 14

I looked up information on a few local writing classes last night and it looks like I just missed the cutoff time. I will have to wait until around June to look for the next group of classes. It should be interesting to get a different perspective on writing from people who have actually had success from it.

Can I Get Published In A Year

Day - 13

I'm actually posting this on day 14, but it's for day 13.

I was able to knock out six quality pages in Crush after work. I think that these six pages are the most important part of the story. It's the turning point, if you will. After writing those pages, I thought of two different endings to the story.

So what kind of endings do the folks out in Internet land like? Endings that wrap up all the loose ends? Open-ended endings? Endings with a twist?

Can I Get Published In A Year

Day - 12

To cuss or not to cuss. That is the question. One of my favorite authors, Ted Dekker, is a New York Times Best Selling writer. One thing that should be noted is that he doesn't cuss in his books. Part of this is probably due to his faith background, but it is commendable to be able to have so much success without cussing.

Personally, I don't mind it either way. I've read books with no swear words, a couple, and TONS of swear words (*coughs* Mark Henry *coughs*). I can see the merits of using it and not using it.

However, I think that language can possibly alienate an otherwise select group of individuals. So where does that leave me? Well, I'm going to write what I'm going to write. If I think that the story warrants some heated dialog, then I will put it in there. Will I be alienating people and turning people away from reading what I write by cussing?

Do you mind if a book has some swear words? If you don't mind, where is the line crossed?

Thoughts?

Can I Get Published In A Year

Day - 11

Not much writing down today to be honest. Lots of driving to and from the Mariners game and then back home. Tomorrow is another day....

Can I Get Published In A Year

Day - 10

Plugging away today. Up in the Seattle area for the long weekend. Working on some back story for a few of my plot lines for the Untitled story. I want to make sure that there is some type of structure and realness with the plot line.

Came up with some new scenes for Crushed as well. I think that the story is starting to develop more. Now it's just a matter of putting that all together.

Can I Get Published In A Year

Day - 9

Is believability important in a story? Sure, authors can bend the rules and make up anything they want in the story (e.g. fantasy books, superheroes, etc). When does it become too over the top? Is there a standard that books should be held to? Or is the creative side of anything is possible what makes books fun to read?

Personally, I enjoy when I'm immersed into a story that is creative in terms of supernatural abilities, unique scenery, and humanly impossible feats. It allows my imagination to go wild when trying to picture the scenes in my head.

The same could be said for movies, right? That possibility for anything and everything to happen in a story is what draws me in as a reader. While there are certain things that a story should have (plot and some type of ending), I love how books disregard the rules for what a character can do in a story.

Can I Get Published In A Year

Day - 8

The start of week two. The start of the baseball season has put a damper on my writing, so I need to be a little bit more disciplined with my writing time. I'm uploading Exercise 4. I decided to create some back story for Amber and Tim, building on Exercises 2 and 3. Kind of a downer story, but sickness is never a fun topic.

I will have 4 days off of work starting tomorrow. I plan on writing like a madman during that time. It's time to finish up these exercises and knock out some pages in these stories.

Ch1-EX4

Ch1-EX5

Ch1-EX6

Can I Get Published In A Year

Day - 7

I'm at the end of week one and I'm pleased with the progress so far. I've gotten into a routine of trying to write each day. Also, the exercises from the book are helping I think. The writing exercises make me think of The Karate Kid. Not the remake they're doing, but the original. Baby steps. Wax on, wax off.

As part of my research, I read three books last week. That's another tip that I see on every author's website. Read, read, read. Just like you're supposed to write, write, write.

Can I Get Published In A Year

Day - 6

I have a few exercises under my belt and I have to admit that my attitude toward the exercises has changed. Initially, I thought the writing exercises were lame and didn't have a point, but after writing a few I understand that it's setting up building blocks to build off of. Writing something as massive as a 300 page novel is nothing to be sneezed at. However, if you learn how to build off of scenes, it can be done.

I had a lot of fun on the third exercise and the drama in the story could be expanded so much. I could feel the tension at the dinner table after rereading it.

The first week is almost done and that will leave 51 weeks to get through. I'll be posting my writing progress for my stories as well.

So have you told a friend yet about this awesome idea and awesome blog? :)

Can I Get Published In A Year

Chapter 1 - Exercises 1-3

I'm uploading some of the completed exercises from Chapter 1 in PDF form. Let me know if you have trouble accessing the file.

Ch1-EX1-3

Can I Get Published In A Year

Day - 5

I've realized that writing three different books while working full time is very similar to going to school full time while working. It has been some time since I've done both, but I'm certainly up for the challenge.

The writing assignments from Chapter 1 are being worked on and I'll post them soon for critiquing.

I'm pleased with the pace that I've achieved in terms of daily writing. At this pace, in roughly two months I should have two books done and the third partially done. That leaves a lot of time for editing, rewriting, and polishing.

Just out of curiosity, what are some of your favorite books? Why are they your favorite books?

Can I Get Published In A Year

Day - 4

3 days down, 362 more to go. Yikes!

Author Tip #2 - Write entire story first and then go back to edit. Don't start editing before your story is done.

This was one of the tips that a New York Times Bestselling Author gave at a book signing last week. This really hit home with me because I am a perfectionist and I want to make sure that everything that I write is perfect (e.g. perfect spelling, grammar, punctuation, etc.). However, because I've been so concerned with cleaning up the writing, I would keep going back and working on the same chapter over and over again. By writing the entire story first and then going back, I keep a steady pace and actually achieve the goal of completing the initial draft. There is plenty of time for revisions after the fact. Old habits die hard but since I heard that advice, I've not been editing while writing. +1 me. The truth of the matter is that nothing I write will ever be perfect so it's of benefit to me to not focus so heavily on that aspect of the stories and get the initial drafs done first.

Can I Get Published In A Year

Prologue

I thought I'd post a small paragraph from the first thing I ever wrote so that I can compare it to stuff that I write now. This is from a very short story that I wrote one day in about 15 minutes. Looking back on the writing, it makes me laugh. There were so many mistakes and faux pas committed, but it's good to see progress right?

So let me ask you? Is it boring? Is it average? Is it good? Does it suck? If it sucks, why does it suck? I can't know what to improve if I don't know what to fix.

Prologue

An orange leaf floated from a maple tree to the ground at the abandoned fairgrounds. Upon landing, the leaf began to gyrate from the random wisps of wind. This particular fairground was home to the Stevens County Fair. Your typical funnel cake, hot dog, amusement park ride filled gala that was a bustling place of countless hours of entertainment during the summer. However, on this brisk November morning, the fairgrounds were empty except for a lone person sitting on a bench. Kaitlin. Kaitlin tightened her scarf around her neck and let out a shiver. She looked like a chipmunk wrapped up in layers of clothing. Her cheeks were pressed together by her tightened hooded coat. Kaitlin enjoyed the solace of the quiet fairgrounds. This was her “happy place,” her refuge, her go to spot when she needed to get away and just think. Think. Think. Think.

There was something about the sound of quiet that put Kaitlin at ease. Nothing really mattered in this place of solitude. She was free to think and clear her head. She was also free from distraction and people for that matter. A puff of breath that looked like a small cloud of smoke appeared in front of Kaitlin as she let out a long sigh. She wondered how she could have been so blind to the signs. There was no way I could have known! How could I have known? This was quite the conundrum that she now had to deal with. A small tear formed on the corner of Kaitlin’s right eye. Slowly, the tear began to run down her right cheek and move toward her lip. Eventually, the tear dropped to the ground with a soundless splash. She wiped away the tear with her mitten covered hands and sniffed, trying to hold back the flood of emotions that was both literal and figurative.

“Ok,” she said with conviction.

Kaitlin quickly stood up, wiped the dust off of her jeans and started to walk back to her car. The “game” was about to begin.

Can I Get Published In A Year

Day - 3

Yesterday I knocked out a couple more pages in Crush and am now at the turning point of the book. Since I'm writing the ending first, it makes the writing process somewhat odd. I'm not sure if published authors write start to finish, but it's working so far so I'll go with it.

As you can see, I posted a picture of the "Writing Fiction" book that I'm going to be using. The first chapter has a total of 13 writing exercises. I will be posting those as PDF attachments for public perusal. My goal for this weekend is to finish those exercises.

In doing research on writing do's and don'ts, I've found that writing is very subjective. What one person thinks is good, another person might hate. Even for accomplished authors. One of my favorite authors is Ted Dekker and his book Thr3e is definitely in my top five favorite books. However, there are people who have read it and have said that it is the worst book ever written. On the flip side, there are people, like me, who love the book. Another example is Charlaine Harris who writes the Sookie Stackhouse novels. Some people hate it, some people love it. Yet another example is Stephanie Meyer. Depending on who you ask, a person may say her writing is the best thing since sliced bread. Others may say that it is complete trash. So where does that leave me since writing is so subjective? I've shown some writing to different people and some people say they like it. Some people say it sucks and I shouldn't write ever again. I think writing, as with anything, is left up to personal opinion and interpretation. No one book or writing style is going to appeal to everyone. Maybe after this quest is done, I will have learned that there is a niche group who like what I write. I may also learn that the niche group that like what I write is too small to get published.

In any case, if an author like Jenna Black can write 18 different novels over 16 years before getting published, that gives me hope. I'm stubborn and determined and I like a challenge, so let's see where this quest goes.

Can I Get Published In A Year

Writing Fiction Step By Step

This is the book I'll be using for writing exercises.

Day - 2

I would consider yesterday productive, even though I only had about 20 minutes to write. I was able to crank out 5 more pages in Crush. That's a plus.

So on to the question of emotional scenes in books. What makes a scene sad or intense? Is it the adjectives that are used? Is it the similarity to a personal experience?

I think it's a combination of both. If the reader can relate to it (e.g. a family member passing away, getting fired from a job, etc.) then it becomes more personal to the reader. I racked my brain trying to think if there was a book that I have read that has brought me to tears. I couldn't think of one. That's not to say that there haven't been books that have been powerful and tugged at my heart. I like to save my crying for more relevant things...like when you're waiting in line for 17 hours in the freezing cold, outside of a Fred Meyer, trying to be the first to get a Nintendo Wii. But, only to be disappointed and have supplies run out just before you. That would make me cry, but I digress.

A friend told me that this blog reminded him of the "Julie & Julia" movie. Hmm...I hadn't even thought about that, but I can see the similarities. I liked that movie and no it didn't make me cry!

One more thought for the moment. This last week I've had the fortunate opportunity to meet five different authors at book signings. Three of those authors are best selling authors. Of course I jumped at the opportunity to rub elbows with people in the biz and try to gain writing knowledge through osmosis. One thing that they all offer as tips for aspiring writers is to write. Not just write but I think they all said something like "Write your butt off!" I suppose that's what I'm trying to do. After all, that does sound like sound advice and they obviously know what they're talking about.

It's been fun, it's been real...but I need to go write. (You thought I was going to say "It's been real fun," huh?....Bazinga!) Don't forget to tell a friend. The more diverse group of people who can offer feedback, the better!

Can I Get Published In A Year

~ "I write because I care and drugs are bad."

Twitter Link

A Twitter feed for this quest because Twitter is cool.

http://twitter.com/cigpiay

Page Count Update

To help visually see my progress, I'm going to post page counts on the three stories I'm working on. The page counts are a little bit misleading in Word. A standard 8.5 x 11 document with 67 pages translates to roughly 90 pages in a pocket sized paperback book. So my 8.5 x 11 page count may be low, but there is at least a 20 page buffer.
I would like each book to be a minimum of 250 pocket size pages. Now that we have that cleared up, here is where I'm at:

Crush - 38 standard pages (60 pocket size)
Red Bow - 67 standard pages (90 pocket size)
Untitled - 1 standard page (1 pocket size)

I'll be completely honest and say that most of my writing right now is on Crush. I really like the way that the story is unfolding. Since I don't know anything about proper writing technique, I'm writing this backwards. Backwards you ask? No, I'm not writing sdrawkcaB, I'm writing the ending first. Why the ending first? Because that is what is fresh in my mind. At least for this story, knowing where the story ends up will help me work the plotline from the beginning of the story.

Can I Get Published In A Year

Day - 1

Greetings and welcome to my blog. Since nobody is probably reading this, why don't we go around the room and introduce ourselves.

*silence*

A-hem, ok. I'll break the ice. I have decided to embark on an epic quest. A quest that is not for the faint of heart or the weak. On the contrary, this quest is a test of will, desire, and endurance. What is the quest you ask? The quest is simple. I would like to become a published writer. Fresh off the heels of my 29th birthday, I've decided life is too short to not try to achieve your dreams. Well that should be easy to get published. I mean, how hard could it be? Well, I have no formal training in writing (e.g. writing classes, etc.). So why write? Well, it's simple. Writing is fun for me. Sure, I may not be very good at it, but writing is something that allows me to escape the rat race of the monotonous, daily grind. I guess you could say that writing is my dream job. Life is too short to live with regrets and "what ifs." So here I am, giving myself a year to see if I can see my dream come to fruition.

Here is my basic plan.....I will use a "How To Write" book as a guide and will also use answers from various author's FAQ sections on their websites. Since I don't have just one genre I would like to write in, I will write three stories within the year, each in a different genre. The idea is that with three different genres, I can increase my probability of catching a publisher's eye. The first genre is a love story/romance book. Ok, so before you hit the "Back" button and start muttering "I can't believe it's not butter," let me plead my case. I think there are a plethora of romance stylebooks that have been written from a girl's perspective. Why not change things up and tell a love story from a guy's perspective? And....not just any guy's perspective......a guy who is a nerd. (I will pause while you say "Ooooohhhh" and "Humph, interesting!")

*pausing*

Now that I've got your attention, let me assure you that there won't be gratuitous sex scenes, book covers with long haired, sculptured, manly men on said book covers, or angsty teen plot lines. Nah, that's so cliché. Allow me to take you into the inner workings and thoughts of a nerd who has a crush. It could work....right?

The second book that I would like to write is in the horror/serial murderer genre. Whoa, easy there people. Don't cross your arms and furrow your brown in confusion just yet. Let me explain. Serial murderers are fascinating to me. There is the obvious, "Wow, that guy is crazy!" comments that come to mind. Well why not try to elaborate on why the serial murderer is killing people? Maybe he has a reason for killing people? Did we stop to ask him? Nooooo! I currently have around 90 pages already written for this story called "Red Bow." However, I'd like to elaborate and beef up the plot lines, develop the characters, and clean up the dialog. So I have a semi-head start on this book.

The third and final book that I would like to write is a sequel to "Red Bow." This story starts with one of the main characters from "Red Bow," Mason Wendell, working as a cop. One of his college friends mysteriously gets kidnapped. Naturally, you would say, "Meh, I saw that on 'Without A Trace' last week." Maybe, but what if I told you that the friend who was kidnapped was kidnapped by accident? What if I told you that the intended kidnapee (is that a word?) was a twin of the kidnapped-er (huh?). In any case, this book will be more of a thriller/mystery, as opposed to a horror/serial murderer book like "Red Bow."

Well there you have it. My master plan. This could go horribly wrong. I won't know unless I try. So join me as I document my journey, try to somehow break into the writing scene, try to find an agent, try to find an editor, and most importantly....try to find a publisher who will publish my books and give me a writing contract. A Twitter feed will be up shortly. Remember to tell a friend and feel free to offer any criticism or feedback that you may have. You are after all my guinea pigs who are helping me hone my writing craft. *rubs hands together and grins*

After all this writing, I'm wiped out and going to bed.

Peace out,

Can I Get Published In A Year