- ARCHIVE / writing
- Writer’s Block? Self-Doubt? Here’s What I Do…
It’s a bit of a frustrating time for me. Superficially, some of this has to do with my n00b Ruby on Rails skills and having very little knowledge of AJAX (you might notice an increase in Rails-related bookmarks in my ma.rked on ma.gnolia posts). OK, we’ll get over that for the time being. Breathe deep–let’s [...]
- Why You Should Or Shouldn’t Blog Your Novel…
gapingvoid has an interesting little post about novels and blogs. Here is his customary business card cartoon (which cleverly accompanies every post): Honestly, the cartoon hooked me into the article. This toon could be the subject of many blog posts (and may very well be), but for now I’d like to consider gapingvoid’s post. Essentially, [...]
- There Will Be (another viewing)
Today, Natalie and I saw There Will Be Blood, a P.T. Anderson directed morality play for the 21st century. The film pits all the wonderful intensity of a Daniel Day-Lewis performance against the odd realities of early oil prospecting and zealous religious fanatics in turn-of-the-century western United States. I freely admit that when the credits [...]
- Goodreads Doles Out the Goods (not the bads)
Over the last few weeks I’ve started using a web application called Goodreads (here is my profile). Essentially, this is a service that allows you to keep track of what you are reading, have read, or intend to read. Users can swap reviews and even paperbacks! There’s also a nice little Facebook application that ties [...]
- Progress Update for 1/23
Update Only half production tonight. I had left a scene for “Without Vision” uncompleted during my last writing session. I finished off that scene, putting me at what felt like a very natural stopping point. Unless the story grows outside of its current walls, I don’t expect it will be more than a few days [...]
- Pet Peeve: “Penultimate”
OK, we’ve all got some pet peeves. As a writer, I am often annoyed when I see words misused. I understand mixing up “there”, “their”, and “they’re” — I do it myself. Homophones happen. What I can’t understand is the blatant incorrect use of words, typically because the author doesn’t really know what they mean. [...]
- Progress Update for 1/14
Yet another progress update for those who are following along. Story Stuff After a weekend of fun in Austin, I got back to it tonight, putting down a little over 1,000 words for a story that is, at least in the short term, called “Lacking Vision”–or some such thing. I hope to accomplish a couple [...]
- Spontaneity
As I write this, Natalie and I are driving West on Highway 71 toward Austin. You may have seen my Twitter post about it. Why are we headed to Austin? There’s the beauty: Absolutely no reason!Our plan for Thursday evening was to do some office work. Acadian Imaging and sbh* headquarters (one and the same) [...]
- Story, Genre, Spielberg, and Indy
Indiana Jones is back. The February 2008 issue of Vanity Fair features an Indiana Jones cover and a bunch of great Indiana Jones content (online there’s even more cool stuff). Needless to say, I am jazzed. The Indiana Jones films hold a near and dear place in my heart, not least because they are my [...]
- Progress Update for 1/7
Been a while since we had a good ol’ writing progress update. I completed the first draft of “Execution” tonight. I know it needs a good bit of work. At 30 pages (printing as we speak), and just shy of 8,000 words, it can probably use a good deal of cutting. Still, a draft is [...]
- Martin on Rose on Success via 37 Signals
Recently, Matt at 37 Signals (makers of Basecamp), wrote a post about how to “get ink.” At the end of the post, he talks about being “undeniably goody,” and puts up this quote by Steve Martin from his recent appearance on Charlie Rose: When people ask me how do you make it in show business [...]
- Progress Update for 1/3
It’s amazing what rhythm and going with the flow can do for you. In less than an hour, I jotted down 1,400 words on “Execution” this evening. This was in addition to forging ahead in Proulx’s Postcards. Why the success? I got into the rhythm of description today. I’m sure I will probably cut a [...]
- Sometimes It’s Hard…Sometimes I’m Lazy
Most nights, I can sit down at the computer and pound out 1,000+ words no problem. In fact, my most frequent problem is deciding when to stop. I’m a believer in writing fatigue. I may be able to write for hours on end, but it’s not going to be good. Occasionally, I encounter a night [...]
- Quick Stat
“Execution” is currently up to 5,314 words. This is fewer than expected. I imagine that it’s a little more than halfway done. I expect to have first draft completed tomorrow.
- Progress Update for 1/1
Picked up some new books today over at Half Price. I started reading Postcards by Annie Proulx. Her first two chapters have managed to ensnare me, I must admit. I get a Grapes of Wrath feel from the setup. We’ll see where it leads. More progress on “Execution” today. Things didn’t come easily, though. I [...]
- “The Whore’s Child” and “Monhegan Light” by Richard Russo
Generally speaking, I am a Richard Russo fan. For Christmas Natalie gave me The Whore’s Child and Other Stories, a collection of short stories by Mr. Russo. Thus far, I’ve only read two, and I’ve found myself both delighted and disappointed at the same time. My biggest disappointment came with “The Whore’s Child.” While Russo [...]
- Juno & Imagery
Natalie will be going away on a ski trip for five days without me. So, we decided that we should do dinner and a movie, always a good thing. The only movie we could agree on was Juno, a dark-ish comedy about a quirky 16-year old who gets pregnant and has to face the realities [...]
- Progress Update for 12/30
Finished up On Writing. Certainly I’m on my way to bestseller land now! In all seriousness, I found King’s “memoir of the craft” empowering. While many may malign King for being a writer of “genre fiction,” his book sales speak for themselves. The guy knows how to write. Is he a one-trick-pony? Perhaps. But, it’s [...]
- Progress Update for 12/29
Read some more of Stephen King’s On Writing. Thus far, it’s a really engaging read. He has offered a few great insights which I think I will take to heart. Most important is his discussion of routine. King finds it extremely important that the writer have a place to shut himself off from the outside [...]