Thursday, December 23, 2010
Monday, December 13, 2010
Sunder: Day 51
Not a good night for writing. Been at it for over an hour and I can't seem to focus for some reason. My mind is restless and I can't tame it.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Sunder: Day 50
Hauled a hell of a lot of stones tonight. My legs are burning and my fingers are bleeding.
Still working on the set of historical notes I'm calling The Ten Stones. It has become a point-form timeline of the progress of the commercialization of the Moon and Near Earth Objects.
Still working on the set of historical notes I'm calling The Ten Stones. It has become a point-form timeline of the progress of the commercialization of the Moon and Near Earth Objects.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Sunder: Day 49
More historical notes tonight dealing with the first decades of mankind's commercialization of space. According to the experts I've read orbital research labs and space tourism will lead the way in the early days so, trying to keep things realistic at this stage, I have modeled the first few decades of our future history on their ideas. I also managed to write a few paragraphs for the novel's prologue. I had intended to write a few notes about the prologue's setting, but things seemed to develop naturally into prose so I went with it.
Writing is getting easier. I noted a few weeks ago how it is always difficult to get anything worthwhile done after a long absence from the keyboard. Staying dedicated these last three weeks has gotten my imagination back into useful shape for writing. It doesn't take as long to get focussed and I remain focussed for longer periods of time. The other improvement I have noticed is that fresh ideas are coming to the surface more easily all the time. I'm pleased about this, but then what writer wouldn't be?
Writing is getting easier. I noted a few weeks ago how it is always difficult to get anything worthwhile done after a long absence from the keyboard. Staying dedicated these last three weeks has gotten my imagination back into useful shape for writing. It doesn't take as long to get focussed and I remain focussed for longer periods of time. The other improvement I have noticed is that fresh ideas are coming to the surface more easily all the time. I'm pleased about this, but then what writer wouldn't be?
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Sunder: Day 48
More work on background notes, but I got a little bogged down. I think I may be falling into an old trap: focussing on the fine details instead of the broad strokes. When I wrote raw draft for Sunder's synopsis, I worried about big events and major plot lines without concerning myself with "getting everything right" on the first pass. I cleaned things up in subsequent revisions (a process which I am still working on). With tonight's work I found myself worrying about things like dates and times and names for orbital research companies. I shouldn't be concerned with that now. Tomorrow night I'm going to get back to basics and write point form notes about the progression of events from early space colonization all the way up to the return of The Ten Stones then I'll hand that off to K. and get his feedback then worry about filling in gaps and making corrections.
Work at the office is going well. I finished more release notes today and I updated the key value reference with eight more entries. The devs and the support analysts will be pleased to hear that. Did a bit of Christmas shopping after work as well--picked up the deluxe Blu-Ray version of Inception for my brother-in-law. Even got the special spin-top key chain. I hope he likes it.
Slept fairly well last night and I was in a much better mood with my co-workers this morning.
Work at the office is going well. I finished more release notes today and I updated the key value reference with eight more entries. The devs and the support analysts will be pleased to hear that. Did a bit of Christmas shopping after work as well--picked up the deluxe Blu-Ray version of Inception for my brother-in-law. Even got the special spin-top key chain. I hope he likes it.
Slept fairly well last night and I was in a much better mood with my co-workers this morning.
Monday, December 6, 2010
Sunder: Day 47
After an amazing Sunday session with K., I've decided to hold off a little longer on writing the prologue and first movement of Sunder despite the success I had on Saturday night. We spent almost all of our Sunday session talking about historical events that backdrop our respective parts of the saga and I want to firm up as much of that as I can while it is still fresh in my mind. The look and feel of the future in our novels will depend on getting the details right (and consistent). Having decided that, I spent two hours tonight working up more historical notes. "How much longer?" you ask. I don't know. In the two hours that I worked I probably spent half of it spinning my wheels and recovering from false starts. My thinking took me in the direction of space tourism (which is already on the rise with the well-documented efforts of Sir Richard Branson and Virgin Galactic) which then led into thoughts on the industrialization of space. I'll work on this until I've got some reasonable amount of history in place that K. and I are both in agreement on.
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Parallel Worlds
My life was a set of parallel worlds. Each world had distinct rules and personalities. The chemistry, mathematics and history were different. The basic elements, evolution and development were all as intricate and absolutely different as the life on a carbon-based world might differ from a world built on methane. My parallel worlds were wide and smooth and clearly marked. The atmospheres were mutually lethal. There could be no collision course.
-- Kate Braverman, "Lithium for Medea"
(For Charlotte. Endure, for this torment is not everlasting.)
-- Kate Braverman, "Lithium for Medea"
(For Charlotte. Endure, for this torment is not everlasting.)
Sunder: Day 46
You build a novel the same way you do a pyramid. One word, one stone at a time, underneath a full moon when the fingers bleed.I can't even begin to describe how successful tonight was. It was as if the last three weeks had built up to a critical mass and it finally exploded tonight. I made some real progress on the synopsis, weaving existing threads and even laying down some new threads that (if I do my job properly) will keep readers guessing about what's really going on. In all, I was able to finalize the prologue, all of the first movement and the opening sequence of the second movement. Major, major progress. K and I will have much to discuss tomorrow afternoon; in fact, I may suggest that we sequester ourselves in the basement to better focus our minds.
-- Kate Braverman
Outdoor adventurists look for this kind of thrill in mountain climbing or white water rafting or skiing down virgin slopes. Stock brokers probably get it from a big score on the market. I get it from this--from working and working and working on Sunder until the heat builds up and the raw iron begins to glow and take shape under every hammer strike. I have missed this feeling so much that I despaired of ever feeling it again. The story has begun to come together in a way it hasn't before, not even in the productive months before my hiatus and shoulder injury. It is taking solid form in my mind. In the same way that the interior landscape of The Wheel itself is beginning to reveal itself in my maps, the action of the plot is beginning to congeal in the synopsis.
Now is the time when my legs must not flag. Even when my arms scream and my lungs burn, I must not fail. I must keep hauling stones across the desert in the night to my pyramid.
Sunder: Day 45
It amazes me how much detailed background material a story like Sunder can generate. Tonight I started a historical background piece called "The Ten Stones" based on an idea that my writing partner and I have been talking about for the better part of a year (or more). Events that underly the opening sequence of Sunder are tied historically to the ideas he and I have talked about in "The Ten Stones" and I wanted to capture 4 or 5 pages of ideas. Didn't get quite that many, but I'm off to a good start and should be able to get a lot done tomorrow. (It always takes a while to get started when organizing your ideas. At least I find it does for me.)
Productive day at the office. Managed to complete another set of release notes--that's 3 this week. The backlog is shrinking. Professional Services and Support catered a breakfast for the company today and it was quite a spread. Eggs (scrambled or western omelete), sausage, bacon, homefries and hashbrowns, pancakes, french toast, fruit...you name it. It was like getting punched in the mouth by delicious.
Housework tomorrow. :( Laundry. Cleaning. Yuck. But if I can get that done in the morning I'll have time in the afternoon to do some Christmas shopping and maybe have some time in the evening to do some writing. Sunday will be spent at K's house smoking cigars, drinking whisky eating meat and "talking story". I love Sundays.
Productive day at the office. Managed to complete another set of release notes--that's 3 this week. The backlog is shrinking. Professional Services and Support catered a breakfast for the company today and it was quite a spread. Eggs (scrambled or western omelete), sausage, bacon, homefries and hashbrowns, pancakes, french toast, fruit...you name it. It was like getting punched in the mouth by delicious.
Housework tomorrow. :( Laundry. Cleaning. Yuck. But if I can get that done in the morning I'll have time in the afternoon to do some Christmas shopping and maybe have some time in the evening to do some writing. Sunday will be spent at K's house smoking cigars, drinking whisky eating meat and "talking story". I love Sundays.
Friday, December 3, 2010
Sunder: Day 44
For all intents and purposes, the background material I've been referring to as "Niemeier's last big case" is complete. All the ins and outs of the murder and its investigation have been documented and I can finally get back to revising the synopsis. After how many weeks?
Indeed it took a long time to get to this point, but when I look back on all that I accomplished, it was worth taking the time to do right. I have a new map, a new police rank structure for the LFPD and a well-documented piece of "history" about one of my major characters. Even more exciting is that this work has given me an idea for a better subplot for Niemeier that will overtake his life as Sunder unfolds.
Time for bed.
Indeed it took a long time to get to this point, but when I look back on all that I accomplished, it was worth taking the time to do right. I have a new map, a new police rank structure for the LFPD and a well-documented piece of "history" about one of my major characters. Even more exciting is that this work has given me an idea for a better subplot for Niemeier that will overtake his life as Sunder unfolds.
Time for bed.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Sunder: Day 43
More mapwork and more progress on some background details. It feels good to be in the full swing of things again. The mind is buzzing with ideas and it was good and quiet at my apartment tonight so I was able to work at home. I'll be back at the office after hours tomorrow, though. I think I work better there.
Sunder: Day 42
Sense of place is important to me in novels, especially in science fiction novels where the settings are generally places we have never been: futuristic cities, space stations, starships, alien planets or the interstellar void. Wherever it is, I want to feel the fiber of the place. One of the best sci-fi novels I have ever read is also one of the best ever written: Dune. I have read that novel so often it is dog-eared and the spine is curved. The rest of the novels in the series are not much better off.
Frank Herbert's masterpiece is an excellent example of sense of place. I have stood with Mua'dib under the white glare of the relentless desert sun, suffered the dry wind as it sucked the moisture out of my pores, endured the grit and dust fine as talc that found its past the seals of my stillsuit and marveled silently at the wind-carved beauty of the dunes. Frank Herbert, through careful research and persuasive writing, was able to give all his Dune novels a sense of place.
Another novel with impeccably wrought detail is Perdito Street Station by China Mieveille. When you read it, you can feel yourself on the banks of the River Tar or hiding in the Glasshouse, wary of the fearsome Cactacae or looking up in wonder and awe at The Ribs soaring up out of the ground and curving over you like the empty ribcage of a dinosaur.
I'm trying to achieve the same effect with Sunder and the rest of books in The Titan Artifice. Part of how I'm preparing for that is through maps. If I don't know where I am in the novel, how can I convince a reader?
Most of Sunder takes place inside a massive space habitat, but it's largely empty at this point. I've roughed in the synopsis and named a few odd places, but a lot more work needs to be done before it can have the "sense of wonder" I hope to achieve. I spent most of the night drawing a new, expanded map of the interior of The Wheel, trying to get the dimensions right, working out the placement of major transit ways (The Wheel is 5 miles in diameter and 3 miles wide from edge to edge for a total internal area of about 45 square miles) that link residential, commercial and industrial districts. I had names for those places on the other maps, but the districts were blank--no roads, no buildings, no landmarks to speak of. Tonight I filled in some of those blank spaces so that when it comes time to write, I will be able to do so with a sense of place.
Tired now so it's off to bed. More work tomorrow.
Frank Herbert's masterpiece is an excellent example of sense of place. I have stood with Mua'dib under the white glare of the relentless desert sun, suffered the dry wind as it sucked the moisture out of my pores, endured the grit and dust fine as talc that found its past the seals of my stillsuit and marveled silently at the wind-carved beauty of the dunes. Frank Herbert, through careful research and persuasive writing, was able to give all his Dune novels a sense of place.
Another novel with impeccably wrought detail is Perdito Street Station by China Mieveille. When you read it, you can feel yourself on the banks of the River Tar or hiding in the Glasshouse, wary of the fearsome Cactacae or looking up in wonder and awe at The Ribs soaring up out of the ground and curving over you like the empty ribcage of a dinosaur.
I'm trying to achieve the same effect with Sunder and the rest of books in The Titan Artifice. Part of how I'm preparing for that is through maps. If I don't know where I am in the novel, how can I convince a reader?
Most of Sunder takes place inside a massive space habitat, but it's largely empty at this point. I've roughed in the synopsis and named a few odd places, but a lot more work needs to be done before it can have the "sense of wonder" I hope to achieve. I spent most of the night drawing a new, expanded map of the interior of The Wheel, trying to get the dimensions right, working out the placement of major transit ways (The Wheel is 5 miles in diameter and 3 miles wide from edge to edge for a total internal area of about 45 square miles) that link residential, commercial and industrial districts. I had names for those places on the other maps, but the districts were blank--no roads, no buildings, no landmarks to speak of. Tonight I filled in some of those blank spaces so that when it comes time to write, I will be able to do so with a sense of place.
Tired now so it's off to bed. More work tomorrow.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Sunder: Day 40
Workin' on a Saturday again. Too Friday night off to watch Adam play hockey. It was a loss and we were all crushed (his girlfriend and I) but there was an exciting fight which is not something you see in rec league hockey. Came home to visit my parents and take advantage of the free laundry here and while my jeans and shirts were doing the laundry mambo, I wrote up some character notes about Charlotte. May do some more work tonight, depending on how well the Senators do in their match against the Maple Leafs. If they tank, I may end up doing some more work before bed.
Character notes are not something I concerned myself with in the past, but I can see the utility of them, especially when working on a long term project like a novel. If there is any truth to the saying that details are everything in fiction, then it is in characters where the most important details must lie and collecting notes about the characters can be a critical exercise. It helps maintain consistency because it can be tough to keep all the details of an individual character straight in the mind, much less an entire cast of characters. It can also uncover some really interesting background information that provides depth and texture, making individual characters more memorable, lovable or hateful.
Character notes are not something I concerned myself with in the past, but I can see the utility of them, especially when working on a long term project like a novel. If there is any truth to the saying that details are everything in fiction, then it is in characters where the most important details must lie and collecting notes about the characters can be a critical exercise. It helps maintain consistency because it can be tough to keep all the details of an individual character straight in the mind, much less an entire cast of characters. It can also uncover some really interesting background information that provides depth and texture, making individual characters more memorable, lovable or hateful.
Friday, November 26, 2010
Adversity is Alive
"Adveristy is alive and when it seeks you out, it's looking for a worthy opponent. A win or a loss--it doesn't care. It just likes to fight."
-- Cee Lo Green
-- Cee Lo Green
Sunder: Day 39
I love it and I hate it when revising something over and over reveals flaws in the logic. On one hand, it feels great to have caught it yourself and not by someone else (who enjoys that?), but on the other hand, the error is sometimes a big one and it means a lot of material that you produced has to be changed. That's what happened tonight. Found a few wrinkles in some background material and even though correcting them led to plot points that were more believable, fixing things took up most of the night and I had wanted to write all new stuff. Progress on Sunder is agonizingly slow, but it is progress.
As Mick Jagger once said, "You cain't...ahlwees git...wotchu wah-ount...you git wotchu nee-eed."
As Mick Jagger once said, "You cain't...ahlwees git...wotchu wah-ount...you git wotchu nee-eed."
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Sunder: Day 38
This was a horrible night for writing.
I hate it when personal bullshit gets in the way of my productivity. I have a hard enough time keeping it up without all the "insanity" derailing my focus.
In all honesty, it's my own fault for letting my previous relationship intrude on writing night and I should really be more strict with myself when the warning signs appear, signs which are as clear as the sender's name on an email. "Thoughts" was the subject line. Jesus. (Sorry, Jesus, but man...!) I should have let that thing lie until the weekend, or better yet delete it, but I opened it and got caught up in some residual relationship goo that I thought I was well past now.
On one level it's kind of funny, but on another level it's kind of sad and frustrating. The hyper-condensed version is that I didn't go to a party where I knew my ex-girlfriend would be and now she has blown it up inside her mind that I am an emotional cripple and she his the cause. The worst, the absolute worst thing about all that is that she thinks that I need her advice and her perspective to put my life back on track. Please. Things are on track for me just fine, honey. They're not turning out the way you might approve, but you lost that right the day you gave up on me.
There's so much I could get into here but I don't want to dilute the purpose of this place. I come here to talk about writing and maybe a few unrelated yet important matters. What I don't want it to become another little soapbox on the web where someone whines about their day. There's enough of that crap on the internet as it is. It's one thing to feel stuff deeply, but it's wholly another let yourself drown in it which is something I have all too much experience in. A man cannot wallow in self-reproach, guilt, unrequited love, lost love, abandonment or loneliness. He must let these things pass through him, not get trapped inside. If they get trapped inside him, he gets too full and he sinks.
I am through bailing water.
I hate it when personal bullshit gets in the way of my productivity. I have a hard enough time keeping it up without all the "insanity" derailing my focus.
In all honesty, it's my own fault for letting my previous relationship intrude on writing night and I should really be more strict with myself when the warning signs appear, signs which are as clear as the sender's name on an email. "Thoughts" was the subject line. Jesus. (Sorry, Jesus, but man...!) I should have let that thing lie until the weekend, or better yet delete it, but I opened it and got caught up in some residual relationship goo that I thought I was well past now.
On one level it's kind of funny, but on another level it's kind of sad and frustrating. The hyper-condensed version is that I didn't go to a party where I knew my ex-girlfriend would be and now she has blown it up inside her mind that I am an emotional cripple and she his the cause. The worst, the absolute worst thing about all that is that she thinks that I need her advice and her perspective to put my life back on track. Please. Things are on track for me just fine, honey. They're not turning out the way you might approve, but you lost that right the day you gave up on me.
There's so much I could get into here but I don't want to dilute the purpose of this place. I come here to talk about writing and maybe a few unrelated yet important matters. What I don't want it to become another little soapbox on the web where someone whines about their day. There's enough of that crap on the internet as it is. It's one thing to feel stuff deeply, but it's wholly another let yourself drown in it which is something I have all too much experience in. A man cannot wallow in self-reproach, guilt, unrequited love, lost love, abandonment or loneliness. He must let these things pass through him, not get trapped inside. If they get trapped inside him, he gets too full and he sinks.
I am through bailing water.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Sunder: Day 37
Worked at the office for two hours tonight. Rene was here and we chatted briefly as I set up in the Sales Office. I'm not sure what he thinks of me coming in here like this night after night. I know he's curious about my writing, but he hasn't pressed me like some people do. Like last night I got off to a late start because I had laundry to do when I got home and that takes some time. But it's just as well because it gave me time to actually cook some supper (pan-seared pork chops with roasted vegetables--yum!) as opposed to microwaving something out of a bag or pouring boiling water over Raman noodles.
Still working on fine-tuning the events of the murder and subsequent investigation I've been discussing for the last a few days. I'm going to stop giving estimates on when this will be done because clearly I have no idea when that will be. I don't feel like I'm spinning my wheels, though, so that's a good thing. Important forward progress is being made which is an indication that a milestone is coming up sometime in the near future.
When your hobby stops being your hobby and starts becoming your passion, you can very easily get lost in the fine details. At this point, the fine details fascinate me. I have never had to think this deeply about a piece of background material before. The feeling is new, like I'm breaking new ground, cutting new paths. Not sure if they're the right paths, but then, as Roberson Davies said, "much work is done before hard lessons are learned." Maybe this is the hard lesson I was meant to learn.
Physio went well today. The therapist gave me a few new exercises to do at home, but I sense the end of our time together is coming fast. Maybe another two or three visits before he'll declare me fit for duty again. I can't wait. I've gained so much weight not being able to properly exercise (more than I usually carry) that it's getting frustrating.
It's 10 PM now and I have an early day ahead of me so I will pack up for now and get back to it again tomorrow night. We'll see what unfolds for Niemeier and Malmburgh then.
Still working on fine-tuning the events of the murder and subsequent investigation I've been discussing for the last a few days. I'm going to stop giving estimates on when this will be done because clearly I have no idea when that will be. I don't feel like I'm spinning my wheels, though, so that's a good thing. Important forward progress is being made which is an indication that a milestone is coming up sometime in the near future.
When your hobby stops being your hobby and starts becoming your passion, you can very easily get lost in the fine details. At this point, the fine details fascinate me. I have never had to think this deeply about a piece of background material before. The feeling is new, like I'm breaking new ground, cutting new paths. Not sure if they're the right paths, but then, as Roberson Davies said, "much work is done before hard lessons are learned." Maybe this is the hard lesson I was meant to learn.
Physio went well today. The therapist gave me a few new exercises to do at home, but I sense the end of our time together is coming fast. Maybe another two or three visits before he'll declare me fit for duty again. I can't wait. I've gained so much weight not being able to properly exercise (more than I usually carry) that it's getting frustrating.
It's 10 PM now and I have an early day ahead of me so I will pack up for now and get back to it again tomorrow night. We'll see what unfolds for Niemeier and Malmburgh then.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Sunder: Day 36
Not much to report tonight. I worked on some biographical notes for a few of the characters and that was about it. Unfortunately, I got off to a late start tonight because I got a hair cut after work and then I had to do my physio stretching and strength training. I am calling it an early night because I have to be at the Sports Therapy Clinic for a 7AM appointment with my physio-therapist. I've been getting to bed late these last few nights and I'd like to get some decent sleep tonight. If I leave now I can be home for around 10PM.
More work tomorrow night.
More work tomorrow night.
Monday, November 22, 2010
Sunder: Day 35
More work refining some of the background materials for Sunder, specifically the last investigation that Det. Sgt. Niemeier participated in before losing his homicide rating. I keep saying that I'll finish it up soon, but every night that I work on it I find something new to add, revise or correct. The good news is that I am definitely closing in on finishing this phase of the work. Tonight I started adding a few details about how Niemeier and Malmburgh set about identifying the body they found. Iron out a few more wrinkles in the details of their investigation over the next couple nights and I can get back to the synposis, at which point some new plot point that needs explaining will reveal itself.
Not much happened today. Listened to some Black Keys and The Fumes. Bought some groceries, shower soap and shampoo this afternoon, had a nap for a few hours, then headed back to the office (the quiet, quiet office) to do some writing.
Early to bed tonight so I can get an early start tomorrow.
Not much happened today. Listened to some Black Keys and The Fumes. Bought some groceries, shower soap and shampoo this afternoon, had a nap for a few hours, then headed back to the office (the quiet, quiet office) to do some writing.
Early to bed tonight so I can get an early start tomorrow.
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Sunder: Day 34
Finished up some contextual notes about lodgings for temporary labourers. Also managed to get down some additional details about the murder I spoke of in the last few posts. I was never much for writing murder mysteries so I had no idea how many details I needed to consider in answering the question: "How does Solis get rid of the body?" I should be able to wrap this up by tomorrow evening and then start thinking about what rash thing Niemeier does to sabotage the trial and complicate his life more than it already is.
I don't normally write on the weekends because I try to write nearly every night of the week, but I made an exception this weekend because I missed part of one night and all of last night. I was out for a few drinks and pub grub with a friend of mine at a place called Pub Italia on Preston Street. It's a really nice place if you love different beers because they have over 200 varieties--36 of them on tap. EP has never been much of a beer drinker (to my knowledge) but he discovered a few new varieties that he liked over on the Quebec side a few months ago and now he's trying everything. Well, he tried a little too much last night and he paid for it today. His first words to me over Messenger this morning were "No more beer".
I don't normally write on the weekends because I try to write nearly every night of the week, but I made an exception this weekend because I missed part of one night and all of last night. I was out for a few drinks and pub grub with a friend of mine at a place called Pub Italia on Preston Street. It's a really nice place if you love different beers because they have over 200 varieties--36 of them on tap. EP has never been much of a beer drinker (to my knowledge) but he discovered a few new varieties that he liked over on the Quebec side a few months ago and now he's trying everything. Well, he tried a little too much last night and he paid for it today. His first words to me over Messenger this morning were "No more beer".
Friday, November 19, 2010
Sunder: Day 33
I put in another 3 hours of thinking and crafting for Sunder, but there is little noteworthy to report tonight. Just the usual leg work.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Sunder: Day 32
Productivity was down a touch tonight because I picked up my new laptop after work and I had to install a few big things before I could get going. Microsoft Office 2010 was the most important and took the longest. After that, I had some trouble finding a wireless network I could connect to. The password to the office wireless network didn't work the first two times I tried it even though I entered the password correctly. Third time was the charm, I guess. Then I needed to update Messenger and that took another ten minutes. Then a colleague working the late shift in Support came by and chatted me up for a while. By the time I got myself settled and ready to write, it was almost eight o'clock.
I did manage to write a couple paragraphs each about a murderer and his victim that I mentioned in yesterday's post. I was also able to get down a few facts about the setting--a corporate space station. I jotted down ideas about where the victim lived so I would have a sense of the larger community within the station and how people live in that environment. For instance, an individual could get ward-style, semi-private or private accommodations depending on the corporado he or she works for and the kind of work they are hire to perform.
Going to finish up these notes tomorrow night and then get back to work on polishing the synopsis.
I did manage to write a couple paragraphs each about a murderer and his victim that I mentioned in yesterday's post. I was also able to get down a few facts about the setting--a corporate space station. I jotted down ideas about where the victim lived so I would have a sense of the larger community within the station and how people live in that environment. For instance, an individual could get ward-style, semi-private or private accommodations depending on the corporado he or she works for and the kind of work they are hire to perform.
Going to finish up these notes tomorrow night and then get back to work on polishing the synopsis.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Sunder: Day 31
Wrestling with Sunder is like wrestling a crocodile. Truth be told, I've never wrestled an crocodile. The closest one has ever come to me arrived on a plate with a side of rice and roasted veggies. (Actually, that was alligator, but who's counting?) I've seen Steve Irwin wrestle crocodiles on TV and it looked a lot like what I went through tonight: a tough roll in the mud and only one of you enjoys it.
Caring about the end result of these labours means I must be meticulous, but during my breaks away from the keyboard I often forget just how meticulous one has to be. In some cases it's not enough to simply come up with an idea to set up or flesh out a crucial aspect of a character. In cases where an event has an impact on the trajectory of a major character's life, the heft of such an idea will translate into the story as questions about the events surrounding the idea. The more questions the author poses to himself about that idea, the more important and integral it is. The more integral the idea, the more care the author has to take in shaping it, even if it is never directly revealed to the reader. The world that fictional characters live in is just as real to those characters as our own world is to us and if an author's intention to convey the true grit and texture of that world is serious then he or she must make an effort to understand something of what is going on there. The web of circumstances that a character dangles in is as dense and interwoven as that in which we often (always?) find ourselves.
What I am resigned to is spending more time than I had anticipated trying to set in my mind a crucial event--a murder--that occurred just prior to the opening of the novel. The aftermath of investigating that murder and attempting to bring it to trial has a very serious impact on the life of one of the main characters, but the more I think about how that character is impacted, the more it becomes clear to me that I don't know enough about the events surrounding the murder. I'm playing the How did he get here? game. Who was murdered? Was it a man or a woman? Who is the killer? Why was the victim targeted? How was the victim killed? How did the murderer attempt to cover up the crime? "How did Solis get rid of the body?" I've pondered that question for the better part of an hour without coming up with an answer that satisfies me. The questions lead further and further back until I can feel the "shape" of the event, but I need answers to dress up the frame. I'm impatient to get past this, to finish revising the synopsis proper and get on with the real story.
In other news, I recently bought a new laptop so I am mobile once again. Though the noise situation in my apartment has drastically improved over the years, it is sometimes not quiet enough for me to write and so I end up going to the library or the office, more often the latter. I also need a machine that I can take with me when I visit my parents or when I visit my writing partner. My old laptop has gotten so slow as to be practically useless to me as a writing tool. My new machine is an Asus (the same company that manufactured the motherboard in my new desktop PC) and has an Intel Core i3 chip in it. All I know about it is that it's "wicked fast" and it will stand me in good stead for at least three or four years.
Caring about the end result of these labours means I must be meticulous, but during my breaks away from the keyboard I often forget just how meticulous one has to be. In some cases it's not enough to simply come up with an idea to set up or flesh out a crucial aspect of a character. In cases where an event has an impact on the trajectory of a major character's life, the heft of such an idea will translate into the story as questions about the events surrounding the idea. The more questions the author poses to himself about that idea, the more important and integral it is. The more integral the idea, the more care the author has to take in shaping it, even if it is never directly revealed to the reader. The world that fictional characters live in is just as real to those characters as our own world is to us and if an author's intention to convey the true grit and texture of that world is serious then he or she must make an effort to understand something of what is going on there. The web of circumstances that a character dangles in is as dense and interwoven as that in which we often (always?) find ourselves.
What I am resigned to is spending more time than I had anticipated trying to set in my mind a crucial event--a murder--that occurred just prior to the opening of the novel. The aftermath of investigating that murder and attempting to bring it to trial has a very serious impact on the life of one of the main characters, but the more I think about how that character is impacted, the more it becomes clear to me that I don't know enough about the events surrounding the murder. I'm playing the How did he get here? game. Who was murdered? Was it a man or a woman? Who is the killer? Why was the victim targeted? How was the victim killed? How did the murderer attempt to cover up the crime? "How did Solis get rid of the body?" I've pondered that question for the better part of an hour without coming up with an answer that satisfies me. The questions lead further and further back until I can feel the "shape" of the event, but I need answers to dress up the frame. I'm impatient to get past this, to finish revising the synopsis proper and get on with the real story.
In other news, I recently bought a new laptop so I am mobile once again. Though the noise situation in my apartment has drastically improved over the years, it is sometimes not quiet enough for me to write and so I end up going to the library or the office, more often the latter. I also need a machine that I can take with me when I visit my parents or when I visit my writing partner. My old laptop has gotten so slow as to be practically useless to me as a writing tool. My new machine is an Asus (the same company that manufactured the motherboard in my new desktop PC) and has an Intel Core i3 chip in it. All I know about it is that it's "wicked fast" and it will stand me in good stead for at least three or four years.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Sunder: Day 30
This was my first full night of writing in more than two months--maybe even three months.
After having been out of the game for so long it felt good to be back at the keyboard with my imagination rolling. I worked on some background material for a court scene that appears early in Sunder's First Movement. Friday night I struggled to outline that scene and its outcome in the synopsis, going over it again and again with dissatisfying results. I let it sit for the weekend and came back to it tonight. It became clear to me that I couldn't describe the court scene for the synopsis without understanding the murder and some of the associated investigation, handled by Niemeier and Malmburgh. I spent most of this evening writing out a summary of the murder and a brief, step-by-step outline of how Niemeier and Malmburgh brought the case to trial.
Now I have a stage on which to let Niemeier's personal problems complicate matters and land him in hot water with his partner, his supervisors and the Office of the General Prosecutor.
After having been out of the game for so long it felt good to be back at the keyboard with my imagination rolling. I worked on some background material for a court scene that appears early in Sunder's First Movement. Friday night I struggled to outline that scene and its outcome in the synopsis, going over it again and again with dissatisfying results. I let it sit for the weekend and came back to it tonight. It became clear to me that I couldn't describe the court scene for the synopsis without understanding the murder and some of the associated investigation, handled by Niemeier and Malmburgh. I spent most of this evening writing out a summary of the murder and a brief, step-by-step outline of how Niemeier and Malmburgh brought the case to trial.
Now I have a stage on which to let Niemeier's personal problems complicate matters and land him in hot water with his partner, his supervisors and the Office of the General Prosecutor.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Learning to Walk
My "career" as a writer proceeds in short, brief stages of intense creativity followed by long periods of hibernation. Even cursory review of this blog can attest to that.
Writing is shaky everytime I start up again. The major idea is planted firmly in my head. I can see it before me; the trouble my imagination has after so long in the mothballs is teasing out the details then capturing them in words. Tonight I started up again with a NaNoWriMo project I am tentatively calling Possession. The goal of the NaNoWriMo contest is to challenge yourself to write a 50,000 word novel in the space of a month--a project that requires, if the rules are any indication, pacing more than anything, even an idea it would seem. I have my idea, such as it is, and tonight I produced 1529 words which is not too bad, but it took some doing to get those words. When you consider that I am nine days behind the rest of the pack and coming off a long period of creative drought, it is clear that I have a long, steep climb ahead of me.
So early to bed tonight and early to rise tomorrow. Maybe I can haul myself out of bed and put down another 1500 words before work.
In Other News...
Had my second physio appointment today. Right now my shoulder is tender. It's from all the manhandling that Tony "Soprano" Regert, my therapist, put me through today. The guy gave me new exercises to do and he even applied electrodes to my shoulder. What a weird sensation! It felt like a series of hard, rapid taps deep inside the muscle tissues. The device would fire a 15 second burst followed by a 15 second break and it kept this up for a good 10 or 12 minutes. What's he got in store for me next week?
Writing is shaky everytime I start up again. The major idea is planted firmly in my head. I can see it before me; the trouble my imagination has after so long in the mothballs is teasing out the details then capturing them in words. Tonight I started up again with a NaNoWriMo project I am tentatively calling Possession. The goal of the NaNoWriMo contest is to challenge yourself to write a 50,000 word novel in the space of a month--a project that requires, if the rules are any indication, pacing more than anything, even an idea it would seem. I have my idea, such as it is, and tonight I produced 1529 words which is not too bad, but it took some doing to get those words. When you consider that I am nine days behind the rest of the pack and coming off a long period of creative drought, it is clear that I have a long, steep climb ahead of me.
So early to bed tonight and early to rise tomorrow. Maybe I can haul myself out of bed and put down another 1500 words before work.
In Other News...
Had my second physio appointment today. Right now my shoulder is tender. It's from all the manhandling that Tony "Soprano" Regert, my therapist, put me through today. The guy gave me new exercises to do and he even applied electrodes to my shoulder. What a weird sensation! It felt like a series of hard, rapid taps deep inside the muscle tissues. The device would fire a 15 second burst followed by a 15 second break and it kept this up for a good 10 or 12 minutes. What's he got in store for me next week?
Monday, November 8, 2010
NaNoWriMo 2010
It's been weeks and weeks since I sat down to write anything for Sunder, mostly due to overtime at the office and various non-work-related intrusions. The biggest of those being the shoulder injury I suffered. It's only in the last few days that the ligaments in my shoulder have felt strong enough that I could sit and type at my home computer for any length of time without aching. Even though I've been thinking about my writing projects and talking them through with my writing partner KM, in all this time I haven't had a proper outlet and I've felt my creative self drying up into a little brown raisin.
On the way home tonight I realized that the month of November is also NaNoWriMo: National Novel Writing Month. Even though I'm behind by a whole week, I thought I might give the contest a shot anyway as an exercise to try and blow out the dust and the cobwebs in my brain before I go back to putting in serious work on Sunder. It's a lot less gruelling than the 3 Day Novel Contest so I can pace myself while I get back into writing shape.
I don't have a title for my novel yet, but I know that it's going to be an attempt at an espionage novel. When I say "attempt", that is exactly what I mean. I have no clue what I'm doing in that genre and I'm sure that no self-respecting agent or publisher will want to touch this project, but John Buchan and Robert Ludlum will look down on my earnest endeavour and smile with all the benevolence of mentors.
So far tonight I've managed to plot out the first third of the novel. It involves a young woman named Isabell Griffin who is asked by her elderly neighbour, Edward Nolan, to hold onto a locked strongbox for him while he visits his brother. Three days later, Mr. Nolan's body is discovered in a rail yard, badly beaten and shot in the head. News reports identify Mr. Nolan as the disgraced, former deputy director of the NSA and the police and the FBI plead for the public's help with any information they may have about Mr. Nolan.
Almost immediately, a man calling himself Daniel Broussard arrives at Isabell's condo claiming to be Nolan's nephew. He asks for the strongbox, indicating that Nolan had willed it to him, but Isabell refuses to turn it over to him. Instead she contacts the FBI, but just as they are taking her to a field station for an interview Broussard runs them off the road. A gun fight ensues and Broussard kills one of the agents. Broussard himself is wounded, but manages to escape with Isabell.
I have to end here because I have a very early date with my physio therapist tomorrow morning and I don't want to risk oversleeping. Suffice to say, though, I feel like I accomplished something tonight--much more than I have in the last two or three months.
Back to work tomorrow!
On the way home tonight I realized that the month of November is also NaNoWriMo: National Novel Writing Month. Even though I'm behind by a whole week, I thought I might give the contest a shot anyway as an exercise to try and blow out the dust and the cobwebs in my brain before I go back to putting in serious work on Sunder. It's a lot less gruelling than the 3 Day Novel Contest so I can pace myself while I get back into writing shape.
I don't have a title for my novel yet, but I know that it's going to be an attempt at an espionage novel. When I say "attempt", that is exactly what I mean. I have no clue what I'm doing in that genre and I'm sure that no self-respecting agent or publisher will want to touch this project, but John Buchan and Robert Ludlum will look down on my earnest endeavour and smile with all the benevolence of mentors.
So far tonight I've managed to plot out the first third of the novel. It involves a young woman named Isabell Griffin who is asked by her elderly neighbour, Edward Nolan, to hold onto a locked strongbox for him while he visits his brother. Three days later, Mr. Nolan's body is discovered in a rail yard, badly beaten and shot in the head. News reports identify Mr. Nolan as the disgraced, former deputy director of the NSA and the police and the FBI plead for the public's help with any information they may have about Mr. Nolan.
Almost immediately, a man calling himself Daniel Broussard arrives at Isabell's condo claiming to be Nolan's nephew. He asks for the strongbox, indicating that Nolan had willed it to him, but Isabell refuses to turn it over to him. Instead she contacts the FBI, but just as they are taking her to a field station for an interview Broussard runs them off the road. A gun fight ensues and Broussard kills one of the agents. Broussard himself is wounded, but manages to escape with Isabell.
I have to end here because I have a very early date with my physio therapist tomorrow morning and I don't want to risk oversleeping. Suffice to say, though, I feel like I accomplished something tonight--much more than I have in the last two or three months.
Back to work tomorrow!
I've been following the directions of my doctor and my physio-therapist for the recuperation of my shoulder. I've been diligent about doing the stretching and the strengthening exercises they prescribed for me and I've noticed a little bit of improvement in the last week. It has been enough to encourage me to test my limits a bit and in every instance my shoulder has responded predictably: it aches for about half an hour and then gets better. It would seem, though, I am more likely to re-injure myself doing something simple, something that comes naturally, something that requires no premeditation.
Like putting on socks.
I did something to my shoulder this morning as I was sitting on the edge of my bed putting on my socks. In fact, I had put the socks on with no difficulties, but when I stood up I moved my arm in such a way that it aggravated some still-tender ligament and send a shock of pain down the back of my arm with all the flash and intensity of a bolt of lightning. Christ, it hurt. Turned my entire arm to jelly. Later, I reached into the fridge for some orange juice and it happened again. Then again putting the orange juice back, even though I moved slowly and carefully.
After an injury like mine, you learn the limits and you do not exceed them. I haven't lifted anything heavy anywhere close to shoulder height with that arm, let alone over my head. You move cautiously as you approach those limits, but you think nothing of moving freely within them. Whatever I did this morning as I stood up from bed--whether I shrugged to adjust my shirt or simply swung my arm as I took a step--it reminded me that that joint is still delicate, it is still made of glass and it can be cracked or even shattered at the slightest over-provocation.
The recuperation phase is going to be the worst phase for me. And yet, in other ways, it's going to be the best phase for me. On the one hand, I want full mobility now. I want all my strength back now. I want unrestricted range of motion now. Yet I can't have them now. I have to put in the work. Dues must be paid. At then end of this stretch of road, my patience will be as strong as my shoulder.
Like putting on socks.
I did something to my shoulder this morning as I was sitting on the edge of my bed putting on my socks. In fact, I had put the socks on with no difficulties, but when I stood up I moved my arm in such a way that it aggravated some still-tender ligament and send a shock of pain down the back of my arm with all the flash and intensity of a bolt of lightning. Christ, it hurt. Turned my entire arm to jelly. Later, I reached into the fridge for some orange juice and it happened again. Then again putting the orange juice back, even though I moved slowly and carefully.
After an injury like mine, you learn the limits and you do not exceed them. I haven't lifted anything heavy anywhere close to shoulder height with that arm, let alone over my head. You move cautiously as you approach those limits, but you think nothing of moving freely within them. Whatever I did this morning as I stood up from bed--whether I shrugged to adjust my shirt or simply swung my arm as I took a step--it reminded me that that joint is still delicate, it is still made of glass and it can be cracked or even shattered at the slightest over-provocation.
The recuperation phase is going to be the worst phase for me. And yet, in other ways, it's going to be the best phase for me. On the one hand, I want full mobility now. I want all my strength back now. I want unrestricted range of motion now. Yet I can't have them now. I have to put in the work. Dues must be paid. At then end of this stretch of road, my patience will be as strong as my shoulder.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Slept pretty well last night, all things considered. No nightmares which involve punching people in the face so my shoulder made it through unscathed. The joint still feels pretty stiff and it still protests every now and then when I move it in certain directions, but it's better than it was four weeks ago. Given the stories I've heard about physiotherapy, I don't know if I'm looking forward to it or not. It's a necessary evil, I guess.
About to step out for work. More later...
About to step out for work. More later...
Monday, October 4, 2010
Perspectives
Apologies for not writing in a while. My right arm is still incapacitated and typing is very slow going so any entry I make has to be worth it. Not that this entry holds any subtle insight into man's search for meaning (a la Viktor Frankl). Just thought it was about time to update things a bit, let folks know I'm still alive.
Being (temporarily) handicapped is an experience both frustrating and humbling. On the one hand I just want to rip this sling off and be done with it. The only thing worse than trying to sleep with your arm pinned to your side is tring to get behind the wheel. The act of driving itself is no problem, it's getting situated, adjusted, comfortable. I'm a big guy and the act of settling myself in the driver's seat behind the steering wheel requires the use of muscles and ligaments I had until now taken for granted. Try adjusting the air conditioning with you left arm from the driver's seat. I have to wait until I get to a light to do that. On the highway, I have to pull over onto the shoulder or risk the very dangerous possibility of veering into the ditch.
On the other hand, this experience has given me a tiny glimpse into the lives of people with real disabilities. I will get to take this sling off someday (next week) but there are people who have lost limbs or senses. I was in the car with my mother not long after my injury and we saw a young man making his way along the sidewalk with silver crutches, his caregiver walking slowly beside him. Here was a man at severe disadvantage, who had been born that way. Not for him the elegant gait of a human being; his was more a lurching, hitching progress. Here was a man who faces real challenges, everyday. He can't look forward to the day when he can set his crutches aside. His legs will never be emancipated from the braces he wears. What about the blind or the deaf? And I complain about the hassle of driving, washing dishes, putting on socks....
As far as "the writing" goes, I have had to lay that aside for the time being. As much as I have to write (for I'm feeling creative again) I cannot do it one-handed. It has to wait for now. My brain's been spinning away on the subject of Colbrit Niemeier (one of the main characters in Sunder): his childhood, adulthood, fears, strengths, good decisions and bad--all the colourful threads that make up the tapestry of a human life, if you'll forgive the cliche. Charlotte Hudson, too, that broken, shattered, merciless woman who for so long had been an enigmatic shade in my thoughts, has begun to press her story into my hands. When the sling comes off, I'm going to spend my evenings writing down all the ideas that have been flocking inside my skull.
Another three days until I find out how much longer I have to wear this sling...three more days! Maybe I can get back to work sooner rather than later.
Being (temporarily) handicapped is an experience both frustrating and humbling. On the one hand I just want to rip this sling off and be done with it. The only thing worse than trying to sleep with your arm pinned to your side is tring to get behind the wheel. The act of driving itself is no problem, it's getting situated, adjusted, comfortable. I'm a big guy and the act of settling myself in the driver's seat behind the steering wheel requires the use of muscles and ligaments I had until now taken for granted. Try adjusting the air conditioning with you left arm from the driver's seat. I have to wait until I get to a light to do that. On the highway, I have to pull over onto the shoulder or risk the very dangerous possibility of veering into the ditch.
On the other hand, this experience has given me a tiny glimpse into the lives of people with real disabilities. I will get to take this sling off someday (next week) but there are people who have lost limbs or senses. I was in the car with my mother not long after my injury and we saw a young man making his way along the sidewalk with silver crutches, his caregiver walking slowly beside him. Here was a man at severe disadvantage, who had been born that way. Not for him the elegant gait of a human being; his was more a lurching, hitching progress. Here was a man who faces real challenges, everyday. He can't look forward to the day when he can set his crutches aside. His legs will never be emancipated from the braces he wears. What about the blind or the deaf? And I complain about the hassle of driving, washing dishes, putting on socks....
As far as "the writing" goes, I have had to lay that aside for the time being. As much as I have to write (for I'm feeling creative again) I cannot do it one-handed. It has to wait for now. My brain's been spinning away on the subject of Colbrit Niemeier (one of the main characters in Sunder): his childhood, adulthood, fears, strengths, good decisions and bad--all the colourful threads that make up the tapestry of a human life, if you'll forgive the cliche. Charlotte Hudson, too, that broken, shattered, merciless woman who for so long had been an enigmatic shade in my thoughts, has begun to press her story into my hands. When the sling comes off, I'm going to spend my evenings writing down all the ideas that have been flocking inside my skull.
Another three days until I find out how much longer I have to wear this sling...three more days! Maybe I can get back to work sooner rather than later.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Day 2/Week 1 of Walking Wounded
Dislocated right shoulder. 3-4 weeks in an immobilization sling.
(NOTE: Most of this account has been stitched together from emails I've been sending to concerned friends and co-workers. For expediency's sake I'm plagiarising myself.)
I have (temporarily) joined the ranks of the disabled. This weekend, at a corporate softball game, I dislocated my right shoulder. It happened over the course of two collisions, the first of which involved a boy of ten and the other the Director of Professional Services. I was playing first base when the boy hit a single into the infield. Someone (the second baseman?) tossed me an awkward throw and I caught it but as I turned to try and tag the boy he was already on top of me and I lost my balance trying to avoid him. We went down together into the dirt, me trying to twist away from him to keep from landing on top of him. I avoided that (kind of) but the way I landed on my shoulder I must have partially dislocated it because the next collision put my shoulder out of its socket completely. A coworker drove me to the hospital where I was X-rayed and had my shoulder reset which, incidentally, was a lot less painful than the Hollywood movies make it out to be. Now I'm trapped in an immobilization sling for the next 3-4 weeks.
It's been an interesting challenge learning how to do simple things like washing and dressing (putting on socks is a piece of sophisticated performance art I could sell tickets to). I'm typing this one-handed and it's slow going. So far I'm doing okay with chores around the apartment. I have to plan in advance how I'm going to butter my toast or wash a plate but so far so good. Everything just takes longer (and takes more patience). Working is going to pose some interesting problems. Maybe I'll turn on Windows' "accessibility features" if one-hand typing loses its attraction (he says rhetorically).
Left Arm, which has had only a supporting role in my daily life until now, has really stepped up its game and taken on more responsibilities while Right Arm takes a sabbatical so Shoulder can heal. It'll be calling most of the shots for the next little while.
Here's a funny little story that happened while I was being treated.
(NOTE: Most of this account has been stitched together from emails I've been sending to concerned friends and co-workers. For expediency's sake I'm plagiarising myself.)
I have (temporarily) joined the ranks of the disabled. This weekend, at a corporate softball game, I dislocated my right shoulder. It happened over the course of two collisions, the first of which involved a boy of ten and the other the Director of Professional Services. I was playing first base when the boy hit a single into the infield. Someone (the second baseman?) tossed me an awkward throw and I caught it but as I turned to try and tag the boy he was already on top of me and I lost my balance trying to avoid him. We went down together into the dirt, me trying to twist away from him to keep from landing on top of him. I avoided that (kind of) but the way I landed on my shoulder I must have partially dislocated it because the next collision put my shoulder out of its socket completely. A coworker drove me to the hospital where I was X-rayed and had my shoulder reset which, incidentally, was a lot less painful than the Hollywood movies make it out to be. Now I'm trapped in an immobilization sling for the next 3-4 weeks.
It's been an interesting challenge learning how to do simple things like washing and dressing (putting on socks is a piece of sophisticated performance art I could sell tickets to). I'm typing this one-handed and it's slow going. So far I'm doing okay with chores around the apartment. I have to plan in advance how I'm going to butter my toast or wash a plate but so far so good. Everything just takes longer (and takes more patience). Working is going to pose some interesting problems. Maybe I'll turn on Windows' "accessibility features" if one-hand typing loses its attraction (he says rhetorically).
Left Arm, which has had only a supporting role in my daily life until now, has really stepped up its game and taken on more responsibilities while Right Arm takes a sabbatical so Shoulder can heal. It'll be calling most of the shots for the next little while.
Here's a funny little story that happened while I was being treated.
A pretty nurse was sent in to strap me into the sling and as she worked we got to talking.
"Has this happened to you before?" she asked.
"Nah. First time."
She said, "How did the doctor reset your shoulder?" so I told her in great detail how he manipulated it back into place.
"Wow! I was watching from the Nurse's Station and you didn't even flinch."
Now in all honesty, resetting it didn't hurt at all like I said, but I didn't want her to know that so I just gave her a wink and said, "That's 'cause I knew you were watching."
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Sunder: Day 29
Spent the night drawing maps of The Wheel for "Sunder". Need to make some detailed maps of the areas where major plot points occur as well as the neighbourhoods where Callum, Niemeier, and Celia Morente live. Tonight I managed to rework the districts within The Wheel. There were far too many small ones before; things are a bit less busy now. I will have to spend a couple hours jotting down some info points for particular districts where the story occurs so that I can start to build some sense of detail for those locations.
Tired now, though. Off to bed...
Tired now, though. Off to bed...
Sunder: Day 28
Not much to report tonight. I'm (mostly) happy with the elaborations I made to the first three chapters.
As I was making notes, I kept forgetting place names in The Wheel, which speaks to a larger need to pin down its interior layout (district names, transit line names, agricultural areas, business districts, public buildings, etc.) so that the story will have a sense of place as Colbrit and Charlotte move around. I can work on some of that tomorrow night.
As I was making notes, I kept forgetting place names in The Wheel, which speaks to a larger need to pin down its interior layout (district names, transit line names, agricultural areas, business districts, public buildings, etc.) so that the story will have a sense of place as Colbrit and Charlotte move around. I can work on some of that tomorrow night.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Sunder: Day 27
I got started late tonight so I didn't get much done aside from jotting down a few ideas about the trajectories that Charlotte and Colbrit take in Sunder. One goes up; one goes down. One rebuilds; one destroys. I would have liked to have gotten a chance to revise the synopsis a bit more, but it's getting late and I haven't been sleeping well lately. I'm happy with getting the ideas down, though. All too often I've let it go for later and ended up forgetting the idea. Not this one.
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Sunder: Day 26
Synopsis (1st revision): Much work done to improve the prologue; will let it sit for now and work on fleshing out events in the early chapters of Sunder's First Movement.
In Other News
Not a good day today. First, I hit a dog on the way to work. A yellow lab. It was running around in the middle of Walkley Rd, scared to death and trying to get across. It started to leave my lane, and I accelerated, but a big red truck coming up in the other lane scared it and it darted back in front of me. I hit the brakes but I slid into it. What an awful crunch it made. I thought I killed it, but the poor thing got up and took off across the road. I felt pretty awful most of the morning and one person made a joke about it in what I'm sure was an attempt to try and lift my spirits.
What upset me the most about that little exchange was this person owns not just one, but two yellow labs like the one I very nearly killed this morning.
The other bit of news that made today just fabulous was finding out someone I know committed suicide sometime Thursday morning. I heard the news from K.M. who knows this person quite well. The victim owns a parcel of land next to K's place, but lives in a nearby city. Early reports indicate that he hung himself in his apartment. From what K told me, his mother had died quite recently and he had had a fight with his ex-girlfriend on Wednesday night after the funeral.
I knew this man. I've had beers with him on K's back porch. He was a small Frenchman, always smiling and telling jokes. I didn't know him as well as K, but it still bothers me that he did this to himself, that he did this to his little boy. I don't want to judge him, but what else was going on in his life that the last 48 hours drove him to this desperate, senseless, cruel solution?
Today really sucked. I mean, it really sucked.
In Other News
Not a good day today. First, I hit a dog on the way to work. A yellow lab. It was running around in the middle of Walkley Rd, scared to death and trying to get across. It started to leave my lane, and I accelerated, but a big red truck coming up in the other lane scared it and it darted back in front of me. I hit the brakes but I slid into it. What an awful crunch it made. I thought I killed it, but the poor thing got up and took off across the road. I felt pretty awful most of the morning and one person made a joke about it in what I'm sure was an attempt to try and lift my spirits.
What upset me the most about that little exchange was this person owns not just one, but two yellow labs like the one I very nearly killed this morning.
The other bit of news that made today just fabulous was finding out someone I know committed suicide sometime Thursday morning. I heard the news from K.M. who knows this person quite well. The victim owns a parcel of land next to K's place, but lives in a nearby city. Early reports indicate that he hung himself in his apartment. From what K told me, his mother had died quite recently and he had had a fight with his ex-girlfriend on Wednesday night after the funeral.
I knew this man. I've had beers with him on K's back porch. He was a small Frenchman, always smiling and telling jokes. I didn't know him as well as K, but it still bothers me that he did this to himself, that he did this to his little boy. I don't want to judge him, but what else was going on in his life that the last 48 hours drove him to this desperate, senseless, cruel solution?
Today really sucked. I mean, it really sucked.
Friday, June 11, 2010
Sunder: Day 25
More work. Not quite so productive tonight though--wheels are spinning in the muck and I'm not getting anywhere. Think I'll quit early and get some rest.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Sunder: Day 25
Accomplished a lot tonight. Jotted down a few pages worth of new notes to fill in some of the gaps I mentioned last night--some were rather obvious and mundane, some others were a revelation. One of them was an idea that reaches to the very root of the cause of the Saturnalian war that rages in the background as Sunder unfolds. "Wheels within wheels" as Frank Herbert once wrote.
Things are continuing to go well.
Things are continuing to go well.
Sunder: Day 24
Tonight I finished the synopsis for Sunder, but after reading through it from start to finish there are gaps and mistakes that need fixing (as I suspected). When I started the synopsis I knew I would have to approach it in stages like most planning projects. On this pass I wanted to get the basics out of my head and down on paper. Second pass starts tomorrow when I will read through what I wrote to identify where things need to be added and ideas need to be tightened or reworked (or abandonned if they just don't work at all). Depending on how the second-reading process goes, I may put the synopsis through a third reading. Kind of like a bill in Parliament.
Someone that I care about very much and almost lost sent me an email tonight. Does she know how much I miss her? Inspite of everything that happened, even now, I still miss her.
Someone that I care about very much and almost lost sent me an email tonight. Does she know how much I miss her? Inspite of everything that happened, even now, I still miss her.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Sunder: Day 23
Put an hour in at the gym tonight and discovered just how miserably out of shape I am. Sweated like a can of Coke at a summer BBQ after about twenty minutes on the treadmill. Need to work on that.
Also put a few hours in on Sunder tonight. I worked on the synopsis, but as I was piecing together one of the final segments, I got an idea for some background that can link Celia Morente's phobia back to Charlotte. It's only quarter to ten, but I'm tired now so I'm heading off to bed. More work tomorrow night.
Also put a few hours in on Sunder tonight. I worked on the synopsis, but as I was piecing together one of the final segments, I got an idea for some background that can link Celia Morente's phobia back to Charlotte. It's only quarter to ten, but I'm tired now so I'm heading off to bed. More work tomorrow night.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Sunder: Day 22
Worked on the details of the novel's setting--The Leviathan Station. Worked out its general size and drew a basic diagram of its interior layout, especially the train lines that are going to be part of Colbrit Niemeier's new "beat". I may redraw some of the ward boundaries because looking at them now, there seem to be too many of them. That is, the interior living spaces seem to be parcelled out too small. Will look at that tonight. It bears out what The Prophet has said, "You need to write down what you're going to abandon. You need to see how it works in the whole before you throw it away."
It sounds obvious when I say it out loud, but having something like a diagram to refer to for the physical setting seems to fuel my ideas, especially for things like context and backstory. I found myself imagining the history of specific sections, why they were given their names, the types of people that lived in those areas and the culture they are trying to create. It seems I'm weaving some clothes for my naked emperor.
It sounds obvious when I say it out loud, but having something like a diagram to refer to for the physical setting seems to fuel my ideas, especially for things like context and backstory. I found myself imagining the history of specific sections, why they were given their names, the types of people that lived in those areas and the culture they are trying to create. It seems I'm weaving some clothes for my naked emperor.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Sunder: Day 21
Found an error in last night's notes so I spent some time correct that tonight. Spent about two hours writing up some new material.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Sunder: Day 20
Closing in hard and fast on the ending of the synopsis for Sunder. I can see a glimmer of light at the end of this particular tunnel. There are longer and longer tunnels ahead, but when this is over I'll know how long they are. I've never written a synopsis for a major piece of writing and so, by extension, I've never been this close to an ending before. I'm really excited.
Made a big push tonight and some amazing ideas that I did not expect came to the surface. I am thorougly exhausted from the late nights that this project is demanding of me. My eyes are scratchy and I have a mild headache from concentrating so hard. I feel fuzzy and slightly out of phase, like a signal on the radio that you can't quite tune in. It's going to be a long day tomorrow and an even longer day on Friday. I can see that I am going to have to pay much closer attention to rest and nutrition if I expect to keep up this pace (37.5 hr/week at my job and 15-20 hr/week at writing). It might even do me some good to get back to exercising a bit.
As tired as I am, I have not felt this kind of vigour in years. I was living with my parents and writing at night at the library the last time I was this energized about a project. I didn't have a synopsis or any kind of writing plan to work to back then. Even though I produced a lot, I always had the vague sense that the story was lost. I did indeed get lost in that one, especially in the Time of Sorrow two and a half years ago. It took me a long time to get clean again after that--still working on it, in fact, but this work and the energy I'm pouring into it have given me direction again.
I am a Jeep that got stuck in a bog and I am winching my way out, slowly and carefully. Days like these, the Jeep and I whisper the same prayer: "Please, God...let that tree be rooted deep."
Made a big push tonight and some amazing ideas that I did not expect came to the surface. I am thorougly exhausted from the late nights that this project is demanding of me. My eyes are scratchy and I have a mild headache from concentrating so hard. I feel fuzzy and slightly out of phase, like a signal on the radio that you can't quite tune in. It's going to be a long day tomorrow and an even longer day on Friday. I can see that I am going to have to pay much closer attention to rest and nutrition if I expect to keep up this pace (37.5 hr/week at my job and 15-20 hr/week at writing). It might even do me some good to get back to exercising a bit.
As tired as I am, I have not felt this kind of vigour in years. I was living with my parents and writing at night at the library the last time I was this energized about a project. I didn't have a synopsis or any kind of writing plan to work to back then. Even though I produced a lot, I always had the vague sense that the story was lost. I did indeed get lost in that one, especially in the Time of Sorrow two and a half years ago. It took me a long time to get clean again after that--still working on it, in fact, but this work and the energy I'm pouring into it have given me direction again.
I am a Jeep that got stuck in a bog and I am winching my way out, slowly and carefully. Days like these, the Jeep and I whisper the same prayer: "Please, God...let that tree be rooted deep."
Sunder: Day 19
Feeling very accomplished. Closing in on the last few sections of the overall framework for "Sunder". This was a very productive night.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Blue October
I will drive so fucking far away
that I never cross your mind.
Do whatever it takes in your heart
to leave me behind.
-- Blue October, "Hurt Me" (from the album "Foiled")
that I never cross your mind.
Do whatever it takes in your heart
to leave me behind.
-- Blue October, "Hurt Me" (from the album "Foiled")
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Sunder: Day 18
Nothing new today. Pushed too hard and was up way too late last night so I let the jets cool a bit for today. The most I did was transfer the notes I made a Word document for later refinement. I'll let the synopsis sit until Monday night when I'll start it up again. What I managed to get done so far makes good sense though.
Friday, May 28, 2010
Sunder: Day 17
Much work done on the overall framework for "Sunder". I spent the night jotting down notes about alternating storylines for Charlotte Hudson and Colbrit Niemeier. Until now I had been winging it improv-style with a general idea about where I wanted the story to go, but the major events broke loose tonight and have unfolded for me. This is very exciting in ways that only a writer can understand.
I have never been one to make plans for the stories I write and that's probably why most of them lose their way and fail. It's not that I disagree on principal with planning them because I can see the worth of doing that kind of work, it's just that I've always gotten impatient and just started writing the story. I don't know what happened tonight to make this sudden leap forward, but I appreciate it (if you're listening, Writing Gods).
Essentially what I'm writing is a synopsis. Each paragraph describes a major chunk or movement of the story and the movements alternate between Charlotte and Colbrit. I'm going to try to finish the synopsis tomorrow then I'll let it sit for a couple days and work on a few other things (more notes about the settings, the characters, etc.) then return to it and try to refine it a bit.
After that I will try to plan out each movement into at least 2-3 chapters with the aim of fleshing out the sections into more detail. I will try to write at least one healthy paragraph describing the action in each chapter. The goal of this is to zoom in on parts of the story at closer and closer magnification. That part of the work might take longer to do but I think it will be worth it as a planning exercise.
I have never been one to make plans for the stories I write and that's probably why most of them lose their way and fail. It's not that I disagree on principal with planning them because I can see the worth of doing that kind of work, it's just that I've always gotten impatient and just started writing the story. I don't know what happened tonight to make this sudden leap forward, but I appreciate it (if you're listening, Writing Gods).
Essentially what I'm writing is a synopsis. Each paragraph describes a major chunk or movement of the story and the movements alternate between Charlotte and Colbrit. I'm going to try to finish the synopsis tomorrow then I'll let it sit for a couple days and work on a few other things (more notes about the settings, the characters, etc.) then return to it and try to refine it a bit.
After that I will try to plan out each movement into at least 2-3 chapters with the aim of fleshing out the sections into more detail. I will try to write at least one healthy paragraph describing the action in each chapter. The goal of this is to zoom in on parts of the story at closer and closer magnification. That part of the work might take longer to do but I think it will be worth it as a planning exercise.
Sunder: Day 16
Got a bit of work done, but I'm calling it quits early tonight because I'm too tired to write. I can't seem to get down on the screen what's in my head. If I get some sleep and come back to it tomorrow night I might be able to make up what I am unable to do tonight. (Honestly, I'm so tired right now, even writing this is a challenge.)
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Sunder: Day 15
Much work done on Colbrit Niemeier's crisis of conscience that has ended in his fall from grace. I had been writing him for two weeks with little more than a vague notion of the personal torment that fuels him. Now I am able put my finger on the moment that things went south for him and trace that event backwards through time to his own actions years previous that set the whole terrible series of events in motion. No word count for tonight since I was working solely in my notebook, but everything that came to the surface will find its way into "Sunder".
This breakthrough with Colbrit came out of a small exercise I was doing trying to understand the larger setting of his world. It shows once again that the imagination works in wonderful ways. If you're stuck, let it develop ideas at its own pace (not the one you want to set for it) and you might be surprised at the results.
This breakthrough with Colbrit came out of a small exercise I was doing trying to understand the larger setting of his world. It shows once again that the imagination works in wonderful ways. If you're stuck, let it develop ideas at its own pace (not the one you want to set for it) and you might be surprised at the results.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Sunder: Day 14
Lacklustre session last night, but tonight was much better. Wrote a few new words, but spent most of my time rearranging things to help the flow and the tone.
Most important: added two very good hooks to Colbrit for his story's future development. Feels good to have accomplished something.
Most important: added two very good hooks to Colbrit for his story's future development. Feels good to have accomplished something.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Knowing If You're a Writer
"If somebody is truly a writer, he will find it out and he will understand that if there is any romance attached to the vocation, it is balanced by a number of unromantic circumstances, for the biographies of writers make it clear what a tough and enduring breed they are. There have been writers who have burst upon the world, to its astonishment and delight, but most writers have to establish a reputation over a period of time. That is where the toughness comes in; early discouragement is the rule, and much work is done before important lessons are learned."
-- Robertson Davies, Reading & Writing, pg. 36 (University of Utah Press)
Please, God...help me be tough.
-- Robertson Davies, Reading & Writing, pg. 36 (University of Utah Press)
Please, God...help me be tough.
Human Limits
"There are moments when we all, in one way or another, have to go to a place that we have never seen, and do what we have never done before."
-- Karen Armstrong, A Short History of Myth, pg. 3 (Knopf Canada)
"You cannot be a hero unless you are prepared to give up everything; there is no ascent to the heights without a prior descent into darkness, no new life without some form of death."
-- Karen Armstrong, A Shrot History of Myth, pg. 37 (Knopf Canada)
-- Karen Armstrong, A Short History of Myth, pg. 3 (Knopf Canada)
"You cannot be a hero unless you are prepared to give up everything; there is no ascent to the heights without a prior descent into darkness, no new life without some form of death."
-- Karen Armstrong, A Shrot History of Myth, pg. 37 (Knopf Canada)
Monday, May 24, 2010
Sunder: Day 13
Didn't get much writing done, I'm afraid. Spent most of the day cleaning the apartment in increasingly hot and humid conditions. By noon the apartment was a sweltering 28.9 C (84 F) at nearly 51% humidity. Might not sound like a lot to people south of the border, but coming out of a long, frigid Canadian winter, believe me...I felt like Frosty on a hot Spring day.
I broke down and arranged to go back to Cornwall tomorrow morning to pick up my air conditioner from storage at my parents' house. When I told Dad I wanted the A/C, he laughed and said, "Ha ha! You are the weakest link." (He thinks his jokes have gotten funnier since he retired.)
It's almost nine and I am beat. My brain is a sponge. I showed up to work tonight, but I didn't get much done at all. May be tomorrow.
I broke down and arranged to go back to Cornwall tomorrow morning to pick up my air conditioner from storage at my parents' house. When I told Dad I wanted the A/C, he laughed and said, "Ha ha! You are the weakest link." (He thinks his jokes have gotten funnier since he retired.)
It's almost nine and I am beat. My brain is a sponge. I showed up to work tonight, but I didn't get much done at all. May be tomorrow.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Writer's Rule #1: "New Material Only"
I've been writing as a hobby pretty much all my life, ever since that day in Grade 6 when something I wrote captured the imagination of my classmates. The biggest difficulty I currently face is maintaining forward momentum on a project. I would get excited about an idea, start writing, but lose steam somewhere about a third of the way through the project. I didn't realize until recently that part of the problem had to do with my work habits. I would write a chapter then revise it. Sometimes I would start revising before the chapter was finished. Sometimes I would start revising the minute I sat down at the keyboard. Revision is important, but it's clear to me now that I was spending far to much time worrying about getting the tiny details perfect when I should have concerned myself with completing the larger framework of the project.
I'm taking a different approach with Sunder. From my extensive experience of starting novels and failing to complete them, I have decided that my own personal work habit should begin with this first rule: "New material only." The premise is very simple: almost all the effort invested in a writing session should be spent on generating new material. I've stuck to this rule over the last two weeks with favourable results. Not only is the word count stacking up, but ideas seem to be coming more regularly to the forefront. Instead of finishing a writing session and wondering what I'm going to work on next, more and more often I complete session with one or two new ideas for the next one.
Every writer will tell you that it is impossible not to revise a little as you write, so here's the "exception to the rule" section. Sometimes a great idea will come that has to be sandwiched into work you've already done. Ideas that come up mid-stream often require rework to make everything fit properly. I don't consider that to be a true revision (hence a waste of writing time) since I am making an allowance for more new material. I'm all right with taking some time to complete that revision work, but I try to get through it as quickly as possible in order to get back to the leading edge of the story and renew the forward momentum.
As one of my best friends once said, " 'Done' is the engine of 'More'." The focus on "new material only" seems to bear that out and if I can maintain this pace, I should have a good sized stack of pages on my desk in six to eight months with a nearly complete novel. After that will come "stage two" which will focus on taking a closer look at the raw draft and reworking the large and small details.
I'm taking a different approach with Sunder. From my extensive experience of starting novels and failing to complete them, I have decided that my own personal work habit should begin with this first rule: "New material only." The premise is very simple: almost all the effort invested in a writing session should be spent on generating new material. I've stuck to this rule over the last two weeks with favourable results. Not only is the word count stacking up, but ideas seem to be coming more regularly to the forefront. Instead of finishing a writing session and wondering what I'm going to work on next, more and more often I complete session with one or two new ideas for the next one.
Every writer will tell you that it is impossible not to revise a little as you write, so here's the "exception to the rule" section. Sometimes a great idea will come that has to be sandwiched into work you've already done. Ideas that come up mid-stream often require rework to make everything fit properly. I don't consider that to be a true revision (hence a waste of writing time) since I am making an allowance for more new material. I'm all right with taking some time to complete that revision work, but I try to get through it as quickly as possible in order to get back to the leading edge of the story and renew the forward momentum.
As one of my best friends once said, " 'Done' is the engine of 'More'." The focus on "new material only" seems to bear that out and if I can maintain this pace, I should have a good sized stack of pages on my desk in six to eight months with a nearly complete novel. After that will come "stage two" which will focus on taking a closer look at the raw draft and reworking the large and small details.
Sunder: Day 12
I prefer not to write on the weekends, but since I played hooky on Friday I needed to make up the time. Wrote for a couple hours in the morning, but it was a stop-start effort, sputtering along like a car with water in its gas. After lunch I watched the season finale of Fringe and then had a nap (read: I slept like a fallen log.) and got back to writing after supper with much better results--1747 words.
Work injected itself into my long weekend. About half an hour after I finished writing, R.V. sent me a message. "Are you there?" Should have ignored him and gone to bed. Better yet, should have set my Messenger status to Away or Appear offline (even better). We spent two hours testing and retesting the deposit requirement calculation on customer Move-In service orders. We were both remotely logged into the Ottawa office, he from his home in Gatineau and me from my parents' home in Cornwall, both of us sending status updates and testing results through MSN messenger. Telecommuting at its finest. We made some progress so it was a worthwhile exercise, but I'm going to ignore work messages for the rest of the long weekend.
Work injected itself into my long weekend. About half an hour after I finished writing, R.V. sent me a message. "Are you there?" Should have ignored him and gone to bed. Better yet, should have set my Messenger status to Away or Appear offline (even better). We spent two hours testing and retesting the deposit requirement calculation on customer Move-In service orders. We were both remotely logged into the Ottawa office, he from his home in Gatineau and me from my parents' home in Cornwall, both of us sending status updates and testing results through MSN messenger. Telecommuting at its finest. We made some progress so it was a worthwhile exercise, but I'm going to ignore work messages for the rest of the long weekend.
Friday, May 21, 2010
Sunder: Day 11
Word count: 0
No new material tonight. The long drive back home spend time with my parents over Victoria Day weekend has taken the starch out of me. I showed up at the keyboard to work tonight , but I am just too tired. It would seem that working a full time job then writing 3-4 hours per night, five nights a week has the side effect of pushing you to explore new depths of exhaustion.
Will strike the iron again tomorrow.
No new material tonight. The long drive back home spend time with my parents over Victoria Day weekend has taken the starch out of me. I showed up at the keyboard to work tonight , but I am just too tired. It would seem that working a full time job then writing 3-4 hours per night, five nights a week has the side effect of pushing you to explore new depths of exhaustion.
Will strike the iron again tomorrow.
Sunder: Day 10
"That wasn't violence, Crane, you piss." Colbrit shook dust off his hand. Blood trickled down warm and sticky between his fingers from torn skin across his knuckles. He balled his fist again. "That was preamble."
-- Colbrit Niemeier, "Sunder"
Left tonight's session with a deep feeling of accomplishment and an excellent sense for where to begin Chapter 2--or restart it, depending how you look at it. This is not to say last night's work was a waste of time (I can still use the vast majority of it), just that what I did tonight has given me better material. I continue to feel excited about what I'm doing. It's like drawing in a chain: one link leads to the next, leads to the next and so on. Consistency seems to be making it easier and easier to get into the zone and really produce worthwhile writing.
One more night and I can take a few nights off.
-- Colbrit Niemeier, "Sunder"
Left tonight's session with a deep feeling of accomplishment and an excellent sense for where to begin Chapter 2--or restart it, depending how you look at it. This is not to say last night's work was a waste of time (I can still use the vast majority of it), just that what I did tonight has given me better material. I continue to feel excited about what I'm doing. It's like drawing in a chain: one link leads to the next, leads to the next and so on. Consistency seems to be making it easier and easier to get into the zone and really produce worthwhile writing.
One more night and I can take a few nights off.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Sunder: Day 9
"We were dealing with 'ordinary' before you showed up. Things are 'tense' now. By an order of magnitude."
-- Det. Sgt. Ross Malmburgh from "Sunder"
Another good night. I managed to get down 1230 words. It was a struggle to get that many and I didn't finish the segment cleanly, but it was a happy struggle since the new material is quite rich. I'm content to wrestle with the work as long I'm not wrestling to actually produce something which doesn't seem to be a problem right now. The scene I'm working on Colbrit and Malmburgh, Huto and Shaoule is fully formed and I've watched it unfold in my head a dozen times over the course of the night; it's just a matter of finding the right words to capture it.
-- Det. Sgt. Ross Malmburgh from "Sunder"
Another good night. I managed to get down 1230 words. It was a struggle to get that many and I didn't finish the segment cleanly, but it was a happy struggle since the new material is quite rich. I'm content to wrestle with the work as long I'm not wrestling to actually produce something which doesn't seem to be a problem right now. The scene I'm working on Colbrit and Malmburgh, Huto and Shaoule is fully formed and I've watched it unfold in my head a dozen times over the course of the night; it's just a matter of finding the right words to capture it.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Sunder: Day 8
What happened to Day 7? My day job got in the way. I showed up last night, ready to work on "Sunder", but one of the developers was still here after hours and I only managed to get about 517 words written before he came to talk to me about a crisis that was brewing with our customers. Dealing with that and talking with him about it took up a good two hours of my time.
Made up for last night's low productivity, though. Wrote 1700+ words tonight. Rich ideas continue to rise to the surface. (Must have been the beef and stilton pot pie at lunch with my parents.) This is the most productive I've been since "the time of sorrow" over two (nearly three) whole years ago. Consistency and blind determination seems to be paying off.
Made up for last night's low productivity, though. Wrote 1700+ words tonight. Rich ideas continue to rise to the surface. (Must have been the beef and stilton pot pie at lunch with my parents.) This is the most productive I've been since "the time of sorrow" over two (nearly three) whole years ago. Consistency and blind determination seems to be paying off.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Sunder: Day 6
Another productive few hours. To look at the word count (850+) you wouldn't think so but those were hard-fought words.
This new arrangement--using the Sales office after hours--is working out. After eight it is so quiet here. Generally the cleaning staff have finished their work and the late shift Support staff have gone home and it's just me. It puts me in mind of how I used to write at the public library five, six years ago. That was a very productive time for me, but the office is even quieter. I can really focus here.
Well, it's been a long week and now it's time for bed.
This new arrangement--using the Sales office after hours--is working out. After eight it is so quiet here. Generally the cleaning staff have finished their work and the late shift Support staff have gone home and it's just me. It puts me in mind of how I used to write at the public library five, six years ago. That was a very productive time for me, but the office is even quieter. I can really focus here.
Well, it's been a long week and now it's time for bed.
Friday, May 14, 2010
Sunder: Day 5
AMAZING night of work. 2300+ words. I'm really pleased with the scene I just wrote for Detective Sergeant Colbrit Niemeier. Got to hear a little bit about the fallen detective's former glory from his partner's mouth.
Getting a haircut tomorrow after work and that will put my schedule off by an hour and a half (rush hour traffic to and from the barber shop), then dinner then driving back here to the office. I may be behind schedule by a couple hours, but I will show up and put in as much time as possible.
Getting a haircut tomorrow after work and that will put my schedule off by an hour and a half (rush hour traffic to and from the barber shop), then dinner then driving back here to the office. I may be behind schedule by a couple hours, but I will show up and put in as much time as possible.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Sunder: Day 4
Another long night. Exhausted, but happy with the revisions and new material. Chapter 1 is up to 12 pages. I'll be cutting out some stuff to speed up the action a bit, but I have a good idea for the next major scene.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Sunder: Day 3
Worked on "Sunder" again, but started late so fatigue got the better of me early. Didn't get to produce very much.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Sunder: Day 2
Wrote well. 1200+ words tonight. Slightly less than last night, but the material is good. Time to call it a night.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Sunder: Day 1
Wrote well tonight. Struggled at first but managed to blacken a few pages to tune of 1670 words.
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