At the beginning of the year, I claimed it wasn't the right time to start a book. Now here I am, five months later, starting off my second book this year and I must say I'm pleased as punch. And now its time to reflect a little on how well it has been going.
So, I've just finished the fifth chapter of working title Gravekeeper. If you want to get technical, I've written six chapters so far including the prologue. Each chapter averages somewhere between 2500 and 3000 words each, and if I were to write another chapter, I would have outdone my first book entirely by word count alone, and I am no where close to finishing the second book. I think the reason for this is because I'm more in my element with Gravekeeper than I was with Grandma Hannah. Where Grandma Hannah is a good story, it wasn't my style in any sense. It was first person, present tense, coming of age story. Where as Gravekeeper is a third person, past tense (with the exception of the prologue, which is present tense for effect), sci-fi master/apprentice story. I wouldn't say I'm enjoying writing Gravekeeper more than Grandma Hannah. Its just... hmm, maybe that is what I'm saying.
Overall, the story is going remarkably well. There are a few hiccup with tone, but I'm trying my best to just get the story complete. Editing something longer than anything I've ever written before if going to be an experience, but something I look forward to. Also, I must be extra careful. Yesterday I almost forgot to introduce (or reintroduce) an important character who will be needed to the third act of the story. That is what rewrites are for, but it is best to have these important aspects in the first draft.
Also, now that I have a blackberry, I have a little bit more freedom with where and when I can write. The keyboard is a little small for me to type on as quickly as a regular keyboard, but at least I can email myself small important notes as I think them up. Also, I can save my files on my blackberry and jack into computers to work from there. Just need to remember to back them up onto my harddrive sometimes.
Anyway, I think that's enough for now. I'm looking for things to post to my blog in order to keep interest. My interest more than others. I'm sure I'll find something, maybe some old work or random poetry I come upon or write. We shall soon see.
Peace and blessings
Eric Rawlinson
110524
Showing posts with label Thoughts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Thoughts. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Monday, May 23, 2011
Stories From My Past
Taking a break from writing the fifth chapter of my new book, I decided it would be best to clean up my computer's hard drive and back up my old documents. My process has been to just copy and past my entire documents to my external hard drive, but today I decided to do it differently. As my computer is starting to slowly die, even opening a word processing program becomes a strain on its memory. So I decided that I would transfer some of the old folders and simply delete them off of my computer entirely. That would make future backups much simpler.
So I began to do so, noting which of the file folders were larger with very limited success and discovering a large amount of music I can no longer listen to because the stupid licenses were expired three computers ago. And of course, being a writer, I discovered a large amounts of old projects. Some of these stories dated back to over decade ago and I amused myself by reading a few of them. And wouldn't you know it, I've gotten a lot better over the years.
Let me pick out a few for you as a couple of examples. The earliest story I chose was title "Don't Read (Until You Are Ready)". As far as I can tell, I'm not sure anyone would be ready for the atrocity in store for them, but I digress. The story, I think, is about a group of children who were genetically modified at birth so that they could form a resistance to... something. I'm guessing a force of pure evil, but I'm only guessing at the moment. Its a sci-fi action story, if you wish to be polite, and it is very unintentionally hilarious. Back then, I thought I was writing the greatest novel ever. You may give me credit, I was twelve years old.
The next story I scanned was a story called 'Raks and the Nightstalker'. For those of you who know, Raks is one of my characters whose name I use often. Early in his time, Raks was an immortal dark sorcerer who's powers made Superman look like a wimp. This story, as the first line of text describes, is "Raks' first adventure after he escaped from Hell'. In a revised edition I discovered, this line was changed to 'Raks' first story after he escaped from The Dark Land'. However, I failed to revise the name Satan, so there was very little point. The story describes the warlock as he is sucked into the first battle with his arch nemesis, the Nightstalker and meets his love interest, Miranda. It honestly isn't as exciting as it sounds. The story itself is dialogued based. Literally. Every single line and paragraph, with very rare exceptions, is talking. And I thought my first book was bad. The story was supposed to be an epic, spanning thousands of years of conflict, love, loss, betrayal and so on and so forth. Long story short, I wrote it in my head, learned from it, forgot most of it then moved on. Next story.
The next story skips about six years. I use openoffice, because Microsoft Word is a pain in the ass. Though I did use it to write two chapters of my next book and found it tolerable once I got the hang of it. Moving on. One of the stories I recognized the name, but openoffice insisted it was corrupted. So I opened it with MS Word. I couldn't even copy and paste it out, that's how hard ass MS Word without a key is, but I was at least able to read it. The story was called, the Legend. About... three years ago, I planned another space opera like story. It was going to center around Raks, a powerful mage whose magic was based on technology and his rise and fall from power. I started to write down concepts not only of the story but of the universe and from that came the Legend. The Legend takes place in a brothel on an entertainment planet and follows Loch, a boy hired as a gopher for the 'entertainers' who work there. I never got much into the story, back then I never ever finished a project, but what I wrote down still makes me think. The main bits I wrote down was a legend that explained human conflict and sexuality and my own feelings about love and romance. Or at least back then. Some of what I wrote I feel conflicted about now, but I understood where it was coming from. Again, like more of my concepts if you were to sit down and read them, it is mostly dialogue, question and answer sort of thing. But a more interesting read than Nightstalker.
Looking back on all that I've written, what I can remember and what I have reread, I feel more confident about my writers journey. And as I look forward to publishing my antthology and completing my second book, I wonder if I myself will look back in twelve years back at what I have written at this time. Perhaps I will even look back at this blog. I wonder what I will think then.
The work waits and I must continue to write my next masterpiece. Or maybe my unintentional hilarity in twelve years. I'll catch up with you all soon.
Peace and blessings
Eric Rawlinson
110523
So I began to do so, noting which of the file folders were larger with very limited success and discovering a large amount of music I can no longer listen to because the stupid licenses were expired three computers ago. And of course, being a writer, I discovered a large amounts of old projects. Some of these stories dated back to over decade ago and I amused myself by reading a few of them. And wouldn't you know it, I've gotten a lot better over the years.
Let me pick out a few for you as a couple of examples. The earliest story I chose was title "Don't Read (Until You Are Ready)". As far as I can tell, I'm not sure anyone would be ready for the atrocity in store for them, but I digress. The story, I think, is about a group of children who were genetically modified at birth so that they could form a resistance to... something. I'm guessing a force of pure evil, but I'm only guessing at the moment. Its a sci-fi action story, if you wish to be polite, and it is very unintentionally hilarious. Back then, I thought I was writing the greatest novel ever. You may give me credit, I was twelve years old.
The next story I scanned was a story called 'Raks and the Nightstalker'. For those of you who know, Raks is one of my characters whose name I use often. Early in his time, Raks was an immortal dark sorcerer who's powers made Superman look like a wimp. This story, as the first line of text describes, is "Raks' first adventure after he escaped from Hell'. In a revised edition I discovered, this line was changed to 'Raks' first story after he escaped from The Dark Land'. However, I failed to revise the name Satan, so there was very little point. The story describes the warlock as he is sucked into the first battle with his arch nemesis, the Nightstalker and meets his love interest, Miranda. It honestly isn't as exciting as it sounds. The story itself is dialogued based. Literally. Every single line and paragraph, with very rare exceptions, is talking. And I thought my first book was bad. The story was supposed to be an epic, spanning thousands of years of conflict, love, loss, betrayal and so on and so forth. Long story short, I wrote it in my head, learned from it, forgot most of it then moved on. Next story.
The next story skips about six years. I use openoffice, because Microsoft Word is a pain in the ass. Though I did use it to write two chapters of my next book and found it tolerable once I got the hang of it. Moving on. One of the stories I recognized the name, but openoffice insisted it was corrupted. So I opened it with MS Word. I couldn't even copy and paste it out, that's how hard ass MS Word without a key is, but I was at least able to read it. The story was called, the Legend. About... three years ago, I planned another space opera like story. It was going to center around Raks, a powerful mage whose magic was based on technology and his rise and fall from power. I started to write down concepts not only of the story but of the universe and from that came the Legend. The Legend takes place in a brothel on an entertainment planet and follows Loch, a boy hired as a gopher for the 'entertainers' who work there. I never got much into the story, back then I never ever finished a project, but what I wrote down still makes me think. The main bits I wrote down was a legend that explained human conflict and sexuality and my own feelings about love and romance. Or at least back then. Some of what I wrote I feel conflicted about now, but I understood where it was coming from. Again, like more of my concepts if you were to sit down and read them, it is mostly dialogue, question and answer sort of thing. But a more interesting read than Nightstalker.
Looking back on all that I've written, what I can remember and what I have reread, I feel more confident about my writers journey. And as I look forward to publishing my antthology and completing my second book, I wonder if I myself will look back in twelve years back at what I have written at this time. Perhaps I will even look back at this blog. I wonder what I will think then.
The work waits and I must continue to write my next masterpiece. Or maybe my unintentional hilarity in twelve years. I'll catch up with you all soon.
Peace and blessings
Eric Rawlinson
110523
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Outdated
Recently I've been reading the book Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein and I was enjoying it. However, I had to stop reading it, all because of an underlining theme that just got worse and worse as the book progressed. It wasn't the religious undertones, which was the reason I stopped reading it the second time I tried to read it. In fact, I quite enjoyed that section now that I am a little more secure about my beliefs.
No, the problem I had with the book was the amount of sexism in it. Every male in this book, apart from the protagonist Smith, is a sexist chauvinist and its driving me nuts. If this wasn't enough, all of the women practically fall under terrible female stereotypes. Flirty, have sex at the drop of the hat, there for men to be stared at. They're all intelligent yes, but each of them is in one form or another rather degraded. And it just completely turned me off. I found myself reading through it after two thirds of the way in, desperately looking for something to validate me continuing to read. But by the time I reached the blatant homophobia, I had to put it down.
Its too bad, I was really enjoying the story and how it progressed. But it just became too much. Much like many other books I've been reading. For a few months I was reading the 007 books and enjoying them for the trash that they were. My absolute favorite was Dr. No, with the maze and the squid and killing people with a sand blaster. Spoiler: Bond survives, kills the villain and sleeps with the girl.
But I had to stop reading the series after Goldfinger. The whole thing just became too much. If you've ever read anything by Ian Flemming, you can tell that the man is sexist, racist, homophobic and... well probably intolerant of quite a few things that people should be more tolerant of. But in Goldfinger, he does something that is completely unforgivable. Pussy Galore. Even the name is horrid. This characters sole existence in this book is a homophobic statement. She's the head of a group of lesbian cat burglars, hired by Goldfinger to pretend to be nurses during their scheme. James meets her, then he broods about homosexuals. Basically he sits, spews nonsense about them, then comes to the conclusion that homosexuals are sick.
So what does Pussy Galore actually do in the book. Get this: Not much. She pretends to be a nurse, which amounts to being pointless. She's on the plane when Goldfinger holds Bond hostage, but she does little to help him escape other than to wink. Then when he does escape, she sleep with him. "Because I never met a real man like you, James". I thought wanting to barf was only a saying.
So I gave up on James Bond as well. I'm not ashamed of reading them, nor do I regret it. I learned a lot from them. But I will never do it again. Stranger in a Strange Land I've given up for now, but maybe I will try again when I'm more tolerant of intorlerance.
Not sure where I'm going with this, as usual, but I think I will leave you with hope. I started reading a novel of one of my favorite characters, Nero Wolfe. It was a story involving racial rights, during the fifties. I was worried I would ditch one of my favorite characters in this one, especially Archie Goodwin. Goodwin is known to be a womanizer and a bit sexist, but the books are written in such a way that Goodwin often comes across as flawed rather than a super man. But I wondered how he would handle race. But then came the most brilliant line ever. Archie was thinking about racisim and he narrated: "If I need to feel superior to someone, and I often do, I need a better reason than the color of his skin"
Did you ever have to stop reading a good book because of one aspect? I stopped reading the Sookie Stackhouse books because of the Fellowship of the Sun. How about you?
Peace and blessings
Eric Rawlinson
110426
No, the problem I had with the book was the amount of sexism in it. Every male in this book, apart from the protagonist Smith, is a sexist chauvinist and its driving me nuts. If this wasn't enough, all of the women practically fall under terrible female stereotypes. Flirty, have sex at the drop of the hat, there for men to be stared at. They're all intelligent yes, but each of them is in one form or another rather degraded. And it just completely turned me off. I found myself reading through it after two thirds of the way in, desperately looking for something to validate me continuing to read. But by the time I reached the blatant homophobia, I had to put it down.
Its too bad, I was really enjoying the story and how it progressed. But it just became too much. Much like many other books I've been reading. For a few months I was reading the 007 books and enjoying them for the trash that they were. My absolute favorite was Dr. No, with the maze and the squid and killing people with a sand blaster. Spoiler: Bond survives, kills the villain and sleeps with the girl.
But I had to stop reading the series after Goldfinger. The whole thing just became too much. If you've ever read anything by Ian Flemming, you can tell that the man is sexist, racist, homophobic and... well probably intolerant of quite a few things that people should be more tolerant of. But in Goldfinger, he does something that is completely unforgivable. Pussy Galore. Even the name is horrid. This characters sole existence in this book is a homophobic statement. She's the head of a group of lesbian cat burglars, hired by Goldfinger to pretend to be nurses during their scheme. James meets her, then he broods about homosexuals. Basically he sits, spews nonsense about them, then comes to the conclusion that homosexuals are sick.
So what does Pussy Galore actually do in the book. Get this: Not much. She pretends to be a nurse, which amounts to being pointless. She's on the plane when Goldfinger holds Bond hostage, but she does little to help him escape other than to wink. Then when he does escape, she sleep with him. "Because I never met a real man like you, James". I thought wanting to barf was only a saying.
So I gave up on James Bond as well. I'm not ashamed of reading them, nor do I regret it. I learned a lot from them. But I will never do it again. Stranger in a Strange Land I've given up for now, but maybe I will try again when I'm more tolerant of intorlerance.
Not sure where I'm going with this, as usual, but I think I will leave you with hope. I started reading a novel of one of my favorite characters, Nero Wolfe. It was a story involving racial rights, during the fifties. I was worried I would ditch one of my favorite characters in this one, especially Archie Goodwin. Goodwin is known to be a womanizer and a bit sexist, but the books are written in such a way that Goodwin often comes across as flawed rather than a super man. But I wondered how he would handle race. But then came the most brilliant line ever. Archie was thinking about racisim and he narrated: "If I need to feel superior to someone, and I often do, I need a better reason than the color of his skin"
Did you ever have to stop reading a good book because of one aspect? I stopped reading the Sookie Stackhouse books because of the Fellowship of the Sun. How about you?
Peace and blessings
Eric Rawlinson
110426
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Storytelling
So I had an interesting couple of days. I was feeling a bit overwhelmed with the amount of activity the past week and a bit and I felt mentally and physically exhausted. But I was bored. So instead of spending the evening watching Batman, I decided to get off my butt and actually do something for the evening and went out to one of the events on Facebook. My friend was surprised I showed up, seeing as I told him the day before I wouldn't be, but was pleased none the less. It was a small group, around ten young adults and a senior. We played a couple of board games, but mostly we just talked.
One of the things we talked about was story telling and me being a writer talked about some of the stories I know. As it happened, the service the next day was on the subject of story telling and its importance in theology in Unitarianism. And the speaker was actually at the table with us. And when I said I knew a couple of stories, she invited me to tell a story. At first I was hesitant. I love telling stories, especially in front of a large group. But it had been so long and the group would be entirely new to me. So I said I would think about it. I more like obsessed over it the rest of the evening and the next morning. And so, having woken up with ample time to eat, bathe and obsess some more, I decided to go. And, sure enough, she invited me again. And after a moment's hesitation, I accepted.
I was nervous as hell, but I discovered that the hardest part of story telling is starting. Once you start, you can keep on going on and on and on. Coming up with what I wanted to say was easy. I introduced myself as a writer and a story teller and I said a few words about how storytelling was important to me. How it could be used as a learning tool as well as a way to explain this world. But I skipped the most important reason why I love storytelling. I love story telling because I love to tell stories. I'm pretty good at it, if I'm in the right mood. And so I began my story. I got a few laughs as I told the Just So story of how Camel got his hump. And I got applause from the audience. George Burns is right. There is no greater feeling in the world than the sounds of laughter and applause.
I spoke with many lovely people after the service, who all told me I performed so well, and asked me if I was a member of a storytelling or story writing guild. Now there's a good ideas. I've been doing about twenty minutes of research and come across nothing. I missed the story telling festival in Toronto completely. So it goes. But I will keep looking, it sounds like an organization I would like to join.
In the mean time, I feel more and more that I have found my place in writing and story telling and I will continue to pursue this life.
Peace and blessings
Eric Rawlinson
20110417
One of the things we talked about was story telling and me being a writer talked about some of the stories I know. As it happened, the service the next day was on the subject of story telling and its importance in theology in Unitarianism. And the speaker was actually at the table with us. And when I said I knew a couple of stories, she invited me to tell a story. At first I was hesitant. I love telling stories, especially in front of a large group. But it had been so long and the group would be entirely new to me. So I said I would think about it. I more like obsessed over it the rest of the evening and the next morning. And so, having woken up with ample time to eat, bathe and obsess some more, I decided to go. And, sure enough, she invited me again. And after a moment's hesitation, I accepted.
I was nervous as hell, but I discovered that the hardest part of story telling is starting. Once you start, you can keep on going on and on and on. Coming up with what I wanted to say was easy. I introduced myself as a writer and a story teller and I said a few words about how storytelling was important to me. How it could be used as a learning tool as well as a way to explain this world. But I skipped the most important reason why I love storytelling. I love story telling because I love to tell stories. I'm pretty good at it, if I'm in the right mood. And so I began my story. I got a few laughs as I told the Just So story of how Camel got his hump. And I got applause from the audience. George Burns is right. There is no greater feeling in the world than the sounds of laughter and applause.
I spoke with many lovely people after the service, who all told me I performed so well, and asked me if I was a member of a storytelling or story writing guild. Now there's a good ideas. I've been doing about twenty minutes of research and come across nothing. I missed the story telling festival in Toronto completely. So it goes. But I will keep looking, it sounds like an organization I would like to join.
In the mean time, I feel more and more that I have found my place in writing and story telling and I will continue to pursue this life.
Peace and blessings
Eric Rawlinson
20110417
Thursday, April 14, 2011
What I've been reading
One of the things that I've always got conflicting advice about as a writer is how much I should be reading. Some books I've been reading says I should be reading all of the time. Another book says I shouldn't be reading while I'm writing. This bit of advice never made sense, because I'm ALWAYS writing, so I should never read? Another book flat out accused me that because I was reading a book on how to write, I wasn't reading anything at all. Which is very rude and unfortunately very true.
I understand the advice about not reading and writing at the same time. There is the danger of writing in the same style as the book you're reading, but honestly, I've never had that problem with reading and writing. For me, the danger has been playing video games and writing, since the video game pulls me into its addictive qualities and distracts my mind from my work until it doesn't function properly.
But this is beyond the point. I believe we should read. It's better for our minds and we can see what other writers are up to. That being said, I've been reading some pretty tame books recently. I've become a huge fan of Rex Stout and the Nero Wolfe books and over the past few months I have pretty much read about six or seven Nero Wolfe books. They're pretty fun, but they're not what you would consider great works of literature. But I've never been too much of a fan of what people call 'great literature'. As I mature and become older and wiser, I've noticed I'm enjoying more than I thought I would.
Recently, I've been completely engrossed by Hienlein's Stranger in a Strange Land, a book that reading has been hazardous to my health on more than one occasion. It sure makes riding the subway a lot quicker though. I'm really getting into the book a lot. Its pretty good, the philosophy is pretty solid, but does every male character have to be a misogynist? I understand it can happen, but it's like all the sexual violence in Brent Weeks' Shadow's Edge. We get it, but does it have to be in every scene? Actually, there's a huge difference between Stranger in a Strange Land and Shadow's Edge. Stranger is better paced and the main characters are likable.
The 100 books from the BBC list is going around again and I've recently scored 18 (when I found our 'Northern Lights' was The Golden Compass. Seriously, The Golden Compass is my favorite book of all time, I've never heard it referred to as Northern Lights. Ever). I've been looking over the list and wondering if I will ever read all of them. I can say, without a hint out doubt, that I doubt it. Some of them are Jane Austin, who I've tried to read on some occasions when my sister started to read them. I could never get through them. But I have read about a fifth of them and I am so young still. But not before I've read every single Nero Wolfe story.
What have you been reading? Next on my list appears to be Nineteen Eighty Four.
Peace and blessings
Eric Rawlinson
20110414
I understand the advice about not reading and writing at the same time. There is the danger of writing in the same style as the book you're reading, but honestly, I've never had that problem with reading and writing. For me, the danger has been playing video games and writing, since the video game pulls me into its addictive qualities and distracts my mind from my work until it doesn't function properly.
But this is beyond the point. I believe we should read. It's better for our minds and we can see what other writers are up to. That being said, I've been reading some pretty tame books recently. I've become a huge fan of Rex Stout and the Nero Wolfe books and over the past few months I have pretty much read about six or seven Nero Wolfe books. They're pretty fun, but they're not what you would consider great works of literature. But I've never been too much of a fan of what people call 'great literature'. As I mature and become older and wiser, I've noticed I'm enjoying more than I thought I would.
Recently, I've been completely engrossed by Hienlein's Stranger in a Strange Land, a book that reading has been hazardous to my health on more than one occasion. It sure makes riding the subway a lot quicker though. I'm really getting into the book a lot. Its pretty good, the philosophy is pretty solid, but does every male character have to be a misogynist? I understand it can happen, but it's like all the sexual violence in Brent Weeks' Shadow's Edge. We get it, but does it have to be in every scene? Actually, there's a huge difference between Stranger in a Strange Land and Shadow's Edge. Stranger is better paced and the main characters are likable.
The 100 books from the BBC list is going around again and I've recently scored 18 (when I found our 'Northern Lights' was The Golden Compass. Seriously, The Golden Compass is my favorite book of all time, I've never heard it referred to as Northern Lights. Ever). I've been looking over the list and wondering if I will ever read all of them. I can say, without a hint out doubt, that I doubt it. Some of them are Jane Austin, who I've tried to read on some occasions when my sister started to read them. I could never get through them. But I have read about a fifth of them and I am so young still. But not before I've read every single Nero Wolfe story.
What have you been reading? Next on my list appears to be Nineteen Eighty Four.
Peace and blessings
Eric Rawlinson
20110414
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Dinner Parties
"If you held a dinner party, and could invite anyone, fact or fiction, who ever existed, who would you invite?"
This question was put to me a while ago and I started to compile names. But then I came to an interesting conclusion. If it were possible to invite anyone to my party, then I should be able to be invited to theres. That would be far more interesting for me. If I had a party with Nero Wolfe, Darth Vader and the Duke of Wellington, that wouldn't be very fun for them. But if I were to be invited to go to Freedom Hall to meet Harshaw and a streak? Now that would be awesome! In fact, I'd make a day of it!
I think I'd start with breakfast at Gormenghast, where the food is exquisite and the company is eccentric. Then lunch with Darth Vader in Empire Strikes Back. I always wanted to know what was discussed and what was served. And of course, tea at the Mad Tea Party, I couldn't pass that up. And Dinner at Wolfe's, with the company of a genius to pass the time. And round it all off with a drink at Valhalla and sing a warriors song.
So my question to you is, if you could have a meal anywhere, fact or fiction, whenever wherever, where would it be?
Peace and blessings
Eric Rawlinson
20110409
This question was put to me a while ago and I started to compile names. But then I came to an interesting conclusion. If it were possible to invite anyone to my party, then I should be able to be invited to theres. That would be far more interesting for me. If I had a party with Nero Wolfe, Darth Vader and the Duke of Wellington, that wouldn't be very fun for them. But if I were to be invited to go to Freedom Hall to meet Harshaw and a streak? Now that would be awesome! In fact, I'd make a day of it!
I think I'd start with breakfast at Gormenghast, where the food is exquisite and the company is eccentric. Then lunch with Darth Vader in Empire Strikes Back. I always wanted to know what was discussed and what was served. And of course, tea at the Mad Tea Party, I couldn't pass that up. And Dinner at Wolfe's, with the company of a genius to pass the time. And round it all off with a drink at Valhalla and sing a warriors song.
So my question to you is, if you could have a meal anywhere, fact or fiction, whenever wherever, where would it be?
Peace and blessings
Eric Rawlinson
20110409
Friday, March 25, 2011
Writing Fan Fiction
For the last week and a bit, I've been writing fan fiction. It makes me realize how much I've missed writing it. I love to write fan fiction. I've been writing fan fiction long before I even knew there was such a thing. It's really how I got started writing. I would take other peoples characters and put them into other peoples situations to make something unique. Okay, blatantly plagiaristic. Hey, I was between the ages of five and twelve. I didn't know anything about copyright infringement. At least until I got zero on my report in grade 3 for copying out the book. Its how my imagination began to blossom. For years, my main focus had been on Commander Keen and inventing new adventures, characters, enemies for him. He had a bat cave and a mermaid girlfriend and everything. Looking back on it now, it was kind of silly while being really really cool.
I guess I'd still be writing the same way if it hadn't been for my Uncle Ed. He asked me why don't I create something for myself. And like that, my life was changed forever. He and I created something unique. Or at least less blatantly plagiaristic. We created a metal being, whose planet was destroyed by human miners, who kills the humans on his world and heads for earth for revenge, only to be sent back in time to Earth before the miners left and he has to stop them for even going. As I came up with ideas, my uncle would write down one word themes. Little did I know, this would be my first introduction to plot elements and construction.
Since that day, I still stole other peoples situations and gadgets and ships and planet names, but I started to develop my own characters and way of writing. And as I went along, I got better and better and soon my work could stand alone as its own two feet as an original work. But I still love to do fan fiction.
To me, fan fiction is an art form of its own. Its a challenge to see how well you know the characters. Not necessarily their past story and every little detail about them. But the general idea of them. What are they like? How would they react? What would they do? And that's what I play around with in my fan fiction. And most of all, try to have fun with it. If you're not having fun with it, why even bother?
The first story I ever published on the internet was a fan fiction. An adult fan fiction to be precise. That is a fan fiction that involves adult situations. It was a short little tale based off of the video game Neverwinter Nights. A short tale that became an epic novel filled with fantasy and sex. And one that broke off from its video game fan fiction roots and took on a lot of its own creation. Which makes it harder to write. While I wanted to write this novel with all its wonderful characters, I had to remember half of them were not mine. And I couldn't change the characters that weren't mine to be mine because it wouldn't be fair to the work. Its a fan fiction and a sequel to the game. Plus, I never ever got feed back. A hundred hits a week, but no feed back. It just do well for my self esteem. So I stopped posting them. But I still write them once and a while.
So for now, I'll write them privately and work on my book. But fan fiction will always hold a place in my heart.
Peace and blessings
Eric Rawlinson
20110325
I guess I'd still be writing the same way if it hadn't been for my Uncle Ed. He asked me why don't I create something for myself. And like that, my life was changed forever. He and I created something unique. Or at least less blatantly plagiaristic. We created a metal being, whose planet was destroyed by human miners, who kills the humans on his world and heads for earth for revenge, only to be sent back in time to Earth before the miners left and he has to stop them for even going. As I came up with ideas, my uncle would write down one word themes. Little did I know, this would be my first introduction to plot elements and construction.
Since that day, I still stole other peoples situations and gadgets and ships and planet names, but I started to develop my own characters and way of writing. And as I went along, I got better and better and soon my work could stand alone as its own two feet as an original work. But I still love to do fan fiction.
To me, fan fiction is an art form of its own. Its a challenge to see how well you know the characters. Not necessarily their past story and every little detail about them. But the general idea of them. What are they like? How would they react? What would they do? And that's what I play around with in my fan fiction. And most of all, try to have fun with it. If you're not having fun with it, why even bother?
The first story I ever published on the internet was a fan fiction. An adult fan fiction to be precise. That is a fan fiction that involves adult situations. It was a short little tale based off of the video game Neverwinter Nights. A short tale that became an epic novel filled with fantasy and sex. And one that broke off from its video game fan fiction roots and took on a lot of its own creation. Which makes it harder to write. While I wanted to write this novel with all its wonderful characters, I had to remember half of them were not mine. And I couldn't change the characters that weren't mine to be mine because it wouldn't be fair to the work. Its a fan fiction and a sequel to the game. Plus, I never ever got feed back. A hundred hits a week, but no feed back. It just do well for my self esteem. So I stopped posting them. But I still write them once and a while.
So for now, I'll write them privately and work on my book. But fan fiction will always hold a place in my heart.
Peace and blessings
Eric Rawlinson
20110325
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
A week without a blog post
It's been a week since I've posted in this blog and a lot has happened. Not much of it has been writing related. Chapter 6 of Grandma Hannah continues to kick my ass, no matter what way I look at it. I'm considering just cutting it out altogether and extending certain scenes in chapter 7 to compensate for it. I'm not sure what I'm trying to do with it, but I know it has to be important. We shall see.
A Glimpse through the Curtains has been going well, except a few people never got back to me. That's disheartening to say the least, but the feedback that I have received has been very useful. I'm thinking about how to use it and I might take a page out of my sister's boyfriend's book and make these stories into panphlets. It's cheaper than making a book and maybe I can squeeze in a few more illustrations from my friends. That still leaves the question of where I should sell it and who my audience is. I'm thinking my audience might be artists. They've seemed to be enjoying them the most without a lot of raised eyebrows. That too, we shall see.
I've been experimenting with ways to get myself motivated into writing. I bought a printer and a three hole punch. Now I'm left with paper flying everywhere and random binders making their way back and forth between my bed and my desk, depending on which one I'm using at the time. I also need to clean my room, but that's another story.
Trying to beat a bout of depression that's been hitting me hard and repeatedly while writing can be difficult, but I can't cripple under my depression with so much work needing to be done. This week, I'm looking into some volunteer oppurtunities that might include cheaper and healthier food. Fingers crossed. Hopefully it will include some experience, I'd love to look for a job. Self publishing and trips to Ottawa don't pay for themselves.
Hopefully the blog will be a little steadier now. I'll try to force myself to do my best. I'll keep you guys posted.
Peace and blessings
Eric Rawlinson
20110308
A Glimpse through the Curtains has been going well, except a few people never got back to me. That's disheartening to say the least, but the feedback that I have received has been very useful. I'm thinking about how to use it and I might take a page out of my sister's boyfriend's book and make these stories into panphlets. It's cheaper than making a book and maybe I can squeeze in a few more illustrations from my friends. That still leaves the question of where I should sell it and who my audience is. I'm thinking my audience might be artists. They've seemed to be enjoying them the most without a lot of raised eyebrows. That too, we shall see.
I've been experimenting with ways to get myself motivated into writing. I bought a printer and a three hole punch. Now I'm left with paper flying everywhere and random binders making their way back and forth between my bed and my desk, depending on which one I'm using at the time. I also need to clean my room, but that's another story.
Trying to beat a bout of depression that's been hitting me hard and repeatedly while writing can be difficult, but I can't cripple under my depression with so much work needing to be done. This week, I'm looking into some volunteer oppurtunities that might include cheaper and healthier food. Fingers crossed. Hopefully it will include some experience, I'd love to look for a job. Self publishing and trips to Ottawa don't pay for themselves.
Hopefully the blog will be a little steadier now. I'll try to force myself to do my best. I'll keep you guys posted.
Peace and blessings
Eric Rawlinson
20110308
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Why I Don't Write When I'm Sick...
Okay, so I've said time and time again that I do not write while I'm sick. Well, I do, but I usually reject everything I write while I'm sick. When I'm sick I come up with ideas that I think, at the time, are these wonderful great ideas that need to be shared with everyone. Like this blog post explaining why I shouldn't write when I'm sick. See what I mean? Let me give you an example today.
Okay, while in a dehydrated, fever stupor I came up with this idea for a short story maybe novel. It's about a woman who meets a guy and they become intimate. However, during intimacy, she becomes psychically connected to this man so that during their intimacy, they become one conciousness. She knows everything about him and he knows everything about her. They become one. Afterwards, she lost and confused as to who she really is, him or her as she has both his memories and her memories. But it gets better/worse. It turns out that this power/occurance is actually a sexually transmitted disease and now she is a carrier. So every time she's intimate with someone, she gains their memories, hopes, fears, whatnot and vise versa and then they too get the same disease the same way.
Great idea, right?
That's a tame one. It was pretty intense when I thought about it, but I was having a fever dream at the time. It was just too surreal. I could feel myself in that scenario and it was driving me nuts. So I wrote down some of what I was feeling:
This is what our minds have been waiting for...
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why I don't write while I'm sick.
Peace and blessings
Eric Rawlinson
20110302
Okay, while in a dehydrated, fever stupor I came up with this idea for a short story maybe novel. It's about a woman who meets a guy and they become intimate. However, during intimacy, she becomes psychically connected to this man so that during their intimacy, they become one conciousness. She knows everything about him and he knows everything about her. They become one. Afterwards, she lost and confused as to who she really is, him or her as she has both his memories and her memories. But it gets better/worse. It turns out that this power/occurance is actually a sexually transmitted disease and now she is a carrier. So every time she's intimate with someone, she gains their memories, hopes, fears, whatnot and vise versa and then they too get the same disease the same way.
Great idea, right?
That's a tame one. It was pretty intense when I thought about it, but I was having a fever dream at the time. It was just too surreal. I could feel myself in that scenario and it was driving me nuts. So I wrote down some of what I was feeling:
This is what our minds have been waiting for...
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why I don't write while I'm sick.
Peace and blessings
Eric Rawlinson
20110302
Friday, February 25, 2011
The Next Couple of Months
So, looking back on my goals as a writer list, I was short sighted. The thing I said I wasn't going to be able to do this year has been done. So much for foresight. Now I have a book, or at least the first draft of the book, written. Now its time to plan out how I'm going to spend the rest of the year.
I have a couple of plans that I want to do, but some of them cost money. Quite a bit of money. I want to publish my anthology into a book and possibly sell it. And I also want to do a bit of traveling. So I think what I need to do is get a part time job. Social assitance allows me to survive with food and shelter, but doesn't give me much extra.
Whether I like it or not, I'm going to need a new computer soon. This one is dying on me as it is and makes lovely noises. I'm thinking about getting a netbook or something small that I can just put on my desk and use for writing and maybe a few videos once and awhile. My computer game playing days are slowly going away, and with something like a notebook they might disappear altogether. I need a computer to write though. Writing by hand takes to long for me and I would never have written Grandma Hannah on paper.
Self publishing takes a bit of money as well, but I want to try it out for my short story collection. I've been looking at some printing places and it can be a little steep. But if I plan on selling them, I might make some of the money back. Its having the money first that might be a problem. So yet. job it might have to be. Starting to suffer for my art. Well, at least it will be an experience.
Keep you guys updated.
Peace and blessings
Eric Rawlinson
20110225
I have a couple of plans that I want to do, but some of them cost money. Quite a bit of money. I want to publish my anthology into a book and possibly sell it. And I also want to do a bit of traveling. So I think what I need to do is get a part time job. Social assitance allows me to survive with food and shelter, but doesn't give me much extra.
Whether I like it or not, I'm going to need a new computer soon. This one is dying on me as it is and makes lovely noises. I'm thinking about getting a netbook or something small that I can just put on my desk and use for writing and maybe a few videos once and awhile. My computer game playing days are slowly going away, and with something like a notebook they might disappear altogether. I need a computer to write though. Writing by hand takes to long for me and I would never have written Grandma Hannah on paper.
Self publishing takes a bit of money as well, but I want to try it out for my short story collection. I've been looking at some printing places and it can be a little steep. But if I plan on selling them, I might make some of the money back. Its having the money first that might be a problem. So yet. job it might have to be. Starting to suffer for my art. Well, at least it will be an experience.
Keep you guys updated.
Peace and blessings
Eric Rawlinson
20110225
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Grandma Hannah, Fool Hannah: First Draft
Seven months ago, almost to the day, I began working on a short story called Caught in the Rain. It was a small modern fantasy tale about a young woman who has a tryst with two forest spirits after being betrayed by the man she loves. I've yet to complete the story, but it was my hope that it would become one of the Glimpse through the Curtains short stories. Then, on a whim, I started another short story. It was about the same woman, but years afterward, on her death bed, speaking to her granddaughter. What she told her granddaughter would begin the woman's own glimpse through the curtains. Then I thought to myself, hey, I could make this into a book. And that's exactly what I did.
I'm pleased and excited to announce that I have completed the first draft of my first book. Its working title is 'Grandma Hannah, Fool Hannah'. Its just under 20,000 words and currently it riddled with grammatical errors and plot holes you could drive a truck through. But it's a start. And I thought Forgiveness was good work for under six months from conception to first draft.
I can't say how proud I am for being able to do this. With this book, I've realized that I have the determination and the patience to undertake a book. I've written a book! The work has only begun, but the beginning is always important.
Thank you to my fans and my friends who cheered me on these last few weeks. Thank you so much.
I'm going to attempt to do a couple of drafts by myself before I start looking for editors, but I will certainly let you all know when I'm ready. And hopefully, it will be soon. As always, I'll keep you guys posted.
Peace and blessings
Eric Rawlinson
20110223
I'm pleased and excited to announce that I have completed the first draft of my first book. Its working title is 'Grandma Hannah, Fool Hannah'. Its just under 20,000 words and currently it riddled with grammatical errors and plot holes you could drive a truck through. But it's a start. And I thought Forgiveness was good work for under six months from conception to first draft.
I can't say how proud I am for being able to do this. With this book, I've realized that I have the determination and the patience to undertake a book. I've written a book! The work has only begun, but the beginning is always important.
Thank you to my fans and my friends who cheered me on these last few weeks. Thank you so much.
I'm going to attempt to do a couple of drafts by myself before I start looking for editors, but I will certainly let you all know when I'm ready. And hopefully, it will be soon. As always, I'll keep you guys posted.
Peace and blessings
Eric Rawlinson
20110223
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Chapter 13 and 14: That was satisfying
Sometimes you got to power through it to just get it out of your head. Just under 2000 words between the two of them, these two chapters are either going to become one chapter or much longer. My money is on much longer. As with a lot of the chapters, I've practically wrote down the barebones of what I want to do, along with some of the dialogue and tone I want to go for. But for now, so glad that I don't have to obsess with those scenes anymore.
I'm wondering how lazy I should be and if I should just write the last three chapters and be done with the first draft. Wondering over, it is what I'm going to do. I had plans for another chapter, but I surprisingly covered much of what I wanted to do with that chapter already and I don't think I want to draw out the story any longer than I have to, especially at this point in the writing. If more emphasis is needed, then I might add the other chapter. If not... well, I have a headache, so we'll end the thoughts as it is.
So yeah, three more chapters. Not really looking forward to one, wrote the last one pretty much in my head, and the next one I have a shit load of notes, plus I added some more fire to my main characters anger that should display quite well in an upcoming confrontation. This should be cool.
Anyway, one of those chapters is half written as it is now. I'll keep you guys posted.
Peace and blessings
Eric Rawlinson
20110222
I'm wondering how lazy I should be and if I should just write the last three chapters and be done with the first draft. Wondering over, it is what I'm going to do. I had plans for another chapter, but I surprisingly covered much of what I wanted to do with that chapter already and I don't think I want to draw out the story any longer than I have to, especially at this point in the writing. If more emphasis is needed, then I might add the other chapter. If not... well, I have a headache, so we'll end the thoughts as it is.
So yeah, three more chapters. Not really looking forward to one, wrote the last one pretty much in my head, and the next one I have a shit load of notes, plus I added some more fire to my main characters anger that should display quite well in an upcoming confrontation. This should be cool.
Anyway, one of those chapters is half written as it is now. I'll keep you guys posted.
Peace and blessings
Eric Rawlinson
20110222
Monday, February 21, 2011
Chapter 11 and 12: I'm sick
I've missed a day of writing. I took a break to go home and spend some time with family, especially my lovely sister who I love and miss so much.
I seriously don't know what's up with keyboards today. Is it something that's happened within the last three years since I bought my computer, because I can't find any keyboard recently that I've enjoyed working with as much as my own. I know it's a matter of getting used to the set up, how far apart the keys are, but I generally dislike using other people's keyboards. The flow isn't the same. With other keyboards I have to constantly look down to see why I'm hitting the caps lock or whatever new key they've designed to put in my way. I guess it can't be helped. My computer continually makes such lovely noises that makes me wonder just how much longer she is going to live. I think my next computer is going to me a small laptop, one that's going to be devoted to my writing. That way I can get used to its keyboard and not have to worry about putting my work onto others and fight with theirs.
Okay, angry rant over. I'm frightened that I'm losing the flow that I've gained over the week. I'm feeling sick and congested, I'm can't seem to find the right temperature to be at and I ache all over. I'm pretty sure I'm going to wake up to discover I have a cold. Yay, this is lovely, I'm being a complete baby. This isn't what I wanted when I said I want to suffer for my art. In fact, I didn't say I want to suffer for my art. Poopy. Blarge.
So, chapter 11 and 12. Chapter 11 is the shortest on record so far, just over 800 words. It's a mental breakdown scene and honestly I feel I should do more with it. So I will. Later. Chapter 12 is more of a reflective scene and I'll have to meditate on it. Generally, I feel it's missing something, a certain spark or realization. Unfortunately, if I move on from this, complete the book and come back to figure out the revelation is something completely different, I'm going to have to do major rewrites throughout the ending. Wait, at this point that could happen even in the first chapter.... why did I want to to be a writer again? Oh, that's right. I love it!
Seriously, if I could figure out how to get paid to do this and live comfortably, I would jump on this career in an instant. I really like writing. I like the flow and I like the feeling when you get a good story going. Of course, whenever I go out and have fun in the middle of writing, I'm probably going to bitch about how my flow has been severed, but that'll be temporary. I say that every time I stop to play Mass Effect for a couple of hours. Even doing that I was still able to write 12 chapters of this book in ten days. I'm pretty sure I'm just going to get up tomorrow and write the rest of chapter 13, a page done by the way, and then play more Mass Effect and then write chapter 14. And then 15, 16 and how many other chapters this book might have. Thinking about it now... probably this book is going to have about 15 to 18 chapters. So I might have a first draft by end of the week.
Anyway, congratulations if you read through all of my rant. I love you all! Update you soon.
Peace and blessings
Eric Rawlinson
20110221
I seriously don't know what's up with keyboards today. Is it something that's happened within the last three years since I bought my computer, because I can't find any keyboard recently that I've enjoyed working with as much as my own. I know it's a matter of getting used to the set up, how far apart the keys are, but I generally dislike using other people's keyboards. The flow isn't the same. With other keyboards I have to constantly look down to see why I'm hitting the caps lock or whatever new key they've designed to put in my way. I guess it can't be helped. My computer continually makes such lovely noises that makes me wonder just how much longer she is going to live. I think my next computer is going to me a small laptop, one that's going to be devoted to my writing. That way I can get used to its keyboard and not have to worry about putting my work onto others and fight with theirs.
Okay, angry rant over. I'm frightened that I'm losing the flow that I've gained over the week. I'm feeling sick and congested, I'm can't seem to find the right temperature to be at and I ache all over. I'm pretty sure I'm going to wake up to discover I have a cold. Yay, this is lovely, I'm being a complete baby. This isn't what I wanted when I said I want to suffer for my art. In fact, I didn't say I want to suffer for my art. Poopy. Blarge.
So, chapter 11 and 12. Chapter 11 is the shortest on record so far, just over 800 words. It's a mental breakdown scene and honestly I feel I should do more with it. So I will. Later. Chapter 12 is more of a reflective scene and I'll have to meditate on it. Generally, I feel it's missing something, a certain spark or realization. Unfortunately, if I move on from this, complete the book and come back to figure out the revelation is something completely different, I'm going to have to do major rewrites throughout the ending. Wait, at this point that could happen even in the first chapter.... why did I want to to be a writer again? Oh, that's right. I love it!
Seriously, if I could figure out how to get paid to do this and live comfortably, I would jump on this career in an instant. I really like writing. I like the flow and I like the feeling when you get a good story going. Of course, whenever I go out and have fun in the middle of writing, I'm probably going to bitch about how my flow has been severed, but that'll be temporary. I say that every time I stop to play Mass Effect for a couple of hours. Even doing that I was still able to write 12 chapters of this book in ten days. I'm pretty sure I'm just going to get up tomorrow and write the rest of chapter 13, a page done by the way, and then play more Mass Effect and then write chapter 14. And then 15, 16 and how many other chapters this book might have. Thinking about it now... probably this book is going to have about 15 to 18 chapters. So I might have a first draft by end of the week.
Anyway, congratulations if you read through all of my rant. I love you all! Update you soon.
Peace and blessings
Eric Rawlinson
20110221
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Chapter 10: The Fool Becomes The Wizard
Allusion to the story, see what I did there? Sometimes its a good idea to get away from the computer and write down ideas on a piece of paper. Even if it is concepts for a later chapter. I've pretty much solidified the final chapter in my mind, but I'm still a little ways off. Chapter 11 is still pretty much as much of a mystery to me as Chapter 10 has been, and I'm looking forward to it, but first a break.
Yeah, I have a huge headache, so I'm going to stop this update for now. I'll report more when Chapter 11 is finished.
Peace and blessings
Eric Rawlinson
20110219
Yeah, I have a huge headache, so I'm going to stop this update for now. I'll report more when Chapter 11 is finished.
Peace and blessings
Eric Rawlinson
20110219
Chapter 9: Take a Break
Well, that was mostly painless. Its remarkable what pizza, taking my pills and a good night's sleep can accomplish.
Well, Chapter 9's first draft is finished, slightly larger than most but no where close to being the length of Chapter 7. Speaking about length, I've calculated that, being roughly an average of 1200 words a chapter, I'm just over my 10,000 word mark in my book. And, I'm guessing I'm two thirds of the way done in my book. Not exactly a NaNoWriMo candidate, but it is my book and it will run its own course. Besides, editing will add to it more than it will subtract as I rewrite and everything.
Also, I've been planning out my next book. Last night, while falling asleep, I've been writing up a working plot outline, trying to remember where I put my notes and figuring out some more dialogue for yet another book. It's probably a bad idea to be thinking about the next book before you finish the one you're working on, but if this continues, I might have two books first drafts by the summer. Of course, there are other things I want to do with my time, such as finish A Glimpse Through the Curtains and publish it into a book. But for now, I want to finish this book I'm currently working on.
Chapter 10 I have a couple of ideas for, but like Kirstin said, just write it. The story is up here somewhere, I just need to get it down somehow. I'm looking forward to some of the scenes that are coming up. At least those I have a plan for.
Anyway, I should get back to it. Thank you everyone and I'll keep you updated.
Peace and blessings
Eric Rawlinson
20110219
Well, Chapter 9's first draft is finished, slightly larger than most but no where close to being the length of Chapter 7. Speaking about length, I've calculated that, being roughly an average of 1200 words a chapter, I'm just over my 10,000 word mark in my book. And, I'm guessing I'm two thirds of the way done in my book. Not exactly a NaNoWriMo candidate, but it is my book and it will run its own course. Besides, editing will add to it more than it will subtract as I rewrite and everything.
Also, I've been planning out my next book. Last night, while falling asleep, I've been writing up a working plot outline, trying to remember where I put my notes and figuring out some more dialogue for yet another book. It's probably a bad idea to be thinking about the next book before you finish the one you're working on, but if this continues, I might have two books first drafts by the summer. Of course, there are other things I want to do with my time, such as finish A Glimpse Through the Curtains and publish it into a book. But for now, I want to finish this book I'm currently working on.
Chapter 10 I have a couple of ideas for, but like Kirstin said, just write it. The story is up here somewhere, I just need to get it down somehow. I'm looking forward to some of the scenes that are coming up. At least those I have a plan for.
Anyway, I should get back to it. Thank you everyone and I'll keep you updated.
Peace and blessings
Eric Rawlinson
20110219
Friday, February 18, 2011
Chapter 8: A Possible Wall
You know, I'm just setting myself up when I say 'Oh this part of the book is going to be easier to write than this part'. Chapter 8 was (I guess still is) a definite trial of my patience. A good story is like a puzzle. It has parts, which separately can be good on their own are made better when they're fuzzed together. A good first draft is like when you get all the edge pieces and put them together and see where you can work. Hmm, maybe that's not a good analogy. A good first draft is one that's written. Yeah that's better.
The one thing I can't stand is when I read a biography of a writer where everyone says, "Oh yes, they just wrote the story down and it was published with very little to no revision." This is something that's often said about Shakespeare and Rex Stout. Even if this were true, which I suspect it is, I still hate hearing it. I've never written anything, other than possibly some poetry, that has been amazing on its first draft. Sure, good, great and needs improvement to be awesome, but I never fool myself. The real work begins once the first draft is finished. A Good Thing, 12 page short story, took 3 years to finish from concept to finished product. Truthfully, if I had worked solidly on the story, it would have been done in maybe four or six days, but truthfully A Good Thing needed that 3 years to become what it was. It grew with my experience and my understanding and it will continue to help me grow in my style and how I see myself as a writer. And that's what I'm hoping this book will help me accomplish as well. Sure I want to write a story, sure I want to tell a story, sure I want to publish it and make millions. But I know in my heart that the reason I'm writing this story is to prove that I can write a book. That I can write a story from beginning to end that will make people laugh, cry and think. That is my goal. And that is why I write.
So now, despite my conflicted feelings about Chapter 8, I'm going to write a Chapter 9 without any real plan as to where it's going. I've discovered that I don't have a Chapter 9 or a Chapter 10. Short sighted, yes, but if start writing down ideas with the opening, I might get somewhere. A whole chapter of reflection and TV watching... Hey, that might be a good idea!
Anyway, time to get a pizza or something to eat then back to work. Keep you posted.
Peace and blessings
Eric Rawlinson
20110218
P.S. Thank you Kirstin for your advice. It just helped write two chapters!
The one thing I can't stand is when I read a biography of a writer where everyone says, "Oh yes, they just wrote the story down and it was published with very little to no revision." This is something that's often said about Shakespeare and Rex Stout. Even if this were true, which I suspect it is, I still hate hearing it. I've never written anything, other than possibly some poetry, that has been amazing on its first draft. Sure, good, great and needs improvement to be awesome, but I never fool myself. The real work begins once the first draft is finished. A Good Thing, 12 page short story, took 3 years to finish from concept to finished product. Truthfully, if I had worked solidly on the story, it would have been done in maybe four or six days, but truthfully A Good Thing needed that 3 years to become what it was. It grew with my experience and my understanding and it will continue to help me grow in my style and how I see myself as a writer. And that's what I'm hoping this book will help me accomplish as well. Sure I want to write a story, sure I want to tell a story, sure I want to publish it and make millions. But I know in my heart that the reason I'm writing this story is to prove that I can write a book. That I can write a story from beginning to end that will make people laugh, cry and think. That is my goal. And that is why I write.
So now, despite my conflicted feelings about Chapter 8, I'm going to write a Chapter 9 without any real plan as to where it's going. I've discovered that I don't have a Chapter 9 or a Chapter 10. Short sighted, yes, but if start writing down ideas with the opening, I might get somewhere. A whole chapter of reflection and TV watching... Hey, that might be a good idea!
Anyway, time to get a pizza or something to eat then back to work. Keep you posted.
Peace and blessings
Eric Rawlinson
20110218
P.S. Thank you Kirstin for your advice. It just helped write two chapters!
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Chapter 7: Holy Crap!
I appear to have a pacing issue, seeing as Chapter 7's first draft is bigger than the first three chapters combined! Oh well, nothing to really worry about. I expected that parts of this book would be easier to write than others and Chapter 7 and maybe 8 are probably going to be the easiest to write. As I go on to later chapters, I find I'm getting the hang of writing as well, and everything doesn't feel so forced, unless I feel bored with a certain section, then it feels nothing but forced.
There are a lot of reasons besides that that allow Chapter 7 to be so long. One of them is that this chapter is where I introduce the twist in the story. Not really a surprise twist, but a twist for the main character. It's also the part of the book I have the most notes for. Seeing as it is one of the most important parts of the book, this isn't a surprise either. Also, this chapter might even become longer thanks to a little device I'm using. The main character is going to be reading a book and sections of the book are going to be present in the text. The book that the main character reads is in fact parts of a book that I was going to write but lost interest in it. Recycling old material is great!
Okay, I'm cheating, but its a good cheat and it works well for the book itself. Besides, if this book gets popular I could finish that book and publish it as well, right? Sigh... You're right.
Chapter 8 is going to be easy as well I think, but for a completely different reason. Chapter 8 is the one I've conceptualize most recently. It's actually a fairly new addition and I'm literally wondering why I never thought of doing this before. It just makes so much sense. It emphasizes what happens in Chapter 7 and maybe even a little bit in chapter 2, and I want the character to break herself. Oops, I revealed something of the book. The main character is a female woman. Roberts rules of writing state that you shouldn't reveal to much of your book, cause the more you talk about it, the less likely you'll write it. At this point, I don't have to much to worry about. About five or six of my closest friends know the plot, most of you being my followers, and one of you has a couple of chapters. But not to jinx it at this point, I'll try to be mysterious as possible. I get a kick out of it...
Anyway, chapter 8 will probably be written tomorrow or later tonight, depending on how I feel. Right now, I'm hungry. So, until later.
Peace and blessings
Eric Rawlinson
20110217
There are a lot of reasons besides that that allow Chapter 7 to be so long. One of them is that this chapter is where I introduce the twist in the story. Not really a surprise twist, but a twist for the main character. It's also the part of the book I have the most notes for. Seeing as it is one of the most important parts of the book, this isn't a surprise either. Also, this chapter might even become longer thanks to a little device I'm using. The main character is going to be reading a book and sections of the book are going to be present in the text. The book that the main character reads is in fact parts of a book that I was going to write but lost interest in it. Recycling old material is great!
Okay, I'm cheating, but its a good cheat and it works well for the book itself. Besides, if this book gets popular I could finish that book and publish it as well, right? Sigh... You're right.
Chapter 8 is going to be easy as well I think, but for a completely different reason. Chapter 8 is the one I've conceptualize most recently. It's actually a fairly new addition and I'm literally wondering why I never thought of doing this before. It just makes so much sense. It emphasizes what happens in Chapter 7 and maybe even a little bit in chapter 2, and I want the character to break herself. Oops, I revealed something of the book. The main character is a female woman. Roberts rules of writing state that you shouldn't reveal to much of your book, cause the more you talk about it, the less likely you'll write it. At this point, I don't have to much to worry about. About five or six of my closest friends know the plot, most of you being my followers, and one of you has a couple of chapters. But not to jinx it at this point, I'll try to be mysterious as possible. I get a kick out of it...
Anyway, chapter 8 will probably be written tomorrow or later tonight, depending on how I feel. Right now, I'm hungry. So, until later.
Peace and blessings
Eric Rawlinson
20110217
Chapter 6: Ugh...
I've been trying to write chapter 6 and it has just been a complete disaster. Well, not complete, but you know what I mean. I've decided to do something that I said I wouldn't do but I'll have to do it for the sake of my own sanity. I've decided to skip writing chapter 6 and move on to chapter 7. Chapter 7 is practically written in my head and I think the flow will be much smoother, especially with my moods as it is.
It's sad really. As I was saying to a friend last night, Chapter 6 contains a scene that is one of the foundations of the whole book, one of the concepts that actually created the story now and now it's not coming out right. Its funny how the story can evolve away from it original intentions and take meaning you could never even imagine before writing it. It truly is a journey. A journey I want to skip chapter 6 of, but a journey nonetheless.
Of course, as soon as I start writing chapter 7, I start validating some of the things I hate in chapter 6, which means I have to work with what I have more than I hoped. Go figure. Talk more about that when chapter 7 is finished.
Until then.
Peace and blessings
Eric Rawlinson
20110217
It's sad really. As I was saying to a friend last night, Chapter 6 contains a scene that is one of the foundations of the whole book, one of the concepts that actually created the story now and now it's not coming out right. Its funny how the story can evolve away from it original intentions and take meaning you could never even imagine before writing it. It truly is a journey. A journey I want to skip chapter 6 of, but a journey nonetheless.
Of course, as soon as I start writing chapter 7, I start validating some of the things I hate in chapter 6, which means I have to work with what I have more than I hoped. Go figure. Talk more about that when chapter 7 is finished.
Until then.
Peace and blessings
Eric Rawlinson
20110217
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Chapter 5: Overcoming the block
So, to start off, I had this really cool idea that seems to be working well. I've been trying hard not to go back to the earlier chapters and work on them while I'm on this, let's face it, impressive stream of writing, moving forward, not backwards. But what if I come up with an idea for an earlier chapter? How do I do that without editing and reworking. Simple. Make a notes page for individual chapters and write down notes in those files as things come to me. That way, I can even move notes from my other note files into where I want them to be specifically in the story without having to sift through a lot of notes looking for something awesome I've written earlier. I'm such a genius.
Now that I'm done being nervous, had a bit of a block today while writing the fifth chapter, but I'm over it now. It gets hard to write when depressed, and I think one of the things I should seriously do is stop calling the book crap. Even if it is and just call it what it really is. A start. This is the beginning of a journey for me as much as it is a journey for my characters. We're both experiencing this journey together. And we shall get to the end better for having traveled it.
Chapter 6? I hope to get that done soon. And I'm sure I can talk more, but I don't want to ramble to long. I just want to shout out to my friend Etienne who's helped a lot with his friendship and encouragement. Thanks bro. And for the rest of you, thanks for your support as well. Hopefully this book will be done soon...ish and I will be able to share it with all of you.
Peace and blessings
Eric Rawlinson
20110215
Now that I'm done being nervous, had a bit of a block today while writing the fifth chapter, but I'm over it now. It gets hard to write when depressed, and I think one of the things I should seriously do is stop calling the book crap. Even if it is and just call it what it really is. A start. This is the beginning of a journey for me as much as it is a journey for my characters. We're both experiencing this journey together. And we shall get to the end better for having traveled it.
Chapter 6? I hope to get that done soon. And I'm sure I can talk more, but I don't want to ramble to long. I just want to shout out to my friend Etienne who's helped a lot with his friendship and encouragement. Thanks bro. And for the rest of you, thanks for your support as well. Hopefully this book will be done soon...ish and I will be able to share it with all of you.
Peace and blessings
Eric Rawlinson
20110215
Monday, February 14, 2011
Chapter 4: Loose
Remember when I said that I've passed writing the hardest part. Well, I was wrong. Very wrong. In fact, I can only see this book getting harder to write from here on out. Welcome to the point where what I've written, what I'm writing and my six months worth of notes crash into a heap and I have to sift through the wreckage.
Okay, so it's not as bad as it sounds. I'm still able to write my story but already I'm having continuity issues. I'm promising myself that I'm not going to go back until I've finished at least a working draft of this book from beginning to end. I have to do this or I'll never stay sane enough to finish. But changes have to be allowed, even on a moment's notice so that the story can make more sense to write. I learned a while ago that sometimes the smallest problems can halt your project and they have to be altered in order for you to continue.
I'm not happy with Chapter 4. Not at all. It's very very loose. But as I've been saying, frame work. It's all that this book is going to end up being by the end of the first draft. Literally a page of this chapter is nothing but dialogue with no connection between them. No he said she said they said. Just "I like dogs" "Why do you like dogs" "I don't know, let me ask my manager". No, that's not dialogue from the book, just an example. But it's that sort of thing.
Chapter five I'm looking forward to a little bit more, since I have that scene almost completely written, at least planned out in notes and in my brain. That I don't have to much of a problem with. Chapter 6 is not so planned, but at least nothing too too darasticly mind blowing is going to happen. For the life of me, I have no godly idea what's going to happen in chapter 7, but I have a theory. Chapter 8 and beyond, I'm playing by ear. I know I have some notes on what might happen, okay will happen, I just need to figure out the glue.
So overall, it's stressful, and I'm not happy, but I am very excited about this whole project. I'll keep you guys posted after each chapter I write like this, talking about my struggles and my thoughts. Hopefully a new update will be soon.
Happy Valentine's Day!
Peace and blessings
Eric Rawlinson
20110214
Okay, so it's not as bad as it sounds. I'm still able to write my story but already I'm having continuity issues. I'm promising myself that I'm not going to go back until I've finished at least a working draft of this book from beginning to end. I have to do this or I'll never stay sane enough to finish. But changes have to be allowed, even on a moment's notice so that the story can make more sense to write. I learned a while ago that sometimes the smallest problems can halt your project and they have to be altered in order for you to continue.
I'm not happy with Chapter 4. Not at all. It's very very loose. But as I've been saying, frame work. It's all that this book is going to end up being by the end of the first draft. Literally a page of this chapter is nothing but dialogue with no connection between them. No he said she said they said. Just "I like dogs" "Why do you like dogs" "I don't know, let me ask my manager". No, that's not dialogue from the book, just an example. But it's that sort of thing.
Chapter five I'm looking forward to a little bit more, since I have that scene almost completely written, at least planned out in notes and in my brain. That I don't have to much of a problem with. Chapter 6 is not so planned, but at least nothing too too darasticly mind blowing is going to happen. For the life of me, I have no godly idea what's going to happen in chapter 7, but I have a theory. Chapter 8 and beyond, I'm playing by ear. I know I have some notes on what might happen, okay will happen, I just need to figure out the glue.
So overall, it's stressful, and I'm not happy, but I am very excited about this whole project. I'll keep you guys posted after each chapter I write like this, talking about my struggles and my thoughts. Hopefully a new update will be soon.
Happy Valentine's Day!
Peace and blessings
Eric Rawlinson
20110214
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