Grr...

Those days when you slam out a thousand or two words are what give me the desire to go on with this whole writing bit... however, these past two weeks are a testament to the frustrating, tormenting, and the just plain obscene monotony that accompanies writing. I have been able to get down maybe 200 words in fifteen days. It seems (and is) that everything I write gets damned by my delete key.

The problem isn't a lack of interest or prose. In this case, I simply don't know how I want my character to evolve. I'm in an important section for character development, but how do I want him to go from A, naive, to B, knowledgeable and savvy? In effect, I have several options...

1) Growth through anger and outrage

This just seems too easy and contrived. Easy would be nice, because then I could get it down, but I really don't think it would play to his character very well.

2) Emotional trauma

I've already thrown in some emo-like thoughts and I'm not a fan of reading 100 pages of whining... let alone writing it.

3) Compassion and selflessness

This, I think, would be the prime route. However, I am having a lot of trouble making it sound... real. I think when I write I should flow, not stop and think or brainstorm about how to handle the next paragraph or how my character would react. My best writing, in my skewed view, comes from when I plop down and hammer out sentence after sentence without thinking. It all just seems natural.

A few years ago I was told by a close friend that when things are right all the doors will open. Perhaps option 3 isn't the best method...

Into it

So, I've gotten wrist... or knee.. well, some appendage joint deep in the second book. I am up to 5000 words and I now realize my original plotline may not work out exactly as intended. It is still relatively close, but I've had to go back and change quite a bit of the first chapter. Ahh, well, it could be worse. I could be mauled by a badger while being told by a doctor that I have Sudanese Sneezing Syndrome. Truth be told, I actually like going back and redoing the beginning bit. It gives me a chance to tweak the language.

New book... thing.

So, I have officially started my 2nd book... even though I still haven't sold the first. This one isn't fantasy. I would say it is more Sci-Fi... but not quite Sci-Fi. As much as I made fun of me writing cross-genre in my last post, that is what I am writing. Actually, more mild cross-genre. Maybe more commercial fiction. ANYWAY, I've had this idea burning in my head for a while, but I've finally figured out how to start it, so it is plotted out and all. Now I only need to write it. I've already have 2000 words, so I suppose that is a wonderful start.

Chapter 1

Obviously, chapter 1 is important... even I, an unpublished, inexperienced, but amazingly witty (at least that is what my mother tells me) writer knows this. I've spent the better part of a month thinking that the first chapter of Blood and Stone is perhaps not... engaging enough. I started writing the book without referencing any other works for the simple purpose that I wanted the book to be my words, not an imitation. However, after recently going back and reading the first chapters of a dozen other books, I am starting to think that perhaps it isn't my writing at all. Maybe it just isn't the write (heh, bad pun, sorry) time in the industry. I was told a couple months ago by a well to do agent that the wise wizard and noble lord genre isn't quite hopping anymore. I suppose I rejected his comments initially mainly out of stubbornness. However, I must accept that he does know quite a bit more about the industry than I do.

It seems to me that cross-genre is the big bit now. Maybe I should do something like that. Next, by Eric Schmitt, a swashbuckling raccoon must pilot his capitol space cruiser through the marching lines of French soldiers during the war of Jenkin's Ear to save his lost Elven love in this Romance spun off of the Arabian Nights. Actually, I take that back. I hate raccoons... it's their eyes.

Infinate Abyss and other emo-ish thoughts

Well well, day 1000-ish of marketing my book. To be fair it hasn't been everyday or even week. Between the fulltime job and nearly fulltime school, it is hard to send out queries.

On top of that, I'm trying to write my second book, which is ironic because no one will even look at my first. Well, I suppose not ironic. Yes, yes I'm sounding negative and it isn't all that bad... I'm a first time writer and I expected an up-hill battle. However, the 30th rejection letter does tend to get you down a bit.

My Science Fiction short got rejected... that actually made me smile. The first couple did for my last book as well. I suppose it makes me realize I'm actually done with a work. I've decided I'm going to turn my letters into a paper mache likeness of myself. That should classify as modern art, right?

I kind of wish I kept my journals from my times writing the book. It would have been handy to look back and remember how much I enjoyed the actual writing. To be honest, waiting for replies has taken more time than actually writing.

In fact, I remember when I finished my first hand written notebook... I think I bought a drink for everyone I was hanging out with that night... That is a good policy, now that I think about it. I'll have to pick it up again.

So, here is to a major publishing house shooting me down! I'll buy myself a beer to make up for it!