Three Week Moving Challenge

February 5, 2014 by Roland Clarke

Five days into February and just three weeks until our moving day, so should I be panicking?

Surrounded by boxes, we at least know that we/my wife has packed most of our accumulated stuff. But yesterday I had to pack my dictionary and Word Flip-thesaurus and more will follow in the next few days, like notebooks, pens and essential files.

At least the crucial files, like the work in progress, are on my desktop and backed-up onto Skydrive or Dropbox. However, in the last week that too will get packed and the desks may be going to charity. The prospect of a new office in our new home is exciting, but there will be a few days when I will be restricted to using my Notebook PC.

Not a terrible hardship when I think of all those writers creating with just a pencil and a notepad, or even a quill and parchment. But in this era of mass communication, the wrench from all that my PC offers will feel hard, for a short while.

What do I do without my accounts package? What about Scrivener? How will I cope?

I’ll get over it.

All I need to remember is to ensure that one notebook and one pen stays out.

On February 28^th we will be in our new home, but I suspect it might take a few days to catch up. It’s hard enough wading through emails each day trying to find blogs that I need to read and inwardly digest, but it can be done.

I intend to plan my IWSG blog post for Wednesday March 5^th in advance, just as I am already scribbling down ideas for the A to Z Challenge in April. Theme here is going to be all things Gossamer Steel. Might have to use those advance word counts to ensure that my 100k in 100 days effort is acceptable.

This is my second posting of 2014 for the Insecure Writer’s Support Group. This is when we release our fears to the world – or offer encouragement to those who are feeling neurotic. If you’d like to join us, click on the logo and sign up. We post the first Wednesday of every month. Visit at least a dozen new blogs and leave a comment. Your words might be the encouragement someone needs.

The awesome co-hosts today are Sheena-kay Graham, Julie Musil, Jamie Ayres, and Mike Swift. Many thanks to you all for your time and effort towards making all IWSG members feel welcome.

Two Futures: Facts or Fiction

January 18, 2014 by Roland Clarke

Morfa Harlech © Copyright Ian Capper

What is the best way forward for this blog?

Ever since I wrote my post Eight Headless Chickens I have been wondering what the most important next step is.

The clear priority has to be our move to Wales, and – Beware Cliché – fingers & toes crossed, that is proceeding smoothly thanks to my wife and special friends, but no thanks to immediate family. By the end of February, I should be blogging from a new desk with a view of Harlech, the sea and mountains in Snowdonia.

But even with the inspiring view what will I blog about?

I have two, or is it three futures that are churning around in my mind.

Facts: the simplest way forward. I continue posting my usual observations on my experience of the writing process, interspersed with thoughts on issues of the day. As a relative newcomer to writing, at least in getting published, I feel unable to offer great insights on good writing techniques. There are far better sites/blogs for that, some in my Links.
Fiction: tasters of my writing. Should my blog become a means to release short fiction strategically over time? Since the start of the year, I have been working on short stories and now have seven at various stages. They are loosely connected, in that they are set in the same world, one akin to the game Gossamer Steel, so that is their collective title.
Dual carriageway: a mix of both Facts and Fiction. So when a story was written and edited it would be available, and when I was inspired to supply concrete Facts that would be the post.

Which do I choose, 1, 2, or 3? What would you the readers of this Blog prefer? Why do you tune in here to what I write?

Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Of course life is never simple, especially here at Writing Wings where there are challenges.

There is another element, a Newsletter. It’s an option that I have given serious thought to. The factual blog would continue to share my thoughts and experiences as a writer, and as a retiree with MS. The tasters of my fictional worlds would continue, whether as interviews or as extracts.

However, for those of you that sign up to my Gossamer Wings Newsletter there would be treats: the tasters would become short stories for free. In that way you could see how the Gossamer Steel universe evolved. I would also be extremely grateful for your comments and feedback, as they would contribute to the ongoing story, providing an invaluable asset in developing the world.

As part of the ongoing creation, I am using Aeon Timeline to construct a Chronology into which the short stories fit. In the same universe, I also have two novellas that I intend to self-publish and release later this year so everyone can experience the world of Gossamer Steel.

Should newsletter subscribers benefit with the novellas in some way? Is having a pre-taste of the world enough? There would be other news and fictional snippets in the newsletter as well.

What about a life of crime? Have I abandoned my criminals and their victims? Never. As well as a stand-alone psychological thriller, there is the cyber-crime novel, ‘Wyrm Bait’. This is the first of a series that has the gaming world of Gossamer Steel as its background.

Plus there is the sequel to ‘Spiral of Hooves’ that I wrote for NaNoWriMo 2013. ‘Tortuous Terrain’ the second part of the Chasseur series has to have a future as well. The reviews on Amazon and elsewhere have been five star, so I have a lot of positive thoughts looking ahead.

So what do you feel is my future? Please, gaze not into your crystal ball but into the past at what you enjoyed. What do you want next?

Painted Lady Butterfly (Vanessa cardui)

* * * * *

On Monday I will be taking part in an exciting blogfest and sharing my experiences, so far, on marketing. Do I dare mention my past in the film industry?

What Works…

The first ever “Online Marketing Symposium!“

A blogfest with information you can use.

The event happens on Monday January 20, 2014.

http://www.yolandarenee.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/marketing-what-works.html

Baiting The Bull

January 3, 2014 by Roland Clarke

Setting New Year Resolutions is a bad idea, and I’m entitled to say that after six decades filled with failed attempts. That is also the motivation not to make that mistake this year, so no resolutions. I promise.

On January 1^st 2013 I wrote a post entitled How hard are the Three Rs. It was an attempt to look ahead at my plans and resolutions for 2013, and to reflect on 2012. I admit that even though I achieved a few of the goals – publication, an editor, new readers, and maxing two MMORPG characters – I failed at the harder tasks, like writing 100k in 100 days and getting more drafts revised.

Therefore for 2014 I have a very simple To Do List, with one item: write or edit a few words each day. In that way the ‘bait for the bull’ is less overt, and I might even get something finished, be it a novel like Wyrm Bait or a short story.

Back in December I made the rash decision to do 100k in 100 days again. My total last January-April was 15,411 and in the summer I improved that by writing 32k in 100 days. What was I thinking? Not a good idea. I knew that it was impossible with all the preparation for our move at the end of February/early March.

Perhaps, having written over 50k in November for NaNoWriMo, I had a false sense of my capabilities. At least then I had a clear outline for ‘Tortuous Terrain’, and I knew my characters plus the ending. Yes, the first draft of ‘Tortuous Terrain’ has joined the queue, and one day it will be revised.

A short story set in the fantasy world eluded to in Wyrm Bait did inspire 1,530 words over the first two days of January. But even with this post I will be behind on the challenge. And I haven’t even missed a day through ill-health.

However, I signed up for My 500 Words: A Writing Challenge, which is more manageable, especially if I can count the same words for both challenges. But maybe I am misinterpreting the rules since my 1,500 word story was written over two days, so I cannot carry the surplus forward… or even future shortfalls. Does that mean that I fail again?

Unless I waffle on for another 107 words.

Therefore I will end by saying that, although I will do one or two more Spiral of Hooves interviews, I am considering changing what I blog about. Since the future priority has to be getting another novel published, and Wyrm Bait is the most evolved, I will blog more about the fantasy, cyber-crime and gaming elements that I am researching for short stories being written against the same background. Short stories are going to have to be part of my future. I may even revise some really old manuscripts.

Or do you have any better suggestions?

Which of my post have you enjoyed most?

Should I take more photos and write less?

Or do you want to taste more fiction?

Blessed Solstice

December 20, 2013 by Roland Clarke

Winter solstice (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Dateline ~ Saturday December 21st: This is the longest night of the year, and not yesterday so my apologies for posting enthusiastically early.

For some today’s Winter Solstice is central to their celebrations at this season. To all of them I say, ‘May this Solstice and turning of the Wheel bring you love, peace, and good fortune in the coming year.’

In fact as the days lengthen and the light reduces the night, I repeat that to everyone, wishing you all a wonderful 2014. I realise that not everyone is celebrating tonight or even tomorrow as many are focused on the central day in the Christian calendar, the Birth of Jesus Christ. It is also a family time as well, regardless of the invasion of commercialisation.

And are we forgetting Santa Claus. He will bring joy to many of us, and I will be watching his progress on Christmas Eve with the help of NORAD – http://www.noradsanta.org/.

We mustn’t forget that in other guises Santa has been around since before Christ. There are pagan traditions such as those surrounding Odin and also the Holly King – http://www.paganspath.com/magik/yule-history2.htm – which lend a richness to our culture, if we look. Saint Nicholas ensured that the gifts were passed on to Christians, and Santa continued to evolve, although the roots will always be there.

http://www.annestokes.com/

There are others still to whom the central day in their spiritual calendar has either passed or is a little way ahead. Yet I can still wish them all the awesome best for the season ahead, and the year about to unfold, whether they share our calendar or another.

Perhaps there are others out there – you know who you are – who will be using the excuse of more sunshine to dust off their bike shorts. They too have their celebration, whatever their true belief. Ho ho ho, and definitely not humbug.

So Happy Yule and seasonal blessings to you all.

For me this shortest day of the year began with the timely discovery of this wonderful poem: http://janedougherty.wordpress.com/2013/12/20/a-christmas-wish/

It continued with watching entranced as the characters from two worlds met in France, sharing their thoughts on why this season is of great significance: http://ailsaabraham.com/2013/12/20/guests-for-yule-and-gifts/

As I draw to a close, I need to point the way to another deeper look at the Solstice and its rich history at: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/wildhunt/2011/12/a-blessed-solstice-3.html

Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Life Throws Curve Balls

December 4, 2013 by Roland Clarke

A foggy evening 01 (Photo credit: AnneCN)

This was meant to be my first attempt at an Insecure blog having failed to do one on the first Wednesday in October or November – sorry IWSG.

Damn those curve balls, whether they be my health (MS), stress, or moving plans. They keep on coming, so I keep trying to knock them away. This is another attempt, although I should be doing my tax return.

Starting on a positive note, I managed to write 50,000 words for NaNoWriMo in November, and a week later I had typed the last word ~ ‘forever’. This was only a 60k rough first draft of ‘Tortuous Terrain’, but at least it’s something to work on. With a lot of revision, editing, and critique, I should be able to produce a fitting sequel to ‘Spiral of Hooves’, my first published novel, coming shortly from Spectacle Publishing Media Group.

However, my 2013 NaNo effort will have to join the queue behind four other novels needing revision, although it might jump the queue a bit if the demand is there, and if other efforts are deemed unworthy of revision. And that is where I am in a quandary, and where I am Insecure. Where do I go from here? What do I tackle next? How can I improve my editing process, which with ‘Spiral of Hooves’ took at least a decade?

I look at the speed of others when it comes to producing finished books, and I marvel… and I shudder. Most of my Facebook writing friends are completing a book a year, sometimes as many as five. Some are even producing short stories as well. Although my health is a drawback, I am retired with more time, supposedly, than many of my colleagues.

What do I give up doing? Linking with the digital world, by checking emails and social media? Learning my craft, by reading other blogs? My only escape, gaming?

Or do I set tighter deadlines? Or do I chill out and tell myself that at sixty I still have time? Or maybe I must accept that in the next life I will start trying to be a writer earlier.

It’s not straightforward when I find it easier plotting a new novel, even writing that first draft, than editing. I even have a sequel to the sequel churning around in my head… ever since I read a blog about writing a series, which suggested that one write the first and have the synopsis of Book 2 and of 3 in the wings. Great when I have two series in the pipeline ~ the Chasseur series (Spiral of Hooves++) and the Gossamer Steel series (Wyrm Bait++).

The solution is out there somewhere, but for now I will stop being a lone wolf howling at the moon, and stop baring my soul here so I can go edit ‘Wyrm Bait’, the next novel crying out for an audience. It’s already had at least two drafts, several critiques, and a professional edit.

Time to get the red pens out.

Is that the best solution? Or have I dismissed a better one above?

November (Photo credit: Cape Cod Cyclist)

IWSG – NaNoWriMo Junk or Diamond In The Rough? (awriterinspired.wordpress.com)
#IWSG: 20,000 Wrong Words (writingreadingandlife.com)
IWSG Day in December (readfaced.wordpress.com)
Winning NaNoWriMo (traceybaptiste.wordpress.com)

Black Tea Friday

November 29, 2013 by Roland Clarke

Americano @ The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Phoenix Marketcity (Photo credit: Anil Wadghule)

Should it be Black Coffee Friday? What is it with this Black Friday thing? As far as I can tell, there’s nothing quite like a cup of black tea on a Friday morning, even if I drink a mug of hot water and lemon first thing – every day.

I can understand Thanksgiving as there is so much to be thankful for, as well as the pressing need to help those who are not blessed with the basic necessities. In fact, we should have Thanksgiving here in the UK. That’s one American tradition that should be essential.

However, there are Americans who have moved over here, often like my awesome wife marrying Brits, and they have brought all the Thanksgiving spirit and trimmings with them. Forget McDonalds and KFC, I want Thanksgiving. Maybe it’s all because the colonies left us in such a hurry, just when we needed such wonderful festivities? And what about all that wasted tea? Is that the problem, no tea?

Or is it time to send the Redcoats back so the Queen can sack Congress? Or should she start closer to home?

English: Oven roasted turkey, common fare for Christmas and Thanksgiving celebrations. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

But what about these Black Friday Extravaganzas springing up everywhere like weeds?

I suppose that means that I can’t go on burying my head in the crossword, or my writing. The Black Friday mentality wasn’t over here in the UK… until now. We’re having riots in Asda as it has introduced Black Friday, as have other businesses catering to the goods obsession in the run-up to Christmas.

I’m not surprised at Asda leading the till ringing, not when Walmart owns the UK superstore. My step-daughter-in-law is one of the many Walmart employees that are denied Thanksgiving by having to work on a day when traditionally all businesses were closed. In fact the only families that Walmart cares about seems to be those who spend spend spend to support the current Walton family. Old Sam Walton must be boring himself through to the other side of the world.

English: Statue of Sam Walton and his dog outside of Wal-mart in Kingfisher, Oklahoma. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

However, that money ethos has been rife in the UK for years as well. The January Sales have existed for decades and are our equivalent of Black Friday – with the same mad, mob mentality. But that was just the beginning. We now have the unstoppable growth of 24/7 online shopping, Christmas starting earlier and earlier each year, and sadly the real message of the Christmas festival is vanishing fast.

Is this commercialisation of the sacred destroying the core of other faiths? Is it just in those countries that celebrate Christmas?