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How hard are the Three Rs?

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A foggy evening 01

A foggy evening 01 (Photo credit: AnneCN)

Happy New Year to one and all whether ye be avid readers, passing travelers or fledgling writers like me. May 2013 be filled with purpose, inspiration, endeavor and fulfillment.

Before you delete this page as a return to school or education, please believe me that the Three Rs are not ‘reading, writing and arithmetic’ but some profound observations – well at least my take on my plans for the year ahead, along with a glance at the twisting road traveled in 2012.

Hence the Three Rs become: reaching realistic resolutions. WARNING: I’ve never been much good at sticking to New Year Resolutions but here goes.

Published Novel:     In 2012 I managed to get Spiral of Hooves accepted by a US e-publisher, Spectacle Publishing Media Group and hopefully this year the novel will become readable by more than a handful of inspirational mentors. However my intent/resolution is to get at least one more novel published in 2013, possibly Wyrm Bait which is the most progressed. But that requires me to produce a draft that will lead to Resolutions 2, 3 and 4.

Beta Readers:     I realize that finding willing Readers for a Work In Progress is not easy, neither is learning to apply their constructive critiques wisely [ADVERB!!!]. I was lucky on Spiral of Hooves to have colleagues from the Tunbridge Wells Writers Circle who were willing to read the manuscript and make valuable comments. However I feel that I will have to cast my net wider [CLICHÉ!!!] for the next WIPs, in part because I need some comments from typical readers of the genre and of MMORPGs – the setting for much of Wyrm Bait. Once the manuscript is ready for constructive criticism, I will be making a plea for volunteers. Resolution 2 – find willing Beta Readers.

Editor:    Editing has to be both essential and tough. It is part frustrating slog and part chance to rediscover and remould the words. In 2012 – and before that – there were some days when I enjoyed editing but others when I got lost in the forest of errors and stragglers. I don’t expect that to change over-year. Once I have re-drafted a manuscript then I know that I will have to turn to a professional if the work is ever to be seen by the buying audience. I’m not sure where to look but I have some ideas, although money is an issue at this stage. So resolution 3 is to find an editor that is both constructively critical and sympathetic.

edit on the go

edit on the go (Photo credit: fensterbme)

Publisher:     When I have passed Resolutions 2 & 3 then I will have reach a firm decision on how I intend to get published. Back in 2011/2012 there were periods in which I seriously considered finding an agent and even compiled detailed lists of which ones to approach; list that I still have. Then I began to realize that I would need to travel to anyone that expressed interest and wanted a face-to-face interview/assessment. Being disabled in a wheelchair and restricted by my MS as to the where I go, that got ruled out. Or are there agents out there that will use online conferencing to assess clients? What about mainstream publishers? Can I tread a conventional route in my wheelchair? And then there is self-publishing, an option I considered pursuing when I got a winner’s prize from CreateSpace completing NaNoWriMo in 2011. Problem = money. Any spare would go to the editor, so then where? Resolution 4 is my Catch 22 – decide how to get published.

Final Drafts:     I need to ensure that I finish 2013 with at least two final drafts of my current WIPs, including whatever that publisher-ready novel. There needs to be something in the pipeline [CLICHÉ!!!] that takes the pressure off [CLICHÉ] when the publisher/readers/conscience tells me another creation needs to find a place on some other tables/hard-drives/e-readers/old-fashioned parchment or whatever. So Resolution 5 is produce at least TWO final drafts.

First Drafts:     When those final drafts are passed on to their next incarnation, it will be essential that some of the ideas that are churning around inside my head or gathering dust under my computer desk have become First Drafts = by the end of 2013. Mathematically, applying the arithmetic that I learnt decades ago, I know that if I keep subtracting 2 from 6 there will be zero. As I write this blog, I have six novels at various stages from Spiral of Hooves, which should be available soon as with e-publisher, to its sequel Tortuous Terrain, which is an outline idea with characters and opening scribbled in its own notebook awaiting more. In between are four WIPs all at least first draft so in theory I can relax for 2013 as far as creating more is concerned, concentrating on the editing. But that ignores the urge to created, to explore new ideas and the future … and NaNoWriMo 2013, which should yield another first draft. Resolution 6 – write two + more first drafts.

100k in 100 Days:    During November and NaNoWriMo my daily word count was between 1,750 and 2,500 words but that was a drain on the rest of my life. I need to have some realistic target and with the 100k in 100 days challenge I have a new target, one that might be achievable as it allows for more than just novel words. This Blog post counts and basically all but not the shopping list. As a result I will attempt to post more often during the challenge: This is my more leisurely version of NaNoWriMo, where you have from 1st January 2013 until 10th April 2013 in which to write 100k words. That’s just 1000 words a day. There are some, not very strict rules. See: http://www.facebook.com/groups/125279004297437/  Resolution 7 is to write at least 1,000 words per day indefinitely.

Hard Read:    Reading has always been a part of my life but TV, gaming and writing have always proved to be distractions from this essential pastime. At the moment I am reading various crime/mystery/thrillers that I bought but there are books in my bookshelf that are definitely Fantasy plus ones that I never got round to reading after buying them second-hand to complete sets. One book usually takes 4- 6 weeks as I spend so much time on the computer, but I need to reduce the time online – delete more emails perhaps. Resolution 8 is read at least 12 books in 2013 and vary the genre so not boxing-in my mind.

MMORPG:    TV is no longer the escape nor cinema. When I can put the writing aside then I escape to another world. Playing games – MMORPGs ~ Massive Multi-player Online Role Playing Games – with my wife is our wind-down even if we get frustrated sometimes. Unfortunately even restricting gaming time to evenings we have a variety-seeking habit of changing games after a while and I keep creating new characters. We were playing LOTRO – Lord of the Rings Online – but are now in SWTOR – Star Wars The Old Republic … and we met online in Perfect World. Resolution 9 is to reach the maximum level on at least one character in SWTOR by the Spring.

AirTravel

USA:     For those who hadn’t realized, my wife was born in the USA and her family are mostly in Idaho and Utah but it will be two years in April since we saw any of them. Although Juanita talks to her kids, her mum and an aunt on the phone that is not the same as physical contact. Money is tight but getting over to see at least some of them has to be the priority – after covering essentials on both sides of the Atlantic BUT before luxuries. So Resolution 10 should be No 1 as it’s getting over to the States and spending time with the family in 2013.

Looking back over this Blog post I realize that to earn my Writing Wings I need to focus and the Three Rs that I have to concentrate on should be: reading, research and writing.

Whatever your poison [CLICHÉ], good writing – The Silver Scribbler

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LIFE BEYOND NaNoWriMo

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UK biometric passport on pile of Euro currency

UK biometric passport on pile of Euro currency (Photo credit: Christopher Elison)

Well November has disappeared and the hectic pace of NaNoWriMo has slowed to that of my walking-staggering. But there were two highlights: first and most important was my wife getting her Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK, until 2022 when her US passport expires. However she aims to have UK citizenship and to be a member of the maroon passport club by then. Will take more money of course, and she has to learn the National Anthem, plus swear to vote Conservative at every election and doff her hat to every policeman – last two might be exaggerations.

Winner-180x180

The second highlight was completing 50k+ of my 2012 NaNoWriMo novel, Wyrm Blood, before the end of the month. However I have to admit that I was unable to keep up my daily word count in the final few days or in the last few weeks. Wyrm Blood Draft 1 is still incomplete with about eight chapters to go and two sub-plots to build into it. These sub-plots are new ideas that I stumbled upon while writing scenes following – kind of – the outline that I’d written in October. I have attempted to write them into the last third of the WIP but I know that there are a lot of extra scenes to insert.

But is that a new draft or just add-ons to draft one?

I also feel that the antagonist needs scenes but I already have four POV’s and feel a fifth would be too much. Any thoughts as to whether even four is too much?

Trying to finish Wyrm Blood in December was the intended plan but that could be messed up. I’ve come out of the fervour of November torn between needing a break and wanting to finish. I also have a 2011-2012 Tax Return hanging over me, although it should be simple as I don’t really earn much – not that Inland Revenue believe me. Maybe I’m just putting it off as I always do.

If I do finish Wyrm Blood before Christmas then the New Year brings other options such as 100k in 100 days 2013 and the 2013 Debut Dagger competition. My original intention, back in the autumn, was to focus on an entry in the Debut Dagger, either Wyrm Bait (first part of Wyrm series), which is in its 2.5 draft stage, or the stand-alone Fates Maelstrom, which is still first draft. I can still choose to enter the openings for both of them, re-written and edited for the competition – entries close on Saturday 2 February 2013.

Wyrm

Wyrm (Photo credit: Jon_Tucker)

The rules for 100k in 100 days 2013 are quite flexible as it’s more about the incentive and taking part than winning anything. Less pressure than NaNoWriMo and wider selection of what counts towards the 100k. So it will be an incentive to write more blogs, although I have to resist boring the select readership with verbal garbage. If I re-write the first 3,000 words of my two chosen novels plus 500-1,000 word synopses of them, that will also count – but not shopping lists. Drawback is that I suspect that editing in terms of hacking and honing doesn’t count and that has to be my priority with four WIPs needing work.

The ultimate objective is to have at least one novel totally finished and the others much further advanced by the Spring.

English: First rays of the rising winter solst...

English: First rays of the rising winter solstice sun light up the countryside 296447 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

However for now I want to wish you all good writing and if the next blog hits the delay-button, then Happy Winter Solstice and Merry Christmas.

The Silver Scribbler

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Black Cats Or Black Hats At Halloween?

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All Hallows greetings from the fastness of the Duskweald, in the fog of England. If there are monsters lurking outside, we have our ninja kitties on full alert – oops, make that on cat nap duty.

Our Halloween kittie, Kefira, has fur as dark, and talons and fangs as sharp, as obsidian. In the US I believe that black cats are bad luck and can fall prey to those with evil in their hearts. Would we be burnt as witches? Here in England a black cat can be as lucky as a horseshoe or shamrock; except when it crosses your path the wrong was. But that’s an old wives tale and I’m only here for trick or treat.

Halloween is a time when our world is close to the spirit world, offering a bridge both ways; and in one of my stories, it is celebrated as the Veles. Today my writing is crossing a bridge, the transition between one mystery to another journey into the unknown, albeit with a rough map.

The Last Leaf will never fall

The Last Leaf will never fall (Photo credit: Behrooz Nobakht)

Yesterday I finished another edit of Wyrm Bait, a crime mystery set against the world of computer gaming, where the monsters lurking are black hats – but not wearing witches hats. This is the realm of computer hackers and gold farmers. The edit gave me draft 2, or maybe it was 2.5 as I scribbled in red over a printed manuscript first and devised key changes like protagonist 2’s POV.

I’ll leave the draft to ‘marinade’ for about six weeks, then tackle the crucial polish-edit, honing each word and phrase into jewels fit for my beta readers.

If you would like to be a beta reader please contact me. I have some gaming experts but need the writer input.

NaNoWriMo 2012

So on to November and NaNoWriMo 2012, which will be my second attempt at the challenge having completed a 50k first draft of The Last Leaf, a fantasy mystery, last year. The theoretical strategy this time is to write the first draft of Wyrm Blood, the sequel to Wyrm Bait and again linked to cyber-crime. I have done an outline, some of the characters are the same, although the ones driving some of the main plot are newcomers. I aim to do 50k during November but the first draft will be more like 80k and take six weeks.

I’m fearful of the pressure from writing 1,600-2,000 words per day, as other priorities loom including the crucial time needed to ensure my wife gets her ILR – her leave as a US citizen to settle in the UK. There are also the vagaries of my MS (Multiple Sclerosis): although the pain of the spasms is finally under control with Gabapentin, the spasms still continue and there are days when even checking emails is impossible. But it all makes for a greater challenge.

The-black-cat

Here’s hoping that black cats bring us all luck, and the black hats remain fictional in our books and get tackled by the gals in white; witches to those computer-challenged.

In the Lair of the White Witch 2

In the Lair of the White Witch 2 (Photo credit: chrisjfry)

Good writing and screaming from The Silver Scribbler.

Versatile Blogger Award + WIP Update

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Versatile Blogger Award

Many thanks to Fel Wetzig at The Peasants Revolt! (http://www.scotzig.com) for my first Versatile Blogger Award – totally amazed and very grateful.  The Award is really surprising as I struggle to blog as often as Fel and many others.

Anyway the rules are to nominate 15 more bloggers that I either follow or have recently discovered and find excellent. Then to give 7 facts about myself. (Further info on the Virtual Blogger Awards: http://versatilebloggeraward.wordpress.com/about/)

My 15 nominations in no particular order are:

Finally, 7 things about myself (which aren’t in my Bio or obvious):

  1. First Award: when I was about twelve I entered an essay competition that came with a model aircraft kit. My entry – A Day in the Life of a Helicopter Pilot – was among the winners. We all won three days with the Royal Navy visiting submarine base, fleet air arm and sailing on a destroyer in English channel.

    HMS Dolphin

     

  2. J.R.R.Tolkien: Tolkien was the major influence on me as a reader and writer. I first discovered the Professor when I was age 16 in 1969. While exploring library for Anglo-Saxon and Old English literature, I found Tolkien’s seminal Beowulf: the Monsters & the Critics. Lord of the Rings followed in one long weekend without rest and I still have the books. I read anything else of his that I could find. After years of re-reading the films were as I imagined the epic and I currently escape to Middle Earth (see 7.).

    The Monsters and the Critics

    The Monsters and the Critics (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

  3. Beaver River Expedition: while at college in Canada – early 1970s – I went on white water expedition with teachers, a marine, rugby players, and various other friends.  It was the first recorded descent of the Beaver River – although sure native Canadians beat us to it by a few hundred years.  
  4. Magazine editing: Other than mowing lawns, my first job was as a sub-editor on The Field. But this wasn’t my only magazine editing experience as at college I created a Sci-Fi-Fantasy fanzine, in mid 1980s edited a green-socialist journal (New Ground), and before retired edited & assembled a carriage driving newsletter.

     

  5. Organic Food: In late 1970s set up Celandine Foods, one of the earliest wholesale organic fruit & vegetable companies in the UK and we tried to co-ordinate organic & bio-dynamic production in area of South East England. It proved better if growers and outlets traded direct, but one of the shops re-established business with my ex-partner who still continues to wholesale as well as retail bio-dynamic & organic produce. 
  6. Clothworkers: As a Freeman of The Worshipful Company of Clothworkers I at one time believed that I could take my sheep across London Bridge.  Sadly this is no longer true – for obvious reasons – but it’s a great fantasy even if the Congestion Charge would be hefty.  (See http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/sheep-across-london-bridge-the-freedom-of-the-city-of-london for further details including amusing anecdote about Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams).
    The Livery Hall of the Clothworkers' Company i...
  7.  Perfect World: I met my wife Juanita in Perfect World (http://www.perfectworld.com/), an MMORPG (massive multiplayer online role playing game aka mainly men online role playing girls) set in a fantasy world. Even though divided by five thousand miles we met in real life and now are happily together and still gaming although in Lord of the Rings Online – http://www.lotro.com/ ). Some of course is ‘serious research’ but rest is welcome escape – when the kittens aren’t on the keyboard ‘helping’. Dogs are so much easier to train but what choice do two dog lovers have in a No Dog park home estate.

Once again thank you Fel Wetzig at The Peasants Revolt! (http://www.scotzig.com) for my first Versatile Blogger Award.

WIP Update

Spiral of Hooves:       I’m still keeping my options open as I had queries on the draft contract from Spectacle.  I’m waiting to see what they say in their clarifications before I shut other doors or avenues.  My primary intent has always been to get published but not be trapped into a tight deal or a drawn-out process.

Wyrm Bait:    I’ve done the first read-through/red-pen revision and have thousands of red scribbles, slash marks, and notes on the manuscript. But I have a much better idea of where the novel is going, how to improve the plot and how to bring my characters more to life.  Now for the rewrite which I aim to finish during October before NaNoWriMo starts.

Wyrm Blood: This is my intended writing target for NaNoWriMo 2012 (http://www.nanowrimo.org) and I already have the scribbled outline and character sketches to guide my journey.

So until the next time I find time to Blog, this is the Silver Scribbler wishing everyone Good Writing & Good health.

How do you choose which path?

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English: Crossroads - and three ways out of th...

English: Crossroads – and three ways out of the road opposite I don’t think I’ve ever seen this before on a single track road – a left, right and straight ahead lane to choose from. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

When you reach a crossroads is there a right path?  Will turning right lead to a precipice or inspiration? Is self-publishing a more stressful route than the safe traditional path?  Will choosing to focus on the task ahead be at the expense of other demands?

This last month has thrown all these questions at me, complicated by the pain and exhaustion of MS – the MonSter that shares my life.  So where to start at this crossroads with multiple junctions? News first as that can lead down other lanes.

Hoof Shine

Hoof Shone ~ Photo credit: Flickr

Spiral of Hooves: Last month (in August 2nd post) I mentioned that I was considering submitting Spiral of Hooves to a US publishing group http://www.spectaclepmg.com/.  Well I did and they wrote back saying they were interested in publishing the novel so would send me a contract. Still early days but this could be the break I dreamt of years ago.  For now I am being patient and tackling other work.

Fire Wyrm

Fire Wyrm (Photo credit: garlandcannon)

Wyrm Bait: Returning to the first draft a year after writing this second attempt at a novel, I have found elements to change but also a basic structure and characters that read well. It is tempting to work on every sentence but at this stage I am looking at the bigger picture to see if the overall plot works. One element will demand a major rewrite – Point of View (POV).

When I wrote the first draft, I had a clear idea of the protagonist and chose his POV in third person as the opening voice, which works. I deliberated about the second POV: Should I choose the antagonist?  Should I choose his ‘sidekick’?  Would a female POV be better?  In the end I chose a guy close to the villain – as that seemed easier than getting into a female head.  The option of trying to inhabit the mind of the antagonist, make him believable and not have him lie overtly, was a tall order and not something I was ready to attempt; especially Agatha Christie does it brilliantly in ‘The Murder of Roger Ackroyd’.

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In retrospect the second POV, as it currently stands, lacks credibility, perhaps because I tried to write an Asian POV plus the guy has strong similarities to the protagonist, and reads too much like an observer and victim of events.  So the conversations between him and his partner will be presented as transcripts by someone anonymous.  The new second POV who participates in the same events more actively than the Asian guy, is a female associate but American.  Having written a female POV as the protagonist in Fates Maelstrom – the latest WIP –I feel confident attempting it again.  Also the character is set to return in the sequel.

The Lair of the White Wyrm

The Lair of the White Wyrm (Photo credit: karlequin)

Wyrm Blood: After the first Wyrm Bait draft, I realised the characters and background – an online role-playing game – could support a series.  I intend to write the first draft of Wyrm Blood for NaNoWriMo in November (http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/about) and so I have outlined the plot and added to the cast.  Some months ago a short phrase came to me and I honed it until I had an opening for some story. That will now be Wyrm Blood and one of the characters will be my second POV in Wyrm Bait. Working on the characters also fed into the first of the intended Wyrm series and added new dimensions throughout.

Card from the Japanese game obake karuta, c. e...

Card from the Japanese game obake karuta, c. early 19th century. Each card features a monster from Japanese mythology and a character from the hiragana syllabary. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

MonSter: Our crossroads is not on an English or Irish lane that takes us back to the beginning.  Typing this blog has answered some of my questions and brought resolve into my plans.  There is one turning left and that is where the MonSter lives.  MS causes pain, exhaustion, headaches, spasms, gravity checks and as a result restricts my life.  If I choose the path of an agent and a publisher, I can envisage problems coping when exhaustion is an underlying concern.  How do I get to meetings, especially in London, when my mobility is a wheelchair?  What happens when I have to make verbal sense yet speaking or reading aloud is a problem?  I know that other disabled people cope and as the Paralympics draw to a close nearby I see what is possible.

However MS limits my work schedule so I make choices.  If I read all the Blogs I subscribe too, my writing time is cut short.  If I work on a book then I haven’t time to Blog. If I find time to write a Blog then editing is postponed. If the MonSter decides to run amok then I have to sleep or scream until I can re-emerge or escape into Middle Earth. It’s all about priorities and juggling but the MonSter can be managed, but not tamed, as long as I don’t overdo it and pace myself.

So if I don’t post for a few weeks, apologies. But please know that I am still writing or reading something and one day I will be back here.

Until then good writing & reading from The Silver Scribbler.

PRINCESS WHISPER

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Today we had to have one of our kitty-cats put down.  Whisper started losing her balance and falling over last week, and when we took her to the vet on Friday she was unable to stand or use her hind legs properly.  The two vets who checked her over felt it was a neurological problem and prescribed her drugs, although if we could have afforded the £1,000 bill for a neurological vet & MRI that would have been an additional option.  We watched over the weekend but she failed to respond to the antibiotics and was unable to use the litter, although she continued to drag herself around the front room to find the best place to sleep. But she was in so much pain, trembling, breathing heavily and wheezing with gaping mouth, pupils dilated. So the vet agreed that we had to end her suffering.

Our sadness continues but we know putting her to sleep was for the best. Hopefully Willow, her sister, will not pine too long for her and when we bring another kitty home she will have the company she now craves – when we’re exhausted or distracted.

Whisper was born on the 30th March 2011 on the farm at the B&B where we first stayed. So she would have been 1 year & 5 months at the end of the August, but in that short time she made an indelible impact on our lives, beginning with the moment we first met her as a tiny kitten.  A ball of fur that was shy and cold so wanted to bury herself in my clothes. She was always the shy one of the two sisters and neither boisterous nor mischievous like her sister.  But she would play, chasing balls or cat-nip mice, and catching flies or spiders; although it was without the nickel-driven exuberance of Willow.

Whisper was more refined in her behaviour, more demure and sedate with such silky thick tortoise-shell fur and a beautiful bushy tail.  We were always sure that she had Maine-Coon in her bloodline, in contrast to her slim Calico tomboy sister. Our little princess had her special habits like climbing up the ladder-back of the dining chairs and staring at my wife whenever we were going to go to bed. She also loved sleeping especially between my keyboard and monitor – although she outgrew the space.

Less endearing but memorable, was her inability to bury her poo in the litter, scraping the sides or cover but not the granules. I tried to show her the bury technique as did her sister but if I didn’t clean it up then Willow did the burying.  On reflection, we wonder whether this was the first sign of her neurological problem. Was it congenital and we missed the early clues? She had problems jumping onto the bed at first and there were times that she missed a target like the top of the toilet cistern.  But they were so occasional that it was easy to ignore them.  Not now, reflecting on her too short life. Now though she is at peace chasing butterflies by the Rainbow Bridge with my old cat Oliver and the much-loved dogs who went before them from both sides of the Atlantic.  Her ashes will sit in a kitten carving on our mantelpiece next to our daughter Carrie’s and Oliver’s.

I hope you all understand that I had to write about Whisper as a tribute to her and as catharsis. This has been another piece of stress that has added to our troubled lives and my MS triggers. I am hoping that I get prescribed with Gabapentin to ease the spasms but have yet to hear from the MS Nurse to say that she has contacted the doctor.  There are other difficulties and obstacles to tackle but hopefully in time we can move on, especially if we have the same strength that Whisper showed until the end.