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Showing posts from December, 2015

Happy New Year

So Christmas down and now New Years. One thing I don't like about New Years is everyone make promises they never keep. If you don't count in the news and politics, was 2015 really all that bad? Was it any different than the year before, or the one before that?  That's the crazy thing about the Holiday and personally I don't want anything to do with that. It's just excuses. If you are one to keep to your resolutions,  then fine, but if you know after a few days,  a week, a month, you are going to be back to the same way, then forget it.  If you are going to make a promise to yourself to do something, then that's it. You do it.  Personally, I made the decision to get down and dirty with my writing and didn't need any special day to do it. I just made the decision. I had been sitting on material and working on things here and there, but let minor things hold me back. Could have been I was too tired, or this show was on tonight, or I had to do that thi

Bring Horror Back

I've been seeing a lot of writers of "horror" write about stories that aren’t horror. Don't get me wrong. There are many things that people do that can constitute as horror. Yes. But I'm talking about horror. Real horror. Supernatural aspect. The feel of it, where you know you're unmistakably reading horror.  You know, that feeling where even if it's not flat-out horror, you still know it belongs in the genre. Sort of like Korn, which they call "Nu-Metal;" it sounds different in a lot of ways, but you know it's still metal. And you also know it is still Korn.  Remember, this is opinion, some aspects of it can change as I evolve, but for the most part I feel that horror has dropped down a few notches due to current events in the world. Why read something horrific when you could just turn on the news and there you go? Just about every time you turn on the news...  See horror is...well...horrific, but even though it should seem real and pl

We Can Do It!

You can walk outside and get inspiration from anything. That’s why sometimes working a day job is good. Or of you’re in the position of not needing money because your writing is paying the bills, then you can do  volunteer work. But the point here is bringing out ideas. Just walking down the street can conjure up a scene, or even a whole novel. I was recently thinking about how you can sit behind the paper to write and think this won't happen again, I've done my best. Or you put something aside and say you’ll get to it later, you’ve reached the peak for that moment and more will come later. But then that time comes and you feel you can't go over that peak. You felt you might have that special feeling later, but when that time comes you get cold feet and nothing comes into your mind. You see your earlier self and loath him/her, because they had something and passed the torch you your current self with confidence you could do it, but you find out you can’t. But if yo

Popping In For A Bit

It's been a bit. Have been pretty busy, but that's sort of expected around this time of the year.  I re-did The Cat in long hand, script, and like the way it evolved. I will be working full-time on this to get it out and then going back to my first novel. Going to further explore writing by hand as it slows things down a bit to think. Also, I have become more conscious  of privacy and  using other, more open, methods to write. So my answer is long hand, at least until the day job is a memory.  Had to re-evaluate a few goals, but things are still going pretty good for a guy with a 3 year old and a full time job :)  Been thinking about a few new writing tactics, too. How to make dialogue sound more realistic, not just with the actual dialogue itself, but spacing it out with the actions of the characters between what they say. There is a way and I am going to find the formula. Very important if you want your audience to get lost in your story.  And that's what I want,

Coping with Stress

Thanksgiving has come and gone, the holidays are now in the proverbial sights. Shopping, decorations, rushing!  Anxiety is high as I try to find time between work, life and writing. I love the fast pace, but writing is mostly, at least for me, something that needs a slower speed.  The industry can seem fast, and unless you're one of those writers who can put out a book every few years like you didn’t miss a beat, it can seem even faster. Writers are expected to have a new book out every 6 months or so. Throw in working full time and you may feel as though you have no time at all.  Things should slow a bit once my writing pays the bills and I can quit the day job, but that could open another can of worms.  Working at home can make you lazy. You may have more time because you’re not working the grind, but if you don’t have a routine, you can keep putting things off in favor of the comfort of your pajamas and bed.  Remember, the day job can be beneficial, as well, with the wea

Active and Passive Voice

What I post helps me in a particular way, but may not help you unless you modify it. Though, it may help you off the bat. Please do your own research on any subject I discuss.  With that out of the way, something I've come across in my formula for perfecting my story is the Active and Passive voice.  While there are times when the Passive Voice is necessary, (maybe to slow things down, or some other effect like possibly throwing off your reader) active voice is easier and more entertaining to read. It gets to the point and doesn't make the reader have to wait, which can be very annoying.  Try changing some of your sentences and see how it works for you. I will discuss more perhaps in another post about this subject.  I have a link below that is an excellent example of this subject. There are many more if you Google Active vs. Passive. Very interesting stuff:  https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/539/01/ Or: http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/passive-voic