Tag: #amreading

Somehow….I didn’t get much done really. Or did I?

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Hello

 

Looking back over my last post I realise I’ve only partially stuck to my new routine over the past week.

The writing part of my routine has moved as slowly as ever. This is due in no small part to working over-time on Saturday, wanting to chill on Sunday, and starting back on the weights again Monday through till Today. Now, I don’t lift a crazy amount of weights but after 6 months of not using them at all, it’s made me pretty tired and lacking in the energy to write. Though I know this will change once exercise is as much a part of my routine as writing, reading and editing, I’m hoping it will come sooner rather than later. I’m feeling tired now as I write this post. I have managed to write a character profile for the hero of my time travel piece. Once I get my internet sorted, as in unlimited and not with a cap on it, I’m looking forward to going head long into time travel research. Who knows what I’ll come out with or even if my mind can handle it.

The editing part of the routine is going along as always. I’ve just finished Chapter 7 as it goes. It ended pretty poorly and I noticed how I’m very aware of the style of my story. My hero was on a hunt when he got distracted by his would be love interest. I added this in because it’s happened to me before. Not the hunt thing the distracted by love interest thing. I’m glad this is in as I hope it gets across how normal my seemingly abnormal hero can be. Like I said, the chapter ended pretty poorly and when I edited it, I removed three lines and put in one new one. I’ve read enough about having to be ruthless whilst editing and to make sure everything left in is useful to the story and I think I’m getting the hang of it.

The reading part of the routine is coming along nicely. Along with moving onto the latest edition of Writing Magazine, which has an interesting article regarding how Amazon could help authors instead of hindering them that was pretty interesting (thank you Tom Ellis author of the Parish & Richards crime series) I have been moving on with my current book to read, Seven Deadly Sins: Settling the Argument by Corey Taylor. As in, the lead singer of Slipknot and Stone Sour aka The Great Big Mouth. Now, I picked this up because I’ve heard a lot about how tough and diverse his upbringing was and listened to how he has used it to help his song writing but my curiosity wanted to know more. And so far I’ve not been disappointed. Some of things he’s gotten up to so far, I’m up to chapter about Sloth if you’ve read it before, are…well…all over the place, which is how I like my reading to be. He does this with structure and he writes so well I’m glad I forked out the money for it. To think I forgot I had it until I came across it when I last moved house.

Ok. That’s me for the time being. Have a good week.

Cheers

Getting a routine going.

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Helllo

 

How do I get a routine going? Do I just start doing stuff and hope it all falls into place or do I stick to a plan and never waver from it whatsoever?

I’m not sure really. After a week of trying to stick to a routine which encompassed doing three things every evening I’m having a mixed time of it.

Firstly, the routine in question. I decided, after going back to my parents’ house for a weekend and finding two Writing Magazine’s for October and November and having not finished reading September’s, I needed to crack on. I didn’t want to rush for obvious reasons but I did need to get to the reading and that. So it was that I said to myself I will read some of my magazine every evening. I will also edit a few pages of my story and start to write another one.

I’m not doing too badly so far. I’m reading the magazine more frequently and getting, as usual, all kinds of helpful hints and tips from the articles and reader’s letters. One letter had me re editing something I’d only ten minutes prior edited. I pretty much slagged off a venue in Manchester and remembered, if I sell copies of my book someday, that I can’t do that unless I’d liked to get sued. Thankfully it was a quick edit to change from a negative to a neutral stand point on the particular place. This shows me that at least one part of my routine is working.

So far as editing goes, that’s moving along as well but not as fast as I’d like. It’s all my fault but what can I say, life keeps getting in the way. I didn’t sleep very well last night so I got to bed early the next, I played on my Xbox all night, I was drinking at a beer festival all day Sunday and was hung over all day Monday, you know the drill. I’m hoping to catch up with my editing this weekend and am looking forward to my own, made up, NaEdMo (National Editing Month) extravaganza. More on NaEdMo closer to the time.

The writing has gone even slower. I’ve started to make notes, which has led to having to do plan to do extensive research on time travel in the future, for a sci-fi story I’ve wanted write for a while. I’m not going to mention anything about it but for anyone who’s written a story with time travel in it, it does seem to be a bit of a mess. I’m sure whatever I come up with will be ripe for someone to pick holes in. Most time travel stories are whether they are air tight with their logic or not.

Right I’m done. Thanks for reading. Have a good week.

One off, One on, and a pleasant surprise?

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Hello

 

In case you noticed, I didn’t update my little corner of the internet last week. That was because I had done exactly bugger all in the way of writing. I’m not sure how it happened but that week just flew by. I do remember thinking about what I was going to write next though. When I had chance. Which was never during that week. But I did keep on reading Dorian Gray. I think it was once on the tram to work. So that was One week off writing. But then…

One week on it! As I wrote a couple of weeks ago, I was considering writing a short story based around the idea of the two greatest warriors of a fictional planet. But, I’m thinking that will make a good, full length story or a novella. As I was writing the synopsis and background to it I realised a short story would end up long or novella anyway. Having put that on the back burner, I decided to sit down and write off the top of my head. The last time I did this, wanting to write a short story only, just so I can get a story written as the time before that, a few years back, I did the same thing and it ended up getting really, really long. I’ll get back to that little ditty at some point.

Anyway, I sat down to write a few years ago, off the top of my head, and that turned into my bugbear odyssey, The Town of the Mountain. And as I sat down to write a few days ago I began to tell the tale of a hunt. A bloke hunting and fighting a demon. Which has turned into part of the second book to follow on from Town of the Mountain. It has been running around my head for about a year now so I thought, why not put some of it down on paper. I’m planning on several short stories focusing on all the main characters that will feature in the second book. I have to say, taking a week off can be pretty good sometimes. I took a week off from running as well, which led to…

A pleasant surprise? I ran my quickest run for ages after a week off. Although what I got next took the goodness of that away. I received my running number for the Manchester Bupa 10k Run 18/05/2014. Last year I was in the third group to run, now I’ve gone and put myself in the second group. The white one. The group I remarked on, as they ran passed in the opposite direction looking all professional and that as I ran passed trying not to laugh at the guy dressed as a Rubik Cube, how professional and that they all looked. I was a little worried after I opened the letter but now, I’m looking forward to it. A challenge for me to beat last years’ time. And push myself further as well. I’ll go for a beer afterwards anyway so there is that.

Right, I’m off to do some chores. Hope you have a good week.

Bye

Short stories take a long time.

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Hello

Last week I wrote about how I thought doing a lot of things, editing, reading and writing, all in one session could be harder or easier than I thought. I wasn’t sure if I could do it but I was going to try. It seems my subconscious has made my decision for me.

Editing done in the past week = None.

Reading done in the past week = Some.

I’ve kept reading the Bottle Imp, which is a really good piece of suspense and thoroughly enjoyable read so far, but I’m yet to finish. I said I’d finish it last Tuesday night. What a fool I was.

Writing = A fair amount.

Along with doing some reading, mostly to and from my girlfriends flat, I have started and am close to finishing my first short story of the year. It is the story of an immortal who lives in modern day Manchester. He was born in 1900 and has travelled the world seeking the reason for his existence. He knows there are more of his kind but, as they all travel as much as he does seeking new adventures and getting away from people who have worked out or who are about to work out their secret, he has been unable to find any of them. Then he decides to commit an act that will get theirs, and his main target, The First Immortal’s attention. He feels The First must have the answer he craves. But will it be that easy?

Buggered if I know. I have one ending which I’m going to go with initially but I’m going to consider a few more, whatever they are, as well. I am glad I have written this story. It has been on my mind for a while. The word length will stay at 3000 so when I’m done, and I know I’ll go over it, the edit will delete the unwanted words. And then the next edit. And so on…

As for The Picture of Dorian Gray, that will have to wait a few more days. The Bottle Imp looks to be coming to an end, I only know this without reading the ending as I checked when it roughly finished, and then it will be onto Oscar Wildes book. Here’s hoping all this build up I’m giving it will be worth it.

Ok, well I’m off to watch Olympiakos Vs.Man Utd. Have a good week and enjoy as much of it as possible.

Bye Bye