It's an interesting visual and I thought I'd share it. You can always "like" my author page right here.
Showing posts with label crimsonstreak 2. Show all posts
Showing posts with label crimsonstreak 2. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
First Draft in Facebook
I was looking through my author page on Facebook and realized I had basically created my own timeline covering the development of my first draft of Crimsonstreak 2. How long does it take to outline a book and complete a first draft? According to this timeline, it took me 108 days to finish a first draft of the main story, which weighs in at 87,000 words.
It's an interesting visual and I thought I'd share it. You can always "like" my author page right here.
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It's an interesting visual and I thought I'd share it. You can always "like" my author page right here.
Monday, November 21, 2011
And So It Begins...
I received a very important email this weekend.
Mastermind Kate Sullivan at Candlemark & Gleam sent me my revision notes and the line-edited version of the manuscript for I, Crimsonstreak. For reasons I'll not disclose at the moment, I haven't looked over the revision notes just yet.
Let's just say, however, that I'll be doing that very, very soon.
The timing works out just perfectly; I finished my first draft of I, Crimsonstreak 2: Crimsonstreakier on Friday night. I was looking over the manuscript and really like the first half. It's fast-paced and fairly breezy like the first book. I haven't read the most recent additions to the manuscript, but I feel like it went off in too many directions and couldn't focus in the second half. The grand finale, I feel, is a bit of a letdown right now. However, that's what first drafts are for.
Still, Crimsonstreak 2 is a "backburner project." Revisions must be done to the original book first. After all, what good is a sequel if it isn't a follow-up to something that's already published? So Crimsonstreak 2 will sit for a little while. That's a good thing, though. I'll get it out of my "mindspace," which will allow me to look at it more objectively.
Let the revisions begin!
Mastermind Kate Sullivan at Candlemark & Gleam sent me my revision notes and the line-edited version of the manuscript for I, Crimsonstreak. For reasons I'll not disclose at the moment, I haven't looked over the revision notes just yet.
Let's just say, however, that I'll be doing that very, very soon.
The timing works out just perfectly; I finished my first draft of I, Crimsonstreak 2: Crimsonstreakier on Friday night. I was looking over the manuscript and really like the first half. It's fast-paced and fairly breezy like the first book. I haven't read the most recent additions to the manuscript, but I feel like it went off in too many directions and couldn't focus in the second half. The grand finale, I feel, is a bit of a letdown right now. However, that's what first drafts are for.
Still, Crimsonstreak 2 is a "backburner project." Revisions must be done to the original book first. After all, what good is a sequel if it isn't a follow-up to something that's already published? So Crimsonstreak 2 will sit for a little while. That's a good thing, though. I'll get it out of my "mindspace," which will allow me to look at it more objectively.
Let the revisions begin!
Friday, November 11, 2011
The End is Nigh
Crimsonstreak 2: Crimsonstreakier is nearing completion.
I can feel it.
Smell it.
Taste it.
So far, I have more than 80,000 words. I will probably be able to wrap things up in 5,000-6,000 words, making the sequel's main story about 10,000 words longer than the original. I find this incredibly interesting because at about 60,000 words in, I didn't know if I'd hit my 75,000 word target. Here I am now writing about how the sequel is even longer.
Obviously, I'm going to lose some of those words. I'm going to go through and hack away here once the first draft is finished. I've come to the realization that "finished" is a word that doesn't really work with writing. You'll find closure once a story is published, yes, but that doesn't necessarily mean a work is "finished."
Of course, now that I think about it, Crimsonstreak 2: Still Running may clock in even "heavier." I've left places in the manuscript for flashbacks, a technique I used extensively in the first book. These are essentially flash fiction pieces (250-500 words) that provide little vignettes into the characters. I've earmarked some sections for these little asides and imagine more will spring to mind when I read through the manuscript.
Exciting times here!
I can feel it.
Smell it.
Taste it.
So far, I have more than 80,000 words. I will probably be able to wrap things up in 5,000-6,000 words, making the sequel's main story about 10,000 words longer than the original. I find this incredibly interesting because at about 60,000 words in, I didn't know if I'd hit my 75,000 word target. Here I am now writing about how the sequel is even longer.
Obviously, I'm going to lose some of those words. I'm going to go through and hack away here once the first draft is finished. I've come to the realization that "finished" is a word that doesn't really work with writing. You'll find closure once a story is published, yes, but that doesn't necessarily mean a work is "finished."
Of course, now that I think about it, Crimsonstreak 2: Still Running may clock in even "heavier." I've left places in the manuscript for flashbacks, a technique I used extensively in the first book. These are essentially flash fiction pieces (250-500 words) that provide little vignettes into the characters. I've earmarked some sections for these little asides and imagine more will spring to mind when I read through the manuscript.
Exciting times here!
Thursday, November 10, 2011
The first draft of Crimsonstreak 2 is coming along nicely. I'm currently camped at 79,700 words after a solid 2,000-word outing last night.
I was aiming for 80,000 words initially, but I will definitely exceed that (unless I can wrap up my story threads in fewer than 300 words).
I'm juggling all kinds of things in the sequel: an alien invasion, more parallel universe tomfoolery, a lovable man-bird, a Green Lantern-like interplanetary peace corps, and the "return" of a character who didn't make it through the first book. Seriously, I've ratcheted the crazy up to 11. It's kind of embarrassing. The thing is, I know right now that it doesn't totally work because this is a first draft and first drafts must be destroyed!
I abandoned some very important characters who were prominent earlier in the book. I need to fix that. The motivations of the bad guy aren't clear. I need to fix that. I don't introduce the bad guy early enough. I need to fix that. My main character needs a more solid character arc involving his relationship with a certain someone. I need to fix that.
By the weekend, I'll probably have the first draft complete. I'll then sketch out some ideas for extra, supplemental material and get to work on some of that. After a few days or even a week, I'll hastily reformat Crimsonstreak 2 in HTML and email it to my Kindle, where I'll read through it and find out how epically I missed the mark on the first draft. I'll make corrections, I'll change plot points, move some characters around, and generally make another mess. After that, the manuscript goes to some beta readers for feedback and more general destruction.
For me, revisions generally take much longer than spitting out the first draft.
I wrote the first book, for example, in 2007. It really didn't take all that long (a few months, like this one). I played around with submitting it a couple years later, but I didn't know what I was doing. I went through several revisions until the book felt polished and then got some feedback from readers. This summer, I submitted it to a publisher. That's a four-year development cycle, with the majority of that dedicated to revising.
Of course, I was not as polished of a writer (that was my second attempt at a book while this is my seventh), so I expect this process to go a little more smoothly.
I was aiming for 80,000 words initially, but I will definitely exceed that (unless I can wrap up my story threads in fewer than 300 words).
I'm juggling all kinds of things in the sequel: an alien invasion, more parallel universe tomfoolery, a lovable man-bird, a Green Lantern-like interplanetary peace corps, and the "return" of a character who didn't make it through the first book. Seriously, I've ratcheted the crazy up to 11. It's kind of embarrassing. The thing is, I know right now that it doesn't totally work because this is a first draft and first drafts must be destroyed!
I abandoned some very important characters who were prominent earlier in the book. I need to fix that. The motivations of the bad guy aren't clear. I need to fix that. I don't introduce the bad guy early enough. I need to fix that. My main character needs a more solid character arc involving his relationship with a certain someone. I need to fix that.
By the weekend, I'll probably have the first draft complete. I'll then sketch out some ideas for extra, supplemental material and get to work on some of that. After a few days or even a week, I'll hastily reformat Crimsonstreak 2 in HTML and email it to my Kindle, where I'll read through it and find out how epically I missed the mark on the first draft. I'll make corrections, I'll change plot points, move some characters around, and generally make another mess. After that, the manuscript goes to some beta readers for feedback and more general destruction.
For me, revisions generally take much longer than spitting out the first draft.
I wrote the first book, for example, in 2007. It really didn't take all that long (a few months, like this one). I played around with submitting it a couple years later, but I didn't know what I was doing. I went through several revisions until the book felt polished and then got some feedback from readers. This summer, I submitted it to a publisher. That's a four-year development cycle, with the majority of that dedicated to revising.
Of course, I was not as polished of a writer (that was my second attempt at a book while this is my seventh), so I expect this process to go a little more smoothly.
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Updates for the Week of November 7
I have received confirmation that the short story anthology Attack of the 50FT Book has received an official reprieve. After being cancelled by Library of the Living Dead Press due to budgetary problems, the good folks at Pill Hill Press (the same place that published my short story "And the World Stopped") have decided to take on the anthology. A few of the authors dropped out, but the majority will stay the course and see their short stories published. Bravo!
Another anthology, Beta City, remains in flux, My story is short-listed on that one and stands a good chance of making it in. The antho, however, was a casualty of the purge at Library of the Living Dead. I know the editor is shopping the anthology around and hoping someone will publish it. Let's hope we find someone...and that my short story makes the final cut.
Crimsonstreak 2: Crimsonstreakier* is coming right along. The first draft is at 73,000 words. I expect this one to be a little longer than the first book. Heck, the first draft already dwarfs the original Crimsonstreak, which clocked in at a meaty 50,000 words. Crimsonstreakier may end up in the 100,000 word range when all the extra stuff is complete.
I just finished A Clash of Kings, Book 2 in the Song of Ice and Fire series. I now have to tackle A Storm of Swords, which is a couple hundred pages longer. I have until November 24th before the library Kindle lending period ends. So, um, good luck with that.
Oh, and my Colts are officially the worst team in the NFL, thanks to our hapless 0-9 record. Since I am a dull-minded fellow, I will keep watching, though I will be using this a lot:
*Not the actual title, I promise
Another anthology, Beta City, remains in flux, My story is short-listed on that one and stands a good chance of making it in. The antho, however, was a casualty of the purge at Library of the Living Dead. I know the editor is shopping the anthology around and hoping someone will publish it. Let's hope we find someone...and that my short story makes the final cut.
Crimsonstreak 2: Crimsonstreakier* is coming right along. The first draft is at 73,000 words. I expect this one to be a little longer than the first book. Heck, the first draft already dwarfs the original Crimsonstreak, which clocked in at a meaty 50,000 words. Crimsonstreakier may end up in the 100,000 word range when all the extra stuff is complete.
I just finished A Clash of Kings, Book 2 in the Song of Ice and Fire series. I now have to tackle A Storm of Swords, which is a couple hundred pages longer. I have until November 24th before the library Kindle lending period ends. So, um, good luck with that.
Oh, and my Colts are officially the worst team in the NFL, thanks to our hapless 0-9 record. Since I am a dull-minded fellow, I will keep watching, though I will be using this a lot:
*Not the actual title, I promise
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Looking Forward
I'm looking forward today.
The next few months are going to be extremely exciting. In May, my first book, I, Crimsonstreak will come out from Candlemark & Gleam.
That's kind of exciting. Just mildly so. Yes, I'm being sarcastic.
I haven't gotten edits back for the book yet. I'm hoping to finish working on the first draft of the sequel before the edits arrive, but I'm not sure that's going to happen.
I've had a lot of fun on the blog in the last few months with my "ABC's of" series. I did the ABC's of Writing and the ABC's of Star Wars (I'm planning a sequel to that as well).
I think, once the book release draws a little closer, I'll do an ABC's of I, Crimsonstreak. I've already sketched out the ideas (I could actually go ahead and write the blogs now if I wanted to and hold them later). I also plan to do some "Take 5" with some of the key characters.
Of course, I'll be supplementing the blog with more quality (cough, cough) posts and bits of advice. I have an idea for a "How to" week with a series of "How to" posts.
Plus, I want to do a post on my favorite moments from my favorite movie of the summer, Captain America,
The next few months are going to be extremely exciting. In May, my first book, I, Crimsonstreak will come out from Candlemark & Gleam.
That's kind of exciting. Just mildly so. Yes, I'm being sarcastic.
I haven't gotten edits back for the book yet. I'm hoping to finish working on the first draft of the sequel before the edits arrive, but I'm not sure that's going to happen.
I've had a lot of fun on the blog in the last few months with my "ABC's of" series. I did the ABC's of Writing and the ABC's of Star Wars (I'm planning a sequel to that as well).
I think, once the book release draws a little closer, I'll do an ABC's of I, Crimsonstreak. I've already sketched out the ideas (I could actually go ahead and write the blogs now if I wanted to and hold them later). I also plan to do some "Take 5" with some of the key characters.
Of course, I'll be supplementing the blog with more quality (cough, cough) posts and bits of advice. I have an idea for a "How to" week with a series of "How to" posts.
Plus, I want to do a post on my favorite moments from my favorite movie of the summer, Captain America,
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Status Report
This is shaping up to be a very big week.
Today, of course, marks the start of National Novel Writing Month. I've never participated, and this year continues that trend. I plan to try next year because it sounds like a lot of fun.
It's simply not feasible this year. I'm elbow-deep in writing a sequel to I, Crimsonstreak. I hit another big milestone last night, reaching 70,000 words for that book. I'm thinking the first draft will be about 80,000 words...and that's just the main narrative. Like the first book, I plan to write a bunch of supplemental material to expand the universe. That will probably add another 15,000-20,000 words. I've also left some space in the main story for a few flashback vignettes, which I used to good effect in the first book. So the sequel will end up being a bit longer than the original. Of course, it's just a first draft, so I will have to do a lot of cutting, trimming, and expounding.
A few weeks ago, I decided I wanted to power through the George R.R. Martin fantasy series "A Song of Ice and Fire." I'm not much of a fantasy reader (I'm mostly a general sci-fi type), but A Game of Thrones (my review here) was very good. I'm about 400 pages into A Clash of Kings right now. I'll have to finish it quickly; the library has also made A Storm of Swords available after I put in a hold request. With a 21-day lending limit on the library ebooks, it takes a little dedication to get through those massive tomes.
Between books in "A Song of Ice and Fire," I finished Ready Player One by Ernie Cline. The book came out this summer to quite a bit of fanfare, and it's definitely merited. I emailed the author, who has agreed to do a quick email interview with me on the blog. So when I write up my review for Ready Player One, I'll have a "Take Five with Ernie Cline" to go along with it (side note: I put an interview request in with George R.R. Martin, but I'm not crossing my fingers on that one).
I'm also the proud owner of my favorite movie of the summer:
I haven't done a formal review of Captain America: The First Avenger, but I did recap the summer's other superhero movies here.
Today, of course, marks the start of National Novel Writing Month. I've never participated, and this year continues that trend. I plan to try next year because it sounds like a lot of fun.
It's simply not feasible this year. I'm elbow-deep in writing a sequel to I, Crimsonstreak. I hit another big milestone last night, reaching 70,000 words for that book. I'm thinking the first draft will be about 80,000 words...and that's just the main narrative. Like the first book, I plan to write a bunch of supplemental material to expand the universe. That will probably add another 15,000-20,000 words. I've also left some space in the main story for a few flashback vignettes, which I used to good effect in the first book. So the sequel will end up being a bit longer than the original. Of course, it's just a first draft, so I will have to do a lot of cutting, trimming, and expounding.
A few weeks ago, I decided I wanted to power through the George R.R. Martin fantasy series "A Song of Ice and Fire." I'm not much of a fantasy reader (I'm mostly a general sci-fi type), but A Game of Thrones (my review here) was very good. I'm about 400 pages into A Clash of Kings right now. I'll have to finish it quickly; the library has also made A Storm of Swords available after I put in a hold request. With a 21-day lending limit on the library ebooks, it takes a little dedication to get through those massive tomes.
Between books in "A Song of Ice and Fire," I finished Ready Player One by Ernie Cline. The book came out this summer to quite a bit of fanfare, and it's definitely merited. I emailed the author, who has agreed to do a quick email interview with me on the blog. So when I write up my review for Ready Player One, I'll have a "Take Five with Ernie Cline" to go along with it (side note: I put an interview request in with George R.R. Martin, but I'm not crossing my fingers on that one).
I'm also the proud owner of my favorite movie of the summer:
I haven't done a formal review of Captain America: The First Avenger, but I did recap the summer's other superhero movies here.
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Crimsonstreak 2 & A Game of Thrones
It was a hectic week at work, which made it difficult to get any blogging done in addition to my writing. I spent most of my time this week working on my Crimsonstreak sequel or reading Game of Thrones: A Song of Ice and Fire.
As far as Crimsonstreak 2 goes, I'm off and running. By the end of the day, I'll have cracked the 60,000 word mark as the first draft starts to come to a close. I wrote the first Crimsonstreak fairly quickly, and the sequel is coming along nicely. I think the first draft of this one will be much more polished than the first draft of the original book. You can chalk that up to experience and becoming a better writer. Truly, my writing in 2011 is superior to my writing in 2007 in every way.
The sequel's plot is getting a little out of control, some characters are underused, and I'm worried that some of the lunacy is a little too "out there." I have several different factions in this book, and when I go through and revise, I think I'll have to streamline. I also wanted to have a bunch of interstellar cops like the Green Lanterns, so I added them to this book. I'm not sure it's an entirely successful venture, but the only thing I can do is keep writing to see where the idea goes.
The first book plays with the conventions of parallel worlds/alternate dimensions, but the sequel absolutely blows them out. I'm not going to reveal much of the plot (partially because of secrecy and partially because this is still the first draft), but let's just say the Crimsonstreak universe employs a lot of variable realities/timelines. It's fun, but also exhausting to track. The nice thing about parallel universes is the ability to see the different possibilities of what a character may have become. It also allows me to bring back (in limited form) a character who didn't survive the first book.
The first draft is approximately 75% done. I'm shooting for 80,000 words for the main adventure. It's currently missing some character vignettes (the first book is filled with these mini-scenes, which I feel give the main character and the others a little more depth). I imagine these little flashback scenes will end up adding four or five thousand words to the main story.
After the main narrative is complete, I'm going to start working on the "extra" material. The first book is unique in that it includes a ton of meta-fiction. The first-person perspective of Crimsonstreak makes it difficult to talk about other characters without feeling forced. To combat that, I wrote a bunch of newspaper & magazine articles, character journal entries, and bios to fill in some of the gaps. The material was a blast to write! For the sequel, this material isn't quite as necessary (returning characters like Colonel Chaos, Miss Lightspeed, and the Crusading Comet will already be familiar to those who've read the first book). However, with a three-year gap between the events that conclude Crimsonstreak and the beginning of Crimsonstreak 2, I have some opportunities to outline major developments in the story world that only get a passing mention in the book. I'll probably drum up some more character bios as well.
I'm trying to get as much work done on the sequel as I can. I anticipate receiving revision notes for I, Crimsonstreak very soon, and those will pretty much take over my life for a month or two.
I'm also trying to power through Game of Thrones, which I've found very enjoyable. I remember looking at all the books in the A Song of Ice and Fire saga in the bookstore a long time ago and saying, "There's no way I could ever read that." Well, thanks to the advent of Kindle library lending, I'm giving it a chance. I'm more of a science fiction guy than a fantasy-slash-medieval world fan, but the writing is excellent and the characters are wonderfully realized. It's just hard to juggle reading such a long book, working on my own writing, and going to work.
Ah, but that's what most writers have to do. I've heard the HBO series is very good, and thought I'd give the books a shot. When I'm finished, I hope to catch the HBO series on DVD.
So far, this is about all that's going on in my corner of the writing world. I have several short stories sitting idle on my computer right now. I also have a list of story ideas in my trusty notebook, but right now it's time to focus on my Crimsonstreak sequel and catch up on some reading.
As far as Crimsonstreak 2 goes, I'm off and running. By the end of the day, I'll have cracked the 60,000 word mark as the first draft starts to come to a close. I wrote the first Crimsonstreak fairly quickly, and the sequel is coming along nicely. I think the first draft of this one will be much more polished than the first draft of the original book. You can chalk that up to experience and becoming a better writer. Truly, my writing in 2011 is superior to my writing in 2007 in every way.
The sequel's plot is getting a little out of control, some characters are underused, and I'm worried that some of the lunacy is a little too "out there." I have several different factions in this book, and when I go through and revise, I think I'll have to streamline. I also wanted to have a bunch of interstellar cops like the Green Lanterns, so I added them to this book. I'm not sure it's an entirely successful venture, but the only thing I can do is keep writing to see where the idea goes.
The first book plays with the conventions of parallel worlds/alternate dimensions, but the sequel absolutely blows them out. I'm not going to reveal much of the plot (partially because of secrecy and partially because this is still the first draft), but let's just say the Crimsonstreak universe employs a lot of variable realities/timelines. It's fun, but also exhausting to track. The nice thing about parallel universes is the ability to see the different possibilities of what a character may have become. It also allows me to bring back (in limited form) a character who didn't survive the first book.
The first draft is approximately 75% done. I'm shooting for 80,000 words for the main adventure. It's currently missing some character vignettes (the first book is filled with these mini-scenes, which I feel give the main character and the others a little more depth). I imagine these little flashback scenes will end up adding four or five thousand words to the main story.
After the main narrative is complete, I'm going to start working on the "extra" material. The first book is unique in that it includes a ton of meta-fiction. The first-person perspective of Crimsonstreak makes it difficult to talk about other characters without feeling forced. To combat that, I wrote a bunch of newspaper & magazine articles, character journal entries, and bios to fill in some of the gaps. The material was a blast to write! For the sequel, this material isn't quite as necessary (returning characters like Colonel Chaos, Miss Lightspeed, and the Crusading Comet will already be familiar to those who've read the first book). However, with a three-year gap between the events that conclude Crimsonstreak and the beginning of Crimsonstreak 2, I have some opportunities to outline major developments in the story world that only get a passing mention in the book. I'll probably drum up some more character bios as well.
I'm trying to get as much work done on the sequel as I can. I anticipate receiving revision notes for I, Crimsonstreak very soon, and those will pretty much take over my life for a month or two.
I'm also trying to power through Game of Thrones, which I've found very enjoyable. I remember looking at all the books in the A Song of Ice and Fire saga in the bookstore a long time ago and saying, "There's no way I could ever read that." Well, thanks to the advent of Kindle library lending, I'm giving it a chance. I'm more of a science fiction guy than a fantasy-slash-medieval world fan, but the writing is excellent and the characters are wonderfully realized. It's just hard to juggle reading such a long book, working on my own writing, and going to work.
Ah, but that's what most writers have to do. I've heard the HBO series is very good, and thought I'd give the books a shot. When I'm finished, I hope to catch the HBO series on DVD.
So far, this is about all that's going on in my corner of the writing world. I have several short stories sitting idle on my computer right now. I also have a list of story ideas in my trusty notebook, but right now it's time to focus on my Crimsonstreak sequel and catch up on some reading.
Monday, September 5, 2011
A quick Reggie Miller Writing Continuum Update!
Quick Reggie Miller Writing Continuum update!
I'm working on a new book right now and hoped to be well past the 30,000-word mark by now. I'm just barely over that at the moment...and I needed to rally yesterday to make it happen.
During a quiet night of writing, I pounded out more than 3,000 words, putting me on the lower end of "Sold-Out Conseco" on the Reggie Miller Writing Continuum.
Monday, August 8, 2011
Boom, Baby!
A super-productive day today! I banked 5,400 words on my latest book, earning the rare (and distinguished!) position of Reggie at the Garden on the Reggie Miller Writing Continuum. To celebrate, I'm having a cookie and reliving my favorite "Garden variety" moment:
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Saturday Progress
Saturday isn't over yet, but so far we're at 1,500 words. I'd really like to hit "Reggie at the Garden" this weekend, but that is a very, very tall order. We'll see what happens.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Moving right along...
After realizing I've neglected the blog of late, I prepped a few blog posts tonight.
Writing progress was slow, but I finally got into a groove, finishing with 1,700 words and giving me another Average Night on the Reggie Miller Writing Continuum.
Writing progress was slow, but I finally got into a groove, finishing with 1,700 words and giving me another Average Night on the Reggie Miller Writing Continuum.
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