Day Three!

Well, I'm over 13k in my word count now. It feels OK, but not as epic as last month. I think I went somewhere around 18k by this time in October. Still, I'm on pace for, well, let's see...

A 50k completion around the 11th and a total word count topping at over 125k. That makes me feel much better. Shoot, if I can overachieve by that much I'll be ecstatic. I really had to muscle through my first novel's last ten thousand words or so. Its a good feeling to have one novel under my belt. This badass novelist just has to replicate the results +2 or 3 points.

Even if I only meet my goal of 60,000 by the 30th I'll be happy. That's +8k my final total for "Fool's Gold." In fact, at this pace I may end up doing a second book this month after all. I said I'd spend the end of the month editing and rewriting Fool's Gold...but I don't know. People are pushing me in the Overachiever's threads on the NaNo site.

In any case, I am still having fun writing this SciFi book. The Captain is a crossdesser after he snapped and went bonkers. The female main character is kickass, and the Russo-American Pirate speak is really working. Haha.

Writer's Tip: If writing about pirates or those that speak like pirates Alestorm or other Pirate metal really helps.

In any case, good luck to all the WriMos! Keep it up comrades!

Well, I'm back

So, I've been neglecting my written blog in favor of my Vlog on another account. I suppose its time to come back to the world of writing. Still, multimedia is great stuff! I love it when authors and other artists take the effort and time to make their work a multimedia explosion of goodness rather than just one medium. Don't get me wrong, operating in one specialized medium is still great! I just like being immersed in the art that I take in sometimes so its cool to see different forms of the same stuff.

In any event, I'm back and I'm having a dilemma. There are two plots/ideas buzzing around inside my skull for my first NaNoWriMo novel in November. Its coming down to the wire here with November about a week away, so I need to make a decision. Anyone with an idea or suggestion please comment!

OK, so I was going to do my novel in the fantasy world I've been building for almost 10 years. I've designed a new nation, culture, and even their language as part of the planning process for the book. However, just yesterday I had a flash of inspiration for a wicked badass SciFi plot. So, my question is this:

Which idea should I go with? The primitive rainforest dwelling tribes being invaded and annexed by the Empire in a High Fantasy medeival sort of environment? Or the futuristic SciFi novel where we've all nearly become cyborgs and there are only three massive empires to serve as political bodies in the world? OR, the dangerous option, BOTH?

Now, I'm already going back-to-back with novels in October and November. I also feel like I might be gearing up for 6 back-to-back month novels, possibly even a whole year of books. Still, my first book was done in 10 days! So its entirely plausible I could complete two novels in a month. What do you all think?

I have a sneaking suspicion I'll end up doing both, but I'm unsure. I did say I'd take my second novel at a more sane pace to try and get it really right. This new plot is just so delicious though.

Fool's Gold Prologue

So, my first novel is tentatively entitled "Fool's Gold" though I am looking for a much better title than that. As promised, here is the excerpt. It has not been edited in anyway from its original Rough Draft form except to add one paragraph at the beginning. So, take it in that manner. I will share a link to the novel in its entirety on fictionpress.com a the bottom of this blog entry. For those of you that wish to "beta-test" the book feel free to head on over there.
Please share you comments and reviews if you have anything to say! I hope you enjoy and Happy Reading!
Note that this material is DEFINITELY not public domain. It is COPYRIGHT Adam King 2013. However, you may all share this excerpt as much as you like as long as you properly attribute it and maintain the copyright notice, please.

Prologue

Before Pyrite came in and pulled our city up by the roots life was good. I mean, I was homeless and on the streets, but life was good. We got by and never really starved. Showers were far in between as were clean sheets. Still, those things are for the privileged. We certainly weren’t that and life was still good. Everything began to change when the man in the suit came to see us.

He sat down on the sagging couch. We all exchanged looks. Nobody sat on that damn couch. For one thing it smelled awful. Second, it had bugs. We only kept the thing around for appearances. That tarp-walled house needed to look comfortable. Our real comfort was in the protection from rain and wind. The cement of the overpass above kept rain away. Old blue tarps hanging from clothesline poles and basketball hoops kept out wind. We had a pretty nice setup for homeless really. There were even doors and windows fashioned from doubled up pieces of tarp.

I looked to the newcomer; grinned at his ignorance and idiocy. The guy wore a suit to the slums for fuckssake. His gray houndstooth jacket was offset by bright cuff links and silver Rolex. A gray fedora-type hat made him all but a stereotype of organized crime. A red tie stood out against a black shirt. This man probably couldn’t help us, but it was worth trying. He supposedly had connections to some new synthetic drug. Designers were all the rage in those days. Ecstasy was old news, people wanted some new shit.

“What you got for us?” I said, perhaps a bit rougher than I should.

“Something new,” was all he said. He looked to Meggs. In that instant I really hated him. Sure, Meggs was the oldest. She ran things from behind the scenes, keeping all us youngsters from going too nutso. I was the face of the Crew. I should be respected by getting direct attention.

“What in particular, my friend?” Meggs asked.

The guy hesitated, reluctance was written all over his frame. He fidgeted and looked around the dirt-ridden house. I looked at Meggs and rolled my eyes.

“Well, miss,” he began, “it’s a sort of chemical made in a lab…”

“We were told it would get people high,” I cut across.

“It is a psychoactive substance, yes. It’s cheap and easy to make and there are legitimate companies interested in marketing it. We, however, would prefer to keep it quiet and not flood the market.”

“That’s where we come in?” Meggs.

“Yes, of course.”

“What’s our cost?”

“Nothing initially, just distribute it for us. Our cut will be 33%; you need the money more than we. We know you do not have…” here he cleared his throat. I hated him even more. At least have the guts to call it what it was: we were dirt poor. “…Much to offer in terms of monetary gains for startup. We have our own ways of making money anyway.”

“Alright, but there must be a catch,” Me, butting in again, adamant he should recognize my place.

“No catch. Well, other than this. The very principles of the chemical are…well, a bit dangerous. It is exceedingly addictive and over-use leads to violent outbursts. Still, one must be on the verge of overdose to get to that level. This drug, luckily, isn’t one that people usually want to repeat using right away. Its power is such that at least a few hours rest is usually desired. Still, I could not, in good conscience, neglect to mention this.”

“Shit, meth does all that other than make you not want to use it again,” I said. Meggs looked at me, stern. I pursed my lips and looked back to the man. He was finally acknowledging me.

“Yes, that is true. This, however, is more of a mental drug. It is a stimulant, but it causes more introspection. It isn’t a party drug in the sense that cocaine, methamphetamine, and ecstasy are,” he said, grinning.

Meggs and I looked at each other and at the other two Crew members.

“Thank you for coming down here, sir. We are much obliged. Are there other groups your company is interested in employing for these purposes? Or could we have a day to think it over? We make it a point not to make these kinds of deals without the whole family being here,” Meggs said, the epitome of politeness.

The man’s eyes pinched the slightest bit. He didn’t like the situation, but it was clear there weren’t many options.

“There are other factions we could contact,” he said, “but they are all gangs. We would prefer to invest in one of the more fringe-groups, such as you. The more law-abiding people, though that, of course, is used loosely. So, yes, I see no issue with coming back down here tomorrow at this hour. Will that be sufficient time?” He smiled, but we could tell it was a little forced. This guy disliked dealing with our lot that much was obvious.

“Oh, of course! That will work splendidly!” Meggs said, smiling more widely than the visitor. Her voice mimicked his affluent tone.

The gentleman relaxed noticeably, nodded twice, then shook our hands and left the house. We all looked around at each other and laughed. Once he was out of earshot we laughed louder. That couch was disgusting. It would be a shock if the man didn’t bring some fleas home to his wife and kiddos. That was our revenge for his disdain. It was a small thing, but satisfying.

Meggs tipped a wink at me and smiled.

“Sorry for the stinkeye bit, Zippo. This could be big money though!”

“I know. I just hate those snooty bigshot corporate sellouts.”

“We all do, girly.”

I sighed and nodded. Then, clapping my cousin Noffy on the shoulder, I flounced down onto the queen mattress we shared. My electric green hair flopped. I hadn’t bothered to gel it up into its customary mohawk. It hung down one side of my freckly pale face. The green clashed terribly with my pink shirt and yellow jeans. That was OK though. I always preferred to stand out, even sorethumb-like.

“We’re in the money now, eh Noffs!?” I asked, jubilant to play off his somber appearance.

He stared straight ahead, a crooked little grin just pulling at one lip corner. Glasseyed, zombieish, and gothic in his dress, Noffy was the antithesis of my flamboyancy. My older cousin had been a chilled out pothead while I was still in third grade. His calm demeanor balanced my hotheaded attitude. Black hair, dyed that way as the brown roots testified, hung down, greasy, over a turned up collared shirt and a tweed jacket. I hated that jacket, leather elbow patches and all. Whenever Noffy wore it I made sure to poke him in the ribs and call him “Professor.” He didn’t care. He didn’t seem to care about anything.

“I guess. Still, man, what’s money really?” he asked.

I rolled my eyes and tousled his hair. That’s the one thing he really hated.

“Oh lighten up you fuckin’ beatnik.”

He sighed and toked up a joint. I flinched away from the lighter. Jerk was paying me back for touching his hair. I couldn’t stand open flames. Everyone thought it was the height of irony that my nickname was shared with a lighter brand.

“What’s light but a lack of darkness Zipps?”

“Most people say that the other way around, bro.”

He nodded.

“I’m not most people.”

I nodded, emulating his high. I took the joint and pulled on it.

“Yea, man, we’re all one though didn’t you know?” I said pitching my voice husky and slow.

He laughed; he loved it when I tried to be a hippy surfer pothead.

“Yea, dude, I guess. Most people don’t know that though,” he said.

It was my turn to laugh. This was good kicks. I passed the roach back and looked around. Meggs had stepped out while Noffy and I shared banter. She probably had some walking to do. I was sure she’d be thinking about the deal on her own before we all argued about it. Zag hulked in the corner, leaning against a precariously tilting tarp wall, muscles dragging the plastic outward. Usually he would be more involved, but he was on shrooms that morning. His pupils were hubcaps as he stared around the house.

“Yo, Zag! You doin’ OK over there?” I asked.

It took him a second to find the source of my voice. When he finally looked at me he just nodded vaguely and giggled. He sat up more straight.

“I almost melted into the wall there, man, you saved my life,” he said, collapsing into a true fit of laughter.

I couldn’t help but laugh with him. Noffy passed me the joint and I took a couple huge hits. Coughing, I wiped my eyes, tears eked out the corners. I was laughing as hard as Zag and I was only stoned. Even Noff joined in. This was even better kicks than the suitguy.

“What you seein’ out there in the cosmos, bro?” Noffy.

“Man, I see the universe.”

“Truth,” Noff muttered.

“I guess,” I said, chiming in.

The two boys looked at me, Zag with his strawberry straw hair and patched denim. They laughed harder than ever. I don’t know why, but apparently a chick joining the conversation was funny as cold shit on a penguin’s ass. I laughed right along with them, it was fuckin’ funny I guess.

Those were the good days. It was before everything got real complicated and after we’d settled into our family. It was just the five of us. We’d carved out a good little slice of hell and were OK with it. That overpass shanty we called the Cave was just right. Our Crew fit in just cozy enough to stay warm in the winter but with enough space to chill out in the summer. The windows stayed open from May to October usually and we slept outside a lot. We lived in the armpit of California and summers were fucking hot.

When I look back on that year or so of the good times I feel good. Sure, it’s sad those times are over, but it was a major period in my life. Those months shaped me more than my entire broken childhood. My pierced lip, constantly changing hair color, and shredded, ridiculous Lite Brite clothing still sit in my closet even after all these years. I’m in a real house now, but sometimes, when I see the A/C bill in July, I really miss that little dumpheap. More than that, I miss the Family. We were tighter than any crew around. All that would change sooner than we expected. Something about our ages made us think we’d always be living that way. The only one that may have seen this for foolishness was Meggs. She was always the wisest one, though Noffy seemed more that way from outward appearance. Yea, I really miss those days.

If you made it this far then I thank you very much for reading! It is wonderful that people seem interested in reading this and have supported me thus far in my fiction writing endeavors! Here is the link to the full text of the rough draft, all 119 pages of it. The link will only be live for a limited time as I will be removing the novel from all internet places during the rewriting and (fingers crossed!) publishing phases. Oh, feel free to skip the prologue as you've already read it here! =) Thanks again! You are all the reason I continue to write.

Fool's Gold

Personal Tips/Rules/Advice for Writing Fiction

1. Adverbs

Do not overuse adverbs. You'll find that most adverbs can be modified into adjective clauses or phrases with ease. In fact, I find myself doing this ALL THE TIME. In my second sentence, for example, I could have written: You'll find that most adverbs can easily be modified... However, I didn't, because adverbs, while they can be useful, tend to be less effective than adjectives. Something about modifying a verb instead of the noun just isn't as powerful. This may come down to personal style, but I first read this advice from Stephen King. So, if the God of Modern Horror says it, I tend to agree. Just kidding. I agree with him in truth.

Adverbs are often over used and adjectival clauses just flow better if you ask me.

2. Cliched Phrases

DO NOT, under ANY circumstances (except very special and rare situations), use the following phrases in your fiction:

"Cold as ice"

"Vast wilderness"

"Mad as a hatter"

"A rose by any other name..." *add vomit noise*

"Actions speak louder than words"

"Calm before the storm"

"March of time/history"

And any number of OVERUSED useless crap-phrases. If you've heard it so many times you are no longer certain of it's exact meaning, it's a safe bet you shouldn't use it. Also, if your parents ever repeated it to you many times, DO NOT USE IT. These phrases are boring, trite, and make me gag. They can be replaced so easily that when I see them I almost always stop reading. There are rare instances where such usages may be appropriate. I can't think of any other than maybe certain dialogue or a period novel where such phrases were commonplace. Still, even then, make up your own freaking metaphors people. It's just dull otherwise.

In my first novel, for example, when I wanted to describe something as funny instead of "it was funny as hell" or "it was a kick and a half" or some such nonsense I used:

"funnier than cold shit on a penguin's ass"

It's creative and it grabs the reader's attention (I think). Plus, my character is a punk so irreverent humor such as that fits well. It also has NOTHING to do with humor in and of itself. It's the context that counts here.

Oh, one more thing, if it ends with "as hell," "as all hell," or any variation thereof, just don't use it. 

3. Please, please, please, please, PLEASE do not write about vampires. It's over. Come up with something new for SANITY'S SAKE! I was so tired of sparkly vampire bullshit romances I wrote a story about a chupacabra. That's a nocturnal monster that is almost NEVER written about.

Same goes for werewolves, zombies, and other over-used "creatures of the night." (Though I'm a bit more lenient on those ones.) Unless you have some MARVELOUS new spin on this stuff, it's been done and overdone and overdone for DECADES. PLEASE follow this rule. I mean, if you ignore EVERY other piece of writing advice you've EVER read HEED THIS ONE. It's been ridiculous for at least two years now.

One last caveat, if you just HAVE to write about vampires maybe try going back a couple centuries and sticking to Bram Stoker's model for them or similar. Even better, maybe do some research and actually READ myths and legends from Transylvania and other rural areas about these monsters. If I have to read one more short story or novel about day-walking hipster vampires I will literally choke on my morning toast. If it's dead and it sucks blood it better be something creative. This should be obvious but: if you do write something vampire-related DO NOT ask me to read it or review it. I will trash the hell out of it. You don't want that and I don't want that. I'm a nice person but I will claw your heart right out of your chest if you make me read about vampires (picture that scene in Temple of Doom where the cult dude goes uber Aztec and rips the heart out of the guy's chest with one bare hand).

4. Culture Counts People

If you're going to extend outside of the "write what you know rule" that's fine. However, do not write about a culture you know NOTHING about. It's best if you've at least visited the place. If that isn't possible then watch some videos of native people not intended for tourists' eyes. Read a book written by someone from that country. For crapsake at least check a Travel Guide or SOMETHING!

Japanese people do NOT say "O-genki desu ka" every time they bump into a friend, just as an off-the-top-of-my-head example. I had this from a native Japanese person here on business, so believe it. I say this because FanFiction about anime is very popular even now. If you do watch a lot of anime and in Japanese listen for that phrase. I can't recall a single time I've heard it used!

Same goes for all cultures, not just Japanese. If you want to write about some obscure Amazonian tribe with only ten surviving members more power to you! You'd better hope some dusty anthropologist has cataloged their culture and published it publicly though. I am not above fact-checking the fiction I read if it claims to be about an existing culture.

5. World Crafting

What I don't like to see is a world that feels as if I've been to it before in a fantasy or sci-fi novel. If your geography begins to seem mysteriously like Middle Earth (epic, world-ending volcano and all) then I probably won't like it. Make this YOUR world. Better yet, make it your CHARACTERS' world. This applies outside fantasy too.

One of the most insightful things anyone ever said to me about writing is this: "It's your novel, it's your characters' world." That stuck with me. So keep this in mind when you have your head in maps, linguistic charts, and the other ephemera of world-crafting. Your characters should fit into the world. It should feel as if they came OUT OF that world. Just as the phrase "I was born into the world" is complete and utter nonsense the same holds for a fictional universe.

Furthermore, it is OK to make a world in which the animals are the same as our animals. People can sometimes tend to go hog-wild coming up with substitutes for dogs, cats, and horses. If you read the bestselling fantasy authors' works (i.e. George R.R. Martin, Tolkien, and others) they generally avoid doing this. Sure, they may come up with some new spin to add, but horses are basically horses in most (good) fantasy novels/series I've read.

When it comes to mythical or supernatural creatures I have a bit of a different tack. These are your elves, dwarves, trolls, fairies, and such. With those kinds of guys I really like to see a return to more traditional interpretations. Tolkien did the whole tall, beautiful, elegant, and artistic elf thing and people have been copying that ever since. Why not go back to the little shoe-making miniature humans? Do something unexpected and actually research Nordic or Anglo-Saxon mythology and make your Giants into Frost, Fire, and other such Giants. Or, come up with an entirely new spin on these over-used species. If you can't come up with some new way of spinning something a general rule of thumb is to just take another approach altogether.

6. Consistency and Follow-through

These are two distinct features, but they go together.

Make sure, when you do your rewriting process(es), that your story or book is consistent. If you spell some word in a unique way stick to it. If somebody had a character trait and then it disappears a couple pages later that's an issue. Yes, characters should grow and change, but they don't do so without explanation. People don't just wake up one morning and say "I'm not going to be a crack addict anymore" after five years of heavy use. It's an extreme example, but it makes the point.

On the subject of follow-through. If you mention something at the beginning of your story use it again later! This is most applicable to character traits in books or longer short stories. When you say something interesting about a character's background or attitude and forget about it readers will notice. Either go back and reference the trait or what-have-you at least a couple times OR delete it. If it isn't important enough to bring up more than once it doesn't deserve to be in your story.

7. Be Ruthless in Your Rewrite

This takes guts.

The best approach is to let your story/novel "rest" a while before the rewrite. Our fiction can feel somewhat like our child when it's just finished. Set it in a drawer and forget about it for two weeks or so (a month for a full-length novel) then go back to it. You'll be much less attached in most cases. This is crucial to a good rewriting process. I'm not talking about proofreading here. I'm talking about when that minor character you adored writing about just has to go buh-bye.

This is kind of similar to follow-through in that: if it isn't worthy of being in your story at least twice it should be destroyed. Same thing goes for elements that do not affect the plot or a sub-plot in any way. Let me be clear, there will ALWAYS be some fluff to any story. Still, you should keep that to a minimum. If it isn't essential or almost essential to your story arc then chances are it can be disposed of without a twinge of guilt.

Rewriting can still be a painful process for a writer even after letting the story rest. We grow attached to our work. It's a part of us as part of us is present within the pages of ink. Sometimes a character, a whole scene, or even a chapter that you absolutely LOVED is dragging your pacing through the mud and must be eradicated.

So, be ruthless. You're a Creator of Worlds and a Conqueror of All Nations, act like one!

Oh, and get AT LEAST three sets of fresh and objective eyes on your work. Don't make your mommy read it as your only critic. Sometimes it's nice to hear her gush and fawn over what you've done, sure. The rewriting process should not be one of those times. You want people that can be as ruthless as you can be and, if possible, MORE ruthless. This should be started prior to your own rewrite begins. Best case scenario is you don't even look at your work again until those three people have given you their analyses. You never know how long someone will take to a) read your story and b) come up with constructive and meaningful criticisms and ideas. More important is this: if you miss something in your personal rewrite you'll be annoyed when someone points it out. Read their input as you go through and do your own cutting, slashing, and beefing up.

8. Don't Be a Sissy

People die. Disasters happen. Tragedy strikes when we least expect it. Your story (depending on genre, of course) should not shy away from these things in most cases. People LOVE trauma and drama. Martin's odyssey A Song of Ice and Fire wouldn't be 1/4 as popular if everyone just got along (not that you don't pray for that to happen JUST ONCE when you're reading the fucking thing). We, as human beings, EAT THAT SHIT UP. Characters dying, countries imploding on themselves, and epic wars that erase entire cultures are what people really like to see. Granted there are times this scale of disaster is inappropriate.

If you're writing a YA novel about a high school the disasters and tragedies are going be more trivial (to any intelligent adult, that is). The woes of dating during adolescence. The troubles girls go through getting their hair and makeup JUST SO every damn morning. Those kind of things. There's got to be SOME conflict somewhere. People tend to get sentimental when they're writing.

In one of my stories I knew from halfway through that my favorite main character (other than the narrator) would die at some point. It's one of those things that you just know intuitively. I didn't want to do it. I fought it, I resisted it, I kicked and screamed my way all the way to the last page. Guess what? She died. She just HAD to. I couldn't sleep knowing I'd chickened out and let her live.

Don't be a sissy!

This all might seem like a no-brainer but you'd be surprised how many fluff bunny lovefest stories I've come across.

9. "The first draft of anything is shit."

 Ernest Hemingway once said that. It still rings true.

Your first draft will not be a bestseller. It probably won't even sell to your cousins across town.

This is something I picked up from trolling around the NaNoWriMo forums and reading "No Plot, No Problem." (If you're going to do NaNoWriMo and never have you should read that book. It's a road map through the madness.) Do not stop to edit while you are writing your first draft if you can at all help it. This is what drives novelists and other authors bonkers. This is, in my theory, why so many of them are alcoholics. Write, write, write, and don't look back until the story is done and given time to rest.

Don't expect so much of yourself. We are all human. We make errors in our rough drafts. Hell, I make errors getting out of bed sometimes! You aren't going to sell any of your rough drafts unless you're some kind of almighty God of writing. (The exception, of course, is contractual writing. If you've gotten that far you don't need to read this rule and probably don't need to read any of them.)

10. Be True To Yourself

Don't write something because someone else tells you you should. Don't write something because that genre or topic is selling well at that point in time. Don't do it. Trust me. Just don't succumb to this pressure.

If you do, it will come out forced and just plain awful. Write what you MUST write. Don't settle for stuff that other's say they MUST read or you MUST write. If I don't feel that I can't go a minute longer without writing a story or book I don't write it. That's how my ideas come though, you may be different. You might be more susceptible to this "popularity contest" sort of writing. Watch out for it. It can creep up on you before you realize it.

Exceptions are when someone simply points out that they think you could write a good story about "X, Y, and Z." If it's a suggestion and you're feeling it, by all means, go for it!

NOTE: This was originally written for a forum at fictionpress.com so if it reads funky that's probably why. Take this all with a grain of salt, too. The first real rule of fiction is that there are no real rules. These are more guidelines. (Cue Johnny Depp pirate accent.)

Ah, the Sweet Relief!

My first novel is complete.

It's very rough and in a definite first draft form. Still, the moment I pecked out that last word I breathed in a deep sigh of relief. Don't get me wrong, I had a blast writing the book! Writing 52,332 words in ten days (most of that total in the last four days) can really take it out of you though! I'm glad it's all on (digital) paper now. I can relax now and just wait.

I'm still planning on doing the official NaNoWriMo in November. Next time, though, I think I'll pace myself a little better. I am proud of myself for cranking out those 119 pages in less than two weeks, but geez is it tiring. A more sane pacing, I think, is necessary for the next novel.

The next agonizing part about my first novel, though, is waiting for the rewrite. I want to set it aside for a good solid month or so before I touch it again. Stephen King recommends putting one's work in a drawer and forgetting about it for a while to move onto new things in his book On Writing and I find this to be sound advice. It allows one to get fresh eyes on it and be brutally merciless in the rewrite. When the book/story is so fresh out of one's mind it still feels like one's child. If you abandon it to the dust bunnies in your bottom drawer then come back to it weeks or months later there is less of an affectionate feeling there. I can see that.

Still, I'm a very impatient person, so if I'm back in a few days talking about rewriting don't be shocked. It's a character defect, I know, I'm working on it among others! At least I didn't procrastinate with the novel. It felt good to pound it out so furiously. It was almost like that feeling you get after vomiting profusely where everything feels so much better and there's that relief. Or when you poke yourself repeatedly with a thumbtack because it feels so good when you stop. It's cathartic.

One thing that really started to spook me as I got further in the book was this:
I didn't feel like I was writing it. It felt as though the characters had actually come to life and begun to tell their story their way. When I wrote the novel I was barely present. I was just moving my fingers and the words came from someone else reading it to me straight from their own fictional memories. That blew me away. I'd never had that feeling before. It felt simultaneously very cool and very frightening! It's one of those out-of-control feelings where you don't feel like you have any say in what happens. Disconcerting to say the least.

Still, I think it makes the world all that much more real. Someone told me when I explained this sensation "It's your book, but it's their world." That about summed it up for me. It's exactly like that. The characters demanded that the story be told the way it was told. My fingers on the keys just followed their instructions. The weirdest thing was how quickly I could phase in and out of that mindset. I'd be completely immersed in my own novel for an hour then in a flash be texting my fiancee and have no trouble going right back to the novel a moment later. Like I said, really cool and really spooky.

Anyway, I'll be back to post an excerpt soon! Keep your eyeballs peeled! (This assumes people are actually reading this bullshit, lol.)

In Earnest,

-Adam - AKA Lykeios -

Nearly Halfway Done

Its been a crazy week.

I'm now about 22,000 words into my first novel. I've been trying to write at least a few thousand words each day but missed a couple days. Its really too bad because I could be a lot farther along. Still, I guess its good not to rush things.

Two of the days I didn't get any writing in were awesome in other ways. I got to stay with my fiancee at her house. Her parents were out of town as well as her sister and brother-in-law. It was fun as all hell. Her sister dropped her kids off on Saturday for Sammi to watch them. I was there too so I got to help her (some) babysit them. We had a great weekend. Unfortunately I had to work most of the time and was so tired I slept through a lot of the time we had, but it was great anyway.

Now, though, its back to writing every day! I have almost an entire week off from week which means that only school will get in the way of this novel being finished. My goal is now to have it completely finished by next Tuesday. Well, to have 50,000 words by then at least. The NaNoWriMo requirement for word count is a little low for a novel really. My book might go longer. In fact, I'm almost certain it will, the climax still hasn't been reached and that's usually around the middle of the book. I just hope the first 20,000 words aren't hopelessly dull. Its mostly introduction as this is likely going to wind up being a series. I just can't see this being finished in one book. Well, unless its a very long book. While I enjoy monstrous tomes like Stephen King's The Stand not everyone does so I'm trying to keep it to around 60,000 words or less.

In any case, I'm overjoyed to be writing again! My "hiatus" so to speak was far too long. I'd forgotten how great it feels to just make shit up and call it fiction. I can't wait to see what happens next myself every day. Sure, there are some vague plans buzzing around my skull, but nothing is set in stone. Even when I write it its subject to change during the rewrite later on. So, we'll see. When I'm over halfway done officially I may post an excerpt from the first few pages so keep your eyeballs peeled!

In Earnest,

Adam King - AKA Lykeios

P.S. To all my fellow NaNoWriMoers: Good luck with your books! Just keep writing! Even if it sucks, keep writing!

Into the Void

So, I decided I definitely could not wait even another day to start this novel.

The idea was rattling around in my head so much I just had to open a Word doc and start. Man did it flow! It felt good too. After such a long break from writing anything new it was like coming home again. I was more ready than I thought. All it takes is a good idea I guess. I'm at almost 5,000 words and paused for now. I was hoping to reach 5,000 so I may take one more trip into novel-world before the day is officially over.

I titled this post the way I did for a reason. The way I write, it really is like throwing yourself into some chasm with no visible bottom. You dive in and you don't reach the bottom and head back up to surface until you're completely done with what you went in for. Or until you're genuinely suffocating. That's called failure though, and I don't want to talk about that just now.

So, I'm in the void now. Its coming along so far. The inspiration is all there at my fingertips. I can feel the creativity flowing. We'll see how I feel in a week or so, but I can't see how I'll be unable to write less than half of what I did earlier every day from now on. My pacing is fast because I read in No Plot? No Problem! that the second week is the hardest. I want to get ahead early so if I do hit that wall, the caffeine and cojones will get me through.

For now, though, its all flowing. Here's to the present, its all we have!

In Earnest,

- Adam King -

Trying to stretch my creative muscles

I've been thinking it might be best to at least write a couple short stories before I dive into a novel. The idea is to get my creative juices moving prior to taking on such a challenge as writing 50,000 words in 30 days. My problem is simply this: I don't know what to write about.

Now, many people would say, quite simply, "you have writer's block." I don't believe this. In fact, I don't even believe in "writer's block." I know, I know, all the writers out there are going to take affront to this, but let me explain. To me, writer's block is self-inflicted and doesn't really exist. Writer's block occurs when one convinces themselves they've run out of ideas for the time being. It is a sham and one that is so widely reported that its hard not to believe in it. The best way to get over perceived writer's block is simply to write.

So, I'm going to do just that. Its more easily said than done, I suppose, but all one has to do is take the first idea that shoots into one's mind and run with it. Its not so different, really, from writing a blog. Sure, fiction needs to be made up and not just a reflection of what you're thinking, but that's not so hard for a writer. For many of us, fiction is more real than the world around us. I know when I'm working feverishly on a story of mine it feels much more like I'm working IN that world. Its almost as if I'm Aslan at the creation of Narnia. Every touch, every whim I have, becomes a new creation. My worlds often seem like a better place to live than our mundane world. 

In any  case, I need to finish this up so I can work on some fiction. Wish me luck and I'll wish you luck as well! Have a fine day and happy writing!