Its been a while.....Ask a Question

Now Im not really bothered if someone comments on my blog or not, but Im "touched" in a good way when they do. And no this isnt a plea for attention, I prefer to remain invisible and as anonymous as possible.

But I'd thought Id give the readers, regulars or otherwise to ask me a question, personal or otherwise in which I will promise to answer as truthfully and as honestly as possible, unless legally I can't say.

An Audience with...Lawbag.

w00hoo (86.136.243.49)

28th Sep, 2006 19:59 (local)

OK, I'll ask one.

I've come in to the blog late, so I'd like to know-

What is your expected goal with writing your book?

Feel free to call me a 'sod' and ignore the question if you don't want to answer it...

 

lawbag (81.158.104.29)

29th Sep, 2006 22:09 (local)

Re: OK, I'll ask one.

My realistic expected goal with this book is to have the draft finished mid-next year, have it re-written but end of next year. Once in a readable state to have it sent to a relevant agent/publisher for consideration.

Im under absolutely no illusions as to getting it published, and it may well become a book that is never published but opens doors into other forms of writing.

In the way an amateur will write a book or poetry or a painter dabbles with a little water colour, this is my effort. The fact that I have had some good encouragement from a fellow writer, as well as constructive criticism is vital to me.

So my expected goal with writing this book? To keep myself focused and awake while spending upwards of 3 hours a day commuting.

More Ramblings

Okay, not much to report on the word count front, but I have been writing about 2 chapter's worth of material. I just havent had the time to spend writing it up on Word. Once this batch is completed Ill post a revised word count, but I suspect it will be around the 105k mark.

Im finding certain chapters absolute heaven to write, and others technically difficult. The plotting and intrigue sections for me are the most enjoyable, and to copy what I sent to my muse earlier today -

I find them the easiest, most enjoyable because they are at the height of emotion!

love, passion, hatred, everything is on a high. why kill someone when you can let an army tear them apart instead.

why tell someone you love them, rather commit an undying act of devotion that scars your mind and body...............
A bit over the top, but it sums up where Im coming from.

Nothing New

Not a lot to report, other than lots of little things;

realised that if all my private clients paid me what they owe me in one fell swoop Id no longer have an overdraft

installed and set up a Netgear SC101 network storage hard drive. It wasnt fun, but now at least I have some pure backing up power, thats now mirrored in a RAID-like configuration. Pissed off that I only found out after I bought it how poor the unit is.

still writing, have about 3 or 4 chapters worth to write up. Nearly watched Pirates of the Caribbean 2, but refused on the grounds it might affect my writing.

mother-in-law coming to stay with us for 6 months+ - back to being treated like a king :-)

car battery replaced, only after spending money on tools I didnt have!

still job hunting, but been invited back for a 2nd interview.

I did it

I love writing the intrigue chapters, just laying on heavy doses of back-stabbing and in-fighting. The characters I have created are born to rob their siblings of everything they have, then rejoice in the pain and suffering they inflict just to begin anew.

Halleluja - I did it

100,000 words, and still writing like a demon...

Writing Closer and Lots of Mini-snippets

Its late Tuesday night, almost 11pm - okay okay its NOT that late for a writer.
I cant post from work, must be IP banning or some such lark, not from our IT dept, but maybe our ISP. So you will have to suffice with late night ramblings from me instead.

Well Im at 98k words, 98.5k actually, and trying to inspire myself to write to take me past 100,000.

Went to Lego Land @ Windsor on Bank Holiday Monday and apart from the little one loving it to bits, it was bloody expensive for essentially a kiddies play centre.

£29 for an adult and £23 for a child. My wife came with us with our newborn, and she had to pay for a adult fee to get in and only managed 1 ride because she was with Millie. I doubt we will ever go again - but we do have to think of the children.........

Payday Thursday - new laptop battery here I come.

Ive started up 2 limited companies for 2 of my clients and am currently looking for company secretarial software to handle all the paperwork. I know Iris do some wonderful packages, but its all down to cost and annual fees.

96,000 Words

almost there

stay on target

still making and writing lots of notes regardint the future books.

As the subject suggests, I am up to 96,000 words and getting closer to an important milestone.

Writing and Life Pt 2

Following on from my previous entry, I have been writing a little more details for the 2nd and 3rd parts, mainly because I want to set up some powerful fore-shadowing elements that are the crux of any novel. Still in two minds how to actually write the last 2 books though.

Following on as well from my laptop failure, and having to reinstall everything, I am still doing a little writing, but not had the technology to print out and update any old chapters. I cant remember how many words Ive written, but Im planning on updating it all in the next few days.

As for my life, Im job hunting, running Hero Battle, re-mortgaging and looking forward to role-playing again, but the missus doesnt know - yet.

Seems people want more of my Firefly/Serenity campaign which I am more than happy to indulge them in, the only problem I feel is that my writing will suffer, as I pre-write all my own rpg campaigns. At my current writing rate Ill have my 400,000 word epic finished mid-2009.

Planning for Parts 2 and 3

As I begin plotting for the remaining chapters of my book, I can't help myself but make more notes for the following books. Events which happen in the first book have impact and far reaching effects for the later novels I have in my head.

The remaining 2 books are really the same story but told from different viewpoints, and I was interested to see how readers prefer books written.

Would you prefer reading one story in the 2nd book, and the other story which runs parallel in the 3rd book, or would you like the stories told concurrently (Terry Brooks style) wherein you read a chapter at a time about each group?

Divine Intervention?

It had to happen, at least I got some warning.

My 20gb hard drive on my laptop started to develope some bad sectors, luckily just old data I wasnt too worried about. But I was able to save off all the important goodies, its just a real nuisance having to re-install everything from scratch and set up all my network material.

I already had bought a 40gb hard drive in readiness for an upgrade, its just the hard drive failure brought this on mych sooner than I anticipated.

Im just wondering whether this was divine intervention as I was just in the beginning stages of writing a short story about Hilter and the Jews!

Counting down to 100,000

Althought my writing sounds sporadic, I do write a lot more than I type up. Today, Im at almost 87,000 words. 2 days ago I was at 85,000, so in theory it looks like Im doing my 1,000 a day limit.

But no, its just that I have found (a) the time to type it up on my laptop and (b) my writing rate on average is 309 words a day.

It aint working at all

A follow up to my follow up.

It aint working at work, Livejournal that is.

I thought about moving the whole lot over to Blogger, but I really can't be arsed, so Im leaving it here, and will post during the evening and weekends. Apologies if I dont post much or even reply much until further notice.

Writing news - 85,000 words now

Its Working at Work

Only a quick entry really to say Livejournal is working now at work. Must have been an ISP IP banning thing going or or a DNS thing.

Bringing 2 chapters to a close, these are early ones that I am finally happy with at draft level.

Thinking right now Id love a week holiday on a desert island (with a laptop powerpoint) and sit on the beach all day and write.

Awaiting Feedback

Just sent off the first 5 chapters off for review by my muse (luke) who as always rips apart my writing and puts it back together exactly the way I envisoned it.

Hovering around 83,000 words and went through a bit of a crisis today when I became unsure whether or not people actually wanted to read it, let alone paying £10 to read it as well. Had a nightmare where I saw my book on the shelves in a bargain book shelf or consigned to 3 books for a £1 corner.

Im sure every writer goes through this, or I hope they do because otherwise Im know Im in trouble.

Odd Mix on a Friday

Livejournal doesnt seem to work properly at work, so it looks like Ive been lazy with my postings.

Still writing, and pleased my writing partner Luke, is back online (in more ways than one), and Im gonna pimp his current project.

http://www.roadcartv.co.uk/

A comedy superhero series they are hoping CH4 will pick up for their 7:55pm 5 minute slot.

Family and kids are fine.

Still waiting on my new handheld phone so no new reviews. Kind of pissed because Ive lost a few word files on the damn thing, and because it syncs up with my machine, it fucks the sync'ed files on my work machine.

Im writing this at home while awaiting Big Brother, but realising that my laptop is getting old, but dont tell it.

Damn my battery is low, till next time.

Empty Head

No writing today - spent the train ride sleeping, and will most likely do the same on the way home.
Plus I left my word files at home, but did bring my pen and paper so there is no excuse.

When Does Writing Begin?

gwaunquest made a comment that she had wanted to write from the age of 8.

I can identify with that, but my main problem was not having anything to write about.

While I am sure my writing does have something to do with my role-playing interests, I, like a lot of people, got into role-playing by accident, and if I analysed it, I could have so easily missed it completely.

Being creative has always been an obsession, its just knowing how and when to focus and discipline it. The great guitarist Steve Vai said that everyone has music in them, its just he has the discpline to practise and write it down on paper and record it.

School for me wasnt the breeding ground I expected it to be writing-wise, and even a year long exile in Spain didnt really produce anything worthwhile (erotic fiction and fan-fic doesnt really count).

I am putting my thoughts and ideas down as to how this book, Orchid, came into being, and hopefully it will surprise even me.

80k Writing Target

This morning I was able to type up some writing that I had done that was backlogged from the week. I've only scratched the surface but reached the 80,000 words barrier. What that means is that if I want the book to be about 400,000 words in length, and my target date for the 1st draft to be completed is the 30th November 2006, then I need to start writing instead of 1,000 words a day, I need to up the ante to 2,424 words a day.

I have been writing and re-writing the prologue, because its short and sweet it also serves a vital intro purpose to two important characters. Im sure Ill keep re-working it right up to the publishing date!

I am also "plotting/storyboarding" whatever you want to call it, a sequence where 4 characters go and do 4 things all at the same time, but what they each do all influences the other 3 - confused? I was, but am using storylines PC program with excel.

Time on the X axis, characters on the Y axis. Each cell is an event - write in that order.

Lots more to write, but concentrating on story and plotting as well as dropping hints for later events.

Writing Progress 3

Just creeped over the 78,000 word barrier.

Hold it creeped is the wrong word - it conjures up the imagine of barely enough effort to attain this amount.

You have no idea whether I have written 78,001 words or 78,999 words.

Let me start again.

Yesterday, after renewed passion, I have reached 78,000 words, with so much more to come. I have, after a quiet walk home, realised how two independent characters know each other, and in addition to that worked out several ways in which they have become unwittingly tied together, and how their actions directly affect each other.

I have also added another layer of forebodding menace to a relationship which I was of the belief was not strong enough. I love the idea of a Damocles Sword hanging over a character, situation or impending event.

It is a joy again to write, and I hope that the book isnt too depressing that people feel bad after reading it.

I shall shortly be doing some word targets to meet the November 2006 deadline for the first draft, and see what comes. At my current lazy style, I will have only written 108,000 words, so I need to get my skates on.

Writing Inspiration

I've written in earlier journals about the PC programs I use to concoct my master story with, but not once mentioned the books I have read and refered to when writing.

They are an unusual mix, some expected, and some not so expected.

So in addition to the TV childrens reviews, I shall also be touching on each of the books I am reading to enhance my writing.

I will be breaking them down into

Writing - style and grammar
Referece - books I refer to while writing for names, ideas and well reference
Creative Books - books I have that inspure and point out writing pitfalls and methods to create scenes, plots and melodrama etc...

Don't hold your breath, but Id love some recommendations as well to add to my collection. The more odd ball the better, just as long as they are still in print and purchasable.

Writing Backwards

Last night I broke the 76,000 word barrier, whilst at the same time dodging all the pitfalls a writer normally comes up against. For me the regular problems I have to solve, and actually enjoy accomplishing it, is character motivation. Why would a character do a certain act or say something at certain time. It becomes more vital when the decision they choose is relevant to a critical plot moment. Once you realise their choice it actually makes writing earlier chapters easier because you know their mindset.

Every choice a character makes is based on past experiences. Even snap decisions must come from somewhere - the sub-conscious.

Towards the end of my novel I know there are going to be some incredible upheavals, deaths, choices, murder even, and amongst all this mess heroes will die and yet still have to make decisions that benefit them or those they care about.

XXX

On a separate note, Ive noticed a few extra people on my friends list - nice to have you watching, but Im also aware there are many more people reading than posting. Hi.

End of the Week

Well that week went quickly.

Quicker than I ever could imagine.

Didnt get much done in the way of writing (2,000 words in 9 days is crap), but did manage to sort out a few things in my life and with 2 of my clients (accounts related) which Im happy about.

Its just my main job Im worried about. As you may or may not know I work in the centre of London and commute 3 hours a day (round trip). The job pays well, but I need something a little closer to home. My current company is planning on moving, but close enough that I will be at most 30 minutes drive away, but still far enough to demand a company car (because I cant run two!)

Thats the trouble with 3 jobs. With 1 you can keep things moving nicely, and you have only 1 job to worry about. With 3, I have 3 masters to keep happy, and because of my financial situation I have to keep them all.

Holidays

Ive taken a week off work to help the wife with Amelia, which mainly involves me keeping daughter no.1 busy while she is still recovering from childbirth.

So facing the fact that money is going to be tight (wife has given up work) I find myself (as always) wanting/needing to spend money.

I had the unfortunate luck to get 3 speeding fines (9 points) in quick succession, and all I need is one more and I lose my license for a year. Now seeing as I commute by train this isnt much of a daily problem, but the ban is for 1 year, and I do use the car 3 times a week for my private clients. So I need to buy one of those fancy GPS devices.

Been spending the last few days writing up my notes I have for my book, thinking I had tons of material. Well the truth was that I didnt have as much as I thought I did, and barely managed to creep up to 75,000 words. 5 chapters have now been written to draft standard, but still more needs to be done. Introduced a new story thread, and 2 new characters who are linked but not in the normal sense. This book is being to resemble Magnolia in the level of connection and interaction between all the characters, and unlike convential books, there are no real walk-on characters. Im currently up to 16 main/major characters including my protagonist and antagonist, and thats after 5 chapters. I am sure there will be more to come.

Progress

Just hit the 73,000 words again, which I am happy with, as I chopped out 4,000 to set aside for a sequel if needed. It was basically too much material being burnt through just to tell the story.

One of the odd things I noticed very early one, is that the story is growing more complicated and organic as the weeks go by, so much so that I am looking at perhaps telling the same story but from several different viewpoints. Incorporating these into my book is proving to be entertaining and challenging.

Still on target to finish the first draft by November 2006, but what I'd really like is a "live" counter on my blog to keep me working harder to finish it on time.

Okay Im scheduled for 33 chapters

3 completed to first draft
9 work in progress
21 yet to start

these numbers may change

Writing Limits

Almost back to 72,000 words.

Been writing and re-writing the introduction of my antagonist character, telling the reader about his view on life. It is vital that the reader react to him, hate, love, understanding - anything. If I fail then the whole book fails.

This is chapter 3 and is undergoing continual re-writes - and may do so right until the end of the first draft.

Added more layers to the story, more intrigue and more connections between main and support characters.

***

FJ Gaming are running a proposal contest for scenarios for its Wild West Game Gunslingers and Gamblers. They have requested proposals for its other game lines.

The deadline for the proposal is this saturday, midnight. Im going to try and a make a couple of proposals and see which one they like. If not, at least I tried.

Curry Night

My writing friend is coming down to Dartford for the month and we are ahooking up for a curry with a bunch of my other gaming and writing friends.

Looking forward to it, plus we are planning a writing session together this week as well, hopefully the wife doesnt give birth during either of these events - poor woman is still suffering, even though if she gave birth now the baby will be early.

Spent the evening writing a new chapter to be added to the 33 already in existence. It helps explain the background to the country the main characters are in, plus introduces a new villian and those she has gotten under her thrall.

Cut Into Two

At 1pm today my book was at just over 73,000 words. But as I carried on I realised that I had been writing a lot of material that didnt belong to the book I was writing, and in fact was writing material for I suppose what is book 2.

I took out 4,000 words I called it book 2.

Carried on writing and ended up having written a total of 71,000 words before calling it a day.

My word count doesnt include all my notes, footers, review comments, hand written notes, as well as all the notes I wrote when I composed the story.

I was also able to create all the word documents for all 32 chapters.

I need to print the chapters out again as I have too much in my head.

My biggest problem is the overlap of story content between the chapters.

Writing for Fun and Profit

I'm having an immense ball writing one of my character's introduction into the story.

He, like all the characters, falls into immediate stereotyping, but it is easily side-stepped, by proving these stereotypes are anything but. The stereotypes helps the reader fit the character into their mind, but then I am able to manipulate the perception of their character.

This particular fellow joins the story with a fair amount of baggage, but his needs to remain anonymous and helpful ensure that people do not get suspicious about his origins.

3rd Chapter Re-Write

3rd chapter re-write and 3rd entry for the day!

The third chapter of Orchid is proving a difficult beast to write.

Firstly because it was imagined a brief chapter to introduce the main antagonist in about 3 short pages. But as time went on this has grown to nearly 10. Well nothing wrong with that, BUT, I hate it, the chapter, it is a chore to read and I hate writing it. Why? Well having reviewed the chapter to me its because Im still trying to get a handle on the antagonist himself and this is causing the problems. So I have left the chapter as it is, and written out a list of CRITERIA that the chapter requires before it can be classed as being finished. And from this revised list will come a flow of how the chapter will happen in terms of structure, flashbacks and exposition.

Having viewed the chapter in this new light has helped, but I need my muse to help me sort this damn character out.

Why is this chapter so important? Because without my antagonist it makes the protagonists and the rest of the characters pointless.

I am already prepared to leaving it as a series of bullet points and coming back to reading it.

*** JOB ADVERT ***

muse wanted - hours variable - pay nil

*** END ADVERT ***

1,000 Words a Minute?

When I read a guide on writing it suggested that it is better to write consistently rather than in spurts. So it is better to write a little every day than cram it all into weekend.

Well the daily writing target is 1,000 words a day, which when you look at it knocks your socks off. Let me get that straight 1,000 words. Okay one thousand words. I can't even think of 1,000 words let alone write them down. But oddly you can. I did a check this morning, and 1,000 words is 2 pages of A4, single spaced and Times New Roman font size 12.

So all things being equal its not THAT hard to attain. I mean two pages, it doesnt have to anything more than draft ideas or dialogue.

As a suitable example this blog I wrote today is 159 words long, so Im already 16% of the way through my writing target for the day.

Writing Duo

Spoke to my writing partner/muse Luke Openshaw who has taken on the monumentous task of reviewing and commenting on my writing. Being a busy writer of a novel and screenplay/director and having him spend time with me is valuable and I am proud to have him. If nothing else, even at this early stage I want him to write my foreward. The golden rule in writing is to write what you know, so I have been doing my research to increase my knowledge so it doesn't look like I'm blagging chapters. But the other golden rule (maybe a silver, you can't have 2 golden rules), is you should aim to write 1,000 words a day. Based on that a typical author should be able to pump out a 400,000 word draft novel every year. Consistency rather than cramming is the secret. I have no control over my mood or writing creative process, if it comes, if it happens then I write, which can be odd if you are somewhere you cannot really write, like when Im in the shower, toilet or at work! I'm under pressure, to get that first draft done, and Ive set November 2006 as the target. Once the first book is out of the way, I'm hoping that there will be interest in me writing further books. Which is a compliment, but they themselves have deadlines and expectations. And coming full circle, this is where Luke Openshaw comes in. He has already had a taste of agents and publishers in the book and screenplay arenas, and I'm hoping he will guide me through the process and steer me away from the time-wasters.

Writing Developments

Again more of an update than anything else.
I have formatted all my chapters for editing and reviewing purposes (double-spacing) which I found last night on the train ride home immensley useful for writing whole sentences within a chapter as well as rewording sections. It makes printing a little more expensive, but seeing as its done at work, no apparent harm done.

I have also been doing some research in my writing and been reading about the Spanish Galleons and the Hollywood myth and legend surrounding the vessel, and it also makes the English defeat of the Spanish Armada not quite so impressive.

I have also been toying with an introduction to the book, as well as some appendices to help readers who dont want to get bogged down in explanation. Im also wanting a foreword to be written to, but Ive got to finish the first draft yet before that can even happen.

I went back and had a quick read of my first chapter, and enjoyed reading it again, wanting to make sure the tone of the novel carries on throughout the entire piece.

Anyway, Im approaching the mythical 400,000 words target, as I have written 68,000 words in only 5 chapters, and there are 26+ to go.

Biting off Too Much

One of my realisations and concerns is the thought of having bitten off too much to do on my first attempt. By that I mean are my aspirations set too high for this Orchid project. Well yes and no.

Firstly I dont see myself as a professional writer, and once the Orchid has been written, apart from sequels or spin-offs, I dont realistically see any future for me as a writer once I have completed this.

So I am writing to finish the draft, then I'll put it out for reviewing by people I trust. While it is being reviewed etc... I shall spur myself forward to studying writing techniques and learning the craft of writing.

Once this has been done, Ill go back to the book and continue with a 2nd draft using all the skills I've learnt. I believe I have this story inside, but once told, I dont see anything else.

I know current wisdom says you must write short stories and progress up to the big novel, but that pathway isnt really for me.

Writing Progress 2

60,000 words so far, and on target for 374,000 word novel.

Words Make Sentences

As advised by the ljgenie in furture I shall post both page counts, but more importantly word counts. As I love playing around with numbers, Ill also include reference information with regards to whether or not my book counts as a short story, a novel or a huge bestseller.

I highly recommend the ljgenie, better than google and nicer too.

Having gotten an answer to my previous question, I can now write on with confidence... and will hopefully post an update shortly.

Words on a Page

Im not sure who reads this blog, so Ill post this question here.

I want to know how words are on a page!

Thanks to the wonders of modern techology and font sizes you can make each page have one word or a ten thousand words. Because Im writing several novels I want to know just how many pages are there in the novel to date. So by playing with the font size I could fit an entire novel (okay chapter) on one page. So what is the standard font type and font size for gauging just how many pages you have in your novel?

Writing Deadlines

Just an update, just moved to a target of just over 200 pages with 102 written so far.
Its bank holiday weekend, but thats no guarantee of more pages being written.

Spent a little time on my provisional TV mini series on the music industry and gave it a provisional name of "Rewind and Eject." Just so you don't worry about what I will or wont write there is no mp3 jokes. Okay maybe 1 iPod reference, but thats it.

Writing Projects

As well as Orchid, I also have 3 other projects at the back of my mind, and wanting to be a disciplined type of author any ideas I have now go into the boiling pot, so as not to be lost forever. I'm very cagey again about what I am writing because you never know who might be trawling the web for ideas.

(a) a book concept based on a role-playing game coming out in 2007.
(b) a 6 part mini-tv series script which I am working on a proposal for, a unique look at the music industry
(c) an old idea I had about time-travel which Im dusting off and not sure where it will go, basically its a series of short stories about the same person and their choices they make in their life and in their afterlife. I might as well blow the lid on this one though because it demands a lot of the reader, more so than any book before it. Demanding in that it expects the reader to read 2 books at the same time! Its a bold experiment, and one in which I feel I can pull it off.

Maybe if I get some more feedback i.e. a comment, I might expand on any of the 3 projects listed above.

Orchid now set to be 198 pages and rising.

Still Working On

Just a quick Easter holiday writing update.

Managed to progress rather well through the chapters, and have written 92 pages, with a much better target book size of over 190 pages. Still it can be better.

For me the most important part of the last 4 days has been the chance to talk my book over with my wife, who while initially was a little skeptical about me writing (hell it was her who suggested I should write a book in the first place), she has looked at a few chapters and has read some of the comments people have made about my writing. For me it was an important step in overcoming any issues she might have with me boxing myself away at times. Her idea of me making money would be to sell more of my old role-playing games on eBay!

Still with the addition now of a full-time au pair/nanny, I should have a lot more spare time to write and spend with my daughter.

Having had big plans for the book in the early days, Im starting to cool off a little. I intend to write the book as self contained, but like all stories they are open ended meaning I could write a sequel, or instead let the readers imagine what happens.

Just a quick note to say that if you ask, I cannot as yet disclose any more specific details of the novel, nor send out any preliminary review/reading copies, but I appreciate the interest all the same. I need to legally keep track of the novel until it is placed with an agent/publisher

Writing and Life

This is become more like my writing and life blog. As you may or may not be aware of I maintain another blog on Xanga which is specifically reserved for my rants and raves and general nastiness I employ on gaming and other idiocy. Yes I am two people and I want to keep them separate.

But something I feel is being wasted is the amount of time and effort being devoted to fairly useless "memes". The definition of a "meme" on wikipaedia is "any unit of cultural information". I am not adverse to the sharing of cultural information, but from the ones Ive looked at they are anecdotal as well as not being worth the effort. The reason I say this is any study of cultural or any data needs to be collected and analysed, and portrayed in a manner which makes sense. So far these memes mostly pop up in blogs, I would say they are the SPAM on the 21st century, and unless you intend to do something with the information you read, or attempt them yourself, or indeed pass on to others, then you might as well forget about attempting them.

I first encountered them just after Lord of the Rings movies came out, and there were a series of tests (multiple choice questions) designed to map your personality out and tie you closely to one of the characters from the films. Seeing as most of the questions are plainly obvious (e.g. which weapon would you prefer, a short sword, a bow or axe!) and written by 16 year old kids who have no idea of social profiling, the data that could be "farmed" from this and other memes really should to thrown in the bin.

So really this is a rant, done in a soft, non-swearing style, in which I either ask you to avoid these wasteful activities (you'll only regret it when you are on your death bed having wasted all those years) or actually attempt to do something useful with the information other than passing them on to your friends!

First Draft, Final Draft

After speaking to my writing Muse, I have decided to plow onwards and get the first draft written. Being stuck in editorial hell could ruin the book before it is already finished.

Sections that I cannot write, Ill leave blank spaces for, but to get the story down, and once that it done, then go back and revise it. Wise words that I should not have chosen to ignore.

Revisionist, Revisionist, Revisionist

Ive quickly come to the conclusion that I am never going to be satisfied with anything I have written no matter how many revisions I undertake.

I went back and re-read casual my opening chapter of 11 pages (what was originally just a prologue of 3 pages at most), and found some horrifying mistakes and over-looking of things I thought already I had eliminated.

Well, I have finished it again for the xxth time, and will commit it to the bottom of my writing notes, and carry on with the story.

Writing Blocks

I have found my writing process to be odd.

I have this strange concept of the writers of old toiling away at their typewriters (in the days before Word Processors and cheaply available printers) crafting their story as they went, surrounded by Dictionaries and Thesauri (is that the correct pluralisation?). Well, even if that WAS the past, this is the future, DTP, more fonts than you could imagine and formatting options to keep you busy until the next millennium, but you still have to write.

I'm finding myself instead of sitting in front of my laptop and writing, that instead I'm printing my chapters out and re-writing material using editor's remarks. It seems to work for me, but I feel bad about wasting so much paper (I use scrap wherever possible), but then I do use as much of the paper before adding it to my word files.

Still, this combing technique works for me. So far I have been able to complete 4 main chapters, each one focusing on a different character. For me this novel is something unique in that it concentrates much more on characterisation than any fantasy novel before it. Motivation is crucial.

I am now up to 168 pages, and rising.

Writing Update

Average target page count is now at 164 pages!

Writing Progress

Not been a writing update in a little while, so here it is for all you readers.

I now have the beginning all sorted, with the first 2 chapters all written barring a few minor re-writes. To me it is essential the book lays down the foundations on which the rest of the book sits, the tone, flavour and feeling is vital for things to develope nicely.

The characters I have created are living and breathing, and while I know each of their fates, I am more than willing to up the ante, and make their lives even more hellish or change certain ideas. I know the end of the book, but I've no idea who will be standing.

My biggest challenge is presenting the world, and characters and their backgrounds in the shortest space possible. Although the book has historical basis, it still needs explaining events that act as a backdrop to the story.

So, 1 chapter down, 30 odd to go.

I have knocked up an excel spreadsheet which calculates the likely size of the book in page numbers. Its more vanity than anything, as Ive used The Lord of the Rings as a comparison in the number chapters, and pages per chapter. Im expecting my book to have around 600-700 pages, but right now with what Ive written so far, Im on target for a paltry 160 pages! Must write harder. To be fair, the actual number of pages I have written so far amounts to 84 pages, but that is over 8 chapters, of which only 2 are finished. Early days.

Because my book is based on an existing IP (intellectual property), I have to be careful in how I approach a potential publisher. I have already approached the IP holder, who while they are not interested in publishing books themselves, would be willing to allow the IP to be used (for a sum or royalty) should I secure a publishing deal for the book.

Tools of the Trade

For writing my novel, I have assembled the following tools

(1) A active brain, and the ability to talk to yourself (quietly).
(2) A piece of paper, pen/pencil or electronic PDA.
(3) A PC running the following software;
(i) Microsoft Word - latest revision possible to allow REVISIONS
(ii) Dramatica Pro - novel writing software
(iii) Final Draft 7 - script and dialogue writing software
(4) A printer

My daily writing routine;

On the way into work, I commute and usually spend the morning reading either my work to date, or a book on writing and style/formatting.

During my lunch hour I would update my Word files with what I have hand written so far, and print out a new clean copy.

On the journey home I will then re-write or update the revised material.

In the evenings and weekends I will use Dramatica Pro to revise the story, and make sure it is moving in the direction I want.

Evolution of a Novel

Its hard to know where to start, where to plant the flag of reference for people to start from when looking at me as a writer or as a person.

I have always been interested in the fantastical both in films, books and art. Im sure it is the dream of everyone to have a book published, a record made or a picture painted, an accomplishment which will last beyond our days.

My background is in role-playing from which I have developed narrative elements of plot, pace, action and intrigue, but one thing that has haunted most current and recent authors is the moniker of being a "rpg" novel author. This is simply because novels that are written either based on an existing campaign or group of characters will be self indulgent, while at the same time be of very little depth.

Writing a novel will demand more than just the ability to put a few ideas together, collect scraps of memories, but my biggest lighthouse warning sign will be if anyone mentions the dreaded Dragonlance Chronicles or some-such "hack-novels".

This story evolved out of a need to have a back story to the whole campaign, to know what was really going on behind the scenes of the main stage, a glimpse of behind the creator's curtain. From this then came the Orchid. A simple story of a misfit crew and their combined troubles onboard. But the story is so much more than that.

I have a beginning, middle and an end.
I have a whole troupe of characters who surprise me, because they are living breathing people, who incidently no longer belong to the players, but have become something much bigger

I have 3 chapters written so far, and working on some more, in and out of sequence.

Diary of a Madman

An update to my book.

I already have received favourable comments from 2 sources, both of the unconnected to me or the game in question. The decision to carry on has been spurred by the fact that I have retired, temporarily, from my gaming group. It was a decision that saddened me as I had just about to start on a Serenity/Firefly campaign. Along with 4 new players, and some amazing input from the players.

It was doubly hard when I received some very warm comments from the players, especially the new ones.

Sorry, wife needs me more.

It is a temporary withdrawal which I expect to last maybe 12-18 months. Which gives me more time now to concentrate on Orchid.

Books

I have 2 blogs or journals, both with different companies for no other reason than its easier for Firefox to remember 2 different sites with 2 different passwords than to have 2 users and 2 passwords on 1 site.

Here I hope to document something about my creative side that I have been toying with for some time.

I'm writing a book. Based partly on a classic role-playing campaign I ran for almost 18 months. Like all memorable games it was spawned at a time of great turmoil within our group. And I ran it under extreme duress and pressure. While running the game (which I spent the whole week thinking about and then wrote it hours before the game), no one including myself was aware of nature of the game.

It was only after it ended that it came to a head that I had created a campaign that had personally affected every player.

I kept all of my notes and tried writing the story up in short form, but even then it came to about 10 A4 pages. Because I am due to hit a period in my life where gaming will not be possible, I started writing in January 2006 the story of The Orchid.

Of the brief 10 page synopsis, I expect there are about 10,000 words. So far Ive turned 500 of those words into 100,000 words!