Writing Rule #19

#19  Find a source (or several sources) of motivation.  I would advise that your list of motivational wellsprings not include money or fame.  Vindication is a good one, though.  Whatever you use to inspire yourself, hang on to it.

The words of Ralph Waldo Emerson (easilythe coolest Ralph in the history of Ralphs, not to mention Waldos…) always speak to me, personally.

“Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow.”

 “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”

“Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you.”

 “Every artist was first an amateur.”

“If the stars should appear but one night every thousand years how man would marvel and stare.”

“As long as a man stands in his own way, everything seems to be in his way.”

And my favourite:

 “Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.”

Day 4

Some words yesterday (not much) and Pearl Jam concert.  I think I’ll be the zombie at work tomorrow.  I’ll chalk it up to research.

Day 2

3,200 words (first draft words, but that’s cool) down yesterday…  It’ll be fun going through and fleshing out the draft, once I finish and let it sit for a a bit,

Well, back to it…

Left 4 Dead 2 and Novel 1

The sequel to the best damn zombie game there is has gone live, today, and in honor of the momentous occasion, I’ve begun the zombie* novel that festers in my head.

*Even though it’s the “zombie novel”, in my internal narration, I’m going to break as many rules of the trope as I can.  These ain’t your grandpappies undead cannon-fodder, kiddo…  I’ve taken a good look at my “Zombies Deconstructed” post and ditched all the dead weight I could.  Ha.  Lookie there.  A pun.  Anyway, I like the start, I know where the middle needs to be, and after that I’m hoping the momentum of the story will bring me to a conclusion that satisfies me.  We shall see.  Why am I still writing all tiny, as if this has anything to do with the asterisk?

#67

And just about all of the stories that are out there have come back (aside from a few with publications that are much, much slower than the norm.)

And to add to that, my brain is once again turning to novels…

Rejection #66

Just what it says on the box…

Three reasons my parents are awesome…

1.  I knew from a very young age that they’d support me in anything I decided to do.  Baseball, soccer, moving to Australia, writing, they’ve never blinked and continue to help me every step of the way.  That means everything.

2.  Both of them are damn good at what they do, and haven’t stopped doing it.  They’re an inspiration.  My Mom’s been a teacher for a zillion years, or so, and she still loves it.  My Dad never, never stops.  Obstacles, challenges, whatever, he just kept on pushing toward the life he knew he wanted for he and his family.

3.  They bought me this.  (sans hands…)

A Sony Reader.  It is, without question, just about the coolest thing I’ve ever had.  It’s got a battery life of 2 weeks, charges via USB, and there are tons and tons of free magazines and books out there.  I’ve only had it a couple of weeks, so far, and I’ve already been able to catch up on a lot of what’s going on in the spec fic world.  Sure, they’re expensive (well, not for me, since my parents rock…) but down here in Australia, a hardback can easily cost more than thirty dollars.  The same book’ll cost between $6 and $10 US, or thereabouts.  I love bookstores as much as anyone, and used bookstores even more, but this is a FAR more environmentally friendly, fiscally responsible, and kick ass option.  Yeah, yeah, I hear it already.  “I like the tactile feel of a book.”  I felt that way too, but once you’ve got the leather-bound cover attached to the Sony Reader, it feels like a book, weighs what a book weighs, and, best of all, when I’m reading in bed (lying down on my side) I can happily read those 1,500 page juggernauts without hearing my ligaments separate from the bones in my arm.

Rejection #65

and counting…

13/11/09 (11/13/09)

Wow.  It’s scary how just writing the date like that  (one way for Aussie land, one for the US) is kind of morbid.  So often it’s this big final stamp on someone’s life.

Anyway…

Happy Friday the 13th.

Headspace

Well, here’s proof.  The Star Wars exhibition has been gone for 4 days, and I’ve written 2 new stories.  It’s a wonderful thing to have room in your own head to do your own thing, and get paid for the priviledge…