So here we are again

So here we are again, after nearly ten months without posting anything.
I've recently joined an online critique group. I'm glad I was warned ahead of time that some of the people in it were very forthright in their critiques, but isn't that the best kind of criticism to pay attention to if you want to improve? The first submission I sent was the first part of my NaNo from last year. It pretty much got hammered, but most of my fellow writers said the same things, so I need to pay attention to what they said. I'm also still in my monthly Sunday critique group, and I've been taking the same material there that I've submitted online. The Sunday group has liked the piece better and have not been as, well, critical. I need to combine what both groups have said while doing rewrites. Of course in the end, it's up to me, the writer, what stays and what goes.
I see enough potential in the story to toss it and mark it up to part of my writing apprenticeship. I can also see that the first draft plus limited revisions I've made might prove to serve only as an outline for subsequent drafts.
I'm listening to Stephen King's "On Writing" again. It's reminded me that I watch too much TV, especially if I want to improve in my writing. As he says, I have to "read a lot and write a lot." the new TV season has just started and I can't afford to get sucked into watching show after show. That's a luxury I can't afford. The next books I want to read are "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," King's "It," and others that slip my mind at the moment.
Back to the online group. It takes more time than I thought it would to critique others' work. It'll be worth it in the long run though. Getting back two or three or four good critiques is worth the time it takes to critique two or three others. I'm still working two jobs, but if and when I'm able to scale back to one job I'll be able to do more in critiquing others and writing more myself. It's a little after 9 AM Saturday morning as I write this. I have to be at Publix from 1 PM until 10 PM tonight, so that gives me less than two hours free time when taking into account getting ready for work and taking a short nap.
I'm trying to decide if I want to do the NaNo again this year. My inclination is to say yes, but I'm not sure yet.
Stephen King is going to be at a book signing in Atlanta on November 13. I'm hoping to get to go, but won't know until November 6. The bookstore where he'll be will be accepting email requests for tickets on that day. I'll be sending one a minute after midnight leading into the 6th.

Across the NaNo finish line

I hit the 50,000 word mark in this year's National Novel Writing Month with an hour and a half to spare. The first draft isn't complete and there are some holes to fill, but all that matters in NaNoWriMo is getting to the 50K mark by midnight on Novemeber 30. I'll finish the the first draft in December. I'm mulling over possible endings in my mind.
So now I have 2 50,000 word NaNo novels, but of which need to be edited. I've found the first draft is fun, after that it is work! But nothing that stops with the first draft will ever get published. So looks like I have more work ahead of me.

NaNoWriMo 2008

Today is November 24, and to make it to 50,000 words for National Novel Writing Month I have to write 17,000 more words in the next 7 days, including today. I won't have time to write today or Wednesday, so that leaves 5 days. That means an average of 3,400 words a day. That's a lot. We'll see if I can get away with being a recluse while out of town for Thanksgiving.

On a much more somber note, I lost my mom on November 10. She will be greatly missed.

Another long stretch between posts

Okay, so it wasn't five months between posts this time - only a little over three.
I've started going to a writer's group that meets once a month. The group has been critiquing a short story I wrote a year or two ago and has given me great feedback and suggestions for it. After the next meeting and a lot of edits I'll start sending it out to potential markets for publication.
One of the two stories I mentioned in my last post grew to over 12,000 words and should end up being book length, but it's on hiatus for the time being.
NaNoWriMo starts in a month. I'm going to sign up for it again even though I don't have the time. Even if I don't get to 50,000 words it'll be good for me to have specific objectives and I found last year that I don't waste as much time when I have a November 30 deadline. I've got an idea brewing in my head to write about and will do a little research over the next couple of weeks to see if my idea is viable.
I didn't get into Harry Potter 5 yet, but since the movie for 6 has been delayed until next summer, I should still be able to read 5 and 6 before the movie for 6 is released.

Last few months...

I can't believe I my last post to this blog was in January. I went a couple of months having no job, a few weeks having one job, and for the last six weeks or so have been working two jobs - one full time and one part time.
I haven't written much of anything - mainly one short story which early critiques convinced me to shelve. I'm in the early stages of two stories, at least one of which could easily develop into book-length.
As far as reading, I started on the Harry Potter series in February and am nearing the end of the fourth book, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. I have to divide what little free time I have between reading and writing, so it's slow going even though the Potter series is a fun and easy read. At least I should be through book six by the time the movie comes out in November.
For audio books I'm back to Stephen King's Dark Tower series, and am currently listening to On Writing again, I think because it's inspirational for me.
Hopefully there won't be five months between posts this time.

New Stuff in a New Year

I'm going through significant changes in my life as 2008 begins. My wife and I are preparing to move to the Birmingham area and I'm looking for a new job. 2007 was full of surprises; some good and some not so good. 2008 will be a year of getting back on level ground in many areas.
I haven't written much since finishing the NaNo. I've tried to keep reading, though. I read Tess Gerritsen's The Surgeon over the course of 3 days, which is almost unheard of for me, and am now reading Stephen King's Misery. Both books are excellent, even though I am only halfway through Misery. The movie was very good, but the book blows it away. I saw a video of Mr. King on YouTube where he emphasized the importance of aspiring writers continuing to read. At least I'm doing something right!
Hopefully and prayerfully we'll be set in Birmingham within 2 or 3 weeks. I'm looking forward to returning to a sense of normalcy over the next few months. As that happens, I believe I'll be able to get back in stride with my writing.

Pillars of the Earth

A friend highly recommended a book called "Pillars of the Earth" a few months ago and I decided to listen to it on my iPod. After my NaNo in November needed a mental break from thinking about plotlines and characters as I drove to work. If I would've picked up "Pillars" from a bookstore shelf and started in on it, I would've put it down after a while. It's around 900 pages and the audio book is 40 hours long, whereas most are 15 to 20. I kept on listening since my friend raved about it so much. Now I'm well over halfway through it and am glad I didn't quit listening to it. The author, Ken Follett, does a tremendous job of weaving a complex tale of building a cathedral in twelfth century England.
I don't usually outline my stories very deeply, but have seen in "Pillars" how an outline could be of great benefit, provided I could stick to one. Stephen King, my favorite author, doesn't use outlines on his first drafts and he has written thousand page books that have been interesting throughout. I guess that proves that every author has his/her unique style. I like to know where I'm going in a story, either a short story or a 50,000 word NaNo, by the time I'm halfway through it. I just don't usually know how I'll get there.
I'll read more of Ken Follett's books in the future, as I will Stephen King's. I could do worse than to emulate aspects of writing from both of them.