Happy New Year

In another couple of days the year 2013 will end and be nothing more than a memory.  What will you remember of the year that was?  Was it a good year?  As I think back for me it was a very good year.  My wife and kids are healthy, certainly this has to be one of if not the most important thing.  All things considered it has been a good year for me and my family.  Both of my children have successful careers, one is an Attorney the other is a Music Teacher.  Both like what they do and both are making moves designed to advance their respective careers.  My wife is a Paralegal with a good job.  And myself, well I am working on finishing up my 26th year at the firm I’m with.  In addition I continue to advance and gain responsibility.  So I guess in the current America we are doing well.

One thing I will remember about this year is that this was the year I became serious about my writing.  Up until this year I would write when I felt like it.  That meant that sometimes I would write everyday for a week and then I would stop and not write again for months.  This was no way to develop my writing skills or get anything done.  I have felt as many of us have that I have a novel inside me.  Since I made up mind that I would write consistently I have written one novel and I am very much into my second.

 

Yes I will remember 2013 as the year I took my writing seriously!  No regrets, I will spend the next few years writing as a profession and see where it takes me. This time next year it will be interesting to see where I am.  What will you remember about the year that passed.  Will it be remembered for regrets or as a positive?  Its time to start planning next year.  Everyone always makes New Years Resolutions.  What are yours?  Is it to write more?  Travel More?  Maybe to spend more time with the family.  There is no right or wrong, only what's good for you!  Think about it, see what works for you and make those resolutions and try to stick to them.  Do not make them so tough that you are bound to fail.  By the same token don’t make them to easy.  But make them!

As an addendum to my last entry I did get the ChromeBook.  I have to say it is everything I was looking for.  It’s small (an 11.6 inch screen) and lightweight ( less than 3 pounds) so that I have no excuse not to take it with me everywhere I go.  Now it works for me because I do not use any specialty writing programs.  Google Docs works just like Microsoft Word though certainly not as powerful.  If you use a particular Microsoft program this will not work for you.  If all you use is Word to write then this will work for you too.  I now have a basic “laptop” that cost me just $129 (refurbished) on groupon.  This blog was typed on the Chromebook.  No excuses!

Have a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year.

Writers Block

I never truly believed in the Writers Block, but these last two weeks I have become all to familiar with the term.  I am not sure what caused it, maybe the holiday season and having to deal with Family and Friends.  Maybe it’s the pressure from my day job.  With year end coming client demands have been off the wall.  Or maybe I just needed to get away from writing for a little bit.  I’m not really sure.  What I do know is that I have gone from being prolific all through the summer and into September to almost a standstill.

 

My book Voodoo Street is screaming for me to finish the 2^nd edit.  Instead I have done everything but work on this.  The result being that now the release will be delayed until the end of January.  Not only that but a couple of other projects I am currently working on have been delayed which has caused a little grief for me with editors I am working with.

 

What is the answer?  Again I’m not sure but let me tell you what I am trying.  Firstly I am getting a new laptop.  My current laptop is over 4 years old.  A little large with a 15.6 inch screen weighing more then a couple of pounds.  On top of that the battery is pretty played out.  What does that all mean?  It means it’s a hassle to take it with me.  That cuts down on the places that I can write.  I needed more portability, so what did I get?  I ordered an Acer Chrome Book.  It’s much smaller with an 11.6 inch screen and thanks to the new Lithium battery it weighs less than 3 pounds.  Now I know what a lot of you are saying “a Chrome Book, that’s no good you can’t run windows”.  That’s right I can’t run windows, so what.  There are programs for Google Chrome that will allow me to open my windows projects and continue them on this new laptop.  I am not married to windows and Microsoft WORD.  I am counting on this new found portability to give me more opportunities to write. 

 

In addition to the new laptop which according to the shipper I should receive on December 16, I have decided to put a few challenges into my writing life.  The first is to write at least 5 hours each week.  I know this doesn’t sound like a lot but I have noticed that many times when I finally sit myself down to write a session can easily last for hours.  On top of that I have committed to writing for a couple of websites (more news on this to come), this commitment should get me going.

 

How do you handle the “BLOCK”?  I am sure there are many ways and everyone needs to know themselves and what will work for them.  I’ll keep you posted.

 

And write I will!

 

Thanksgiving

By the time this gets posted the Thanksgiving Holiday will have passed.  Once we have all recovered from all the Turkey, alcohol and football its time to go shopping.  Now let me say up front while I'm not the biggest fan of turkey, ( my wife always makes Lasagna too) I will have my fair share of it.  I will wash it down with a few beers and we definitely will have the games.  I'm sure my wife and daughter as well as countless others will head out shopping on Black Friday.  But is that rally what the holiday season means to us all.
The commercial aspect of this season is not lost on me, I understand that the profits (or losses) made this time of year are very important to business.  But lets take a step back, lets enjoy being with our friends and loved ones.  Buying gifts at a great price is not the end goal.  Giving something to the recipients that they will like and use, the look on their faces when they receive the gift.  That's the ultimate reward, not the great price we got it for!
So enjoy the people you are with.  Enjoy the food too, but don't over eat and drink in moderation.  (Jeez I sound like my mother)

I want to wish everyone a great holiday season!

NaNoWriMo

It occurred to me as I was preparing for NaNoWriMo this year that I should have mentioned this event in one of last month’s postings.  For those of you who have never heard of it let me give you their definition of the event as it appears on their website.

“National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to creative writing. On November 1, participants begin working towards the goal of writing a 50,000-word novel by 11:59 p.m. on November 30.”

That my friends, is the challenge in a nutshell.  And it is a challenge, a gauntlet thrown in the face of every writer and would be writer.  To begin a novel on November 1 and to have it completed in only 30 days.  50,000 words in 30 days!  Not the most difficult thing to do you say, hah, try it and then let me know how you feel.

There are things you can do to make it easier.  You can start thinking of plot lines and plot twists as well as characters and their personalities.  You can begin planning where the story will go but if you are taking up the challenge then you do not want to start the actual writing until the 1^st.

I have been a participant since 2009, I have not finished a novel every year but it gets me writing and thinking.  I believe it to be a great exercise to help build both writing skills and more importantly it helps me to build discipline.    I can get lazy some times when it comes to my writing.  This exercise forces me to write almost every day.  If you don’t the chances of finishing in 30 days becomes nearly impossible.  The discipline of sitting down and writing on a consistent basis is a hard one.  It’s too easy to make excuses and then go and do something else.

My soon to be released book, “Voodoo Street”, started life as a NaNoWriMo project a few years ago.  A little proofing and polishing later and we have what I hope will be a finished novel for all to enjoy.

Why not give NaNoWriMo a try.   You might like it!

Get Out There and Live

Boy the month of October has been a busy one for me.  Every weekend has been booked and planned far in advance.  October 5^th and 6^th I competed in an SCCA Solo event.  For those of you who do not know, the SCCA is the Sports Car Club of America and one of the major sponsoring organizations in Auto Racing.  And solo is a type of racing where you compete one at time on a road course laid out with cones, usually in a large parking lot.  Cars are classified as per engine size and modifications made to the car so as to make things fair.  Then the cars are timed and awards given out at the end of the day.  This is a great way to get into motorsports which is both relatively safe and cheap!

On October 10^th through the 13^th, New York Was host to the NYC Comicon.  A great event if you are into Comic books, Cartoons, Video Games or any other type of pop culture.  I was there for 3 of the 4 days and had a blast.  I purchased some books I needed to complete sets and had a chance to meet some very interesting people.

 On the 20^th, I returned from one of my favorite places to visit in October.  Salem, Massachusetts.   They bill themselves as the “Witch City”.  We were there with some friends to enjoy the sights, sounds and of course the libations for the weekend.  If you have never been to Salem around Halloween, then you don’t know what you are missing.  The costumes are unbelievable.  If you can be there for Halloween night you will see some costumes that will leave you amazed.  Every year I see costumes better than the year before.  Unfortunately this year I could not make it for Halloween but the weekend before was loads of fun too.

On October 26 I will be attending the Photoplus Expo at the Javits Center in New York City.  This is one of the major Photography Shows on the East Coast.  My daughter and I attend every year and love seeing what’s new in the world of photography. 

What do these four (4) events have in common?  Actually very little but they do give me a wealth of ideas and experiences to use in my fiction.  Write what you know about, how many times have you heard that refrain?  It does make sense, and besides it’s fun to experience things in life.  So get out there and live, and don’t forget to write about it after!

NYC Comicon

One of my major interests and a hobby that I have been involved in since High School is the Collecting and Reading nay Appreciation of the Art form commonly referred to as Comic Books.  Beginning with that first issue I collected back in 1973 (Fantasy Masterpieces # 2) which by the way was given to me by a friend and which I still have to Swamp Thing # 23.1 which I just bought last Wednesday, I love my comic books.

The big event each year for me is the New York City Comicon which is held at the Javits Center in Manhattan each year in October.  This year it runs from October 10-13.  This sold out event has become so large that it is second only to the San Diego show in size and content.  Luckily I have had my ticket for months.  It’s an opportunity for me to fill some holes in my ever growing collection.  I collect some fairly obscure old titles that my local dealers just don’t have and I’m one of those “dinosaurs” that like to see and hold the book before I buy it.  In addition the prices at the show are usually good; in fact they are VERY GOOD!

It is also an opportunity to pick up items on the periphery such as statues, models, games, posters, etc.   I will certainly use the opportunity to stock up on bags and boards.  The Con is also a chance to reconnect with friends I’ve made in the hobby and hopefully make some new ones.  Part of the allure in any hobby is the people you meet.  Certainly this is as true here as in any.

The show goes for 4 days, opens on a Thursday (Industry Only day) and runs through Sunday afternoon.  I will be there on at least three of the days.  I usually stay away on Saturday as that is “Kids day” and there always seems to be a larger number of kids and strollers on that day then any of the others.  I will try to post some pictures after the show; there are always some great costumes and interesting Authors and Artists. 

Hope to see you soon.

Research on the Web

Last month I wrote on the subject of Informational Resources in General and the Internet in particular but forgot to mention one thing that I think is widely acknowledged but ignored constantly.  And that is that not everything you read on the internet is necessarily true or accurate.  I know, hard to believe isn’t it? 

This was brought to my attention recently when I was having a conversation with one of my coworkers and she stated that she uses Wikipedia as a major source for information for everything.  I asked her if she knew what the philosophy behind it was and she had no idea but did compare it to the Encyclopedia Britannica.  She was a little shocked to learn that almost anyone can add to a wiki.  As they state on their own website, “Almost all of its articles can be edited by anyone having access to the site.”  This doesn’t necessarily make it any less valuable as a resource but one must keep this in mind.  Unlike the Encyclopedia Britannica which uses experts to write all of its entries, Wikipedia uses layman.  In all fairness independent studies have shown that it is very accurate and that the people who add entries are for the most part very confidant.

But while Wikipedia is very accurate there is no way to police the hundreds of millions of websites that currently reside all over the Web.  People do have their own agendas and they will write what they want when they want to push their personnel views.  In some cases entries are erroneous but the writers believe them to be true.  Sometimes faulty research makes for faulty entries. 

I’m not saying that you shouldn’t use the web as a resource.  As a matter of fact I use quite extensively but you have to use common sense when weeding through the plethora of websites available.  So what can one do?  Compare notes and never use one site as your sole resource.  Look for sites that are written by “experts” and not just interested hobbyists.  Use the Web in conjunction with other resources such as Books and Magazines.   Multiple sites and a little common sense will take you a long way when it comes to accuracy.

As I have mentioned before I used the Web to research some points of information for my soon to be released novel entitled “Voodoo Street”.  It certainly made my life easier!  So I will continue to use the web, but I will proceed cautiously.

Research

 

Today there are no excuses for a novel or short story to have inaccurate information or settings.  At one time research meant hours upon hours in the local library looking through the card catalog for any books or magazines that pertained to the subject matter we were writing about.  Depending on the city you lived in the books and periodicals on hand could be quite sparse.  Trips to neighboring cities’ libraries and University libraries were not uncommon as we searched for additional research material.

Research has certainly become easier in the year 2013!  Now we walk over to our laptops and desk top computers and flip a switch.  That one action opens the world before us.  One can Google almost any topic and get back 1000s upon of 1000s of hits.  Not all great hits to be sure but a little weeding will solve that.  And if the net doesn’t offer up enough answers one can then find many periodicals and books on the subject that one can purchase.  In some cases for a pretty good price!  Articles, websites, pictures, there is no end to what is available on the net.  Of course we still have the libraries, but the card catalogs have been replaced by computers, and in many cases if your branch doesn’t have what you need you can order it from another.  I personally still enjoy going to the library to do some of my research.  Many times I go there with my laptop and sit for hours doing my online research as most are now wired with wifi.

When I was writing “Voodoo Street” I needed to get some history on Voodoo as a religion.  While I still spent hours on the research it certainly was easier doing it from the comfort of my home office with a fresh cup of coffee at hand.  A few keystrokes and a whole new world of knowledge opened up before me.  In addition while I had a good working knowledge of the area in Brooklyn where my story takes place, my descriptions were made that much easier by pulling up some pictures of the area using Google and Flickr.

One caveat, just because it’s in print doesn’t mean it’s true.  Many times people will start a website or blog with a personal agenda.  Not necessarily to confuse an issue but sometimes to persuade others to come over to their way of thinking.  There is a wealth of research material available but one has to be careful and use common sense.

 So here’s to accuracy and the ease of research.

Write what you know!

I think I have always been interested in the paranormal. My interest certainly became more focused in my junior year of high school when I took an elective course call “Parapsychology”.  In this course we not only looked at different paranormal events and phenomena but we also looked at different ways to research and examine the events in a more scientific vein. 

From here I remember taking out every book my library had on any subject that I felt pertained to the unknown.  In truth there weren’t many and those they had were pretty outdated.  But periodic trips to Manhattan to visit the big book stores and the few occult book stores I found in the “Yellow Pages” helped to quench my thirst.

This interest in the occult also included reading any fiction that involved paranormal mysteries.  To this day this genre is still one of my favorites.  Of course today we have the internet, this is a huge help in researching any paranormal event or topic.  However the biggest problem here is separating the truth from the B.S.  Unfortunately there seems to be a lot more B.S. then truth but with a little knowledge and some common sense you can weed through the B.S.  In addition 100s of podcasts have popped up with everyone having their own opinion.

So why am I telling you all this?  Well they say when you write you should “write what you know”.  That’s what I am doing.  The project I am working on now deals with the paranormal.  The plot line on which my book Voodou Street is built revolves around the occult topic of Zombies.   Relying on the subject matter that I know I can make my book more believable.  Certainly this is every authors wish.  If the story doesn’t ring true no one will read it.  A lesson I learned very early in my writing career.  This background knowledge also makes it easier to write the story.  I spend a lot less time researching and a lot more time writing.  Not to say that I’m not double checking things, after all no one can remember everything but it certainly makes the writing go quicker.

My upcoming novel, Voodou Street is coming along nicely.  We are in the 2^nd revision stage and think it will be ready this fall for publication.  More information will be released in the coming weeks.

Why write?

Why do I write?  That’s a great question, and its one I’m not sure I can answer.  I did not grow up as some people do wanting to be a writer. As a matter of fact the thought only popped up in the last few years.   While I was a competent writer in College, I certainly was not exceptional at it.  What I did have was an idea for a story that I carried around for a long time.  But that’s probably not unusual for those of us that like to read.  When one reads a lot you come in contact with many different plot lines.  Some good, some not so good.  When you come across one that’s not so good you think of ways to improve it.  This leads to the stockpiling of many “new” plot lines.

That’s where I got the idea for my first book, “Gargoyles”.  I carried this idea around for a few years thinking ‘One day I’m going to write this book.’  I finally started that book a couple of years ago though I still have not finished it.  In November of 2011, I discovered NaNoWriMo.  What a great idea, to write a book in only 30 days.  It seemed like a terrific challenge so I picked up the gauntlet.  And lo and behold I finished my second book, or is that technically my first because I finished it.  Either way that book which is named “Voodou Street” is very close to being released.  Hopefully by the end of this year it will be available on Amazon as well as other book vendors.

So let’s get back to my original question now.  Why do I write?  I guess I do it for a one main reason.  I enjoy it.  Of course that may be because I don’t have to do it.  It’s not my job; it’s not how I make a living so there is no pressure to succeed.  It is always easier to enjoy something when you do it because you want to and not because I have to.  It also gives me a reason to read more.  I truly believe that the more you read, and the more styles you are exposed to the better your writing will be. 

Really sounds like a WIN, WIN to me!