08th Apr2008

Hell Froze Over: I Wrote Last Night

by Aaron

Yesterday I promised myself that when I got home from work that I would get my ass into the Frakkin’ chair and get some writing done. Well…. I did.

I banged out some more pages of Mars, but it was interrupted by my wife coming home and the TV going on. I must say that I am looking forward to moving soon, where I can write in my own room and she can watch TV in the living room. Until then, my available time to write in silence is limited.

So, without further adeu, here is my progress:

Words typed last night: 1,756
Total Word count: 3,900 words
Pages: 10 pages

08th Apr2008

A Supportive Environment

by Aaron

I was driving to my job this morning, and more & more I’m becoming frustrated with my lack of time to write. I feel my writing drive is only around certain parts of the day and it takes a great deal to get my butt into the chair.

I work in the computer / IT industry and writing is the furthest thing from what I do. My author-persona is one I try to become when I am home and on my days off. It used to not be so hard. My schedule used to get me home for the day by 4:00 PM when now I’m not home until 7:00 PM. That difference makes a big change because I don’t have that free time from when I get home to do things like write.

Now I know some of you are asking “But Aaron, why not just write later in the evening after you’ve eaten dinner and spent time with your wife?” My answer to that question would be a combination of being tired and the drive not being there. I know it’s not the best excuse but it’s the realistic reasons I feel. It’s hard to be creative at 10:00 PM. One thing I’ve thought of doing was waking up about two hours earlier than normal and getting some writing done at that time.

I am moving shortly and I think that I’m going to adjust my schedule to try that. A potential schedule I want to implement is waking up a few hours earlier, going to work out for 30-45 min, and then getting some writing done. After that, go to work. I don’t know how well this could work, but my job isn’t the place that really inspires me to get some writing done.

We’ll see what happens. It’s too bad I don’t work in a place that deals with writing and publishing. I would think it would help stimulate the ‘beast’.

07th Apr2008

Outline Rewrite?

by Aaron

Mars has been a struggle for me and I have not written much in the past few months that it’s been in the works. For the first time ever, I actually created an outline, so I had an idea of where to go and to make the story flow better. Now, I don’t know if the outline is good.

Is an outline rewrite a common thing? I am guessing it’s better to rewrite an outline rather than the bulk of the novel when it’s done. I think a fundimental problem with the book is I don’t know what genre to make it. I have thought about it being sci-fi but also a drama of being away from your family. This seems like it could be a tricky balance to achieve and on top of that, may not appeal to many people. My opening teaser chapter is suspenseful and really grabs the reader. I’ve thought of writing the whole book that way (where there’s a time-crunch or some impending doom that we’re fighting the clock on) but I feel conflicted.

My Robert book is a ‘human drama’…. for now and some of my beta feedback seems to indicate making it into a suspense story could be better. I love Dan Brown books and he writes that way, so that might work out for me. Overall, I’m not sure. For a change, I’m not feeling this book and don’t know if even a rewrite will help me. I think I need to sit down and think this through for an hour or two, instead of in a flurry of writing emotions.

07th Apr2008

The Impending Feedback

by Aaron

One of my beta readers has sent me back my manuscript for the Robert book. To my surprise, this reader left me with over 500 comments in Word! Talk about feedback! While it does seem overwhelming, this type of feedback is vital to making this book a reality and giving it the best chances when I shop it to agents later this year.

I’m at work right now and so I could only go over some of the notes and such, but I’m glad I was ready for the feedback because it’s honest. This is the best thing I could ask for and I will say it’s not harsh. I won’t lie and say it doesn’t hurt a little and it does burst my bubble but it’s reality and I am by no means a bad writer. Like everything else in life, it needs work and refinement.

One of my other beta readers gave me a sample page of suggestions and thoughts, to see what I thought. I really liked the feedback and encouraged that person to continue. So far, the feeback I’ve gotten is going to help a lot. I know that within a couple of months, the Robert book will be refined, tight, flow, and most importantly be the best Frakkin’ book it can be.

I now know and understand the feeling a writer has when they get a reality check and see their story isn’t the polished gem they thought it was. This just drives me to work harder and make it work.

PS- I still don’t have a damn title.

06th Apr2008

Lyrically Speaking for April 6

by Aaron

Lyrically Speaking was on break as I looked for new songs to share with everyone. My search through my music library brought me to this great song by the “band” Dashboard Confessional. The reason I put the word bands into quotes is because it’s really just one guy and a band that seems like an afterthought. Chris Carrabba, the singer-songwriter, is really the whole band but it’s more of a name than anything. The lineup is constantly changing.

Anyhow…. this band is the poster-child of Emo music and this song is really interesting in the pain it shows. More than likely Carrabba is an introvert and has little self-worth. Most songs deal with the pain of relationships (as 99% of music does) but his songs seem to have a real punch and emphasis on lyrics. I hope you find this song as inspiring as I do.

From Dashboard Confessional, this is Again I Go Unnoticed.

So quiet
another wasted night,
the television steals the conversation
exhale,
another wasted breath,
again it goes unnoticed.

Please tell me you’re just feeling tired
cause if it’s more than that I feel that I might break
out of touch, out of time.
Please send me anything but signals that are mixed
cause I can’t read your rolling eyes
out of touch, are we out of time?

Close lipped
another goodnight kiss
is robbed of all it’s passion,
your grip
another time, is slack
it leaves me feeling empty.

I’ll wait until tomorrow
maybe you’ll feel better then
maybe we’ll be better then
so what’s another day
when I can’t bear these nights of thoughts
of going on without you
this mood of yours is temporary
it seems worth the wait
to see your smile again
out of the corner of my eye
won’t be the only way you’re looking at me then.

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