Tag: cold streets (page 5 of 9)

Writer Report: Supernatural Inspiration

Courtesy Warner Bros

Cold Streets is closer than ever to the end of the first draft. I have a few changes I think I’ll be making before test readers are contacted, so I guess they’ll be seeing a second draft, or perhaps draft 1.5 – either way, I’m on the cusp of switching gears between writing and editing, which is an exciting and terrifying time in the life of any project.

The bulk of my free time lately has been consumed with getting caught up on Supernatural. We’re up the fifth season as of today. Serial storytelling is interesting to me, as the longer a series goes on, the more danger it is in of rattling on its rails, if not jumping off completely. Thus far, this show seems to keep its focus on its interesting and very human characters while raising the stakes for the protagonists. It would be very easy to make the show all about the threat or the creatures or the special effects, but for the moment, the emphasis is on the people we’ve been with along the way, which to me is a good sign for things to come.

Some have said that later seasons do rattle along the rails, so we’ll see how it goes. I’m hoping to get more done in Cold Streets over the weekend, considering it’s a holiday and it’s a good time to be writing. Then again, any time is a good time to be writing. Unless you’re driving or something.

Writer Report: The Wall

Courtesy floating robes
Courtesy Floating Robes

It’s been said before, and I’ll go ahead and say it again: You have to fight for your time to write. You have to carve it out of your day with a butcher’s cleaver and a variety of other sharp objects. You need to covet those bloody chunks and make the most of every messy, succulent bite. If you can’t do that, you won’t make it as a writer.

It’s been hit and miss for me the last week or two. I’m hopefully going to see the tail end of a situation or two in the very near future, and I’m hoping that will ratchet down some of my stress. I have a lot on my plate, and I’m trying to manage things the best way I know how.

Last week I felt a bit like I’d hit ‘the wall’ that cyclists and runners talk about. I just ran headlong into a feeling of inadequacy and self-doubt after a couple days of near giddiness. There was a time that such a downturn would have crippled me for a long time. But I stopped and considered it. I wrote about it. I kept up with exercise, made some plans, looked ahead to the future, and got back to work on Cold Streets. I can’t say things are 100% improved, but they are better, and I’m making progress.

It’s my hope that Cold Streets will be done by the end of the summer, and I can get in touch with my lovely and talented cover art folks to put something together so it hits virtual shelves by the end of the year. I’m still not sure exactly how to organize everything, from my time to my project priorities, but I know it’s something I really need to do.

Basically, the way I handled that wall was smashing through it.

OH YEAH!

Writer Report: Struggle Within

Courtesy http://punology.tumblr.com/

I’m still not back to 100% on my regimens. The gym gets skipped or skimped on from time to time, finances continue to present challenges, I’m behind on getting Magic decks together, and oh yeah, I need to make more time to write.

At least my brain has been active. The very nature of Godslayer has changed. As eager as I am to move forward with it, I know that Cold Streets needs to be completed first. It’s been almost a year since I started writing it, and it should be done by now. In the weeks to come I will be redoubling my efforts to get a draft finished and out to test readers.

There really isn’t much else I should be devoting much time to, after all. I don’t participate in MMOs as of now, play by post games are not urgent, single player games can always wait, and Hangouts are more sources of relaxation and support than they are distractions. It may take some conscious effort to reassert my focus at home, but I know I can do it if I just take the time to stop and breathe before making a decision.

And of course, there will be more flash fiction, reviews, after-action reports, pontifications on writing and support for good causes here, so stay tuned.

Writer Report: Can’t Talk. Working.

Courtesy floating robes
Courtesy Floating Robes

This has been a week of, frankly, getting back in the goddamn saddle. My workouts are up, my dayjob is going well, and I’m back to writing in Cold Streets at the average rate of 350 words per weekday.

Not much else to report, if I’m honest. And I’m a bit busy at the moment with everything else that’s going on.

I really need to carve out more time to prep these posts beforehand.

One Of Those Hiccups

Deadline Clock by monkeyc

Sometimes things just don’t go right.

Things at home have been a bit in flux of late, and a mishap & slip of my own mind had me forget to enable my alarm this morning. As a result, I ended up running behind. I opted for hitting the gym over completing any writing, and ended up stuck in a snarl of traffic that left me in a foul mood. I’m better, now, but still staring down the barrel of a pretty full work day.

The review is bumped until tomorrow, but the good news is that I’m back to writing every night. I’m going to try and keep this up, and finish the first draft of Cold Streets by mid-May. I’ll be looking for test readers! Sign up in the comments below or contact me via any of my stalking methods.

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