Sunday, July 31, 2011
My Cluttered Mind: 07/31/2011: "The Fault Lies Not..." Progress
My Cluttered Mind: 07/31/2011: "The Fault Lies Not..." Progress: "Slow progress is better than no progress. As of now, 'The Fault Lies Not...' is an even 9500 words long. The only question about the word..."
07/31/2011: "The Fault Lies Not..." Progress
Slow progress is better than no progress.
As of now, "The Fault Lies Not..." is an even 9500 words long. The only question about the word count is how far over 10,000 words will it end up.
Gotta check story lengths and see what constitutes a novella or a novelette.
As of now, "The Fault Lies Not..." is an even 9500 words long. The only question about the word count is how far over 10,000 words will it end up.
Gotta check story lengths and see what constitutes a novella or a novelette.
Friday, July 29, 2011
My Cluttered Mind: 07/29/2011: Before The Dawn Progress...Finally!
My Cluttered Mind: 07/29/2011: Before The Dawn Progress...Finally!: "After being unable to do anything with the novel for a while, I finally got back to Chapter 22. A change of location for the opening scene,..."
07/29/2011: Before The Dawn Progress...Finally!
After being unable to do anything with the novel for a while, I finally got back to Chapter 22. A change of location for the opening scene, a few extra lines of dialogue and I think I've gotten a handle on it. Hopefully this will let me continue with the novel.
Putting aside "My Soul To Keep", which was nothing but a distraction, should help, too.
As of right now, Chapter 22 is 820 words. In total, Before the Dawn is 64,179 words in length, 15,821 until my goal of 80,000 words.
I'm searching YouTube for a particular scene from 2001: A Space Odyssey. It's the scene at the end, where Bowman is deactivating Hal. I need it for inspiration.
Putting aside "My Soul To Keep", which was nothing but a distraction, should help, too.
As of right now, Chapter 22 is 820 words. In total, Before the Dawn is 64,179 words in length, 15,821 until my goal of 80,000 words.
I'm searching YouTube for a particular scene from 2001: A Space Odyssey. It's the scene at the end, where Bowman is deactivating Hal. I need it for inspiration.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
My Cluttered Mind: New Side Project 2: "A Voice in the Darkness" - C...
My Cluttered Mind: New Side Project 2: "A Voice in the Darkness" - C...: "The good thing about working on multiple projects is that there's always something to work on. I stopped working on 'My Soul to Keep' when..."
New Side Project 2: "A Voice in the Darkness" - Characters & Progress
The good thing about working on multiple projects is that there's always something to work on.
I stopped working on "My Soul to Keep" when I realized I wasn't making any progress on it. I was just rewriting the same opening scenes over and over again. Since I like having two side projects along with the novel, I dug up a different project to work on. That led me to dig up this story that I hadn't worked on since 2009, titled "A Voice in the Darkness".
Before I tell you about this story, I have to tell you about another one, titled "With Eyes Open...", actually the first story I had accepted for publication (in an emag that went under not long after the story was published).
Ever be alone in a room but you see movement out of the corner of your eye? You look and don't see anything, so you decide that it's just your mind playing tricks on you. Suppose there really was something there but for some reason you can't see it directly. I speculated about a race of beings who are out of phase with the reality we know, making them invisible and undetectable. They arrived here on Earth from "somewhere else" and needed a physical anchor to remain here. When they arrived in the year 5 AD, they picked a Hindu man to be their anchor. One thousand years after that, they selected a woman named Robyn to be their anchor. In 2005, they selected a woman named Mira Frayne to be their anchor. Mira wants nothing to do with them. The creatures, named Adityas by the Hindu, will not be denied...
That's the basics of "With Eyes Open..." Which brings us to "A Voice in the Darkness".
I hadn't meant for "A Voice in the Darkness" to be a sequel to "With Eyes Open..." It had started with the main character being sent into an orbital station on which an experiment had run out of control. She had to stop the experiment and retrieve the research, which was conducted by her ex-husband. As I got into it, that basic story line stayed in place but before I knew it, my subconscious inserted Mira into the story. I figured out why they were there and moved on with it. Then, one day in 2009, I just stopped working on it. Why, I don't know. Now I aim to finish it.
I start "A Voice in the Darkness" with a quote from the Book of Job: "Behold, I go forward but he is not there; and backward but I cannot perceive him; on the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him; he hideth on the right hand, that I cannot see him."
The good thing about going back to stalled projects is a head start on the word count. After making a quick rewriting pass through "A Voice in the Darkness", it stands at 6,399 words.
The three main characters of the story are:
Hopefully, this will prove more productive than "My Soul to Keep".
Oh, and after this story is finished, Mandalay Jones will show up again. Her story doesn't end with this. I actually plan on using her in another novel (which I hope to get to when Before the Dawn is finished). Plus I may come up with something for her to do at her new job.
I stopped working on "My Soul to Keep" when I realized I wasn't making any progress on it. I was just rewriting the same opening scenes over and over again. Since I like having two side projects along with the novel, I dug up a different project to work on. That led me to dig up this story that I hadn't worked on since 2009, titled "A Voice in the Darkness".
Before I tell you about this story, I have to tell you about another one, titled "With Eyes Open...", actually the first story I had accepted for publication (in an emag that went under not long after the story was published).
Ever be alone in a room but you see movement out of the corner of your eye? You look and don't see anything, so you decide that it's just your mind playing tricks on you. Suppose there really was something there but for some reason you can't see it directly. I speculated about a race of beings who are out of phase with the reality we know, making them invisible and undetectable. They arrived here on Earth from "somewhere else" and needed a physical anchor to remain here. When they arrived in the year 5 AD, they picked a Hindu man to be their anchor. One thousand years after that, they selected a woman named Robyn to be their anchor. In 2005, they selected a woman named Mira Frayne to be their anchor. Mira wants nothing to do with them. The creatures, named Adityas by the Hindu, will not be denied...
That's the basics of "With Eyes Open..." Which brings us to "A Voice in the Darkness".
I hadn't meant for "A Voice in the Darkness" to be a sequel to "With Eyes Open..." It had started with the main character being sent into an orbital station on which an experiment had run out of control. She had to stop the experiment and retrieve the research, which was conducted by her ex-husband. As I got into it, that basic story line stayed in place but before I knew it, my subconscious inserted Mira into the story. I figured out why they were there and moved on with it. Then, one day in 2009, I just stopped working on it. Why, I don't know. Now I aim to finish it.
I start "A Voice in the Darkness" with a quote from the Book of Job: "Behold, I go forward but he is not there; and backward but I cannot perceive him; on the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him; he hideth on the right hand, that I cannot see him."
The good thing about going back to stalled projects is a head start on the word count. After making a quick rewriting pass through "A Voice in the Darkness", it stands at 6,399 words.
The three main characters of the story are:
Mandalay Jones
Name: Mandalay Jones
Race: Human
Age: 46
Date of Birth: 10 June 2153
Place of Birth: Basingstoke, Hampshire, England
Citizenship: Mandalay is a citizen of Earth
Legal Status: No criminal record
Relatives: Matthew Carter (ex-husband), Mandala Jones (younger sister), Harrison Cox (brother-in-law), unnamed parents
Height: 5’8” (172.72 cm)
Weight: 136 lb (61.69 kg)
Eye Color: Brown
Hair Color: Brown
Religion: Agnostic
Intelligence: Above average
Strength: Normal
Speed: Normal
Stamina: Normal
Durability: Normal
Agility: Normal
Reflexes: Normal
Profession/Rank (Current): Unemployed
Profession/Rank (Former): Research assistant, pilot
Current Alias: N/A
Former Alias: N/A
Personal Weaponry: Various, as needed
Usual Base of Operations: Mobile
Friends/Allies/Confidants: Mira Frayne
Enemies:
Skills: Mandalay is an excellent researcher, who is very much aware of everything going on around her. She is a keen observer who is very rarely shaken by what goes on around her.
Special Abilities: N/A
Source of Special Abilities: N/A
Interests/Hobbies:
Mira Frayne
Name: Mira Frayne
Race: Human
Age: 236
Date of Birth: 20 March 1963
Place of Birth: Baltimore, Maryland, United States
Citizenship: Mira is a citizen of Earth
Legal Status: No criminal record
Relatives: Unnamed parents (deceased)
Height: 5’6” (167.64 cm)
Weight: 130 lb (58.97 kg)
Eye Color: Hazel
Hair Color: Brown
Religion: Agnostic
Intelligence: Above average
Strength: Normal
Speed: Normal
Stamina: Normal
Durability: Normal
Agility: Normal
Reflexes: Normal
Profession/Rank (Current): Physical anchor and ambassador for Aditya race
Profession/Rank (Former): Empathic therapist, counselor
Current Alias: N/A
Former Alias: N/A
Personal Weaponry: None
Usual Base of Operations: Mobile
Friends/Allies/Confidants: Matthew Carter, Mandalay Jones
Enemies:
Skills: Prior to joining the Adityas, Mira was a proficient counselor and therapist, using her empathic skills to help people overcome mental and emotional problems. Since joining the Adityas, she has become a driven advocate for the insubstantial race, ensuring their secrecy is maintained.
Special Abilities: Mira was born with a strong empathic sense, allowing her to easily sense the thoughts and emotional condition of her clients.
Source of Special Abilities: Unknown
Interests/Hobbies:
.
Matthew Carter
Name: Matthew Carter
Race: Human
Age: 52
Date of Birth: 27 September 2147
Place of Birth: Carson City, Nevada
Citizenship: Matthew is a citizen of Earth
Legal Status: No criminal record
Relatives: Mandalay Jones (ex-wife), unnamed parents
Height: 6’3” (190.5 cm)
Weight: 160 lbs (72.57 kg)
Eye Color: Blue
Hair Color: Blonde (thinning)
Religion: Atheist
Intelligence: Genius
Strength: Normal
Speed: Normal
Stamina: Normal
Durability: Normal
Agility: Normal
Reflexes: Normal
Profession/Rank (Current): Senior Research Fellow, MilSci, a division of EarthGov
Profession/Rank (Former): None
Current Alias: N/A
Former Alias: N/A
Personal Weaponry: N/A
Usual Base of Operations: Bowen Research Station, Earth
Friends/Allies/Confidants: Mandalay Jones
Enemies:
Skills: Matthew is a highly skilled physicist, able to run the most complicated calculations in his mind. He also has an active imagination, allowing him to take leaps and make connections others might miss. He sometimes appears to be the stereotypical absent-minded professor, and sometimes appears to obsess on the most trivial of details. These are really just defense mechanisms to protect his formidable intellect. Matthew holds a PhD in high energy particle physics, earned at the University of Manchester.
Special Abilities: N/A
Source of Special Abilities: N/A
Interests/Hobbies:
.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
My Cluttered Mind: Knowing When It's Time To Step Back
My Cluttered Mind: Knowing When It's Time To Step Back: "One of my side projects, 'My Soul To Keep', is going nowhere. I keep rewriting the same scenes over and over again, hoping they'll give me ..."
Knowing When It's Time To Step Back
One of my side projects, "My Soul To Keep", is going nowhere. I keep rewriting the same scenes over and over again, hoping they'll give me the spark to continue...but I keep running out of steam with it.
So rather than continue to flog a comatose horse, I'm going to put it aside and pick up a different project. The one I'm turning to is titled "A Voice in the Darkness". It's actually a bit of a sequel to another story, "With Eyes Open...", which was published in 2005. (I'd put up the link for the story, but the emag that published it went under.)
If anyone wants to read it, let me know.
So rather than continue to flog a comatose horse, I'm going to put it aside and pick up a different project. The one I'm turning to is titled "A Voice in the Darkness". It's actually a bit of a sequel to another story, "With Eyes Open...", which was published in 2005. (I'd put up the link for the story, but the emag that published it went under.)
If anyone wants to read it, let me know.
Friday, July 15, 2011
My Cluttered Mind: 07/15/2011: Before the Dawn - Insomnia Driven Stat...
My Cluttered Mind: 07/15/2011: Before the Dawn - Insomnia Driven Stat...: "Ah insomnia...my dearest friend...my oldest foe...this is the first time in a long time that I've been able to bend you to my will... I've..."
07/15/2011: Before the Dawn - Insomnia Driven Status Report
Ah insomnia...my dearest friend...my oldest foe...this is the first time in a long time that I've been able to bend you to my will...
I've managed to get into Chapter 22.
As of right now, Chapter 22 is 698 words in length. Overall, Before the Dawn is 335 double-spaced pages, 64,057 words in length, 15,943 words until my goal of 80,000. (Not a hard and fast goal. If I finish the novel at 70,000, I'm not going to be upset about it. By the time I finish editing this thing, it'll probably be over 80,000 words.)
Now to finish watching Red Eye then another valiant attempt to sleep.
I've managed to get into Chapter 22.
As of right now, Chapter 22 is 698 words in length. Overall, Before the Dawn is 335 double-spaced pages, 64,057 words in length, 15,943 words until my goal of 80,000. (Not a hard and fast goal. If I finish the novel at 70,000, I'm not going to be upset about it. By the time I finish editing this thing, it'll probably be over 80,000 words.)
Now to finish watching Red Eye then another valiant attempt to sleep.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
My Cluttered Mind: 07/10/2011: Progress Report - "The Fault Lies Not...
My Cluttered Mind: 07/10/2011: Progress Report - "The Fault Lies Not...: "Had a rather productive couple of days. I managed to make progress on the two side projects, 'The Fault Lies Not...' and 'My Soul To Keep'...."
07/10/2011: Progress Report - "The Fault Lies Not..." & "My Soul To Keep"
Had a rather productive couple of days. I managed to make progress on the two side projects, "The Fault Lies Not..." and "My Soul To Keep". Still working on a few plot details on "My Soul To Keep"; what exactly do the citizens know of their past; how does Helena, the main character, go from devout to questioning? They'll all come along and be worked out as I write the story.
With "The Fault Lies Not...", I have Lin and Vincent marching toward a showdown. They're about to find the apartment the killer has been using. While searching it, they come under fire...but the killer is not doing the shooting.
So as of right now, "The Fault Lies Not..." is 8794 words in length. "My Soul To Keep" is 1221 words in length. How long are they going to end up being? As long as they take to tell the stories.
And so it goes...
With "The Fault Lies Not...", I have Lin and Vincent marching toward a showdown. They're about to find the apartment the killer has been using. While searching it, they come under fire...but the killer is not doing the shooting.
So as of right now, "The Fault Lies Not..." is 8794 words in length. "My Soul To Keep" is 1221 words in length. How long are they going to end up being? As long as they take to tell the stories.
And so it goes...
Friday, July 1, 2011
My Cluttered Mind: 07/01/2011: "The Fault Lies Not..." Small Progres...
My Cluttered Mind: 07/01/2011: "The Fault Lies Not..." Small Progres...: "The last scene I had written for 'The Fault Lies Not...' was bothering me. I can't really put my fingers on exactly what was wrong; it was ..."
07/01/2011: "The Fault Lies Not..." Small Progress Report...And The Future...
The last scene I had written for "The Fault Lies Not..." was bothering me. I can't really put my fingers on exactly what was wrong; it was just not sitting well. So I went back and and rewrote the scene. I feel better about it now.
So as of right now, "The Fault Lies Not..." is 8,148 words long.
As of right now, I have one sequel planned for Lin and Vincent, titled "Jedna". I'm thinking of maybe two more stories beyond that. No real plot ideas yet, except for one small fact: Vincent will not make it to the end of one of them, dying in Lin's arms.
We'll see how it goes.
So as of right now, "The Fault Lies Not..." is 8,148 words long.
As of right now, I have one sequel planned for Lin and Vincent, titled "Jedna". I'm thinking of maybe two more stories beyond that. No real plot ideas yet, except for one small fact: Vincent will not make it to the end of one of them, dying in Lin's arms.
We'll see how it goes.
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