You are all CHALLENGED to NANOWRIMO!

What is NaNoWriMo?

It stands for National Novel Writing Month. It is where you set a goal of writing 50k words for a story in November. The purpose of this is to encourage everyone to write a novel and the fact that everyone can write a book. It just takes time and commitment.

In order to make the words, you will have to write 1667 words per day.

Every day.

In 30 days, you will have a novel.

I have participated in this for the last 3 years in a row, and so far, I have been successful.

Of course, anyone reading this who knows how much I write is probably asking, “How is this a challenge for you?”

Simple. I plan to do a Double NaNo. This is where I write 100k words instead of only 50k. Where you will only have to write 1667 words a day, I will have to write 3334 words per day. My current average is 1400 words a day. I will have to write an additional 2000 words a day to make my goal.

Do I think that I can do this?

Hell no. I suspect that one of four things will happen.

  1. I will burn out and write 20k words. I am doing school at the same time.
  2. I will make my current monthly average of 42k, and that will be that.
  3. I will manage to write 50k and not a word more.
  4. I will manage 75k.

I’m leaning towards number four.

If you take up this challenge, what do you do?

The first thing to do is to https://www.nanowrimo.org/ and sign up.

Second, you can pre-plan your novel. Prep characters, outline, draw maps. The 50k (or 100k for me) doesn’t include preplanning. It only matters about the story and nothing more, nothing less.

To close out this post.

I don’t think that anyone reading this will take me up on the challenge.

Whose here is going to prove me wrong?

If you like what you are reading and wish to support me in my endeavours, please sign up for my newsletter, visit my Amazon Author Page and purchase one of my books. Or buy me a coffee. Your help and support are much appreciated.

 

Stress, the creative flow, and being an “Artist.”

Being a Creative, (my wife would say artist) I have to deal with many different forces that want to dominate my time. These can range from getting groceries, going out to shop for things we “need,” giving out discipline to my kids as needed, being a father by playing with them, being a good husband for my wife, and trying to get my work done.

All of that causes stress.

For Creatives, this stress can be interpreted in one of two ways. It can either stiffly or encourage. Too much of it causes a creative drought that hampers creatives in their artistic aims.

I’ll start with the later of the two.

Some people thrive with deadlines, daily counts, and such. They use that stress to give them a fire to get things done. They may use the line, “You’ve got to be the hardest worker in the room.”

They will have a breaking point, however. At some point, they will run into where they can’t handle things. They will break and burn out. This is different depending on the person.

For the first, some people are stifled by the least amount of stress. They can’t handle any and will quibble at things like deadlines and daily tasks.

They get things done at a slower rate than those that love deadlines. They like doing things on their own timetables. They hate being told what to do. It just causes stress.

This, of course, is a sliding scale. Some can handle more stress than others.

The important part is to recognize where you are at and how to either use it to your advantage. Or how to avoid stress to increase your productivity.

Until next time, if you like what you are reading and wish to support me in my endeavors, please sign up to my newsletter, visit my Amazon Author Page and purchase one of my books. Or buy me a coffee. Your help and support are much appreciated.

Motivation vs Discipline

Being a creative, I hear all the time that people aren’t motivated to do artistic endeavors that day. It’s a sad thing as they don’t know the difference between motivation and discipline.

Meaning of Motivation from Dictionary.com:

The general desire or willingness of someone to do something.

Meaning of Discipline from Dictionary.com:

The practice of training people to obey rules or a code of behavior, using punishment to correct disobedience.

So what is the difference?

Motivation is only a desire or willingness to do something. While discipline is a practice of doing something. Discipline is the reason why someone will get up at 5 am to go for a run. Discipline is why a worker goes to work for “the man,” as getting fired is the most likely punishment.

If a person is only motivated, then it is easy to put off the unwanted task. Motivation can be ignored as there is nothing behind the motivation. The second part of the definition of “discipline” is that it uses punishment to correct disobedience.

So what happens if a person doesn’t go for a run that morning? Simple, they don’t improve, and then get behind in their training. If a person is only motivated, then it’s easy to shrug it off. A disciplined person will hate the idea of not improving. A disciplined person sees a lack of training as a failure.

For me, it isn’t motivation that keeps me going each day. It’s discipline. There’s no one standing over me with a whip making me do this. I’m working so hard with my writing because I want to. It’s my choice to improve my writing, and it’s my choice to use discipline to help me make my goals.

My discipline is to keep the writing going. I have managed to write 356k words and 251 days in a row since the beginning of the year. With my blog posts, it’s the fact that I have managed to write one every week. Those three facts have kept me going, especially on days like today, where I don’t have the motivation to do anything.

On days like today, where I have no intention to do anything. Where I’m tired, grumpy, and completely and utterly unmotivated, however, I am also disciplined. I have been doing this for 251 days in a row, and I’m not going to stop now.

If you like what you are reading and wish to support me in my endeavors, please sign up to my newsletter, visit my Amazon Author Page and purchase one of my books. Or buy me a coffee. Your help and support are much appreciated.

Figuring out your Dreams

This blog post isn’t about those that have a dream. It is for those people spinning their wheels, hoping one day they will do something great. This is also a follow up on last weeks post about feeling like you aren’t able to accomplish anything, yet you are working very hard at doing so.

The last point that I made that they aren’t thinking about their future. There thinking doesn’t go beyond next paycheque. People spend there time thinking about the ‘now,’ and not how to turn the ‘now’ into a better ‘tomorrow.’

Dreams are meant to inspire and push a person to become better in some way. It may be wanting a better career, or to own property, or to get those six-pack abs. But for those people without one, it almost feels like being in purgatory grasping at straws hoping to find a way out. Or digging a hole, wondering how to get out of it with the only solution being to keep digging.

How to get a Dream?

This is the million-dollar question. It’s also a fundamental question that no one really thinks about it. Either you have a dream, or you don’t. Those who have goals don’t understand how someone doesn’t have a dream. Those who don’t have no idea how to get it.

I find that most people have some sort of dream. Something deep within themselves they want to do. It is usually something hidden and secret. The fear is that the goal is a fragile thing that will shatter if there is any sort of attention placed on it. It is, therefore, best to keep it secret and hidden.

However, a hidden dream cannot grow a tough outer shell unless it has the attention to do so. There are haters in the world; people that either want to see the world burn or are jealous of what you want. In some cases, it is cause they look down upon you and don’t think that you are going to succeed. These people usually have no problem telling you what they think.

By being open with the dream, it gives you the chance to defend that dream and realize how much you want it. Cause if a hater can talk you out of it, then how was it what you wanted in the first place. It will also show any holes in the plan. These holes need to be plugged before they fester and rot the idea from the inside out.

For those who don’t have a dream, even one deep down inside; they have never thought about it, perhaps it is time to find one. You will find that once you have decided upon a dream or a goal, the necessary discipline, and motivation to push the ball forward is easier to muster. It is easier to make sacrifices if there is a carrot at the end of it all.

This is a hard process.

The first thing you need to do, whether you have a secret goal or no goal. It is to forget about the reasons why it can’t happen. Unless your goal is a truly impossible feat like living on Mars, then ignore the reasons why you can’t do it. I’ve seen many people with severe handicaps accomplish their dreams. They do wonderful things despite many reasons why not.

There is a paralyzed sailer wanting to circumnavigate the globe. Or wounded soldiers with an outlook on life that amazes me. These two are just a small example of people accomplishing things even though they have lots of reasons not to.

With the excuses out of the way and forgotten, the next step is to look deep into yourself. Not what your family wants. Or what your mother, father, brother, sister, wife, or kids want. They are unimportant at this point. They may or may not be valuable in the future, but that’s another question. The important part is to figure out what you want without excuse on why you can’t. An unsupportive family is the most significant excuse for people.

Once you have that dream in your head, it is the time to do research. This step will never end as if it is something that you genuinely want, you may become obsessed with it. This part is also essential as the do-gooders in your life will try and chop you down. You will need to have informational support to keep you upright.

Also, it is essential to develop a plan of action on how you could achieve the goal. (But that is a subject for another post). This point it’s also time to see if it is at any way possible to accomplish. It might mean going back and rethinking things in a more realistic light or figuring out a smaller dream that does the same job. Having a desire to own a real estate empire may be out of your reach, however, owning a rental house to start is an excellent first step.

This is the point where those who already had a dream and who had been hunting for one converge. It’s time to tell someone about the goal. You’ll find those critical people in your life are going to be supportive of you. Some may not, and that’s a loss for them. If you are worried some people aren’t going to be supportive, then it may be a time not to tell the nay-sayers.

Out of all those mental steps, the critical point is to dream big without any inhibitions. Once you get to the research phase, then it will be time to see how you can accomplish the goal.

If you like what you are reading and wish to support me in my endeavors, please sign up to my newsletter, visit my Amazon Author Page and purchase one of my books. Or buy me a coffee. Your help and support are much appreciated.

End of August 2019 Report

As is now tradition, this is the post of the end of August. I’m still putting my money where my mouth is.

RECAP OF THE UPDATED 2019 GOALS

  1. Write 500,000 words in personal, non-school related projects.
  2. Complete and publish Felix #2, Felix #3, Des O’Neal #1, Des O’Neal #2, Des O’Neal #3, Jovian Marines #1, Jovian Marines #2, Jovian Marines #3, Mech Warrior #1, Mech Warrior #2, Mech Warrior #3.
    1. Complete and Publish VRMMORPG
  3. Correct cover for Felix #1.
  4. Write four blog posts per month
  5. Give Felix #1 and Tokyo Tempest #1 a proofread.
  6. Complete and submit to market Terran Marine Raider short #1, Terran Marine Raider short #2, and RPG Death short.
    1. Added goal: complete and submit to market, JSS Leda (New title: From Planet Everdark), secret short #2 (New Title: Rise of the Ghids) and secret short #3 (New Title: Sailing Vessel Wanderlust: the Delivery).
  7. Earn $1000.00 a month from novels.
  8. Relaunch publishing company with a new, stronger name.
  9. Get 1 client for editing services.
  10. NEW GOAL: Lose 90 lbs and get healthier.
  11. NEW GOAL: Write for 365 Days in a row of at least 100 words per day.

AUGUST ACCOMPLISHMENTS

  1. I wrote 49,346 words.
  2. I have written for 243 days in a row.
  3. I spent most of this month working on my VR story and have started the first draft of Des O’Neal #3.
  4. I nearing the 350k mark in total yearly words at 345k.
  5. For Sailing Vessel Wanderlust: the Delivery, Rise of the Ghids and From Planet Everdark, I have received some good news.
  6. Working with a local cover artist for a bunch of covers for books.
  7. Working on the edit for Mechwarrior #1.
  8. Wrote 4 blog posts during June.
  9. Starting weight 286lbs, weight today, 274lbs. No change.

EXAMINATION OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS

  1. I wrote just over 49k words in August. Total word-wise, it is the best that I have done this year. And once I split it into per day averages, it is one the best word counts that I have done. I managed to write a few good days of 3k words and 4k words that made up for the few bad days.
  2. This is still the longest days in a row I have written by far as well as the longest yearly word count. I count that as a win. My goal is to write 365 days in a row.
  3. For Sailing Vessel Wanderlust: the Delivery, Rise of the Ghids and From Planet Everdark, I have heard back from the three markets with some good news. Nothing that I talk about yet. I expect that I should be able to release information on it soon.
  4. I am working on editing Mech Warrior #1. It is taking longer to get it done than I’d like. Due to plot holes, I had been forced to draw a diagram of the starship. Lesson learned.
  5. A local cover artist, not my wife, is working on what I am calling “art assets.” These are so my wife can turn them into beautiful covers. They will be works of art on there own but will have no titling, which is why I need my wife.
  6. My blog posts are still happening.
  7. Mt diet had ended. Counting calories had become too difficult to do. I haven’t gone up back to my old weigh, and my habit of overeating has not come back. I’m that habit down to keep my weight in check. I’m looking for a better plan to help with my weight loss.

PLAN FOR THE FUTURE

This month was hard but good. The burnt-out feeling is still there, but I’m taking my time to read books and relax. Even though I have managed to get the words done, I have not been able to get my editing done. I find it easy to put it off. I will have to correct this in the future.

My goal is to get Mechwarrior #1 edited by September 12th. I have many other I need to get done. It is going to be more difficult as school starts up in four days as I’m taking five classes.

I did get a lot of other stuff done. However, nothing published. The hold up is covers and editing at the moment. I had one book, Missed Drop Zone, ready to go. Yet, I have decided to give it another draft as there are some minor worldbuilding holes in the story. Better to correct it now than later.

I have started to edit other works, the short stories as they come up. They are a good distraction in some ways, a poor one in others. I have the feeling that I am not going to get my goal of getting all of those stories published. I’m going to run out of time and word count. But there is always next year, as long as I have manuscripts done.

The VRMMORPG story is done. It clocked in at 108k. I didn’t go over the mark by much. I expected I would have to go over by 20k, but I only did by 8k. There are plot holes in it, but that is why second drafts and editing is for.

So the plan, work on Des O’Neal #3, edit Mechwarrior #1. Get covers complete. Get books ready to publish.

If you like what you are reading and wish to support me in my endeavors, please sign up to my newsletter, visit my Amazon Author Page and purchase one of my books. Or buy me a coffee. Your help and support are much appreciated.

Spinning the Wheels or Trying very Hard to go Nowhere.

In my honest opinion, I have the belief that having a plan for the future is essential in living the life one is given.

Having a plan, no matter how big or how small gives me direction. It allows us to have a focus that helps me dictate my efforts. This factor is important.

The most significant hamper of accomplishing goals is the feeling that you are spinning your wheels and going nowhere. This feeling is as disastrous as failing and I have heard some say that spinning your wheels is failing.

Spinning your Wheels.

Spinning your wheels doesn’t mean you are failing, however. It means a few things.

It could mean that your goals aren’t detailed enough. You have a plan and a purpose, but no daily task to do with no discernible results from that task. Let’s say that your goal is to buy a house. So you are working day in and day out in the hopes that one day you can buy said house. Three months later, it still feels like you are in the same place, or near to it at any rate.

This means that your goal may be too big, or there is no way to accomplish anything. That’s why many financial professionals say to place a small debt down first. Cause the likely hood of getting it cleared out is easier than a larger one. This victory fuels the longer harder goals.

The other thing that the feeling of spinning your wheels could be is that while you have a specific goal, there is some other force that is hampering your ability to get other tasks done.

This is what is happening to me. I’m accomplishing my daily task. I’m writing my 1500 words a day and getting editing done. So for this year, I have written for 236 days in a row for a total of 336k words. This is a great accomplishment, even if I don’t get much else done on my yearly goal. I am proud of myself that I have gotten this far.  

However, I haven’t published anything new since April. That factor hurts my self-confidence. It makes me think that I’m a failure despite the stated accomplishment above. The factors that are keeping me from ticking some of the other boxes aren’t all on me; like getting my work proofread, or a cover made up. Those factors rely on other people, and they don’t always operate on my illogical timeline. Some of the factors are on me; I haven’t been editing very fast, and I’m easily distracted by other things like video games and my family.

The biggest reason people feel like they are spinning their wheels is that they don’t have a dream or a plan. There thinking doesn’t go beyond next paycheque. They spend there time thinking about the ‘now.’ Not how to turn the ‘now’ into a better ‘tomorrow.’ This I will talk about in the next blog post.

Until then, if you like what you are reading and wish to support me in my endeavors, please sign up to my newsletter, visit my Amazon Author Page and purchase one of my books. Or buy me a coffee. Your help and support are much appreciated.

The Middle

I passed the middle of the year and didn’t notice it. During that time, I have written over 280 thousand words. I have been informed that number is an achievement on its own. I have talked to other authors, and when I talk about some of my goals, the amount of words I have written is high.

But 280k is not my goal; my goal is 500k words. I’m just over halfway there.

During the process of writing a novel; there is a point in the middle of the story. This point is where the main characters have gotten past the first plot point and are slugging away towards the second plot point and the climax. 

This point is often called the “Sagging Middle,” “the Dry Desert,” “the Swampy Middle.”

It is often called this because the middle of the story is where the character must go through the try-fail cycles to figure out how to complete what I call, “the story question.” It can be repetitive and monotonous; not very fulfilling.

I’m in the middle of the middle of my goal. I have gone a grand distance by now, but I’m still nowhere near the end of my goal. It has gotten repetitive and monotonous. I spend most of my time, either writing my story or thinking about my story or editing my story. 

I know the end of my goal is just around the corner; all I have to do is to keep moving one day at a time. But one part of me wants to call it good. That I have done quite a bit and can call my goal complete.

I mean, 280k words are a lot. It’s an accomplishment on its own right?

But I’m reminded about one of my Mantras:

Success is not final, failure is not fatal; it is the courage to continue that counts.

It means that I have to keep going. Despite the feelings to stop and say enough. Stoping implies failure. Now that I’m going, I have little choice but to keep going.

Cause I will not fail.

Area 51, Projects and Too Many Ideas

As a writer, I am often asked where do I get my ideas from. As you may have read in previous blog posts, I have discussed how I get ideas multiple times, and I won’t be repeating them.

However, to sum up, I pick a few basic ideas, then ask a thousand question about them to form a solid idea and story.

I have it so that I can pull up an idea out of almost anything. In the last week, I have been asked if I wanted to submit a short story with a speedy turnaround. The story would be centered around the Area 51 meme going around.

61922

I’m partway through the short story that I am writing it for the anthology. It’s going well, but that’s not the important part. The important part is that I was able to form a story in a short amount of time. Luckily for me, I’m able to keep it small and compact.

For me, the issue is not that I no story ideas on the go, but that I have too many. For right now, I’m going to give a short recap of some of the story ideas. Some of them are only ideas, while others I am waiting for a cover.

Published Works

Felix the Swift

A trilogy set in my Agersolum universe. It’s about a thief who becomes a master mage and seeks to save all of Magic. The first book can be found here.

Tokyo Tempest

A trilogy where a high school kid has to somehow survive in Tokyo after Yellowstone blows up. The first book can be found here.

O’Neal Trilogy

A trilogy set in my Beyond Terra Continuum universe. Where a high schooler is forced into the world of espionage. The first book can be found here.

Works in Progress

Those three trilogies aren’t complete yet. They have other books on the go and will be published when they can. Some of my other trilogies:

Jovian Marines

Set in my Beyond Terra Continuum universe where the Jovian Marines are left for dead on an enemy-occupied planet. So far a trilogy is planned.

Mech Warrior

Mech Warrior is a working title for a trilogy. Set in my Beyond Terra Continuum universe where it is a mix of lost in space and Mech Warrior.

VR Game

This story I had been puzzling with for a while before I decided to start writing. I wanted a stand-alone novel, but it is going to be a trilogy. Trapped in a VR game where a players death would mean their real death.

Cornucopolus

Set in a world where gods, demons, demi-gods, and angels walk among the people. The heir to a dead clan must find a way to get revenge for the death of his people. All while risking slavery, and death.

The Game

Set in my Beyond Terra Continuum universe. It can be called the origin story of the story-verse. Alien beings kidnap a million people to fight to the death in a game for nefarious means. I want it to be a trilogy; however, it will end up much longer.

Eloc the Warrior

Set in my Agersolum world about a young serf being thrust into the army to fight for a noble lord he had never met. This will be a trilogy.

Mal Kil, the Pirate

Another set in my A\gersolum world about the heir to a noble house. He is betrayed by his older brother and cast out into the world one step ahead of his brother’s assassins.

These are only small samples of the ideas and the plot of the story. I’m hoping to get through some of the first trilogies to get to the later ones. Cause they are all calling my name and want attention. Some of them are getting pretty shrill.

If you like what you are reading and wish to support me in my endeavors, please sign up to my newsletter, visit my Amazon Author Page and purchase one of my books. Or buy me a coffee. Your help and support are much appreciated.