Fred on the Head

ReaderCon Anyone?

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 03:13:02 GMT

I've been to mainstream writing conventions where they look down their noses at genre writers, and SciFi conventions where the costumes and gamers outnumber the authors. I've heard that ReaderCon is different. It's all about genre writers and readers. So I'm going to give it a shot later this week. I'll be off to the north in a couple of days, and after my ReaderCon weekend we're taking a family vacation in NYC. So far we have tickets for Wicked and Spamalot. Not that I post everyday anyway, but I'll probably be out of touch for a week and a half or so. Yes, I am taking the laptop to continue my revision of Heart of Odin.

On the home front: My company is sponsoring a softball team in a local industrial league. Tonight was the first practice and my arm is sore. It's been a couple of years since I've played (yes, I'm one of the old guys on the team). I figure the practices will be good exercise and I'll play a few innings here and there in the games. Luckily I found my glove stuffed in my son's closet. Not sure how it got there, but my wife is the primary suspect since she told me to look there. Here's hoping I survive the season.

Revision Time

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 03:14:51 GMT

I've finally started the revision of my novel Heart of Odin. I guess the wait helped, because I slashed here and added there. I was able to step back more than if I had tried to do it sooner. Also, the comments from my crit group are obviously helpful in making changes. I finished the revision of chapter 1 tonight. Hopefully it will go a little quicker once I get into the swing of things.

Also on the writing front: I got a couple of rejections this week for two of my short stories. Both were rather quick responses, but one magazine did ask to see more. I need to see what else I have that may fit them. I also still need to revise the story I plan to send to the Flash Me fantasy edition.

On reading: I just finished Robert Sheckley's Immortality, Inc.  This is a classic Science Fiction story. I remember reading it once before when I was a teenager, but it's been long enough since the first time that I still enjoyed it.(I typically don't read books more than once) This novel was originally written in 1958 and even though the dates in the story are off, the concept of the story is still valid today. In fact, I just critted a story online that had a similar premise. Also, I was impressed by the writing. I tried to pin down what I liked most about it and came up with: It is simple--there are no wasted words, no unnecessary modifiers or pretentious description--and the story flows naturally to a well-developed conclusion. Thoroughly enjoyable.

I Love Books!

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 02:44:20 GMT

I have three bookshelves in the attics full of science fiction paperbacks. (I say "science fiction" because when I was growing up we called it all science fiction -- now there are so many sub genre's it'll make your head spin.) I also have another three bookshelves in my office full of books. I've read all the books in the attic and about three quarters of the ones in my office. I love to read. Mostly science fiction, fantasy, historical, religious, and classical fiction. I've also been known to read a history book or two and the occasional book on writing or religion.

I'm an addict. I can't walk past a book store. I love bargain bookstores and used bookstores. I have a tendency to stack up books and then read them in bursts. Most of the time I don't remember where I found a particular book. Case in point is the book I just finished reading: Fighting Words by Bill Caton. This is a book of interviews with 21 contemporary authors from Alabama. It was interesting to read about the different perspectives on writing. Some authors called writing an art, some called it a business, others said it was a disease. I liked how Winston Groom, author of Forrest Gump, described it in his interview:

"I think to say that a writer is as normal as everybody else is not true. You have a certain schizophrenia. The characters live in your head. You don't just put it down and come to dinner. You dont really live in a real world."

I can relate to this. At times characters and storylines are running through my head when I am supposed to be sleeping or paying attention to something else--like maybe my wife's latest story about the neighbor. Sometimes my wife tells me I'm married to my computer, but it isn't truly the computer--it's the stories that I am trying to translate into words.

So I guess I should say that I am addicted to reading and writing. I guess there are worse things I could be doing.

Can You Say Frazzled?

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 03:24:08 GMT

My novel has been sitting for over a month now and it's killing me. I wanted to let it sit before hitting the next draft--I needed to gain some distance--but I'm not sure how much longer I can stand it. I'm thinking I may last another week, tops. I have spent the time polishing up a few short stories. I packaged up my WOTF entry today to take it to the post office tomorrow. I also finally went through my backlog and sent out several other short stories that needed to go out. I even finally got in a Flash Challenge at Liberty Hall this weekend, but don't let the apparent productivity fool you. It is all due to the angst I am feeling because I'm not working on the novel. So here's to one more week of nail biting--I'm determined to get the rest of my backlog out the door before giving in to my internal tormented novel jonesing monster.

How do you keep the reader interested?

Sun, 29 Jun 2008 03:33:18 GMT

How do you keep the reader interested in your story through multiple books? This question came to mind as I finished reading L.E. Modesitt, Jr.'s Natural Ordermage. It seems to me that Mr. Modesitt has figured it out. This is the latest book, thirteenth in the series, and I'm still enjoying it--but why? When I think back over the books that have come before, it seems that his main characters are all basically the same--a mage coming of age and trying to figure out how magic works. They all pretty much have the same basic personality and, well quite frankly, follow the same path through the story. The characters are the same, the plot is the same, then how come I haven't grown bored with the series?

Then I thought about other series that I have grown bored with. David Drake's Kingdom of the Isles series came to mind, as did Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time series. Then I tried to think of another longer series that I didn't grow bored with and this brought to mind Jennifer Roberson's Chronicles of the Cheysuli. So why did Roberson's and Modesitt's books keep my interest while Drake's and Jordan's books grew old. I think it has to do with the characters.  All four authors have created interesting worlds that I like to visit over and over again, but Drake and Jordan kept the same characters through multiple books, and quite frankly I got tired of reading about them overcoming all obstacles. They took on an almost superhuman role and became unbelievable as characters to me.  I started saying to myself "come on, nobody is that good. Somebody die already."

In the Chronicles of the Cheysuli Roberson took the opposite approach and it seemed as though her main character died at the end of each book and the next book started with that person's offspring continuing the fight. In Modesitt's books, while the storylines are very similar and the world is the same, the characters are different.  After taking the time and effort to create a great world it is tempting to never leave it, and I'm not saying that's bad, but I think changing the characters up a bit will make it more enjoyable for your readers.

Anyway, just an observation. On the writing front: I finished my rewrite of Beware the Aes Sidhe. This is the story that I will be submitting to WOTF. Next I'll be trying to get a story finished for the Flash Me Magazine all fantasy edition. After that it's time to start the rewrite of Heart of Odin.

Writing Group Anyone?

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 23:04:23 GMT

I'm looking for a new online writing group. I would like to find one that is set up kinda like Zoetrope, where you have to critique others in order to post your own work. I like Zoetrope, but there aren't many genre writers there. If I could find a site like Zoetrope for genre writers, it would be perfect.

I started at Hatrack, but I don't know anyone there anymore and it is not as structured as I would like. I am a member of Notebored and Liberty Hall, but I'm looking for something that is more about the critiquing.

I've looked at Critters and OWW recently. The submission process at Critters seems a bit odd to me. OWW looks very promising, but I am loathe to pay. Okay, okay, I admit that I'm cheap but I'd be willing to try it if it came highly recommended. I'm not sure I know anyone that hangs out there. Anyone have any experience with these sites, or suggestions for others?

And for the record: I am in a great novel writing group online. I'm really looking for a place to work with short stories.

Just a quick note

Sun, 22 Jun 2008 22:51:41 GMT

I'm reading Gillian Bradshaw's Kingdom of Summer, and since I love anything about dark age Britain, of course I love it. Also, as I read through her novel I'm noticing how she captures the culture of the day into her story without it feeling like an info dump. She is using the "first person companion narrator" model that you see in many historical novels, but her prose reads exceptionally smooth to me.

I'm working on the rewrite for my WOTF story. I've got about a week left, so hopefully it will be ready in time. I'm also starting to get a bit anxious to do my next rewrite of my novel Heart of Odin. I set it aside and resolved to let it sit for a couple of months so that I can gain a little distance before jumping into the major revision. After I get the WOTF story out there are a couple of writing contests that I am considering as well. Then it will be time for the novel rewrite--It is hard to let it sit though.

And the Rejections keep coming

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 01:52:08 GMT

I'm actually a bit happy about the fact that I'm receiving regular rejections. I received two more from agents and one from Fantasy and Science Fiction. They actually came rather quickly--I'm not sure that's such a good thing. Anyway, at least I'm back in the submission game after a hiatus, which means that I'm doing something rather than just thinking about it.

I do have a couple hanging out there since February and March, but I'm hoping that means these stories are being considered. One is at IGMS, one is at Aberrant Dreams, and one is at the Wolfsong Anthology.

I need to find another market for the story I just got back from F&SF and do a rewrite on the one rejected by PARSEC -- these are my goals for tonight.

Just finished reading Godheads by Emily Davenport. While I figured out the major plot twist early on, the story was well-written and the characters very enjoyable. Overall it was a good read.

I spent the last two days attending orientation for my daughter's college. It was physically draining and mentally unexciting, but she is all set to head off in a couple of months, so I guess it was worth it. Unlike my wife, I am actually looking forward to her heading out and experiencing more of the outside world. She's definitely ready to move on out from under mom and dad's wing. Here's hoping some of those talks sunk in over the years.

I'm Back!

Sat, 14 Jun 2008 14:12:27 GMT

It's been a few days. I've been immersed in graduation week. My daughter walked across the stage last night and is now officially a high school graduate. I remember my senior year, too long ago to mention the date, as a last harrah, and it was. I think it was the same for my daughter, but I had no idea how much work it was for parents. I swear everything associated with the senior year costs at least a hundred dollars, and they hit you up for something else each week. This last week has been crazy because we have been attending awards ceremonies, senior class performances, dinners, lunches, you name it. I think I'm more relieved than my daughter that it is over.

On the writing front: I've received 4 form rejections from agents for my novel Order of the Wolf -- I'm a bit concerned over the length of this story. It is short for a novel and I'm wondering if I need to check out some small presses that will publish a shorter work. It's about 60,000 words. I also received a rejection from the PARSEC short story contest. They do give you more personal feedback. This story, Beware the Aes Sidhe, is going to be my next entry to WOTF--so their feedback is welcome. I have a couple of weeks to do another rewrite.

On the reading front: I just finished Challenge of the Clans by Kenneth C. Flint. It is a novel based upon an ancient Irish hero--Finn Mac Cumhal. It was very entertaining, although I must confess I love Irish myth. Also I recently read I, The Jury by Mickey Spillane. I know this is a classic but I had never read it before. I loved the voice in this, maybe a bit overdone, but very consistant and enjoyable to read.

Well, I'm off to water the garden. We're just getting over the tail end of a heat wave and it's dry, dry, dry.

Recent Read

Sun, 01 Jun 2008 14:49:29 GMT

I just finished a historical fiction book titled The Tribune by Patrick Larkin. My historical interests have always been varied, but I do have a keen interest in ancient Greek and Roman civilizations, and the history of the British Isles. This book seemed right up my alley--it is a novel about a Roman tribune. While I liked the historical details about Roman life, the story fell flat for me. The Tribune meets up with Paul, Jesus, Peter & his brother, the Herod Antipas, and Mary Magdelene. The tenuous links in the storyline, to get all the characters in the story, just make it too unbelievable to be enjoyable. I realize that it is fiction, but shouldn't an author make the story believable for his readers especially when using known characters?

Cuckoo Anyone?

Wed, 28 May 2008 02:44:26 GMT

I just inherited a cuckoo clock. Well, maybe not inherited--my dad gave it to me because I think he dropped it and it didn't work anymore. He said, "It just needs cleaning, I think." Anyway, I sent it to this old guy in town that spends his retirement fixing old clocks. I was surprised to find out that the old dude is an awesome clock fixer if a little absent minded. He called with a quote to clean it but he said he couldn't guarantee that he could get it to work. Well, we obviously said no, because he couldn't guarantee it and it wasn't exactly cheap. Anyway we went to pick it up over the weekend and he had fixed it anyway. He got us confused with someone else, and we didn't want to jip him and--long story short--it cost me $125.

I'm not complaining too much because I love the clock and it is worth more than that. My dad got it in Germany when I was a kid and I loved watching and listening to the thing growing up. It hasn't worked in years and I was actually pretty happy to see it play once more. Every time I hear it cuckoo I reminisce and it gives me one of those warm fuzzy feelings.

So we have it hanging in the dining room and it cuckoos the hours and little dancers come out as well. All good--right? Well . . . the dining room is just outside my bedroom and my wife says that it's keeping her up all night because of the cuckooing. Heck, I slept through it as a kid and I think I'm actually sleeping better at night with the thing going off. So if I want to run it I have to turn it off at night and reset it in the morning. What a pain. I guess I'll have to see if it can go in a different room or something--cause you know I don't want to give up my warm fuzzies.

On the Hunt

Tue, 27 May 2008 01:29:55 GMT

As I let the latest novel sit, I'm spending my writing time checking out agents. The Order of the Wolf has been rejected by the half-dozen agents I started out with, but there are so many more to look at and pick through. I'm not sure if I agree with the shotgun approach because I don't want to waste my or the agents' time. I've been looking through http://www.agentquery.com/ to see what agents take submissions in my genre and then cross checking them against http://anotherealm.com/prededitors/pubagent.htm to see if they have any bad marks before sending a query. I typically do a search to see if they have a web site as well. Usually they have posted the most up-to-date guidelines there.

Anyway, I've sent out the next batch of queries for The Order of the Wolf. Next I need to spend some time researching where to send some short stories that have been sitting idle for too long.

On the reading front I just finished Lindsey Davis' Shadows in Bronze. She does a great job describing ancient Rome and I love her characters. Also I just finished The Jesus Dynasty by James Tabor. Much of this book is conjecture on the life of Jesus, but he does have a good handle on ancient Judea. Also, I learned a bit about the family of Jesus and the early Christian church in Judea. Good reading.

Finished

Tue, 20 May 2008 11:50:35 GMT

I've been out of touch for a few days because I have been writing like crazy. I finished the first draft of Heart of Odin yesterday evening. It came it at about 75,000 words. My goal was 80,000 - 100,000 and this works just great because I typically add a few thousand words on my rewrites. I'm going to do a once through to look for obvious punctuation errors and then let it sit for a little bit before trying to do the second revision.

In the mean time, I received form rejection letters from an agent for my novel Order of the Wolf and from WOTF. I'm planning on using the down time to send out some more agent queries and to get some more of my short stories submitted. Also I need to research novel markets to see what's out there for smaller presses.

Progress

Wed, 14 May 2008 11:52:55 GMT

Finished chapter 26 of Heart of Odin. Just over 60,000 words (according to Word) and looking for the break point between this novel and the sequel. Arthur is in Jotunheim getting first-hand experience with frost giant politics. His goal is to delay the Ragnarok if he can, oh and to 'find himself' so to speak.

I have been eyeing some of my short stories lately. Once I get to the end of the first draft of this novel I need to get some of them out the door again. All in due time I suppose.

Happy writing.

Time to Research

Mon, 12 May 2008 23:36:05 GMT

I know I've said it before, but I love research. I finished chapter 25 of Heart of Odin late last week and then spent a good part of Saturday doing research for the next chapter. In this section of the story the main character ends up going to Jotunheim, the world of the Norse giants. I spent several hours putting together ancestry charts for the different giants that the character would meet. It was quite facinating to dive deeper into this side of Norse mythology. Of course, I had to make some of it up, but the majority is from the various sources that I delved through.

This is one of the interesting parts about writing this story--I enjoy the research just as much as the writing. I could spend weeks digging through websites and old mythological sources. At some point--which in this case ended up being Saturday evening at about 11 pm--you just have to stop and get on with the story. I have enough background material to continue, it just takes a act of will to set the sources aside and get back to the story.

If I had the money, I'd fly to all the locations that I read about and see them firsthand. Alas, my imagination reaches much farther than my wallet.

Such is life.

Writing Site

Thu, 08 May 2008 03:08:38 GMT

I have a writing friend that runs a online writing site. I've been a member for a couple of years. It's pretty low key but is a place where you can join to post stories for critique and they're good people. The site has gone through some changes, has had its ups and downs--it's pretty much down to three regular members at this time, but she just finished revamping it and is looking to expand membership. It's pretty much set up where each member has forums where they post their work and other members critique the stories they want to. I think Cacy has asked that everybody at least try to post one critique a month to stay active.

Anyway, if you want to check out a different writing place and help to make it grow into something bigger--check it out. I think you need to apply for membership to get in but you can tell her that Fred sent you.

http://novelcritter.proboards19.com/index.cgi?board=process

You can also find it on my links page on the right as the Claw and Quill.

I just finished chapter 24 of Heart of Odin and getting close to the end of 25. You can find my first chapter posted at Claw and Quill if you're interested in a sample of the story.

The Last Hurrah

Tue, 06 May 2008 11:48:20 GMT

This past weekend was pretty busy. It was the last hurrah for my kids' activities for this school year. My daughter had her annual dance recital Friday and Saturday evening. I think she was ready for it to be over as much as I was. I remember when she started out back in pre-K. Back then they were dressed in cute little tu-tu's and practiced keeping in step. Now she's a senior in high school and they're shaking every body part in oh so many suggestive manners. It's too much for my fatherly comfort.

My son had his soccer tournament on Saturday and Sunday. His team made it to the finals but ended up in second place. They made it that far on individual talent alone. He's also in high school, and at that level all too many of the coaches just let the players do what they want instead of actually coaching them. I can't complain too much--I coached his team for several years in the past and know how hard it is to get people to volunteer. Still it's hard sitting on the sidelines knowing what they should be doing and watching them not do it. But I made a conscious decision to sit it out so that my son could experience other coaches.

On the writing front: I finished chapters 22 and 23 of Heart of Odin. The story is beginning to wind down, now I'm looking for the right spot to break it off. It is the first in a series of books--a trilogy at least--and I want to make sure this is a stand alone story, but still have a spot where I can continue the story into the next novel. I still have a couple of chapters to go. I'm zeroing at on 60,000 words (according to Word).

Pass it On

Sun, 04 May 2008 19:33:50 GMT

Okay, this is passed along from RFLong. I don't have a huge friends list, but if you're interested leave me a comment:

Leave a comment and I will
a) tell you why I friended you,
b) associate you with something - fandom, a song, a colour, a photo, etc.,
c) tell you something I like about you,
d) tell you a memory I have of you,
e) ask something I've always wanted to know about you,
f) tell you my favorite user pic of yours,
g) in return, you must post this in your LJ.

A Quiet Evening

Sat, 03 May 2008 01:28:50 GMT

Tonight is nice and quiet. My wife and daughter are off away somewhere and it's just me and my son. I played a little Xbox with him--I can't play worth a damn, but he enjoyed watching me die. Now he's vegetating in front of the TV and I have some writing time.

I finished Chapter 21 of Heart of Odin. The story is moving along nicely, but it is getting ready to wind down. I'm still keeping the progress going--hopefully I'll have the first draft finished by the end of next week. Now I've got a couple of critiques to do for some friends (Ruth) and then hopefully I'll still have some time for chapter 22 before I poop out for the night.

Happy writing.

Latest Reading

Thu, 01 May 2008 01:44:17 GMT

I'm currently in the middle of Roger Zelazney's To Die in Italbar. I love Zelazney's work and was surprised to find this book on a used book rack. Surprised because I thought I had read all his stories, but not this one. I'm a bit disappointed with it so far though. His stories are typically entertaining and thought provoking, but this one so far is confusing and a bit disjointed. He keeps on hopping heads and the storylines don't seem to be related. I'm hoping it all ties together in the end.

The writing train is still chugging forward. I completed chapter 20 of Heart of Odin and have started on 21. I feel like I have regained my love of novel writing with this story. I started out writing novels, but a couple of years ago I decided to concentrate on short stories because it seemed a good way to break into the field. I think that different writers are more comfortable in different mediums. Novels seem more natural to me than short stories. I wouldn't say the years spent concentrating on short stories hurt me at all, but I am definitely happier now that I'm back on the novel track. I hope you all find your own niche.

Momentum is the Key

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 02:38:44 GMT

I just finished chapter 19 of Heart of Odin. I am trying to keep the momentum rolling at least until the first draft is complete. It is a bit easier at this point because I can see the finish line ahead. Chapter 20 will explain much of what has been happening to the main character and soon after that will be the climax of the story's action and then comes the wrap up. I have set the goal of having this story revised and ready to submit by the end of the summer.

A Proud Parent

Sat, 26 Apr 2008 19:38:09 GMT

I live in a very small town and most times the social entertainment is pretty limited.   I spent last evening in the local high school auditorium watching "The Pirates of Penzance." It was a great show and gave me hope in regards to our youth.

Being the parent of a pair of teens I often worry about their generation. Most don't seem too motivated, and being in the cool crowd sometimes seems the only value system they hold dear. And then I go to a show like this and say, "Wow! These kids got it going on."

The cast of high school students was awesome. Of course I was a bit biased with my daughter in the show.  She played Mabel, the love interest of the main character. She's been singing for several years, and while I listen to her sing about the house almost daily and have attended various choir events, I was totally blown away by the show.  I don't know where she gets it from.  Neither my wive nor I can carry a tune in a bucket.

I was also happy to see a decent crowd at the event. Typically we don't see much support for the arts at our school. It was nice to see the turnout.  Remember your local schools when you are looking for an evening out.

On the writing front: I finished chapter 18 of Heart of Odin yesterday. The story is flowing pretty well, so I'm trying to let it run its course. I hoping to get another chapter behind me this weekend. Of course I have plans to attend the show again tonight, because you know, some things do take precedence over writing.

A Quick Note

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 03:02:00 GMT

I just finished chapter 17 of Heart of Odin. This chapter is dominated by a big battle and a major revelation about the main characters. Whew! What a great week for writing.

Good Progress

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 01:06:51 GMT

Finished chapter 16 or Heart of Odin and started chapter 17. I'm at around 40,000 words--about half-way there. The quest is moving forward, picked up another member--a dead viking warrior brought back by Odin to act as a guide--and travelled into Niflheim in search of Hel's abode. Hey what else do you need but a dead viking warrior, a land of ice, and Death Gate waiting at the end of the journey?

I'm on the lookout for a new local writer's group. I actually started one in my home town a few years back but they have degenerated into a group who wants to talk about writing more than they actually want to write. And when I say local I really mean one within an hour's drive. I live in a pretty small town but Raleigh, NC, and Richmond, VA, are both about an hour away. If I could find the right group I may be willing to drive there once a month for the meetings. I like online groups okay but it is more impersonal and you can't practice your reading skills. There's something to be said for getting to practice reading your stories in front of others.

Writing Habits

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 15:37:45 GMT

What are your writing habits? I work during the day, so I do most of my writing in the evenings and on weekends. Unfortunately my most productive writing time is mid morning. Because of this I tend to accomplish more on the weekends than in the evenings. Right now I'm averaging about a chapter a week on my novel and most of that is occuring on Saturday and/or Sunday. Also I prefer a couple of hours to work rather than an hour here and an hour there.

So this is what I've come up with. On weeknights, where I don't typically have uninterrupted writing time, I try to do my research. This includes researching background material for my stories and researching markets for my short stories. If I have an evening where I know I will have a couple of hours to work then I'll work on the novel. One the weekend I plan a couple of hours where I can just sit down and write. The progess is not as quick as I would like, but it is progress.

By the way, I finished chapter 15 of Heart of Odin over the weekend and, luckily for me, I should have some uninterrupted writing time this evening to start on chapter 16.