Has it Been THAT Long??

Really?? Two years?? Wow. So a lot has been happening. I am in the process of writing a new series….Trilogy actually. Now if I can just buckle down and actually write on it. A famous author once said: “This is how you do it; You sit down at the keyboard and put one word after another until it’s done. It’s that easy, and that hard.” Neil Gaimen. One of the most brilliant authors out there today.

I have been sitting here in front of my computer for the last three hours trying to figure out how to start writing today….if you direct me to the above quote I will direct you to the last line. It has been a while since I have done any work on Here. I want to continue work on it, but my brain is straying toward working on some short stories, but when I start to think about the shorts I start thinking about Here again. Oh the way my brain works is scary sometimes.

With that said….I am thinking about trying my hand at NaNoWrMo this year. For those of you who don’t know what that is…It’s a month long event where writers are challenged to write an entire novel in just one month. Sounds daunting? It definitely is! I have dipped my toe in since 2010 but never took it far. I would really like to focus and sit down and finish it this year. I actually just went to re-register for the website…my info is STILL there! After 6 years!! It’s still there! Wow. Well, I guess that’s a sign then.

Writer’s Whirlpool

The opposite of writer’s block but with the same result….

As I sit here in front of my laptop, Opeth vibrating my eardrum like the pulsating of a speaker, I stare, my expression blank….numb. I can’t quiet my brain long enough to extract one single idea. Too many are floating around, bumping into each other, flipping one another off. Have you ever heard an idea yell at another one? Not pretty. Such language!

It’s like a freeway on ramp during rush hour near a mall during December…late December! There’s fingers flying, words exchanged, curses thrown and no one’s yielding! You’d think I would have control over the situation. Yea…not so much. Each one of them feels they deserve special treatment and they aren’t afraid to express themselves. I am writing this post in secret actually. None of the ideas have caught on yet….though they will at any time.

To top it all off….either my muse is a shapeshifter or I have more than one. Writers have certain “rituals” they go through….kind of like a blue and silver haired grandmother at bingo….Some of us change into our writing underwear…some rituals involve systematically removing socks with nothing but the big toe (I admire those of you who can do that…). Some rituals involve live chickens….I don’t want to know.

Anyhow, mine is lighting candles and incense, starting my music, taking a deep breath and calling on my muse to help me. “It’s time to get to work! Don’t be late or you will be chained to the radiator again!” This time instead of seeing the Adonis in a loincloth, I saw a very large very….inquisitive dragon. It’s green scales reflecting the candles’ light, smoke trickling out of it’s nose. I know cliche…but whatever works right?

It’s tongue lolled out like an English Bulldog trying to get up the energy to play. The eyes sparkled with the puppy playfulness that Koko gets on a daily basis and it’s massive tail swooshed from side to side. With it’s head cocked to the side it waited…for what? A ball? A bone? A tree to fetch? I hoped it wasn’t waiting for a limb…like an arm or a leg…

So anyhow…here I am, starting at this very large…..very playful dragon and the traffic jam is just getting worse. I am thinking about sending the dragon to direct traffic until I can figure out what’s going on here….

Cooking on All Four Burners

First and foremost….my website has a new look and soon to have a new URL! Come visit! Illuminate The Shadows

Now on to business….sort of…lol. Anyhow. I have two more shorts to write before I can get my short stories published. I am so close!! I am about halfway through with one. If I can stretch it out I only have to write one more short…lol.

Eldhin is coming along fine. Hit a bit of a snag as I don’t know where I want it to go from here. Been thinking about taking up writing one that I shelved for a while. I started thinking about it again yesterday…lol

September is coming slowly. I’m not sure where I want her to go either…lol. Lot of things up in the air right now and a lot of things on the front burner. Perhaps I should get out and go for walks to clear my head. Koko would like that….

Anyhow…If you haven’t already, check out my links on the right.

I’m a Writer. That’s What I Am.

How do I write? One word at a time. That’s the short, easy answer. Most people don’t understand how much work goes into writing. They think we just sit down and it happens. Ok…so maybe that’s how it works most of the time. What they truly don’t understand is how much concentration it takes. Ideas may come easy to us, but getting those ideas down on “paper” is not as easy as having the idea. Most people don’t understand how much work is on the back end. You have your first, rough draft (and boy is it ROUGH! LOL), then you have countless rewrites in there. Not to mention the editing process, beta reading (for those who choose), shopping around. Then when you finally find someone who accepts your ms (manuscript), you have all of their steps…it’s not an easy thing. So why do people feel they can sit down and talk to you while you’re writing??

You write a book that happens to be in a series and suddenly people are screaming for the next one but they won’t let you work!! Come on guys!

Anyhow…getting off my soapbox….I have a new project started: September’s Blog. The second installment will be coming in the next few days. Until then, check out the first part and the Introduction to the blog!

I am also posting short stories, poetry and excerpts on another blog entitled The Mighty Pen. Check that out too!

On the Eldhin front….things are plodding along. I hate doing character bios, but my cowriter and I felt bios will help us both understand the characters better from each other’s point of view. Lots of things going on in the second book so hoping it will all come together. Once the third comes out there will be more of a settle. Right now everyone is arriving and getting established.

I am getting ready to begin the editing process on a third short story that I will start shopping around soon. This short is completely different from what I am used to. Those who have read it have said it was really good. Not to worry. I won’t be writing many of those…lol.

Geeks Unite!

A new post in September’s Blog should be coming soon….as soon as she tells me where she wants to go…lol.

Got a lot of things on the burner, but only so much time in the day. My first priority is the second Eldhin book. I am in the process of filling out character bios…I’m not a big fan, but since the Eldhin books are a collaboration, we decided that bios are the best way to go. That way we both know where we are with each character.

I need to get crackin on some other short stories too. I am planning on putting all of my shorts into one volume and self publishing. At least for now…until I get an agent. That’s not going to be for another six months…at least.

On a personal note….The Amazing Spider-Man opens July 3rd and I soooo cannot wait. I’m not a fan of opening weekend but this one I will endure. I may even request off that Friday so I can go see it! I can’t wait!! It’s been a long time since I have seen a movie in the theatre. The Rite to be exact.

Slowly But Surely

Been a bit hit and miss as of late as far as blog posts are concerned. I have decided to take on a new endeavor and hope and pray it doesn’t fizzle out…lol. I don’t think it will as I am excited about it. It’s pretty much renewed the flame and passion for writing, but I think we all get into those moments of “what’s the point”.

So anyhow. The new endeavor…..I am beginning a blog based series. I know…not the most original idea in the world. I want to get my writings out there. Novels take a while to write and I want to give fans something to read in the meantime. The way I am looking at it is like a pictureless comic book…lol. Odd thinking, I know, but you have to think odd and outside the box sometimes to be a writer.

So anyhow, It will be posted on a new blog I created just for the series. My plan is to have each blog post be a complete story. But, the best laid plans…lol!

The series follows a demon hunter named September. To give a bit of a background on the name (not necessarily the character specific because she changes often…lol), I believe that we are all connected in some way with everyone and everything on this Earth. September is my manifestation of that belief. She appears in many of my stories. Always the same name but rarely the same character.

In this series she appears as a half-demon, demon hunter. I don’t want to give too much away, just because I love the element of discovery! 🙂 Anyhow. I hope you all check it out. Feel free to leave comments. I love to hear from you all! 🙂

On the novel front. My cowriter and I have picked up work on the second Eldhin book. From the talks we have had it’s going to be pretty massive. It’s in the very beginning stages right now, but hopefully will pick up steam quickly! 🙂

And So My Muse Has Returned

And long overdue I might add. Life sort of got in the way and had to work on dealing with some things. I am still dealing, but I am able to write at the same time now.

I have finished one short story and have started on another. I am actually working on three shorts and a novel. I know. Some of you may say that’s asking for trouble, but this is the way my brain works. I have to work on more than one at the same time or I will get bored with the one I am working on and put it aside. At least this way I stay working on all of them Not to mention, working on the short stories at the same time as the novel, I have been able to work out some things with the novel I am working on plus future novels. I like to connect all of my work in some way. The Great Stephen King does it and I really like it. It makes me feel comfortable with what I am reading. No matter how small of a connection, it draws me into the story even more. It makes it feel familiar. Like going home. I want my readers to get that same comfortable feeling when they read my work. Don’t get me wrong. I am not trying to put myself in the same LEAGUE with Stephen King…far from it. I just like the blanket that wraps around me and keeps me safe. 😉

So about the new short story I am working on. It is completely different from what I am used to writing, but it pulled me. It called me. I HAD to write it. Not to worry, there is a feeling of despair in it, but in a different way. It is a story of darkness in the presence of pure light. Evil in pure goodness. Hate in the midst of love. I am hoping it will be a true inspiration. And yes, I won’t lie, I am hoping it will inspire more than a few tears. 😉

New Start

I know it’s been a while since I have posted…lol. I am starting new. Perhaps this will kickstart my creative juices. I am shelving the manuscript in progress temporarily and starting on something brand new. 🙂 Now I just have to contend with the normal “How do I start?” I think I will be ok once it gets going. I am very excited about this idea that I have. I think this may even give me renewed spark for the one in progress as well. 🙂

I’ve got my music cued up. I need to get something to munch on. For some reason, writing makes me hungry…lol.For some reason though, blogging just isn’t getting it right now, so this is going to be a bit short. Going to get my finger foods and get to work! 🙂

Brainsucker is Bloated

So I have been working on this novel for almost a year now. I had to pretty much start over on it about six months ago because my hard drive fried and me, being a dumbass, didn’t back it up. Ever since then it’s been really hard for me to get back into it. I have been struggling with it.

So anyhow. I keep hearing that once you start a novel you should stick with it. Not to mention, I am the type of person (not to mention writer) that it’s really hard for me to start something and then not finish it. My brain is swirling. The rational side of my brain keeps saying, “how can you do a good job on this novel when you are thinking about another one?” But the perfectionist side is saying, “You need to finish what you started.”

As I type this, I am talking to a very special person in my life and she shed some light on this for me. She reminded me that I have to go where the inspiration is. The partial novel has grown stale. Perhaps if I worked on something else, I can come back to this one with fresh eyes and it will turn out better. 🙂 Seriously…how well will I write if it’s just not coming. I don’t like reading something that seems forced.

So with that said…I have developed another problem. Not as big as the first one, but still a problem none the less. Where do I put this idea? What novel do I work on where this one will fit perfectly? Oh! I have like 25 sticky notes all over my desktop with book ideas jotted down…lol.

I have also come to another decision. I am the type of person who absolutely hates labels. I know that books need to be put into genres, but my brain gets so hung up on the genre that it gets in the way of my writing. I LOVE horror and want to be a “horror writer”, but I can’t let myself get hung up on the genre while I am writing. I think that’s one thing that causes my muse to run away so often…lol

So anyhow. I guess that’s about it….lol

Tis the Season….to Scare

I love Halloween. The crisp air. The bursting colors. Pulling your hoodie tighter around you. Is it because the chill finds its way in or because there’s something else in the night? Perhaps it’s because there’s something in the shadows watching you, waiting to pounce and tear your flesh from your bones. But you just tell yourself that it’s just the chill in the air….

Contrary to the above paragraph, I find it difficult to write horror. Don’t get me wrong. I LOVE horror. I LOVE looking for the shadows that don’t belong. But how do you write something when very little scares you? It’s not the demons and creatures that hide in the darkest corners of the night that scare me. It’s the thing hiding in the shadows waiting to drag me off at knife point as I leave work before I get to my car. It’s the guy following me home at 10 o’clock at night. It’s the man hiding outside the window of a five-year old, fantasizing. It’s the incompetent politician calling for war on false pretenses. All of those things can really happen….it has and will again. Reality scares me.

I am drawn to the serial killer in the hockey mask brandishing a machete who never seems to die no matter how many times you shoot him. I am intrigued by the burnt pedophile wearing a clawed glove invading teenagers’ dreams. These things can’t happen, but they don’t scare me. I know they scare a lot of people, but I am not one of them.

It’s very odd to admit that I am a horror write who doesn’t scare easily. As authors we need to write what we know. As horror authors we need to write what scares us. How do you incite fear when not much scares you? Want to know what REALLY scares me? Zombies. Zombies wake me up at night, in sweat drenched sheets, and prevent me from falling asleep for hours. Zombies make sure I don’t sleep for days and even weeks afterward. But I can’t write about zombies. Why? Because I can’t do the “research” needed to do the genre justice.

So what do I do? I write about what scares other people. I understand the fear. I understand the mechanics of fear. This allows me to tap into that part of the psyche that allows me to write horror without being scared by it. Don’t get me wrong….some of the things that I write DOES scare me. I am terrified of drains….which makes showers and washing dishes interesting to say the least. This was the inspiration for The Drain.

My sense of humor is out there. It’s morbid. I think I scare people, just by being me. My coworkers have grown to understand my sense of humor. And even find most it funny…lol. Though some people do look at me and cross to the other side of the room….I don’t mind it. That just means I did my job successfully. 😉 I like to make people wonder. I’m odd that way.

Well. I guess it’s time to turn in. Bob (the homeless guy handcuffed to my radiator) needs water and his bowl changed. I do hope he doesn’t make too much noise tonight. Though I think the duct tape and cattle prod taught him a lesson last night….

Disclaimer: I really don’t have someone chained to my radiator. They are too weak…easily pulled away from the wall. I have an eye hook anchored to a concrete wall that he’s shackled to…