Getting over the hump sure has helped. In a little over a week I was able to write 10,000 words and probably have another 3,000 ahead of me before putting Skyway aside. As I mentioned in a previous blog post, the scope and placement of Skyway has changed and the ripple effect of those changes […]
Funny thing about writing. It’s a lot like life. Just when you think you’ve got it all planned out, it changes right before your eyes. I’m nearing the completion of the second novella Skyway in our five novella Gabby Wells series. The goal of the novellas was to introduce the readers to the characters and […]
This week was a tough one, writing-wise. As mentioned on our last podcast, the second novella, Skyway, takes place over a continuous 36 hour period. Because of this limitation and a lot of the moving parts having to do with plot and character, what would normally be a smooth process has been quite a struggle. […]
I did a lot of writing, but not that added a lot to the word count. I did add a couple of thousand words to Skyway, but spent most of the time re-writing The Homecoming Incident based on our Beta Reader feedback. The end result was a couple of hundred more words in total, but […]
I didn’t do it. I didn’t keep up my 1500 words a day. I tried, but the empty page glared back at me this week. My problems were three-fold. First and foremost, I was burned out. I have never written 1500 words a day in my life. Not solely toward a book. Sure, I probably […]
The first Gabby Wells novella, The Homecoming Incident, is in the hands of my first group of Beta Readers. Can’t wait to hear their responses, make the tweaks and send it to our second group of Beta Readers. I’m about one-third of the way through the first draft of the second novella titled Skyway. Not […]
As I mentioned yesterday, I finished the first draft of the novella The Homecoming Incident. As the first of five novellas as part of the Gabby Wells Chronicles novella series, I’m excited to get that first draft done. Today I started outlining the second novella in the series, tentatively titled Skyway. I’m trying to decide […]
I set a goal of writing 1500 words a day during Lent. So far I have lived up to that goal. I’ve written over 10,000 words since last week on the first Gabby Wells prequel called The Homecoming Incident. If things go well, I’ll be able to push myself and complete the first draft over […]
To be published or self-publish, that is the question. Since the advent of the ebook, a slow and constant paradigm shift has been occurring in the publishing world. Much like how Napster and, later, ITunes changed the face of music, Amazon and the Kindle have changed the face of publishing. No longer do authors have […]
1500 words a day. That’s my goal. Having suffered with Crohns disease for 24 years it has created numerous limitations in my life, both in diet and activity. So, whenever Lent rolls around, instead of removing a food from my already small list of approved options, I choose to add something to my spiritual plate. […]
Following your bliss can be overrated. We should always find the core creative elements that drive us and do our best to feed them. If we’re lucky, very lucky, like lottery odds lucky, we’ll be able to make a living doing what we love. It why prolific authors or talented filmmakers never stop “working” because […]
Free is a gateway. In the self-publishing world, giving away the first book in a series for free is one of the ways authors can get people to take a chance on their work. The phrase is called “perma-free,” meaning permanently free and it allows readers to check out a new author or new series […]
I’m in a funk. A writing funk. I’ve been working on my first novel for a long time. A LONG time. Not always in novel form, but the story itself has been in my life everyday for about four years. Four years. First as a screenplay idea. Then as a TV script idea. And now […]
Every writer doubts their abilities. It’s the nature of the process. When working on a novel, invariably I will write something of which I am certain is effective that, upon further scrutiny, seems to suck. The reality is none of these are true; it is neither effective or awful. The fact that it can in […]
Today’s podcast discusses some tips on how to adapt a screenplay into a novel. Here are a few steps to consider when adapting a screenplay to a novel. Step 1) Overview. Look at the story from a 30,000 foot level. Sketch out the basics of the plot (beginning, middle and end). Also, write down the […]
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, I was a screenwriter. I wrote screenplays, won some awards, had some optioned and a few produced. One of those screenplays I wrote at the request of a friend of mine, Jenni Gold. I recently mentioned Jenni in a post about her work on the […]
[youtube=http://youtu.be/kc8AvUZ65XQ]
Does where you write effect how you write? When I was starting out writing screenplays, I read an interview with Patrick Sheane Duncan, screenwriter of the film Courage Under Fire, who said that he taught himself to write anywhere with a pad of paper and a pencil so that he could write whenever he was […]
Video games can make you a better writer. I know what you’re thinking. I’m nuts. My wife would agree with you. She is fond of calling them “stupid little video games.” She’s also fond of calling anything that she thinks is a waste of time as “stupid little.” Like this “stupid little blog entry.” But, […]
Writing can be a painful experience. I spent the majority of my life around, involved in and pursuing a life in film. I studied it, I performed in it, I wrote for it, I directed it and I loved it. Some of my work made it to Hollywood, but most was of the independent nature. […]
