Do you remember when I wrote that book. Like… a WHOLE book. There were mutants and a work camp and some bad guys. Wasn’t it great?! What happened with that? Continue reading
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Indie Writing
DMP Update (December 29, 2016)
Hey all,
So I’ve been working on the Department for Mutated Persons this holiday week, and I know there hasn’t been an update since Christmas Eve. Maybe you’re chomping at the bit, or maybe you forgot about the Depart for whats-its. Either way, I’ve been working on Chapter 6, but also working on the end of the book. I’ve had a real breakthrough for how I want the first book to end (yes, the first one!). I decided I wanted to break the narrative into two books because of how the story flows, and what I want to do with the second half just didn’t make sense to be in the same book as far as themes and characters were concerned.
So far this story has been unfolding as I write it. I haven’t made much of an outline, which is not something I normally do; but I wanted to get this first draft out in front of your lovely faces instead of procrastinating. That means the story will evolve over time, and you have the ability to change it with me. So if you have any suggestions for the future of the story, you can comment below, tweet me (@robfike), message me, or email me. Any feedback is crucial to making this the best it can be.
This is also a YA fiction work, which means I want as many middle, high school and college people to see it as possible. I want to know how you guys feel about it: what’s missing? what’s great?
Thanks for sticking with me thus far, and I hope I give you the excitement you were wanting out of this read.
My best,
Rob
Our World Now
So we filled our cups to the brim with hatred. And we cast ignorance upon you if you didn’t agree. And with any misstep we wouldn’t bury you, but you felt six feet under. We’d take your job, your reputation, and – if an apology was granted – your soul as well. And you would be the cautionary tale that we would spin cycle in our 24 hour news coverage. And the pundits would bemoan your mistake, and assassinate your character, and impugn your very existence. Because we were right, and we always would be. And you would be wrong, and you would be evil, a relic of an ancient past full of pagan ritual and superstition.
Day 09 – NaNoWriMo “Idea Storm”
Total Word Count: 1,668.
I didn’t get a lot done yesterday. I didn’t get a bunch of words typed up. I didn’t write out characters. I didn’t outline my story.
But I talked with some people. I bounced my ideas off them, and, in return, I got a lot of amazing new character depth points and story plots. I got so much inspiration from my friends that I think my story could now become a large novel instead of some short stories. It allowed me to make my ideas better than they were before. (I was also able to write down some of them since I’m likely to forget.)
Keep this in mind during your writings: you may be able to generate more ideas by sharing with some trusted people. You may get a feel for what your audience wants/needs from your work. These idea incubators might ask questions you hadn’t thought of before. Those questions might also create new ideas or take you in a direction you weren’t looking.
So ask around. Gather some new ideas. Use the ones you like!
Day 08 – NaNoWriMo “Waiting on the Wind”
Current Total Word Count: 1,599.
Hey, so writing is a thing. I wanted to write these past few days; I really did. But everything set against me; even myself.
It’s very difficult as someone who is prone to procrastinate to be driven forward to finish something without a deadline. As a student, I always had something holding a gun to my head to finish a paper. There was a concrete, immovable deadline that wasn’t controlled by my whims. Thus, I could procrastinate for a short period, but eventually – like this comic strip – panic would set in and I would feverishly create.
Now, I’m done with school, and writing is something I have the leisure of doing at my own pace, which is a pace of zero miles per hour. If I don’t feel passionate about a scene, I just don’t write it. I haven’t felt the need to make creation a habitual, purposeful act, but a weather front that comes in as it sees fit to do.
I know some of you feel the same way. The muse is a cruel cloud, floating to and fro at her own rhythm. It can be difficult to pull her down to earth, and make her speak the things you wish. So I just look up at the cloud floating away, aware there are some great things out there, but I haven’t the strength to mend the rope, attach the hook, and hoist it into the air. Hopefully, the coming days will give me the courage to try once again to persevere my way through the quagmire of creation.
Day 03 – NaNoWriMo Writing the Climax
Current Word Count: 833
It’s not even remotely respectable, but it is progress. I decided to jump ahead in my short story series to a climactic part because I had inspiration for it. I think it’s important to take advantage when inspiration strikes, otherwise the ideas just float away. I know eventually I want my characters to get somewhere, and I know what that somewhere is. 
So, instead of enslaving myself to the linear writing process, I just decided to write that scene now, so I know where I’m going. And, dammit, I’m a leaf on the wind (RIP Wash).
I think the exhilaration now lies in how I get to this moment, how the characters get to this point, and how the audience will feel once they read the lines. What happens between the inciting incident and the climax is what will be the difference in an apathetic reader and an enthralled one.
So what are you doing to make sure your reader is gripped by the climax. It could be the difference between the explosion of a million fireworks and a fizzled out sparkler.
Day 02 – NaNoWriMo Oops
Current Word Count: 192. Oops.
I’m not making excuses, but I do have a seven week old daughter. Okay, that’s an excuse…
But really this just speaks to the importance of forming a game plan on getting the work done. I had an inkling of an idea for my series, but I didn’t know where to start. I also didn’t carve out time and space for writing (which is a MUST).
For those of you who might be in similar shoes (not mine though, they’re covered in old primer paint), don’t lose heart. Carry on the good fight and seek glorious writing riches.
Make plans to write. Create space to work. And be prepared for all plans to go to hell.
Day 01 – NaNoWriMo
So it begins. The month where everyone begins their novels. I’ve already finished the first draft of my first novel, so I decided that I would begin my short story series for Channillo instead. I will be keeping this blog updated with my thoughts on the process. If you have any words of wisdom and various forms of advice, feel free to comment below.
To all the writers out there: enjoy the process; don’t enslave yourself to it.
