NaNoWriMo continues.
I began writing very slowly around 3 AM this morning. I’m at 1630 words right now. And now it’s time for me to hit the sack… Sadly I must go to work tonight at 10 PM instead of stay awake and write more. I do plan on spending my breaks and lunch writing though. I created new notebooks in evernote and set my nano novel as the default notebook. I need to be in catch up mode for the next couple days. Hopefully I’ll pull through and be ahead of the game by the end of the week. Here’s hoping!
Until next time,
-Chris
National Novel Writing Month 2013!
It’s that month again! I didn’t participate last year, and I was cheating the year before. But it doesn’t matter because that book still isn’t done,
This year, today actually, I came up with a completely original story which I have just completed a preliminary outline for… Mostly just the back story and facts I’ll need to remember. I’m about to outline my plot and then hopefully begin actually writing. I’m aiming for 1700 words/day or more. For me, that’s optimistic. No matter what I do, I can’t help doing minor editing while I’m writing. It’s distracting for me to have errors across a page. I also tend to think out how to best word various sentences before I continue. This might sound normal, but it’s not. I’ll do this for minor sentences and that really takes time.
Anyways.
My last post was hoping for a trend to start. It didn’t. Until today, I hadn’t opened Scrivener since that day… But today should definitely become a trend. I fully intend on not having a life for the next 30 days. Except for work, going to the gym, and eating. I’ll be trying to spend as much time writing as I can.
So, Wish me luck!
Until next time,
-Chris
It’s been far too long…
Yep. Another unplanned break from writing. Quite a bit longer this time. But the good news is that I am once again writing. Though, I just started Scrivener up again today. So we’ll see if the trend… No, we’ll see if today’s miracle becomes a trend. 😉 Today’s writing was on my full length novel. I wrote out one scene. It’s a bit of a long scene by itself, but I didn’t feel like splitting it up. 😛
In other news. I had a dream a few weeks back. A dream that I managed to remember long enough to write down some of the key points. I’m thinking I might just try to plan this out into a new novel before November starts. Thereby giving me a project for NaNoWriMo. While on the subject of “Other news”, September 2nd had me joining the gym across the street from my work. I’ve been taking better care of myself and am down about 16 pounds since starting at the gym. I’ve also been trying to start a “paleo” lifestyle. Essentially cutting out grains and dairy. Eating more Veggies and fruits with some meat. It’s tough, but I’m seeing progress.
What that has to do with my writing, nothing. Except that it furthur reduces any leftover time I might have to do some writing. Which is of coure the biggest excuse, and the biggest lie, in the history of the world. I have all the time in the world once I clock out of work. I just choose to spend a lot of it in front of the TV rather than the PC…
Anyways. Long story short, I’m writing again. At least for today. That’s all that matters.
So.
Until next time,
-Chris
Semicolon
Wikipedia: The semicolon is a punctuation mark with several uses. →
Writing… Again…
I took an unplanned break from writing… Pretty much since my last post, 3 months ago… 😦 … I didn’t do anything for NaNoWriMo… And my next short story hasn’t gone anywhere… It’s still in the “planning” stages… Which is to say that its at the back of my mind… Honestly a big part of the problem has been my “Day Job…” It’s the holiday season and working for Wally World is taxing this time of year… I get to work, get worked to near death, get home and try to sleep with the sun leaking into my room… Little time for much of anything else…
As to other writings… I recently got Scrivener for Windows… So I’ve been migrating my “Big Piece of Work” from yWriter to Scrivener… My Big Book is quite a bit different from my first two Jason Peirce short stories. For one, it’s planned out to 30 Chapters with between four and twelve scenes of various lengths in each. Also, I’m taking a big risk with this one… It’s something that is always advised against… I’m sure many people, writers and readers alike, would consider it a literary sin… But I don’t care. It’s my book and I’ll write how I see fit.
I kind of got off topic… While I’m migrating this story I’m also working on it. little by little it is being written. This also means that my next short story is on hold still.
Now I’m thinking that I’ve said all that I planned on saying… So…
Until next time!
A New Direction
As a part of my writing career, I want to be known not just for one dynamic character. Jason Peirce is only the beginning for me. There are currently two other characters that I’d like to expand on. One of them has been met by anyone that has read my 2 books. I’m also considering a third character to expand on.
Another thing I like about writing, is being able to tie everything together in some way. It’s a small world right? I intend on keeping with that saying in my books. Like Stephen Hunter does with his books. Characters move in and out of the different series. Events in one book have an effect on another.
I’m currently in the planning stages for my next ebook. For those of you who have read my first two, no it is not a book about Jason Peirce. The Inland Empire and San Bernardino mountains are amazing places that are real. That is a huge part of my writing. The use of real places that readers can go and see. The next book takes a step away from California and even away from reality for parts. Fictional places will be created, and I think that will be the hardest part for me. I’ve been able to rely on a real world setting to guide my descriptions, and that won’t be the case all the time.
Well. I said what I wanted. I’m still writing. Hopefully the prep-work will soon be complete and I can really start creating. Until then, I still have 2 short stories available for all to read. Though only 1 will always be free. Book 2, On the Track of Loss, will be 99 cents as of this Saturday, the 8th of September. OtToL is free again. It’s going to stay that way… Forever. 😉 Happy labor day to everyone!
On a side note: I’ve received 2 more reviews (negative) on my Smashwords book pages. I’m kind of thinking it’s the same person as the one on bn.com as they both say that I need “lots of work”… The new ones actually bring up my use of real world locations. Well, to each his own. That person, or those people, clearly is/are not a part of the audience that would enjoy my work. But I still got another person to read my books!
My first negative review…
Averaging 2.5 Stars of 5.
Well. It was a little disheartening to see a 1 star review on bn.com… It was posted to book 2, On the Track of Loss. The reviewer advises that I need to remember that nobody knows me. I agree. I counter, did anyone know J.K. Rowling before Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone? Now, don’t get me wrong. I know that I am nowhere near as brilliant as this legend, but my point remains. Almost every author started from the same place.
The reviewer concluded that the story needs a lot of work. Or perhaps that I need a lot of work. Again, I agree. I’m just getting started on my fiction writing journey. I have a lot of work ahead of me.
Now. My personal feelings on the review. I believe that the review was more appropriate for a comment on my blog here. The “needs lots of work” bit could be appropriate for the book, but otherwise I feel that it is not a review of the book. What, exactly, needs to be worked on according to the reviewer? Where did I mess up the most? In one sense, I am glad to have the review. Sure, the 1 star is disappointing, but it validates that this is a real work of fiction that has a target audience and won’t appeal to everyone. It also means that another person has read my work. Even if they didn’t care for it, they read it.
I would like to question whether book 2 is the first book that the reviewer read. It just seems odd to me that I would need reminding on the second book that people don’t know me, rather than on the first book. I think that the way I produced the book cover and series name is self explanatory… There is a HUGE numerical 2 on the cover of book 2, along with “Jason Peirce Series #2) under the main Title. The cover is mostly Black, Gray number, white for my name, and blue lettering for the Title. I did check how it looks in black and white and it all appears fine… So I don’t see how one could miss that. But maybe that is what happened… I really don’t know.
In closing, I’d like to say that, regardless of the poor rating, I am thrilled to have another review. Maybe that review will be ported into the reviewer’s goodreads account and friends of the person will see my book and want to see why their friend hated it so much. lol. And maybe, just maybe, they will disagree and like the book.
On the Track of Loss on Barnes & Noble
So I went and typed my name into bn.com and found that not only are both my books now on the nook. But OtToL has its first bn review. 4 stars. The reader felt unfulfilled at the end. That is sort of what I was shooting for with book 2. I’m setting up book 3 with the ending of book 2. Though, I’m considering writing a book for another character I have in the back of my mind before continuing Jason’s adventures… I know that almost nobody is reading this blog yet. Well, nobody period… But I want to remind everyone that book 2 will only be free until September 8th 2012. The price will go up to 99¢. So get it early! I’m thinking that’s all for now…
Jason’s next installment…
Jason’s life goes on after the events in Riverside. In, On the Track of Loss Jason finds himself training for a re match race. He meets a lovely new neighbor. And he encounters problems in his relationship with Wendy. What could possibly happen to Jason next? Find out!
Jason’s first adventure is now available at BN and Apple ibooks!
So that about says it all. My first short story, An Abducted Date, is now available through the Barnes and Noble ebook store as well as on the Apple ibook store! I haven’t confirmed any other stores yet, but to me this is great news. Part 2 is currently at a standstill. I’m having a bout of writer’s block. 😦 i know where I’m going with the story, but I just don’t know how to get there just yet. Stay tuned, as I confirm more shops I’ll update the blog.
Until next time,
-Chris
An Update. And a change of mind.
Progress on the next adventure for Jason Peirce has been very slow. I’ll be working on it tonight and tomorrow. I think it’s safe to say that I’ve had a small bout of writer’s block. It tends to happen to me when I don’t plan things out carefully. I planned the first story, but not this one. I’m thinking that some time needs to be spent on that before I continue.
Now. My change of mind. I decided that I will not charge for my first ebook, An Abducted Date, ever. Jason Peirce’s introduction to the world will always be free. The same cannot be said for his next adventures. They will be free for limited times, then cost $0.99… I will have the contests and games I talked about before of course.
So, that’s it. Tell your friends, and family about my story if you like/d it. Or don’t. It’s really up to you. Thanks for reading, and look out for my next update when I finish writing and editing. It shouldn’t be too long now. 🙂
Christopher Estrada 