Uh

Is it OK to start blogging again almost five and a half years after not updating?

I hate to do the whole NaNoWriMo style thing

I'm down to 19445 in spite of writing about 2000 new words. Yes, I went back and did some editing. This was because I had to go back and edit some of what I'd written in the last 'chapter.' This helped me get unstuck to continue to the next 'chapter.' Plus, the wc in the last post included text where I ran off at the mouth. Me, run off at the mouth? I know, it's shocking.

Better late than never, I guess...

Very little new stuff written, but I had to go back and fix a few things that have been gnawing at my mind in order to go forward. I am splitting up what I've written so far into chapters (or really, scenes) to make it easier to edit when I'm done. This and the rewriting has enabled me to write something new to fill a gap which probably seemed a bit nonsensical otherwise.

It's been hard for me to find the time to write. No, it's been hard for me to concentrate to write. I've been too interested in screwing off. For that reason, I've uninstalled a number of games from my home computer. While shooting demons helps me unwind after work, it keeps me from concentrating.

I'm happy with what I've written so far, and I'm trying to keep focused and writing. This means less screwing off on the Internet. (Pause for laughter.) If it weren't for screwing off, I'd get nothing done, I know. I have some upcoming deadlines for my day job, but I will try to force myself to be a responsible writer and get shit done.

For what it's worth, I've only got 20173 words of actual text (this excludes backstory and mental masturbation) averaging 2058 words a 'chapter' thus far. However, I feel like I can go on now.

workin on it

I'll post a status update sometime this week. Let's just say that sometimes you have to do what everyone tells you that you should not do.

Stuck/Unstuck

I've been rewriting the same scene over and over. I finally put it aside. This morning, I wrote the climax. Then I had to clean up after myself.

It'll need some rewriting, but it helped me get the scene solidified in my head.

Status

I have not been doing enough writing, but I have been writing. I was stuck for almost two weeks with nothing to report. That's where I am on the GAHN. I had other projects which I have either not touched, or I have not started. I'm pretty sure that I will not have my intended short completed for this. Verily, I am a lazy, lazy whore. This extends well beyond writing to all other aspects of my life. Anyway, that's enough meta. I'm either getting back to work, or I am going out for food.

maybe it's depression

But I feel like I should start over on the GAHN. I'll still use parts that I've written, but I don't feel like I'm doing a good job characterizing my main character. I haven't described the world very well. I feel like I'm doing the novelization of an action movie. Coincidentally, they're describing this same situation on NOTLP. I'll take my drugs, go for a walk, and maybe i'll feel better about things.

Stuck like a skank on linoleum

As I said previously, I have been rewriting the same part over and over again. I finally removed a large chunk of the scene that preceded the crap and tried again today. Somehow, I'm not sure that that half of the buddy pair in this story would act like that. I can't see him acting any other way, though.

I am pained by this. I feel like I've lost something important here. I feel like I should just start over. I'm not sure if this is my rabid depression or a desire not to suck so badly.

Rewrite of the GAHN

No, I'm not done. I've been rewriting the same portion several times over. That's probably why people say not to edit until you're finished. I can't go further until I get this right.

I've also started a new short story aimed at an anthology. I want to be realistic and say it won't be published. If I do that, I'm worried that I'll lose motivation like I normally do.

I wrote one short story that I hate. I think I'll just trash it. I need to rewrite/edit two short shorts that I finished recently. I need motivation to do that.

My primary goal is to further the GAHN and start on the next GAHN. I've got a billion other commitments, but I need to work on the GAHN. Every time I ignore it, it's like a tooth ache.

A little bit o update

First drafts of two short-shorts (around 1500 words) finished this past week. Another 3000 words of the Next Great American Horror Novel have been polished off tonight after being dumbfounded for the last week or so. I think it's because I drew up a rough outline of what's going to happen next. I'm going to write the book in three parts. Our Heroes have accepted their journey (because they have no choice, really), and they have just escaped their second brush with death.

The two short-shorts are from older story ideas. One is the same thing I mentioned previously. The other is from a story I wrote when I was 18 that got rejected from Gaslamp or something like that way back in the day. It was utter shit. It's not even recognizable as the same story. It's from the same story idea, though.

There's more I want to write tonight, but I'm taking a break for a moment. I've got to do laundry, and I'm actually a bit hungry despite eating some delicious green beans around 5pm. If my hubbin is asleep, I'm only going to do a small load of laundry. I don't want to wake him, so it's good that I've already showered. Will write more later. Moo.

Setup

I bought hosting for my pen name. I've just completed the first draft of the story I mentioned previously. It's not so suited to Pseudopod after all, in my opinion. We'll see how it is after a rewrite.

I joined Critters. I forgot that you have to offer critiques when you join a workshop. Maybe that's why people use first readers instead. Meh. Anyways, I have work to do.

Side project: Pseudopod specific submission

(Not Mike's Rent...) I dug up a story idea that I want to flesh out into a flash fiction bit (aiming for 1500 words) specifically to submit to Pseudopod. Once it's in the second draft, I will be looking for beta readers.

Identities

I know who my villain is. I know why he's doing this. I know how he's doing it. I know how he can be stopped.

I know who my heroes are. I know why they work together. I know why they're in this story, and why they're trying to stop the villain.

I know who an important, shadowy figure is. He's the boss.

Now, I need to know how to tell it all to other people in an engaging, entertaining way.

Backstory

     I'm going to write an eljay post about this, but I spent 2 hours tonight writing back story for the narrator of this horror bit. (Note to self: come up with working title other than "monster movie...") This helped with finally getting the voice of the secondary character, the motivational guy. He's not really a motivational guy like Matt Foley. He's just a driven person, and my narrator is willingly swept up by this guy in whatever must be done.
     The way things are written right now, you find out that the Driver (in more than one sense) is a werewolf pretty much up front. You don't find out that the narrator is a vampire for 2 or 3 pages. This wasn't done to build up suspense. The narrator is not willing to admit to every Joe Schmoe that he sucks the blood of the living. He's had to hide it for a long time. I think he only admits to it because his listener stuck with him through what they found in the woods.
     In the back story bit, I don't know who the listener is, but they already knew that the narrator was a vampire. They knew that the driver was a werewolf as well, but they didn't know about him as a person. The back story explains a lot about the driver and gives me a stronger sense of the narrator. The back story is not going into the final written story, though. It might be referred to. (I guess I'm the listener for the back story, but I know that I'm not for the main narrative.)