Writing Round-Up
So I've got a name for my novel: The Unforgettable Fire. I'm a big fan of U2, and you may even see some of that reflected in the novel. I've also spent part of the weekend plodding along with the character bios. I'm wary of making my main protagonist and antagonist too similar. So I'm struggling a little bit because I'm trying to build these personas within the framework of the novel I've already established. Tough.
Spent some time this weekend working with Google Maps/Mars, and it's coming along. Just trying to figure out how to drop new custom pointers onto the map at lat/long coordinates. It'll be a good visual reference for me to work from, plus interesting blog candy once the novel's actually done.
Why wait? Well, the thing is, if I talk too much about the plot or characters of a novel that I'm writing or about where the story is going, I don't finish it. So I've got myself revealing only the most minimal of details until the completion of the rough draft.
Writing related:
- Jeff VanderMeer has an interesting piece on how to write a novel in two months. Sounds like a suicide mission to me, personally. I was going to make a joke about it being like S&M porn, but that would be painful to write, painful to read, and you'd probably think I was weird. (Not that I'm not weird, but for the record, I don't have any interest in S&M porn.)
- Write to Done has a piece of 31 Ways to Find Inspiration for Your Writing.
Another Novel Update
Things are plodding along methodically with the writing of the novel. I've been, as I mentioned, using the Novelist's Boot Camp as a way of keeping myself on-task and moving forward, rather than scurrying from half-formed idea to half-formed idea like an A.D.D. squirrel on crack. So far, it's working. I'm at the stage where I'm writing biographies for my major characters, and have started with my main protagonist.
I'm learning things about the dude, and it's going pretty well.
During the process, I'm going to sneak in some time for some research. Since it's a s.f. novel, and I'm setting it on a planet with a known geography (Mars), I need to rustle up a good map of the planet and start figuring out where these bases are, and where the connecting road will travel. Maybe I should tinker with Google Mars and try and create an overlay? (See? Squirrel on crack.)
I may spend some time after I get off the bike tonight, see if I can't get half these bios done. I've got a few cycling posts that I need to write for this, too, and I can probably wrap those up tonight, as well.
A Brief Update on “The Novel”
I've been working on fleshing out the novel, using Novelist's Boot Camp
I still don't have a title, but I'm thinking that THE MOST AWESOMEST FUN YOU CAN HAVE WITH YOUR VERY OWN ALIEN STARSHIP AND P.S. IT'S GOT A LOONY A.I. RUNNING MOST OF THE SHOW might have to be relegated to the subtitle.
Indispensable Advice
So I got asked today about how-to-write books -- specifically, I was asked to recommend a few. Given that this seems to be a topic that comes up now and then, I am going to recommend two-and-a-half of them (one is specific for F&SF writers).
The first is On Writing by Stephen King. This is the book that I re-read every so often. King puts together an autobiography and a lecture on craft into one easy-to-read manuscript. The thing is, most writers would put together an autobiography that would read as "if you didn't grow up like I did, you'll never amount to much." King doesn't do that. Instead, he draws on elements of his upbringing that illustrate how his life shaped him as a writer, and are easily identifiable as things that could have just as easily happened to you. The result is a frank, sometimes funny, sometimes sad book on not just craft, but what it really means to be a writer.
Fanfic, the Creative Commons, and the SF Writer
So recently, sci-fi author Steven Brust released a Firefly fanfic novel as a free download. A friend who is making strides in the business of being a sci-fi writer, if I recall correctly, cut her teeth by writing fan fiction.
I'm reminded of John Scalzi and his adage about "paying work gets written first." It's a phrase that can easily be interpreted as "don't write anything unless you're going to submit it to a paying market first."
Lately, I've been musing on the trend in sci-fi circles toward releasing one's work under the Creative Commons license. And I've been musing on fanfic, because I've got an idea for a piece rolling around in my brain.
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I'm at Don Pablo's - Roseville (2700 Lincoln Dr, Roseville). [fontosaurus]
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Checked in at Don Pablo's - Roseville
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I favorited a YouTube video -- Cycles http://youtu.be/-0Xa4bHcJu8?a [fontosaurus]
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have my Friday off, so here's my Follow Thursday: @mightywombat, @veloveggies, @Scoutwell_Cat, @kilgette, @actualmiles, @DoWhatITellYou #ff [fontosaurus]
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Man, talk about enabling commerce. http://is.gd/aeKE9 [fontosaurus]
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Mmmm. Thunderstorm. [fontosaurus]
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I'm at 3M Center- Building 225 (3M Center, Building 225, St. Paul). [fontosaurus]
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Checked in at 3M Center- Building 225
