LOTS GOING ON!

OK, it has been a crazy ten days.  Lots going on.  Lots to report.

First, NaNoWriMo.  I have been doing really good.  I am totally off track to finish the month with 50,000 words, but I have written over 12,000 words in the past 11 days.  To me that is something to be very proud of.  It is SO FREAKING EXCITING to see my novel growing by chapters ever few days.  It is truly an indescribable feeling.  Such a shame too.  My book is alive in a sense.  My people — or characters if you prefer—are breathing life into the story.  They are so interesting.  They do things that I really wouldn't expect so often.  yeah, I know i am the author.  But, I am telling you that they just do their own things.  It is increadible.

For example: I was working on a scene with my main character.  I was certain how it was going to end up.  I was working toward it and he made some really different choices.  They were characteristic of him, I realized as I was watching the scene unfold, but they surprised me.  By the end of the scene it had come to a resolution similar to the one that I had anticipated but SO MUCH BETTER.  There was so much more depth to the scene because of the choices that my my protagonist had made.  It was ten times more heart-wrenching.

Now, moving on.  Yes I hear the groaning demands from you.  You want to read the heart-wrenching scene.  Well, it is over 9,000 words.  Far too long to post on this little blog.  Besides, you don't want to mess everything up for yourselves.  :)

Last week I had the honor of meeting one of my writing heroes.  Brandon Sanderson few into Dayton to do a book signing.  My wife and I drove down and had a wonderful time.  Brandon, whose podcast I have listened too, has been one of the big inspirations to me in this novel writing venture that I have embraced.  It told him so.  Then my wife told him what a fan I was and how I listened to all his podcasts.  And I was trying so hard NOT to look like the leader of his fan club.  You got to stay professional at these types of things you know.  Brandon actually made a podcast devoted to how one should act around authors that they love (this is in the context of the fan being an aspiring author who is trying to break into the business).  Authors do appreciate fans, but when everyone is saying that they are "your biggest fan" it kind of gets lost in the mix.  However, Brandon seemed to really appreciate what my wife said and we chatted for a few minutes after he signed my book.  I told him that I was well into my novel and that he was one of my main inspirations.  He looked really pleased and encouraged me.  Even said he hoped that someday he would be standing in line to get me to sign his  copy of my book.  He was really a neat guy to meet and visit with.

I think he knew that I was being a responsible fan (if such a thing exists) and appreciated it.  Anyway, here is a pic of me and one of my heroes.  Enjoy!












Lastly, here is a check in.  My current word count is 33,464 words.  WOW!  I passed 30,000 words last weekend and I have been pretty extatic about it inside.  I try not to let it show too much, but it is a real accomplisment in my own estimation.  I doubt that anyone who has not sat down to write a long piece of fiction can understand what 30,000 words feels like, or means.  It has been a LOT of work.  But it is totally worth the effort.

So, go write your own story.  Nobody but you can write your story, whatever it is.  It is a personal journey where you learn so much about life and discover a lot about yourself in the process.  If I never publish this work, it will still be so worth the time and sacrifice and struggle that I have put into it.

Thanks for visiting.
Ammon

Davey got a brand new puppy.

Hello vast audience. I just finished putting my son Parker to sleep tonight. He is the three year old. Anyway, he requested his mandatory "Davey Story" before he would willingly drift off to sleep. What could I do? I love it when he asks me to give him a new story. Lately he has decided that he can tell a better tale and interrupts almost immediately to "tell it right."

So, tonight I told him that I had a new story with a surprise. His eyes nearly bulged out of his head. Then he pulled up the blankets around his little neck, snuggled deep into his pillow and turned his head toward me. With his little hands grasping the comforter under his chin he said, "OK, I'm ready dad." with a big grin. I would give almost anything to be able to have a picture of that perfect moment. The result was a rapt audience.

I began like I always do but painted a picture of a bored little boy with his robot. Then his mother hinted that dad might be bringing home a surprise.

"What is it?" Parker asked.

"I don't know I answered." with a smile. Then I told him about Davey's dad pulling into the driveway and getting out of the car with a box that had holes in it. As Davey ran out to his dad the box yipped.

"I think that it's a dog in the box" Parker whispered to me; anticipation wildly apparent on his face. He really couldn't wait to find out if there was a dog in the box.

OK, now before I finish, I realize that a dog in a box with holes in it is totally cliché. I get that. But, what is cliché to the rest of the world is always going to be new to a three year old. That is a very important lesson that I have learned this year. Cliché's only exist when your target audience is poorly chosen for your story. Now back to the story.

Davey's dad set the shaky box on the living room floor. Parker pulled in his chin as he prepared to experience Davey opening the box. Davey's dad then explained to Davey and Pickles that his surprise would need to be taken care of responsibly. Davey of course agreed (didn't we all tell our parents we would scoop the poop and walk the dog? Yeah, to their everlasting disappointment.) Then Davey opened the box. A perfect little dog jumped up into his arms and licked Davey's face.

Parker laughed, and squirmed, twisted himself up in his comforter as he giggled the words "The doggy licked his face... ha ha ha. He was completely overjoyed by that little tiny detail of the story. I saw first hand how writing can teach someone something. More importantly I saw that one can truly experience an enormous range of emotion throughout the course of the story line and that those are real emotions that the reader, who has emerged him/herself into the story, feels. When Parker experienced the payoff, or fulfilled promise, of the story he was thrilled.

I think that if I had finished with him just getting a puppy and playing outside with it he would have loved the story. But, giving that little extra fulfilled promise/detail about the licking of Davey's face the story was twice as good.

I didn't stop there. The puppy jumped over to pickles and licked his face too. Parker wriggled and giggled all over again. I asked Parker what Davey should name the puppy. He said "name him Fred Jellybeans dad." I, for convenience in story telling shortened the name to just Jellybeans.

Regardless, it was a really great Davey and Pickles (and now Jellybeans) story-night in our house tonight.

Anyway, on other fronts. I wrote 1,340 words last night. It was a pretty good night. but not near enough to be on par for NaNoWriMo. I am not sure that I will finish NaNoWriMo. I just have so many demands on my time right now. This is truly disappointing to me since this is something that I really want to do. Something that I really want to accomplish. I even have next years "novel" all planned out. I think that NaNoWriMo 2010 will be a collection of short stories that all take place in the same world; chronologically.

WOW, look at me. I haven't finished NaNoWriMo 2009 and I am already planning for 2010. I just have so many stories that I need to write. I guess that is the proof that there is truly a writer inside me somewhere.

Anyway, thanks for visiting.
Ammon

Happy Birthday Bekah!

I am taking another day off from NaNoWriMo to celebrate my wife's birthday. We have been married for eight short years :). She is a very talented woman. Everything that she decides to do she seems to do well. She is an accomplished photographer, "jewelry lady" and an amazing mother to our two little boys. Due to the love and wisdom that she imparts to both of them daily, I would not be too surprised to someday find myself the father of two great men who change the world. Perhaps they will cure cancer, or the common cold.

I hope that it is a great day for you.

Happy Birthday "Love."

Ammon

GOOD MORNING NaNoWriMo!

I haven't written a word yet. But, that is OK. You see I have several rules about my writing. One of which is not writing on Sunday. So I see it like this; Beginning on the second of November is better than beginning on the first. Here I go.

My official NaNoWriMo page is http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/user/547205
Please encourage me :)

Ammon