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

Quick Check-in

Yesterday I wrote 660 words. It wasn't much but It was good for me to write anything at all.

I have been listening to "The Secrets" podcast by Michael Stackpole and he talks about this. He encourages people to write down anything every day even if it only ends up being a sentence because eventually you will have a finished work.

I am running with that concept. Perhaps I will make it my personal motto. I may not have reached my 1,000 word a day goal, but I did get the end of one scene written and an entire scene following it finished as well. They didn't turn out quite like I had anticipated them to; they turned out better.

How exciting to watch my characters coming to life as my fingers punch the keys. One day at a time.

Later,
Ammon

"I wrote yesterday."
"It's about time!" says someone in the vast audience.
"Yeah, I know." I reply.

:) Anyway, I just have a few things that I wanted to communicate to the vast audience. *chirp, chirp*

First, I have found a few more writing podcasts that are FANTASTIC! They are as follows:

• The Odyssey SF/F Writing Workshop Podcast. This is a podcast of about thirty lectures given to aspiring writers who attend Odyssey. Odyssey is a very small and prestigious annual workshop. Only sixteen people are selected to attend and the workshop runs for six weeks. I WOULD LOVE TO SOMEDAY ATTEND. Perhaps this is a new long term goal :)

• The Secrets Podcast for Writers. This is produced by Michael A. Stackpole. I haven't listened to much but I did hear some stuff that was fantastic. Unfortunately in the background of his "lecture" is this terribly annoying and repetitive plucky guitar rhythm that repeats about every ten seconds or so. Regardless, I have very high hopes that this will be good. Also, it is a highly recommended podcast from several authors and pod-casters that I respect.

Other than that I have been preparing my 1000 word short short in my mind. I will be writing a rough draft sometime this weekend or early next week. I am very excited about the ideas that I have been dreaming up as I have ruminated on the plot and arcs of my storyline.

One of the biggest decisions that I have made in regard to my short is to write it in first person perspective. I have not done this before but as I have pondered this mini project it became clear that this was right. I have toyed around with the opening sentence and found that I with my limit of 1000 words I need to establish a LOT of character, situation and setting information SUPER quick! The best way that I can do that is to approach this short from first person. As I have played out segments of the story in my mind I have felt a thrill from the prospect of writing this particular story this way.

Well, I better get going. I am attaching a few pics of my little man Parker below. We enjoyed the web-cam on my computer and took some neat pics with a program called Photo Booth (on Mac). Enjoy!
Ammon

Some new goals!

Hi! I know, I know... I have been a bit spaced out lately. But I have some good news. I am finally feeling some much needed relief from the pain in my neck and arms (from the accident). It is really nice to be able to turn my head without lightning bolts running down my arms! I am still having lots of issues with my middle back and the doctor said injuries like this usually take 7-9 months of work to get better. Yikes! :)

Regardless, I am keeping an open mind and a positive attitude. Accompanying that attempted attitude I find that I have changed a lot. My thought process is changing and my ability to think has been enhanced. Some of my interests have changed. And, within the limited space between my ears ideas have been percolating. Now they have morphed into something new and suddenly I find myself on the verge of some crazy place. All of this kinda makes me happy:)

So, here are a few of my thoughts, dreams and goals. Not in that order.

1. I am considering entering the 10th annual Writers Digest Short Story Competition. I have my own personal feelings about competitions but regardless, I feel strongly about entering this one. I have the perfect story in mind to write and it is only 1000 words. The deadline is December 1, 2009 so that gives me about seven weeks to write and polish the story. Sounds like fun to me!
2. I want to participate in NaNoWriMo (just sound it out). Unbeknown to most Americans, November is National Novel Writing Month. You can visit their website at http://www.nanowrimo.org/. The goal is to write a novel (at least 50,000 words) in 30 days. It is quite a challenge and everyone that I have heard talk about this, both, suggests it and truly enjoy it. Well, this year I want in! I am planning on using my current manuscript (I am approximately 21,000 words) and adding 50,000 more in November. That would take way past 50% of the first draft. You might recall that my end goal is 120,000 words. So, I am going to see if I can make this work, then I will join the NaNoWriMo community for this incredible experience.
   
3. I am seriously considering starting a writing podcast. I LOVE Mur Lafferty's "I should be writing" podcast. Just this past week she had her 4th anniversary (or birthday?) and talked about the huge change that it has made in life and her career. I have been searching for additional podcasts that are good on writing, but alas there are few. So, why not produce one? Perhaps this idea will turn into something great.
4. I had another one, but it has dissipated. Perhaps it will return...

I have had lots of new story ideas growing in my head recently. More ideas than I have time to write. I gotta do something to move these onto paper faster. But that is the challenge isn't it. The craft takes time. LOTS of time. My wife rightly recommended that I cut more media from my life. She is right, she usually is (don't rub this in my face later, Love). This will be hard. Wish me luck.
Ammon

Back to work

Many people have pointed out that I have been neglecting my blog. However, I am now getting back to work.

Most of you know that I was in a pretty wild car wreck and that I have been popping pills like a hypochondriac for the past 9 weeks. I tried to write during that time but the pain med's really messed with my head and made it impossible to write anything. Well, I have been off the pain med's for about two weeks and I think I am ready to get back to writing.

I have missed it! During the past two months I have had lots of time to think. The result is a head full of ideas that are lining up to get out and fill up a blank page. Also, I have been listening to some of my favorite podcasts. The result? MORE IDEAS!

On a side note, if you have not fallen in love with podcasts then you really must give them a try. Here are a few of my favorites:

• Writing Excuses (Sci-fi and Fantasy writing podcast that discusses everything possible that is useful to an aspiring author)
• I Should be Writing (A podcast that takes a different perspective about writing by interviewing current authors and getting their perspectives)
• A Way with Words (Just a great podcast that discusses words, phrases, structure and etymology of words)

Due to the length of time I had to ponder and many tidbits of advice I received from the above podcasts I'm not going to just go back to writing my novel. I have also begun a personal study of the art of poetry and the short story form. Universally, those who I have talked with, and listened to, recommend the study of these two forms as a way to improve your overall writing skills; even for a novelist. So, I'm jumping in with both feet.

I will most likely be posting my attempts at poetry and short story here on the blog so keep a lookout for those. Also, a friend of mine, Chris Younkin, is going to begin posting a weekly chapter to a short story on his blog pretty soon. I will most likely be linking to that. He is crazy-creative so I'm anticipating that it will be terribly enjoyable.

Lastly, a quick family update. I celebrated my eighth anniversary with my wonderful wife, Rebekah, this past week. Eight years! I am still a little shocked at how fast time passes. I got her something that she has wanted for several years now. We just got it in the mail yesterday. A full-fledged lighting setup for an indoor photography studio. I think she is pretty excited about it. She got me one of my new favorite shows on DVD. Burn Notice season 2. If you haven't yet been introduced to that show you have got to check it out. The writing on it is wonderfully entertaining. Definitely something to watch and hopefully use to improve your writing style.

The kids are doing great. Parker is three and a totally hyper little man who is WAY too smart. Grant has been working on getting lots of teeth, so he has not been terribly happy. But despite it all the child is all smiles and giggles. God has certainly blessed Rebekah and I will fantastic children. I will pop a few pics of them up here soon.

Anyway, have a great week!
Ammon