I try not to get distracted with my projects, but it has been known to happen.  Case in point, this past weekend I had full intentions of getting up early, brewing a cup of tea and getting a couple hours of writing done.  What actually happened is I got a couple hours of Guitar Hero done.

Now don’t get me wrong, there’s value in being able to jam with my Wii… at least, so I keep telling myself.

Regardless of the value of Guitar Hero, I still feel like I cheated myself.  I should/could have written 5,000+ new words towards the completion of my book.  I could sit her and beat myself up, I suppose, but instead, I’m going to get back and start writing again tonight.  Even 500 words will get me back on track.

Life’s simply too short to spend with self-recriminations.  At the end of the day that only succeeds in making the writing more difficult.  So, tonight… I write!

Something a little different

I’ve gotten back into reading in a big way in the past few months.  The reading had slowed for a while as I tried to do more work-related stuff in my spare time.  I’ve finally realized that as much as I was doing, there was always more, so I’ve cut back on it a bit.

A number of the books I’ve been reading are because of ‘Slice of SciFi’.  They have a “B” show (Podcast) where they talk about different books and authors.  One author they got me on to is Minister Faust.

I started by reading “Coyote Kings of the Space Age Bachelor Pad” which is as different a book as I’ve ever read.  I was delighted to discover the story occurred in Edmonton, since I spent much of my youth there; it’s always fun to read something that is set in a familiar place for me.

The book I just finished is his newest: ‘From the Notebooks of Doctor Brain’ which is an interesting view into the superhero world.  Faust takes a new slant to superheroes, looking at them after they have defeated all the villains.  What are they feeling?  How do they continue when all the battles have been fought?

I found the psychology of the story interesting.  Minister Faust’s stories always seem to be emotionally deep and introspective – both Coyote Kings and Doctor Brain are rife with psychic imagery.  What I find difficult about them is his penchant to writing dialogue phonetically.  Granted, it gives each character a unique voice and you certainly get a better perspective of the character, but it can be gruelling to read.  In Coyote Kings, one of the characters speaks with a faux-Jamaican accent.  Faust ensures that you can hear the accent of the speaker, but it takes forever to read.

Still, I enjoyed both his books; they are truly unique.  The stories are interesting as are the characters.  Just allow yourself extra time to read the dialogue so you don’t get frustrated with the pacing of it.

I was listening to Tee Morris’ ‘Survival Guide to Writing Fantasy’ (teemorris.com) yesterday and he said something that struck a chord with me.  He talked about the difference between writing fact vs. fiction and how you need to get your mind wrapped around the difference.

The more I thought about what he said, the more sense it made to me.  I do a fair amount of technical writing in my day job and I’ve found that, in order to focus, I can’t be thinking about my fiction writing.  I’ve got to keep my mind on the writing at hand or it simply doesn’t happen.  It usually takes me 30 minutes or so to get into the mode; time enough to grab coffee.

The transition to fiction is usually easier.  I prep myself for my evening writing sessions by reading a good book on the bus-ride home (usually Science Fiction or Fantasy).  By the time I’m home, my mind is in the proper place and (hopefully) percolating with ideas for my work.  It doesn’t always work, but it usually does.

This leads me to conclude that I should be reading work-related stuff on my ride into work.  That would focus my energy for the day andI wouldn’t have to ease into the writing…  Definitely food for thought.

Personal Update:

I’m happy to say that my writing is picking up again since the holiday.  I’ve been able to surpass the 11,000-word mark on my current story and it seems to be maintaining a nice momentum.  Onward and upward!