Tonight's Efforts

Tonight I'd set myself one of two goals - and didn't reach either of them.

I'm researching for a kind of keystone which will unlock the imagery I want to use in my historical fiction piece currently titled Newland. I'm thinking of a bird but it must be able to fly and it must have significance to indigenous Australian's so it is used within one of their stories - what we know or call "The Dreaming".

One would think tracking down something similar in the historical records of the first inhabitants of this land a fairly easy thing to do. Indeed I mentioned what I was after to a knowledgeable friend who looked at me strangely and said, "Of course it's easy," and promptly went on a search of his own - which yielded nothing.

I'm just about resigned to the fact I'm going to have to talk with a tribal elder to discover my keystone. First I'll try another visit to the library at the scene of my story which had a plethora of historical tomes the last time I went there - only that time I wasn't looking for the Aboriginal content.

I have a huge store of Aboriginal knowledge I can weave into my story due to my research, so it hasn't been a complete misfire, but looking into the history of those who first lived in the area my story is set in, is nowhere as easy as I first assumed.

So the word count I've added is: nearly 300 words to my research notes after 3 hours of surfing. I've read countless Dreamtime Tales but none have been what I want. Some I can use, but only in passing. I also found out many remain secret and unpublished.

I did find one little bit of information which will help me reshape my ending as is decidedly unsettling. Very cool, but nothing to do with imagery or able to be used throughout the book to plant the imagery - decidedly not cool.

My other goal was to write some additional words to the story. When I sit in a computer chair for extended periods of time, my legs seriously begin to ache. I work with computers during the day and relieve the pressure by going outside for a short walk each hour or so. When I'm at home I become engrossed in what I'm reading/researching/writing and can be seated until the pain drives me out of the room. I wander around for a while, but the damage is done and my stints at the keyboard shorten significantly. After three hours this evening, on top of the hours I have sat already today, my legs are screaming out in agony resulting in no will to write after doing the research. Net gain is 0 extra words on the manuscript again this evening - pitiful.

Tomorrow night is the kid's Xmas party at the cricket club so there will be no additional writing then either. Any spare time I currently get at work is devoted to helping out another writer - if I haven't completely alienated them with my overview of the manuscript they sent me to read.

I filled out my application for enrolment for next year today so that will go out the door soon.

No further replies back about submissions and I'm guessing everyone is winding down for Xmas holidays so any further news is probably not going to happen until next year. Maybe I should just send all my pieces to publishers in the Australian market first to try and build up some credits - God that sounds terrible. What I mean is: perhaps I shouldn't target the pro and upper semi-pro markets around the world anymore. Perhaps I should aim for semi-pro and paying markets a little more? Maybe even send any pieces which have been rejected five or more times to non-paying markets. If they get rejected there, then maybe I need to retire them to my examples pages...I suppose it goes back to how long you want to trot them out as I've talked about before.

Okay, my legs are reminding me it's time to move, and this will be the last move for tonight as I blissfully slip beneath the covers.

So goodnight to you all. Pleasant dreams and may all your writing wishes come true.

BT

Oh! I almost forgot - Alex has posted a new writing tip in her ongoing series. Go take a look here or if you're wondering what I'm talking about, check out my post with all the links in here.

later

B

Can't Write

After my last post, I was just about ready to sit down and do some work on Newland and yet I drifted off onto other stuff.

I posted (on HorrorScope) my three latest reviews published in Black magazine (that's from Issue #3 not #4 which is due out next month).

The time taken to do that was extended out as I first thought about having something to eat and then stopped to eat a little something prepared for me by my loving wife.

Then I went and got a drink, had a smoke and chat, and now I've come back to waste more time by blogging about wasting time...

I can't bring myself to sit down and actually write.

That's sad.

And it's not writers block as such. I have plenty to write about, or at the very least, I could do some research I need for the book, but I'm just not in the mood.

I still have plenty of books to read, plenty of magazines to catch up on, and a few markets I want to research, but I couldn't be bothered. I think I've been in the chair too long today.

Time to just call it a night - and I feel quite disappointed by that.

Hope you're having more luck.

BT

Rejection News

My baby, Wamphyri has gained her first rejection :c(

I'm making it policy now to send my work to a professional paying market first followed by doing the rounds in the Australian short fiction marketplace. So with that in mind, I've picked an Australian market I've not yet gained an acceptance from and currently don't have anything submitted to, checked the guidelines, reformatted the piece, and sent my baby out the door again.

Fingers crossed.

In other news - I've signed and returned the contract concerning Murky Depths, which gives me a rise in spirits. Slight difference in payment level between markets, but an acceptance is still an acceptance, and without it, it doesn't matter what the market is paying. A rejection still equals no credit for the bio and no money in the bank. So Murky Depths is a very good thing.

Both my reviews for the next issue of Black have been sent - one good, one not so good. Can't wait to see whats what, then subscribe to Black ASAP - follow link from cover shot in sidebar.

Started a dialogue with another author regarding their work - hopefully I'll be able to put forward some useful comments to help them gain published status in regards to their novel(s).

Lastly I updated all the AHWA market lists. It is very disappointing to find two or three markets closing their doors every month, usually to be be replaced by an inferior paying (or non-paying) market.

Well that's it from me for today. Time to do some work.

Speak soon.

BT

Book of Blood

Earlier this year I read volumes 1-3 of Clive Barker's Books of Blood. Today I found out (thanks to Rob Hood) that there is going to be a movie based on the short story.

It seems the trailer is disappearing all over the net so when I finally found one, I thought I'd throw up here.
On some screen resolutions, the video is cut off. Simply click on the little square icon highlighted above to access full screen mode.
Enjoy.

Book of Blood Trailer

Scary

Read this.

At first I thought someone had stolen my diary and posted it on the web. But as I don't have a diary - I'm manly and I post all my thoughts straight here instead - I was left astounded someone could just about have laid the footprints that I'm currently walking in.

My first effort at writing was an epic fantasy novel - Tigers Eye.
I then wanted something published so I moved onto shorts.
I am now writing a historical fiction novel - although mine is a dark fiction piece.

Hopefully I can stay on this same path and an agent followed by publication is not far away...

Plots

I think it's highly amusing how topics go in circles, do the rounds so to speak. All of us writers out here in cyberspace are doing our utmost to provide clear, concise, and pertinent information for writers of all levels (while we continue to learn ourselves).

How?

We read lots. We read each others blogs, we read resource books, novels, anthologies, online mags, reviews, and countless other things in an effort to further our own education and to give us something to write about to continue those who visit us.

Oh - and we write a lot. Practise may one day make close to perfect...

But back to what I was talking about.

Recently I've gone on about plotting. Particularly Alex Sokoloff's method of structuring a story which I've found particularly useful. In the comments sections you may have noticed others are busy plotting their own stories. Now I find J.A. Konrath is also talking about plotting here (it's a good article - go read...I'll wait.........)

It all boils down to the same advice I think. Stories have a formula. Stories have a structure. Learn to set your imagination and talent free within that structure. Follow the rules (at least to begin with).

I think Pantsers (those that write by the seat of their pants) must have some inbuilt knack of including the major plot points into a story structure automatically. I wish. I need to see it all plotted out before me so I can carefully place the bits and pieces I want in the story (aka a Plodder).

Whatever works for you is fine but make sure you know lots of the rules for writing a good story and then stick to that formula. Bend it as you improve and break it occasionally if you like, but learn the rules first - and become good at them.

Now if you're new to Musings and have no idea what I'm talking about, or really want to know what the rules are, then you need to do a couple of things. Firstly become a follower of this wonderful blog. Browse down the sidebar and you'll see others who have taken the oath and now follow blindly...err...who now openly claim their fellowship of the Aussie muse. Go ahead and join in.

Secondly, my child, you should go to the section of the side bar titled "The Global Writing Classroom" and you'll find lots of good stuff to help you with plotting - and everything else to do with writing.

(actually you should spend time browsing through all the information on the sidebar, there's lots of useful stuff contained therein)

Have fun and good luck with all your writing endeavours.

BT

A Storms A Brewing

No - I mean literally a huge electrical storm is heading our way tonight so this is a quick post and then I'm shutting down the computer for the evening.

I've finished reading my required books for review for Black magazine and am now ready to send them out. Unfortunately one of the reviews I wrote up during a quiet time at work and forgot to forward home, so the sending will have to wait till tomorrow - no real drama as they're not due until next week.

Still haven't gotten around to sorting out my application for second year of my diploma. An electrical storm tonight seems like as good a time as any to sit down with a pen and fill it out.

That's it for now.

Speak soon

BT

The End is in Sight

Yesterday I was working through my plotting grid as proposed by Alexandra Sokoloff (if you haven't started working to this advice - you really should give it a go), and suddenly my ending found me.

I could see how it all plays out, the heart rendering emotion, the chills and unsettling thoughts still creeping around in the back of the readers mind, the scene, settings, payoffs from previously unconsidered plants, resolution of plans and answers to central questions, nicely wrapped up in a layered scene echoing bits that came before.

So now the skeleton of my story is laid bare in a very formulaic fashion before me. I need to research/track down three more important bits of information, and take a field trip to the location of the last third of the book. Once all the ingredients are in place, I can finish this thing quickly. I can still get the first draft done by the end of January.

I'll admit to not strictly sticking to Alex's formula. I've tweaked it a little but kept the major points in place. The scene climaxes, the midpoint, what needs to be in each act, that sort of thing is all still there. My sex at sixty (sixty pages not age sixty), as described by Alex, happens a touch later, the statement of the plan is not directly stated initially, but played out with the character. I do state it eventually though during act 2 just to make sure the reader knows what the character is trying to achieve. The sequencing is different though. Alex suggested 16 scenes in Act 1, double for Act 2, and a slightly smaller Act 3.

I've reversed engineered that a little. I wanted to write a book of around 95-100K. I want to write between 2-2500K in each paragraph. To do this, I'm looking at 40-42 chapters - definitely no more than 45.

I divide up the number of chapters so my Act 2 is double Act 1, leaving a slightly smaller Act 3 for the climax. I then figured out the correct placement of my climaxes, midpoints, etc. Plotting it all out allows me to see where I can plant things, add foreshadowing, add extra layers, and build up to the climaxes as required. I'm definitely not a pantser.

Other news in brief...

I'm about halfway through my current book for review. I've got the next two days off, so I should be able to squeeze a fair bit of reading in tomorrow and get the reviews written up and sent off tomorrow night. Thursday is booked for other activities.

Have fun and good luck with your writing

Speak soon

BT

Interesting Information

Quite a number of the blogs I've got listed on the sidebar are doing this at the moment and I found the information very interesting. When comparing where I'm at with my writing and some of the stats thrown up by others I can see:

a) I'm not doing so bad &
b) I need to work a little more diligently.

So here are my answers to the pop quiz.

Age when I decided I wanted to be a writer: 38
Age when I wrote my first story: 38
Age when I first submitted a short story to a magazine: 38
Age when I sold my first short story: 38 (The Elusive Muse to Fiction Factor)
Total number of submissions: 55
Total acceptances: 7
Thickness of file of rejection slips prior to first story sale: I sold the first one.
Approximate number of short stories/novelettes/novellas sold for cash money: 6
Poems sold: 0 - I don't do poetry
Age when I started writing my first novel: 38 (Tigers Eye)
Age when I started writing my first completed novel: Tigers Eye first draft was completed when I was 39. No novel has been completed to a polished level.
Age I finished that novel: 41
Age I started my second novel: 40
Age I finished my second novel: 40 (Turn 41 in March so hopefully Newland is polished and out to market by then)
Age when I sold a first novel: 41...
Total number of novels written (discounting duds): 0
Books sold: 0
Books in the process of querying: 0
Short stories in the slush: 8 (This would be an area where I need to pick up my act)
Short stories written this year: 7 (This would be another area where I need to pick up my act)
Age when I became a full-time novelist: 47
Age now: 40

Tag - your turn