After Sanity Update

Hello Everyone!

I've been absent from the blog for quite some time. For those that have been following me through other avenues, you'll know most of the reasons. Instead of putting post after post of pretty much the same thing, I've opted for putting one section labeled "what happened" for those that are interested. It'll be pretty ranty, so I didn't want to subject everyone to that. But, once it's ready, I'll simply make a blog post and point towards it.

On to the GOOD news!

Despite being absent from the blog, I have been exceedingly busy all over the place where my writing in concerned.

After Sanity : Corporate Aspirations [part 1] has already been on shelves for nearly 4 years at this point.

After Sanity : Finding Obligations [part 2] sees it's kick off this weekend at PopCon in Indianapolis (June 7 - 9 2019). And, as such, the official release date is June 11th, to commemorate my first fans birthday. A great gent that still prefers to be known to the wide world as "Mash Radar".

After Sanity : Creating Solutions [part 3] is in it's final edit pass. Then it will be on to formatting and the book should be released within the next two months. (Baring any other foolishness.

As for the rest of After Sanity, I'm expecting book 4 to be released early to mid next year. One thing that will help tremendously, is when I found an artist that was willing to do the art for my covers, I actually had them go through and do the remaining 5. Given that the first artist refused the request for 2 because of time constraints on their part. [Which I can understand and respect the fact they were so candid about their work load] Still, it was havoc trying to find someone that could do what I needed. So, when I did, I booked them for 5 book covers back to back.

I just received my early print copies of Finding Obligations, and I'll be using them for the presale this weekend at PopCon in Indianapolis.

I'm also simultaneously working on a variety of other writing projects, but those are mostly going to be kept under my hat until the time's right.

Also, I apologize for the absence and lack of updates. I'm not that great at all of this and am still struggling with updating and being informative, but not spamy and obnoxious. But, I'm going to try to at least do monthly updates to show whatever progress is / has been on made on various stories. If nothing else stories worked on and total word count created. That might be interesting info. Along with random writing tips and tricks I think others could appreciate / benefit from knowing.

Take it easy out there everyone!

Wes

That time of the year

I got a little story for you all. And, unlike my normal fair, this one's actually nonfiction. A true story of my evening tonight:

Hey everyone,

As most of you know, I’ve had a pretty shitty ass year. Year plus really. Almost two years. Yeah, time has not been too great for Mr. Beardy. The “Jolly Green Giant” has had less reason to be so jolly in recent past. Not saying everything’s sucked, there’s been a good amount of great times out there with family and friends over the same time period. Have even managed to make some new friends along the way.

But, there’s still been some serious reason for “the grumps” with everything going on

Counter to “business as usual” I had something really unexpected happen today. After I got picked up by my mother, and we were heading home, she had to do the usual route of stopping in to use the restroom, like PRONTO, so I had her get off the highway exit and hit up the McD’s. While there we decided to get something to eat in the area, and she had me look up local area eats. It’s too damn cold and snowy to go anywhere else. Or risk going too far out of our way with unknown weather lurking an d horrible drivers multiplying like rabbits in spring.

We settled on Los Rancheros.

We ordered our food and drinks, and got it lickity split. I mean the service was FAST son. Granted, there was only 1 other guy there, so this may not be an accurate representation, but it was pretty good to say the least. However, in the interim time between getting our drinks and our food, the other gentlemen there, the only other customer in the place, got up and left. On his way by our table, we were seated near the door with my foot propped up as usual, he wished us a Merry Christmas.

Christmas being 2 weeks away, I hadn’t gotten used to that level of random festivities yet. However, I cheerfully replied and wished him a safe journey home. And he left.

My Spidey/DM sense tingled, and I wasn’t sure what was up. I don’t know if it was the timing of it. The extra split second over the shoulder regard, or what. But, tingle tingle.

Anyway.

Food arrived, and it was pretty good. Like I said. FAST service. We ate, had a hard time finishing everything, and, had to request a box.

It was at this point that I realized what my DM sense had picked up. But I wasn’t able to figure out.

The waiter informed us that the gentleman at the other table, had given the waiter some money for our meal. And told us the new amount that we owed. Which wasn’t much.

My mom literally could not fathom what was going on. It took several time for the waiter to explain it, then I had to translate.

We were both floored to say the least.

I got to say, this whole situation has had me tripping over myself. I’ve had this whole year of suck, then this random guy. This guy that I didn’t even get his name. Someone that I only caught a glimpse of, and probably wouldn’t even recognize his face if I saw him again. This amazing human being, showed me that there’s at least a glimmer of goodness and light left in humanity.

So, whoever you are good sir, and wherever you are and are headed, I thank you with the deepest sincerity, and hope you find the coming year as bright as you’ve made the end of my year.

I’ve always heard of stories like this. And I always thought it was amazing. But, I can tell ya, it’s even more so when you’re actually in the story.

Art projects update

This is my first art project blog posting, so it’s going to be rather long. It was brought to my attention that some people may be interested in what I’m working on, my process(es), and my progress. So, I’ll be recording as much of that here as possible.

Since September I have been raiding scrap piles to keep things from going to the dump. I have amassed quite a horde, and expect to be churning out some pieces soon. Most likely before Christmas.

On top of this, I had an opportunity that I just could not ignore. On November 17th, I was given an upright piano from 1909. I’ve been able to confirm it via its serial number that you can see below. This is probably one of my most ambitious projects I’ve ever decided to undertake. My plan is to take the harp portion of it, and make a touch art piece coffee table. That idea is that you’ll be able to lift the clear top, and strum the strings of the harp. It makes a pretty kool sound that sort of makes it its own horror music sound track.

Most of the rest of the wood will be used to make a pair of slanted front writing desks. One I will be keeping, I am unsure about the other. May sell it. Only time will tell.

The rest of the wood will be used to make other pieces. Jewelry boxes mostly. And, if I can swing it, an upright full length mirror jewelry cabinet / armoire.

There is a LOT of wood. I’m unsure of the exact type, but the hypothesis is mahogany. It is a rather heavy hard wood, so that makes sense.

On top of this, the keys have been confirmed to be natural African elephant ivory. At least, veneers. There’s a lot of opinions on what should be done with the pieces. Including crushing and destroying it. However, I’m of the mindset that that would be incredibly wasteful. The beautiful creature had already lost its life over 100 years ago at that, for these veneers to exist. To honor it, I’ll be making sure to use as much as possible and limit waste. It’s the last I can do. I’m planning on using these pieces for a variety of projects. I’m leaning towards Japanese inspired pictures with Koi carved of the ivory. Only time will tell. Other pieces will be used for inlays in the various wood projects listed above. I’ve already contacted the division of Fish and Wildlife, and have been instructed in what all I need to do from a legal stand point. Geeze… the things I do for my art.

Thanks to my friends and fellow guild members for helping move this beast around! Even torn down, it has some weight to it. More than I’m supposed to be messing with for sure.

I have managed to decommission the piano to the point that it’s a pile of wood, and the harp.

 Getting the upright supports off was a nightmare. I nearly burnt up a blade trying to cut it. Tough stuff. Makes it just as able to be the pieces I want to make.

I eventually found my personal savior. A hatchet that I used as a chisel. The last pieces popped off with little effort now that I had the right tools.

In the process, I broke some of the sound board. Big problem. It changes the sound of it. I’ll have to fix it with glue. Once bonded, it’ll basically be a single piece of wood again. This glues serious business.

Speaking of the right tools. I made this right angle jig to glue one of my pieces back together. I made it free hand. I made it by eye… I was rather impressed with myself and my skills.

You know the only thing that’d be even more fabulous than completely eyeing a 90 degree angle perfectly?

The piece you were planning on using said perfect 90 degree jig on, NOT being square (90 degree turn) seriously, look at this. Apparently, even in this fine quality craftsmanship they decided, meh, close enough. Pffft… have to figure something else out.

I’ve glued it all back together and this is how it’s currently sitting. As of 12/3/2016.

I’m running into some major design problems with it. As, I want to make the coffee table entirely aout of piano pieces. However, it needs a frame for support. However, the pieces I have are only 41in to work with. However, the harp is like 58 by 51… meaning I’ll need 2 pieces. However, I only have 6 segments. However, I don’t have enough linear footage once you factor in all the joinery that needs to be done.

Uhg!

Tools and other projects in budding form.

Lapdesk: In progress (80%)

I’m converting an old wooden silverware flatware box into a lapdesk and storage for my laptop. Currently, I’ve carved the space so my laptop fits in perfectly. I just need to take a bit more wood off, so it’s not SO snug, then add a sliding panel to the bottom for the mouse to set on. I also may add a small bean bag to the bottom so I can rest it across my legs without causing too much problem.

Saw sled: DONE

For working on a saw table, a saw sled is very helpful. It gets rid of the friction from the piece sliding across the surface of the table, and instead lets the pieces to be cut, glide across on the sled. I had a bit of problem with trying ot make this with scrap pieces, so I had to go and actually buy a 2’ x 2’ birch plywood board to use. So far so good, and It’s finished. I’ll just have to keep an eye on it’s calibration to make sure it’s still cutting at a perfect perpendicular angle to the blade.

Silicon carving box: In progress, 75% done

Both Silicon and bone dust is toxic and harmful to breath. So, to prevent that, I’m making a box for each type of media to carve in. The dust will be contained in there, so I won’t have to deal with the problem as I work on my pieces. Current one is for silicon, the bone version will come much later. (I want to hurry up and get started on my geishas!) The boards have bene all cut to size. Now I just need the top portion, with the hinges, and put in a clear front piece to see through. I’ll also have to put holes for my hands to enter.

Starry Night mixed media: In progress (20% done)

I’m making a replica of Van Gogh’s Starry Night with computer parts. The template is made and most of the supplies have been gathered. As the saying goes, there’s nothing to it, but to do it, at this point.

Welp, that's it for tonight. I have a few other projects going, of course, but they aren't far enough along to really be worth mentioning at this juncture.

Hope you enjoyed the update, stay safe out there!

Wes Kirk

The journey continues...

Hi everyone.

It has been quite some time since I posted to Kirk’s Corner. A lot has been going on, and I have been trying to keep updates going out through other methods, mainly facebook.

For everyone unsure of what’s been going on, I’ll go ahead and give a quick recap here.

Just before my last post, on May 1st 2015 to be exact, I had an accident at the place I was working. Home Depot. Well, things went downhill quickly. I was serious mistreated, and they seemed to be playing a game of “How childish can we get and how can we break his restrictions next.”

I progressively got worse, and have been. 

The work comp insurance, Liberty Mutual, has seemed to do their best to interfere with my treatment.

I stuck around Home Depot for as long as I could, despite the growing dangers. In the end, I did quit in the middle of August this year. I only stayed because I KNEW, the second I quit, Liberty Mutual was going to yank my medical insurance and stop paying for everything.

After I got a lawyer, who gave his blessing to my quitting, I quit. Shortly after, and exactly as predicted, they cut my medical care funding, and stopped paying for even my medications, which even their own doctors have said I will continue needing.

I am looking at a permanent disability, and the very real prospect of never being able to hold down a normal job for the rest of my life. However long that is.

Currently my lawyer is fighting with them, as the insurance company has started refusing to even talk to my lawyer for about a month straight.

I have started working on a variety of projects, trying to keep myself mentally in the right zone. Writing has… not been as productive as I wish I could say. However, I have not stopped writing all together. In fact, I just won NaNoWriMo 2016.

For NaNoWriMo I ended up writing a Supernatual thriller that has already grown to have an entire trilogy planned out.

On top of all of this, and since about September, I’ve gotten in touch with a local crafting guild. I’m using their location and resources to not only try and keep me busy, but improve myself. I’m learning a variety of skills that, should I ever actually get better, I’ll be far more valuable to a variety of companies. Plus, I’ll be able to expand my art and work pieces into much bigger categories.

The injury is seriously slowing me down. If you have a chronic pain, you know what I’m talking about. On top of losing most of the use of my right foot, and thus leg, I’m in constant pain. Pain of this caliber drains your stamina regardless of what you’re doing. It’s just doing things makes it far worse.

So, that is the reason I’m so slow. I have to keep stopping to try and recover enough to continue. It’s really disheartening to end up taking weeks for something that should be a day project.

However. I’m making SOME progress with my pieces, so I’ll try to focus on that.

I’ll be posting projects I’m working on. Of which, and as most know already, there are many. But, most of these are art of some from. Wood working, metal, sculpture, mixed media, etc. Basically whatever I can get my hands on. Some of these I’ll be selling, and I’ll post those pieces on etcy. Some I’ll be giving away, or keeping for my own use / enjoyment. Just depends on how things go.

Here’s hoping for a future that is far brighter than my recent past.

Wish me luck everyone, for I truly need every ounce that can be spared.

Thanks in advance, and have a great evening.

Wes Kirk

Happy Endings

There are certain stories that people don’t like automatically. Beyond genre and subject objections that is. A story could, based on its statistics and attributes, be well within someone’s tastes and yet they can still despite it. There are many reasons this could happen and, I’m sure, most, if not all, of us are guilty of such bias. I know I am, and I have a perfect example of such loathing.

 

The Perfect Storm has been a focus of my ire since my very first viewing of it. I didn’t have a problem with the story or the plot, just let me get that out of the way. This isn’t a writers pet peeve induced hate. My displeasure was, like many others, focused on the ending. Statements like “It was good… but the ending ruined it!” have been tossed around by many people, including myself, about this story and many others that fall into the same category.

 

As a writer I know, at least logically, that this should NOT be the case. The ending is valid. It is final. It is complete. There shouldn’t be anything wrong with it, but yet there “is.” I have recently, literally in the last couple of days, had an epiphany on why stories like this unfairly draw our wrath. Simply put: we like happy endings.

 

Cinderella, Snow White, and the rest of the Disney Catalog. People enjoy seeing: the princess getting saved, true love discovered, bad guys getting what they deserve, and, most importantly, the Happy Ending.

 

Why are people so focused on the Happy Ending? I believe the answer lies in the alternative. The “NonHappy” Ending is too real, hits too close to home, and, as such, SUCKS. Like I said previously, this is an epiphany brought about over the last couple days. I had the epiphany while sitting in a wheel chair, and watching the light of light fade from a dear family member.

 

My aunt, Sergeant First Class Kimberly Carroll, lost her long battle with leukemia this morning at 8:26am. She was a victim of the very thing that was supposed to save her life: the bone marrow donated to her by her son. She was a victim of the arguably worst sort of marrow rejection: it attacked her body from the inside.

 

While spending as much time as I could at the hospital, along with a good portion of the family, I had the aforementioned epiphany: sometimes, life just isn’t fair. While watching her rapidly waste away, I couldn’t help think “This SUCKS.” And, while trying to make sense of the situation, I made the connection to other stories.

 

People like happy endings because they are fleeting glimpses of what they wish would happen. Beating the odds is called “Beating the odds” for a reason: because most do not. Life, in general, is a far crueler mistress that Disney EVER let on. Most do not get saved in the nick of time. Most do not get brought into the monarchy. And, yes, people actually die.

 

My aunt’s story, much like The Perfect Storm, is not fair, but very real. She received treatment. She had the support from family, friends, and professionals. She was even lucky enough to find a donor inside the family. However, it wasn’t enough even with her long battle.

 

While I say goodbye to my aunt, and continue on with my own living story, I will never forget these lessons. Sometimes, regardless of how much you try, how well things seem to go, and doing everything right, it is still possible to lose. Sometimes, life just sucks, and all you can do is try your best, and hope for your own Happy Ending.


Wes Kirk

Real Advice in Practice

Real Advice in Practice #1


As promised, here is the first of the weekly segments for helping with character development by using references from the real world.


Today I went to a local mall and camped out with some friends in the food court. While eating, chatting, and just generally hanging out, I kept an eye and an ear out for my surroundings. During this particular trip I spotted a couple noteworthy traits / actions that could be used for writing. I'll put in parenthesis my extrapolation of what I discovered.


I heard a lady talking about a guy that never seems to smile, and she was wondering why that is. (This one actually has a pair of things that could be extrapolated from it. First would be the man being referenced. There are a variety of reasons for people not to smile from shame of their bad teeth to simply not expressing themselves that way. The second take away is the lady herself. She presents both a sense a curiosity and caring for someone that she apparently doesn't really know that well. It could be that she's the type of person that likes to fix such situations. It could also simply be office-type gossip, but that's not as interesting in my opinion).


I saw a lady breaking out a thick novel, getting comfortable, and digging into the book right in the middle of the food court. Not eating, or meeting anyone, just reading. The food court was rather noisy. (This one has a couple interesting ways that it could be used. She really seemed to be enjoying herself, which got me thinking about the situation. On one side, maybe she has a hard time focusing and reading if an area is too quiet. There are some people that need that kind of background noise. There's also the possibility that she's the sort that wishes to be around people, without actually INTERACTING with people. If she's an introvert, interacting with people requires an expenditure of energy on her part, but that doesn't stop the craving for social / human contact. So that could be a route to take it as well: someone who's lonely, and wants to be around people without any social pressures.)


Saw a guy wearing a pair of headphones, but they were turned off. Guy was just hanging out, and looking around, but with headphones off. (This one you could have some fun with. Maybe he really doesn't like people, and just wants to be left alone so he puts up such a visual cue. What about the possibility of him being deaf, and he does it so people don't think he's ignoring them intentionally? May he was there waiting on someone the whole time, and turned his headset off so he could see better and not get lost in the music. Then there's the story / plot possibilities of him being under cover agent, cop, spy, etc and is actually staking out the area.)


There was a girl who repeatedly braided, and unbraided, the same cluster of hair. (This is an interesting boredom or waiting trait. It could be used as boredom or nervousness. In this particular case I'm pretty sure it was outright boredom as she waited for one of her parents to return from the bathroom. But, used repeatedly in similar situations it could go a good way in showing a fidgety character)


Now, my extrapolations from what I've seen may not be accurate for the real world at all, I'm not trying to pry into people's lives. That isn't necessary. We're writing fiction here, so there's no problem with taking a creative license with what you observe. Take whatever cues you do observe, and find interesting ways to apply or use them. Different actions and traits can be used in widely differing areas, depending on context and whatever it is you establish.


There was another set of traits that I stumbled upon, but that will be for a later post in the week. It will cover treating multiple characters as a single "unit" / single "character"


I'll also post a small short story on the Anthology so you can see how I've used some of these traits in my own works.


Hope this helps! Like always, if you have any questions just drop me a line




--Kirk

Self-Publishing lesson +1

Hi everyone, 

I thought I’d share something I have learned from this whole “self-publishing” drama that I’ve gotten myself into. Hopefully reading this will help you if you decide to go the same route. I’ll post more information and anecdotes as they become available.

For those that don’t already know. I’m going the self-publishing route with After Sanity. I had a lot of reasons for coming to this decision, but they are not part of the current topic, so I’ll avoid any further digression. I released After Sanity: Corporate Aspirations, the first part of six, in early July.

Now, when you go the self-publishing route, YOU are your own marketing department. If you happen to have a marketing guru friend who’s willing to do it for you, so much the better. I don’t. So It’s all me. I knew this in advance, of course. I didn’t kid myself on it. However, I did have one major oversight.

My specific problem has to do with a little thing called ‘timing.” Generally speaking, this wouldn’t be such an issue since my schedule’s so fluid. However, summer and fall is my heavy season. So, in case I haven’t left enough bread crumbs, I picked a horrendous time for me to release my first book.

If you already have some sort of following, or group of people you can recruit to help you spread the good word, so much the better. I’m rather unknown outside of certain circles. And, as I mentioned in my very first post, intentionally stayed out of social media for as long as possible. This has seriously bit me in the rear as it’s forcing me to make those connections now.

To get the word out, I have to be as active as possible in a variety of areas. I don’t mean running around like an Avon salesman and harassing people. I simply mean letting people know that I exist. And, even with that relatively meager goal, I simply didn’t have the time to do it. A great example of that is the extended absence from this blog.

Now that it is the winter / slow season, I’ll be able to spend more time doing things to help get my name out there. My flurry of projects I’m getting into is another example of my attempt to tell the netsphere “Hey! I’m here!” and give some examples of my work.

So, as should be expected, the exposure for the book has suffered dramatically. As such, it’s nowhere near any “best seller lists.” All of this, can be attributed to the lack of marketing and lack of attention on my part.

The takeaway / advice for you: If you are going to self-publish anything, make sure to schedule it so that you actually have the TIME that will be required to do the marketing it will very much need. Getting your name out there during the creation process would also help. But, unlike what several POD printing services may say in their ads. The “Hard part” is NOT over when you finish the book. It’s actually just starting.

Good luck my friends! Until next time.

 

--Kirk

I Come Bearing Gifts!

Hello authors!

I know I have been rather absent from the Blogosphere for a while, but for those who have been waiting it will be well worth it! I’m expecting this post to be one of my larger posts for sure. First, I’d like to catch everyone up on what I’ve been up to for the last *checks watch* Six months…. Yesh. I’ve been pinging out my own life signs every so often through Twitter and the Facebook page. But, because I know not everyone checks those areas, I’ll recap here!

First the biggest news I have to give: After Sanity: Corporate Aspirations was released in July! That’s right, you can find it available at this very moment. It’s available in both digital and softcover variations on Amazon Here. I had been posting updates on my work on the book and cover on the Facebook page, but have refrained from posting it here. I’ve been intending on keeping this a helpful / advice blog, and try to keep from bombarding everyone with self-promotion and advertisements. I recognize that people may genuinely wish to see all of that, besides the progress bars on the right, so I will be adding separate pages to the blog that will contain all that extra goodness. I’ll mention updates on the blog, but it will remain primarily an advice/ tips/ tricks blog.

Since June I have also participated in a few extra writing projects:

I had the opportunity to be a part of an as of yet unnamed Anthology, I’ll post more when more information is available on that.

I participated in the Iron Writer Challenge number 88. Of the five authors, I tied for second. That allowed me to move on to the next round, which has yet to be set. Wish me luck!

I have started another blog where I am posting my short stories. I’m using a secondary blog to keep the posts separate. I’ll be adding a link to the other blog above later, but for now the blog is KirksAnthology.blogspot.com. I have already started posting there, with the opening act being a story per day for each of the twelve days of Christmas. I’m following a fun set of themes that have been posted on the Iron Writer web site. Take a look if you wish.

I participated in and won NaNoWriMo 2014. I chose a novel that isn’t inside of my normal comfort zone to help me improve and grow as an author. It’s worked pretty well, despite the problems. I’m expecting to be done with this one, tentatively called ‘Necessary Violence,’ within a month. At Least the first draft.

I’ve decided to post a much longer work on my Anthology Blog. I will work on and post an entire novel on the blog. Chapter by chapter. I’m hoping to get to a schedule of a chapter a week, but we’ll see how that goes. The purpose will be to gauge people’s interest and get feedback on not only my style of writing but of the story as well. I’m still trying to figure out which story I want to try this experiment with. I may use ‘Necessary Violence,’ but only time will tell.

I have also decided to start up a segment here called “Real Advice in Practice.” I’ve talked to others before and a common issue with people is making characters “seem real.” I’ve mentioned was of making interesting characters and helping bring both them and the worlds you create to life, but I realize the full mechanics of this may be lost on some. To that end I’ll be performing a bit of real world research and, in this weekly segment, share with all of you what I discovered, and how I could use it.

The best thing I know for such exploration is: people watching. I know that seems like some sort of stalker / creeper phrase, but please hear me out. Go to a public venue, and just generally watch people, how they act, and their interactions with each other. Also pay close attention to how they act by theirselves. Now, by this I do NOT mean LEERING / GAWKING / anything like that. Don’t be weird. What I’m suggesting is BE observant. Everyone has some kind of quirk. Most people have a couple. A lot of times the ones they show in private will be different from the ones they show in public, but you’ll still get a good idea. These “quirks” go a looooong way to bringing a character to life.

In this weekly segment I’ll be reporting on my own findings. I’ll go to some public venue, probably a mall, and just sit and observe the rest of humanity. I’ll compile a list of interesting / noteworthy traits and post them here. I will then use the traits and show you how it can make an interesting character. By doing this, I hope to give your creativity a boost and open your eyes to the wonderful world around you, and all of the references it holds for your next great piece!

I had already done exactly as mentioned, and was going to post it here as well, but I believe I’ll give it its own post to be easier to digest.

TL;DR: I’m still alive. I published the book and I’m still helping how I can.

Until next time, keep writing!



--Kirk

Why does it seem my chapters are so short? Question from the mail bag #1

This will be my first time posting in response to a question. If you have any yourself, about writing or even about me personally, post a comment or shoot me a message and I’ll get back with you and possibly make a post about the topic. Also have started a “Q and A” list on the “About Me” page.

Q:

When I write I always find that I get from point ‘A’ to point ‘B’ very quick. I'm not too good at adding detail so chapters end up being very short. That's one of the big issues I have. IDK maybe that doesn't make sense.

A:

Actually that does make sense to me. You probably are getting really focused on what you are wanting to HAPPEN in the story, and not so much on the TELLING of the story. Here is a great exercise that I think can help you out with this. First, go ahead and write out the story / chapter as you normally would. Now, start back over from the beginning and start reading the work slowly. Doing this normally helps you “picture” the world. Are you getting a good mental image of what is going on during the story? If so, double check with the words, and make sure you’re not mentally adding everything yourself. If your character walks into a bar and yanks some guy out of his chair, make sure ALL of that is actually written down. If you are montaging the events, it can be a problem. You have to make sure to give the character(s) enough 'screen time' to actually seem alive.

This brings up the debate of “how much is: too much, too little, enough” when it comes to details in a story. I have another entire blog post planned out for this, but I’ll give a cliff notes version here. “Enough” is when you can, within the confines of your own style, convey your story to another using only what you have written. If you have to keep verbally clarifying for your reader, then you need to add those details into the book. Unless it’s something that’s explained/ revealed a lot later, but then that’s a style choice and not a clarity issue.

That being said, there is no reason for you to write out every micro detail your character(s) is(are) doing. It can be to your benefit to let the reader "fill in the blanks." If you put in TOO many details, the reader may get bogged down and have an issue relating with the story. It's okay for a chapter to be "short." "Short" is a relative term and as long as it works for you and your story, there's no problem.

This most likely will be my only post for the week. I will be presenting at the Origins Game Fair in Columbus Ohio and am going to be INSANELY busy. Hopefully I can manage a post on Sunday when I get home but no promises.

--Kirk

What’s your favorite misspelled word?

Evening authors! So, what is your favorite misspelled word? No I don’t mean in the sense of funny things that come about like my tentacle/ testicle snafu. What this post will be focusing on is an editing tip that many of you may not even realize. We, all of us, have certain words that we have a bad habit of misspelling. Sometimes this gets to be a major issue if the misspelling is another word entirely. This could be an issue of “learning bad habits” where you were you memorized it that way and it just stuck or it may be an issue of getting words mixed up. Whatever the issue, I’ll give you some tips on how to fix or avoid the problems.

Grammar Nazi Pet Peeves.

This section has to do with word choice and is actually one of the most covered in traditional schools. Things like “their, they’re, there” and “whose vs who’s”. These are major grammar issues that get the Grammar Nazi’s rolling in with a red pen Panzer Division. A PENzer Division if you will. There is a long list of these types of problems, and for brevity sake I’ll not include a list here. (If you wish for a longer list let me know and, if I get enough interest, I’ll work something out.)

Homonyms: Peek/Peak, Stair/Stare

Homonyms, the word itself is funny, but the issues they cause during editing are nothing of the sort. For those bad with vocabulary, homonyms are words with different spellings and meanings, but are pronounced the same. They can crop up in your writing as you are visualizing the elements of the story and quickly writing it out before you lose the “mental picture.” The creative side of the brain (right) is separate from the side that controls words (Left), so this sort of problem can rear its ugly head every now and then. There’s nothing wrong at all with it happening. The trick is to RECOGNIZE that fact, and keep in mind you have to fix it during edit.

The “I don’t think that word means what you think it means.”

These annoying errors have to do with a word choice error caused by confusion of meaning. Homonyms have a presence in this category, but it’s more than that. An example from my own list(that’s also a homonym): clinch and clench. For this pair only one letter separates the meaning from the intended and wrong. One (clinch) means to confirm, the other (clench) means closing into a tight ball. A random pair of commonly misused words is elicit and illicit. Elicit means to bring about something. “A soft touch of his hand elicits a growing smile from his companion.” Illicit means illegal and can be remembered since they both start with “ill.”Example: “His illicit activities landed him in jail.” They are obviously two different words with completely separate meanings, right? However, if you confuse the words you may make the same mistake repeatedly throughout your transcript, and never be the wiser.

What now wise guy?

The important part: Fixes! If you couldn’t tell from my previous posts, I am a big fan of lists. Having side documents help me organize my thoughts and helps prevent me from forgetting important things. On top of that, it is impossible to know and remember everything, unless you are an immortal with a perfect memory that is. For these problems, lists are an important step. Unfortunately, you’re not likely to know it’s happening until a beta-reader gets a look at it. If any of your beta-readers point out even ONE instance of the above, or similar, issues make a note of it in a list. Then you need to search the entire document with the ever faithful “Find” feature. Find and replace is okay, but you have to be very careful as misclicks can make unfortunate changes.

Others may have the mindset of: “Why not just avoid causing those problems in the first place?” That is an awesome idea, thank you for sharing that thought with us, Captain Obvious, but unfortunately we are only mere mortals and SOMETIMES make mistakes. Of course once you make note of the problem, and repeatedly have to fix it, you’ll make mental changes and make the mistake less often. Eventually this self-editing will eliminate the problem but, in the meantime, lists can help you target your personal list of common errors and raise the quality of your writing.

--Kirk

Curse you Auto-Correct!

Writing is hard enough, so why make it any harder than is has to be? There are several things you can do to lighten your work load and smooth out the process. Below are a few of the things I’ve learned to do along the way. Not all of it will be applicable for all situations, but as usual I’d recommend looking it over and making your own decision on how much to emulate.

Auto-Correct, Auto-Fill, etc. TURN IT OFF.

This is rather straight forward. If you’re software has this feature, turn it off. Yes, these features have given the internet vast lists of hilarious misunderstandings caused by the wrong word being used, but that is an unnecessary annoyance when you are trying to write. On top of hurting your work flow, since you have to stop and FIX the error the software made, it may go by unnoticed until much later. A description involving some monster with tentacles attacking people can take a whole different direction if it’s spontaneously changed into testicles. Yes it has happened. To me. Go ahead and laugh, I did. Moving along…

Beyond changing the word to something quirky or humorous, it could cause major headaches later. One of the issues I have run into before is the word “Stares” being transformed magically into “Stairs.” It seems like an easy fix, but sometimes the problem with these homonyms is that sometimes the eye glances over them during editing. The meaning is there and grasped on some leave of the reader, but the error doesn’t always get caught. So save yourself some headaches, and just turn the thing off.

Spell check, Grammar check: TURN OFF

Same advice as above, but for different reasons. Firstly, if you are doing some sort of fantasy fiction, get ready to be drowned in a proverbial sea of red and green squiggly lines. Another problem is the software isn’t right all the time. There are a fair number of words and names that the programs simply don’t recognize. Remember that it’s just an aid and only provides SUGGESTIONS on things to fix. You are the writer, you are the editor, YOU know what you want; make it so.

The biggest issue with these options? Why do I have so much disdain for the squiggly lines during the writing process? Simply put: they slow you down. If you get into the groove of writing. If you have managed to root yourself in the world you are creating. If you have the winds of progress filling your sails, why would you want anything forcing you back into the real world? These seemingly innocuous little multi-colored squiggly lines are disturbing flags of potential errors. Most of us have a problem with ignoring them and moving on, I know I do. They are like that by design. BUT, they are an EDITING tool. They have their time and place, but not during writing. Each time you are uprooted from your work in order to fix a “possible” problem flagged by the squiggles, you risk losing whatever thought or plan you just had in your mind. The potential time lost is just not worth it. So, turn it off and wait for your editing phases to use this particular toolset.

--Kirk

Beta-Readers: The Odyssey!

Maybe you have a manuscript that you have been sitting on for a long time. Perhaps you’re still working on your alpha (my term for first rough draft). Regardless of the stage of your writing, at SOME point, you will want another pair of eyes to look over your work. Of course, it would be best if the first person is not a publisher, or agent, but that’s for another discussion. The focus for today is on those wonderful people known as Beta-Readers.

Why do you need a Beta-Reader?

As the creator of the work, it is rather hard, and arguably impossible, to remain objective. This can manifest itself in your work in many ways. One possibility is accidently foregoing information that is needed for clarity.  In that instance it makes sense to you, as you keep mentally adding information that’s not actually presented. Another reason is relatability to the characters or story. You may think your characters’ actions make perfect sense; your readers may not agree and find themselves confused and unable to connect to these “unpredictable people.”  Beta-Readers can help catch these, and many other issues, while providing valuable feedback.

How do I find Beta-readers?

The best part of this is you may already know people who would not only be willing, but would rather enjoy getting a sneak peek at your work. However, a word of caution: don’t look for ‘yes men.’ Generally speaking, family members, including dear ole Mom, fall into this category. You need help finding and fixing issues with your story; not getting your ego stroked. That being said, make sure it is someone you trust. Both to give you honest feedback, and that they want stab you in the back and try and take your story. Having a digital paper-trail via emails could help, along with contracts and all that other mess. Talk with your friends and people you know about what you do, you never know when you’ll run into an enthusiast.

How do I select Beta-Readers?

Some authors may not even consider this question; I know I didn’t at first. You may receive a good number of requests to be a beta-reader; don’t simply accept everyone. First take time and factor the pros and cons of each and every person. It really helps to know what the person is like. If they are extremely anal about certain things, take that into consideration. You may not know that from your very first piece you have others read, but you’ll quickly learn who has pet peeves that will conflict with your work. Problems can arise from simple name choice, to even stylistic disagreement. Keep this in mind, and plan according to their strength and weaknesses. Making and keeping a file with all the information you find out about your readers can help you in the future. Certain ones might not be good for your current project, but they may be excellent for others.

How do I use a Beta-Reader?

The exact benefit you gain from Beta-Readers has a lot to do with your personal wishes. They can provide a lot of feedback on style, flow, plot, and errors in grammar and word choice. They also have the tremendous ability to let you know if your personal vision of the story is getting across as intended. But, remember one key factor when perusing all of this wonderful feedback: it’s YOUR book. Yes their feedback should be considered and evaluated on its own merit, but keep in mind that it should all be taken as “a suggestion.” Their ‘fixes’ may be changing your stylistic choices, in which case nothing needs to be ‘fixed.’ It is up to you to decide to make any changes or fix the issues they bring up.

Beta-Readers are awesome!

They are hard to find, and they should all be cherished. Remember that they are taking THEIR time to help you make your work the best it can be. So don’t forget to thank them appropriately!

--Kirk

Camp NaNo: A love/ hate relationship

It's definitely been a while since I posted. I have been SERIOUSLY preoccupied... with life. BUT this delay in posting has given me an idea to talk about, instead of the several others I have waiting on a pad.

Camp NaNo is sort of NaNaoWriMo's little cousin that takes place over the month of April. Instead of a solid 50k word count goal, you are given the opportunity to make your OWN goal for the month. Some people make it more conservative than others. Personally I went for another 50k goal. Others went for a more modest word count. I believe there was an individual that wanted to simply get 4k for the month.

Of these, not everyone succeeded in their goals. At least not officially. I'm not going to belittle anyone for making their goals any size, and I'm not scolding people for not meeting the goals they set. What I WILL talk about, is budgeting. Specifically budgeting your time for these sorts of events / contests.

There is a big misconception on the rate to which a person can type. Typing speed world record for alphanumeric keyboard is 216. Yes, that IS impressive. But the average person is going to type far slower than that. One study done in 1998(old I know but still relevant-ish) said the average typing speed was 33 per minute, or 19 for composition. When transcribing you will always type faster than if you were having to come up with it as you go. Add in the complexity that can come with trying to keep plots straight, how characters would react to certain stimuli, all while trying not to over use certain words... and your ACTUAL average speed will drop tremendously.

When it comes to setting goals, you need to factor this in with your calculations. If you block out a large portion of time for other things, and set a high goal, you're not likely to reach said goal if enough time isn't allotted for the actual writing. Make your goals a struggle, but manageable. Setting yourself up for failure is simply "setting yourself up for failure." There is no tragic marter in this sort of thing. You simply didn't do it.

In some cases you may let others down, such as regular readers, when you don't post when you say you will. For something like NaNo, you've missed a golden opportunity. Why is this such a waste? This could have been a major morale boost for you.  Most likely you'll feel a pang of regret, or self-loathing or any of those other "kicking self in pants" descriptors. Never underestimate the power of morale. Instead of being elated, or at the very least satisfied in a job well done, you may start questioning yourself. In other cases you may start actively AVOIDING similar tasks / opportunities because you've failed at it already. I've seen it happen many times, and I find it personally disheartening when talented people cut themselves off at the knee.

So... BUDGET YOUR TIME WISELY. Make goals that are actually attainable. Pushing yourself and making it challenging is fine, but make it reasonable. Don't do things simply trying to impress other people. After all: no one will be able to read your masterpiece, if you never finish.


--Kirk

Indiana Comic Con #IndyComicCon

So this past weekend I was lucky enough to make it to Indiana Comic Con #IndyComicCon. While I have attended many other conventions, this was my first Comic Con. Like many of the other patrons I had high hopes and expectations for the convention. There were many issues that plagued it from the first day. It wasn’t all I had hoped it would be, but it was fun.

The biggest issue was the apparent lack of understanding of the Midwest’s fan-base. They apparently didn’t expect the turnout that they experienced. They underestimated the desire of those in the region. Fans showed up in force and quickly crowded and overwhelmed the plans they had set out. I heard that they only expected around 2,000 people: 10,000 showed up. Not only did they just not have the space to handle that many people, they didn’t have the layout organized for it either.  The show had SOLD OUT by early Saturday. (Also heard rumors of fire marshal issues).

They had both the entrance and exit to the dealer hall connected to the entrance to the ticket booths. The only signs they had for it were right next to the doors, which were obviously blocked by the crowd trying to get in. This was all contained in only ONE Exhibit hall section (D I believe?) of the Indy Convention Center. They did have a couple smaller rooms as well but they do nothing to change the point: lack of space.

The second issue (not ranked in importance as its arguable on which is more grievous) is the “Lack of things to do.” What I mean by this is the majority of this convention was a dealers’ room. Selling. Pushing. Demoing. Adverting. Etc. They had the old style Batmobile, an area where panels talked about different things, and the dealers’ hall, but that was about it apparently. Wither this was because of the lack of space, or was intended I can’t say, but I do know it left a sour taste for a lot of people.  Most conventions that I’ve been to have rather busy schedules with panels, workshops, and seminars that run late into the night, #IndyComicCon lacked that sadly.

By this point you’re probably thinking, “But Kirk, you’ve done NOTHING but complain, I thought you said you had fun?” I did and… I did. The convention itself was a bit lackluster, but the fans that attended made it an overall enjoyable experience for me.  The cosplayers walking around in a colorful array of creative interpretations was solid gold. I’ll post some of the pictures taken so you can see for yourself.

To be perfectly fair: this was the first year for Indy Comic Con. Of course there was going to be mistakes made. Of course there was going to be room for improvement. Of course not EVERYONE was going to leave happy (especially those that were turned away.) This is just a fact of life for conventions. Indy Comic Con just experienced hemorrhagic growing pains from the start. I would expect they are analyzing the data already and making plans for next year.

So I’m going to give it the best compliment / rating I can give: I’m already planning on going next year.

See you around the con circuit!

--Kirk

Delayed Beginnings

I grew up when this tsunami known as “The World Wide Web” was just forming. I experienced the leading edge of the ripple and all of the great, and not so great, things that came about with its introduction to daily life. I was there for the gloriousness of the Dotcom boom, and obviously for its Babylonian tower collapse. I was onboard with a FaceBook account before most people even heard of it.

Because of all this, and my geeky, nerdy, techy background, people have been shocked, astounded, and downright confused by the fact that I’m not a blogger. The fact that I haven’t been latched to weekly or daily updates has left people curious. Some have even questioned if I’m just ‘antisocial.’ If I’m so into technology and such: why the absence?

The answer for this is rather simple. For those that have known me long enough in person, you may have guessed already. In person I have a habit, generally speaking, of not speaking much or often. I’m more of a listener. Does that mean I’m not interested? No, far from the truth. I speak when I feel I have something to contribute, or something to say. To do otherwise just seems foolish to me, and thus I refrain. “Better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than open it and remove all doubt”… yes? In recent years I’ve piped up in more conversations, simply because I’ve grown my knowledge base into a massive eclectic library. In short, I have more to say: So I do.

So, with this in mind, I’m “stepping into the digital age finally.” I am starting this blog with several goals in mind, one of which is to keep those interested up-to-date on the progress of some things I am working on. I have been informed that the lack of an online presence has given a bad impression. I intend to fix that from this point forward. I will begin weekly updates, maybe more depending on what comes up, starting promptly.

Why? Because, NOW, I have something to say.

Thank you;

--Kirk