Hello Fellow Writers & Readers:
Well it's Christmas day and nothing to do here at the "Castle" except write on my book and wait for ole' "Sandy Claws" to slither his way down the chimney. This is my favorite time to write (at 2 A.M. not while waiting for the dude in red) because at this time I get my best burst of creative energy. You wanna talk about writer's cramp!
And that's what I'd like to talk about today, on this fine Christmas morning. Many writers can write at any time of the day or can just tell themselves; "This is the time I have to write on this day," and just get to it. Discipline figures very highly in this scenario. BUT...many other writers have to be in the "mood" in order to knock out lots of words at a single clip. For me, well, I can write most any time I have available but I certainly am not disciplined enough to write x amount of words at any available time. I am most creative from around 11:00 P.M. to around 3:00 A.M. If I'm not overtired from lack of sleep I can crank out over three thousand words during that four hour period. Unfortunately I don't always have that time available to me so I'll just fit in whatever time I can, even if it is as little as fifteen minutes on some days. Hey, fifteen minutes equates to a couple hundred words anyway.
So, try and figure out when your most creative time is and try and write during that time period. You'll find that both time and pages zip by in a hurry. And, if you can't always write at your most creative time period, then just pick a few spare moments and write. You'll be surprised how much you can accomplish in a very short period of time. OOPS! Gotta go, something just landed on the roof of the "Castle." Sandy Claws is coming. I gotta get to bed...and quick. C-Ya!!!
Have a Wonderful Christmas Weekend!!!
The "Creature"
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Thursday, August 18, 2011
"Building a Routine"
Hello One and All:
Let's see, when last we left our intrepid writer (well, just go with it) we were talking about making the time to write. Now that we've cleared a few minutes a week (hopefully a couple hours at least) it is important to make that time count. Spending that time letting the mind wander down other paths (like where am I going out to later on) leads to the same conclusion as not writing at all...empty pages. It is important to stay focused on your writing for that fifteen minutes you've set aside, be it everyday or even just a couple days a week. After a short time those periods of writing should begin to lengthen and eventually build up to sitting down and knocking out an hour or two at a whack. It does happen. Professional writers can easily knock down several hours a day and still go on with their lives including spending quality family time as well.
I have written for as many as eight hours in a day and as few as five minutes. I've also spent many an hour just lolly-gagging around (I've always wanted to say that) accomplishing nothing during times I purposely set aside for writing. I often find myself distracted in a myriad of ways (including thinking up new ideas while I'm supposed to be working on a certain project) and in the end getting nothing done for that session. So, you see, I'm not immune to being waylaid by brigands along the path that wish me to follow other paths than the one I'm supposed to follow, "Writer's Row." {"PSSST! I did get some cool magic beans once by doing that. Now all I gotta do is sow them into the ground and reap my just desserts. MUAHAHAHA!!!"}
Anyway, building a routine for writing can take a while but it is well worth the effort. In no time the words will flow like water in a clear mountain stream. Okay, okay, there won't be a mountain stream (unless one takes a hike) but the words will come easier, resulting in more writing being accomplished. Isn't that the goal?
Have a Great Day!!!
The "Creature"
Sunday, July 17, 2011
"When Life Gets In the Way"
Hello Everybody (all 2-3 of you):
The months of May, June, and the first part of July have been crazy for me though it's not much different from any other month. I volunteered to be on an overnight team while going through the process of re-modeling the store that I work for. I've worked overnights on many occasions for them with no problem. I actually preferred those hours to waking up and working in the middle of the night (when the vampires are out in full force).
Well, that was then and this is...now. When adding my name to the "god-forsaken" work shift I forgot about one little (but growing) detail. I forgot about the "Bub." Oh, don't worry, you don't know him. He is my phenomenal grandson, Gavyn. At three years old he has made it his life's goal to extract all of my time (free or not) and use it for all his mischievous plans. Therefore, as the two months moved along I was granted less-and-less sleep. It would not have been a big deal but I let it affect my writing. The result was that I added little to nothing to my writing for nine weeks.
When reflecting upon that I thought about all the myriad conversations I'd had with other writers in which they said they simply had no time to really get anything done. While enjoying my self inflicted pity party I actually began to understand "the others."
Anyway, last week we went back to middle-of-the-night shift again and now my writing is at least trickling from my veins to the keyboard and paper. I began working on an idea I came up with over seven years ago and never did anything with. A writing group I belong to wanted to experiment with a project that could maybe lend itself to a series and so I introduced my science fiction idea, "Waveriders," to the group. It seems they like it so now we're putting together a series of notes to set up a back story before proceeding. It sounds like fun.
Now, as to why I brought all this up. During all those overnights and lack of sleep I wrote almost nothing but I really did have some time, even if it was just a little. Still, I allowed, pity, being tired, and procrastination get in the way. The result (drum roll please)...nothing getting done.
So, the moral of this little story is, find the time, and keep on writing. It doesn't matter if it's only fifteen minutes a day. Add up all those fifteen minute periods over the course of a month and it amounts to a few thousand words. Now, excuse me while I hop aboard the Dragonstar and speed away to write another adventure.
Have a Great Day and...Keep Writing!!!
The "Creature"
The months of May, June, and the first part of July have been crazy for me though it's not much different from any other month. I volunteered to be on an overnight team while going through the process of re-modeling the store that I work for. I've worked overnights on many occasions for them with no problem. I actually preferred those hours to waking up and working in the middle of the night (when the vampires are out in full force).
Well, that was then and this is...now. When adding my name to the "god-forsaken" work shift I forgot about one little (but growing) detail. I forgot about the "Bub." Oh, don't worry, you don't know him. He is my phenomenal grandson, Gavyn. At three years old he has made it his life's goal to extract all of my time (free or not) and use it for all his mischievous plans. Therefore, as the two months moved along I was granted less-and-less sleep. It would not have been a big deal but I let it affect my writing. The result was that I added little to nothing to my writing for nine weeks.
When reflecting upon that I thought about all the myriad conversations I'd had with other writers in which they said they simply had no time to really get anything done. While enjoying my self inflicted pity party I actually began to understand "the others."
Anyway, last week we went back to middle-of-the-night shift again and now my writing is at least trickling from my veins to the keyboard and paper. I began working on an idea I came up with over seven years ago and never did anything with. A writing group I belong to wanted to experiment with a project that could maybe lend itself to a series and so I introduced my science fiction idea, "Waveriders," to the group. It seems they like it so now we're putting together a series of notes to set up a back story before proceeding. It sounds like fun.
Now, as to why I brought all this up. During all those overnights and lack of sleep I wrote almost nothing but I really did have some time, even if it was just a little. Still, I allowed, pity, being tired, and procrastination get in the way. The result (drum roll please)...nothing getting done.
So, the moral of this little story is, find the time, and keep on writing. It doesn't matter if it's only fifteen minutes a day. Add up all those fifteen minute periods over the course of a month and it amounts to a few thousand words. Now, excuse me while I hop aboard the Dragonstar and speed away to write another adventure.
Have a Great Day and...Keep Writing!!!
The "Creature"
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
"Welcome to OOOWWWW, Writer's Cramp"
Hello:
Welcome to "OOOWWWWW," Writer's Cramp. This is a place where one can see what I am writing along with all the help, frustration, victories, and just plain accomplishments I manage along the way. I've been writing fairly regularly since 1991 and have dabbled off-and-on long before that time. I have to say though that it wasn't until 1991 that I really planned on becoming more serious as a writer. To that end I have made some progress (forward motion if you will) but not to any phenomonal degree. Still I enjoy the craft of writing and sharing the things I write with others.
There were many years where nobody but my family and my best friend Phil ever saw anything I wrote. It wasn't until around the dawn of the new millenium (2000) that I really began branching out and sharing the things that dwell inside the vast corridors of my mind. Still I was a bit reserved, mostly offering tidbits of my knowledge of Herpetology to various websites. It was actually around 2008 when I shared my first fiction with the world (well, the internet, but world-wide exposure sounds more dynamic). I do believe the story was "Voyeur." It was a science fiction story about a man holed up in a post-apocalyptic "safehouse" while fellow survivors leave to explore the area. Not long after a creature begins staring into the window, keeping it's non-human face glued to the shatterproof lexan pane, watching all movement inside. What happens as the hours and days pass makes up the bulk of the story.
As for what I write; anything that feels good at that particular moment. Most of my ideas center around Science Fiction and Horror but there are occasional flashes of Fantasy and, more recently, an air of mystery.
So, come on in, take a seat, and let's explore the world of writing. Maybe down the road there will be some guest blogs from other writers as well. That would truly be lots of fun!
As always...Have a Great Day!!!
The "Creature"
Welcome to "OOOWWWWW," Writer's Cramp. This is a place where one can see what I am writing along with all the help, frustration, victories, and just plain accomplishments I manage along the way. I've been writing fairly regularly since 1991 and have dabbled off-and-on long before that time. I have to say though that it wasn't until 1991 that I really planned on becoming more serious as a writer. To that end I have made some progress (forward motion if you will) but not to any phenomonal degree. Still I enjoy the craft of writing and sharing the things I write with others.
There were many years where nobody but my family and my best friend Phil ever saw anything I wrote. It wasn't until around the dawn of the new millenium (2000) that I really began branching out and sharing the things that dwell inside the vast corridors of my mind. Still I was a bit reserved, mostly offering tidbits of my knowledge of Herpetology to various websites. It was actually around 2008 when I shared my first fiction with the world (well, the internet, but world-wide exposure sounds more dynamic). I do believe the story was "Voyeur." It was a science fiction story about a man holed up in a post-apocalyptic "safehouse" while fellow survivors leave to explore the area. Not long after a creature begins staring into the window, keeping it's non-human face glued to the shatterproof lexan pane, watching all movement inside. What happens as the hours and days pass makes up the bulk of the story.
As for what I write; anything that feels good at that particular moment. Most of my ideas center around Science Fiction and Horror but there are occasional flashes of Fantasy and, more recently, an air of mystery.
So, come on in, take a seat, and let's explore the world of writing. Maybe down the road there will be some guest blogs from other writers as well. That would truly be lots of fun!
As always...Have a Great Day!!!
The "Creature"
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