![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
crowthepirate's journalLog in Create a LiveJournal Account Learn more
| You are viewing crowthepirate's journal Log in Create a LiveJournal Account Learn more | Explore LJ: Life Entertainment Music Culture News & Politics Technology |
|
|||||||
 |
|
|
|||||
|
The Mighty Pirate  Hooray! Two Weeks Left! That is all I have left of college...for now. (I have thought of going for a Masters, possibly a doctorate specifically focusing on Medieval Lit. For now though, I need a break.) After years of being sick off and on, years of burn out, and work getting in the way--I am nearly there. I can't quite do a dance of joy yet, but I am close...so close. I haven't thought yet of what I would like to do when that blessed day arives, but there will be joy. Oh yes there will be joy. I'll give some thought and prayer as to just what I'd like to do that day. I'm not big on flashy events, a get together would be cool, maybe a cookout, I dunno. I don't really want the focus to be on me, just an excuse to get together and hang with friends and eat some good food. Definetly need prayer on this one. I have sooooooo much work to do over these next few weeks, but I wanted to take a mini-break to say/write that I got a warm feeling of contentment just thinking about graduation today. I don't want to forget that the goal is within reach, and I just need to keep working hard, praying like crazy, and taking little breaks (like this one) for sanity. So, me, consider this a little pick me up. I'll remember that I wrote it, and re-read about how glad I felt today. That will be one of the little boosts that gets me through the madness that these last two weeks look to be. P.S. (If I had to guess, I would say he's going to pick Diane Wood. Totally unrelated to the thoughts above. Sometimes I get an inkling of what is going to happen politically, and I am going to venture a guess here. If I am wrong, cool. Some one I usually read, and has pretty spot on guesses/insights into the appointments has narrowed it down to three. I am guessing one of those three. We'll see if my own guess proves correct in the slightest.) Current mood:  cheerful.
I thought that I would make a quick post to remind myself to look more thoroughly into films. I went to a matinee of the Watchmmen today with Suz. First off it was dumb to try going out for so long because of how much it aches to sit up. Next, the movie insulted a lot of things that I believe in politcally. It made rude insinuations about faith. And I was embarrassed to take my wife to a movie with such graphic sex and violence. I am disappointed in me for having gone. Don't forget this Derek. Time for a vicodin. Current mood:  sick.
So it is fast approaching. That most difficult point of all books to write, the middle. At least that in my limited experience is what I have felt. I wish that I could say it,"Happens every time." And that this was my fifth or sixth time that I was on, but hey let me count my blessings, because I was just thinking that I might have fun with the middle of my books now. Kinda shock to me. I guess it happened thanks in large part to Suz's commments and suggestions on how to write this female preteen in the 'Masters' book. Not only did I really like the suggestions, but it gave me great ideas on where to put little plot details and points while also developing characters. As I was making notes and doing a bit of plot outlining, I realized that I had enough not only to get me through some more difficult parts of the middle, but it also helped me to see it in a different light. And that is the biggest blessing of all. Really, I want writing the whole thing to be enjoyable in some way. I know that it will get to be hard work, not just with the editing, but that there will be parts that are genuinely going to need more effort than I might feel capable of producing with out the flogging materials handy. However, I know that if I don't find even the smallest thing to enjoy about the middle then it will stink to write and be even worse to read. By no means do I see this as an absolute end, but I think it has put me on the path to it. On the whole, the writing has been slow this week. It seems like I am taking one or two vicodin a day lately, and that ain't good. I am going to call up my doctor this week. I hate being so incapcitated. I go from being in pain to feeling woozy, sleepy, and so lethargic that I can barely remember the stuff that I am trying to work on for school. It's kept me from enjoying the beautiful weather from anywhere other then the bedroom window. Blah. They say not to operate heavy machinery while under the influence, but man oh man I can't be trusted with simple things like a bread knife sometimes when I am on the pain meds. There was a point where I think Suz made me dinner because not only was I doped up, but I was losing track of what I was doing in the kitchen in the first place. Yeesh, I hate it when meds screw me up like that. Speaking of which, I took some more and it is okay to take them now (gotta wait 6 hours between doses), so I am going to sign off now since i am beginning to feel like the computer desk is beginning to spin a little. Night Current mood:  weird.
Just a quick note to say that my tummy hurts. Stupid liver problems. I am sooooo sick and tired of being sick and tired. On the up shot I have taken an LOA from my crummy King Soopers job so that I can focus on school and my writing. The downside is that my liver has been acting up more than usual lately and I end up flat on my back with a heating pad on my tummy when I am not working on school stuff. It sucks. That aside I do have a little to report on the writing front. I had this sudden inspiration to write a synopsis for House of Many Keys. Wierd thing to get inspired to do, huh? Odd thing is that I got out about 1,000 words before I slowed down. That was different. Usually that stuff is hard, but this seemed really natural. The story has been in my mind lately. Now I ache too much to write much more. I am going to pop a pain pill now. Current mood: sick.
My last semester of college at Metro Denver. What to say, what to think.... I have stuff to do and say, but not so late. I've been mulling stuff over, just have to figure out what to do with what I know. Current mood:  busy.
Can't get more plain than that, huh? Anyways, what was I thinking? Oh yeah. About Roanoke, I'd like to work on Masters tomorrow, but I definetly had some clear building block thoughts about Roanoke today. I know that the four who should never have entered had to sacrifice something to be allowed passage. I now know that one of them did not want to go, but was forced to. I can think of subtle ways to show this loss, the theft that the one did to the other, and how it accounts for the minotaurs getting to the other world. However I am not quite sure how to show it on the third one. He's going to be a tricky one to figure out. Subtlty is a must of course, but how can I make it obvious to me while keeping it from the reader? Ah well. I am thankful for this insight into how to both logically and fantastically get them into the realms of Roanoke. Tomorrow I hope to have stuff to report on Masters. I did not think too much about it today. The free mental time I had at work needed to be spent on Roanoke. The idea was too good to pass up. Current mood:  creative.
The post below I have done already in another forum/on facebook. But I like this place and I wanted to update this a little. I've written a bit today. Mostly blogging, but I've enjoyed it and it gets my creative juices flowing. So without further adeiu I cross-post and welcome the new year: This should be an interesting year. So much to do so much to say, if I might quote the Beatles on this one. I am hoping for a lot this year. Things on the writing front in particular come to mind. I really have high ambitions there. Enough blah blah though somethings to share and that I have been pondering: -I graduate at the end of this semester. Aside from a generally big Woohoo! that I feel in my heart and the general joy at getting a B.A in Lit. with a minor in semantics, I am unsure where to go from here. I am going to look into just what I can do with it, or if I want more schooling. I still like the idea of teaching, but honestly I hate the thought of going into a Unionized anything. -How does one escape from retail? I so am done with King Soopers. As happy as I was at the movie theater on occasion (and yes I know that it wasn't all roses) I need good insurance and doesn't insist on stealing away time from me at the drop of a hat. I yearn for a set schedule so I can do some writing. Speaking of which... -I really need to get going on the writing front. "Strike while the iron is hot!" so to speak. I have heard from a good friend that the type of fiction that I have enjoyed writing is sorely needed in the market place right now, and I don't want to miss the opportunity to get in if there is a possibility. Why let a crummy retail job get in the way of that? (Sometimes the place feels like it steals my time from me.) I know that this may seem a little rambly, but hey, that is who I am at times. I hope my friends and family memebers don't mind this a bit, sorry if I ate up too much of your time, but thanks for reading if you did. Current mood: optimistic.
Finally... That's about how I can best put it. It was fustrating really because I knew that once I completed it I might have a chance to gain a bit of momentum on the story front. I don't know if that is quite true still. Mayhap too much time has passed since I first thought that, or maybe I just am tired and need to get that bit of "umph" to get going again. This weekend was suppossed to be the weekend that I went to Chicago for the NAC laser quest tournament, and now it is just a weekend off. But it just might provide me enough time to really get going on the story, at least that is what I hope. I guess that I want to really accomplish something worthwhile with this time off and not just putz it away. Oh sure, there are plenty of little chores that I could and should do. I will try to work them in. First and foremost though I want to spend some time with Suz. It has been like she was out of town for a week with all the DNC overtime that she had to put in. I think that things are finally settling down though. So, anyways, second to spending time with Suz is the time I want spend writing. I guess that the more I enter into this little blog the more I think that maybe I will have a chance to get some major writing done. Here goes.... Current mood:  anxious.
A few days is too long since my last post. I need to step it up...A lot. That being said, I did some writing today. I had to put it in the notebook today, the apt is a bit of a mess and it is hard for me to concentrate when it gets this discombobulated. Anyways, I got four pages worth which in long hand equates to somewhere between 500-750 words. A decent pull all-in-all. I think that the gallery scene is going a bit too long and will eventually need tightening, but I am satisfied with how it is shaping up and that it is not a series of quick fixes to get to the next scene. I feel like I am getting a bit of my old school skills back in doing this particular scene as well. I know that it has a bit too much description, and that there are certain interactions that can be said in a more "crisp" manner, but nothing feels either rushed or over long. It is beginning to feel like a real first draft. This may sound a bit odd, but in truth I think that one of my biggest problems while writing "House of Many Keys" was a sense of urgency mixed with slogging. I would mentally slog through a scene, not knowing how or when to end it, but then simply out of fustration sometimes ending a scene abruptly simply to get to the one that I knew would be more fun. Hoping and praying now that once I am finished that I can take this with me from "Masters of Music" to "The House of Many Keys" edits. I am still working on those, ever so slowly. I really want to finish "Masters" first though. I know that some writing advice I have purused through migh wish to claim that I have fallen in love with a new work and fallen out of love with my first one. I can't express how untrue this is. I have so many reminders of "House of Many Keys"--from the Jester's hat and mask to the totally awesome flag that Suz made me--that I feel like it is on par with an upcoming birthday party. I get a nice big present when I am done with what I am working on now, but what I am working on now is also fufilling. "Masters" feels like it not only is teaching me the lessons that I need to learn to better fix "House," but is also helping me to find my old voice that once was mine. I can only describe it like a rhythm--maybe all this music stuff is getting to me. I can more easily recognize not only when a problem has arisen with the story, but also when the story needs to have a slight dynamic change to help with the story telling. I think before both the story and the need to self-edit was so present that it would trip me up whenever I got going even a little. It is crippling in a way, the desire to edit, the realization that maybe a scene needs a minor tweek here and there to get it to its best level. I could sit there obsessing for what felt like hours over the most minor of problems, then not have the energy to solve even the most basic of problems with a scene a few moments later from the one I just fixed. As Doug Fields would say, some things to think about. Well, gotta go back to the chores. Current mood:  contemplative.
Yoicks! So, although my friend and I wanted to finish our books (or at least the first three chapters done and edited a bit) before the start of the school year, it looks as if that won't happen. Not unless we both really buckle down soon. Problem is that so much will come our way over the next week that we both might not meet our goal =-(. I know that we will both try, but it will only get more difficult. Oh yeah, and eventually I should post a brief blog about our vacation. Anyways, on to the info about writing: I completed 3 pages today. All hand written of course. I really need to get into the habit of using the comp, but there is so much work to do in the second bedroom that I need to have a "mobile" version of the story. Anywho, I really need to wrap up this scene that is taking place. It gives a bit of exposition in a way that I think works to explain certain necessary details without being too-too obvious. I will need to tweak it later to tone down the exposition a bit more, but really it works for now. I also realized in the process that I really need to chop the scene down as it progressess, but do so in a way that doesn't feel too abrupt either. My main character in this scene really has a chance to both stand up for himself, but still come across as a nice guy, but I know that if too much more happens or piles up in this scene that it will feel unweildy. I hope that tomorrow I will get a better idea of what to do to wrap up the bit. Hardest part is knowing that the fun part are around the corner, but not wanting to have to go through the "work" of getting there. It is like re-reading "The Hobbit" I know what scenes I like best in that book, but I also know that if I don't go through the slower stuff that I won't enjoy the rest of the book as much. ( I know that I am not as great a writer as Tolkien, and truth be told I like all of "The Hobbit" it is my favorite book, easily.) Anywho, some work done, but lots to go. Also I am a bit nervous about a doctor's appointment that I have tomorrow. Night for now. Current mood: anxious.
|
|||||||
|
|
|
|||||