I was looking through my completed stories and saw that I have 12 that are ready for editing. For a short story book with dark stories, it seems more appropriate to have 13 in the book, so I need to get cracking and write another story (and get them edited) so I can get it published.
In other news, Candice has been suffering from a mystery illness for over a month now. The doctor now thinks it is her gall bladder and/or an ulcer. She goes in tomorrow morning for an ultrasound for the gall bladder, and sometime later this week or next for a throat scope to find out about the ulcer (and esophageal cancer possibilities). Either way, we probably can't start and "hard" treatments until we return from vacation mid-June time-frame. Of course, we are both fighting off a head cold right now, too.
I just started the sprinklers and cut the grass for the first time this year, so spring/summer has officially begun now.
Also, I need to take out the "missile" (luggage container that we mount on the roof of the Santa Fe for vacations) and rinse it out since it got a lot of mud, etc. in it in the rain storms last year before we were able to get it inside out of the elements. We also need to start working on a "To Do" for getting ready for our vacation. (I'm pretty sure Candice just rolled her eyes as she read that.)
Anyway, that's all I have for right now, thanks for reading!
Showing posts with label writing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label writing. Show all posts
Monday, May 19, 2014
Saturday, April 12, 2014
Death Takes A Vacation
What's been happening since the last blog? Well, not much in the writing realm, though there has been one significant happening on the writing front that I'll talk about in a minute. First, I've only managed to write one day since the last blog post update, mostly because of lack of inspiration and desire. I've just been kind of blah on creativity the past few weeks. I suppose there are lots of reason, not the least of which is me not making myself write even through the non-motivational period (like I tell Candice she needs to do with her art when she gets into similar creativity droughts - I am apparently a hypocrite - at least recently.
A little over a week ago, Candice's grandma suffered a heart attack and had to be carried away by ambulance. She's fine now, but it was scary for a couple of days. She made it home just in time for her birthday party (which was also Gabe's and Jeanette's party). She's been tired a lot more since coming home, but seems to be getting stronger with each passing day.
Gabe has become a greedy little jerk. Everything is all about "me, me, me" and "gimme, gimme." I know we're not knowingly promoting such an attitude, and it makes us want to go without giving presents to him for a while if he doesn't grow out of it soon.
Now for the "big" writing news - yesterday I sat down and wrote for the first time in weeks, and not only did I start a new story, I finished a new story. It's only 3 pages and about 1200 words, but it's a pretty decent story. It revolves around who death is, and his decision to finally take a vacation, which turns into him taking off a whole year and covers how the world changes in that time.
It was a concept that occurred to me while listening to The Book Thief (which we're almost finished listening to). It is narrated by death and he describes taking the souls away, so naturally, the though occurred to me "What if he didn't do it?"
Anyway, that's what has been happening with me and my writing lately, thanks for reading.
A little over a week ago, Candice's grandma suffered a heart attack and had to be carried away by ambulance. She's fine now, but it was scary for a couple of days. She made it home just in time for her birthday party (which was also Gabe's and Jeanette's party). She's been tired a lot more since coming home, but seems to be getting stronger with each passing day.
Gabe has become a greedy little jerk. Everything is all about "me, me, me" and "gimme, gimme." I know we're not knowingly promoting such an attitude, and it makes us want to go without giving presents to him for a while if he doesn't grow out of it soon.
Now for the "big" writing news - yesterday I sat down and wrote for the first time in weeks, and not only did I start a new story, I finished a new story. It's only 3 pages and about 1200 words, but it's a pretty decent story. It revolves around who death is, and his decision to finally take a vacation, which turns into him taking off a whole year and covers how the world changes in that time.
It was a concept that occurred to me while listening to The Book Thief (which we're almost finished listening to). It is narrated by death and he describes taking the souls away, so naturally, the though occurred to me "What if he didn't do it?"
Anyway, that's what has been happening with me and my writing lately, thanks for reading.
Friday, March 21, 2014
New Approaches
First, if you haven't read my post on how to best support your favorite independent author, do so now. Then go support them as best you can. I'll wait.
OK, thanks. They'll appreciate it (BTW, the advice will also work for new/lesser known authors with mainstream publishers, too.
So what's happening in the writing world of T. Allan Bishop lately? Well, the muse story stepped back and hasn't cried out for more to be written lately, so I have it set slightly aside. The zombie story has reshaped itself, and I've written several sections for it over the past week. It looks now like it'll be formed mostly of "newspaper articles," "police report" excerpts, "medical and lab report" excerpts, personal letters, etc. I don't know if that will be just one section that talks about the outbreak and part II might change POV to be first or third person yet or not. the story hasn't revealed details from that far ahead yet. I do know that some of the personal notes will be from at least one zombie. I know that this isn't the first time an approach like this has been used (Stephen King's Carrie comes to mind), but it's a new approach for me.
The Josef Mengele vampire story has been popping into my head a little lately, too. So, it might just turn out that I start juggling stories based on which one is yelling at me the loudest that day.
I got tired of having to constantly reboot my phone, have apps stop responding, the previously awesome battery life suddenly being non-existent, and the phone not even give me the option to answer it. I was planning on buying it later this summer when I hoped a sale would be happening (though it was going to be painful waiting that long when it was basically a paper weight). When I did a search for rumored sales of the phone I had decided I wanted, I found that it was $130 cheaper from Amazon than from Verizon, so I went ahead and got it and will be putting the money I was going to be setting aside for it to the credit card bill to pay for it. We'll keep the Amazon route in mind when we go to upgrade Candice's phone eventually, too. If it saves us $$, why not?
I got the Samsung Galaxy Note 3. The primary reason was because I have large clumsy fingers and figured (correctly) that it would be easier for me to type, etc on it. The secondary reasons was that it has handwriting recognition and I figured that could help me as a writer, and that it has good battery life. It turns out the handwriting recognition is AMAZING (but slow). It recognized my handwriting even when I wrote in my crappiest form and EVEN when I wrote in cursive. I have to write a little slower to get the handwriting recognition to work and convert to typed text, but I'll be able to use it when waiting in waiting rooms, or lying in bed and getting inspired, etc. So, as a writer, this is the first time that writing using technology has excited me instead of simply handwriting on paper with a pencil, this is another new approach for me to writing. Granted, when I really get in the groove, I will still probably use a pad and pencil for now, but eventually this might be the way I go. (This phone will also allow me to change the battery if/when this one starts to die, too).
That's all I have for this post. Thanks for reading.
OK, thanks. They'll appreciate it (BTW, the advice will also work for new/lesser known authors with mainstream publishers, too.
So what's happening in the writing world of T. Allan Bishop lately? Well, the muse story stepped back and hasn't cried out for more to be written lately, so I have it set slightly aside. The zombie story has reshaped itself, and I've written several sections for it over the past week. It looks now like it'll be formed mostly of "newspaper articles," "police report" excerpts, "medical and lab report" excerpts, personal letters, etc. I don't know if that will be just one section that talks about the outbreak and part II might change POV to be first or third person yet or not. the story hasn't revealed details from that far ahead yet. I do know that some of the personal notes will be from at least one zombie. I know that this isn't the first time an approach like this has been used (Stephen King's Carrie comes to mind), but it's a new approach for me.
The Josef Mengele vampire story has been popping into my head a little lately, too. So, it might just turn out that I start juggling stories based on which one is yelling at me the loudest that day.
I got tired of having to constantly reboot my phone, have apps stop responding, the previously awesome battery life suddenly being non-existent, and the phone not even give me the option to answer it. I was planning on buying it later this summer when I hoped a sale would be happening (though it was going to be painful waiting that long when it was basically a paper weight). When I did a search for rumored sales of the phone I had decided I wanted, I found that it was $130 cheaper from Amazon than from Verizon, so I went ahead and got it and will be putting the money I was going to be setting aside for it to the credit card bill to pay for it. We'll keep the Amazon route in mind when we go to upgrade Candice's phone eventually, too. If it saves us $$, why not?
I got the Samsung Galaxy Note 3. The primary reason was because I have large clumsy fingers and figured (correctly) that it would be easier for me to type, etc on it. The secondary reasons was that it has handwriting recognition and I figured that could help me as a writer, and that it has good battery life. It turns out the handwriting recognition is AMAZING (but slow). It recognized my handwriting even when I wrote in my crappiest form and EVEN when I wrote in cursive. I have to write a little slower to get the handwriting recognition to work and convert to typed text, but I'll be able to use it when waiting in waiting rooms, or lying in bed and getting inspired, etc. So, as a writer, this is the first time that writing using technology has excited me instead of simply handwriting on paper with a pencil, this is another new approach for me to writing. Granted, when I really get in the groove, I will still probably use a pad and pencil for now, but eventually this might be the way I go. (This phone will also allow me to change the battery if/when this one starts to die, too).
That's all I have for this post. Thanks for reading.
Saturday, March 15, 2014
How To Best Support Your Favorite Independent Author (or Artist)
Independent authors are changing the way the publishing world works. You'll often find their books published for much less than mainstream publishing books electronically for e-readers like the Kindle, Nook, iPad, tablets, etc. Some even release a book for free in hopes that people will like it and will purchase their other books.
When you discover one of these authors, there are some things you can do to make them more successful. This has already happened to some, who have been picked up by larger publishers for better distribution. Here's a small list that isn't all-inclusive:
1. The obvious: Buy their books.
2. The next obvious: Tell your friends and family.
3. The not-so-obvious: Write a review of their book. This is perhaps the most important thing you can do, because it will reach so many more people and surveys have shown that at twice as many of "first time" book purchases for a new author are based more on reviews than by recommendations from friends or family.
4. Corollary to #3: Review the book on other sites where you can. This includes other venues where it can be bought as well as sites like Goodreads and Shelfari.
5: Important corollary to numbers 3 and 4: Do not write a review that will make the book sound better than it really is. Write an HONEST review of it. If it is 4 stars, don't give it 5 just because you've liked their other works or know them and want them to be more successful. Write it honestly and include enough details to help someone else decide if they, too, might like to read it (but not so much you reveal the story).
6. If they have a web page, share it on social media for them.
7. If they have a social media presence, follow them. But it isn't enough to just follow them. You also need to share, click like, +1, etc. their posts. Facebook for instance, inhibits small businesses and independent authors and artists from being seen by their core audience and followers with their algorithm to show "what is important" by only selecting random posts from a site you've clicked "like" on. The more posts from that page gets shared and/or liked, the more of their posts that will show to people that have already clicked "like" on their page (and the more likely they can then click "like" or "share").
8. Corollary to #7: go to their page just in case you didn't get to see some of their posts.
9. Encourage them. Post something to their page letting them know you anxiously await their next book, but don't be too pushy. Artists and Authors like encouragement, but not so much pressure to complete something.
10. Repeat.
That's all for this week's blog. Thanks for reading.
Connect with Me
When you discover one of these authors, there are some things you can do to make them more successful. This has already happened to some, who have been picked up by larger publishers for better distribution. Here's a small list that isn't all-inclusive:
1. The obvious: Buy their books.
2. The next obvious: Tell your friends and family.
3. The not-so-obvious: Write a review of their book. This is perhaps the most important thing you can do, because it will reach so many more people and surveys have shown that at twice as many of "first time" book purchases for a new author are based more on reviews than by recommendations from friends or family.
4. Corollary to #3: Review the book on other sites where you can. This includes other venues where it can be bought as well as sites like Goodreads and Shelfari.
5: Important corollary to numbers 3 and 4: Do not write a review that will make the book sound better than it really is. Write an HONEST review of it. If it is 4 stars, don't give it 5 just because you've liked their other works or know them and want them to be more successful. Write it honestly and include enough details to help someone else decide if they, too, might like to read it (but not so much you reveal the story).
6. If they have a web page, share it on social media for them.
7. If they have a social media presence, follow them. But it isn't enough to just follow them. You also need to share, click like, +1, etc. their posts. Facebook for instance, inhibits small businesses and independent authors and artists from being seen by their core audience and followers with their algorithm to show "what is important" by only selecting random posts from a site you've clicked "like" on. The more posts from that page gets shared and/or liked, the more of their posts that will show to people that have already clicked "like" on their page (and the more likely they can then click "like" or "share").
8. Corollary to #7: go to their page just in case you didn't get to see some of their posts.
9. Encourage them. Post something to their page letting them know you anxiously await their next book, but don't be too pushy. Artists and Authors like encouragement, but not so much pressure to complete something.
10. Repeat.
That's all for this week's blog. Thanks for reading.
Connect with Me
Follow me on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/TAllanBishop
Follow me on Twitter:
@TAllanBishop
Follow my blog: http://anblicksanamorphosis.blogspot.com/
I’m also on Tumblr: http://tallanbishop.tumblr.com/
Favorite me at Smashwords:
https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/TAllanBishop
Find me on Google +: http://plus.google.com/+TimBishopTAllanBishop
Thursday, March 13, 2014
Fonts Can Be A Hassle
Since Forbidden Knowledge has Macedonian, Chinese, and Arabic Text in it, I searched for a way to get them to all show up without having to mess with a whole lot of fonts that might not be in some handheld readers. I found that Arial Unicode MS was available on most. But after reading some more, I'm finding that many of them don't support displaying the extra characters needed to show those languages. Which of course means that I will have to change the story some if I plan to publish it in At The Turn Of Midnight (the tentative title of book number two). I'm torn between rewriting the parts to just mention the various languages used on the book cover, or making a picture that I include that shows them similarly to how I show them in the text of the story. Feedback would be appreciated. Would the pictures (there would be two, slightly different) distract from the story or enhance it? One would look similar to the one I've included on a few other blog posts and also include here below:
The muse story has grown some more, and parts of the beginning have been re-written to fit the way the story seems to be headed.
Also, in my self-editing phase, I've written about 300 more words to Cat's Eye View, which is about how a cat sees the world it lives in. I've also made some changes to The Journey, which is a sort of surreal story of a man's journey through the cosmos. Tomorrow I hope to either write some more towards one of my ongoing short stories I'm working on, or to do some more editing on the stories from Dark Stories For A Restless Night.
That's all for this blog. Thanks for reading, and come back soon. I plan to write a blog on how you can best help support your favorite independent author (hint: it's a lot more than just buying their books)
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
Pricing For Dark Stories For A Restless Night
I was reading The Secrets to Ebook Publishing Success from Smashwords today since the words weren't flowing when I had a chance to write, and it looks like my pricing might be wrong. In it, it discusses sales at various price ranges. $.01-$.99 had a sales ratio of 5.9x, $1-$1.99 was 3.2x, $2-$2.99 was 6.22x, $6-$6.99 was 2.2x, and $10+ was 1x. For some reason, in two different years of doing the analysis, having a sale price between a dollar and $1.99 was kind of a black hole for sales. With that in mind, I plan to now price it at $0.99. That should get it out to quite a bit more readers.
On another writing note, I did write more for the muse story the other night, though I think the second section that I wrote belongs at the beginning. It's also shaping up to be a frightening story for artist types. We'll see if my muse strikes some more later this week.
That's all I have for this entry, thanks for reading!
On another writing note, I did write more for the muse story the other night, though I think the second section that I wrote belongs at the beginning. It's also shaping up to be a frightening story for artist types. We'll see if my muse strikes some more later this week.
That's all I have for this entry, thanks for reading!
Sunday, March 9, 2014
Muses?
Yesterday I got an image in my head of a painting. It involved a muse and a painter, though the muse is not the classic simple inspiration type from literature references.. It persisted, and I wrote a small scene describing it last night. It doesn't fit into any of my current story ideas, but it might end up being a story idea of its own.
I haven't had any story speak to me since finishing Forbidden Knowledge, so hopefully this is a sign that the stories will start to flow again soon.
I finally got the license plate sticker put on yesterday, also. I had to scrape off ten years' worth of previous stickers first, but it's done now.
I also cut the baseboard for Candice's witch cottage dollhouse. I think we're getting to a point where I'm supposed to help put it together and/or start wiring it soon, but I'm not sure. Candice also got inspired to do some clay work last night making miniature wedding cakes with "sugar skulls" on them. Since sugar skulls are normally 1:12 scale, she's making them in 1:144 scale, which is apparently pretty frustrating.
I think today might be a lazy day with maybe a little bit of inspiration thrown in if I'm lucky. That's all for this blog, thanks for reading.
Saturday, March 1, 2014
Lazy Saturday
I haven't written anything yet this weekend, but I have gotten something accomplished from my To Do list. I carried out the recycling and trash from the bedroom. That was all from my actual list, but in addition to that, I loaded the dishwasher and glued a broken piece to Gabe's combination miniature foosball/air hockey/pool table (though in fairness, I did that last night).
It has been snowing out all morning, making me reluctant to go clean my license plates and put the new sticker on them. If it warms up later, I'll do it this weekend.
I need to also cut a board for Candice's witch cottage dollhouse. That would require me moving my car out of the garage and staying out there long enough to move stuff off the saw and to cut the board, so if it warms enough to put the license plate sticker on my car, that is entirely within the realm of possibility for this weekend, too.
That's all I have for now, thanks for reading.
Saturday, February 22, 2014
Quick Writing Update 22 February 2014
Last night I wasn't tired when we went to bed, so I sat up while Candice slept and wrote some more on Forbidden Knowledge. After tying it up this morning (which is very difficult to do with a two and a half year old in your lap, by the way), it appears I wrote about another 750 words, which puts the text just spilling onto the fourteenth page including the title page, and it now stands at a little over 2600 words.
So, yay me. I have to work crew tomorrow. Hopefully things will go slowly so I'll have the opportunity to write more on it. That of course assumes the story will speak to me tomorrow, too. We'll see.
On a non-writing related note, I've made a lot of progress painting the kids' door nameplates, and hope to finish that stage of the process soon. Next after that will be gluing the pieces on them and screwing the clips to them. After that, I'll just need to tie the twine in place on each of them and put the hooks in the doors (and of course take pictures to post here).
That's all for this update. Thanks for reading.
So, yay me. I have to work crew tomorrow. Hopefully things will go slowly so I'll have the opportunity to write more on it. That of course assumes the story will speak to me tomorrow, too. We'll see.
On a non-writing related note, I've made a lot of progress painting the kids' door nameplates, and hope to finish that stage of the process soon. Next after that will be gluing the pieces on them and screwing the clips to them. After that, I'll just need to tie the twine in place on each of them and put the hooks in the doors (and of course take pictures to post here).
That's all for this update. Thanks for reading.
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Writing Update 19 Feb 14
First, some exciting news on the writing front: I'm up to ten pages in Forbidden Knowledge (not including the title page) now, with a total of almost two thousand words, and the story seems like it still has a lot more to tell me. I'm excited to find out how it'll end. Since I finally started listening to Forbidden Knowledge and writing down the story as it relates itself to me, I haven't put much thought (if any) into the other stories.
I think the name for the second short story collection will be At The Turn Of Midnight, and Forbidden Knowledge will be the first story I plan to put into it. Once I finish writing it (the short story, not the collection), though, I really need to focus my energy on editing and cover design for Dark Stories For A Restless Night. If I don't, I'll probably never actually publish it, so I'll need to crack the whip on myself.
In other news, Donna burned her hand pretty badly a week ago. When I first got home and found out about it, the blister was about a half inch by a quarter inch, so I found some second skin and put it on it. But about 4 hours later, the blister had grown in size to where it was now larger than the patch I'd put on it. So, we took her to the doctor the next morning and had her treated. Yesterday, it finally popped, so we took her back. It's healing up pretty nicely, but I doubt she'll want to mess with the oven anytime soon as a result of the burn.
I'm now bandage free after my altercation with the knife I was using to cut apart ribs last week. It still hurts occasionally and is still pretty sensitive to direct pressure, but it is healing up nicely.
Gabe had a weird bout with something Friday at school where he was laying on the playground and his eyes were twitching. When he got up, he walked a few steps and then dropped to his knees momentarily. They called home to tell Candice that they were going to keep a closer eye on him. Later, he was (seemingly) unable to track what he was looking at on the computer, so they called home again and we went to pick him up. He was quite upset that he missed the Valentine's Day party, but we'd rather be safe than sorry. We took him to the doctor, and she concluded that it was probably one of three things, either a mild virus, a seizure, or heart problems. We're going to make an appointment for an EKG here soon to eliminate the last option. The other two aren't nearly as worrisome for now. If it was a virus, it's likely out of his system. If it was a seizure, it's likely just a one time thing, as he's never had them before and hasn't shown any other signs of having more.
Also recently, Megi and Candice have both hurt themselves, so, if we can stop having unexpected medical expenses, that'd be great.
I got a decent amount of painting done on the door nameplates over the past few days. Hopefully, I'll get them done soon and get them fully assembled so I can hang them up and actually have another woodworking project I set out to do completed.
Yesterday, Megi managed to somehow knock her door off of two of it's hinges, stripping out the screws and all. Mind you, she's only two and a half years old. We're not sure how she managed it, but in the process of repairing it, I discovered that it had happened before. It was holding up halfway decently, so I'm still not sure how she managed to do it. BUT, in looking at the previous handiwork (along with lots of other repair work the previous owners did to the house), I'm surprised the previous owners made money at being in the contracting business, because he SUCKED at basic home repair stuff. In this case, he used a drywall screw anchor to "fix" the door screws. In other instances, he also used screws that were a quarter of an inch wide (not deep - wide) for hanging pictures on the wall. There's lots more, but I really don't know how the man made money. Then again, maybe he did stuff just good enough that no one realized he was crappy, and he moved because it was getting about time that things might start to fail, so he needed to leave before his reputation would affect his business.
Anyway, that's all I have for this blog. Thanks for reading.
Saturday, February 15, 2014
Today's Agenda 15 Feb 14
I have some plans for this weekend, and if my past is any indication, I'll either do none of them, or get really motivated and do all of them. I don't seem to have a "go at a leisurely speed" setting.
So, what do I have on my list?
(In no particular order)
1) Paint the kids' door nameplate pieces. (I'll probably need to go to the bad place or a craft store to get a few more colors for this project. Last night I bought some clips to screw onto them, so that they can also be used for leaving messages and surprises for the kids, too. I only needed three, and they came two to a pack, but they were on sale for three packs for the price of two, so I have six clips now.
2) Write some more for Forbidden Knowledge.
3) Play some games with Gabe and try to teach him some sportsmanship, and that losing isn't the end of the world.
4) Keep the kids away from Candice so she can get back on her schedule for building the dollhouse she is excited to put together.
5) Finish assembling the nameplates and hang them (See #1 on this list)
6) Go deposit money in the bank towards our furniture fund. After this deposit, we'll be at 44% (including tax) of what we need for the new bed and mattress set we've prioritized as first on our list. With the amount I'm setting aside each paycheck, we'll be getting it a year from now if we don't put any additional deposits in. If we do, we get it sooner. Our goal is to get it for each other for Christmas (and then we'll even be easy to shop for this Christmas as we'll need new sheets, etc. for the new size bed).
7) Remember the other four or five things I had listed out in my head when I sat down to start writing this blog and do them, too...
That's all I have for this blog, thanks for reading.
So, what do I have on my list?
(In no particular order)
1) Paint the kids' door nameplate pieces. (I'll probably need to go to the bad place or a craft store to get a few more colors for this project. Last night I bought some clips to screw onto them, so that they can also be used for leaving messages and surprises for the kids, too. I only needed three, and they came two to a pack, but they were on sale for three packs for the price of two, so I have six clips now.
2) Write some more for Forbidden Knowledge.
3) Play some games with Gabe and try to teach him some sportsmanship, and that losing isn't the end of the world.
4) Keep the kids away from Candice so she can get back on her schedule for building the dollhouse she is excited to put together.
5) Finish assembling the nameplates and hang them (See #1 on this list)
6) Go deposit money in the bank towards our furniture fund. After this deposit, we'll be at 44% (including tax) of what we need for the new bed and mattress set we've prioritized as first on our list. With the amount I'm setting aside each paycheck, we'll be getting it a year from now if we don't put any additional deposits in. If we do, we get it sooner. Our goal is to get it for each other for Christmas (and then we'll even be easy to shop for this Christmas as we'll need new sheets, etc. for the new size bed).
7) Remember the other four or five things I had listed out in my head when I sat down to start writing this blog and do them, too...
That's all I have for this blog, thanks for reading.
Monday, February 10, 2014
More Forbidden Knowledge
So, I cut my finger open yesterday. I was cutting ribs apart to freeze and glanced away for a second while talking and that was all it took. The knife was extremely sharp, and it didn't start bleeding for a while despite being pretty deep. The cleanness of the cut (by that I mean how narrow a cut, not actual cleanliness - I was cutting raw pork ribs after all) allowed me to not need stitches, but rather a benzine glue type substance and steri-strips. Then they put this annoying tube gauze over my finger that I was to leave on for 24 hours (I'm taking it off after I finish typing this since it has been on for around 29 hours how (though, it'd probably be easier to type without it on since it only hurts when I completely straighten out the finger or bump the sore part which is right around the last knuckle on my non-dominant hand's index finger - putting pressure anywhere else is fine).
When I got to Urgent Care, they informed me it'd be two to three hours, so I sent Candice home while I waited so the kids could be put down for their nap, etc. While waiting for so long, I came up with the brilliant idea to <gasp> write. So, I walked down the way to the (literally) corner drug store and bought a new pad and some new mechanical pencils, went back and started writing.
I wrote the first sentence of what is to be Forbidden Knowledge, and it promptly yelled at me that I had written something completely wrong. So I turned the page and started over. by the way, the wrong sentence read "Nathaniel woke from the repeated rapping at his door." It now reads "Nathaniel Scribner opened the doors of the library to the complete disarray inside."
That's all you get for now, but suffice it to say that I now see why the story told me I'd screwed up because it's a much better story the way it is heading now. Did I mention that I now have 5 typed pages? Woo Hoo for me (and the story).
Well, momentum is going for it, but hopefully it doesn't get derailed. I have a tendency not to write when I'm around people I want to be around, which usually means I don't write at home unless they are all busy doing other things and then I might take the time to write.
I have no idea how much more the story has to revel to me and my pencil, but it's fairly exciting to see the words as I write them.
On a related note, my "new" laptop that I salvaged a few weeks back started dying. It was taking me about two hours of getting it to boot/repair startup/etc for every 15 minutes of use. So, I broke down and got a new one. I managed to get a decent one for about $400, but it's a Windows 8 machine. I figured out how to get it to (mostly) behave like a Windows 7 machine, so I can bear to use it. Now I just need to get a new copy of Office (and not that 365 crap - I need to be able to use it when I don't have internet access, too - plus I don't want to have to keep paying for it every month).
Anyway, that's all I have for this post, thanks for reading!
When I got to Urgent Care, they informed me it'd be two to three hours, so I sent Candice home while I waited so the kids could be put down for their nap, etc. While waiting for so long, I came up with the brilliant idea to <gasp> write. So, I walked down the way to the (literally) corner drug store and bought a new pad and some new mechanical pencils, went back and started writing.
I wrote the first sentence of what is to be Forbidden Knowledge, and it promptly yelled at me that I had written something completely wrong. So I turned the page and started over. by the way, the wrong sentence read "Nathaniel woke from the repeated rapping at his door." It now reads "Nathaniel Scribner opened the doors of the library to the complete disarray inside."
That's all you get for now, but suffice it to say that I now see why the story told me I'd screwed up because it's a much better story the way it is heading now. Did I mention that I now have 5 typed pages? Woo Hoo for me (and the story).
Well, momentum is going for it, but hopefully it doesn't get derailed. I have a tendency not to write when I'm around people I want to be around, which usually means I don't write at home unless they are all busy doing other things and then I might take the time to write.
I have no idea how much more the story has to revel to me and my pencil, but it's fairly exciting to see the words as I write them.
On a related note, my "new" laptop that I salvaged a few weeks back started dying. It was taking me about two hours of getting it to boot/repair startup/etc for every 15 minutes of use. So, I broke down and got a new one. I managed to get a decent one for about $400, but it's a Windows 8 machine. I figured out how to get it to (mostly) behave like a Windows 7 machine, so I can bear to use it. Now I just need to get a new copy of Office (and not that 365 crap - I need to be able to use it when I don't have internet access, too - plus I don't want to have to keep paying for it every month).
Anyway, that's all I have for this post, thanks for reading!
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
Forbidden Knowledge
I almost wrote last night. In fact, I
wanted to write last night. But the kids
(or more specifically Megi) insisted I play with them, so I spent quality time
with the kids, which is way more important than progressing on my quest to be a
writer.
Yet
again, the story pulling me towards it is Forbidden Knowledge, so I think I’ll
have to give it some attention soon to keep it from sulking off to a corner of
my mind and dying a lonely death. The
zombie story hasn’t been pulling that strongly lately (or if it has, its
screams have been getting drowned out by the much louder ones from Forbidden
Knowledge. The cover of the book in the
story looks a lot like this in my mind (though the writing shouldn't be nearly as neat):
What I’m curious about, is how the book is dangerous,
exactly. Because the story hasn’t given
my conscious mind a clue yet about how it will be dangerous, which is perhaps
why I’m hearing it call me more than other stories lately.
A friend at work recently gave me a PS2 for our kids (along with
a bunch of games) and a desktop computer.
We hooked the PS2 up this past weekend and got it kind of working (the
controllers seem to have a mind of their own).
We ordered some new games (Katamari Damacy, and a bunch of 80’s classics
so that the kids can start with them and move into the better graphics of
slightly more modern games) and a couple of new controllers. We’ll dole out the games as they behave, and
also will have a new method to try and mold proper behaviors. I’ll probably hook the desktop up this
weekend, and get it connected to the network.
We’ll use it for the kids to do schoolwork until we can’t use it
anymore.
Also with the PS2 bundle was a bunch of “duplicate” games. Not exact duplicates, but previous year
editions of sports games such as Madden Football, etc. We’ll try to sell the older versions, keep
the newest one of each type, and use the money from that to buy new, different
games.
That’s all I have for this entry, thanks for reading!
Friday, January 24, 2014
Writing Update 24 Jan 2014
I have two stories vying for attention at the moment
to be in the next book, which I tentatively plan to call At The Turn Of Midnight.
The Forbidden
Knowledge story keeps popping into my head for some reason. Maybe I should take that as a sign. The latest way it popped into my head was via the main character’s name: Nathaniel Scribner, which seems to fit a
librarian character from the mid-1800s in my mind for some reason. Maybe this weekend I’ll see if this story is
serious about wanting to be written, or if it’s just taunting me with trying to
stay in my mind for some reason.
Of course, at the same time, the untitled zombie
story keeps popping into my mind, though not as intrusively as Forbidden Knowledge. It doesn’t want to be forgotten either (as I
wrote at the end of Vivarium),
but definitely has spoken to me about changing its format from simply a “first
person zombie story” to something more.
I also plan to sit and edit some. My method for self-editing takes two
forms. First, I read each sentence one
at a time in reverse order (since I’m already familiar with the story, this is
the best way to see if each sentence works alone). Then, I’ll just read through and make sure
that no story/plot/character flaws stand out to me.
I need to set a deadline for editing and cover art for
Dark Stories For A Restless Night so
that I’m at least forced into trying to meet it. I’ll have to ponder just when that might need
to be. I imagine it’ll take at least a
good month or two to get both done. And
maybe a month after that to get everything set to pull the trigger on
publishing. Which means I should
probably pick a date about three months before I plan to publish. Whenever that is. Maybe right at the start of summer for the
available online dates? Feedback would
be appreciated.
I’m toying with the idea of using an actual photo
for the cover art, or a “sketch” of the photo.
I’ve found some decent photo to sketch sites. This one does just grayscale: http://www.dumpr.net/sketch.php,
while this one does color sketches: http://www134.lunapic.com/editor/?action=color-sketch. I think our concept is going to be a table
set up for a garage sale or antique store with items related to each story on
it. This stems from the story Mary’s Painting in the book where she
buys a painting from an antique store that leads to the story line. I’m not sure what item would be there from
each story yet, but I like the idea. I
just don’t know which might prove to be better - a sketch of “live” photo.
There
are eight stories in Dark Stories For A
Restless Night. Some stories lend themselves easily to what the item or
items on the table could be, while others aren’t so easily. Here’s a listing of the stories included in
the book:
Mary's Painting - A woman buys more than she expects when
she purchases a painting on a whim
Sins of the Father - A priest defends the mission he presides
over
The Fall - A young boy awakens after a bad accident
while playing
Darkness - A group sets out on a rescue mission in
the Mexican jungles and finds themselves at peril
Cat's Eye View - Find out why cats behave the way they do
The Viewing - Witness the last days of life on a
distant planet
The Journey - A man travels exestentially through the
cosmos
Un-Separation - A man's unhappy and unexpected reunion
with his wife
That’s all the news directly related to my writing
projects. There has been some that
affects my ability to write. This past
week saw me lose my laptop. It also saw
me figure out a way to salvage a laptop from two unusable laptops. I took the hard drive from my most recent
laptop that won’t even power up any more and put it in the older laptop that
wouldn’t boot up completely and system restore couldn’t fix. I was able to get system restore to reset the
newer hard drive’s software to work in the new laptop, but also had to
reinstall any software that I use regularly like Microsoft Office. Fortunately, I still had one more install
available for my last Office purchase.
That is all of the writing related news. For those of you that are interested in other
stuff, feel free to read on.
In the past few weeks, everyone in the house has
gotten sick in some way or another. Gabe
and Candice have both gotten strep.
Grandma has some mystery illness but hasn’t gone to the doctor about it
yet. Donna and Megi got a stomach bug
that saw them both throwing up. Poor
Megi was throwing up for the first time and was terrified. And I had an intestinal bug the other night. I’m hoping that the girls and I don’t catch
the strep that is making its way through our family.
That’s all I have for this entry. Thanks for reading!
Sunday, January 19, 2014
Vivarium
Well, yesterday, my laptop overheated. I let it cool down and started it up again so I could shut it down properly. After that, it wouldn't even entertain the though of turning on again. This is very frustrating, because the budget doesn't have any room to get a new laptop or have a major repair of this one. I have a friend who is going to look at it and let me know just how bad it is. Hopefully, he can get it where it'll at least start again and all I'll have to pay for is a fan and give him some Guinness beer for his time and effort (assuming it's not a major job). In the mean time, however, I have to share Candice's computer with her and find other things to do with my time. Maybe this is a sign I should actually get to my "second job" of being an author.
Also, last night, we finally set up the vivarium we've had for nearly a year now that was just collecting dust. Today, we went and got frogs for it. Since they're nocturnal creatures, we decided to name them after night related gods. We've named them Morpheus, Nyx, and Apollo. Morpheus is the god of dreams. Nyx is the goddess of night. And Apollo rides across the sky in a chariot when morning arises. They are all green tree frogs for us to get the hang of it. At $5 each, it's not so bad if we fail with them as it would be if they were the red eye tree frogs that run about $50 each.
Eventually, we'll have the other kind (or something cooler). We'll probably not stop there, either, but we will probably slow down on new pet acquisitions for a while, if for no other reason than the budget won't allow for it.
Candice hasn't been motivated to create lately, so hopefully the new creatures might inspire her a bit.
That, or they'll keep us up all night barking and we'll both lose all creative drive from sleep deprivation.
Here's some pictures of the froggies:
And the vivarium (the first two are from just before we finished setting it up):
To be honest, we haven't done a single thing towards editing or cover design in over a week and a half. Don't worry, though, we will still have the book out this year one way or another, and it should be available in the store you get your e-books from. I have a page or so written on the zombie story, and it is starting to morph into being told multiple different ways within the story itself. I think there will be excerpts from several different writing sources (scientific documents, personal correspondence, news stories, etc) that when combined in the right order, will tell the basic story. Don't worry, part of it is still indeed first person point of view from at least one of the zombies. I'm not sure how it will all play out yet, though. And to be sure, that's the way I prefer it. If I know where the story will lead before I get there, I will lose interest in it and not actually write it.
Anyway, that's all I have for this blog post at this time. Have a nice day and thanks for reading!
Also, last night, we finally set up the vivarium we've had for nearly a year now that was just collecting dust. Today, we went and got frogs for it. Since they're nocturnal creatures, we decided to name them after night related gods. We've named them Morpheus, Nyx, and Apollo. Morpheus is the god of dreams. Nyx is the goddess of night. And Apollo rides across the sky in a chariot when morning arises. They are all green tree frogs for us to get the hang of it. At $5 each, it's not so bad if we fail with them as it would be if they were the red eye tree frogs that run about $50 each.
Eventually, we'll have the other kind (or something cooler). We'll probably not stop there, either, but we will probably slow down on new pet acquisitions for a while, if for no other reason than the budget won't allow for it.
Candice hasn't been motivated to create lately, so hopefully the new creatures might inspire her a bit.
That, or they'll keep us up all night barking and we'll both lose all creative drive from sleep deprivation.
Here's some pictures of the froggies:
Nyx (The small one)
Morpheus (Adventurous)
Apollo (Shy)
And the vivarium (the first two are from just before we finished setting it up):
To be honest, we haven't done a single thing towards editing or cover design in over a week and a half. Don't worry, though, we will still have the book out this year one way or another, and it should be available in the store you get your e-books from. I have a page or so written on the zombie story, and it is starting to morph into being told multiple different ways within the story itself. I think there will be excerpts from several different writing sources (scientific documents, personal correspondence, news stories, etc) that when combined in the right order, will tell the basic story. Don't worry, part of it is still indeed first person point of view from at least one of the zombies. I'm not sure how it will all play out yet, though. And to be sure, that's the way I prefer it. If I know where the story will lead before I get there, I will lose interest in it and not actually write it.
Anyway, that's all I have for this blog post at this time. Have a nice day and thanks for reading!
Monday, January 13, 2014
Coincidence, A sign, or Just Annoying?
The story I'm currently working on is a first person zombie tale. It begins with the first death scene from Darkness, though there is no need to read Darkness before it. It will stand alone. the connection is just a nice tie-in between stories, where the villain from one story is also the cause of the situation in the other story. There are a few clues in Darkness, but not reading one or the other wouldn't leave you feeling like you missed something. (Darkness will be in my upcoming book Dark Stories For A Restless Night.)
The story doesn't have a title yet, not even a working one. It's still in early writing phase. For most of my stories, I have at most a vague idea of what is going to happen, if that, and I let the words for the story as they flow off my pencil.
That being said, though, I jotted down an idea back in October when Candice and I were listening to The Shining in anticipation of the new Doctor Sleep book by Stephen King. It simply read "Not all books should be opened. Not all knowledge should be gained." It was inspired by a quick blurb when Jack found the scrapbook in the basement of the Overlook and something told him not to open the book because not all books should be opened.
After that, I proceeded to write a few paragraphs from that, and even got a general idea of where it might go. I never typed it up, and came across the idea a month later, but not the start of the story that I'd written, so I started it again. Suffice it to say, none of those ever got typed up even as a place marker to start writing the story. In the past week, I've come across the idea again, as well as each of the handwritten pages that start the story. It's very odd that they would keep popping in front of me at different times.
It makes me wonder if it's a sign that I should be working on that story, if it's just coincidence, or if it's just annoying. Anyway, I've typed them up and at least saved them so that I can work on them later. Here's the first few paragraphs, let me know what you think of the opening:
Preface
Not all books should be opened. Not all knowledge should be gained. I know this now, but I’d have considered those words blasphemous for a librarian to utter even a year ago.
Back then, I ravenously fed on all knowledge and reading. I cherished any ancient text that my hungry brain could come across. To me, there was no concept even of forbidden knowledge.
But now I know better. Now I know that some knowledge should be forbidden.
That's the preface and likely the tag lines for the story. I'm not sure if I'll switch over to writing more on it now, or if I'll wait, or if I'll split time between the two.
If I keep coming across "signs" to write more on the "Forbidden Knowledge" project, I might have to finally take notice that I'm meant to work on it before my first person zombie story (even though it is finally starting to come to the surface).
As for the zombie story, the preface (as I mentioned earlier) appears in a slightly different form in Darkness. Then, when I start telling the story, it's in the form of a letter from the main character. I'm thinking about including pictures of the scrawl along with the typed text to show just how unreadable it is, since it is being written by someone with very little control over their muscles. What I don't know is if that is just a quick blurb of a story that'll be followed by a separate, bigger zombie story, or if it'll lead to a bigger story within the one I'm already writing.
Other projects waiting in the writing wing include my vampire story where Josef Mengele is the vampire and retells history from that aspect. Since Josef is the main character in it, I have to find a way to make him more sympathetic, while at the same time still a horrendously horrible person from history. I also have a werewolf story brewing in my head too, so that it appears like a big portion of the second book might be my takes on some classic horror genres.
Either way, it all seems to be coming together as long as I can keep motivated.
On a different front, here are some season and half-season premier dates we're looking forward to in the near future:
Face Off - 14 Jan 2014
Walking Dead - 9 Feb 2014
Whose Line Is It Anyway? - 21 Mar 2014
That's all I have for this entry. Thanks for reading.
The story doesn't have a title yet, not even a working one. It's still in early writing phase. For most of my stories, I have at most a vague idea of what is going to happen, if that, and I let the words for the story as they flow off my pencil.
That being said, though, I jotted down an idea back in October when Candice and I were listening to The Shining in anticipation of the new Doctor Sleep book by Stephen King. It simply read "Not all books should be opened. Not all knowledge should be gained." It was inspired by a quick blurb when Jack found the scrapbook in the basement of the Overlook and something told him not to open the book because not all books should be opened.
After that, I proceeded to write a few paragraphs from that, and even got a general idea of where it might go. I never typed it up, and came across the idea a month later, but not the start of the story that I'd written, so I started it again. Suffice it to say, none of those ever got typed up even as a place marker to start writing the story. In the past week, I've come across the idea again, as well as each of the handwritten pages that start the story. It's very odd that they would keep popping in front of me at different times.
It makes me wonder if it's a sign that I should be working on that story, if it's just coincidence, or if it's just annoying. Anyway, I've typed them up and at least saved them so that I can work on them later. Here's the first few paragraphs, let me know what you think of the opening:
Preface
Not all books should be opened. Not all knowledge should be gained. I know this now, but I’d have considered those words blasphemous for a librarian to utter even a year ago.
Back then, I ravenously fed on all knowledge and reading. I cherished any ancient text that my hungry brain could come across. To me, there was no concept even of forbidden knowledge.
But now I know better. Now I know that some knowledge should be forbidden.
That's the preface and likely the tag lines for the story. I'm not sure if I'll switch over to writing more on it now, or if I'll wait, or if I'll split time between the two.
If I keep coming across "signs" to write more on the "Forbidden Knowledge" project, I might have to finally take notice that I'm meant to work on it before my first person zombie story (even though it is finally starting to come to the surface).
As for the zombie story, the preface (as I mentioned earlier) appears in a slightly different form in Darkness. Then, when I start telling the story, it's in the form of a letter from the main character. I'm thinking about including pictures of the scrawl along with the typed text to show just how unreadable it is, since it is being written by someone with very little control over their muscles. What I don't know is if that is just a quick blurb of a story that'll be followed by a separate, bigger zombie story, or if it'll lead to a bigger story within the one I'm already writing.
Other projects waiting in the writing wing include my vampire story where Josef Mengele is the vampire and retells history from that aspect. Since Josef is the main character in it, I have to find a way to make him more sympathetic, while at the same time still a horrendously horrible person from history. I also have a werewolf story brewing in my head too, so that it appears like a big portion of the second book might be my takes on some classic horror genres.
Either way, it all seems to be coming together as long as I can keep motivated.
On a different front, here are some season and half-season premier dates we're looking forward to in the near future:
Face Off - 14 Jan 2014
Walking Dead - 9 Feb 2014
Whose Line Is It Anyway? - 21 Mar 2014
Game of Thrones - 6 Apr 2014
That's all I have for this entry. Thanks for reading.
Sunday, January 12, 2014
Has It Been Six Years Already?
Six years ago today, I went out to meet a fellow hobbyist (http://www.wheresgeorge.com/) in downtown Denver. We'd "met" online previously on the forums, but after realizing we lived somewhat near each other, we decided to meet.
Just over six months later, we got married. I haven't been happier in my adult life, and I also have three wonderful (though often obnoxious) kids that bring a smile to my face most days.
Here's to sixty more years!
Today, we plan to make some jam for the book fair at Gabe's school that comes up the first two weeks of February. Candice is one of the driving forces for it, and works most of the nights it happens. Several times throughout it, they have a bake sale to raise more funds. This year, we plan to have jam as our contribution those nights.
I need to write more towards my next story. I haven't really added much of anything to it since last weekend, and then I only added a couple of paragraphs.
Just over six months later, we got married. I haven't been happier in my adult life, and I also have three wonderful (though often obnoxious) kids that bring a smile to my face most days.
Here's to sixty more years!
Today, we plan to make some jam for the book fair at Gabe's school that comes up the first two weeks of February. Candice is one of the driving forces for it, and works most of the nights it happens. Several times throughout it, they have a bake sale to raise more funds. This year, we plan to have jam as our contribution those nights.
I need to write more towards my next story. I haven't really added much of anything to it since last weekend, and then I only added a couple of paragraphs.
Thursday, January 2, 2014
Close To Completion
Today, I finished handwriting the last of the latest short story I was working on for the book coming out this year some time. It was five pages and my thumb joint jot a cramp near the end, but it was worth it. I still have to type it up and polish it up some, but it ended itself pretty well. I haven't decided yet whether to attempt to write the companion story for this story before putting out this book or have it be the first story I write for the next book. It'll probably depend on how well the writing attempt goes before I make the decision.
For now, my biggest decision will be what to title the first book of short stories. I originally had one thing in mind, then another. Now, I'm leaning towards Dark Stories For A Restless Night. I might think of something more awe-inspiring later.
For now, the book consists of the following stories (And a quick blurb about each):
Mary's Painting - A woman buys more than she expects when she purchases a painting on a whim
Sins of the Father - A priest defends the mission he presides over
The Fall - A young boy awakens after a bad accident while playing
Darkness - A group sets out on a rescue mission in the Mexican jungles and finds themselves at peril
Cat's Eye View - Find out why cats behave the way they do
The Viewing - Witness the last days of life on a distant planet
The Journey - A man travels exestentially through the cosmos
Un-Separation - A man's unhappy and unexpected reunion with his wife
That's all I have for this entry, thanks for reading.
For now, my biggest decision will be what to title the first book of short stories. I originally had one thing in mind, then another. Now, I'm leaning towards Dark Stories For A Restless Night. I might think of something more awe-inspiring later.
For now, the book consists of the following stories (And a quick blurb about each):
Mary's Painting - A woman buys more than she expects when she purchases a painting on a whim
Sins of the Father - A priest defends the mission he presides over
The Fall - A young boy awakens after a bad accident while playing
Darkness - A group sets out on a rescue mission in the Mexican jungles and finds themselves at peril
Cat's Eye View - Find out why cats behave the way they do
The Viewing - Witness the last days of life on a distant planet
The Journey - A man travels exestentially through the cosmos
Un-Separation - A man's unhappy and unexpected reunion with his wife
That's all I have for this entry, thanks for reading.
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
Connections
Today I created my author page on Facebook (It already has 74 likes in around 5 hours! Thanks), so I have most of the social media outlets covered in case anyone actually reads my book and decides to "follow" me. Here's the list of ways to follow or connect with me so far. Let me know if there's any other ones I've missed that are mainstream enough to be considered (i.e. not MySpace):
Connect with Me
Connect with Me
Follow me on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/TAllanBishop
Follow me on Twitter:
@TAllanBishop
Follow my blog: http://anblicksanamorphosis.blogspot.com/
I’m also on Tumblr: http://tallanbishop.tumblr.com/
Favorite me at Smashwords (This will be the publisher for all the sites other than Kindle):
https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/TAllanBishop
Find me on Google +: http://plus.google.com/+TimBishopTAllanBishop
Sunday, December 29, 2013
Putting more squiggly lines on the paper
Well, I worked Mid Shifts (overnights, 3rd shifts, etc. for those of you not familiar with the term) for two nights at the end of this week, and hoped that it would result in writing some of my story. Instead what I found was that Mid Shifts are not at all conducive to writing. They are not conducive to any creative thought, unless it's the ones that keep you awake when you're TRYING to go to sleep instead of trying to stay awake. Well, aside from that, I did get a few hundred more words written towards Darkness.
I hope to write some more towards it later today or tonight. Either way, I did at least make progress towards finishing it.
On the non-writing front, we got the curtain rod and curtains for Megi's room today when we went out for a flag pole. I'll likely hang them this week some time, which will leave paint touch-up, painting doors (both closet and main bedroom door, carpet cleanup, and moving in the dressers which we will likely sand and re-stain after the weather turns warmer (April time frame). I'm not sure what the next actual project is for getting the house the way we want it, but I suspect it'll become the master bedroom.
Anyway, that's all I have for this blog, thanks for reading.
I hope to write some more towards it later today or tonight. Either way, I did at least make progress towards finishing it.
On the non-writing front, we got the curtain rod and curtains for Megi's room today when we went out for a flag pole. I'll likely hang them this week some time, which will leave paint touch-up, painting doors (both closet and main bedroom door, carpet cleanup, and moving in the dressers which we will likely sand and re-stain after the weather turns warmer (April time frame). I'm not sure what the next actual project is for getting the house the way we want it, but I suspect it'll become the master bedroom.
Anyway, that's all I have for this blog, thanks for reading.
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