How busy

Daily Goal: 500 words.
I wrote 0 words.
Sundays/Stories Finished: 9/0.

How busy I have been. Each evening for four days straight I've thought, I really ought to update my blog, even if I have written nothing, but then I've just crawled into bed instead.

This week will be more of the same, but then next week does look like it will brighten a bit, or so I hope.

I have managed to read a few pages every now and then from The Name of the Wind, by Patrick Rothfuss. I have borrowed the two first novels in the series from my brother-in-law and they will be due back at the library soon. I hope to finish the first one before I have to return them, but the second will have to wait. The novel is great so far: an easy and engaging read.

My writing has been put on standstill for the time being. So much so that my blog has even been neglected. I do hope that this is only a temporary hiatus and that soon the daily goals and blog updates will be met with time to spare, but this week at least looks very busy.

An idea for a story

Daily Goal: 500 words.
I wrote 0 words.
Sundays/Stories Finished: 8/0.

I got an idea for a story today. A good idea, I think, enough for a novel. The story itself is simple and has been done before - haven't they all - but the particulars are new and enticing enough to make me want to write it. So I assume people would want to read it.

I wrote the idea down, so I guess I could have written 100 words written today above, but I don't think it ought to count. The important thing is that I wrote it down. I wonder how many ideas like this have gone, because of my overevaluation of my memory. Do remember that ideas aren't worth anything. They are a dime a dozen. An idea that catches your attention and makes you want to write, however, is a valuable thing. Not because of some intrinsic value it has, that you could sell to a tv-network or anything like that, but because it might just make you turn of the tv and get you writing.

I'll flesh out the details and post the idea here, in some future instalment, if I still like it in a day or two.

First roleplaying session

Daily Goal: 500 words.
I wrote 0 words.
Sundays/Stories Finished: 8/0.

The first roleplaying session was today. Since it was our first session much of the evening went with finishing touches on characters and introduction, but we did manage to get into a fight or two and start on some plot. The group is friendly and the evening was nice. I look forward to the next session already.

Still in the roleplaying mood, I feel like reading some fantasy the rest of the evening. Writing will have to wait. Tomorrow looks busy, but who knows if I can't manage to write a few words before then.

The Name of the Wind

Daily Goal: 500 words.
I wrote 0 words.
Sundays/Stories Finished: 8/0.

I have missed two days, both writing and updating the blog. Days now are terribly, terribly busy. I feel defeated and beaten every evening when the chores are done, like I've been in a fight, and not one where I was the victor.

Things are looking good on the reading side of things, however. After a long, tough day reading seems to be the appealing option if I find an hour for myself. I am getting deeper into The Name of the Wind, by Patrick Rothfuss. The novel is quite spellbinding. I particularily like the way Rothfuss has built the mythology of the setting and the way he tells it. There is a 'mythic method' to his storytelling that sets him apart, I think.

Tomorrow is the big day. The first of our roleplaying sessions. I hope I have more energy tomorrow. My character feels ready to try out, although I still need to finish a few details (I need to read the rules about initiative, as well as decide upon which feat to pick).

As far as writing goes the future looks grim indeed. My schedule is so busy I started writing out things to complain about, but soon realized I wouldn't have time and space to list it all here. I am at the point where I just have to hope for some kind of unexpected free time to pop up and find me with pen and paper in hand.

Writing asides

Daily Goal: 500 words.
I wrote 100 words.
Sundays/Stories Finished: 8/0.

I didn't touch my short story today. I got a little idea that I'd like to write up on another blog and I quickly got a hundred words down on paper. The short story is still waiting for a final editor's eye. It could really use it sooner rather than later, because I hope to post it for review somewhere and feedback might take some time. I can't attend to it, however, if I don't have an hour or so of free time to do it. I don't think the final edit, before I have a finished draft, is something to do during bathroom breaks.

The first session of the role playing game I meantioned some time ago is drawing near. I have had an hour of free time today, but instead of using it on the short story I used it on preparing my character. I'll play a barbarian who I based on Severian, from Gene Wolfe's The Book of the New Sun. I don't think I would have used the hour to edit, even if I didn't have to prepare for the game. I have just been so tired today it was either preparing the character or reading The Name of the Wind.

My brother-in-law is the one who recomended the book, and lent it to me. I haven't been to a university class for a long time. It will be nice to finally be able to discuss a novel with someone, after reading it, instead of boring one's wife with countless synopses in desperation.

I should head towards bed now, but I am not that sleepy yet - tired, sure, but not sleepy. I might take a look at the short story after I finish this update.

Reading a new novel

Daily Goal: 500 words.
I wrote 0 words.
Sundays/Stories Finished: 8/0.

I have had no time for the story today. Nor does the rest of the week look like it has much free time for writing. I feel exhausted already just thinking about how much I have to do.

I have halted reading A Confederacy of Dunces and started reading The Name of the Wind, by Patrick Rothfuss. The first was insanely funny, but I barely glanced at it when I had some spare time. The pace was just slowing down. It is a great novel and I plan on finishing it. I just guess I am not really that psyched for humor at the moment.

The Name of the Wind has quite the opposite effect. I long for the next chapter already, even though I have read four chapter tonight. The writing is exquisite in places and a little lacking in others. Chapter One was a polished gem. It sucked you in and gave you a warm welcome. Chapter two I was almost looking for my red pen ready to underline places I'd edit, but just when I thought that would be the standard for the rest of the novel, chapter three turns out surprisingly well written.

So I think I'll stick with it. It is a new fantasy novel, from 2007. The sequel is already out and the last novel of the planned trilogy will be out shortly.

Still editing

Daily Goal: 500 words.
I wrote 0 words.
Sundays/Stories Finished: 8/0.

I typed the rest of the story in today and I think I need at least one more day of editing before I am ready to post it online for review. I feel a bit better about the story now than I did yesterday, but I still think it needs a bit of work before I am comfortable with it.

I was also planning on reading some similar stories from authors that I love, but I don't know if right now is the correct time to start that process (if there ever is a correct time).

Life in general is busy. The days are very long and tough. The first few hours of free time I just sit and relax: watch TV or chat with my wife. It takes some time before I get any urge to work or write or do something productive.

Reading has also slowed down considerable in the last week. I don't know if it is due to the novel I am currently reading, or if it has to do with fatigue.

The editor emerges

Daily Goal: 500 words.
I wrote 0 words.
Sundays/Stories Finished: 8/0.

Today was a busy day. My wife was at work, with me the stay at home dad. I was tired, my wife was tired and the baby was tired, but still eager to climb everything in reach and therefore in need of constant supervision.

I am still in the process of typing in the story. The editor in me is having serious issues with what I am typing in. I probably have to keep him in check until I have heard from some reader. The ending scene is the story. Everything up till that point kind of just feels like filler. Although I have written a couple of good episodes, I think, it just reads as if nothing is happening except a slow build-up to the action.

I might have to cut everything but the ending, but the ending is easily a 1000 or 1500 word story by itself, so that shouldn't be a problem. Plenty of magazines are looking for stories in that range. My plan is to wait and see, however, until I've heard some reader response.

Wife going back to work

Daily Goal: 500 words.
I wrote 2-300 words.
Sundays/Stories Finished: 8/0.

I never managed to post an update yesterday and today I'll have to make a fast update so I can get some sleep. I have had two stabs at an ending for the story. I have also started to type it in. The process I hope to get done tomorrow is to type it in and then do a quick edit before I get someone else to take a look at it.

My wife is starting work again tomorrow. Me and the baby will have 8 or 9 hours or fun together. I am sure I will be full of energy to write after that ordeal. It will be hard, but I think I'll manage. How I'll fit in writing with the wife working again I don't know.

I've written a little short flash fiction thing yesterday. I didn't have any good ideas on how to end the story, so I just ended up writing something else. It was just a short little funny scene.

Ending is hard

Daily Goal: 500 words.
I wrote 50 words.
Sundays/Stories Finished: 7/0.

I didn't post an update here yesterday. The 50 words mentioned above I wrote yesterday and should have been part of that tally.

The 50 words were an attempt at the ending of the short story. I don't think it worked. I want to write a beautiful ending where I somehow comunicate the protagonist's epiphany to the reader. I want a ending like Joyce's "The Dead" or Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. What I got is an ending that sounds like someone trying to write like Joyce or Fitzgerald.

I went to bed sleeping on it yesterday. I think I had some ideas in the morning, but I didn't write them down. Now they are gone. I will sleep on it again tonight. In 8 hours or so my daughter will wake up and whatever I have thought up during the night will have to contend with her for my attention. Needless to say, if I don't jot it down during the night it will never find its way onto paper.

The ending doesn't have to be that stellar. I just want something original. There are a few moments in the story where I think I write something worthwhile. I figure it needs a worthwhile ending as well, not just a failed attempt at fancy prose filled with cliches.

Writing on the bus

Daily Goal: 500 words.
I wrote 320 words.
Sundays/Stories Finished: 7/0.

My plans for writing today went bust when I got a phonecall from a friend, with plans for card playing followed by a movie. I arived very late for the card game, the baby was determined to stay up late, but I got there and we went to see Taken 2 afterwards.

I thought, however, after I looked at my route online and found it included a 25 minute bus ride, that I would bring my legal pad, just in case. The result was the 320 words mentioned above.

The story is not quite finished, but almost. I cracked open the final, dreaded scene. Although I haven't read it through yet, I think I got it to work. Now I just need a paragraph or two to end the story. I think I want the protagonist to have a realisation, a true Joycean epiphany.

I'll sleep on it tonight and I hope to complete the draft tomorrow.

The story on hold for a day

Daily Goal: 500 words.
I wrote 0 words.
Sundays/Stories Finished: 7/0.

I should have finished the story today. I got a break in the middle of the day, when the wife took the baby out to see a friend, but I relaxed and read up on roleplaying.

The roleplaying group met for the first time today and our first session might be in a week already. I looks like it is going to be great fun. I hope the baby will stay healthy and sleep soundly whenever we meet. I can't imagine it will be popular if I'll have to rush home or cancel at the last minute. Everyone of us has busy schedules and it takes quite some effort, I imagine, for us all to plan a meet.

The short story has taken a break for a day, but I hope to get the draft finished tomorrow. My wife is planning another trip with the baby, so there might be ample opportunity. If not, I should still hopefully have enough energy in the evening to finish the last page or two of the draft.

Goal met, I think

Daily Goal: 500 words.
I wrote 500 words.
Sundays/Stories Finished: 7/0.

I think I wrote about 500 words today. I did a rough estimate (about eight words per line, 69 lines, five striked out) and although I might have written more than 500, I'll round down in case I overestimate my productivity again.

It is the last scene of the story. I am almost finished with it. A few more paragraphs and I will be ready to start the next part of the process of writing a short story. Now I hope and expect that I can have a finished product by next Sunday. Sometimes, however, editing can drag out. Sometimes stories can even die during the revision process.

I have created a character for the roleplaying game that a few friends and I are planning to start. There might be a meet tomorrow and I hope to get one more idea for a character, so I will have some choice to think about.

A little snippet from the story

Daily Goal: 500 words.
I wrote 400 words.
Sundays/Stories Finished: 7/0.

I haven't written the final scene of my story yet, but I have written everything up to that point. A first draft of everything up to the scene, mind you, there is still plenty of editing to do.

I have kept every darling in the draft. There are lines and even paragraphs that have to be dropped that I know of, but I will leave everything in for now.

I wrote yesterday that I probably wouldn't be posting the story here. That doesn't mean that I won't be posting snippets. I wrote a little passage today that I thought you might enjoy (still writing on my Galaxy Tab and don't have many features available, so I will just post the quote in italics):

_John fished out a small metal box hidden behind some books on the bookstand by his bed. Stickers covered the box and "Top Secret" was written in bold, black letters on the top with a felt pen. Inside were a dozen items, heavy with memories enough for a dozen stories each. In this story, John pocketed a matchbox before carefully hiding away the box again_

Writing it again it seems I could thighten the passage, but I think it has potential to read quite well. Suggestions and comments are always much appreciated.

Birthday

Daily Goal: 500 words.
I wrote 100 words.
Sundays/Stories Finished: 6/0.

My birthday was yesterday. My plan was to write something and update the blog and then brag about being more industrious than Stephen King, who doesn't write on his birthday. I didn't write anything, went tired to bed without a blog update, and I am, of course, no where near as industrious as Stephen King.

I did write something today, but I haven't mad a count. I think it wasn't more than a couple of paragraphs, so 100 words should be a good guess.

I keep adding to the story. I keep nearing the goal of a finished draft. There is this one crucial scene that is the crux of the story and I haven't written a word of it yet. There are a few sentences and a number of words I know I want to use that have been circling in my mind for probably a month now. It is a bit daunting getting close to that scene (the end of the short story), but exciting too. Everything seems to hinge on getting that ending right.

I don't know if I will post the story here. I should and I will with other stories, but I might skip this one. Once the draft is finished, however, I will let you know the process of editing and how that goes, as well as the process of sending it in for consideration somewhere and getting a rejection slip.

An unexpected break for writing

Daily Goal: 500 words.
I wrote 338 words.
Sundays/Stories Finished: 6/0.

Despite the accuracy, I didn't type anything today. It was all written in longhand. I had to count, because for a while I thought I might have broken the 500 mark. Imagine my disapointment when the tally only got to 338 words. Two large sections where I had crossed out and rewritten several sentences tricked me in my initial estimate.

338 words are better than nothing. My girl took an unusually long nap today. I took a nap too, as I usually do when she sleeps, but I got up after half an hour and thought that she would wake up any minute. More than an hour later I was still writing, enjoying an unexpected break. My wife and I got our payback tonight, however, the baby had no plans on keeping to our usual schedule and putting her to sleep was a two-hour ordeal (with waking up three times in the next three hours afterwards, as she usually does, thrown in; but she is usually easy to lull back to sleep during those interuptions).

So I am tired, as usual. I am finishing my blog and I plan to, stupidly, waste half an hour of good sleep and read a chapter or two in _A Confederacy of Dunces_ before I go to bed. I am liking the book so far. It is very funny and I love the effort John Kennedy Toole has put into dialects - something I wouldn't have the skill or patience to do myself. It really makes the characters jump out from the page much faster if you can tell them apart when they speak.

Chores and plans for roleplaying

Daily Goal: 500 words.
I wrote 0 words.
Sundays/Stories Finished: 6/0.

I didn't write anything today. There never really was any time for it. Suddenly it's late and I have to update the blog and prepare for bed. The day wasn't overly busy. Instead, what free time there would be was just scheduled for other things than writing (chores around the apartment) and there is where it went.

I might write something if I have the energy after this, which then will appear in tomorrows tally. I do, however, suspect that I will just read something instead. Hopefully, I'll at least manage to read over the short story.

A group of friends are talking about getting a roleplaying game going. It will only be an evening every other week, so it should be no hinderance to either writing or blogging. Who knows if there might not be some inspiration to harvest from roleplaying sessions that could help with the abysmal stats above (words written and stories finished).

Almost met the goal today

Daily Goal: 500 words.
I wrote 400 words.
Sundays/Stories Finished: 6/0.

There are several good news: I wrote, I almost managed my goal, still developing the same story, it is getting there. There are a few bad news as well: I am still writing and rewriting the first few scenes, the set-up, the character introductions, and the opening dialogue. I never seem to get to the ending.

Whenever I get a chance to write, I have had a few days break and have reflected on the written passages. So when I do pick up the pen and pad again, I start rewriting and editing, instead of continuing on.

I think I will three more sessions like today before I see a finished draft. In order to get there, I need to continue from where I have left the story. No more edits until the draft is finished.

In other news, I feel quite good. I didn't update the blog last night. In fact, when the time came for updating the blog I had already been asleep for a few hours. My wife was out with her sowing circle. I, naturally, had great writing and reading plans, but around 9 o'clock I got tired and had a great idea: I'll just go to bed and get a decent night's sleep for once.

Started reading a new novel

Daily Goal: 500 words.
I wrote 0 words.
Sundays/Stories Finished: 6/0.

Today turned into another busy day. I hoped to get some writing done, but this is literally the first free minute I have in front of a keyboard and it is already bedtime.

I have started reading _A Confederacy of Dunces_, by Joohn Kennedy Toole (I think I go that right). The novel is outrageously funny so far, filled with crazy characters and colorful dialogue.

I hope that tomorrow affrods a little time to write. I would love to pick up on the story I was working on. I think I can get a draft finished with only a few hours work and then I would finally have some writing to show you guys. It is a sad blog about writing, that never has a word written.

Finished Stoner and the end of Viking-con

Daily Goal: 500 words.
I wrote 0 words.
Sundays/Stories Finished 5/0.

That's it for Viking-con this year. The event will finish tomorrow, but I don't think I will attend the last day. I didn't win any T-shirt this year, but it has been fun.

Tomorrow I would like to write something when the baby hs gone to sleep, but I know that I am a little short on sleep this weekend, so I will probably be exhausted when she finally goes to sleep tomorrow. I am exhausted already, just driving on fumes now that I am back from the convention, before I get my 6 hours of sleep (if I am lucky).

I finished _Stoner_, by John Williams. What a wonderful, wonderful book, a sad, haunting tale, written in sparse, beautiful prose. I will definetly make a longer review if I get the time. My first priority is, however, still to finish a short story.

Viking-con

Daily Goal: 500 words.
I wrote 0 words.
Sundays/Stories Finished: 5/0.

Today was the first day of Viking-con, so my free time was spent playing board games. It was fun. We played three rounds of Dominion, a deck building game. I won one round, came second once, and finished third (out of four) once, but it wasn't enough to land me in the final.

If you win a competition you get a T-shirt. I have two of them and hope to win another this year. I plan on playing Agricola, a worker placement game, tomorrow. Hopefully, I will land a T-shirt then.

All this means, however, that there will not be much writing done. I really feel like I wold have written something this weekend if it weren't for the convention. I mean that this weekend hadn't been spent reading, if I had nothing better to do. I hope this feeling will stay for a while, so perhaps I could get some writing done next week.

Gaming convention

Daily Goal: 500 words.
I wrote 0 words.
Sundays/Stories Fiinished: 5/0.

I had an urge to write today, but I let it pass. Instead I used the time to plan my weekend at Viking-con, a Danish gaming convention. Not writing when the urge is there is perhaps not something new, but doing it when I have the time to write is something I seldom do.

Most often I feel, after a long day, that the urge to read is much stronger than the urge to write. Hopefully, that is something that will change from month to month and there will come productive periods in the future.

I look forward to the gaming convention. It will be a very busy weekend. I will, of course, still have the baby to think about from 7 in the morning to 7 in the evening, but instead of reading for a few hours after that (and then complaining here about not writing) I'll be playing boardgames and getting much to little sleep.

A busy day of not writing

Daily Goal: 500 words.
I wrote 0 words.
Sundays/Stories Finished: 5/0.

Today flew by. It was busy and scheduled. I had trouble even finding time to read one chapter of _Stoner_, never mind finding time to write.

This month will be busy and short if things stay the same. I fear I will be writing 8/0 soon. There have been quite a few days now where I have not read or written anything on the short story I was working on. I hope it is not iretrievably lost.

I am dead tired, so I will finish the blog and try to get some sleep. Reading one more chapter of _Stoner_ is tempting, but I know I'll be nodding sleepily over the text in a little while if I do.

Reading Stoner instead of finding time to write

Daily Goal: 500 words.
I wrote 0 words.
Sundays/Stories Finished: 5/0.

Today has been another long, yet unproductive, day. I could have easily scrambeled together an hour to write in, but I spent what free time I have had reading. The novel I am currently reading is _Stoner_ by John Williams. It is remarkable. I feel like reading a life story of a person I could have been and as I progress beyond Stoner's 35th year, it seems as if I am reading an alternate future for myself.

The only difference, of course, is that the eponymous protagonist of the novel has been able to write and publish a book, while at the pace things are going at my end, I'll be lucky if I ever manage to finish a short story.

Tomorrow is book with family and a gaming convention, Viking-con, will fill the coming weekend. It does not bode well for writing, but I'll at least try to write the blog each day and hopefully manage to keep the story alive that I am (was) working on.

Visiting the grandparents

Daily Goal: 500 words.
I wrote 0 words.
Sundays/Stories Finished: 5/0.

Today proved dreadfully, dreadfully busy again. A sign of the month to come, I hope not. Commuting from home to where my parents are staying in Denmark takes almost an hour. I'll be doing that trek, there and back again, with a baby in tow, and readying the baby carriage, packing essentials, getting the baby prepped (she hates getting dressed in outdoor wear), quite a few times each week.

Taking care of a baby all day is exhausting. Taking care of her on a lets-go-visit-your-grandparents day is murder.

I did do some writing today. I wrote a draft of a job application letter. I'll give it some thought and a fresh editing eye, when I have the time, and then I'll start sending it out.

I wonder what a steady job will do to my writing. It is hard to imagine it'll help, while any kind of handicap will bring my writing crawl to a halt. If that be the case, so be it. Writing is a luxury if it doesn't pay the bills. It'll have to wait until all the bills are paid.

What a great novel Stoner is

Daily Goal: 500 words.
I wrote 0 words.
Sundays/Stories Finished: 5/0.

Another week has gone by, flown by it seems, and I have not made much progress on the writing front. I still spend most of my free time reading. _Stoner_ is really good. I tried in vain to recomend it, describing the beautiful prose, but after a few tries I just gave up. If you feel like a melancholy campus novel, then give it a try. You'll be sold before the first chapter is over.

My parents are in Denmark for a month. They, of course, want to see their granddaughter, which means that quite a few days the next month will be very busy. Today I've excused myself from writing, by blaming John Williams's beautiful prose, the author of _Stoner_, but I really wouldn't have written anything even if I had nothing to read. I am just so exhausted when the baby finally falls asleep that there is not much energy left.

Besides, she has awoken three times in as many hours, forcing me to rush in to replace the pacifier or whisper a comforting, Shhh. Each episode pulls me from _Stoner_, but the reading is easily resumed once I manage to calm the baby and sneak out. I do no think that writing would survive the interuptions so effortlessly.

Lovecraft and Stoner

Daily Goal: 500 words.
I wrote 0 words.
Sundays/Stories Finished 4/0.

I typed part of my story today in preperation for some editing and perhaps posting an extract here on the blog. I didn't write anything new, though.

I read a H. P. Lovecraft story today, as well as, the first chapter of _Stoner_, by John Williams. The first chapter of the novel was great, really great, so I am sold there. The Lovecraft story wasn't that good, it was one of his earlier ones, but the way I found of reading through his works is great. There is a podcast, hppodcast.com I think is their home, where each episode focuses on one of Lovecraft's stories. The shows is recorded in chronoligical order, so every other week or so I take another story and episode. If you are anything like me then it sounds great (doesn't it?), but I found soon that one story every other week is the right pace to go. Reading a short story followed by half an hour podcast feels like a chore if you do several, back to back.

As for writing: I. Should have written something today, but I felt more like reading. Even though it is late and I am tired, I can't help but want to sneak a peek at the second chapter of _Stoner_ before I go to bed.

Finished 'Citadel of the Autarch'

Daily Goal: 500 words.
I wrote 0 words.
Sundays/Stories Finished: 4/0.

I was going to skip posting on the blog tonight. I haven't written anything and I am dead tired. But some neighbour is partying and I can't sleep. As I write, however, I hear the music has stopped, so I'll make it brief and go to bed.

I have finished 'Citadel of the Autarch'. It is quite a decent end to a great series, but I wouldn't give it more than 4 stars, out of a possible 5.

I think I will do a more in depth review of the series sometime, but for now I will try to finish the short story. I hope to get a decent night's rest tonight, so I'll have more energy tomorrow.

Keeping the story alive

Daily Goal: 500 words.
I wrote 50 words.
Sundays/Stories Fiinished: 4/0.

I wrote a little scene today, it couldn't have been more than 50 words, but it keeps the story alive in my mind. At the rate I am going, I take the amount of time that one would use to write a novel to write a single short story. If I do get it finished, sent to some publisher and rejected, however, I think I will be quite content.

My baby has started crawling. A month ago she started on the first steps towards crawling, trying to get her balance on her hands and knees. I thought, at that time, for sure she would be whizzing around in a couple of days. The days, however, went by with almost no improvement. If you would have asked me a week ago, I would have been sure that she would never crawl and was just going to skip the stage and start walking.

Then suddenly yesterday and today, she started putting one hand a little bit out and found she could edge slowly forward. All her energy seems bent on it now and she is making great improvements. She still looks like a chameleon (I am sure I didn't spell that right) rocking a bit back and forth with each step, but I am extatic. I am sure she'll be whizzing around now in no time.

I hope my own journey into writing shares some of those traits. The slow climb seems dreadfully difficult and slow; but, hopefully, there will come a plateau where I can see I've made some distance and gotten to another stage.

A day wasted watching a movie instead of writing

Daily Goal: 500 words.
I wrote 0 words.
Sundays/Stories Finished: 4/0.

I didn't write anything today. I had ample time, but I wasted it watching a movie. Now I am too tired and think I will perhaps read a chapter of Citadel of the Autarch before going to bed.

Perhaps I will read through what I have written so far of the short story and that way keep it fresh in my mind. For me there seems to be a point of no return that if you leave a story for a certain amount of time it is, perhaps not impossible, but at least very difficult to get into it again.

My parents are coming in a few days. I am excited about how their arival will change my daily routine now with the baby and all. Hopefully there will be more hours every week for writing, but I fear there will be less. But who knows? Perhaps this October will turn out a good, productive month.

Keeping the story alive

Daily Goal: 500 words.
I wrote 100 words.
Sundays/Stories Finished: 4/0.

My wife and I watched a movie tonight. There is almost no time for reading or writing left, but I had to write something to keep the story fresh in my mind. I think I managed about 100 words. I need to keep adding to it each day, even if I don't meet the daily goal. If I skip a day or two, the story stands the risk of dying.

I am still reading Citadel of the Autarch, by Gene Wolfe. I only manage a couple of chapters each day, since my free time is spent writing or socializing, instead of reading. I am thinking about doing an article or a review about the series (The Book of the New Sun of which Citadel of the Autarch is the fourth volume)  once I am finished with it. I don't know if I will ever get that far, but I do plan on finishing the short story before turning to reviews and articles.

I think I am going to squeeze another chapter in before bedtime. Tomorrow is looking to be another one in this series of very busy days, so I better get some sleep. Hopefully, it will be a short chapter.

I wrote an opening scene

Daily Goal: 500 words.
I wrote 200 words.
Sundays/Stories Finished: 4/0.

It worked quite well tonight. I just told myself that I can't read anything until I've written 500 words, and updated the blog. I never finished the 500 word goal, but now I am going to bed, so I'll update and perhaps sneak in a chapter to sleep to.

I wrote two versions of the same opening scene for the short story. I guess if I counted all the words up, they would come to about 400. I guess a rewrite shouldn't count, or should it?

My days are still terribly long, terribly busy. There is so much to do and no time to do it in. I used to wonder about the old man character you encounter in movies, that sits in a rocking chair at a tank station and just does nothing all day. Now I get it. If my everyday life will have this tempo until I turn 70 and retire, then I don't think I will have any trouble sitting on a chair doing nothing. In fact, sometimes, I look forward to it.

I am glad I wrote something tonight. I hope I will continue the story tomorrow. Perhaps I'll even have more time and energy to update the blog, so I can share what it is I am writing.

A month and no story finished

Daily Goal: 500 words.
Yesterday I wrote 0 words.
Sundays/Stories Finished: 4/0.

Another Sunday came and went, and I still haven't finished a story. If I had set myself the modest goal of completing one short story each month, I would have failed at that too, at this point.

I am still working on the same story, if one could call it work. My thoughts are still on it, when I think about writing. Either that or they are on this blog. I guess that is a good thing. I know from experience, however, that actually trying to write a paragraph or a scene is so much more fruitful than just walking around doing day to day stuff and pondering about a story.

When I do have a little bit of time for myself I still turn to reading. I keep saying to myself, Let me just get this one novel done with and I'll start writing. But there is always another novel waiting.

My parents are coming in a week, which usually means that the next month will be a busy one. Viking-con is also approaching, as is my birthday. I hope to attend the former, hope to dodge the latter. Alas, things will probably turn out the other way around.

What to read next?

Daily Goal: 500 words.
Yesterday I wrote 0 words.
Sundays/Stories Finished: 3/0.

I really shouldn't worry about what novel to read next. I should stick to reading a short story each day and spend the rest of my free time writing. I can't help getting excited, however, when I am nearing the end of the novel I am currently reading, about what I should read next. There are so many good, tantalizing novels still on he shelf.

I am reading Citadel of the Autarch, by Gene Wolfe. Although I have enjoyed the series, I do not think I will seek out another Wolfe novel quite yet. Though there are a number of novels set in the same universe as the Book of the New Sun series.

I have been feeling tired and down lately. Therefore I was thinking of reading something to cheer me up - a comedy. I have heard great things about A Confederacy of Dunces, by John Kennedy Toole, so when I finally do start another comedy, I think that will be it.

Another option would be to read a lugubrious novel, where I might identify with the protagonist. The novel Stoner, by John Williams, has long been on my reading list and might just fit the bill from what I've read.

A third option would be to drop the long, old reading list and try to keep up with what is current. I could pick up J. K. Rowling's The Casual Vacancy, which I am sure will play a larger part in literary fora for some time than the classics above.

I still have a number of pages to go through still, however, and as earlier mentioned, I shouldn't really be thinking about the next novel to read.

Writing again

Daily Goal: 500 words.
Yesterday I wrote 200 words.
Sundays/Stories finished: 3/0.

I didn't really write 200 words yesterday. I wrote them today and I did it in longhand. I don't feel like counting them up, but I think 200 is a good guess.

Here is a little sample picture of my writing. I Don't know how it'll look like published. I, still, write all this from my Galaxy Tab, using an application called Bloggerdroid, and it is all text. There is no easy way to see how the image will be formatted in the published post.



What I wrote earlier today is more of the synopsis for a short story. I can't really call it a synopsis any longer, because it is getting detailed. I got the idea from YouTube video (I'll post it if I ever come across it again). The idea is to write increasingly more detailed synopses (is that correct in plural?). Once you end up with an account that is perhaps a quarter of the length you intend the story to be, then you start on the real thing.

In theory, I should never get stuck in the real work of writing the story, because I know everything that happends. I won't suddenly find myself stuck. Often enough you think up a storyline where two characters drive to a destination and when you start writing that scene you realize you don't know what they talk about, even though you had envisioned that it took up a significant part of the story.

So you get stuck and you don't write anymore and you leave the story for a day or two and suddenly it's gone. Hopefully this new exercise will get rid of that. It is offcourse a little bit of extra work, but I have to say it looks like it could work and I have enjoyed writing it. The synopsis isn't finished yet, but not a lot is missing and soon I hope to start writing the real story.

Orderly writing

Daily Goal: 500 words.
Yesterday I wrote 0 words.
Sundays/Stories Finished: 3/0.

Today has been busy, as most are. My wife went to see a friend so I put the baby to sleep. We also made an effort, my wife and I, to clean the living room and although we have some way to go, it feels good to be writing this in a clean enviroment.

I need that when I write. Quiet and order, a clean room, the coffee made, the desk free of clutter, nothing waiting - like the dishes. I can still write without all those things, so I guess 'need' is not the correct term. I wrote my master's thesis without all that. What I mean is I need everything in order if I am to enjoy writing. My days, as they are now, don't offer much order and quiet, so I don't particularily enjoy writing.

Perhaps the rant above is just another excuse. I probably spend more time finding excuses for not writing, than I do writing. I love to read, currently. I crave it. I think that it is yet another ploy to keep from staring at that empty page.

I have thought about giving longhand a chance. Perhaps I should get myself a legal pad and a pen and just leave the house for an evening or two each week. I wonder what place I can go to? I could just take a bus. To the end station and back. Perhaps I'll try that soon.

Tomorrow I have plans. My brother is leaving again and I need to see him so I can pick up the keys to my parent's apartment. I meant to make plans to see him before he left. Really see him, I mean, like go out to see a movie, not just pick up keys. The days were just filled up, however, and I never got around to it.

Time creeps, time flies.

Daily Goal 500 words.
Yesterday I wrote 0 words.
Sundays/Stories Finished: 3/0.

I think days are dreadfully long, now that I have a kid. Random people, distant relatives, strangers on the bus, keep saying, Enjoy it while it lasts, before you know it she'll be grown up. You've heard that cliche, I am sure. I don't think it's all true, but it isn't all wrong either. Days with a kid are dreadfully long, sometimes, but on the other hand, you never really get to the bottom of things.

One example is the dishes (I don't own a dishwasher). I used to like washing dishes. Doing them gave me back some energy after dinner. Otherwise, I'd just sit in front of the computer after eating and waste the evening. Then you meet someone - in my case I got married - and you are suddenly doing the dishes for two people. It is still enjoyable, but on occasions it becomes a little bit of a hassle: If you don't watch out a mountain can pile up. A baby uses up an incredible amount of plates and cups and spoons: much more than a grown-up.

Now I am doing the dishes for what seems like four people and I have to do it while taking care of a baby. Furhtermore, I can't do them while she is asleep, or she'll wake up, which means I'll have to have them washed before she goes to bed at around seven o'clock in the evening.

I worry about them constantly. It is the same with doing the laundry, the cooking, the cleaning, and the shopping. The amount of milk one buys every trip to the mall. I have to bring my school bag, lest my arms fall off on the way back home. It is even a relief, when she's good, to bring the baby, because you can pile the groceries into the carriage.

What my point is - about time perception - is that it seems that one never really finishes anything. There isn't enough time to do all the stuff that needs doing. At some point in the future, I imagine, I will finally finish that metaphorical pile of dirty dishes. Suddenly I will find myself with time to spare again: time to think and to reflect. In hindsight I'll think, How time just flew away.

Finished Sword of the Lictor

Daily Goal 500 words.
Yesterday I wrote 0 words.
Sundays/Stories finished 3/0.

Another week has gone and I am nowhere near completing a story. I should have had three completed short stories now 'out there' being considered.

Alas the time I do have for myself I spend reading. I have finished Sword of the Lictor and started Citadel of the Autarch, the last in the series, by Gene Wolfe. I find myself already planning what to read next and I really shouldn't. I should stick to reading one short story a day and spending the rest of my free time writing.

Sword of the Lictor was wonderful. I ought to have written a detailed review, but I don't have the time and energy tonight. I found out there is an illustrated and signed edition of the four novels. How cool they would fit on my shelf, but what little means I rule are better spent elsewhere.

I will end this post here. Tired, as always, want to read more before I go to bed, as I mostly do too, Have plenty to say, but no energy to say it with. What is the title of that short story? 'I have no mouth but I must scream'. I feel like writing, but I am always too tired, it seems. Probably just a bad excuse. I just need more discipline and routine.

Reading Gene Wolfe instead of writing

Daily Goal: 500 words.
Yesterday I wrote 0 words.
Sundays/Stories finished: 2/0.

I had a busy day again today. My brother came back from Thailand, where he has been at a kickboxing camp (I write kickboxing, because I would probably misspell, Muy Thai, is it?), and me, my wife, with baby in tow, went to see him settled in. He is going to stay in Denmark for a few days, so perhaps we can catch a movie before he leaves.

Anyway, there hasn't been much time for writing. If I really wanted to, I could have spent perhaps an hour or so writing, but I spent it reading instead. The novel I am currently reading, I am on the last few chapters, is Sword of the Lictor, by Gene Wolfe. It is the third novel in his series called the Book of the New Sun. I have heard (read rather) great things about Gene Wolfe, but I have to confess that I have been a little disappointed until now. The first two novels of the series, The Shadow of the Torturer and Claw of the Conciliator, did not sweep me of my feet. Don't get me wrong, they are entertaining books, well written, set in an interesting universe, with a great protagonist. I wouldn't consider them candidates from the greates living English writer, however. The Sword of the Lictor, on the other hand, does enter into another level of quality. I'll tell you what I think when I finish the series.

It is late here, so I will sign off for now. I also want to finish the novel before I go to sleep and it is already too late.

Return from break

Daily Goal: 500 words.
Yesterday I wrote 0 words.
Sundays/Stories finished: 2/0.

A few days ago I was on my way to bed when I realized that I hadn't updated my blog. I normally rush out a post at that point, but that night I thought, What the heck, no one will miss one blog post. The next night, same scenario, it was rather easier to miss the update. Easier still the third night.

So I have finally ended the bad habit and sit here in front of my tablet and keyboard. Those are the only good news, however, on the writing front. I have written almost nothing these last few days. I did have a good idea for a story and the only serious writing I have done is a synopsis and a few notes concerning that idea.

The idea is reminiscent of the first story I never wrote when I first started this blog, about two boys who want to cross a river, but there is a nice sinister twist this time around and I can't wait for a nice quite time when I can sit down and write a draft.

On the non-literary front all is well, but hectic. We are still unpacking and getting everything sorted. Our apartment is much smaller than my parents's. All the stuff that didn't take up that much space at their apartment now floods this one. Whenever we clean one room, we move all the stuff into the other room and then we move it back again to clean the... And so on.

Unpacking

Daily goal: 500 words.
Yesterday I wrote 0 words.
Sundays/Stories Finished: 1/0.

Writing the stats above - which have lost their formating since I have switched to writing these post with my Galaxy Tab, a change that also has deprived my of a spellchecker - it would seem odd almost by now to write anything other than a 0 for words written yesterday.

Today went by quickly. I have returned the car we borrowed while moving, we have cleaned the bedroom, and a number of boxes have been opened and unpacked, their contents sorted and stored.

Again I feel very tired writing this. I will not follow my blog update with any more literary pursuits, just sleep - good sleep, hopefully.

Moving day

Daily Goal: 500 words.
Yesterday I wrote 0 words.
Sundays&Stories Finished: 1/0.

We moved today. It went quite well, but it still feels good to finially be finished with the day.

I am further in to The Sword of the Lictor now and I still want to introduce those of you unfamiliar with him to Gene Wolfe, but I don't have the energy tonight. I am already thinking about going to bed now, instead of reading or writing, so I should wrap this up. I just didnt want to finish the day without an update on the blog.

I am writing right now on a bluetooth keyboard with my Galaxy Tab. I hope to start using this combo to write short stories. At my parent's apartment I used their stationary computer. Me and my wife share a laptop usually, however, and sharing isn't that great a thing when it comes to the equipment you work with.

When I can afford it I might buy a new. That way I could grab the old one for writing. As for now this setu serves me well for there are fewer distractions on a tablet than on a pc.

A day of ideas

Daily Goal: 500 words.
Yesterday I wrote 0 words.
Sundays/Stories Finished: 1/0.

As expected the day went by quickly. There was not much time between taking care of the baby and getting stuff ready to move tomorrow.

I did finish a chapter more of How to Write Short Stories for Magazines, by Sophie King. The chapter was about getting ideas and writing them down. After the read I went for a walk with the stroller (baby carriage) - my girl likes to nap at about 9 o'clock in the morning and doing it in the stroller gives her mother a nice break. I had plenty of ideas while out walking and I wrote them down in a notepad I keep in the stroller for the purpose. I didn't count that into the daily word count.

I feel tired now after a long day. Tomorrow offers more of the same. I have started reading a novel as well: The Sword of the Lictor by Gene Wolfe. The author and the series of which that book is number three deserves a warm recommendation to anyone interested in science fiction, but I am too tired to go into details today.

Reading 'How to' books

Daily Goal 500 words.
Yesterday I wrote 0 words.
Sundays/Stories finished: 1/0.

Another count I need to keep up there is how many weeks I didn't manage to finish a story. The idea is to finish one short story each week.

Today I started reading How to Write Short Stories for Magazines by Sophie King. I plan to plow my way through several of the books on the craft. I learned that lesson playing poker. Just a tiny little piece of advice from a book can earn you or save you an incredible amount down the line. I have just read the first chapter of Sophie's book so far, but already I have gained a little knowledge about the magazine market.

In other news: Me and my wife are in the process of moving back into our apartment. My parents have not been using theirs for some time and while I was writing my thesis we have borrowed it. It helps having an office. By the way, there is one piece of advice I learned the hard way. If you plan on having a baby and you are taking a Master's degree in anything, wait till after the thesis before having the baby. My wife and I thought it would be a splendid idea to get the baby in time for the thesis, that way I would have plenty of time to help with the baby. If I would have written a blog during those six months, it would have been a sad read. Sadder than writing 0 words in a day.

Anyway, the point about us moving is that I might not get much work done this week on the literary front. We have been lucky enough to borrow a car from some friends, so that will help matters. It will still be hard work: moving a lot of stuff and cleaning both apartments with a baby in tow.

Finished Blood Meridian

Daily Goal: 500 words.
Yesterday I wrote 0 words.

I think I might have to pick a new title for the blog: 'How I Don't Write Short Stories'.

I have just finished Blood Meridian, by Cormac McCarthy. I think it was great. It is like a serious movie, if you want to give it a go - like, say, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy - read it when you feel like taking on a serious read. Don't go into it lightly or you might just stumble. It really grips you a third of the way in or so. First you feel much like the kid, the protagonist, surrounded by strangers, just along for the ride. By the time you finally get some information about the characters, you find you already know them, since you've been alongside them for so long.

It is very bloody. I think even Shklovsky would have called it bloody.

Now that I have finished the novel, I plan to read short stories for some time. I hope to I will be able to steal more from reading short stories, than from novels and that the practice will fuel some motivation to write myself.

It is getting late here, so I will leave more blogging for another day.

Another zero

Daily Goal: 500 words.
Yesterday I wrote 0 words.

My plan is to write a more detailed outline for the short story, but I haven't written anything for two days now. Of things relating to literature, I have been doing plenty. I have read and watched videos about writing. I have almost completed Blood Meridian. I have been looking for what book to start next. However, I don't really feel to up for sitting down and writing much.

Today it even seemed like a chore to sit down and write this blog. Once I got started, however, it felt great. A daily blog is a guaranteed thing that will force me to think and work with literature each day at a specific time. I think that in the long run these sessions will provide the structure and discipline that will facilitate a more rigid work ethic.

Two days off won't kill me. Neither will three and I seriously doubt that I will write anything more than this blog tonight.

On YouTube in suggested videos this one turned up:

He comes across as a bit pretentious perhaps, but I do like his approach to writing. In a few blog posts back, I wrote about how he said he managed 500 - 800 words on good days. In the above video and the rest of the series, he goes into a bit more detail about how he writes.

Doing everything else

Daily Goal: 500 words.
Yesterday I wrote 0 words.

I had a long break today with plenty of time to do some writing, but instead I did all the other things that had piled up. I didn't write anything after the blog update yesterday either. I did think about writing something down in a hurry, before doing this update, but that would be cheating. Since there is no one reading this blog anyway, I would only be cheating myself.

I have been reading a chapter or so each day these last few days: Blood Meridian, by Cormac McCarthy. The man can write. I don't think I approve of all the elements of his style, but a few chapters in I could safely say that I will never write that well, so I have no authority to fault his writing. He has that kind of raw, sparse American style of writing. Yet, he doesn't make it simple, he says just enough that you can follow it all, if you pay attention.

I don't know if I will write anything else today. My faith in the last short story is flickering now. Perhaps I should plan or outline better. I have a few things I want to try with outlining of short stories. When I find what works, I'll be sure to write about it. Outlining is something I think I need before I can craft a decent tale - not just when it comes to novels, but also short stories.

For now I think I will relax and read some more. Another day will dawn tomorrow. Perhaps I have some energy to write more then.

A change of story

Daily Goal: 500 words.
Yesterday I wrote 270 words.

Better than yesterday, I guess. I decided to change the story I am working on. The previous story left me a bit stuck, so I'm giving another one a try.

The short story I am working on now is about a couple's thwarted attempt at attending the first party after the birth of their daughter. The structure is simple: (1) the couple get ready for the party; (2) they arrive at the party, but the baby's crying forces them to leave; (3) the baby has fallen asleep and the couple reflect on the day while eating takeout.

I am writing the story with a themed publication in mind: Stealing Time. With a deadline in October, the parenting magazine has an issue whose theme is "Celebration". I read those details when I got my newsletter  from Duotrope. It stuck in my mind and that little plot above slowly formed over a couple of days. Duotrope, by the way, is a useful site for finding a publisher.

It made more sense to start out with a story where I have a more fully formed plot. The 200 and some words I wrote yesterday flowed quite easily. I have a feeling that the next 200 will not flow as well, but I hope to at least best today's effort tomorrow.

I have called the story "The Dinner", follow the link to Google Docs if you would like to read or comment.

The last few days have been mostly taking care of the baby. No parties have been thwarted, however. I was at a party a week ago and all went well. She is getting her first tooth and requires a bit of extra attention. We made another long trip today to see if we could pick up Neil Gaiman's American Gods. The bookshop must have had all his other novels and several copies of them, but Gods was sold out. I do make the trips mostly to entertain my baby girl, though, and give her mother a break.

500 words a day

Daily Goal: 500 words.
Yesterday I wrote 20 words.

Sad is all it is: 20 words. I might as well post them:

“I’ll show you where it’s dug.” The kid set off towards the river without looking back.The boy followed.

 Actually those are, probably, just nineteen words. I wrote a temporary title, "Crossing", as well.

After I finished my blog post yesterday, I did refill my coffee, and then turned straight to writing. After those twenty words I thought:  "This is a nice start. I'll take a little break and write the rest afterwards."

I want to write 500 words, minimum, every day. No days off. It is a work ethic that countless great authors have kept to and it makes sense. A day off from a story only creates a distance that you don't really want. You stop thinking about the story. I am still thinking about the story that those 20 words will hopefully turn into, but if I write nothing tonight, it will slowly slip from my mind.

Stephen King, I believe, writes 2000 words a day. His only days off are Christmas and his birthday. I read that, I think, in On Writing, a really great book about his experiences as a writer. Hemingway wrote 1000 words each morning. He first read and edited the 1000 words he wrote the day before. This I've read somewhere, I can't remember. He would sometimes stop at exactly 1000, so he'd really want to finish the sentence the next day.
I am pretty sure that I don't write the same way Stephen King or Hemingway write/wrote. I have never read anything by Ian McEwan - he is on my reading list - so I don't know if I could identify with his style or method, but I saw this little video on YouTube:

500 to 800 words on a good day sounds more like what I can manage. That doesn't mean I couldn't write more. Writing a blog post like this takes little effort. I find it difficult, however, to write good fiction, at the same pace I write a blog or a diary or a journal.

The story, "Crossing", of which I got twenty words down on paper yesterday, is about two boys who want to cross a river. That is my idea for the story, together with the first line of dialogue, mentioned above. I don't know if I'll drop it for something else tonight, but soon, I hope, I'll find something to stick with until I feel that it is good enough to send into some magazine for consideration.

First!

Daily Goal: 500 words.

Yesterday I wrote 0 words.

Another plateau in my life, another blog. This very space held my last attempt at a blog about writing, but with a new start I've revamped the blog and changed the concept as well.

I aim to get published. Each day I've set myself a goal of writing 500 words. Each Sunday I hope to finish a short story and send it to some publisher for consideration.

The idea about finishing a short story each week I got from a YouTube video featuring Ray Bradbury:

The lecture he holds is about an hour long. Unless you are a fan, I wouldn't recommend watching it all. He rambles on about how great writing is and how he got started. The advise I took from the lecture - about finishing a short story each week - is about the only useful thing he says about the craft of writing.

The structure of this blog I thought would be different from Bradbury's lecture. Sure, I'll probably ramble a bit, but I'll try to get one tip, trick, advise or thought about writing into each post. Today's tip is the one from Bradbury :) I'll also keep it simple, casual and fast. If I am to get into the habit of making a daily update, I need to be able to write a new post in half an hour or so.

I thought I'd finish each update with writing about what has happened since my last post: both in terms of writing and in general. Since I didn't write anything yesterday or today (never mind the fact that there hasn't been any last post to count from), I'll tell you about how my day has been so far.

I woke at 6 o'clock in the morning - or rather my almost 8 month old girl woke at that hour. It took about an hour to get her to take her first nap, which lasted 40 minutes. She napped in her stroller (or baby carriage), with me pushing it, so it didn't provide much of a break.

The next nap she spent with her mother, it gave me a two hour break, which I spent sleeping.

Since then I've been taking care of the baby, doing the dishes, and I had a long trip, with the baby to a bookstore to see if they had Neil Gaiman's American Gods. The trip was fine, but the shop didn't have the book. I want to get it for my brother-in-law, whose birthday is coming up.

My half hour has come and gone. I'll give what I've written a quick read-through, before I post. Then I'll refill my cup with coffee and hope to churn out 500 words or more.