Tag: writing

AllWriting

Finding Your Way Back to Writing

Posted on by J.W. Martin

I wish I was writing a post about how I can’t remember the last time I missed a day of writing. But if you’re anything like me, you go in fits and spurts. Could be days between writing sessions, or weeks, or when life gets really hectic, months.

Long stretches of days and weeks with way too much overtime, a hectic family life, and the crushing state of the world we live in have all contributed to very little writing over the last few years. It wasn’t that long ago that I wrote two books in a year. Now, more than two years without a single book.

But I digress. This isn’t meant to be a pity party of a post. It’s meant to be a celebration.

Because it doesn’t matter how long you’ve been away. It doesn’t matter how many words you wrote, regardless of how many you used to write, how many your writers’ group averages, and it sure as hell doesn’t matter about that one time you went crazy and wrote in the tens of thousands of words.

You’re back. And it always feels good to be back.

Returning always reminds me why I fell in love with writing in the first place. Though I know the words I wrote are going to be full of rusty typos and will one days be edited within a character of their current state, I loved it.

I got to play with words. And play with an entire world I was creating as I went. I write lines that made me feel witty and clever. I wrote lines that I knew would need to be straight up deleted. It doesn’t matter. It was all great. It’s work. And it’s fun. It’s my passion. It’s the thing I wish I could do for a living, but it’s also the thing I know I’ll keep doing for the rest of my life even if I never make a dollar.

And it’s great to be back.

AllDiscussionMotivational MondayWriting

Confidence in writing: Seemingly

Posted on by J.W. Martin

Seemingly.

Nine letters, three syllables, and one massive pet peeve.

The word has its uses, but all too often it’s used under a myriad of reasons that all fall under one umbrella cause: a writer’s lack of confidence.

You see it a lot in cases like, 

“His face contorted, seemingly angry.”

“A seemingly dangerous man.”

“A crowd of seemingly millions.”

Examples like these come from moments of self-doubt where a writer isn’t confident enough to say something. To make a statement. Instead, words like seemingly allow for beating around the bush, skirting the issue, and several other cliches. And seemingly isn’t alone either.

Almost, kind of, apparently, sort of like, and several others that allow someone to hide behind not taking a stance for fear of being called wrong. 

Feels like I’m standing on a soap box at this point, but let me state (with certainty) that the biggest reason these words are my pet peeve is because I often find them in the early drafts of my own writing. 

Yes. I too suffer from a lack of confidence. I think it’s required to do any kind of writing. 

If we look at the early examples, and resist the urge to bring in the issues or show, don’t tell, word selection, and rewriting sentences to make them not suck, we get:

“His face contorted, angry.”

“A dangerous man.”

“A crowd of millions.”

They aren’t great sentences, but they’re stronger. Confident. They say something and dare the reader to question it. And frankly, if your reader isn’t on your side enough to believe that a man is angry, a box is heavy, and water is wet, than you have a much bigger problem on your hands than being afraid to make a statement.

So fear not, fellow scriveners. If you’ve done your research, there’s nothing to be concerned about. Nothing to stop you from making any and every statement in your writing.

It’s your world. It’s your story.

AllMemesTop 5 Tuesday

Top 5 Opening Lines

Posted on by J.W. Martin

Confession time. I’m hijacking this Top 5 Tuesday post and turning it into a writing/brag post. (Sorry Shanah!)

I’m terrible at remembering which books I’ve read had great opening lines. So normally, I’d just tap out on this week’s, but instead I thought I’d take the opportunity to share the opening line to the book I’m currently writing. I could use the feedback, and I think it’s a pretty darned good one. One of the best opening lines of all time? Certainly not. But if it makes people want to read the second line, it’s done it’s job, hasn’t it?

This story begins the same way all the best Rex Roderick stories begin: fighting over a woman.

I’m about 70K words into this novel so far, and I’m loving (almost) every minute of it. I think I’m going to end up being prouder (more proud?) of this book than any of the others. Let’s hope that’s a good sign toward this being the one that finally gets some attention from literary agents.

Fun fact about this post: I have an entire trilogy planned out in my head for this one, which hasn’t happened before.
AllWriting

NaNoWriMo 2019 Wrap-Up!!

Posted on by J.W. Martin

Okay! This post has been a long time coming (too lazy to write it) and publicly demanded (by no one) to talk about gargantuan NaNoWriMo efforts (sitting at a keyboard) and explain why I didn’t blog for a month (which no one noticed).

November is always a tough month for me when it comes to spare time. Having a full-time job and kids that are into their own extra-curricular stuff means “spare time” is already hard to find. Now imagine taking that small amount of time and cramming 1,667 words of writing into it. Let me just say some sleep was sacrificed.

 

I felt bad that I wasn’t blogging during that time, but I just couldn’t fit it in. Could barely even think about it. Even my reading time suffered, which was one of biggest struggles of all.

However, despite all the hardships (oh, poor baby) I WON! 50,000 words in November!

The story I was writing, which I think will end up being about 100K all in, is about a group of detectives trying to catch a serial killer in a smallish town. What I found to be interesting is that the chapters from the perspective of the killer were way easier to write than the ones from the side of the law. I obviously know more about being a serial killer than I do about being in law enforcement (Quick! Someone call the cops!)

Now I’m faced with a particularly annoying quandary. I have 3 projects all begging for my attention.

  1. This NaNo project is going to need another 30-50K to be complete.
  2. A first draft from last year needs some attention and a new draft.
  3. A BRAND NEW story that popped into my head last week has taken over my every waking thought. It just walked up to me, slapped me in the mouth and dared me to do something about.

As desperately as I want to write the brand new idea, I know myself. If I don’t finish that first draft on number 1, I might never finish it. It might remain abandoned forever. What to do, what to do…

HAPPY WEDNESDAY!

Fun fact about this post: Does anyone else hear a random voice shouting insults, or is that in my head?

 

Book TagWriting

The NaNoWriMo 20 Questions Tag!

Posted on by J.W. Martin

The NaNoWriMo 20 Questions Tag!

NaNoWriMo is just around the corner, and I’m SO excited. Coming off of last year’s “win”, I’m also feeling quite optimistic about it. And thanks to Sophie @ Sophie’s Corner I can let a little of that excitement leak out with this tag. Enjoy!

Rules

  1. Thank the awesome blogger who tagged you!
  2. Link back to the creator of this tag, Sophie @ Sophie’s Corner. (I want to hear about your NaNo novels!!)
  3. Feel free to use the NaNoWriMo 20 Questions Tag graphics!
  4. Answer the questions.
  5. Tag some friends who are also doing NaNo this year.
  6. And have fun!!!

Tell me about your NaNoWriMo project this year! Give me a blurb!

Hmmm. I usually don’t come up with the blurb until the end, but let’s give this a shot.

A serial killer is loose in a small town and his motive goes far beyond riches, fame, or revenge. The Darwin Killer picks victims with weak genes. Defects, genetic time bombs, and any kind of disease that can spread biologically or socially. There’s no line this monster won’t cross and it’s up to Special Agent Miles Wallace to catch the killer or only the strongest will survive.

What’s the genre?

Crime/thriller.

Describe your MC in three words.

Expert, confrontational, grieving. 

Without spoilers, describe your villain in three words.

Self-righteous, brilliant, monstrous.

What is your goal? (the traditional 50K? 20K? 5K? or……. 100K?)

The classic 50k!

Is this your first draft? Second? Third?

Blank page, draft 1. It’s been a while since I’ve been in the first draft of something! (probably about a year)

Are you starting a new project (or draft), or continuing an existing one?

Brand new. The idea has been with me for a while, but I’ve never written anything beyond the outline.

What is your favourite time to write in the day?

I’m a night owl. I’ve tried getting up early and I just can’t function, let alone put a sentence together.

Where are you going to write?

Probably at my kitchen table. Maybe on the couch (yes, in front of the TV) if I’m ahead of my word count.

Computer or paper?

Computer all the way. I used to outline on paper, but found so many good ideas hit me when I least suspected and moved everything to digital formats.

NaNoWriMo is a huge commitment!! How are you going to make time to write?

Less sleep. lol. Seriously. Once the kids are in bed, the dog is walked, and lunches are packed, that’s when I’ll sit down to write.

Are you going to participate in local or online NaNoWriMo events? (e.g. kick-off parties in your city, write-ins, virtual writing sprints…)

Probably not. I always say I’m going to, and I really do want to, but the timing just never seems to work out.

Do you write from beginning to end or skip around?

I’m very linear. I can write a scene knowing it might move to another place in the book, but I can’t jump around much more than that.

Planner or pantser? (or plantser?)

Planner. That doesn’t mean unplanned scenes won’t pop up or that I won’t follow one of my characters down a rabbit hole. That usually happens at least a few times. (does that make me a plantser?)

What will be your go-to NaNoWriMo snack?

Left over halloween candy. My wife and I buy always buy WAY TOO MUCH knowing that we’ll need the sugar boost for all those late nights.

Choice of caffeine? (or no caffeine?)

Pepsi or Dr. Pepper.

Any rewards for milestone achievements? For finishing NaNoWriMo?

No. I just get pumped about having a big word count. I usually tell myself I’ll buy a winner’s t-shirt, but I’ve only bought one out of the three times I “won.”

Share a tip for other NaNo-ers!

Just do a little every day. Even if you don’t have time to hit your daily target, write every single day. Even if it’s just a little.

How are you feeling about NaNoWriMo? (Excited?! Nervous!? Terrified?!)

Excited! I’m always pumped this time of year. I wish I could write 50K every month!

Share an aesthetic for your NaNoWriMo novel!

If you’re doing NaNoWriMo this year and you want to give this tag a try, consider yourself tagged!!

Fun fact about this post: Normally, I’m not a fan of these types of novels, but I can’t get this story out of my head!
AllWIPpet WednesdayWriting

WIPpet Wednesday | Evolution

Posted on by J.W. Martin

WIPpet Wednesdays is a blog hop where writers can share a snippet from their WIP. The only stipulation is that the excerpt is somehow related to the date. Be sure to check out some of the other lovely WIPpet snippets here. Thank you Emily Wrayburn for hosting.

So, I’m nearing the end of the first draft of my WIP. I’m having a little trouble getting over that final hump, but it’s SO CLOSE I CAN ALMOST TOUCH IT! I’m hoping that this post will get me a little more excited about this ending I’ve been working towards and get me across the finish line.

A little about this WIP, Evolution:

Faced with imprisonment, Kai, Coak, and Micah are given a chance to earn their freedom by working together to perform a series of heists. Simple for people of their considerable skills, except that they can’t stand one another. Not that it’s the fault of any one of them. They’ve each been raised by their people to treat the others of Fulcrum with disdain and mistrust. But what choice do they have? Whether the heists go right or wrong, the situation for the three youths will get nothing but worse as they figure out the true intentions of the heist and discover that nothing is as it seems.

So, on this 27th day of the 2nd month, I decided to share 27 lines from chapter 2. I hope you enjoy:

Micah never realized how much it sucked to travel by foot until his pack was too water logged to ignite. Flying wasn’t just fun, it was a much more efficient way travel. It took less energy and far, far less time. Sure, there were a certain level of intellectual requirement to flying, but he was used to excelling at anything requiring intelligence.

His fight with the web-head had ended on the coast south of the Mountaineers, but he couldn’t go there for repairs. Maybe if the casing needed some work, or if he needed a new short sword. They wouldn’t be able to do a thing with the delicate inner workings of the pack.

The Swimmer commune was the west of where he washed up, but he’d find no help there either. If he started talking about what the pack needed they’d probably look at him like he was speaking a different language and end up just offering him some kind of fish, like that would fix anything.

There was the chance of finding Kai at that commune, but probably a slim chance. A Flier comes calling and all the Web-heads would protect each other.

Micah decided to head northeast. That would put him on a path that run straight through The Festival. It wasn’t the most fun to be had in the Crucible, but there was usually a few people to mock, and a few to entice into a more private meeting. More importantly than that, he’d be able to find someone to repair his pack. Or at least someone he could buy a new one off of. His mother wouldn’t be happy about incurring that cost, but Micah was her burden to bear.

He walked all through the night. What choice did he have with no pack, no place to go, and nowhere to sleep? By the time he arrived at the Festival it was barely morning and everything was still being set up.

In the middle of the festival grounds men were erecting a series of tents for the cross-breeding ceremonies. Every year at the festival, each of the sub-species would offer a few of their most virile and fertile young people. Each person would be matched up with someone of another sub and they’d try to create a new life.

Micah considered himself a fairly open-minded guy, but the thought of ending up alone in one of those tents with a stranger, while people sat around the outside with expectations, made his stomach turn. Well, depending on the stranger.

The Festival runners always gave a long-winded speech about the historical unrest and the lasting truce. Apparently, trying to cross breed was an attempt to strengthen the bonds between the subs.

There it is. It’s very rough, but as I said, first draft. I hope you enjoyed it a little, or at least that it didn’t totally suck.

Fun fact about this post: Writing this Sunday night and watching the Oscars. Of all the people I thought would give an inspiration speech that hit home with me, I did NOT think it would be Lady Gaga.
AllLifeWriting

Writing on Wednesday… but on a Friday!

Posted on by J.W. Martin

Let me be 100 with you all for a minute. There’s been a lot of slacking since November ended as far as my writing goes. A lot of slacking. I need to put an end to that. So allow me to share a few goals for the first quarter of the year, and maybe I’ll feel a little more accountable to get these goals done.

Send out more query letters for Vicarious

REJECTED!

I sent a few around early November, but then I started reading articles about when NOT to send query letters. A lot people were saying the end of November is a bad time because of how many first draft NaNoWriMo projects are being lobbed at literary agents everywhere. They said the end of the year was bad because every one kind of checks out early for the holidays. And they said January is bad because everyone is trying to get back into the swing of things after the new year. I don’t know if ANY of that is true, but I’ll start querying again some time in February!

Finish writing first draft of Evolution

Evolution was my NaNoWriMo project. I had about 30k words done pre-nano and nano itself added another 50k. With somewhere between 10 – 20k remaining, I should end up about 100 all-in. 

Write first draft for stage play Out of Order

I’ve acted in a few plays, both comedies. It’s great fun if you ever get the chance. I’d also like to write one. Again, a comedy. This idea would take place in an apartment building lobby, where one of the elevators isn’t working (hence my not-so-clever title!) If the play turns out well, maybe the troupe I frequent will even perform it!

Write some of short stories bouncing around in my head 

Troglodyte – a struggle of a species trying to make the from water animal to land animal.

Zombie – a man dies, but remains in his body unable to move on. But instead of trying to eat the brains of the living he can only lament why he’s still here. 

AcetaminaPhil – a man is able to take pain away from others just by being near them.

Humans and the Things They Do When Standing on a Mine – a hunter steps on a mine and freezes in place. He thinks help has arrived when another man promptly comes along, but this new man is more interested in studying the hunter than helping him.

I have even more ideas rolling around up there, but these are the ones that I  feel have had the proper marination time. 

There it is. Hopefully by the second quarter I’ll be ready to take on a second draft of some of these projects, but that would require getting the first draft finished!

Fun fact about this post: writing it on my phone while lying in bed. 🙃
AllWriting

The End of My Hiatus & NaNoWriMo

Posted on by J.W. Martin

I’m BACK!

A few weeks ago I was trying to complete the NaNoWriMo challenge. I was desperately falling behind and decided to put aside blogging (as well as reading and just about everything else besides working and breathing!)

I’m pleased to tell you all that all the extra time allowed me to catch up, get back on target, and I did it! 30 days. 50,000 words. My story is nowhere near complete. There’s about 30,000 words written previously, and I’m guessing there’s another 10,000 in the story. So we’re maybe looking at 90K total.

Here’s a small sample from one of my favourite scenes:

The whole experience made Micah understand why the town got together every so often to beat the hell out of each other. With all the work he had been doing he felt so damn tough. Like he could take on the world.

And though it had taken longer than with Kai and Coak, the people of the community grew to accept and even like Micah. It was surprising to admit to himself, but he liked them too. Which was good since Kai spent nearly every spare moment with Sarina and Coak still wasn’t really talking to him. Even though she was a grounder, she held a grudge with the same intensity that a flier woman did.

Micah head seen her around town a few times with the giant Elias. He didn’t think he was capable of jealousy, but when he saw her with the huge man, he felt it. Probably for the first time ever.

Others in town claimed that Elias had been asking for a commitment. Some said he just wanted something exclusive, others said he asked her to live with him at his house, and a select few claimed that he tried to give her a ring.

It was a lot of rumour but whether or not any of them were true, or if all of them were true, she hadn’t accepted anything.

Micah joined in on the applause for the two latest fighters, who were leaving the circle with arms around each other. Then, as if Micah’s own thoughts had summoned the man, Elias entered the circle. Cheers erupted from the already applauding crowd. Micah didn’t cheer. In fact, he stopped clapping all together.

As Elias walked around the circle, basking in the praise from nearly everyone around the circle. It quickly became obvious that no one was going to step in to challenge him. A few people looked to Sarina, but she and Kai were snuggled up in that lovesick way that made people avoid them. Unless 2-on-1 became an option, they weren’t moving.

Micah sneered. He was big, but he didn’t look that tough. He spent his days cutting meat, the blade doing all the work. Micah spent his days working the land. With the brain Micah was born with, and his recently acquired brawn, Elias didn’t stand a chance.

He made his way through the crowd, people around him recognizing him and then giving him a pat on the back as he took another step closer.

Then the familiar gasp of the crowd as a new fighter entered the circle. He raised an eyebrow and looked down. He was still a step away from entering the circle.

Fun fact about this post: I’M BAAAAAAAAAACK!!
AllWriting

NaNoWriMonday 2018 | Week 2

Posted on by J.W. Martin

Happy Monday, everyone!

No, I’m not one of those people that wakes up way too cheery and borderline annoying on a Monday morning. I’m more of the Garfield, hating Mondays and going back to bed kind of guy. However, someone has to make the donuts.

NaNoWriMo 2018 has been in full swing for a little over a week now. Writers all across the globe are reaching incredible word counts. Some are right where they’re supposed to be to nail that 50K, others are lagging way behind, and some are WAY ahead (I’m looking at you Sophie!)

At this point last week, I was a little ahead (woo hoo!) However, I had a busy weekend, and not in the way of writing. It was a good weekend. I went Christmas shopping for my kids with my wife and parents. We went out to dinner and play put on by the troupe that I’ve acted with before, and have become good friends with. And I introduced a new fun and addictive video game to my kids that we can all play together.

Like I said, it was a GOOD weekend. I just didn’t get much writing done. Now, on Monday morning, I am just under 5,000 words short of where I’m supposed to be! To give some perspective on that, when you start NaNo on November 1st, you need to write 1,667 words per day to hit 50K by November 30. Being as far behind as I am now, I’ll need to write 1,950 per day to finish.

Not a lot more on the daily. On a good day, there’s no problem writing an extra 300 words. On a bad day… I don’t want to think about it. My main concern is when other days like this weekend pop up. Days when I can’t get to the keyboard. Whatever happens, I will keep on.

Last week I mentioned possibly posting a snippet, and got a resounding YES (from one person, you know who you are!) So for those that requested it (Sam) and for those that didn’t (the rest of the universe) here’s a little something from Sunday evening. Please forgive the typos, this is first draft stuff!

Coak strolled out of the forrest, Micah following closely behind, and headed toward the main dock. She made her path obvious, and that she wasn’t headed toward Kai. Even so, the two men that were standing guard around Kai took notice, and their stances became defensive.

“They noticed us,” Micah hissed. “I think we should turn around and wait for a better opening, or come up with a better plan.”

She laughed.

“What?” he demanded.

“Oh, nothing. I just thought you were one of the males of your race. I should have known with all the feminine features.”

“I just don’t see why it has to be me.”

“You don’t?” Coak asked, smile growing wider. “It’s all about realism.”

“Oy!” one of the guards cried out when they were close enough. “What the hell do you want?”

“Delightful fellow,” Micah muttered.

It wasn’t common for a flier and mountain man to approach the Docks, but it wasn’t unheard of. These guys were on high alert.

“Just came to do a bit of trading,” Coak said.

They said noting in return, but watched them closely.

Their boots hit the first plank of the main dock and suddenly Kai’s guards were right behind them.

“Hey!” one of them said.

Coak and Micah turned slowly, forced innocence on their faces. Both guards were big, though one was a few inches taller and wider, and wore a full beard.

“You think we didn’t hear the news that this one wasn’t travelling with a winger and a mole?”

“Sorry,” Micah said. “This one?”

“Yeah,” said the bearded guard. “The criminal.” He jutted his thumb over his shoulder toward Kai.

Coak panicked on the inside. She hadn’t expected anyone figuring out who they were so quickly. Micah was the picture of calm. He scoffed and raised a dignified eyebrow.

“Sir, I’m not sure you think we might be, but I can assure you that we’ve no dealings with criminals, that one or any other. My lady and I just came looking to buy some of the finest fish for a special celebratory dinner. That’s assuming you have good fish and that you’re wiling to trade with someone like myself who has found a mate in someone like this.”

Both guards turned to look at Coak. Most of the mud had dried and flaked off, but she hadn’t bothered to try and clean herself any further, the way Micah had. Dirt still covered every inch of her body.

“Just what are you saying,” the beaded guard demanded.

“Nothing. It’s just that I know you people often aren’t progressive enough to believe that two people can find love outside of their respective species. Just because it’s not the norm does it make it wrong, sir!”

Coak knew it was all part of the act, an imaginary backstory to get what they needed, but she found her heart soaring. The impassioned speech made her feel like someone like Micah wasn’t so detestable as he often presented himself. For the first time since she was born she could see a future that included a man who wasn’t from the mountain. She knew Micah didn’t feel the same way, but then again, the entire speech had rolled off his tongue like he had rehearsed it a hundred times before.

“Look here, winger—” The bearded guard stepped forward, poking Micah in the chest, which was all he needed for the next part of their plan.

Micah flailed his arms as widely as he could and yelled, all while practically jumping off of the side of the dock. Once in the water he splashed frantically, and he was no longer acting. He was drowning.

Fun fact about this post: WRITING!
AllWriting

NaNoWriMonday 2018 | Week 1

Posted on by J.W. Martin

It’s the first week of NaNoWriMo and I have to say, I’m having a blast. I’ve been in editing land for so long that finally being back at the first draft of something is just a whole lot of fun.

Seriously! It’s been so long that I kind of forgot how to first draft. I’m an outliner. Always have been. And while I don’t put down every detail in my outlines, I’m not usually vague. But I’ve run into a few spots where I’ve written a point like, “they travel to the city.”

I was like, “Thanks, past-me, but present-me would like a little more detail. Than that.” But it’s been fun. A little bit of pantsing in the middle of my outline.

As of the writing of this post (Sunday evening) I’m supposed to be at 6,666 words. And I’m happy to report that I’m at 6,825! I’d like to be a little further ahead, but the fact that I’m ahead at all is good with me! A week from now, I’m to be at 18,333. I’m hoping to be closer to 25K, but we’ll see!!

Fun fact about this post: I wrote 0 words on Saturday, and then had to write double the words on Sunday!