Notes, Here and There

Posted on November 30, 2010 by Brian

So, I’m bouncing from computer to computer these days, depending on location and whatnot. I’ve switched to Google Docs for writing awhile back. It’s not perfect, but it works for what I need right now.

I was using OneNote for my notes, but that’s proving to be unportable. Going with EverNote right now. Seems to be working pretty good, but it’s not OneNote. Wish Google Docs had a similar tool to OneNote/EverNote.

Finally broke 12,000 words (whoopie!). Trying to push through a dry spot in the story. I’ll jazz it up later, but it’s a bit of a “training montage” part. Necessary, but not all that fun to sit through right now. Just keep swimming! Just keep swimming!

Congrats to those people that got through NaNoWriMo! I know a few people that pulled it off and I’m impressed. I need to learn to write faster and more focused.

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Too Much Steampunk?

Posted on November 12, 2010 by Brian

According to Charlie Stross, we do. He has a good point, it is becoming over-exposed and little pervasive.

Good thing I’m going with “Mana Punk” instead. A little more fantasy and lot less steam to make the mechanics of the Shardlore world a little easier on the “suspension of disbelief” of my readers.

Check out his post and see what you think. Is it overdone? Do we need to go in a different direction?

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Patrick E. McLean Has a New Book?

Posted on November 8, 2010 by Brian

Great, now my productivity will be reduced even further on my own works!

I loved “How to Succeed in Evil” and he has a new work coming out called “Unkillable.” Great writer and an incredibly cool voice.

PatrickEMcLean.com

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World Map

Posted on November 2, 2010 by Brian

I’m nearly done with my world map. When it’s done, I’ll throw it up for comments.

Pretty pleased that I figured out how to make maps like this in Fireworks. May have to throw up a tutorial on it, since Adobe Fireworks Tutorials are so few and far between.

Stay the course people!

P.S. Best of luck to my NaNoWriMo friends! I’m not trying it this year, but want to send good vibes to those that are.

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New Title/Logo

Posted on October 26, 2010 by Brian

Because I have the attention span of a gnat, I need to work on other parts of the book to keep me occupied.

Check out the revised logo and title for the book. It’s not final, but it’s closer along than the original.

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Contact Page

Posted on October 22, 2010 by Brian

Wow, how long has that been broken? The Contact page is back and working properly. Check it out and drop me a note.

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Word Count Status

Posted on October 20, 2010 by Brian

For my fellow authors keeping tabs on me, I’m putting the word count over on right-hand side of the blog, along with the percentage to 70,000 and the number of chapters I’m through.

Figured this was easier than a post at a time whenever I want to update my count. I’m also throwing the count up on my Twitter feed, if you’re so inclined.

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Kindle Singles: I’m Intrigued

Posted on October 12, 2010 by Brian

Amazon has just announced a “singles” section. That is a place for lower-priced, shorter works. At first glance, it seems like a nod to our shorter-attention-span world, but they make an excellent point.

A story should only be as long as it takes to tell the story. Padding a story up an extra 10,000 words so it has the right “heft” to sell is a bad idea. Especially in an e-book world.

Continue reading →

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Jonesing for Prince of Hazel & Oak

Posted on October 2, 2010 by Brian

I made a promise to myself to not start any new podiobooks that were unfinished. I lose plot threads and storylines waiting for episodes to drop. That being said, I was thrilled beyond measure when I heard about the sequel to Shadowmagic. Needless to say…I’m dying for him to finish so I can start!

Fortunately, I’m way behind on other podcasts so I have no excuse but to catch up on them. I guess I could plug them, huh? The four I’m really into are: Escape Pod (Sci-Fi Short Fiction), Pseudopod (Horror Short Fiction), Pod Castle (Fantasy Short Fiction, whom I narrated a piece for), and lastly Decoder Ring Theater (New Old Time Radio Adventures).

You’ll find them all on my links section there on the right.

Now…get to work John Lennahan! I’m waiting!

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NaNoWriMo…Again?

Posted on September 16, 2010 by Brian

Uhoh. It’s a month and a half until NaNoWriMo. Dare I try it? Again?

Part of me does, but part of me feels like it’s too much and when I fall behind, I give up. Maybe if I get motivated in the next few weeks and get my outlines and world notes together I’ll give it a shake.

Who’s with me?

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