On Words and Writing

I've read so many books in my life. They have contributed to many of my deep thoughts, epiphanies and moments of wonder. Books are made of words and when artfully crafted they have brought meaning to my life so profound that words don't do the feeling justice.

Words are never enough, because the truth is always bigger than the words we use to describe it.

With words and books come writers who are eventually authors. I don't know if I can call myself an author or even a novelist before I have published a single word. I am, however, a writer through and through. It is my utter pleasure to be a writer and my sense of purpose to write has been at the core of everything that matters.

Perhaps none of this makes sense, but I am writing more for me than for you,  Dear Reader. If there is any central thought in this ramble, it is this:

Writing is pure, blissful, aggravating, unconquerable, maddening, unadulterated joy.

Maps

As I prepare to write the remaining 50,000 words of my sequel for JuNoWriMo, I've been looking into having someone draw maps of my world.

On realizing that my maps would be too intricate to explain, I've decided to make my own maps with a program called Campaign Cartographer 3. I made a sample pirate island that looked pretty good. When I have the maps finished, I'll post them on here.

Distractions

I'm trapped by my ancient enemy: distraction. At this point I'm not sure if it's worse than procrastination or if it's just the same thing. Xbox games, Netflix and video editing take up so much of my free time. The fact that they are so fun is what makes it a threat to my writing.

Then with my writing, I cant decide which project to work on. Do I work on the sequel to Skies of Madness or the short story that occurs between them? Or do I finish the short story I was writing about a former monster hunter?

I should probably just stick to one and finish it, then move on to the next. I must find a way to motivate myself.

Money or Readers

I was thinking about money today and came around to the inevitable writer's pipe dream: writing for a living aka making millions.

I don't try to think of myself as a writer so great that hundreds of thousands of people will download my books, but the thought does crop up. I may be alone in this, but I think every writer hopes that their work will be wildly successful.

So say I do make a million bucks and never have to work again. What then? What becomes the focus when making a living isn't an issue anymore?

The readers.

They are who ultimately decide whether we are successful or not. Whether the book is good or not is not really the question, but I strive to be the best writer I can be.

So when all is said and done, it boils down to the readers. So if you ever read any of my work, thank you. It's for me, but it's also for you. Thank you.

The Big Bang Theory Season 8 Finale (SPOILER ALERT!)

This is a post of raw spoilers! Read on, if you dare.

This may seem a little out of context with the rest of my posts, but oh well. I just saw TBBT Season 8 Finale, and this nerd lost his shit! Sweet mother of cliffhangers, Batman! 

Raj tells Emily he loves her which is big, but then on the way to a spur-of-the-moment Vegas wedding, Leonard drops the bomb that he cheated (kissing) on Penny when he went on his sea voyage. That was enough to leave me sitting on the edge of my seat. Spoiler: they're still getting married, but Penny is not happy about his dalliance.

But THEN because of the fight that Sheldon and Amy had (he asks her about The Flash tv show in the middle of making out), Amy decides to take a step back from the relationship. He had started trying to tell her that he had been thinking alot about relationships on their Skype call, but she cut him off mid-sentence. After she hangs up with him, he looks at a Gollum figurine from Lord of the Rings.

"Well Gollum, you're an expert on rings." Sheldon opens a drawer and takes out a ring case and opens it to reveal a gleaming gold engagement ring. "What do I do with this one?"

I am beyond freaking out right now. Every time they have a fight about commitment, nothing has really happened. It's been 5 agonizing yet wonderful years of seeing them awkwardly fall in love with each other. Now, just after their 5 year anniversary, they break up, and Sheldon was going to propose all along! 

Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?????

So excited for the next season. I have to wait months, but it will be worth it.

A Mother's Worry

Here's an excerpt from the beginning of Skies of Madness. It seemed fitting considering today is Mother's Day.

        Amelia Nathron bent down to plant a soft kiss on her baby’s forehead. He was turning two next week, but it seemed like only yesterday that he had come into this world.

        Memories of pain, fever and being bedridden for a month afterward drifted in her mind before she brushed them away. One look at him and there was no doubt in her mind that he had been worth every second.

        Keiron chose that moment to giggle, clapping his hands together and pointing at her. His foot bumped the smooth wooden ball he had been playing with, and it rolled away from him.

        Amelia laughed with him. Her heart filled with a profound love that made her feel like her body was too small a frame to contain it. When she was younger and wanted to have a baby more than anything, Amelia had never imagined that she would come to love him as fiercely as she did. She was a witch, able to manipulate magic, but there was a mightier magic to her devotion to Keiron that was beyond anything that she had ever known.

        Her son by now had noticed that the ball was no longer there. He caught sight of it rolling to rest against the far wall and began to cry. His hands reached out for it.

        “It’s alright, Keiron,”she said as she stood to pick it up.

        The ball wobbled and began drifting back toward the baby—against the incline of the floor. It rolled back into Keiron’s outstretched hands, and he giggled again. The sound was like music, but Amelia stared at her tiny child in alarm.

        Her baby boy had just used magic.

        Amelia knew very well that it was a rarity for a witch or mage to manifest their magic before they were in their teenage years. But her baby boy, just beginning to walk, had just used telekinesis for the first time.

        She kissed her son again. “What will you become, little one?”

Words to a Writer

Final Draft Complete

I just put what I hope are the finishing touches on Skies of Madness. The journey to outline, write and edit this has taken longer than 3 months. The first time I wrote this story it took me almost 6 months just to write it and another 6 to get it edited. There were a lot of plot problems with the old one that I didn't like so when I rewrote it, I was determined to get it right. I think I have.

Now that I've finished it, I've got to move on to the sequel. There's also the short stories bumping around in my head. Better to have too many ideas than not enough.

I'm faced with the sudden frustration of realizing that I have a very common name. So many Daniel Smith's already on Amazon where I plan to publish that I have to either choose a pseudonym or stick with my own name. I'm going to settle for Daniel J. Smith. The only other author on amazon with that name has published 2 children's books. My fantasy books will be easily distinguished from his so there should be little to no confusion. I hope.

Waiting and Writing

I'm just sitting here, staring at a blank page of a new story. It won't be featuring any of the characters from Skies of Madness. Just something that I wanted to write after a Walking Dead marathon. 

It has--you guess it--zombies, some ghouls, vampires and one nachzehrer. There are so many types of undead that get overlooked and they are interesting folk tales that definitely flow with a fantasy story. Its main protagonist will be a former monster hunter.

Also, I'm waiting anxiously for my copy editor to finish going through my manuscript for Skies of Madness. It might not be until tomorrow. Oh well. Patience is meant to be practiced.