Longing For Melancholy

It is indeed a strange thing to feel nothing. I can usually pick up on other's emotions if I focus which only makes my predicament stranger still.

I feel nothing,  not happiness nor sorrow. It is a curious emptiness that lies in the infinity between emotions.

Whenever this happens to me I'm left wondering at the lack of emotion. It's so calming and peaceful. I'm fascinated by it, and yet I wonder how long it will last this time.

From Jurassic Park to Skies of Madness.

I've been thinking a lot about dinosaurs lately and yea it's because Jurassic World came out in theaters yesterday. BTW, if you haven't seen it, go. It's awesome. Why are you still reading this? Go see it!

I was 11 years old when I finished reading every dinosaur book in the children's section for the second time. Resignation to the fact that I would have to start reading older kids' books struck me hard. Surely they wouldn't have a single dinosaur in them. 

Looking up and down the library, I remember frowning at the situation and yearning for just one more dinosaur book. Then suddenly I remembered the most famous dinosaur movie of all time. 

Jurassic Park.

I wondered if maybe there had been a book that had been written about the movie. Of course by now, many of you are probably laughing at me because of course Jurassic Park was written by Michael Crichton 3 years before the movie was released.

But I digress.

From the moment I began reading Jurassic Park, I knew that something incredible had just happened. The picture books about dinosaurs were great in their own way, but in Jurassic Park there was a world that my imagination crafted along with the story that was as complex as it was riveting. I couldn't put it down and as soon as I was done with it, I wanted more so I read the sequel: The Lost World.

Where am I going with this?

Jurassic Park was my stepping stone into the world of adult books, novels that wove stories that drew me in. That was when I truly wanted to become a writer. In that moment, I wanted to write something that could captivate a reader as I had been captivated by a park where dinosaurs thrived.

As I've gone on to other novels, my mind always goes back to that first one. It was my entrance to the magic of imagination through the written word. It's all thanks to Michael Crichton.

And dinosaurs.

Fast forward 17 years. I still love dinosaurs, but I've found something even better.

Dragons. 

You'll be hard pressed to meet someone who doesn't love dragons. They're everywhere! In games, movies, comics and novels. Beyond the old myths, generations are falling in love with dragons. 

And dragons are at the heart of the issue in my debut novel, Skies of Madness. It'll soon be available for purchase on Amazon when I get everything squared away. You can read an excerpt here.

You see, I never outgrew my love for dinosaurs. I just discovered that some of them could have magic. Because as any boy or girl will tell you, the only thing better than a dinosaur is a dragon. Dragons are basically dinosaurs with magic. Who could say no to that?

And dragons are to dinosaurs what a novel is to a picture book. The magic of a good story is what bridges the gaps of our sad moments into a glimpse into the infinite world of imagination. Not just a reprieve from a stressful day at work or a long night with the kids, a good novel will take you to a place that only exists for as long as you keep wondering about it.

So keep wondering and keep reading. You won't regret it.

Whispers in the Dark: 10K Mark!

Whispers in the Dark is the sequel to Skies of Madness, and I have high hopes at reaching my goal of finishing the first draft by the end of the month. 

I have just passed the 10,000 word mark. It will probably be about the same length as Skies of Madness so about 65,000. 

I think it's a good stopping point and doesn't leave the reader bogged down with too much reading time. That's another reason why I like separating my chapters by scene. If something comes up while someone is reading my book, I want there to be a good stopping point. 

That being said, there will always be cliff hangers at the end of chapters to entice the reader to keep reading. I always loved that when I read books that I love, and it seems to be the perfect thing to do in my own novels.

I think once I have this novel finished, I will finish up the novella that takes place between the two books. Then I'll self-publish all three to Amazon. I just need to decide if I want to space them out--maybe by a couple weeks each--or publish them all at once.

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.