Inside the Brain of E.C. Henry

Novel Cover Art Makes for a Fine Birthday Present

Happy 56th birthday, E.C. Henry.  And congrats on the new cover art for your first book in the Legend of Thars series.  Using Reedsy and hiring a talented drawer from the U.K. really worked!  You now have a great, epic fantasy cover to help sell your novel and series.

Today is a great day!  I am so happy.  

Not every day is a happy one for writers.  Today is.  For today I got my cover art for my novel.  

Still got lots of work to do, even on the first novel.  But now I've got light at the end of the tunnel.

Still doing edits on the 2nd book the series.  On about page 125...  But concerning the first novel, think now I'll do a final pass on it, then see what the readers at Reedsy have to say about it.

On a personal level, E.C. Henry turns 56 today.  Born, June 10, 1969; there's no denying Father Time. 

Today is a day of rejoicing.  Despite all the friction in the world today, somehow this fell in my lap.  So happy to have cover art of this fine quality.  So rejoice, not only is it my birthday, today; but it's also the day that I added a cover to the first novel in my Legend of Thars series.

Boundries

Visited the " Stingray petting area " at SeaWorld during the 1st day of vacation in Florida

I didn't even know you could "pet" these  creatures --but you can!  A SeaWorld employee walked us through it.  All she asked is that we not try to tough  them  in the  face  where  their eyes  were.  Their " stinger " (as it turns out) is NOT their  entire tail  but rather a  sharp thing  at the  base  , of which Seaworld caretakers clip to avoid their patron's injury.  

I took SOME pictures of this, but none came out very well.  Still, watching the  Stingrays  in the pond I found  them  receptive to people.  They actually lifted their  side fin  up over the berm and over the surface of the seawater as  they  glide by.  

The  Stingrays  were comfortable in the boundary SeaWorld provided and had learned over time that those watching them posed no threats I guess.  Even knowing the truth about these most  foreign of creatures , I was still timid around  them , though eventually I worked up the courage to "pet"  one .

SeaWorld's best ride was the "Manta", which was a fast-moving rollercoaster with  Stingray  accents, where the riders is upside-down for most of the ride.  Overall though, SeaWorld has like only five rides: The  Kraken  (pretty good rollercoaster), the  penguin rollercoaster  (mostly a disappointment), and the exploring Atlantis ride (which was really lame), I think there was a fifth, I just can't remember. 

SeaWorld has an excellent sea lion show, and seeing what  trained dolphins  can do is something that everyone should see in their lifetime at least once. 

It costs $35 bucks to park at SeaWorld, $65 if you go premium.  Costs like these were a prelude of what was to come throughout the trip.  Like parking $31 bucks for a six hour window only at Key West!

Early in the vacation the theme and application of "boundaries" weighed heavy on my heart and mind.  A couple weeks earlier I had an incident with my brother's youngest son's cat Shy-shy (no shit, that what he named it).  I though I was getting along very well with this cat, then one day lifted up up on the pedestal of my hand, and the cat go scared and scratched me.  So much for trust!  But after seeing animals at SeaWorld, then other others that came along the way later, I leaned boundaries and respect of animals is something you need to have even with animals in captivity.  No matter how "friendly" you think an animal could be towards you, they can act out.  I saw this at the Everglades Gator places.  The keeper was showing off how he could pin an adult alligator beak to his throat at one point.  Yet, later when fed a group of alligators, they had no qualms with snapping at him when teased them with meat.

Animals have their place, people have theirs, and when you attempt to coexist on the same plane be respectful of boundaries and what the animal could do--even if beforehand you though your had good report with them.  Even domesticated animals can't be trusted throughly by humans.  I've learned that lesson with the household cat, and backed that by what I saw on this trip.  

After SeaWorld, mom and I spent a couple days exploring the region around Titusville, but never actually went through the town.  At the Canaveral National Reserve we saw a most amazing sight: box turtles on the side of the road running as fast as they could eating grass as they ran.  They i did this in 90 degree heat on coast where unless you were in the water, you as human being were in AC.    

Getting off the highway, off a concrete walkway me and mom watched  dolphins  in the wild swimming around.  I tired my best to film  them , but the results were bad.  Still, seeing  them  pass me by a two feet way was a real thrill.  

I rented a Ford Mustang Convertible: a.k.a. the Mad Max special; to get us around.  And my mom made sure the AC was cranked full blast for almost all of our trip.  To God's credit He gave us great weather for our central-to-south Florida vacation.  While swimming in the ocean I praised Him for the blessing that the ocean is.

Mom didn't do well at Universal Studios, Florida.  Me, it took me a while by by about 4 p.m. I was ready to RUN from ride to ride.  The Transformer Ride was done very well: a combo of rollercoaster and video action where the Transformers fight each other.  The Simpson's ride fused the same elements and was likewise very good.  The Hollywood Rocket Rollercoaster lets you "pick a song" to listen to, then an action-packed ride commences.  I was pleasantly surprised by how good that ride was, though in riding it I though the song selection was a novelty--it's not.  My song ended up being "Waterloo" by Abba.

I did go to a couple "shows" while at Universal Studios, their horror make-up, and and an Imagination production that Sweat Pea kinda liked. 

For all the money they pour into Universal Studios there is still a lot of room for improvement.  The Tonight Show Staring Jimmy Fallon exhibit looks like a ride, but it's really just old memorabelia from that show's run; you walk through it and it's really lame.  Likewise at Steven Speilberg endorsement doesn't even come close to saving the VERY LAME "ET" ride.  The Fast and Furious ride was a missfire.  The Minions Villains was a moving floor where you try to zap targets, the Men in Black ride lets you ride a tilt-a-wurls while zapping alien target with a guy.  None of those rides impressed me.    

THIS is what a loving mother looks like: she HATED Universal Studios, is even more opposed to Disney

By 4 o'clock my 76-year-old mom had enough of the heat and retreated back to the Mustang to run the A/C.  Thank you Jesus she made it there!  I really wanted to go on more rides and acted against my better judgement letting her make the 1/2 mile track back to our car.  YES, at Universal Studios the airport style parking garage can set up back a half mile from the actual park you want to go to. 

After Universal we toured the Florida's Atlantic Coast starting in Vero Beach going south.  Every place we parked by the beach was a pay spot.  Found all of the beaches had orange seaweed in them.  Still, God never disappointed: EVERY ocean swim I took totally relaxed me.  The longest swim I took in ocean was probably 45 minutes.  During which time I burnt my shoulders.  Still, it was worth it!  I love swimming in the ocean.

While in Vero Beach mom had us meet up with some very old acquaintances from our past: Joe and Michelle Litton. My first encounter with them came in mid-1980s.  Joe was a missionary and Michelle was his committed fiancee.  Joe always had a heart for the mission of Christ.  At one point he councilled me against attempting to start a Christian Dance Ministry in the 1990s and early 2000s.  Other that that I had very limited exposure to them during the early stages of my Christianity in the early 1990s.  They were just frequented the first church I attended as a born-again believer.  Those two went on to serve in wore-torn Albania.  A few years ago from a parishioner who liked him Joe got a plane, and at one point had a pilot's license from his contacts he made in Florida.  When a pastorship opportunity opened up in Vero Beach, he accepted it and sold that plane.  He and his wife headline a church in Vero Beach, and have for the past five years.

This is what God's faithfulness looks like Florida style

Who says God doesn't reward missionaries--in THIS life!  Anyway, seeing God's favor on them, and His hand on their journey does my heart well.  God is good! 

While exploring south of Vero Beach me and my mom came up on pond just outside the ocean nearing dusk.  We watched a box turtle swim in it, and heard a grunt akin to a duck sound, "Wonnk" coming from four spots in different areas of the pond.  My mom speculated these were alligators signaling each other.  I tried to verify that, but alas the dense mangroves concealed the noise-makers identity.  

Boca Raton was ritzy, with great restaurants galore.  Pompano Beach was the last place on the Atlantic coast we swam. It had almost no seaweed.  After that barthrooms on the beach stopped existing, and then the Condo's came.  Ft. Lauderdale had nice beaches but limited access--unless you were in a condo.  We did drive through Hollywood, Florida; but never made it to Miami.  I wanted to see it, my mother did not.  

On the Keys...

While staying at a hotel for the night at Key Largo my mom and I watched large Iguannas go up and down the mangroves.  My mom speculated that was done in attempt to avoid alligators.  I was on in the bay at sunset and was ejoyed the Lord's beauty in nature there.  While looking for crocks in the neighboring mangrove canal I get bitten up by mosquitos.  I also got bit up trying to see the local fauna at a game perserve.  When I woke up the next morning I had a mild case of pink eye in my right eye.

Upon arriving at Key West, knowing we only had about 12 hours to explore the place, I settled on Sunset Watersports.  And, boy oh buy am I ever glad the Lord brought us there.  The receptionist talked my mom into doing parasailing.  My mom also agreed to a snorkeling expedition.  I signed up for an hour and half of jet skis, which was probably the most fun I had on the entire trip. 

To my mom's credit, she did go up and parasail.  We went with two other couples and I voluntered us to go first.  We started on a boat deck and ended on the same boatdeck.  Time up above the teal water wasn't too long.  And they winched us down.  Memories for life.  My seventy-six-year old mom had one last hurrah that she can look back at with pride.

Follow the lead, follow middle of the lead jetski's wake -- and gun the throttle most of the time!

The jetski trip was from 9:30 - 11:00 a.m. and entrailed going around the main island of Key West.  During this follow-the-leader ride I didn't see any wildlife, but at times riding the jetski was like riding a bucking bronco.  I love it!  Would do it again in heartbeat.  There we two short breaks in the trip at which time I made sure to jump in the water.  Found re-boarding the jetski was EASY.  So I learned alot.

The snorkling trip was way better than I thought it would be.  They takes you out in party boat to a neighboring coral reef.  I had never snorkled before, but after putzing abound with it, got the hang of it, and was able to take extended sessions looking at what was in the sea.

Not a lot of life in coral reefs I checked up.  They had some plant fauna on them and some fish, but was nothing overwhelming.  About five minutes before the session at sea ended I did spot a sea turtle following the bottom of the ocean.  He was mid-sized and eventually outswam me.  On the ride back to the marina our party boat passed a pod of dolphins swimming in tandem.  

After Key West me and mom checked out the Everglades National Park.  We even drove to "Flamingo" thinking that would have some good shots of the keys off the distance.  Found a lot of mosquitos in Flamingo.  Did see a couple alligators in a watery canal, but for the most part the Everglades was a big disappointment; and I know I'll never purposely go back there again. 

On the return trip home we traveled a very deserted Interstate 41.  Saw warning signs for panthers but none for alligators.  Lot of Floridians like to fish in the canals, closer to Miami I did see a few mom-and-pops airboat services that I would have like to try instead of the one we too at an alligator farm right off the keys.  

Thank you Jesus I never hit anything, nor got hit by anybody on our two-week trip.  My mom did put a few minor paint scratches on her door, but the night before we flew back to Blountville I applied some touch-up paint to make them go away.  I also vaccumed it out, and put leather protector on the interior figuring that after two weeks on the road I was set for a through car check at the Enterprise return center.  Didn't happen.  I even asked if the guy wanted to check the fuel level--he didn't saying the company had the car's computer linked so my progress and stops were being monitored.  

Writing wise I did get some editing in on the 2nd novel, and did an initial breakdown of the first four scenes of the 2nd script adaptation.  Some progress, not alot.  In being home two and half days now, I did reconnect with the drawer in the U.K. and got some preliminaries back from him.  More to come on that in later posts.

Two weeks of THIS -- (in a couple days comes the credit card bill... yikes!)

Sorry for not posting in over a month.  I'll try to be more frequent poster in the weeks to come.  I've got pink eye, a fever, and a sore throat.  Got some medicine from a doctor in Kingsport, but I'm not over this yet.  Fever got as high as 101.  Last night it was 99 degrees... Hopefully I wont have to ask for a third day off, when I do a self-evaluation at 1:30 / 2:00.  

The vacation itself was a blast, but very expensive.  It's going to take some time to rebuild my finances.  I basically threw this vacation together in about a week's time after my mom's heart evaluation came up clear with no worrysome flags.  

I turn 56 on Tuesday, so there's that.  I'll try to get out another post before that. 

I like showing people the beaches, Lord!

The place I work isn't doing very well financially so I may hafta start looking for additional work.

My brother and his son really want to do a "road trip" to Pittsburgh to see the Seahawks play the Steelers in Week two of the regular season.  That plus playing another season of U-tube NFL package are my goals now.   Don't know if I'll get there given my shaky work situation...  NE Tennessee isn't a high thriving area.  There aren't a lot of good paying jobs to be had here.  Still, my younger brother loves the place.  Should my mom pass away I'm very tempted to leave NE Tennessee behind and go somewhere else.

Sincerely,

E.C. Henry

P.S. Didn't get a lot a great pictures on this trip.  I took SOME with my smartphone, I don't think my mom took any.  In a week or so I'll do a sidebar with more pics.  

Passing Through the Boring Parts; Challenges in Writing a Novel: Volume XV

Sorry for not posting in over a month.  Several reasons for that.  For starters the editing of the novel has been slow, less than an edited page a day which is really, really bad.  More to come one that.  I also had some computer problems in Typepad where accessing some features led to log-offs.  I get updates whether I like them or not, and a setting got changed.  For a while I didn't know if someone was messing with my computer or not.  Somethings are hard to know.  I was also not feeling very good with my eyesight, and ringing in my ears.

Did go to a doctor a couple weeks ago.  She seemed to think my heath issues were allergy related.  So I started to do Flonaise... and slowly my eyes slopped hurting so much, and the rings dropped off, though as I write you know I still have some.  

As far as the computer goes with Typepad, I found that by a different browser and allowing site redirects allowed functions to start working again, and I wasn't prematurely--and abruptly logged off so I can produce posts again, and delete unwanted content: comments and posts.  

Content-wise I wanted to touch base on how you handle the less-than-exciting sections when editing a novel.  I started this month at page 100, and with one day left to edit, am only on page 126 of editing the 2nd book.  Editing less than a page a day is really bad progress, and it begs the question, why?

Each new section of writing is like driving up to a city.  Will it be an easy ride through it, or will there be slowdown?

To be honest with you in the second novel in the Legend of Thars series, there is a lot of action to start things out.  But around page 100 there is a transition period where the main character takes in the wood, Elves, and Thars.  I found a lot of this writing flat and uninspired.  

I'm a pretty hash critic of my own material.  If it's not up to snuff I'm not shy about saying so.  The 2nd book in the series needs a lot of work.  

Thankfully, after about page 124 the action heats up a little bit.  So I'm hoping my pages per day bumps up!  In the middle of May I'm slated to start working with a guy in England for a book cover.  That should be a lot of fun, though it will also set me back $1,700.  Whoever said novel writing was cheap is a liar!  

Never a bad idea to stop and joy the journey--if you have something nice to reflect upon and share with others.

I'm a pretty good screenwriter.  After 20+ years, and 31 screenplays to my credit, I know how to get in and out of scenes.  I think you can implore the same discipline in novel writing.  I know because I've read novels before, and they use a lot of the same tricks: start late, end early.  End on a cliffhanger. 

I wouldn't say I stuck.  But I'm definitely not in most productive mode these day.  Also factoring in on all this, is that my mom wants me to take her on a south Florida vacation in a couple weeks, while I'm facing the definite prospect that my day job may end abruptly.  Thankfully I'm a "saver" so I have some cash reserves.  Still, I'm far from Taylor Swift riches, so I have to watch how I spend my money.  

The journey of novel writing is long, arduous trek.  I still remain committed to doing the best I can.  Recently I found a deeper dive into my main character and his spirituality.  I think it's going to translate well in the novel.  I'm hoping to start work on the 2nd adapted screenplay soo too, as the opening scene is "coming to me."   

I wish the creative life was more consistent.  Lotta lows experienced by me over the years, not to many highs.  Most of the highs come in the form of competed projects.  Break-through moments are good, as are inception moments when new stories or fresh scenes come to mind.  

By the middle of June I should have some really cool cover art to show you.  Maybe to spice things up, I'll get into drawing again.  I was never a very good drawer, though.

Ah the downs and slight ups of life.  If I come across as more down than up, you're reading me right.  In the end honesty maters.  I could really use your prayers right now both in my creative and personal life.  

In closing, God is good; and prayer works!  Till all is accomplished--

Steady as she goes!

Avoiding Redundancies; Challenges in Writing a Novel: Volume XIII

The  goal  of  ALL writing  is to create something you're proud of.

E.C. Henry LOVES  cardinals !  Such a magestic bird, and now that I'm living in Tennessee I see them all the time.  :)   The last post in this series came wayyy back in February of 2018... Well, guess what--I'm cranking it up again!  

Redundancies in writing is one of the biggest challenges writer's face in the editorial process of improving their prose.  I think redundancies exist in two different forms.  First is using the same word over and over again.  That can be fixed by using a thesaurus, and pronouns.  Listening to your prose really helps find this kind of redundancy.

This type of duplication is usually a product of first draft writing.

Typos and word flow matter may appear as big hurdles to cross, but there is another form of redundancy to consider when editing a novel, and that comes in the form of conceptual redundancy.  This kind of duplication is when you describe the same thing several times to detriment of the reader.  A lot of this comes from disjointed writing sessions.  Sometimes you forget how you previously described something.  The more complex and long your story is, the more you need to be on the look-out for conceptual redundancy.

Consistency matters.  You don't want to add "tweaks" to previously described things that breaks the rules you established.  One way to safeguard against this is to use separate documents to help keep key facts straight.  I think I have like 200+ characters in The Legend of Thars series.  Even my main characters have attributes and key articles of clothing that I need to keep straight.  To "help" keep consistence I use a master character roster that briefly describes each character, and I have several other files chronicling characters action and change as the series progresses.   Character bio pages will also help you create good arcs for characters.  Character arcs are the changes characters go through and life lessons learned as result of them being in the story.  Character arcs are important for great meaning being expressed.  

Writing Will Always Humble You.

For me a lot of repeated thing are a product of disjointed writing sessions.  One the harsh realities I face on a daily basis is the fact that I have to work for a living, and can't fully give myself to this art 24/7.   

God gave us erasers for good reason!

Repeating saying the same thing over and over again is annoying.  Trust me, I get it.  No writer sets out to bore their reader.  Hopefully when you edit your material you see the repetition and can eliminate it.  If not, let readers who have a fresh perspective find that for you.  That's the whole purpose of Beta readers is to find the lulls and repetition that you can't see anymore.  

Never said writing was easy.  Writing a "good yarn" takes practice--and dedication!

So, last week I got my paid editorial review back of the first novel in The Legend of Thars series.  I was shocked at how few changes the lady I paid suggested.  So my confidence is riding relatively high right now.  No, I'm not claiming to have arrived.  But I feel good about where I am right now.  

Right now I'm at about page 80 of the 2nd novel in the series.  I've got some mid-level logic issues to iron out which are slowing the edits down considerably.  Right now I'm editing a key chase scene with lots of stuff happening in two separate locations. 

I'm also gearing up to work with a cover artist from England!  THAT is going to be fun.  The guy I've hired already has two sections of text from the first novel that I KNOW will made for a cool eye-catcher.  How can a dragon fight NOT be interesting.  I guess in the wrong hands anything can be botched.  But when it comes to imagery, I'm like State Farm; and you're in good hands!

I think this fella is auditioning to be in Thars!

Until you get published realized--

It's Always a Draft. 

In writing novels I've stumbled on a band new, E.C. Henry writing mantra.  It's always a draft means that whatever draft your on, it can always be improved upon.  Writing is not like working with clay in pottery.  Until the day the final product is in book form it can be improved upon.   Even once published, on the next publishing cycle an improved draft can make the end product even better!

Still, you can't work on the same thing for too long.  So I take solace in the fact that writing is an experiment art.  And, now were up to another E.C. Henry writing mantra:

Writing is an Experiment Art. 

Two quick and easy to digest axioms.  Doesn't mean that adopting these will make writing something great easier.  But it does help form a greater perspective on the creative life and writing in general.   

So when it comes to writing redundancies, be aware of the two forms they exist in, and reread your work keying of trying to eliminate this ugly fat from your story.   My antennas are always up when it comes to redundancy in writing.  In a complex story it's easy to repeat yourself.  Cues to remind the reader are good, but need to be limited in time spent in scope.  One of the ways you can self-edit and take these annoyances out is by re-reading your prose in chunks.  After a little training a lot of poor sentence flow and repetition stands out, and can be corrected. 

 

 

Pre-Spring Word Pruning

  Looks like ol' E.C. is at it again!  

Man o man, did I ever  cut some writing  this morning!  Like about 4 pages off the 2nd book in the Legend in Thars series.  

Still waiting for my editorial critique of the first novel to come through...

But as I wait, I'm " pruning " my prose.  As I do so I'm finding, I'm  cutting more of the backstory  that slows the action down, and adding more details for the in-the-moment action.  

There is work galore to be done on this series as a whole.  Heck, I've barely scratched the surface on all that needs to be done.  With  line editing  the biggest need that's where my focus is.  But you can't do that all the time.  You've gotta vary things up.  

I have pushed the screenplay adaptation back.  Oh, I still plan on doing it, but I'm gunna focus on that after I reach the point in the story where the first adapted screenplay ends.  

It's not all " pruning " -- at certain seasons it's time to  plant !

It's time to look into acquiring some " cover art " for the first novel.  Once I have that, and that editorial review under my belt, it's time to start publishing.  Not sure how much publishing my novel will cost, but I'm resolved to have a paperback book published.  Not to crazy about e-books, so I'm not going to spend much energy in that arena. 

The weather out here in NE Tennessee is finally starting to change.  High 70s to be felt in about 5 days.  Later in May I'm eying taking a trip to explore Florida from Jacksonville south to Miami.  Thinking about flying to Jacksonville, then renting a covertable to check out the beaches and sights.  

Other than that, not a lot to report.  Home-maintence wise I need to fire the the lawmower up and make sure it works, and try to fix a back-up weed wacker we've got.  Not as easy as you think finding small engine repair shops up here.  

 

222 to 239 The Challenge Ramps Up!

Yesterday I sent off the entire manuscript for The Chosen Redeemer of Thars to a lady on Reedsy for an "editorial review".  That manuscript was 222 pages long.  This morning I started editing the 2nd novel in The Legend in Thars series, this one's called A Strange Sense of Divine Destiny.

The first novel in the series is really set-up and framing for the action that really kicks off in earnest in the 2nd novel.  First novel -- as it stands today is only 222 pages, while A Strange Sense of Divine Destiny is currently 239 pages.  

Yeah, it's a long series.  I think each novel gets longer than the next.  It's really just how the story breaks, but by the last book in the series it's really J.R.R. Tolkien time.  Yeah, gimme time and a little rope, and I'll get you there!

But I'm still marveling I edited roughly 120 pages in a week, when for the better part of two months I did about 33 pages!  Ouch.  Well, at least I'm trending in the right direction. 

I think I'm gunna slow down a little bit, and just focus on improving prose in the 2nd novel until I see how the first novel was received by the editor I paid for.  I did go up for prayer yesterday at church concerning this, and the prayer lady told me to believe for bigger things. 

Given my PAST it's VERY HARD for me not to have a jaded view of the entire publishing industry.  But ya never know what God wants and wills in a certain area.  I'm going to honor the Lord in way that I don't think He ever has been honored in a fictional book.     

So pray for me, because the work's far from over.  

To God be the glory!

When the Train Starts to Gain Momentum

Writing an epic fantasy series can be a grind.  I've already had several stops and starts with this, as THIS is a project that dates back to the early 1990s for me.

After Christmas I re-opened the project, and I found it cumbersome and awkward.  Five novels novels to edit, with the last couple pretty rough.  But though I wanted to fast edit everything, by the middle of February I was only on like page 28.  I was averaging less than a half page a day.  I felt like the wheels on my train had super glue on them!

But I continued to pray.  Remained resolved.  Decided to take a macro and micro approach to brining this project to completion.  And now I'm happy to report that THIS WEEKEND I did like 50 pages of editing!  

It's coming.  It's clicking.  God is good!

I wish it had come earlier so I could be father along with the process, but maybe that's how some projects go:

Writing takes time to get momentum. 

Are we nearing a new E.C. Henry writing axiom?  Yes!  Been a while since I've thought in those terms...   Don't think the exact wording right yet, but there is something to be said about writers and their momentum.

When it comes to writers and their momentum.  Here's a few key points to consider:

• Tenacity matters.  Stick with it, fight though it.  Not everything comes easy. 
• Seek to adhere to a regular, writing schedule.  Me, I like to write in the mornings before I go to work.  I also make it a goal to write consistently for a least an hour.
• Keep distractions at a minimum.  Don't have your Internet open while writing, unless a research item calls for that.  The Internet is useful in spots for that.  No music while writing either, to distracting. 
• Keep track of your progress--but don't be a slave to it.   Writers write.  Sometimes pages fly.  Sometimes, like I just went through it feels like you're in quick sand.
• Realize that you are the conductor of your train.  Don't let other people's progress be your benchmark. 

As far as the "micro" and "macro" of this epic fantasy series go.

Micro is line editing.  Micro is the prose and how words form paragraphs, then paragraphs form pages.  Micro is page-by-page flow.  It's how your text looks a whole on a page, and it sounds when read.  You can get lost in the Micro.  I know, I've done this with screenplays too.  :(  This is how you do less that edited page a day.  :(  That, said, it's in the micro where your reader is entertained.  Maybe a savvy and seasoned reader can look beyond your prose to grade out the story as a whole, but you really need to have prose that sings.  That's the goal of the micro.  And if you don't have that people may label you as being a bad writer even if you're really not, you just haven't edited to a top notch level yet.   

 

The macro is novel formation.  It's the drawings that accompany your novels.  And its the books as a whole.  Macro is also where you sell your book in burb. For me the macro lately has been converting all the novels in the series to MS Word, and it's the needed editing of the synopsis at work, and updating the master character list making sure I have consistency.  

 

 
 

Is Coffee Integral to Creative Writing?

Good things are happening when the liquid shown in the glass bulb turns a rich shade of brown.

God knows how many cups of coffee I've drank while writing--but it's a lot!

Lately with my renewed efforts to edit and hopefully publish ALL the Legend of Thars book, I've been drinking roughly a pot of coffee every morning!  Probably not the heathiest choice, but coffee and writing linked very closely in my world.  

I don't consider myself a coffee snob.  There are coffees I like, and ones I've learned to avoid.  

One of the biggest surprises I've found on that front is that McDonalds has better coffee than either Starbucks of Dunkin Doughuts.  For starters Starbucks coffee is always served SCALDINGLY HOT!  But even after it cools, it still tastes bad!  Dunkin Doughnuts signature blend is totally forgetable.  And you'd think being a doughnut shop they were take great pains to couple that with great coffee.  No dice!  But in all honesty their doughnuts are pretty bad too.  NE Tennessee has several Dunkin Dougnuts.   The only product of theirs that I like is their jelly-filled doughnut, but even those are small, skimpy, and I've found other smaller doughnut shops make a better jelly-filled doughnut.  

Right now my favorite pastry to eat is a sticky bun.  Starbucks USED to have a great one, but these days all their pastry entries are under-sized and over-priced.  The restaurant chain Perkins has a pretty good sticky bun, but it's not quite as good the ones I remember coming from Starbuck 10 to 15 years ago.

A "good" sticky bun looks something like this:

If you get a sticky bun that looks different, don't buy it.  

I still go to Starbucks occasionally for a vanilla late, but never for anything else.  I still go to Dunkin Doughnuts for their jelly-filled doughnuts, but never for anything else. 

Funny how some of these mass franchises can't even get the little things right.  Coffee.  That's a staple of Starbucks, right?  Their coffee.  And a key side entry at Dunkin Doughnuts.  

Sorry, for this tangent, but as a writer I spend a lot of time with my coffee, so when I have some I EXPECT to be passable.  I'm farrr from a coffee snob.  Folgers perk coffee remains my favorite of all-time.  Grow up my DAD liked perk coffee; and I've adopted that as my own as well.  I have fond memories of perk coffee going back to the days of my adolescence when we'd go camping, and the FIRST THING we did when he have morning campfire was to put a pot of coffee on and watch it perk...

Perk Coffee >> Drip Coffee

Good times, great memories.  Though now in my 50s, I disdain camping and am resolved to never to do it again.  Fishing and hunting too, though I'm less passionate about not wanting to do that.  Overnight backpacking being the concession there.  I would LOVE to try that once.  The thought of that always intreaged me.  Fishing on the ocean was fun, but had so many BAD experiences river and lake fishing that I'm hesitant to do them again.  Hunting was fun, but I've never had good deer meat, so I really can't to excited about that.  Sorry.  

Ahhh, those strolls down memory lane.  Coffee has been a big part of my life ever since the days of our family camping trips.  I don't think it until I started writing that coffee because so important to me though.

Giving up coffee would be very tough for me to do, as it is so intertwined into my writing and editing routine that it feels like they're Siamese in nature.    

Bingo!

Novel Update:

• Last week I hired an editor I found at Reedsy to give The Chosen Redeemer of Thars an "editorial review"
• Got more pages edited last week.  I'm still woefully behind schedule, but the project as a whole is becoming less cumbersome and free-flowing.  Thank you, Jesus.
• Found out today that Reedsy has an area for new novelists to connect with Beta readers.  So I'm going to put the whole prolog up there and see what happens.
• Very seriously considering making a few queries to book cover drawers on Reedsy to draw up a cover for the 1st book.  I figure that will set me back at least $1,000.  

Jamming with Janet; Retroactive Music Loves: Volume III

Janet Jackson is THE BEST female music act of all-time. 

Yeah, I LOVE Taylor Swift; but I don't think any female musical act will ever top Rhythm Nation 1814 that came out in the fall of 1989.  

Some real fun songs came off that album: Escapade (which is my 2nd favorite song of all-time), Miss You Much, and Love Will Never Do (Without You).  Was never a real big fan of Janet's title track song from that album, and I thought Black Cat totally sucked.  But what she did with her top three songs is pretty tough to compete against.  For starters she's a better dancer than her famous brother, Michael.  I REALLY liked her positive, high energy way.  And she had couple tracks from an earlier album, Control, that was really good too: When I Think of You, and What Have You Done for Me Lately.  

I went and saw Janet Jackson when she was putting on her Rhythm Nation tour.  I was on drugs at the time, but still had fun!  Ah, can't lie about my past.  Thankfully those dark days are behind me and I lived through them without having to do jail time.  Anywho...

Janet Jackson, in spots, is OUTSTANDING.  I favor her slightly more than Taylor Swift and little more than than Shania Twain.  

In her late 50s now, Janet Jackson's high octane, choreographed dancing days are behind her, but not forgotten by me.  I still jam out to some of her tracks on my iPod, and have used several in spec. script soundtracks I've made over the years.  Never did see her wardrobe malfunction at the Super Bowl--and never care.  When it comes to artists, I rally to their best efforts.  What makes them great and beloved.  I'm definitely a fan-boy in that regard.  And to that extent Janet Jackson did it well and is worth a little reminising over.  

"... And I just know we'll have a good time..."

"Yeah."

The Epic Task Before Me...

So I'm a little less than two months into shaping The Legend of Thars novels, and writing 2/3 more scripts for it.  Originally I thought of having a sidebar to track my progress (or lack thereof), but have since soured on that.  

So far I'm only on page 28 of the book one editing.  That means I'm averaging less than a page a day, more like half a page a day, which is really, really bad.  :(  That's gotta improve, there's no if ands or buts about it.

On a more positive note:

• I do have a master list of chapter titles with the break for first movie in them.
• I updated the last book of the Thars series to have proper chapter titles in its table of contents.  
• The first two novels in the series are converted over to MS word, and have a page #s at the bottom.
• I'm getting more familiar with using MS Word, as for the past 30 years I'd been using Word Perfect.  MS Word is great because it has audio playback BUILT INTO IT, and it's very easy to use, as opposed to Dragon Natural Speaking which wasn't working very well.
• Have been updating and improving the copyrighted synopsis I have of the Legend in Thars series.  YES, years ago I went that extreme because I thought maybe I'd get a bite with a publishing house, at which time I wanted proof that I had thought this whole series through.

I'm finding my editing to be a little scatterbrained, BUT the longer at stick at this the easier it's getting so I can't afford to stop now. 

I'm also thinking about going to a writer's retreat in Nashville at the end of April.  Got some time to make a final decision on that, looks a lot like the PNWA stuff I attended in the 90s - 2012.  So I'm not all jazzed about that, but maybe it's time I tried again.  Hmmm...

Was for a while trying an epic fantasy site on-line, but that turned out to be more of a bust.  Even highlighted one of it's authors on a sidebar, but his was pretty bad site so I dropped it after a couple weeks. 

Looking forward to writing the script adaptations for the Thars novels.  Ideas are coming to me of how to start the 2nd script.  Recently I was suprised to find I'd already started that back in 2017.  Must have been just before I started working on When the Motorcycle Calls, because that kicked off 9 years of script writing that totally interrupted finishing Thars.  But that's over now. 

Still need to "hook up" with a drawer.  Still need to draw preliminaries for each chapter.  But things are purculation and are far from stagnant. 

A lot of life is momentum.   A least these days I'm starting to GAIN momentum then piddle it away.  Gotta be patient and learn to enjoy the process.  

Upcoming Thars Goals:

• Start carding up scenes for the next script, and start a formal outline.
• Convert the 3rd, 4th, and 5th novels to MS word and get page #s at the bottom.
• Continue editing book one in the morning.
• Work on the novel-to-script adaptation at work.
• Do "spot edits" to shore up scenes that I'm focused on for the the script adaptations.

Aces in my hand:

• Most all of the story logic is already worked out.  All I have to do now really is make it sound better.  One thing I did add with this iteration of edits is that the main character will form his own coat of arms, as in this feudal world a clan's coat of arms means quite a bit. 
• I have an in-depth master character list.
• My main characters have bio pages written with most info already down. 
• Maps of Thars are already made and ready to be given to a publisher when that time comes.

Key decisions made:

• Book prose and endnotes now separate from title page, maps, and table of contents for each book.  
• I immediately ended contact with a potential publisher when he backed out of a meeting with me, then tried to weasel back into one several days down the road.  I want someone who believes in this project.  I'm doing YOU a favor letting you be part.  I'm not going to beg ANYONE to be part of this.  Rather, it's time to trust God and give Him the glory for my success.
• Looking for positive energy.  Commenters who come here and bring negative energy will have their comments immediately deleted.  Writing is hard enough.  Putting up with negative Nellies won't to tolerated by me on this site anymore.  Got a sarcastic nature?  Take your sorry a$$ elsewhere! 
• Will be staying away from Carson Reeves Scriptshadow, and focusing more time on Breitbart.  Better socializing to be had over at Breitbart.  Too many of the people at Scriptshadow are prudes, and downright rude and mean people; which is surprising given that fact they deal with movies and ideas.  Plus, I like talking politics, coming to the aid of some, and honing my views on issues that I'm far from an expert on.  Who would have thought there's more open minded people at Breitbart than on a writer's screenwriting website.  But that's the times we're in. 
• Put in a query request at Reedsy for an editorial assessment of the first book with 5 freelance editors on Tuesday, February 18, 2025.

Still looking for my "tribe"...  Starting to think I'm going to end up like Abraham, who was looking for the city of God until the day he died.  BUT Abraham did get the child of the promise before he died.  At age 100, Sarah begat Issac, and Abraham lived long enough to know his own son, the son of the promise, Issac.   Me and Abraham have a lot in common.

It's time to identify more with the people of the bible and the Lord than the LOST people at the end of this age, who justify perversion of the sexes.   Back in Abraham's time they had Sodom and Gomorrah.  Here in the era I live in we have homosexual marriage and transexual people.  No, people aren't coming to my door and demanding to have sex with who's inside, but immorality is pretty prevalent in the world today, and I have a guy at work who "likes me".  Yikes!    

Even in light of today's issues I remember the example that Jesus left us.  By his kindness he CHANGED THE LIFE of Marry Magdalene.  The Lord's been working on me with that in light of the gross sin that some people flaunt in my presence.  Don't know if I can solicit the same change.  But I need to make myself available to the Lord should such occasion arise.  Also, I need to realize that today's battles are temporal.  The bible teaches ANY who are willing to read and learn how the end is going to play itself out.  Always remember Revelation 21:5, "And He who sits on the throne ways, "Behold, I am making all things new.  Write, for these words are faithful and true."  

All glory to God!  I wasn't there when He created the Heavens and the Earth, but I believe I'm going to see when He recreates a new Heaven and Earth.  It's all foretold it the bible.  NOW is time to believe.  

So the writer writes on.  Writes on in hopes the Lord will make my dreams come true.  To God be the glory.

Poop Emojis Galore for 2025 Oscars

There's no way to sugarcoat it anymore, movie-making is on the downward spiral. 

: Emelia Perez

: Conclave

:  Wicked 

: The Brutalist

All four of these movies are shit!  Of these four the one I've seen was The Brutalist, and it was awful.  From firsthand actually watching show I can vouch that that movie was piss-poor.  Started off with Jew fleeing Hungary and immigarting to the U.S., and wouldn't ya know it the FIRST place he goes is a whorehouse where he has GRAPHIC SEX with a prostitute.  Great way to kick off a movie, huh?  I blame the director.  Anyone with ANY BRAINS doesn't begin an Oscar campaigning movie that way, but guess what--that's what Brady Corbet did!  

The sins of The Brutalist go even deeper than that.  This movie is 3 1/2 hours, so long that it has an intermission.  Very SLOW first half.  After the intermission the action picks up a little bit only to tank again when the main protagonist gets gay humped by his benefactor at the ACT II breakpoint.  Oh, did I mention that the main protagonist likes to shoot up heroine?  Sigh.  Too much sex and gross stuff for my taste.  

Conclave is doomed because its whole focus is on demeaning the Catholic Church.  When I heard that it's shocking reveal is that they appoint a pope who is both male and female, I checked out of this movie completely and relegated to the pile of the profane.  God's church should never be mocked in such fashion.  Conclave should have NEVER been greenlit.  The fact that Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, and John Lithgow decided to act in this, is a blight on their careers as far as I'm concerned, and shows PISS POOR discernment on their part.  I want NOTHING to do with this movie.  It will be REJECTED by me forever.

Nothing like a little gender re-assignment procedure to kept fuel a cutting edge movie.  Emila Perez has a transgender lead who's up for Oscar consideration on this one.  I'm not one to bash anyone who considers themself transgender.  But to see as the central traction for a movie is a HARD PASS for me and shows PISS POOR discernment by its movie greenlighters. 

The Wizard of Oz is a classic movie.  But now in Wicked I hear they're promoting LQBTQ+ propaganda, homosexuality, and witchcraft.  Seen a few promo pictures of a fairy (Ariana Grande) holding hands with a green-faced witch lady, and I've decided to tune the whole thing out.  It's sad when you see greenlit movies that take old classics and try to advance social justice causes.  That's not the kind of entertainment I want.  

Now there are other Oscar nominated movies: The Substance, Dune: Part II, Anora, I'm Still Here, A Complete Unknown, and Nickel Boys.  MAYBE The Substance could be good.  I did see Dune: Part II'; and can vouch that is so-so, a little more good than bad.  A Complete Unknown is a biography movie about Bob Dylan.  Isn't he the guy who sold his soul to the devil for fortune and fame?  Yeah, I believe there is a 60 Minutes sit-down interview where Bob Dylan confesses to that.  Okay, so now you wanna promote people who gave their life to the devil?  Another hard pass.  Fuck Bod Dylan, doesn't help that he sounds like shit too.  No wonder he gave his life to the devil.  Still, sorry to hear he did that.  Have heard good things about Anora, but the subject matter of a call girl helping to reform a Russian mob kid, makes me shrug my shoulder.  So what?

More and more that's my reaction to today's movies is so what?  They're unengaging.

The two best movies I saw in 2024 was Reagan and Inside Out 2.  Reagan was a good bio-pic.  Inside Out 2 was a great, contemporary film for girls going through puberty.  Inside Out 2 MAY be worth of status worth of best picture of the year, but I think Reagan falls a little short of that.  That said, there were no iconic movies released in 2024.  Will TRY to watch The Substance between now and Oscar time, but this year I'm not rooting for anybody and that's a first for me.  

Hollywood has got to get better filmmakers.  And those greenlighting film have got to show better taste and discernment.  Last movie I got really jazzed about was Redeeming Love and that was 2022, before that it was Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood..., and that was a summer of 2019 release. 

The Covid scare is over.  We should have already seen a bounceback by Hollywood and movies in general.  But what's holding everything back is the taste and sensitivities of today's movie decision makers at the director and studio executive level.  Both are AWFUL and in need of replacement.  Unless The Substance blows me away, I'm going to skip watching the 2025 Oscars presentation, which will be a first for a movie LOVER that I am.