What I Have Time For

I just finished a short story that was 1,000 words or less in two days, which was done one hour each day. It was for a short story contest. I have a process of stewing on ideas, writing a general outline and then getting to the actual writing. In this case, with it being so short, I didn’t need an outline.

The story was fun. I wrote a story about a nerdy high school kid who meets a girl through an MMORPG. It’s funny because I base a good amount of my stories on anime and video games, but I haven’t been able to watch anime or play video games lately. I wonder if I’ve outgrown them as I got older. I’m not just participating in watching stories, but now, I’m writing stories. 

It’s also just getting older and not having the time to watch anime or play video games. If I had the time, then I would. It’s not that they aren’t fun, as they are simply different media to create stories.  

Imagery and Glass

With time management, I’ve managed to be on schedule for this short story that I am writing, Shattered Glass. I had a friend read what I’ve written so far, and he said that it was dark and gothic, which is what I was going for. There is blood and violence, but it is more disturbing than just pure gore.

I used a good amount of imagery with this new short story. The imagery used is primarily glass, which connects with the title, but then I went deeper with the ideas of transparency and fragility. Glass is everywhere in the short story, but the ideas are a bit more subtle.

I’ll probably take a week off before participating in another short story contest. Getting older and having a full-time job, it is just so hard to find the time to write and take care of other errands. 

Writing Horror Stories

I’m writing a horror story for a short story contest. I’ve always felt that horror is difficult to write, as it’s something that I feel comes across better visually. I’ve written horror before with my short story, The Disgraceful One, and a gothic horror short story, The Waves of the South Sea, so it’s not totally unfamiliar to me and a good challenge.

This will help me work on being more descriptive and setting up a certain type of mood or atmosphere. I have a general idea of how the story plays out, but creating the mood to emit fear is proving difficult. I also don’t want to resort to horror tropes like haunted houses, abandoned cabins, or hospitals.

I’m not big on horror that resorts to gore and violence, so I’m going to try to refrain from too much of that in this story. I like the horror utilized in Pan’s Labyrinth, where it is indeed scary, but not needlessly bloody. I’m trying to go with something a bit more psychological here, and I hope that it works. 

Subtlety and Nuance

It’s always nice to finish a story, whether it be a novel or short story. A friend asked me what my latest short story is trying to convey, and this time, it’s just a story. I always use short stories to work on something, so with this story, I wanted to focus on making my writing more subtle.

I’m very direct when I write, so my writing really lacks nuance. My characters really can’t “stop and smell the roses” or really take long detours. It’s probably why I’ve struggled with writing a long novel. 

I’ve stopped writing The Mustard Prince in the Beverage Kingdom for now to focus on writing short stories for various contests. I’ll definitely get back to it though, and hopefully, it’ll be sometime this year. 

Settings and Dialogue

I’m almost done with a new short story. I went to the Philippines not too long ago and decided to write a short story for a short story contest that’s set in a small town in the Philippines. I always use these short stories to work on different aspects of writing, and in this case, it’s setting.
I also managed to look into some things that I was doing wrong with my dialogue, as I wasn’t putting the personality of the character into the dialogue. It was nice discovering that since I feel that dialogue is something that I’m weak at. 
I’m particularly busy pretty much every day, so I’m relegated to writing for a half hour to at most an hour every day, if possible. I’m getting into a good habit of doing this consistently, as writing short stories for contests brings about a sense of urgency in me due to them having deadlines.

Short Stories Again

I’m back to entering short story contests which honestly, is fine with me. I was working on the second Mustard Prince novel, but with it having no deadline, I was finding motivation and consistency lacking. Participating in short story contests turns up the sense of urgency that I need to write consistently and makes me conform to a deadline.

I’m still sending query letters out to literary agents at the same time. That hasn’t changed. At the same time that I got back into short stories is the same time that I realized that I need to change up these query letters. If agents have critiques of query letters online somewhere, then that’s the template necessary to write a query letter specifically to a particular literary agent.

Short stories are fun. I like fantasy, but I venture into the mundane as well. I used my travels to the Philippines as inspiration for the setting of a new short story that I’m writing. I like to experiment with different writing techniques or focus with short stories when I can.

Discoveries and Progress

Little steps of progress and discovery are what I expect and have actually found this week. After advertising The Mustard Prince in the Condiment Kingdom consistently on my MMA Youtube videos, one of the viewers bought a digital copy of the book.

I think that fantasy and reality definitely don’t mesh when it comes to becoming an author. For example, once the book is completed, for the most part, literary agents and publishers are not jumping to sign you even though you might think that your book is the next big hit. I came up with different ideas to promote and ultimately sell The Mustard Prince in the Condiment Kingdom, and the results were small at best. At this point, I cannot expect big strides in anything along this journey. 

I finally made a new discovery with the dreaded query letter. My book is a high-action, high-adventure novel, yet in describing it, I was so passive. I can’t reflect what the book is about by being passive, so I’m going to make more of an effort to really dig into the story and make it appear to be extremely exciting.

Why I Don't Quit

Every time that I don’t write on a regular basis, I start to think of what won’t happen to my life. I’ll have a decent, yet mediocre life being another face in the crowd. The potential to be something more pulls me back in and doesn’t allow me to just totally quit trying to be a published author.

I’m pretty hard on myself when I don’t write. There’s a saying that if you aren’t moving forward, then you’re moving backwards. I have acquaintances that tell me that I sometimes need to just take a break every once in a while, but I don’t want to make excuses and just admit to me being lazy and idle.

I have been on-and-off as far as writing consistently is concerned, as of late. In trying to achieve a big goal, one just doesn’t see the end of it in sight, so it’s easy to become lazy or put things off. Focus and discipline are simply necessary, along with the acceptance that this process can just be a grind.

Consistency, Patience, and The Grind

Consistency has been the most difficult thing for me right now. With writing, I still do not have the necessary structure or consistent writing process that would prove to anyone that I’m serious about becoming a professional author. There is something about trying to reach this goal that’s just about proving something to yourself, as well as proving something to others.

Patience is also another thing that is being learned. I would have liked some sort of immediate satisfaction after completely certain aspects of writing. For example, finishing a novel and presenting it to different agents, unless I’m really lucky or know someone, I can’t expect to immediately get an agent just because I have a finished work. Book sales aren’t immediate because no one knows who I am, so I have to really advertise and put myself out there so that people will hopefully give me a chance.

That grind and sticking with something like becoming a professional author is probably the most difficult thing to do. Facing that rejection and just coming back to the grind and having that faith that something good will happen is, right now, the toughest thing to do in reaching a high goal.

Sickness and Writing

Back to the grind of things, or so I thought. I got sick for the last week and haven’t been able to get back in the groove of things. My writing has been suffering terribly because of me being sick, as I just haven’t had the energy or temperament to sit down and just write with no distractions.

I believe that what you put out there, you generally get back just as much if not more. Therefore, when I’m not writing, I feel like I’m just wasting time being idle. Stories just don’t write themselves, and progress doesn’t happen while doing nothing.

Hopefully, I’ll get better this coming week and get back into the swing of things. I’m writing the next Mustard Prince novel, and the characters are at an interesting place right now, but they haven’t been able to progress because I’ve been in the sidelines.

The New Year - 2016

I am looking forward to this New Year. I look back at 2015 as a year for learning, and I am hoping that 2016 will be the year of achievement. My New Year’s resolution is to become a professionally published author.

The Mustard Prince in the Condiment Kingdom is out on my website. Finishing it with getting a cover and making a Table of Contents has made the book look professional. I hope that readers like the book, and there is more to come.

As far as looking professional, that is one thing I learned in 2015. I needed an author’s website, and I thought of just making a Wordpress or Blogspot website. I didn’t realize that putting money to look professional was so necessary, as presentation is everything. 

The Mustard Prince in the Condiment Kingdom

The Mustard Prince in the Condiment Kingdom is coming out this Friday on my website. It’s funny because I never really thought about even having an author’s website, and here I am putting my stories on it. 

To be honest, I was hoping that The Mustard Prince would be professionally published by now. I’ve sent in query letters to literary agents for the book but have only gotten rejections. What I know now and have achieved though is very different than just a couple months ago, so I’m hopeful.

The Mustard Prince in the Condiment Kingdom was a tough task to write despite being a fan of adventures. The process for writing a novel is arduous, but looking back is quite enjoyable. It’s amazing to think that what came from my head can be put into words, and in a sense, the characters and world that was once just an idea in my head is now reality.

Back From Vacation

I came back from the Philippines, and it was a great experience except that I got sick on the last day of the trip. I had an eight hour layover in Korea, and then the flight back to LAX was more than nine hours long, and that was while I was sick. That wasn’t so great.

There is a lot of compare and contrast going on. The way that I viewed relationships was with such a “Western” mentality, and there was a point in my trip where it clashed with the way things were done in the Philippines. Values are a lot different in the Philippines, as I found things to be much simpler there.

Maybe it’s the artistic side of me, but where some would see poor, I saw art. I wanted to just take pictures of everything from the roads, to the houses, to the fields. Maybe the lack of uniformity appealed to my creative side or something.

Thanksgiving and Vacation

Thanksgiving and Black Friday happened, and I only participated in Thanksgiving. I’m actually going to the Philippines for a one-week vacation, so that’ll be a fun experience. 

Most of the settings for my stories are based upon real-life places. Some are exaggerated, or just downright made-up from my head, but experience really is the best teacher. It’s one thing to see pictures, hear stories, and whatnot of things or places, but nothing beats actually being there and experiencing certain places. Because of that, I’m really excited to go to the Philippines.

I don’t think that I’ll get much writing done being on vacation and all. Like working out, if you miss a day, it’s difficult to get back into the routine of things, and writing is the same way. I can only hope that when I get back that I’ll be able to get back to my normal routine.

Ups and Downs

I’m currently experiencing the ups and downs of trying to pursue a dream. A coworker said in regards to more artistic pursuits that as you’re coming up, people hate you, but once you’ve made it, they love you. I’m definitely getting a feeling of indifference in regards to trying to be a published author from friends and acquaintances. 

I guess that it’s just added motivation. In a weird sense, I have to make it to prove everyone wrong who has doubted me. For me, it’s either this or stay in corporate America slowly trying to advance in the company that I work for. It feels so mediocre to me though, and no offense to those who don’t mind working in corporate America, but I’m trying to be a published author so that I can live a life that isn’t so mundane.

This is a part of the learning process though. How can I eventually become a published author without some sort of struggle, unless I get really lucky? Fighting past the doubt and just the grind of it all will hopefully allow me to achieve this big goal

Getting Back Into It

Last week, I was preparing for my first gi Brazilian Jiu Jitsu competition. Because of that, I just haven’t been focusing on writing. Getting back into it has been something of a struggle. I have some other things to take care of as well, like my MMA web show, which I use to advertise this author’s website.

This is another thing about writing that’s tough, and that’s just having time and focus to do so. There’s a particular routine for me to write, and like working out, if that routine is broken, then it becomes difficult to get back to the routine.

Going Back to an Old Friend

I’m getting back to The Mustard Prince in the Beverage Kingdom. I wrote 30 pages of it, then stopped writing it when I started to focus on short stories. However, I didn’t make proper notes for it, so I forgot events that I planned to happen and whatnot.

My main focus for a while will now be writing The Mustard Prince series. I’ll get to short stories again sometime, but for now, The Mustard Prince and writing novels in general will be priority. 

Writing novels isn’t particularly difficult, but it’s just a grind at times. However, re-reading what I wrote so far in The Mustard Prince in the Beverage Kingdom, there’s definitely a satisfaction in creating this world and these characters. Sometimes, I don’t know where these ideas or some of the dialogue came from.

So, I Now Have This Author's Website, But Also A Business Too

The website is finished. Now, I need to get some illustrations going for the website. It looks good, and I’m satisfied with it.

In Coming Soon, I have The Mustard Prince in the Condiment Kingdom for sale on January 1, 2016. I have some plans in order to market it, so I’m excited about that. However, I am only 30 pages into the second Mustard Prince book: The Mustard Prince in the Beverage Kingdom, and I stopped working on it for a while, so now I need to get back to it on a daily basis.

So, I guess that this author’s site is also a business, as I am selling products on it. I have five free short stories for it, which I’ll put one out at the last Friday of every month. Writers Talk is going a lot slower than I would have liked, but it’s a patience thing. 

Short Story Contests and Not Always Winning

I just got results back from a short story contest that I submitted a story in, and I didn’t place. I submitted a story that I find to be very good, but it goes to show that the opinions of others differ greatly from your own. With short story contests, you just don’t know who is judging, and what these judges are looking for.

There’s something to be said about having a deep awareness that in this writing game, you are going to fail whether it’s not getting a literary agent or not placing in these contests. There comes doubt about your own ability as a potential author, but then remember that the learning process is wrought with obstacles and failures. I mean, it would be strange if you won every contest that you participate in, or that literary agents are just jumping left and right to represent you.

I’ve read that those that make it are those that simply endure, especially when it gets hard, and that applies to many things.

From Short to Long Stories

Really busy week, but I finished writing the short story, The Underachievers. I’ve just decided that I’m going to convert some of these short stories into novels or novellas, and The Underachievers and The Land of the Wooden Statues will for sure be made into longer works.

With that said, I think that I’ll take some time off from writing new short stories and work on making longer works. I’m thinking of working on The Land of the Wooden Statues first.

This week’s Writers Talk about Villains came out, and it was okay. I didn’t prep anything, so I just kind of ranted. In hindsight though, there’s probably a lot more that I could have talked about. I still need to think about what to put on next week’s Writers Talk as well.