Hello creatures of the internet,
I happened to take a look at my blog tonight - something I very rarely ever do anymore. Why? What have I been up to since my last post, which was about a year and a half ago? Losing myself, really. Life has been so busy. Some really good things have happened, like getting a great job that'll let me support my family for the rest of our lives, along with some downers as well. But that's how it goes for everyone, right?
I'm currently at a crossroad in my life. Something internally that I feel will determine things I have no idea how to even explain. This sentence you're reading now has been re-written so many times because I'm trying not to let this turn into a really depressive, venting type post. I suppose what I really want to express is I have no idea when I'll be writing again. I could be another couple of years or maybe six. I wish I could be the type of writer that could write in any setting. But unfortunately for me, and it really gets me down that I can't put my mind to it anymore, I need my own space, which I don't have. I need to figure out how to set something up so that I can be in my zen again. Maybe this post will be a good motivator.
I do have a short story I wrote a year ago I plan on self-publishing on Smashwords.com again soon. I'm just waiting on a friend to draw a cover for me since Smashwords requires it.
To the very few who actually read/enjoy my things, I apologize for being away for so long. I hope to find myself again soon. Because if I don't, it might just kill me.
Your humble writing gremlin,
Scott J. Callaway
Sunday, July 05, 2015
Monday, January 20, 2014
The Weird Thing About Nightmares
Hello, creatures of the internet,
Something happened to me the other night
that hasn't happened since when I can remember. I was experiencing a nightmare,
when suddenly I startled awake and kicked violently into the air (more will be
explained about this action) and proceeded to breathe heavily with panic.
I can't remember the last time I woke up from a bad dream like this. It's
rare that I ever do have a nightmare, but when it does happen I usually wake up
with a feeling of unease, not actually carrying out my actions from the dream.
After reflecting upon this on my way to work, there are some
elements about dreams that got me thinking.
Like with most of my dreams I forget a lot of
the minor details, but I dreamt that my mother-in-law was torturing
children in the basement of a big house. All I remember is that I knew that I
had to put a stop to her, and luckily, in that dreamlike convenience sort of way, I had
two metal baseball bats at my disposal to try and put an end to her. I slowly
crept down the wooden steps into the basement, careful not to be discovered
sneaking up on her. The basement was set-up to delight the imagination of a
twisted scientist: obscene torture devices, flasks of hazardous materials no
doubt used for nefarious purposes, and dark, atmospheric lighting. I noticed her
hunched over a child who was strapped tightly to a metal table. Another stroke of luck, her back was facing me. I stepped lightly towards her, my anxiety clenched lungs barely allowing breathing room, then
once I was within reach I gripped the baseball bat tightly, pulled my arms back... and
swung with all the power of Greyskull.
Ping!
Regardless of the force of my
blow, the bat hardly seemed to connect. She turned and looked at me in surprise. I
swung again.
Ping!
And again.
Ping! Ping! Ping!
No matter how much force I put in my
swings, the bat simply deflected from her temple, as if an invisible force-field were protecting from all harm. I was suddenly overcome with a paralyzing feeling
of helplessness. I couldn't stop her. No matter how hard I willed my blows to
knock her head clean off her shoulders, I just couldn't penetrate that debilitating
energy of nightmare power, a force that sabotaged my
intentions to save her victims.
The next thing I remember is that I was
now at the top of the stairs again trying to flee, when I turned and noticed that
she was running up the stairs after me. My last hope was to throw the bat at her
and hope that this time it connected with enough force to knock her out.
Unfortunately, I met with the same depressing results, and as she reached the
final step, I kicked out hard at her face as a final attempt to save myself, and
that’s when I woke up in mid-kick in bed, panting and afraid. To say the least,
I scared the hell out of my wife who laid soundly asleep next to me. Ha ha.
It was that crippling nightmare
factor that got me thinking. Why is our strength and effectiveness stripped
away from us in bad dreams? I remember experiencing a similar episode when I
was kid. I was running away down a dark, unknown forest highway from Chucky from Child's Play, but no matter how fast I tried to run it was like
treading through a thick, swampy bog. All the while, Chucky, whom I found
absolutely terrifying as a kid (a babysitter made me watch it at 3 years old and scarred me for life), would run circles around me while laughing at
my failure to escape him. I never forgot that feeling. I suppose it’s what
makes nightmares so damn scary.
As a kid, I was able to become aware
that I was dreaming. I was a frequent lucid dreamer. The shitty thing is, this only ever
seemed to happen during nightmares. Remember the old “pinch yourself to wake up”
trick? It never worked for me. Instead, whenever I realized I was having a bad dream,
I would squeeze my eyes shut tightly together, and most of the time when I
opened them again I would be awake. Most of the time. One time, whenever I tried this trick the image of my nightmare would briefly focus in a rolling VHS tape inside a VCR. It was like there was no way out of the nightmare until the tape was done playing. That was creepy. And were you ever told about how you can manipulate your dreams and become whatever you want? So do I. Unfortunately, the first and only time I ever realized to try this during a dream/nightmare was thwarted by my dream itself!
It was another ordinary day at school with all my friends, except my friends were monsters. That would normally be the nightmare factor in most dreams, but for one reason or another I didn't question it and we got along great. Later on outside during recess, a human showed up and started killing all my monster friends. That's when my totally pleasant dream about monsters turned into a killer human nightmare. But I steeled myself and decided there was no way I was going to let such atrocities keep happening, so I took a stand against the villain and defended my monster friends. That's when I suddenly realized I was dreaming and became lucid. Then, as the killer and I were facing off, I remembered learning that I could manipulate my own dreams and become anything I could think of. So, like any young boy obsessed with heroes and super-powered persons, I concentrated hard and screamed "SUB-ZERO!" (from Mortal Kombat), and waited for the sudden rush of freezing power to overwhelm my senses. But nothing happened. Instead, as I looked down in my hands in confusion, the monster-killer looked at me and said, "You can't control this dream." Then suddenly my lucidity escaped me, and I can't remember how the rest of the nightmare played out after that.
Well, I'm not really sure what prompted me to write all of this, but I suppose I needed a blog post. :] .. Dreams properties have always fascinated me, and I wish I still had the ability to lucid dream. So I'll write that down on my bucket list, too. Learn how to initiate lucid dreaming.
Your humble writing gremlin,
Scott
It was another ordinary day at school with all my friends, except my friends were monsters. That would normally be the nightmare factor in most dreams, but for one reason or another I didn't question it and we got along great. Later on outside during recess, a human showed up and started killing all my monster friends. That's when my totally pleasant dream about monsters turned into a killer human nightmare. But I steeled myself and decided there was no way I was going to let such atrocities keep happening, so I took a stand against the villain and defended my monster friends. That's when I suddenly realized I was dreaming and became lucid. Then, as the killer and I were facing off, I remembered learning that I could manipulate my own dreams and become anything I could think of. So, like any young boy obsessed with heroes and super-powered persons, I concentrated hard and screamed "SUB-ZERO!" (from Mortal Kombat), and waited for the sudden rush of freezing power to overwhelm my senses. But nothing happened. Instead, as I looked down in my hands in confusion, the monster-killer looked at me and said, "You can't control this dream." Then suddenly my lucidity escaped me, and I can't remember how the rest of the nightmare played out after that.
Well, I'm not really sure what prompted me to write all of this, but I suppose I needed a blog post. :] .. Dreams properties have always fascinated me, and I wish I still had the ability to lucid dream. So I'll write that down on my bucket list, too. Learn how to initiate lucid dreaming.
Your humble writing gremlin,
Scott
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
Challenges and Frequency
Hello, creatures of the internet,
We might as well say it out loud. I'm a terrible blogger. I neglect my website like I do my vegetables. Both are terrible of me. Here's why:
1. I've learned that self-publishing is a lot more difficult than I first imagined. Why? Because of marketing. Having your friends and family read your work is great (regrettably, something not many of mine have done), but you're going to need a larger audience to become a successful/popular writer. Unfortunately for me, I have zero interest in marketing. This is a terrible lack of quality to have, because with self-publishing comes with having to do your own marketing unless, for some reason, you have someone else to do it for you. It's a big job! It requires much more than just Facebook posts if you want word of your book to reach as many people as possible. Social media plays a big part, but the truth is I find it difficult putting myself out there because I may be one of the biggest introverts the world has ever seen. Ideally, I'd love to interact with people indirectly through the stories I write, so as to avoid the uncomfortable parts of real-time social interaction. That's why it's my dream to write for a living. God, I'm such a hermit.
2. Video games. OH YOU WONDERFULLY ENJOYABLE YET DETRIMENTAL PASTIME! I can't help it. I love video games. Like a book, many of them have amazing stories to tell. My problem is that whenever I start, I have a hard time putting them aside to focus on more important things, like writing. I've been a gamer since before grade school. It's part of who I am.
Those things are what have been keeping me from devoting myself more fully to my blog. I'm still writing, in fact, and have enough ideas to keep me writing for a long time to come. I'm currently working on a new fiction about parenting, and how difficult, wonderful, and frightening an experience it can be. A lot of my emotions, fears and beliefs are going into this story, and I can't help but feel like it might be the most important thing I ever write. I've completed five chapters thus far.
The Sky Caller is also still in the works. The news is that this story, along with the already written sequel, may be a longer time coming than I've previously stated because I've decided I'm going to try and go the traditional publishing route with it. I really believe in this story, and I'm confident it's just as good as any well known middle-grade/young adult fantasy novel you can find in a bookstore. It's going to be a three book series, two of which are already written, and now that I know more about this universe I've created, I'm strengthening the plot and other story/timeline particulars.
From now on I may use my blog for more than just an outlet for my writing. I may share stories about things that happen in my life, discuss topics that are of particular importance to me, or talk about random things that reveal a little bit more about myself. However, as I don't consider myself that interesting of a person, I can't promise the frequency of these kind of posts. Regardless, I do intend on blogging more regularly. Because, you know... marketing.
Your humble writing gremlin,
Scott
We might as well say it out loud. I'm a terrible blogger. I neglect my website like I do my vegetables. Both are terrible of me. Here's why:
1. I've learned that self-publishing is a lot more difficult than I first imagined. Why? Because of marketing. Having your friends and family read your work is great (regrettably, something not many of mine have done), but you're going to need a larger audience to become a successful/popular writer. Unfortunately for me, I have zero interest in marketing. This is a terrible lack of quality to have, because with self-publishing comes with having to do your own marketing unless, for some reason, you have someone else to do it for you. It's a big job! It requires much more than just Facebook posts if you want word of your book to reach as many people as possible. Social media plays a big part, but the truth is I find it difficult putting myself out there because I may be one of the biggest introverts the world has ever seen. Ideally, I'd love to interact with people indirectly through the stories I write, so as to avoid the uncomfortable parts of real-time social interaction. That's why it's my dream to write for a living. God, I'm such a hermit.
2. Video games. OH YOU WONDERFULLY ENJOYABLE YET DETRIMENTAL PASTIME! I can't help it. I love video games. Like a book, many of them have amazing stories to tell. My problem is that whenever I start, I have a hard time putting them aside to focus on more important things, like writing. I've been a gamer since before grade school. It's part of who I am.
Those things are what have been keeping me from devoting myself more fully to my blog. I'm still writing, in fact, and have enough ideas to keep me writing for a long time to come. I'm currently working on a new fiction about parenting, and how difficult, wonderful, and frightening an experience it can be. A lot of my emotions, fears and beliefs are going into this story, and I can't help but feel like it might be the most important thing I ever write. I've completed five chapters thus far.
The Sky Caller is also still in the works. The news is that this story, along with the already written sequel, may be a longer time coming than I've previously stated because I've decided I'm going to try and go the traditional publishing route with it. I really believe in this story, and I'm confident it's just as good as any well known middle-grade/young adult fantasy novel you can find in a bookstore. It's going to be a three book series, two of which are already written, and now that I know more about this universe I've created, I'm strengthening the plot and other story/timeline particulars.
From now on I may use my blog for more than just an outlet for my writing. I may share stories about things that happen in my life, discuss topics that are of particular importance to me, or talk about random things that reveal a little bit more about myself. However, as I don't consider myself that interesting of a person, I can't promise the frequency of these kind of posts. Regardless, I do intend on blogging more regularly. Because, you know... marketing.
Your humble writing gremlin,
Scott
Friday, May 10, 2013
What I've Been Doing Lately
Hello there, creatures of the internet,
It's been a long time since I've posted anything here and I really don't have any good explanation. Since my last post, I've published Charlie Cradle's Wonderful Existence: A Novella (which you can download for free at Smashwords.com!), and I'm now currently revising The Skycaller. I had been given some feedback that I believe I needed to hear about it, so I've gone back to work on it some more. I love this book, so I want to make sure I give it the respect it deserves before I release it for people to read.
Besides that, I'm just about finished college. I'm on my work placement right now and just a little over a month I'll be graduating. I can't wait! My next step is to find work. Unless my writing suddenly and miraculously takes off so I can do this for a living.
Be on the lookout for The Skycaller pretty soon! I'm confident that once I'm finished with it, it'll be even better than before.
Your humble writing gremlin,
~Scott
It's been a long time since I've posted anything here and I really don't have any good explanation. Since my last post, I've published Charlie Cradle's Wonderful Existence: A Novella (which you can download for free at Smashwords.com!), and I'm now currently revising The Skycaller. I had been given some feedback that I believe I needed to hear about it, so I've gone back to work on it some more. I love this book, so I want to make sure I give it the respect it deserves before I release it for people to read.
Besides that, I'm just about finished college. I'm on my work placement right now and just a little over a month I'll be graduating. I can't wait! My next step is to find work. Unless my writing suddenly and miraculously takes off so I can do this for a living.
Be on the lookout for The Skycaller pretty soon! I'm confident that once I'm finished with it, it'll be even better than before.
Your humble writing gremlin,
~Scott
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Almost There
Hello there, creatures of the internet,
It's been a while since I've updated anything about Charlie Cradle's Wonderful Existence, so this I thought I should at least say something. It was on a standstill for a long while, but something has happened and it's now being professionally edited, as well as getting a cover design by an artist. If all goes as planned, it should be available by the middle of end of March!
So look forward to it! I'll update more about it soon.
Your humble writing gremlin,
Scott
It's been a while since I've updated anything about Charlie Cradle's Wonderful Existence, so this I thought I should at least say something. It was on a standstill for a long while, but something has happened and it's now being professionally edited, as well as getting a cover design by an artist. If all goes as planned, it should be available by the middle of end of March!
So look forward to it! I'll update more about it soon.
Your humble writing gremlin,
Scott
Thursday, December 27, 2012
Holiday Challenge: Completed
Hello, creatures of the internet,
As of today, I have officially completely the first draft of my new book Charlie Cradle's Wonderful Existence. I may or may not have squealed happily a little bit. To say the least, I'm feeling really good right now! On the 16th, when I decided to challenge myself in completing my novella before the end of the holidays, of which I had 6,512 words total at the time, after that first day I wondered if I would regret it. I was afraid that the pressure of having to write a set amount of words per day might be a bit overwhelming or that I might not be able to find enough time. But in the end, I surprised myself by going over that minimum amount of words almost every day and because of it I was able to finish my book way ahead of schedule. I wrote over 30,000 words in under two weeks, which brought me to my goal of finishing my book at around 40,000 words. The total word count comes out to 39,120 words.
If anyone is interested in seeing how I kept up with my numbers each day, here's a small chart I filled in as I went:
Word Count Before Start of Challenge - 6,512
Goal Words Per Day to Reach 40,000 words by January 6: 1,522
Dec. 16 - 07,999/08,034 (Daily Count: 1,487 - 35 words short. Next day must write minimum 1557)
Dec. 17 - 10,814/09,556 (Daily Count: 2,815 - 1,258 words over. Next day must write minimum 264)
Dec. 18 - 14,124/11,078 (Daily Count: 3,310 - 3,046 words over. Next Day must write minimum 0)
Dec. 19 - 18,114/12,600 (Daily Count: 3,957 - 5,514 words over. Next Day must write minimum 0)
Dec. 20 - 21,095/14,122 (Daily Count: 2,978 - 6,973 words over. Next Day must write minimum 0)
Dec. 21 - 25,026/15,644 (Daily Count: 3,910 - 9,382 words over. Next Day must write minimum 0)
Dec. 22 - 27,047/17,166 (Daily Count: 2,033 - 9,881 words over. Next Day must write minimum 0)
Dec. 23 - 27,719/18,688 (Daily Count: 669 - 9,031 words over. Next Day must write minimum 0)
Dec. 24 - 29,790/20,210 (Daily Count: 2,069 - 9,580 words over. Next Day must write minimum 0)
Dec. 25 - 32,234/21,732 (Daily Count: 2,401 - 10,502 words over. Next Day must write minimum 0)
Dec. 26 - 36,193/23,254 (Daily Count: 4,008 - 12,939 words over. Next Day must write minimum 0)
Dec. 27 - 39,120/24,776 (Daily Count: 2,850 - 14,344 words over. COMPLETED)
Dec. 28 - ??,???/26,298
Dec. 29 - ??,???/27,829
Dec. 30 - ??,???/29,342
Dec. 31 - ??,???/30,864
Jan. 01 - ??,???/32,386
Jan. 02 - ??,???/33,908
Jan. 03 - ??,???/35,430
Jan. 04 - ??,???/36,952
Jan. 05 - ??,???/38,474
Jan. 06 - ??,???/40,000
So go ahead and check out the dedicated page to Charlie Cradle's Wonderful Existence to learn more what the book is about and what my plans for it are for the future!
Now I'm going to go relax and enjoy the rest of my holiday!
Your humble writing gremlin,
Scott
As of today, I have officially completely the first draft of my new book Charlie Cradle's Wonderful Existence. I may or may not have squealed happily a little bit. To say the least, I'm feeling really good right now! On the 16th, when I decided to challenge myself in completing my novella before the end of the holidays, of which I had 6,512 words total at the time, after that first day I wondered if I would regret it. I was afraid that the pressure of having to write a set amount of words per day might be a bit overwhelming or that I might not be able to find enough time. But in the end, I surprised myself by going over that minimum amount of words almost every day and because of it I was able to finish my book way ahead of schedule. I wrote over 30,000 words in under two weeks, which brought me to my goal of finishing my book at around 40,000 words. The total word count comes out to 39,120 words.
If anyone is interested in seeing how I kept up with my numbers each day, here's a small chart I filled in as I went:
Word Count Before Start of Challenge - 6,512
Goal Words Per Day to Reach 40,000 words by January 6: 1,522
Dec. 16 - 07,999/08,034 (Daily Count: 1,487 - 35 words short. Next day must write minimum 1557)
Dec. 17 - 10,814/09,556 (Daily Count: 2,815 - 1,258 words over. Next day must write minimum 264)
Dec. 18 - 14,124/11,078 (Daily Count: 3,310 - 3,046 words over. Next Day must write minimum 0)
Dec. 19 - 18,114/12,600 (Daily Count: 3,957 - 5,514 words over. Next Day must write minimum 0)
Dec. 20 - 21,095/14,122 (Daily Count: 2,978 - 6,973 words over. Next Day must write minimum 0)
Dec. 21 - 25,026/15,644 (Daily Count: 3,910 - 9,382 words over. Next Day must write minimum 0)
Dec. 22 - 27,047/17,166 (Daily Count: 2,033 - 9,881 words over. Next Day must write minimum 0)
Dec. 23 - 27,719/18,688 (Daily Count: 669 - 9,031 words over. Next Day must write minimum 0)
Dec. 24 - 29,790/20,210 (Daily Count: 2,069 - 9,580 words over. Next Day must write minimum 0)
Dec. 25 - 32,234/21,732 (Daily Count: 2,401 - 10,502 words over. Next Day must write minimum 0)
Dec. 26 - 36,193/23,254 (Daily Count: 4,008 - 12,939 words over. Next Day must write minimum 0)
Dec. 27 - 39,120/24,776 (Daily Count: 2,850 - 14,344 words over. COMPLETED)
Dec. 28 - ??,???/26,298
Dec. 29 - ??,???/27,829
Dec. 30 - ??,???/29,342
Dec. 31 - ??,???/30,864
Jan. 01 - ??,???/32,386
Jan. 02 - ??,???/33,908
Jan. 03 - ??,???/35,430
Jan. 04 - ??,???/36,952
Jan. 05 - ??,???/38,474
Jan. 06 - ??,???/40,000
So go ahead and check out the dedicated page to Charlie Cradle's Wonderful Existence to learn more what the book is about and what my plans for it are for the future!
Now I'm going to go relax and enjoy the rest of my holiday!
Your humble writing gremlin,
Scott
Tuesday, December 25, 2012
Holiday Challenge: Day 10
Hello, creatures of the internet,
I hope everyone's having a merry Christmas! My family and I are. Especially my daughter, who's received more toys than we can store. I definitely foresee much blocks to pick up and toy babies to switch on/off. But it's great to see her get excited about those things.
Concerning the progress of Charlie Cradle's Wonderful Existence, I'm way ahead of schedule. So ahead, in fact, that I intend on finishing it this Friday - a whole nine days early. That's only if things go according to plan, of course. I'm just a bit over 31,000 words and I'm trying to wrap it up between 38k - 40k. I hate to hold myself back from writing over 40,000 words but I want this book to be categorized as a novella, so it has to remain under that amount. But I'm feeling pretty good about the whole thing. I've also already talked to an editor and starting at the beginning of February I'll begin the process of having it professionally edited.
It's back to writing for me,
Scott
I hope everyone's having a merry Christmas! My family and I are. Especially my daughter, who's received more toys than we can store. I definitely foresee much blocks to pick up and toy babies to switch on/off. But it's great to see her get excited about those things.
Concerning the progress of Charlie Cradle's Wonderful Existence, I'm way ahead of schedule. So ahead, in fact, that I intend on finishing it this Friday - a whole nine days early. That's only if things go according to plan, of course. I'm just a bit over 31,000 words and I'm trying to wrap it up between 38k - 40k. I hate to hold myself back from writing over 40,000 words but I want this book to be categorized as a novella, so it has to remain under that amount. But I'm feeling pretty good about the whole thing. I've also already talked to an editor and starting at the beginning of February I'll begin the process of having it professionally edited.
It's back to writing for me,
Scott
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Holiday Challenge: Day 5
Hello, Creatures of the Internet,
I'm still three days ahead of schedule. Also, I'm about halfway finished and was able to outline the rest of the book chapter by chapter. And after doing a few number crunches, it might not reach to a full 40,000 words. Considering the average amount of words I'm writing per chapter, I'm estimating it'll bring me somewhere between 35,000 - 40,000. Which is still perfectly acceptable for a full length Novella and that's fine with me. So hopefully it'll be smooth sailing from here on out. But I know that's probably not going to be true.
It's amazing how many emotions a person can experience in such a condensed amount of time while writing a book. Yesterday, approximately during the span of 30 minutes, I experienced the happiness of wow-I'm-really-enjoying-this, then I hit a snag in dialogue which brought me to a depressed I-am-way-over-my-head & this-is-so-freaking-hard, then back again to an excited holy-crap-this-is-incredible! Ultimately, I think it's the stress of placing myself under a timer that's getting to me. But if I am determined to finish this before January 6th, then I got to stay focused because I knew it was never going to be easy. Although I have to admit, this might be the most rewarding experience I've had as a writer and this story might be the one I'm most proud of so far.
Your humble writing gremlin,
Scott
I'm still three days ahead of schedule. Also, I'm about halfway finished and was able to outline the rest of the book chapter by chapter. And after doing a few number crunches, it might not reach to a full 40,000 words. Considering the average amount of words I'm writing per chapter, I'm estimating it'll bring me somewhere between 35,000 - 40,000. Which is still perfectly acceptable for a full length Novella and that's fine with me. So hopefully it'll be smooth sailing from here on out. But I know that's probably not going to be true.
It's amazing how many emotions a person can experience in such a condensed amount of time while writing a book. Yesterday, approximately during the span of 30 minutes, I experienced the happiness of wow-I'm-really-enjoying-this, then I hit a snag in dialogue which brought me to a depressed I-am-way-over-my-head & this-is-so-freaking-hard, then back again to an excited holy-crap-this-is-incredible! Ultimately, I think it's the stress of placing myself under a timer that's getting to me. But if I am determined to finish this before January 6th, then I got to stay focused because I knew it was never going to be easy. Although I have to admit, this might be the most rewarding experience I've had as a writer and this story might be the one I'm most proud of so far.
Your humble writing gremlin,
Scott
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Holiday Challenge: Day 4
Hello, creatures of the internet,
I wasn't going to write a blog post today but I wanted to share a good feeling. I love being able to sit at my desk and type away on my keyboard, just to look over to the window and notice it's snowing. I love winter. It's my favorite season. I love the cold weather as the clouded skies release their white flakes of snow. For some reason, this makes me like writing stories even more.
Also, currently I'm 3,811 words ahead of schedule, placing me at 16,441 words out of the 12,600 I was expected to reach by the end of tonight, and I still have the rest of the night to add to it. I doubt I'll be able to keep up this pace during the entire holidays, considering Christmas and other festivities, but so far it's looking good. I just hope the ideas keep coming.
Your humble writing gremlin,
Scott
I wasn't going to write a blog post today but I wanted to share a good feeling. I love being able to sit at my desk and type away on my keyboard, just to look over to the window and notice it's snowing. I love winter. It's my favorite season. I love the cold weather as the clouded skies release their white flakes of snow. For some reason, this makes me like writing stories even more.
Also, currently I'm 3,811 words ahead of schedule, placing me at 16,441 words out of the 12,600 I was expected to reach by the end of tonight, and I still have the rest of the night to add to it. I doubt I'll be able to keep up this pace during the entire holidays, considering Christmas and other festivities, but so far it's looking good. I just hope the ideas keep coming.
Your humble writing gremlin,
Scott
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Holiday Challenge: Day 3
Good morning, creatures of the internet,
or I guess whatever time you're reading this at. But here I am on the third day of my personal challenge and I'm feeling pretty good. Although, I'm a bit tired as of right this moment as I sip away at my coffee (but now that I've come back to proofread my post that coffee really did the trick!), but I'm feeling good about the progress I've been making. This process has been really challenging me to practice discipline. Normally when I write, I usually think of new ideas and plot advances while I lay in bed at night trying to fall asleep. That seems to be the only time where I can clear my mind completely of the rest of the world and focus on new ideas. And usually, at least for my other books, there's no deadline reminding me of a strict schedule. I had weeks and months at my disposal to just let the ideas flow freely on their own time, but now I need to persuade them with chocolates and shiny things so that I can work faster. It's a little stressful wondering if I'll be able to finish it on time, but honestly, I find it just as much an exciting rush!
The reason I say this is because of the feeling I experience when being able to overcome a hurtle. Charlie Cradle's Wonderful Existence is proving to be the most challenging story I've ever attempted to write yet. It's got to be funny, witty and smart, much more detailed since it's not a Middle Grade book, and be a convincing love story as well. That last point is the reason I often sit and stare at the screen wondering what to type next. I like to consider myself to be at least a little romantic, but trying to create a character who is firing on all cylinders in that department is more difficult that I imagined. At least for the main character, Charlie Cradle, an awkward and shy 24 year old woman who has always lived her life without risk and mainly keeps to herself, is a little easier to write since I actually find myself having a somewhat similar personality. But that's another thing - writing in the perspective of a adult female lead is something I've never done either. I'm just hoping I am doing this right.
At the time I am writing this I am currently over my goal word count from yesterday. Today I could write a minimum of 264 words and still be on track since I wrote an excess of 1,258 words over yesterday's goal count. But I'm definitely not settling with 264 words for today. The more I write with the time that I have, then the less stress to deal with on each following day. That will also give me more time to brainstorm ideas when I fall into a rut. Now, I must be back to writing and try to avoid wasting time on Facebook at all cost.
Your humble writing gremlin,
Scott
or I guess whatever time you're reading this at. But here I am on the third day of my personal challenge and I'm feeling pretty good. Although, I'm a bit tired as of right this moment as I sip away at my coffee (but now that I've come back to proofread my post that coffee really did the trick!), but I'm feeling good about the progress I've been making. This process has been really challenging me to practice discipline. Normally when I write, I usually think of new ideas and plot advances while I lay in bed at night trying to fall asleep. That seems to be the only time where I can clear my mind completely of the rest of the world and focus on new ideas. And usually, at least for my other books, there's no deadline reminding me of a strict schedule. I had weeks and months at my disposal to just let the ideas flow freely on their own time, but now I need to persuade them with chocolates and shiny things so that I can work faster. It's a little stressful wondering if I'll be able to finish it on time, but honestly, I find it just as much an exciting rush!
The reason I say this is because of the feeling I experience when being able to overcome a hurtle. Charlie Cradle's Wonderful Existence is proving to be the most challenging story I've ever attempted to write yet. It's got to be funny, witty and smart, much more detailed since it's not a Middle Grade book, and be a convincing love story as well. That last point is the reason I often sit and stare at the screen wondering what to type next. I like to consider myself to be at least a little romantic, but trying to create a character who is firing on all cylinders in that department is more difficult that I imagined. At least for the main character, Charlie Cradle, an awkward and shy 24 year old woman who has always lived her life without risk and mainly keeps to herself, is a little easier to write since I actually find myself having a somewhat similar personality. But that's another thing - writing in the perspective of a adult female lead is something I've never done either. I'm just hoping I am doing this right.
At the time I am writing this I am currently over my goal word count from yesterday. Today I could write a minimum of 264 words and still be on track since I wrote an excess of 1,258 words over yesterday's goal count. But I'm definitely not settling with 264 words for today. The more I write with the time that I have, then the less stress to deal with on each following day. That will also give me more time to brainstorm ideas when I fall into a rut. Now, I must be back to writing and try to avoid wasting time on Facebook at all cost.
Your humble writing gremlin,
Scott
Sunday, December 16, 2012
First Draft of Second Book & Holiday Challenge
Ahoy thar, creatures of the internet,
I'm extremely excited to announce that I have officially completed the first draft of The Genesis Traveler, the second book in my Sky Caller series. I still don't know what I should called the series; i.e. The Sky Caller Chronicles, The Sky Caller Trilogy, Tales of Ordica... That is still up in the air. Even though I've unofficially released The Sky Caller for purchase through Lulu.com (unofficial because I'm still working on getting it professionally edited), I'll wait until I publish it through a different publishing company before I attach one of those titles. But as of right now, I'm just incredible excited that I was able to finish writing the story for my second book.
The Genesis Traveler takes place years after the events of The Sky Caller, which follows the story of two characters who are going to be important in the next and last book. This book is just about the same length as the first, being a little more than 1,200 words over, totaling at approximately 63,000 words. I'm going to hold off making edits and corrections for a while though, because I'm in no hurry to publish it yet. I'd like The Sky Caller to get a little more recognition first. So, in the meantime, I've decided to challenge myself this Christmas break with a new project!
During the next 22 days (December 16 - January 6), I'm going to attempt finishing a novella I'm writing for my wife, Charlie Cradle's Wonderful Existence. Check out the page above to learn some about it!
My goal is to make this book total at approximately 40,000 words. As of right now I have 6,512 words, so if I subtract that from my set total and then divide it by 22, to reach my goal I will need to write a total of approximately 1,522 words a day until my end date. I chose not to participate in NaNoWriMo last month because of my college workload, but now that I have the rest of the holiday to be stress free of school, I can focus a lot more time and energy into writing. Will I be able to achieve my goal? Honestly, I have no idea. Writing about love, comedy and a female main character is going to be challenging, especially for me. But I will never know unless I try.
Every couple of days or so during this time, I'm going to post about my progress and things that randomly pop into my head concerning the challenge.
Your humble writing gremlin,
Scott
I'm extremely excited to announce that I have officially completed the first draft of The Genesis Traveler, the second book in my Sky Caller series. I still don't know what I should called the series; i.e. The Sky Caller Chronicles, The Sky Caller Trilogy, Tales of Ordica... That is still up in the air. Even though I've unofficially released The Sky Caller for purchase through Lulu.com (unofficial because I'm still working on getting it professionally edited), I'll wait until I publish it through a different publishing company before I attach one of those titles. But as of right now, I'm just incredible excited that I was able to finish writing the story for my second book.
The Genesis Traveler takes place years after the events of The Sky Caller, which follows the story of two characters who are going to be important in the next and last book. This book is just about the same length as the first, being a little more than 1,200 words over, totaling at approximately 63,000 words. I'm going to hold off making edits and corrections for a while though, because I'm in no hurry to publish it yet. I'd like The Sky Caller to get a little more recognition first. So, in the meantime, I've decided to challenge myself this Christmas break with a new project!
During the next 22 days (December 16 - January 6), I'm going to attempt finishing a novella I'm writing for my wife, Charlie Cradle's Wonderful Existence. Check out the page above to learn some about it!
My goal is to make this book total at approximately 40,000 words. As of right now I have 6,512 words, so if I subtract that from my set total and then divide it by 22, to reach my goal I will need to write a total of approximately 1,522 words a day until my end date. I chose not to participate in NaNoWriMo last month because of my college workload, but now that I have the rest of the holiday to be stress free of school, I can focus a lot more time and energy into writing. Will I be able to achieve my goal? Honestly, I have no idea. Writing about love, comedy and a female main character is going to be challenging, especially for me. But I will never know unless I try.
Every couple of days or so during this time, I'm going to post about my progress and things that randomly pop into my head concerning the challenge.
Your humble writing gremlin,
Scott
Sunday, December 02, 2012
Sequels & Chocolate Gremlins
Ahoy thar, creatures of the internet,
It's currently 11:40 pm and I'm taking a short break from writing so that I can write a blog post. As mentioned the other day, I'm working on a sequel to The Sky Caller. As of this moment, I'm currently 89 words away from having written 35,000. My progress this time around is coming along much faster than it did when writing my first book - which took me approximately 3 years! I believe I've passed the halfway mark, unless my story decides there's more to tell, and I'm feeling really good about it. It's a bit more challenging though, since I'm focusing on two different character perspectives this time around. But it's still as fun and hard as ever!
I'm hoping that by the end of Christmas break I will have finished my first draft. The three weeks off I'm getting from college is going to be a welcomed break, and I can't wait to use up that spare time to write. Next to witnessing my daughter being birthed into the world before my very eyes, watching a story unfold before me is the best feeling ever. It just feels so good to watch your story take a life of its own and even surprise you. Even if no one ever likes my work, I'll always feel good knowing I built such an elaborate universe that at least captivates me. After I finish the second book, I have one more to go to finish the series.
But besides writing, Christmas is near! However, I'm excited and nervous about this. I'm excited because of the time I'll get to spend with family and the meals we'll share together. But I'm nervous because of the weight I'm going to put on because of it! Since September I've gone from weighing 260 lbs to right now weighing 224 lbs through exercise and healthier eating. But what the heck! Tis' the season! I'll just have to cross my fingers and hope the damage isn't too extensive. I'll blame it on the chocolate gremlins spreading mischief.
Now I must return to writing.
Au revoir!
It's currently 11:40 pm and I'm taking a short break from writing so that I can write a blog post. As mentioned the other day, I'm working on a sequel to The Sky Caller. As of this moment, I'm currently 89 words away from having written 35,000. My progress this time around is coming along much faster than it did when writing my first book - which took me approximately 3 years! I believe I've passed the halfway mark, unless my story decides there's more to tell, and I'm feeling really good about it. It's a bit more challenging though, since I'm focusing on two different character perspectives this time around. But it's still as fun and hard as ever!
I'm hoping that by the end of Christmas break I will have finished my first draft. The three weeks off I'm getting from college is going to be a welcomed break, and I can't wait to use up that spare time to write. Next to witnessing my daughter being birthed into the world before my very eyes, watching a story unfold before me is the best feeling ever. It just feels so good to watch your story take a life of its own and even surprise you. Even if no one ever likes my work, I'll always feel good knowing I built such an elaborate universe that at least captivates me. After I finish the second book, I have one more to go to finish the series.
But besides writing, Christmas is near! However, I'm excited and nervous about this. I'm excited because of the time I'll get to spend with family and the meals we'll share together. But I'm nervous because of the weight I'm going to put on because of it! Since September I've gone from weighing 260 lbs to right now weighing 224 lbs through exercise and healthier eating. But what the heck! Tis' the season! I'll just have to cross my fingers and hope the damage isn't too extensive. I'll blame it on the chocolate gremlins spreading mischief.
Now I must return to writing.
Au revoir!
Friday, November 23, 2012
Remember Why You Do It
Ahoy thar, creatures of the internet,
So it's been a few months and I've updated zilch. I could blame it on a lot of stuff: like college, stress, a dancing bacterial octopus... but I'm not. It's my fault. And here's why...
Writing is one of the most fulfilling and rewarding experiences ever. Every time my fingers hover over a keyboard and start typing, and when that magic really starts to happen, my heart beats with excitement. I like to get excited about my writing. And I believe every writers needs to do so. Otherwise, what's the point? So when I was just about finishing writing The Sky Caller, I kept telling myself that no matter what anyone thinks, this is a story I've always wanted to read. I continually reminded myself that first and foremost I write for myself. But realistically, what writer doesn't want others to also enjoy it?
Initially, after I had finished my manuscript, I was going to wait to publish my book. I wanted a professional editor to polish it up before I let others read it. But then I learned of how much it was going to cost to have that done and suddenly I wasn't sure what to do anymore. It's much more than what I can afford any time soon, that's for sure. So in the end, because of some friends and family, I decided to go ahead and self-publish it through www.lulu.com with the edits and corrections I've done myself. It's not perfect, but I believe it's far from horrible, so I was happy enough with it to go ahead with the idea. And *poof* my first book was born.
At that point I was real excited. And I thought, why not ask a stranger to give it an unbiased review? So I did. I had a couple friends read and love it - which made me feel great! But I also wanted someone with no connections to me to read my book so I could see what they thought.
Long story short: the review ripped me to shreds and tossed the pieces to the wind.
The reviewer had actually given it a 3/5 stars, and did say she liked the story, but a lot of the comments hit me quite hard. It really felt more like a 0.2/5 star review from what the critiques had said. And even though I accepted them gratefully and thanked the reviewer for an honest review, I let the negative feedback control me for a while and stopped everything. I forgot that I had wrote the book for myself and that I love it.
Now that a few months have passed, I've had lots of time to reflect on her words and my feelings. Every person has a different opinion about everything. I had to drill it into my head that some people will love it, some will like, and some will hate it. That reviewer did say some things that made me more aware of some areas in my writing that I want to fix. So more than anything, I'm grateful for that review. I need and want to improve. This is my first book, after all. But needless to say, I'm feeling a lot better and more confident now. I've even started writing the sequel to The Sky Caller and have 10 chapters written to date. Hopefully I will have the first draft finished by Spring! That means I'm going to have to get back to blogging my thoughts and experiences while I go through the process all over again.
So what I've learned from all of this is that no matter what medium you choose to express your art, whether it be through writing, painting, filming, etc, there's always going to be people out of the many who enjoy it who will say negative things about it. The important thing is to remember why you chose to bring it to life in the first place.
So it's been a few months and I've updated zilch. I could blame it on a lot of stuff: like college, stress, a dancing bacterial octopus... but I'm not. It's my fault. And here's why...
Writing is one of the most fulfilling and rewarding experiences ever. Every time my fingers hover over a keyboard and start typing, and when that magic really starts to happen, my heart beats with excitement. I like to get excited about my writing. And I believe every writers needs to do so. Otherwise, what's the point? So when I was just about finishing writing The Sky Caller, I kept telling myself that no matter what anyone thinks, this is a story I've always wanted to read. I continually reminded myself that first and foremost I write for myself. But realistically, what writer doesn't want others to also enjoy it?
Initially, after I had finished my manuscript, I was going to wait to publish my book. I wanted a professional editor to polish it up before I let others read it. But then I learned of how much it was going to cost to have that done and suddenly I wasn't sure what to do anymore. It's much more than what I can afford any time soon, that's for sure. So in the end, because of some friends and family, I decided to go ahead and self-publish it through www.lulu.com with the edits and corrections I've done myself. It's not perfect, but I believe it's far from horrible, so I was happy enough with it to go ahead with the idea. And *poof* my first book was born.
At that point I was real excited. And I thought, why not ask a stranger to give it an unbiased review? So I did. I had a couple friends read and love it - which made me feel great! But I also wanted someone with no connections to me to read my book so I could see what they thought.
Long story short: the review ripped me to shreds and tossed the pieces to the wind.
The reviewer had actually given it a 3/5 stars, and did say she liked the story, but a lot of the comments hit me quite hard. It really felt more like a 0.2/5 star review from what the critiques had said. And even though I accepted them gratefully and thanked the reviewer for an honest review, I let the negative feedback control me for a while and stopped everything. I forgot that I had wrote the book for myself and that I love it.
Now that a few months have passed, I've had lots of time to reflect on her words and my feelings. Every person has a different opinion about everything. I had to drill it into my head that some people will love it, some will like, and some will hate it. That reviewer did say some things that made me more aware of some areas in my writing that I want to fix. So more than anything, I'm grateful for that review. I need and want to improve. This is my first book, after all. But needless to say, I'm feeling a lot better and more confident now. I've even started writing the sequel to The Sky Caller and have 10 chapters written to date. Hopefully I will have the first draft finished by Spring! That means I'm going to have to get back to blogging my thoughts and experiences while I go through the process all over again.
So what I've learned from all of this is that no matter what medium you choose to express your art, whether it be through writing, painting, filming, etc, there's always going to be people out of the many who enjoy it who will say negative things about it. The important thing is to remember why you chose to bring it to life in the first place.
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Pre-release of The Sky Caller
Alright, friends. So as some of you already know, I have decided to make a pre-release of my book. This is the "unofficial" release of The Sky Caller until I can save up enough money (which may be a while) to have it professionally edited. I have edited the book myself a couple of times but I'm no professional so there are still some grammar and sentence structure issues to work out. However, it's not in such a state that it's completely unreadable! I've had a couple of friends read it already and have said that there are some mistakes but not enough to make it not enjoyable.
So, I present to you The Sky Caller. Follow that link to view my Lulu page and to be able to purchase my book! (For a complete link: http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/scottjcallaway)
So, I present to you The Sky Caller. Follow that link to view my Lulu page and to be able to purchase my book! (For a complete link: http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/scottjcallaway)
For the pre-release, I have decided to publish with www.lulu.com. When my book is completely polished I intend on publishing it elsewhere but because Lulu doesn't charge a set-up fee I thought that the best way to go. The only reason I'm making a pre-release is because people would like to read my book, and knowing that it'll be a long time until I can get it edited I have decided to publish my own edited version early for them. But some of you may ask "why would you do this if you felt it isn't ready to be shown?" Well, I wasn't going to release it at all. The idea of people buying my book knowing that it wasn't perfect made me sick to my stomach. But enough people want to read it that I thought if they are willing and purchase it with the knowledge that this IS an unedited version (as far as professional editing is concerned) then I won't feel bad about it. I didn't write this book to make money. I wanted to tell a story. If people want to read my story with that knowledge then I have no problem with it. But like I said, I don't think it's in that bad of condition. Inside the book I have added an Author's Note explaining what I've just said also.
Unfortunately, because Lulu doesn't offer the exact dimensions I wanted for my book, I won't be able to use Jolene McKay's cover art. This brings great sadness to me. However, for the official release of my book I will be definitely be using it. I'm also going to be using it for the ebook version too. For this version I'm using a generic cover design provided by Lulu. It's not bad but nowhere near as awesome as the one Jolene made. Here it is:
So there you have it. For those of you who decide to read my first novel I hope you like it! I am proud of my story and hope as many people as possible can enjoy it.
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Publication Postponed
I've made a big decision about the publication of my book. I've decided that it can wait a little longer. I was really excited to have it published; however, it isn't perfect in terms of grammar and sentence structure. I did the best I could with the ability that I have, but I don't feel that it does justice to my book. I believe in my story, so I want to respect it by cleaning it up as best as possible.
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Cover Art
With only days away from the release of my book The Sky Caller I am more excited than ever! Last time I revealed the blurb that appears on the back cover, and this time I am sharing the front cover of the book that was designed by Jolene McKay. I think she's done an incredible job and has far exceeded my expectations. This picture is part of the giant mushroom forest I've described in my story.
There you have it! When I hired her to design my cover I had never expected this. I wanted something similar to Neil Gaiman's Stardust cover but then she showed me a sketch of this and I was blown away! She captured the essence of what I've described in my book, right down to the mushrooms casting light from underneath their caps. So if anyone is looking for professional quality work then I suggest looking no further than Jolene McKay.
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
First Post/First Book
Welcome to my blog!
I'm Scott J. Callaway. Recently I have finished writing my first book - a Young Adult/Fantasy/Science Fiction novel. It has been a long process and a lot of work to complete. But I've done it! I've decided to go with the self-publishing route through a local book store where I live called Books Inn and Lightning Demand Press because I really love what they have there. Some people might ask why I'm choosing to go with self-publishing if I could just wait and work hard at getting a traditional publisher to look at it. My answer to that is that I do have a desire to someday pursue this idea, but ultimately all I want is to see my story in book format. I believe in my story enough that I am confident it can go places but even if it never becomes widespread that's okay with me. I wrote this book for myself. However, I do really hope people read and enjoy it also! Now, I should tell you what it's about! Here's the blurb that's going onto the back cover:
"For centuries select people and animals have guarded the worlds most important secret from falling into the wrong hands. Gateways to other worlds and dimensions have been protected from those who would dare to exploit their power for the purpose of evil. But when young Everic Ashford visits his aunts lake house and discovers a magical pond, he's thrust into an adventure beyond all his understanding. There he meets a talking raven, a grumpy troll, and other strange beings while fighting to save a world from the universe's most dangerous threat."
Voila! Currently it still hasn't been published but it won't be long. When my cover designer finishes her work, which will hopefully be within the next couple of weeks, then I'm going to bring everything to Books Inn and get the process rolling. Hopefully within the first two weeks of August I'll have them in print. I'm not comparing my humble story to these next few very accomplished books, but if you like the Harry Potter, Chronicles of Narnia and Fablehaven genre then here's the next entry into the world of Fantasy! If you would like to follow the progress of my book or would like to comment about it then please follow my blog and be the first to receive any new information that comes up!
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