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
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
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
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