I’m going to get the more negative part out of the way. The paranormal thriller I’m writing is REALLY driving me crazy. Typically, I’d be over a hundred pages on a writing project, but I just broke 60. The chapters are shorter, story is more concise, atmosphere a bigger focus, and it’s so far out of my wheelhouse that I can’t go barreling through. I probably spend most of my energy keeping my fantasy author habits in check. At this point, I don’t know if I’ll get it done by Friday. I want to because that leaves me with 2 weeks of having the house to myself and working on Legends of Windemere Book 11. It’s bizarre here because I enjoy the story and the idea, but it’s a mental marathon to write this thing. The chaos of upcoming events and a laptop issue didn’t help, but I can still feel the pressure when writing. It’s also possible that writing a story with a depressed, fragile main character might not be a smart idea considering my more recent moods and mindsets. I might be doing a little damage here.
*Break to figure out why I hear confusion in the next room*
Where was I? I have no idea. It’s been another week where I know things happened and I can barely recall them. I’m lacking the ability to absorb events. So much noise and chaos around me when I all I want is calm. We all know my song and dance here, so I’ll skip the usual. Though that doesn’t leave me with much else. Books have been selling meh and I’m too burned out to figure out any fun marketing thing.
I want to do a TWUBS chat at the end of the month as a celebration of the upcoming release of Ichabod Brooks & the City of Beasts. It won’t only be about that, but I want to do an interactive event. I’m thinking either Saturday or Sunday night from 7-11 PM EST again. The midday, midweek, mid-month one only had 2-3 people for a bit of the time. I can’t get the time to do it during the day on a weekend either. At least not this month. So that’s something to keep an eye out for.
An old idea is rearing its head in my mind again. Not sure I should talk about this particular albatross again. The whole thing is confusing and has at times rolled into a ‘series’ longer than Legends of Windemere. Hard to really say since every book was dealing with a different hero, adventure, and villain. Only the opener and the two book finale had a group event. Long time followers might already know what I’m talking about and fleeing. That’s why I’m keeping my mouth shut until I get to think more about this.
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Next weekend is going to be really busy, so I don’t know how often people will hear from me while I try to get the story done. Then again, I have a 6 pack of Redd’s Green Apple Ale and a 12 pack of Sam Adams Porch Rocker. Think I have some whiskey around here too and it feels like it might be one of those weeks . . . months . . . . Basically, fuck you and your sadistic machinations, 2015. At least something is going right and I’ll mention it when I figure it out. The son has been 95% healthy this year. Yesterday’s Sleeper of the Wildwood Fugue quote tweets were fun.
What to do this week?
- Happy Mother’s Day.
- Finish writing the first draft of paranormal thriller. Not sure what to do after that.
- Write the last few June blog posts.
- Ponder the revival of the old idea.
- Take an axe to the phone.
- Ride the bike when I can. To be honest, the desire has not been there lately, but I still do it.
- Market book, I guess. Out of ideas on that front. Brain can’t dream up guest post topics and no idea where to go for interviews. Think I’m just burned out on that front. Don’t even get me started on how to get reviews. This far into a series makes that a headache.
- A family thing that people don’t want me to talk about here.
Going to end with a short Mother’s Day story:
I was getting my son to fill out the cards and writing the appropriate name on the envelope. Well, he got confused and ‘Mommy’ became ‘Mommny’. So now he keeps saying the word ‘Mom-mny’.
Legends of Windemere 
I feel you on all fronts. Sales flatlined for me. I have something creative in the works, but I’m waiting on someone else. I need to approach a couple of the bigger blogs about appearances, but I have critiques of my work to address. Writing time has become a Will O’ the Wisp. I’m eating my elephant one bite at a time — again.
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Did it seem like it was a rather abrupt flatline? Felt that the last week in April suddenly collapsed. As far as the guest blogging, I’ve been wondering if that really helps with sales. Don’t get me wrong. It’s a lot of fun and it boosts my blog’s audience. The interaction of such things is the best part. Yet, I rarely see any sales boosts from it. Same goes for most social media activity.
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Man, we’re in the same place. The flatline was abrupt. Too late for Spring Break. Maybe vacations and wedding plans have something to do with it. I’m still going to guest, and host. It’s a lot of fun, and the blog grows because of it. My blog stats collapsed during the same timeframe. I thought it was because I left town for a few days. Maybe it’s seasonal.
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Never considered that. I do plan on hosting and guesting when I can find the openings. Though I’m out of ideas to write about. Maybe I’ll open up June to guest bloggers again because I feel like being helpful. Possibly duets like what we kind of did with the ‘pet posts’.
Might be seasonal. Everyone is studying for final exams?
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Sounds like a plan. I’ll play along if you have an idea or two.
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Probably a good idea I’m waiting then. My brain is fried when it comes to the guest blogging thing.
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Ax the phone. Love it. Cute story about the card.
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Hoping she remembers the keep the envelope where the typo is.
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Important document.
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You seem to be so stressed out and I’m sorry about that. Everything will work out, I’m sure. Your son is adorable, by the way. 🙂
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Thanks. Do seem to be stressed. Hopefully this week goes by quickly and I can rest.
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I hope so, too. Like I said, everything will work out in the end.
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But we want to hear about “A family thing that people don’t want me to talk about here.” 😉 j/k
Okay, the best weeks are the ones we hardly remember. It’s when we sit down and relax do we realize how productive a week it actually was. Good luck with your first draft, Charles. Fist pump in the air for you and your projects. You’re an inspiration.
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I’m sure there are people who would rather hear about that stuff than any of my writing news. 😀 Thanks for the fist pump. I really hope this is a productive week and I can put this baby to bed. Want to get to some brighter pastures.
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Mom-mny does have a nice ring to it. 🙂
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It definitely grows on you.
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Awwww. That’s a cute story. I only have a few chapters of my psycho thriller accomplished. It was so long ago, I may have to rethink what I was thinking to get it back.
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I’ve had a few stories that I left alone a long time ago. Sometimes they come back stronger after being forgotten for so long.
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Axing the phone was the best thing I ever did.
Hope everything works out for you!
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Getting rid of it or actually taking an axe to it? Sadly, I really can’t do either in case the school calls.
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It’s always hard when characters compete for our attention, and when we have different projects that we want to give equal attention. I admire the fact you’re concentrating on one thing at a time and sticking to deadlines. I don’t know what to say about the thriller. The barriers we face as writers are different. When I struggled to write the science fiction, I started again using first person and stepped completely out of my comfort zone. Yes, I’m crazy! But it paid off. I hope! I’ll keep my fingers crossed you find the solution soon…who ever said writing is easy was telling porkie pies 😉
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Not sure if it’s characters wanting attention or me simply remaining uncomfortable with the new genre. Either way, it’s leaving me exhausted. I spent a little time yesterday with the outline, so I should be able to get Thursday and Friday free for recovery this week. Had a lot of excess.
Today’s post goes a bit more into the unique issue I’m having with the current story. Even then, it’s getting complicated and I might not even hit 100 pages.
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I’ll check out today’s post. I’m almost caught up on things…phew! You certainly didn’t choose the easiest genre in the world to venture into…thrillers are fun, but like you said – exhausting! 🙂
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Hasn’t gone up yet. Tend to have it go live around 10 AM to give me some time to get things done. Especially on a Monday where WordPress seems more active.
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I just discovered that when I went looking through my emails! Which is great news because I’m caught 😀 I’ll look forward to reading the post later today.
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Hope you enjoy. Kind of. I’ll admit that it’s a little dark.
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Sometimes it’s how we feel – dark! As long as we don’t let it consume us, it’s okay 😉
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That’s going to be the trick here. Hard to explain.
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You have me curious! I’ll wait for the post to avoid spoilers 😉
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I commiserate. Working on another Highland Romance here. It should no biggy by now, BUT my hero is a peasant-born mercenary. He talks differently, thinks differently, reacts differently… I like him, but Its taking a lot of effort to get into (stay into) his character.
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Have you tried doing a few throw away scenes with him? Maybe even a fake interview to get a feel for his core? I did that with a few Windemere characters.
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Sweet! No, I haven’t. I could write a short story about his mercenary days, or about his childhood…. Hmmmm…
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Might be more stories in there too. 😀
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I know!!!!! 🙂
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Keep at it, Charles. The hardest stories to write often turn out to be the best ones.
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Thanks. Fingers crossed that it comes out that way.
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I’m all for fizzy escapes – thought I stick to cheap champagne. It’s always uplifting to read how your son keeps you focused on what really matters and how that is constantly changing.
Here’s to a happy week!
Ellespeth
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Never had much in the way of champagne. We have a bottle here that’s waiting for a special event, which apparently is selling my grandmother’s condo. Tough job.
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